Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 562 Fear (Part Two)

October 12th, the fifteenth year of Chongzhen (December 7th, 1642).

Anping Town, Quanzhou Prefecture.

Early winter in southern Fujian is not as harsh as in the north; instead, the warm sun shines on the continuous rooftops and crisscrossing waterways of Anping Town.

This massive town at the mouth of the Jinjiang River has become so prosperous and bustling, thanks to one man, that it has surpassed even the provincial capital of Fuzhou.

The most prominent residence in the town was the mansion of the Zheng family, who were the Ming Dynasty's General Commander of Chaozhou and Zhangzhou and controlled the southeastern sea frontier.

This mansion is less a residence and more a city within a city.

Surrounded by high walls, the pavilions and towers are arranged in a well-organized manner, exuding extreme luxury.

Most astonishingly, a wide, man-made waterway, like a jade belt, leads deep into the mansion, forming a private harbor.

At this moment, several ornately decorated medium-sized sailboats with towering masts are moored here, with the "Zheng" flag on their bows fluttering gently in the breeze.

The silver coins paid by merchant ships from all over the world and the wealth gathered from all corners of the world flowed into this mansion through this waterway, nourishing the power of Zheng Zhilong, who was secretly known as the "Dragon King of the East Sea".

Inside the study, rosewood bookshelves reach the ceiling, and they are not filled with solitary books, but rather with rare treasures from the East and West: exquisite Japanese lacquerware, lustrous South Sea pearls, and delicate Western clocks, silently proclaiming the breadth of the owner's interests.

The air was filled with a faint ambergris fragrance, which was refreshing and pleasant.

Zheng Zhilong sat upright behind a large rosewood desk, dressed in brocade robes. Although he was over forty years old, his years of maritime life and the authority he had gained from wielding the power of life and death gave him the shrewdness of a merchant and the sharpness of a tyrant, making him imposing without anger.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the smooth tabletop, listening to Zheng Cai's report as she returned, his face gradually darkening.

Zheng Cai, Zheng Zhilong's cousin and one of his capable subordinates, looked rather disheveled at the moment, with some dust and dark red bloodstains still clinging to his armor.

"...Uncle, it's not that I haven't done my best, but Nan'ao Island has become a den of dragons and tigers!" Zheng Cai's voice was tinged with lingering fear and a hint of unresolved panting. "We followed military orders, leading thirty ships carrying 1,200 elite brothers. After arriving at Nan'ao Island, we took advantage of the night to circle around to the northern shoals and landed. Everything went very smoothly."

"At first, the island seemed peaceful, with only some cultivated fields and scattered villages. We sneaked inland for two days and finally approached the bandit's lair. But, Uncle, it was no ordinary mountain stronghold, but a... a fortified city!"

Zheng Cai's description caused the other core generals in the study, such as Yang Ce and Gan Hui, to sit up straight, their faces showing surprise and doubt.

"The city was built entirely of large stones, with high walls and deep moats, sharp edges that facilitated flanking fire, a style rarely seen in our Great Ming. What's even more alarming is that more than a dozen cannons were mounted on the top of the walls, their muzzles menacing, all pointing towards the only road leading out of the city!"

"We thought it was a bluff, so we sent a team of elite troops forward to provoke and test them. As soon as they entered range, the city walls opened fire with cannons, and bullets rained down with excellent accuracy. Our brothers were caught off guard and were killed or wounded in an instant... My nephew was not satisfied and organized several more strong attacks, but they were all repelled by the dense musket fire and log cannons."

"Judging from their defenses, although the number of people is not large, their orders are strict, the soldiers are brave, their weapons are excellent, and their tactics are well-organized, just like a well-trained army. With the city's strong defenses and the sharpness of its firearms, not only would my nephew's more than a thousand men be unable to break through, but even if four or five thousand more elite troops were added, without the support of equally heavy artillery, it would be difficult to succeed."

"Your nephew is incompetent. He lost three warships and two hundred and forty-seven brothers. He had no choice but to retreat in defeat and return to report to his uncle for punishment!"

After Zheng Cai finished speaking, she knelt heavily on one knee, her head bowed, not daring to raise it.

The study fell eerily quiet, save for the faint crackling sound of sandalwood incense burning in the bronze incense burner.

Zheng Zhilong's brows furrowed tightly.

Nan'ao Island, a small island located off the coast of Chaozhou Prefecture, which he had always regarded as a minor ailment, had actually caused his elite troops to suffer such a great loss.
This is a blatant slap in the face to him, the "Dragon King of the Sea"!
He was not unaware of the faction operating on South Australia Island.

Several years ago, there were rumors that a group of people of unknown origin had occupied the island, but they acted very discreetly, neither plundering the coast nor interfering with the Zheng family's shipping routes. They simply focused on recruiting refugees from Chaozhou, Huizhou and other places to settle on the island.

Zheng Zhilong was busy integrating military and political affairs in Fujian, dealing with the Dutch, and dealing with other remaining pirates at the time, and did not pay much attention to this "well-behaved" minor character.

He once sent envoys to appease them, but the other party was humble and called themselves "a remnant of the sea". They had nowhere to go and only wanted a small place to settle down and make a living. They dared not be enemies of the Zheng family and were even willing to pay some symbolic "protection fees".

Seeing that they were sensible, Zheng Zhilong tacitly allowed their existence.

However, in the past year or two, the situation has quietly changed.

First, Zheng's spies scattered along the coast reported that Nan'ao Island began to recruit skilled sailors and various craftsmen along the coast of Chaozhou and Huizhou with extremely high salaries. From shipbuilders to blacksmiths, they were all recruited.

Initially, the scope was limited to eastern Guangdong. Although Zheng Zhilong was displeased, he felt it was not a big deal.

But gradually, the word of this recruitment spread to Zhangzhou, and even to Quanzhou, where Zheng Zhilong's base was located.

This would infringe upon his fundamental interests.

His Zheng family's massive fleet and army also required a large number of sailors and craftsmen to support them.

These "pirates" dared to openly poach his employees!
What alarmed Zheng Zhilong even more was that the other side had extremely high standards for recruiting sailors, offered generous treatment, and seemed to have a rigorous selection and training system, which was something that ordinary pirates or settlement groups could not do.

He sent several waves of envoys to issue stern warnings, but the other side remained outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, swearing on the one hand that they had no malicious intent, while continuing to do as they pleased.

“The people of Xinzhou…” Zheng Zhilong began slowly, his voice low and filled with suppressed anger, “the kind of foreign land that’s supposedly located on a continent overseas in the Far East, called something like ‘Xinzhou’ or ‘Xinhua’?… It seems they even paid tribute to the imperial court?”

"General, you are wise enough to recognize this force." Feng Chengshi, the aide in charge of intelligence gathering, bowed and replied, "General, this force is probably not as simple as an ordinary overseas vassal. According to various investigations, they call themselves 'Xinhua,' and their roots are indeed on the New Continent, thousands of miles away."

"However, in recent years, its reach has extended extremely far. About ten years ago, it secretly took control of Ezo (Hokkaido) in northern Japan and established it as a base. Even more shocking is that about two years ago, the earth-shattering changes on Luzon Island also had the active presence of people from New South Wales behind them."

Feng Chengshi paused, his tone growing increasingly grave: "Based on information from various sources, the Portuguese, who have occupied Luzon for decades, have most likely been completely defeated and driven out by the combined forces of New Zealand and the oppressed Han Chinese in the area. The fortified city of Manila has already changed hands."

"Now, the entire island of Luzon can be said to be under their control. I've heard that they've even expanded south to Mindanao, which shows that their ambitions are not small and their strength is unfathomable. They are by no means an ordinary overseas nation!" "Heh, I didn't expect that in just a few years, they have built up such a large empire!" Zheng Zhilong sneered twice, stood up, and paced back and forth in the study with its thick, soft carpet.

I still remember that three years ago, these new Chinese envoys lured the Zheng family to send their navy to attack the Portuguese in Luzon with a huge amount of wealth from Luzon.

However, at that time, he was vying for the position of General Commander of Chaozhou and Zhangzhou, and had no "leisure time" to care about Luzon. He completely ignored their invitation.

Unexpectedly, these new Chinese defeated the Portuguese in Luzon and then seized the island, which was located not far from the southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty.

It should be noted that the Portuguese had been governing Luzon for decades, and he was well aware of the fortifications of Manila and the ferocity of its city walls' firepower.

When he was competing with the Dutch, he was also wary of the possibility of conflict with the Spanish, knowing that they were not easy to deal with.

But these New Zealanders were able to uproot it completely?

This small fiefdom in Xinzhou is no easy opponent!

Gan Hui spoke up, "General, I've heard that the people of Xinzhou have close ties with many military leaders and clans in Liaodong, providing them with a great deal of excellent firearms and even sending troops to help them harass the Qing army's rear. Their influence is not to be underestimated!"

Zheng Zhilong walked to the window and looked at the magnificent sight of masts standing like a forest in his own port, but his heart was in turmoil.

He originally thought he was just teaching a minor overseas vassal state a lesson for not knowing the rules, removing an eyesore, and maintaining his unchallengeable authority.

But to my utter surprise, I kicked a steel plate.

The fortified fortresses and formidable firearms on Nan'ao Island, the change of control of Luzon, and the frequent appearances of Liaodong...

These fragments, pieced together, point to a fact he has to face: this new continent is probably far more troublesome than he imagined.

“It seems…” Zheng Zhilong turned around, his gaze sweeping over the group of confidants in the study, his eyes shifting from initial anger to deep calculation, “We underestimated this small overseas vassal state before. They came to our Ming Dynasty’s coastal borders, probably not to make a living, but to… steal our food.”

"What do you mean, brother?" Zheng Zhibao asked in surprise, "The people of Xinzhou are going to be our enemies?"

"Although their hostility has not been explicitly stated, their actions have already revealed their true colors." Zheng Zhilong's face was calm as water, but his eyes were sharp as knives. "They have spread from the Ainu in the north to the Liaohai Islands, then through Nan'ao, and finally extended to Luzon... These Xinzhou people have laid out a long snake formation in the southeastern sea of ​​our Great Ming."

Zheng Zhilong's voice carried a hint of coldness, "They have secretly occupied Nan'ao, which allows them to spy on the coastal areas of Fujian and Guangdong, and can also serve as a relay hub connecting the north and south. In recent years, they have spared no expense in recruiting sailors and building ships, which shows that their ambitions are not small."

"Uncle, should we mobilize a large force, combine it with naval gunboats, and attack Nan'ao again? ...To wipe out their stronghold in one fell swoop!" Zheng Cai raised his head and asked cautiously.

Zheng Zhilong shook his head: "No. As you just said, the South Australia fortress is sturdy and its guns and cannons are powerful. If we attack again, we're afraid we won't come out unscathed. This matter needs careful consideration; we must plan thoroughly before taking action..."

He pondered for a moment, then turned and instructed, "Yang Ce, send more capable spies to thoroughly investigate the background of these New Continent people. Not only should we keep a close eye on every move in South Australia, but we should also try to find out about the situation in Luzon and even the New Continent mainland."

"General..." Yang Ce was stunned upon hearing this. "The Xinzhou mainland is tens of thousands of miles away across the ocean, where the seas are treacherous. How... how can we investigate its origins..."

"How did you send your spies to Batavia back then to find out the details of the British?" Zheng Zhilong's eyes sharpened as he glared at him. "No matter how far the road, there are always boats to cross. This matter concerns the safety of the Zheng family's foundation, and there can be no mistakes!"

"What the General means is..." Yang Ce's eyes widened, "We're going to send spies to Xinzhou...?"

"What do you say?"

"..." Yang Ce opened his mouth, but seeing Zheng Zhilong's firm attitude, he dared not argue any further and could only bite the bullet and reply, "This subordinate... obeys."

Crossing tens of thousands of miles of ocean to explore the new continent is like going to the ends of the earth; whether one can return alive is also a question.

Fine, let's go down and pick a few unlucky ones.

"Gan Hui, all naval battalions should strengthen their vigilance, especially in the waters leading to Nan'ao, Dongfan (i.e., Taiwan), and Guangdong. Closely monitor and intercept any ships that are not flying my Zheng family's flag."

"Yes!" Gan Hui clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

Zheng Zhilong strolled back to his desk, his fingertips tracing the smooth surface, and pondered, "Furthermore... Mr. Feng, in my name as the General Commander of Chaozhou and Zhangzhou, draft a strongly worded proclamation and send it to Nan'ao."

"We sternly questioned them about their crimes of breaking faith, arbitrarily expanding their military power, invading our territory, and undermining our foundations. We demanded that they immediately cease all recruitment activities, provide a convincing explanation for their unprovoked attack on our Ming soldiers, and compensate for the corresponding losses."

"Let's see how they respond."

"Understood, I will do it immediately," Feng Chengshi replied with a bow.

The group obeyed and left, and the study returned to silence.

Zheng Zhilong sat back down in his chair, took a deep breath, and stared at the nautical chart on the wall that roughly depicted the outline of the ocean, his expression complex and unreadable.

Originally, it was thought that by defeating the powerful enemy, the "Red-haired Barbarians," and by eliminating or pacifying the various maritime powerful figures, the southeastern coastal borders of the Ming Dynasty were under its control, and the Zheng family's hegemony was as stable as Mount Tai.

Unexpectedly, a seemingly low-profile but actually powerful "New Continent Outer Domain" quietly emerged right under their noses.

His style of doing things and strategic plans are completely different from any opponent he has ever encountered before, making him more unpredictable and more dangerous.

"But no matter what, there can only be one person whose word is law in this southeastern sea. It was me, Zheng, before, it is now, and it must be in the future!"

"As for these New Zealanders... if they're dragons, they'll have to coil up before me; if they're tigers, they'll have to lie low before me."

"Otherwise, even if he really is a powerful dragon crossing the river, I, Zheng Zhilong, will still have to test my skills and see whose claws are sharper and whose foundation is deeper on this vast sea frontier!"
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(End of this chapter)