Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

The news of the great victory at Liaoluowan spread like wildfire, reaching all corners of the world at an astonishing speed.

When the messenger, carrying a red lacquered bamboo tube with three feathers inserted—symbolizing the highest level of victory—rushed into Jinling City with lightning speed, changing horses but not riders along the way, and arrived at the Meridian Gate of the Imperial City, the heart of the entire empire pounded violently.

"A great victory! General Zheng Zhilong, the General Who Pacifies the Seas, has decisively defeated the combined fleets of the Dutch, Portuguese, and Dutch forces at Liaoluo Bay in the Fujian Sea! Nine enemy ships were sunk, six captured, and thousands killed, wounded, or captured! The enemy chieftain, Mora, barely escaped with his life! Our army has achieved a great victory! The sea frontier is now pacified!!"

The messenger's hoarse yet impassioned voice echoed in front of the Meridian Gate, and then, like cold water poured into boiling oil, it instantly ignited the entire city.

"They won? They really won?!"

A combined fleet of three nations? My God!

"General Zheng is mighty! The Royal Maritime Administration is mighty! His Majesty is wise!"

"The sea frontiers are now peaceful! The sea frontiers are now peaceful!"

From the Forbidden City to the Six Ministries, from the banks of the Qinhuai River to the bustling streets, countless officials, scholars, merchants, and ordinary people were first astonished and incredulous, then erupted in a frenzy of joy.

Since the Japanese pirate raids of the previous dynasty, when has the southeastern sea frontier ever seen such a resounding and triumphant victory?

Moreover, the opponent was not the Japanese pirates, but the Western red-haired barbarians and Portuguese who had dominated the seas for decades with their powerful ships and cannons! It was their combined fleet!

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Xiao Chen received a report of victory personally delivered by Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng.

He unfolded the memorial, stained with dust and sweat, and read it word by word.

Upon seeing the report, "Nine enemy ships sunk, six captured...the enemy combined fleet collapsed and withdrew from the Fujian Sea..."

When he saw the words "waiting," a sharp, uncontrollable glint finally flashed in his deep, ancient eyes.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Xiao Chen uttered three "good"s in succession, then abruptly stood up from his throne. He paced around the hall a couple of times, turned around, and his face, once grim, now held a mixture of fervor and triumph. "Zheng Zhilong, you have indeed lived up to my expectations! The Great Xia Navy has displayed its might! It has upheld our national dignity!"

"It was thanks to Your Majesty's divine might and the soldiers' valiant efforts that this unparalleled feat was achieved!"

Zhang Juzheng, his face beaming, bowed and said, "After this battle, the southeastern coastal regions will be secure for at least ten years! The Western barbarians will no longer dare to underestimate our Celestial Empire!"

"ten years?"

Xiao Chen walked to the enormous "Complete Map of the World" and traced his finger along the long coastline, finally stopping at Liaoluo Bay. He sneered, "What I want is to eliminate future troubles forever! I want my Great Xia dragon flag to be planted all over this vast sea frontier, and even further!"

He turned abruptly, his voice resolute: "Draft an imperial edict!"

"General Zheng Zhilong, the General Who Pacifies the Seas, is loyal, brave, and exceptionally intelligent. He led the navy in fierce battles, defeating the enemy and demonstrating our nation's power at sea. His merits benefit the country and future generations. He is hereby promoted to Marquis of Jinghai, a hereditary title, and is granted a certificate of merit and an iron certificate, a reward of ten thousand taels of gold and a thousand bolts of silk. The Marquis of Jinghai's residence will be built in Quanzhou!"

"The Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Imperial Maritime Administration shall jointly reward the meritorious officers and soldiers under his command, with utmost generosity and speed! The fallen soldiers shall receive double the compensation, be honored with shrines, and their descendants shall be blessed! Those seriously wounded shall be supported by the court for life!"

"All officers and soldiers of the East China Sea Fleet who participated in the battle, regardless of rank or position, will be awarded half a year's salary! Craftsmen who made contributions at the Longjiang and Fuzhou shipyards, the Tianjin artillery factory, and the Nanjing Ordnance Bureau will receive substantial rewards!"

"The enemy ships captured in this battle that can be repaired will be incorporated into the navy; those that are unusable will be dismantled and studied for future reference. Among the captured barbarian soldiers, select the craftsmen, interpreters, and those with skills to retain; the rest will be strictly guarded and sold at a higher price!"

One after another, imperial edicts of reward and honor were issued from the Forbidden City, flowing southeastward and reaching the hearts of every soldier and craftsman who had shed blood and sacrificed their lives for this victory.

This is the empire's generosity towards its meritorious officials, and more importantly, it is the emperor's declaration to the world: exploring the oceans and defending the sea frontiers will be the dynasty's unwavering national policy! Those who have rendered meritorious service to the seas will surely be richly rewarded!

In stark contrast to the jubilation and rewards in Nanjing, the Governor's Palace in distant Manila was eerily silent and filled with fear.

The Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines, Coquela, slumped in a high-backed chair, his face ashen, holding in his hand a copy of the battle report, dictated by the disgraced General Mora and recorded by his clerk—a report that was vague yet filled with heartbreaking detail.

He couldn't imagine that the powerful combined fleet, which brought together the main force of the Spanish and Philippine fleets, the best of the Portuguese Macau fleet, and the remnants of the Dutch, would suffer such a crushing defeat in Liaoluo Bay, despite having an advantage in manpower, firepower, and experience!

Of the twelve Spanish galleons, less than five returned, and all of them were damaged. The flagship, San Felipe, was almost totaled, and the mainmast of San Martin was broken, severely weakening its fighting capacity.

The Portuguese lost nearly half of their warships, while the Dutch suffered almost total annihilation.

More than four thousand experienced sailors and soldiers perished at sea or were captured, and countless cannons and supplies were lost.

"It's over...it's all over..." Coquela muttered to himself, cold sweat soaking through his silk shirt.

He could almost see the menacing silhouette of the giant blue ship outside Manila Bay, and the endless Great Xia fleet behind it.

Without the protection of the fleet, the rich Luzon Islands, like oysters shucked, were exposed to greedy diners.

"Immediately write to the Governor-General of New Spain (Governor-General of Mexico) and His Majesty the King! Ask for help!"

We need more warships, more soldiers, and more silver to strengthen our defenses!

And... immediately send people to Macau, no, to Goa, to Lisbon!

We must unite, unite more closely! Otherwise, there will be no place for us in the East!

Coquela, as if grasping at a last straw, roared at his equally pale-faced adjutant.

Upon receiving the news, the Portuguese Governor of Macau, Fernando, immediately ordered the closure of all checkpoints leading to the mainland, the reinforcement of fortifications, the inventory of goods, and dispatched his most capable merchants to Guangzhou with lavish gifts and "friendly" letters to try to explain the "misunderstanding," reiterate Portugal's "loyalty" and "submission" to the Ming Emperor, and express his willingness to "double the rent" to preserve Macau as a trading hub.

The Dutch East India Company board in Batavia, after initial shock and anger, descended into deeper fear and infighting.

The defeat at Penghu could be attributed to chance, but the disastrous defeat at Liaoluo Bay shattered their dream that they could do whatever they wanted in the Far East with just a few warships.

Should we continue to invest heavily and send an even more powerful fleet to the Far East for revenge?

Or should we temporarily retreat, preserve our existing interests in Taiwan and the Spice Islands, or even... consider "trade negotiations" with the newly emerging maritime power, Great Xia?

The cannon fire at Liaoluo Bay was like thunder, not only shaking the foundations of European colonial rule in East Asia, but its resounding echoes also quickly spread throughout Southeast Asia.

The King of Siam urgently summoned Chinese merchants to inquire in detail about the Bactrian navy and began to re-examine diplomatic relations with Portugal and the Netherlands, considering sending a more formal mission to Nanjing to pay tribute.

The Sultan of Malacca (at this time, the Portuguese occupied the area, but local forces remained) secretly sent people to contact the exiled prince to explore the possibility of using the power of Bactria to expel the Portuguese.

The news reached Champa, Zhenla, and even the sultanates further south, such as Banten and Aceh.

The Southeast Asian monarchs, who had previously had to bow to Portuguese and Dutch warships, saw hope rekindled in their eyes.

Does the fact that an Eastern empire was able to defeat the "Red Barbarian" combined fleet mean that the oppressor above them was not invincible?

The Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan received the news almost simultaneously at the Dutch trading post in Nagasaki and in Chinatown.

Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu convened a secret meeting with the senior councilors, deeply uneasy about the suddenly displayed formidable naval power of the "Xia Kingdom." He issued strict orders to strengthen surveillance of the "foreign ships" and to reassess the pros and cons of the isolationist policy.

Even the Portuguese governor in Goa, India, and the King of Spain, the Dutch Consul, and the King of England, who were embroiled in the Thirty Years' War and the struggle for maritime supremacy in Europe, soon received a vague but alarming report from the East: in the far East, the ancient Chinese empire seemed to be turning its attention back to the ocean in an unexpected way, and possessed a fleet that could not be underestimated and was capable of changing the regional balance of power.

The smoke of battle in Liaoluo Bay gradually dissipated, but the ripples caused by this naval battle were only just beginning to spread.

It was not merely a tactical victory, but a powerful signal that a land-based empire was officially returning to its once familiar yet unfamiliar blue territory with a strong stance.

On the chessboard of the world, a long-dormant piece was picked up again by a powerful hand and placed on the crucial square of the ocean.

The future is therefore full of uncertainties.