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

The smoke of battle at Liaoluo Bay did not completely dissipate with the spread of good news.

The victory of the Great Xia Navy is like a boulder thrown into a calm lake in East Asia, and the ripples it has created are spreading outwards, changing the mentality and strategies of various countries and forces along the coast.

However, just as Nanjing was still celebrating and bestowing rewards for the glorious victory of this "sea rebellion," a secret letter from across the strait, stained with blood, tears, and the smoke of war, was quietly delivered to Zheng Zhilong, who had just been enfeoffed as the Marquis of Jinghai and was still in Xiamen dealing with the aftermath of the naval battle and the reorganization of the fleet.

The letter was delivered to the Xiamen Naval Headquarters by a man named Guo Huaiyi, who claimed to be a former subordinate of Yan Siqi, along with several wounded companions, in a dilapidated small boat, braving the wind and waves and the blockade of Dutch patrol boats.

"My lord! My lord Zheng! We beg you, my lord, save our fellow countrymen in Dongfan! Save our Han sons!"

Guo Huaiyi, a burly man in his forties with dark skin and a scar on his face, knelt down with a thud as soon as he saw Zheng Zhilong, banging his head on the ground and bursting into tears.

He presented the letter, written in cloth and blood, which detailed the brutal rule of the Dutch in Taiwan in recent years, especially after the battles of Penghu and Liaoluo Bay, and the miserable plight of the local Han Chinese immigrants.

"Since Brother Yan left, the Eastern Barbarians have lost their leader, and the Red-haired Barbarians have become even more rampant!"

With tears welling in his eyes, Guo Huaiyi accused through gritted teeth, "They seized Tainan and Chikan, built the towering Fort San Domingo and Fort Provintia, set up cannons, controlled the ports, forced passing merchant ships to pay taxes, and engaged in extortionate buying and selling, exploiting them without restraint!"

"That's not all!"

A young man beside him, who had lost an arm, added bitterly, "They forcibly seized our grain, robbed our deerskins and sulfur, and if we resisted even slightly, they would arrest us and force us to build city walls or do hard labor, often beating and killing us! They also forced us to convert to their foreign religion and forbade us from worshipping our ancestors! Most of the sugarcane and rice we grew were taken by them!"

"What's even more hateful," Guo Huaiyi clenched his fists, his knuckles white, "is that they instigate conflict between the uncivilized aborigines and the more Sinicized aborigines, and between us Han Chinese, creating feuds so they can reap the benefits! They also transported more Japanese soldiers from Batavia and Penghu, claiming it was to guard against the Great Xia army, but in reality, they oppressed us even more! Many villagers couldn't survive and wanted to escape back to the mainland, but the sea was blockaded by them, and being caught meant certain death!"

"A few days ago, we heard that Lord Hou had decisively defeated the fleets of the Dutch and Portuguese in Liaoluo Bay. The villagers were both crying and laughing, thinking that their savior had arrived! But unexpectedly... when the Dutch on the island heard that they had suffered a defeat, fearing that Lord Hou would attack them, they actually... actually..."

Guo Huaiyi broke down in tears as he recounted, "They actually used the pretext of Tongxia to carry out mass killings of our Han leaders and respected elders in the Zhuluo and Bengang areas! Hundreds of heads were displayed outside their castles! They wouldn't even let anyone collect the bodies!"

"The villagers simply can't survive!"

Guo Huaiyi suddenly raised his head, his eyes burning with hatred and determination. "My lord, we, the former subordinates of Brother Yan, and some villagers who have been driven to the brink of despair, have secretly made arrangements and are just waiting for the right moment to fight the red-haired barbarians!"

But we are outnumbered and poorly armed, and the city of Red Hair is heavily fortified... We are not afraid to die, but we cannot allow the Han Chinese bloodline of the Eastern Barbarians to be wiped out by the Red Hair barbarians!

"I beg Your Excellency, for the sake of us being descendants of Yan and Huang, of the Chinese nation, and for the sake of the tens of thousands of Han people across the strait who are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the royal army, please send troops eastward, drive out the barbarians, and reclaim our homeland!"

With a series of thuds, the men who had come with Guo Huai also knelt down, their foreheads hitting the ground heavily with dull thuds. Bloodstains were left on the blue bricks, a shocking sight.

Zheng Zhilong listened silently, the muscles on his face twitching slightly.

In his youth, he roamed the seas extensively and had a thorough understanding of the situation on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Yan Siqi was an old acquaintance who was both his enemy and friend, and one of the pioneers who established Han Chinese settlements in Taiwan.

He was not unaware that the power of the Han Chinese in Taiwan had declined after Yan Siqi's death, and that the Dutch had taken advantage of the situation.

In the past, Zheng Zhilong's identity was first that of a pirate, and then that of a coastal defense guerrilla who had been granted amnesty. His own foothold was not yet secure, and the imperial court had little interest in overseas territories, even regarding them as "outside the realm of civilization." Even if he wanted to, he was powerless to interfere.

But things are different now.

He is the Marquis of Jinghai, and the Admiral of the East China Sea Fleet of the Great Xia Royal Navy, who just defeated the combined fleet of three countries in Liaoluo Bay!

His Majesty the Emperor is determined to expand and attaches great importance to maritime power. The victory in the Battle of Liaoluo Bay further proves that Great Xia has the strength to extend its reach to more distant oceans.

Taiwan... Dongfan...

Zheng Zhilong walked to the hanging nautical chart and his gaze fell on the island that looked like a sweet potato.

This island, bordering Ryukyu and Japan to the north, controlling Luzon and Southeast Asia to the south, and guarding Fujian and Guangdong to the west, is located at the hub of East Asian maritime trade routes.

Whoever controls Taiwan holds the throat of the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and controls the key nodes of the shipping routes to Japan, Ryukyu, Luzon, and even the Spice Islands.

Moreover, on the island of Taiwan, there is sulfur, deer hide, rice, sugarcane, and tens of thousands of Han Chinese immigrants who yearn for their homeland.

If Taiwan could be incorporated into the empire, it would not only eliminate the Dutch threat to the southeast coast, but also provide the empire with a forward base to acquire valuable resources, expand overseas trade, and even... use it as a springboard to deter the Spanish in Luzon and to manage the wider Southeast Asia.

This is a crucial move.

If played well, the empire's maritime borders will be impregnable, allowing it to expand its territory by thousands of miles; if played poorly, it may be mired in a protracted war of attrition with the Dutch overseas.

Guo Huaiyi and others' tearful accusations and pleas ignited Zheng Zhilong's passion for the sea and his sense of responsibility to his fellow countrymen, perfectly aligning with his strategic vision for the expansion of imperial maritime power.

He took a deep breath, turned around and helped Guo Huaiyi up, saying in a deep voice, "Brother Guo, fellow villagers, please rise. I know of your suffering. I will not stand idly by in the matter of Dongfan!"

His eyes gleamed as he swept over the crowd: "But the matter of sending troops is of great importance and must be reported to His Majesty for His Majesty's decision. You should all settle down in Xiamen for now and recuperate properly. I, Zheng, will write a memorial to the throne, reporting the suffering of the people of Dongfan and the strategic importance of Taiwan to His Majesty!"

"Thank you, Lord Marquis! Thank you, Lord Marquis!" Upon hearing this, Guo Huaiyi and the others were so moved that they knelt down again, tears streaming down their faces.

Soon, Zheng Zhilong's secret report on the situation in Taiwan and his military strategy, along with the blood-written letter from Guo Huaiyi and others, arrived in Nanjing at the fastest speed possible.

The Forbidden City, Wenhua Hall.

Xiao Chen carefully read Zheng Zhilong's memorial and the letter on the blood-stained cloth that had turned brown.

His expression, initially calm, gradually became solemn, and finally turned into a deep chill.

"They oppress my people, slaughter my compatriots, and seize my land..."

Xiao Chen's fingers lightly tapped the two characters "Dongfan" on the memorial. The sound was not loud, but it made the high-ranking officials standing beside him, such as Zhang Juzheng, the Minister of War, and the Minister of Revenue, feel an invisible pressure. "Do these red-haired barbarians think that the swords of our Great Xia are not sharp enough? Or do they think the lesson at Liaoluo Bay was not enough?"

"Your Majesty," Zhang Juzheng bowed and said, "Lord Zheng is quite right. Taiwan, formerly known as Yizhou and Liuqiu, has not been formally established as an administrative region, but the Han people have been cultivating the island for a long time, and it is truly the homeland of the Chinese nation."

Its location is strategically important, controlling Japan and Ryukyu to the north, guarding Luzon to the south, and protecting Fujian and Guangdong to the west. It also benefits from sulfur and deer hide.

"The presence of these barbarian tribes is like a thorn in my side, locking down my coastal borders and cutting off my trade routes. If we can recover them, the southeastern gateway will be wide open, and the vast sea frontier will all become Your Majesty's embankment."

The Minister of War also stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, in the Battle of Liaoluo Bay, the combined naval forces of the Dutch and Portuguese suffered a recent defeat and their morale is low. Their troops stationed in Taiwan number only a little over a thousand, and their warships number only a few."

Moreover, their forces are scattered, defending the cities of Zeelandia and Provintia. Meanwhile, our newly victorious army of Great Xia is in high spirits, with its warships being the latest and greatest.

Lord Zheng is familiar with the seas and has the support of the righteous people on the island; this is truly a godsend! Using force now will yield twice the result with half the effort.

Although the Minister of Revenue had some concerns about military expenditures, he was well aware of the extraordinary significance of this battle and anticipated that the spoils from Luowan would be substantial enough to support a long-term expedition. Therefore, he seconded the proposal: "If Taiwan is captured, the benefits of sulfur, deer hides, rice, and sugar will be considerable in the long run. Moreover, it can eliminate the threat of the Taiwanese barbarians harassing the coast and save us from the wasteful expenditures on coastal defense over the years. I believe this battle is feasible."

Xiao Chen stood up, walked to the huge map in the hall, and slowly scanned the southeast coast before finally fixing his gaze on the location of Taiwan Island.

His gaze was sharp as an eagle's, as if piercing through the map, seeing the suffering of Han Chinese immigrants on that land, the foreign flags flying over the Dutch castle, and the crucial strategic position of this island in the future imperial blueprint.

"Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king."

Xiao Chen spoke slowly, his voice steady and powerful, carrying an undeniable resolve: "Although the Eastern Barbarians are located overseas, the land inhabited by Han people is still part of China. These barbarians have seized it and oppressed our people. How can we not avenge this hatred? Their land is strategically important and rich in resources; how can we allow it to remain in the hands of foreign barbarians for long?"

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials: "Zheng Zhilong's proposal is entirely in line with my wishes. Taiwan must be taken back! Not only must it be taken back, but it must be firmly held in our hands. We must establish prefectures and counties there, resettle people to populate the borders, and make it an unsinkable warship of our Great Xia, the cornerstone for expanding our maritime territory!"

"deliver an imperial order!"

"Zheng Zhilong, Marquis of Jinghai and Admiral of the East China Sea Fleet, is hereby appointed as the Grand General of the Eastern Expedition to Taiwan, with full authority over all military affairs related to the recapture of Taiwan!"

"Move thirty of the East China Sea Fleet's main warships, along with one hundred and fifty warships and transport ships of various types, including Fujian-style ships and guillotines, to form the Eastern Expeditionary Fleet!"

"Eight thousand elite naval and land troops from Zhejiang and Fujian will be transferred to Zheng Zhilong's main force, totaling fifteen thousand men, to form the land expeditionary force for the eastern campaign!"

"Order the Longjiang and Fuzhou shipyards, the Tianjin artillery factory, and the Nanjing Ordnance Bureau to do everything in their power to ensure the supply of artillery, ammunition, and equipment to the Eastern Expeditionary Fleet!"

"Order the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War to coordinate the supply of grain, provisions, clothing, and medicine, ensuring they are sufficient!"

"Furthermore, inform Guo Huaiyi and other righteous people in Taiwan that the imperial army will arrive soon, and instruct them to secretly contact the Han Chinese and indigenous people on the island who are loyal to the imperial court, to act as internal allies, and to jointly attack the British!"

Imperial decrees were issued from the Wenhua Hall, and the entire empire's war machine was once again running efficiently for a piece of overseas territory. The target was the precious island of Taiwan, just across the strait.

Upon receiving the imperial edict and the emperor's secret letter in Xiamen, Zheng Zhilong was so excited that he immediately kowtowed in the direction of Nanjing.

He knew that the greatest achievement of his life, and the most crucial step in the empire's maritime strategy, was about to begin.

In the spring of the ninth year of Xuanji, after a winter of intense preparations, an unprecedentedly large fleet was assembled in Xiamen Port.

Thirty new warships (including the restored "Azure Dragon", "White Tiger", "Vermilion Bird" and the newly commissioned "Black Tortoise") stood majestically, and more than 150 ships of various sizes had their masts like a forest, with 15,000 elite soldiers in high spirits.

Zheng Zhilong, dressed in a royal-bestowed Qilin robe, stood at the bow of the "Qinglong" ship, his hand resting on the imperial sword.

Behind him were the fluttering banners bearing the character "Zheng" and the identification flags bearing the title "Marquis of Jinghai".

"Weigh anchor! Raise sails!"

"Target—Eastern Barbarians! Drive out the foreign devils and reclaim our homeland!"

Zheng Zhilong gave the order, his voice resounding across the sea and sky.

The massive fleet, like an arrow released from a bow, rode the strong southeast monsoon, cutting through the waves, and sailed majestically toward the beautiful island shrouded in the shadow of the colonizers.

The imperial dragon flag will fly high in the skies over Taiwan.