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

Seven days, filled with tense waiting and confrontation, felt like seven years.

The Dutch garrison inside Fort Zeelandia maintained the highest level of alert under the strict orders of Governor Coyett.

But their attention was drawn more to the Great Xia warships that occasionally harassed them with artillery fire from the sea, and to the increasing number of trenches and fortifications on land that seemed to be intended for a long-term siege.

They were completely unaware of the barely perceptible digging sounds beneath their feet, or the carefully covered soil being hauled out of the front-line trenches every night.

Under Zheng Zhilong's strict orders, the engineers of the Great Xia army and the Portuguese craftsmen worked in shifts day and night, disregarding the dampness, heat, and the ever-present danger of collapse underground, and stubbornly continued digging toward their target.

To cover up the noise of the digging, Zheng Zhilong even ordered his soldiers to launch feint attacks at night, beating drums and gongs and firing muskets to attract the attention of the defenders.

Late at night on the seventh day, at midnight. Dark clouds obscured the moon, and the sea wind howled.

The last narrow passage was dug through, located directly beneath the cracked wall at the southeast corner of Fort Zeelandia.

A huge blasting chamber, large enough to hold thousands of kilograms of gunpowder, was excavated.

The soldiers carefully carried in barrels of refined gunpowder sealed with oil paper and wax, piled them in various corners of the demolition room, and secured them with wooden frames and sandbags.

A long, grease-soaked fuse was carefully led out of the blasting chamber, through a winding tunnel, and extended into the front trench.

"My lord, everything is ready! We've packed 3,500 catties of gunpowder! Enough to send that section of the city wall to its doom!"

The engineering commander, covered in mud but with excitement in his eyes, reported to Zheng Zhilong, who had personally come to the front trench.

Zheng Zhilong looked at the fuse that was faintly reflecting light in the darkness, then gazed at the silhouette of Fort Zeelandia, which lay crouching like a giant beast in the distance, and took a deep breath.

Success or failure hinges on this one move.

"Pass down the order," his voice sounded exceptionally clear and cold in the night wind, "After the explosion, use three blasts as the signal."

The Vanguard Battalion, the first team, armed with flintlock muskets and spears, charged in through the breach!

While demolishing the fortress, Chen Peng's troops intensified their offensive against Provintia, creating pressure to prevent it from sending troops to its aid!

Gan Hui's naval forces are to be on high alert, lest enemy ships in the harbor resort to desperate measures!

"The remaining battalions, according to the pre-arranged plan, will follow up in turn after the Vanguard Battalion opens a breach, expanding the gains! Tonight, I will host a banquet for you all in the Governor's Mansion in Fort Zeelandia!"

"Yes!" the generals responded in hushed tones, their eyes burning with fighting spirit.

"Light it!" Zheng Zhilong glanced at the fuse one last time and gave the order in a deep voice.

A suicide soldier holding a torch took a deep breath and brought the torch close to the end of the fuse.

"laugh--"

The fuse was lit, emitting tiny sparks and wisps of smoke, like a resurrected fire serpent, rapidly and steadily spreading deeper into the tunnel, towards the mountain of death.

The person who lit the fuse quickly retreated, and everyone held their breath, staring intently at the hole where the fuse had disappeared, their hearts pounding with each faint hissing sound. Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at that moment.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

suddenly!

Without warning, the ground beneath my feet trembled violently!

Then came the second, and the third! It was as if a giant dragon was rising from the ground!

Then--

"BOOM!!!!!!!!!"

A terrifying roar, indescribable and seemingly from the depths of hell, suddenly erupted from underground in the southeast corner of Fort Zeelandia!

The sound was so loud that many of the Great Xia soldiers near the front lines were shaken so badly that their ears and noses bled and they fell to the ground. Even the warships on the distant sea felt a noticeable tremor.

Accompanying this devastating roar were towering flames and thick smoke!

The section of the already scarred wall at the southeast corner of Fort Zeelandia, along with its foundation, was torn apart and arched from the inside by an irresistible force, then turned into countless burning, enormous fragments that scattered in all directions!

Bricks, wood, human bodies, cannon parts... everything was torn apart and scattered by the violent force in that instant!

A huge gap, more than ten zhang wide, appeared on the walls of Fort Zeelandia, like the gaping maw of a demon!

Smoke and dust billowed into the night sky, even temporarily obscuring the stars.

Before the aftershocks of the explosion had subsided, three sharp and muffled blasts from the Great Xia army's ranks tore through the brief silence!

"Elite Battalion! Charge with me! Into San Domingo!!"

Yang Geng, another fierce general under Zheng Zhilong, the commander of the Vanguard Battalion, drew his waist knife, roared at the top of his lungs, and was the first to leap out of the trench.

Behind him, five hundred elite soldiers, clad in light armor, each wielding a new flintlock musket in one hand and a spear or broadsword in the other, roared as they charged toward the massive, still collapsing, and dust-filled breach like tigers released from their cages!

"Kill them!!!"

"Charge in! Capture the Prime Minister alive!!"

The deafening shouts of battle instantly resounded through the night sky.

The remaining soldiers of the Great Xia army from the other battalions surged out from behind trenches and bunkers in all directions like a tide, rushing towards Fort Zeelandia.

The Dutch garrison on the city wall was completely stunned by the sudden, apocalyptic explosion.

Soldiers closer to the explosion were either killed or wounded, while those further away were thrown about by the shockwave, their ears ringing, and they were temporarily rendered incapacitated.

When they finally saw the Xia soldiers charging towards them like wolves and tigers through the billowing smoke and dust, their terrified screams belatedly rang out.

"My God! The city wall has collapsed!"

"Enemy! The enemy is coming!"

"Fire! Fire now! Stop them!"

Sporadic gunfire rang out, and some Dutch soldiers who had reacted began firing at the breach.

However, the hasty and scattered firepower could not stop the Vanguard Battalion's desperate charge.

Yang Geng was the first to rush into the breach, his feet sinking into scorching rubble and severed limbs.

He ignored them, raised his hand and shot a Dutch musketeer who was loading a gun, then raised his spear and pierced a Dutch officer who was howling as he charged at him.

The elite soldiers behind him swarmed in, and the crisp sound of flintlock muskets firing, the dull thud of spears piercing flesh, the clanging of swords clashing, and the screams of the dying filled the gap in an instant.

The melee took place at the most brutal breach in the city wall.

After recovering from their initial shock, the Dutch defenders, driven by their officers, desperately rallied towards the breach, attempting to plug the fatal hole with a dense volley of arquebuses and a phalanx of spears.

Meanwhile, the soldiers of the Great Xia Vanguard Battalion, relying on their fierce spirit and personal bravery, held their ground in the breach, engaging in bloody hand-to-hand combat with the enemy using flintlock muskets, spears, swords, and shields.

The gap was narrow, and the soldiers on both sides were crowded together, killing and tearing at each other in the most primitive way. Every inch of land was fought for at the cost of lives.

Subsequent troops from the Great Xia army continued to pour in, attempting to widen the gap in their defenses.

The Dutch defenders understood that once the breach was completely broken, the castle would be finished, so they resisted with exceptional tenacity. The battle descended into an extremely fierce stalemate.

Zheng Zhilong, on the high ground behind the enemy lines, intently watched the fierce fighting at the breach through his binoculars, his face grave. The casualties of the Vanguard Battalion were rising rapidly, while the Dutch resistance remained organized.

"Order the Second and Third Battalions to launch a fierce assault from the left and right flanks, using ladders to scale the walls and disperse the enemy forces!" Zheng Zhilong decisively ordered. He couldn't place all his hopes on a single breach.

Soon, shouts of battle and the sound of gunfire also rang out from the walls of other parts of Fort Zeelandia.

Braving bullets, stones, and boiling oil raining down from the city walls, the Great Xia army forcibly erected ladders and climbed upwards.

The defending troops had to divide their forces to defend multiple locations, which immediately eased the pressure on the breach.

"Kill!" Yang Geng was covered in blood, not knowing whether it was his own or the enemy's. He seized the opportunity and led the dozens of elite soldiers he had gathered around him in a fierce charge. They finally broke through the Dutch's weak defenses at the breach and stormed into the castle!

"Charge in! All troops, advance! Don't let a single barbarian escape!" Zheng Zhilong breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the flag of the Vanguard Battalion waving inside the breach, and gave the order in a stern voice.

More and more Xia soldiers poured in through the breach, engaging the Dutch defenders in a fierce battle, fighting house by house, courtyard by courtyard, in the castle's square, streets, and buildings. Fires raged throughout the castle, and the sounds of battle filled the air.

Governor Kuiyi sat in his mansion, listening to the increasingly loud shouts and explosions outside, his face ashen. He knew the outer city could no longer be held.

"Retreat to the inner city! Everyone who can still fight, retreat to the inner city! Quickly!" he commanded in a hoarse voice.

The inner city, the core bastion of Fort Zeelandia, was more fortified and had more reserves; it was the last hope.

The remaining Dutch garrison, numbering about four or five hundred, retreated into the inner city under the command of their officers, fighting as they went, and quickly closed the even thicker iron-clad inner city gate.

The Xia army controlled most of the outer city, but was blocked by the inner city. The inner city walls were higher and thicker, and the artillery fire was more concentrated.

As dawn broke, after a night of bloody fighting, the outer city of Fort Zeelandia changed hands.

The dragon flag of the Great Xia Dynasty was planted at the highest point of the outer city, fluttering in the wind.

But the battle was not over; the most fortified inner city remained in Dutch hands.

Zheng Zhilong strode through the streets littered with rubble and bloodstains, arriving beneath the inner city walls.

This place is only a hundred paces from the inner city gate, and you can even see the tense and desperate faces of the Dutch soldiers on the city wall.

"Go, find a few prisoners of the Red Barbarians and send a message to Kuiyi."

Zheng Zhilong shouted towards the inner city, his voice carried through the Dutch interpreter, "Tell him that the outer city has fallen, and the inner city is isolated and helpless, on the verge of destruction. Out of consideration for Heaven's mercy, I promise that if he surrenders and hands over all weapons and goods, I will spare no one and allow them to leave Taiwan by ship. If he continues to resist, once my army breaches the inner city, not a single soul will be spared!"

The letter urging surrender was shot into the inner city.

Soon after, someone from the inner city replied that Governor-General Kuyt needed to consider the matter and requested time.

Zheng Zhilong agreed, but only gave them one hour.

An hour later, instead of opening the gates to surrender, the inner city sent out a reply.

The letter stated that surrender was a matter of great importance and required discussion with all officers and citizen representatives, requesting an extension of half a day.

Zheng Zhilong looked at the letter, a cold smile playing on his lips. He summoned Yang Geng, Gan Hui, and other generals, pointing to the inner city and saying, "This is a delaying tactic by the Red-haired barbarians, a way to buy time, hoping to wait for Batavia's reinforcements, or hoping that our prolonged siege will demoralize us and cause our supplies to run out."

"My lord, what are we waiting for? Let's press on and break through the inner city!" Yang Geng said urgently.

"No."

Zheng Zhilong shook his head. "The inner city is more fortified than the outer city, and a direct assault would result in too many casualties. Moreover, the more Kui Yi delays, the more it shows that he is guilty, and the morale of the defenders inside the city is on the verge of collapse."

His gaze swept across the inner city, then looked at his own fleet on the sea, and he had already made up his mind.

"Send the order to turn all the Dutch cannons we captured in the outer city around and aim them at the inner city. Also, move the largest caliber heavy cannons we brought to the front. In addition, have the navy send several warships closer to bombard the coastal side of the inner city with their cannons."

"Find a few more loud-voiced men and have them shout in the language of the red-haired barbarians: 'The Batavia reinforcements are not coming. Provintia has surrendered. Surrender and you will not be killed; resistance will surely lead to death!'"

"I want him to know that he won't see reinforcements, nor can he hold onto this last tiny piece of land. The longer he drags it out, the faster his soldiers' will to resist will crumble!"

Psychological warfare and military deterrence are being used in tandem.

The Xia army pushed the captured Dutch cannons one by one to the foot of the inner city, their dark muzzles pointing directly at the city gates and walls.

The navy's warships also began bombarding the inner city's sea walls with heavy cannons.

Meanwhile, calls to surrender, spoken in Dutch, Portuguese, and even broken Hokkien, echoed day and night outside the inner city.

The defenders in the inner city listened to the roar of the enemy's artillery outside, heard the surrender appeals and threats shouted in their own language, watched the enemy ships getting closer and closer on the sea, and saw no sign of the reinforcements they had been hoping for. There was also no movement from the direction of Provintia... Despair spread through the inner city like a plague.

Governor Coyett tried to remain calm and organize a counterattack to boost morale, but few responded.

The soldiers were exhausted, suffering heavy casualties, and their ammunition was running out. Most importantly, all hope had been lost.

Finally, at noon the next day, the deadline set by Zheng Zhilong, the inner gates of Fort Zeelandia slowly opened with a teeth-grinding creak.

A white flag hangs limply on a broken flagpole.

Governor Coyett, with fewer than three hundred wounded and ashen-faced garrison soldiers, walked out of the fortress they had once been so proud of, heads bowed and steps faltering.

Behind them were the fluttering Great Xia Dragon Banner and countless swords, spears, and arrows pointing at them, gleaming with a cold light.

Fort Zeelandia, a fortress operated by the Dutch East India Company in Taiwan for many years, finally fell from its colonial outpost after a nearly month-long siege and a night of brutal demolition and assault.

Zheng Zhilong rode his horse, surrounded by a group of generals, and slowly drove into the inner city.

He looked at the Dutch prisoners kneeling on both sides of the road, and at the golden dragon and sun flag representing the Great Xia Empire rising from the castle. His face showed little joy, only a sense of relief and weariness, and deeper contemplation.

Taiwan has taken the first step.

But this was just the beginning. How to manage this land, how to deal with the subsequent counterattacks from the Dutch and other Western powers, how to truly incorporate this rich island into the empire's territory... there was still so much to do.

"Clean up the battlefield, take stock of the spoils, properly settle the prisoners, and treat the wounded on both sides. Issue a proclamation to reassure the people, saying that the Red-haired Barbarians have been wiped out, the imperial army has arrived, and we will surely protect the borders and the people, and will not commit any offenses against them."

Zheng Zhilong ordered in a deep voice, "Furthermore, immediately send someone to Provintia to tell Chen Peng that Zeelandia has fallen, and that he should accept the surrender and not commit any further indiscriminate killing."

"yes!"

The victory at Liaoluo Bay cut off the possibility of Western powers directly threatening the southeastern coast of Great Xia from the sea.

The fall of Fort Zeelandia signified a solid and decisive step forward for the empire in its efforts to reclaim lost territories and expand its maritime borders.

The maritime power structure in East Asia has since entered a new chapter.