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

The smoke of war on Taiwan Island had not yet completely dissipated, and the city wall repair project in Anping Town was in full swing. Under the organization of Guo Huaiyi, immigrants from Fujian and Guangdong began to cultivate their first crop of rice on the newly allocated land.

The establishment of the Dongning Military Command was like a boulder thrown into the East China Sea, with ripples spreading outwards and influencing the entire region's landscape.

However, not all ripples bring peace.

South of Taiwan, across the Bashi Channel on Luzon Island, a bloody storm targeting the people of Daxia was quietly brewing, and would eventually erupt in the most brutal way. The tragic news, carried by the lucky survivors, traveled across the ocean back to the southeastern coast of the empire, and also reached the ears of Zheng Zhilong, who had just gained a foothold in Taiwan.

Since being gradually colonized by the Spanish, Luzon has rapidly prospered thanks to its geographical advantage as a transit point for trade between East Asia and the Americas.

The Chinese had already been doing business and settling in this area long before the arrival of the Spanish.

After the Spanish colonized Luzon, the diligence, wisdom, and business acumen of the Chinese made them an indispensable force in the local economy. They engaged in handicrafts, retail, brokerage trade, and even agriculture, accumulating considerable wealth.

Parian in Manila is a bustling commercial hub with numerous shops, earning it the nickname "Little Quanzhou".

However, the success of the Chinese also aroused the jealousy, suspicion and fear of the Spanish colonists.

On the one hand, they needed the skills and business networks of the Chinese to keep the colony running; on the other hand, they viewed the large, culturally diverse, and closely connected Chinese as a potential threat, fearing that they might collude with the Great Xia Empire on the mainland.

This contradictory mentality caused the Spanish colonial authorities' policies toward the Chinese to fluctuate between exploitation and suppression, sometimes imposing heavy taxes, sometimes restricting their residence, and sometimes even directly expelling them.

Meanwhile, the lower-class Spaniards, mixed-race people, and some indigenous people often transferred their dissatisfaction with the colonial authorities onto the relatively wealthy and "pagan" Chinese, and incidents of robbery and humiliation of the Chinese occurred frequently.

The establishment of Daxia, especially the news of the great victory over the combined Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch fleet in the Battle of Liaoluo Bay, and the subsequent recovery of Taiwan by Zheng Zhilong, aroused very different reactions in Manila among the Spanish colonists and the local Chinese community.

The Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines, Diego Fajardo, was deeply shocked and uneasy. The powerful naval force displayed by this emerging empire from the north made him extremely anxious.

Meanwhile, the Chinese in Manila, amidst their fear, also harbored a faint hope—after all, it was the strength from their homeland.

However, this hope soon vanished, leading to utter disaster.

In the spring of 1656, the eighth year of Xuanji, a rumor spread like wildfire in Manila: the Chinese outside the city were secretly gathering, preparing to join forces with the Great Xia fleet that was about to sail south, to attack Manila from within and without, and kill all the Spaniards! This rumor was absurd, but it accurately struck at the deepest fear in the hearts of the Spanish colonists.

Governor Fajardo was already suspicious of the Chinese, and upon hearing this rumor, he preferred to believe it.

In addition, food prices in Manila were soaring due to hoarding and speculation, exacerbating social conflicts.

Fajardo believes it is time to "solve" the Chinese problem—at least the Chinese who he sees as disobedient, too wealthy, and too numerous.

He first ordered all Chinese to surrender their weapons and gather in the Parian district for "inspection".

Then, under the pretext of searching for evidence of rebellion, they allowed Spanish soldiers, mercenaries, and some incited natives to storm into Parian and begin an organized and planned massacre and looting.

The massacre lasted for several days.

The once bustling neighborhood has become a living hell.

Shops were smashed, houses were burned, and all property was looted.

Unarmed Chinese people, regardless of age or gender, were brutally slaughtered.

Elderly people were hacked to death in the streets, women were raped and murdered, and babies were thrown into fires... Spanish colonists vented their greed, fear, and racist atrocities in the most brutal ways.

According to the scattered recollections of survivors who later escaped back to Daxia and the estimates of later historians, more than 20,000 Chinese were killed and countless others were injured in the riot. Parian was almost razed to the ground, and the wealth accumulated by the Chinese over a century was looted.

This is the infamous "Manila Massacre of 1989," also known as the "Red River Massacre" (due to the large number of Chinese corpses being thrown into the river near Parian, turning the river water red).

During the massacre, a Fujianese businessman named Chen Zhenlong, who frequently traveled between Luzon and Xiamen and ran a large trading company in Parian with extensive connections, had vaguely sensed something was amiss because he had business dealings with some Spanish officers.

In the chaos of the early days of the riots, before the situation was completely out of control, he reluctantly abandoned all the wealth he had accumulated in Luzon. With the help of several loyal companions and an indigenous guide who sympathized with the Chinese, he disguised himself and escaped Manila, which had become a battlefield, by the narrowest of times.

They evaded the Spanish search and, after many hardships, finally found a small fishing boat willing to risk taking them across the ocean, escaping back to Xiamen.

Upon returning to Xiamen, Chen Zhenlong was emaciated and looked like a frightened bird.

Without taking a break, he immediately sought an audience with local officials and tearfully recounted the atrocities committed by the Spanish in Manila.

Local officials dared not delay and quickly reported the news along with Chen Zhenlong's testimony.

The news came like a bolt from the blue, instantly igniting a frenzy in Fujian's official and civilian circles, especially in Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Xiamen, and other places that have close ties with Luzon.

Countless families with relatives who were doing business or working in Luzon were struck dumb upon hearing the tragic news, their cries echoing through the heavens.

Public opinion was in an uproar, and the calls for the imperial court to send troops to punish the victims and avenge their fallen compatriots grew louder and louder.

When the news reached Zheng Zhilong, the Marquis of Jinghai and Commander of Dongning, who had just been transferred to Xiamen and was coordinating the follow-up matters in Taiwan and the naval training, this maritime hero, known for his toughness, slammed his fist on the table and stood up in a rage.

"Red-haired barbarians! How dare you do this!" Zheng Zhilong's eyes were bloodshot.

Although he was originally a pirate who later accepted amnesty, many of his key members and merchants were from Fujian and Guangdong, and he had a deep and complex relationship with the Chinese community in Luzon.

The Spanish atrocities were not only a massacre of their compatriots overseas, but also a blatant provocation against him, the new "King of the East Sea," and against the Great Xia Empire, which had just displayed its military might!

If we do not retaliate, his prestige in the southeastern coastal region and the prestige of Great Xia overseas will be completely destroyed!

"Prepare the ships immediately! I will personally go to Jinling to meet His Majesty and request permission to send troops to conquer Luzon and pay for the blood debt!" Zheng Zhilong said almost without hesitation.

At almost the same time, Xiao Chen, inside the Forbidden City in Nanjing, also received an urgent report from Fujian and a tearful accusation from Chen Zhenlong and others.

Looking at the shocking casualty figures and the horrific descriptions in the report, Xiao Chen's face was so gloomy it could drip water.

He was not unaware that overseas Chinese were often bullied, but such a large-scale and organized massacre was truly appalling.

This was not only an atrocity against the Chinese, but also a serious act of contempt and challenge to the prestige of Bactria by the Spanish colonial authorities.

"Summon Zheng Zhilong, the Duke of Yingguo, the Cabinet, and the Five Military Commands for a meeting!" Xiao Chen's voice was icy, filled with suppressed anger.

Zheng Zhilong traveled day and night and arrived in Jinling.

In the imperial court, he recounted the Luzon massacre in detail and strongly advocated sending troops: "Your Majesty! The Western barbarians slaughtered my people, plundered my wealth, and treated the might of our Great Xia Dynasty as nothing!"

The Battle of Liaoluo Bay did not cripple them, yet they dared to escalate their aggression! Now our navy has just won a victory, morale is high, Taiwan is secured, and we have no worries about the rear.

We should follow the example of Emperor Wu's campaign against the Xiongnu, raise an army to punish them, cross the sea to launch a distant expedition, strike at Luzon, capture their chieftain, and appease the world and comfort the tens of thousands of wronged souls!

If we do not send troops, where will our dynasty's prestige remain? Who will our millions of overseas citizens rely on?

Although some ministers in the court expressed their concerns on grounds such as "the expedition is too costly and exhausting," "Luzon is too far away and we may fall into a trap," and "we should try to persuade them with courtesy before resorting to force and send envoys to question them," these voices seemed weak in the face of the bloody facts and the impassioned public opinion.

Duke Dashan of England, a veteran general renowned for his land warfare prowess, surprisingly supported Zheng Zhilong this time: "The Western barbarians are too arrogant! I am no match for Lord Zheng in naval battles, but in land battles and sieges, how can the sons of Great Xia fear these barbarian clowns? This old minister is willing to lead a brigade to accompany Lord Zheng south to capture this scoundrel for Your Majesty!"

Xiao Chen sat upright on the dragon throne, having already weighed the options in his mind.

The Luzon massacre demands a strong response, as it concerns imperial dignity, public sentiment overseas, and, more importantly, future deterrence in the South China Sea and the entire Western Pacific.

Zheng Zhilong is eager for revenge and his morale is high; Wang Dashan is mature and steady, which can make up for Zheng Zhilong's shortcomings in land warfare, which is sometimes too risky.

Moreover, one is a naval general and the other a land commander. When they join forces, they can combine land and sea capabilities, which is a good way to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.

"The Western barbarians are brutal, slaughtering our overseas Chinese; this is intolerable to Heaven and Earth, and arouses the wrath of both gods and men!"

Xiao Chen abruptly stood up, his voice resolute, "If I tolerate this humiliation, how can I face the world? How can I face my ancestors? Minister Zheng!"

"Your subject is here!"

"I hereby appoint you as the Pacification Commissioner for the Conquest of Luzon and Grand Commander of the Land and Naval Forces, commanding the main force of the East China Sea Fleet, and also drawing upon and coordinating the naval forces of Fujian and Guangdong. Prepare immediately for your southward advance!"

"Wang Qing!"

"Your humble servant is here!"

"I hereby appoint you as the Deputy Envoy for the Campaign against Luzon and Commander-in-Chief of the Land Forces. Select 10,000 elite infantrymen from the Beijing Garrison, Zhejiang, and Fujian to accompany the navy south, under the command of Zheng Zhilong. You will be in charge of the land battles and siege warfare!"

"Your Majesty, I obey! I will certainly live up to Your Majesty's trust, eradicate the traitors, and uphold the prestige of our nation!"

"Remember," Xiao Chen's gaze swept over the two men like lightning, "this journey has three purposes: first, to punish the wicked and ensure the ringleaders are severely punished and compensation is demanded; second, to comfort the overseas Chinese and demonstrate the court's benevolence in not abandoning those from afar; and third, to subdue the various barbarian tribes and display the might of our Great Xia in the South China Sea! We can fight or make peace, with war serving as a safeguard for peace. How to proceed is up to you to decide on the spot; I grant you the authority to act as you see fit!"

"Furthermore, a proclamation will be sent to the nations of the South China Sea, stating the crimes of the Western barbarians and the reasons for our dynasty's military campaign. The people of Luzon will also be informed that the court will only punish the ringleaders of the Western barbarians, without harming the innocent. Those who can capture and hand over the culprits, or assist our heavenly army, will be richly rewarded!"

A cross-sea expedition was thus decided.

Zheng Zhilong and Wang Dashan, two famous generals of the empire with vastly different backgrounds, one from the sea and the other from the land, formed a temporary alliance due to national and personal grievances and the emperor's entrustment.

The East China Sea Fleet has reassembled. Centered around four new main battleships, "Azure Dragon," "White Tiger," "Vermilion Bird," and "Black Tortoise," and supplemented by more than fifty warships and transport ships of various sizes, carrying 10,000 land troops and a large amount of ammunition and provisions, it set sail from ports such as Xiamen and Quanzhou.

With dragon flags waving and sails obscuring the sun, the mighty army sailed south, its military might aimed directly at Manila Bay, which was soaked in the blood of Chinese people.

A battle that will determine the balance of power in the Western Pacific is about to unfold on the waters off Luzon.