The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

Just five days after Liu Mu and Zhu Xin had been diligently studying the knowledge of the Ming Dynasty, dark clouds suddenly covered the sky over Nanjing, accompanied by thunder and lightning.

In the deep waters near the island in the middle of the Yangtze River near Nanjing, ten 50-meter-long galleons, along with thirty 30-meter-long armed merchant ships and one hundred small Fujian-style boats, were patrolling the river.

On one of the galleons' main ships, an officer with blond curly hair tied in a ponytail, who looked to be in his thirties, was scanning the river with binoculars in hand.

The adjutant standing next to him, feeling unusually hot, loosened his collar and looked impatient.

"Philips, do you think the governor is getting old and his mind isn't working properly anymore? For the sake of Ningbo, he actually ordered us to defend the Yangtze River to the death! We have five thousand men, and their fate is unknown in Fengyang. It's obvious that these Han soldiers aren't natives; their fighting strength is likely superior to ours!"

Upon hearing this, the officer called Philips put down his binoculars and gave him an expression as if he were an idiot.

"The Qing court is weak. During this period, they have given us whatever we want. They even handed over the management of the Yangtze River to me. Porcelain and silk that would normally cost several times more are now being sold like they're free."

"If the Han army had crossed the river, or even unified the entire East, would they still be as weak as the Qing Dynasty? Would we still have such a good opportunity to make money?"

Upon hearing this, the adjutant immediately showed an expression of understanding.

"That's true. Lately, those Manchu nobles have been sending me gold and beautiful women. I don't even have enough rooms for everyone, hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Philips also revealed a lewd smile.

"Haha, me too!"

"The Lin family, who previously opposed us and refused to sell porcelain, obediently sent their young lady to my bed after being mediated by Qing officials!"

Just as the two were laughing, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky, accompanied by even stronger thunder and lightning. On the lookout tower on the ship's roof, a soldier shouted at Philip.

"General, the scouts ahead report that the Yangtze River's water level is dropping, and a large number of boats have appeared north of the river island, packed with people. Requesting instructions!"

Upon hearing this, Philips immediately raised his binoculars, but they were soaked by the rain, and the dim sky made it impossible to see anything.

"This damn rain, I can't see anything at all."

"No matter what, we absolutely cannot let the Han army cross the river!"

"Messenger, order all ships to proceed, but stop at the designated draft level. Do not run aground!"

"At the same time, send orders to the Qing troops on the shore to defend!"

As Philips gave the order, the messengers at the top began waving flags, repeating the same gesture over and over again – this was the signal for the entire army to charge.

Upon receiving the signal flags, the other ships immediately set off for the island in the middle of the river, and so many large ships almost occupied the entire river surface.

As the fleet drew closer to the island in the middle of the river, the first mate's heart began to pound for some reason, so he grabbed Philips' hand.

"Philips, the water level is still dropping. If our ship runs aground, we'll be lambs to the slaughter. I think it's best not to take the risk!"

"If we lose these ships, the governor will kill us!"

Faced with the adjutant's questioning, Philip smiled and shook his head, then pointed to the river and said:

"I've already asked Qing officials, and the dry season on the Yangtze River is over. Even near the islands in the middle of the river, the water level is over three meters. Even if the ships run aground, it won't be a problem. We can still retreat using the wind and the current!"

"Besides, I've already signaled to the Qing that with their cavalry, they can absolutely wipe out the Han army that has landed. We just need to use artillery to delay them!"

"Also, when they're at work, they're called 'General'!"

Philips spoke with such confidence that the adjutant could say nothing more and quickly instructed the shipwrights to hoist the sails to make the main ship faster.

At the highest point of Jiangxinzhou, Xu Chuang lay in a wooden thatched hut, constantly looking around with his binoculars while observing the pocket watch that Liu Mu had given him.

The pocket watch was bulky and not as exquisite as it would be decades later. It is now considered a luxury item. Liu Mu only had three, which he obtained from the palace.

This was a personal toy belonging to Emperor Kangxi. Liu Mu carried one with him at all times. He noticed that Xu Chuang always timed his strategies, so he knew that this toy was prepared for him.

Around three or four in the afternoon, the dark clouds grew denser and the rain intensified. Xu Chuang, however, smiled and shouted to the messenger.

"All brothers, get ready! After the three cannon shots, start rowing with all your might and get as close to the Dutch ships as quickly as possible. Remember, absolutely no mercy!"

As Xu Chuang gave the order, more than a dozen messengers left, running and relaying the message.

The river was filled with boats, and often a small sand barge would have more than twenty people crammed together, some of whom were practically lying on the bow.

If you look closely, you'll see that the oars in the hands of these Han soldiers are stuck directly into the mud and sand, indicating that the water level is already very low and they could run aground at any time.

"These Asians are really stupid, huddled together like that, don't they know they're the easiest targets for artillery fire?"

"Bang! One shot, and the whole ship's gone! Hahaha!"

Meanwhile, Philips, seeing that he was only 300 meters away and could already see the situation clearly, gradually became excited. After muttering a few words, he prepared to give the order to fire.

Suddenly, Philip felt as if his horse had crashed into a wall. If not for his unusual position, he would have been thrown into the river.

Not only him, but the cannons on the deck fell to the ground one after another. The artillerymen who were about to fire the cannons were crushed to death by the cannon barrels, and blood gushed from their mouths, mixed with their internal organs.

The gunpowder barrels and water buckets neatly arranged in the cabin were also overturned by the enormous force, not to mention the soldiers; those who didn't die were almost all dizzy and disoriented.

Bang bang bang!

Just then, three loud cannon shots rang out.

At the same time, there were deafening shouts of battle.

The sand barges and flat-bottomed riverboats were seen gliding at top speed under the oars of the Han soldiers, comparable to dragon boat racing during the Dragon Boat Festival.

"Lieutenant, lieutenant!"

The first thing Philip did upon regaining consciousness was to shout for his adjutant, but he was nowhere to be found. He must have fallen directly into the river due to the immense force of the impact.

Just as Philip was about to order a retreat, he noticed hundreds of small boats approaching his main ship. He immediately showed fear and gave the order.

"Quickly, fire!"

"We can't let them get close!"

The Dutchman, now fully conscious, immediately picked up his flintlock pistol, skillfully loaded it, and then mercilessly pulled the trigger, aiming it at the Han soldiers climbing down the ship.

Instead of the usual loud noise, there was only the sound of flint striking a pool of gunpowder. The soldiers looked anxiously at Philip.

"General, the rain is too heavy; the muskets are useless!"

puff!

The soldier had barely finished speaking when a Han soldier dressed in a Green Standard Army uniform but with a blue turban on his head climbed onto the warship with iron claws and precisely slit his throat with a single stroke.

"The Dutch are nothing special!"

"I, Ma Sandao of Lanling, will kill three today!"