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Volume 13: Reviving the Ming Dynasty Chapter 672: Captured in one fell swoop

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    The Zheng family's status among the maritime merchants in Fujian and even on the southeastern coast is very unusual. Many people look up to them. When they want to command a fleet to fight with others, those other maritime merchants will naturally follow them.  Obey orders.  But that was in the past. After a failed battle with Hong Maozi and many people were killed and injured, the Zheng family's status in the maritime trade plummeted, and many people began to no longer buy their account.

    But this time when he led almost all the ships in Fujian to attack the pirate ships at sea, the leader was still a member of the Zheng family, and it was also a little-known boy from the Zheng family, Zheng Chenggong. This really made those  The merchants at sea felt unhappy.  However, this was appointed by the imperial envoy who was currently coordinating major events in Fujian Province. Even if these people did not want to give face to the Zheng family, they had to give face to the imperial envoy, so they had to reluctantly let Zheng Chenggong be the leader.

    It turned out that those maritime merchants who were familiar with maritime matters still wanted to see the joke of this young man Zheng Chenggong. However, after traveling for a certain distance and seeing the location of the pirate ship, and Zheng Chenggong allocating the ships in an orderly manner, those merchants realized that  As expected, the high officials in the imperial court were more knowledgeable than me, and the leader they chose really had his own way.

    On the surface, Zheng Chenggong calmly dispatched various ships to cover from all sides, but he was also very nervous in his heart.  This is related to the future status of their Zheng family in Fujian and even the maritime territories of the Ming Dynasty. He cannot make any omissions.  Fortunately, over the years, although he has not shown his talents in naval warfare in front of others, he has actually participated in many major events, so when facing the absolutely weak pirate ship, he did not lose control.

    The dozens of people left behind on the pirate ship also noticed something was wrong when the merchant ship appeared, but for a while they could no longer escape.  This is offshore. It turns out that they stayed here to wait for messages from their accomplices who came ashore before picking them up.  Unexpectedly, not long after this, the Ming Kingdom's fleet came over.  What makes them even more panicked is that many of their ships are connected together and cannot fight at all.

    When they noticed that there were many ships arriving, hundreds in number, they wanted to leave but could not.  Dozens of large ships had surrounded the pirate ships, and then under orders, the ships aimed their dark cannons at the pirate ships.  These artillery pieces were part of what Hong Chengchou brought from the capital, and he took the rest to deal with the pirates who came ashore.  Although there are less than three or two guns in a ship, the deterrence of hundreds of cannons is still there.

    When they saw this scene, the red-haired men on the pirate ship knew that something was wrong.  In order to take care of all the ships, these pirates connected all the ships in one place. Now they were suddenly attacked. They couldn't even move the ship, let alone use the weapons on the ship to fight it.

    "People on the boat on the other side, listen, my soldiers have arrived tomorrow. Abandon the ship and surrender immediately, otherwise your lives will be at stake!" An interpreter who once knew the French language loudly shouted to the surrounded enemy according to Zheng Chenggong's meaning.  shouted loudly.

    Among those who were left behind were the Folangji people. As soon as they heard this, they knew that they had only one choice.  After discussing with others, they wisely decided to surrender.  Resistance will only bring death, and in Westerners' minds, surrender is not a shameful thing. Only life is the most precious.

    This time, not only did the merchants not kill anyone, they even captured the dozens of pirate ships in front of them without firing a single cannon or firing an arrow.  Those red-haired men were also tied up tightly with the hemp ropes brought by others. This will be their contribution, and they will be handed over to the court together with these ships that still have many French cannons.

    When they looked at the cannons that were more sophisticated than the cannons on their own ships, all the crew members' eyes were a little straightened: "This is the weapon they used to defeat us before, but they don't know how much damage it can do?"  After all, this can only be an idea, because these weapons are absolutely not allowed to be left among the people. Those maritime merchants understand this very well and can only think about it in their hearts, and then they go back with many pirate ships and pirates.

    Just when everything on the sea was calm, a bloody battle outside Quanzhou City on the shore had entered a fierce situation.  Although the pirates were temporarily at a disadvantage due to the sneak attacks from behind, the fierce Western pirates did not give up the fight. They turned their guns and muzzles as quickly as possible to target the sneak attackers behind them.  Fight back.

    But the Ming army¡¯s current use of firearms is not inferior to these people. Their artillery can also compete with the Westerners in terms of performance. Now that they have the upper hand, how can they give the enemy any room to fight back?  Almost at the same time as the Western cannon fired, the artillery on the Ming army's side also roared at the same time.

    "Boomboom" Both sides once again experienced the severity of each other's artillery fireHowever, because the Ming army knew the power of pirate artillery, they fell to the ground promptly - this was also a method taught by Tang Feng to protect themselves as firearms received further attention - so that they could maximize their  Safety is ensured to the greatest extent.  But the pirates obviously haven't received education in this area. Before the Ming army's artillery sounded again, they either retreated or dodged to the side. In the end, a large number of people were still hit by scattered iron sand and other objects.  Beaten to a bloody pulp.

    "Kill!" Hong Chengchou suddenly pulled out the sword from his waist and gave the order to attack.  He could see that although the pirates' combat effectiveness was reduced after being raided, if they really wanted to use guns against them, there would be huge casualties on his side.  In this case, then simply use the more advantageous way of fighting on foot to fight the enemy!

    "Kill!" the soldiers of the Beijing camp shouted, waving guns and other weapons and rushing forward. They thought of the civilians and comrades who died, and the anger in their hearts turned into the swords that struck the enemy, stabbing at them.  The enemy's shot.

    It turns out that the pirates were a little panicked. It turned out that the Ming Dynasty also had artillery. It seemed that they really underestimated them.  However, when they saw that the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty actually gave up long-range strikes and switched to charge and melee combat, they knew that the opportunity had come.  In the eyes of Westerners, Easterners with flatter faces all look similar, so in the eyes of the pirates, these officers and soldiers from the Beijing camp wearing standard equipment are no different from the Fujian officers and soldiers who were defeated by them that day.  In this way, they naturally did not pay attention to the Ming army who was killing them, and they all howled and fought with the Ming army with short-handled pirate axes, short spears and long swords.

    The troops on both sides quickly approached, and now artillery, a large-scale combat weapon, lost its effect because it would hurt one's own people.  However, muskets are still very effective in killing enemies. Although they are running, the musketeers on both sides can still shoot enemies calmly. Many people fell on the way forward.  But in general, the pirates still suffered more, because the Ming army wore thick armor, and there was a buffer even if they were shot. However, most pirates are still shirtless, and this shot can naturally cause damage.  Big damage.

    The hearts of George and others are bleeding. They originally only had so many people, but they lost a lot this time. How can they find new people?  But by this time, they had no way out. They could only get compensation from the looting by fighting over and completely defeating the Ming army.  This made all the pirates' eyes become redder and their roars became more ferocious. They were about to use the weapons in their hands to slash and pierce the enemy's body.

    However, when the two sides faced each other, something even more shocking happened to the pirates. They used to be able to defeat one against five, but now they were completely at a disadvantage. The hundreds of people in the front were quickly killed by the Ming army.  On the ground.  This shocked Rutgers, Derek and others who were full of confidence. Why did the Ming army's combat effectiveness suddenly increase greatly?

    Actually, if we really want to talk about it, although these soldiers from the Beijing camp fought bravely, they were not much better than those strong pirates.  But they are well-trained soldiers after all. In terms of formation and mutual cooperation, how can they be compared to these pirates?  In a multi-person melee, individual martial arts cannot be compared with cooperation, so with just one confrontation, the pirates are at an absolute disadvantage.

    Once the Ming army gained the upper hand, they would naturally not stop advancing. They shouted loudly, and the weapons in their hands rose and fell one after another, constantly harvesting the lives of the pirates. Soon more enemies fell to the ground.  feet.

    After all, pirates are not professional soldiers. When times are good, they can display their abilities to the fullest, but once they are at a disadvantage, they do not have the resilience that soldiers should have. After resisting for a while, they begin to fall into chaos.  This gave the Ming army the opportunity to annihilate the enemy in front of them. The soldiers were all brave, fighting with swords and falling, and heads were rolling

    Behind the pirates in Quanzhou City, the defenders who were originally worried were now full of confidence: "It turns out that our soldiers of the Ming Dynasty are so good at fighting, and it turns out that those fierce thieves are sometimes so vulnerable!" This  Knowing this, they who originally only wanted to defend suddenly felt the desire to fight. Many people asked the generals who defended the city to fight, and wanted to go out and kill the enemy with their comrades there.

    Seeing that the situation was extremely favorable to him, the city guard also understood that this was the time to perform a meritorious service. With a wave of his hand, he ordered the city defenders to rush out from the crumbling city gate and attack the pirates from behind.

    "Kill, avenge our dead relatives and brothers!" After a cry, tens of thousands of defenders also rushed towards the back of the trapped pirates like beasts.

    The joining of these new forces will quickly collapse the pirates' fighting spirit.  Gathered together by interests, they can work together to plunder more interests, but when faced with a life-or-death crisis,, they only think of themselves.  They were so scattered that they were in danger of being completely annihilated.

    Seeing his men being hacked to the ground one by one, Derek and the other leaders soon knew that there was only one way to go, which was to break out of the encirclement and escape on a large ship on the sea.  They immediately ordered a breakout, and the pirates used all their strength on this side. They actually fought their way through the siege of the Ming army and rushed straight to the sea.

    Seeing their actions, Hong Chengchou was not in a hurry to continue the siege on them, but ordered the army to pursue them.  He knew that if the enemy is pushed too hard, the soldiers will pay a heavy price.  But when the pirates arrive at their destination and find that their way back is cut off, these people will inevitably collapse completely, and it will be much easier to deal with them then.  Therefore, letting them go to the sea is the most effective way to kill the enemy, and it can also continue to annihilate those enemies who have been injured and fell behind.

    Because this time they were running with all their strength, and the Ming army was chasing behind them, so the pirates did not dare to slow down at all. It took only one night to cover the distance that originally took two days to complete.  But back then, they had to raid every place they went, so it was understandable that they were slow in taking action.

    Finally, the pirates finally arrived at the previously agreed-upon coast. Someone immediately sent out a signal, and a red light shot straight into the sky, which was particularly dazzling in the darkness before dawn, even on the sea dozens of miles away.  , can also be seen clearly.  The pirates knew that even if the ships arrived immediately after receiving the order, it would still take an hour or two, and with the Ming army following closely behind them, there was no doubt that there would be another battle, so they all did their best.  Prepare for a fight to the death.

    However, something strange happened. It turned out that the Ming army that followed them did not continue to attack, and they disappeared.  This made some devout believers begin to express heartfelt gratitude to the gods in their hearts. They believed that God had blessed them. After returning this time, they must pray with great concentration to let the Lord know their piety.

    What made them even more excited was that less than half an hour later, several large ships appeared vaguely on the sea. Judging from their appearance and size, they should be their own pirate ships.  The pirates immediately cheered loudly, finally able to save their lives this time.  They would never go ashore again, and just plunder the passing merchant ships at sea, which would be enough for them to spend their money.

    Just when the pirates were rejoicing and waiting for the ships to rush up as soon as they approached the shore, the ships suddenly stopped a few feet offshore. Then in the hazy skylight, the pirates were surprised to see  , the familiar artillery guns on the ship were actually pointing their muzzles at him.

    "Not good!" Many people with clear minds immediately knew what was going on.  Since the Ming army can ambush itself outside the city, how can it be possible for the ships left in the sea to escape?  Now it is obvious that the ship has fallen into Akito's hands, and there is really no way out now.

    Soon, the fact that they were in desperate situation was known to all the surviving pirates.  If there was still hope for the previous breakout, these pirates were now in complete despair.  They don't belong to this continent in the first place, and now they don't even have the tools to leave here. How can they live again?  As a result, they no longer had the courage to resist, and they all stood there, not knowing what to do.

    At this time, the Ming army, which had never appeared before, slowly appeared in front of them, and together with the ships on the sea, they sandwiched the pirates in the middle.

    The interpreter appeared again, this time on land. Zheng Chenggong and the others had just met with Hong Chengchou and the others, and had already come up with a way to deal with the pirates - as long as they still wanted to resist, they would kill them;  If they are willing to lay down their weapons and be bound, then tie them up and ask the court to make a decision.

    The words of the interpreter were passed quickly. At this time, those pirates would naturally stop trying to be heroic and do things that would rather die than surrender. They immediately obediently threw all the weapons in their hands aside, and then they knelt down.  On the ground, just waiting for the Ming army to come forward and tie themselves up with ropes.

    Among them, those local Fujian soldiers whose relatives had died at the hands of pirates naturally couldn't help but punch and kick these people. Fortunately, they also knew their identities, and they only made people suffer some physical pain, but they didn't.  It really caused human life, so Hong Chengchou and others naturally turned a blind eye.

    After the final count, in addition to those who died in consecutive battles, nearly 5,000 pirates were captured.  Seeing these tall Westerners as prisoners, the soldiers were all very excited. People kept coming up to take a closer look at the defeated generals who looked completely different from themselves. They were impressed by their red hair, blue eyes and high noses.??It's strange.

    However, Hong Chengchou had no time to pay attention to this. After returning to the city, he immediately wrote a successful report to the court, including instructions on how to deal with these people.  After all, he only handles banditry matters on behalf of the imperial court, and he has no final say in major external affairs.  However, in the victory report, he also mentioned that the people of Fujian hoped to kill these pirates who had committed numerous crimes to comfort the victims, but in the end it was the imperial court that made this decision.

    Six days later, Tang Feng, who was in the capital, learned of Fujian's great victory and was happy about it.  He had no sympathy for these invading enemies, but he was very interested in some of the information he asked.  "It turns out that there is another place in our Ming Dynasty that is occupied by foreigners. Judging from the location here, it should be the future Macau. It is because they occupied that place that these thieves were able to launch an attack on the coast of our Ming Dynasty. It seems that if they want to keep us  This area must be recaptured to protect the coastal line and smooth sailing! And this requires the help of those pirates, so we can only spare some people temporarily, and then avenge the innocent people after the incident is completed!"

    With this understanding, Tang Feng took the pen and began to give further orders to Hong Chengchou: "Get the oyster mirror first, and then get rid of the thieves!"
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