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Text Chapter 490: Persistent pursuit

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    Weihaiwei navy lined up in a somewhat curved straight line and began to seize the T-shaped formation to fire at the Zheng family fleet. After that, the surrounding seawater seemed to boil, with splashing water everywhere, which mixed with the white smoke in the sky.  and the pungent smell of gunpowder smoke formed a shocking scene.  In naval battles, because the fleets of both sides are moving at high speed, and the accuracy of smoothbore guns these days is really lacking, it is not easy to accurately hit the other side's ships. Therefore, in modern naval battles, both sides bombarded each other.  The time is very long, sometimes it can even last a whole day.  But today Zheng Zhilong received a blow. In less than half an hour after the battle started, he lost seven or eight warships. These warships were all at the forefront, and naturally attracted most of the artillery fire from the Weihaiwei Navy.  Several ships were quickly sunk.  "Hurry over rush up and fight them in close combat!" Zheng Zhilong directed the fleet to rush forward desperately.  For people of this era, the T-shaped formation is very unfamiliar, and Zheng Zhilong is no exception. However, after all, he has been a pirate for so many years, so he naturally has a lot of experience in naval battles.  When he saw the Weihaiwei navy lined up in a row, with all the broadside artillery aimed at his own side, he immediately realized that although he had attached great importance to this navy before, it seemed that this attention was not enough now.  If 36's current situation is not changed as soon as possible, he may really capsize here today.  A leader in charge hurried over to report: "Master, we can't rush forward any further. The firepower of this damn Ming army is too fierce. We have damaged several ships in just this moment. If we continue  If we go forward, our losses will be too great!" "Pah!" There was a crisp sound, and the leader was immediately slapped on the face. Zheng Zhilong shouted to him with a cold expression: "I don't need to fight.  You teach. Immediately send a signal to Zhao Sanjin and ask him to lead his men forward. He must cut off the Ming army's formation, otherwise we will lose if he keeps fighting like this!  The leader covered his burning face with his hands and didn't dare to speak any more.  He ran away as fast as he was being chased.  Zheng Zhilong had no intention of paying attention to this idiot. He stared straight at the battlefield in front of him that was enveloped in white gunpowder smoke and felt heavy in his heart.  In this naval battle, the Weihaiwei Navy exceeded his expectations in terms of firepower, formation, and morale. Dozens of warships lined up on the vast sea, and all the warships always aimed their side guns at them.  Once the opponent was able to maximize the power of the artillery, to be honest, this was the first time he had seen such a formation.  On the other hand, our own side can only rush forward like a honeycomb, but the problem is that due to the chaotic formation and different ship speeds, only a small number of our own warships can always approach them. These warships approaching them become the opponent's most vulnerable enemy.  Good target, nearly twenty warships have been lost so far.  "Second brother, it's up to you now!" Zheng Zhilong looked at the man in the distance and muttered to himself.  At this time, Zheng Zhibao led his own men and more than 60 warships to the rear of the Weihai Guard Navy and wanted to launch a surprise attack on them. However, it was not easy to make a surprise attack in such an environment. As early as Zheng Zhibao came to the distance,  When they were two miles away, Guo Jingxian noticed the fleet that circled behind them.  Guo Jingxian immediately ordered the more than twenty fourth- and fifth-level warships at the rear to change their formation and move out of the main formation, and then formed a T-shaped formation to block the opponent's way, and then fired a round of cannons.  This naval battle lasted from noon to You hour. During this period, Zheng Zhilong sent his warships to launch seven or eight charges, but they failed to break through the Weihaiwei Navy's formation. Not only did they suffer heavy losses, but their own side had already suffered heavy losses.  Nearly half was lost.  Although there are still more than a hundred warships, everyone knows that if the fight continues like this, it will only be a matter of time before the entire army is annihilated.  Watching his own warships being destroyed one by one by the opponent's rain of shells, Zheng Zhilong was heartbroken. It was only then that he finally understood that such a powerful fleet was beyond his control.  "Come here, order Zhao Sanjin to withdraw. Send the boat to harass the other party, and then order the second master to withdraw. Don't let the brothers die needlessly!" The battle has been going on till now.  Zheng Zhilong's pirate nature was exposed. When the war went against him, his first thought was not to fight to the end but to retreat.  The sound of artillery on the battlefield slowly became sparse, and as the sound of artillery decreased.  Visibility at sea also began to clear.  Guo Jingxian, who had always looked solemn from the beginning until now, finally seemed relieved and said to Yue Yang beside him: "Master Hou, Zheng Zhilong is starting to get scared. They are planning to run away!" "Run?" Yue Yang laughed, with a hint of expression.  With a trace of coldness that could not be revealed: "What does he think this is, playing house? Come and leave when you want, order the entire fleet to catch up, and never give them a breather."machine.  "Things in the world are so wonderful. Now the offensive and defensive postures of both sides have been completely reversed. Although Zheng Zhilong's side still has more warships than Weihaiwei Navy, they have no troops and no intention to fight. In everyone's heart  They all have only one thought, and that is to escape from this battlefield quickly. But as the saying goes, it is easier to come than to leave. Now it is not so easy for Zheng Zhilong to rub his feet and slip away.  , Guo Jingxian immediately ordered more than 20 Yan-shaped ships under his command to launch a pursuit of the retreating Zheng family fleet. Due to the long and narrow hull, the Yan-shaped ships can not carry many artillery, but they are not fast enough.  The ten Yan-shaped ships followed closely around the Zheng family's fleet like gangrene, and when they were cold enough, they stepped forward, fired two cannons, and then slipped away. However, the Zheng family's warships were unable to do anything to them.  Not only was the speed extremely fast, but the range of the artillery was also farther than theirs. What was even more maddening was that these guys also adopted a hit-and-run strategy, which made Zheng Zhilong and the leaders almost crazy.  During the pursuit and escape, night finally fell. As it was already dark, the pursuing Yan-shaped ships finally began to retreat towards their own formation. Only then did the Zheng family's fleet escape the sight of the pursuers behind them through the darkness.  Asking for instructions: "Master Hou, the Zheng family has been defeated. What should we do next? Please tell me, Master Hou."  " "What else can I do? I will naturally continue to pursue him.  Yue Yang said firmly: "A monk who can run cannot escape the temple. No matter how Zheng Zhilong runs, he must return to Quanzhou. We only need to move towards Quanzhou to meet them."  Now let's head towards Quanzhou!  " Yue Yang is right. No matter how Zheng Zhilong runs away, he will return to Quanzhou. That is his hometown. There are the families of the sailors led by the Zheng family. They cannot abandon them no matter what. The ninth day of September in the twelfth year of Chongzhen passed by  After several days and nights of fleeing, Zheng Zhilong led the remaining nearly a hundred warships and fled back to Quanzhou Port. An hour later, the Weihaiwei Navy led by Yue Yang also chased after him and blocked the entire port. This was also  This means that the Zheng Group has become a turtle in the urn and can no longer escape. Looking at the chaotic crowd on the pier, Guo Jingxian, who felt that a great revenge was coming, could no longer suppress his excitement and said to Yue Yang:  "Master Marquis, let's give the order to fire. Zheng Zhilong's remaining capital is all here. As long as all these warships are blown up, he will never be able to stand up again!  " "Not yet!  "Yue Yang shook his head: "If we can capture these things, it will be very useful to us You send someone to tell Zheng Zhilong, I will give him an hour. If Zheng Zhilong doesn't come out and surrender, I will blow up all the ships here.  rotten!  " "Follow your orders!  " Although Guo Jingxian was unwilling, he did not dare to disobey Yue Yang's order. He put down a boat and sent people to the dock. He conveyed Yue Yang's words to Zheng Zhilong. At this time, Zheng Zhilong, who had just landed back home, also urgently called Zheng Sen to ask  Said: "Sen'er, have you done everything your father asked you to do a few days ago?  " Zheng Sen's mood was very low, but he still answered Zheng Zhilong truthfully: "Reply to my father, the matter has been settled.  My mother and other family members have already sent people to Nagasaki.  Accompanying him were hundreds of servants and all the gold and silver they could use at home.  " "That's good!  "Zheng Zhilong breathed a long sigh of relief and sat down on the chair, with an expression of indescribable loneliness: "I didn't expect that I, Zheng Zhilong, had worked hard for more than ten years, but now it was all ruined. Is this God's will?  " Seeing his father like this, Zheng Sen felt uncomfortable. He persuaded him habitually: "Dad I think that going against Marquis Zhongyong and the court is definitely not the right way. Our Zheng family has received the emperor's favor. As long as we  Show loyalty to the court.  I¡¯m sure the imperial court won¡¯t embarrass us. Why should we go to such an extent with the imperial court?  " "Bullshit!  " Hearing what his son said, Zheng Zhilong stood up angrily, pointed at him and cursed: "You evil son, what do you mean by receiving the emperor's favor in this world?  We, the old Zheng family, have been honest and humble for eight lifetimes. How could the court be so kind to us?  Is our family property also given by the imperial court?  I'm telling you, if I didn't have hundreds of warships in my hands and tens of thousands of brothers who are willing to sacrifice their lives for me, who in the court would have known that there would be a person like me?  Tell me, which of the Zheng family's possessions was given to us by the imperial court?  "Dad" Zheng Sen was speechless. After a long time, he smiled bitterly and said, "But now you have seen that the court can no longer accommodate us."  I heard that the emperor has issued an imperial edict to mobilize the Xuan army to enter Fujian, and they are here to deal with us.  Even the Manchu Tatars were destroyed by Zhongyong Hou. Can we defeat the Xuan army under his command?  " Zheng Zhilong snorted coldly: "So what if I can't beat you?  At worst, we can goI can't believe that there is no place for my Zheng family in such a vast world as Zhenni, Wanni, Champa, and Luzon.  " Just when Zheng Zhilong and Zheng Sen were tit-for-tat, a guard ran in panting and said loudly: "Let me tell you, sir, something serious has happened. The Weihai Guard Navy is moving outside the port. They have sent a messenger.  It is said that Marquis Zhongyong has spoken, asking the headmaster to lead everyone to the port to surrender within an hour. If you don't obey, they will directly bomb Quanzhou!  " "What they came so quickly?  " Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but trembled in his heart. Although he had made some preparations before and transferred his family and some property to Nagasaki. But these people did not include his generals and their families. After all, this kind of thing is unknown  The fewer people there are, the better, otherwise people will disperse once word spreads. The reason why he hurriedly fled back to Quanzhou was to capture as many soldiers as possible before the Weihai Guards arrived.  His family and belongings were taken away, but now it seemed that his plan had been guessed by Yue Yang. Now they blocked the door of the house. This time, he couldn't leave even if he wanted to. Seeing Zheng Zhilong's face turned ashen.  Zheng Sen also felt the same way. Now that all ports and terminals are under the surveillance of the Weihai Navy, they have lost the ability to resist. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are at the mercy of others. Zheng Sen thought for a while and said to Zheng Zhilong: "Father.  , since Marquis Zhongyong has sent people to block the port, all our ships cannot move.  The only solution for now is to take the land route. Let¡¯s leave immediately.  We are on the road in disguise. As long as we get to Fuzhou, we can take a boat to Nagasaki.  "    "it's useless!  "As soon as Zheng Sen finished speaking, Zheng Zhilong shook his head in frustration: "We, father and son, can leave, but others those brothers who have followed my father for many years, do we really want to abandon them here to die?  " At this time, Zheng Zhilong's mood was full of frustration, unwillingness and anger. The Zheng family could slip away and live incognito for the rest of their lives, but what about those subordinates and their families? Zheng Zhilong can be sure that once their family runs away,  Those subordinates and their families who were abandoned by him here will definitely be rounded up and killed by the imperial court. Zheng Sen did not say anything. If Zheng Zhilong abandoned these old subordinates who had followed him for many years, then they Zheng Zhilong would be in trouble.  The family's reputation has been completely ruined. Let alone a comeback, he will probably become a rat crossing the street and everyone will beat him up. After a long time, Zheng Zhilong let out a long sigh, and then said to Zheng Sen: "Sen'er, leave now.  Go here to Fuzhou, then take a boat to Nagasaki to find your mother. In the future, you will never come to Ming Dynasty again without a personal letter from your father. Do you understand?  " Zheng Sen jumped and stammered: "Dad what do you want?  " Zheng Zhilong smiled bitterly and said: "As a father, I cannot leave behind these old brothers who have followed my father for many years.  "    "Father!  "Zheng Sen choked up. "Let's go quickly don't delay any longer!  "Zheng Zhilong waved his hand and urged his son to leave quickly. On the ninth day of September in the twelfth year of Chongzhen, Zheng Zhilong led the remaining men to surrender to Yueyang. The Zheng Family Group, which had been entrenched in Nanyang for more than ten years, was officially declared destroyed (To be continued)  
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