Chapter 372 The mission of the country's surname

In fact, Guo Huaiyi has also mentioned the sharp deterioration of the living conditions of the Han people in his previous letters.

However, it can be seen from the wording of this letter that his anxiety is becoming more and more urgent.

Although it is inconvenient to make the words clear in the letter, how could Zheng Chenggong not understand what Guo Huaiyi meant.

More and more people are fleeing, and many people would rather flee back to the mainland to fight the Tartars than endure the ravages of "red hair".

If this continues, their ability to deal with the Dutch will be greatly weakened, and if possible, it will be time to strike.

A long time ago, Guo Huaiyi pointed out that if he could drive away the "red hair" and take back the big man, there would be at least a visible benefit.

That is, with the strength of the big man, he can provide military rations for Jinxia and completely solve the problem of food and grass for the righteous teachers.

In addition, in case the Tartars are too strong to return to the sky, when Jinxia cannot hold on, the whole army can retreat to Dayuan, and continue to fight with the Tartars with the wide Taiwan Strait, so as to wait for the opportunity to make a comeback......

Guo Huaiyi's vision is certainly not wrong, and his worries are also very realistic.

However, where did he know Zheng Chenggong's suffering!

It is true that the problem of food and grass for Master Jinxia has always been a problem in his heart.

Abandoning his biological father to swear to resist the Qing Dynasty, in the past few years, he Zheng Chenggong has tried his best to conquer the east and the west, but so far he can only barely support in several counties in southern Fujian, so that there are many people and little land, and there is not enough food and grass, which greatly drags down the combat effectiveness of his righteous division.

Just a few months ago, he served the king of Qin, personally led the main force to the west to conquer Guangdong, and after successfully conquering Nanao Island, he once marched to Jieyang, Chaozhou, and the forward approached the Daxingsuo (now Huidong), and the Huizhou government was close at hand.

However, it was precisely because of the lack of food and grass that he was unable to go any further under Shang Kexi's all-out counterattack.

To add insult to injury, Zhang Xuesheng, the puppet governor of Fujian in Fuzhou, took the opportunity to order the generals Ma Degong, Wang Bangjun and others to take Nan'an, break through Xiamen, which was empty of troops, and copy his back road.

Under the internal and external troubles, the soldiers from top to bottom thought about it and cried all over the place, so he had to order the withdrawal of the army and return to Jinxia with hatred......

The question is, the Tartar soldiers are pressing the border, and the wolves are looking at the tiger, unless he gives up the Jinxia base area, where will he have the extra troops to send to the big soldiers?

You know, compared with the big guys, Jinxia is his lifeline!

With Jinxia, he can gain a foothold on the mainland and fight with the Tartars, and how can he abandon this place until the mountains and rivers are exhausted?

As the lord of the country, he tried his best to fight against the Tartars with his sinful body, and while being loyal to the country, he prayed to atone for his father's sins......

This is where his mission lies in Zheng Chenggong!

Without the Jinxia base area, his tens of thousands of troops will be alone overseas, beyond the reach of the whip, and his fathers and villagers must be disheartened, and his great cause of resisting the Qing Dynasty will not die abruptly?

……

Just when Zheng Chenggong frowned and picked up the secret letter again, he saw Guo Huaiyi deliberately mention one thing at the end of the secret letter.

This incident immediately attracted Zheng Chenggong's attention......

"At the beginning of the month before last, several Dutch gunboats stationed in the port of Doggou suddenly went to sea...... It is said that it is related to the large iron ship that passed through the strait to the east......"

Guo Huaiyi said that the reason why he brought up the incident was because he felt very strange.

"The villain learned from the Dutch that the ships chased all the way to Haojing, but they quickly hurried back to Gougou, and from their itinerary, they stayed in Haojing for less than two days......"

"Two days is far from enough time to load and unload goods."

Guo Huaiyi said in the letter.

Zheng Chenggong was well aware that although the Dutch and the Portuguese in Ho Kung were at odds with each other, it was an open secret that they had several smuggling bases in Ho Keng.

Almost every month, they sent ships to Ho Kyo, where rice and cane sugar were exchanged for luxury goods such as raw silk, ceramics, and spices, which were then shipped to Batavia, where the East India Company shipped them back to Europe in a fleet for profit.

For this reason, the Dutch people also raised a lot of eyeliner and dead soldiers in the area of Haojing.

The Portuguese authorities also turned a blind eye to this and acquiesced in it.

After all, the focus of the Dutch and Spanish rivalry was on the route from Manila to the New World of America, and the original intention of the Dutch occupation was to intercept the Spanish convoy from Manila.

However, the land of the mirror is actually in the hands of the Portuguese, who are in the same contradiction as the Spaniards, and they are naturally happy to see that they can use the hands of the Dutch to contain the Spaniards, who have gone downhill.

And the food and sugar dumped by the Dutch people at low prices in Ho Mirror are also necessities that they welcome, and they will not go to war with the Dutch people over such trivial matters......

The most strange thing for Guo Huaiyi was that there were four gunboats that left the port, but when they came back, there were only three, and one of them is still missing.

He inquired repeatedly, but the Dutch people were secretive and refused to say a word......

"The big iron ship is back?"

Zheng Chenggong's eyes froze, "But, what does this have to do with the Dutch people?" ”

"Isn't it ......"

Puzzled, he guessed, "They also think that this big ship has too much oddity, so they covet it?" ”

"In that case......"

Suddenly, Zheng Chenggong's eyebrows jumped, "If those red hairs and Qinchuan Hou get married, maybe they will get the same fate as Haojing." ”

In that case, wouldn't Guo Huaiyi's various worries be expected to be resolved once and for all......

Thinking of this, Zheng Chenggong showed a smile on his face and teased: "Beat the dog...... It's a good name to get. ”

……

Just then, a swarthy face appeared in the doorway.

Although this person was wearing Chinese clothes, his dark skin and curly hair indicated that he was a black man.

I saw him standing at the door, bowing respectfully, and whispering to his master in Portuguese: "There is a relative general who asks to see him, saying that Master Qu has arrived." ”

This black man is a servant of Zheng Chenggong's inner house, and there are some rooms that only they can enter directly.

They didn't speak a word of Chinese, they were all Catholics, and Zheng Chenggong continued his father's practice of using them exclusively to take care of his own confidential affairs.

"Pass him in."

Zheng Chenggong raised his head and commanded in Portuguese.

……

"See the prince!"

Those who come in bow their heads and bow down.

Although Zheng Chenggong was wearing civilian clothes, he was an upright prince of the court, and although the general was also a cronie, the necessary etiquette was indispensable.

"Get up,"

Zheng Chenggong asked in a calm tone, "They...... How many boats have come? ”

"Back to the prince,"

The general slowly stood up and replied respectfully, "There are six, all of them have been anchored, but they are just ......"

"What?"

"There's a big ...... Iron ships. The expression on the general's face was rich.

"Oh?"

Zheng Chenggong stood up, pondered for a moment, and asked, "This ship...... Is it big? ”

"Yes, it's big,"

Without hesitation, the general replied, "It's just that this ship doesn't hang sails at all, only smokes......"

“……”

Zheng Chenggong was speechless for a while, a little stunned.

Although it was no news, he had never seen how big the ship was, and he couldn't imagine what was so strange about it.

Now that he is described from the mouth of his own soldiers, his feelings are completely different.

(End of chapter)