Fuzhou, also known as Rongcheng, Sanshan, Zuohai, Yecheng and Mindu, referred to as "Rong", is located along the lower reaches of the Minjiang River and is an important city on the southeast coast.

Since the Ming Dynasty, Fuzhou has been the capital of Fujian and is known for its well-developed shipbuilding industry and advanced navigation technology. In 1396, 36 surnames from Fuzhou moved to Ryukyu and made historical contributions to the prosperity and progress of the Ryukyus. Zheng He's fleet chose Taiping Port in Changle County as its berthing base, material procurement place and starting point for the Western Ocean, and the treasure ship of his fleet was a Fuzhou-made Fu ship.

The army is pressing, and the historic city of Fuzhou will be shrouded in war. Outside the city, murderous; Inside the city, the atmosphere was tense and uneasy.

After the Ming army defeated the Manchurian and Mongolian Eight Banners, they fought steadily and approached Fuzhou step by step for the camp. On the one hand, the firearms unit has high requirements for supplies, and in order to balance the naval and land divisions, so that the naval division can have ammunition to carry out operations, and Li Sixing's corps can also get weapons and equipment, the General Staff deliberately ordered Ma Bao's headquarters to slow down; On the other hand, the Ming army also had an attempt to attract the Qing army out and annihilate it outside the city in order to relieve the pressure of the siege.

However, the defeat of the Manchurian and Mongolian Eight Banners greatly affected the Qing army's desire for field warfare, and Geng Jingzhong reduced the strength of the surrounding counties and towns, stockpiled grain and grass materials, and was determined to defend the city to the death, waiting for reinforcements.

Although the Ming army's attempt was unsuccessful, it also had the advantage of fighting steadily, that is, it collected a large number of scattered Qing troops and won the support of the general public. The main force of more than 40,000 has now swelled to 60,000, and the people in front of the branch are more than 30,000, which is mighty, and it is claimed that 100,000 soldiers are coming to the city of Fuzhou.

After defeating the arrogant Beizi Fu Lata outside the city, the Ming army began to dig trenches from the west, and then bent and extended to the north, steadily besieging Fuzhou and striving to completely annihilate the defenders. Fuzhou also gathered a lot of Qing army reinforcements, with a total of more than 40,000. He also forcibly recruited the strong people in the city to assist in the defense, and the two sides were tense, and the battle was about to break out.

According to the concepts and conventions of the time, Ma Bao, the king of Wei, had already organized siege troops, which were the surrenders of the Qing army. Although none of them were equipped with the flintlock muskets of the Ming army, their weapons and equipment were similar to those of the Qing soldiers defending the city. There isn't much of a gap.

The use of captives to form cannon fodder troops to take the lead was a method often used by both sides of the Ming and Qing dynasties. For example, after Wu Sangui broke through Guizhou, he selected more than 30,000 Ming army prisoners from Yunnan to form a cannon fodder unit to take the lead. After capturing Kunming, it was planned to let the surrendered army of Xiying be the vanguard to pursue Li Dingguo. Therefore, Ma Bao and other generals did not have much psychological burden and pressure to do this.

After the sailors went south and captured Mawei again, they began a general attack and broke the city to annihilate the enemy. Ma Bao and his staff officers unhurriedly strengthened the fortifications besieging the city of Fuzhou. surveyed the route of the siege, discussed the method of breaking the city, and confidently waited for the news that the sailors had re-entered the Minjiang River.

However, the urgent arrival of the order from Guangzhou disrupted the plan that had been made, so that Ma Bao and others had to rely on their own strength to conquer Fuzhou as much as possible, and then transfer troops back to defend Guangzhou.

"Has there been a change in Guangzhou?" Although Zhu Yongxing did not give a strict order, the tone of the order made Ma Bao and others understand the urgency. I can't help but speculate.

"Unlikely, right?" Wu Sansheng frowned and thought about it, feeling that only Zheng Jun could threaten Guangzhou from the sea. "The Zheng family dares to take the liberty of attacking the imperial court?"

"Or is there a coercion in order to follow the lord?" Ma Bao's train of thought was also deviated, and he thought hard for a while before he said, "Don't care what it is, take Fuzhou as much as possible." Then return to Guangzhou to ensure that His Royal Highness is safe. ”

Wu Sanxing nodded, and several people's eyes turned to the map, thinking about the new plan for attacking the city.

The city of Fuzhou in the Ming Dynasty generally maintained the pattern of Luocheng in the late Tang Dynasty, plus the base site range of the southeastern outer city in the early Song Dynasty. There are seven city gates, namely the east, west, south, and north gates, and the water department, the soup gate, and the well building gate; The eastern, western, and southern cities were restored from the ruins of the outer city of the Song Dynasty. Because Fuzhou City belongs to the bay land, the city wall has a lot to do with the landform, the most obvious of which is that the southern city wall uses a natural harbor as a moat. These harbors were also the main anchorages for merchant ships at the time, making them bustling commercial districts.

If there were sailors to help in the battle, the original plan of the Ming army was to bombard the city wall from the south with naval artillery bombardment. But the sudden change made the Ming army have to choose another breakthrough. And because of the lack of heavy artillery, it is necessary to hope that the tunnel blasting can be used to break the city. The south lake of the city is vertical and horizontal, and the soil is soft, which can be excluded; There are lakes in the east and west of the city, and the army is inconvenient and difficult; To the north of the city, it seems that only this direction is more suitable.

Fuzhou is located in the southeast coast, after the autumn of each year, the cold air from the north invades the south frequently, and the tropical cyclone is also more active, often causing strong northeast winds, which has a great impact on people. According to Feng Shui, it is called a ghost. Therefore, the northeast of Fuzhou City is sparsely populated, and although the government has made the northeast city wall taller and thicker to block the strong wind, it should not be a problem for tunnel blasting.

Ma Bao and Wu Sansheng coincidentally focused their eyes on the northeast direction of Fuzhou City, "Jingloumen? Wu Sanxing proposed to build a yì first, and Ma Bao immediately nodded in agreement.

"Send sappers to survey immediately to see if it's feasible?" Ma Bao made up his mind and breathed a sigh of relief, "If the sailor can arrive, he will attack from the north and south to increase the chances of victory." ”

……………

Zhu Yongxing went through the crazy plans of those civil officials, and he also felt that it was indeed possible to survive. If the head organ is charged, then the overall situation of the entire anti-Qing resistance will face the danger of collapse. For Zheng Jing, face-to-face confrontation is naturally not afraid. But this person's temperament is elusive, and he has to guard against taking risks.

After repeated attacks and harassment by the naval division, the Qing army in Zhejiang was no longer able to reinforce Fujian, and the weapons and equipment of Li Sixing's corps were also being replenished, and the pressure on Jiangxi was increasing, and the possibility of another reinforcement was basically cut off. According to the comparison between the Ming and Qing armies in Fujian Province, the army alone is sure of victory. Although unplanned casualties may be incurred due to his disguised urging, it is still worth it for the big picture.

Of course, Zhu Yongxing also took into account the arduousness of conquering Fuzhou and temporarily made some other remedial measures. For example, the garrisons of Guangxi and Guangdong, as well as local garrison units, were dispatched to Guangzhou, and more than 10,000 people could be gathered in a scattered manner.

Although some of these places are close to the coast, the guards will become as empty as Hainan. But if Zheng Jun wants to make a move, he naturally hopes to control the imperial court in one fell swoop, especially Zhu Yongxing. In this way, we can calm down the controversy and not be charged with rebellion. According to this line of thinking, Zheng Jun would not be interested in other areas controlled by the imperial court.

"You didn't torture, did you?" When Zhu Yongxing got the confession presented by Ye Hu, he asked a little uneasily.

Zhu Yongxing has a natural aversion to torture to extract confessions, except for the spies of the Qing court. He didn't want the Intelligence Bureau to become the notorious East Factory and West Factory in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

"The subordinates don't dare." Ye Hu bowed respectfully and replied: "Back to Your Highness, this is just the confession of some of the officials involved, some people don't open their mouths, they just detain, and they don't need to be forced." ”

Zhu Yongxing nodded, and after a cursory reading, he smiled with relief and said, "These are enough." Transcribe a few copies, and send the letter to the king of Jin and the governor together with Gu's letter. Listen to their opinions. ”

Listening to opinions is only one aspect, and Zhu Yongxing is also testing the attitude of Yongli's former ministers. Na Song is the governor, but he has no soldiers in his hands, and there is no big problem with Bai Wenxuan, the king of Zhao, sitting in Kunming; If Li Dingguo, the king of Jin, wanted to take action, Gao Wengui, the Duke of Changguo, who had received a secret letter, and Liu Zhen, the king of Qingyang, would meet the opportunity to act; Even Li Sixing has strengthened surveillance, and the plans of these civil officials are all in Zhu Yongxing's hands, how can it be undefeated?

"Your Highness. If this matter is pressed for too long, it will inevitably leak out. It's better to report to the Ming Fa Di, show his crimes, and punish him properly. Ye Hu knew Zhu Yongxing's thoughts, and took the opportunity not only to eliminate hidden dangers, but also to equate the takeover with the conspiracy, so as to mention this matter again in the future. It is even more necessary to be clear to the public and win more popular support.

The common people hate the enemy and betray the country to the core, and the resulting killing will inevitably make them applaud. But it will not let Zhu Yongxing bear the notoriety of indiscriminate killing.

"See in the newspapers?" Zhu Yongxing thought for a while, shook his head lightly, and said, "Wait a little longer, and only after the shape is completely understood, can you decide the content of the report." First of all, the words of contacting the Zheng family should not be explicit, so as not to misunderstand the Zheng family. As for the King of Jin and the Governor, as well as the rest of the personnel, it depends on their attitudes to decide. ”

Ye Hu opened his mouth to agree, but felt that Zhu Yongxing was too kind to a woman. After all, his mind is still dominated by traditional ideas, and he feels that this kind of internal cleansing and rectification should be harsh and ruthless, and only by completely eliminating dissidents can he finally rest assured.

Once the butcher's knife is raised, it is difficult to put it down. Those who cannot unify their minds are destroyed physically. Once such thoughts and behaviors are formed, Zhu Yongxing doesn't know what he will become. Besides, these frustrated officials are crazy enough, but they don't have enough weight. If they are still ruthless, how will the Yongli monarch of Myanmar end, it is inevitable to make people think.

With Zhu Yongxing's current power and prestige, he no longer had to take into account the thoughts of Li Dingguo, the king of Jin. But now that the War of Resistance against the Qing Dynasty is in a critical period, there is an urgent need for stability, especially for the army. Li Dingguo has made outstanding achievements, and he once had a dominant king in the imperial court, and he still has great influence in the Ming army with the Great Western Army as the main body.

Fight against Zhu Yongxing? Li Dingguo, the king of Jin who returned Huang Cheng, obviously did not have that kind of capital, but Zhu Yongxing had to take into account the cost of operation if he wanted to clean it. If this gives others the impression of settling accounts, then how many people from improper backgrounds in the anti-Qing forces, including the Thirteen Families, should be panicked and difficult to return.

Historically, the alliance with the peasant army to resist the Qing Dynasty began with Emperor Longwu, which shows that some people of insight in the Southern Ming Dynasty have seen the objective fact that the national contradiction in the country has risen to become the main contradiction. At that time, although there were many officials and soldiers in the Ming Dynasty, the generals and soldiers were extremely corrupt, and the only way to support the great cause of resisting the Qing Dynasty was to rely on the peasant army and make it into its own example.

However, the Southern Ming lacked a strategic and broad-minded leader, and from Longwu to Yongli, most of the officials and gentry in the imperial court regarded the union of the peasant army as an expedient measure, and were often deeply hostile to the peasant army in their hearts, and even denounced it as a "thief" in private and even in some public occasions. Whenever they were in danger, they pushed the peasant army to the front line, and they would use all kinds of excuses to support the peasant army. There were also more difficulties in terms of food and salaries and garrisons, and the limited financial resources were used to cultivate miscellaneous "officers and soldiers" and recruit "pro-soldiers."

In this environment and atmosphere, even the Great Western Army, which the imperial court and the emperor finally relied on, had some worries and worries, not to mention the original Dashun Army that was forced to go north to Kuidong. However, settling accounts after the autumn is a traditional method of rulers who have not been uncommon in Chinese history. As a result, people will inevitably feel anxious about the future and the outcome, and make preparations for the future, etc.

Zhu Yongxing has been reversing this kind of thinking and reversing this atmosphere. That's why he has to fight for a reputation for kindness, and he will speak his word. Rarely repeat the action to reassure the hearts of everyone. This is also something that cannot be helped, there are too many examples of emperors backsliding on their word in history.

Although Li Dingguo, the king of Jin, did not have many soldiers and horses, and was constrained by Gao Wengui, the prince of Changguo, and Liu Zhen, the king of Qingyang, the prince Li Sixing, failed to form his own small group, so he had to deal with it categorically. Zhu Yongxing is still very sure. But Li Dingguo's meritorious deeds are world-famous, and he is still the banner figure of the former Great Western Army, and the light movement is not only prone to ideological vacillation in his own army, but even the thirteen families also think that Zhu Yongxing is unloading the mill and killing the donkey?

"King Jin knows righteousness and understands reason." Zhu Yongxing glanced at Ye Hu and slowly explained: "These civil officials are stupid, so they shouldn't have the mind of contacting the Zheng family. The king of Jin hated the Zheng family, and Sun Kewang held the court hostage, and he made mistakes when he was alone. Don't you introspect? Where will the wolf be lured into the house and bury the great cause of rejuvenation? ”

"Your Highness is wise." Ye Hu had nothing to say, according to Zhu Yongxing's identity, there was no need to explain to him, but Zhu Yongxing did this, and it was not the first time, which undoubtedly proved that Zhu Yongxing regarded him as a confidant, and hoped that he could comprehend and improve. can go further in the official career.

"If you are wise or not, you still have to talk about it." Zhu Yongxing smiled faintly. said: "The Qing court only released the rumor of cutting off the seven provinces to discuss peace, and those civil officials regarded it as a treasure, but they didn't want to say anything outside the seven provinces that our army had occupied? If you give up, where will you put the people of Fujian Province, and where will the people of Jiangnan who are waiting for recovery? If the newspaper is to be published, it will be the topic first. Let these guys become traitorous scum who are pointed out by thousands of people and spurned by the people. ”

"Your Highness is wise, this plan is wonderful, with the yang plot against the conspiracy, with the mouth of thousands of people will not be shameless scum." Ye Hu was in good spirits. A hint of joy was revealed.

"If our army has not entered Fujian Province and the naval division has not captured Jiangnan, I am afraid that it will be much smaller to make a noise." Zhu Yongxing let out a long breath and said quietly: "Confidence, giving confidence to the people in the occupied areas and encouraging the enthusiasm of the people in the recovered areas is the key point. Well, after this incident, the work of countering espionage and preventing traitors must be strengthened, the war is in a critical period, and internal stability is necessary. ”

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, after dealing with those stupid officials, the Intelligence Bureau will be able to free up a lot of manpower to strengthen the internal security work."

"I can't rely on you alone, the Lone Society issued an edict and ordered all local officials to cooperate." Zhu Yongxing paused and said with a smile: "There is a good saying, 'The eyes of the masses are bright', the orphan association drafted a charter and distributed it to all localities to save you some effort." ”

Ye Hu was stunned for a moment, savoring this sentence carefully.

The previous anti-espionage and anti-rape work has also been carried out, but under the new form, Zhu Yongxing feels that there is a need for more improvement. Moreover, the method he came up with was not new, and it did not require much special anti-traitor technology, and it was completely modeled after the practice of the base areas during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Mobilizing the masses and giving rewards and encouragement is fast and convenient, and there are few blind spots. That is, to pay attention to the abnormal behavior of the people around him, for example, someone is usually a poor egg, but now his life is suddenly broader, and his food and clothing have improved significantly; I don't often interact with the outside world on weekdays, but now there are often guests at home, and most of them are strangers, sometimes they come late and leave at night, and they are erratic; I usually don't get close to people, but now I suddenly feel very good to my neighbors, and I am full of spring breeze when I meet, and sometimes I invite guests for no reason; often go out and are not at home, go out late in the morning, abandon their previous occupations, and always inquire about the army and the like on the street; When talking, he inadvertently showed a tone of pro-Qing and disgusting; Attention should also be paid to those who do not do their jobs properly, because they are the easiest to be bought.........

Zhu Yongxing thought proudly, and suddenly his mind flashed, and he couldn't help frowning.

Ye Hu saw that Zhu Yongxing's face changed, he fell into deep thought, and he didn't dare to disturb, so he waited quietly.

The Jiangnan gentry class is an obstacle to their future reforms, but the fake Qing court killed people one after another, blood flowed like rivers, countless wives were separated, and families were ruined, so did they make themselves satisfied?

Zhu Yongxing's face changed from time to time, his fists were clenched and loosened, and it took a long time before he sighed and said with a wry smile: "After all, he is a Han person, how can there be a reason not to save him when he sees death?" There is a way to solve things in the future, and if you sit back and ignore the cruelty, your conscience will not be at ease! ”

"Your Highness—" Ye Hu was puzzled.

"Order the Jiangnan Intelligence Station to hunt down a person named Wu Zhirong with all his might, he seems to have been the magistrate of Huzhou in Jiangnan, well, it should be Huzhou." Zhu Yongxing leaned back in his chair, tried to recall the narrative in the novel, and said slowly: "There is also the Beijing Intelligence Station, this guy may go to the capital to complain, try his best to find him, and kill him." And ......"

Ye Hu listened quietly, not knowing why His Royal Highness Min suddenly mentioned an extremely strange person, and he had to kill him quickly. But there have been such situations, whether it is a god serving a ghost or a fairy warning in a dream, anyway, it is true.

"There are also Jiangnan dealers who repair the history of the Ming Dynasty, and inform them and people related to the revision to avoid trouble." Zhu Yongxing opened his eyes, and his tone became calm, "Isn't Taihu Zhang San already sealed, let them see the situation, whether to take in the dealer, or ...... Let them act as soon as they can, and try to protect them as much as possible! ”

…………… (To be continued......)