Fujian Zhangzhou Mansion, Zhao'an County, Fenshui Pass.

In early spring, southern Fujian warmed up.

In the early morning, on the coastal plain platform east of Fenshui Pass in Zhao'an County, there is a large and neat military camp, with bright spring days, fiery red flags and snow-white camp tents reflecting each other.

In the field outside the camp gate, a group of Ming infantry wearing fiery red mandarin duck battle jackets and red tasseled eight-petal iron helmets were marching in the exercise procession, and hundreds of cavalry were galloping in the distance, and the sound of drums, shouts, and horse hooves was mixed together.

Except for a few knives, guns, bows and arrows, most of the Ming infantry who returned to the camp carried Huamei 21B flintlock pistols and even bird guns of different colors on their shoulders. Although all of them looked tired enough, the spirits of the officers and men were not bad.

Judging from the size of the barracks, there were at least 10,000 Ming troops stationed here, and in Zhao'an Bay, further east, there was also a small Ming army sailor moored.

Whether it is a battalion on land or a naval warship, what they fight is the banner of "recruiting the great general Zhu Chenggong" and "the general system of the imperial camp and the imperial military army".

This is the army that has always nominally belonged to the Longwu court of the Southern Ming Dynasty, which was expanded from the former Zhangquan Town, and now the total strength of the land and sea has reached more than 15,000 people, and the leader is Zheng Chenggong, who is only 22 years old.

Emperor Longwu, who loved Zheng Chenggong very much, was once again crowned an official for Zheng Chenggong after the New Year of the second year of Longwu.

Zheng Chenggong's identity and image have changed dramatically from half a year ago, although he is younger than most officers and soldiers in the army, but he also faintly shows the power of his superiors.

The general army of Zhangquan Town is already in the past tense, and this time it has been replaced by a series of official titles such as "Admiral Forbidden Brigade, Commander of the Horse and Horse", "Recruiting General", "Loyal and Filial Uncle", "General System of the Imperial Camp and Imperial Martial Army".

Not to mention whether these officials are worth anything, for Zheng Chenggong, it is a sign of a great leap in status on the political map of the Southern Ming Dynasty.

Emperor Longwu's favor to Zheng Chenggong should be said to be full of complicated feelings.

He was grateful to Zheng Zhilong for his efforts for the establishment and stability of the Longwu Imperial Court, and ninety percent of the imperial court's expenses actually came from the Zheng family's offerings; But he also has no choice but Zheng Zhilong's selfishness. The state politics of the entire Longwu court revolved around the selfish interests of the Zheng family.

Nowadays, almost all of the key points in Fujian's border passes are monopolized by the generals of the Zheng family, and Zheng Zhilong's military order codex is obviously stronger than the will of Emperor Longwu.

Reusing Zheng Chenggong, Emperor Longwu did not look away with the quality of a benevolent and wise monarch, but in the end he still couldn't conjure up a daughter, and could only use his own way to inspire this young man to serve the ruined half of the Ming Dynasty.

What kind of etiquette is the same as the captain of the horse, and what is the general system of the imperial camp and the imperial army, which is equivalent to the treatment of Emperor Longwu's nominal pro-army and half of his son-in-law.

……

……

On a wooden platform in front of the main camp tent, Zheng Chenggong was leading several civil and military staff members to silently watch the horses and troops performing in the distance, and from time to time he showed approving glances to the officers and soldiers who returned to the camp from time to time.

Today, Zheng Chenggong is surrounded by the crowd. There are also two more young people dressed as ordinary scholars, and they look out of place with a group of civil and military officials dressed like officials around them.

"Shi Lang, how is it outside the gate now?"

After standing in heavy armor for a long time, Zheng Chenggong sat down with the corner of his cloak and asked a young guerrilla general beside him.

"Back to the general's words, the Guangdong sentinels outside Fenshui Pass have come and gone more frequently these days. However, it is often a distance or two closer to retreat. According to the general's military order, our army did not make a pursuit. However, the last general also sent several rounds of secret agents, and now there are about 10,000 soldiers and horses in Guangdong in Chaozhou, Kansai. All played the banner of Guangzhou Town, and Zhao Youheng should have sent all the soldiers and horses of Guangzhou Town. ”

Shi Lang clenched his hands into fists and quickly bowed his head to answer his boss's inquiry.

"Well, be sure to keep the pass. Probe is sufficient, but not troublesome. Seeing that his henchmen were reliable, Zheng Chenggong nodded slightly.

"Brother Zheng...... General, the Manchu Qing Dynasty is about to go south. Could it be that at this juncture, I am still fighting in the same room within the ruins of this half of the wall? I heard that the imperial court ordered Yuanbo (Zheng Lian, Zheng Cai's brother) to enter Zhejiang. Seize the water division pass in southern Zhejiang, and there have been many battles with the Lu Wang's department. ”

The young literati, who was not tall, interjected softly. Through the scholar's scarf, you can vaguely see a half-length hair.

"When I returned to China in the autumn of last year, I was invited by Zhao Youheng, the governor of Guangdong, with Brother Yanwu. Lord Zhao is an honest official in Guangdong, helping agriculture and business, and is quite popular among the people, not a person who seeks power and profit. On the contrary, Ding Chukui, the governor of Liangguang, was in a stuporous position, and he was unconscious. Another younger scholar couldn't help but echo, "The general was honored by Jinshang, and he was given the surname of the country, and he has been training the new army diligently for half a year, in order to recover the land in the Northern Expedition, but how do you want to be trapped in southern Fujian." ”

These two young people dressed as ordinary scholars are none other than Gu Jikun and Wang Fuzhi, who returned to Daming last year. Gu Jikun, now that he has changed his words, Zhongqing has become Yanwu, which can be regarded as outlining his original feelings for his family and country.

In the past few months, the two have taken care of everything in their hometown and moved their family to Zhangzhou. Most of the wealth of the two of them was funded to join the army, and they only officially went to the camp yesterday to meet Zheng Chenggong.

Early this morning, Gu Jikun and Wang Fuzhi appeared on stage as Zheng Chenggong's friends and unofficial staff members, and it is said that Zheng Chenggong intends to let the two share the burden of Cao Xiulin, one is in charge of paperwork, and the other is in charge of money and food.

"And Brother Nong, you and Brother Yanwu returned to the country to help me, my brother is very grateful, and what he said is also what his brother thinks in his heart, so we should talk about it tonight. However, the king's order cannot be violated, and the father's order cannot be reversed. If the soldiers and horses of Guangdong do not offend me, I will not offend anyone. ”

Zheng Chenggong's brows furrowed slightly, but he still maintained a friendly and humble attitude towards the two friends who had been separated for many years, and his words were relatively gentle.

"Hmph, I don't think that's the case in Guangzhou Town. I'm very afraid, if it weren't for the general's order, they couldn't let their sentry horses wander outside the pass at will, and they would have gone out a long time ago! ”

As Zheng Chenggong's confidant, Liu Guoxuan was only eighteen years old when he became an official, and he was still full of young people's fiery temper at this time.

In the past six months, Liu Guoxuan has heard enough rumors about the new army in the two towns of Guangdong, and he has been unconvinced. Now that the two armies are facing each other at Fenshui Pass at the junction of Fujian and Guangdong, Liu Guoxuan has long had the urge to compete with each other.

"Liu Shoubei can not be reckless, the two towns of Guangdong were ordered by Zhao Youheng to crusade against the rebellion of the King of Jingjiang, and forcibly traveled 500 miles in ten days, three battles and three victories, and even broke Wuzhou and Guilin. Capture the puppet prison and the king of Jingjiang against the party. Even if the elite battalion under the command of Boss Zheng may not be so strong, and the Guangdong New Army must not be underestimated! ”

Seeing that Liu Guoxuan was habitually reckless again, Cao Xiulin hurriedly walked to Zheng Chenggong's side and gave his colleagues, including Shi Lang, a look.

"Now the Manchu Qing Dynasty has stolen the Central Plains, and the arrogance is very arrogant, and there is a great desire to level several provinces in the south of the Yangtze River and destroy the Jizong Temple of our Emperor Ming Society. According to the lower officials, if the court and King Lu abandon their previous suspicions, the armies in the south of the Yangtze River will work together and choose the strong one to lead the army. Resist the Qing Dynasty together, advance by sea and land, and be able to block the southward movement of the Qing troops. It's not too late to talk about the righteousness. Why don't the generals go to the court anymore and show the key points? ”

Cao Xiulin saw that Zheng Chenggong's expression was still calm, gritted his teeth, and took out the thoughts that had been held in his heart for a long time.

The words are very realistic, but they are very unrealistic. Even in the entire Longwu imperial court system, which emphasizes righteousness and orthodoxy, it is still a very dangerous idea, and it is a typical example of absolute political incorrectness, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a great rebellion.

For the sake of the righteousness of the emperor, the soldiers and horses of the Longwu court and the Lu Wang court have been killed and killed in the past six months. The two sides competed for soldiers, money, and cities. Many ordinary people have been affected, and natural and man-made disasters have been combined, and the livelihood of Fujian and Zhejiang has been rotten, and social production has almost come to a standstill.

And now who doesn't know who has the real power of the Longwu court. It is not so much that Emperor Longwu ordered Zheng Chenggong to lead troops to defend southern Fujian to prevent Guangdong, but that Zheng Zhilong sent his son to station in Zhangzhou in order to keep his lair.

Cao Xiulin's words suddenly made the atmosphere a little stiff, and even Gu Jikun and Wang Fuzhi, who opposed the civil war, were a little worried.

"Everyone. In all fairness, compared with our army and the town of Guangzhou, who is higher and who is lower? After half a pillar of incense, Zheng Chenggong finally broke the desertion of the scene.

"Naturally, my southern Fujian children are high!" Liu Guoxuan was the first to shout without thinking about it, "Most of the soldiers and horses in our army are the elite of Master Zheng's old department, which can be compared to the newly recruited soldiers in the two towns of Guangdong." In addition, the naval warships were several times larger than those of Guangdong. ”

Liu Guoxuan's boasting was of course a manifestation of sitting upright, but in addition to Shi Lang nodding in agreement, Cao Xiulin, Gu Jikun and Wang Fuzhi all looked at their feet silently.

"In terms of the number of elite veterans, our army is superior. However, the two towns in Guangdong were personally taught the essentials by the head of the Huamei old soldiers, and they were familiar with the battle formation. With the help of the gentry of Liangguang, the silver salary is sufficient, and there is the convenience of Hong Kong's proximity to the water, the Nanyang trade route is accessible, and the supply of ordnance, grain and grass is especially above our army. ”

"Last year, the Qing soldiers crossed the river, and there were many people in Jiangnan who destroyed their homes and businesses, and the people fled like a tide. In the southeast flood, the price of rice in Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces is expensive, and the rice in winter is two taels of silver. Hunger is all over the ground, and it is not uncommon to peel trees and eat soil. Now that the New Year is coming, but there has not been a drop of rain for more than a month, it is even more difficult for the army to raise grain this year. ”

Seeing that Liu Guoxuan's blind confidence seemed to be too much, Gu Jikun couldn't help muttering. What he said was best known to those present.

In order to stubbornly support the formation and training of a new army in Fujian, which is no less than that of the two towns in Guangdong, Cao Xiulin, who was responsible for procuring supplies abroad, did not run around with the senior officers in Guangzhou, and through personal connections, he wasted a lot of money to get relatively cheap grain and grass and second-hand Chinese military equipment.

The Zheng family does have silver, but so what? Compared with the legendary "one thin and two dry" three meals a day of the new army in the two towns of Guangdong, the Fujian New Army under Zheng Chenggong gritted its teeth and could only adhere to the "two thin and one dry" food ration.

It is easy to go from thrift to luxury, and it is difficult to go from luxury to thrift. Since he personally used the firearms and ordnance made in Huamei, in Zheng Chenggong's eyes, in addition to the three-eyed firearms that can be smashed and the relatively low-cost Fulong cannon, the knives, guns and firearms commonly equipped by the Ming army have been completely unusable.

Now Luzon, Lanfang, Dayuan, and the two towns of Guangdong have long begun to fully replace the gorgeous 34A rear-loading flintlock pistol. Of the 9,000 or so guns equipped by the Fujian New Army, only 6,000 were second-hand Type 21B front-loading flintlock pistols that Cao Xiulin had bought in Dayuan, Luzon, and even Lanfang.

The remaining 3,000-odd officers and men of the fire battalion can only be equipped with old-fashioned three-eyed guns or arquebus guns, and in terms of artillery equipment, they are a big step behind the new army in the two towns of Guangdong, and most of them are old-fashioned firearms such as bowl-mouth guns, Huzun guns, and Fulong machine guns.

If it weren't for the fact that the Chinese and American sides turned a blind eye and supplied Zheng Chenggong with some grain, grass and ordnance smuggling through some Fujian maritime merchants, it is estimated that the Fujian New Army at this time might not even be able to eat two meals a day, let alone any Chinese military ordnance.

"Well, what Brother Yan Wu said is the point. If Japan fights against the Manchus in the future, the need for food, grass and ordnance is related to success or failure. Without a stable source, it may not last. Then find the people of the local prefectures and counties to forcibly requisition grain. Once the popular uprising is provoked, I am afraid that the Qing soldiers will collapse first in the future. ”

After listening to Gu Jikun's muttering, he felt that the other party had said the point, and Zheng Chenggong nodded again and again.

In recent years, natural and man-made disasters have added to military chaos, refugees are everywhere, and the most important thing is soldiers. Moreover, the Zheng family has been in business for many years, and they are rich enough to rival the country, and some of them are silver. The only key constraints are grain and grass and Chinese military equipment, but these two things are now monopolized by Guangdong.

"And Brother Nong. You and Brother Yanwu have been studying in Taixi for three years, and you have seen a lot of knowledge, if you have excellent ordnance, who is higher and who is lower than my new army and the Chinese American soldiers? ”

As if a certain topic suddenly came to mind, Zheng Chenggong turned his head to Wang Fuzhi again.

"In my opinion, the new army of Fujian and the new army of the two towns of Guangdong are indistinguishable. But if it is compared with the gorgeous army, I am afraid it will not be worth three or four out of ten......"

At the moment when everyone is worried about how to open the Huamei military equipment input port. Wang Fuzhi's answer seemed very inappropriate.

"Humph! Someone seems to look at me left and right and is not pleasing to the eyes of the Fujian New Army? Miyi's battle was nothing more than a strong ship and a good salary. The land battle array, swords and guns have no eyes, is it possible that those Miyi soldiers can still have three heads and six arms! Don't overpower others. Extinguish the backbone of your family! ”

Liu Guoxuan was suddenly furious, and he almost grabbed Wang Fuzhi's neck.

Others respect scholars and pay more attention to Zheng Chenggong's face, but Liu Guoxuan, who was born in a reckless background, naturally looks down on this kind of literati who only know how to move their mouths. Even because of the current situation. Liu Guoxuan also talked about the topic of literati misleading the country many times in front of Shi Lang in private, which was quite a bit of anger in later generations.

"Sightseeing is rude!"

"Liu Shoubei dissipates his anger!"

Several colleagues saw that Liu Guoxuan was about to fight, and hurriedly persuaded him.

I don't mind how indignant Liu Guoxuan is. Wang Fuzhi smiled easily and rolled up his sleeves: "Liu Shoubei, I heard that your own soldiers in the camp are strong and strong, and you are not talented, and your weak body can be compared." ”

"Haha, how can you let the reader compare with us rough people, don't dare!"

Liu Guoxuan laughed instead of being angry, and deliberately said loudly, but as a result, a group of pro-soldier officers and generals under the stands all let out a slight laugh.

Regardless of Liu Guoxuan's attitude, Wang Fuzhi just rolled up his sleeves and got up and walked off the stage without saying a word.

Looking at his friend's provocative appearance, Gu Jikun smiled bitterly, while Cao Xiulin on the side widened his eyes. Zheng Chenggong frowned even more, as if he didn't want to see Wang Fu's self-inflicted humiliation when he first arrived.

……

After a stick of incense, the camp was full of new officers and soldiers, and I saw a smiling expression on the face of the husband who had changed into a short coat and bowed to the rough men around him.

"Two-handed push-ups, the one who is full of 100 wins. Who's coming? ”

After a few shouts, no one moved, and probably no one really dared to commit great disrespect and act against civilian officials in the camp.

"Since you want to be happy, I'll forget it! The scholar is expensive, I don't embarrass you, if you don't get tired and lie down, even if you win. Brothers, if I win today, please drink! ”

Liu Guoxuan untied his saber, pushed away the crowd and walked into the school field, looked at Wang Fuzhi with disdain, and then leaned down and began to do push-ups.

On the high platform in the distance, Zheng Chenggong also looked at this side quietly, probably wondering what kind of medicine Wang Fuzhi wanted to sell.

Compared with Wang Fuzhi's push-up movements that maintain a uniform speed, the young and vigorous Liu Guoxuan is very enthusiastic even if he is wearing armor, and it can be seen that he maintains a good habit of practicing martial arts every day.

Liu Guoxuan finished a hundred first, got up with a sweat, and when he turned around, he found that Wang Fuzhi was still doing it, and he seemed to be in good shape.

“…… Ninety-nine, one hundred! Good! ”

"Wow, you're so skilled!"

The seemingly industrious reader actually made a hundred of them, which surprised the Qiu Ba people at the scene, and many people couldn't help but applaud, even Liu Guoxuan had to admire.

"Liu Shoubei agreed, but I have only been cultivating well in the past few days, so I can't be true. Why don't the two of us run around the camp for another thirty miles? ”

Almost without giving Liu Guoxuan a moment to think, Wang Fuzhi actually ran out of the school with a sweat on his head, and his words were full of arrogance and provocation.

"My mother, isn't this scholar crazy and wants to run another thirty miles after such a hard work? I'm afraid that the brother who doesn't collect at night doesn't have the strength, right? ”

Wang Fuzhi's behavior can no longer be described as normal, and the new officers and soldiers in the battalion who "watched the battle" talked a lot, and even Liu Guoxuan was stunned for a while.

……

An hour and a half later, Liu Guoxuan, who had done a hundred push-ups and ran thirty miles, admitted defeat. The whole camp was in an uproar.

Liu Guoxuan did not lose in the actual test results, but a weak scholar who was powerless in his eyes, and actually compared the two competitions to a draw with himself, and the Haikou he boasted before was ruthlessly slapped in the face.

It was not only the ordinary new officers and soldiers who were shocked, but even Zheng Chenggong was stunned.

As a general with troops, Liu Guoxuan is proficient in martial arts and has strong explosiveness, but most of the time he still rides a horse and a boat, and does not have this kind of endurance training for ultra-long-distance cross-country running, but is younger than the other party. The stronger the body lasts until the end.

On the other hand, Wang Fuzhi, during the military training of Huamei University, has experienced fully armed weight-bearing cross-country running many times, and college physical education classes often have similar long-distance running endurance training.

Only Gu Jikun knew that after studying in Huamei for three years, Wang Fuzhi never interrupted his physical exercise every day, and even after returning to China, the habit of running fifteen miles in the morning every day was still retained.

Throughout the day, Liu Guoxuan did not appear in front of Zheng Chenggong and Wang Fuzhi again. It was as if it had suddenly disappeared.

At night, Wang Fuzhi, Gu Jikun and Cao Xiulin all sat in Zheng Chenggong's tent.

“…… A soldier of the Chinese and American Army can run 20 miles cross-country with a weight of 40 pounds a day, or run 30 miles cross-country with a weight of 30 pounds. After that, enter the battle formation to face the enemy. The Guangdong New Army marched 500 miles in 10 days, and fought three battles in succession, which can be called the head of the Ming Dynasty. However, what Brother Yan Wu and I saw in Huamei was an ordinary thing. ”

"Gorgeous Marines. When they left the camp in the field, they all carried a steel helmet, a rifle, 120 rounds of ammunition, four grenades, a pair of bags, a set of tableware, a three-day picnic, a roll of camping blankets, a set of military uniforms, shoes and socks, a medical kit, and a number of other sundries. The total weight is twenty-five kilograms, which is about my more than forty pounds. Seventy miles a day can also be lined up for battle, bayonet hand-to-hand combat. Can my Fujian New Army have this kind of physique? ”

After glancing at Gu Jikun, Wang Fuzhi sighed slightly and said.

"And what Brother Nong said is true, but such a strong soldier cannot be obtained by strong training. The soldiers and horses of the Fujian New Army, imitating the example of the Guangdong New Army, have three meals a day and one meat per ten, which is difficult to last. However, in Huamei, Lu Bing's daily meat meal is not more than half a catty in his spare time, and he has everything in sugar, wine, tobacco and tea. If it is a strong training, the supply must be doubled, and the supply of naval soldiers is more generous. ”

Cao Xiulin also added on the side that when he represented the Yan family to Huamei for several months, he had also paid attention to these details for a long time. In short, everyone's most optimistic place was compared with Huamei, and it turned out that the difference was not just in the weapon. This can be seen from the disparity in the physical fitness of officers and men and in their logistical provisions.

The Zheng family has the money to raise soldiers, but compared with Huamei, it is completely the gap between beggars and landlords. Not to mention whether you can buy grain and grass, the daily meat alone is equivalent to two or three times more than the cost of raising soldiers.

"Our training troops are all trained in Guangdong, and the new army is a large soldier, and they call themselves better than the blue. Every two days, running around the battalion commander for 20 miles in the morning is already an extreme number, and if it is longer, the soldiers will be tired and unable to engage in battle. ”

"The rifles used by the Chinese Army are fired at a time; The revolver fired heavy guns in a row, and the bullets hit like thunder and rain; Mortar light artillery, killing and wounding several feet. The soldiers of the first battalion fired guns and cannons, and the people, horses, grass and trees one hundred and fifty paces away were all powdered. Let me ask my Fujian New Army, does it have such sharp weapons? ”

Gu Jikun and the others crossed their fingers and continued to speak, the more they talked, the more terrifying they became, and the more they talked, the more desperate they became.

"All three of them have traveled to Huamei, and I have long heard that such Taixi powers are established by war, and the soldiers and civilians are engaged in military exercises when they enter school, and their physique and combat skills are outstanding, and the advantages of ordnance and guns are far above my Ming. If the east and the west are good, it is the strong reinforcement of my Ming Northern Expedition to restore the land. However, according to the three of them, if this state has the ambition of a wolf, I am afraid that the worries of the DPRK and China may come true......"

These overseas Chinese are afraid that they are better at war than business, and land warfare is more perverted than naval warfare. Zheng Chenggong remembered that he had been lobbying his father Zheng Zhilong to invite Huamei to come to his aid, and now that he thought about it, he suddenly felt that he could understand the mood of the court bigwigs.

"General, although China and the United States are a mixed country, it is still a state of Chinese blood, and the people of Manchester City are also worried about the crisis in the eastern soil. The name of the brother has been published in the Huamei Jingyi newspaper several times, which shows that his people especially value it. ”

"Now that the Manchu Qing Dynasty is going south to Fujian, Zhejiang, Huguang, and Jiangxi, the Ming Dynasty is not only fighting internally, but they are fighting for themselves. In addition, the lack of military rations and the uneasiness of the people will make it difficult to cope without foreign aid. If the general can be trusted, the two of us can go to Hong Kong in person and send an envoy to the Governor's Mansion of Huamei Hong Kong to obtain ordnance and grain for internal transportation. ”

Gu Jikun stood up, gave up his former title of brother and brother among literati, and formally asked Zheng Chenggong for his life as a subordinate official.

Looking at the serious expressions of his friends who visited Hong Kong and Pearl Island together, Zheng Chenggong could only nod slowly.

A series of gongs sounded outside the tent, and it seemed as if someone in the camp had accidentally overturned the fire. The sound of chaotic footsteps and various cries to gather up the ordnance and utensils was heard, and the four people in the tent were uneasy.

At this moment, in the town of Hirado Port on Japan's Kyushu island in the distant East China Sea, a woman named Tagawa Matsu was packing her clothes under the dim oil lamp, and a young boy in his teens was sitting quietly opposite her, dressed as a samurai.

She is the daughter of an ordinary samurai family in the Hirado Domain, the first woman Zheng Zhilong obtained when he took refuge with Li Dan in Japan, and Zheng Chenggong's biological mother. Sitting opposite was her and Zheng Zhilong's second son, Zheng Chenggong's younger brother Tagawa Jiro Saemon.

Although Tian Chuansong's nominal husband Zheng Zhilong was really unkind, when he learned that the situation in the Ming Dynasty was critical, Tian Chuansong resolutely decided to leave his second son and go to the Ming Dynasty alone to reunite with his family and go to the family together. (To be continued......)