Zheng He's mind suddenly flashed the words in Zhu Gaoxu's letter, it is not easy for Ming craftsmen to build these treasure ships and big ships, and he hopes that all of them can be preserved.

To fight or not? Or do you want to directly lead the expensive fleet to break through first? As long as we want to run, they are difficult to chase, and Zheng He is still thinking about whether to fight or run.

Suddenly, someone behind him shouted again, and Zheng He looked back to see that Tao Degui's fleet was also moving.

He didn't give any orders at this time, and Tao Degui was also moving.

Hiss, Zheng He's face suddenly turned iron-blue, and the whole person was not good.

After just counting the time, he quickly came back to his senses, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and thought in his heart, it is not my sin, everyone has turned back, and I have no power to go back to God.

"Order, all fleets, turn around and go to the old port." Zheng He said in despair.

If he still had the hope of fighting a dozen before, then after seeing Tao Degui's reaction, Zheng He was completely desperate, and he didn't understand why Tao Degui wanted to fight back?

Time goes back to yesterday.

Tao Degui had just returned to his ship, and found that there were a bunch of generals around the deck, and the commanders of Weili were the same as the commanders, and the commanders were in groups, and they were almost all here.

Tao Degui has dozens of ships, usually most of these people are on their own ships, and they rarely come over without receiving orders, or a few better brothers, sometimes they come over to drink together, but it is the first time that so many people arrive at the same time without a military order.

"What are you doing?" Tao Degui said strangely.

"Brother Tao."

"General."

"Commander."

The various titles on the scene also show the depth of their friendship.

The crowd rushed up, and then there was gossip.

"I heard that King Han is reversed?"

"The defeat of the imperial court? Have you lost the provinces of Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangdong and Fujian?"

"Has the King of Han entered Huguang?"

Tao Degui's face was pale, thinking of Zheng He's words in his mind, he still had to calm his brothers' minds at the moment, so he said loudly: "That bastard is talking nonsense, this matter is indeed spreading, but I don't know if it's true or not, don't use it as a lie, it's easy for us to be overseas, let's take my brothers home first." ”

"Qi said it."

"Qi Donkey said." The crowd is gossiping again.

It turned out to be a commander of Gao Yong Hainingwei, who had just run a few expensive boats, and was hyping up this matter, Qi Donkey also said that the official army was defeated in all directions, if we return to China, we will be transferred to Huguang, Sichuan or Fujian and other places to meet the army of the King of Han.

Although it is natural to be a soldier and fight, it is of course better if you can not participate.

Qi Donkey also said that the king of Han only wanted a boat, and the brothers didn't want to beat their own people, so they could drag it outside.

So everyone thought about it, there was nothing wrong with what Qi Donkey said, as long as they returned to Daming, according to the current situation of the imperial court, they would definitely be requisitioned to the front line.

In the later period of Jingnan, the imperial court recruited troops everywhere, and the sailors along the coasts of Zhejiang and Jiangnan were used as infantry, but they were defeated.

The same fate will certainly not be escaped now.

was drummed by Qi Donkey, and the generals on Tao Degui's side couldn't sit still, so they all came to find Tao Degui, everyone, it's very cool at sea during this time, let's stay here, and wait for the domestic victory and defeat.

After hearing this, Tao Degui said angrily: "How can you step on two boats, no matter who wins or loses, you have to settle accounts with us." ”

"What then?" One of the commanders also knew: "Anyway, I can't go back now." ”

Someone immediately said: "It's better to surrender the King of Han, I think the King of Han will definitely win." ”

"The imperial court has a million troops, and it's hard to say."

There was another quarrel at the scene, some people supported the king of Han, some people supported the imperial court, but those who supported the imperial court were not willing to go back to the war.

Tao Degui is capable of commanding envoys, in addition to his family background, he must also be a little level.

He thought about it, he couldn't step on two boats, otherwise the end would definitely be miserable, so he either supported the king of Han or the imperial court.

When he was first with Zheng He, he still supported the imperial court.

But now he had another idea.

Because he saw that the people who supported the King of Han on the scene were similar to those of the imperial court, but the people who supported the imperial court were also reluctant to go back to the war, and wanted him to persuade Zheng He to delay time, go around in circles in Nanyang, and not go back to Malacca, and then come back, and this can be delayed for a year or two.

This asked him to persuade, didn't he let him take the blame, and if the court won in the future, Zheng He would not join him?

What's more important is that what Qi Donkey said seems to be very reasonable, it is better not to participate in the war if you can not participate in the war.

Tao Degui hesitated for a moment and decided to support King Han because he didn't want to go back to the war.

This guy is also a strange person, and he thought of a way on the spot.

So Tao Degui said quietly: "Some of you support the King of Han and some support the imperial court, but I still say that you can't step on two boats as a person, even if that's the case, let's leave it to God." ”

"God is the biggest, and God will support whoever God asks us to support."

The subordinates asked, how to hand it over to God?

"Wait." Tao Degui entered his room and took out a copper coin of the Ming Dynasty after a while.

This is a Hongwu Tongbao, with the four words Hongwu Tongbao written on one side, and the word Fu written on the other, and then there is a face value.

He raised his hand and said: "I throw it three times, if it is a blessing every time, it proves that the sky has descended Qi Fu, let's follow the King of Han and share the blessings." ”

"If it's not a blessing once, then let's not say a word and follow Zheng Envoy back to China to fight."

"Okay." The crowd applauded, and some people expressed doubts, that it could be a blessing every time.

Tao Degui didn't care, horn, and threw it directly on the deck.

Everyone looked at it, and many people at the scene shouted happily, which was a blessing word.

Tao Degui scolded and scolded: "It's such a coincidence, God also supports King Han?" ”

Pick it up again and throw it away.

Horn, it's still a blessing word.

"Okay." The surroundings were even more excited.

Tao Degui noticed that some of the generals who had just said that they supported the imperial court were also applauding.

Some people want to pretend and stand up, and the Huan just called Huan wants to support the imperial court, probably because he is afraid that the imperial court will be convicted according to this in the future.

He secretly laughed, picked it up again, and threw it away.

Horn is another blessing word.

The scene exploded, and everyone was very excited.

The ancients still ate this set, which is destined by God.

"Mother's." Tao Degui scolded: "The evil door of Zhente Niang." ”

He quickly picked up the copper coin on the ground, and said sharply: "Lao Tzu can't help it, this is destined by God, the King of Han is the true son of heaven, brothers, follow the King of Han." ”

With that, he turned around, shook his hand fiercely, and threw the copper coin directly into the sea.

Everyone was overjoyed and shouted to follow King Han.

That's right, this copper coin is a mistake.

This will be placed in the future generations, and the wrong coins will be worth a lot.

Tao Degui accidentally got a copper coin, and the front and back are full of blessing characters, which should be wrong.

Because both sides are blessed words, he feels that it is a good omen, and it is fun, so he carries it with him.

I didn't expect it to be used this time.

The ancients ate this set very much, he threw coins on the spot, and the three times were blessings, this is not destined by God?

So Zhenhaiwei unanimously decided to follow King Han and share the blessings.

At this point, the three Davids who followed Zheng He all turned back.

But at this time they have not yet agreed and have not made it public.

Until today, after the rebel military ships in the old port came out, Tao Degui saw that Gao Yong and Cui Yong were both in the water, and hurriedly led his subordinates to follow.

On the second day of the second month of February, Zheng He came to the old port with his entire fleet and officially surrendered to Zhu Gaoxu, the king of Han.

——

At the same time as Zheng He surrendered, Zhu Gaoxu had already returned to Huguang from Yunnan.

He went from Yunnan to Sichuan, first to Xuzhou Mansion, and then in Chengdu there were a number of boats along the water post road, from Chengdu Prefecture to Jiadingzhou, to Xuzhou Mansion, Zhu Gaoxu boarded the ship in Xuzhou Mansion, and then along Chongqing, Kuizhou, and finally from Kuizhou into Huguang, to Huguang and Guizhou.

Zhu Gaoxu came with a group of boats, grain and grass baggage, and some craftsmen and men from Sichuan.

When I got off the boat from Guizhou, it was already late February, and the weather in Huguang was a little warmer, but it was still much colder than Yunnan and Guangdong.

He, Zhou Hu, Song Meng and others disembarked the first batch, and then watched a large number of soldiers and horses disembark from the shore on the shore, and then the people transporting grain began to move grain.

At this time, the situation of Huguang is basically bounded by Dongting Lake, the northern part of the lake is temporarily occupied by the official army, and the southern part is occupied by the rebel army, but except for a few troops in Yuezhou, most of the official army are in Wuchang, and soldiers and horses from all over the country are gathering in Wuchang.

Therefore, in the northern cities, Guizhou, which is close to Sichuan, is under the control of Chen Wen and Zhao Gui, and it is also a gathering place for the rebel army's Sichuan materials to come in.

Not long after Zhu Gaoxu got off the boat, Chen Wen and Zhao Gui both arrived, and brought thousands of various wheelbarrows and carriages, all of which were levied near Guizhou, and thousands of people.

When the officials and soldiers recruited the people, they didn't give money, and they had to bring their own food, Zhu Gaoxu gave a penny every day, and the people were happy.

"What's going on in Yiling in the east?" Zhu Gaoxu asked.

He had to take some of the food by land, because there were few soldiers, so he didn't want to be harassed by the officers and soldiers.

Chen Wen said with a smile: "Most of Zhu Di's soldiers and horses have shrunk to Wuchang, and there are only hundreds of people left in the Yiling Chamber. ”

Then he said: "Jingzhou is a heavy city, and there should be heavy troops stationed there, but I can't see how much it is now." ”

After listening to this, Zhu Gaoxu knew that the official army had basically given up Yiling, but Jingzhou was an important city, and the official army must attach great importance to it.

"Then hit Jingzhou first." Zhu Gaoxu said: "Jingzhou must be taken." ”

The decisive battle of Huguang and Guangzhou, Jingzhou is very important, take Jingzhou, Zhu Gaoxu can open up the water post road from Sichuan to Huguang, if you go to Yuezhou, the entire Huguang and Sichuan waterways will be connected, and the resources on both sides can help each other in the water post road.

Since his victory in August last year, Zhu Gaoxu has been reorganizing his troops and horses and transporting supplies.

The court on the opposite side is also doing the same thing, and now that half a year has passed, the court seems to be not ready, but Zhu Gaoxu has finished arranging, so he decided to strike first, take Jingzhou, and start the prelude to the battle of Huguang.

(End of chapter)