owlsbooks Chapter 79 Kangxi's Reaction
Chapter 79 Kangxi's Reaction
Even with the fastest courier service, sending a memorial from Guangzhou to the capital would take at least a month by the time the imperial decree was received.
In this nearly one month, Zhu Jiheng had enough time to recall the army and navy of Malacca and Java to Luzon for resupply and to issue a conscription order to the indigenous princes of the Luzon Islands who had submitted to him.
After Chen Ang and other military officers returned to Luzon, Zhu Jiheng immediately convened an emergency military meeting. He planned to send all the troops he had at his disposal to cross the sea and launch an expedition to Taiwan. He intended to take Taiwan as a bridgehead for the counterattack against the Qing Dynasty, and then wait in ambush to deal with the Qing Dynasty's continuous counterattacks.
Currently, Zhu Jiheng's troops, excluding those stationed in Malacca and Southeast Asia, number over 5,500. He plans to recruit at least 5,000 more from the various indigenous princes who have submitted to him as auxiliary troops, armed with captured Western weapons.
He tentatively set a preparation period of one month, during which time Luzon and Lin Jiayan could also expand the total number of system soldiers recruited. After one month, regardless of how many soldiers were recruited, they would set sail for the expedition.
Speed is of the essence in war. Only a few years had passed since the pain of the Revolt of the Three Feudatories. The Qing court had suffered heavy losses in both the Eight Banners and the Green Standard Army. Zhu Jiheng had to take advantage of the Qing court's weakness and launch a strong attack.
With Zhu Jiheng's order issued, the war machine of the Ming court in Luzon began to operate at full speed, and the indigenous princes on the main island of Luzon and its affiliated islands received conscription orders.
Chiefs like Makandon and Magbanu had all tasted the sweetness of victory in the war to conquer Manila. Now, upon learning that the Ming army was about to launch a counterattack on their supposedly more prosperous homeland, they all voluntarily led their tribal warriors to Luzon to report the news.
Within a month, the area around Luzon was extremely lively, with soldiers from various units gathering and forming temporary camps stretching for miles outside the city. Merchants inside the city also seized this opportunity to go out and sell their goods to the soldiers, which surprisingly created several bustling markets.
The soldiers drank heartily, fantasizing about the prosperity and wealth of the north and the spoils they could plunder there. Meanwhile, the chieftains were summoned into the city by Zhu Jiheng, given a feast, and informed of their place in the army.
Auxiliary officers do not undertake main combat missions. Their primary responsibilities include transportation, fortification construction, reconnaissance, and harassment. They must strictly adhere to military discipline and are prohibited from looting or indiscriminate killing; violators will be severely punished. Of course, those who achieve merit will be rewarded equally handsomely.
Although the chieftains had some reservations about restricting looting, they were intimidated by the power of the Ming army and heard that regular combat was mainly undertaken by the main force of the Ming army, while they were more of an assistant and share the spoils of victory, so they all expressed their obedience.
Meanwhile, the Chinese men on Luzon Island were also mobilized on a large scale to transport supplies, repair equipment, and build ship parts, while women rushed to make clean uniforms and dry rations. In the harbor, sailors inspected and maintained warships day and night, loading boxes of shells, gunpowder, food, and fresh water onto transport ships.
Zhu Jiheng listened to reports from all sides every day, personally inspected the port and military camp, and solved various problems. A large number of natives gathered together, and there were reports of fights and brawls almost every day. At first, he was able to handle it patiently, but later he simply let Chen Ang take charge.
As time passed, the Ming court in Luzon was making war preparations in full swing, and the Forbidden City in the capital finally received Wu Xingzuo's earnest and serious secret report.
The West Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace in the Forbidden City.
The young Emperor Kangxi frowned, repeatedly looking at Wu Xingzuo's memorial and the copied proclamation, his face ashen.
"Prince Lu's heir, Zhu Honghuan..." Kangxi murmured these words, each syllable seemingly carrying murderous intent.
He had learned of the escape of the Prince of Lu's heir from a memorial submitted by Shi Lang a few months earlier. At the time, he was furious and issued an edict to severely reprimand Shi Lang and issue arrest warrants. However, he did not take it too seriously at the time.
After all, looking at the world, the only Ming Zheng who still held the anti-Qing banner had been eliminated, and the area around Taiwan was controlled by the Fujian Navy. If that former Ming imperial family wanted to escape, they could only flee to the mountains and live like savages, and could not cause any trouble.
Who would have thought that this guy would actually escape from Taiwan, turn his fortunes around in Luzon, and become a major threat to the Qing Dynasty once again?
He coldly set down the memorial, looked at the Grand Secretaries Nalan Mingzhu, Li Wei, Wang Xi, and others standing in the hall, and said in a deep voice:
"The remnants of the former Ming dynasty have dared to gather tens of thousands of followers overseas and usurp the title of regent. Wu Xingzuo has reported that the Dutch want to join forces with our dynasty to wipe out these barbarians. What do you think?"
Mingzhu spoke first, saying, "Your Majesty, this matter is of utmost importance. If the remnants of the former Ming imperial family are indeed entrenched overseas and have already gained considerable strength, openly using 'overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming' as their banner, they are a serious threat that must be eliminated."
The Dutch have taken the initiative to request an alliance. Although they are barbarians, their navy is indeed formidable. If we can utilize their strengths, it will save our dynasty the time and effort of building ships and training a navy. This is truly a golden opportunity.
Li Wei, however, said: "Your Majesty, joining forces with the barbarians would be a disgrace to the Celestial Empire. Moreover, the barbarians are cunning and their words cannot be entirely trusted. Their aim is Luzon, and they may be trying to use our dynasty's strength to take advantage of the situation."
Furthermore, a long-distance sea expedition would be extremely costly in terms of resources and the outcome uncertain. It would be better to strictly order the coastal provinces to strengthen their defenses, blockade the sea borders, and trap them on isolated islands until they collapse on their own.
The two Grand Secretaries disagreed, and other ministers also expressed their views, some supporting a swift alliance with the Netherlands to suppress the enemy, while others advocated caution and strengthening coastal defenses first.
However, with Songgotu temporarily dismissed from office, only Mingzhu remained in power in the court, and he had more ministers supporting him.
Kangxi listened quietly, his fingers tapping lightly on the imperial desk. Since his ascension to the throne, he had captured Oboi, quelled the Three Feudatories, and annexed Taiwan. He was ambitious and determined to make progress. How could he tolerate a former member of the Ming imperial family openly raising a flag of rebellion overseas?
Moreover, this group of rebels has occupied Luzon in just a few months, which is no small matter. Given time, they will surely become a disaster!
"Taiwan has just been annexed, and the coastal defenses of Fujian and Guangdong especially need to be strengthened. This overseas enemy must not be allowed to remain!" After pondering for a moment, Kangxi finally made his decision: "However, what Suo'etu said also makes sense. We cannot completely trust the barbarians, nor can we allow them to grow too powerful."
"A decree was issued to Wu Xingzuo: He was permitted to make preliminary contact with the Dutch envoy to investigate the sincerity of the foreigners and the true situation of the Luzon rebels."
The emperor ordered Shi Lang, the admiral of the Fujian navy, and Wan Zhengse, the admiral of the Fujian land forces, to immediately reorganize the army and navy, strengthen the defenses of Taiwan and the coastal areas of Fujian and Zhejiang, and closely monitor the southeastern coastal defenses. The necessary provisions, supplies, and equipment were to be allocated by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War.
After speaking, the emperor paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and said, "Tell Wu Xingzuo that it is acceptable to feign compliance with the Dutch, but the Qing Dynasty's military and naval forces will not tolerate any interference from foreigners!"
Suppressing the rebellion is a matter for our own dynasty. Once the situation is clarified, our imperial army can cross the sea to subdue them; why should we entrust it to outsiders? If the Dutch are willing to provide nautical charts and supplies, we will grant them some trade benefits. If they have any other unreasonable intentions, we will sternly refute them!
"Your Majesty is wise!" the ministers replied in unison.
The decree from Emperor Kangxi was immediately dispatched south at an urgent speed of 800 li.