owlsbooks Chapter 10 Summoning Reinforcements
Chapter 10 Summoning Reinforcements
"The royal army?"
Zhu Jiheng sighed softly. He couldn't help but recall the ambition of Koxinga to conquer Luzon during his lifetime, and the debate within Dongning about whether to conquer Luzon during Zheng Jing's reign.
Even though there were occasional calls within Dongning to launch a campaign against Luzon as a foundation for resisting the Qing, the royal army that overseas Chinese had been eagerly awaiting never arrived, even after Shi Lang conquered the Ming Zheng regime.
"Sigh, they're all just empty dreams." Lin Lisheng shook his head, clearly unwilling to say more.
He pointed to a street corner not far ahead and said, "Look, we've arrived at Yuelai Inn. Boss Zhu, you can stay here. If you need any help, just come find me at Lin's Rice Shop in the East Market."
"Thank you for your guidance, Manager Lin." Zhu Jiheng clasped his hands in thanks and watched Lin Lisheng lead the convoy away slowly. The calm on his face was gradually covered by a layer of frost, and the adjutant and others behind him also had suppressed anger burning in their eyes.
"Your Highness..." the adjutant began in a low voice, his tone heavy.
"Let's get settled first," Zhu Jiheng interrupted him, dismounted first, and headed towards the inn at the street corner.
The innkeeper was indeed from Quanzhou, surnamed Chen, and was over fifty years old. When he saw a group of strong men leading a tall horse in, especially the young man at the head of the group who had an extraordinary demeanor, he immediately came up to greet them warmly.
Zhu Jiheng continued to use the alias "Zhu Heng," claiming to be a merchant, and requested several clean superior rooms.
After settling in, he left two men to guard the horses and sent the rest out to scout out the situation in the city, mainly the Spanish garrison and their weapons and equipment.
He himself, accompanied by several attendants, went to the Chinese community in the East City. The scene there was even more oppressive, with sewage flowing in the narrow alleys and an indescribable sour and rotten smell permeating the air.
Ragged children ran through the mud, while emaciated women leaned against the door, their eyes blankly watching passersby. Occasionally, a few dark-skinned, strong men could be seen squatting in a corner, talking in hushed tones, their eyes warily scanning every non-Chinese face that approached.
Zhu Jiheng stopped in front of a bamboo weaving stall. The stall owner was a taciturn old man. He picked up an exquisite bamboo basket and casually asked about the price.
"Old man, this basket is very well woven." Zhu Jiheng paid for it and casually remarked, "I just came from the north. Looking around... the Franks seem to be very strict? Life isn't so easy for us Chinese, is it?"
The old man raised his cloudy eyes, glanced at Zhu Jiheng, and then quickly lowered them again, only giving a soft "hmm" and refusing to say anything more.
Just then, a commotion came from the alley entrance. Two men who had been talking in hushed tones suddenly stood up, their faces full of anger, but they restrained themselves from rushing out.
Zhu Jiheng followed their gaze and saw at the other end of the alley that two Spanish soldiers were grabbing a young Chinese man by the collar and shouting at him. A ceramic jar was overturned next to them, and the fruits inside were scattered all over the ground.
The young man only managed to offer a few words of explanation before shoving the other man in a moment of desperation. Immediately, the soldier raised his baton and beat him mercilessly. He was soon left with a bloody head and was forcibly dragged away.
The surrounding Chinese watched from afar, their fists clenched, but no one stepped forward. Only suppressed sobs came from a woman nearby.
Zhu Jiheng did not rush forward impulsively. He took a deep look at the two arrogant Spanish soldiers, and then looked at the indignant Chinese around him. He knew in his heart that these Chinese were not cowards who dared not resist, but they lacked a leader, a leader who could raise his arms and call to action.
And he is the leader of this group.
……
After Zhu Jiheng returned to the inn, the soldiers who had been dispatched gradually withdrew and reported the intelligence they had gathered.
Zhu Jiheng didn't listen to each report individually, as that would be too inefficient. He had his adjutant organize the information and then report it to him in a unified manner.
By the time the adjutant finished getting ready, it was completely dark outside. The hustle and bustle of Lingayan gradually subsided, with only sporadic barking of dogs and the monotonous sound of the night watchman's clapper echoing through the narrow streets.
"Your Highness," the adjutant stood before Zhu Jiheng and reported in a low voice, "The Francoist garrison within the city has been located. It is mainly concentrated in a stone fortress in the west of the city. It is not large in scale. According to observation, the permanent garrison is about a hundred men, equipped with muskets, spears, swords and shields, and at least two small cannons on the fortress walls. In addition, there are more than twenty soldiers on duty at the dock customs office."
"How many barbarian soldiers are there in the entire city of Linggayan?" Zhu Jiheng asked directly.
"No more than two hundred," the adjutant replied. "Besides the two locations mentioned above, there are also scattered patrols of barbarian soldiers throughout the city, mainly in the western part of the city and around the docks, but..."
"But what?" Zhu Jiheng asked.
"However, there are still four two-masted fast ships flying the flag of the Franks in the harbor. Each ship is equipped with several light cannons. If our army attacks Lingayen, they will definitely join the battle. As a result, the number of defenders will increase sharply."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Jiheng frowned slightly. The garrison of less than two hundred men was easy to deal with, but the four two-masted fast ships in the harbor were a bit troublesome. After all, he only had one level six ship. As the saying goes, even a master can be defeated by a novice. Even though the level six ship had more cannons, it would still be difficult to face the siege of four two-masted fast ships at the same time.
but……
If he could summon the system troops within Lingayen City and launch a surprise attack on the Spanish, capturing key locations such as fortresses and ports before the Spanish could react, he could not only reduce casualties but also gain more spoils.
Thinking of this, Zhu Jiheng quickly used his consciousness to summon the system, wanting to check the conditions and restrictions for the system to summon reinforcements, and whether the plan of the center blooming could be realized.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Jiheng could barely suppress a smile. The restrictions on summoning reinforcements were not strict; all that was needed was to choose a secluded place where no one in this world could see him.
It was already late, and a curfew was in effect throughout the city. The residents had all gone to bed early, so it was easy to find a secluded place where no one could see you. The back alley of this inn was one such place.
He decisively stood up, ordered his guards to stand watch at the narrow, dirty entrance to the back alley, and then summoned the system in his mind, summoning three squads of line infantry and a local cavalry regiment.
The Falcon Cannon was difficult to move, and its role in this urban warfare was less than that of the cheapest militia. It would also require valuable troops to protect the cannon, so Zhu Jiheng did not choose to summon it along with the cannon.
As soon as Zhu Jiheng had a thought, the soldier's token in his mind disappeared, and the previously empty back alley was filled with rustling sounds and the sound of uniform footsteps.
He subconsciously looked into the back alley, and in the soft moonlight, he saw squads of soldiers in dark uniforms, wearing tricorn hats and carrying flintlock rifles slowly walking out, filling the entire back alley.