Zheng Chenggong asked quickly, "Why is the Dongfan in such a mess?"
He Bin explained: "Last year, Wu Sangui and his entourage fled to Dongfan. In order to gain a foothold, they did not make enemies with the Helan people, but used silver to buy food from them and cultivated land in order to be self-sufficient."
"But they didn't understand the climate of Dongfan, nor did they know how to farm. In the end, not only did they not harvest any food, but they also wasted a lot of seeds."
"They were short of food and grass, so they turned their attention to the local people."
"It started out as small-scale theft, then they just let their troops rob and loot."
"The local people spontaneously united to fight against Wu Sangui. The two sides have been fighting since the beginning of the year. The local people have suffered heavy losses, and Wu Sangui has also suffered casualties."
"Wait a minute," Zheng Chenggong interrupted He Bin, "As far as I know, the Helan people collected taxes from the local people, so why didn't they provide protection for the people?"
"Ah!" He Bin sighed, "The Helan people only collect taxes from the people, and don't care about their lives. Moreover, Wu Sangui never provokes the Helan people, so the Helan people are unwilling to be his enemy. After all, people will die in war. Although Wu Sangui is in a bad state, he is not easy to deal with."
"I see!" Zheng Chenggong narrowed his eyes and nodded slowly: "Who is the current governor of Helan in Dongfan?"
"Cornelius Caesar!"
(Historically, Zheng Chenggong recovered Taiwan in the 15th year of the Yongli reign, 1661 AD. At that time, the Dutch Governor-General in Taiwan was called Kounelli Friedrich. The current timeline is the 28th year of the Chongzhen reign, 1655 AD. At this time in history, the Dutch Governor-General in Taiwan was called Cornelius Caesar, also translated as Cornelius Ciesser.)
Zheng Chenggong whispered the name Cornelius several times, then raised his head and stared at He Bin and asked, "Where is Shi Lang? Is there any news about him?"
"I didn't see him in person, but I heard from some soldiers that Shi Lang was active near Ganju Island. Apart from making fire and cooking, he stayed on the boat most of the time and rarely went ashore."
Zheng Chenggong asked: "Are you sure?"
"Sure."
Zheng Chenggong nodded and asked some other questions.
It includes information such as the Helan people's troop deployment, the number of firearms, grain reserves, city specifications, and routes into the inner harbor.
He also asked about some local indigenous residents and Wu Sangui.
He Bin did not hold back and told everything he knew.
After asking clearly, Zheng Chenggong reported the situation to Zhu Cijiong.
Zhu Cijiong was very surprised: "You said that the total number of Helan troops is less than 2,000?"
"yes."
"Then wouldn't it be easy to deal with them?"
Zheng Chenggong shook his head. "It's not that simple. The terrain in the southern part of Dongfan is dangerous. The only place suitable for warships to dock is the inner harbor called Taijiang. The Helan people built two castles on the way to the inner harbor, and also built a Chikan City inside the inner harbor. The Helan people set up heavy artillery on these castles."
"The inner harbor is shallow, so large ships cannot enter on weekdays. We can only enter by small boats. Small boats cannot carry artillery. Without artillery to pin down the enemy's artillery, our army cannot land smoothly. But the good news is that on the first and sixteenth day of each month, large and small boats can enter during high tide."
"In addition... we cannot rule out the possibility of Wu Sangui's surprise attack when we attack the Helan people."
Zhu Cijiong thought for a moment and said: "In this case, why not attack Wu Sangui first and then the Dutch!"
Zheng Chenggong shook his head: "There are not many places suitable for landing in the area where Wu Sangui is hiding, and they are all under the control of the Lan people. No matter who we attack first, we must enter the port!"
Zhu Cijiong's mind was not here. Without waiting for Zheng Chenggong to finish his analysis, he waved his hand and said, "You are good at naval warfare, so you have the final say on how to fight. I am only responsible for allocating supplies and mobilizing troops."
Zheng Chenggong was very happy with Zhu Cijiong's behavior of being a hands-off boss.
It’s not scary if your boss doesn’t understand.
The most terrifying thing is to give orders without understanding.
Zhu Cijiong didn't understand naval warfare, so he had no intention of intervening.
All he could do was allocate money, food and supplies to provide logistical support to Zheng Chenggong.
Zheng Chenggong didn't care whether Zhu Cijiong wanted to listen or not, and told him everything he knew, and also told him his plan.
Zhu Cixiong listened halfway and called Li Dingguo in to listen with him.
After Zheng Chenggong finished explaining his plan, Zhu Cixiong asked, "Do you need cavalry? If so, I can ask Li Dingguo to lead troops to support you."
"I do need it, but..."
"But what?"
"But the sea is rough and stormy. If the ship hits a reef and sinks during a storm, there's no way back!"
"Oh!" Zhu Cijiong changed his words and said, "If you need cavalry, you can ask Li Dingguo to draw some elite troops from the army to support you."
Several people gathered together to discuss for a long time and finalized the battle plan.
However, there was a disagreement on the date of sending troops.
Zheng Chenggong advocated a quick victory and immediately sent troops to march towards Dongfan.
Taking advantage of the sixteenth high tide, they entered the inner harbor and attacked the Helan people.
Zhu Cixiong felt it was too hasty and thought it would be more appropriate to wait another half a month.
Li Dingguo was not familiar with naval warfare and did not express his opinion.
Zheng Chenggong insisted: "Your Highness, if we wait for another half month, it will be July! The sea is windy and rough in July. Let alone fighting, even sailing will be a problem."
Zhu Cixiong thought about it for a long time and finally agreed.
Following his order, the laborers and baggage soldiers began to carry supplies onto the ship.
There is food and fresh water.
Cannons, and the corresponding gunpowder and shells.
In addition to these, five hundred cavalrymen were drawn from Li Dingguo's army.
Together with the 500 cavalrymen in Zheng Chenggong's army, they barely made up a total of 1,000 cavalrymen.
In order to avoid being destroyed by the wind and waves, Zheng Chenggong dispersed his cavalry among dozens of merchant ships.
On the second day of June, all the troops gathered at Liaoluo Bay on Kinmen Island in Quanzhou Prefecture to swear an oath.
The next morning, the fleet set sail amid the sound of cannon fire.
The sails of hundreds of warships blocked out the sky, which made people feel excited.
On the morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the fleet arrived at Penghu Island (Penghu Islands).
There are no people on the island.
The baggage ship stopped here and used it as a forward base for attacking Dongfan.
The remaining ships stayed on shore overnight and continued to move eastward.
On the seventh day of June, Zheng Chenggong led his army to the vicinity of Ganju Island.
Instead of rushing forward, he sent out several warships to search for Shi Lang's whereabouts.
Find the noon time.
Instead of finding Shi Lang, they encountered a storm.
The strong wind blowing in our direction made sailing very difficult.
Although a ship can sail against the wind, against the wind does not mean sailing directly into the wind.
Instead, adjust the boat first so that it sails sideways.
Then adjust the sail and move forward in a zigzag manner.
It is well known that a ship rolls from side to side while sailing.
Sideways winds can exacerbate the shaking, and when the wind is strong enough it can even capsize the boat.
In order not to unlock the achievement of failed mission, Zheng Chenggong could only order his return to Penghu Island.
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