The most powerful patriarch in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 149
Chapter 147

"Let the people behind follow, hurry up"

"Why is it slow again in front, come and see what's going on."

"Anyone who dares to touch me, I will kill Changle City."

"Don't worry about the baggage behind, the main force will start first, and we can't let the one surnamed Lu run away."

During the march, Zheng Du's temper became more and more violent. In order to hurry, he even killed a group of civilian husbands who did not arrive at their destination on time last night.

Zheng Du felt that he was about to lose his temper.

Lu Changle tricked Zheng Zhenchuan into the city and used a sneak attack to kill people and seize the ship, which already made Zheng Du extremely dissatisfied.

Also through the close-up of the big book of Minnan Express, he said that he was dismissed by the emperor,
Even those old things in the sea have been turned up again and again, saying that Zheng's name is Mingguan, but he is actually a pirate.
Zheng Du couldn't bear it anymore, he kept urging his subordinates to hurry,

I secretly swear in my heart that not only Lu Changle, but also the Lu and Yang clans in Fuzhou will be rooted out.
Let those in Fujian who have opinions on the Zheng family have a look,
What is the end of going against Zheng.

Huaxing Mansion is adjacent to Fuzhou Mansion. From Putian to Changle, if you hurry up, you can reach the city in three days.

However, it took four days to reach Fuqing.

Once entering the Fuzhou prefecture, it seems to be in a strange place.

The roads are rotten, the small roads are broken, and most of the road signs on the road are wrong.
From time to time, there were tripping ropes and traps, casualties came from time to time from the team that opened the way ahead, and the marching speed was getting slower and slower.

Later, those peasants were forced to walk ahead to open the way, but they ran a lot at night,

There are many tributaries of the Minjiang River in Fuzhou, and the role of the bridge is very important at this time.
However, none of the bridges along the way are good,
Some rivers and streams are shallow and can be waded through, while others need to go around a long distance.
Once when crossing the river, Zheng Du's horse accidentally got stuck in the mud and threw Zheng Du into the river too.
Not only was the road difficult to walk, but also no common people were seen along the way, no food was confiscated, and no one gave food and grass to reward them.

Zheng Du knew that Lu Changle was fighting against him.

Do you want to let yourself get out of trouble like this?

absolutely impossible,
Zheng Du not only refused to retreat, but also ordered his soldiers to advance at full speed,
Right now, Zheng Du has only one thought in his mind, which is to catch Lu Changle and kill all the people and clansmen around him in front of him.
Then use various punishments to make him unable to live or die, and after he has exhausted his anger, he will be chopped into minced meat.

When passing Zhendongwei's garrison, Zheng Du looked at the empty barracks garrison, and felt nostalgic for a while,
When my father was serving as the commander-in-chief of Fujian, the whole of Fujian was ruled by the Zheng family.
In the past, to clean up people, just dispatch troops nearby,
It is a pity that due to a terrible plague, most of the main force of the Zheng family withdrew to Jilongshan,
The current Zhendongwei is empty.

If the soldiers of Zhendongwei were still there, how could Lu Changle be so presumptuous.

It can be killed.

After walking for less than a quarter of an hour, Zheng Du became furious again and stopped again.
A very important stone bridge was destroyed, and it took a long way to detour. Now a wooden bridge is being erected nervously.
"Damn it, that Yiguan Bridge was donated by my father to build it. Those bitches dare to destroy the bridge. I will knock off their hands and feet." Zheng Du said through gritted teeth.

Even if his subordinates didn't tell him, Zheng Du knew that the bridge was called Yiguan Bridge.

When it was completed, Dad even brought himself to the bridge opening ceremony.

Because Zheng Zhilong's name in the church is Yiguan, he specially changed it to Yiguanqiao.

His confidant Niu Jinbao persuaded him from the side: "Young master, the surname Lu is so well prepared, he must be determined to fight against us, do you need to inform the fourth master and ask him to send reinforcements?"

The chief trainer of a small militia team defeated Flying Tiger and Hunting Demon King successively. At that time, he could still be said to be lucky.

Even Zheng Zhenchuan fell into his hands, and most of the boats that were regarded as treasures were taken away.

Certainly not easy.

"My son can't even take down a mere mud leg. What does fourth uncle think, what does father think? Zheng Zhenchuan's trash is careless, and the surname Lu will not have such good luck." Zheng Du said through gritted teeth.

Actively suppressing thieves is to find opportunities to express yourself and let everyone look up to you.
If you can't even take down a little Lu Changle, wouldn't it make everyone laugh?

"Young master, how about we wait for the people behind, it will be easier to handle if there are more people." Niu Jinbao persuaded again.

Zheng Du was now dazzled by anger, and kept urging his subordinates to hurry. Those auxiliary soldiers and civilian husbands were mostly temporary recruits. They had no training, no horses, and no carts. They were incomparable with the main force and slowly fell. behind,
In this way, the team is getting longer and longer, and they are all a little out of touch. This is a very bad situation.

As far as the tactical level is concerned, it is considered to be a lonely army going deep now, which is too aggressive.

"No, a group of native chickens and dogs can only play tricks of sneak attack. If they really match our main force, they will all be defeated in one charge." Zheng Du said confidently.

Niu Jinbao saw that Zheng Du was a little impatient, so he didn't dare to say more, and stepped aside after saying something, Mr. Yingming.

Zheng Du hurried forward, mounted his horse and went to the front to supervise his subordinates to repair the bridge.

After Fuqing, the terrain began to become flat, the road was not damaged much, and the marching speed accelerated again.

Seeing that he could reach Changle City in one day, Zheng Du suddenly got bad news that the grain transportation team was attacked.

On the second day after entering Fuzhou Prefecture, the grain transportation team was ambushed when they passed Huangji Mountain. The enemy fired guns and arrows, killing most of the soldiers escorting the food and grass, and rushed out from both sides to kill people and grab food.
Take away everything you can take away, and burn what you can't take away with fire.

When Zheng Du heard this, his face became disfigured with anger, and he cursed on the spot: "Damn it, Lu Changle, a bastard, would do such a shameless act, I swear I will tear him to pieces."

"General" Liang Shikuan, the head of a thousand households, said: "As the saying goes, the three armies have not moved, the food and grass go first, and the food transportation team is attacked, our army is alone, and the food and grass are out of stock, so it is not appropriate to move forward."

"Yes, son." Niu Jinbao also persuaded: "The thieves have already prepared, we need to proceed cautiously."

Zheng Du turned his head and asked, "Cai Yunfeng, how long can our food and grass last?"

Cai Yunfeng, who was in charge of the logistics, quickly responded, "If you go back to Young Master, you can support me for two more days."

"That's enough," Zheng Du said categorically, "Now it's only one day away from Changle County. We have [-] elite soldiers and cannons. We can break through the city in less than half an hour."

After a pause, Zheng Du said loudly: "To be on the safe side, replace three meals with two meals, and find a way to support me with food and grass for two days and four days. I will order the logistics to deliver the food and grass within three days."

"Subordinates take orders," Cai Yunfeng responded hastily.

Niu Jinbao still wanted to move, so he said cautiously, "Second Young Master, my subordinate."

The words were only half spoken, and Zheng Du interrupted roughly: "I have made up my mind, let's carry it out."

Zheng Du insisted on going his own way, and his subordinates had no choice but to bite the bullet and execute.

Everyone could see that the Second Young Master hated the newly promoted general Lu Changle, as if he lived longer would be torture.

Under Zheng Du's urging, everyone had no choice but to bite the bullet and move on.

Unlike Huaxing Mansion, after entering Fuzhou Mansion, let alone people, even living things are hard to see, and there is silence everywhere.
Gives a sense of inexplicable anxiety.

After marching hurriedly for half a day, it was only thirty miles away from Changle City.

Seeing that the soldiers were all very tired, Liang Shikuan stepped forward and asked for orders: "Second Young Master, the soldiers are also tired, why don't you take a rest on the spot and start with some dry food?"

Zheng Du was either riding a horse or a sedan chair, and there were beauties waiting for him to feed and fan him. How could he be tired?

Eight thousand soldiers, only five hundred cavalry, the rest are on foot,

It's late March, and it's about to enter summer. The weather is hot, and soldiers with poor physique are exhausted.

Just as Zheng Du was about to agree, there was a sudden sound of horseshoes in the distance, and when he looked up, he saw a scout with a command flag on his back rushing over.

There must be a major military situation.

"Report, there is movement in Changle City. Many people leave the city with large and small bags of luggage and go to Changle Wharf. There are also many female relatives who are heading in the direction of Min County. They seem to be abandoning the city and fleeing." The scouts immediately reported the news they had detected. go up.

Lu Changle wants to run away?
Liang Shikuan frowned and said, "He didn't run away sooner or later, why did he run away at this time? Did he catch his tongue?"

Judging from the situation along the way, Lu Changle was well prepared. Seeing that the Zheng family army was about to approach the city, did he escape at this time?
The first thought that came to mind was that there was something weird.

"I didn't catch them. The people in the township protection team are very strict. They have bows and arrows and firecrackers, and they can also ambush in secret. There are six of us in a team, and I was the only one who escaped back." The scout said with lingering fear.

Niu Jinbao took the initiative to ask Ying: "My lord, I would like to take someone to investigate and see what kind of tricks the surname Lu is playing."

Cai Yunfeng said disapprovingly: "They thought they had attacked our grain transportation team, and we would retreat if we ran out of food. I didn't expect that the young master was so wise and mighty that he would advance instead of retreating. Seeing the overwhelming army, everyone ran away in fear. What's the matter? Strange."

After finishing speaking, Cai Yunfeng looked at Niu Jinbao and Liang Shikuan with some disdain, and said mockingly: "Liang Qianhu, Niu Baihu, I didn't expect you to become less and less courageous."

These two people have always been trusted by Zheng Du, Cai Yunfeng can only do some logistical chores,

If these two people fall, I will definitely be able to go one step further.

Niu Jinbao said with a serious face: "Cai Yunfeng, don't speak in a cloudy manner. Do you know how many difficulties we encountered and how many people were lost when we entered Fuzhou Mansion? A person who dares to stand firm and clear the wall is really so easy to deal with?"

"The other party has also cut off our food road. They don't leave sooner or later. They leave when they are about to approach the city. It is very likely that they want to lure us to disperse our pursuit. My son, we have to guard against it." Liang Shikuan also echoed.

The opponent is so easy to deal with, Zheng Zhenchuan's army will not be wiped out.

Zheng Du gritted his teeth and said, "The whole army will continue marching as planned."

I really want to send cavalry to chase and surround, and the infantry will follow.

However, the two capable subordinates were opposed to being greedy for meritorious deeds, Zheng Du thought about it, and finally decided to endure it for a while.

The Zheng family's army went on an expedition, and those surnamed Lu waited for work with ease, so there was no rush.
After the entire navy led by Zheng Zhenchuan was annihilated, his own strength did not have much advantage.

Bear with me first.

When Zheng Du led his men to rush to Changle Wharf, he happened to see the last lucky boat slowly leaving the wharf.

"Swish, swish..." A round of arrow rain suddenly shot out, and a dozen cavalrymen who had chased to the pier fell off their horses.
The screams of people, the screams of horses, the scene was in chaos,
When Zheng Du organized the archers to rush up, Fu Chuan was already out of the range of the bows and arrows.

However, after the boat sailed out of the range of the bow and arrow, it didn't leave. Lu Changle stood on the boat and shouted loudly: "That dog Zheng Du, come out and talk."

Zheng Du rode to the front, pointed at Lu Changle with a whip, and said with a sneer: "Lu Changle, if you are a man, don't leave, we will fight to the death."

Damn it, it's late, if you come a quarter of an hour earlier, you'll catch him.

For a moment, Zheng Du was very dissatisfied with Niu Jinbao and Liang Shikuan. If they hadn't stopped him, they might have captured Lu Changle.

Lu Changle laughed: "I'm a man, I won't leave, you didn't see me stop the boat, Zheng Du, come and beat me if you have the guts, come here."

Zheng Du put his left hand behind his back and made a gesture to Niu Jinbao. Niu Jinbao understood and backed away silently.
Ready to go artillery.

The young master wanted to distract Lu Changle's attention, and gave him a shot by surprise.

"Do you still remember how the old patriarch of the Lu clan died? I gave him the death. Hahaha, the pitiful look of that old man when he was drinking, he really looks like an old dog. It's funny to think about it." Zheng Du laughed unscrupulously. stand up.

A stern look flashed in Lu Changle's eyes, but he quickly said loudly: "I will avenge the old ancestor's revenge, and I will use your head to sacrifice to the old man's spirit in heaven. Do you know why I turned against the Zheng family? It's all because of you." .”

"By the way, Zheng Zhenchuan and those five thousand sailors died because of you. Zheng Du, Fuzhou Mansion is your burial place."

Zheng Du shouted loudly: "Lu Changle, don't think that you don't know the heights of the sky and the earth because you have a few muddy legs. I tell you, if you offend our Zheng family, there is no place for you in the sky and the earth. Listen, everyone, who can get it?" Lu Changle's head will be closed to thousands of households, and a reward of 1000 taels of gold will be rewarded."

He dared to openly challenge Zheng's authority, Zheng Du was angry and promised a big reward.

The Zheng family monopolizes Daming Ocean Trade, earning tens of millions of dollars a year, and the most important thing they need is money.

Lu Changle said tit for tat: "Joke, the emperor has ordered you to be dismissed from office. You are just a pirate who loses his conscience and strikes five thunders. Why seal thousands of households? Pirates with thousands of households? It's shameless. The two-layer identity guarantee of General Thief and the head of the Lu Clan in Fuzhou, whoever gets the head of Zheng Du will always be the guest of the Lu Clan in Fuzhou, and will be rewarded with 2000 taels of gold."

Isn't it money? Lu Changle is not short of it now.

While speaking, out of the corner of Lu Changle's eyes, he saw Lao Zhou nodding to him, which was a prepared signal.

Deliberately lured Zheng Du out to speak, and secretly asked Lao Zhou to aim with the Hongyi cannon, looking for an opportunity to give him a shot,
It is a wise move to use the least cost to achieve the goal. Lu Changle will not use crowd tactics to fight to the death unless it is absolutely necessary.

That would be too many casualties.

I wanted to lure Zheng Du's cavalry to break away from the main force first, and take the opportunity to eat it.
When advancing at full strength, a horse can run 25 to [-] miles, and [-] miles is just its limit.
When Zheng Du's cavalry arrived, both men and horses were already tired, and they just took it down in one fell swoop.
Unexpectedly, the always irritable Zheng Du held back.

If one plan fails, another plan will be made, and Zheng Du will be deliberately drawn out, and he will be dealt with with artillery.

Without even thinking about it, Lu Changle ordered: "Fire the cannon!"

Opportunity is rare, there is nothing to hesitate.

Just when Lu Changle ordered to fire the cannon, Zheng Du also shouted with a grim face: "Fire the cannon! Bomb him to death."

(End of this chapter)