The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

The sixteenth year of the Chongzhen reign.

November 2nd.

Haizhou Naval Port was shrouded in the thin mist of early winter, and the morning light had not yet completely dispelled the chill from the sea.

Salty, astringent moisture condensed on the ropes and sails, forming a thin layer of white frost.

The distant horizon was tinged with the pale light of dawn, just before the sun began to rise.

The sound of ship bells echoed from the dock, their bronze bells vibrating at the top of the masts, their sound piercing the morning mist and reverberating throughout the harbor.

Zheng Zhilong stood on the wide bridge of the "Jinghai" warship. The weather was turning cold, and the chill of early winter forced him to put on a cotton cloak over his qilin robe.

Zheng Zhilong initially harbored some doubts, but after arriving at the military port in Haizhou...

After witnessing firsthand the magnificent military might of the Jingnan Army's navy, this last trace of doubt vanished.

The Jinghai was the flagship of the Jingnan Army's combined fleet, carrying fifty-eight cannons, all of which were specially made by the Jingnan Army's arsenal.

There is absolutely no other warship like this in the entire Far East.

Zheng Hongkui's face turned bitter. He now realized how ridiculous his initial thoughts had been.

"I used to say that the Duke of Yan was hesitant to act for fear of harming others, but now it seems that we were just too narrow-minded..."

Chen Wang's reason for winning him over was not because he was worried about being unable to defeat him in naval battles.

It was simply because they felt that if they were forced to rebel, they would be scattered and difficult to wipe out.

Zheng Zhilong glanced at Zheng Hongkui, sighed softly, and looked bewildered.

After Zheng Hongkui met Chen Wang in Nanjing, he never mentioned Wang Zhi again, nor did he mention his previous talk about going to the East China Sea.

Zheng Hongkui thought this way, and Zheng Zhilong actually thought the same way.

After boarding the Jinghai warship, he looked around at the group of Jingnan naval warships.

Zheng Zhilong realized just how narrow-minded he had been. He had been like a frog in a well, his vision limited to the waters of Japan and the Ming Dynasty.

A damp, cold sea breeze blew by, and Zheng Zhilong subconsciously touched his cloak, then glanced at the Jingnan Army soldiers who were busy around him.

Most of the time, the soldiers under his command were extremely idle, and battles would not even break out unless a high reward was offered beforehand.

These soldiers of the Jingnan Army, who received only one or two taels of silver in military pay each month, were willing to die for their country.

At the order of the army, thousands of soldiers moved in unison, banners fluttered, and tens of thousands went to their deaths...

He couldn't understand.

He couldn't understand it either.

Zheng Zhilong's gaze was complex as he watched the Jingnan Army soldiers busily working on the ship.

The soldiers of the Jingnan Army wore extremely strange cotton-padded clothes.

The deep red, thick cotton coat reached above the knees, with extra thickness at the shoulders and a leather belt cinching the waist, providing warmth without hindering movement.

These cotton-padded clothes have an official name in the Jingnan Army: "Cotton-made Military Cloak for Cold-weather Training".

However, ordinary soldiers in the Jingnan Army generally refer to it as a "military overcoat".

Seeing this, Zheng Zhilong felt that Chen Wang was truly wealthy and generous, and indeed willing to spend money.

China is still China.

Even though he controlled all maritime trade in the Far East, he could not match the wealth of the powerful Duke of Yan.

Chen Wang never skimped on the military's development; in fact, he spared no expense, even to the point of extravagance.

According to Zheng Zhilong's current understanding, in addition to having two or three sets of normal combat uniforms, soldiers of the Jingnan Army, from generals to the most ordinary soldiers, also have at least one additional dress uniform.

These uniforms were intended for soldiers to wear when returning home to visit relatives, as well as for important gatherings.

Apart from sailors who needed to be agile to perform tasks such as sail control, almost all combat soldiers were equipped with a half-breastplate.

The front breastplate appears to be made of a steel plate, with a slight bulge in the upper middle, similar to the style worn by Portuguese soldiers in the Gulf of Mexico, protecting the chest and abdomen.

The back was tightly bound to the chest with two straps arranged in a cross shape.

The Pingnan garrison soldiers that Zheng Zhilong had seen in Nanjing before were mostly wearing the same breastplates.

It is said to have high defensive capabilities; even at a range of thirty or forty paces, it would be difficult to penetrate with ordinary muskets, and it would be impossible for ordinary bows and arrows to pierce its armor.

This is much better than the armor worn by the Portuguese in the Gulf.

Zheng Zhilong has captured some of the Portuguese weaponry, as much of their weaponry is crudely made.

All officials in the country are essentially the same.

Zheng Zhilong slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, which condensed into a cloud of white mist in the cold air.

He didn't have Chen Wang's boldness to invest such a huge sum of money in the army's development.

I heard that one of the new policies implemented by Chen Wang was to reform the military system and establish a standing army of 1.2 million, with annual military pay alone costing nearly 20 million taels of silver.

The more Zheng Zhilong learned, the less he felt any desire to resist. The Jingnan Army was too strong, so strong that it instilled despair. He withdrew his gaze from scrutinizing the surrounding Jingnan sailors and involuntarily gripped the cold gunwale of the ship.

The Jingnan Army is too strong, so strong that it inspires despair.

Zheng Zhilong withdrew his gaze from scrutinizing the group of Jingnan Army sailors around him.

He lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over the massive flagship beneath his feet, then turning to the enormous fleet in the harbor that was casting off its moorings and setting sail.

One after another, the Jingnan naval warships were slowly sailing away from the Haizhou naval port with the help of the weak ocean currents and oars.

As the morning light gradually brightened, the outlines of hundreds of warships in Haizhou Naval Port became increasingly clear.

The warship beneath Zheng Zhilong's feet is a newly launched sailing warship of the Jingnan Army Navy.

As Chen Wang said, ten of these new warships were indeed in service with the Jingnan Navy.

All the warships had longer and sharper lines, clearly resembling the sailing warships of the West.

During the Battle of Liaoluo Bay, the Dutch flagship was a warship of this type, but it was the flagship of the Dutch fleet and was far smaller than the warship beneath his feet.

Moreover, the sailing warships of the Jingnan Army Navy were distinctly different in appearance and decoration from those of Western warships.

The bow of the ship was not adorned with the various strange statues found in the West; the flagship, the Jinghai, used a gilded coiled dragon as its wave-breaking symbol.

The remaining nine warships were made of white jade dragons, with the warm white jade contrasting sharply with the dark hull.

All the wave-breaking images have dragon mouths wide open, and the copper beads inside rotate with the wind as the ship breaks through the waves, constantly emitting a low and unique humming sound.

Besides this most obvious feature, it is also reflected in the railings, stairs, stern, and hull, all of which use Chinese patterns and carvings.

Aside from its similar shape to Western warships, its appearance is completely different from Western warships, making it easily recognizable at a glance.

On the deck of the Jinghai warship, sailors dressed in dark red military overcoats were making final preparations for departure in an orderly manner, their agile figures busy at various key positions on the ship.

On the mainmast, several sailors were climbing rope ladders, the hems of their overcoats fluttering in the cold wind, but it did not hinder their agile movements at all.

As the waves rose and fell, the massive warships moved slightly in response.

Zheng Zhilong could clearly feel the pulse of the giant ship beneath his feet awakening. As the bells on the dock rang out, the Jinghai warship responded with a swan-like melody, amidst the continuous ringing of bells.

The Jinghai, the flagship of the Combined Fleet, finally set sail.

"Long live!"

Shouts as loud as a mountain collided with the sea, echoing across the docks everywhere.

Countless soldiers of the Jingnan Army, clad in red armor, stood with their legs together, chests out, and heads held high in salute.

The officers and soldiers of the Jingnan Army Navy, who were sailing away from the dock, also stood on their ships and returned the same military salute to the boatmen and soldiers who were seeing them off on the dock.

Facing the sea breeze, Zheng Zhilong raised his head and looked at the vanguard fleet that had already set sail for port in the distance with a complicated expression.

The vanguard's fleet consisted of the Fujian ships and silk-carrying ships that he was familiar with.

In addition to ten sailing warships, the Jingnan Army's navy also possessed a total of seventy-one Fujian-style ships and thirty-one silk-draped ships.

There are a total of 115 replenishment ships of various sizes capable of near-shore operations, bringing the total to 227.

The total number of naval officers and soldiers was over 15,000.

Zheng Zhilong had already read Chen Wang's joint fleet plan when he was in Nanjing.

Zheng Zhilong was really surprised. He didn't understand how Chen Wang, who had grown up on the northern continent and had never set sail, could have such a profound understanding of naval affairs.

In his plan, Chen Wang demanded that the Joint Fleet completely replace its sailing warships within ten years.

However, the fleet of Fujian-style ships and silk-carrying ships will be retained for the next ten years.

Chen Wang knew that in the current naval battle, the key to truly determining the outcome still lay in boarding and engaging the enemy.

Fujian ships were far inferior to sailing warships in long-range firepower. They generally only had one or two heavy cannons mounted on the main deck or upper deck at the bow for frontal bombardment.

The sides and stern were generally equipped with light and medium guns, as well as breech-loading cannons, with a total of about eight to twelve guns.

The Fujian-style ships, which served as the main warships of the Ming army during this period, were not designed for long-range artillery battles from the beginning, but rather for boarding and hopping.

The Dafu ship has a four-deck structure. The bottom deck is loaded with ballast stones to stabilize the hull. The third deck is equipped with fresh water tanks to ensure supplies during long voyages. The second deck is the living quarters for the sailors. The top deck is a combat platform equipped with wooden parapets and gun ports for easy firing of weapons from below.

The No. 1 and No. 2 Fujian ships were slightly smaller, but their basic shapes were similar.

In his book "New Book of Military Tactics", Qi Jiguang emphasized that Fujian ships needed to seize the windward position and use their height advantage to implement the tactic of pressing down with the wind.

From their elevated position, they first unleashed a barrage of rapid-fire muskets, such as the Thunderclap Gun and the Three-Eyed Gun, at the enemy's deck.

Then the soldiers hidden on the ship's side and inside the cabin took the opportunity to leap away and kill the remaining enemies.

The silk-carrying boat has a wide range of uses, both military and civilian.

When used as a warship, it was usually not part of the main front-line force, but rather served as a patrol, reconnaissance, transport, and auxiliary combat vessel.

It carried only four to six cannons, and its fire support mainly consisted of light, rapid-fire cannons such as the breech-loading cannon and the 100-shot cannon, primarily serving as a support vessel for harassment.

In his plan, Chen Wang detailed how to use Fujian ships and junks, which was basically no different from actual naval battles.

Zheng Zhilong was in a state of confusion, and he recalled the rumors he had heard in the past.

Perhaps there really are people in this world who are born with knowledge and bear the destiny of heaven.

And that elusive destiny was undoubtedly shining upon Chen Wang at this moment.

Zheng Zhilong looked ahead. Thousands of sails raced and ten thousand flags fluttered. The naval officers and soldiers of the Jingnan Army were all dressed in red uniforms. From a distance, the entire fleet seemed to be a flowing flame on the sea.

Amidst the rising and falling waves, the vast fleet of over two hundred warships had all set sail for port.

Everyone's eyes gleamed with eager anticipation.

A strong fighting spirit was emanating from everyone.

Zheng Hongkui looked grave and puzzled.

"War is dangerous; aren't they afraid of dying?"

Zheng Zhilong shook his head. He couldn't answer Zheng Hongkui's question, as he had the same question in his own mind.

Unfortunately, his son remains in Nanjing. Perhaps if Zheng Sen were here, he would have a definitive answer.

As his thoughts drifted, a clear, melodious swan-like cry pulled Zheng Zhilong back to reality.

Zheng Zhilong looked in the direction of the sound and saw an officer in a red round-necked robe, holding a metal megaphone, about to speak in front of the helm at the stern of the ship.

Zheng Zhilong knew the organizational structure of the Jingnan Army, and the officer who was about to speak was an instructor in the Jingnan Army.

"Fellow soldiers!"

The instructor shouted loudly, his deep voice still clear in the sea breeze.

"Traitors, bow down before our might!"

"The enemy trembles before our blades!"

Beneath the sails were countless young and innocent faces, but each of them had a determined look in their eyes.

"The world is no longer the world we know, as you should all understand from the nautical charts."

"The world is far larger than we ever knew!"

"On the vast ocean, Western countries compete and are all striving for progress."

The instructor's voice, standing on high, was full of power.

"Their warships are exploring the uncharted oceans, and their footprints have even reached our land!"

"The vassal states of Southeast Asia, which have served as our bulwark for generations, have all fallen under their control!"

"Look at this vast sea. On the island of Taiwan not far away, the barbarians are trampling on our land. They are plundering our wealth, enslaving our compatriots, and swaggering around in front of our homeland!"

"They thought we were weak and easy to bully, they thought we wouldn't dare to cross the sea to launch an expedition, they thought they could occupy our territory forever with just a few dilapidated ships!"

"We will use this expedition to recover Taiwan and tell the world, to all nations, that the master of this ocean will always be China!"

"No!"

"Not just the ocean!"

The instructor, standing on high, rejected his own words and said firmly.

"All under heaven belongs to the king; all the people in the world are his subjects!"

"All great works require sacrifice to achieve."

"The world's nations may not understand."

"But they will ultimately, and must, obey!"

As the instructor finished speaking.

The frenzied shouts swept across the entire fleet like a raging storm. (End of Chapter)