The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

The first year of Weiyao.

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

After the first snowfall, the imperial city of Nanjing was gently covered by a layer of shimmering white snow.

The vermilion palace walls and glazed green tiles appear even more solemn in the simplicity, and the icicles on the eaves are like swords, hanging with a crystal-clear chill.

This is the first Lantern Festival of the new dynasty.

As dusk settled, the palace lanterns were lit early in the morning.

Along the long palace path, the lamplight casts a string of pearls, and the warm yellow glow casts crisscrossing patterns of light on the snow, as if daytime had returned.

The lights of thousands of homes shone brightly, echoing the rising moon in the sky.

The lanterns illuminated the ten-mile-long imperial road, shining like a cascading galaxy, turning the city into a sea of ​​flowing gold.

The Qinhuai River is dotted with painted boats, and the sounds of music can be faintly heard.

The air was filled with the fragrance of incense. Ladies in flowing robes swayed gently, their smiles and laughter radiant. The golden hairpins swaying in their hair shimmered under the lamplight.

The streets were bustling with people and vehicles, and lit up with countless lights.

The bright moon hangs high, shining across ten thousand miles.

It illuminated the lights of every household and lit up the future of every family.

On the Lantern Festival, fish and dragons swam about.

The bright moon hangs high in the sky.

It not only illuminated the prosperity and joy of Nanjing.

At the same moment, the same bright moon hangs high above the blue waves of the East China Sea, shining over the island of Taiwan.

However, this place is about to become a battlefield.

The bright moonlight no longer illuminates the singing and dancing on the painted boats of Qinhuai, but is instead splashed on the turbulent black sea, reflecting the eerie silhouette of a massive fleet.

Taiwan, Luermen Port, 15 nautical miles west.

The iron-gray seawater was cleaved open by countless ship bows, churning up snow-white foam.

Luermen is located on the outer side of a narrow waterway along the southwestern coast of Taiwan.

This is the vital passage into the inner sea of ​​Taijiang. On its north bank is Chihkan City, heavily fortified by the Dutch. The two are separated by water and are very close to each other.

The Great Chen Empire's Pacific Joint Fleet, with over five hundred warships, stood like a forest of masts.

The huge sails were filled with wind, like a continuous dark cloud, obscuring most of the sea surface.

On the deck of the flagship "Jinghai", Huang Fei, the admiral of the Joint Fleet, stood against the wind, his red battle robe fluttering in the strong sea breeze.

Huang Fei stood as steady as a rock, his sharp gaze piercing through the salty sea breeze, firmly fixed on the southeast direction.

Taiwan, the island that was occupied by the "Red Barbarians" for nearly forty years.

The giant ship beneath my feet rose and fell gently with the surging waves, like the breath of a sleeping beast.

Beside them, the rigorously trained sailors stood silently in various parts of the ship, their eyes showing no trace of holiday languor, only suppressed fighting spirit.

News of the founding of the nation had spread to every corner of the empire via post horses and fast ships.

They also crossed the strait and precisely arrived at the naval camp located between the Penghu Islands.

The naval officers and soldiers who received the good news of the founding of the nation were all greatly encouraged.

The news, like a boulder thrown into a still lake, stirred up surging ripples in the hearts of every warship and every soldier.

Along with the good news came a conquest order drafted by the Ministry of War, discussed by the cabinet, and signed by Emperor Chen Wang of the Great Chen Empire!

To successfully enter Luermen, one must take advantage of the high tides on the first and sixteenth of each month.

If this fleeting window of opportunity is missed, the entire massive military operation will have to be postponed for a full two weeks.

Tomorrow, the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, will be one of the two crucial tides that will determine the outcome of the battle.

Therefore, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, when the whole country should be enjoying the end of the Lantern Festival.

While the people on the mainland were still reminiscing about the lights and joy of the previous night, over seven hundred ships of the Great Chen Empire's Pacific Joint Fleet were sailing on the turbulent Taiwan Strait.

It includes more than 500 heavily armed warships and more than 200 supply ships fully loaded with personnel and supplies.

Under the cover of night, they quietly approached the designated sea area west of the Luermen main channel.

They are maintaining a silent battle formation, and with the push of the ocean current, they are continuously pressing forward towards Luermen.

After Zheng Zhilong surrendered, the entire Zheng family fleet was incorporated into his forces.

Chen Wang thoroughly reorganized this group of former maritime subordinates belonging to Zheng Zhilong.

A large number of the original soldiers underwent strict downsizing and were gradually relocated inland, leaving the coastal areas behind.

More importantly, almost all the captains and junior officers of Zheng's fleet were replaced, with trusted generals selected by the court and loyal officers who had passed the examinations taking over.

Although their combat strength has declined, their loyalty has remained absolutely intact.

After completing its reorganization, this newly formed force successfully joined forces with the main naval force led by Admiral Huang Fei in the waters off Fujian, ultimately forming the unified and disciplined true joint fleet before us.

By the tenth day of the first lunar month, this massive fleet, carrying the mission of recapture, had all arrived and anchored in the Penghu Islands, where it completed its final pre-battle assembly and rest, awaiting only the decisive day of the tide.

Historically, when Zheng Chenggong recovered Taiwan, the weather and lack of supplies caused a large number of non-combat casualties after landing in Taiwan due to supply problems.

Therefore, after deciding to recover Taiwan, Chen Wang had already given prior orders to the coastal areas of Fujian, Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces to provide the combined fleet with supplies and logistical support for this expedition.

However, resupply is not a problem now, because the combined fleet that is being resupplyed for this expedition is being supplied by [unclear - possibly a specific organization or entity].

During this period, grain, gunpowder, medicine, and various military equipment, requisitioned from the three provinces and transported by hundreds of ships of all sizes, have established a solid forward base and supply depot here, which is sufficient to support the army in launching a protracted war.

The sixteenth day of the first lunar month.

When the first rays of the rising sun pierced the thin mist on the horizon the following morning, illuminating this unfamiliar coastline.

Luermen also experienced two major surges per month.

Under the cover of darkness, hundreds of small and medium-sized Fujian-style ships of the Chen Army had already quietly entered the Luermen waterway.

These smaller Fujian-style ships showed mottled marks on their hulls in the morning light, and the sails on the masts fluttered gently in the breeze.

The bow of the ship cleaved through the waves, making a splashing sound.

The Luermen Pass is severely silted up, with numerous reefs and a complex waterway, making it difficult for large ships to enter or leave, and they are unlikely to encounter any threats.

The Dutch only stationed a security force of about a hundred men here.

The sentry, leaning on his musket, yawned behind the bastion's battlements.

Therefore, the Dutch only left a force of 100 men at Luermen as a security force to maintain order.

Although they had previously received news from the sea that a large fleet was heading south.

During this period, maritime trade routes remained uninterrupted.

The movements of a fleet of over five hundred warships, an unprecedented size, were difficult to conceal.

However, the Dutch did not take it seriously. They still followed past experience and believed that Zheng Zhilong, as the hegemon of the Far East, was once again acting on the orders of their emperor to quell a rebellion in some place.

In the north, in that ancient Eastern empire, there have been constant rebellions over the past decade or so, and further north, it seems to be threatened by the Tatars.

Over the past decade, many Portuguese mercenaries have joined the Eastern Empire, helping to fight against the Tatars in the war.

However, the war situation seemed to be very unfavorable for the empire, as the Portuguese mercenaries were completely wiped out in the north of the empire.

Not long ago, Zheng's fleet sailed north in large numbers, and the intensity of the war seemed to have escalated again.

Therefore, when the Dutch in Taiwan received news of a large fleet heading south, they simply assumed that the fighting in the north had ceased.

Zheng Zhilong led his fleet back to southern China, without considering anything else.

They have been entrenched in Taiwan for over forty years.

Although he and Zheng Zhilong had some friction, there was no major animosity between them.

Although Zheng Zhilong was the overlord of the Far East seas, he had always been focused on making money and would never start a war without sufficient benefits.

Although the expulsion of the Portuguese from the Gulf caused a great shock.

However, it was said that Portuguese pirates had plundered Zheng's merchant ships, angering a powerful figure in the empire.

Therefore, the Dutch did not take the Portuguese loss of the canyon too seriously.

The Dutch did not feel that their rule in Taiwan would be affected much.

Therefore, the Dutch kept everything arranged in Taiwan exactly as it was, without making any changes.

Even when they saw hundreds of warships cutting through the waves on the river, the Dutchmen in the Deer Gate were still in a daze.

It wasn't until thousands of fully armed, musket-wielding line infantrymen of the Great Chen Empire began landing that the Dutch troops in Luermen belatedly realized they were under attack and sounded the alarm.

By then, it was all too late.

As early as a month ago, Zheng's spies, who had already infiltrated Luermen, had already sneaked into Luermen's military camp.

These spies of the Zheng family were all Japanese ronin who followed Zheng Zhilong.

Wielding their gleaming samurai swords, they easily slaughtered the lax sentries guarding the fortress.

Then, as the camp gates were opened wide, more ronin poured into the Dutch camp.

These were Japanese ronin who had followed Zheng Zhilong in his rampages at sea, burning, killing, and plundering throughout Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asian countries.

As soon as the soldiers of the Great Chen Empire arrived at the outskirts of Luermen City, they had already slaughtered all of the hundred or so Dutchmen in the fortress.

Surrounded by soldiers, Cao Dingjiao marched straight in and arrived at the gate of the Dutch camp at Luermen.

The gates of the Dutch camp were wide open, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

A middle-aged Japanese samurai dressed in Nanban armor knelt on both knees, and a group of samurai dressed in the same attire knelt on the ground in perfect unison, their posture extremely respectful.

Cao Dingjiao stood with his hand on his sword, wearing a helmet with three banners and the sun and moon on his head, and a fish-scale bright iron armor.

The middle-aged Japanese samurai bowed deeply and reported the news in fluent, melodious Chinese.

"Tagawa Kanbei, Commander-in-Chief of the 7th Marine Battalion, East China Sea Fleet, Great Chen Empire, respectfully welcomes the Earl of Penghu!"

"Welcome, Uncle Penghu!"

Cao Dingjiao looked down at the group of wanderers from his high vantage point and nodded slightly.

This campaign against Taiwan will primarily involve naval warfare, but a certain level of land-based strength will also be required.

During this campaign against Taiwan, he was appointed by Chen Wang as the commander-in-chief of the Army Division, and with the honor of being the Earl of Penghu, he commanded all the Army Divisions.

Whether it's Huang Fei, the current commander of the East China Sea Fleet, or Zheng Zhibao and Zheng Sen, the deputy commanders, they are only responsible for maritime affairs.

In fact, Cao Dingjiao was the commander-in-chief of this expedition to Taiwan.

Cao Dingjiao's gaze slowly swept over the group of respectful warriors.

In the past, the southeastern coast was frequently harassed by Japanese pirates, and the Wanli Emperor's aid to Korea involved several years of fighting.

Cao Dingjiao felt no goodwill whatsoever towards these Japanese pirates.

They went out to all corners of China, and were all barbarians.

Barbarians fear power but do not cherish virtue.

The task of educating the local people and assimilating foreigners was handled by the officials of the missionary office, and had nothing to do with him.

"You have been in Taiwan for over a month now, and you should have some understanding of the red-haired barbarians who are entrenched here. Here is the general's report."

Cao Dingjiao's voice carried an undeniable air of authority.

Kneeling on the ground, Tagawa Kanbei lowered his head even further after hearing Cao Dingjiao's question.

He felt no anger whatsoever because of Cao Dingjiao's indifferent attitude.

He felt no anger, only fear.

Today's China is no longer the China of the past.

China was once incredibly weak, and the soldiers along its coast were no different from the frail peasant soldiers of Japan.

But the current Da Chen, the new dynasty built from the ruins of the Ming Dynasty, only fills him with fear.

The army of the Great Chen Empire is a true heavenly army.

This is not an empty compliment, but rather the most genuine and profound understanding deep within Tagawa Kanbei's heart.

This understanding stemmed from the bloody battle he had personally experienced, a battle that still sends chills down his spine when he recalls it—the Battle of Yangzhou.

At that time, he was by Zheng Zhibao's side and witnessed the horrific battle firsthand.

At that time, the Great Chen Empire had not yet been established, and the Great Chen Empire's army was still called the "Jingnan Army".

What I remember most vividly is not the chaotic fighting, but the suffocating fighting style of the Jingnan Army, which was completely different from any army I had ever fought before.

The Jingnan army line advanced steadily, like a moving city wall.

Tens of thousands of Jingnan soldiers, dressed in red uniforms, stood in incredibly tight formations, their movements perfectly synchronized, as if they were not made up of living people, but of a sophisticated and ruthless war machine.

When the enemy cavalry charged like waves, Tagawa, like many onlookers, thought that the thin line of troops would be instantly overwhelmed.

However, what he saw was a scene he would never forget: countless muskets spewing deadly flames and smoke at the same instant.

It was no longer a sporadic, scattered shot, but a continuous volley of fire like a summer thunderstorm!

There was no display of individual bravery, no chaotic shouts, only absolute discipline, an iron will, and extremely efficient killing.

That pure, destructive force, composed of a tightly organized system and advanced firearms, completely overturned Tagawa Kanbei's understanding of war.

His personal swordsmanship, which he was so proud of, seemed so insignificant and laughable in the face of such a war machine.

That wasn't a battle; it was a planned, ruthless massacre.

Compared to the Jingnan Army, the Tokugawa Shogunate's army was as weak as a babbling toddler.

Kanbei bowed deeply. His fear of the general before him, the count of the Great Chen Empire, stemmed from the utterly visceral terror he had witnessed firsthand. (End of Chapter)