Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Urgent military reports arrived like snowflakes in the hands of Prince Yanping, who was leading a large army stationed in Penghu. Upon hearing that the Wei army was simultaneously launching military provocations against Tongan, Zhangpu, Zhenhai, and Tongshan, especially in Tongan, where not only was the city besieged but the two armies had already engaged in direct combat, Zheng Jing fell into deep thought. He knew he had to make a decision immediately: whether to abandon the territories he occupied on the mainland and return to Taiwan to defend the sea, or to lead his army to reinforce and hold the mainland.

“My lord, the Wei army’s attack on Tong’an is clearly a test of our forces. If we ignore it, it will only embolden them, and Zhangpu, Zhenhai, Tongshan, and Kinmen will all be lost,” the guard Feng Xifan shouted when he saw his lord hesitate.

"The vassal lord has only gained some land through a long and arduous expedition. If we abandon it all, how will we explain it to the people when we return to Taiwan?" Xu Yao, the Right Tiger Guard, also did not advocate retreating. In fact, most of Zheng's generals were from Fujian and dreamed of fighting their way back to Fujian. None of them were willing to retreat to Taiwan.

"We are willing to fight to the death with our lord!" Generals He You, Jiang Sheng, Lin Sheng, and Zhan Liuqi all volunteered for battle.

"In that case, Lin Sheng and Zhan Liuqi will remain in Penghu, while the rest of the army will follow me to Kinmen. Order Chen Yonghua to immediately conscript all adult men aged sixteen to fifty from all wards and villages in Taiwan, as well as from the indigenous communities of Xingang, Jialiuwan, Ouwang, and Madou," Zheng Jing decisively ordered, seeing that the army's morale was high. He left over ten thousand men under the command of Lin Sheng, the Penghu naval commander, and Zhan Liuqi, the deputy commander, to guard Penghu, while he himself led over forty thousand troops and more than eight hundred ships to Kinmen. After joining forces with Liu Guoxuan and Wu Shu, who were stationed in Kinmen, Zheng's army exceeded fifty thousand, greatly boosting its morale. As for the defense of Taiwan proper, it was entirely entrusted to Chen Yonghua.

After defeating Zheng Xi and succeeding to the throne, he adopted Chen Yonghua's policy of "resting and recuperating the people," governing the more than 100,000 Han Chinese who had come to Taiwan with Zheng according to the mainland system. He renamed Dongdu to Dongning, established Tianxing and Wannian prefectures, divided the capital into four wards: Dong'an, Xiding, Ningnan, and Zhenbei, and established the Baojia system. He adopted a policy of appeasement towards the indigenous tribes of Xingang, Jialiuwan, Ouwang, and Madou, "allowing their children to attend village schools and employing them in labor service to gradually assimilate them." In addition to vigorously developing the economy, he also established the Baojia ward system, which integrated military and civilian elements, allowing him to mobilize tens of thousands of troops from the populace at any time. Now, it was time to wage war again!
As his power grew, the Prince of Yanping gradually developed the idea of ​​establishing his own kingdom. Although he still recognized the Ming Dynasty as the legitimate dynasty internally, after the death of the Yongli Emperor, he secretly submitted to the Kingdom of David, strictly adhered to his vassal status, abolished the title of Dongdu (Eastern Capital), and referred to the entire Taiwan as "Dongning," calling himself the "King of Dongning." He also stopped treating the Ming imperial family and veterans with the same courtesy as his father, Zheng Chenggong, and even stopped providing them with living expenses, causing members of the Ming imperial family, such as the Prince of Ningjing, to be forced to settle in Zhuhu (present-day Gangshan area of ​​Kaohsiung County) to cultivate the land. Feng Xifan and other confidants, sensing his intentions, called for a reform of the official system, demanding that everyone address Zheng Jing as "your subject" instead of "your humble servant." Although he did not agree, he continued to use the seal of "Grand General of the Expedition" and the "Yongli" reign title internally, but he increasingly trusted Feng Xifan, and his subordinates, seeing this, all changed their address to "your subject."

"My lord, I believe it would be better to employ the strategy of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao,' sending a detachment to rescue Tong'an while the main force attacks Zhongzuosuo, Haicheng, and other places. This would both distract the guards and strengthen the defense of Kinmen," said Liu Guoxuan, the central commander, as he saw Zheng Jing leading a large army. He was overjoyed and offered his advice.

"Commander Li Yingming of the Imperial Guard has personally led a large army to besiege Tong'an. If I don't lead a large army to its rescue, Zhang Shiyao's forces are few and I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out for long. Here's what we'll do: I'll lead a large army to reinforce Tong'an, while you lead your troops to attack Zhongzuosuo and Haicheng," Zheng Jing decided after a moment's thought. Although he didn't agree with Liu Guoxuan's suggestion, he still allowed him to lead troops to harass the cities near Kinmen. Liu Guoxuan's main force consisted of only ten thousand men. This move was less about truly wanting to capture Zhongzuosuo and Haicheng, and more about Yanping King sending a diversionary force to disrupt the Imperial Guard's military deployment.

"Yes! Your subject will certainly live up to the vassal's trust!" Liu Guoxuan happily accepted the order and left, not worried about the small number of his troops.
-
"General! Zheng Jing has led his army and has already captured the three towns of Aotou, Lianhe, and Shixun." In the garrison camp of Tong'an City, Fujian Governor Li Yingming was calmly handling military affairs when General Bai Xianzong rushed into the tent to report.

"Zheng Jing is here?" Li Yingming, his previous composure gone, slammed his brush down on the table and hurriedly rushed to Shuangxikou with Bai Xianzong. Shuangxikou was the confluence of the West Stream and the East Stream within Tong'an County, where the two rivers flowed eastward into the sea. If Zheng Jing were to travel by sea, he would inevitably pass through this place. Sure enough, the waterways of Shuangxikou were densely packed with Zheng's army ships, flying banners proclaiming "Grand General Who Pacifies the Nation" and "Prince of Yanping." Who but Zheng Jing would dare to fly those banners?
"My lord, I have already investigated and found out that these are just small and medium-sized ships of Zheng's army. Their giant ships are all anchored in Tong'an Bay, where Zheng Jing himself is also located," Bai Xianzong calmly reported.

"Excellent! Quickly report to Governor Liu!" Li Yingming was not worried but happy.

"With the dragon departing the sea, the Zheng family is doomed! Hahaha~" Upon receiving Li Yingming's military report, Fujian Governor Liu Maoxia laughed heartily. He immediately ordered Li Yingming, Bai Xianzong, and Chen Zhong to confront Zheng's army at Tong'an, holding off Zheng Jing; he ordered Generals Zhou Biao, Wu Jinzhong, and Sun Kaizong, along with Deputy General Xu Shangchao, to attack Kinmen; Generals Chen Hui and Wei Ming to attack Zhangpu County; Generals Song Guofu and Li Famei to launch a fierce attack on Zhenhaiwei; and Generals Han Tianfu and Li Yubin to launch a strong attack on Tongshan. He silently prayed: "May Heaven bless Governors Suhe and Mandulatu so that they can lead their naval forces to the undefended Penghu Islands in time to cut off Zheng's army's retreat, thus making my plans worthwhile!"
"Admiral Cai, the Great Khan knows I am not good at naval warfare, so he has sent you to assist me. I have ordered all the troops to obey your command, and those who disobey will be punished according to military law!" On the flagship of the garrison in Changle Port, Fuzhou Prefecture, the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian, Su He, standing proudly at the bow with a giant axe, said to Cai Lu, the Admiral of Henan. Cai Lu and Guo Yi were sworn brothers and former generals of the Zheng family, but later betrayed Zheng for the same reason, severing all ties with the Zheng family. Cai Lu was an expert in naval warfare and commanded over three thousand veteran Fujianese soldiers skilled in ship handling. The Great Khan of Lotus, worried that Mandulatu was not adept at naval combat, specifically transferred Cai Lu and his group of old Fujianese brothers to Fuzhou, greatly enhancing the Fujian navy's combat power. In fact, many commanders in the Fujian navy were former generals who had surrendered from the Zheng family, such as Chen Zong, Zhang Jie, and Wu Sheng. With these generals skilled in naval warfare, along with a large number of ships collected from various parts of the south and recruited sailors, the Fujian Navy now has more than 400 warships and more than 20,000 men.

Seeing the Governor-General so humble, Cai Lu was grateful and bowed, saying, "This humble official will certainly not fail the Governor-General's trust!" He was also a seasoned warrior, and once he had power, he immediately issued orders. After taking command, he ordered all units to set sail. Upon seeing the signal flags hoisted on their flagship, the Imperial Guard's warships, in groups of eight or ten, slowly departed the port and headed towards the vast ocean.

"Eternal Heaven! Please bless our army with a favorable wind! We must reach Penghu before that fellow Mandulatu!" Suhe silently prayed, determined to get ahead of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Mandulatu, and achieve military merit.

This day was April 6th, 1673 (the 29th year of the Qianyuan era). On the same day, Mandulatu also led 20,000 Guangdong naval troops from Chaoyang Port to attack Penghu. Similar to Suhe, he had no experience in naval warfare, but he had experienced naval commanders under his command, such as Zhang Guoxun, the general of Chaozhou, Gao Liangfu, the military commander of Haifeng, and Gao Liangzhen, the military commander of Jieshiwei. Mandulatu, also aware of his own limitations, followed Suhe's example and handed over command to Zhang Guoxun.

The two naval forces are about the same distance from the Penghu Islands; which one arrives first depends mainly on the wind direction—it's a matter of luck. (End of Chapter)