Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1292 Gathering in Guangzhou
Several key figures in Batavia reached a temporary agreement to reject the idea of ​​dismissing Governor Reinius and to allow him to continue as governor in charge of the war.

Meanwhile, Batavia entered into war preparations, not only consolidating its fleet in the Far East but also ordering, in the name of the company, to incorporate all armed merchant ships into the navy in preparation for war. In addition, it mobilized fleets in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea in the Middle East, in the name of the East India Company, to hasten their arrival in Batavia to participate in the war, and sent envoys back to the mainland to request reinforcements.

Whether or not reinforcements from the mainland could arrive was unknown, and when they would arrive was also unclear. However, after such preparations, Batavia mobilized more than 130 warships (including armed merchant ships), with a total naval and army force of 17,000 men. Nearly half of the army was stationed in Batavia, the rest in Malacca, and the navy gathered near Batavia. The South China Sea war was about to begin.

Of course, all of this could not be accomplished in a short time. Even in later generations, it would take considerable time to assemble such a large fleet and troops for war preparations. For example, the famous Operation Barbarossa during World War II was formulated as early as June 1940, but it was not officially launched until June 1941.

From the initial planning to the preparation and then to the formal launch of a war, there are many aspects that need to be perfected. This was true for wars in the 20th century, let alone in the 17th century.
Not to mention the Dutch, even the Ming Dynasty took nearly three months to assemble its fleet and mobilize its supplies in Guangzhou. This was considered fast for a major war. In the past, given the Ming Dynasty's national strength and military capabilities, it would have taken at least six months to prepare for such a major war.

Zheng Hongkui arrived in Guangzhou at the end of the year, along with the main warships of the ocean-going fleet.

In recent years, Zheng Hongkui, as the admiral of the Ming Dynasty's ocean-going fleet, has frequently traveled between the Ming Dynasty's mainland and the New World. For this reason, he has not been to the south for a long time. This trip to Guangzhou can be described as a return to familiar territory. Although Guangzhou is not Fuzhou, nor the old stronghold of the Zheng family group, Zheng Hongkui visited here quite often during Zheng Zhilong's time, especially during the Eighteen Zhilong period.

Guangzhou is much more prosperous now than before. In recent years, the scale of the Ming Dynasty's maritime trade has grown larger and larger. With the establishment of trading ports, Guangzhou has become one of the trading ports. Merchants from Europe and caravans from all over the country can be seen everywhere in the city. In addition, many new trading companies have been established. With the prosperity of the city, the population has more than doubled.

"Brother Rijian, you must be tired from your journey." As soon as he disembarked, Xiong Wencan, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, came up to greet Zheng Hongkui very politely.

Although Xiong Wencan held a higher official rank than Zheng Hongkui, and Xiong Wencan was a civil official while Zheng Hongkui was merely a military officer, the problem lay in the fact that Zheng Hongkui, as the admiral of the Ming Dynasty's ocean-going navy, was equally outstanding among military officers. Furthermore, he held the rank of general and also served in the General Staff Office, with the additional title of Left Vice-General, making him only half a rank lower than Xiong Wencan.

More importantly, the emperor trusted Zheng Hongkui. Although the court punished Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Hongkui was not implicated. On the contrary, Zheng Hongkui's career was elevated, and he was directly appointed as the admiral of the ocean-going navy.

News from the capital revealed that the Emperor had personally appointed Zheng Hongkui as the commander-in-chief for this campaign in the South China Sea. This demonstrates Zheng Hongkui's favor with the Emperor, a favor no less than his own. Furthermore, given the crucial importance of this campaign, and the Emperor's personal letter to Xiong Wencan instructing him to oversee logistics and cooperate with Zheng Hongkui, how could Xiong Wencan possibly take this matter lightly?
"Lord Xiong, you are too kind. I did not expect you to come to greet me in person. I am truly humbled." Zheng Hongkui was not an ignorant person. He was already pleasantly surprised that Xiong Wencan could make such a gesture. Although he had long known that this was the emperor's arrangement, it would have been impossible for Xiong Wencan, as the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi, to be so polite to a military officer like himself in the past.

Zheng Hongkui hurriedly bowed to Xiong Wencan, bowing deeply. Before he could even finish, Xiong Wencan quickly helped him up, saying with a smile, "We are both officials in the same court, why be so formal? Besides, we are old acquaintances. It's been years since we last met, and you still look as dashing as ever. Coming to Guangzhou today is like coming home. Come on, let me introduce you to some old friends. They've been waiting for you for quite some time."

As he spoke, he took Zheng Hongkui's hand and walked away. It wasn't wrong for Xiong Wencan to say that they were old acquaintances. You should know that Xiong Wencan was the Left Provincial Governor of Fujian back then. It was Xiong Wencan who intervened when the imperial court offered amnesty to Zheng Zhilong. At that time, Zheng Hongkui was Zheng Zhilong's cousin and a member of the Eighteen Zhi. They knew each other in their early years, but they didn't have much contact.

So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. Xiong Wencan is now the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, while Zheng Hongkui has long since left the Zheng Group and become a high-ranking general in the imperial court. Now, the two meet again in Guangzhou. When Xiong Wencan recounts the events of that day, Zheng Hongkui is filled with emotion.

They led Zheng Hongkui back and introduced him to some officials in Guangzhou. Among these officials were indeed people Zheng Hongkui knew. After all, the Zheng Group had originally been based in the southeast, and many of the officials in Guangdong and Guangxi had been transferred from Fujian. These people had more or less dealt with Zheng Hongkui, so they were all acquaintances.

Surprisingly, besides these people, Zheng Hongkui saw someone even more familiar. When he saw Wang Fuzhi there, he was taken aback at first, and then couldn't help but ask, "Brother Er Nong, what are you doing here?"

"What? You don't welcome me? Or do you find me annoying?" Wang Fuzhi asked with a smile.

"No, no, no, how could this be?" Zheng Hongkui hurriedly said, "I never expected to see you here. Didn't you say you went to take up a post at the Zongli Yamen? Why are you in Guangzhou?" "Hahaha!" Wang Fuzhi laughed, his expression teasing, "That's exactly why I came here. This naval operation in the South China Sea involves affairs of various countries, and I was in charge of this matter at the Zongli Yamen. How could I be left out? Besides, I learned that His Majesty appointed you as the general, making you the admiral to command this battle, and I even volunteered to serve as an advisor under you. What? You don't want to?"

"Yes! Absolutely!" Zheng Hongkui laughed heartily and nodded repeatedly. He and Wang Fuzhi were old friends. They had forged a deep friendship during their years of diplomatic missions to Europe and he was well aware of Wang Fuzhi's abilities.

Although Wang Fuzhi was just a scholar, he was not a bookish nerd who lacked the ability to fight. In addition, Wang Fuzhi not only had diplomatic talent, but was also fluent in various languages ​​and had some understanding of naval warfare. Zheng Hongkui, the advisor to him, was more than happy to have him.

The two exchanged pleasantries, and Zheng Hongkui would have liked to hold Wang Fuzhi's hand and chat for a while if others hadn't reminded him. Afterwards, under Xiong Wencan's arrangement, after meeting with everyone, they went together to the Governor's Office. Xiong Wencan, as the host, welcomed Zheng Hongkui and discussed the fleet's preparations.

The welcoming banquet was very harmonious. This battle was a major event for the imperial court, and everyone understood its importance, so naturally no one would embarrass Zheng Hongkui. Moreover, Xiong Wencan proactively introduced the current supplies prepared in Guangzhou, and after listening carefully, Zheng Hongkui felt relieved. As a naval commander, he was all too aware of the differences between naval and land warfare. He had worried about inadequate preparations when he arrived, but now it seemed he had been overthinking it.

Since it was Zheng Hongkui's first day of arrival, Xiong Wencan didn't keep him long. The reception ended after a welcome banquet, and everyone would have a proper rest for the night before the next day to discuss matters formally.

Zheng Hongkui's residence was not far from the Governor's Office, and arrangements had been made in advance. Upon arriving at his residence, Zheng Hongkui was very satisfied with the place. He changed his clothes, washed his face to get rid of the smell of alcohol, and had someone bring him the data on the warships that had been almost assembled at the port for a closer look. At the same time, he brewed a pot of tea and read it by candlelight.

He didn't know how long he had been looking at the documents when a guard suddenly came to report that Wang Fuzhi had arrived. Zheng Hongkui quickly had someone invite him in. After entering the room, Wang Fuzhi saw the documents that Zheng Hongkui had laid out to the side, glanced at them, and asked with a smile why he was in such a hurry to get to work without resting first. He thought it was a bit too hasty.

“We can’t afford to be in a hurry! You know my temperament, and besides, this battle won’t be easy,” Zheng Hongkui sighed.

"What? You're not confident in this battle?" Wang Fuzhi asked intently.

"How can you be sure of victory in a war, especially a naval battle? And you, Brother Nong, have been to sea before. The weather at sea is unpredictable, and all sorts of things can happen in a naval battle. Unless you have an overwhelming advantage, who can be absolutely certain of victory?"

“That’s true…” Wang Fuzhi nodded slightly, acknowledging that Zheng Hongkui was right.

There are simply too many uncertainties in naval warfare, such as weather conditions, changes in wind direction, and luck in war.

Naval warfare today can be categorized into several types, essentially consisting of cannon fire between warships and close-quarters combat at the stern. In addition, there are other tactics such as fire attacks. For example, when the Dutch first attacked Fujian and were repelled, the Ming army employed fire attacks, using fire ships to approach the enemy warships and set them ablaze, thus securing victory.

However, this tactic has limitations. First, it can only be used in coastal areas because fire ships are small and cannot sail far, at most only in the near sea. Second, these ships can only be used for surprise attacks, which may be effective in small-scale operations, but are absolutely useless in naval battles.

Therefore, this South China Sea operation can only rely on the firepower and military strength of each warship. This type of operation places extremely high demands on warships, in addition to the commander's command. Even so, luck is also an important factor. For example, in war, you may be clearly dominating the enemy, but the problem is that you can't completely defeat them no matter how many times you fight. Then, the enemy accidentally fires a shot that hits your flagship, destroying it and causing command failure, or even injuring or killing the commander. In this way, the original victory can suddenly turn into defeat. Such situations are not uncommon in naval warfare.

(End of this chapter)