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

Chapter 1293 Three Directions
Zheng Hongkui was a pirate by origin, having spent half his life making a living at sea, so he understood the problems of naval warfare all too well.

Despite the fact that the Ming Dynasty's combined fleet now possesses ninety-three warships, Zheng Hongkui believes that this military force is still insufficient to completely suppress Batavia.

The Dutch are no pushovers. Their warships are formidable and their naval combat experience is extremely rich. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty is on the offensive while the Dutch are on the defensive. From this perspective, the Dutch in Batavia have a geographical advantage and can mobilize all available forces. If this battle were to start, Zheng Hongkui would only have a 60% chance of winning.

Although he only had a 60% chance of success, he still had to fight, and not only fight, but win. Therefore, on his way to Guangzhou, Zheng Hongkui had already been pondering this matter, considering how and when to fight.

"I plan to send troops as soon as possible."

"As soon as possible? How soon?" Wang Fuzhi asked.

"Governor Xiong told me today that the supplies are almost ready. I will inspect the fleet in the next two days. If there are no problems with the fleet, we will prepare to send troops directly."

"Isn't this a bit too hasty?" Wang Fuzhi advised. "The imperial court hasn't specified a timeframe for sending troops. You've only just arrived in Guangzhou, so it would be better to play it safe. Besides, it's almost the end of the year, and the New Year is just around the corner. Shouldn't we wait until after the New Year?"

"No! Speed ​​is of the essence in war. As for celebrating the New Year, if we can defeat the Dutch or even take Batavia, we'll celebrate there. If not, celebrating at sea is just as good." Zheng Hongkui shook his head, his expression calm. He explained to Wang Fuzhi, "We absolutely cannot delay in Guangzhou for too long. We are preparing, and the Dutch are preparing as well. Brother Nong has been to Europe and knows how powerful the Dutch are at sea. And if I'm not mistaken, the Dutch in Batavia are already preparing for war. The longer we drag on, the more warships and troops the Dutch will gather, making this battle even more difficult."

"You mean...?" Wang Fuzhi frowned, then suddenly seemed to realize something, his gaze questioning.

Zheng Hongkui nodded: "Just as you guessed, the Dutch reacted so quickly because they probably already knew about it from other countries. In other words, every move of our Ming Dynasty in Guangzhou is under their watchful eyes; there are no secrets at all. If we continue as planned, there are far too many uncertainties, so sending troops as soon as possible is the best strategy!"

Wang Fuzhi pondered for a moment and nodded slightly, while sighing softly: "Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts! Since Brother Rijian has already made his decision, then we will follow your advice. However, sending troops is a major matter, and this matter still needs to be reported to the court."

"Don't worry, Brother Nong, I know the rules. Besides, His Majesty has given me full authority to lead the army. Opportunities are fleeting, and the Dutch won't expect us to send troops now. It's a good opportunity to catch them off guard."

"In addition..." Zheng Hongkui thought for a moment and said to Wang Fuzhi, "There is another matter that I need Brother Ernong's help with."

"Please say!"

"In the Dutch territory, there are small countries such as Mataram, Banten, Aceh, and Madura. These countries were originally vassals of our Great Ming, but in the last hundred years, due to the Europeans, they have broken away from our Great Ming and are now under the control of the Dutch. In addition to military matters, we also need to find a way to win over these vassals in this war. Brother Nong is a member of the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry), which is responsible for foreign affairs. If we can win over these small countries to our Great Ming, we will have a better chance of winning this war."

Wang Fuzhi pondered for a moment and nodded, saying, "I know how to handle this matter. Don't worry about it. I will handle the diplomatic affairs, and you will be in charge of the war. We will work together to win this battle!"

"Excellent!" Zheng Hongkui was overjoyed. Communicating with Wang Fuzhi was always straightforward; after all, they were old friends of many years, and some things didn't need to be explicitly stated for the other to understand. If Wang Fuzhi could bring these small countries to the Ming Dynasty's side, his chances of winning this battle would be even greater. At that time, the countries in the Dutch-controlled territory would join forces with the Ming Dynasty to launch a joint attack. The Dutch, beset by internal and external troubles, would inevitably be unable to concentrate their forces to fight the Ming Dynasty. As long as the Dutch fleet was defeated at sea, Batavia would be in his grasp.

That night, Zheng Hongkui and Wang Fuzhi talked all night long. The next day, Zheng Hongkui and Xiong Wencan inspected the fleet to determine the possibility of sending troops as soon as possible. Wang Fuzhi was not idle either. On the one hand, he sent Zheng Hongkui's suggestions to the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry) by urgent letter. On the other hand, he began to mobilize people to go to the South China Sea to contact these small countries and win them over to the side of the Ming Dynasty.

A few days later, Zheng Hongkui, seeing that the preparations were almost complete, did not stay in Guangzhou as originally planned, and even disregarded the upcoming New Year, and informed Xiong Wencan of his decision to send troops ahead of schedule.

Upon hearing this news, Xiong Wencan was quite surprised, but after hearing Zheng Hongkui's reasons for sending troops, he agreed. Speed ​​is of the essence in war, and the same principle applies to naval warfare. Since the combined fleet in Guangzhou was already prepared, there was indeed no need to delay any longer. Moreover, the longer time passed, the more complete the preparations of the Dutch in Batavia would become. Furthermore, Zheng Hongkui, as the fleet admiral, naturally had the authority to do so, and he would not object.

With about two weeks to go before the Lunar New Year, the combined fleet departed Guangzhou, heading majestically towards the South China Sea. This military operation was arguably the largest since Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean. Although the Ming Dynasty's South China Sea navy had been patrolling the region, it had never undertaken such a massive fleet operation. Moreover, the combined fleet consisted of large warships capable of long-range operations, along with troop transports and supply ships, bringing the total force to nearly 20,000 men. Standing on the deck, gazing at the warships with their sails fully loaded on either side, a dense, overwhelming sight, Zheng Hongkui felt a surge of pride.

After departing from Guangzhou, the combined fleet first passed Macau, then sailed south along the coastline, and after reaching the Qiongzhou Strait, it made a temporary rest in Haikou. Then it crossed the strait and entered the Beibu Gulf, and continued south along the coastline.

The next leg of the journey led westward into Annam territory. In recent years, Annam had resumed paying tribute to the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty recognized Annam's legitimate rule. Before this military expedition, Wang Fuzhi, on behalf of the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry), had sent a note to Annam, ordering it to cooperate with the Ming Dynasty's joint fleet's military operations. Therefore, Annam had long been prepared to coordinate with the Ming Dynasty's military actions.

The combined fleet arrived at Vung Tau, where it continued to rest and reorganize. This rest was arguably the last one the fleet would take on its journey, as continuing south would take it deep into the South China Sea and directly into the Dutch-controlled area.

"General, officials from Annam request an audience." After Zheng Hongkui's combined fleet arrived in Vung Tau, Zheng Hongkui did not disembark but remained on his flagship.

The entire fleet was kept in a state of readiness for battle. As for the fleet's supplies and dealings with the Annamese, Zheng Hongkui only sent his subordinates to make contact.

Unexpectedly, the Annamese were quite sensible and took the initiative to request an audience. Zheng Hongkui thought for a moment and asked the Annamese why they wanted to see him. His subordinates smiled and said that they had come to deliver gifts to the commander-in-chief. After all, the commander-in-chief was a general of the superior country and the admiral of the joint fleet. When he arrived in a vassal state, the officials of the vassal state would naturally have to flatter him. Otherwise, they would not be able to bear the blame from the commander-in-chief.

"I will disappear due to military duties. Go and tell them to assist the fleet in ensuring the supply of materials. As for the rest, there is no need to worry. As long as they do this well, I will recommend them for commendation after this great victory!"

"Yes..." the subordinate replied and withdrew.

After his subordinates left, Zheng Hongkui continued to carefully examine the nautical chart on the table, pondering his next plan. Because their attack had been rather sudden, and their southward advance had been swift, it seemed the Dutch hadn't yet received news of their deployment, which was extremely advantageous for Zheng Hongkui.

The supplies in Vung Tau mainly consisted of fresh water and some fruits and vegetables, to make final preparations before the war. Therefore, the fleet would not stay in Vung Tau for long, at most two or three days. The combined fleet would then head south, and continuing south would bring it into Dutch-controlled territory. At that point, the real war would begin, and how it was fought would be the key to determining the outcome.

Zheng Hongkui faced three directions of attack.

The first target of the attack was the Strait of Malacca, a vital sea route that controlled the east and west. It was originally in the hands of the Portuguese, but now it was in the hands of the Dutch.

The second target of attack was Palembang, which was originally Ming territory. During the Yongle period, Zheng He set up the Palembang Pacification Commission here during his voyages to the West. He killed Chen Zuyi, who was entrenched in Palembang. The emperor then appointed Shi Jinqing as the Pacification Commissioner. From then on, the Palembang Pacification Commission was officially established. The Shi family ruled this place as the Pacification Commissioner of the Ming Dynasty until the fifth year of the Zhengtong era, when the area under their jurisdiction was taken over by the Majapahit.

Later, as the Ming Dynasty abandoned its maritime operations, the Old Port Pacification Commission gradually ceased to exist, and over time, the Ming Dynasty's influence in the area diminished. Furthermore, due to conflicts between various Southeast Asian countries, Old Port was later occupied by Aceh. After the Dutch conquered Malacca, they sent troops to defeat Aceh, seizing Old Port from them and building a fortress there, making it a Dutch-controlled area.

The third direction of attack was Batavia, the stronghold of the Dutch East India Company and Zheng Hongkui's final destination in this battle.

Each of these three objectives has its advantages and disadvantages. Capturing Malacca would directly sever the Dutch sea lanes to the West in the South China Sea, allowing them to control the region. Taking Palembang would effectively cut off the Dutch control of Malacca and Batavia, preventing them from supporting both sides. A direct capture of Batavia would be even more advantageous; without Batavia, the Dutch dominance in the South China Sea would be completely shaken, and the victory would be virtually assured.

The problem is that attacking any of them directly is not easy at the moment; the key lies in the condition of the Dutch fleet's main force. Attacking any of these three targets would necessitate a amphibious assault, and launching such an operation without first addressing the Dutch naval power carries enormous risks.

Zheng Hongkui was well aware that to win this battle, he first had to eliminate the Dutch fleet. Only by defeating the Dutch fleet could they possibly take down the Dutch strongholds one by one. Otherwise, if the Dutch fleet suddenly appeared halfway through the landing operation, the Ming allied fleet would have to fight on both the sea and land fronts, which would be an extremely risky move for them.

(End of this chapter)