Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 7: A Battle of Chess, Who Will Take Black and Move First?
At the same time, in Niuzhuang, Liaodong.

The surface of the Liao River rippled in the wind, and the turbid water lapped against the withered grass on the bank, making a monotonous and dull sound.

Huang Taiji stood atop a high hill, draped in a light sable fur coat, his gaze sharp as an eagle's as he looked out at the calm river in the distance.

Behind him, a group of Manchu generals stood with their hands at their sides.

"How dare they venture so deep into the area?" Huang Taiji's voice was low, carrying a hint of barely perceptible gravity.

The banner lord of the Bordered White Banner, Beile Yuetuo, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, that is indeed the case. At that time, the Ming army had four warships, three small boats and one large boat, which sailed down the river and approached Niuzhuang to spy on the enemy."

Huang Taiji's brows furrowed deeply, forming a "川" (river) shape.

"After the battles of Ningyuan and Ningjin, have the Ming people become so emboldened?"

He muttered to himself, as if asking someone else, or perhaps asking himself.

Yue Tuo and the others remained silent, as they too were somewhat shocked.

“We were traveling in small boats, led by five officials stationed on the border: Dong Xiluo, Fadu, Daida, Galda, and Tarbashi. We split into two groups and surrounded the four boats, capturing them all,” Yuetuo’s voice broke the silence.

Huang Taiji turned around and stared intently at him: "Are the Ming people's resistance fierce?"

Yue Tuo's face showed a hint of disdain: "After boarding the ship, there was a brief struggle, and the leader knelt down and surrendered. Only one captain fought to the end and was killed on the spot."

Upon hearing this, Huang Taiji's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and he let out a long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

They turned out to be a bunch of good-for-nothings who were all bark and no bite.

"Those who associate for profit will scatter when the profit is gone." Huang Taiji sneered. "The Ming people's officials are no good, and their soldiers are no good either. They look like they have a lot of people and great power, but in reality they are a disorganized mess and can't be defeated."

He paused, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "But even cowards must be killed. Execute them all on the spot, leave no one alive!"

After saying this, he looked at the generals and spoke earnestly.

"The only way for us to strike with our strength is to kill all the Ming soldiers."

He gritted his teeth and stared intently at the generals.

"We must kill them until they dare not resist, until they flee at the mere sight of us! Otherwise, if we, as a single race, were to overthrow an entire nation, our national strength would ultimately be insufficient to sustain it!"

"The Great Khan is wise!" the generals echoed in unison, their voices carrying far in the bleak autumn wind.
-
The attached image is provided to help you understand where this event took place.

At the same time, on the Fujian coast.

In August in the south, the weather is still somewhat hot, but the lingering humidity has subsided considerably, and the sea breeze is quite pleasant.

In the distance, a military garrison was burning fiercely, its thick black smoke shooting straight into the sky like an ugly scar etched between the blue sea and sky.

Zheng Zhilong stood at the bow of the huge Fujian-style ship, the sea breeze billowing his Western-style short shirt, revealing the silk shirt underneath.

He had long hair, but a cross was hanging on his chest.

"Hahaha! Look, brother! Those Ming dogs are running faster than rabbits!" A burly, dark-skinned man walked over laughing. He was Zheng Zhilong's younger brother, Zheng Zhibao.

"Officer, with our fleet at sea, we can attack wherever we want. These corrupt officials are really being led around like dogs!" Zheng Zhibao said excitedly.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding pirates burst into laughter.

Zheng Zhilong looked over coldly upon hearing this.

He only spoke when the bandits gradually fell silent.

“I told you, don’t call me ‘Yiguan’ anymore. I am Zheng Zhilong, and you are Zheng Zhibao!”

The sea breeze was slightly cool, but Zheng Zhibao broke out in a cold sweat under Zheng Zhilong's intense gaze.

"Yes, Brother Zhilong, I won't dare to do it again."

Zheng Zhilong nodded and continued.

"We fight, but the real reason is still to make money and to do better business." His voice was calm and steady, with an undeniable authority.

“I’m a little uneasy about Xu Xinsu’s recent collusion with the East India Company.”

"We must establish relations with the Ming court as soon as possible, otherwise, in this vast South China Sea, there will be no place for us to stand."

"Remember this: fighting is not real fighting, surrendering is not real surrendering; it's all just business."

Zheng Zhibao nodded to indicate that he understood, and then suddenly became excited.

"Then why don't we attack Nanjing? We can go down the river, take a stroll around the city, and those corrupt officials will be terrified, hahaha. At that time, that little emperor will probably be willing to give up any official position."

Zheng Zhilong frowned, feeling helpless towards his younger brother who was all brawn and no brains. He simply turned around, looked at the sea, and said calmly, "If we attack the garrisons, the Ming court will negotiate with us. But if we attack Nanjing, it will be a fight to the death."

"Take the greater benefit from the greater harm, and the lesser harm from the lesser harm. This is an old saying of Mozi, and it makes a lot of sense. Our key is to force the Ming court to give us a satisfactory price."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhibao's excitement slowly faded, replaced by a sense of indignation.

"Alright, we'll do as you say, brother. Let's beat all the garrisons in this area! Beat them until they never dare to mess with us again."

"These ignorant frogs in a well, who have never seen the world, don't even know how big the world is, yet they dare to ask Brother Yiguan to kneel and bow to them. They're simply insane!"

"If you want me to say..."

"Let's go back." Zheng Zhilong was too lazy to listen to this idiotic talk anymore, so he cut off the conversation and said indifferently, "Go back to the island to rest for three days, and then... go to Guangdong for a visit."

He placed his hand on the gunwale, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Ming Dynasty, but his mind was elsewhere.

“…Xu Xinsu, now it’s a matter of who’s faster.”
-
The attached image gives you a sense of the dense network of garrisons and patrol stations along the Fujian coast.

At the same time, in the Suzhou Guild Hall in the capital.

Zhang Pu and Zhang Cai are playing chess.

Zhang Pu held a white piece, making steady moves with a gentle expression.

Zhang Cai, on the other hand, seemed agitated, picking up a chess piece several times only to put it back down each time.

Suddenly, Zhang Cai swung his hand and swept all the chess pieces off the board.

"I'm not playing anymore! I'm so annoyed! So annoyed!"

He stood up and paced back and forth in the room, his face full of worry.

"Qian Du, what if Prince Xin is in the palace now? What if Wei Zhongxian, cornered as a dog, tries to depose him?"

Zhang Pu slowly picked up the scattered chess pieces one by one, put them back in the chess box, and then looked up.

"If one is truly concerned about the future, one will become confused."

"Since even we scholars from afar know about this, the news must have already spread throughout the capital."

“How dare a mere castrated man, without roots, defy the world?”

Hearing this, Zhang Cai's expression softened slightly. He sat down again, but the worry between his brows did not completely disappear.

"I hope so." He sighed deeply, then a fire ignited in his eyes again. "Ximing, if I pass the imperial examination this year, I will definitely submit a memorial to His Majesty, denounce the scourge of the eunuch faction, cleanse the court, and revive the spirit of the Donglin faction!"

"Good!" Zhang Pu's spirits lifted upon hearing this. "At that time, I will definitely join Shouxian in submitting a joint petition!"

The two became more and more excited as they talked, as if they could already see the day when the treacherous officials would be eliminated and the government would be clean and just.

“Governing a country is like planting a tree; if the roots are firm, the branches and leaves will flourish,” Zhang Cai said excitedly. “As long as we can assist the wise ruler, eliminate the eunuch Wei, and remove all the treacherous officials in the court who flatter the eunuch faction, replacing them with virtuous and capable people like ourselves, what worries will there be about the stability of the world!”

Zhang Pu nodded in deep agreement, and the two of them simply substituted tea for wine and began to critique virtuous and capable individuals.

"In my opinion, Tian Anxing, the blue-faced beast, is strong and capable, mature and strategizing for the country, and can be of great use!" Zhang Cai raised his cup.

Zhang Pu nodded, his eyes almost bursting with laughter, but he still nodded in agreement.

"What you say is quite true, but if I were to send out Han Kuang, the Nine-Tattooed Dragon of Tianwei Star, how would you deal with it?"

The two looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter.

　Thank you for your patience in reading this far. This last chapter sets the stage and provides the initial setup. Tomorrow, we'll begin the role of the emperor.

　　[Historical Materials in this Chapter]

　　1. On the 22nd day of the eighth month of the first year of the Tiancong reign (the seventh year of the Tianqi reign), Ming general Xu personally led ten ships into the Liao River, anchored on the opposite bank, and ordered four of his ships to sail into the river bend to observe the Manchu troops. The Manchu infantry defending the city divided into two groups, angrily blocked the entrance, attacked, and killed them all. —From the Old Manchu Archives

　　2. The “minor incident” mentioned above cannot be found in the History of Ming, but this Xu Canjiang was most likely Xu Yingyuan, the Marquis of Yongkang, from a noble family in charge of coastal defense in Dengzhou.

　　3. On the 20th day of the eighth month of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign (1627), Zhu Yifeng, the governor of Fujian, said: "What I am worried about are the notorious bandit Zheng Zhilong and the two elders, You Erlao." — *Veritable Records of Emperor Xizong of Ming*, Volume 87

　　4. After the Henan governor Shen Youlong pacified Zheng Zhilong, he rebelled again and continued to plunder the coast. The next attempt to appease him would have to wait until September of the first year of the Chongzhen reign, when Xiong Wencan took action.

　　5. Zhang Pu and Zhang Cai, the two Zhangs of the Fushe Society (which hadn't been officially established yet). They came to the capital because of the imperial examinations in February of the following year. People from remote places like Yunnan would set off six months in advance. People from places like Jiangnan could actually arrive in just one month, so they didn't need to come so early. However, wealthy people usually came in advance to settle down, familiarize themselves with the environment, and make friends; they didn't actually come just in time for the exams.

　　 6. The names Tianwei Star and Tian'an Star come from the "Donglin Generals' List" written by the eunuch faction, which lists the Donglin Party members in imitation of the Water Margin.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)