Zheng Bin and Yang Xian

  The news that Liu Yinglin was willing to surrender the city and return to Zhu Jin's side reached Quanzhou, and the Ming Zheng faction immediately fell into a dispute. Ke Ping and other senior officials opposed accepting Tingzhou on the grounds that it would lead to renewed war with Geng Jingzhong and force him to surrender to the Qing court as Chen Yonghua had predicted. However, Chen Xiangwu argued in favor of accepting Liu Yinglin, citing his previous statement that Geng's faction was weak and its subordinates were inclined towards their side, and that they could not let these people down.

  Supporters and opponents were stubborn, Zhu Jin was also hesitant. At this time, Feng Xifan made a suggestion to test the reaction of Geng Huan by borrowing a road as an excuse. Zhu Jin then wrote to Geng Jingzhong, mentioning that he had received news of attacking Jiangyou (West) from Tingzhou. Geng Jingzhong was shocked when he received the letter and immediately dispatched troops to guard Tingzhou. Seeing Geng Jingzhong sending troops, Liu Yinglin thought that his collusion with Zheng Jun's army had been exposed, so he led his troops to leave Tingzhou and attack towards Shicheng and Ruijin, hoping to ensure his own safety.

  Wu Shuben, who was stationed in Longyan Prefecture, was originally a general under Huang Fangduo. Although he had been granted the position of Rear Admiral by Zhu Jin after betraying his former lord, he was not a member of Zheng's inner circle and had always intended to make a name for himself in front of his new master to secure his position. Seeing that Tingzhou was temporarily empty, Wu Shuben took advantage of the situation under Chen Xiangwu's instructions and led his troops to capture it.

  But when Wu Shubing arrived at the foot of Tingzhou Prefecture, he found that Geng's army had already taken over and was deeply regretful of his own reckless actions. Just as Wu Shubing was about to retreat, Liu Yinglin led his troops to join forces with him. Seeing Wu Shubing's anxious expression, Liu knew that he was worried about being betrayed by Chen Xiangwu, so he encouraged him, saying that since a great mistake had already been made, they might as well seize Tingzhou to make up for their error.

  Wu Shu had no choice but to launch a fierce attack on Tingzhou with his two divisions. Liu Yinglin, who had been operating in Tingzhou for years, assisted Wu Shu and they quickly captured the city. Seeing that Tingzhou had fallen, all seven counties under its jurisdiction, except for Changting, surrendered one after another. The territory of Ming Zheng in Fujian and Guangdong expanded by one more prefecture. Liu Yinglin was rewarded for his contribution and promoted to Front Commander-in-Chief and conferred the title of Fengming Bo.

  The surrender of Tingzhou finally touched the bottom line of Geng Jingzhong, making his subordinates restless. In order to ensure the safety and prosperity of their families, these generals secretly colluded with each other, planning to surrender to the Qing court and invite Zheng Jing to enter Fujian. Geng Jingzhong had some precautions against this, so he preemptively killed all the generals who intended to rebel, including Wang Jin, Fan Chengmo, Xiao Zhen, etc.

  However, the overall situation of Geng Jingzhong's defeat could not be changed. Geng Jingzhong intended to escape from the front line back to Fuzhou, but unexpectedly, he was coerced by Xu Wenya and others on the sea and became a prisoner. Geng Jingzhong had no choice but to send his former commander Wang Jigong to Quanzhou for help. However, Wang Jigong saw that Geng's clan was already at the end of its road and betrayed his master to seek glory, expressing his willingness to lead Zheng's army directly into Fuzhou. Wang Jigong's move coincided with Chen Xiangwu, and under Chen Xiangwu's strong recommendation, Zhu Jin awarded Wang Jigong as Zhong Dudu Huaming Bo. Geng Jingzhong waited in vain for Wang Jigong's response, while the Qing army had already entered Fujian from Zhejiang. With no other choice, Geng Jingzhong shaved his head to await punishment and welcomed Kangxi Emperor into Fuzhou.

  The development of things eventually became the same as Chen Yonghua's prophecy, and Zhu Jin was also extremely dissatisfied with Chen Xiangwu's self-righteousness. Although Chen Xiangwu had previously made contributions to Zhu Jin by offering advice and recruiting Ma Chenglong, the guardian of Gaozhou (now Putian), Zhu Jin even wanted to expel him back to Taiwan. However, despite this, Chen Xiangwu's weight in Zhu Jin's mind plummeted, while Feng Xifan rose to a higher level and became Zhu Jin's most trusted military strategist.

  "What?" Listening to Zheng Bin's report after returning to Taiwan to ask Chen Yonghua, Zhu Jin was stunned for a moment. "Are you saying that the last memorial was written by Fuyi according to Qinzhe's intention? Impossible, impossible, Qinzhe is still young, how could he have such foresight, Fuyi must be joking."

  "Chen Zongzheng is the king's trusted minister, how can he joke about such a big matter?" Zheng Bin replied with a bow. "At first, I didn't believe it either, but thinking back to when Qinzhe was twelve years old and could already speak eloquently in the palace, and last year also had words of inner truth and outer falsehood, I couldn't help but think that Qinzhe might have some divine gift. With such a wonderful child, King Brother, it's truly something to be congratulated."

  "Is this something to be happy about?" Zhu Jin's face sank. "One moment he likes Wu Zetian's military strategy, the next he buries his head in miscellaneous studies making cement, and now he's taken a liking to shipbuilding - with such an unstable nature, is this really something to be happy about?!" Of course, Zhu Jin was like all fathers, loving deeply but also being strict. "It seems we need to find him a wife to settle him down."

  "Does Brother Wang mean to arrange a marriage for Qin She right now?" Zheng Bin was a member of the family, so he could speak freely. "When my younger brother returned this time, I heard that during the New Year and the Spring Festival, several young ladies were introduced to Qin She, but none of them seemed quite satisfactory."

  "Parents' orders and matchmakers' words, what else can he do?" Although this was said, Zhu Jin did not want to continue the conversation. "Since Fu is speaking on behalf of Qi Shi, have you asked that rascal what to do next?"

  "My brother let Chen Zong make a gesture and asked, my brother was afraid that Qin She would have some reservations, so he didn't show up, but just listened secretly from behind the screen." Zheng Bin replied with a somewhat cheerful tone. "Qin She made two suggestions at the time. First, to concentrate all military forces and send a powerful general to attack Fuzhou immediately, even if Fuzhou cannot be taken down, it is necessary to block the Qing army north of the Wulon River, so that they cannot easily move south. Second, to quickly dispatch troops to occupy Dinghai (note: not Zhoushan Dinghai, but Fujian Lianjiang Dinghai), in order to restrain and defeat Geng Jingzhong's naval forces, so that they cannot threaten the flank of our main army marching north."

  "But that's just ordinary." Zhu Jin seemed to have frowned because Zheng Kezang's answer was a bit too plain and lacked new ideas, but he also knew that this might be the most stable suggestion at present. "What else did Qin She say?"

  "The relatives of the surrendered officials should be sent to Dongning immediately." "The shipbuilders and fishermen from Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, and Chaozhou should all be relocated to Taiwan." "If it is really impossible to spare manpower from Fujian and Guangdong, please request an edict to let Yang Xian represent the Emperor in going to Qiongzhou to organize the transportation of sugar, rice, iron tools, cloth, lumber, and laborers, etc."

  "Good idea, already preparing for the worst." Zhu Jin scolded with a frown. "Does this rascal think I will definitely lose?" This remark was not easy to respond to, even if Zheng Bin was his own person, and could only let Zhu Jin vent alone. Fortunately, Zhu Jin just cursed lightly and stopped, but what made Zheng Bin's eyes widen in surprise was that Zhu Jin actually listened. "Since this rascal was right before, I'll trust him this once. You go down and pass the order, say it's my intention."

  Zheng Bin understood that Zhu Jin did not want him to know that behind this matter there was also Zheng Kezang's share. Since he had this understanding, he immediately bowed his head and replied: "Yes! My brother will go to discuss with Fifth Uncle (Zheng Shuangying) how to handle it?"

  "Great Master, you're going to take my old life!" Zhu Jin's orders were transmitted back to Taiwan, and Yang Xian came to the door with a hum. "I'm not just moving my hands and feet on the shipyard, am I? Later, didn't I let people make up for it in terms of labor and materials? Great Master treats his subordinates like this, fearing that he has lost the benevolence and kindness of Emperor Yuanzi!"

  "Governor Yang, do you really think I'm such a despicable person?" Zheng Kezang knew that he couldn't hide the truth from his lord, so he didn't deny it. Instead, he spoke sincerely: "When my father was at war on the mainland, he occupied a vast territory, but there were still not enough talented people to go around. If we were to transfer more troops to Hainan, I'm afraid there wouldn't be anyone with sufficient rank, and those without sufficient rank would be untrustworthy. After careful consideration, I suggested recruiting from Dongning, but General Chen is shouldering the heavy responsibility of defending the city, so he probably can't leave. Only you, sir, have the prestige and ability to take charge of the situation in Hainan."

  "This explanation sounds reasonable, but Yang Xian still refused to give in: 'Young Master, it's no use just talking about it, I haven't led an army for a long time and my military skills are all rusty. Plus, the sea route is bumpy and the weather in Qingzhou is hot and humid, my body definitely can't take it. For this matter, Young Master can recommend whoever he wants to go, let them go, I'm not going anyway.'"

  "Are you saying that I should go? The Emperor is unwilling to go, and even if Chen Gongzong were to order him to go, he still wouldn't be able to. Is it possible that I would have to go?" Zheng Kecang looked at Yang Xian with a headache, sighing. "If I were two or three years older, there would be no need for you to take action, I would take care of the Emperor's worries myself. But now, you are one of the old ministers who followed my grandfather since his early years, so I hope you will..."

  "Enough, young master! I've already said no, and that's final." Yang Xian interrupted Zheng Kezang. "Even if it involves the Emperor himself, I still won't go!"

  "Is Lord Yang really not going?" Looking at Yang Xian, who had bitten his teeth and said he wasn't going, Zheng Kezang's face gradually darkened, and there was some disrespect in his tone. "Lord Yang's words are useless to me, you'd better go back and discuss with the Emperor."

  "No big deal, I'll just pretend to be ill!" Seeing Zheng Kezang's fallen face, Yang Xian burst out laughing, with a look that said "you're still too young to fight me", which made Zheng Kezang both laugh and cry. "However, wanting me to go isn't impossible, but the young master must agree to one condition from me."

  "What conditions?"

  "I have a granddaughter?"

  "Enough!" Zheng Kezang's eyebrows shot up. "Don't mention this condition again."

  "My daughter is as beautiful as a flower, why did you refuse without even listening?"

  Zheng Kezang was already ready to make a move, when suddenly Chen Yonghua's voice came from outside the window: "Lord Yang, why bother teasing the young master again."

  It turned out that he was fooling me. Zheng Kezang was so angry that he wanted to grit his teeth, but Yang Xian said: "Then change one condition?"

  In the ninth month of autumn this year, General Yang Xian, disregarding his old age, personally led 3,000 soldiers to sail across the sea and pass through Siming, Chaozhou, Huizhou, and then arrived at Qiongzhou. The defending army in Qiongshan put up a slight resistance before opening the city gate and surrendering. Later, Wenxiang, Huihe, Huitong, Chengmai, Linqiao, and other counties were also pacified through proclamation. Considering that his own troops and ships were too few, Yang Xian ordered his army to stop attacking the remaining prefectures such as Danzhou and Yizhou, and instead focused on gathering homeless civilians and transporting supplies to Taiwan.

  At the time when Yang Xian was operating in the north of Qiong, Huang Ying, the commander of the Qi Bing Town, led the Miao Zhi Xiu and other departments to go north to Dinghai. On the way, they encountered the ship team of Zeng Jun's general Zeng Yangxing, who was returning from a voyage. The two sides had a big battle, and Zheng Jun immediately captured dozens of large and small ships of Zeng Jun. Zeng Yangxing retreated while fighting, and in the end, only more than ten warships escaped under the cover of night. After winning, the Zheng army's naval forces set sail northward, reaching the islands of Yuhuan, pushing the water battle line to Zhejiang. However, due to the border closure order, the population of Yuhuan and other places was sparse, and the problem of supplies was pressing, so the Zheng army's naval forces stopped their advance from then on.

  In early October, Yang De, the Shaoxing defender under Geng Jingzhong's command, defected to Zheng's army. Wu Su immediately led his troops into the garrison as the new commander-in-chief. By then, the Ming-Zheng forces had taken control of up to seven prefectures on the mainland, which was also the limit of their expansion.