Magnificent

  Two small single-masted sailing boats darted back and forth across the sea, their lightning-fast speed and tilting during turns enough to make a newcomer's heart skip a beat. However, this scene was nothing new for fishermen who often cast nets on the Taiwan Strait; the only difference was that in the past there was only one such sailboat, but now there were two appearing together.

  ??

  Looking at the excitedly returning Water Troop leader, Zheng Kezang, who had been observing the sea with a telescope, still asked very carefully: "Is the Buddha Light No. 1 easy to maneuver? How does it compare to the Flying Horse No. 1 made by British craftsman?"

  Ma Ying, who had personally operated the ship, reported truthfully: "It's almost identical to the Fei Ma number made by the English craftsman."

  "Good," hearing this response, Zheng Kezang's face finally showed a hint of joy. The gloom that had been lingering for days due to Zhu Jin's reluctance to decisively abandon Siming and Haicheng Bridgehead also seemed to dissipate somewhat with the success of the Tongzi Camp's young shipbuilders. "Ma Yuan, Tang Tong, Wu Hu, Li Ping, well done! What kind of reward do you want? Just speak up!"

  Although Zheng Kezang asked only the four people standing in front of him, including Ma Yuan, in fact, over the past four years, a total of 15 young people have been selected from the Tongziying camp to study at the shipyard. Therefore, Zheng Kezang's words were actually a promise to the entire shipbuilding team, and as long as Ma Yuan's requirements are not excessive, they can be satisfied.

  Because they hadn't expected Zheng Kechang's promise to be so generous, the oldest of the four, Ma Yuan, hesitated for a moment and was about to speak up when Li Ping, who was standing next to him, responded first: "Having the leader's praise is already better than any other reward."

  Li Ping's flattering words made Zheng Kezang momentarily stunned, and then his eyes swept across the faces of the four people, suddenly discovering the key to the situation. As the saying goes, there is no party within the party, and there are all kinds of strange things within the faction. Although Ma Yuan and the other three were all from humble backgrounds, it was clear that each of them had their own small factions. Ma Yuan wanted to be the leader, but Li Ping obviously did not agree. As for the other two, they either held a neutral attitude or waited and watched, and were not much better than scattered sand. However, this result was exactly what Zheng Kezang was happy to see, as he absolutely did not want to see the emergence of a so-called "second person" in any aspect.

  "This is well said, I love to hear it, but Li Ping, next time you're not allowed to flatter and fawn again." Zheng Kezang said this on purpose, and indeed saw a few thoughtful glances. "I reward those who have merit and punish those who have faults, using a few good words to dismiss you is something I'm not capable of doing." After saying this, Zheng Kezang paused for a moment. "Promote Ma Yuan, Tang Tong, Wu Hu, and Li Ping to the rank of eighth-grade commander, and grant the others the rank of ninth-grade deputy commander."

  Before the few people who were overjoyed could thank themselves, Zheng Kezang continued: "I will arrange for the Ministry of Works to award you a Buddha Light No. 1 Launching Medal as a souvenir, which can also serve as your credentials. Isn't it great? The first flat-bottomed boat built by the Children's Camp was made by you, what an honor! It will be recorded in history and passed down to future generations."

  "Chief, this... can this really go down in history?" Tang Tong asked somewhat disbelievingly. "It's just a small boat."

  "What a small boat, this is history." Zheng Kezang told them seriously. "Maybe it won't go down in the annals of history, but Tongziying must have its own camp history, and you will record every single contribution, who did what, as long as the Ming dynasty doesn't fall, Tongziying doesn't perish, your achievements will be passed down from generation to generation."

  The four of them were stunned, and even Ma Ying on the side was tongue-tied. Zheng Kezang had obviously painted a big cake that they couldn't refuse. Just as they were dizzy and staggering, Zheng Kezang suddenly changed his tone: "As the saying goes, a thousand-mile journey begins with a single step. Building the Buddha Light is just the beginning. Next, we will imitate the double-masted schooner, the double-masted topsail ship, try to build the triple-masted topsail ship, and even the wind sail warship that the barbarian shipbuilders can't build. I also hope you can make new achievements!"

  Ma Yuan and others were enthusiastically guaranteeing, Zheng Kezang was listening with a smile, while listening, he was considering whether to divide the people into groups now so that they can compete with each other. However, considering that they had just taken a basic small boat for practice, their skills were not yet refined, so he suppressed the idea of differentiation.

  "I don't want to hear any empty words, I just hope you can put your words into action." Zheng Kezang said sternly, but in his heart he was considering whether to fire those Yinggui Lei craftsmen now. "Alright, you all go down first." Zheng Kezang waved his hand, and the four of them left. Then, Zheng Kezang turned to Ma Ying, who was standing beside him with his hands clasped together, and asked: "Ma Baihu, how many men and ships does the Water Troop have now?"

  "There are currently 220 people in the Water Troop, including 100 old soldiers and fishermen recruited from the Navy, and 120 young soldiers. Ma Ying reported the numbers carefully, and the scale of 220 people was even larger than the battalion-level unit set by Zheng Kezang. The ships include Guang ship Dongshenghai No., Fu ship Nan'anhai No., Sha ship Dongsha Jia, Dongsha Yi, single-masted sailboat Feima No., double-masted sailboat Qishi No., double-masted horizontal sailboat Feiying No., Feilong No., and just added a new one, Foguang No."

  "Two hundred and twenty men, nine ships, not a small scale!" Zheng Kezang weighed it. "The water soldier team needs to be expanded into a battalion." Ma Ying's face lit up with joy, but before he could start dreaming of promotion and advancement, Zheng Kezang's words pierced his hopes. "I will transfer battalion officers and deputy battalion officers from the naval division." Zheng Kezang seemed to have seen Ma Ying's disappointment and comforted him with a smile. "Why are you a little disappointed? You're still young, already a seventh-rank trial hundred-household, further promotion would be premature."

  Zheng Kezang hopes that Ma Ying can turn himself around, but if Ma Ying cannot awaken for a long time, Zheng Kezang will not hesitate to give up on him - there are many talents in the fourth period of Tongzi Camp and the third period of Zhengjun who can replace him. Moreover, Ma Ying's position in the Water Army is already outstanding, which is also something that Zheng Kezang cannot tolerate.

  "After the reform, Dongshenghai, Feima and Foguang were formed into the Taiwan Strait Fleet, mainly responsible for training new young sailors, with the main task of sailing in the Taiwan Strait. Nan'anhai, Dongsha A and Dongsha B formed the Qionghai Fleet, with old soldiers leading new ones. The Knights, Flying Eagle and Hero formed the Whaling Fleet, sailing across the ocean." Zheng Kechang glanced at Ma Ying, who was hanging his head in despair. "Gong Tian has done a good job in recent years and can be promoted to the leader of the Taiwan Strait Fleet. Another old soldier will be selected as the leader of the Qionghai Fleet. You will continue to serve as the leader of the Whaling Fleet. By the way, which fleet is Captain Kal staying in? Do you have any suggestions?"

  "According to the subordinate's opinion, Captain Carl's experience is in ocean navigation, so please let the leader put him in the whaling team." Ma Ying hesitated for a moment and finally spoke the truth. "The subordinate's experience is insufficient, if it weren't for the help of these barbarian sailors, it would be a small matter to lose the whaling team, but it would be a big mistake for the leader, which the subordinate cannot afford to take responsibility for."

  Zheng Kezang looked at Ma Ying coldly, seemingly analyzing whether his words were complaints or genuine. After a long time, Zheng Kezang slowly nodded: "Alright, let's do it your way. However, Karl and the others are guest officials, you can let them handle training, but everything else must be in your hands."

  "Promise!"

  "Moreover, although you are a whaling team, you can also try being pirates for a few rounds."

  "Pirate?" Ma Ying was shocked again. "Is this going to hurt Tian He?"

  "Heaven and earth?" Zheng Kezang snorted. "You can go ask Karl, what's the difference between a sea merchant and a pirate"

  ??”

  It was not only Zheng Kezang who felt disappointed and frustrated about Zhu Jin's refusal to give up Haicheng and Siming. Yao Qisong, the Qing dynasty's governor of Fujian, also counted as one. In order to achieve the effect of "conquering without fighting", he specially dispatched Zhang Xiong, a scholar from Zhangzhou, to Xiamen for peace talks, and attached a long letter with sincere words.

  “

  In the past, Emperor Taizong of Tang shook the heavens with his mighty power, yet he could not bear to see the suffering of the common people and so brought peace to Taiwan. Now, if Your Excellency can truly understand the spirit of the ancestors and think of the suffering of the people, then you should immediately lay down your arms and stop fighting. Heaven and humanity will be in harmony, and your honor will last for generations! For several months, soldiers have been laboring in vain, and countless lives have been lost - what benefit is this to Your Excellency? Even if those who follow Your Excellency below are afraid that the hearts of people today are different from those of the past, and it's hard to predict how things will change, can't you still think about this?! Recently, I've come to realize that Your Excellency has a strong sense of compassion for your hometown, so I'm sending this letter to express my sincerity. My only hope is that we can put an end to this conflict once and for all, and that you will send envoys to negotiate with me.

  ??”

  But Yao Qisheng, a treacherous and cunning Han traitor who had surrendered to the Manchu, was only trying to appease Zheng Jing with the same goal as Jel?an and Lahada - to recover Haicheng in order to report back to Kangxi. With such self-interest at play, negotiations were bound to stall.

  Thus, Zhu Jin replied: "I have received the wise teachings and have taken into consideration the livelihood of the people; I am not deceitful but upright, and cannot bear to see the suffering of the living spirits. Therefore, I have sharpened my spear and polished my armor, and together with you, we will revolve around each other, which is what the countless living spirits desire. The heavenly heart abhors chaos, and the killing fortune is about to return; if it can be rested, how dare I not follow orders! The ritual should send an envoy to convey the teachings, but unfortunately, the messenger's rope has not been untied, while the generals' spears have already been swung. They responded to each other with differences in their words, and had not yet achieved their wishes."

  Yao Qisheng, who had eaten a turtle, was not yet giving up. After Zhang Xiong was sent back, he again dispatched Huang Zhi Mei, a gentry from Quanzhou, to bring a letter to Xiamen to negotiate the terms of peace, but because he continued to insist on "must obtain Haicheng before we can make peace", the negotiations between the two sides finally broke down once again.

  In December of that year, Yao Qiseng, who had failed to achieve his goals on the battlefield and at the negotiating table, submitted a memorial to the Qing court, citing the high price demanded by Zheng as an excuse to re-implement the boundary closure order. The coastal residents who had returned to their hometowns after Geng Jingzhong's rebellion against the Qing were forced to flee again, "from Fuzhou and Funing in the north to Zhao'an in the south, forts were built along the coast, troops were stationed to guard them; a boundary wall was also built to separate the interior from the exterior, and several thousand miles of coastline were left uninhabited."

  But Yao Qisheng did not expect that although the Zheng forces in Taiwan could not receive supplies from the Fujian coast for a while, they continued to receive supplies and reinforcements through the islands of Nan'ao and Hainan, and even more people flowed into Taiwan through these two channels.

  Seeing that he could not thoroughly destroy Zheng's army, Yao Qisheng hastily petitioned the Qing court to expand the scope of the boundary order to Guangdong and suggested using a large army to retake Leizhou to cut off Zheng's support. However, at this time, the main force of the Qing army was still being used to eliminate Wu Sangui's grandson Wu Zhou's emperor Wu Shifan, and the power of Shang Zhixin in Guangdong was limited and not enough to defeat the mutually supportive Zu Zeqing and Yang Xian's two divisions. Moreover, Shang Zhixin did not support the closure of the sea because he was engaged in trade to raise military funds. As a result, Yao Qisheng's sinister plan to exterminate the Zheng family became a useless piece of paper.