Dominate the Country

The vanguard of the Fuhan Army fired more than a dozen shots and fired five volleys of guns with their muzzles raised. The last Lian Yong of the Wuxi militia also fled out of the city in a hurry through the open east gate.

Chen Zicheng and Qin Youzi are both very knowledgeable people. They led their troops not even to Suzhou, but went straight east into Taicang, and then turned to Songjiang Prefecture. These two men didn't have much skill in fighting, but they had a keen sense of smell.

The Fuhan Army dispatched 30,000 people this time. Chen Ming personally led the troops, and the large army had already reached Changzhou. The troops were pointing at Suzhou. Yin Jishan, the governor of Liangjiang, and Rongbao, the general of Jiangning, both looked miserable as they faced imminent disaster. The two of them repeatedly sent requests for help to Hangzhou. Yin Jishan even directly issued an order to the navy and army in Songjiang Prefecture, asking them to harass the Yangtze River line of the Fuhan Army. They asked the navy and land forces to cooperate closely, land at Haimen, and capture Nantong Prefecture. Anyway, they were doing everything they could. Attract the attention of the Fuhan Army. But it all came to nothing!

Just when the Qing army in Suzhou was panicking, the bannermen in Suzhou City started to make a fuss again. They were not willing to stay in Suzhou and wait to die. The secret camp was just spreading the news that the Fuhan army had come over. These people were eating and using Suzhou. The Eight Banners men in Suzhou still looked down on the locals of Suzhou, so they all fled to Hangzhou like crazy. This directly triggered a wave of fleeing Suzhou city residents, and also greatly reduced the already low morale of the Suzhou Qing army.

It feels boring just thinking about it. Even the Eight Banners, who are the most important people who should live and die with the Qing Dynasty, can run faster than rabbits. Do we expect them to work hard for the Qing Dynasty as a group of green camps and militia?

Besides, the Fuhan Army now is not the Fuhan Army before. The Fuhan Army now has some momentum to seize the world. In the eyes of many people, this is a hidden dragon. Following the Fuhan Army is called conquering the world, rather than causing trouble to the world. Following the Fuhan Army, their behavior can be called Conglong, which is very different from the previous 'rebels and rebels'.

Those who steal the hook will be punished, and those who steal the country will be martyred!

Zhuangzi’s words from more than two thousand years ago clearly explained the ‘changes’ during this period.

"Capture Yixing and Liyang, and hold Suzhou City for a while." In Changzhou City, Chen Ming not only received the news that the vanguard troops had captured Wuxi without bloodshed, but also received an express report from the secret camp - Suzhou Bannermen's escape caused Suzhou city residents began to flee.

Chen Ming laughed. It would be good to escape. It would be best if all the hundreds of thousands of people in Suzhou fled. Chen Ming was happy to see them all running to Hangzhou and Zhejiang. Decisively, he slowed down the pace of the large army and dispersed the troops originally used to join the front army to attack Xushuguan to the surrounding Yixing and Liyang.

Two days later, Chen Ming led a large force into Wuxi. The secret camp reported that there were still many people fleeing Suzhou, and at the same time, the morale of the Qing soldiers and civilians defending the city was even lower. "Let the troops who captured Liyang and Yixing go directly south to attack Huzhou [Zhejiang]. After the naval battalion enters Taihu Lake, it sweeps through Dongshan, Xishan, Zhenze, Wujiang and other places."

Chen Ming will stay in Wuxi for two more days. "You personally take people back to Nanjing and pick up several ladies." There are obvious traces of activities in Nanjing, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang and other places. However, the Fuhan Army's ruling institutions in these places are too weak to If you really go deep into the people and wait until you find traces before arresting people, there will already be tens of thousands of people. The Public Security Department and the city defenders cooperated with the secret camp to attack many times, but many failed.

Moreover, the Qing army also had rifled guns. Now that the generals and important figures of the Fuhan army were out, the guards were much tighter than before.

On the shore of Lihu Lake, Chen Ming looked at the shimmering water and felt that it would be a shame not to take advantage of this opportunity to visit this paradise place during his trip to Suzhou and Hangzhou. He still remembered that he promised Liu Wanyun that she would have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Suzhou and Hangzhou. Although the land of paradise was much darker under the flames of war, and it was winter, the garden scenery could always be seen at a glance.

Anyway, this time the army attacks, the battle is not difficult. If the secret camp returns well, it will not only be the soldiers and horses in Suzhou who are worried, but also the Qing army and civilian groups in Hangzhou, Huzhou, Jiaxing and other places.

Chen Ming did not dare to say that he would be able to win Hangzhou, but he could easily win Suzhou. Comparing the West Lake in Hangzhou, Chen Ming expressed his expectations for Suzhou's exquisite and unique gardens that are unrivaled in the world. He himself was also in a very relaxed mood. He had been on tenterhooks and stressed out for a while before, but now he felt relaxed and relaxed. For the first time in his life, before the war, he thought about taking a woman to visit the lake scenery.

Liu Wu quickly walked out of the room, greeted a group of guards in the attendant's room, then took the handwriting given to him by Chen Ming, went to the right camp of the guards and mobilized three teams of men, got on the canoe, and hurried to Nanjing. Go.

It is not a good sign to be accompanied by women during the war, but Liu Wu has never been a remonstrator. His position is very high. Liu Dezhao, who has already judged Nanjing's power affairs, still carries the title of deputy director of the attendant's office. , all ranked under him. But Liu Wu has always known what he does, he is Chen Ming's personal bodyguard!

Is there any long-term follower in the world who constantly exhorts his master? There is only a long-term follower who is willing to please his master at all costs.

There are also five newcomers in the Secretariat of the Attendance Room, but they are just newcomers. How can the newcomers have the courage to persuade Chen Ming. What's more, by the time they found out, Liu Wu had already been out of the city for an hour or two.

…

Macau, Council Chamber.

In the heart of Portuguese power in Macau, the current civil chief Rodoni and Macau military chief Sadanye, the governor of Macau in the usual sense, who was appointed by the Portuguese government but did not actually command all Portuguese military and political forces in Macau, was only responsible for Macau's defense, and his official residence was also located in the Fortress of the Fortress, sat opposite each other.

As the military and political leaders of Macau, the two of them must reach a clear consensus on the Fernandez matter.

Rodoni is the chairman of the Macau Council. According to regulations, the Macau Council is elected every three years, and six people are elected each time. The Portuguese governor was finally confirmed as a city councilor. Three of them are elders over 40 years old, two are junior judges (also known as judges) over 30 years old, and one is the civil chief, that is, the director.

Rodoni has a deep connection with Portuguese merchants in Macau. To a certain extent, he represents the interests of Portuguese merchants in Macau, while Sadanye represents the interests of the Kingdom of Portugal. On the issue of arms trade with the Qing Dynasty, the two sides easily reached a consensus, and then traded with the Qing Dynasty twice, selling more than 40 cannons to the Qing Dynasty and making huge profits.

A large part of these cannons were prepared by Rodoni, and the instructor group headed by Blanco was formed by Shadanye. Now Fernandez and others have lost the battle and were captured tragically. The Chinese anti-government forces know about Macau's actions. They asked the captured Fernandez and others to write a letter each, and then these letters were unknowingly sent to the desk of the civil chief of the Council Hall. God knows how scared Rodoni was when he saw these letters!

The secret camp of the Fu Han Army, they almost killed all the chiefs of Guangdong Customs a while ago. This is something that every European businessman who comes to China for trade has to pay attention to. In the eyes of the Portuguese, this is a very terrifying organization, a legend that is more powerful than Assassin. The latter is just assassination, and the former's work obviously also includes intelligence.

"Okay, that's the end." Shadanye signed his name on a piece of paper, then he stood up with some effort, and the wrinkles on his fat white collar stretched out.

Shadanye sat for too long, and he ate too much. He walked to the door with a brisk look. Only Rodoni, who kept shaking his head, was left behind. Shadanye was relieved. He took out half of his wealth to make up for the mistake and signed his name on the formal apology statement. He had done everything he could. The rest depends on Rodoni and his business partners.

Less than a quarter of an hour after Shadanye left, a handsome middle-aged man in his thirties strode in. His name was Luis Paulo Ribeiro, a Portuguese-born with more than half oriental ancestry. His family has existed in Macau for 200 years. The Ribeiro family was the first Portuguese family to marry Han women.

At the same time, Luis was one of the two junior judges of the Council.

Louis, a tall, handsome man from a wealthy family, is the dream lover of many Portuguese people. The maid who brought him a cup of tea had bright eyes and a flushed face.

"Don't spread your charm like a peacock in heat. We are in big trouble now."

"I know that the Fu Han Army's secret camp put Fernandez's letter on your desk. You are scared!"

"Of course I am scared. They can put the letter on the desk of the civil governor in the council hall today, and they can cut off my head with a knife tomorrow. And they also threatened to destroy the whole Macau. The whole Macau!" Rodoni's calm expression collapsed. He stood up excitedly and waved his hands: "They use gunpowder, they can also set fires, they have too many ways to destroy Macau. "How can I not worry?"

"No. Rodoni, I don't think so. This is just their threat, an exaggerated threat. Just like Russia has been promoting the threat of the Ottomans to Christian civilization, it's all for scaring people.

If the Fu Han Army destroys Macau, they will be Portugal's eternal enemy!"

Rodoni disagreed with Louis' words. He shook his head and said, "Dear Louis, do you think the Chinese care about the threat of the Kingdom of Portugal? They don't even know where Portugal is." It's not that Rodoni has no love and pride for Portugal, it's really..., the reality is like this. China's administrative agency for the Portuguese issue is just the county magistrate's office of the former Shanzhai Xiangshan County in Macau.

"Listen to me, listen to me now, Louis, Shadanye has decided to use half of his savings as the ransom for Fernandez and his friends, and I have also decided to use all my earnings from the two arms deals, together with Orian, Bi Jiabao and others will also use part of the earnings, and finally there is the church, the bishop and his people are very much looking forward to the safe return of God's people. If it is just the ransom for Fernandez and his friends, I think this is enough. The problem is that the Fu Han Army does not want our gold and silver coins now, but gunpowder and sulfur.

It is a very huge amount to exchange tens of thousands of lovely eagle dollars for gunpowder and sulfur. We can't transport these things from the sea to their control area without anyone's eyes.

Now we need to have a good talk with the Fu Han Army..."

"You want me to meet the Fu Han Army? Did you agree to all the conditions they proposed?"

"Um..., yes. There are not many people in Macau who are worthy of mutual trust between me and Shadanye, and you are the most suitable person among them. Your identity, your appearance, and your fluent Chinese official language will play a huge role in the negotiations."

"Louis, I know this matter is somewhat dangerous. But, don't you want to sit in the chair I am sitting on now?"

"I can assure you that as long as you can solve this matter perfectly, the Bishop (Macau) and I will vote for you in next year's election..." Rodoni and the Bishop of Macau have a significant influence on the Portuguese population in Macau.