Chapter 26: Meeting the Enemy

The rout of the fire ships allowed the First Squadron to slow its pace. Ming Qiu ordered the speed reduced to 3 knots and to head west to avoid the smoke from the battlefield. He also needed to let the ships rest, especially the engine departments. The frequent acceleration since morning had strained the boilers, causing leaks in many pipes and valves. A large amount of coal slag had accumulated and couldn’t be cleared in time, leading to frequent malfunctions.

The cannons also needed their bores cleaned after a morning of fighting. Ming Qiu signaled for the ship captains to convene on the Lichun. He would check ammunition reserves and, based on the situation, reallocate shells among the ships to ensure sufficient firepower for the upcoming attack on Xiamen.

At 10:30 AM, Ming Qiu ordered all ships to have an early lunch. Fifteen minutes later, the First Squadron began to approach Xiamen Island.

Xiamen Island was already in chaos. From the high ground on the island, one could barely see the battle in Xiamen Bay, but the thick smoke soon obscured the battlefield, and the distance made it difficult to see clearly. It wasn’t until a fire ship escaped from the sea and reached Xiamen Island that panic spread throughout the island.

Onboard the fire ship was Zheng Lian, who had managed to escape by jumping into the water in time. He was not only soaked to the bone, but the back of his clothes was also scorched by the flames, cutting a very sorry figure.

Zheng Lian, ignoring his disheveled appearance, found a fast horse as soon as he landed, mounted it, and with a crack of the whip, galloped straight for Zhongzuosuo.

The people on the shore watched as the fire ships returned from the sea in twos and threes, all looking utterly defeated. Some didn’t even bother to dock at Xiamen Island and fled directly to the mainland. Amidst the growing panic, a Fuchuan ship, with a hole blown in its hull, one mast down, and its sails mostly burned, limped to the pier. The scene on its deck was horrific. The crowd that had gathered at the pier seemed to suddenly snap to their senses and scattered in an instant, leaving the area completely deserted. Even the soldiers on duty at the pier had fled.

Xiamen Island was the Zheng family’s main foreign trade port. In the past, Zheng Zhilong had repeatedly attacked Yuegang (Moon Harbor), burning down districts and seizing ships, all to force merchants to shift their trade to Xiamen. Although the island was not large, it benefited greatly from the flourishing foreign trade and was quite prosperous. A large commercial district had formed outside the walls of Zhongzuosuo.

The Zheng family’s docks and warehouses lined the waterfront, with goods piled up like mountains. At this time, many merchant ships were still moored at the docks, some belonging to the Zheng family, others to merchants who were just there to trade. Hearing that the “Kunzei” army was coming, everyone from merchants to sailors was terrified. Some, seeing their ships and cargo were lost, beat their chests, stamped their feet, and wept aloud. The sound of wailing soon filled the docks.

Meanwhile, Zhongzuosuo itself was in chaos. The terror brought by Zheng Lian’s frantic ride into the city had infected the entire populace. Inside Zhongzuosuo, wealthy families were helping the old and young, carrying large and small bundles as they fled the city, hoping to hide in the mountains. In contrast, the poor from outside the city were flooding in, hoping to find protection behind the city walls.

The city gates were instantly jammed. People trying to get out and people trying to get in pushed and shoved with all their might. The old, weak, women, and children were pushed down, injured, and even trampled to death. The Zheng family soldiers guarding the gates were at a loss, only able to shout loudly, but to no avail.

In the center of the city, in the main hall of the former qianhusuo (Thousand-Household Commandery) yamen, which now served as Zheng Zhilong’s council hall. Although Zheng Zhilong was now a “Five Tiger” guerrilla general and put on official airs everywhere, he still hadn’t shed the habits of a sea lord. The rules were not too strict. In the courtyard below the hall’s steps, the main commanders of the Zheng family gathered in small groups. The core members of the Zheng clan—most of the so-called “Eighteen Shiba”—were inside the council hall, their faces showing an expression of impending doom.

The atmosphere in the hall was heavy and oppressive. Even when Li Kuiqi had lured away most of Zheng Zhilong’s men, leaving him in a desperate situation with only “three hundred soldiers,” the members of the “Eighteen Shiba” still believed their big brother could turn the tide and rally his forces.

But now, they had lost that confidence. The news brought by the breathless Zheng Lian made everyone realize just how terrifying their opponent was.

Zheng Lian was no greenhorn on his first campaign; he was an old brother who had been part of the original “Eighteen Shiba” oath. He was certainly not a coward who would exaggerate the enemy’s strength after a defeat. If he said the Kunzei were “unstoppable,” then they were truly unstoppable.

“Stop looking like your parents just died,” Zheng Zhilong broke the silence in the hall. “The Kunzei are right out there on the water, just a short sail away from Xiamen. Tell me, what should we do!”

“Xiamen is the key to Quanzhou. If we abandon it, then Quanzhou and Zhangzhou will be in grave danger. We won’t be able to explain this to the Provincial Governor,” Zheng Zhifeng said, coughing, seeing that many present were inclined to abandon the defense.

“Now that we have news from Kinmen of a total defeat, and Second Master Mang’s fate is unknown, and Brother Lian has also been defeated and lost his ships, how can we fight the Kunzei?” someone objected. “In my humble opinion, we should take advantage of the fact that the Kunzei haven’t landed yet, and quickly send someone to negotiate and persuade them to withdraw. We are, after all, the court’s forces. Several of our brothers hold official ranks. I doubt they would dare to act so recklessly.”

“Withdraw?” Zheng Zhilong sneered. “The Kunzei have mounted such a massive operation. Do you think a few words from you will scare them away? If the Kunzei were afraid of officials, would they have attacked Guangzhou in the first place?”

“Offer them benefits…”

Zheng Zhifeng shook his head. “You’re thinking of ceding territory and paying indemnities. A little money is a small matter, but the Kunzei are not interested in our money. They want this island of Xiamen! Even if we wanted to cede territory, we have none to give!” He stood up and looked at everyone. “We brothers have been together since we took our oath in the fifth year of the Tianqi reign. We followed our big brother to conquer this domain. Now, each of us is as rich as a nation. But besides these few small islands, where do we have a foothold on the mainland? The Kunzei are trying to dig up our roots. This island of Xiamen is our root! If the root is gone, we brothers will have no place to stand. How can we talk of dominating the four seas then?”

Zheng Zhilong nodded silently. Zheng Zhifeng was right. Xiamen Island was the foundation of his power. He had spent so much energy and effort to take this island for himself. How could he easily give it up to the Kunzei?

At this point, someone else supported Zheng Zhifeng: “We can’t run. The silver, grain, and goods on this island can’t be moved in a short time. Are we just going to leave it all here for the Kunzei to take? If that happens, we brothers will be left with nothing but the shirts on our backs!”

A burst of laughter erupted from the group, and the tense atmosphere eased a little.

A faint smile also appeared on Zheng Zhilong’s lips. “Zhifeng is right,” he said. “This is our brothers’ lair, even more important than Anping. How can we give it up to the Kunzei? No matter how powerful their ships are, they can’t sail onto the shore.”

“Exactly, Big Brother!” Zheng Zhifeng’s spirits rose upon hearing his support. He was irreconcilably opposed to the Kunzei—he had been the mastermind behind several operations against them. “Kinmen is lost. If we don’t defend Xiamen, we will have no place to stand! On this island, we still have ten thousand men and over a dozen Hongyi cannons. As long as we offer heavy rewards, our brothers will surely fight to the death. The Kunzei have come from afar; how many men can they bring? Once they land, we’ll have ten men for every one of theirs. We’ll wear them down even if we have to trade lives for it!”

The claim of ten thousand men on the island was an exaggeration. In reality, besides the garrisons in the various forts, there were only about four thousand available land soldiers. However, each commander had his own personal retainers and household troops, which added up to about a thousand men. In particular, Zheng Zhilong’s own personally recruited black and Japanese guards—which included several Portuguese officers—were all professional soldiers, well-equipped and well-trained, and could be considered elite by the standards of the time.

Besides the land soldiers, the sailors from the Zheng family’s fleet who were on shore could also be used to pad the numbers, adding several thousand more men. However, these men were not trained for land combat and were unfamiliar with military formations. They could only fight when things were going well. Zheng Zhifeng was purely exaggerating to boost morale.

Still, the Kunzei land forces, transported by five ships, could at most be a thousand men. Ten against one was a boast, but four or five against one was certainly not a problem.

Everyone had heard of the Australians’ powerful navy—and now they had witnessed it firsthand—but they had little real sense of how strong their army was. He Rubing’s major defeat on Hainan Island was only known through vague and unconfirmed rumors. The members of the “Eighteen Shiba,” following their usual way of thinking, believed they were just a slightly better version of the government troops. Defeating government troops was nothing special in those days—the Zheng family had done it many times, and sometimes the government troops even had to ask the Zheng family for help in their land campaigns.

Moreover, Xiamen Island was their home turf. Besides the city of Zhongzuosuo, the Zheng clan had built multiple forts and stockpiled large quantities of gunpowder and grain—enough provisions to last for more than ten years. Even if they lost a land battle, as long as they retreated into their fortified cities and forts, the Australians, being a lone army deep in enemy territory, would not dare to stay long. If they just held their fortifications, the enemy would have to withdraw in ten days to half a month.

The decision was made to defend Xiamen to the death. Scouts on horseback were sent out to all the coasts. Although Xiamen Island had multiple forts and beacon towers along its coast, Zheng Zhilong was not reassured. He dispatched additional mounted patrols along the coastline to prevent the Kunzei from making a surprise landing. Secondly, he concentrated his main forces at Zhongzuosuo, including the land soldiers, the household troops of various commanders, and his personal guards, totaling four thousand men. Once the Kunzei landed, they would meet them in battle outside the walls of Zhongzuosuo.

Everyone knew the Kunzei’s ships were sturdy and their cannons powerful. Therefore, Zheng Zhilong decided not to meet the enemy at the coast—to avoid being hit by their naval gunfire—but to engage them in a battle further inland. Since the Kunzei were landing on Xiamen Island, they would surely see Zhongzuosuo as their primary target. By meeting them in battle below the city walls, they could fight rested against a weary foe.