Chapter 27: Heavy Rewards

The First Squadron, after a brief rest and regrouping, began sailing along the southwestern coast of Xiamen Island at 1:00 PM, heading straight for Zhongzuosuo.

Zhongzuosuo was located on the southwestern coast of Xiamen Island, with Wulao Mountain at its back and facing Gulangyu Island across the sea. Its location roughly corresponds to the present-day site of Xiamen University. To the east of the city was the famous Huli Mountain Fort. Many Transmigrators had made a pilgrimage to this site, as the 280mm Krupp cannon there was a “sacred object” in the hearts of many military enthusiasts.

Because this location controlled the vital waterway between Gulangyu and Xiamen Island, it was known as the “Gateway to the Eight Prefectures of Fujian, the Lock and Key to the South.” Its position was extremely important, so Zheng Zhilong had also built a fort on Huli Mountain, armed with several 24-pounder naval cannons purchased from the Portuguese.

By the standards of the time, the fortifications of the Huli Mountain Fort were not considered crude. Although it had only three or four cannons and fewer than a hundred soldiers, the defenses of the contemporary Humen forts were also very poor. Compared to the bureaucrats in Guangdong, Zheng Zhilong had more insight into coastal defense, and he had invested a considerable amount of money in Xiamen Island.

Although its limited range made it difficult to threaten the ships of the First Squadron at sea, it was nevertheless a nuisance. In particular, the cannons on the Huli Mountain Fort could reach the planned landing beach of the First Expeditionary Force, so the fort had to be destroyed before the landing operation began.

The First Squadron sailed past Huaixin Rock, then designated its target and began its bombardment.

The precise coordinates of the Huli Mountain Fort had already been surveyed and marked by the special reconnaissance teams, so the 130mm cannons hit the target after only a few ranging shots.

The 130mm cannons bombarded slowly and rhythmically to conserve ammunition. The supply ships had not yet caught up, and the main gun ammunition on each ship was down to one-third of its basic load. Fire and smoke enveloped Huli Mountain. Through binoculars, one could see the fort gradually collapsing amidst the dust and smoke, with rubble and debris flying everywhere. With each impact, the special reconnaissance spotters reported the fall of shot via radio, and the Lichun relayed the information to the other ships using flag and light signals. After a few salvos, the fortified camp and battery on Huli Mountain, once bristling with banners, were annihilated in fire and smoke.

According to the reconnaissance teams’ reports, besides the fort on Huli Mountain, there were several other batteries on Xiamen Island, but none of them were relevant to their operation. With the destruction of the Huli Mountain Fort, the coastal city of Zhongzuosuo was left completely exposed and vulnerable.

The First Squadron safely sailed past the Huli Mountain Fort. Then, the ships dropped anchor, and Ming Qiu gave the order: “Begin the landing.”

The landing site was chosen on the beach in front of the Huli Mountain Fort, about two kilometers from Zhongzuosuo. This location was selected to avoid entering the anchorage near Zhongzuosuo, which was currently filled with many ships, and the docks were lined with warehouses and storehouses.

It presented a natural opportunity for a fire attack.

If the Zheng family set fire to the docks and the anchorage, the entire area in front of Zhongzuosuo would become a sea of flames, and the army and navy would have no choice but to flee for their lives.

The sound of whistles echoed across the decks. Sailors opened the grated hatches, and the shouts of marine NCOs were heard. The marines, who had been cooped up below deck for most of the day, began to emerge and assemble on deck in an orderly fashion.

They squeezed up the ladders and out of the hatches. Outside the hatches, they milled about chaotically for a minute or so before finally getting into formation, awaiting the order to board the boats. The decks were cluttered with small boats and supplies, making it so crowded that they could only walk slowly.

The davits, powered by steam engines, began to creak and groan as they lowered the small boats to the sea. Rope ladders were hung down both sides of the ship.

Whistles hurried the marines along. A voice on deck continuously shouted, “To boat fifteen!”, “To boat three!”…

With each call, a platoon of soldiers cautiously climbed over the bulwark and down the rope ladders on the sides. Each man carried a heavy backpack, a steel helmet, and a new-style rifle. The assault engineers carried even more, and no one wanted to be in the same boat as them because they were always carrying explosive charges.

Li Huamei was by the ship’s rail, helping to maintain order. The marines passing by her always cast a curious glance at the rare female officer. Female soldiers were a rarity in the Fubo Army. Neither the army nor the navy had its own medical corps, so the military hospitals that would typically employ the most women did not exist. As for the other area where female soldiers were concentrated, the signal corps, the Fubo Army’s communications still relied on manual methods, so there was little demand for women. Only in the army and navy headquarters were there a significant number of female personnel.

A female officer serving on a ship like Li Huamei was practically unheard of. Fortunately, she had been sailing her own boat since she was a girl and had plenty of experience commanding men. She was no young maiden who would blush at a man’s gaze. She was long accustomed to such scenes; otherwise, a more thin-skinned woman would probably have felt like jumping into the sea.

She put on a stern face and occasionally shouted at them, “Watch your step!”, “Be careful!”. She showed no leniency. There were so many landing craft on the ship, and the timing and speed of boarding and launching varied. Some were already full of soldiers and were circling the large ship, the men inside waving back. The boats’ light black hulls stood out against the blue sea in the morning light. On the nearby Yangbo, soldiers were also transferring. Another landing craft was being lowered, the pulleys of the davits creaking periodically. The sides of the ship were swarming with transferring soldiers like ants.

Li Huamei looked back towards the city of Zhongzuosuo to the north, feeling a bit dismissive. This location was very close to Zhongzuosuo. All the ships were now at anchor and busy transferring soldiers, creating a scene of chaos on the ships and the water. She looked up at the weather vane: the wind was still against them… If the Zheng family seized this opportunity to launch a fire ship attack, her side would likely be in for a tough fight…

She was suddenly startled. She had just referred to the Kunzei as “her side”! This reminded her again of her identity as a spy, and her heart filled with anxiety.

At this moment, Zheng Zhilong, observing from the tower of Zhongzuosuo, lowered his Dutch telescope. His brow relaxed slightly, like a master Go player who had just spotted a fatal mistake by his opponent. The Kunzei had actually anchored in front of Huli Mountain and were lowering small boats. It was obvious they were preparing to land. But this location was less than four nautical miles from the anchorage where his fire ships were moored. The dozens of fire ships still at anchor could take this opportunity to ride the favorable wind and attack. He wagered they couldn’t possibly weigh anchor and escape so quickly. At the very least, they could destroy most of the small boats they had lowered into the sea and inflict heavy losses on the enemy’s land forces. Even if it didn’t repel the Kunzei, it would at least delay them for half a day or a full day.

Looking up at the large “Zheng” banner on the tower, he asked in a deep voice, “What is the wind direction?”

The commanders gathered around him all understood his intention. However, after the disastrous defeat of Zheng Lian just now, leading a fire ship attack had become an extremely risky mission. Regardless of success or failure, the chances of survival were slim.

After a brief silence, someone stepped forward, bowed, and volunteered: “The wind is perfect! Your subordinate is willing to lead a squadron of fire ships to annihilate the enemy!”

Everyone looked closely. The volunteering general was Zheng Zhipeng, Zheng Zhilong’s clan cousin and one of the original “Eighteen Shiba” sworn brothers. He was a core member of Zheng Zhilong’s inner circle. At this critical moment for the Zheng family’s survival, if one of their own didn’t step up, it would neither convince the others nor reassure Zheng Zhilong.

“Good, I’ll leave it to you,” Zheng Zhilong nodded, his eyes showing appreciation. “I will give you all the fire ships, and I’ll send another man to lead a support fleet behind you. Take care of yourself!”

“I am willing to go through fire and water for Big Brother, and I will not shrink from ten thousand deaths,” Zheng Zhipeng declared in a loud voice. He took a few steps back, turned, and quickly descended from the tower.

“Order the quartermaster to immediately send fifty thousand taels of silver to the docks for General Peng to reward the sailors on the fire ships,” Zheng Zhilong commanded. “Give each man twenty taels upfront. For those who successfully ram an enemy ship, give them another fifty taels upon their return!”

The generals were stunned. Twenty taels per man! This wasn’t just a heavy reward; it was simply unbelievable. Normally, a victory would merit a reward of four or five taels. One had to have distinguished military merit or be “decorated” to receive more than ten taels, which was already extremely generous among the various armed forces of the late Ming, let alone the beggar-like government troops. Now, these fire ship sailors were being given twenty taels before they even set sail. It was incredible.

“Yes…”

“Also, tell the quartermaster to send another three hundred thousand taels to the gate tower here and display it. I want to greatly reward the entire army! For the officers and men who go out of the city to attack, each will be rewarded ten taels. For those defending the city, five taels each! As long as we repel the Kunzei, each man will receive another fifty taels! Those who die in battle will receive the reward in addition to their death benefits!”

Another commotion broke out among the generals.

Zheng Zhilong’s fourth brother, Zheng Zhibao, couldn’t help but step forward to advise: “This… Big Brother… isn’t this too much? … If we set this precedent, in the future, the soldiers will not be willing to fight hard without such heavy rewards…”

“Now is the time for everyone to risk their lives. Is seventy taels of silver worth a life? I think it’s very much worth it!” Zheng Zhilong said. “If we are defeated and lose Zhongzuosuo, won’t the silver in this city just fall into the hands of the Kunzei anyway!”

Rather than suffer a humiliating defeat and hand over a city full of treasure and goods to the Kunzei for free, it was better to distribute it to win the hearts of the men and fight to the death. Perhaps there was still a chance.

“…As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no lack of firewood. As long as we brothers hold firm on this island of Xiamen, even if we lose all our men and ships, we can still make a comeback!” Zheng Zhilong said loudly. “A thousand pieces of gold, once spent, can be earned again. We brothers are all men of great ambition; we must have some courage!”

Stirred by his words, the generals’ blood ran hot. They felt that since their Big Brother regarded wealth as nothing, they shouldn’t worry about personal gains or losses. As long as they fought desperately and drove away the Kunzei, they wouldn’t lack opportunities to recoup their losses and win everything back. After all, they had once been pushed to the brink by Li Kuiqi and had still managed to make a comeback. The generals bowed together:

“We are willing to follow the General’s lead to the death!”