Chapter 912 The Defeated General
"Unconditional surrender? Did the Haihan people really say that? What you saw was their general leading the army?"
Although he somewhat expected that the attitude of the Haihan people would be tougher, Zheng Zhilong still couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he heard the reply from the Haihan people from Gan Hui. He originally hoped that the resistance he organized would make the Haihan people look at him with admiration, so that he could use it to negotiate surrender terms with the other party at the last moment. However, this group of Haihan people seemed to be unwilling to accept hard and soft policies. There was no intention of making any concessions or compromises.
Gan Hui responded: "The general Haihan who led his army to Miyako Island this time is his naval marshal Wang Tom. This man personally said that if he surrenders at this time, his life can be saved, but if he does not surrender, Haihan will The army will fight to the end and wipe out all the Eighteen Zhi!”
After several years of open and covert fighting between Shibazhi and Haihan, they were not completely ignorant of the situation of the Haihan Militia. At least they knew the name and basic personal information of the Lieutenant General of the Haihan Army. When Haihan attacked Penghu last year, Wang Tom was commanding the army, so Shibazhi was no stranger to this general, and knew that Marshal Wang was the naval commander of Haihan's army. In the two attacks on Shibazhi, he commanded Haihan's surface armed forces, which shows that Haihan's military leaders attach great importance to Shibazhi.
Since the senior official of the other party is personally speaking out, there is probably no room for change on this matter. As for whether the Haihan people can keep their words, Zheng Zhilong is not worried about this. Haihan's reputation through business operations is very famous and has always been well-known on the southeast coast. In addition, Haihan has completely taken the initiative in the current war situation, and they have no need to Such details deceived Shibazhi into choosing to surrender. If Haihan really wanted to kill them all, it would only take an extra two or three days at most, and there would be no need to persuade Shibazhi to surrender.
Zheng Zhilong took a deep breath, looked at everyone sitting down and asked: "Brothers, when we became sworn brothers, we agreed to share blessings and share hardships. We have all enjoyed the blessings together, and now we are facing this disaster. Right now, how do you guys think you should get through this? Should you surrender to Haihan to save your life, or fight to the death?"
Gan Hui was Zheng Zhilong's confidant. When he asked this question, he knew that he had been shaken. If Zheng Zhilong really planned to fight to the death, he would not ask for everyone's opinions at this time. Now that he has asked, his attitude is already obvious.
Gan Hui secretly sighed in his heart, but answered the words: "Shibazhi always takes the leadership of the leader. Whatever the leader says, the brothers will do it. If the leader pities the lives of the brothers, he will be punished by Haihan." , we will naturally follow it.”
Zheng Zhilong sighed and said: "Gan Hui, you really know what I mean. Now that the Haihan army is unstoppable, we are unable to make a comeback. If we continue to fight, everyone will inevitably die. My life and death are trivial, and I have dragged down my brothers to fight for me." It would be a huge sin to be buried with him! But if he were to be cast down as Haihan, the brothers would inevitably suffer some humiliation. This is not what I want. I am in a dilemma, so I want all the brothers to decide together how to deal with it. That’s the current situation.”
Those who had not understood the meaning of Zheng Zhilong's words just now, even if they were slow, have now understood that Zheng Zhilong was planning to surrender, but he couldn't save his face, so he needed everyone to express their attitude together. He then followed the trend and announced this. Decide.
Although these people are all desperadoes who have long put life and death aside, it does not mean that they do not want to continue living. Otherwise, they would not have abandoned Penghu and followed Zheng Zhilong to Miyako Island last year. If there is a chance to survive, who would give up easily? Since Zheng Zhilong has no intention of fighting anymore, there is no point in them insisting on fighting. At that moment, everyone expressed their opinions that they should preserve their strength first and try to make a comeback in the future - as for whether there is still a chance to make a comeback, no one can consider such a far-term thing now.
"Since all the brothers believe that preserving strength is more important, then I, the head of the family, can only survive temporarily and complete the formalities with the Haihan people." Zheng Zhilong stood up, cupped his hands to everyone present and said, "At sunrise tomorrow, I will personally negotiate with the Haihan people to save the lives of the brothers on the island. If anything happens, my son Fusong hopes that you will take care of me."
Everyone also quickly stood up to respond. Although surrendering at the last moment felt a bit cowardly, Zheng Zhilong was willing to risk his life and personally come forward to negotiate with the Haihan people. His courage was still admirable. As for the future life of his son Zheng Fusong, although everyone agreed verbally, they had the same idea in their hearts. At this time, no one could care about anyone else. He was about to become a prisoner, so how could he still have the ability to take care of others. Besides, the Haihan people were always shrewd, how could they easily let go of Zheng Zhilong’s family?
Zheng Zhilong might also be able to guess the thoughts of his people, so he called his son Zheng Fusong to the study that night to explain some things to him. Zheng Zhilong knew that it would be very difficult to meet the Haihan people tomorrow. Even if he would not be killed by the Haihan people, he would probably have a hard time regaining his freedom in the future. And his son Zheng Fusong is young. As long as the Haihan people don't kill them all, there may be other ways out in the future. There were some things that should have been told to him in a few years, but now they had to be told in advance.
"Fusong, my father is going to see the Haihan people tomorrow. Before I leave, there are some things I need to let you know." Zheng Zhilong said: "Among the people under me, only Gan Hui and Shi Daxuan can be trusted. If you ask for help in the future, People, these two can help you.”
Zheng Fusong said: "My father went to see the Haihan people, can't he come back?"
Zheng Zhilong sighed: "A defeated general has no choice but to be slaughtered by others. My father wants to save the lives of thousands of people on this island, so I have no choice but to sacrifice myself. The people of Haihan regard me, Shibazhi, as if they were a feud. Now, If you fall into their hands, you will inevitably die. Don't be sad about it. Although your life as a father is short, it is a glorious one, and you have no regrets. But if you have the chance to regain your freedom in the future, don't do it again. Father, don’t seek revenge from the Haihan people. Go back to Japan and live a good life with your mother and brother.”
Zheng Fusong bit his lip and did not respond, but two lines of tears had already flowed down his face. Although he didn't understand what was going on in the adult world, he also knew that his father's situation was already very dire. Perhaps tomorrow's farewell would be the farewell between father and son.
Zheng Zhilong's mood was very calm, and he continued: "Keep what my father said next in your mind carefully. Don't forget it, and don't say it to a third person. Have you remembered it?"
Zheng Fusong wiped away his tears and nodded vigorously.
Zheng Zhilong said: "My father left his hometown thirteen years ago to explore the world, and later established the Eighteen Zhizhi to unify the Fujian coast. During this period, he also made a lot of money. In order to prevent accidents from happening, my father purchased houses and properties in many places in Fujian, as well as Several secret treasure places will be inherited by you from now on. Although these properties are not much, they are enough to make you rich for a lifetime. If you have the opportunity in the future, you can make a living on this."
When Zheng Zhilong was at his most prosperous, he did not forget to leave a way out for himself. He purchased real estate under pseudonyms in many places in Fujian and managed to hide a lot of gold and silver. The people responsible for taking care of these places are his close clan members. As long as Zheng Fusong can show up in the future, these properties will basically be transferred to his name. Zheng Zhilong's preparations, which were originally used for emergencies, have become a wealth for future generations under the current situation. Although Zheng Fusong may not have the opportunity to enjoy these wealth, under the current situation, Zheng Zhilong can only make arrangements to this extent.
Early the next morning, Zheng Zhilong left the camp with only four of his confidants and headed north. After walking for about half an hour, they were stopped by a group of Haihan scouts. "I am Zheng Zhilong, the leader of Shibazhi. I have come here to see General Haihan and his troops. Please inform me as soon as possible!" Zheng Zhilong calmly announced his identity.
However, he was shocked by the identity reported by this team of scouts. He quickly searched these people to confirm that they did not have weapons or other dangerous items on them, and then escorted them back to the rear camp.
Wang Tom was not too surprised when he heard that the reconnaissance team brought back Zheng Zhilong, the leader of Shibazhi who surrendered on his own. Yesterday, Zheng Zhilong sent Gan Hui to negotiate. He had already sensed that the other party might not be able to withstand Haihan's offensive and was ready to surrender. However, Tom Wang did not expect that Zheng Zhilong was so courageous that he actually showed up and came to his door the next day. No one in the Haihan Army recognized Zheng Zhilong himself. Immediately, Wang Tom sent someone to notify the personnel sent by the Fujian side - they specially brought people who recognized Zheng Zhilong so that they could identify the prisoners or bodies as soon as possible. identity.
"My Excellency, Zheng Zhilong, I have met General Wang!" After seeing Tom Wang, Zheng Zhilong was neither humble nor overbearing, and took the initiative to come forward to greet him.
Wang Tom also cupped his hands and said: "After several years of dealing with each other, I finally met Master Zheng today. I'm glad to meet you!"
Although the two camps have been in a state of hostility in the past few years, and the two men have commanded troops and fought against each other more than once on the battlefield, there was not much tense atmosphere when they actually faced each other. Of course, this may also be because Haihan has an absolute advantage in the current war, and Shibazhi has decided to surrender. Although the two sides have not formally ceased the war, the outcome has been basically determined, and there is no verbal battle to win or lose. .
Wang Tom didn't put on any airs and asked Zheng Zhilong to take a seat and ordered tea to be served. For one of the most feared opponents of the Time Travel Group in this era, Wang Tom is actually quite interested in knowing some relevant details.
"Master Zheng came here in person today. He should have already made a decision, right?" The first thing Wang Tom needs to confirm is Shiba Zhi's final decision. Although Zheng Zhilong's appearance here has already explained the problem, it is still necessary to solemnly confirm it.
Zheng Zhilong nodded and responded: "Your army is tyrannical and Shibazhi considers himself invincible. I came here today to admit defeat to your army. But there are still thousands of people on this island, many of whom are Shibazhi." I hope General Wang can treat them well and at least spare their lives."
"This is easy to handle. I said it yesterday and I will say it again today. As long as we lay down our weapons, give up resistance, and surrender to us unconditionally, we will also guarantee that we will never kill anyone indiscriminately." Seeing Zheng Zhilong's cheerful performance, Wang Tom said It also expresses Haihan's attitude: "Including you and your family, we will ensure your life safety."
Zheng Zhilong lowered his voice and asked: "Can you please be more generous and allow me to take my family out of here?"
Tom Wang remained silent, but shook his head firmly.
Zheng Zhilong still refused to give up and continued to persuade: "If General Wang has any conditions, but it doesn't matter, I will try my best to satisfy you. If you can help me leave this place, I will be grateful in the future!"
Wang Tom smiled and said: "Master Zheng, you underestimate your own value. We Haihan have been providing military assistance to Fujian officials since the first year of Chongzhen. In the past few years, the money invested has been at least two to three million. Two silver dollars. Why should we support Fujian officials? To put it bluntly, we have spent several years to get this result. Then you and I will not have a face-to-face conversation here and now.”
There is an unobvious flaw in Wang Tom's words, that is, Haihan's official military assistance to Fujian was actually rewarded in various forms one after another, including the weapons and equipment purchased from Haihan every year. , the profit far exceeded the cost paid by Haihan in the early stage of cooperation between the two parties. However, Zheng Zhilong did not understand the intrigues involved, so in his opinion, this was undoubtedly a clear rejection, and it was impossible for him to spend so much money to bribe Tom Wang now.
Although he was disappointed with this result, Zheng Zhilong still had other things he wanted to understand. He continued to ask: "General Wang, I have been confused about something in my heart these past few years. Please give me some advice. In the past few years, I Although I have never been to Qiongzhou Island and have never dealt with you, why have you been targeting Shibazhi for several years? "
Wang Tom said: "The truth is actually very simple. To put it bluntly, it can be said in four words: go together and look down on each other. You Shiba Zhi rely on the sea to eat, and so do we Haihan. As the saying goes, one mountain cannot tolerate two tigers. After all, Haihan and Shiba Zhi must be divided. It’s not a matter of bad luck, it’s fate.”
Zheng Zhilong seemed to understand a little bit, but only a little bit. He couldn't help but ask: "Then why did you interfere in the war in Fujian thousands of miles away when you first arrived in Qiongzhou?"
"This is what I call destiny." Wang Tom responded: "You may not believe it, but before we arrived at Qiongzhou Island, we had already listed you Shibazhi as our opponents."
(End of chapter)