I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 596 Victory or Defeat Uncertain

Chapter 596 Victory or Defeat Uncertain

In the evening, Wang Wenzhou held a grand banquet for his troops on the beach of Quanshan Port.

Wang Wenzhou's forces, including a thousand female guards, two thousand special forces, a thousand sedan chair carriers, four thousand labor camps, and five thousand sailors from the fleet, stood in neat square formations, waiting for Wang Wenzhou to give instructions.

Zheng Zhihu's eight thousand men not only stood in disarray, but their spirits were also low. After all, in the previous battle, they had lost half of their warships and nearly eight thousand men.

Wang Wenzhou's claim of victory over defeat was shameless, yet Zou Weilian and others did not object. This wasn't out of fear of Wang Wenzhou, but rather because it was an unspoken rule in officialdom: unless the entire army was utterly defeated, even a crushing defeat had to be declared a victory. This not only boosted the morale of the troops but also prevented the court from holding the commander accountable for the defeat. Of course, the secret letter to the emperor contained the absolute truth; otherwise, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor.

Wang Wenzhou stood on the high platform with his two babies in his arms. He took a sip of wine from Chen Yuanyuan's mouth and said passionately, "Brothers, this great victory is all thanks to my decisive command and the brothers' willingness to risk their lives!"

"Buzz..." Zheng Zhihu's subordinates below the stage erupted in noise. If it weren't for the officers suppressing them, they would have already started cursing. "If you, Wang Wenzhou, hadn't been such an idiot, giving such chaotic orders, would so many of our brothers have died? If you hadn't kidnapped all the officials onto the warships, would we have risked our lives to save you and break through the encirclement?"

Wang Wenzhou was somewhat embarrassed. He took another sip of wine from Li Mei's mouth to calm himself down and continued, "Lord Zou has already petitioned the Emperor to reward the three armies. I was deeply moved by the bravery of the soldiers. I will personally give each soldier a reward of 10 taels of silver."

"Lord Wang is mighty!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

The soldiers below the stage immediately cheered. Ten taels of silver was almost their annual military pay. Everyone was very happy. Following this cowardly Lord Wang wasn't bad. As long as they ran fast, even if they were defeated, they would still get a reward.

"Pfft..." The Fujian officials were completely dumbfounded. Mad Dog Wang Wenzhou was too rich. With nearly 30,000 soldiers, this would cost 300,000 taels of silver. Moreover, Wang Wenzhou also planned to ransom the captured soldiers, which would cost at least several hundred thousand taels.

Wang Wenzhou continued, "Although we have won this victory, many brave soldiers have also sacrificed their lives. I cannot let the families of those fallen soldiers shed blood and tears. I will personally pay one hundred taels of silver to the families of all the fallen soldiers."

"Buzz..." The soldiers below the stage were moved to tears. The imperial court also provided compensation, but it was at most ten or eight taels of silver, and there was no guarantee when they would receive it. If Wang Wenzhou truly kept his word, it would be an immense blessing for the soldiers' families.

Wang Wenzhou waved his hand, and the soldiers quieted down. Wang Wenzhou continued, "As for the captured soldiers, I..."

Before Wang Wenzhou could finish speaking, Zou Weilian and Zheng Zhilong quickly stepped forward.

Zou Weilian whispered, "Lord Wang, you can't say that! Moreover, I oppose ransoming the captured soldiers. Scholars die for their principles, and soldiers die in battle. Soldiers should fight to the death to protect their country. If this sets a precedent, who will be willing to fight to the death for their country in the future?"

Although Zheng Zhilong disagreed with Zou Weilian's statement, he nodded and said, "Lord Zou is right. If Lord Wang really wants to redeem the captured soldiers, he can only do it, not say it."

Wang Wenzhou shook his head with a wry smile. Since ancient times, countries in the Greater China region have considered being a prisoner of war a disgrace. Once a soldier is defeated, he either dies in battle or commits suicide. After surrendering, not only will his reputation be ruined, but if he is lucky enough to return home, he will either be punished and imprisoned, or be looked down upon by others.

However, in Hanshan, Wang Wenzhou specifically formulated surrender regulations. If a soldier was surrounded, or if victory was hopeless and continuing to fight would only increase casualties, the commander had the right to order the soldier to surrender. These soldiers, though surrendering, would still be soldiers of Hanshan, and the Hanshan authorities would do everything possible to rescue them.

Wang Wenzhou had just lost because he didn't heed Zheng Zhilong's advice, but this time he gave Zheng Zhilong and Zou Weilian face and didn't continue speaking.

"Alright!" Wang Wenzhou said loudly, "I hereby order you to begin eating."

The officers below immediately led their subordinates to their seats for a meal.

Wang Wenzhou patted Zheng Zhilong on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Old Zheng, hurry up and call your brother and son, let's have dinner together. I have to thank you today, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to escape danger so smoothly."

"Lord Wang, you flatter me. I am truly honored!" Zheng Zhilong was very excited. His investment had not been in vain. It seemed that he had successfully secured Wang Wenzhou's favor.

……

At this time, Liu Xiang was leading the fleet on its way back to its base on Lamma Island.

Liu Xiang's nephew, Liu Wei, asked, "Uncle, we won a great victory in this battle and captured more than 3,000 Ming soldiers. Wang Wenzhou said he wanted to ransom them with silver. I calculated that it would be about 500,000 taels of silver."

Liu Xiang thought for a moment and said doubtfully, "Since ancient times, there has never been any reason for government soldiers to ransom people from thieves. However, Wang Wenzhou acts arrogantly and strangely, so we can make contact with him."

Liu Wei nodded and said, "I will send someone to inquire immediately."

"By the way, Putmans just sent someone over, wanting to buy the warship we captured. What do you think?" Liu Xiang asked.

Liu Wei asked, "How much silver?"

"Hmph!" Liu Xiang snorted coldly, and said angrily, "Ten thousand taels of silver!"

"Bah!" Liu Wei cursed, "Putmans is going too far! Their fleet's flagship isn't even as powerful as this warship, and he wants to buy it for ten thousand taels of silver? This is simply robbery!"

Liu Xiang said with a wry smile, "Now we are living under someone else's roof. If he wants to force us to sell, can we refuse?"

Liu Xiang and Zheng Zhilong were actually sworn brothers, but their falling out was all because of one woman. This woman was none other than Zheng Chenggong's mother, Tian Chuanshi.

Later, Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, while Liu Xiang continued his pirate business. Zheng Zhilong, having become a government soldier, frequently led squads to suppress bandits. The two brothers clashed many times, but neither could completely defeat the other.

With the support of the powerful Ming Dynasty, Zheng Zhilong's influence gradually surpassed that of Liu Xiang. Seeing this, Liu Xiang had no choice but to ally with the Dutch.

The Dutch only wanted to use Liu Xiang to defeat Zheng Zhilong and gain maritime supremacy over the Ming Dynasty's waters; they didn't consider Liu Xiang one of their own. For example, in this battle, they used Liu Xiang's fleet as cannon fodder, charging ahead of them.

Liu Xiang understood this, but he had no other choice. Although Spain and Portugal had influence near the Ming Dynasty, their power was too small. To defeat Zheng Zhilong, they had to rely on the Dutch.

Liu Xiang said helplessly, "Later, send someone to tell Putmans that we won't sell the warships; we'll give them to him. These are spoils of war shared by both our armies; asking for money would be going too far!"

"Uncle, you mustn't!" Liu Wei tried to dissuade him.

Liu Xiang waved her hand and said with a wry smile, "When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. The bigger picture comes first!"