Volume 4: Hot! The whole world is a warring state Chapter 643 Zhu Ciyi's Staff
The sea breeze was blowing and the waves were rolling in. There were a few seagulls circling in the sky, looking angrily at the large group of people that suddenly rushed into the bay below and scared away the fish in the water.
It was August 21, 1635, in a narrow strip of land between North and South America. The originally straight coastline suddenly shrank inwards here, forming a natural harbor. At this time, about three groups, each with 50 to 60 people, rushed in together.
"Oh! Li Hongji! Long time no see! Well, let me think, oh, it's been almost eight years since we last met!"
"Huang Huzi, your current name was given to you by the Emperor himself. It's Li Zicheng. The name Li Hongji has long been discontinued."
"I... all right, all right." Zhang Xianzhong, who was dressed in a buffalo-hide cape and an eagle feather crown, looking like a pure Indian, waved his hands impatiently, "Don't show off your name to me."
After saying this, he took two steps closer to Li Zicheng and glanced at Zhu Shengmiao and Diya who were glaring at him and said, "Tell me, did the court send that new commander Sun here because those two adulterers and adulteresses next to them reported us?"
"Hmph, if I have to sue someone, I'll sue you. Huang Huzi, don't think that I don't know what you did in South America just because we are thousands of miles apart. Damn, you destroyed the manor and left no one alive. It's okay to do this twice occasionally, but how can you make it into a slogan and spread it everywhere? In this way, the Spanish will naturally resist our rebel army to the end. Even those Spanish-Indian hybrids, or even purebred Indians, will have a bad impression of us!"
"Bah! I, Zhang Xianzhong, have always been bold in what I do. I did massacre people in South America, and I admit it. What about you? You annexed Monk Wang's troops in Mexico, and Monk Wang died in an unclear manner. Do you think I don't know?"
"Zhang Xianzhong!" Li Zicheng, who was still wearing a big felt hat in America, changed his expression at this moment: "Don't you dare to slander me! Monk Wang died of illness due to acclimatization. How dare you say that I killed him? Ah, you are not going to report me to the emperor, are you?"
"Am I, Zhang Xianzhong, that kind of person? Besides, what's the point of filing a complaint? The Ming Dynasty is tens of thousands of miles away from America. No matter how wise and powerful the emperor is, what can he do to you?"
"Shut up! Do you want to die?"
"Hahaha, Li Hongji, you have been a lord in China and the United States for several years, with tens of thousands of soldiers under your command. Why are you so timid? Who can kill us? Well, the Spaniards are a possibility. But can the adulterous couple next to us, or the emperor who is thousands of miles away, decide our life and death?"
"Zhang Xianzhong." Li Zicheng, who had been calling him Huang Huzi's nickname to show affection at first, finally became serious. "You are also the leader of the rebels who have been galloping on the Pampas for many years and have been surrounded and captured by nearly 100,000 Spanish troops many times. You should know that the reason we have been able to deal with the Spaniards in America for so long is mainly due to the arms sent by the court every now and then!"
"Shit! Of course I know. But I just don't like the word 'every now and then'. Damn, if the court could guarantee sufficient arms supply every year, I would have chopped off the head of that white pig named Cromwell and kicked it like a ball! That damn white pig has been chasing me closely these years, causing me to lose many brothers! If the court hadn't been so stingy, why would it have come to this?"
"Zhang Xianzhong, your idea is very dangerous!"
" That's what I think. So what? Damn it, why didn't that bastard General Sun go to land on the sea near Buenos Aires? I had no choice but to bring fifty brothers across the South American continent to welcome him. If my army was here, Li Hongji, just because you're whining like that today, I'd have to fight you first!"
"Humph, it might not be impossible to decide the winner now."
"Oh? You mean a one-on-one duel? Hey! After eight years, you seem to be getting braver. Come on, let's have a duel right here on the beach!"
When the two of them talked about this, they really started to get ready and began to test each other's strengths.
During this process, about two or three hundred meters away, Zhu Shengmiao and Tia just watched coldly without saying a word.
Li and Zhang fought for only two rounds before their followers reminded them that a mast had appeared on the sea surface.
So the two men, who had not yet finished warming up, stopped immediately, each took a telescope from their followers, and began to look towards the sea horizon.
"Hmm~ one ship, that's the Songjiang, right? We were on that ship when we came here eight years ago. No, why is there another Songjiang? Hiss, there's one more. Ah~ there's actually one, two, three... The court actually sent eight Songjiang ships this time?"
"Idiot, these are clearly eight Songjiang-class ships ." Putting down the telescope, Li Zicheng let out a long sigh: "The imperial court's military equipment has developed rapidly in recent years."
"That's right!" Zhang Xianzhong, who was still unruly just now, was like a completely different person now: "My Great Ming is invincible! Li Hongji, you don't know, more than two months ago, when the messenger found me and conveyed the news that my Great Ming had conquered India, my heart, ah, I didn't study well, I can't find the right words. Anyway, I was extremely excited!"
Humph, this bastard who bullies the weak and only fears the strong.
After the two of them looked down on each other for a while, the silhouette of the Ming fleet quickly became clear. Behind the eight 5,000-ton warships at the head, more ironclad ships appeared one after another.
This is actually an all-ironclad fleet with a total of 25 ships!
This lineup is completely different from the situation eight years ago when the number of Ming ironclad ships was scarce and sailing warships were needed for transportation.
After a while, this large fleet began to slow down. After a while, the ships with cannons at the bow and stern began to disperse and formed a defensive formation. The ships that looked wide and were obviously transport ships stopped about 500 to 600 meters from the coastline. Soon, countless small boats appeared beside these transport ships. Dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of people began to land in an orderly and fast manner.
"Gulong~" His Adam's apple moved uncontrollably , and Zhang Xianzhong couldn't help swallowing a big mouthful of saliva: "Hiss, oh, the orders are followed, and the thousands of people are united, they are really elite!"
“…”
"Li Hongji, why are you silent?"
"What did you say? Are you saying that you and I are too unqualified and that we haven't been able to train an army of this caliber in the eight years we've been in America?"
"Bah! You are indeed poorly qualified, but I am a genius! Yes, my team still looks like a bunch of bandits. But I only learned guerrilla warfare in the military academy, not regular army fighting methods! Besides..." He took two steps closer to Li Zicheng again: "It's hard enough for these stupid Indians to fight guerrilla warfare, let alone regular warfare? When that woman named Tiya first started the rebellion, wasn't it because she was defeated by Spain in a regular war that the emperor sent us here?"
Before they had said a few words, a muffled sound was heard and the leading boat had already approached the shore.
A tall man about 1.8 meters tall, wearing the dark green field uniform of the Ming Dynasty, jumped down from the bow, and then took a flagpole from his comrade behind him. A gust of sea breeze blew, and the Ming Dynasty flag with a red background and a yellow sun and moon was unfurled.
"Sun Chuanting, the Great Ming's Superintendent of America, is here. Zhu Shengmiao, Li Zicheng, and Zhang Xianzhong, come and see me as soon as possible!"
As the deep baritone voice lingered, a man walked out from each of the three groups of people: "Zhu Shengmiao, Li Zicheng, and Zhang Xianzhong greet General Sun. We respectfully wish you a peaceful day."
"Saints be with you."
After the etiquette of greeting the emperor was completed, the three were about to stand up when Sun Chuanting, who was holding the national flag, stepped aside and said, "Everyone, welcome His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
ah?!
Just when the three men's jaws were dislocated almost at the same time, a young man on the first landing craft, also wearing a dark green field uniform, with a slightly pale face but bright eyes, walked past Sun Chuanting and stood in front of the three men.
After glancing at the three of them, Zhu Ciyi stood in front of a middle-aged man who looked completely different from the other two. "Are you Zhu Shengmiao?"
"I, Lieutenant Zhu Shengmiao, pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ."
"No need to be polite. If we really want to talk about seniority, I'd still like to call you my great uncle."
"I dare not."
"Seniority is seniority, what is there to be afraid of? Um, are you Li Zicheng?"
"I, Li Zicheng, Lieutenant Colonel of the American Volunteer Army, pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"I came here this time with a promotion order from the Imperial Horse Administration. Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong have fought in America for many years and have made great contributions. I hereby promote Li Zicheng to senior colonel and Zhang Xianzhong to major general."
“Swish!”
"Well! What's up, Zhang Xianzhong? Do you have anything to say?" Zhu Ciyi, who was already 17 years old this year, was 1.83 meters tall. Unlike his younger brother who was good at studying but had terrible grades in physical education, Zhu Ciyi, who inherited the healthy genes of his mother's military daughter, had been studying and training military skills for many years. His tall frame was full of muscles. So, when he stood in front of Zhang Xianzhong, Zhang Xianzhong, who was about to jump up and run away when he heard that his military rank was not as good as Li Zicheng's, suddenly lost his momentum.
"Everyone, get up."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"I was sent to America by my father this time. My main task is to learn from Commander Sun. But my father also told me something else, which is to reorganize the army and strengthen the ideological construction of the American troops. Commander Sun is responsible for military affairs, base construction and future civil affairs. I am responsible for the ideological aspect. Do you understand?"
"I will follow your highness's orders."
"Very good. Come, let me introduce you to my staff. Many of them will be assigned to your troops in the future. Well, this one is called Chen Zilong, with the courtesy name Renzhong. He is from Songjiang, Nanzhili, and ranked seventh in the national exam last year.
This person is Yan Yingyuan, whose courtesy name is Yan Heng. He is from Tongzhou, Northern Zhili. According to an internal evaluation last year, Jiangyin County, where he is in charge, was ranked first in the country for public security.
This one is Xia Yunyi, courtesy name Yizhong, also from Songjiang, South Zhili. Last year, he was ranked first among county magistrates in the country in the internal evaluation of the Ministry of Personnel.
This one is..."
