Rebirth of The Deer and the Cauldron, Wei Xiaobao Becomes a God

That night, Yao Qisheng ordered the 60,000 Han camp and 10,000 Eight Banners soldiers who were facing the Jinxia rebels across the river on the Haicang Peninsula to prepare for battle. He also recruited 30,000 civilian laborers and tens of thousands of logs overnight to prepare for building a pontoon bridge early the next morning.

Such a big movement naturally could not be hidden from Zhang Xiaolong who was sailing on the Dongzhou Strait. That night, he received intelligence from Fujian and immediately asked for instructions from the Tiandi Army Headquarters.

At this time, Wei Xiaobao was sailing in the East China Sea on the yacht Commander. He had just finished dinner and took the telegram from Taozi. He took a look at it and couldn't help laughing.

Ling Zhao, who was standing by, asked curiously, "Brother Xiaobao, what happened?"

Wei Xiaobao replied with a smile: "This Yao Qisheng is really a man who is eager for quick success! The Eastern Fleet has just left, and he can't wait to dig out our lair and attack the Jinxia Base."

Ling Zhao frowned and said, "Didn't Kangxi promise you that Jinxia could be leased for a hundred years? How come you want to start a war right after he agreed? Isn't this a breach of contract?"

Wei Xiaobao looked at the telegram, frowned and thought for a moment, then slowly said: "This should not be the Qing court's idea. Yao Qisheng is a speculator, who has experienced many ups and downs and is obsessed with money and greed."

Then he fell into deep thought, secretly thinking about a response strategy in his mind.

After a while, Wei Xiaobao looked up at Taozi and said firmly: "Reply to the Tiandi Army Headquarters. The message is as follows: We have learned about the situation you reported. Order the Marine Brigade of the Eastern Fleet to sail back to Jinxia, ​​annihilate the invading enemy, and occupy the entire Fujian in one go and capture Yao Qisheng alive. Except for the Marine Brigade of the Eastern Fleet temporarily suspending the attack on Kaohsiung, the rest of the original combat plan remains unchanged. Strengthen the blockade of the sea and do not let Zheng's leaders escape. Order the Ryukyu Garrison Division to transfer a brigade to Fujian. Over!"

Wei Xiaobao's voice was full of confidence and decisiveness. He knew that the situation was serious at the moment, but he also believed that his decision could resolve the crisis.

Afterwards, Wei Xiaobao turned to Ling Zhao and said, "Go and tell everyone later that we will not be returning to Ryukyu for the time being. We will go to Jinxia Base first. I think if we occupy Fujian, Emperor Kangxi will come to punish us. Now we are attacking Dongzhou Island and our military strength is tight. We can only deal with him at the negotiation table."

Ling Zhao nodded to show that he understood, then turned and left to convey Wei Xiaobao's order. Wei Xiaobao continued to stay where he was, staring at the sea ahead, as if thinking about the future battle situation.

This night was destined to be an extraordinary night. All members of the Northern Fleet were ready to set off, heading directly for Keelung.

The 1st Brigade of the 1st Army Division, as the vanguard, will launch an attack on Keelung together with the Marine Brigade.

Subsequent landing troops were also boarding ships in an orderly manner, preparing for this crucial battle.

Heavy weapons such as cannons, heavy machine guns, etc. were also carefully carried on board to fully prepare for the upcoming battle.

At the same time, on Jinxia Island, Xiaoqian had just successfully smuggled in from the Canghai Peninsula, but was unfortunately caught on the spot by the security officer who had been waiting there.

Soon after, Zhou Asan was also quickly controlled, and none of his confidants were spared, all of them were taken away by the soldiers of the special forces company.

The current Minister of Logistics of the Eastern Fleet, the former deputy general of Hanying, who was Zhou Asan's immediate superior, took over and concurrently served as the commander of the garrison regiment, which enabled the battalions and companies to quickly restore order and stabilize the morale of the troops.

The security staff stayed up all night and interrogated Xiaoqian. However, the woman was clueless and refused to reveal any actual facts.

Finally, when being dragged away for the Lingchi execution, Xiaoqian finally gave in, expressed her willingness to surrender, and confessed everything she knew.

Next, the interrogation of Zhou Asan began.

Before the torture began, Zhou Asan burst into tears and recounted how he gradually became a traitor, explaining every detail in detail.

He also angrily condemned the actions of Liu Fuyin and Xiaoqian, calling them the culprits.

After learning from Xiaoqian the specific time, personnel and contact information of Yao Qisheng's attack, the soldiers and civilians on Xiamen Island immediately took action...

After the Marine Brigade returned to Jinxia in the middle of the night, the Marine Brigade and the Coastal Defense Brigade together had 12,000 Tiandi Army soldiers in Jinxia. Excluding the necessary artillery positions left behind at the coastal passes, more than 100,000 troops could be mobilized.

Zhang Xiaolong appointed Zhu Youli, commander of the Marine Brigade, as the commander of the attacking Fujian Front Army, and Fang Ji as the deputy commander, one in charge of attack and the other in charge of defense.

At 4:30 a.m. the next day, it was still dark and the sea was thick with fog.

The eastern sky had begun to turn pale, and a red sun was slowly rising from the sea level, illuminating the entire sea surface.

To the north, the Northern Fleet was heading towards the Dutch-occupied port of Keelung.

The Northern Fleet was led by a cruiser, followed by six ironclads and four transport ships loaded with landing troops for two brigades.

They drove towards their destination with great momentum, as if they were going to trample everything under their feet.

To the south, a cruiser and six ironclad ships of the Eastern Fleet had arrived one kilometer away from the nearest island outside the Penghu Islands. They were quietly anchored there, waiting for the best time to attack.

The red sun gradually rose higher, tearing apart the darkness before dawn and bringing light to the earth.

The sunlight shines through the clouds and reflects on the sparkling sea, forming a golden glow.

At the same time, the Dutch in Keelung Port were hiding in the castle and sleeping soundly, unaware of the impending danger.

Even the officers and soldiers on the fort were afraid of the early spring chill, so they all hid in the houses behind the fort to sleep.

Although the sentry on the watchtower was sticking to his post, he was also troubled by sleepiness, his eyes were blurry, and he could hardly stay awake.

Time passed minute by minute, and the clock gradually pointed to five o'clock in the morning.

Suddenly, fierce naval gunfire sounded simultaneously in Keelung and the Penghu Islands, and the deafening roar broke the tranquility.

Keelung Port, the Dutch built castles on both sides of the coast of Keelung Port as both fortifications and artillery positions.

However, because the bombardment took place five kilometers away, the red cannons on the Dutch artillery positions were unable to exert their full power.

On the sea, warships are lined up in neat rows, as majestic as a giant steel beast.

The Northern Fleet's No. 101 cruiser is located in the central position. Its huge and majestic body gives people an unparalleled sense of oppression.

Six ironclad ships were lined up on the left and right sides, their heavy armor flashing with cold light, as if they were six loyal guards guarding the flagship in the middle.

In front of the port, more than a hundred landing craft were densely packed together to form an indestructible line of defense.