Chapter 005 Opportunity

Who else could it be but that Zhang Xuan zhu, the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War? Look, he is on that largest riverboat. That person does not even consider his own status. If it were not for my family's noble surname, with just his surname Zhang, how could he even think of leading a northern expedition? I estimate he would have been cut down by the Eastern invaders long ago

The soldiers' discussions made Zhu Mingzhong immediately perk up his ears to listen to their complaints. Although the soldiers expressed no respect whatsoever for that 'Lord Zhang', the reasons for their complaints suddenly illuminated Zhu Mingzhong's mind, causing his breath to tighten and a thought to arise in his heart.

Who would dare to show disrespect to a medical officer who can save their own life

The bandages must be changed every three days, and special attention should be paid to their cleaning. The bandages should be boiled in rolling water before reuse, and after drying, they must be steamed at high temperature in a steamer before being used again

That Zhang, truly unaware of the gravity of the situation, actually dared to confront the Lord of the Nation to his face. He should consider that if it were not for the Lord of the Nation's protection, he might have long since fallen victim to the blades of the Eastern invaders.

Standing on the deck and looking out at the river, he felt a surge of emotion within; this was the Zheng family's northern expedition fleet, known as "Yongzhen" by many.

In later discussions on forums, whenever the northern expedition of Zheng Chenggong is mentioned, people do not sigh in admiration but rather in lamentation. For this northern expedition, Zheng Chenggong truly deployed all his elite forces, yet the outcome was a painful defeat devoid of any joy—his finest generals perished, and the resources for another northern expedition were completely exhausted.

Ah!

Opportunity

This is precisely the issue that Zhu Mingzhong is concerned about. The few individuals before him may merely be speaking casually, but for Zhu Mingzhong, what he sees is an opportunity

A sigh escaped Zhu Mingzhong's throat, lamenting the failure of Zheng Chenggong's northern expedition, but more so for the future of this nation, which was thus completely plunged into darkness

Perhaps ... ...

Even the Zheng family could only maintain a precarious foothold in Taiwan. Despite this precariousness, their strength was too weak to achieve their ambitions, ultimately leading to the forced surrender of over one hundred thousand soldiers and civilians to the Qing dynasty twenty years later

Just at that moment, the voice behind interrupted Zhu Mingzhong's thoughts

We dare not receive the honors of the physician, for the physician truly puts us to great distress

That's right, just like that

Um ... ...

More than 3,000 warships of various sizes, with a military strength of 170,000 personnel

Will there be fundamental changes in the modern history of China

Not to mention ordinary soldiers, even common officials dare not show disrespect towards them. After all, no one can guarantee that in the future they will not "fall" into the hands of the other party, and at that time, life and death will depend on these medical officers

Upon realizing this, he immediately understood that this might be an opportunity

Hmm

If Zheng Chenggong had not launched a northern expedition, but instead led an army of 170,000 to attack Taiwan, what would the outcome have been

Indeed, what is said about the national surname lord not attacking Chongming, and the dangers to the rear of the army, is merely the opinion of a civil official; how could he possibly understand military affairs

After undergoing several consecutive "surgeries," Zhu Mingzhong, who was already exhausted, finally had the opportunity to rest. He stretched his back and moved his waist, then walked out of the cabin filled with various odors and onto the deck

The gentle river breeze caressed the surface of the river, where the reflection of a crescent moon danced with the wind. The shimmering surface of the river was dotted with numerous ships of various sizes. On a sand ship amidst the fleet, Zhu Mingzhong gazed at the more than one hundred three-masted fortune ships in the distance. While he marveled at the formidable maritime power of China in this era, his expression of admiration grew increasingly solemn, imbued with a sense of lamentation, yet overshadowed by a feeling of regret.

Yes

This action alone can demonstrate how powerful China's maritime forces are in this era

Whenever this is recalled, it invariably evokes endless sighs from future generations—if Zheng Chenggong had succeeded in his northern expedition and captured Nanjing, could the Ming Dynasty have been revitalized? Would the darkest chapter of Chinese history have come to an end?

The person spoke in Hakka, dressed in a blue cloth long robe, and the soldiers on the damaged ship naturally recognized him as the newly arrived medical officer, promptly responding with greetings.

These young gentlemen, I extend my greetings to you

Perhaps in the future, a medical care manual can be compiled to include all these elements

At this moment, various hypotheses repeatedly surfaced in Zhu Mingzhong's mind, even fantasizing about whether he could persuade Zheng Chenggong to abandon the northern expedition. However, deep down, he knew the answer—being a person of little influence, he could not possibly prevent this northern expedition, nor could he, after the defeat in Nanjing, "plunder the people to Taiwan." In this battle in Nanjing, Zheng Chenggong lost not only the resources for the northern expedition but also the confidence of the Zheng family army.

The reason why these soldiers, referred to as Qiu Ba, hold such respect for Zhu Mingzhong is entirely because they understand that casualties are inevitable on the battlefield. If they are injured, at that moment, only this medical officer can provide them with treatment

In human history, the northern expedition codenamed "Eternal Suppression" may represent a truly unprecedented "amphibious operation" in terms of consciousness. For nearly three hundred years to come, this will be the largest landing operation in the world, only surpassed by Normandy. However, even so, its pre-landing journey spanning thousands of miles remains unmatched by Normandy.

One must seize this opportunity! With a determined heart, Zhu Mingzhong approached the soldiers, cupping his hands in front of him as if emulating the characters from a movie.

Although he was well aware that this was detrimental to the recovery of the injured, he understood that he was of little importance and that there could not be a suitable cabin on the ship to serve as a "ward". Therefore, Zhu Mingzhong merely kept all of this to himself.

The reason for this thought in my heart, apart from the instinct of being a doctor, is also due to a deeper motivation, which is to distinguish myself by using a book that can save countless lives to enter the sight of Zheng Chenggong

As some later generations have stated in forums, if Zheng Chenggong had first conquered Taiwan, and then learned from the Manchus who had not yet entered the pass, continuously dispatching fleets to attack the coastal and river areas, using military force to compel the populace to migrate to Taiwan, thereby enriching the manpower of Taiwan, and using Taiwan as a base for counteroffensive operations, after enduring hardships for over a decade, during the time of the Sanfan Rebellion, he could have taken the opportunity to launch another northern expedition, thus expelling the Manchus and restoring China.

History always holds various possibilities

After reiterating the most fundamental surgical precautions that belong to common knowledge in later generations, Zhu Mingzhong also discovered the poor medical environment—both the doctors and the injured were confined in an airtight ship's cabin, which clearly contravened the most basic medical principle—ventilation

As the soldiers complained, Zhu Mingzhong's eyes were fixed on the distant river boats, his gaze sparkling with excitement. He himself was unaware that his hands were trembling slightly due to his overwhelming emotions

I just heard from a few young brothers, who is this Master Zhang that dares to confront the Lord of the National Surname? How could he be so arrogant

Well, at least in so many time-travel novels, the protagonists rely on their "knowledge" that transcends the era, or more accurately, on their "insight" to gain recognition. The strategies of these "predecessors" are precisely the pathways to their own success

From this point on, whether it was the Yongli court in the south or Zheng Chenggong, there was no longer any possibility of a northern expedition. The hope of restoring the Central Plains and reviving the Han dynasty's territory was also lost

The current time is too pressing, allowing no room for me to respond calmly here

By that time, who could withstand the combined military might of the Zheng family's land and naval forces?