Shen Liangqiu had planned carefully, and Qining knew that General Shen had really put a lot of thought into catching the black tiger shark.
"Will the navy patrol the sea frequently?" Qining asked.
Shen Liangqiu said: "A few ships are sent out every month, and occasionally more than a dozen ships are dispatched. Firstly, it is to deter the pirates and prevent them from approaching the coast. It is also for the purpose of training troops. This time, I will use Three groups of people are dispatched in the name of patrolling the sea. This is something the Navy does several times every year. Even if the pirates get the wind, they will never understand our true intentions. The other two groups of people patrol the sea as usual, and The humble general did not reveal this operation to them, so they only regarded it as a real patrol."
"Use those two groups of people as a cover to prevent the pirates from finding out our true intentions, and then stab the black tiger shark silently like a sharp blade. This smoke bomb is a good one." Qining thought for a moment and finally said : "Since there is such an opportunity, even if the news is inaccurate, it should not be missed. General Shen, when are you going to set off?"
After hearing Qining's agreement, Shen Liangqiu immediately said: "Master Hou, the three speedboats used this time can travel more than ten nautical miles every hour. However, in order to achieve the purpose of a surprise attack, we will try to avoid the sea as much as possible on this trip. Sea areas with frequent bandit activities." He opened his hand, pressed his palm on an area on the chart, and explained: "So we should avoid this sea area as much as possible." He stretched out a finger to draw an arc and said softly: "In this case, we need to go around to the southeast. In order to reach the Unnamed Island, it may take an extra fifty or sixty nautical miles, which adds up to more than three hundred nautical miles...!"
"In other words, starting from here, it will take two days at the earliest to arrive?"
Shen Liangqiu nodded and said: "We will work day and night. If everything goes well, we should be able to arrive within two days." He cupped his hands and said: "Master Marquis, without further ado, I will prepare to set off tonight. I would also like to ask Master Marquis to be in charge of the water." Army, we are waiting for good news from our humble general!"
"General Shen is telling me to stay in the camp?" Qining sighed: "The old marquis asked me to come to the East China Sea to find out the cause of the death of the governor. Now that we know that the death of the governor is related to the black tiger shark , how can I sit here and wait, naturally I want to see the black tiger shark being captured with my own eyes."
Shen Liangqiu was startled and said in surprise: "Master Hou, what do you mean?"
"General Shen, don't get me wrong." Qi Ning said with a smile: "I am going with you for this operation. I just want to see the Black Tiger Shark captured and brought to justice with my own eyes. I have no intention of attacking with General Shen. "
Shen Liangqiu was startled and immediately knelt down on one knee. Tang Hui and Zhu Shuo also knelt down immediately. Shen Liangqiu said with a hint of fear: "I will never have such an idea, Lord Marquis...!"
"I know, I know." Qi Ning helped Shen Liangqiu up and said with a smile: "I am just a spectator in this operation. Don't worry, until the end of the operation, everything will be directed by you. I will never interfere in this operation." Just think of me as a sailor on your ship."
Shen Liangqiu hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "It's not that I have other ideas, but... I'm worried about the safety of the Marquis. In order to keep this operation as secretive as possible, I didn't bring many people. Once...!"
"Is General Shen worried about being trapped by pirates?" Qi Ning said with a smile: "Didn't you say that our three ships are all fast ships? If we really encounter danger, even if we retreat, the pirates will not be able to catch up." He patted Shen Liangqiu's arm and said, "You don't have to look forward or backward. We call this operation a shark-catching operation. We hope to succeed immediately. If we really catch the black tiger shark, we will not only eliminate a major scourge in the East China Sea, but also And you can also comfort the spirit of the Grand Governor in heaven. When the time comes, I will personally write a letter to the court to report your merits, and the court will reward you."
Shen Liangqiu bowed solemnly and said: "I would like to thank you, Lord Marquis!"
After the discussion, Shen Liangqiu led Qining to the seaside. Looking around, there were navy warships docked in an orderly manner on the sea, with masts like a forest.
Qining also had some knowledge of the navy earlier. Now the Donghai Navy has 20,000 troops and more than 200 warships. Although its strength and combat experience are slightly inferior to those of the Dongqi Navy, except for the Dongqi Navy The Donghai Navy is already the most powerful naval force in the world.
The Donghai Navy was established by Jin Daohou Tantai Huang, and it is also the most powerful force in the hands of the Jin Dao Tantai family. In the past few years, the Tantai family has not spent less time on the navy. Among the two hundred warships Half of them were built year by year after the establishment of the Donghai Navy, which cost a huge amount of financial and material resources, but the performance of the warships is also very impressive.
The warships Qining saw were not equipped with cannons, and he knew that the cannons had not yet appeared at this time.
The warships of the Donghai Division are large and small. The largest warship can accommodate two to three hundred people, and the smallest warship can also accommodate thirty or forty people. The fifteen large ships are the main warships of the Donghai Division.
These fifteen warships were built after the East China Sea Navy was established and a large amount of money was allocated from the imperial court. Like fifteen giant sea beasts, the warships are equipped with catapults on both the bow and stern to fight the enemy. When ships engage in long-distance combat, bows and arrows and catapults become the most reliable weapons. Once they get close to enemy ships, ramming them becomes an important means of combat.
The bow and stern of the warship are equipped with armor, and spikes are deliberately extended for close combat.
The three speedboats Shen Liangqiu mentioned were already docked at the shore, ready to set off at any time. The helmsmen, food, and water on board were all ready. Because of the importance of speed, the size of the three ships was very large. It's not very big. It's not that small compared to the main warships of the Donghai Navy, but it's much bigger than ordinary fishing boats.
Each clipper can accommodate up to forty people. Shen Liangqiu plans to arrange thirty elite soldiers on each ship. However, if Qining wants to participate in this operation, the Marquis will go into battle, and Wu Dalin and other ten guards will naturally follow him, so he always The number of people was a hundred, so Shen Liangqiu could only change his plan and transfer five people from his own ship to each of the other two ships. Qining and his ten people took Shen Liangqiu's ship.
At dusk, Shen Liangqiu issued a general order, and the soldiers who had been assigned in advance boarded the ship immediately. Qining saw that the navy soldiers were in order, without any sense of disorder, and he was quite admired in his heart. In any case, the Donghai Navy It has indeed been trained to become a battle-ready army.
The 20,000-strong naval force was the Tantai family's wealth, so the selection of soldiers was also very strict. Every soldier was a capable man, all young and middle-aged, and in excellent physical and mental condition.
Qi Ning observed the actions of these naval forces and knew that the East China Sea navy had indeed undergone extremely strict training.
Zhu Shuo and Tang Hui also led their soldiers to board the ship. Shen Liangqiu then invited Qining to board the ship. Wu Dalin and others had also changed into sailor uniforms and followed Qining aboard.
Before dark, the three naval forces set off separately, one way to the northeast, the other to the southeast, and the three clippers headed straight east.
When sailing on the water, the most important thing is to be able to identify the direction. Fortunately, Sinan has appeared in this era, and there are people on board to control the direction. In fact, for people who have lived at sea for a long time, they can even roughly judge the direction from the wind direction.
Shen Liangqiu carries a chart of the East China Sea. As the commander of the East China Sea Navy, the map in his hand is naturally the most accurate chart at present. Almost all the islands and reefs found on the map are marked with precise locations, and Shen Liang Qiu Ye has already determined the exact location and distance of the Wuming Island, and based on the speed of the boat, he can determine how far it is from the Wuming Island.
These sailors are all carefully selected elite soldiers. Not only are they all very capable, but they are also very familiar with the sea environment.
There are dedicated people to pay attention to the direction, and dedicated people to test the speed of the ship. Various messages are sent to Shen Liangqiu. Shen Liangqiu can use the information at hand to control the direction of the ship. The two clippers Tang Hui and Zhu Shuo are Like two wings, it follows on both sides, like three sharp arrows sailing quickly across the sea.
Since Qi Ning was accompanying him, one of the only two cabins on the ship was used for Qi Ning to rest, and the other was used as Shen Liangqiu's command room.
Early the next morning, Qining saw the sun rising from the bow of the ship and confirmed that the ship's direction was indeed correct.
Today is a good day. After a night of sailing, the ship has already left the coastline. The wind is calm and the blue waves are like washing. Looking at the endless sea in the distance makes people feel relaxed. The seagulls hovering on the sea also add to the vast sea. A little angry.
"Master Marquis, you got up early!" Qi Ning was feeling relaxed and happy when a voice came from behind him. Without turning around, Qi Ning had already heard that it was Shen Liangqiu. He turned around and saw Shen Liangqiu walking over. He nodded with a smile and said, "General Shen was very happy yesterday." Go to bed late? "
Shen Liangqiu looked a little haggard, and it was obvious from a glance that he had stayed up all night last night.
Shen Liangqiu just smiled, walked to the penetration railing, and said: "Sailing on the sea is fine during the day, but I am afraid that the weather will change suddenly at night, and once there is a storm, there will be some trouble. There was a faint sound of thunder last night, humble I was really worried about the storm, but luckily everything went well."
"As long as everything goes well." Qining said with a smile: "If we can successfully catch the black tiger shark, this trip will be full of rewards."
Shen Liangqiu nodded slightly, and Qi Ning suddenly asked: "General Shen, I heard that you are the adopted son of the old Marquis?"
Shen Liangqiu was startled, obviously not expecting that Qining would suddenly mention this topic. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded lightly and said: "Returning to the Marquis, my father once followed the old Marquis in the war and became brothers. After my father passed away, it was the old Marquis who The marquis raises a humble general to become a man, and he adopts a humble general as an adopted son."
"The old marquis mentioned it." Qining sighed: "The old marquis also said that you and the second young master of Tantai, Zhi Qi, had a similar temperament and became brothers Jinlan. Later, the second young master passed away due to illness. You felt sad and went out. I traveled for three years.”
Shen Liangqiu looked sad and said with a wry smile: "General I have always been taken care of by the Second Young Master. He treated me like a real brother. He passed away suddenly. General... I was really unbearable. Those few years of traveling were actually to relieve the pain in my heart." Sad." He looked up at the sky and murmured: "If the second young master is still alive, he will definitely be a pillar of our great Chu!"