It is said that women's intuition is unreasonable.
When the envoys of the Sangyi Kingdom first arrived, all civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty treated them with contempt, only Yufu felt that they were weird.
Now it turns out that they are not only eccentric, but also ambitious.
Therefore, neither Tian Yunpo nor Zhang Jiuque dared to raise objections to Yufu's massive defense. After all, they had underestimated the enemy once before letting the skilled craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry die in vain, and this time they could no longer underestimate the enemy.
I'd rather waste my efforts in vain than let the Sanyi people dare to act rashly again!
"It's just arming, not leading troops to fight. I ordered the Ministry of War to choose one who has experience in naval warfare from among the generals in the court. How is the selection of the Ministry of War?"
After leaving the court, Yu Fu and some trusted ministers discussed the matter in detail in the imperial study.
The Minister of the Ministry of War looked at Gu Wenqing, and Gu Wenqing stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of War has selected the five most suitable people. According to His Majesty's instructions, they are all generals with middle ranks. And they either grew up in seaside towns, or I have led troops to garrison near the sea, and they all know the nature of the sea. It's just... "
"Just what?"
Gu Wenqing hesitated for a moment, and said: "When I was selecting generals, I also noticed one thing. Now what your Majesty needs is only middle-level generals to be sent to garrison. In case of war, there is no one who is proficient in naval warfare."
As soon as this remark came out, Ouyang Qi and Gu Shubai looked at each other, quite surprised.
They all thought that the other party would, even if they didn't, they still had a little experience, right
Yu Fu glanced at the two of them, "I remember, General Ouyang was seasick, right?"
Ouyang Qi blushed and said nothing.
"General Gu... How many times have you seen the sea when you grow up so big?"
Gu Shubai has been proficient in everything from literary to martial arts since he was a child, and in the eyes of others, he is almost perfect. This is the first time that he has been exposed in public.
He had no choice but to say: "Although I don't understand, fortunately, I am young and can learn quickly, so I will ask the generals who have relevant experience for advice."
After saying that, he bowed his hands and retreated, and Ouyang Qi took advantage of the situation to retreat as well.
They don't know how to fight at sea, so it's useless to stay there, but it's better to go out.
The corner of Yu Fu's mouth curled up slightly, and he didn't say anything, he just looked at Gu Wenqing, "I know, the war is not yet predictable, now we only need to do a good job of defense. The Ministry of War will dispatch the selected generals to various places immediately, and it must be done quickly. Build coastal defenses."
"Yes, I will take orders."
Gu Shubai walked out of the palace after leaving the imperial study, Ouyang Qi asked hurriedly, "Where are you going?"
Gu Shubai said: "Do you remember General Liming Ouyang of the Imperial Forest Army? He is from the Lingnan seashore, so he should have some experience in naval warfare. But he is in charge of the Imperial Forest Army. It is not for him to send people to build coastal defenses this time. It happens to me Go ask him for advice, so that you can prepare for the battle in advance."
Ouyang Qi looked at him suspiciously, "Are you really going to ask for advice? Whether or not this battle can be fought is another matter. I thought you just said that to ease the embarrassment."
Gu Shu raised his eyebrows, "If you know your own shortcomings, you must learn to make up for it. This is a truth that everyone in Sanyi understands. Why should I be embarrassed? I'm afraid it's General Ouyang who is embarrassed?"
Ouyang Qi gave him an angry look.
After all, he is not young anymore, unlike young people like Yu Fu and Gu Shubai, who have an enterprising spirit that is not ashamed to ask questions.
He was a little embarrassed to ask a young general for advice with his old face.
Gu Shubai seemed to see his state of mind, and said with a smile: "General Ouyang, just go with me, anyway, it's okay for you to be idle now."
Ouyang Qi glanced in the direction of the imperial study, and thought that he would not be able to go back to the imperial study, so he might as well go with Gu Shubai.
"Okay, but you have to say yes, I went only when you asked me to go!"
…
"Drive! Drive!"
The army flags were flying, and the soldiers riding horses and whips set off from the east gate of the capital, raising smoke and dust all the way.
The well-organized army array moved quickly to the east, and the iron armor refracted light like fish scales under the warm spring sun, and the soldiers on horseback were heroic, with firm eyes.
Not far from the city gate, the army was divided into five groups, heading in different directions.
The people in the capital seldom saw such a large-scale deployment of troops, and they were very surprised, thinking that something was wrong with Dongling or Xikun.
Jingzhao Yin's Mansion quickly posted an announcement to reassure the common people.
"The deployment of troops this time is to deploy defenses to the cities along the eastern coast of Beili. It is His Majesty's holy intention to care for the people along the coast. Beili has won many battles in recent years and has sufficient troops, so His Majesty pays more attention to border defense. It is not a war, please. Parents and folks don’t have to worry.”
People from Jingzhaoyin Yamen beat gongs and drums, and stood in front of the bulletin to explain to the people.
At the feet of the Son of Heaven, the people were not ordinary foolish people, so someone asked: "May I ask this lord, since it is only for defense and not for war, why did you mobilize so many generals? In the past when we fought against Xikun and Dongling, we never saw so many generals." Get out of town!"
The people in the yamen smiled and said: "This statement is wrong. Our Beili has always deployed a heavy army at the junction of Dongling and Xikun. Naturally, we don't need to transfer troops from the capital when we are fighting, we only need to send generals there. The front line is different, there are no soldiers there, so naturally they have to be transferred from the capital."
In this way, the onlookers will understand.
"So it's not a war, that's good."
"Yes, now that the world is at peace, His Majesty will soon unify Kyushu. Where did the war come from?"
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty is wise!"
…
When the soldiers left the capital, the hearts of the people were appeased, but the hearts of the people in the court were not stable.
Maybe the courtiers gradually realized how deep the drama played by the envoys of Sangyi was, maybe Yufu's remarks about the naval battle were too shocking, maybe it was the fear of the unknown...
The contempt of the Sangyi Kingdom by the court was gradually suppressed, and the concern for the defense of the coastal line became the most important thing.
Except for going to court and reviewing memorials, Yu Fu spends almost all of the rest of his time in the Library Pavilion, digging out those ancient books that have been buried for hundreds of years, trying to get more information.
Gu Shubai also spends almost all day with Li Ming and other generals who are familiar with naval warfare to understand the situation at sea and analyze the differences between naval warfare and land warfare.
"Brother, do you think there will really be a naval battle?"
Gu Hanmo rubbed his forehead, these days his mind is full of the word naval battle, some things are very strange to him, making it hard for him to remember.
Liming also stopped to look at Gu Shubai.
To tell the truth, if Yufu hadn't raised this question, the minister of military affairs of the court would not have thought of this at all.
Gu Shubai nodded, "It's entirely possible, don't take it for granted."
As a military commander who is not familiar with naval warfare, Gu Shubai said: "Suppose, they send a hundred ships like the one used by the envoys of the Sangyi Kingdom. Each ship has a thousand soldiers on it. How should we fight?"
Gu Hanmo and Liming were taken aback by his question.
Gu Shubai used the teacup on the table as a sign, "This is the giant ship of the Sangyi Kingdom, and this is our coastal town. Suppose they go ashore to massacre the people, and then board the boat and leave before our army arrives. How can we catch up with them?" ?”
"Assuming that they occupy our sea area and prevent our people from fishing, how can the fishermen's survival be guaranteed? If they burn, kill and loot at sea, will our ships be unable to go to sea from now on?"
Li Ming's lips moved, and he wanted to say something, but Gu Shubai said: "I know what you want to say, you think it's just like the water bandits you met in Lingnan, no matter what, it's a mustard moss. "
Li Ming said embarrassedly: "It seems different... isn't it? The ships of the Sangyi Kingdom are so big, and they can accommodate more troops. The water bandits are only a few hundred people, so it's different."
Gu Hanmo let out a breath and cheered himself up, "It's different. Those of us who are used to land battles always seem to think that there will be no big battles at sea. Maybe it's time to change this thinking."
Gu Shubai couldn't help laughing and said: "Maybe one day, with the development of ships and weapons, warfare will be different. We may not only be able to fight at sea, but also fight in the sky. It's unknown. You and I are both young People must not rest on their laurels and refuse to accept new things.”
The two nodded as if taught, Li Ming said: "I'm just a little strange. Your Majesty has neither led troops to fight nor lived by the sea. How did she think of going to sea battles?"
"How can a person taught by the God of Medicine be as narrow-minded as a secular person?"
…
Taicheng, on the sea.
A group of large ships patrolled the sea, and on the deck stood straight soldiers, all in armor.
The leading general stood at the strongest position, narrowing his eyes slightly and looking into the distance.
There was fog on the sea in the distance, and he couldn't see too far, but as far as he could see, it was calm.
Behind him, the master of the Taicheng government office stepped forward and said: "General Ji, all the guard posts have been set up according to your instructions. Please take a look—"
He pointed to the protruding island reef not far to the left. After the capital's order came, a fortress had been built there at the fastest speed, and the sentry inside was always observing the sea situation.
The master said: "The points marked by the general are all sentry posts. There are also maritime patrol ships patrolling day and night. If there are overseas thieves who dare to invade, they will definitely be discovered."
General Ji nodded, and pointed to a small fishing boat not far away, "The fishermen's boats should also be registered, so as not to have bandits sneaking in, let alone affect their normal fishing."
"this… "
"What's the difficulty?"
The master said: "I'm not an official, but I dare to ask the general what the registration is...how to register?"
General Ji said: "People and boats have to match each other. Make sure that the people are our people and the boat is also our boat. I grew up by the sea. Ordinary fishermen usually have a family and a boat. Father and son share the same boat. All villages and villages have their household registrations, and they only need to match their boats with their household registration numbers. In addition, most of the fishermen are illiterate, so they mark their boats with characters in red paint, and make some inconspicuous characters on the characters that only the government can do. Recognized mark, understand?"
The master was stunned for a while, and finally said happily: "Yes, General Ji has rich experience, and I am willing to bow down. After returning to the voyage, I will-"
"There is no need to wait for the return flight."
General Ji pointed to the boat below, "Master and his entourage can take the boat back first. Your Majesty attaches great importance to this deployment and will not relax at all."
Go back by boat...
The master glanced at the unfathomable Hai Bo, and swallowed.
General Ji glanced at him, "Master, don't you dare to take a small boat?"
"No no, no."
The master closed his eyes, and tremblingly got into the boat with an attitude of going all out.
General Ji shook his head behind him, and said to his subordinates behind him: "This place is not far from the shore, I can take off my armor and swim back. But this master of the seaside state capital dare not even take a boat, so Fear of water, how can Futai send him to assist this general?"
The subordinate persuaded: "General, don't be angry. The subordinates have inquired about it. In fact, none of the three masters in the state capital knows how to swim. This master is indeed the most capable in handling things. The government sent him here. Perfunctory General."
General Ji was overwhelmed when he heard the words, "Forget it, as long as he can do what I ordered well, don't bring him to the sea in the future, so as not to scare people."
After finishing speaking, he looked at the soldiers under him, and said loudly: "You are all soldiers who are familiar with water and sea conditions, all of you are elites! Hard work is actually a good opportunity for you to make contributions! You must not slack off, but for those who have made merit, this general will definitely write a letter to His Majesty, and reward you for your merit!"
"Thank you General!"
The soldiers were full of energy, and their loud voices were quickly blown away by the sea breeze.
The fog in the distance seemed to be getting thicker.
A strong wind blew from the sea, and the fog faded a little, and something seemed to appear inside.
It seemed to be a tall giant ship, which was parked in the mist, with its head facing their direction, standing huge and peacefully between the sky and the earth, which was breathtaking.
Someone commented, "Is that just a mirage? I grew up by the sea, this is the first time I saw a mirage!"
The soldiers on board looked at the giant ship excitedly. Such a huge monster should not appear in the sky. What is it if it is not a mirage
General Ji heard the soldiers' comments and squinted his eyes to look into the fog.
Only the outline of a huge black ship can be vaguely seen, which is a bit eerie and terrifying.
He frowned slightly, and always felt that such a mirage appeared at this time, no matter how he thought about it, it was very strange.
Seeing him frowning, the subordinates at the side hurriedly said: "General, there are many audiences of Sea Wonders, just take it as a novelty, don't worry about it."
General Ji didn't reply, still frowning at the huge black shadow.
The shadow seemed to be getting bigger and bigger.
No, it should be getting closer!
The fog seemed to be gradually fading, and only then did everyone see that the huge black shadow was watching and followed by smaller black shadows, arranged in a regular shape.
Just like wild geese flying south, the leading wild goose is in the middle, and the wild geese on the side line up one by one.
"This mirage... is quite interesting."
I don't know who said that, and some people are pointing to those big boats and small boats, counting how many there are in total.
Until the fog dissipated, the entire outline of the giant ship appeared clearly in front of everyone, and the boats following it became more and more clear. It was said to be a small boat, but it was actually not much smaller than the big boat they were on, but compared to the giant boat that was as tall as that mountain, it was only a small boat.
I couldn't notice it in the fog just now, but now I look at it, it's really scary.
"It's not a mirage."
A voice came faintly, and everyone looked for the source of the voice, and saw General Ji's face was livid, and he gritted his teeth.
Not a mirage
what would that be
The huge fleet in front of them quickly spread out, forming an extremely aggressive formation, with more ships than everyone had seen before, and more organized.
That is clearly an unknown, huge sea fleet, heading towards them!
General Ji suddenly yelled, "Prepare for battle! The crossbowmen are ready, quickly raise the smoke to notify the shore, hurry up!"
The soldiers were taken aback for a moment, then quickly acted according to the order, and the crossbowmen stood in a row around the ship's edge. The powerful crossbows in their hands have a long range and strong penetration, and are the best crossbows in the Beili Army.
The wolf smoke rose on the top of the ship, and the sentry on the shore saw the wolf smoke and immediately notified the army to prepare for the war.
The huge fleet saw the wolf smoke at the same time, and the gray and black color shot straight up into the sky, which could be seen from a very long distance.
Standing on the deck of the giant ship was a short man in a white robe and a high hat. The golden chrysanthemums on his chest were shining brightly. He shook his mustache, "They have already found us."
"General, what are we going to do next?"
The man smiled with one corner of his mouth, his whole face was pulled and deformed, his eyes were strange, "Don't get close, let them taste how powerful our weapons are."
General Ji stood on the deck and commanded. The huge sea fleet in front of him frightened him, but he had to stabilize his body and try his best to deal with it, while waiting for reinforcements from the shore to arrive.
As long as the opponent's fleet comes within range, he will immediately order the bows and crossbows to fire, preemptive strikes!
Just when the fleet was about to approach the range of the bow and crossbow, the opponent suddenly stopped sailing, and at the same time several round black shadows flew in the sky.
Before General Ji could react, the boat under his feet exploded!