The sea water in autumn is as cold as ice.
The moment Gu Wenqing jumped into the sea, he felt cold and stinging all over his body, and he couldn't imagine how to fight this naval battle in winter.
He swam forward numbly, and after swimming for a while, he gradually became familiar with the water temperature before his body regained consciousness.
The surrounding sea was pitch black, and there was a slight sound of paddling water from time to time. It seemed that soldiers on other ships were also paddling towards the shore.
It was too far away from the coast of Taicheng, and it would take at least two hours to row back. He was faintly worried about whether the soldiers could hold on.
There was a sound of water behind him very close to him.
"General, it's a good thing you told me to undress early, it's a good thing..."
The soldier's voice trembled a little, but Gu Wenqing didn't look back, "Don't talk, save your strength."
The people behind didn't speak any more, and after an unknown amount of time, when the sky was dim, Gu Wenqing suddenly realized that the sound of the water behind her was already very faint.
When I looked back, the soldier's movements in the water were already very reluctant, and his face was very pale in the water.
He glanced at the surrounding sea, and then continued to swim forward. Before the soldiers behind him had time to speak, they saw his figure swimming away nimbly.
As expected of the members of the Gu family, even in unfamiliar waters, they are better than ordinary people.
There was a sense of loss in the soldier's heart, he felt that he could not hold on anymore, in the boundless sea, he seemed to be unable to swim to the end no matter what.
how much longer
an hour? two hours
He was cold all over, his hands and feet gradually lost control, and no one even listened to his last words.
Originally, he wanted to ask Gu Wenqing for help, but the latter rowed away without hesitation. The soldiers didn't dare to complain. He was just an ordinary soldier, how could he let a valuable general stay for him
As Gu Wenqing, it is admirable that he took the initiative to come.
The soldier stopped in place unconsciously, and his survival instinct made him move his hands and feet from time to time to prevent himself from sinking into the water. At this moment, the sound of water was getting closer and closer to him.
He opened his eyes, surprised to see Gu Wenqing came back, and pushed a piece of driftwood over in the sea. The material of the driftwood looks familiar, it seems to be driftwood from a disintegrated Koryo fishing boat.
"Come up quickly."
It turned out that he was looking for driftwood just now, and he didn't leave first.
He patted the piece of driftwood, and seeing that the soldier was still in a daze, he urged: "Hurry up, the Sanyi people are not fools, they will send people to chase us soon!"
The soldiers climbed onto the driftwood foolishly, and Gu Wenqing swam forward pushing the driftwood.
When approaching the coast of Taicheng, there were already ships there to respond, and all the artillery on the fort was aimed at the sea to prevent Sanyi ships from chasing.
The people who swam back told the people on the boat where they were, and the soldiers on the boat went into the water and swam to the distance to rescue those exhausted soldiers who were holding driftwood in the sea.
Fortunately, after the disintegration of the Koryo fishing boat, there were many driftwood on the sea, and the soldiers were not injured as badly as expected. Everyone was relieved and began to tease the soldiers who were pushed back by Gu Wenqing.
"Tell me about you. Others are holding driftwood in the sea and waiting for us to rescue it. How dare you lie on it and let the general push it back for you?"
The soldier was already embarrassed, but he blushed even more after being told by everyone, Gu Wenqing changed into dry clothes and came out of the cabin, "It's none of his business, I was worried about being chased by the Sanyi people, so I insisted on lying on the driftwood of."
After Gu Wenqing said so, the officers and soldiers dispersed after a few words of ridicule, the boat approached the shore, and everyone returned to the army to report the situation.
"Although it can't cause them fundamental heavy damage, it's enough for them to suffer. The important thing is that our soldiers didn't have many casualties. This battle was beautiful."
Gu Jiuge was in the big tent, and smiled slightly when he received the news, "Your driver and the army will arrive tomorrow, you must be careful to protect your majesty's safety, and don't let the Sanyi people take the opportunity to counterattack."
Gu Wenqing said: "Now that there are our spies in the Sangyi fleet, if something happens, we will not be caught off guard. This is a blessing in misfortune."
The next day when the imperial driver arrived in Taicheng, the local officials all went out of the city to greet him, while the generals were still on standby, ready to guard against the attack of the Sanyi people.
The station arranged by Taicheng Futai is in a compound not far from the government office. This place is far away from the coast, and the artillery of the Sanyi people cannot hit here, so it is the safest place.
Yu Fu knew that she was here to boost morale, and she really didn't know how to lead the army in battle, so it's better to stay in the city, there is no need to go to the front line to distract the soldiers.
But Gu Huaijiang, Gu Shubai and others went to the military camp almost as soon as they arrived in Taicheng, and they didn't even have time to rest. I heard that they were still discussing the method of battle when they left, and the father and son argued endlessly.
Only Gu Hanmo led the Yulin army to stay behind, and surrounded the compound where Yujia was stationed so that no one could easily enter or leave.
Yu Fu said: "Third brother, everyone has gone, can you stay here with peace of mind?"
Gu Hanmo's face remained motionless, "Yes."
"Why?"
"Your safety is more important than anything else."
He returned to the frosty face when he first met, as if he was afraid that Yufu would ask him to take him to the front line, so he deliberately put on a cold face to let her retreat.
But today's Yufu is no longer the Yufu of childhood.
She only asked a few questions, then went back to the room to read the brochure, and was delighted to see the surprise attack arranged by Gu Jiuge.
"Second brother is so clever that he even thought of using Goryeo's fishing boats."
Gu Hanmo stood outside the door and glanced at her, "Although the soldiers were not damaged, the twenty or so cannons sank into the sea, and I'm afraid they will never be recovered."
The cost of manufacturing a cannon, not counting labor, is as much as a thousand taels of silver alone.
The more than twenty cannons cost at least 20,000 to 30,000 taels of silver, and now the treasury of Beili is empty, and the 20,000 to 30,000 taels of silver, which seemed nothing in the past, is now a heartache.
Yu Fu also felt distressed for a while, and then said: "Sacrificing silver is more important than sacrificing the lives of soldiers and common people. Silver can be earned back, human life is at stake."
Gu Hanmo nodded, "I hope we can delay until the day when the Ministry of Industry builds a giant ship."
Before leaving Beijing, the minister of the Ministry of Industry swore that the project would be completed within three months, and now there are still two months to go, and every day of these two months is a torment for everyone.
…
"After Yancheng was burned down, there is no need to rebuild it for the time being. The surviving people are arranged to go to the inland city to recuperate temporarily, and the local officials will properly arrange them."
Yufu receives papers from various places every day and responds with countermeasures, while the real battle on the sea is unfolding at the same time.
Gu Huaijiang personally led the army, and used a fleet of small boats to face it head-on, making the Sanyi people laugh out loud.
"Eggs against rocks, those small boats like ants, what's the use of having more?"
Although the Sangyi fleet had just been attacked by a sneak attack and its vitality was seriously injured, it felt that it was nothing to worry about in the face of the small boats, and a big battle broke out in an instant.
Before the artillery projected from the giant ship flew out of the barrel, a shocking scene appeared.
A hundred or so small boats on the sea spread out in an orderly and fast manner, and the artillery did not hit any of them. Those small boats seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand in the air, and they were amazingly flexible.
The Sanyi people were taken aback, and then realized something even more ominous—
Those small boats came towards them quickly while they were not paying attention!
Just like a siege battle, the soldiers on the small boat quickly threw the ropes, regarded the giant ship in front of them as a high city wall, and climbed towards the giant ship nimbly.
The Sanyi people were in a mess, they knew how good these Bei Li's martial arts were, and they had no chance of winning in a close fight.
The artillery was all empty on the sea, and the Sanyi people on the giant ship could only pick up their swords and fight with the Beili soldiers who climbed up.
Some people were kicked into the water before they climbed up, and some people got on the deck by chance, and they counted one against ten as if by divine help, and the blood on the deck flew!
The Beili soldiers who were shot down on the sea climbed up again with their excellent water quality, and continued to rush to the deck of the giant ship. Compared with the siege battle on land, the sea battle has a little advantage——
Falling on the ground is either fatal or injured, but falling on the sea will hardly cause injury.
This kind of posture of rushing up one after another just after falling down made the Sanyi people unable to resist for a while.
They watched as the soldier whose arm was cut fell into the seawater, and the blood was washed away by the seawater, and then regained his original vitality without even dressing up... Does such a big wound really hurt when it touches the seawater
What kind of panacea did these Beili people take? Are they monsters that cannot be killed
Fear made their response even more difficult. The Sanyi people on the other big ships wanted to go to the main ship for support, but the ship was so big and heavy that their speed of support was not as fast as that of Beili's small boat.
When the big ship finally closed and besieged, Bei Li's soldiers retreated quickly, not willing to fight.
Gu Huaijiang is well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of his tactics, so naturally he will not give the Sanyi people the opportunity to seize his weaknesses. The soldiers receded like the tide, and the Sanyi wanted to pursue them, but a hundred or so small boats scattered in all directions, and there was nowhere to pursue them.
Which one is the ship where the captain is
The boats on the entire sea looked exactly the same, I'm afraid even the soldiers of Beili couldn't tell where the main general was, let alone the Sanyi people.
They can only look at the ocean and sigh, helpless.
On an inconspicuous boat, Gu Shubai and Gu Huaijiang stood in the cabin, all the soldiers looked at Gu Huaijiang's expression, wishing they could kneel down and bow down.
They had only heard the name of Gu Jiajun before, and thought that Gu Shubai had brought the strength of Gu Jiajun to the fullest, but compared with Gu Huaijiang, the real general, he was still nothing.
Even Gu Shubai himself had to marvel, "Father, did you secretly study the law of naval warfare when you were in the capital?"
Even if he had studied it, it was unbelievable that he could fight such a miraculous and beautiful battle in such a short period of time.
Gu Huaijiang did not answer directly, but instead asked him, "How did you and Yufu come up with the idea of using the local fleet as a wild goose formation and attacking from their weak spots behind?"
Gu Shubai was stunned for a moment, not understanding the intention of his question.
Gu Huaijiang's beard moved, and he said in a deep voice: "Soldiers are deceitful. Sea battles and land battles are very different, but the way to use soldiers is the same. The key to victory in today's battle is that the small boats are flexible and adaptable. There are a large number of targets but small targets. Compared with the opponent's As a giant ship, our advantage is flexibility."
"So when the local fleet closed up, my father ordered the withdrawal without hesitation, because at this time our advantage is gone, right?"
Gu Huaijiang nodded, "This battle will bring out the most elite troops from Beili, and only these elite troops can make a hundred or ten small boats obey the command and adapt flexibly, and cooperate with each other seamlessly."
Lin Xuan said: "It's Lord Hou who commanded well. Before we set off, we thought it was a gnat that shook the big tree, but now we know that the embankment of a thousand miles collapsed in an ant's nest. We have benefited a lot from having Lord Hou personally command the army. "
He is not a person who can talk, and what he said at this moment are all the words from the heart of the lieutenant.
Gu Huaijiang showed no complacency on his face, instead he waved his hands humbly, "It all depends on the willingness of the soldiers to cooperate, the old man is a jobless white man, and dare not take credit for it."
The more humble he is, the more admired he is by the soldiers.
Although he is currently unemployed in white clothes, but when the word Gu Hou Ye comes out, no one in the army will disobey and no one will dare to disobey the command, and he is more prestigious than many high-ranking generals.
The team of small boats quickly gathered on the shore, and the artillery of the fort was aimed at the sea again. Once the Sanyi people chased them, they would immediately fire.
The crowd went ashore, surrounded Gu Huaijiang and the others unconsciously, looking excited but didn't know where to start.
Gu Huaijiang saw at a glance that the wounds of the soldiers were soaked white by sea water, and even the blood could not seep out, so he immediately ordered the wounded soldiers to be sent for treatment.
"His Majesty ordered people to send a lot of medicine for golden sores, and give them to the seriously injured first."
"The ship sailed into the port immediately, and two more sentry posts were set up around the port. We must not stop day and night, and we must not let the Sanyi people take the opportunity to destroy our ship."
"Let the rear send another five vehicles of artillery in case of emergency."
Gu Huaijiang didn't seem to think about it, he solved all the problems in front of him, and none of the soldiers present did not obey, as soon as he heard his voice, he subconsciously followed his orders.
This may be the innate demeanor of a general, without the tone of command, and without shouting, it is naturally convincing.
"Go back and rest, everyone has worked hard today."
He bowed his hands to everyone, and everyone hurriedly bowed and bowed their hands back, "Your Majesty, you have worked hard."
He nodded slightly and left first.
After this battle, the Sangyi people suffered a great setback, and were unexpectedly attacked by Beili's army several times in succession.
They have raised their vigilance as much as possible, but every time they are attacked by surprise, it is a tactic they can't imagine, which makes them clueless and difficult to deal with.
Gu Huaijiang is good at commanding the army to face the enemy head-on. It looks like a mantis is like a chariot, but every time he makes the Sanyi people hard to please.
Gu Shubai was good at surprise. Knowing that the Sanyi people stepped up their patrols at night to be more vigilant, they took the opportunity to attack in broad daylight. The Sanyi people did not expect that they would be attacked during the day, so they dared not sleep peacefully no matter it was day or night.
But Gu Jiuge and others are either good at defending against the enemy, preventing the Sanyi people from finding an opportunity to send troops, or they are good at ingenuity, even sending spies to poison the Sanyi people's food...
The situation of the war has obviously improved, and Bei Li finally stopped being beaten passively.
The morale of the army was unprecedentedly high, but the arrangement of one battle after another made Yufu even more busy and unable to rest...
"Your Majesty, there is not enough artillery in Taicheng, please send more!"
"How much do you need?"
The soldiers who sent the message raised their heads, "At least twenty cars."
Yu Fu nodded speechlessly, "It is said that the Hanlin Academy wrote and quickly issued an order for Beijing to increase the production of artillery. You don't need to tell me that the treasury is short of silver. I have already said it last time. Even if you sell iron and iron, you can't lack cannons. I understand. Yet?"
Writing hesitantly, he said: "Your Majesty, should you write down the words "smashing pots and selling irons as they are?"
"Write it as it is."
Yu Fu closed his eyes, and immediately another news came, "Your Majesty, the grain and grass in the capital have arrived, how should we distribute it?"
Her closed eyes opened again, with bloodshot eyes, "Let the regent distribute all the food and grass, what he means is what I mean. In addition..."
He was worried that Gu Shubai would suffer for himself in order to avoid suspicion, so he simply added, "Taicheng is the main distribution of food and grass in various places. Now Taicheng is the main battlefield. I can't let the soldiers go to war hungry."
"yes!"
Yu Fu let out a breath, closed his eyelids unconsciously, suddenly heard footsteps coming from outside the courtyard, and opened his eyes in surprise.
In front of me was not a soldier who came to deliver the news, but a general in armor, with straight brows and starry eyes, holding his helmet in one hand and smiling slightly at her.
His black armor was covered with green copper rust, which was the trace of being corroded by the sea water, and his whole body was dusty, but it couldn't stop the brilliance like a banished fairy.
She stood up suddenly, happy, "Are you back?"