Within a few days, Minister Zuo proposed to return to China.
Yufu was quite surprised, they ran to Beili all the way, why are they leaving so soon
"The minister didn't go back to China right away, but saw the craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry who were studying shipbuilding seriously, and wanted to take them to the harbor where we stopped to survey the ships on the spot. It's always faster than studying the drawings."
Minister Zuo explained it this way, and Yufu also felt that the progress of the Ministry of Industry's research on the ship was too slow. It was a good thing that the envoys of Sangyi State had such an idea.
Yufu said politely: "Just in this way, wouldn't it delay your study?"
Minister Zuo smiled and said: "Don't delay, don't delay. Actually, the minister still thought of walking around in several coastal towns to see how the people of Beili deal with all kinds of fish in the sea. To be honest, your Majesty said that in our country we only eat raw. That's it."
Eaten raw? !
The minister in the palace couldn't help panicking when he heard the words, and he ate the fish raw. What's the difference between this and Rumao drinking blood
Yufu coughed awkwardly. He didn't want the courtiers to show contempt, and said: "Then please feel free to all the envoys. The gift I prepared for your country will be handed over to you by the Ministry of Industry and Engineering. Be prepared to escort the officials and craftsmen in charge to the port along with the envoys."
"Yes."
"The minister follows the decree."
The two Shangshu went out to lead the orders, and within a few days, the envoy of Sangyi State and his party left the capital.
After the envoys left, Chen Jingxing's subordinates returned to secretly report, "My lord, our eyes are searching everywhere, and we can't find anyone who can speak the Sangyi national language. Sangyi has not been in contact with us for hundreds of years. What about them?"
The subordinates only felt that Chen Jingxing's request was unreasonable, but they didn't know that Chen Jingxing was also entangled in every way.
"Why doesn't this official know that such a person is hard to find? But this official always feels that these Sangyi country's envoys are a little weird, but they can't tell how weird."
The subordinates advised: "You don't have to worry about it. Haven't they gone now? Even if there is something weird, they can't make any waves."
Yeah, it's gone...
Chen Jingxing suddenly said, "No, the officials of the Ministry of Industry and the shipbuilding craftsmen are still with them! Get the carriage immediately, and I'm going to the Ministry of Industry!"
Ever since Yufu explained that he learned shipbuilding skills from the craftsmen of Sangyi country, Chen Jingxing has often been in contact with the Ministry of Industry, and the clerk of the Ministry of Industry was surprised to see him again today.
The envoys have already left, what else is he here for
"Where are you Shangshu-sama?"
When he entered the door, there was a lot of trouble, and the doorman hurriedly said: "Yes, inside!"
Chen Jingxing walked in without waiting for the announcement. Fortunately, he and Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry were equal officials, and no one dared to say anything about him even if he was rude. The Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry was drinking tea in the inner hall. For surprise.
"Master Chen, why are you free today?"
Chen Jingxing said: "Master Shang Shu, I suddenly remembered something important and wanted to ask you. The people in your ministry have been studying shipbuilding with the Sangyi envoy for a long time, have you made progress?"
When it comes to learning shipbuilding technology, Shangshu of the Ministry of Engineering does not look good.
When Chen Jingxing first came to find Shangshu of the Ministry of Engineering, his expression was not as ugly as it is now.
He frowned suddenly, "What's the matter?"
Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry sighed, "Oh, it's a trivial thing to say, but it hurts the face of the Ministry of Industry, Mr. Chen, don't talk about it. The shipbuilding people of the Ministry of Industry have always been shrewd and capable, yes. My very proud manpower! But I don’t know if Sangyi’s ship is too delicate or why, they have not touched the doorway after learning for so long. It is still a mere manifestation."
Chen Jingxing gave a thump in his heart, secretly saying that it was not good.
Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry is still complaining, "It is also possible that my proud subordinates are too stupid, alas. But fortunately, these people from the Sangyi country know the good news and take them directly to the port to watch the ship. You can always learn, don't you think?"
Chen Jingxing didn't want to listen to what he said, so he hurriedly left and hurried to the palace.
At the same time, in the palace.
Yufu and Gu Shubai used dim sum at the Hall of Longevity. She likes crab noodles. The taste has not changed over the years. The two of them ate and talked.
Yufu was holding a piece of crabmeat cake, but there was no missing corner for a long time.
Gu Shubai couldn't help but laugh.
"No, I was thinking about it."
Yufu took a strong bite, his small cheek was swollen, and he was still thinking about something with his cheeks. Gu Shubai handed her the tea cup, and she successfully swallowed the pastry.
"I still think that the envoys of the Sangyi Kingdom are weird."
Yufu said: "Look, at first we discovered that they had huge ships, large numbers of people, and prepared many gifts. It didn't look like an extremely barren country. Then, the Minister Zuo always talked. Intentionally or unconsciously, he emphasized that the Sangyi country is barren and weak, what can not even be implemented in the household registration system, and what is eaten raw, why does he expose himself to us in front of us?"
"That's all, maybe it can be explained as the different customs. The strangest thing is that this time, they left in a hurry, as if something had happened. It took so much energy and money to travel across the ocean, isn't it Do you want to study? If you leave so quickly, wouldn't the already weak country waste a lot of money? Can their king agree?"
To say it, this thing is a bit weird.
The ministers of the DPRK didn't even notice it, because everyone took the place of contempt for the Sangyi country and the envoys, so they would not care about these things.
Gu Shubai thought for a moment and said: "When you say this, I remember one thing. At the beginning of the Golden Palace, the envoys of Sang Yi raised a few questions, which are said to be difficult for Sang Yi to solve in a century. It's difficult, but thinking about it now, it won't be so exaggerated in a hundred years."
Yufu frowned, "Obviously it is not a problem, but to ask us as a problem, is this a novel way to please us? If it is not to please, then there is only one possibility—"
Yufu put down the cakes in his hands, the two looked at each other, and immediately had an answer.
"If it's not to please, it's paralysis."
Suddenly there was a rush of footsteps outside the hall, "Your Majesty, Chen Jingxing, Master Chen has an urgent need to see your Majesty!"
"Quickly declare."
Yufu vaguely realized that Chen Jingxing rushed over, maybe it had something to do with Sangyi's envoy.
Chen Jingxing hurriedly entered the hall to salute, and then said: "Your Majesty, the minister has been stuck in his heart for several days, so he can't help but tell his Majesty. Does your Majesty think that the envoys of the Sangyi Kingdom are a bit weird?"
Yufu subconsciously glanced at Gu Shubai, "What happened?"
Chen Jingxing shook his head, "It is because nothing happened that the minister feels weird. Your Majesty remembers the last time you asked your minister to ask someone from the Ministry of Industry to ask for advice and build a ship? At that time, Minister Zuo's expression was very subtle, the envoys behind him Even more displeased. Although the minister suddenly asked, Minister Zuo gave the perfect reason, saying that it was because tea caused homesickness. Based on the experience of dealing with envoys of various countries for many years, he felt that they seemed to be unwilling to teach us how to build ships. Surgical."
Chen Jingxing was the party who was present at the time, and he knew the most about the expressions of Minister Zuo and others.
Yufu knew him very well and knew that he had a surprising talent in foreign affairs. Since he felt that the envoys had an unwilling attitude, I was afraid it was not groundless.
"You keep talking."
Chen Jingxing breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "The minister originally planned to place spies around them to probe their minds. But they usually talk in private in the language of the Sangyi country, and the ministers ordered people to visit them in the middle of the country. I couldn’t find anyone who could speak Sangyi’s language, so I had to give it up. Just now, Caichen went to the Ministry of Industry and asked Master Shangshu. Guess what? Those talented and skilled craftsmen in the Ministry of Engineering have not mastered the technology of Sangyi man-made boats. I just learned something!"
If you say this to others, you may not think it is anything.
But Yufu understood immediately that the old craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry had been serving in the middle of the court. If they were so incompetent, they would not have been able to hold on to their positions.
The most likely thing is that the craftsmen of Sangyi Kingdom moved something and refused to teach them real skills.
Gu Shubai frowned suddenly, "If you just refuse to teach our craftsmen their skills, it won't be a big problem. What I am worried about now is..."
"what?"
Gu Shubai pursed his lips and looked at Yufu with some worry, "If they don't want to teach our craftsmen the shipbuilding skills, then it would be an excuse to take them to the port for field surveys."
Yufu was startled, already understand...
The imperial court sent troops day and night to follow the steps of the Sangyi country's envoys all the way to the east.
In the middle of the journey, they returned to the capital. The officials and craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry who were in charge of shipbuilding came back with them, but they were all dead bodies.
Those corpses were all cut through the abdomen with a sabre, and died of excessive blood loss. The most shocking thing is that the knife that cut the abdomen is a cross.
In other words, someone broke their abdomen horizontally first, and then cut them vertically, causing almost all the organs in their abdomen to be shredded. Not only was there no possibility of survival, but it was extremely painful before death.
This perverted method of slaughter instantly aroused the resentment in the Bei Li Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, these people from the Ministry of Industry followed the envoys of the Sangyi Kingdom. Now they have died in a miserable state but the envoys have made no response. They must be brought back and questioned carefully!"
"No need to cross-examine."
Yufu's expression was cold, "I'm afraid they are already on the huge wheel to escape. How can we have a chance to catch it?"
"Your Majesty means... the people of the Ministry of Engineering were killed by the envoys?!"
Those envoys who are easy to handle, why do they kill others
Gu Shubai went out and said: "Last night, my Majesty and I looked through the ancient books and found out that the people of Sangyi country have a special tradition, that is, they like to use a cross knife to cut their abdomen to kill. No one was sent back to report the letter, which shows that it was indeed their work."
The ministers were very surprised, thinking of the appearance of Sangyi's envoys in the capital, they couldn't imagine that these people would commit murder.
Going forward, Yufu's voice came in a heavy voice.
"When the letter from the envoy of the Sangyi country came in, I always felt something was wrong, and sent someone to secretly investigate the whereabouts of the envoys. I now understand that these envoys did not come to Beili to study at all, but to spy on them. Fictitious. Before their huge ship came to Bei Li, they sent a small boat to Dongling. I only got the news yesterday."
They did not first come to Bei Li, which is now the most powerful in the Nine Provinces.
Yufu sneered: "Sang Yi country must have colluded with Dong Ling and conspired something unfavorable to my Bei Li, so I want to send envoys to the division of the state to give gifts to Emperor Ning, so that Minister Zuo and others think I already know. Their conspiracy, they flee in such a hurry. The key right now is not to try to get these envoys back. They fled to the sea, and our ship technology is not comparable to them. The most important thing now is—"
She almost gritted her teeth and said every word: "Build a border defense for the first-line coastal cities on the east of Beili, and always guard against Sangyi's army raids!"
"His Majesty!"
Shangshu of the Ministry of War took the lead, “I have been on the coastal front line east of Beili. I have never prepared for city defense. I have always built city defenses only at the borders with countries such as Xikun and Dongling. Not only our country, but also on the east side of Dongling, there are large areas of sea. The city, they never set up a city defense!"
It’s not easy to build all the places that have never been fortified at once
Ouyang Qi said: "Yeah, your Majesty, what are you worried about? Are you afraid that the envoys of Sangyi will go back and bring troops to attack us? Although their ship technology is good, their population is insufficient, and their weapons are not as advanced as ours. Bringing a large army across the ocean, how much combat power can you have?"
Yufu sighed lightly and frowned to look at Ouyang Qi.
Tianyun broke out and said: "General Ouyang's words are not correct. Knowing that Sangyi country has wolf ambitions, we should know that what they told us may not be true. They said that their country is weak, are they really that weak? Saying that one's weapons and armaments are imperfect, are they really imperfect? Now that I think about it, those words are just to numb us. They must have reached some kind of deal with Emperor Ning, which is not good for me, Bei Li."
Ouyang Qi is a warrior, and he is a good player in leading soldiers to fight. It is a bit difficult to analyze the affairs of the DPRK.
After listening to Tian Yunpo's words, he realized that the ambition of Sang Yi's envoy was not good at first.
The ministers whispered to each other and scolded the Sangyi people one after another.
Yufu's hand knocked on the imperial case, and the hall suddenly became solemn. She said with a serious face: "This is not the time when you blame the sky and the people, and it is not the time when Zhu Qing can carelessly underestimate the enemy. Just now you said that Bei Li has never deployed defenses along the coast since ancient times. Dongling is too. Did you forget about the straw letter?"
Two years ago, when the rebels attacked Dongling, Gu Xiang used straw to send a message, throwing a large amount of straw with hidden characters into the sea and drifting along the ocean current to the coast of Dongling.
At that time, the people along the coast of Dongling got the letter and learned about Bei Li's generous national policy, and they ran with their families and their mouths.
The ministers couldn't help being silent.
Bei Li once used a sea ship to cast a straw letter, which changed the situation of Dongling's battle, so why couldn't Sangyi country work
Their ships are clearly more advanced and larger.
Gu Shubai went out and said: "On the eastern coast of Beili, including those in Dongling's territory, there are a total of twenty-five cities. The minister proposed that these twenty-five cities should be classified in batches, not only requiring local areas. Officials and military commanders build a line of defense, and they must send a number of generals and ties. One is to replenish troops, and the other is to make it easier to manage and observe the enemy's situation."
Yufu nodded, "There is also Dongling's side. Although Emperor Ning is weak, the national strength still exists. If the Sangyi people used any tricks to trick Ning Emperor into sending troops, we should not ignore it. Twenty-five cities One is divided into five, and five generals are dispatched, plus Dongling's side, a total of six generals are needed."
The generals in the palace were eager to try, and Yufu hurriedly said: "You generals don't need to be busy asking for orders. I mean, the generals who are sent to the coastal line to build city defenses need to be familiar with the sea and have experience in water warfare. There are also soldiers who are brought. If they are all land ducks that don't even dare to get under the water, what's the point of going there?"
In this way, many eager generals retreated.
In terms of battles on land, whether it is mountain warfare, desert warfare, or water warfare, there are masters who are proficient.
But naval battle... is too strange for them.
The ministers were also wondering when they were thinking about candidates, could the so-called naval battle be the result of your Majesty's too much heart and imagination of Sang Yi country too much
Even if they deliberately concealed their true strength, could their national strength surpass Bei Li