It is said that women's intuition is unreasonable.
When the Sangyi state envoys first arrived, the Manchu civil and military officials treated each other with contempt, but Yufu thought they were weird.
Now it turns out that they are not only weird, but also wolfish ambitions.
Therefore, Tian Yunpo and Zhang Jiuque did not dare to raise objections to Yufu's large-scale defense. After all, they had already underestimated the enemy once before letting the skilled craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry die in vain. This time they could no longer underestimate the enemy.
It would be a waste of effort, and never let the Sangyi people dare to act rashly!
"It's just for defense, not for leading the war. I ordered the Ministry of War to choose those who are experienced in naval warfare to lead the military generals in the DPRK. How is the selection of the Ministry of War?"
After leaving the court, Yufu and some of his trusted ministers discussed the matter in detail in the Imperial Study Room.
The Shangshu of the Ministry of War looked at Gu Wenqing, and Gu Wenqing stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of War has selected five most suitable people. According to His Majesty's instructions, they are all military generals of medium rank. And they have grown up in seaside towns, or I used to lead troops to garrison near the sea, and they all know the sea. It’s just..."
"Just what?"
Gu Wenqing hesitated for a moment, and said: "When selecting the generals, the minister also noticed one thing. Now what your majesty needs is only the middle generals who are sent to garrison. If there is a war, there is no candidate who is familiar with naval warfare."
As soon as this statement came out, Ouyang Qi and Gu Shubai looked at each other, quite surprised.
They all think that the other party will, even if not, they have some experience, right
Yufu glanced at both of them, "I remember, General Ouyang is seasick, right?"
Ouyang Qi's face blushed without saying a word.
"General Gu... How many times have he seen the sea when he grows so old?"
Gu Shubai is proficient in everything from Xiaowen Taowu, and in the eyes of others, he is almost perfect. This is the first time he has been exposed in public.
He had no choice but to say: "Although the minister is unreasonable, fortunately, he learns quickly when he is young, so he will ask the generals with relevant experience for advice."
After that, Ouyang Qi retired.
They had no naval battle, and it was useless to stand there, but they went out well.
The corner of Yufu's mouth curled slightly, and he didn't say anything. He just looked at Gu Wenqing, "I see, the war is not foreseeable yet. Now we only do a good job of deploying defenses. The Ministry of War will dispatch the selected generals to various places immediately. We must quickly Build defenses along the coast."
"Yes, the ministers take orders."
After leaving the Imperial Study Room, Gu Shubai walked away from the palace. Ouyang Qi said hurriedly, "Where are you going?"
Gu Shubai said, "Do you remember General Liming Ouyang of the Yulin Army? He is from the Lingnan coast and should have some experience in naval warfare. But he leads the Yulin Army's duties and does not have his part in sending people to build coastal defense this time. It's just me. Go and ask him for advice, so you can prepare for the war in advance."
Ouyang Qi looked at him suspiciously, "Are you really going to ask for advice? If you can't fight this battle, I will say otherwise. I thought you just said that just to ease the embarrassment."
Gu Shu raised his eyebrows, "If you know that you are inadequate, you must learn to make up. This is a truth that Sangyi people understand. What is embarrassing for me? I am afraid that General Ouyang is embarrassed?"
Ouyang Qi gave him an angry glance.
After all, he is not young anymore, unlike young people like Yu Fu and Gu Shubai, who have the aggressive energy to ask questions without shame.
He was really embarrassed to ask him to ask a young teenager for advice.
Gu Shubai seemed to see his mentality and smiled: "General Ouyang, just go with me, anyway, you are fine if you are idle now."
Ouyang Qi glanced in the direction of the Yushufang, and he couldn't go back to the Xindao Yushufang, so he just had to go with Gu Shubai.
"Okay, but you have to say yes, I went when you asked me to go!"
…
"Drive! Drive!"
Hunting with the flag, the soldiers riding the horse and the whip set off from the east gate of the capital, raising smoke and dust all the way.
The rigorous army formation swiftly moved eastward, the iron armor refracted its brilliance like fish scales in the warm spring sun, and the soldiers at once were brave and resolute.
Not far from the gate, the army was divided into five groups, heading in different directions.
The people in the capital rarely saw such a large-scale deployment of troops.
Jingzhao Yin's Mansion soon posted the bulletin list to give the people peace of mind.
"This time the transfer of troops is going to the city on the eastern coast of Beili to deploy defense. It is the holy intention of your majesty and sympathizes with the people on the coast. Beili has repeatedly won in recent years and has sufficient troops. Therefore, your majesty attaches more importance to border defense. It is not a war, please. Fathers and villagers don’t have to worry."
People from Jingzhao Yin Yamen beat gongs and drums, standing in front of the list to explain to the people.
At the feet of the emperor, the people are not ordinary fools. Someone asked: "Dare to ask this lord, since it is just for defense and not for war, why do you mobilize so many soldiers? I have never seen so many soldiers before fighting in Xikun and Dongling. Out of town!"
The people in the Yamen laughed and said, "That's not the case. We Beili has always had heavy troops at the junction of Dongling and Xikun. Naturally, we don't need to transfer our troops from the capital during the war, we only need to dispatch generals. And the eastern coastal areas It's different on the front line. There were no soldiers there, so naturally they have to be transferred from the capital."
With that said, the people onlookers would understand.
"So it's not a war, that's good."
"Yes, now that the world is rising, your Majesty will soon unify Kyushu. Where is the war?"
"Yes, yes, your majesty is wise!"
…
When the soldiers left the capital, the hearts of the people were calmed down, but the hearts of the people in the court were restless.
Perhaps the courtiers gradually realized how deep the play was performed by the envoy Sang Yi, perhaps Yufu’s remarks about naval battles were too shocking, or perhaps the fear of the unknown...
The court's contemptuous remarks on Sang Yi country gradually suppressed, and the concern for the defense of the coastal line became the most important thing.
Except for the Shang Dynasty and the review memorial, Yufu spent almost the rest of his time in the library, turning out the ancient books that he didn't know had been sealed for hundreds of years, trying to get more information.
Gu Shubai was also close to Chengri and Liming and other generals who knew about naval warfare together, to understand the situation of the sea, and to analyze the difference between naval warfare and land warfare.
"Brother, do you think there will be a naval battle?"
Gu Hanmo rubbed his forehead. These days, his mind was full of the words naval battle. Some things were very strange to him, which made it difficult for him to remember.
Liming also stopped to look at Gu Shubai.
To be honest, if it were not for Yufu to raise this issue, the Minister of Military Affairs of the People’s Republic of China would never have thought of it.
Gu Shubai nodded, "This is completely possible, don't take it for granted."
As a military commander who had no naval battles, Gu Shubai said: "Suppose, the kind of giant ship that Sangyi's envoys are on, they will send a hundred ships. Each ship has a thousand soldiers on it, how should we fight?"
Gu Hanmo and Liming were taken aback by him.
Gu Shubai used the tea cup on the table as a gesture, "This is the giant ship of the Sangyi Kingdom, this is our coastal town. Suppose they go ashore to slaughter the people, and then get on the ship and leave before our army arrives. How do we catch up? ?"
"Assuming that they occupy our seas and prevent our people from fishing, how can the survival of the fishermen be guaranteed? They burned, killed, and looted at sea, so would our ships not be able to go to sea from now on?"
Liming'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 the same as the water bandits you've encountered in Lingnan. No matter what, it's also a disease of mustard moss. "
Liming said embarrassedly: "It doesn't seem to be the same... isn't it? Sangyi's ship is so big, it can hold more troops. The water bandits are just over a hundred people, so it's not the same."
Gu Hanmo sighed and cheered up, "It's different. Those of us who are accustomed to land warfare always seem to think that there will be no war at sea. Perhaps this kind of thinking should be changed."
Gu Shubai couldn't help laughing: "Maybe one day, with the development of ships and weapons, wars will become different. We may not only be able to fight at sea, but also in the sky. It is unknown. You and I are both young. People must not stand still and refuse to accept new things."
The two nodded as if they were being taught, and Liming said: "I'm just a little surprised. Your Majesty has neither led soldiers in war nor lived by the sea. How did she think of going to sea battle?"
"How can people taught by the gods of medicine be as narrow-minded as the worldly people?"
…
Taicheng, on the sea.
A group of large ships patrolled the sea, and on the deck stood straight soldiers, all in military armor.
The leading general stood at the strongest and slightly squinted his eyes to look into the distance.
The sea was foggy in the distance, and I couldn't see it too far. Only within his sight, there was a calm sea.
Behind him, the master of the Taicheng government office stepped forward and said, "General Ji, all the outposts have been arranged according to your instructions. Please see—"
He pointed his fingers to the protruding islands and reefs not far to the left. After the will of the capital came, the fortress had been built there with the fastest speed, and the sentry inside was always watching the conditions of the sea.
Master said: "Several points marked by the general are all set up guard posts. There are also maritime patrol boats patrolling day and night. If overseas thieves 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 to prevent thieves from entering, let alone affecting their normal fishing.”
"this… "
"What's the difficulty?"
Master said: "If you are not a good official, I dare to ask the general what registration is... how to register?"
General Ji said: "People and boats must be on the right. Make sure that people are our people, and the boat is our boat. I grew up by the sea when I was a child, and ordinary fishermen usually have one boat in the same family, shared by father and son and brothers. All villages in the village have household registration, just match their boat and household registration number. In addition, most of the fishermen are illiterate, and their boats are marked with characters in red paint, and the characters are inconspicuous and can only be used by officials. Recognized mark, do you understand?"
The master was stunned when he heard it, and finally said with joy: "Yes, General Ji is still experienced, and he is willing to go down the wind. After returning to the voyage, the official will be—"
"Don't wait for the return flight."
General Ji pointed to the boat under his head, "Master and entourage can go back in the boat first. Your Majesty attaches great importance to the deployment of this defense, and can't relax a bit."
Go back by boat...
Master looked down at the unfathomable Haibo and swallowed.
General Ji glanced at him, "Master dare not take a boat?"
"No, no, no."
The master closed his eyes, and got on the boat tremblingly as if he was willing to go out.
General Ji shook his head behind him and said to the subordinates behind him: "This is not far from the shore. This general can take off his armor and swim back. But the master of this seaside state capital, even dare not ride a boat, so Being afraid of water, how can Futai send him to assist this general?"
Subordinates persuaded: "The general, don’t be angry. They have inquired about it. Actually, none of the three masters in the prefecture can handle water. This master is indeed the most capable of doing things, so the government sent him here. General perfunctory."
General Ji fell down upon hearing the words, "Forget it, as long as he can do what I ordered, don't bring him at sea in the future, so as not to frighten people."
After that, he looked at the soldiers under his subordinates and said loudly: "You are all selected from the barracks. Soldiers who are familiar with water and sea conditions, all of them are elites! This time I came here from the capital to deploy defenses, it seems Hard work is actually a good opportunity for you to make contributions! You must not slacken off, as long as those who have merits, this general must send a letter to your majesty and reward you for your merits!"
"Thank you General!"
The soldiers were full of energy, and their loud voices were quickly dissipated by the sea breeze.
The fog in the distance seems to be getting thicker and thicker.
A strong wind blows over the sea, the fog fades slightly, and something seems to have appeared in it.
It seems to be a tall huge ship, stopping in the fog, with the bow facing them, standing huge and peacefully between the sky and the earth, which is breathtaking.
Some people talked, "Is that a mirage? I grew up by the sea and saw a mirage for the first time!"
The soldiers on the ship looked at the huge ship with excitement. Such a behemoth is too big to appear in the world. What is it not a mirage
General Ji heard the soldiers' comments and narrowed his eyes to look into the mist.
Only the outline of a huge black ship can be seen vaguely, which is a little gloomy and terrible.
His brows frowned slightly, and he always felt that such a mirage appeared at this time, how strange he thought about it.
The subordinate on the side frowned when he saw him, and said hurriedly: "General, there are many spectators on the sea, just treat it as a novelty, don't worry about it."
General Ji didn't reply, he still frowned and looked at the huge black shadow.
The shadow seems to be getting bigger and bigger.
No, it should be getting closer!
The fog seemed to fade away gradually, and everyone saw that the huge black shadows were also followed by smaller shadows, arranged in a regular shape.
Just like a wild goose flying south, the leading wild goose is in the middle, and the wild wild geese on the side line up one by one.
"This mirage... It's quite interesting."
I don't know who said that, and some people are pointing their fingers at the big boats and small boats, counting how many boats there are in total.
Until the fog dissipated, the entire outline of the giant ship clearly appeared in front of everyone, and the boat following it became clearer and clearer. Said it was a small boat, it was actually not much smaller than the big ship they took, but compared to the huge ship as tall as the mountain, it could only be regarded as a small boat.
I didn't even notice it in the fog, but now it's really scary.
"This is not a mirage."
A faint voice came, and everyone looked for the source of the sound, and saw General Ji's face pale and gritted his teeth.
Not a mirage
What could it be
The huge fleet in front of you quickly spread out, forming a highly aggressive formation, with more ships than everyone had seen before, and more structured.
It was clearly an unknown, huge sea fleet, heading towards them!
General Ji suddenly yelled, "Prepare for battle! The crossbowmen are ready, and the smoke rises quickly to inform the shore, hurry!"
The soldiers were taken aback for a moment, and then quickly followed the orders, and the crossbowmen stood in a row around the ship's edge. The powerful crossbows in their hands have a long range and strong penetrability. They are the best crossbow arrows in the Beili Army.
The wolf smoke on the top of the ship rose, and the sentry on the shore saw the wolf smoke and immediately notified the army to prepare for war.
The huge fleet saw wolf smoke at the same time, and the gray and black colors shot straight up into the sky, which could be seen from a great distance.
Standing on the deck of the giant ship, the short man in white robe and top hat, the golden chrysanthemum on his chest was shining brightly, and he shook his words, "They have found us."
"General, what shall we do next?"
The man smiled with one corner of his mouth, his entire face was pulled and deformed, his eyes were weird, "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 figure and try his best to deal with it, while waiting for reinforcements on the shore to arrive.
As long as the opponent's fleet is in range, he will immediately order the bows and crossbows to be launched, preemptively!
Just as the fleet was approaching the range of the crossbow, the opponent suddenly stopped sailing, and at the same time several circular shadows flew in the sky.
General Ji hadn't reacted yet, and the boat at his feet exploded!