big song poppi

Chapter 573 0570 [Hit at the door]

Approaching Dongye Port, the other two Shenzhou warship groups had no intention of entering the port. They still hung sails and each led more than 80 inland warships and continued southward, heading straight to Quanzhou Port and Zhangzhou Port.

As we get closer to Dongye Port, there are more and more fishing boats on the sea, and occasionally we can see a few merchant ships.

No matter it was a fishing boat or a merchant ship, without exception, after seeing such a huge naval fleet, they all ran away like frightened rabbits.

The northeast side of Dongye Port was originally a wasteland, but now it has been transformed into a military camp.

Near the port, thousands of people are digging pits in full swing, seemingly building a dock.

In the command tent of the military camp, a big man with a beard was lying on a bamboo couch, the whites of his eyes rolled up, his face seemed to be in pain and relief, and his body twitched uncontrollably from time to time.

This man's name was Kong Jiang, which was originally the nickname of a mute child. The name Jiang was later given to himself.

He was originally the leader of the water bandits on the Shejiang River in Muzhou. He was subdued by Fang Qifu with fists and kicks two years ago.

There was no way around it, few people under Fang Qifu knew how to fight in water, let alone sea battle.

Zhang Jun knew how to fight on the water, but unfortunately he was needed to guard Jianzhou and block Yue Fei's Xuzhou army. Therefore, Kong Jiang was entrusted with the important task of forming a maritime navy to protect various ports.

"General Kong, it's bad, the Qi navy is coming!"

Just when Kong Jiang was in a state of elation, a primary school student rushed into the commander's tent while crawling.

Kong Jiang forced himself to cheer up and asked in a lazy tone: "How many ships does the Qi Navy have?"

The principal replied: "It's so dark, there are hundreds of them."

"Oh."

Kong Jiang responded without showing any signs of panic.

Seeing this, the colonel bravely asked: "General Kong, there should be a regulation for whether to fight or withdraw."

"Oh, the Qi navy is a bunch of weaklings, why are they withdrawing?"

Kong Jiang snorted disdainfully and said energetically: "Gather your men and follow me to the sea to fight!"

The effects of the Bliss Pill were still taking effect, leaving him delirious.

Forced to sit up, Kong Jiang stood up unsteadily, as if he was drunk.

The principal hurriedly supported him and said with a worried look: "General Kong, why don't you rest for a while?"

"Have a rest!"

But Kong Jiang didn't appreciate it. After scolding him, he boasted inarticulately: "I think back then I led eighteen brothers with only one boat to intercept the birth plan and beat the shit out of hundreds of officers and soldiers."

"General Kong is unparalleled in bravery and is the reincarnation of Second Master Guan!"

The principal laughed and flattered me.

While talking, the two came out of the handsome tent.

Under the command of Kong Jiang, the four thousand navy immediately began to prepare for war.

Many soldiers boarded the ship in confusion, not knowing who the enemy was.

Not long after, twenty-eight warships, plus a dozen merchant ships, came out of the port in a chaotic manner.

After leaving Dongye Port, sailing for a while, and bypassing Haitan Island, what they saw in front of them scared the rebel navy to the point of weakness.

I saw that on the sea in the distance, there were densely packed warships. There were hundreds of them, and each one was a serious warship, not a warship converted from merchant ships and passenger ships like them.

Especially the giant ship at the head, which is a hundred meters long, is like a giant beast in the sea, breaking through the wind and waves and coming roaring.

Compared with this giant ship, the surrounding warships are like toys in the hands of children.

A large scroll with a golden dragon pattern on the bottom is hung high on the top of the pole, fluttering in the sea breeze and making a hunting sound.

Qi Navy!

At this time, the effects of the opium gradually faded, and when the sea breeze blew again, Kong Jiang on the deck became more awake, and finally there was a look of fear in his eyes.

"Gulong!"

Swallowing his saliva, he saw the panic-stricken expressions of the surrounding soldiers, and he said loudly: "Don't be afraid, the Qi navy is just a silver pewter spearhead..."

boom!
Before he finished speaking, a thick plume of smoke rose from the giant ship opposite.

Immediately afterwards, there was a loud noise like thunder.

puff!

The personal guard standing next to Kong Jiang felt a warmth on his face.

The place where Kong Jiang originally stood has long been empty, leaving only blood and minced meat on the floor.

The remaining power of the shells continued unabated, and they blasted into the cabin. The flying wood chips were like steel needles, piercing into the bodies of the rebel soldiers.

For a time, shrill screams rang out one after another.

……

"bingo!"

The main gunner held the telescope and looked delighted.

To be the main gunner on the Qingzhou ship, you naturally have two skills. However, the current artillery doesn't even have rifling, and the accuracy is really hard to compliment.

Even for the elite in the artillery battalion, it is common for several consecutive shots to miss.

I had good luck today, and the first cannonball hit accurately.

Moreover, it seems that a general was killed.

Another military merit and reward were obtained!

Thinking of this, the main gunner was in a good mood and continued to command: "The muzzle elevation remains unchanged, move one inch and two minutes to the left."

Kuang Zixin stood quietly on the deck, saying nothing, with a calm expression.

Four thousand people, just over twenty warships, were like ants in front of the Shenzhou warship group, and they were not worthy of his command at all.

Boom boom boom!
The main guns on the deck fired continuously, and each shot seemed to hit the rebels' hearts.

On the sea surface, there were soon a dozen dead bodies and the rebels who fell into the water.

The siege artillery frightened the rebels, and with Kong Jiang's death in battle, their morale plummeted and they fled in all directions.

The ordering army immediately asked: "Commander, the rebel navy is fleeing towards the port. Do you want to pursue it at full speed?"

Kuang Zixin waved his hand: "The terrain of Dongye Port is complex, and the rebels may have faked defeat. The battleship group can sail at a steady speed, and Shen Cong is ordered to lead a battalion of naval forces to pursue it."

The water area in the coastal port of Min'an Town is narrow, and the Shenzhou warship is too large, so it is not as flexible as the sea. Once it is pursued rashly, the rebels only need to surround it with dozens of small fire boats to burn the warship.

As the messengers on the observation deck waved flags, more than thirty inland warships immediately accelerated, taking advantage of the sea breeze, to pursue the defeated rebels with all their strength.

The Shenzhou battleship group where Kuang Zixin was located moved forward unhurriedly.

Soon, he discovered that he had overestimated these rebels.

There was no one in the port military camp. Not to mention setting up an ambush, not even the soldiers guarding the military camp were left behind.

There were so many flaws that he couldn't finish it for a while.

After leaving a battalion of navy to guard the port, Kuang Zixin waved his hand and ordered: "Sail at full speed and capture Fuzhou County before dark!"

Not long after, the battleship group set sail again, moving mightily up the Min River and heading straight for Fuzhou County.

……

Fuzhou County has a very good geographical location. Almost 90% of Fuzhou is mountainous. Only the Minjiang River, which runs from west to east, has washed out a fertile plain at its outlet.

Moreover, the Minjiang River leads directly to Nanjianzhou and then extends in all directions. The grain taxes from southern and northern Fujian can be easily transported to Fuzhou via the Minjiang waterway.

Because of this, Fang Qifu chose to locate the royal palace in Fuzhou County instead of Quanzhou, where business was more prosperous.

In the government office, Fang Qifu was worrying about food.

Fujian has many mountains but little land, and hurricanes hit the sea every summer, so food production has never been high.

After all, three of the four major plains in Fujian are located on the coast, and at this time, there is no ability for future generations to withstand natural disasters. We can only pray that the hurricane will come later and wait until the summer harvest is over.

Therefore, Fujian mainly relies on the food supply from Zhejiang and Jiangnan.

But since Zhejiang and Jiangnan were occupied by Qi, the trade routes were cut off.

In recent days, Fang Qifu has recruited more than 50,000 new troops. Together with the 30,000 Song troops under Zhang Jun and others, the strength has reached 80,000. With so many soldiers eating horse chews, the daily consumption is huge. He is now in an awkward position. He has money and silver in his hands, but cannot buy food.

Not long ago, I sent someone to Cochin to buy grain, but it happened that civil strife broke out in Cochin. I didn't have enough grain to eat, so I couldn't think of selling it to him.

As for Guangdong and Guangxi next door, to be honest it is not as good as Fujian.

I have been thinking hard for quite some time and still have no solution.

Fang Qifu said: "Let Wu Li go to Bianjing again and tell Han Zhen that I am willing to pay tribute of 200,000 guan and 100,000 taels of silver every year in exchange for becoming a vassal and opening trade routes."

He really has no shortage of money.

Relying on Quanzhou Port, the annual commercial taxes are huge, and there are more than 20 silver mines in Fujian.

By next year, after the Paradise Paradise in Nanjianzhou produces a large amount of Paradise Pills, they can sell the Paradise Pills overseas and make huge profits.

By then, the hundreds of thousands of coins paid as tribute will mean nothing, it will be nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

As soon as he finished speaking, General Lu shook his head and said with a smile: "No matter how much money you give, it will be in vain. Han Zhen is extremely domineering. He claims to be the emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the emperor of the Han Dynasty. How can he allow others to sleep soundly beside his bed? He is determined to capture Fujian and the Han Dynasty." Guangdong and Guangxi.”

Fang Qifu sighed and said helplessly: "I have to give it a try anyway, just in case it works."

When he followed his clan brother Fang La to rebel in the south, he had never worried about food problems, but now it gave him a headache.

General Wu asked: "Where is Jiaozhi?"

Fang Qifu replied: "Fifth brother wrote to me a few days ago. I finally bought two thousand shi of grain from Jiaozhi at several times the price. It will be shipped back to Quanzhou soon, but it's just a drop in the bucket."

"..."

Wu Jiang was silent for a while.

He is just a student, with some abilities, but not much. Facing the current situation, he is a little helpless.

The main reason for this is that Fang Qifu took it for granted at the beginning, thinking that Fujian and Guangdong and Guangxi were barren. As long as he blocked several Qi offensives and offered generous annual coins, Han Zhen would agree to pay tribute and become a vassal.

At this moment, an anxious voice broke the calm in the government office lobby.

"Buddha, something bad has happened!"

A guardian hurriedly ran into the lobby.

Fang Qifu's expression changed slightly and he asked, "Why are you so panicked?"

The protector replied with a frightened look: "There was news from Jianzhou that Zhang Jun defected to Qi State and turned against him. General Li was killed in the battle. All the thirteen thousand men stationed in Qianyang Town were also captured, and only more than a thousand took advantage of the chaos. escape."

"Zhang Jun!"

Fang Qifu shouted loudly, feeling frightened and frightened in his heart. At the same time, a doubt arose in his mind.

Zhang Jun had clearly been poisoned by the Bliss Pill, so why did he dare to seek refuge with Qi?

Before he could think about it, another figure rolled into the lobby and shouted: "Buddha, it's not good, the Navy of Qi State launched a large-scale attack on Dongye Port. General Kong was killed in the battle, and the navy of the port was destroyed." . Right now the navy of Qi State is sailing upstream of the Min River, heading straight for the county town!"

boom!
This news was even more shocking than Zhang Jun's rebellion just now, like a thunder exploding in Fang Qifu's ears.

The Qi army is coming to the doorstep!
After a brief period of confusion, Fang Qifu hurriedly asked: "How big is the navy of Qi's army?"

"There are more than a hundred warships. The leader of the warship is about thirty feet long. It is said that it was modified from the Shenzhou of the previous dynasty."

There are more than a hundred ships, which means that the Qi army's navy has no more than 10,000 troops at most.

After some rough calculations, Fang Qifu felt a little calmer.

Since there are more than 20,000 soldiers stationed in the county, there should be no problem in defending the county.

Thinking of this, Fang Qifu immediately ordered: "Pass this king's order and ask Liu Guangshi to lead his troops into the city immediately."

As orders were issued one after another, the entire county was in a state of panic.

When Liu Guangshi led 30,000 new troops to enter the county, the four city gates were immediately closed and the Thousand Jin Gate was lowered.

Fang Qifu, wearing a piece of iron armor and surrounded by a group of protectors, climbed up to the south city tower.

"I've met the King of Fujian."

Liu Guangshi clasped his fists in greeting.

"No need to be polite."

Fang Qifu waved his hands and raised his eyes to look towards the bay in the distance.

Seeing that there was no sign of the Qi navy on the bay for the time being, he turned around and asked, "General Liu, how are the soldiers training?"

Liu Guangshi replied: "Although the time is still short, it is still worthy of a battle."

He didn't know yet about Zhang Jun's defection to Qi State, but he also noticed that Fang Qifu looked at him with a little more vigilance, and felt guilty for a moment.

"That's good."

Fang Qifu nodded and said no more.

At this moment, he was quite confused in his heart, wondering whether he should take away Liu Guangshi's military power.

Zhang Jun defected before the battle and surrendered to Qi, which made him fearful of Liu Guangshi and Liu Guangshi.

But now that there is a powerful enemy, he still has to rely on him to defend the city.

"coming!"

Suddenly, Liu Guangshi's expression changed and he reminded.

Fang Qifu was horrified and looked up, only to see small black dots appearing on the sea in the distance.

The black spots gradually grew larger and turned into battleships.

"Shenzhou!"

As a former Song Dynasty general, Liu Guangshi had extraordinary experience. He recognized the leading battleship at a glance. It was the Shenzhou built by countless craftsmen who pooled their wisdom and efforts.

However, the Shenzhou in front of him was different from the ones he had seen before. After the transformation, it no longer had the grace and splendor of the past. Instead, it had a murderous air everywhere.

Fang Qifu's eyes were filled with excitement. If he could own a few divine boats, wouldn't he be invincible on the sea?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask: "Is it difficult to build the Shenzhou?"

Liu Guangshi replied: "It's not difficult. The Shenzhou drawings are not considered secret."

The Shenzhou drawings are indeed not considered secret, because they were originally made by private craftsmen in Mingzhou Port, but except for a few ships built by the imperial court, no one is building them.

Because the cost of building this thing is too high. The cost of building one Shenzhou is enough to build several passenger ships of more than 20 feet.

Strong winds and waves are common on the sea. Once it capsizes, the losses will be huge.

To put it bluntly, for private maritime merchants, the price/performance ratio is too low.

The reason why Han Zhen built the Shenzhou was because it had artillery. The small boat couldn't hold the artillery, so he naturally had to build it bigger.

Only with artillery can the combat power of large sea ships experience a qualitative leap.

Seeing the Qi navy getting closer and closer, Liu Guangshi reminded: "The Qi army's artillery is sharp, please ask the King of Fujian to retreat for the time being."

Liu Guangshi knew in his heart that the county and city could not stop the Qi navy.

A few months ago, a fortified city like Hangzhou was destroyed by an indiscriminate bombing by the Qi navy. How could Fuzhou County hold on?

But he also had his own little idea. Once he found that he couldn't hold on, he would surrender immediately.

His father is now an official in the State of Qi. With his father's relationship, he can always save his life.

As for the poison of the Bliss Pill, we will find a way to cure it in the future.

As a result, Fang Qifu, who had never thought of it, said meaningfully: "General Liu has worked hard these days training the new soldiers, and he will go back to his house to rest first."

"This……"

Liu Guangshi was stunned. He didn't expect Fang Qifu to show up like this.

"Ok?"

Seeing that he didn't move, Fang Qifu snorted softly, and the guardians around him put their hands on the handle of the knife and looked at him with unkind eyes.

"Ah."

Liu Guangshi laughed sarcastically and said quickly: "Thank you, King Min, for your understanding. The general is indeed a little tired. I will go back to my house to rest."

(End of this chapter)