Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 552 Galloping in the South China Sea

As the sun sets, the red morning glow illuminates the entire sky.

Xue Rengui stood at the bow, looking at the marvelous sight of the sea and sky merging into one. He couldn't help feeling excited, just like Zu Ti who rowed the boat in the middle of the stream in the past.

"According to Hu Yin, we have already reached the South China Sea. In a few days, we will enter the waters controlled by the Arab Empire. We don't know what the situation is in the Arab Empire now. What do you think of this, General?"

An old man with a thin figure but a straight back came to his side.

Xue Rengui took a small step back and bowed to greet him: "General Manager Liu!"

The man who came was Liu Rengui, the governor of Xiongjin who was stationed in Baekje. Since Chen Qingsi left Baekje and handed over the affairs of Haidong to Liu Rengui, Liu Rengui took over the banner of Chen Qingsi and followed the general strategy he left behind, supplemented by small changes according to the times, to stabilize the rear area which had been turbulent in history.

Xue Rengui was stationed in Pyongyang, Goguryeo's capital. His main task was to pacify the Mohe tribes in the Black Mountains and White Waters in the northeast.

Xue Rengui was unrivaled in the world in archery and horsemanship. It was easy for him to subdue those barbarian tribes with low culture and who worshipped bravery.

However, if you want people to submit, relying on force alone can only intimidate them temporarily. The right way is to use both kindness and force and share the benefits.

Xue Rengui was a military general, so his political level was not enough to deal with these problems.

Liu Rengui gave him great help in this regard, and of course this was also part of Chen Qingsi's original plan.

If you want Haidong to be stable, there are two main points: you can't let them go hungry, and you can't let them eat too much.

It is easy to get into trouble when you are hungry, and it is also easy to get into trouble when you are full.

In the past, relations with Goguryeo were not harmonious, and trade between the two sides mostly relied on smuggling.

Especially the Mojie tribes, they did not know how to do business. The various rare leathers obtained by the tribe were deceived by cunning merchants, and the food they exchanged for the materials they had worked so hard to obtain was not enough to fill their stomachs.

But now the imperial court controls the transportation of trade routes, opens trading markets, and the bargaining power is in the hands of the officials.

Liu Rengui controlled the most important Xiongjin Port in Haidong and was fully responsible for matters in this regard. He developed in-depth trade exchanges with the Mohe tribes, allowing them to obtain the necessities of life from trade. They relied on Haidong's trade, which made them inseparable from Haidong's trade.

In short, with the two men, one civil and one military, using both kindness and force, Haidong was stabilized and the various Mojie tribes successively submitted to it, especially the Changbai Mountain Jurchens and Pulumaoduo Jurchens located on the coast, who directly became an important source of troops for the East China Sea Navy.

Due to their frequent contacts, Liu Rengui and Xue Rengui got along very well. In this case of the sea attack on the Arab Empire, Chen Qingsi had ordered Liu Rengui to be the commander-in-chief of the South China Sea Road and Xue Rengui to be the deputy commander-in-chief, and to attack the Arab Empire from the sea in order to disrupt the Arab Empire's important Mediterranean locations in its rear.

This appointment is a unprecedented decision.

From ancient times to the present, China has mainly focused on developing its inland areas, and the navy's main technology is also inland rivers. It was only in recent years in order to fight against Goguryeo that the technology tree was shifted towards sea transportation. It was unthinkable to directly deploy troops along the coastline over long distances to a foreign country tens of thousands of miles away.

If the government was not completely controlled by Chen Qingsi, this proposal would never be realized, and even the memorial would not appear in front of the emperor.

Even the prime minister has suppressed it, what a mess.

But in the eyes of Liu Rengui and Xue Rengui, it is feasible.

This is also due to the foreshadowing laid by Chen Qingsi in his early years. Before falling out with the Arab Empire, Chen Qingsi suggested that Li Zhi strictly control the Guangzhou Haidao, severely punish merchants from various countries who violated the law, especially Arab merchants, and detain their people and merchant ships.

The court's move was justified...

Guangzhou is too far away. Located in Lingnan, the imperial court has very loose control over the area. As long as you don't cause trouble and don't cause trouble for the imperial court, you can do whatever you want. The imperial court really doesn't expect to get much tax revenue from Lingnan. It is enough to send a batch of local specialties as taxes during festivals.

This relaxed and free environment also stimulated the rise of trade. A large number of southern merchants and Arab merchants came to Guangzhou, and some even settled there for a long time to do business. This is why Huang Chao massacred tens of thousands of Arab merchants in Guangzhou.

Businessmen are all profit-driven. They will exploit legal loopholes and will never pay any taxes that can be evaded.

So when the imperial court sent officials to Guangzhou, from the governor to the clerks and merchants, they were really purged.

If we were not fully prepared, with the Censor in front and the army behind, there would definitely be a riot.

The imperial court disciplined the maritime merchants in Guangzhou, handed over the merchant ships of the Arab Empire to the Ministry of Works and the Ship Inspectorate for research, and sent the merchants and experienced sailors of the Arab Empire to Haidong, handing them over to Liu Rengui and Xue Rengui to assist them in establishing the East China Sea Navy.

Liu Rengui and Xue Rengui learned about a different world through their contact with these merchant sailors. Through their nautical charts and sailing experience, they also understood Chen Qingsi's intention behind this arrangement: the establishment of the East China Sea Navy was not just to maintain peace in Haidong.

Sure enough, when the war in the Western Regions was at its most intense, they received an order to bypass the Lingnan Sea, head to the South China Sea, and go straight to the western Mediterranean to attack the rear of the Arab Empire.

After more than two months of sailing, Liu Rengui and Xue Rengui arrived at the new home of Guanyin Bodhisattva in the South China Sea: at the suggestion of Chen Qingsi, the original official South China Sea was changed to Lingnan Sea, the Lingnan Sea of ​​the Tang Dynasty. As for the original South China Sea, it was designated as the Indian Ocean in later generations.

At this moment, the Tang navy is galloping across the South China Sea...

Hu Yin, mentioned by Liu Rengui, was one of the guides who accompanied the army on the expedition. He was a native of Guangzhou. Because his family was poor, he worked as a coolie for the Arab Empire and served as a crew member. Because of his extraordinary talent, he taught himself the skills of a sailor and mastered certain sailing experience.

After further studies in Haidong, he became a guide for the East China Sea Navy.

Hu Yin traveled by ship many times between the port of Siraf in the Persian Gulf and the port of Guangzhou.

According to the information provided by Hu Yin, they were only two days and nights away from the Persian Gulf.

Since they went to sea, their relationship with the imperial court was completely severed, and the war in the Western Regions was frozen more than half a year ago.

They had no idea what changes might occur in the war situation during their voyage.

It is unclear whether the Tang army won or lost.

Chen Qingsi was also free to respond to their requests.

Once they enter the Persian Gulf, they will no longer be able to hide their whereabouts.

We cannot wait until the enemy discovers us before deciding on our next move.

We must make a clear decision today on how to fight.

Xue Rengui thought for a moment and said, "In fact, I am not very good at commanding naval battles. I always feel that I am restricted and it is difficult for me to exert my power."

The key to naval warfare lies in ships and strong bows and crossbows.

Xue Rengui's martial arts skills were unparalleled in the world, and he had indeed mastered some water combat skills over the years, but he was unable to charge into battle, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

Liu Rengui's eyes were burning as he suggested, "If that's the case, why don't we split up and act separately?"

(End of this chapter)