Ji Tang

Chapter 1026 Battle of Interests
After staying in Xuanzhou for three days, Ji Songben headed east to sea without any stop.

In order to save time, he had already sent a message to Liu Rengui to send a ship to meet him. As a result, he was picked up by three large ships at the mouth of the sea, including people and belongings, and headed south.

For the next half month, he did nothing else but constantly inspect the navy's ships and various supplies. This was Datang's first large-scale maritime operation, so there could be no oversight.

Especially when it comes to warships, he personally inspects all kinds of materials, and even all kinds of weapons have to be tested one by one before he can feel confident!
"Mr. Hao, are you too careful? We have checked these no less than ten times. There will be no problem."

Liu Rengui couldn't bear to be around him anymore, and he complained endlessly.

"You know shit!"

Ji Song glared at the boy and continued to work on his own.

"Here, here, and here!"

Ji Song clicked on the locations of several islands on the chart and asked, "Have these places been inspected on the spot? Are the freshwater resources on the island enough for 2 people to use them for more than one month?"

Hearing this, Liu Rengui looked at the sea map and said, "I checked, and there is living water on these islands. I have personally tasted it, and there is nothing wrong with the water."

"What about here? What's going on with the local indigenous people? Is there anything unusual?"

Ji Song nodded and pointed to a large island.

"I didn't pay attention to this! However, this has nothing to do with our operation, right?"

Ji Song raised his head and looked at him, knowing that Liu Rengui felt guilty, so he looked away.

"As a general, in order to worry about victory, you must first worry about defeat. Another saying: Know yourself and your enemy and you will win every battle. If you don't even understand the surrounding situation on the battlefield, you won't know how you lost."

"I don't want to collect your body for you!"

"Go, send someone to check immediately!"

"promise!"

These Liu Rengui didn't talk nonsense and sent people out quickly.

"The other indigenous countries must also find out their intentions for this war. They are not asked to help the Tang Dynasty, but they must not be allowed to become enemies. They have lived in this sea area for generations. To say that they are familiar with it, They are far more familiar with it than any of us. Once we turn them against the enemy, it will be extremely detrimental to us."

"The water conditions in various places are also very important. Where there are reefs, where there is shelter from wind and waves, and where there are frequent shipwrecks in the sea, you must be familiar with these! The sea is different from the land, and naval battles are more subversive than land battles. For commanders The requirements will be higher, and the requirements for soldiers will be correspondingly higher."

"On land, as long as you have strength, you can kill people. But not at sea. First of all, you must know how to use water. A naval officer who doesn't know how to use water is worse than a woman!"

"The commanders of each ship must have corresponding maritime knowledge, be able to identify directions, be familiar with routes, and understand formation coordination, etc. It can be said that a warship commander is an all-rounder. It is not easy to cultivate talents, and a qualified talent is even more Not easy."

Looking at Liu Rengui who had lowered his head, Ji Song frowned and said, "Look up!"

"Yes, Chief Manager!"

"You have to understand that fighting at sea and fighting on rivers are completely different concepts. And what we are facing this time is not water bandits, not pirates, and not a group of petty thieves. They are an empire whose civilization is not inferior to the civilization of the Central Plains. , if you still have the thought of contempt, get back as soon as possible, the Tang Dynasty does not need such an arrogant general!"

Liu Rengui's expression changed, and he quickly knelt down on one knee and said, "General Manager, I realize my mistake!"

"Ok!"

Ji Song stepped forward to help him up and said earnestly: "Both you and I have experienced a large-scale naval battle for the first time. There has never been such a large-scale naval battle in the Central Plains since ancient times. The previous Emperor Yang of Sui attacked Goguryeo by sea. At most, it is just transporting troops from the sea, which is not considered a naval battle at all. The number of warships sent by the enemy and ours this time, their sophistication, and their large displacement are absolutely unprecedented."

That's right.This naval battle was indeed as Ji Song said, unprecedented.

The Tang Dynasty sent out 130 five warships of five thousand stone, and more than five hundred other auxiliary ships and ships of five thousand stone.The enemy was not to be outdone, perhaps because they knew about Datang's actions.Dashi's side also mobilized more than [-] ships of five thousand stone from the country, and even more ships of less than five thousand stone.Including any traitor from the Pei family, there were twice as many ships as the Tang Dynasty.

This is a bit scary. Since the beginning of civilization, there have been scenes of naval battles involving thousands of warships in this world?
To be honest, Ji Song's palms were a little sweaty.

Not afraid, but worried that once he loses, the opponent will inevitably march in with a great victory, and the North Sea Navy fleet will be unable to stop it.By then, there will never be peace along the coast of Datang!
Although he knew that Tang Dynasty would have a battle on the sea after the family went to sea, he did not expect that it would come so quickly, so fiercely, with such a large scale, so many warships, and so many people participating, it was absolutely unprecedented.

Since the opening of the Silk Road in the former Sui Dynasty, the Western Arab world has been at the center of trade between the East and the West. They have made a lot of profits by relying on their unique position.

This is their fundamental interest. Once someone touches it, they will definitely be their mortal enemy and will fight to the death.After the Tang Dynasty let the aristocratic family go to sea, I don't know whether it was because the accumulation of people in the aristocratic family for thousands of years was too terrible, or because they moved too fast.

In just a few years, some people have established a foothold on the sea.

Compared with Dashi, the important nodes of the maritime trade routes were closer to the Tang Dynasty. The family's development at sea in recent years allowed them to see the possibility of breaking through their land blockade.Once Datang breaks through at sea, in order to obtain higher profits, do you think Datang will simply get rid of them and trade directly with the Western world from the sea?
No need to think, it will be inevitable.

Once this happens, their blockade on land will open up a big hole that cannot be blocked.If the Western world knew about this, do you think they would join forces with the Tang Dynasty to completely put them aside?

Therefore, no matter what, they will never allow another direct route to the west.

This is a battle of fundamental interests and there is no room for negotiation!

If Datang wants to break through their blockade, a war is inevitable. Whether it is a sea route or a land conflict, there will inevitably be conflicts. This is not based on human will.

Therefore, this is not only Dashi's counterattack against Datang, but also a battle for Datang's foothold on the sea, and an inevitable battle for Datang to move forward.

Therefore, Datang cannot lose!
If we win, the sea routes will be opened, and we will directly connect with the Western world without having to eat food, and we will gain huge wealth.If you lose, Datang will withdraw from the sea war and honestly serve as a production base for Dashi. Dashi will earn high profits by transshipping Datang's products and selling them to the West!

After listening to Ji Song's words, Liu Rengui and Shen Zhen behind him were all covered in cold sweat.

They just thought that this was just a small disturbance on the sea. Although there were big cannibals involved, they were confident that they could win this war.

But who the hell knew there was such a deep meaning?This is not a small naval battle, it is clearly the Tang Dynasty's shipping battle!
If it wins, Datang will completely gain a foothold on the sea.If you lose, everything will be over!
"Mr. Hao, when you say this, the general doesn't dare to sleep now!"

Liu Rengui said with a wry smile.

"Yeah, who the hell knew there were such twists and turns here? If it were me, we would be the sinners of the Tang Dynasty!"

Seeing their looks, Ji Song suddenly relaxed!
"Okay, don't be too stressed. I just have to do my best this time. Aren't you still here with me? When have you ever seen me fight a battle of uncertainty?" "You guys, just keep your heart in your stomach. . I tell you this not to make you worry about gains and losses, but to let you know the importance of this naval battle."

Liu Rengui and Shen Zhen looked at each other, bowed and said, "We will not let Mr. Xi down!"

"Well, everyone go down and get ready!"

"promise!"

Walking out of the cabin, facing the fishy sea breeze, he looked at the stars.

"Mr. Xi is still up so late? But what are you worried about?"

Ji Song didn't look back and knew who it was, Gu Yanzhi. He was originally going to return to Beijing to report on his duties, but he didn't expect to be driven back by a transfer order just halfway through.

This is not what Ji Song meant, but what the court and the emperor meant.Thinking that he had been staying in Mingzhou for more than ten years and knew everything about the sea, he was assigned to Ji Song as his deputy. At least there was no problem in entrusting him with clerical and logistical work.

"It's nothing, I just want to relax myself!"

Ji Song turned back to look at Gu Yanzhi, with a trace of apology in his eyes, and said, "You could go to Chang'an originally, but you didn't expect to be transferred back by His Majesty. Thank you for the hard work this time!"

"What did Mr. Xi say?"

When Gu Yanzhi heard this, he immediately became unhappy. He blushed and said, "Who are you looking down on? No matter how cowardly I am, let alone an order from the court at this time, even if there is no order, I will stay. Follow Mr. Xi for these years. , I understand a truth, wherever you are, you will have merit, you think I can miss such a good opportunity?"

Ji Song was stunned, looked at the serious Gu Yanzhi, and suddenly burst into laughter!
"You, you, you haven't changed at all in these years!"

"Isn't it the same for you? It's just that you are more calm!" Looking at Ji Song, whose face is still young, but whose power is increasing day by day, he is also filled with emotion.

Who could have known that the man in front of him would change his destiny, from an unknown governor of Xiazhou to now about to take charge of the court.Without this person, who would remember him?
Being from a Jiangdong family has completely restricted his development. Without Ji Song's support, his biggest possibility is to serve as governor of another state, go around in circles, and finally retire and return home!
"Yes, time is like a butcher's knife, and it makes people grow old!"

The two were silent for a while, and Ji Song suddenly said: "I have a hunch that this battle may be dangerous. If you want to leave now, I will immediately transfer you with a handwritten letter. Don't worry, I won't blame you."

Gu Yanzhi was stunned, frowned and said: "Mr. Hao, don't say anything like this anymore. If you don't want to come, I have plenty of ways to delay you on the way. Now that I'm here, I don't want to leave."

"Danger? Haha! Your majestic Duke Xi is already on the front line. What should I, a little governor, be afraid of?"

Ji Song looked directly at him and said: "I am not joking with you or testing you. To be honest, I am not sure about this trip."

"It was too sudden. Datang was not prepared to fight Dashi at sea at all. Based on my deduction at the time, the most likely possibility was that they would be in the Western Regions, but that would happen later. No one expected that they would suddenly be at sea. He took the lead and struck so violently."

"You, Yao Chang, and Liu Zhan are the three people I value most. You understand the source of wealth in the sea, and you also understand what the sea means to the Tang Dynasty. I don't want anything to happen to you!"

Gu Yanzhi looked touched and said with emotion: "My life, Gu Yanzhi, is nothing special. It's you who have kept me from wasting my time in this life. This is like a thousand-mile horse and a Bole. Is a thousand-mile horse without a Bole still a thousand-mile horse?"

"But what exactly did you see? That made you unsure?"

Gu Yanzhi was very curious, what was it that made Duke Hao, who had always been invincible, feel troubled?
"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. I should know that you will know. It's useless to talk about it now. The most important thing now is to win this war. Let's not mention the other things for now!"

"correct!"

After Ji Song finished speaking, he seemed to have remembered something and asked, "Is that person named Gou quite honest? This war is extraordinary, and there must be no problems with material preparation."

After hearing this, Gu Yanzhi smiled and said: "Don't worry about this. The old guy knows what he wants, and he also knows who can offend and who can't afford to offend. In addition, most of our people are from Mingzhou. Even if he wants to do anything, he can't do it." You will find out soon. Once you find something is wrong, it is still unclear whether you can command them."

"Okay, in that case, you can go out with me this time. This time I will focus all my energy on the war, and I will leave all other trivial matters to you."

Gu Yanzhi's expression turned solemn, he bowed and clasped his fists and said, "You dare not save your life!"

In a house in Mingzhou, Ji Song was lying on a recliner, drinking iced sour plum soup, while Wu Mei, a little girl, was sitting on the side, fanning gently.

"Master, can you take your disciple with you this time? Please!"

Looking at her master who was concentrating with her eyes closed, Wu Mei finally couldn't help but speak out.

"Fan yourself!"

Ji Song said without opening his eyes.

"Humph!"

Wu Mei opened her mouth with a look of dissatisfaction, but in the end she gritted her teeth and continued to fan herself, but she mustered up all her energy!
"Okay, I knew you were fanning me, but I thought you were holding a banana fan!"

Ji Song sat up helplessly, glanced at the dissatisfied Wu Mei and said: "You girl, can you calm down a little? You are about to get married, and you still want to run around all day? If your junior wife and your mother find out, I'm afraid it won't happen Can you chase me to the sea and scold me?"

"Be obedient and be your bride well. When my teacher comes back, I will officiate your wedding. You will be beautifully dressed and will envy those young ladies in Chang'an."

When Wu Mei heard this, she said with an unhappy face: "If you don't want to get married, Mei'er will always be with Master, okay?"

"Isn't it a bit wrong for you to say this in front of the groom's father?"

Ji Song half-smiled but said, "From the master's standpoint, of course the master would like it, but from a father's standpoint, where will this put your future father-in-law?"

"It's over!"

Wu Mei paused with the fan in her hand, glared at Ji Song fiercely, and said angrily: "Okay, okay, whatever you say is reasonable, I can't tell you what to do!"

"Hmph, I'll fan you far away so that I won't be upset!"

Looking at Wu Mei who was having a bad temper, Ji Song shook his head with a smile and ignored it!

(End of this chapter)