Dragon Sea Empire

Just after the first lunar month, the family of Jinghai King Yin Feng and his family finished their vacation and left Yazhou to return to Taiwan.

At the port of Taiwan, Yin Feng received the news from the front line of the Yangtze River: Jiujiang, Hukou, and Huangzhou were attacked by the Chinese fleet one after another. When the news was sent out, the forward of the fleet was less than 100 miles away from Wuchang.

During this period of time, the Beiyang Fleet, which has no mission for the time being, dispatched almost all its cruisers to the Yangtze River Task Force. The large Fuchuan and Sandboats that went to Shandong to pick up refugees parked in Taiwan Port and Jilong Port. After unloading countless immigrants , Immediately put on the munitions and resumed sailing, reaching the mouth of the Yangtze River.

The Chinese military in Quanzhou, Zhoushan and other places organized fishermen from Fujian and Zhejiang to form a logistics fleet to deliver supplies for the Yangtze River Fleet. They were escorted by Chinese warships throughout the entire process. Sea and water transportation have the advantages of strong mobility and strong carrying capacity. , was brought into full play by the Chinese Army, which started its business by maritime trade.

In this era, no matter which country in the world, sea transportation is the fastest and most convenient mode of transportation, with a large carrying capacity.

Grain in the Yuan Dynasty was mainly transported by sea. It took only ten days at the fastest to go out of the Yangtze River estuary to Tianjin, while the canal water transport took several months. It was also affected by the water conditions of the Yellow River. In the early Ming Dynasty, there was still some sea transport capacity, mainly grain grain. However, due to the implementation of the sea ban, the lack of good sailors and the degradation of ship technology, more than a hundred ships were sunk in the Ming Dynasty's Caoliang within a few years. In the end, the transportation of grain from the south to the north could only be transported by canals...

On the Qianli Yangtze River, the number of various logistics auxiliary ships of the Chinese Army reached more than 100, and there were more than [-] warships of various types, so that from Huangzhou to Zhenjiang on the Qianli Yangtze River, all ships flying the flag of the Chinese Army came and went.

Flat-bottomed sand ships suitable for transportation along the coast of the Yellow Sea and at the mouth of the Yangtze River have a smaller carrying capacity than Fuchuan, but they are more stable. The Chinese Army transformed several sand ships as artillery ships, carrying infantry field guns and cruising on the river. There are figures of Ming troops on both sides of the river. , and immediately opened fire on the ship--the infantry's 6-pound field guns have all used pulled flint to fire, and the rate of fire is faster than that of naval guns. The Chinese troops left behind in Wuhu, Anqing, Jiujiang, Hukou and other places are often less than a thousand people. Most of them are independent battalion-level troops, but none of the 10,000+ Ming troops distributed on both sides of the Yangtze River dared to provoke the firepower of the Chinese army.

In Yanjiang counties where the Chinese army did not attack, the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty hid in the city, lying on the crenels to peek at the Chinese army ships coming and going on the river.

Some bolder common people along the river are still setting up stalls on the shore to do business with the Chinese army: they are all obedient, the pirate army has excellent military discipline, and it is an army organized by a group of maritime merchants, and they like doing business most.

……

Chen Daoheng, Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing, had just become the governor of the imperial court (this is a temporary position given to him by Sun Chengzong of Nanjing Economic Strategy, which can be regarded as a ratification of his control over the military power of the Yangtze River Navy, although at this time Chen Daoheng had only a few fishing boats under his command), his age When he grew up, although he lived a frugal and self-disciplined life, he could not adapt to marching in the wild in winter. Therefore, he did not continue to walk after arriving in Huangzhou, and the defeated soldiers of the Ming army in the brigade continued to run through Huangzhou City towards Wuchang. In fact, at this time There were not many Ming troops who followed him. There were only more than 10000 officers and soldiers from Guangdong and Guangxi led by Zhu Shishou, the governor of Guangxi, and more than 10000 white soldiers from the headquarters under the command of Qin Bangping, the governor of Shijie. The establishment lost its command and became completely stragglers. Many people just blindly followed the banner of "Ming" and didn't know where they were going.

Anqing General Qi Zhongyue still followed Chen Daoheng's big sedan chair, but there were only about five hundred brothers left beside him.

"Huangzhou is the gateway to Wuhan East Road, and I will be stationed here to fight the pirates to the death." After a day's rest, Chen Daoheng convened all the people in the lobby of the Huangzhou Prefecture Yamen to make the above announcement: "This soldier (the Ming Dynasty Minister of War) has Report to the imperial court, please dispatch the elite from the nine frontiers of Shanshan and Shaanxi to go south to defend against the enemy, an emergency report to the governor of Henan has been sent, and the Henan army will also be able to go south in a few days."

Everyone in the hall, including Zhou Qiyuan and others, looked at each other in blank dismay.

The Haikou Army announced that its westward goal was Wuchang, and Mr. Chen announced what it meant to station troops in Huangzhou to resist.

Just as Zhou Qiyuan was about to ask something, suddenly his eyes lit up, he kept silent, and he tugged on the lapel of Zhu Shishou, governor of Guangxi, just now Zhu Shishou was about to say something, but when Zhou Qiyuan pulled him away, he was also a man who had been an official for many years, so he immediately kept silent Word.

After Chen Daoheng expressed his determination, he didn't announce any specific measures. He just asked everyone to do their best to prepare for the defense of the city, and then went back to the backyard with the help of servants.

Zhu Shishou is from Chajiang, Anfu County, Jiangxi. Although Zhou Qiyuan didn't have much contact with him, the two were Jinshi in the same year, and they were also members of the Donglin Party. Naturally, they were easy to talk to. The two walked together from Anqing to Huangzhou, which can be regarded as a shared experience. In distress, Zhu Shishou did not beat around the bush in the posthouse where Zhou Qiyuan lived temporarily, and asked Zhou Qiyuan directly: "Brother Zhongxian, just now you told me not to make a sound, what is the reason?"

Zhou Qiyuan smiled and said: "Master Chen suddenly said that he wants to defend the city here, don't you find it strange?"

Zhu Shishou thought for a while and said: "Indeed, it's a bit unreasonable. Along the way, the Haikou Army's proclamations and dews appeared everywhere, and the boss has also seen it: The Haikou Army claimed that this battle was to prompt the court to open the sea ban. We must attack Wuchang and divide the territory of Daming into two,"

Zhou Qiyuan asked all the servants and book boys to go away, closed the door, and said in a low voice: "This sea bandit army is marching westward alone. It is like entering an uninhabited land, and it is invincible. In front of their giant warships, my court officers and soldiers are powerless. See, there is absolutely no problem for the pirates to directly attack Wuchang, occupy or besiege Wuchang,"

Zhu Shishou nodded bluntly: "Before the Battle of Anqing, I still had a glimmer of hope: the officers and soldiers would have a chance to win the battle. After this battle, I witnessed the scene of the pirate army's cannon fire, the rockets flying across the sky, and the flames after the flute sound. Soaring to the sky,..." At this point, Zhu Shishou's face showed horror, thinking that the scene that night in Anqing had left a deep impression on him, he sighed and continued: "I have only been in Guangxi for a short time, but I also heard that When the pirate army swept through the Qiongzhou government, the officers and soldiers were wiped out quickly..."

Zhou Qiyuan followed with a sigh, and then asked: "The sea bandits have such combat power, why do they always ask the court to open the sea ban, instead of raising troops to directly take the important places of the capital, but instead launched an attack on the Yangtze River, do they not have this strength? ,"

"My Ming Dynasty has a large land and a large population, a large number of soldiers and a large number of generals, and it is the orthodoxy of inheriting the destiny. It cannot be overthrown overnight." Zhu Shishou was a little confused about what Zhou Qiyuan wanted to say, and first raised the banner of political correctness.

Zhou Qiyuan smiled wryly, shook his head, poured a cup of tea for Zhu Shishou, and said, "Brother Zhu's words are naturally justified, but you know who Yin Feng, the leader of the pirates in the East China Sea, is. In the eyes of such overseas businessmen, the orthodox Chinese government is worth a few pennies to those who went to sea when they sailed to the West. Great work,"

"What do you mean: the pirate army did not intend to compete for the world, so they launched the Western Expedition just to force the imperial court to open the sea ban to negotiate peace with them. This may be true, but what does this have to do with what the boss said today? "Now Zhu Shishou remembered the reason why he came here with Zhou Qiyuan.

Zhou Qiyuan took out a volume of documents from his own luggage and handed them to Zhu Shishou: "Brother Zhu, please take a look, this is the so-called five-year plan that the Marine Corps spread everywhere..." He turned to one side of the document and pointed it to Zhu Shishou: "Look, the fake king Yin Feng said here: If Daming doesn't take the initiative to send troops to provoke, the Chinese army...even the pirate army will never attack Daming. As long as the imperial court lifts the sea ban, the pirates are willing to pay a tax to the imperial court every year."

Zhu Shishou has a clue: "...within five years, except Nanyang and other places, we will only fight but not challenge. There is also a five-year agricultural expansion plan, a five-year mineral development plan, and a colonization and immigration plan... Hehe, this The Haikou Army is really... well-organized, although childish and absurd, they are not bandits like Wang Zhi and Zeng Yipeng, who behave in a disorderly manner. By the way, the documents of the five-year plan seem to be the same as Mr. Chen. seen……"

He raised his head, looked at Zhou Qiyuan's half-smile face, and said seriously: "You mean to say: Mr. Chen intends to make peace with the pirates, so he intends to stay in Huangzhou..."

Zhou Qiyuan raised his right index finger and shook it: "I don't know whether the boss intends to appease me, but one thing is certain: he won't stay in Huangzhou City for a long time,"

Zhu Shishou put down the five-year plan that Yin Feng had printed tens of thousands of copies with a movable type printing machine, looked into Zhou Qiyuan's eyes, and Zhou Qiyuan smiled: "I also read the Tang newspaper Xiongtai a few days ago, Jiujiang, Hukou and other places The fall was all caused by the defenders firing on the river first. Tongling, Yizhen, Luzhou, Chizhou, and Madang were all important defense areas for the river, but the pirates passed by and did not attack. The boss also understands. I think He stayed in Huangzhou, he just wanted to confirm whether the Haikou Army really wanted to make peace with the imperial court, "

Zhu Shishou shook his head: "Perhaps my brother is right, but I still don't understand how the pirates in the East China Sea have become such a serious problem in the past ten years..."

Chen Daoheng insisted on staying in Huangzhou. He really had the intention of testing the willingness of the naval forces to negotiate peace. The other meaning was also for his own reputation. On the night Anqing fell, he was also frightened by the artillery fire of the Chinese army and fled out of the city in a panic. He regretted it all the way, and felt that he should have integrity and stick to Anqing. When he arrived in Huangzhou, he planned to test the willingness of the Chinese Army for peace talks, and at the same time, he planned to stay in Huangzhou with a fluke mentality.

The naval fleet of the Chinese Army is like a stroll in a courtyard, criss-crossing the Yangtze River. Whenever it encounters a city that resists provocation, it must be shot down; and where no artillery or arrow has been fired on the river, the Chinese warships will ignore it. , just passing by.

At this time, Chen Zhongji had already stayed in Anqing City to dispatch logistical matters, and the Yangtze River Task Force of the Chinese Army, commanded by Mai Dahai, was already approaching the boundary of Huangzhou.

The two sides of the Yangtze River in this area are the hinterland of the Jianghan Plain. There are countless hills and small rivers, and more are large tracts of farmland. The first month is coming, and although the heavy snow has melted, the weather is still cold and damp.

Most of the Taiwan Fleet sailors who are southerners have never experienced the winter in the mainland. These days, the proportion of injured and sick patients is increasing. Therefore, the ships of the Beiyang Fleet are now the main force. Those sailors who have experienced the severe cold weather in Liaodong was assigned to duty on various warships,