Win the Ding 1617

ps: The war with Qing Yao is about to start, don't you all support it with monthly tickets?

Yangmian near Nanzhili.The ninth day of the first lunar month.

The water vapor blowing from the sea made the air damp and cold, and there was a faint smell of the sea in the air.In the distance, at the junction of the sea and the sky, the afterglow of the sun encrusted the clouds with a layer of gold.The wind on the sea was blowing the flags on the mast, making rustling noises.As the sun went down, the wind got colder too.

Looking out from his own cabin, Wang Chengen was very proud to see that the entire fleet covered almost the entire sea as far as he could see.

Several fast boats are in front of the fleet, serving as sentries and passing messages and orders back and forth.Large and small gunboats acted as escorts on the left and right wings of the fleet, guarding the large number of troop carriers in the middle of the fleet, as well as those supply ships.

From the 29th of the twelfth lunar month when troops were dispatched at Hue Sacrifice Flag, in just ten days, the entire South Central Army completed a lot of trivial and complicated tasks such as mobilizing troops, recruiting personnel, gathering troops, raising supplies and boarding ships, and requisitioning transport ships. The troops of the three brigades met on the sea at the junction of Fujian and Guangdong, formed a mighty marching team against the north wind and marched northward to the south Zhili ocean.

A few small whistles sounded, and bursts of food aroma radiated from the fleet, attracting hundreds of seabirds circling and flying above the fleet, hoping that someone could give them some leftovers.

Wrapping the sea dragon leather robe tightly around his body, Wang Chengen went out of the cabin. Under the guard of several young eunuchs, he wanted to show the kindness and gentleness of an angel.

Outside the cabin, the six flag schoolmen of Jinyiwei stood on duty holding Xiuchundao in their hands.Although they tried their best to put on a majestic and majestic look, but the impetuosity and slipperiness on their faces made people think of the idiom of the monkey and the crown.

A little farther away, there were more than a dozen soldiers led by the armor commanders of the two guard battalions on duty. Although the cold wind made them tremble slightly, they still stood there like cast iron.

"Brothers, are you a little cold?"

Wang Chengen walked up to the leader Jia Chang to express his condolences.

"Is this military uniform a little thinner?" With his fingers, he twisted the fat jackets and leather waistcoats on several soldiers.

"Reporting to my father-in-law, it's thick enough. But at sea, when I was hit by the wind, I was beaten through. My brothers are all from the south. I didn't know there was such a cold weather. So I couldn't bear it."

Condolences to the sentry on duty.Wang Chengen met Wang Dehua who was on the same boat head-on.The two eunuchs looked at each other with joyful faces.Although it was hard work day and night at sea for several days, the complexion of the two of them was not bad.The sea dragon skin and black fox fur robes and hats on his body were all made overnight by the guards of the Han Dynasty. They are extremely warm and show the majesty of an angel.

The two of them said haha, and went to the cabin where the soldiers and officers on the same ship had meals.

In the cabin.There are clearly two camps.

The officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp and the guards in brocade clothes are the same.The officers and soldiers of the South China Army, wearing fat jackets, armor and leather vests, spontaneously gathered in one place.Being determines consciousness.The difference in the living environment of the two parties caused each other to look at each other awkwardly.

As soon as they boarded the ship and set off, a small conflict broke out between the two sides.

From the perspective of the soldiers of the Beijing camp who accompanied the two mission-delivering angels to the south, they were the guards of the imperial mission.deserved to be treated as a guest of honor.Although their pockets were full of Cheng Yi's silver, and they had purchased frantically in various shops in Hue, but when they heard that they were about to go north to King Qin, these old men reluctantly boarded the ship with curses.From their point of view, since the decree has been conveyed, the matter of fighting and dying should be left to these Nanzhong savages. As for the uncles from the capital, of course they want to enjoy themselves in this rich land. A few days, and then slowly heading north to lead the army is serious.

When it was time to eat, several officers of the Beijing camp took advantage of the problem and expressed their dissatisfaction with the food on board.On the contrary, the chief quartermaster who accompanied the ship answered their questions in a neither humble nor overbearing manner: "Our Nanzhong Army has three food standards, large stove, medium stove, and small stove. The sailors eat better than our army because they have to work day and night. Naturally, you have to eat better. You are Mr. Qian, you can go to the middle stove, and every meal has three dishes, one soup, a jug of wine and fruit."

How did Mr. Qian endure this?A greeting will bring people forward to fight in groups.The chief of staff did not show weakness, and led a group of men to line up to meet the enemy.Just happened to be discovered by one of Wang Dehua's confidant eunuchs, and when the two princes arrived, Mr. Qian and several soldiers from the Beijing camp had already been knocked down to the ground, their bodies were covered in grease and soup, and they were still yelling and cursing.The two groups of men and horses were furiously at each other.

"You bastard, if you dare to curse again, I will break one of your fingers with this ladle!"

The chief of staff growled at Mr. Qian with a dark face.

"General, why is this?"

Wang Dehua and Wang Chengen were very polite to the Chief Secretary.

"Biaoxia has met two father-in-laws. According to our military system, officers who are below battalion officers eat medium stoves, and officers who are below first-level commanders eat large stoves. These few think that the food is not good, so they ask to eat small stoves or the same standard meals as you. "The steward pointed to the dishes that several cooks in the back cabin were busy preparing. There were more than 20 dishes, including cold, hot, meat, vegetarian, sweet and salty, which were considered a feast on this ship.

"As for the banquet, my lord respects the two father-in-laws who traveled thousands of miles south and worked diligently on the king's affairs. The special bidder prepared it with his private wealth, and all expenses were paid by the internal accountant. How do you ask the bidder to arrange for these few people? A table?"

The chief secretary is also an old fritter who rolled out in the crowd, so he naturally knows how to talk to people and talk nonsense.As soon as the words were spoken, the two father-in-laws smiled, and immediately sat on Nanzhongjun's side.

"You murderous talent! It's all right to be a tyrant on weekdays! You don't want to repent when you come out with our family, and you dare to be so presumptuous!" That Qian Zong's face was more than three points paler than Xue's, and he immediately begged for mercy.

From then on, although the two sides still did not speak when they met, the soldiers of the Beijing camp lost a bit of momentum.Actually, in all fairness.The food on this ship, especially the middle stove enjoyed by the officers, was better than what those guys ate at their home in the capital. Although the taste might not be as good as his home, it was better than real ingredients, big fish and meat.These guys are just finding fault and getting mad.I didn't want to but kicked on the iron board.

Seeing that the two groups of soldiers just ate there in silence, the two big eunuchs smiled at each other, and under the escort of seven or eight young eunuchs and their personal guards, they returned to their cockpit to eat.

"Although the food is rough, it's not as delicate as Beijing's. But it's full of pride." Wang Dehua pointed at the delicious food and wine on the table with ivory and silver chopsticks.Whole chicken and duck.Huge lobster.The fragrant beef, the copper tripod with the red soup exudes a tempting aroma.

"Wang Gonggong, according to this marching speed, I'm afraid it will be the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. You and I can watch lanterns in Tianjin City."

Wang Dehua raised his glass to Wang Chengen and made a toast.

"Elder-in-law. Our family doesn't dare to be so optimistic. The future will be difficult, but the present is worrying."

Wang Chengen's face was full of worry.

"Where did the prince start? General Li was worried about state affairs. After receiving the order, he immediately dispatched more than [-] troops to collect hundreds of civilian ships and sail masts like a forest to go north. After Emperor Taizong, there was no such a large fleet. It is clear that Guochao ZTE is expected!"

"Eunuch, this is what our family is worried about!" The two young eunuchs were ordered to go to Wang Chengen's cabin to fetch a few booklets, and handed them to Wang Dehua.

"Please look, father-in-law. This is the record of experience written by several officials when General Li invited Guangdong officials to visit Nanzhong before the two of us arrived in the port. It was transferred to our family. , Mining, road construction, fort building, immigration, road construction, to the selection and dismissal of officials, and the rewards and punishments for the promotion of political officials in various places, all have their own system, which is completely different from that in the interior. Moreover, children, regardless of gender and race, who have reached the age of six Those who are one year old must go to school to read and read, and the government will provide meals and books. If the parents and elders of the family dare to hide and refuse to send them, they will be severely punished! After more than ten years, there are many people who can read and write in Nanzhong, but they only teach to make a living. the way of the sage, not the way of the sage.”

"And the selection of officials is also divided into two categories. One is from the village chiefs trained by the so-called Zhengshitang, who open up thorns in the newly opened land to open up mountains and forests, and then gradually promote them. The other group is the previous ones. The sergeants who were injured in the battle, who were not suitable for fighting in the army, were sent to various places to serve as government officials or leaders of the garrison. The hierarchy was clearly defined, and each took responsibility. Although there were concerns about the excessive consumption of money and food, the administrative efficiency It is as high as the arm and fingers, and the command is smooth and smooth. An order is issued from the so-called office, and it reaches the capital city in one day, the county town in another day, and the villages, towns and villages in another day. Important people ask for food, send troops to fight, That is to deal with it immediately in the drinking room. Father-in-law, is there such a place anywhere in my Ming Dynasty?"

Wang Chengen's travel notes and notes became heavy in Wang Dehua's hands.His breathing began to become heavy, and his face turned pale.

"Also, father-in-law. Now my Ming Dynasty is full of natural disasters and riots. If General Li didn't use money and food to support the court, I'm afraid the emperor's life would be even more difficult. Right now, Master Li is loyal to Daming, but as far as our family knows , Everywhere under his command has a bumper harvest year after year, and the tens of millions of acres of land are all good paddy fields. They can harvest rice two to three times a year, and they can harvest about ten stones of rice in a year! There is also the method of intercropping rice and rapeseed, which is very popular in villages and towns. In addition, there are countless fish ponds and six livestock farms. There is no shortage of grain, oil and meat. Moreover, every household has dozens of acres of land, and there are cattle and iron plows. It is not illegal to eat beef in Nanzhong. There are cattle farms and beef cattle farms in every prefecture. According to my father-in-law, how can my Ming Dynasty have such a place now? If Master Li has all the background of my Ming Dynasty, even if he wants to be Guo Ziyi, but if his subordinates have What about those who plan to be servants of the dragon?"

"Pa-ta!" The chopsticks in Wang Dehua's hands fell on the thick carpet involuntarily, and a few drops of oil soup were absorbed in an instant.

"Elder-in-law, there is another fatal matter. From the day of adulthood, besides the right to reclaim dozens of acres of wasteland, the young adults here must receive military training. The young adults must not be less than three months a year." , These three months have been practicing every day! Father-in-law! Compared with Qi Shaobao’s Qi’s army, they are several times stronger! These people are bound to shout when they practice every day, whose food we eat, whose clothes we wear, and whose guns we carry , Whose pay, whose field to plant, etc., the answer is that they belong to the general. Ask again, who are we going to work for? The soldier replied, We want to work for the general. Think about it. General Li, you don't even know there is a Ming Emperor!"

Wang Chengen's words were still going on slowly and peacefully, but following Wang Chengen's words, Wang Dehua suddenly felt that although several stoves were lit in the cabin and he was still wearing a thick leather robe, he still felt piercingly cold.

"Since our family arrived in Hue, we have also tried to contact the loyal men in the South Central Army, but all contact failed. These people have never lacked a single bit of etiquette. However, they refuse people thousands of miles away in terms of politeness. "

"Why?!"

"Father-in-law, the military salary for a long-term armor is five silver dollars for one month, and four yuan for the expedition allowance. The family's land and other income are not counted. Just imagine, father-in-law, how can I, Ming Dynasty, pay more than this?" What’s more, this generation is mostly Miao Yao’s generation. I only know that there is General Li in my heart. I don’t know that there is a great son.”

"As you said, if Mr. Li uses it well, he will be Guo Ziyi, who was escorted by Qingtian. If he doesn't use it well, he will be another Yang Yinglong!"

"No! No! Father-in-law. Yang Yinglong is trapped in Bozhou, where the mountains are high and the water is dangerous. He just wants to be an emperor of Huawai. This General Li's ambition is far more than that!"

Wang Dehua's eyes widened, and several muscles on his cheeks twitched involuntarily.It is even worse than Yang Yinglong, the chieftain of Bozhou, who made the Ming Dynasty almost spend a few dollars saving money, food, soldiers and horses to calm down. Then there is only General Dragon and Tiger, Li Shouhan's predecessor Nurhachi.

"I don't dare to say these words indiscriminately." He looked around carefully, but fortunately, the two people who were on duty inside and outside the cabin were his confidantes.If people from the South China Army listened to it, there would be a shipwreck in Guazhou.On this sea, it is the most simple and reasonable thing for a ship to capsize or sink due to the turbulence of the wind and waves.

"You said that he has a lot of ambition, but do you have evidence?"

Wang Dehua asked Wang Chengen in a low voice.

"Elder-in-law, there is a reason for our family to say this. Look outside the cabin. If there are hundreds of ships of all sizes, if they belong to his Li family, isn't it a violation of the imperial court's order to prohibit the building of large ships?" The ancestral system? If it wasn’t for his Li family, those big western ships would be confiscated without authorization, would it be considered a violation of the system?”

"Also, there are three brigades of soldiers and horses in this fleet, but how many mules and horses did my father-in-law see? Most of them were vehicles, harnesses, saddles and other things on board, but there were very few horses and mules. But Nan The Chinese army also has a large number of vehicles, heavy artillery, and must be drawn by mules and horses. Do you know where these mules and horses come from?!"

"There are so many mules and horses. Could it be that he intends to go to the capital and then recruit them? Or is he thinking of the Taipu Temple and the Imperial Horse Supervisor?"

Taipusi and Yumajian both manage horse affairs for the emperor and the court. The difference is that one is for the court and the other is for the emperor.Even if Jiannu came to the city of Beijing many times, Taipusi and other institutions responsible for raising horses for the emperor could still take out one hundred royal horses and one thousand Taipu horses for the emperor to reward Lu Xiangsheng.

But to ensure the transportation of food, grass, supplies, artillery, and artillery for more than ten thousand people to fight, with so many horses, I am afraid that the Taipu Temple and the Yumajian may not be able to get them out even if they go bankrupt!

"No! No!"

Today Wang Chengen seemed to have eaten something wrong, and he kept competing with Wang Dehua.

"Does father-in-law know where we are at the moment?"

"Isn't it near Nanzhili? At noon today, the captain reported to me that it was near Ningbo Mansion, and not far to the west is the Flower Island and Butterfly Island in Shengsi County! Wang Gonggong, what do you mean by asking our family?!"

"Grandpa, to the east, more than a thousand miles away, is a big island in North Korea! That island has been used to raise horses since the Yuan Dynasty, and the place thousands of miles away is most conducive to breeding horses. Now that island is Guinanzhong Under the jurisdiction of the army!"

Saying this made Wang Dehua gasp even more.

"So this is Jeju Prefecture? This guy is so brave! It's okay to start a war with the rebels without authorization, how to split their land? And don't report a word to the court, this guy! Sure enough!"

"Elder-in-law, from our family's point of view, the horses needed by each department in the fleet at this time will probably be transported from Jeju Island, and then landed in Tianjin. After a few days of training, General Li's troops will be Shibao Ma Teng. This man, if used well, is the extra-large Qin Liangyu, and Guo Ziyi of this dynasty, if used poorly, he is An Lushan and Zhao Kuangyin."

Wang Dehua, as the eunuch who was in charge of ceremonies, naturally had a higher status than Wang Chengen, the eunuch who held the pen. He paced back and forth in the cabin a little restlessly, and ordered the little eunuch to fetch the map.

"Wang Gonggong, where did you learn that the South China Army captured Jeju Island to raise horses?"

"On the day when the ship was loaded and set off, a battalion officer named Tang Huan accidentally leaked it."

Unfolding the overview map of the Ming Dynasty, the two princes found the current location and then went east to find the location of Jeju Island.The two immediately raised two sparse eyebrows.

"Don't move him! Don't move!"

"This place is too vicious, you must not touch him!"

The two princes carefully looked at the distance between Tamna Island and Wusongkou, Ningbo Mansion, Songjiang Mansion, Jiangyin and other court wealth areas, and then thought about the two huge ships that were showing their might in the fleet at the moment.Not to mention anything else, just on Shouhan's newly launched flagship Changsheng, there are more than [-] sailors alone, and there are more than [-] artillery pieces of various sizes on the ship, (this is only on the gun positions on the ship, those temporary The twelve-pound guns, cron guns, and mortars used by the ships are not included.) "If he is moved, his subordinates will support the adult children and come out to command the entire army. In the coastal areas of southern Zhili, even going upstream to cut off the water transportation of the canal, the imperial court will never have peace."

"This person can only be wooed, and he will be wooed with the loyalty and loyalty of the official position, and there must be no murderous intentions."

Wang Chengen threw down a pair of glasses given to him by Shou Han, and rubbed the pinch marks on the bridge of his nose, feeling very frustrated.

"I don't think so!" On the contrary, Wang Dehua looked thoughtful.

"What does the father-in-law mean?"

"The tree has dead branches. Just now you said that Li's army would shout slogans loudly, but I don't think all of them are his buddies. However, this matter should be reported to His Majesty after entering Beijing. To avoid accidents Don't be secretive, scare the snake!"

"Boom! Boom!"

The sound of two trumpet guns was vaguely heard on the sea, and after a while, the captain of the Treader came to the two father-in-laws.

"I would like to report to the two father-in-laws that the vanguard's messenger ship has returned. My lord said that there is an urgent military situation, please go to the ship to discuss."

"You two father-in-laws! Just received the enemy information. Three days ago, Jiannu Yuetuo and others led an army of tens of thousands to attack Jinan, and Jinan fell to the enemy!"

They had just arrived on the Changsheng ship of Shouhan, and before a bowl of tea was served, this shocking news exploded on the heads of the two princes like a bolt from the blue.

"So, I decided that the entire fleet would turn the rudder and not go to Tianjin. It would go straight to Shandong. I will meet Dorgon and other chiefs who built slaves in Shandong!"

Immediately, there was a faint smell of urine in the cabin, and I don't know which of the accompanying eunuchs peed their pants in fright. (to be continued..)