Wakoku, Hakata Bay, Hakozaki.

Xiao Mingliang rode on a short Wa horse and looked at the beautiful Hakata Bay, where the water and sky were beautiful, and after a while, he turned around and asked, "This is where the Mongols landed?" ”

"Yes." Chief of Staff Guo Zhongmu said firmly: "According to historical records, from the Yuan Dynasty to the 11th year of the Yuan Dynasty, to the 18th year of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongol army landed from Hakata Bay twice, the first time was in Hakozaki, and the second time was in Jiulong Mountain, which is not far from here. ”

Xiao Mingliang rubbed the short beard of his chin, "Back then, the Mongols had unparalleled combat power, but they couldn't conquer the Japanese kingdom twice, what was going on?" ”

Guo Zhongmu said without thinking: "In the opinion of his subordinates, there are three reasons for the defeat of the Mongols, one is that the season chosen is not right, and both times they chose the monsoon season to send troops, which may be because they had to cross the Tsushima Strait with the help of the monsoon at that time, but in the end they encountered a typhoon and suffered heavy losses.

Second, the logistical supply could not keep up, especially the second expedition, the expeditionary force was huge in scale and needed strong logistical supply support, but because of the lack of sufficient fleet, the logistical supply of the expeditionary force was not mainly by sea but by land, crossing the Korean Peninsula to Hepu on the other side.

The third is that the Japanese were well prepared at that time, the resistance was stubborn, and the quality of the army and weapons and equipment were not inferior to the Mongols, and the two sides fought fiercely for more than a month, but the Mongols did not take advantage. ”

Xiao Mingliang nodded with satisfaction and said, "What do we need to pay attention to this expedition to the Japanese Kingdom?" ”

"Regardless of the navy and army, the quality, weaponry, strategy and tactics of the Japanese army cannot be compared with our army, and our army has always attached the most importance .......to logistics and supply." Guo Zhongmu hesitated for a moment before he said: "My subordinates secretly think that the most noteworthy thing is the typhoon, when the Mongolian expeditionary fleet encountered a typhoon that lasted for four days in Hakata Bay, and the battleships were almost completely destroyed...... ”

"You missed the most important point!" Xiao Mingliang said: "Knowing each other and knowing oneself, a hundred battles will not be defeated, the Mongols knew too little about the Japanese kingdom back then. As he spoke, he turned his horse's head and raised his horsewhip and raised his whip to the east, "We are different from the Mongols, from the day we were stationed in the Wa Kingdom, we have begun to have a comprehensive understanding of the Wa Kingdom, it can be said that we have been preparing for 20 years in order to conquer the Wa Kingdom, and we know the Wa Kingdom well. ”

A horse galloped to the front, and when he arrived, the rider dismounted with a neat circle of horses, and reported: "The commander-in-chief, the general staff has called, and the Maguan Strait has been captured." As he spoke, he hurried a few steps to hand over the telegram.

After reading the telegram, Xiao Mingliang asked, "Where has Yang Xiuqing's New Sixth Army striker arrived?" ”

Guo Zhongmu hurriedly replied: "The fleet has passed through Shanghai a day ago, and it is expected to reach Hakata Bay within three days from Shanghai to Fukuoka more than 500 nautical miles. ”

"Collect horses and prepare for battle." Xiao Mingliang instructed that the west coast of the Maguan Strait was the territory of the Changzhou Domain, and the capture of the Maguan Strait was an all-out war against the Changzhou Domain.

For the Maguan Strait, Yi Zhishu is not familiar with it, but for the place name of Maguan, he is very familiar, because the famous "Maguan Treaty" was signed in the Chunfan Tower of the Maguan Strait, which is a name that every Chinese should know and be impressed!

Only one "Treaty of Shimonoseki" Qing State compensated the Japanese State with 230 million taels of silver, and ceded Taiwan, Penghu, and the Liaodong Peninsula.

Yi Zhishu gently knocked on the Maguan Strait on the map with his finger, "The Maguan Strait has been a battleground for soldiers since ancient times, and it is also a strategic place for the Choshu Domain to painstakingly operate, and the Choshu Domain will inevitably do its best to defend it, and this battle will strive for the complete annihilation of the living force of the Choshu Domain." ”

Yan Yangtian pondered for a while, and then said: "Should the imperial court issue an order to openly conquer the four feudal domains in the southwest, in this way, it is also good to paralyze the ..... of the shogunate." ”

Yi Zhishu nodded, and turned his head to look at Zhao Liewen, "Huifu intends to share the excerpt, in the name of the murder of the monarchs of the four feudal clans in the southwest, a great rebellion, and an unforgivable crime, he will ask for a conquest to stabilize the situation of the Japanese dynasty." ”

Before the words fell, Lin Meilian was reporting at the door: "The big shopkeeper, Prince Yiyun and Prince Yi Zaiyuan came to visit. ”

Prince Alcohol Yiyun? Yi Zhishu frowned, "Please——。 As he spoke, he commanded again: "A piece of Yingying, most of this Yiyun is the general of the imperial court who led the army to conquer the Japanese country." ”

At the gate of the courtyard, Yi Xun and Zaiyuan, who came to meet the micro-service, Yi Zhizhi arched his hand with a smile on his face and said: "Which gust of wind blew the seventh master to Shanghai?" ”

Yi Xun is only twenty-six or seven, and the deliberately eight-character mustache makes him look a lot more mature, and it is not the first time he has dealt with Yi Zhicontent, so he hurriedly bowed his hand and smiled: "King Zhennan is asking knowingly, what kind of wind can there be, it is naturally the east wind." ”

Zaiyuan stepped forward and said with a smile: "Fortunately, the railway has been opened now, otherwise the old man will ......spend half a year on the way to and from Beijing and Shanghai." ”

"The second master should set up a separate garden in Shanghai, and it is convenient to stay back and forth." Yi Zhizu joked that Zaiyuan has come to Shanghai a lot in recent years. As he spoke, he introduced Yan Yangtian to the two, and it was indispensable to have another greeting.

Entering the house and sitting down, Zaiyuan was familiar with Yi Zhi's conversation style, and said directly without going around in circles: "Conquering the Japanese Kingdom, Brother Guocheng is planning to follow the Korean example?" ”

"Not bad." Easy to be content with the simple way.

Jae-won asked, "Why?" ”

"Why?" The corners of Yi Zhi's mouth hooked, and he laughed: "When the imperial court took over North Korea, it didn't seem to ask why? ”

Zaiyuan smiled and said, "This time and that time." ”

"It's the Queen Mother who doesn't worry, right?" Yi Zhishu glanced at him and said, "If the imperial court is in trouble, Yuan Qi doesn't mind taking over the Wa Kingdom. ”

"Brother Guocheng, don't get me wrong." Zaiyuan hurriedly said: "With the example of North Korea in front, what can the imperial court not worry about, just ask casually." ”

"The Wa Kingdom is just a chicken rib for Yuan Qi." Yi Zhizu said slowly: "The establishment of a province by the imperial court to send officials is conducive to the long-term annexation of the Japanese state into the territory of the Qing Dynasty, after all, the imperial court occupies the name of righteousness, and furthermore, the imperial court is financially constrained, and the Japanese state is also considered rich, giving it to the imperial court, how much can alleviate the embarrassment of the imperial court's finances." ”

How much can you believe this? Zaeyuan is sure that this is definitely not the real reason, but he doesn't dare to ask again, for the imperial court, this is a good thing after all, besides, the other party is unwilling to say, so it is useless for him to ask again.

Seeing that Zaiyuan didn't speak, Yi Xun said: "The imperial court has agreed to send 20,000 troops to fight the ....... ”

"Good." Yi Zhizhi said: "In this way, there is no need for Yuan Qi to draw troops from the northwest, rest assured, Yuan Qi will cover all the expenses of the Japanese army, but except for food, in addition, Yuan Qi also needs the imperial court to provide 400,000 stone of grain." ”

400,000 stone grain is not worth much silver, compared to the expenses of Yuan Qi and the widow, it is not worth mentioning at all, Zaiyuan is really embarrassed to let Yuan Qi spend money to buy it, he really can't open this mouth, he immediately said cheerfully: "This is no problem, the imperial court will prepare enough food for Yuan Qi in Tianjin as soon as possible." ”

"Okay." Yi Zhizhi said with his head in his jaw: "How to coordinate the dispatch of troops, the seventh master can consult with General Staff Yan." ”

Hearing this, Yan Yangtian stood up and stretched out his hand to salute, "Please also ask Prince Alcohol to move to the General Staff." ”

After waiting for Yi Xun and Zaiyuan to say goodbye, Zhao Liewen couldn't help but say: "The big shopkeeper really plans to give the country to the imperial court?" ”

"What do you mean by sending?" Yi Zhifen smiled and said, "Is there a difference?" Yuan Qi has no intention of separating himself from the country, besides, how valuable can the Wa Kingdom be after the war? After a pause, he commanded, "Hurry up and draw up the excerpt." ”

Zhao Liewen said: "Send an envoy to canonize, but do you want to do it at the same time?" ”

"Of course." Yi Zhi said with a full jaw: "The canonization of the envoy cannot be delayed any longer, otherwise the Wa Kingdom will inevitably be suspicious." ”

Three days later, the imperial court issued an edict to announce to the world that the four southwestern feudal domains such as Choshu, Satsuma, Hizen, and Tosa of the Wa Kingdom colluded to rebel and commit the murder of the king, and they were heinous. Shao Hengyu, the right attendant of the Ministry of Rites, sent an envoy to the Wa State to canonize him.

Hakata Bay, Fukuoka, East China Sea Fleet Battalion, Headquarters.

Chief of Staff Guo Zhongmu pointed to the large map on the wall and said slowly: "The Shimonoseki Strait is the western gateway of the Seto Inland Sea, and most of the trade fleets of our country and North Korea enter the Seto Inland Sea through this strait.

The Maguan Strait is 28 kilometers long, the central channel is 15-20 meters deep, the west is less than 10 meters, and the narrowest sea area is only about 600 meters wide.

The Choshu Domain attached great importance to the Shimonoseki Strait, and many forts were built along the line, and 120 heavy artillery pieces were arranged, and the Maeda Fort and Tanoura Fort were the largest in size at the narrowest part ......of the strait, and the defensive force was about 2,000. ”.

Of course, Yang Xiuqing knew that the fold was specially explained to his newly appointed deputy commander-in-chief, and after glancing at Xiao Mingliang, he said: "Do you need the cooperation of the army to attack the forts along the Maguanhai line?" ”

"No, I don't." Xiao Mingliang said simply: "The coastal defense artillery of the Japanese State is still at the level of the last century, and the one-color bronze breech guns do not pose any threat to our warships, and our warships can completely pull out all the batteries at fixed points outside the range of the opponent's artillery." What the Army had to do was to land under the suppression of the artillery fire of the naval battleships. ”

"With the cooperation of the navy, this battle will be much easier." Yang Xiuqing chuckled, and then asked, "Is the army equipment of the Japanese army also stuck in the last century?" ”

"Not bad." Guo Zhongmu replied: "Because of the long-term isolation of the country, the firearms of the Japanese country have not improved much, and the rear-loading rifled guns are not even Mini guns, and the front-loading smoothbore guns are still used. ”

Hearing this, Yang Xiuqing couldn't help but think of the situation when the Taiping Army used a smoothbore gun against a Mini gun and endured all the hardships, and couldn't help laughing: "This is a war, it's purely a massacre, ..... is there, how many troops does the Changzhou Domain have?" ”

"About fifteen thousand troops." Guo Zhongmu said and glanced at Xiao Mingming, he had also heard of the famous Eastern King of the Taiping Army, knowing that he was brave and good at fighting and experienced in a hundred battles, he hesitated, he still couldn't help but remind: "Although the weapons and equipment of the Changzhou Army are backward, they are also considered elite in the Japanese army, and they are good at hand-to-hand combat, and this battle is a battle of life and death for the Changzhou Domain, and it will inevitably resist ...... stubbornly." ”

"The Sixth Army is also good at hand-to-hand combat, and all officers and soldiers are fought in a sea of blood." Yang Xiuqing said with a relaxed face: "Don't say that the current equipment can't be better, even if it is replaced with the previous burning sticks, we will not take these Changzhou soldiers in our eyes." ”

It's not that the Yuanqi New Army can't fight hand-to-hand, but it has to admit that the Taiping Army is definitely superior in hand-to-hand combat, after all, the Yuanqi New Army rarely encounters hand-to-hand combat, and the Taiping Army almost started by hand-to-hand combat.

Xiao Mingliang smiled and said, "The combat strength of the Sixth Army is unquestionable, however, we hope to minimize casualties ...... After a pause, he pondered and said: "I think the Sixth Army may be lacking in infantry and artillery coordination, and it is not too skilled in the use of mortars and grenades........ ”

"Don't ......." Yang Xiuqing hurriedly waved his hand and said: "On the way here, the staff officers equipped by our army have explained various tactics in detail, and I have also seen these new tactics many times, I believe that it is better to learn in actual combat, after all, the land war will be dominated by the Sixth Army." ”

Before the words fell, a staff officer hurriedly walked in and saluted and reported: "Report ——, call from the Beijing Division, the imperial court has issued an edict to conquer the four southwestern feudatories such as Satsuma in Choshu. As he spoke, he strode forward and handed over the telegram.

After reading the telegram, Xiao Mingliang casually handed it to Yang Xiuqing, and then asked, "Is there any movement in the Eight Banners New Army of the imperial court?" ”

Guo Zhongmu hurriedly said: "I am assembling in Tianjin, and I haven't received the telegram yet, so I think I haven't gone to sea yet." ”

"The New Army of the Eight Banners is also involved in the war?" Yang Xiuqing looked at the telegram in his hand, his face was depressed, since the Jintian incident, the Taiping army and the Qing army have been fighting to the death, and now they want to join forces to conquer the Japanese country, just thinking about it, he is uncomfortable in his heart.

"You are now the Yuanqi New Army, not the Taiping Army." Xiao Mingliang smiled and said, "The previous Liangzi should have been put down a long time ago. ”

Yang Xiuqing muttered: "It's not that we don't have enough troops, so what do we want the imperial court to mix?" ”

"Letting the imperial court coordinate to send troops to fight the Japanese is not only a gesture, but also a practical need." Xiao Mingliang said slowly: "We are going to completely destroy the Japanese state this time, the current strength is not enough, and the court may need to increase the troops in the future." ”

Hearing this, Yang Xiuqing smiled and said: "I'm worried that the brothers below will feel uncomfortable after knowing this, after all, with the Qing Demon.... The Qing army has been fighting for so many years, and it has long been as deep as the sea. ”

"Don't worry." Xiao Mingliang said: "The Eight Banners New Army of the Imperial Court is fighting independently and will not fight jointly with the Sixth Army. As he spoke, he raised his wrist and looked at his watch, and said, "Order, advance to the Maguan Strait early tomorrow morning." ”