Chapter 387: Whimsical Plan

"Zhenjiang Fort ......"

Yang Gengai asked about the situation of the cannon, and turned to gather in front of the sand table, carefully observing the terrain of Zhenjiang Fort.

"Can the Great Worm River east of Zhenjiang Fort still be able to sail now? I mean can the battleship get in? Yang Gengai looked at the terrain for a long time and asked.

"Back to Your Majesty, there is still a small flood in September and October on the Big Worm River, and it is possible to sail, after these two months, the flood season will go to March and April next year...... the Big Worm River is also a big river, even if there is no flood, the water surface is also wider, and there is no problem with a slightly larger warship...... Sun Chengzong replied, these days have done countless simulations of Zhenjiang Fort, these things are very clear.

"Oh, that's good, I'm going to send a warship in......" Yang said.

"Your Majesty, Mao Wenlong also has a sailor there......" Sun Chengzong reminded.

"Mao Wenlong's sailor? No, his sailor is afraid that he is not equipped with a few cannons, and it is useless to go in, except for transporting things and people, it is useless, I sent people to recruit a lot of Yiren warships in the south, and I am afraid that there will be news recently, the Yiren battleships have a large number of artillery, and they are accurate, if they take advantage of the flood season and drive into Zhenjiang Fort, relying on the sharpness of the artillery, perhaps, it will give Mao Wenlong a lot of help......" Yang Reform thought for a long time and said his thoughts.

"Your Majesty, but you said that you sent the Yiren warship in?" Sun Chengzong looked at him in surprise and asked, the emperor's idea was really fresh, and Sun Chengzong obviously felt that there was a lot of wrongness.

"Yes, I plan to send the Yi people's warship up, but I don't know if the ship can ......go up," Yang Gaiai said, although he said so, but he was indeed a little weak-minded, and he was not sure if the big worm river could drive a warship, especially the foreigner's warship.

Sun Chengzong immediately came to the sand table, carefully checked, and said half-loudly: "Back to Your Majesty, the Zhenjiang Fort is close to the Big Worm River, and it will converge with the Yalu River not far downstream, and it is not far from the mouth of the sea, it may be a little difficult to take the big ship, but the slightly smaller warship should be no problem, especially the flat-bottomed sand boat, it must be able to go, but to go to the ...... of the Yiren's warship, the Yiren's warship has a more pointed bottom, suitable for going to sea to fight, in the inland river, it may not be possible, this ......, the minister really does not dare to guarantee it......" Sun Chengzong thought about it, replied.

Yang Reform also said with the mentality of giving it a try: "Oh, that means that it is better to take a flat-bottomed sand boat?" Can't take the battleship of the Yiren? Yang asked with a little regret.

Sun Chengzong thought for a while and said: "Back to Your Majesty, this Zhenjiang Fort is close to the mouth of the sea, and the water is okay, what the minister can guarantee is to walk on a flat-bottomed sand boat, preferably a centipede ship battleship, the centipede ship has several pulps, and it is very easy to walk in this kind of water, but the Yiren warship, this, is really ......" Sun Chengzong really gave the emperor this whimsical idea to the "town", it was really a bit whimsical, and Sun Chengzong did not dare to give a positive statement for a while.

"Oh......" Yang Reform was a little regretful, and said: "What about the flood season?" So I asked if it was the flood season, could I take advantage of the high water level in the flood season to give it a try? Yang asked unwillingly.

Sun Chengzong was puzzled for a long time at the sand table before he said: "Your Majesty, this ......, the minister really can't guarantee it, but if it is the flood season and the water is high, maybe the Yiren warship can be pulled to Zhenjiang Fort, but once the water recedes, won't the battleship have to rest there?" ”

"Well, that's a question, didn't Master Sun just say that the flood season is nine or eleven months? What I mean is that if there are Yiren warships to support Mao Wenlong in these two months, it will be considered a good thing......" Yang said.

"This ......, Your Majesty, this minister really doesn't dare to say, however, the minister thinks that the Yiren warship may not work, but the Yiren also has smaller warships, which should be able to ......, Your Majesty, this depends on how much water there is in the river during the flood season, if you can afford to support the Yiren warship, even if you use people to pull it, you can also pull the battleship to Zhenjiang Fort to ......, but if you can't support it, you can only send some smaller warships, or use our centipede boats, or flat-bottomed boats, this is no problem, but the artillery is less......" Sun Chengzong was not sure that the emperor's whimsical idea would work, so he could only be sure that he would take a centipede boat and a sand boat.

"Oh, this means that the Yiren's warship entered the Great Worm River to Zhenjiang Fort, depending on the flood situation at that time? Maybe it's okay, maybe not? Small warships must work, but large warships are not necessarily? Yang Gengai summed it up and said. ,

"Back to Your Majesty, yes, it depends on the flood situation to go to the Yiren warship, and the minister suggested that Your Majesty should still take a smaller warship is more reliable, and the big warship is afraid of ......" Sun Chengzong reminded again and again, this river is not better than the sea, and the big ship that walks the sea cannot go in the river.

"Oh, I understand, I mean that the Yiren warship has a lot of artillery, if it can be driven to Zhenjiang Fort, it can effectively support Mao Wenlong, of course, if it is a large battleship, it is also okay to ...... small battleship" Yang Reform said with a smile.

Sun Chengzong listened to the emperor's words, and was obviously relieved, if the emperor insisted on taking the big warship in the Great Worm River, it would be troublesome......

To tell the truth, despite being an imperial party, the imperial party was still shocked by the emperor's words, when did the emperor send people to the south to recruit Yiren warships? ...... this? The emperors listened to the conversation between the emperor and Sun Chengzong, and they were all inexplicably surprised.

Sun Chengzong knew about this, in addition to Sun Chengzong and Xu Guangqi, the other emperors didn't know, and now when they heard that the emperor mentioned this, they all widened their eyes and looked at the emperor with an expression of disbelief.

"Your Majesty, is this serious? Dare to ask Your Majesty, who did Your Majesty send to recruit? Is there a quasi-number? Liu Yanyuan, the secretary of the Ministry of War, was the most dumbfounded, he didn't know any news about this kind of thing, and he was inevitably a little jealous in his heart, so he asked about the situation.

"Li Zhizao, the secretary of the Nanjing Military Department,...... Li Zhizao, you probably all know it, hehe, I'm very familiar with the Yiren. Let him recruit the Yiren Battleship, I'm afraid it was a few months ago...... this matter ......" Yang Reform raised his head and swept the imperial party around the sand table, and saw that the imperial party stared at him one by one, looking at himself in disbelief, knowing that what he said was too unexpected for them. So, he explained with a smile: "Hehe...... do you think it's unexpected? Hehe, this matter is a long story, and it was not prepared for Mao Wenlong at the beginning, hehe, do you still remember the envoy of the Ryukyu Kingdom? At the beginning, I promised the envoys of the Ryukyu Kingdom to restore the country for them and drive away the Japanese Kingdom, but I didn't have a passable warship at hand, so there was a matter of recruiting Yiren warships, which Master Xu and Master Sun both knew about ......, but now, I think it is a good choice to use Yiren's warship to help Mao Wenlong, but unfortunately, the battleship may not be able to go up, hehe, it's a pity that ......" Yang Gaiai explained with a smile.

Several imperial parties were even more dumbfounded, sure enough, it is not unreasonable for Sun Xu and the two to be called masters, both of them are involved in this kind of thing, it seems that the status of these two in the emperor's mind is leveraged, the emperor doesn't know how many secrets there are for the two of them to participate, and several imperial parties can't help but cast envious eyes at Sun Chengzong.

In fact, Yang Reform also said a superficial thing, recruiting Yiren warships, and at the beginning, there was also the meaning of fighting Japan and saving the Ryukyus, but Yang Reform paid more attention to learning maritime combat skills from the West, in order to train himself a new navy, and to prepare for the Korean landing operation at the end of October, but now, Mao Wenlong suddenly went crazy, and attracted the attention of the wild boar skin in Zhenjiang Fort, and wanted to fight with the wild boar skin, then, it is necessary to allocate more resources to Mao Wenlong, as the saying goes, The plan can't catch up with the changes, it's really true, but it's a pity that the water in this Zhenjiang Fort is not very suitable for the big warships to go up, otherwise, if the big warships really go up, hundreds of guns will fire at the same time, and the wild boar skin can only cry except crying.

Sun Chengzong calmly accepted the attention of everyone, and said: "Your Majesty......, I'm afraid this matter has been going on for several months, if the minister remembers correctly, it should be in May......

"Hehe, it's been a long time, it's been a few months, this will, there will be news...... just right, this time, Mao Wenlong fought to the death in Zhenjiang Fort and Dongyu, let them take advantage of the flood season in September and October, and suddenly appear when necessary, give Mao Wenlong a surprise, give Donglu a surprise...... of course, it depends on whether this river can support this Yiren warship, if not, then you can only get on a small warship, but the power is a little worse......" Yang Reform said with a smile.

Several imperial parties are so envious that they salivate, the matter of the Yiren warship, they know a little, the emperor a while ago, but large-scale shipbuilding, in order to adapt to the identity of the imperial party, I don't know much about this shipbuilding, in case the emperor consults, otherwise, the imperial party that has no common language with the emperor is obviously unqualified, so it is not unfamiliar with the battleship, but also has some understanding of the battleship of the Yiren, the battleship of the Yiren is much more powerful than the battleship of the Ming Dynasty itself, and the larger ones have more than forty or fifty Franco machine cannons, If you can hire five or six ships, that is to say, there are more than 200 Franc machine cannons, so many Franc machine cannons to help Mao Wenlong defend the city, this Mao Wenlong is really blessed, just happened to meet the emperor's unpredictable prophet to get these Yiren warships, that luck, it is really not ............, but there is also a pity, that is, this ship may not be able to go to Zhenjiang Fort. ,

In the envious eyes of the imperial party, Yang Reform pointed to the east of Zhenjiang Fort with a stick, and said: "To the east of Zhenjiang Fort, close to the Big Worm River, if a passage can be blocked by warships, then it will be guaranteed to send supplies and materials to Zhenjiang Fort, so that I will not be afraid of Mao Wenlong being trapped to death......" Yang Gai said a little proudly, although his original plan was broken by Mao Wenlong, however, if Mao Wenlong can pull the wild boar skin in Zhenjiang Fort and consume more strength, then, It's not impossible to change your plans yourself.

The envy of the emperors is not good, if those battleships can really go to Zhenjiang Fort, then there is almost no suspense in defending the city, even if the big warships may not be able to go up, even if they go up to some small warships, it is also a huge help, and it is really not possible to defend the city, and they can retreat.

"Your Majesty, if the Yiren warship can really drive to Zhenjiang Fort, then Mao Wenlong will hold Zhenjiang Fort, it can be said that he has eighty percent certainty, but he is afraid that most of this matter will not work, even if he can go, the minister estimates that it is still some small warships, but even if it can only be on some small warships, it is also a huge help for Mao Wenlong, and ......, the timing of the appearance of the battleship has to be carefully selected, you can't go early, you can't go late, you have to go just right, it's best to give Donglu a head-on blow as soon as it appears, and completely destroy Donglu's confidence in one fell swoop, then this battle can be decided......" Sun Chengzong reminded.

"Well, it makes sense, I think so, I go early, then the Dongyu must be scared away when he sees so many cannons, if he goes late, Mao Wenlong will lose too much, or lose the city, then this battle will be lost, it is only mid-September, the matter of the Yiren fleet, it is estimated that there should be news in the next few days, how to arrange, I still have to think about it......" Yang Reform looked thoughtful.

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that in addition to the Yiren battleship, it is best to send me to my own naval warship, if the Yiren battleship is not good, then I will make up for the battleship, although the warship of our dynasty is not as many as the Yiren battleship, but fortunately, the ship can calmly reach Zhenjiang Fort, or transport troops, or transport supplies, or transport the wounded out, so Zhenjiang Fort has a steady stream of reinforcements, Dongyu wants to grind Zhenjiang Fort away, I am afraid it is wishful thinking...... Sun Chengzong said lightly.

Several imperial parties listened with envy, if there was really a fleet to go to Zhenjiang Fort, suppress the Donglu with artillery, and then transport a steady stream of supplies and soldiers up, I don't know what kind of expression the Donglu would have when they saw these scenes, it would definitely be very exciting.

"Well, it makes sense......" Yang Reform nodded when he heard it, using Westerners to train his own new navy, this is a set goal, although Mao Wenlong disrupted his rhythm, however, he can still mix and match, and he can still let his navy "practice", although the plan to use Western warships to fight wild boar skins may be utopian, but it is the same with Ming Dynasty warships, that is, the deterrent power is smaller, and it cannot form an overwhelming deterrent.

“…… Tsk, Your Majesty, I don't know how many Yiren warships Master Li can hire, if there are five or six ships, then there are almost two or three hundred cannons, then the east of Zhenjiang Fort is against the Great Worm River, if the Donglu is attacking the city in the south, and a cannon passes, then the Dongyu is estimated to have no courage to attack the city, Your Majesty, this is really God to help my dynasty...... With these warships, don't worry about the Tartars and don't retreat......" Liu Yanyuan, the secretary of the Ministry of War, was so envious that he was eager to try, and the little thought that sank before floated up again, if it wasn't for the emperor's previous "warning", I was afraid that he would have to propose to the emperor to defend Zhenjiang Fort at this time, he was envious of the Western warships hired by the emperor, and he thought of the power of the cannons of the Western warships, as for whether he could drive it, he wouldn't go anyway, that is, he was addicted.

"Hehe, there should be five or six ships, two or three hundred cannons should also be there, as soon as this fleet appears, I am afraid that the Tartars will retreat, but the key is whether these warships can go up ......" Yang Gai explained with a smile, and he was also glad that Mao Wenlong chose the battlefield, Mao Wenlong did not choose an inland city, if he chose an inland city, then he really has no rut, except for sending people to pile up, except for sending people to fill with human lives, there is no good way, it is really a bloody battle, And there is no certainty of victory, at most it is a miserable victory, or an early copy of the battle of Daling River in the future, maybe it is not Zu Dashou who was forced to surrender, but Mao Wenlong died unyieldingly, and now he chooses a city by the river, even if he can't send a large warship, he can also send a small warship, for a wild boar skin without a navy, it is enough, use "high technology" to suppress the barbarians, this is the established strategy of Yang reform. ,

"Your Majesty ......, the minister thinks that a person with both ability and political integrity and experience in commanding a naval army should be sent to command this fleet......," Liu Yanyuan, the secretary of the military department, proposed.

"This? Don't worry, I haven't figured out how to do this yet, these warships have not yet arrived in Tianjin, and when we arrive in Tianjin, we will know the specific number of arrivals, and then we will form a new fleet with the warships of our dynasty, and when we get to the Yalu River, we will say that if we can get on the best, if we can't, we will get on small warships...... Let's talk about it then, the time of the attack is very critical, this is not mature for the time being, I have to think about it again, let me think about it again......" Yang Reform thought about it and said, this matter is very important, and it can't be decided in a hurry, this fleet is going to have a decisive effect, as soon as it appears, it is necessary to completely deter the wild boar skin, so as to end the battle of Zhenjiang Fort, so that the wild boar skin can not see the hope of victory, therefore, the timing of the battleship is very important, this has to be cautious, go early, scare the wild boar skin away early, It can't play the role of consuming strength, and Mao Wenlong suffered a big loss if he went late, and he couldn't make it.

"Hehe, this matter of the Yiren fleet, please keep it secret, don't mention this matter to anyone, so as not to leak the rumors...... I have to think about this matter again." Yang Gaiai laughed and thought for a while, but there was no good plan, so he ordered everyone to keep it secret.

"Obey the ......order," replied the emperors in unison.

"That's all for the Yiren warship, as for the matter of sending troops, I think Mao Wenlong is the commander of Dongjiang Town, and there are still a lot of defenders on his Phi Island, there will definitely be some arrangements, I am still here for the time being, mainly to support materials, in addition to grenades, I have to support some Franco cannons in the past, this time I am afraid that Dongyu will transport some cannons to attack the city, Daban, send a decree to Sun Yuanhua, bring some thousand catties of Franc machines from him to Zhenjiang Fort to ......, to suppress the artillery ...... of Dongyu, as soon as possible, It is best to transport it before the arrival ......of the Donglu brigade, although Mao Wenlong has some artillery, I am afraid that I will not be able to suppress the artillery of Donglu......" Yang Gengai thought for a moment and gave an order.

"Slave and maid obey ......the order," Wang Chengen agreed.

"Master Sun, please select a group of elites from the new army, prepare to support Mao Wenlong, and after the selection, transport them to Phi Dao by big ship, which is close to Zhenjiang Fort, and if you need support, you can also ......deploy it in time," Yang Gengai said.

"Your Minister......'s Order," Sun Chengzong agreed.

"In addition, the Ministry of War, we must do a good job in the statistics of this battle, as well as the pension, these, send people over as soon as possible, do a good job of statistics and identification, I can also put rewards, pensions, burn silver and the like, this time, I must be as soon as possible, don't wait until the battle is over to do this, I want to fight while fighting, while counting, while distributing rewards, while dealing with the aftermath, I want to see, whether it is the number of people in the East or the amount of silver in me......" Yang Gai commanded again.

"The minister's decree ......," Liu Yanyuan, the secretary of the military department, agreed loudly.

"The household department is ......, the household department is ......, and the household department is ......" Yang Reform was puzzled for a long time, and didn't know what job to assign to the household department, this household department is a pit father's department, he is a poor bastard, and he can't get a penny, and now he can't be called a reward, and it can't be done to let him pay for food, it's really a pit father, if it weren't for Bi Ziyan being a scholar, Yang Reform is afraid that he won't leave the household department to discuss things here.

Bi Ziyan looked at the emperor very embarrassed, the emperor didn't say anything for a long time, and when he thought that he didn't have a penny in the household department, he couldn't give the emperor a trace of worry, Bi Ziyan felt embarrassed.

"The household department should do its job well, as soon as possible to collect the additional land collection this year, now many places have to use money, and now Zhenjiang Fort is going to fight again, and the money is tight......" Yang reformed the household department for a long time, did not say anything, so he pulled out the matter that is 108,000 miles away from Zhenjiang Fort and talked about it.

"The minister obeys the order...... Bi Ziyan was very embarrassed, bowed his head and replied, he didn't have the face to see the emperor.

The expenses of Dongjiang Town are all from the internal funds, and the materials for reinforcements in this war are also the money from the internal funds, and most of the silver money and materials do not need to go to the hands of the household department, and the household department has almost no role in this war.