Ren Ning and a group of people stood on a high watchtower, holding telescopes and looking towards the sea ahead.
The vast sea is clearly divided into three parts.
The Jade Dragon Fleet is in the south, and the Zhennanguan Fleet is in the north, guarding the densely packed grain transport ships in the middle.
Wherever you look, you can see people coming and going on the pier.
Countless people lined up in dozens of rows to load grain and fodder onto numerous transport ships, all of them working enthusiastically.
"Master Sheriff, are all the ships almost full?" Ren Ning asked.
"Almost." Liu Yongchun beside him nodded repeatedly.
Although he is one of the top ten prefectures in Yunchui and will most likely become an important official of the Six Dynasties in the future, and Ren Ning is much younger than him, Liu Yongchun does not dare to neglect him at all.
"Back to General, thanks to the people who came from all directions to help. I estimate that it will take at least half an hour for all the cabins to be filled with food."
"Very good." Ren Ning nodded with satisfaction, but his face looked a little strange.
Last year, Japanese pirates made a large-scale landing, and now they have all been driven out of the sea.
It can be said that except for Dinghai Wharf, almost no other places in Huayang County were trampled or ravaged by Japanese pirates.
After the people who fled learned the news, their confidence in the imperial court immediately increased, and they rushed back just after the New Year.
However, most of the fields below have been taken over by Ren Ning and his family. It is estimated that many of the people who came to help will become his tenant farmers in the future.
"The common people come to help out of love and because they think highly of our legions."
"Captain Mo!" Ren Ning looked at the logistics officer of the Starfall Legion.
"Go and do some statistics, treat them to a meal and pay them porters' wages accordingly. We are fighting a people's war, but we must not chill the hearts of the people."
"Yes, General!" Mo Dou responded loudly and hurried down to carry out the order.
"How is the weather at sea?" Ren Ning asked again.
Although it is spring now, the west wind is still blowing near the East China Sea most of the time, so it can be said to be a favorable wind when going to Baekje.
However, the journey from Dinghai Pier to Jinlongtan is long and it still takes five or six days to sail.
Therefore, maritime climate is very important.
At least there won't be the kind of violent storm that has never happened before in a thousand years at the end of July last year.
"Back to the general, the East China Sea Barrier has sent a forecast. There won't be much wind and waves near Yunzhui in the near future, so it's suitable for large and small fleets to sail."
"As for Jinlongtan, due to the long distance, it will take half an hour for the news to arrive."
Ren Ning understood, "Then let's wait."
"What about the Sishan Islands?" he asked again.
"Back to the general, Lord Mo's eye boats are lined up from east to west, monitoring the sea. There is no movement from the Japanese pirates on the Sishan Islands for the time being."
As for so many grain-carrying ships going out to sea together, it is unclear whether the Japanese pirates will move.
"At your request, General Lu made signs in Pinghai County that the East China Sea Barrier was preparing for a large-scale deployment. As expected, most of the Sishan Islands' attention has turned to the south. The pressure on our side is not too great."
"very good."
…
In this way, Ren Ning arranged the work in an orderly manner to ensure that the next task of transporting grain was foolproof.
Li Hebai next to him watched silently until Ren Ning finished giving all the instructions.
"General, we have three general-class ships anyway," he looked at Lu Ping'an next to him, "General Lu's Yulong fleet only has two general-class ships."
"How about we go to sea in a while and we will take the lead at Zhennan Pass?"
Ha ha.
Before Ren Ning could say anything, Lu Ping'an had already laughed and patted Li Hebai on the shoulder.
"Lao Li, if I remember correctly, you haven't been to Baekje yet, right? Are you familiar with the direction?"
"So our Jade Dragon Fleet will still lead the way, and your Zhennanguan Pass will be responsible for the delay. Of course, the road
If anything happens up there, let’s go up together.”
After saying that, he turned his head and glanced south.
Lu Fuhai is still "a guest" at the Ministry of War.
And Lu Yulong is just one of the generals of the many fleets of the East China Sea Barrier, and neither his rank nor influence is enough to command the entire East China Sea Barrier.
He simply handed over his Jade Dragon Fleet to his son and asked Lu Pingan to escort the grain ship to sea.
I am still sitting in Pinghai County, trying to see what I can do.
After all, he has been in the army for many years and still has some influence on the East China Sea Barrier.
For example, they asked the soldiers to fire off safety cannons on a large scale and sound sea gongs to make the Japanese pirates think that the East China Sea Barrier was about to be dispatched en masse to reduce the pressure on Ren Ning...
After a while, the people on each ship began to evacuate one after another, and Ren Ning also received the weather forecast from Jinlongtan.
"Brothers, the weather near Jinlongtan is also very suitable for sailing. This is a good sign and indicates that our trip will be very smooth."
"Everyone, let's get on the boat and get ready to go to sea."
"Yes!" Everyone responded one after another and hurried down.
"Master Sheriff," Ren Ning called out to Liu Yongchun.
He looked serious and said, "We have received the intelligence. The Japanese pirates are determined to give up and are seriously short of food, and they will attack Huayang County in the future. Therefore, everyone in the county must not take it lightly. Stabilize the people's hearts when they need to, and stock up when they need to.
Just keep hoarding supplies."
"I understand." Liu Yongchun's face straightened.
He couldn't help but look back to the west.
There are a large number of tents scattered here and there.
That's where the Central Army Corps is stationed.
After thinking about their record, Liu Yongchun couldn't help but sigh.
"General, please rest assured. In the coming days, in addition to ensuring the smooth cultivation of farmland in various places, the entire county will also try to find ways to stockpile enough supplies to ensure that what happened last time will not happen again."
Ren Ning nodded.
What Liu Yongchun was talking about was that the last time the Japanese pirates attacked, the northern garrison stationed at the dock had only been fighting for a few days. As a result, almost all the arrows, stones, kerosene, etc. in their hands were gone.
If Lu Ping'an and the Gu family's caravan hadn't arrived in time, I really don't know what would have happened.
"There are still a lot of grain and grass supplies arriving in Huayang County from various places later on. I'll leave it to the governor."
Liu Yongchun nodded, "General Ren, please don't worry, I will arrange them properly. If you are missing a pound and a half, the general can ask me, Liu, at any time."
The two chatted for a few more words before Ren Ning left Dinghai Pier and boarded a grain ship in the middle.
Lei Er led two war horses and followed slowly behind.
He opened his mouth several times, but no words came out.
Ren Ning chuckled, "Looking at you, do you want to go to the battleship?"
"A bit." Lei Er chuckled.
Martial people love sharp weapons.
Lei Er only saw the general class when he was doing water training in the Huchou River in the south and in the sea near Baekje, but he never went up there.
At this moment, looking at the big ship approaching Chi Chi, especially the huge black and shiny collision angle, he couldn't help but feel itchy.
"Forget it this time." Ren Ning shook his head, "My military rank is much higher than that of He Bai and Lu Ping'an. If I were on top and encountered the Japanese pirate fleet, they would inevitably be at a loss in command."
"That's right." Lei Er slapped his mouth and didn't think about it anymore.
"If you really want to get to those general levels, you will have a chance in the future." Ren Ning comforted him.
"Maybe." Lei Er responded randomly, obviously not believing it.
bang bang bang
At this moment, the sound of firecrackers signaling peace continued to sound.
clang clang clang.
A series of gongs for going out to sea were sounded.
On the Yulong, Lu Ping'an raised his sword and said, "All warships of the Yulong fleet, set off!"
Whoosh.
The flag is waved.
One by one, huge warships slowly started to move towards the sea to the east.