Chapter 1142: Almost as good as the Han military god!
Jinling War Department Yamen, among the official offices
It was the winter season, and the weather was already extremely cold. A chilling winter scene enveloped the earth outside, but a brazier was lit in the hall and there were crowds of people.
The generals of the Jiangnan camp and above, as well as the navy generals from the Hangzhou Guard, Ningbo Guard, and Fuzhou Guard, all wearing military attache robes, sat in a row on nanmu chairs and waited. The servants around them delivered a package
A cup of fragrant tea.
Shui Rong and the King of Chu were also present, holding teacups and waiting patiently while Shaobao and Xie Yue, Minister of the Ministry of War of Nanjing, accompanied them to talk.
Xie Yue is nearly 70 years old and has gray hair. He was also an important minister of the Longzhi Dynasty at the time. Because Jiang Sucheng and Meng Guangyuan, the two ministers of the Nanjing Ministry of War, were dismissed from their posts in the original military ordnance corruption case, the current minister of the Nanjing Ministry of War is a Chinese minister named She Qingzhen.
A senior official has the power to know the affairs of the ministry.
Xie Yue said: "This time, the Jurchen navy is going south. Most of our Jinling navy has been transferred to the south. I don't know if we can resist it."
The King of Chu said: "Don't worry, sir. Duke Wei has sent people to mobilize the Jiangnan navy. They will rush to Jinling in the next two days. Jinling is the old capital of the imperial court, so nothing will go wrong."
Xie Yue said: "I am getting old. If the court needs it, it is my duty to go into battle again."
"Young master, I admire you for being so brave. However, now that the imperial court has strong soldiers and good generals, we will not let the Jurchens attack Jinling City." King Chu said with emotion.
Hearing this, Xie Yue nodded and said in a clear voice: "Gong Wei is indeed a famous general in the world. If there is someone to supervise the army and ask questions, the Jurchens should be of no concern."
The two of them were talking, and King Chu looked at the naval commander in the Jiangnan camp, feeling extremely proud in his heart.
This was the first time that the King of Chu participated in such a formal military meeting, and you can imagine that he was very excited.
After a while, a small official from the Ministry of War outside the Ministry of War said loudly: "The Duke of Wei has arrived."
While he was talking, he saw Jia Heng, surrounded by a group of royal guards, walking from the ceremonial gate to the eaves of the corridor.
All the generals present stood up one after another, all looking at the young man in the python suit.
"The last general has met Duke Wei." All the generals who were sitting in the row stood up one after another and bowed respectfully to the young man.
The young Duke in front of me was cleaning up the mess left by the Nan'an County Prince in the northwest. He won two battles and regained his homeland. He was like the military god of the Han Dynasty!
Jia Heng stretched out his hand to support him and said: "Generals, please excuse yourself immediately."
Then, he bowed to King Chu and King Shuirong of Beijing and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Shui."
"Ziyu, I'm waiting for you." King Chu looked at the young man in the python suit with an excited expression, and his tone was full of enthusiasm.
Jia Heng nodded and didn't say much. Surrounded by the guards in Jinyi Palace, he sat behind a table and said: "The Baoling Hou of Denglai Prefecture in Shandong Province has urgent military information and has fought against the Jurchens and the Korean navy several times.
, there is a mutual victory or defeat between the two sides. Hauge is bound to use his navy to harass our coast, so we need to be prepared in advance. In addition, the Dutch Red Barbarians, Liu Xiang and other bandits have colluded with the Jurchens. The enemy is raising troops in the north and south to respond.
We also need to take precautions early.”
Shui Rong, a handsome man with a fair face, looked solemn and asked: "Now the Jiangnan Navy has been dispatched, but the force does not have an absolute advantage."
The Jiangnan Navy once came from the soldiers and horses of the Six Guards of Jinling and part of the Jiangbei Navy. It was later expanded. If the Korean Navy is added to the navy, the number would be about 50,000 to 60,000.
This time, the Jurchen and North Korean naval forces numbered more than 50,000, so they did not have an advantage in terms of military strength.
Jia Heng said: "The Jiangnan Navy can return part of its troops to the reinforcements. It can first join forces with the Denglai Navy to repel the Jurchen troops from south to north, and then march to Chenzhou Island, and then cut off the connection between the two places in one fell swoop. This will
The first time we used troops was the Jurchens and then the pirates."
Compared with the pirates who were entrenched in Jilong Mountain seeking wealth and more of a conservative force, the Jurchens were sufficiently aggressive and could harass the coast at any time and cause greater unrest.
After saying that, he raised his eyes to look at Shui Rong and said: "Lord Shui, this time we will first mobilize the soldiers and horses of Hangzhou Guard and Ningbo Guard to cut off the Jurchen Navy's southward path. Our army will encircle the two places southward to prevent them from attacking and disturbing the southward movement.
"
Shui Rong asked: "Where are the Hongyi on the big island?"
Jia Heng pondered and said: "There are about 60,000 to 70,000 naval forces in Zhangzhou and Guangdong, and they will all be dispatched to monitor the movements of the Dutch Red Barbarians and pirates to prevent them from going north to collude with the Jurchens."
Shui Rong nodded and said, "Duke Wei has arranged it this way to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Jia Heng glanced at the other generals and mused: "Although this battle is on the water, the infantry and cavalry along the coast must also respond at any time to guard against the Jurchen and North Korean naval forces landing to harass the waters of Susong, Huaibei and other places."
As he said this, he looked at the generals and generals of the Jiangnan camp aside and said: "All troops and horses are guarding the sea frontiers and will report to the enemy as soon as they encounter the situation. There must be no mistakes."
"Yes." All the generals present said yes.
Jia Heng looked at the generals present and began to arrange combat missions.
When the generals were ordered to leave, Jia Heng called: "General Wei."
Below, Admiral Wei Che of the Jiangnan Daying Navy stood up, cupped his fists and said, "Commander."
Jia Heng said: "You wait in the post house first, and then follow me to the Jiangnan Navy camp in Chongmingsha early tomorrow morning."
I remember that Jia Yun, Jia Ling, and Jia Qin are all in the Jiangnan Navy at the moment. They were previously sent to the coast of Fuzhou to exterminate pirates, but I don't know if they have made any achievements.
Among the young generals of the Jia family who went to the northwest, Jia Fang has been promoted to the rank of general due to his meritorious service, and has also earned the title of Captain of Light Vehicles.
Jia Chang was promoted from Qianhu to guerrilla general, and also had the title of Yunqi Lieutenant.
Wei Che handed over the offer, and then left the Ministry of War office.
As time passed, naval commanders from various departments began to return one after another to take orders.
Seeing that everything was in order, King Chu looked at the young man eagerly and asked: "Ziyu, what can the little king do to help the army?"
Jia Heng smiled and said: "Your Majesty is mainly responsible for the supply of military supplies, grain and ordnance. You don't need to worry too much about other matters."
The King of Chu put on his face and calmed down his expression, and said loudly: "Don't worry, Ziyu, the military supplies required on the front line will never go wrong."
"But where are the grains and silver items used?" King Chu asked again.
Jia Heng said: "The Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs will have a batch of grain and fodder. In addition, the General Administration of Customs and Taxation will also allocate a batch of silver to support the war."
The war was fought with money and food. If Chen Han hadn't confiscated his house to take money a few years ago, and the customs had a blood transfusion, these wars would have been impossible to win.
The King of Chu nodded and said with a smile: "In this case, the country will have no worries about food and money."
After King Chu and King Shui Rong of Beijing left, Jia Heng and Chen Xiao also went to a camp near Jiangnan Camp to meet the Portuguese craftsmen living nearby.
After negotiating with the Portuguese Governor in Haojing, Sir Bugalo, to lease workers, a large number of Portuguese craftsmen went to Shenjing and began to cast red barbarian cannons and related ammunition. After teaching the craftsmen of the Ordnance Supervision, some Portuguese craftsmen
The teacher missed his family, and although he was persuaded by Nona, the youngest daughter of Sir Bugalu, he eventually moved to the Ordnance Bureau of the Jinling Ministry of War to help the Han military craftsmen make firecrackers and bullets.
On top of the horse, Chen Xiao held the horse's bridle with one hand and said: "They are now starting to make some flintlock guns, and they will probably be equipped in the army soon."
Jia Heng said: "Approximately how many are there?"
"There are about five or six hundred of them. Flintlock muskets are not easy to make."
Jia Heng nodded, and then he and Chen Xiao, accompanied by a group of royal guards, headed to the Jiangnan Camp at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain.
It was winter, everything was withered, and the cold wind was howling. In a broad camp built with bricks and wood, soldiers holding spears walked back and forth in groups, looking solemn.
At this moment, within the camp
A group of high-ranking generals from the Jiangnan camp had received news of Jia Heng's future early, and were greeting him at the gate of the military camp. Seeing the mighty group, everyone became very energetic.
"I have met Duke Wei." All the generals present said one after another.
Jia Heng held the horse's reins in one hand, and the dark red cloak behind him rustled in the cold wind. He looked at the generals below and said, "All generals, please get up."
With that said, he got off his horse, threw the horse's reins to the accompanying retinue, and then, surrounded by a group of generals, he walked into the camp like a star holding the moon.
"Where do the Portuguese craftsmen live?" Jia Heng asked.
One of the generals said: "Jie Shuai, he's just in the southwest."
Jia Heng nodded and said, "Take me to have a look."
While talking, under the guidance of Jiangnan Daying General, we came to the living area where the Portuguese craftsmen lived.
There are probably hundreds of people, including nearly a thousand family members, who have lived in Dahan for more than a year, and gradually formed a small town not far from Zhongshan.
It was originally in Shenjing City, but because the northwest was too cold, the Portuguese craftsmen moved to Jinling. In summer, the climate here is much warmer.
At this moment, Nona has learned about the arrival of Jia Heng. This daughter of Governor Hao Jing has lived in Han Dynasty for many years and has gradually fallen in love with Chinese culture. At this moment, she is watching two Han women doing embroidery.
Nona put on a Han Chinese coat and skirt, and her hair was pulled into a flying cloud bun. But combined with her face as white as snow, it gave people a refreshing feeling of combining Chinese and Western styles.
Under Nona's willow-leaf slender eyebrows, her eyes were as blue as the sea, staring at the young man in python suit who was coming in droves. The young man had a warm smile on his face.
"Your Excellency Duke Wei." Nona said.
Jia Heng smiled and said: "Nonna, we haven't seen each other for a long time."
In fact, it was only two or three months. Before Jia Heng went to the northwest, he led the Portuguese craftsmen from the sacred city to Jinling south to avoid the cold winter in the north.
Nona glanced at the attendant behind Jia Heng and asked, "Brother Heng, who is here this time?"
Jia Heng said: "There is another war at sea during this period. I came over to take a look."
Nona nodded and said, "Let's go inside and talk."
Jia Heng asked the general behind him not to follow him, and just entered the hall with Chen Xiao.
Jia Heng looked at the girl, his face a little gentler, and asked: "You have lived here for so long, are you used to it?"
"The climate here is much better than that of Shenjing City, but it's still not as good as Haojing." Nona said.
Jia Heng smiled and said, "You must be homesick."
Nona nodded and said, "I haven't been home for more than a year."
Jia Heng smiled and said: "When the Dutch-occupied Jilongshan Island is recovered, Nona can return to Haojing."
We cannot blindly close the country, otherwise we will not be able to access the technological changes in the West at all. Haojing and the soon-to-be-recovered Taiwan will be a window to access the West.
Nona asked: "Brother Heng wants to take action against Hong Yi on Jilong Mountain?"
In the Ming Dynasty, Taiwan was formerly known as Jilong Mountain.
Jia Heng nodded and said: "That place has become a bandit nest occupied by pirates and red barbarians."
"They hijacked merchant ships like robbers," Nona said, seeming to be filled with indignation.
The girl also gained a lot of experience while away from home, and Portugal and the Netherlands were originally competitors at sea.
Jia Heng said: "Nonna, I want to see how the production of flintlock guns is going. Can you take me over to have a look?"
During the First World War in the Northwest, some of the Beijing-based defense troops led by Jia Fang used flintlock rifles and muskets to great effect when facing the main force of Junggar. However, due to production capacity limitations, mass production is still not possible.
Nona said softly: "Brother Heng, let me go and have a look."
With that said, he led Jia Heng and Chen Xiao to the production area where flintlock guns were produced.
Although the Portuguese craftsmen signed a contract with the Han court in which labor was paid in exchange for rent, Jia Heng also ordered people to distribute the necessary salaries to meet the daily needs of the craftsmen.
At this moment, the leader of the Portuguese craftsmen, Golade, led several Portuguese people with maroon hair over, greeted them, and said happily: "The Duke of Wei is here."
The young man in front of me was an earl at first, then a marquis in the next moment, and now he is a duke.
Jia Heng nodded and said: "Golad, how are the batch of flintlock guns we want made now?"
"It's already being built, but it's been cold and freezing these past few days, so the speed of making fire blunderbuss has been much slower." Golade said, complaining: "Your Excellency, Duke Wei, the weather here in the south is getting worse and worse.
It’s getting colder.”
Jia Heng frowned, but did not answer the question.
These Portuguese red barbarians had long wanted to return to Haojing, but they couldn't get over the contract signed by Sir Bugalu and the Han Dynasty, so they could only stay here and serve the imperial court.
On the side, Nona's face seemed a little unhappy, and she said: "Uncle Golade, the water here is not frozen, and I don't feel cold. Uncle Golade, please take us to see the firecrackers."
.”
Golade smiled and said in a low voice: "What Miss Nona said is, follow me here."
With that said, he led Nona and Jia Heng, and everyone headed towards the backyard in a mighty manner.
In the factory area built with blue bricks and tiles, teams of Portuguese craftsmen were busy going back and forth. Outside, there were many craftsmen sent by the Nanjing Ministry of War to assist and help carry various materials.
Every Portuguese craftsman also brings several apprentices with him to observe and learn the craftsmanship.
Jia Heng looked at this lively scene and said to Nona on the side: "How long have you been busy here?"
Nona said warmly: "Let's just go down when the sun goes down. It won't be busy once it gets dark."
Jia Heng nodded and asked, "How many can you make in one day?"
Golade, who was next to Nona, said: "You can't make many guns, just four or five a day, and you have to bring apprentices, and many of the gun tubes can't be used."
Jia Heng came to the vicinity of the iron smelting furnace, where molten steel was being poured, poured it into the stone hole, and said, "Is this the place where the blunderbuss tube is poured?"
Nona said: "Uncle Golade complained to me that maybe eight out of ten gun barrels can't be used."
When Jia Heng heard this, his face looked thoughtful.
Golade said on the side: "If the gun tubes can be used, we can make guns faster."
Jia Heng looked at the iron smelting furnace and said, "Are the officials and craftsmen from the Nanjing Ministry of Industry here?"
Golade said: "They don't come here."
Jia Heng frowned and said: "In the past few days, the Ministry of Industry will recruit some craftsmen who are proficient in metallurgy to help forge the blunderbuss tubes."
At the moment, the Han Dynasty lacks talents in metallurgy, but by pooling the efforts of the whole country, relevant technical talents can be found.
Afterwards, Jia Heng inspected the work processes of the relevant craftsmen and returned to the courtyard where Nona was.
Nona's blue eyes turned, clear and agile, and asked curiously: "Your Excellency, do you want to use a fire blunderbuss to attack the Jurchens?"
Jia Heng said: "These fire cannons are prepared for the future expedition to northern Xinjiang, not just for this war. Hongyi cannons are so anxious that they can't build a few of them."
Later, Jia Heng asked Noona about what the relevant craftsmen were missing, and asked the accompanying scribe from the Experience Department of Jinyi Mansion to record it before returning to the Jiangnan Camp.
…
…
Just when Jia Heng was inspecting the Jiangnan camp and actively preparing for war, at this moment, on the vast sea three hundred miles away from Jinling, under the blue sky, the gentle breeze blew the waves, making a roaring sound.
Ships with tall masts rode the wind and waves and sailed towards the vast sea outside Jinling City.
Hauge stood on the bow of the ship. He was tall and tall, with firm eyebrows. He stared at the faintly visible land in the distance and whispered: "Jinling City is almost here."
During this period, through the battle with the Denglai Navy, the North Korean Navy lost three to four thousand men and did not gain any advantage from the Han army.
Hauge looked into the distance, and in the tiger's eyes under his sword-shaped brows, there was a hint of ferocity flickering.
This is where Duduo failed. He will not repeat the same mistake. He has figured out the true strength of the Han court's soldiers and horses. When Jiangnan disrupts the Han court and returns to Shengjing with the prestige of victory, the Dorgon brothers will also come to Shengjing.
He bows his head!
"Your Highness, ahead is the Han army's water fortress." At this time, Abatai, the small flag leader of the Zhenglan Banner, said with an indifferent expression.
Hauge said in a deep voice: "Send ships to approach to detect the movements of the Han army."
Abatai didn't say much and led the people away.
At this time, Cui Daocheng, the chief steward of the North Korean Navy, pulled out the curtain from the cabin, raised his hands and said: "Your Majesty, there is not much fresh water and food on the ship, and we urgently need to return to port to replenish it."
The North Korean navy came from afar. The ship was originally loaded with grain and fresh water, but a lot of it was consumed in the previous war.
Hauge asked: "How long can the food and fresh water carried on the ship last?"
Cui Daocheng said: "It will probably take less than a month to return to the prince."
Hauge snorted coldly and said in a deep voice: "The people in the south are rich. If we land and plunder them, we can get military supplies. The most important thing now is to defeat Chen Han's army. The land south of the Yangtze River is like no one to us."
realm.”
The solemn look on Cui Daocheng's shoehorned face remained unabated, and he said: "If the navy of Denglai Mansion goes out to pursue us, we will fight on both sides, which will be disadvantageous. Besides, the Han army has sharp artillery and blunderbuss, and we have suffered many casualties before.
.”
After the previous losses, the naval commander had already had the intention of retreating from the bottom of his heart.
Hauge said coldly: "Although the Han army's guns are sharp, our army will not confront them head-on. They will only harass them with ships, go south to the land, and attack the Han coastal counties. If they plunder the goods, North Korea can share half of them."
Hauge may have learned the lesson from Duduo's defeat. This time he changed from his usual recklessness and did not intend to confront the Han army head-on.
Cui Daocheng heard the words and did not dare to refute, so he had to act accordingly.
Then, more than 50,000 naval forces led by Hauge arrived at the mouth of Chongmingsha in a mighty manner, and rolling war clouds once again enveloped the south of the Yangtze River.
