At three o'clock on the next day, Yin Feng's fleet entered the Bohai Strait one after another under the cover of night, using the stern lantern as a guide. At that time, ships from various countries rarely conducted night operations. Yin Feng learned from later Dutch fleets to raid Britain. Experience on the Thames River. The fleet is often organized to conduct night navigation training using the stern light as a mark.
No matter whether it was Liaodong Port in the north or Denglai Navy in Shandong Province in the south, there were no ships patrolling the Bohai Port at night. As a result, Yin Feng's fleet successfully sneaked into the Bohai Sea. In the Ming Dynasty, although the guard posts along the Shandong coast were well-structured, their locations were uniform. Close to the coastline. There is a distance between them. It is difficult to support from multiple directions. From Yongle to Xuande years, relatively independent coastal defense mobile forces were set up in Dengzhou, Wendeng, and Jimo. The Dengzhou Camp, Wenzhou Camp, and Jimo Camp were composed of "Three Coastal Defense Camps". Dengzhou Camp was built in the seventh year of Yongle (1409). It was returned to Dengzhou to prepare the Japanese capital and command the envoy Si Jie.
The Dengzhou camp has a general commander and one garrison officer. They are responsible for training the army. In addition to defense, they are also transferred to the capital in turn with other garrison troops every spring and autumn to participate in the review. The troops are equipped with gold talismans. If there is an imperial edict to mobilize .It must be reviewed by the Chief Secretary and the government together and combined with the gold talisman before it can be dispatched.
In the twelfth year of Hongzhi (1499), Dengzhou Camp was returned to Dengzhou Dusi and Laizhou Patrol Army Bei Road was jointly controlled. In the 34th year of Jiajing Period (1555), Laizhou Army Bei Road was changed to Dengzhou Army Bei Road. Jiajing Forty-one Year In the year (1562), the Dengzhou camp was under the control of the Dengzhou Dusi and the Dengzhou patrol of Haiphong Road. It became the Haiphong Road Central Army and was renamed "Tuancao Camp".
In the 21st year of Wanli (1593), Dengzhou Town was established. The regiment training camp was divided into two battalions, the left and right battalions. Later, it was organized into the 12th Water and Land Battalion. In the 24th year of Wanli (1596), the capital commander was revoked and changed. The general town of Dengzhou Beiwadu was established. The command office of Dengzhou Beiwadu was changed to the general town hall of Dengzhou. In name, the general army of Dengzhou had jurisdiction over more than 150 warships in the lower reaches. But in fact, more than half of them were vacant.
Today's defense line of the Ming Dynasty is very empty. After the war to aid Korea and resist the Japanese, many naval forces were abolished. Those that were not abolished were gradually turned into vacancies by corrupt generals. The 24th Navy in the early years of Hongwu, Yongle During Zheng He's fleet voyages to the West, these coastal defense systems were not maintained. As a result, during the Jiajing and Wanli years, Japanese pirates, Portuguese, and Dutch took turns invading the sea area. It was almost like being in an uninhabited land. The imperial army must have been in serious trouble before Come and drive them away.
After dawn, on the turbid Bohai Sea, Yin Feng's fleet did not hoist any flags and sailed rapidly northward.
Xu Hongji entered the Bohai Sea from the sea for the first time. He had many feelings. He tried his best to attract Yin Feng's attention and show his talents. Therefore, the conversation was always inseparable from the history of war: "Back then, the imperial court did not accept Yu Dayou's advice to establish a navy. As a result, To deal with pirates and Japanese pirates, we relied on land troops, which caused great damage to the rich land in the southeast. Although the imperial court had a patrol officer, he had multiple jobs. Most of the coastal soldiers were not used to water warfare. Therefore, we used the navy of China Company to Strength. Even if the imperial court mobilizes all the navy to attack, it will not be our opponent."
Yin Feng was lying on the bow of the ship. He had been observing the surrounding sea with a telescope. Behind him, Zeng Shan and Xu Hongji were talking loudly. Although he knew that Yin Feng did not like empty talk and preferred to do practical things, the tempers of the two scholars could not be changed. They could not bear it. They lived at the bow of the boat and started talking. Chen Zhongji was also on the bow and watched the two scribes chatting curiously.
Zeng Shandao: "I heard that Qi Jiguang built the Penglai Water City. I don't know what it is like now. Based on what I have seen today, I am afraid that the Penglai Water City is of little use."
Hearing this, Yin Feng turned around and said: "Penglai Water City. I have seen pictures... I have seen pictures. It seems that the entrance is too narrow. A giant ship like our Dingyuan cannot be berthed at all."
Seeing that Yin Feng had noticed his conversation, Xu Hongji said excitedly: "Now we have successfully broken into the Bohai Sea. We are only a few hundred miles away from Tianjin Guards. The capital is also just around the corner. But the court is still ignorant. This navy is crossing the sea. .Its maneuverability is extremely fast. It can equal one to ten."
Yin Feng thought to himself: This fake Taoist priest is not just a talker. He also has a good vision. He can see the strategic effectiveness of the navy's maneuverability. By the way, why not take this opportunity to test whether this guy who volunteered to be a dog-headed military advisor is good enough. Have real talent and practical learning.
He pointed in the direction of the capital and said: "Mr. Xu and Brother Zeng, when we left Taiwan, we had already studied the information in those newspapers. If you are a feudal official who is patrolling Liaodong, where do you think Liaodong is today? It’s the biggest hidden danger.”
Zeng Shan blurted out: "The Tuman tribe and other Mongols..."
Xu Hongji said: "The Nurha Chibu of the Jurchens."
Yin Feng smiled and said nothing more.
Theoretically speaking, the Bohai Strait and the Bohai Sea are the gateway to the defense of the capital and an important maritime port. The problem is that within three days of Yinfeng's fleet sailing to the mouth of the Liaohe River, no Daming navy ships came to interrogate and question them. Along the way, they encountered We saw a few fishing boats, which were just sloops. When we saw the shadow of the Dingyuan and other boats, we quickly turned around and fled.
Yin Feng couldn't help but worry about the capital of the Ming Dynasty. He said to Xu Hongji and others: "If I lead the entire Chinese army, as long as they break through the Bohai Strait guarded by the Denglai Navy, they can enter the Bohai Sea and directly take Tianjin Guards. At the marching speed of our army, it is only more than 300 miles from Tianjin Guards to the capital. It can be reached in five or six days if it is slower. As for the troops of King Qin from all over Jiliao and Shanxi, it will take at least ten days to arrive... …”
Xu Hongji and Zeng Shan were shocked and shuddered. They had never thought of this kind of combat method; controlling sea power and landing operations. Xu Hongji immediately reacted and said: "Oh, I understand. Our company's navy is invincible in the world. .As long as we can control the sea, we can attack any place within 300 miles of the coast at will."
Yin Feng chuckled: "Don't talk about being invincible in the world. In today's world, there are many countries with stronger naval forces than ours. The Netherlands, England, etc. in Far Western Europe have main warships like ours. There are no less than twenty or thirty giant ships. They are more numerous than us and their equipment is no worse than ours. Fortunately, both of them are in Europe. There are constant wars in their hometowns. It is impossible for all their giant ships to come all the way to China and us. For naval warfare."
…
There was no development at the mouth of the Liaohe River at this time. There was only a small Yingkou, which was larger than a village but smaller than a town.
Yin Feng did not want to scare those simple Northeastern fellows. He let the Dingyuan and the three gunboats anchor far away in the central waters of Liaodong Bay. The Sea Spirit cruised near the beach. He took the Xinxing and docked at the mouth of the Liaohe River. This In recent years, not only government ships have stopped plying from the mouth of the Liaohe River, but also smuggling ships rarely come here. Therefore, the dock facilities at the mouth of the Liaohe River have been abandoned. Yin Feng took Luo Aquan's escorts, and Chen Zhongji, Zeng Shan, and Xu Hongji sat in a small car. The boat docked and finally landed on Liaodong land.
This area is not popular. When the farmers and fishermen saw them coming by boat, they thought they were merchants or smuggling boats from the south. They came one after another to do business with various local products.
Chen Zhongji took a few company clerks to deal with these fellow Northeasterners. Yin Feng took the people and continued walking north. After noon, they arrived at a place called Tianzhuang Terrace. Finally, they met a spy from the Commercial Information Department of the China United Company in the Northeast. This person It was Luo Xuri's nephew Luo Yi who followed him here when he was arranged to come to the Northeast. This man was about 50 years old. He was the former shopkeeper of the Luo family business in Guangzhou. His surname was Jin, and he was known as shopkeeper Jin.
Yin Feng met him and saw that his face was full of exhaustion. He asked with concern: "Brother Jin, you must be very busy. You haven't slept in a few days."
"Where is it? Thanks to the Dadong family for asking. I won't hide it from you: let's put it this way. A few days ago, our home was ransacked by soldiers from the Liaodong Dusi. I was caught and imprisoned in Yaozhou (north of Yingkou) for a few days. Early in the morning I received a letter from Fei Ge from the head office half a month ago. I was thinking that the big boss would be arriving in the next few days, so I spent money to bribe the Yaozhou guard at all costs. Only then can I return here and wait for you."
Yin Feng frowned: "What happened? Why was your home confiscated?"
Shopkeeper Jin sighed: "We are not the only ones whose homes have been ransacked. Many businesses in Yaozhou, Haizhou, Shenyang, and Tieling have been ransacked by the soldiers of Liaodong Commander-in-Chief Zhang Chengyin. In name, our businesses are asked to donate to support military pay. In reality, it is rape. Stealing people’s wealth.”
Shopkeeper Jin accompanied Yin Feng and his party and set out on the road in three carriages prepared in advance. Of course, the soldiers of the special battalion led by Luo Aquan were already scattered nearby, protecting Yin Feng and his party overtly and covertly.
Shopkeeper Jin, Yin Feng, Zeng Shan, and Xu Hongji crowded into a carriage and walked north along a dirt road. Shopkeeper Jin started chatting and kept saying: "Dadong, you said you were going to Shenyang, Tieling Border Pass Look. But you came at the wrong time. The Liaoyang Guardsmen had just had a mutiny. There were also garrison troops in Jinzhou who were in trouble because of the lack of pay from the imperial court. Now the roads are in chaos. There are also rebels running rampant. It has been one year since Zhang Chengyin, the commander-in-chief of Guangning, took office. . Disagreed with Yang Gao, the governor of Liaodong. The two had quarrels in the court and in the local area. Governor Yang withheld the pay of General Zhang’s soldiers, while the pay of the Li family’s army was generally sufficient. This led to the conflict between General Zhang’s soldiers and the Li’s army. And, as a result, Mr. Zhang still couldn’t get his military pay. His subordinates started making noises and causing trouble. Mr. Zhang had no choice but to ask our merchants to donate money.”
Xu Hongji asked: "This Li Chengliang has become an official. Are his subordinates still so arrogant?"
"The Li family is a local snake in Liaodong. After a hundred years of operation, the land is now full of descendants of the Li family. Most of them work in the military. The governor of Liaodong, Yang Hao, has a close relationship with the Li family. The former commander-in-chief Ma Guiyin After he resigned due to illness, Governor Yang recruited the retired general Li Rumei. He strongly recommended Li Rumei as the commander-in-chief. However, he was impeached by the official. Zhang Chengyin, the commander-in-chief of Guangning, was never officially appointed by the court as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong. He also had a bad relationship with the Li family generals... ...In short, the current military and political situation in Liaodong is in chaos. The Mongolian barbarians have raised troops to invade the pass, and the Eastern captives have shown their disobedience. Alas, if it were not for the mission entrusted to us by the Great Master, I would have wanted to leave Liaodong a long time ago."
Yin Feng opened the curtain on the window. There were birches and other trees on both sides of the road. There were stretches of forest and large tracts of cultivated land. However, there were very few pedestrians along the road. Even if there were a few people walking, they would be like refugees. Carrying large and small bags, they hurried on. Wherever Yin Feng and his party passed, the scenery was vast and wild. There were no fireworks. There were very few people. There were many villages and villages. However, they were all closed and locked in broad daylight. Occasionally, they saw walking or farming on the roadside. The local people in Liaodong in the farmland are all dejected, haggard and weak. They are half human and half ghost. It is hard to look up.
Yin Feng was startled: "Oh my god, this is like a military disaster. This is the interior of Liaodong. Why is it so desolate?"
Shopkeeper Jin shook his head and sighed: "Liaodong has been in chaos since the Gaohuai rebellion. Li Chengliang did nothing when he was in office. Every time he sent troops to the barbarian tribes, he killed one hundred enemies and suffered three hundred losses. He had no choice but to kill good people and take credit for their merits, and corrupt and pervert the law. Today, the Liaodong soldiers led by the Li family generals still kill good people and take credit for their merits. They dare not go outside the border to kill enemies one by one, but they dare to kill good people in the interior and take credit for their merits. Therefore, many local villagers have fled to the east mountains for refuge. The people of Liao all said: We have no way to go to heaven, and no way to enter the earth. No matter how long we don't stop taxing, we will all go to the barbarians and live freely."
Yin Feng sighed. The situation in Liaodong was so chaotic. He had never expected it. Such a decadent state. There was no need to wait for Nurhachi to fight. He was already unstable internally. So, is it necessary to continue to inspect the situation in Northeast China? Well. After everyone discussed it, we felt that since we are here, we should first go to Shenyang, an important town in Liaodong. Otherwise, our trip will be in vain.
Shopkeeper Jin said again: "The officials here, no matter whether they are civil or military officials, big or small, are all bought with money. The civil servants have no plan and the military officers have no courage. Those who manage the army and horses will lose the army's money; those who make equipment will reduce the official's money and the army and the people will be happy. There is no time to live, and the equipment is not practical. What is the purpose of the soldiers? Every time they go out on an expedition, they take advantage of the diligent king and blindly loot. The local people often say: The Tatar thieves are like combs. Their own soldiers and horses are better than grates. There are so many soldiers and horses. What's the use of having more soldiers and horses? .Kang eunuchs are monopolistic, love money and flattery, and often punish people and lose people's hearts. Even good officials who are in charge cannot do the right things. Good people who are not in charge are unwilling to stand out. They all rely on lying to get things done... In short, in my opinion, the situation in Liaodong is extremely bad."
In the evening of this day, Yin Feng and others finally arrived at Shenyang, an important town in Liaodong. At this time, Shenyang was actually called Shenyang Zhongwei. Because the entire Liaodong was under the jurisdiction of the Liaodong Capital Division. Administratively, it belonged to the military area of the Chief Secretary of Shandong. Shenyang was an important border military area. However, at this time, a mutiny was taking place in the city. The reason was the same as that in Liaoyang and Jinzhou. The court was in arrears of pay, and had been in arrears for a year. Many soldiers could no longer survive.
Yin Feng and his party were blocked outside the city by the troops of Zhang Chengyin, the commander-in-chief of Guangning, who came to suppress the rebellion. A group of soldiers brazenly attempted to rob Yin Feng's three carriages. Finally, shopkeeper Jin and Chen Zhongji came forward to deal with the problem and gave it to the leading schoolmaster. The lieutenant gave him some silver and claimed that he came to Liaodong to visit relatives. The school lieutenant saw that Yin Feng and his party were companions of scholars. He felt that they had no luck, so he left. After sending them away, Yin Feng and his party had no choice but to come here Spend the night in a jungle on the bank of the Liao River.
What Yin Feng saw along the way was that all parts of Liaodong were in extreme devastation. They could not even handle their own internal problems. They were not prepared to deal with the Jurchen rebellion at all. From this point of view, there should be no problem for Nurhachi to sweep the entire Liaodong. .