The key is that such a large-scale fleet entering the Yangtze River can easily be discovered by ships traveling on the river. It is difficult to say whether this will leak the news.
But now that things have come to this, we can only move forward without retreating, and there is no turning back.
"Is there any good way to avoid being discovered by the Huaiyang Army in Yangzhou and discovered by Nanjing to the greatest extent?"
The fleet finally set sail, and each ship had started to set sail. Only then did Feng Ziying ask.
With the exchanges with the Western Yi, the design principles of the masts and soft sails of the Western Yi ships were also introduced here. When the Denglai Navy was established, Feng Ziying encouraged them to build Western-style Clark ships on a large scale. The current Denglai Navy
The division is actually dominated by Clark warships, and also absorbs some Chinese-style fortune ships to transport sailor battalion soldiers. The sailor battalions on the warships are guarded in rounds, and the remaining soldiers will be on duty during large-scale expeditions.
The process is mainly led by Fuzhou transportation.
"There is no good way to enter the Yangtze River Estuary from now on. Although this section of the river is wide, there are many ships coming and going. The navy can block the ships entering the Yangtze River Estuary, but there is no way for the merchant ships coming down from the upstream.
Once intercepted, of course they came down from the upper reaches. When they saw our fleet, they passed by in a flash. When they found us below Nantong Prefecture, the impact was not big, because they went to the sea down there, even if they were above Sanjiangying.
It doesn't matter if we discover it, because it's too late. Only the section from Sanjiangying to Nantongzhou, especially the section from Jingjiang and Jiangyin, if someone really discovered our movements and became suspicious, and then immediately docked the ship and issued a warning to Yangzhou,
We may encounter prepared resistance from Yangzhou..."
Shen Yourong still spoke more objectively, and Feng Ziying also agreed.
"In other words, there is still a risk that Chen Jixian will sense something is wrong and immediately prepare to fight?" Feng Ziying asked thoughtfully.
"It is possible, but to be honest, it is unlikely. In other words, according to the situation you introduced, even if Chen Jixian realized that something was wrong, it would be too late to react. Huaiyang Town should be in a
In a relatively chaotic state, I estimate that even if Chen Jixian wanted to immediately prepare for war, he might not be able to do it, or he would be powerless to achieve the effect he wanted."
Shen Yourong is old and capable, and his judgment of the state of Huaiyang Town is very accurate.
The river wind passed by, and the fishy smell of the water alternated between light and strong. Feng Ziying nodded silently. Shen Yourong's judgment was not without purpose, but a combination of the current situation of Huaiyang Town and an objective view of the various departments of Huaiyang Town at this special time.
evaluate.
Or Chen Jixian could get early warning information, but could he assemble the army in the shortest possible time and quickly enter a state of war?
When everyone is dissatisfied and looking forward to the next stage of affluent and leisurely life in Suzhou and Hangzhou, you suddenly say that you need to prepare for war. I am afraid that the contrast will be too great and dangerous, and the entire army will be destroyed.
Falling into greater chaos, if the Dragon Guard agents mixed in can take the opportunity to make noise, there is a high possibility that many people will directly surrender and be recruited.
"At this point, it seems we have no choice." Feng Ziying spread her hands freely, "Then as you said, let the navy send a few ships to stop the rear to prevent merchant ships from running in front of us. After arriving in Nantong Prefecture, we will start preparations. What I mean is that Wen Zhao's Denglai Town will land from Guazhou Town, and the navy will directly enter the canal and reach Jiangdu City... Shen Yourong was shocked, "Didn't you say Do you want the navy to go to Jinling first instead of entering Yangzhou?"
"In this situation, I think we still have to take Yangzhou first and deal with Chen Jixian's Huaiyang Town. On the other side of Nanjing, I think if Yangzhou goes well, then the Navy will still have time. If not, then Jiangbei will be dealt with. It won’t be a big deal if Niu Sun’s Second Division comes to attack Nanjing again.” Feng Ziying nodded solemnly.
Shen Yourong's expression changed slightly, he stroked his beard and hesitated before saying: "Master Feng, I thought we should capture Jinling first. There are almost no troops stationed in Jinling, and the few guards are not worth mentioning. As long as our navy is stationed in Nanjing, Wang Ziteng will If we dare not openly take a boat to go south, forcing them to choose a place to land, then we have won the initiative. After solving Yangzhou, I think it is worthwhile to rush to Nanjing immediately.
And."
Feng Ziying was also a little confused, "With only one naval force, is it possible to capture Nanjing? I would be a little worried if the naval camp was removed."
"Then leave a battalion of sailors. Huaiyu will follow you, sir. I will take a battalion of sailors to Nanjing. I don't believe that the poor Nanjing Jiang waterproof division and guards can really stop me!" Shen Yourong said brazenly. .
Although there are no border towns in Nanjing, as the southern capital, there are more than 10,000 guardsmen in Nanjing. If a battalion of sailors is blocked when landing and a stalemate continues, it will be difficult to predict the outcome of the war, especially in Wang Ziteng's department. It is still difficult to determine when to go south.
Feng Ziying finally nodded, "I still have some connections in Jinling. Jia Yucun, the prefect of Jinling, is an old acquaintance of mine. I also sent someone to contact him early. I just don't know if this person is brave enough. If he can come forward, If you raise your arms and give a shout, the Jinling Guards may not be unable to be used by me."
Shen Yourong's eyes lit up, "Sir, the prefect of Jinling is still very useful at this time. It is still unclear how much role the Six Ministries of Nanjing can play in the future. The officials of the Six Ministries are all panic-stricken, and few people are willing to listen to them, especially It’s because all the officials in charge have gone to the capital, and those who are left behind are all useless, so if the prefect of Jinling comes forward, he will definitely be able to play a big role.”
Feng Ziying smiled bitterly, "I know that too, but this guy is a bit timid. Let's see if he dares to give it a try."
There was nothing to say during the night voyage. The fleet sailed against the crosswind of the south bank of the Yangtze River. The wind was stronger at night and the temperature dropped rapidly.
The October heat in the south of the Yangtze River has long since dissipated, replaced by the howling autumn wind, but it is indeed a good thing for night sailing. The stronger the wind, the better the forward speed, but it is only a pain for the sailors who operate the sails.
When the sun shone on the sails on the river again, the fleet had already passed Nantong Prefecture.
However, because it is close to the south of the Yangtze River, only the shoreline of the north of the Yangtze River can be seen in the distance.
Today should be the most critical day. As long as we can maintain this speed, we can successfully pass between Jingjiang and Jiangyin.
But at this time, Feng Ziying became more and more calm. Even Shen Yourong admired this young Supervisor Feng. After knowing him for so many years, he felt that this person was really a genius, unfathomable, and every time he got something The remarks and suggestions he made are all to the point and have far-reaching intentions. Only by implementing them can you truly feel them.
Taking the use of Western-style warships in naval warships as an example, long-barreled artillery became popular on warships instead of the previous jumping-on-side battles. Shen Yourong was a little hard to accept it at first.
However, after personally organizing several rounds of battles between this kind of warships and traditional Chinese warships, I found that the power of the Western-style warships' long-barreled artillery was too powerful, almost forming an overwhelming advantage.
Often the original traditional combat mode of the navy is replaced by this long-distance confrontation.
The bombardment battle was fragmented. The flexibility of the Western-style warships and the combined power of the long-barreled artillery were fully utilized, and the other side was unable to organize an effective attack at all.
When trying to jump into a gang fight, it will only work unless the opponent makes a mistake and gets to a very close range. However, if it is supplemented by enough sailors and guns, it will cause huge damage to the other side.
This alone made Shen Yourong unable to understand. How could a civil servant who had almost no contact with naval tactics and ships be able to predict the development direction of the navy?
But the facts proved that the other party was correct, which allowed Shen Yourong to only say that he knew it in his lifetime.
That's why he still follows the opponent wholeheartedly at this age. Of course, the opponent has also given full support to Denglai Navy's components from all angles. This is also a reason.
The number of ships on the river began to increase. After the Navy sent warships from the east of Nantong Prefecture to intercept ships entering the Yangtze Estuary on the pretext of searching for Japanese pirates, only merchant ships were left going eastward.
There are not many ways to deal with these ships, and it is impossible to intercept them on such a wide river. We can only let them go eastward. Fortunately, the two sides are approaching each other. Unless they are alert enough and well prepared, it is difficult to intercept them in such a short period of time. It is difficult to make predictions within a short period of time, dock quickly, and then report the situation.
Of course, if such an unexpected episode really happened, Feng Ziying would admit it.
The journey seemed peaceful, but Feng Ziying felt increasingly uneasy. Everything would be revealed when they arrived in Guazhou Town. Two days had passed. Are Chen Jixian's soldiers still in Guazhou Town? Will there be more troops? From Guazhou At the same time as the landing attack, the navy also had to enter the canal and attack Jiangdu. Feng Ziying had to bet that Chen Jixian could not respond adequately, so that Jiangdu could be captured by surprise in the shortest time. Taking Guazhou would actually become With a back-up ready in case the direct attack on Jiangdu fails, Guazhou can use a frontal attack to defeat Huaiyang Town.
The sun sets and finally another night comes.
The scouts sent by Feng Ziying to the shore to receive intelligence have not returned yet. He will ride his horse further ahead to wait for the first boat and then return to the fleet. This can save time and avoid unnecessary consumption.
The night is as dark as ink.
After listening to the scout's report, Feng Ziying felt mixed emotions.
Fortunately, at least so far, Chen Jixian has not been alert, and the situation in Jiangdu City is still a bit chaotic. Worryingly, Chen Jixian's personal soldiers in Guazhou Town are indeed preparing to take a boat south to Suzhou in Guazhou Town, and their number has increased from more than a thousand to three thousand.
In addition, part of the Huaiyang Army heading south from Gaoyou Prefecture will also arrive in Jiangdu tomorrow, which also means that Jiangdu’s military strength will increase.
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This chapter has been completed!