Shi Lang's face turned red from suppressing his anger, and he said: "A humble position does not have a title, I am just a small general soldier." He didn't know why Liu Ziguang said so about Marquis Jinghai, and thought he was mocking himself for not clearing out the pirates along the coast of Zhejiang.
"It doesn't matter. I have long heard that General Shi is resourceful and very good at naval battles. This time he goes south with the governor to conquer Taiwan. He will definitely be able to become a marquis and a general, and the ancestors will be honored." Liu Ziguang always thought about Shi Lang in The Deer and the Cauldron, and thought to himself that it was really good luck. He collected it for the first time.
Taiwan’s generals are all on their own ships. This Taiwan is really gone. History says that Zheng Chenggong, that is, Zheng Sen, first regained Taiwan from the Dutch, and then Shi Lang regained Taiwan from the Zheng family. In any case, this big country
The island has always had a close relationship with the land to the west. Taiwan, you will always belong to China. As he thought about it, a reserved smile appeared on Liu Ziguang's face again. With these two generals in charge, it was impossible to regain Taiwan this time.
The honor must be in his own pocket.
However, there is also a problem. There is currently a lack of commanders in the army. The Shanghai Navy generals Wen Getao and Yang Nanzhen, who are directly related to him, are both small-time pirates and are not good enough to hold a big position. Zheng Sen is a good prospect, but he
He is too young. He is also the legitimate son of the Zheng family. It is obviously inappropriate for an outsider to command the army of the Ming Dynasty. Wu Sangui's official position is not low. Not only does he have rich practical experience, he is also the top martial arts scholar in the new department. However, he is a landlubber.
This general is even more inappropriate. The only one who can be used is the short, unshaven, and weathered General Shi Lang. According to the files of the Ministry of War, this naval general has been fighting against pirates off the coast of Zhejiang all year round.
, has a remarkable record, and is definitely a rare good general.
"General Shi Lang, what are your opinions on the war in the Taiwan Strait?" Liu Ziguang wanted to hear Shi Lang's opinion and see if he was a handsome man who could control the overall situation.
"Come on, go get the nautical chart." Shi Lang was not in a hurry to talk nonsense. After the nautical chart was brought, he spread it on the case and then started to give advice.
Shi Lang had obviously done enough homework. Even the nautical charts were different from those issued by the Ministry of War. He had made more precise modifications and additions in many places. There were several types of nautical charts, and the small-scale one was an overview map in the center.
Drawing the territory of the Ming Dynasty,
Outside there are Japan, the Song Dynasty, Taiwan, Java, Vietnam, and Malaya and Indonesia. Different countries are marked with different colors, and important seaports are also listed separately. The small-scale nautical map draws specific waterways.
The port garrison and the location of the reef were also marked with precise longitude and latitude with a thin light pen to identify the direction.
Shi Lang picked up a small wooden stick, pointed at the sea map and said: "To seize Taiwan, we must first capture Penghu and then land on the west coast. Therefore, the key to victory or defeat lies in controlling the Taiwan Strait. The currents in the Taiwan Strait are weird and the weather is ever-changing, which is not suitable for naval operations."
However, it is difficult for our army and the enemy is even more difficult because we have the support of Fujian and their rear bases are too far apart. As long as the Zheng Family Army who is familiar with the local sea conditions joins, this battle will be won."
"Oh, General Shi has such a chance of winning. Doesn't it depend on strength in fighting?" Liu Ziguang asked in surprise.
"Sir, with that divine object in the sky, why worry about the Western Yi being undefeated." Shi Lang pointed at the airship in the sky and said with a respectful expression. "I have heard for a long time that Zhenwu Bo's heavenly soldiers are powerful, but today I saw it. As expected, this thing can be
Looking hundreds of miles away, we will be able to detect the enemy before the enemy and seize the opportunity. When the two armies are fighting, they can also throw fire in the air, leaving the enemy with no power to parry. In this way, our army will not be huge.
Win?" Shi Lang said clearly and clearly. It seems that he must have studied many battle cases of the Red Shirt Regiment.
"You are knowledgeable. You have hit the mark on the wonderful use of airships. However, the battle cannot be ended by flying things in the sky. The navy cannot just idle and watch the fun. By the way, what kind of combat power does General Shi's Zhejiang Navy have?
"You might as well talk about it." Liu Ziguang was quite satisfied with Shi Lang's answer. There were contour lines on the island of Taiwan on the chart, and it could be seen that there were high mountains in the east of the island, so Liu Ziguang did not ask such a naive question as to why he did not land on the east coast.
question.
"When the boat divisions fight, they rely on crossbows to shoot at each other from a distance, and they rely on collision and crushing when close. They also use fire attacks and jumping gangs to fight at close range. In general, water battles are all done here."
Liu Ziguang nodded and said nothing. Shi Lang was encouraged and continued: "The Zhejiang Navy is mainly composed of steam warships with one thousand materials, supplemented by two thousand six-masted and twelve-sail fortune ships. The weapons are produced by the Liguo Iron Works.
Iron-armed crossbows and projectile fireballs were used against Western warships. When dealing with pirates disguised as merchant ships and fishing boats, soldiers were required to risk their lives and engage in hand-to-hand combat."
"Although steamships are small, they are flexible and are not controlled by wind and ocean currents during combat, so they take advantage of them. The disadvantage is that they need to carry coal, and they can only travel two hundred miles with a full coal bunker. However, sailing warships do not have this trouble. Freshwater
If you carry enough, you can travel for several months. However, when encountering headwinds and crosswinds, the maneuverability is far inferior to that of a steamship. Therefore, both are used in combination in low-level operations. The steamship is used for fighting against enemies, and the sailboat helps carry coal.
Fresh water can be most effective if they cooperate with each other and make use of their strengths and avoid their weaknesses."
"Yes, I am supervising the southern expedition and regaining Taiwan. It is an opportunity to employ people. What General Shi said is very popular with me. I think you will be the marching director of this expedition." Liu Ziguang saw Shi Lang talking.
As for Tan, he looked confident and acted like a great naval expert, so he confidently delegated part of the command to him.
"Thank you, Sir, for your support." Shi Lang bowed his head in emotion. Although he, the commander-in-chief, was considered a second-grade senior military attaché, he was still nothing in front of an important minister like Liu Ziguang. To be appreciated and promoted by him was really impressive.
What a great thing.
With good winds and smooth water, the Southern Expedition Fleet headed south along the coastline under the leadership of Shi Lang. They did not stop to add water and coal along the way. They just relied on the supplies carried in the sailing ships to march for a long distance. For the majority of naval officers and soldiers, such a trip was considered
No big deal, but for the landlubbers represented by Wu Sangui, this period of time was almost like a different place. Even after vomiting all the contents in his stomach, he was still reeling, as if he had to vomit out his internal organs before he could give up.
However, Liu Ziguang and Liu Maomao, who are both landlubbers, did not have any abnormal reaction at all. Needless to say, Liu Ziguang has a special physique, but Liu Maomao is strange. She has never seen the sea, and she is obviously attracted to this vast blue mist.
I am very curious about the world. I climb to the top of the mast every day to look at the distant scenery. I can see it for a whole day. The farther south the fleet goes, the warmer the temperature becomes. When I set out from Shanghai, I still wore thick cotton clothes. When I arrived in the waters of Fujian, I was in the cabin.
You can wear single clothes inside, but the sea breeze is still strong on the deck. The signal soldiers on the airship use telescopes to carefully search the sea every day, but they find nothing except seabirds and waves. As the war in the Taiwan Strait intensifies
, the merchant ships from Nanzhili, Shanghai, Zhejiang have suspended this route and switched to the Japanese trade route. If the war cannot be ended as soon as possible, the Ming Dynasty will suffer serious economic losses.
Under the blow of the winter monsoon, the fleet successfully arrived at Quanzhou Prefecture. Fujian Governor Xiong Wencan had been waiting in line at the dock for a long time. Quanzhou is an excellent deep-water port. The Southern Expedition Fleet was moored in the port like a child nestled in the arms of its mother.
, the warship dropped a thousand-pound housekeeping anchor into the seabed to stabilize the hull, then lowered the boat and sent the adults ashore.
Liu Ziguang was wearing a red sitting python robe, a black veil on his head, court boots on his feet, and a jade belt loosely wrapped around his waist. He was dressed in the style of a civil official, but he dressed like a civil official, and every move he made looked like a military commander.
For example, when the boat approached the trestle, the old man flew up in a single step. He was more experienced than the veteran sailors. Following Liu Ziguang were Wu Sangui, Shi Lang, Zheng Jing and others.
An old man wearing a bright red official robe on the shore saw Liu Ziguang boarding the trestle and hurriedly stepped forward to pay homage. Judging from the patch on his chest, he must be Xiong Wencan, the supreme leader of Fujian. It stands to reason that the dynasty used civility to control military affairs. Even Liu Ziguang
No matter how high his military position is, there is no reason for a provincial governor to kowtow to him. However, at this time, Liu Ziguang is no longer the young military general he was before. He is now a versatile civil and military man, and his official title is Southeast Coast Supervisor.
Belongs to the category of civil servants.
The official system of the Ming Dynasty was chaotic. A province had a governor or governor, and there were also governors or managers. Generally speaking, the governors and managers were more powerful than the governors and governors. They could dispatch troops, horses, money, and food in one or several provinces, while the governors were more powerful than the governors.
The rank of Jing Lue was still a little higher. After Liu Ziguang completed his mission of patrolling the south of the Yangtze River, his worth increased. Zhu Youxiao no longer regarded him as a simple military general, but as a national scholar who could govern the country and bring peace to the country.
Because Liu Ziguang was young and had little qualifications, the emperor was afraid that the high-ranking and distant frontier officials would look down upon him, so he simply gave him the title of Superintendent Southeast. With this hat, he could mobilize all the officials.
With the soldiers from the Navy Fleet and Coast Guard, plus his status as earl and his position as the admiral of Nanchang, I believe he can still control the situation.
In fact, Zhu Youxiao overestimated the official situation along the southeast coast. Governor Xiong Wencan was still loyal to the court and had been relying on meager strength to fight against enemies from all walks of life to ensure the rule of the Ming Dynasty in Fujian. Without him, I am afraid that now
People in Fujian already have the surname Zheng.
Quanzhou is not the capital of Fujian, but a large seaport city between the capital Fuzhou and the Zheng family's hometown Xiamen. The reason why the Southern Expedition Fleet chose to enter the port here has a lot to do with the bearded man next to Xiong Wencan.