Heavy snow is falling, the mountains and fields are covered with snow, and there is a cold winter atmosphere everywhere. Everything is dormant, and the entire Northland is covered in frost... There are exceptions, such as the 800-mile Taiping Lake and Qianjing, which passes through Yingzhou and Xiangzhou.
The rivers, one is Daze, one of the top five in the world, and the other is the largest river in the north, both are living water.
In a strategic sense, the "Taiping Lake-Yingxiang River Channel" is an important choke point between the middle reaches and lower reaches of the Qianjing River, controlling the main waterways and branch waterways of the ten states downstream. This is also the reason why the imperial court established the Xiangzhou Navy here.
intention.
At this time, a huge fleet was seen, distributed in this section of the river. It was obscured by the heavy snow and could not be seen in detail. The fleet was heavily shadowed, with a flag numbering two hundred.
You know, this is not a small boat, but a large ship. Each ship can hold 500 soldiers, but even with this size, it is impossible to fill the river.
The Qianjing River is so wide that even if the water area shrinks by a quarter during the dry season, the shore cannot be seen at a glance. There are always adventurous smuggling boats smuggling across under the banners of various states.
So small teams patrolled separately, sometimes gathering and sometimes dispersing. They swam like a swarm of sharks smelling the smell of blood. From time to time, they heard the general shouting: "Be careful, everyone, don't let the smuggling ship pass -"
"If you catch one, you will be fined a hundred taels, half of it will be handed over and the other half will be divided privately..."
The black ships with yellow dragons and serial numbers painted on their bows were driven hard through the wind and waves on the river. The officers and men's eyes were red and they were as excited as if they had been given a shot of chicken blood.
However, most of the warships were not far from the exit of Taiping Lake. The generals on each ship seemed to be a little afraid of Taiping Lake. Even though they knew that the Han navy was huddled inside, they did not dare to go in and provoke. But other than that, it didn't matter.
"Bah - in this winter, we can't even catch a few smuggling ships, and we can't take turns..." A captain cursed, the cold wind poured into his mouth, and his cheeks and voice were deformed, which looked a little funny.
But as a fellow countryman and a long-time partner, the deputy general laughed when he heard the meaning: "No, the commander-in-chief has personally boarded the ship. If the Qingjun Prince would come in previous years, it seems that he has not seen him for more than a month this time..."
"I heard from the gossip that he went to the East China Sea..." someone asked in agreement.
"Shh... don't talk nonsense about this kind of thing." The captain's face changed slightly, but he knew that this was the main fleet, so he couldn't help but stop his subordinates from gossiping: "You don't want to be thrown into the water by the law enforcement officer in the middle of winter to wake up, right?"
The men behind them all laughed and lowered their voices: "I know, let's all do our duty well. After this month, it will be our turn to go to the East China Sea to eat meat... The Han navy here is really a turtle."
The captain also laughed and said nothing.
...On the flagship Dangkou ship not far away, the lights were swaying, reflecting a map of the East China Sea together with the snowy light. Sun Xinbo listened to the sounds carried by the wind and frowned: "Who leaked the news?"
The staff said softly: "It must not have been leaked... Your Majesty brought a hundred ships over, and the Xiangzhou Navy fleet was reduced by half. No matter how you use the wind and snow to make false flags and fake ships, you can hide the telescope from the enemy in the distance."
, and you can’t hide it from your own people.”
Those who could stand on the bridge of the flagship were all deputy commanders of the squadron. The dozen or so deputy generals behind them also nodded in agreement and said: "The commanders value the enemy too much. Why is the Dragon's Lock so easy to break? Civil war is prohibited in heaven.
The Taoist order restrained the imperial court and prevented the immortals from exerting their power."
"Unless he, the Immortal Lord, condescends to be a porter...haha..." Someone thought he was smart and smiled, but did not name the immortal.
Sun Xinbo glared at the tightrope walker and said noncommittally: "Everyone knows that the Hanhou Mansion is in charge of Ying and Hunan. The reason for the separation is entirely due to our Xiangzhou Navy. Every year when we discuss merits and rewards, the Xiangzhou Navy always has to do something.
The limelight has greatly alleviated the embarrassing situation that was unfavorable three years ago."
"But receiving the reward is one thing. We have to understand the weight of the credit in our hands. There are still some special circumstances. Don't jeopardize your position."
All the generals looked at each other with confusion: "Why did the commander say this?"
Sun Xinbo stopped talking, and his staff glanced at him and explained: "Yingzhou is not rich in local products, but it conducts bulk trade of raw materials and commodities with the Wei State through the Beimang Mountain Railway. Because the grassland is short of food and rich in mineral raw materials,
, the local workshops are mainly engaged in military industry and heavy industry... and northern and central Hunan are rich in grain production, so they are smuggled through the Xiaoxiang area and the Chimai forces further south. Especially since Chu State has developed farming, the bulk goods shipped are mainly grain and spiritual objects.
Mainly, the local workshops are mainly engaged in light industry."
"This resulted in the industrial layout of the Hanhou Mansion being divided across the river from the north to the south. The two sides urgently needed to compensate for each other, and the transportation demand was very large. For this reason, there was a lot of hoarding on both sides. The immortal would occasionally personally escort the fleet for ferry shipping. Our Hunan
The state navy's blockade will not be fatal..."
He said with a wry smile. After all, he was still very optimistic about this strategy at the beginning. After a brief pause, he changed his tune: "Fortunately, the impact is still great. The north and south sides are the leaders of the manufacturing industry chain in the North, but they need to trade along the long river. This
It would be impossible to escort the entire journey."
"The intelligence investigated over the years has been very detailed. The characteristic of the Huoling Steam Workshop production line is that every time it stops, the equipment needs to be readjusted. Not to mention the losses, there are also equipment depreciation costs, employee labor costs, and channel maintenance costs.
Due to raw material storage fees, the entire Hanhou Mansion cannot stop running for a day, so it must keep dumping externally at all times. Even if it is dumped at a low price, the production line cannot be stopped in vain."
"Three years of blockade and silence have reduced the voice of the Hanhou Mansion a lot. Originally, the higher prices in the mainland could make a lot of profits, but the final selling price was the same as the price shipped to the Northern Wei Dynasty. Most of the dividends from the sale were lost to the Hanhou Mansion.
A lot - or this kind of containment is the real purpose of the imperial court's blockade - but it also makes other forces jealous and pounce on it. We are just an insurance chain to allow everyone to act in unison and not undermine each other, thus forcing the Hanhou Mansion to spit out dividends...
…”
All the generals suddenly understood after hearing this, and they all expressed regret: "It's a pity that we can't coordinate the Northern Wei Dynasty, otherwise we can really seal it."
"When will Outland blow up that railway..."
Sun Xinbo's face turned cold: "What are you talking about?"
"Well……"
This subordinate knew that he had made a mistake, so he shut up angrily.
He still had to give some face to his old subordinates. Sun Xinbo glared at him and said: "Don't think that even if I can't see it, it's not just the Northern Wei Dynasty that can't be sealed. There are smuggling channels all over the place. They are basically people with good hands and eyes, and all the connections."
We can get inside our navy."
The generals looked at each other for a while, all shook their heads and swore: "We will never accept bribes."
"Yes, you confiscate it, and you ensure that your subordinates confiscate it? Who will issue a military order and guarantee it for me?"
"This... uh..." Many people's faces turned red, but no one could guarantee it.
Sun Xinbo sneered and ignored their embarrassing reactions. How could he not be clear that he came from the grassroots level in the military's method of conveying profits?
Just like the East China Sea Fleet before it was dismantled, the Iron Army is not easy to build, and corruption always comes so quickly. The commander of the squadron turned a blind eye and could not stop his men from making some extra money.
"There are many things, don't think that the prince and I don't know about them. Fortunately, you still adhere to the principle - the fleets with the background of the Hanhou Mansion are not allowed to conduct trade in person. Otherwise, you really won't kill the chicken to scare the monkeys?"
He said coldly: "The imperial court and the surrounding states have a tacit understanding in this regard, and they have combined with each other to form a consensus of interests... A group of vultures circled around like dying beasts, forming an encirclement corresponding to Hunan, and the Xiangzhou Navy was like a trapped dragon.
The growth of Yingxiang's green manufacturing industry is like a lock, and it is also facing the threat of a fairy. You can't just ask the horse to run and not eat grass. It's normal to give some profits, but we have to remember
Stay in your position and don’t let the lock rot.”
Seeing the silence in the field, everyone became a little alert, so he nodded with satisfaction, and finally sounded the alarm: "This winter, the prince led his troops to the East China Sea, and we are the only ones who are left behind. The task is very heavy, and the imperial court has exerted pressure.
Come down, you must be strict and don't allow anything to go wrong."
"You will understand," the deputy governor responded, patting his chest, and he was determined to go back and punish his captain.
To be fair, the naval generals here have been in the industry for many years and are knowledgeable. They feel that the Han Navy has developed very rapidly. In three years, it has added twenty warships, all of which are steam-powered and iron-armored new warships. Such a growth trend
It's scary to go down.
But for now, they are not too worried. No matter how strong the Han army is, its total number is only fifty ships. How can it compare with the fleet of the Xiangzhou Navy?
"The situation is still under our control..." Several generals clasped their hands and bared their teeth, as if they were holding a villain named Ye Qing.
While he was talking, four or five small lights flashed through the porthole, which were clearly reflected in the snowy sky. But in a blink of an eye, someone was shouting outside.
Sun Xinbo frowned and said: "Look, who is making noise outside? These people are becoming less and less military - go and have a look."
As he spoke, he ordered a magician, but before he could do it, he heard a "boom——".
The bright light couldn't help but get bigger in everyone's field of vision, and quickly revealed the dark shuttle-shaped hulls of flying ships, moving from the sky to the river. Everyone was shocked: "What is that?"
"Is there an enemy ship in the outer realm?"
"Enemy attack——"
"Prepare to counterattack——"
As expected of Da Cai's elite, although they were shocked when they saw the fifth ship, they quickly reacted and many people immediately began to organize a response.
"No, the ship is carrying the flag of the Hanhou Mansion..." Someone said and stopped, thinking a little confused. It seems that it is also an enemy ship?
"It's the banner of the Han army" After three years of dealing with an old opponent, the soldiers basically recognized it, and they were even more confused: "How to fight?"
Without waiting for them to think more, the five Han army fairy ships slid through a short and beautiful drifting arc upstream, pointed their bows at the Xiangzhou Navy fleet, and went straight down the water...
With a loud "boom", the fairy ship stuck to the water and crashed into it. Suddenly, several warships and their wooden hulls, even if reinforced with magic arrays, could not compete with the fairy crystal material of the airship. They were not of the same level at all.
, even if you don’t fire and just rely on collision, it will be completely atrocious.
I saw a large number of sailors falling from the collapsed hull, floating on the cold river, teeth chattering: "Help——"