One afternoon at the end of August, Zhang Yanling, with the help of Catherine, carefully drew a detailed topographic map of the strait between Ceylon Island and the South Asian continent, calculated the distance and attack direction, and made detailed plans for the upcoming battle.
Suddenly, Wang Hong rushed in from outside the door. He didn't even have time to communicate and rushed straight into the small hall where Zhang Yanling lived.
"My lord, my lord, there is a situation at sea. The ships on guard outside the port have sent out flares to warn." Wang Hong looked a little nervous and had no time to salute, so he shouted loudly.
Zhang Yanling was shocked when he heard this and said in a deep voice: "An enemy is coming? Did the Folangji take the initiative to attack?"
Wang Hong shook his head and said: "I don't know what my humble position is. I have informed Zhang Yin and other generals that the warship at the dock has begun to prepare, and the brothers are boarding the ship. I am here to inform the Duke."
Zhang Yanling threw away the charcoal pencil used for drawing and said solemnly: "Go and take a look. Catherine, help me change my clothes."
Catherine hurriedly agreed, followed Zhang Yanling into the room, and helped Zhang Yanling put on armor, weapons and firearms. After a moment of burning incense, Zhang Yanling and Wang Hong had already arrived at the dock on horseback, surrounded by cavalry guards.
On the dock, a large number of Ming soldiers were quickly boarding the ship. The Liaoyuan had already lifted anchor and sails and left the shore, and the other ships were also preparing to set off.
Chen Shiyi looked around on the deck of the flagship of the Star. When he saw Zhang Yanling arriving, he hurriedly shouted: "Sir, the ship is ready and ready to go at any time."
Zhang Yanling nodded, jumped off the horse and quickly boarded the ship. As soon as he got on the deck, he saw warning flares rising into the sky on the sea outside the port, hanging brightly and green in the sky in the distance, and disappeared after a while.
It is indeed a warning signal. It should be that something unusual has been discovered on the sea.
However, Zhang Yanling was a little puzzled. The signal flare was raised on the east sea. If it was the ship attacked by the Folangji, it should have attacked from the west sea. How could it be on the east sea? Could it be that the enemy had spared the enemy?
We made a circle and went around to the east? But isn't this the same as taking off your pants and farting? After all, we are going to attack the port, so what does it matter from which direction we come?
Several armored ships quickly left the port. The two frigates from Liaoyuan and Datong went out to the east, and Zhang Yanling's flagship followed them. After leaving the port and walking southeast for more than ten miles, they saw the undulating sea under the still gloomy sky after the typhoon.
Several ships on board.
Those ships were about ten miles away, and the alert ships spotted them further away. However, since the alert ships were not warships, there was no possibility of intercepting them. Therefore, warning flares were sent out. The other party seemed to ignore them.
Look, it's heading straight towards the port. Vessels on alert have to retreat and sound the warning at the same time.
Zhang Yanling stood high in the ship hall and raised his telescope to observe carefully. There were only three ships coming from the other side, and they did not look like armored warships. Although the ships were not small, it could be seen that they were by no means fully armed.
There are no signs on the ship, so I don't know whether it is an enemy or a friend.
"Order the Liaoyuan and Datong to approach and warn and fire. Request to get closer for verification. If the other party dares to resist, they will be sunk immediately." Zhang Yanling ordered in a deep voice.
The Liaoyuan and Datong received the order, and the two ships quickly sailed out from the left and right sides and rushed towards the unknown ship ahead. When they approached several miles away, the main gun on the bow began to roar. The shells fell on the sea and fell on each other.
To the left and right of the ship, water jets shot up into the sky.
Zhang Yanling closely observed the movements of the opponent's ships through the telescope. Suddenly, he shouted and ordered: "Stop attacking, stop attacking, it's one of our own. The dragon flag is raised."
After a stick of incense, the Xingchen approached the side of a large ship on the opposite side. On the deck, a dark-faced, ragged and unkempt man shouted loudly and crying towards the Ming soldiers standing on the deck of the Xingchen.
.
"You...are you the soldiers of the Duke of the Kingdom? Are you my soldiers who came to Nanyang from the Ming Dynasty? Where is the Lord Protector? Where is the Lord Protector?"
The man's voice was sharp and hoarse, like the quacking of a drake. Chen Shiyi had been a little confused by his appearance, but now that he heard the voice, he suddenly felt that it was very familiar.
"Are you...are you that...that...who?" Chen Shiyi was so anxious that he couldn't even remember his name.
"Zhang Zhong? Could it be you?" Zhang Yanling came down the stairs from the cabin with squinted eyes at this moment.
"Oh, my great-grandfather, my uncle-in-law, my father-in-law, my dear ancestor. Now I can see you. Wuwuwu,wuwuwu. God has eyes, God has eyes
.My servant Zhang Zhong comes to see the Duke."
That person was none other than Zhang Zhong, the former eunuch in the Empress Dowager's palace, now the eunuch in charge of rituals and the governor of the East Factory.
Zhang Zhong's face was filled with tears. He crawled on the deck and kowtowed to Zhang Yanling, shouting that he was dear to his father, his father and his ancestors. His tears were inaudible and his true feelings were revealed.
A group of people on the opposite boat also knelt down and kowtowed.
Zhang Yanling hurriedly ordered people to put up the gangplank. After the gangplank was set up, Zhang Zhong hurriedly ran to the deck of the Star, knelt down in front of Zhang Yanling, hugged Zhang Yanling's legs and started wailing.
Zhang Yanling was very frightened. Zhang Zhong suddenly appeared, which was incredible. What made Zhang Zhong come all the way to Nanyang to find him? When they met, he burst into tears. Could it be that something happened to the Queen Mother? Zhang Yanling naturally gave birth to a child.
After thinking about it, my heart suddenly tightened.
"Zhang Zhong, why are you here? Is it the Queen Mother... something bad happened to her?" Zhang Yanling asked in a trembling voice.
"The Queen Mother? The Queen Mother is fine. Nothing happened. When the servant came, the Queen Mother even asked her to bring something to the Duke." Zhang Zhong raised his head in astonishment and said blankly.
Zhang Yanling's heart suddenly dropped, and she laughed and scolded: "It's good that the Queen Mother is fine. If you cry like this, I thought something bad had happened to the Queen Mother, so you came here to deliver a message."
Zhang Zhong said hurriedly: "You deserve to die. You scared the Duke. Please forgive me. The Queen Mother is very good. I was happy to see the Duke, so I couldn't help crying. It's all my fault."
.”
Zhang Yanling looked at Zhang Zhong's face, which was sunburnt and was shedding patches of skin. Looking at his clothes and hat, they were all wrinkled and disfigured. He knew that Zhang Zhong must have suffered a lot along the way.
.Sailed thousands of miles from the Ming Dynasty. The journey was obviously very hard and dangerous. When I finally saw myself, I was naturally overjoyed and my true feelings were revealed.
"Get up, you are also a dignified eunuch, eunuch, and governor of the East Factory. How can you do this? Come into the boat hall to talk. Come and serve tea." Zhang Yanling said with a smile.
Zhang Zhong thanked him hurriedly and stood up. Chang Shun hurriedly went to make tea in the cabin. Zhang Zhong followed Zhang Yanling into the cabin. He looked around and kept exclaiming, praising the majesty and size of this iron-clad ship.
After sitting down, Zhang Yanling asked: "Zhang Zhong, why are you here? Are you here specifically to see me?"
Zhang Zhongdao: "Isn't that right? Naturally, I came here to see the Duke. During the one and a half month sailing, I just thought about this moment when I met the Duke."
Zhang Yanling said: "That's a lot of hard work. But, you came to see me, are you here to help me fight the Folangji people? Tell me, what happened? Why did you come all the way to see me?
What's up?"
Zhang Zhong stood up and his expression became solemn. He said in a low voice: "My lord, something big has happened in the Ming Dynasty. This servant is here on the order of the emperor."
Zhang Yanling was startled and asked quickly: "What happened? Your Majesty wants you to come see me? Tell me quickly."
Zhang Zhong whispered: "The Duke of the country, Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao, he has rebelled!"
"What?" Zhang Yanling stood up suddenly and lost her voice in shock.
"On June 14th, Zhu Chenhao launched a rebellion in Jiangxi. Within a few days, he gathered 100,000 soldiers and horses. This guy was well prepared. He raised tens of thousands of invaders in Jiangxi. The soldiers, horses, armor and weapons were all ready. And he was in Poyang.
He built more than a hundred warships in the lake, and each ship was equipped with a Folan cannon. I don’t know when he secretly forged so many firearms." Zhang Zhong said in a deep voice.
Zhang Yanling said coldly: "June 14th, what happened three months ago? You came here in the middle of July. Didn't the imperial court mobilize troops to annihilate him during that month?"
Zhang Zhong smiled bitterly and said: "Eradicate? The imperial troops made a mistake from the beginning. I didn't expect him to be so well prepared. The rebels started sending troops from Poyang Lake and fought downstream along the Yangtze River. They captured Nankang and Nankang in more than ten days.
Jiujiang. The imperial court had to gather some surrounding soldiers and horses to intercept them in Anqing. But when the slaves set out, Anqing had already fallen."
Zhang Yanling frowned and said: "What happened? Why didn't Wang Shouren make preparations earlier? I have reminded him long ago to closely monitor Zhu Chenhao's movements and be ready to mobilize troops for encirclement and suppression at any time. If Zhu Chenhao makes any changes, he will be killed.
He, how could he allow him to forge cannons and build ships calmly, but not take precautions?"
"Wang Shouren? Oh, the Duke is talking about Mr. Wang, the governor of southern Jiangxi. He was not the one who led the army. He was dismissed from office." Zhang Zhong said hurriedly.
"What? Wang Shouren was dismissed from office again? When did it happen?" Zhang Yanling said in shock.
"Yes, I heard that Mr. Wang, the governor of southern Gansu, reported to the court that Zhu Chenhao was going to rebel. The emperor was very unhappy after receiving the memorial, thinking that Mr. Wang was causing trouble for no reason. Jiang Bin also said that Mr. Wang was making things out of nothing, for fear that
There will be no chaos in the world
The emperor ordered someone to issue an edict to reprimand Mr. Wang. Unexpectedly, Mr. Wang immediately sent a report saying that Zhu Chenhao was about to rebel and asked the court to make an early decision. The emperor was angry and dismissed him. That was what happened after the year. "
Zhang Zhong said in a deep voice.
"Fuck! What a fool! What a big fool!" Zhang Yanling cursed.
Zhang Zhong smacked his lips and rolled his eyes, thinking: That's your nephew.
Zhang Yanling never expected that Zhu Houzhao actually dismissed Wang Shouren, and it was he who reported to Zhu Chenhao that he would be dismissed after he rebelled. Otherwise, with Wang Shouren watching over him, things would not have been so bad. Zhu Chenhao would not have dared to be so blatant.
At this point, there is no point getting angry. Things don't seem to be going according to the historical script. When Wang Shouren was dismissed, Zhu Chenhao lost the suppression of his number one natural enemy. Historically, it was Wang Shouren who sent Zhu Chenhao to
Beaten to pieces.
"Anqing has also fallen, so the imperial court should have gathered troops and fortified the area around Dangtu Pukou in Luzhou for more than a month. Zhu Chenhao's goal is Nanjing. Nanjing is the old capital, and he can ascend to the throne if he captures Nanjing.
Proclaiming himself emperor. This is his wishful thinking. Nanjing has abundant manpower and materials, but if he takes Nanjing away, half of the southeastern part of Nanjing will be lost. The court should understand this truth, right?" Zhang Yanling said solemnly.
"What the Duke said is absolutely true. Zhu Chenhao publicly declared that he would capture Nanjing and proclaim himself emperor. He told the world: King Yan was not right when he took the throne. All the people in King Yan's lineage were usurpers. The current emperor's throne is not right.
It belongs to him. He said that he is of the lineage of Emperor Jianwen, the lineage of the successor to the throne appointed by Emperor Taizu Gao, and he wants to regain the throne and return to orthodoxy," Zhang Zhong said.
Zhang Yanling sneered and said: "He is a piece of shit from Emperor Jianwen's lineage. Back then, King Ning Zhu Quan was also the helper of King Yan in the Battle of Jingnan. Emperor Chengzu promised that the world would be divided between him and him. Later, his lineage of King Ning has always been
When you use this to talk about things, you always think that the world is half as good as theirs, and your rebellious heart will never die. This guy dare not mention this matter now, so he claims that he is from the lineage of Emperor Jianwen. Zhang Zhong, when you came, the court did
What measures?”
Zhang Zhongdao: "The imperial court hastily mobilized surrounding troops to block the attack, but the imperial navy has insufficient troops and warships. After the fall of Anqing in Jiujiang, it has become difficult to stop it. Now it can only mobilize limited troops to block the Yangtze River at Dangtu in Luzhou.
The emperor led two warships to suppress pirates along the coast of Shandong. After learning the news, he rushed to Nanjing. Naval forces from all over the country were also gathering in Nanjing. But the imperial navy... was too small in number. The slaves did not know what was going on now.
The battle situation."
Zhang Yanling frowned and said: "Two armored warships have been transferred to meet the enemy? That seems better. But the imperial navy's navy is weak and may not be able to stop it. The imperial court should blockade the Yangtze River waterway before Zhu Chenhao arrives in Nanjing.
, making it impossible for his warships to pass."
Zhang Zhongdao: "This...how to blockade it? I've already said that the navy is no match..."
"Idiot, you have to use a naval force to block the river? Just use large and small ships to load stones and heavy objects and scuttle them in the channel in the center of the river. The court has no navy, but there are many ships. Isn't this impossible? Within ten days,
Three or four blockade lines can be deployed so that the rebels cannot move at all.
The waterway went down the river and approached Nanjing. All that was left was to mobilize troops and horses to block the land route and turn the water battle into a land battle. At least it could greatly delay the capture of Nanjing and give the court the opportunity to mobilize troops and reinforcements.
Opportunity." Zhang Yanling interrupted Zhang Zhong and shouted.
Zhang Zhong suddenly realized, smacked his lips and said: "Sure enough, the Duke of Guo knows how to deal with it even if he is not in the country. No wonder the emperor asked his servants to invite the Duke of Guo to return to the country to quell the rebellion."
Zhang Yanling was stunned and said in astonishment: "What? The emperor sent you to see me to ask me to return to the Ming Dynasty to quell the rebellion?"
Zhang Zhong nodded and said: "Yes, the emperor asked Duke Guo to lead the warships back to the country to quell the rebellion. The emperor said that only when Duke Guo returns can Zhu Chenhao be defeated. It is best to go back with the invincible fleet... This is also
This is the purpose of this servant who has gone through so much trouble to come to see the Duke."