I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 694 Borrowing the Krupp Cannon

After a brief exchange of greetings, everyone quickly got down to business.

"Yan Siqi, now the imperial court has done everything it can and cannot do. Now that the main force of the Satsuma clan has been lost, I heard that Shimazu Ryūbo, who is now the head of the Shimazu family, has great trust in you. So the next step is up to you. Your performance must not disappoint the court."

Qi Jin looked at Yan Siqi as he spoke, with great expectations for him.

The imperial court has reached this point, and it would be unreasonable if Yan Siqi could not win again.

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and then several people walked in from outside the tent. Yan Siqi took a closer look and found that these were his infantry commander Chen Zhongji and others. As agreed, the court also transported his troops to Amami. islands.

"Yan Siqi, all your troops and horses have been transported to the Amami Islands. Tomorrow you can let your people board the ship, and then return to the division and head north to raid Kagoshima."

Hearing Qi Jin's words, Yan Siqi didn't know what they meant.

It seemed that the officers and soldiers didn't want to stay any longer, and wanted him to finish the matter quickly so that they could return to the court.

However, he did not rush to respond. Instead, he winked at Chen Zhongji first.

He had been hiding his soldiers and horses on Iwo Jima next to Ryukyu. Currently, four thousand soldiers and horses have been training for more than half a year. Although they cannot be said to be strong, they are still worthy of a battle.

But there was one thing he was not sure about, which was that he had previously ordered many swords, armor, muskets and Krupp cannons from the imperial court.It's just that the swords, armor and muskets are all in place now, but the Krug cannon is still not in place, making Yan Siqi extremely anxious.

He knew the situation in Japan very well. After experiencing the Warring States Period, feudal lords across Japan built large and small cities and fortresses. Most of them were made of stone and wood, which were easy to defend and difficult to attack.

And this Krupp cannon is absolutely indispensable, especially the heavy Krupp cannon, which is a powerful siege weapon and must be used by him.

Therefore, before he went to Satsuma Domain, he specifically asked Chen Zhongji to train his troops and horses on Iwo Jima while guarding the merchant ships of the Daming Trading Company. However, he did not know yet whether the heavy Kru cannon had arrived.

But in Yan Siqi Qiyi's eyes, Chen Zhongji slowly shook his head to express that he did not accept it.

This made Yan Siqi really confused. Finally, he found that everyone in the room was looking at him, so he gritted his teeth and slowly asked Qi Jin who was sitting at the head:
"My lord, our troops are all ready, and we can indeed set off tomorrow. However, there is one thing that we still need to ask for help from, lord Qi. I hope that lord will lend a helping hand."

These words made everyone present suddenly become curious. Qi Jin was also confused when he heard the words, but he couldn't agree, so he said slowly:
"What's the matter? Let's talk about it first."

"My lords, there are many castles in Japan, and most of them are made of stone and wood, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Therefore, if you want to attack the city, you must use Krupp cannons, especially the Krupp A-type cannons from Tongzhou Firearms Factory .However, due to construction schedule issues, Daming Trading Company has not yet delivered.

Therefore, if I set out tomorrow, it would be extremely difficult to attack the city without Krupp artillery.Therefore, I dare to ask you all to be kind and see if you can lend me some artillery. When the artillery shipped by Daming Trading Company arrives, I will definitely return it in full. "

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the big tent shook their heads, feeling that Yan Siqi's words were ridiculous. "Yan Siqi, we are all officials of the imperial court, and the weapons under our command are all registered. Aren't they the goods in your hand that you can buy if you want and borrow if you want?"

Wang Jianzhong, the commander-in-chief of the South Zhili Navy, was furious when he heard this. Unlike others, he couldn't stand Yan Siqi.Although this man was a maritime merchant before, his ships often robbed merchant ships, which made him extremely troubled.

Therefore, when he heard that the imperial court was assisting Ryukyu and supporting him in raising troops in Ryukyu, he immediately became dissatisfied.Yan Siqi was just a pirate, so how could he deserve to be asked by Ming Dynasty to help him raise an army?

"My lord, it is only for a temporary use, otherwise it will be difficult to break through the Japanese walled city. The so-called sending Buddha to the west has come to an end. I am really helpless and have no choice but to say this. I ask for your understanding."

Yan Siqi could only smile apologetically when he heard this. He had no choice but to ask for help from others.As he spoke, he looked at Li Dan sitting beside him, hoping that he would give him a few nice words.

When Li Dan saw this, he also secretly cursed Yan Siqi in his heart for letting himself slip at such a critical moment, and now he actually wants the court to wipe his ass.

However, he knew very well that assisting Yan Siqi in raising troops was a task assigned by the emperor, so they had to help even if they didn't want to, and they couldn't refuse at all.

"Master Qi, Master Wang. I dare to say that I understand the situation in Japan. It is true as Yan Siqi said. The war has just ended in the country. Therefore, there are many large and small cities and fortresses, mostly built with huge rocks. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If there is no Kru cannons are difficult to defeat.

Now has reached a critical moment. He will set off tomorrow, and there is no way he can do without the Krug gun.Therefore, if I dare to make suggestions, I can still lend him a few connections to facilitate his success. "

Hearing Li Dan's words, Wang Jianzhong glanced at him angrily and then stopped talking.Qi Jin also felt thoughtful after hearing the words.At this time, another voice sounded. When everyone saw it, it turned out to be Jin Yiwei Qianhu Tian Ergen.

"Counsellor Li is right. Send Buddha to the West, or lend him a few Krupp cannons. At the worst, you can ask him to pay some rent. After all, he also made great contributions to the Ryukyu War, and His Majesty is also paying attention to him raising troops. Please ask him to finish the matter quickly so that he can report it to His Majesty."

The two reasons given by Tian Ergen made everyone in the audience who still wanted to object immediately shut their mouths.Tian Ergeng is right. His Majesty should pay attention to this matter. If something goes wrong, it will be troublesome if he is blamed.

"There are twenty Krupp cannons in the Zhejiang Battalion and I can give them all to you. But they are all field guns. There are no Type A heavy guns in the Zhejiang Battalion. But I heard that the South Zhili Navy had them, so I asked them to remove five of them from the ship and give them to you. You. But you must remember that you must return it and pay the rent of the artillery and the gunner's salary."

Under the persuasion of Li Dan and Tian Ergen, Qi Jin finally spoke and agreed to the matter.

Yan Siqi was overjoyed when he heard this and immediately bowed to thank everyone present.Then he stopped worrying and handed Shimazu Hisamitsu to Qi Jin and others as a trophy.

Early the next morning, he organized his troops and horses and went on board, and then led his army north to Kagoshima.

Before that, he also sent a messenger back to Kagoshima to tell Shimazu the news of Hirata Masumune's defeat and suicide.After negotiating with Shimazu Hisamitsu and Daming to no avail, he was forced to return to Kagoshima to make plans.

Shimazu Ryōbo was extremely disappointed when he received the news, but he was also eager to get first-hand news, so he came to Kagoshima Pier in person to prepare to welcome Shimazu Hisamitsu and Yan Siqi.

(End of this chapter)