Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 510 Caught off guard
After Jia Lian's memorial was submitted to the court, the cabinet made it public directly, which instantly ignited people's emotions.

Well, to be precise, no matter which side one stood on, the repressed emotions found an outlet for release.

In the face of Emperor Chenghui's firm will to reform, although there were still people who opposed it, they did not dare to speak out in the court. However, many people were muttering in private, such as Wang Anshi, Zhang Juzheng, and powerful ministers.

It can only be said that this is how reforms are. The vested interests will definitely do everything they can to sabotage them. However, these people did not dare to seek death in the face of the emperor's high pressure. From this point of view, the Song Dynasty was indeed more tolerant of civil officials. For someone like Sima Guang, it would be normal to send him directly to the Western Regions, let alone go home to write books in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

When people's emotions are suppressed, they need an outlet to release them. Jia Lian's memorial perfectly meets everyone's need to vent.

The ministers took action again and submitted memorials one after another, saying that the former were foreign vassal states, small countries that bullied our Great Zhou and had no one to rely on, and that we must punish the criminals and bring rebellion to the South Seas.

Of course, regardless of whether the officials supported the reform or not, after seeing Jia Lian’s memorial, they all remembered one thing: if we talk about the number one thug under His Majesty, the one with the double-flowered red stick, it has to be Jia Lian.

When thinking of Jia Lian, those who were dissatisfied with the reform subconsciously shrank their necks.

This bastard has a very bad reputation among the gentry. In contrast, Jia Lian's reputation in the business community and among young officials is completely the opposite.

The young officials' attitude towards Jia Lian changed from envy at first to admiration now. There are many sons of noble families, but Jia Lian is the only one who is invincible with his own ability and facts.

Many officials submitted memorials to denounce Spain and the Netherlands and to restore the Nanyang Xuanwei Office. The court was full of voices, and some young officials even asked to go to Guangzhou to help Jia Lian. There were quite a few such people.

Of course, the private evaluation of such people is often like this, [Is this to lend a helping hand? This is to gain military merit. ]

Some people just shouted, while others had already taken action. The nobles who thought they were in the same group as Jia Lian came to the Jia Mansion one after another and passed on the message to Jia Lian through Wang Xifeng.

Basically, they all have the same attitude, that there is a young man in the family who has practiced martial arts since childhood and is the bravest among the three armies, and he can serve as the vanguard for Governor Jia.

The second generation of nobles in the capital, relying on their family connections, got a head start. Even if others had ideas, they could only think of other ways.

We really can't blame these people for having such an idea. It's because Jia Lian's past record was so brilliant that no one thought that Jia Lian would not win this time.

With the publication of Jia Lian's memorial, it seemed that overnight, the officials' opinions were unified and all their attention was drawn to it.

The cabinet quietly moved to adjust Henan officials. In November of the fourteenth year of Chenghui, the three officials were replaced. In December, the governors of Kaifeng, Luoyang, Zhengzhou and other upper states were all replaced, and more than a dozen county magistrates were also replaced. Such a large-scale adjustment could not fail to attract attention, but people's attention was attracted by Jia Lian. Some people shouted but there was not much response. The flames died out before they started.

"Go south, go south, it's time to make achievements!"

The drunkards in the restaurant were shouting and yelling, while the diners were looking at this group of young idiots with smiles on their faces.

In my lifetime, I can finally see some vitality in the capital.

Jia Lian was fed up with receiving letters continuously asking for arrangements for his children, so he wrote a letter directly to Wang Xifeng and sent it to the capital by express boat.

The content of the letter was very simple, meaning that you could come if you wanted, but no matter who the child was from, he could only start as a soldier. Under Jia Lian's command, his background was useless.

In other words, those who want to gild their reputation should think carefully.

This letter discouraged many people, but a few people still came, such as Chen Rui and Niu Jizong, who both sent their children.

The two of them attached a letter with only one meaning: if the child is disciplined carelessly or disobedient, his legs will be broken and he will be sent to Southeast Asia to fend for himself.

After reading the letter, Jia Lian looked silently at the two young men standing in front of him. In fact, they were the same age as Jia Lian.

"Chen Dong, Niu Yaozu, you are not afraid that you will not be able to come back after going to the malaria-ridden Nanyang?" Jia Lian asked calmly. The two answered firmly, "We are all bastards!"

Jia Lian nodded, got it, understood. As a bastard, he didn't want to waste his time in the capital, so he wanted to come out and try his luck.

"The navy needs a long time to learn and adapt. It's too late for you. It's okay for you to go to the First Town of the Nanyang Army and start as a soldier, right?"

The two nodded firmly: "Yes!"

Jia Lian didn't say much and sent them to the military camp. They were both in the army in Beijing, and they still had half a year to adapt. If they couldn't adapt, they could get out.

Just when Jia Lian was making his final preparations, Emperor Chenghui issued an edict, appointing Jia Lian, the acting governor of Guangdong and Guangdong, to be in charge of Nanyang affairs. He granted him the imperial sword and allowed him to act at his discretion.

This is not surprising, what is shocking is that the person who came to deliver the imperial edict is the Second Prince Li Yuan. And Li Yuan is not just here to deliver the imperial edict, he is also the Nanyang Affairs Observer appointed by His Majesty.

Emperor Chenghui even sent the warships sent by the Queen of England to take Li Yuan south to join the campaign.

The warship sailed along the coastline. Li Yuan stood by the side of the ship, looking at the gradually receding horizon, feeling extremely complicated.

Before leaving, Emperor Chenghui said something to him in person: "When you go, only bring your eyes and ears. Also, keep an eye on the people around you, and don't bring your staff. When you go, learn well."

There was no sign of this happening beforehand. Not only was Li Yuan unprepared, but even the officials in the court were unprepared.

Li Yuan could clearly feel that the emperor's patience with him seemed to be disappearing bit by bit. This trip southward could be considered a test. The last test was when he went to Shaanxi and Gansu.

As the ship was rocking on the sea, Li Yuan suffered a lot and vomited all over the place. He vomited everything he ate and could only drink some soup.

When the ship reached Songjiang and docked for supplies, Li Yuan was rushed ashore and rested for three days before he felt better. This incident also alarmed Sun Huazhen, who came to visit him. When he learned that Li Yuan was seasick, he did not pay much attention to it, but just asked Li Yuan if he wanted to go south by land instead.

Sun Huazhen naturally had some understanding of the situation in Nanyang, and also knew about the so-called malaria land. But he said nothing, and did not persuade Li Yuan to give up.

Li Yuan gritted his teeth and decided to continue sailing south.

In short, Li Yuan felt that all the sufferings he had endured during this journey were here. Fortunately, he gradually adapted to the voyage and was able to eat something. As Guangzhou got closer, Li Yuan also cheered up. Now that he was here, there was no way back. It was not that he could not go back, but the consequences of going back were unbearable.

After receiving the news sent by the express boat, Jia Lian was also confused. Why did Li Yuan come to Guangzhou?

There seems to be an explanation for this matter. Jia Lian did not have sufficient information and could only rely on speculation. It should be that during the trend of allocating land tax, Li Yuan made some moves that displeased the emperor.

As for the rest, it’s really unlikely.

It’s still a character problem. A wise king who is highly respected by officials is destined not to be a qualified monarch.

In comparison, although Li Heng is a bastard, he is a more suitable candidate.

Forget it, this matter has nothing to do with me, let’s just watch the show.

Jia Lian didn't have much energy to get involved. Recently, he was busy launching the last batch of warships, a total of seven ships, three of which were third-class battleships and two were second-class battleships.

Shipbuilding is still too troublesome. It takes at least half a year, and the construction period of a second-class battleship is exactly ten months.

Jia Lian now has a total of five second-level battleships and thirty-five third-level battleships. The final piece of the puzzle has been completed. There are still a few months to intensify training to adapt to the new ships.

The biggest danger for the southward march is not from the enemy but from typhoons. Every July and August, the typhoon season arrives.

Therefore, we must avoid this time point and not take any chances. The other ships are easy to deal with, as long as there are enough workers and docks. The difficult part is the casting of the naval guns. Fortunately, Jia Lian overcame all kinds of difficulties and completed the preparations at the last moment.

Manila, fourteen years after entering Chenghui, the Spanish colonists significantly strengthened their control over the Chinese. There were many specific measures, such as restricting the Chinese from going out to sea and restricting the Chinese from entering certain sensitive areas.

In general, control was strengthened, the attitude of the local indigenous people towards the Chinese also changed, and friction often occurred with the connivance of the colonial government.

Lai San, who came here, looked like an ordinary businessman, not at all noticeable.

After being stopped by a foreign policeman on the street and extorted two silver dollars, Lai San managed to escape and returned to the Chinese area.

This area is inhabited by Chinese people, so the situation is relatively good. However, many of the overseas Chinese who run plantations outside the city have been attacked by the indigenous people many times, suffering losses to varying degrees, and there have been many casualties.

The famous sea dragon head now looks like an old fisherman, squatting at the door and smoking.

Seeing Lai San coming back, he slowly stood up and stomped out the cigarette butt hard.

"I'm coming!" Lai San greeted him and motioned for him to follow him into the house.

"Why are the servants gone?" Hai Longtou asked curiously. Lai San shook his head and said, "Something went wrong recently, so they all went home."

"The maids in this shabby place are the only good ones. They are hardworking and can endure hardships." Hai Longtou muttered, looked around, and whispered, "The latest news is that the master is going to take action."

"Have you decided on the landing site? I dare not ruin your plans."

"Don't worry. My people have already taken root near the landing site and built a farm. They have recently fought two battles with the natives. As long as the Spanish don't take action themselves, everything will be fine."

"What I'm worried about is that the Spaniards will do it themselves." Lai San frowned slightly, showing a bit of dissatisfaction. It's true that Hai Longtou is the so-called deputy envoy, but he is the servant of Lord Jia.

"Don't worry, the Spaniards have been pampered for years and are used to being the superiors. At most, they will let the natives do the work, but they won't do it themselves."

"Just don't ruin the adults' business. This is the latest intelligence. Send someone to deliver it back."

It was twenty days later that Jia Lian received the intelligence in Guangzhou. The plan formulated by the General Staff for the war in Southeast Asia was not to attack Java first, but to attack the Spaniards first.

From the perspective of distance, if we want to fight the Spaniards, we should go closer to Tainan Island.

Instead of seeking the far away, one is to judge that the local attention must be on Dayuan Island. In fact, that place is not under Jia Lian's jurisdiction, so it should be able to achieve some unexpected effect.

The key is that there is a small island at the mouth of Manila Bay. In the early stage of the battle, the cooperation of Hai Longtou's men is needed to launch a surprise attack and seize control. The advantage of doing so is that it is convenient for supply.

Plans are plans, but there are bound to be deviations in the process of execution. The idea of ​​the General Staff is that it is best to annihilate the Spanish fleet stationed in the bay with the main fleet. If it fails, they can use the island's supplies to ambush the Dutch reinforcements at sea. We must prepare for the worst in everything, and we cannot be afraid of trouble just because the opponent may not implement the so-called mutual assistance treaty.

"The castles and artillery batteries on the south bank of the Pasig River should not be attacked by force. Judging from the strength of the main fleet, the worst outcome is to block the enemy fleet in the port, land the army from elsewhere and surround the enemy's fortresses. We need to be prepared for a long-term battle. We also need to make plans to deal with typhoons." The chief of staff gave a detailed introduction. Jia Lian looked at the sand table in front of him with an expressionless face.

"The British will definitely make some small moves, we must be on guard." Jia Lian was not satisfied with the plan. He was a layman in naval warfare. This plan was prepared by Jim and others in cooperation with the General Staff. As a former Royal Navy officer, Jim made some additions without hesitation, asking the General Staff to do some more preparations.

Jia Lian remained silent, his mind no longer on the plan, but on Li Yuan. Judging from the time, it was time for them to arrive in Guangzhou.

The most obvious benefit of fighting against the Spanish is the advantage in intelligence. It is very difficult for Westerners to obtain intelligence, but Jia Lian is able to hire Europeans to obtain intelligence, and with the cooperation of overseas Chinese, the intelligence is almost one-way transparent.

"It is said that there have been many foreign ships coming to Dayuan recently, using the excuse of docking for supplies. They are probably spies." Jia Lian reminded lightly.

"The navy of Fujian and Zhejiang is not large. It would be best if the Spaniards judged that our army would start from Dayuan." The chief of staff sneered.

"I hope so. Otherwise, the port construction funds supported by Guangdong and Guangxi will be wasted. Five hundred thousand yuan!" Jia Lian was a little unhappy when he talked about this. He hoped that they would cooperate, but it would cost money.

"When you recover Nanyang and enter the cabinet, you will have enough time to deal with them." Jia Lian did not blame the chief of staff for speaking without restraint, after all, he was a real confidant. Jim, however, did not understand and looked confused. For an Englishman, the Zhou Empire was too big, and the internal political structure was not something he could understand.

"It's all for official business. There's no question of punishing anyone. As long as it doesn't delay things, everything is fine." Jia Lian was still very magnanimous in his words. No one knew what he was thinking in his heart.

"Governor, there's news from the dock that the Second Prince's ship has arrived and is entering the port." Zhuzi appeared and reported loudly.

Jia Lian heaved a sigh of relief. He had been waiting for a long time and finally arrived safely. It was hard to say whether there would be any accidents during sailing these days.

"By the way, Captain Locke of the HMS Emperor is Jim's colleague in the Royal Navy, right?" Jia Lian remembered and asked. He had been on that ship and had come into contact with Locke at that time.

"They are not on the same ship, and Locke was originally the captain of a third-class battleship, a colonel. A civilian is the highest rank in the navy, unless he can open up new colonies."

The current British Empire is not the Victorian era, well, I was not born yet. In theory, there should be a way to rise in the Royal Navy. But it is hard to say. Although the entire era was the glorious period of British Empire, most of the colonies that could be opened up were opened up, and there was only one Eastern Empire left. I wonder if Australia has been opened up?
To put it bluntly, the glory of the Victorian era was built on the decadence of the Eastern Empire. Such a big piece of fat meat is so delicious that even the British fat people fart with oil.

Well, there is also India.

But as I said, the army is better, but for the navy, which bears the royal name, the ceiling for common people to rise is still relatively low.

In contrast, the hope of ordinary people still lies in politics. There is still a certain chance for them to run for election, provided they have the support of capital.

"Now he is also the lieutenant general of the Beiyang Fleet. You have to work hard and strive to be promoted to deputy general." Jia Lian seemed casual, but he was actually making promises.

"Hey, sir, he is Major General Henry's man, and my previous superior was Major General Churchill." It can only be said that after staying in the Great Zhou for a few years, Jim also learned some rules.

The system of the Great Zhou Dynasty was a bit complicated. The highest officials in the local army were the generals and the commanders. The new army and the navy were mainly based on the command system. The generals and deputy generals were a bit like casual officials in the navy and the new army.

Of course, at the local level, the system of generals is still in place. For example, Qi Yun is still the general and the highest commander of the local garrison. In fact, what he can control is the garrisons in various places. The new army will never dare to interfere, even though he is very jealous.

Li Yuan came down the gangway and stood on the dock. His body swayed a few times before he stood firm.

Jia Lian stepped forward quickly and raised his hand to salute: "Your Highness, I am honored to meet you. I have a military post and cannot perform formal formalities. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

"Is this the salute of the navy and the new army? Sir, you always come up with something new." Li Yuan did not have the airs of a strong contender for the crown prince at all. Instead, he addressed him as Sir.

"Your Highness, please address me by my title. This is indeed a simplified etiquette for wartime." Jia Lian didn't dare to really accept the so-called title of Mr., as it would cause trouble if he did.

This is not just Li Yuan, even if Li Heng called him that, he would correct it.

"Greetings, Governor. I am here to obey your orders in accordance with your sacred command." Following Li Yuan was the captain of the Emperor, Lieutenant General Locke, who was the candidate recommended by Henry.

Jia Lian raised his hand in return and said, "Your mission is to ensure the safety of the Second Prince if he wants to go out to sea."

Li Yuan laughed and said, "Why, Lord Jia doesn't want to use this ship as the flagship?"

Jia Lian smiled and shook his head: "That won't work. The flagship is the main target of the enemy navy's fire in battle. On the sea, no matter how well protected it is, it is hard to guarantee that it will not be hit."

There is one thing Jia Lian did not say, that is, the Great Emperor, which was equipped with British naval guns, had obvious shortcomings, such as reduced gun positions, increased comfort and speed, and decreased combat effectiveness and defense. It was not originally used as a warship, but more as a warship for the emperor to go on tour.

(End of this chapter)