Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 536 Before the war
After finishing the small talk, Yang Zhengshan walked into the main room, and An Yuxing also jumped down from the wall.

"When do you plan to go on the expedition?"

"It will take a while!"

"How long is another period of time?" An Yuxing asked.

"Next month? What? You can't wait?" Yang Zhengshan said casually while washing.

An Yuxing looked at the clear sky outside and shook his head gently, "The wind and rain here are too strong, I can't get used to living here!"

"Haha~~"

Yang Zhengshan burst into laughter.

The climate in Zhaowuwei is very different from that in Kyoto. In November, it had already snowed in Kyoto, but it was still a bit hot and humid in Zhaowuwei.

"Everything in the world can be enlightened, and the changing winds and clouds can also lead to enlightenment!"

Yang Zhengshan said casually.

An Yuxing was stunned, "Can one attain enlightenment even when the weather is changing?"

He looked at the dark clouds gradually fading away in the sky and asked, "Can one attain enlightenment in the rain?"

Seeing that he was in a daze, Yang Zhengshan ignored him and continued eating his breakfast.

Breakfast was prepared by me personally. It was a big bowl of rice with dried meat, vegetables, pickles, etc. It was not rich, but it was good with meat and vegetables.

Just as he was eating, An Yuxing suddenly leaped out and landed on the wall again.

He swung the wine gourd in his hand, and the wine spilled in the air. Then he jumped up, grabbed the wine gourd and fell down.

At the same time, a rain of arrows fell, hitting the ground with a thud, splashing mud and water on the already bumpy ground.

"Old man, don't destroy my yard!" Yang Zhengshan shouted dissatisfiedly.

An Yuxing laughed, "You are right, you can still gain enlightenment even when the situation changes!"

"Uh, what did you realize?" Yang Zhengshan asked in surprise.

He just said it casually. Although he felt that there was nothing wrong with this sentence, he didn't think that he could really learn anything from it.

"I haven't realized anything, just some new discoveries!" An Yuxing smiled.

"real!"

Yang Zhengshan felt that the old man was a little different today, but he couldn't tell what was different.

"I can't explain it, I can't figure it out, but maybe this is an opportunity. Anyway, I've gained something!" An Yuxing raised his head and took a sip of wine, saying casually.

Yang Zhengshan ate all the rice in the bowl and was too lazy to say anything more to the old man.

This old man always likes to be mysterious and often says nonsense.

In fact, it is not really unreasonable, because in the innate realm, some things cannot be explained clearly and it all depends on personal understanding.

Yang Zhengshan didn't want to pay attention to An Yuxing, but An Yuxing asked, "Have you practiced walking on water?"

"no!"

"Then let's practice. After all, you will be fighting on the sea next!" An Yuxing said.

Yang Zhengshan thought about it and it made sense. "Then I'll find time to practice!"

Walking on water, as the name suggests, means walking on water. However, it is not entirely walking on water, but refers to some techniques and methods of fighting in water.

How to move quickly in water, how to walk on the water, how to fight in water, etc.

Innate warriors have a long breath and can easily hold their breath underwater for half an hour, but there are many techniques involved in fighting underwater.

As for walking on water, it is not as difficult as imagined. Acquired warriors can walk on water, and innate warriors can even stand on the water for a long time.

This is nothing more than the application of innate true qi.

As long as they reach the level of controlling Qi, innate warriors can stand on the water for a long time.

Yang Zhengshan had never fought in water before, so he had never practiced the skills in this area.

With An Yuxing's reminder, Yang Zhengshan went to the beach and started practicing after breakfast.

What he practiced was not how to tread water, after all, that was easy for him. What he needed to practice was how to tread water with less effort.

On the sea, Yang Zhengshan kept running as if he was walking on flat ground, sometimes jumping up, sometimes diving into the water, and after a moment, suddenly jumping out of the water again.

In the first few days he just jumped up and down in the sea, and later he even wore a golden armor, holding a black iron spear, and jumped up and down in the sea.

The black iron spear weighs 138 kilograms, and the golden armor weighs 143 kilograms. The two together are almost twice Yang Zhengshan's weight.

Carrying such heavy armor, it would take a lot more effort for Yang Zhengshan to step into the water freely, mainly because the consumption of his innate true energy would increase exponentially.

Fortunately, Yang Zhengshan’s innate true qi is now very strong, so he can afford it.

Time passed slowly as Yang Zhengshan practiced, and before he knew it, it was mid-December.

The basic training of the Jiujiang Navy has been completed, and the coordinated training of the four sea navies has also been carried out several times. Although there are still many mistakes, they can barely go out to sea to fight.

As the New Year approaches, Yang Zhengshan doesn't plan to waste any more time.

The twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Yang Zhengshan beat the drum to gather his troops inside the Zhaowuwei Yamen.

Deputy Prime Minister Yu Tonghai, Bai Yuanxi, Camp Officer Xue Changan, Lieutenant General Qian Manyi, Zhang Man, Wu Kai and others gathered together.

Except for Xue Ping who was still guarding Dongyang Island, all the generals and officers of the four naval forces gathered together.

The yamen lobby could not accommodate so many people, so Yang Zhengshan held the meeting in the yard.

Looking at the generals, Yang Zhengshan stood tall with his horse and sword.

"It's almost time for us to go to war! If we delay any longer, I think those officials in Kyoto will be angry with us!"

Yang Zhengshan said with a smile.

Everyone laughed.

The Sihai Navy is now a giant gold-devouring beast. In just three months, it has swallowed more than one million taels of silver, hundreds of thousands of stones of grain, and many weapons and warships.

If this continues, not to mention the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, even Emperor Yanping would be anxious.

"With the Marquis here, we are not afraid of them!"

"Yes, we have been having a great time these days!"

Several people laughed.

How can it not be refreshing?
Except for the Tenglong Guards, other naval forces were short of money. In the past, they had to beg for money from the court. The key point was that they might not get much money or food despite all the effort.

Now, they can easily get sufficient money and food wages, as well as complete sets of weapons, armor and warships.

It has never been so vast before.

"Okay, just joke around. We can't just think about getting benefits and not do anything!" Yang Zhengshan held out his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"It's time to go to battle!"

"My Lord, just give the order. We will move forward courageously and fearlessly, regardless of life or death!" Yu Tonghai said solemnly.

Yang Zhengshan nodded, "According to the information provided by the Secret Guard, Xingyuemen has gathered nearly 40,000 pirates around Xingyue Island!"

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and his attendants immediately brought up the prepared sea chart. Yang Zhengshan pointed to the Xingyue Island on the sea chart and said, "Forty thousand pirates are distributed in the garrisons of the Four Flags Army, but once we go out, they will definitely fight a decisive battle with us!"

"I have decided to place the final battle a hundred miles west of Xingyue Island!"

"There are more than ten islands of various sizes here, and the largest island is where the Full Moon Flag Army is stationed!"

"So we have to divide this battle into four steps. The first step is to defeat the Xingyuemen's pirate army, the second step is to capture the Full Moon Island, the third step is to land on Xingyue Island and destroy the Xingyuemen headquarters in one fell swoop, and the fourth step is to clean up the remaining forces of Xingyuemen."

"The most difficult ones are the first and third steps. The Xingyue Sect may put all its strength on the pirate army, but it is also possible that they will fight a desperate battle on Xingyue Island!"

"Therefore, we must go all out in these two battles!"

Yang Zhengshan explained the general plan and then began to give orders.

"Yu Tonghai!"

"The humble position is here!"

"You lead the Tenglong Navy to occupy this place first!"

Yang Zhengshan pointed to an uninhabited island in the north of Xingyue Island and said, "After the war begins, you will be responsible for infiltrating the enemy's rear and cutting off their retreat!"

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"I obey your command!" Yu Tonghai said.

"Bai Yuanxi!" Yang Zhengshan shouted again.

"I am here!" Bai Yuanxi stepped out and said.

Yang Zhengshan pointed to the south of Man Yue Island and said, "After entering the Xingyue Sea, you will lead the Jiujiang Central Guard to separate from the main army and penetrate the enemy's south first. The main army will do its best to drive the enemy to flee southwards, and you will be responsible for intercepting them!"

"I obey your command!" Bai Yuanxi replied.

Yang Zhengshan continued, "The rest of the generals, follow me and attack Man Yue Island. We will make the specific tactical arrangements when the time comes. I have only one request for you!"

"That is, once you receive the order, you must charge forward for me. Even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, you must charge forward for me!"

"If there is anyone who dares to be afraid of fighting, even if I win this battle, I will chop him to pieces!"

Naval battles are extremely difficult to command. Once the troops are separated, it is difficult to issue orders in a timely manner. Therefore, after the troops are divided, how to fight depends entirely on the commander's grasp of the opportunity.

Therefore, Yang Zhengshan did not dare to disperse the troops too much. He just asked Yu Tonghai and Bai Yuanxi to bring a group of soldiers each to respond to emergencies.

As for the other naval forces, Yang Zhengshan had only one requirement, and that was to dare to charge forward.

In this battle they had the advantage in terms of military strength, and their warships were even better than those of the enemy. As long as the soldiers dared to fight, it would be difficult for them to be defeated. The difference at most was just a complete victory or a tragic victory.

"We will follow the orders of the Marquis!" the generals responded in unison.

Following an order, all soldiers began to prepare for battle.

The weapons and armor were all ready, and all the food, fresh water, crossbows and bows were loaded onto the warships. Thousands of soldiers were busy for a day. Early the next morning, Yang Zhengshan boarded the Jinhaiwei ship at the temporary port.

The ship of Jinhaiwei is also a No. 1 Dafu ship, which is the same as the Dafu ship of Tenglong Vanguard, but the crossbows on its ship are not as good as those of Tenglong Vanguard, because the crossbows of Tenglong Vanguard were modified by Tenglong Guard themselves, which were modified by Yang Zhengshan when he was in Tenglong Guard.

Yang Zhengshan chose the Dafu ship of Jinhaiwei as his flagship. In addition to his close entourage and guards, he was accompanied by An Yuxing and his group of six.

With six innate warriors by his side, Yang Zhengshan felt that if he lost this battle, it would be truly unforgivable.

The army put out to sea, with thousands of warships marching towards Xingyue Island. When passing Dongyang Island, Xue Ping also led two battalions of soldiers to follow the Tenglong vanguard.

On Dongyang Island, Zhu Ming stood respectfully behind an old man, looking at the mighty navy with shock in his eyes.

"In the past, I only knew that Darong was powerful, but I didn't know how powerful it was. Today, I know that Darong's power is far beyond my imagination!"

Zhu Ming said with some sigh.

In terms of the number of warships, the four navies currently have not many warships, only about a thousand or so.

The Xingyue Sect claims to have three thousand warships.

However, the number of warships does not represent strength. Ten small boats are not as good as one large ship, and a hundred small boats are not as good as one large ship.

The real strength of the Four Seas Navy lies in the twenty-eight large ships.

Of the twenty-eight large Fu ships, ten were originally flagships of Tenglong Vanguard, Jinhaiwei, Quanhaiwei, Leizhouwei and Haizhouzuowei, and the remaining eighteen were merchant ships that were converted by the Ministry of Industry over the past three months.

Although they were converted from merchant ships and looked smaller than the No. 1 Dafu ship, they were still huge monsters.

Twenty-eight Dafu ships together with more than two hundred medium-sized patrol boats and Haicang ships are definitely not comparable to the Xingyue Sect. Not only the Xingyue Sect, but any force in the southeastern waters cannot provide so many large ships, including the Lu Sheng Dynasty.

"For us, the warship is just a small matter. I am more curious about how many innate warriors are on that ship!" said the old man, stroking his gray beard.

"Master San, do you know the innate warrior from Darong?" Zhu Ming asked softly.

The old man in front of him is Zhu Changxing, one of the heads of the Zhu family of Dihuo Island. Dihuo Island is a family-based force. Although the clan has reached tens of thousands and has many branches, the Zhu family still maintains a family-based ruling model.

The people in charge are all innate warriors. They do not respect seniority or age, only strength is respected. The people in charge are ranked according to the time it takes them to break through to the innate realm.

The Third Master in front of him is ranked third on the Earth Fire Island, which means that there are two clansmen ahead of him who reached the Innate Realm earlier than him.

If someone in the Xiantian realm passes away, his ranking will move up one place.

Zhu Changxing took a deep breath and said, "There are a few acquaintances, but I haven't seen them for several years. It seems that I should go visit some old friends!"

"The situation in the southeastern sea area may change in the future, so we should make some preparations in advance!"

Zhu Ming nodded in agreement, "What do you think of Mr. Xue Ping? Should we cooperate with them?"

Zhu Changxing smiled and said, "Even if we want to choose a partner, we won't choose him. He is just a commander in Darong."

"What does the Third Master mean?" Zhu Ming was a little disappointed. He was actually very optimistic about the cooperation with Xue Ping.

Zhu Changxing said: "Xue Ping is the commander of the Tenglong Vanguard, and as far as I know, the Tenglong Guard was trained by Yang Zhengshan, the Marquis of Jing'an, the Great Rong. Well, Yang Zhengshan is the chief officer of the Four Seas Navy!"

"So our partner should be Yang Zhengshan, Marquis of Jing'an, and not Xue Ping!"

Xue Ping is not yet qualified to cooperate with their Dihuo Island. It’s not that he looks down on Xue Ping, but Xue Ping is really not qualified.

Whether in terms of identity and status, or strength, Xue Ping is far from qualified.

Zhu Ming suddenly realized, "Third Master is really thoughtful!"

Zhu Changxing ordered: "Prepare a generous gift. After the Sihai Navy returns victorious, I will personally visit this Jing'an Marquis!"

Zhu Ming was a little hesitant, "What kind of generous gift should I prepare?"

This really made him feel a little embarrassed. As for silver and money, he certainly had no shortage of them on Dongyang Island, and there was no shortage of all kinds of commercial goods. However, he felt that ordinary things would hardly catch the eyes of innate warriors.

No matter how good the things are, he doesn't have them anymore.

"You just need to prepare some ordinary things. I will prepare the important gifts myself!" said Zhu Changxing.

During this period, they on Dihuo Island were not idle. They had been inquiring about the internal news of Dayong, including the attitude of the four naval forces, Yang Zhengshan, and the Dayong court towards the southeastern waters.

So Zhu Changxing now has some understanding of Yang Zhengshan and knows some of Yang Zhengshan's preferences.

Of course, they also found out the attitude of Darong Dynasty towards the southeastern waters, especially why Darong Dynasty targeted Xingyue Sect this time.

Since Xingyue Sect was asking for trouble, they naturally wouldn't interfere. As long as the Darong court didn't want to swallow up the southeastern waters, they wouldn't mind cooperating with Darong.

It is precisely because they know that Dayong has no intention of coveting the Southeast Sea that they choose to stand idly by. Otherwise, they will definitely join forces with Xingyuemen to fight against Dayong.

However, although Dayong has no intention of coveting the Southeast Sea, Dayong's expedition to attack Xingyuemen will still affect the situation in the Southeast Sea, so Dihuo Island unanimously decided to choose a partner from within Dayong.

Why not cooperate directly with Darong Chaotang?

Because they know they are not qualified!
They didn't even have the qualifications to become a subsidiary dynasty of Dayong. In the entire Southeast Sea area, only the Lu Sheng Dynasty was qualified to be a subsidiary of Dayong.

(End of this chapter)