I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 155 Zhang Juzheng was numb

Zhang Juzheng stood at the bow, pulling a rope with his right hand without any instruction, feeling the whistling sea breeze.

All the sails were lowered, and the wind blew them up. The huge ship was moving fast on the sea, as fast as a galloping horse.

After Lu Tong finished his work, he walked over.

Zhang Juzheng saw him and burst into laughter.

"Brother Beishan, this unobstructed view of the sea is really heart-opening!"

The sea breeze was very strong, and there was the sound of crashing waves. Standing in the wind and waves, I couldn't help but speak louder when talking to others.

"Haha, that's right. The sea and the sky are one color, magnificent and boundless. I have seen such a beautiful scenery for decades, but I still can't get enough of it."

"Brother Beishan, thanks for reminding me to change into my military uniform and hat. Otherwise, I would still be wearing the third-rank official uniform and hat. I couldn't stand in such a strong wind."

"Yes, the sea is dangerous, the waves are too strong, and being polite and courteous is untenable."

After hearing Lu Tong's meaningful words, Zhang Juzheng's eyes flashed. He did not respond, but asked other questions.

"Brother Beishan, when will the naval bombardment exercise you mentioned take place?"

"Tomorrow. Today we will rush northeast along the coastline for a day. At night we will anchor in the southern sea of ​​Ningjin and rest for a night. We will set out again early tomorrow morning and are expected to arrive at the green waters east of Cape Chengshan at noon. We will practice artillery fire there."

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but be curious, "Rest for a night. Last time, General Yuan Jing led the Marine Battalion to fight for the king for thousands of miles and won a great victory in Xianghe. It is said that he traveled day and night."

Lu Tong sighed and said, "That was Qi Yuanjing risking his life. When sailing on the sea, the most feared thing is reefs and sand. So opening up new sea routes is a risk of life and death.

The sea route from Ningbo to Dagu has been sailed for hundreds of years, and the helmsmen are very familiar with it. But this can only guarantee safety during the day. "

"Why?"

"When sailing during the day, there are lookouts on the masts who can see dozens of miles away. They can also spot reefs and sands from afar. They can also identify the location based on the lighthouses on the mountain corners on the shore and bypass the reefs.

It’s not possible at night because it’s pitch dark and you can only look at the stars to estimate the approximate direction. If you hit a reef, the ship will be destroyed and everyone will die.

Qi Yuanjing led his troops north to defend the king, traveling day and night. We know that this is a risk of life. "

"I see."

Zhang Juzheng nodded and suddenly realized that there was a secret decree from the Emperor to transfer Qi Jiguang to lead his troops north to defend the king. But if there was no urgent letter from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to be sent south together, would Qi Jiguang still risk his life like this?

Sailing during the day and resting at night, no one could find fault with it, but as a result, they missed the journey and were unable to achieve the great victory in Xianghe.

This shows the status of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the hearts of the ministers and generals in the Southeast!

After a night's rest, at noon the next day, the lookout on the masthead shouted.

"The green water area is ahead. Seventy miles ahead on the left is Chengshan Cape."

Lu Tong raised his head and asked, "Is the target ship ready for the drill?"

"Report! Three target ships are in position, and the crews on board are moving to the speedboat. No signal yet."

Zhang Juzheng asked curiously, "Target ship?"

"Yes, target ships. The purpose of maritime artillery drills is to train the firing speed and the accuracy. Without target ships, we will miss the target and cannot practice.

Only by placing the target ship, firing back and forth around it, observing the effect of the bombardment each time, and practicing repeatedly, can our gunners fire quickly and accurately. "

"Did your navy figure this out on their own?"

"Some were taught by Portuguese naval instructors, some were learned by ourselves, and some were from the Naval Regulations and Tactics Manual given by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Navy Manual of Regulations and Tactics?"

Your Highness, how much do you still know that I don’t know?

But I am your teacher, the teacher of Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, and your parents!
Oh, since you are my teacher, just pretend I didn’t say anything.

"Yes, it is said that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince figured it out on his own. We did not take it seriously at first, but as the months went by, we found more and more that what was said above made a lot of sense.

So we started thinking about it carefully.

His Highness also said it directly, asking us to delete what is useless in practice and improve and supplement what is useful. We deleted a small part and added a lot, and it became the "Navy Regulations and Tactics Manual Jiajing 44th Year Edition" issued by the Navy Bureau.

The lookout on the mast shouted, "Report! There's a signal over there saying that the three target ships are ready and the personnel can be moved away safely."

Lu Tong immediately turned around and shouted, "Ring the bells and blow the horns, prepare for battle!"

He walked quickly towards the poop, shouting as he walked: "Get moving, you bastards, get into your positions! Hurry up, hurry up! If you are slow, I will throw you all into the sea!" Zhang Juzheng followed behind him at a trot and went up to the poop.

At this moment, he somewhat understood why Lu Tan became so vulgar in his words as soon as he got on the boat. It seemed that such a tense and changeable environment could easily make people vulgar.

"Ship A1 and A2, attack target ship number one, ship A3 and A5, attack target ship number two, ship A4 and A6, attack target ship number three, lower the sail to half sail! Gunner, get ready, helmsman, grab the windward position for me!"

The helmsman moved the steering wheel with all his strength, the bow turned sharply, the hull creaked, the sails fluttered, and the ropes snapped taut, as if they would break at the next breath.

A quarter of an hour later, six of the prince's large sailing ships took up the windward position. Two of them formed a group, with their port side facing the target ship, less than a hundred steps apart, and they sailed in a staggered manner with the target ship.

"Damn it, the distance is almost there, artillery commander, is it ready for me?" Lu Tong cursed.

"Report! The port gun is ready."

"Okay, the gunner, command the firing! All the ship is ready to fire!"

"Yes!"

Lu Tong turned to Zhang Juzheng and said, "Uncle, hold the railing tightly."

Zhang Juzheng quickly followed his example and grabbed the railing with his right hand.

Lu Tong glanced at him and said, "Hold on tightly with both hands."

Zhang Juzheng quickly grabbed it with both hands.

Suddenly, Zhang Juzheng felt that the whole world became quiet. The sounds of the wind, the waves, the fluttering sails, and the seagulls flying overhead seemed to be taken away in an instant.

Everyone on the deck had a solemn look on their faces, holding onto fixed objects with one or both hands.

The second mate was standing next to the hatch, communicating with the cabin below. Suddenly he waved the pennant in his right hand and shouted desperately.

"boom!"

A loud bang!
The hull was shaking, and Zhang Juzheng thought a thunder explosion sounded next to his ears, and he trembled with fear.

There were explosions one after another, and then he saw shells whizzing across the sea and heading towards the target ship not far away. Some of them flew over the deck, and several hit the planking, making large holes.

The sound of cannons continued and the ship kept shaking. Zhang Juzheng held the railing tightly with both hands, fearing that he would be thrown out.

After twenty-eight strikes, Zhang Juzheng found that half of the cabin was filled with smoke, which spread to the entire deck. Then he found that everyone had their mouths wide open, but he could not hear clearly what they were saying.

Are my ears deafened?
Zhang Juzheng grabbed Lu Tong's sleeve in horror and pointed at his ears.

Lu Tong made a gesture, telling Zhang Juzheng not to worry, then picked up the monocular telescope and observed the target ships that were passing by and emitting smoke.

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but turn his head to look.

That's horrible!
This target ship should be two thousand tons in weight. It was badly damaged, especially at the waterline, where four large gaps were made. Seawater was pouring in from inside, and it was obvious that the target ship was slowly sinking.

When the large sailing ship circled in front of the target ship, Zhang Juzheng found that his ears had finally returned to normal.

"Brother Beishan, how effective is this bombardment?"

Zhang Juzheng asked impatiently.

Lu Tong replied proudly, "Very good. This time, the boys increased their firing speed by four breaths. Of the twenty-eight shots, fifteen hit the target, and four hit the waterline. This is a great improvement."

Zhang Juzheng calmed down his excitement.

The bombardment just now had shocked him beyond description.

Just now, more than a hundred guns from six ships fired in succession, and Zhang Juzheng thought the sky was falling and the earth was splitting.

He had always thought that the might of destroying a country and destroying a city was an exaggeration by Lu Tong. Now it seemed that it was really so. Who could resist such might?

No wonder the real Japanese were almost extinct after Hirado Port was bombarded once.

The Satsuma Domain was bombarded and its power was greatly reduced. It was surrounded and beaten by its enemies and was forced to hold on in two cities.

Then they tried their best to show goodwill to the Ming merchants, hoping to convey a message to the Ming court: they were convinced and wholeheartedly accepted the Ming as their dear father.

It is said that the artillery previously equipped by the navy was far less powerful than the new artillery on the prince's sailing ship.

With such a navy, the Ming Dynasty’s sea borders will be safe!

(End of this chapter)