I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 628 This is too scary

Lu Tong resigned two days earlier than Yin Zhengmao and Ling Yunyi, but waited in Dagu for fourteen days.

Xiao Daheng, the Minister of the Imperial Household, personally escorted more than 40 ships of goods and finally arrived at Dagu.

The two were old acquaintances, and when they met, Xiao Daheng couldn't help but ask.

"Did the little Dongwo make the emperor angry?"

Lu Tong pointed to the forty-odd ships behind him and asked with a smile, "What do you think?"

"The Eastern Japanese bastards are really stubborn!" Xiao Daheng said angrily, "Old Lu, when the emperor is worried, the ministers are humiliated; when the emperor is humiliated, the ministers die. The Eastern Japanese bastards have actually made our emperor so angry. This time, you don't need to be soft-hearted."

Lu Tong jumped up and shouted, "Old Xiao, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! How am I being too soft-hearted? How the hell am I being too soft-hearted!"

Xiao Daheng sneered a few times: "Old Lu, if you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself."

Lu Tong straightened his neck and asked, "Old Xiao, we are familiar with each other, but please don't insult my reputation for no reason."

Xiao Daheng asked with a squinting look: "Old Lu, do you have a good reputation?"

Lu Tong rolled up his sleeves, revealing his fist as big as a sand bowl, and shook it vigorously in front of Xiao Daheng.

"Haha, he's got a lot of strength, and he's getting stronger and stronger! He's almost going to have a great-grandson, but he's shameless enough to accept several East Japanese maids offered by Korean merchants. I heard there's a pair of twins."

Lu Tong's face first turned red, then black, "Nonsense, who is spreading rumors to defame someone's innocence? She is clearly a Ryukyu maid, how come people said she is from the East Japan?
Who is spreading rumors about me?"

Xiao Daheng smiled coldly: "Ryukyu or East Japan, those who are interested will naturally know. Old Lu, we are old friends. Let me remind you that the Minister of Revenue Wang took a concubine last month and was reported to the emperor."

Lu Tong was shocked. "Minister Wang is already sixty years old, but he still has lustful desires! What does the emperor say?"

He looked at Xiao Daheng nervously, eagerly waiting for an answer.

"Why don't you just go back and read the political newspaper?" Xiao Daheng performed a Tai Chi push, which made Lu Tan very uncomfortable.

"Old Lu, this last batch totals 37,000 rockets.

The Imperial Edict awarded 100,000 rockets to the Eastern Japanese, and the Imperial Household Department has collected them for you. 91,000 are the Longqing Type 2 Navy Edition, 11,000 are the Jiajing Type 46, and 3,000 are the Jiajing Type 44.

Taipusi scraped the floors of all the arsenals clean and finally got enough. The extra 5,000 are a safety margin. Many rockets have been in use for too long and may malfunction."

Lu Tong nodded and said, "It's not easy for you to find even such outdated rockets as the Jiajing 44th Type. I didn't expect you to find 5,000 rockets in stock.

Okay, we will resolutely carry out the emperor's decree, one hundred thousand can only be more, not less!
I asked them to go for inspection.

The Xuanwu Navy, as well as sixty-seven launch ships and three Marine regiments, are all waiting for orders, just waiting for your rockets."

Xiao Daheng said to Lu Tong, "Alright, Commander Lu, I have escorted you here, and my mission is accomplished. Now I will go back and report to the emperor. Commander Lu, I hope you will have a smooth journey and achieve success."

Lu Tong grabbed his sleeve and asked, "What is the emperor's attitude towards Wang Hubu's concubine?"

Xiao Daheng laughed and said, "Read the government bulletin. It should be delivered in three days. Read it yourself."

I won’t tell you!

I'm so anxious for you!
He is a few years older than Wang Ruguan, just as immoral and perverted!
Xiao Daheng bowed, turned around and left.

In three days?
These rockets will begin to be shipped today, and I will set sail the day after tomorrow at the latest.

Who dares to neglect the emperor's strict orders?

I have been waiting in Dagu Harbor for fourteen days for a legitimate reason, waiting for the rockets that the emperor would bestow upon the Eastern Japanese. Now that they are all here, I am still dawdling here. If someone reports me, I will be reported to the government.

Can’t catch up!

On the morning of the third day, the morning sun jumped out from the east, turning the cold dark blue sea and sky into a fiery red.

Lu Tong stood on the stern deck of the "Ningbo" and asked his adjutant again.

"The latest political report hasn't arrived yet?"

"Reporting to the governor, they haven't arrived yet. The postman said that it will be after noon at the earliest." The adjutant glanced at him and asked tentatively: "Governor, how about we weigh anchor a little later?"

Lu Tong turned his head suddenly and stared at his adjutant, his long gray beard fluttering in the air.

"The Emperor is so angry and has issued such a strict order, and you still dare to ask me to go out to sea half a day later? Do you want me to lose my reputation in my later years?

Order, all troops to weigh anchor and set sail, heading for Ganghwa Island."

"Follow the order!"

The Hyunmoo Navy was anchored at Ganghwa Island, and two of the four Marine Regiments were drawn from North Korea.

The news was received early by the express ship. Wu Dui, the Korean envoy of ...

Lu Tong and three others got on a carriage, left the port, and headed towards the Jianghua City Restaurant.

Looking out the window, Lu Tong exclaimed: "Ganghwa Island is almost half as prosperous as Shanghai."

Ye Mengxiong shook his head: "Mr. Beishan, how long have you not been to Shanghai?"

Lu Tong stroked his beard and replied, "Well, after the first year of Longqing, when I was appointed as the deputy governor of the Right Army, I have been wandering around the capital and the North Sea. The farthest I have been in the south is the newly opened Qingdao Port and Haizhou Port.

Well, it has been three years since I last went to Shanghai Port. "

Ye Mengxiong said: "Mr. Beishan, I just came back from Shanghai last month. Ganghwa Island is not even a quarter of Shanghai. Ganghwa Island has been developing, and Shanghai has also been developing.

Ganghwa Island is walking, Shanghai is running. Ganghwa Island is a paddle boat, Shanghai is a clipper boat that has just been launched. "

"A clipper?"

"The Hulugang Shipyard built a new sailing ship according to the emperor's drawings. It has a low side, a slender shape, a sharp front end, three masts, and densely packed short cross sails. It weighs 2,600 tons and can easily run at 12 knots with full sail downwind."

"Twelve?"

The rhythm was one of the navigation technologies absorbed by the Ming Dynasty from Portugal and Spain, but the Ming Dynasty navigators used precise clocks to measure it, which was much more accurate.

It was later calculated that one knot was approximately equal to between 1,800 and 1,900 meters. The Imperial Observatory, which was responsible for setting the standard, directly stipulated it as 1,850 meters.

Twelve knots means a speed of 22.2 kilometers per hour.

At this time, the speed of the prince's large sailing ship was generally between six and eight knots, the specially made speedboats and communication ships could only reach ten knots at most, and the Fujian and Guangdong ships were even slower.

A clipper sailboat appears to be only two knots faster than a speedboat, but for Lu Tong, an old fisherman, speed is not calculated that way.

Two sections faster in one hour, which is 3.7 kilometers. If you run ten hours a day, you will run an extra 37 kilometers.

A voyage often takes ten to twenty days. In ten days, the distance covered is 370 kilometers more, and in twenty days, the distance covered is 740 kilometers more. Over time, the distance covered is much more than before.

The distance from Dagu Port to Longkou Port in Sanbao Prefecture is about 5,400 kilometers. The prince's sailboat has a speed of eight knots and runs ten hours a day, which takes about thirty-six days.

A clipper ship at ten knots would take twenty-nine days, while a clipper ship would only take twenty-four days.

The carrying capacity of a clipper ship is less than 600 tons, but that of a clipper ship is 2,600 tons.

What a monster that runs fast and poops a lot!

Ye Mengxiong replied: "Yes, Beishan Gong, the clipper ship has been tested back and forth on the sea for half a year, from Ganghwa Island in the north to Longkou Island in the south.

With the wind in hand and full sail, it was like a competition between a fast horse and a slow horse, and in an instant the other boats were left behind.

I heard from the people at the shipyard that the Shaofujian is planning to use it to sail to Genzhou and Xunzhou."

Lu Tong nodded: "Such a fast ship should indeed be used on the vast Pacific Ocean route. Using it in the South China Sea, East China Sea and North China Sea is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut."

"Mr. Beishan is absolutely right."

Lu Tong shook his head: "I am old, I have to admit it. In the blink of an eye, countless new things come to me, it is too much to take in."

Ye Mengxiong replied: "Mr. Beishan, it's not that you are old, but that you are changing too fast."

Lu Tong smiled softly, "It's changing too fast. Yes, starting from the 41st year of Jiajing, we have watched the Ming Dynasty change with our own eyes. It changes day by day and year by year. I wonder what it will be like in a few years."

The carriage continued to move forward and soon entered Jianghua City.

This is a complete replica of Shanghai City, a smaller version.

West City is close to the port and has become a commercial district with many warehouses and shops.

The street is full of shops, and the shop assistants are greeting customers at the door. Looking through the door, there are a dazzling array of goods inside, which makes people dazzled.

In the middle is the government office, where the Joseon Observation of State Affairs and the Joseon Military Governor's Office are located, but all actual offices are in Seoul.

North City and South City are residential areas, while East City has many restaurants and brothels.

"The last time I came here was in the summer of the third year of Longqing. I didn't expect that it would be so different in just over a year. It really is a big change every year."

The carriage stopped in front of Fujinglou, the largest restaurant on Ganghwa Island. Soldiers had already surrounded the place and no outsiders were allowed to enter.

This place is fully booked tonight.

The four of them got off the carriage, walked into the lobby on the first floor, and were personally led by the shopkeeper to the best private room on the third floor where they sat down.

"The dishes here are prepared by chefs from Shanghai, Huai'an, Ningbo and the capital. Lord Huanzhou ordered several signature dishes from the Ningbo chefs for Beishan to taste."

Lu Tong was from Chuzhou Wei, so Wu Dui specially ordered similar Ningbo dishes.

"Mr. Huanzhou is thoughtful. By the way, why doesn't the restaurant have local Korean specialties?" asked Lu Tong.

Wu Dui, Ye Mengxiong and Gao Ce all nodded, "Mr. Beishan eats in North Korea. The land is poor and the resources are barren, so they just stew everything. What local specialties are there?
It's all side dishes and dipping sauces, not presentable and not worthy of being served on a table."

"I see!"

The dishes were served quickly, and after three rounds of wine, Lu Tong asked, "Will it have any impact if we withdraw two regiments of marines from Korea?"

Wu Dui pointed at Gao Ce and said, "Ask Huining Nan!"

Everyone laughed, and Gao Ce replied with a smile: "Mr. Beishan, the new Korean army now has 49,000 people, organized into nine infantry regiments and two cavalry regiments, which take turns to guard Seoul and suppress the remnants of the bandit army in various places.

Everything is under the control of the Military Inspector General, that’s enough.

Now, not only can the navy withdraw the land forces, Duke Wei has also sent a letter to start withdrawing the various regiments of the Solon Army and the Sushen Army back to Liao."

"The Solon Army and the Sushen Army have also been transferred back?" Lu Tong was an old soldier and was very sensitive. He immediately asked, "What big move are you, the Left Army, going to make?"

"There are rumors that General Qi was asked by the Southern Desert Wing Guards and the Border Army to advise the Emperor to organize a Western Expedition."

"Western Expedition? Open up the Western Regions and restore the old borders of the Han and Tang Dynasties?" Lu Tong shook his head repeatedly. "The Hexi Corridor is not easy to travel. There is also the thousands of miles of yellow sand in Hami. Too many soldiers will not have enough food and grass. Too few soldiers will suffer. It's not safe, not safe."

Gao Ce laughed: "Lord Beishan, all of the south of the desert belongs to our Ming Dynasty. Who would go to Hexi and Hami? Go directly to Jinshan and fight from the north of the Western Region to the south, not from the east to the west."

"Go to Jinshan?" Lu Tong was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, slapping his thigh, "How could I have forgotten this.

That’s right, in the past, Altan Khan would lead the right wing of the southern desert troops out of Jinshan almost every year to attack the various Wala tribes. They were very familiar with that route.”

Gao Ce smiled and replied, "That's right, Lord Beishan. General Qi suggested this western expedition route. When the news spread, the Mongolian tribes on the left and right wings and the rear wing couldn't hold back. Even the Sushen and Solon armies heard the news and clamored to join in serving the country."

Lu Tong laughed, "Serving the country is one thing, and going to the Western Regions with me to make a fortune is another. I heard that the Western Regions is a treasure trove.

It's just that we've been safe for a short while before these bastards can't hold back any longer."

Gao Ce said: "The left and right wing guards, as well as the Sushen and Sauron armies, these bastards can do nothing but fight and kill people. The Holy Emperor is benevolent, and everyone lives a good life. These people have nothing to worry about, and their hearts are even wilder.

"No wonder when I was sitting in the hall of the Right Army Commander's Office a few days ago, I heard that you, the people from the Left Army, were doing nothing and hid aside to whisper."

"Mr. Beishan, you are the deputy governor of the Right Army. Have you heard any rumors?"

Lu Tong shook his head: "Qi Laiyang is a steady person. He will definitely find an opportunity to report to the emperor first, and then discuss it with his colleagues after receiving the emperor's will. Now Hu Xuancheng has not brought this matter to the Rong government for discussion, which means Qi Laiyang has not had the opportunity to meet the emperor yet.

That’s right, this month, the Emperor and Prime Minister Zhang are on an eastern tour.”

"I believe there will be confirmed news soon." Ye Mengxiong said.

The other three nodded.

"Not only are our navy troops leaving, but our army is also starting to withdraw. Huanzhou Gong, Nanzhao, is North Korea really okay?"

Ye Mengxiong and Wu Dui looked at each other and said with a smile: "Mr. Beishan, when he said it was okay, he was just trying to fool you.

Now in the North Korean court, the only more than 300 remaining officials are divided into six factions, fighting each other like cockfighting for official hats in the court and the distribution of local interests.

The previous king's wife, Queen Shen, was also involved, making the situation a mess.

That’s not all. They have reached out to local areas to seize farmland and people, which has seriously affected our strategy of pacifying the people and allocating land.”

Lu Tong laughed: "These bastards thought they were the ones who turned the tide and defeated the rebel army. Bullshit! It was our Ming Dynasty that rescued Korea from the dire straits. Now they think they can take all the fruits of their labor by saying a few cheap compliments?
dream! "

"Haha, they are indeed dreaming, and it's a beautiful dream!" Ye Mengxiong looked around. There were no outsiders, only the four important ministers of the Ming Dynasty.

"The Emperor has already decided on a plan to take back the country. During this period, 372 work teams have gone deep into all parts of Korea, starting directly from the villages, surveying the land and checking the population.

The current population of North Korea is 5.67 million men, women and children.

In the 22nd year of Jiajing, the Kingdom of Korea conducted a population survey and found that the population was 4.2 million. However, it did not include slaves and hidden households, so the estimated population was around 6 million.

Lu Tong was stunned when he heard this, "Less than half of the people are left?"

This is scary too.

(End of this chapter)