Baidu otaku as Chongzhen

Chapter 394 Sending Someone to Listen to the Roots of the Cannon

Outside the mouth of the Yalu River, on a warship.

Shang Kexi said anxiously: "Dayong, what should we do? Now the commander's place is blocked, and our reinforcements can't get in!"

There are four people in the captain's room, Lei Dayong, Shang Kexi, Peter, and another captain, but this captain sits far away, sitting alone and giggling.

"It seems that there are also powerful characters among these Tartars! I'm afraid we may have reinforcements, and now we are defending us with cannons. The waterway has been blocked. Marshal Mao's place has indeed become an isolated city! ...We have to be careful in the future." Lei Dayong looked at the anxious Shang Kexi, and said after being silent for a while.

"Great use, this statement is indeed true, but now, I still have to think about how to get through the waterway. Without reinforcements and supplies, I'm afraid the commander will not be able to support him for long!" Shang Kexi was already out of control. Thinking that there was no way to replenish Mao Wenlong with so many supplies, he was worried that Mao Wenlong would not be able to support him. After all, Zhenjiang Fort only had 5000 people, while the Tartars had tens of thousands of people, so there was a huge gap in their strength.

Lei Dayong was also in a state of confusion. After all, he didn't have much experience in war. He was able to come here because of his loyalty to the emperor, because of his new army, and because of his status as a servant on the platform. But to be specific When it comes to wars, especially water battles, Lei Dayong can't figure it out. However, after staying in the new army for a while, following the emperor, Sun Chengzong for a long time, he has learned the point of keeping calm. Although he is anxious inside, on the surface But he doesn't have a worried expression like Shang Kexi, who writes worry on his face.

Lei Dayong looked at the barbarian among himself, both of them seemed to have a plan in mind, far less anxious than Shang Kexi, the captain named Rekaz didn't say anything, and he didn't understand official language, if he didn't Peter told him what happened. He still doesn't know what happened. He can't do anything except sit aside and laugh foolishly. As for that Peter, he also looks confident. Lei Dayong took a look. , I have some ideas in my heart.

"Peter, tell me, what should we do now?" Lei Dayong looked at Peter with a look of indifference, and asked.

"Oh, Imperial Envoy, in fact, it depends on how you look at this matter. Although it is a bit troublesome for our battleships, it is not difficult for ordinary boats and small battleships..." Peter said vaguely.

Lei Da became interested, and the emperor asked himself to learn from this barbarian, and it was true. From the barbarian's point of view, there was still something in his stomach, so he immediately asked: "Oh, Peter, how should I say this?" What? How to explain it?"

"Oh... Your Excellency, isn't this easy? You know, our warships sail in inland rivers. Due to their deep draft, there are fixed channels in the river. Generally, we can only choose the one with the deepest water. Therefore, if our enemy blocks the river, he can easily block the river by firing guns towards this fixed channel. Then, when our warships drive upwards and pass through the necessary waterway, then It’s hard not to get shot, this is skill, of course, I don’t guarantee that our enemies will understand this...” Peter said absently, while wiping the corner of his mouth after drinking wine with a white napkin.

Lei Dayong still has some intuitive knowledge and understanding of land warfare. As for naval warfare and water warfare, he is a layman and can't figure it out. Hearing Peter's words, he understood a little bit, and immediately said excitedly: "..., you mean, we can't go up with bigger boats, but there is no problem with small boats? Is that right?" Lei Dayong asked happily. Reliable.

"Hehe, yes, my lord imperial envoy, it can be said that as long as our warships or big ships don't go up, small boats, such as our sampans, centipede boats, etc., are fine. Small boats have a shallow draft, are very flexible, and are not fixed. If our enemy wants to aim and shoot, it is simply unimaginable..." Peter said indifferently.

Shang Kexi heard this, and became happy too. If so, then the Tartars would not have completely sealed off the river, and they could still have reinforcements going up.

"Peter, do you mean that the Tartars can't aim at the boat and miss it?" Shang Kexi couldn't help asking.

"No, no, no, I think you may have misunderstood what I mean. What I mean is, we can send some small boats, such as sampans, and centipede boats, carry supplies, and still go upstream to attract our The enemy's fire is to attract the Tartars to fire, these small boats are not easy to be hit..." Peter forked a piece of meat, chewed vigorously, and said indifferently while eating.

Shang Kexi is a little unhappy, what kind of idea is this?Just take the lives of the people on your side to break through the checkpoint set by the Tartars!
"Peter, do you mean to force us to break through? Don't care about the cannons of the Tartars? Although some supplies can be transported up in this way, there will definitely be a lot of losses... and, most importantly, how will your fleet go up? Your fleet can't go up, so how can you fulfill His Majesty's instructions?" Shang Kexi couldn't understand Peter's leisurely look, and got angry at Peter.

Peter had an indifferent expression, drank his red wine again, wiped the corners of his mouth again, and said, "No, no, no, Mr. Imperial Envoy, you may have misunderstood what I mean, what I mean is, Pai Go up the boat and try to attract our enemy, that is, the Tartars to fire. The more times the Tartars fire, the better... You should know that the number of shots for a cannon is limited, and our enemy, that is, The Tartars, I heard, are a group of barbarians who don’t know how to make cannons. The cannons they use now were captured from our Ming Dynasty, right? That is to say, the total number of cannons they fired can be estimated. Once fired, the life of the cannon will be reduced once, so what we have to do now is to send some small boats to try to attract our enemies, that is, the Tartars, to keep firing until they have exhausted the number of times they fired. So far, you must know that the cannons of our enemy, the Tartars, were seized from the Ming Dynasty many years ago. Based on this calculation, the lifespan of the cannons may be lower. In this way, our enemy, that is, the Tartars, will no longer have such things as cannons, huh..., do you understand what I mean?" Peter looked at the two young boys beside him, one One is in his 20s, and the other one is younger, not yet 20.However, they are the cronies of the emperor of the Eastern Empire. In a war, the resources they can use are even far more than many Thai and Western kings. He respects them quite a lot. Although they don't even understand these simple common sense of war, Peter is still willing to explain to them. Not to mention anything else, it is the supplies, food, and wine that Peter "respects" them. .

Lei Dayong looked at this barbarian in a daze. He never expected that there are so many ways to fight in water and artillery. He never knew this. Lei Dayong also stayed in the staff for a long time. I also know a lot about the intelligence of the Tartars, so I naturally know the details of the Tartars. The Tartars really don’t know how to make their own cannons. Now they can produce some cannons, which are all from the Ming Dynasty that were captured before. Those cannons were already captured before they were captured. It has been in use for quite some time, just like what this barbarian said, Tartar cannons have a limited lifespan, if one is damaged, one will be lost, and if all of them are destroyed, none of them will be lost...

Shang Kexi and Lei Dayong understood what this barbarian was up to. Although they felt that this barbarian didn't care about other people's lives, they couldn't help but admit that what this barbarian said made sense.

"..., two imperial envoys, our task is only to go up to help Marshal Mao at the critical moment, not to go up now. His Majesty the Emperor also means the same, because once we appear, then this war will almost be over." It's over, think about how many cannons there are on our fleet, and His Majesty the Emperor has promised that we can fire as much as we want, that is to say, we can fight without any scruples, even if the enemy is only one person, only one horse, All our cannons can still fire at the same time, I think, in this case, our enemy, that is, the Tartars, will not see any hope of victory, and will definitely retreat consciously, so we don't need to use it at all now Urgent, just keep sending small boats to lure the Tartars to fire until all their cannons are useless. I think we expected that Marshal Mao could last for at least a month, right? In other words, We still have at least one month to slowly wear down the Tartar's cannons, and one month later, when we appear on the Da Chong River, the Tartar's cannons are all dumb, aren't they?" Peter stopped After eating, he explained to the two boys with a serious expression.

Lei Dayong and Monk Kexi both swallowed their saliva. The barbarians were right. They really don't need it now, and they can't go up. The emperor had already explained at that time that it was a final decision to go up these warships. According to estimates, There is no pressure for Mao Wenlong to persist for another month. Unless the Tartars attack hard without casualties, they will have to brave the artillery fire of the Tartars to support them. However, this situation may not happen, because the hard attack Casualties are quite large.

Shang Kexi was very depressed, and sent small boats to lure the Tartars to fire. This task, no matter what, fell on their Dongjiang Town. Their Dongjiang Town has many small boats and small warships. Except for Dongjiang Town, there is no one. Others, that is to say, this is clearly a mission to die, and it belongs to Dongjiang Town, and Shang Kexi is from Dongjiang Town, and has ties and feelings with Dongjiang Town, such a thing, Shang Kexi thinks It's very boring, obviously I have taken advantage of it, but I still have to fill it with my own life.

"Then, since it consumes the artillery of the Tartars and prevents them from attacking our large ships, can we use the Hongyi cannons to confront the Tartars on the other side of the river? Our Hongyi cannons can easily hit four or five I think that although there are some red-clothed cannons in the Tartars, they must not be many. There may be only a few of them that can reach such a distance. Tartars fire, look, is this okay?" Shang Kexi didn't want the people of Dongjiang Town to risk the Tartars' artillery to attract the Tartars' attention and lure them to fire. In his circle, he put his mind on the Hongyi cannons that the emperor supported Mao Wenlong.

Lei Dayong's eyes lit up and he said: "This method works. The Tartars can use cannons to hit us, and we can also use cannons to hit them. If our cannons are broken, His Majesty will send us new ones. If it breaks, it will be gone, Yuan Ji, this method is good, I will immediately arrange for someone to install the red cannon on the opposite side of the Tartar cannon, and confront the Tartars across the river..." Lei Dayong also didn't want to be beaten on his side, so , agreed immediately.

"Okay...but, when the Hongyi Cannon goes ashore, will the Tartars follow? After all, the Da Chong River is neither deep nor wide..." Although Shang Kexi likes it, he also thinks of another problem, the Hongyi Cannon goes ashore. What if the Tartars come to attack?
"Or, let's put it on the boat, and if we are farther away, we can still confront the Tartars..." Lei Dayong thought for a while and said.

"...No, no, no, I want to remind you two, you must understand His Majesty's strategy, and don't spoil His Majesty's business. If you are in a hurry now, move the Hongyi Cannon to the other side of the Tarzi River If you go or use a large ship to fight, then it will definitely attract the attention of the leaders of the Tartars. If they find and realize that there are a large number of troops and even a large number of warships gathered here in the lower reaches of the river, ready to support Zhenjiang Fort at any time, then, it is possible Frighten away our enemies at any time, then you may spoil the business of His Majesty the Emperor, and perhaps the Emperor will punish you..." Seeing the plan of the two young men, Peter immediately stopped him.

"This..." Lei Dayong and Monk Kexi were stunned. This is indeed a problem. The emperor has repeatedly explained that he cannot reveal his strength early. The grand strategy this time is the word "entanglement". Zhenjiang Fort, wait until Mao Wenlong can't hold on anymore, then he can go up, instead of simply repelling the Tartars, if it goes against the strategy, even if it is a victory, it will be a failure...

Lei Dayong became dejected and dejected. There are too many famous tricks in this war. It is far from being as simple as they thought. He can't go on a battleship or a cannon. He can only take his own people to death one by one. Let the Tartars think that Dongjiang Town only has these means.

"Commander Peter, what should we do now?" Lei Dayong asked a little discouraged.

"Oh... Your Excellency, in fact, what you need to do now is to hide your strength, and keep dispatching ships to lure the Tartars to fire and paralyze the enemy. Our Captain Rekaz's ship has many excellent gunners. Not only can you hear the number of cannons, but you can also tell the power of the cannons, and even the direction where the cannons were fired. Let them go upstream to listen to how the Tartars fired the cannons for a while. After a while, our gunners will put How many cannons the Tartars have, their types, their power, and their location, so that after more than half a month, you can send the cannons in red to confront the Tartars. How many cannons can be killed is not sure, so the Tartars will think that you are the reinforcements sent by His Majesty the Emperor from Beijing, and will not know that a group of warships and a large number of reinforcements have gathered in the lower reaches of the river. The strategic goal will not be exposed,...you two understand?" After all, Peter is older and more experienced, perhaps because this war is just a passer-by and a spectator for him, so he did not commit the "authority fan" Wrong, seriously analyzing the situation of both the enemy and us.

Lei Dayong and Monk Kexi sat down in a somewhat decadent manner. After Peter's explanation, they finally understood that now is definitely not a good time to break through the blockade immediately. How many reinforcements are interested? Then, it is likely to expose their own strength and strategy. Then, this battle of Zhenjiang Fort, even if the Tartars retreated, it can be said to have failed and failed to achieve the set goal.All that can be done now is to confuse the Tartars.

Lei Dayong said with some decadence: "That is to say, what we can do now is to send a few people to listen to the roots of those cannons?"

"...and a group of my Dongjiang boys to die..." Shang Kexi added with some dissatisfaction.

Lei Dayong glanced at Shang Kexi, said nothing, and lowered his eyelids again.

"Oh, no, no, no, Envoy Shang, it's not to die. Listen to me. The Tartars are on the top of the mountain. If they know how to do it, they usually use a fixed route. For those little ones who can get out, it's usually Those who don’t care so much, and there is no good way, are generally difficult to hit. You must know that those small boats are too small and move around at any time, so it is generally difficult to hit them. I have experience with this, oh, you Think, would the Tartars fire all the cannons for a small boat? Obviously not..." Peter quickly explained.

Shang Kexi nodded again, although he felt uncomfortable, he couldn't deny that what this barbarian said made sense.

"Miss Lei Qin, in fact, we are not only going to listen to how the Tartars fired their cannons, but also to find out how many cannons they have and where they are located, and then draw a rough map. After half a month, You can send one or two larger warships to carry our Hongyi cannons and fire at these cannons far downstream. In this way, you can take revenge. How about dropping a cannon from the Tartars... In this way, our existence will not be exposed, and the artillery of the Tartars can be gradually consumed, so that the Tartars think that we only have this ability, and let them be careless...then... Yo ho, we appear as saviors, and let our enemy, the Tartars, fail completely..." Peter said to the two young imperial envoys with joy.

Lei Dayong was bored for a long time as a monk, but he couldn't think of a better way, and he couldn't go against the emperor's grand strategy; he had to gradually wear out the cannons of the Tartars to clear the way for the warships to reach the battlefield; and he couldn't expose himself With the strength of the fleet and the existence of the fleet, this is really a painful thing.

"It seems that this is the only way to go now, Yuan Ji, let's report the situation here to His Majesty, and see what His Majesty says..." Lei Dayong pondered for a while and said.

Shang Kexi nodded with difficulty, and agreed to this plan, that is to say, next, people from Dongjiang Town will have to use the lives of the Tartars to fill the mouth of the Tartars' cannons, hoping that things will be as this barbarian said, and it will be difficult for the cannons to hit small boats , can save a few Dongjiang men from dying.

Shang Kexi stood up, walked out sullenly, walked to Captain Rekaz who had been giggling all the time, and suddenly said, "Rekaz!"

"Yes!" Rekaz jumped up violently.

"Study my Ming Mandarin well, and if you have military achievements in the future, His Majesty may give you an official position. Remember, it is much better than your Thai and Western nobles..." Shang Kexi shouted at this barbarian who didn't understand Chinese. Said, finished speaking, went out without looking back.

"Yes!" Rekaz has been studying Ming Dynasty mandarin feverishly recently, because Peter told him that if they can do a good job this time, then His Majesty the Emperor of the East may give them an official position, and Ming Dynasty's An official, just a seventh-rank official, can also manage tens of thousands of people. In Taixi, this is something that can only be done by a noble such as an earl or a duke. The prerequisite for being an official is to learn the official language.Therefore, Rekaz studied Ming Dynasty Mandarin with a smirk every day, and now he has learned his own name and "yes", as long as the two imperial envoys talk to him, he immediately agrees: "yes".

(End of this chapter)