Baidu otaku as Chongzhen

Chapter 402 We are going to dismantle your cannons
Early October.

At the mouth of the Yalu River, on a battleship.

Shang Kexi stood alone on the deck, staring at the sea bewilderedly.The sea breeze in early winter was already a bit cold, but he didn't feel it.If you look at it from a distance, this is a young man who is quite tall and straight in the wind. However, if you can walk in, you will find that this young man is crying uncontrollably. He fell, but he didn't wipe it with his hands, and there was no whimpering, only silent tears. His chest was already wet. If you only look at the back, this is a young officer with a bright future. If you can stand in front of him If you are on the opposite side, you will find his tears, but obviously, no one can stand on his opposite side. This tall and straight young man is holding on to the railing. In front of him is the endless sea.

"Yuanji, Yuanji..." Lei Dayong shouted in the distance.Woke up Shang Kexi who was crying alone
Shang Kexi turned his head and realized that it was Lei Dayong who greeted him again, and immediately walked over quickly.

"Useful, Peter, you are finally here, hurry into the captain's room, the latest secret letter from the staff department." Shang Kexi said hastily, without wiping the tears on his face.

"Okay! We received your newsletter, finished our upstream survey, and came back on purpose." Lei Dayong said, and found that there seemed to be watermarks on his partner's face, which looked like tear stains, and then looked at the lapel , there are also traces of infiltration.

"Yuanji, who are you?" Lei Dayong asked curiously. This is Shang Kexi, but a person who has been on the battlefield and experienced death will never cry in ordinary things, let alone wet his clothes. Exaggerated.

Only then did Shang Kexi look at his skirt, and said with a smile: "Hehe, it's okay, just now I blew the wind by myself for a while, maybe it got wet from the waves, let's go, let's discuss the secret letter..." Shang Kexi said indifferently, and then took the lead towards the captain's cabin.

Although Lei Dayong was a little puzzled, he was relieved after hearing such an explanation. There is not much else in this sea, but there is a lot of water. If it can be kept dry all day, it is a rare thing.

After entering the captain's room, Shang Kexi took out a secret letter and said, "This is a secret letter from the General Staff Department. It contains His Majesty's latest instructions. It has a lot to do with the rescue of Zhenjiang Fort. Please read it first." After finishing speaking, Shang Kexi handed the secret letter to Lei Dayong.

Lei Dayong glanced at the secret letter. It was indeed an urgent secret letter from the General Staff Department. The seal on it had been torn off. Shang Kexi should have read it. He and Shang Kexi were both "imperial envoys" sent by the emperor. Shang Kexi also had The right to open this confidential letter.

Lei Dayong pulled out the secret letter, opened it, and read it. He vaguely noticed that the paper seemed to be a little wet. There were two shallow water drop marks on it. Lei Dayong looked at Shang Kexi suspiciously. Fortunately, there was no expression, Lei Dayong looked at it seriously.

The more he looked, the more Lei Dayong frowned, and when he saw the back, he relaxed his brows a little.

"What instructions does Your Majesty have?" Seeing that Lei Dayong had finished reading the letter, Peter immediately asked.

Lei Dayong handed the secret letter to Peter, who also read it.

"Oh oh oh... twenty more cannons? Eighty thousand grenades? My God... ten thousand sets of cotton-padded clothes and ten thousand quilts. Your Majesty is really generous. My dear Lei, Shang, I have never seen such a generous emperor, with so many weapons and supplies, there will be no suspense in defending Zhenjiang Fort..., we are going to win, oh, oh, oh, look, look, why are you so sad What? Isn't this a good thing?" Peter shouted happily after reading the letter.

Lei Dayong said: "It is indeed a good thing to have so many supplies, but how to transport them?" Lei Dayong asked.

"Your Majesty mentioned in the letter that the Tartars are likely to be prepared for our reinforcements, and there may be some way to prevent us from going to the battlefield. This is the troublesome thing. How do we prepare for the Tartars to deal with us? Without knowing it, once we can't transport these things to Zhenjiang Fort in time, Zhenjiang Fort may not be able to defend it in April next year..." Shang Kexi said.

This time, the emperor mentioned in his letter that since the Tartars were able to seal the river with cannons, they probably expected reinforcements from the lower reaches. Prepare for the worst, and even prepare for the fact that the Tartars already know that there will be reinforcements from warships downstream. You must prepare for the worst and think about the worst.

"In my opinion, since His Majesty told us to prepare for the worst and let us give up the illusion that the whole war will end as soon as the fleet appears on the battlefield, then we must be prepared to fight a protracted battle. , it may be very short, it depends on when the rain will fall, if we miss the last flood season, we may not have another chance..." Shang Kexi added.

"That's right! It seems that when His Majesty's supplies arrive, it's time for us to attack!" Lei Dayong said seriously, frowning.

There was silence in the captain's room.

Shang Kexi has already returned to seriousness from the previous state of tears streaming down his face. The reason for crying is because of the emperor's supply list. This supply list is really too rich. It is so rich that it makes people cry. It is said with the mouth, whoever cares will know it, and whoever will do his best to whom, it cannot be finished in a few words.

"Peter, you have the most experience, what do you think?" Shang Kexi suddenly said.

"Me? Well, let me talk about the flood season first. In the past few days, Lei and I have traveled a lot to observe the hydrological conditions..." Peter said as he came to the edge of the map.

"From Phi Island, there is no problem entering the Yalu River from here, even our flagship is no problem, but we can only sail through this place, this place called Linjiang Village, from the mouth of the sea to the Yalu River. In this place, the water depth is no problem. Even if it doesn’t rain, our warship can still walk, but if we go up here, the river becomes shallower, faster, and narrower. Therefore, our trouble comes from Linjiang Village From above to Zhenjiang Fort, the distance is about fifteen miles. We can only take advantage of the flood season and the opportunity of rising water to take the risk. Moreover, our flagship cannot go up yet, only a few ships can go up. Small battleship, so our actual firepower has been greatly weakened, only about [-] guns can go up..." Peter said seriously, pointing to the map.

"We still have the water battalion. The water battalion has many warships suitable for inland navigation. Although their artillery is not good, we can install the artillery supported by His Majesty on those warships. In this way, we can have more Artillery... Your Majesty has reinforced Zhenjiang Fort with forty cannons this time. Apart from the eight Hongyi cannons that are too heavy to be loaded, there are also 32 thousand-jin Flang machines. If we can install the thousand-jin Flang machines On those ships, our cannons will increase to more than a hundred, so our firepower will be much stronger..." Shang Kexi interrupted Peter, adding that for those who support Mao Wenlong, Zhenjiang Fort, and Dongjiang Town Ladies and gentlemen, Shang Kexi is more anxious and attentive than Lei Dayong and Peter. When he heard Peter calculate the artillery that could reach the battlefield, he immediately made supplements.

Lei Dayong nodded after listening to Shang Kexi's words. Although these cannons were to support the Zhenjiang Fort, it is also possible to temporarily gather them together and install them on the water battalion warships in Dongjiang Town to increase the number of cannons. After all, There are not enough cannons to suppress it, so it is too difficult to replenish Dongjiang Town.

"That's fine. Since our artillery has been severely weakened, we have to find a way to increase the number of cannons. At that time, Yuan Ji, first install these cannons on the battleships in Dongjiang Town, and wait until the supplies are almost transported. Take down the cannon and send it to Zhenjiang Fort, so that both ends will be safe..." Lei Dayong supported Shang Kexi on this issue, although there was a bit of embezzlement and risk in doing so.

Shang Kexi nodded gratefully to Lei Dayong.If only four barbarian warships can be boarded, then the number of artillery is only [-], and there are only [-] cannons on one side, which is not enough to form an overwhelming suppression of the Tartars. If the Tartars cannot be pulled aside, then the delivery of supplies It is undoubtedly very dangerous to go in. Dongjiang Town itself has water camps, but there are very few cannons on these water camps. Generally, there are only one or two small cannons for the facade. Others are not enough to use "cannons" to describe.

"Very good. In this way, we will have more than one hundred cannons, and at most fifty cannons can fire each time. Cannons of this scale are enough to block a passage. Besides, Zhenjiang Fort is far away from the city." The river is very close, less than a mile away, and there are cannons on the city walls and hills to support us, so opening the passage should be no problem. Next, it’s up to you to land and deliver supplies..." Peter Hearing Shang Kexi's words, he shouted "Hello", and then talked about his plan.

"Landing and transporting supplies, this point, Dongjiang Town has no problem at all, even if you die, everyone will send things in, everyone can rest assured, none of my Dongjiang boys are cowards..." Shang Kexi did not hesitate. said hesitantly.

"Very good. Now that we've finished talking about the waterway and supply, let's talk about the flood season. After all, we can only go up during the flood season. If there is no water, even if there are two hundred cannons on our battleship, it will not help, isn't it? right?" Peter said seriously.

"Yes, Peter, you have the most experience. What do you think about the flood season?" Lei Dayong asked suspiciously. Things like flood season and hydrology are far beyond the scope of Lei Dayong's knowledge, even in the new army. It has been strengthened a lot, but the knowledge in this area is still pale, so, without pretending, I immediately asked Peter, after all, the emperor also told them to learn from the barbarians.

"Hehe, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I can't do anything about it. Although I know something, I'm not a professional yet. This war is related to our victory, so I can't be so hasty..." Peter said Not an expert either.

"You..." Lei Da was furious. Didn't His Majesty tell us to learn from this barbarian?How come this barbarian doesn't even understand this.

"Lei, don't lose your temper. We need to consult professionals for such professional questions. It just so happens that Captain Rekaz is a professional in this field. Hehe, Lei, don't be angry. It is impossible for a person to understand everything. It doesn't matter, as long as you can find someone who understands and find a solution..." Peter said with a smile.

"You..." Lei Dayong was half-dead from anger.

"Okay, wait a minute, two, I'll come right after I ask, you know, sailing on the sea is quite sensitive to the weather, this is the knowledge that every captain must have, or every ship has There must be such professionals, don't worry, I will not let you down, you know, people who don't understand will be fed fish, and they will never reach the East,... Hahaha!" Peter said, very Confidently walked out of the room.

Lei Da used his anger for a while, and soon calmed down. Peter was right. You must be cautious about this kind of thing. Don’t assume that you don’t understand. Don’t pretend to understand. Think about what Peter said, it’s even more true that they were barbarians, but it took tens of thousands of miles across the ocean and it took a year to reach the Ming Dynasty. Imagination is naturally very sensitive to the weather, and can naturally understand the sky. As Peter said, those who do not understand are dead.

……

in the captain's room.

Shang Kexi pinched her fingers, lowered her head, and seemed to be having a fierce conflict in her heart.

Lei Dayong was looking at the map when he suddenly saw Shang Kexi's veined fingers, then he looked up at Shang Kexi, and there seemed to be a fierce conflict between Shang Kexi's eyebrows.

"What's wrong? Yuanji? But you're not feeling well?" Lei Dayong looked at Shang Kexi and asked with concern.

"Great use, I..." Shang Kexi hesitated to speak.

"What's the matter, just tell me, Yuan Ji, now we are comrades-in-arms, the most reliable and trustworthy people, what else can't you tell me? If it's difficult, let's find a solution together..." Lei Dayong said immediately .

"Dayong, I..., this matter, actually..." Shang Kexi struggled for a long time, feeling that his request was too much, feeling a little pushy, afraid that he would give Lei Dayong, or even give the emperor a bad impression .

"Come on, Yuanji, there are no outsiders here. As long as I can help, I will do my best." Lei Dayong said unequivocally. Now, although he is a small family member, he has not even inherited his father's inheritance. The official position, however, is the emperor's confidant, but his status is like an imperial envoy. Lei Dayong is confident that ordinary things will not trouble him. Standing behind him is the emperor.

"...It's like this, it's useful, I think so, since the Yi people have a few warships that can't get on board, can't reach Zhenjiang Fort, and these two warships have a lot of artillery, if we lack artillery to suppress Tartar, I am afraid that it will be very difficult to transport supplies, so I thought, should we remove the artillery from these two warships and install them on our Dongjiang Town warship. Although our Dongjiang Town warship is small, it is It is suitable for navigating inland rivers, but there are no decent cannons. If we can install these cannons on our boats in the water camp of Dongjiang Town, our firepower can be strengthened again. What do you think of sending the cannon back for great use?" Shang Kexi finally expressed his plan.

Lei Dayong fell into deep thought, dismantling the cannons on the barbarian boat...

"Yuanji! This matter should be a good thing. Indeed, if these two warships do not go aboard, our firepower to suppress the Tartars will become very weak. If the cannons on these two warships are installed in Dongjiang On the boat of Zhenshuiying, in this way, the boat can go to Zhenjiang Fort... Well, okay, let's do it like this..." Lei Dayong hesitated at first, after all, this matter is a very troublesome matter However, the emperor just hired this fleet, not owning it. If the barbarians disagree, it will be ruined.However, Lei Dayong quickly agreed.

"Dayong, aren't you afraid that the barbarians won't agree?" Shang Kexi said with joy and worry.

"It's okay. Since the barbarians can be hired, that is to say, they can be settled with money. Since this is the case, I think they will agree." Lei Dayong said indifferently.

Shang Kexi was full of joy, he finally settled the most difficult task of giving reinforcements to Zhenjiang Fort, how could he not be happy?Because the water level is not high, the big ship cannot go up, and if the ship does not go, there will not be enough cannons to suppress the Tartars. Without cannons to suppress the Tartars, it must be quite difficult to transport supplies. Now, everything has been resolved , Shang Kexin's heart finally settled down.

Peter came back from asking about the weather, pushed open the door of the captain's cabin, and said, "Lei, Shang, I have two news, one bad news and one good news, which one do you want to hear first?"

"Let's talk about the bad news first, and then the good news." Lei Dayong said without interest.

"Oh! Ray, you really don't have a sense of humor. You should have an expression of a difficult choice, and then you are in a dilemma, and then you choose one reluctantly. Why are you so straightforward?" Peter looked regretful. .

"Okay, Peter, tell me what the news is." Shang Kexi said.

"Hmm, okay, the bad news is that the captains can't predict the weather two weeks later..." Peter rolled his eyes and said helplessly.

"That is to say, you can't predict the weather half a month later?" Lei Dayong asked dissatisfied. He couldn't predict the weather, that is to say, he could only hit luck. If it doesn't rain in the middle and late October, then the boat If you can't go up, then you can't talk about supplies, then Zhenjiang Fort is likely to be unable to hold.

"Yes, the captains said that to predict the weather in half a month's time is something for God, not for man..." Peter added.

Lei Dayong's anger is coming, and it is unpredictable. If according to the emperor's request, he always prepares for the worst, then he has to prepare to supply Mao Wenlong from the land. Thinking of bearing the siege of the Tartar cavalry, Lei Dayong He was furious.

"Peter, what's the good news? What is it?" Seeing that the atmosphere was a little stiff, Shang Kexi asked immediately.

"Hehe, the good news is that the captains are sure that there will be no rain within three days, perhaps within a week..." Peter said with a smile, not at all affected by Lei Dayong.

"That is to say, it won't rain during the few days we are waiting for His Majesty's supplies, so that's good, so the rain won't fall in vain..." Shang Kexi responded and said.

"Hmm, Shang, that's what it means. According to the information you provided, there is usually rain in October in previous years. Since there has been no rain recently, the possibility of rain in the second half of the month will be higher. That's it. This is a good idea." The news..." Peter said.

After hearing this explanation, Lei Dayong's anger subsided a lot.

"Peter, I also have two pieces of news, one bad news and one good news, which one do you want to hear first?" Lei Dayong calmed down, recalling what he had just talked about with Shang Kexi, he asked a rhetorical question.

Peter looked at Lei Dayong in surprise.

"Ray, when did you have two messages? Why didn't I know? Ray, is this humor?" Peter asked in disbelief.

"A bad news and a good news, you should choose one." Lei Dayong said sullenly.

"Ray, I found that your sense of humor is actually very... well, I choose bad news, oh! Even if the bad news is unbearable, there will definitely be a good news in the end, so I won't be too unbearable ..." Peter said "pretentiously".

"The bad news is that we are going to dismantle the cannons on your two warships and refit them on the warships of our water battalion..."

(End of this chapter)