"Without the Japanese pirates, the sea is peaceful and the people can naturally go fishing in the sea." Lao Zhu couldn't help but said, "Although the people are a hundred times more powerful than the navy, their fishing methods are far different from yours. How can they be like you?" Are you still catching a hundred thousand catties of fish in one net?"
Lao Zhu finally relaxed his stance on the sea ban, and Han Du was very excited. Although according to Lao Zhu's wishes, he would not release the forbidden sea until the Japanese pirates were eliminated.
But what do Japanese pirates mean to Han Du?
"Your Majesty, the navy now has the latest warships. The warships of the past will soon be eliminated. Rather than leaving them on the water to rot in vain, it is better to transfer them to merchants and common people and let them operate them. In this way, it will also It can save Daming a lot of money."
Han Du means that these warships that are about to be eliminated can be sold to the people. One person may not be able to afford it, but a group of them can work together to purchase it.
Although these warships are not very new, they are still sufficient for fishing.
But Lao Zhu obviously disagreed, "Eliminate the warships? If there are fewer warships in the navy, wouldn't it weaken the strength of the navy in disguise?" When he was about to deal with the Japanese pirate invasion, Lao Zhu didn't want to worry about the warships of the navy. There is a loss of strength.
"Your Majesty, I think the navy can only retain the power to patrol the sea areas. As for attacking Japanese pirates, I think the latest three warships can do the job."
"Three ships? Are you talking nonsense?" Lao Zhu asked in surprise. If he hadn't known something about Han Du, he would have thought that Han Du had lost his mind and gone crazy.
You must know that the Ming Dynasty Navy has between four and five thousand ships of various types. Although 60% of the ships are patrolling and guarding the sea, there are also nearly two thousand ships that can attack.
No matter how powerful three warships are, they cannot be worth two thousand warships in Lao Zhu's eyes.
Seeing that Lao Zhu didn't believe it, Han Du could only sigh in his heart that Lao Zhu didn't know what generation difference was.
How can artillery be invincible against bows and arrows?
The last time he went to Longjiang Bao Shipyard with Tang He, Han Du took a close look at these three warships. According to Tanghe, this ship can install forty artillery pieces on one side and eighty on both sides. Forty cannons fire a salvo and aim at one point, and even if they are lucky, they can hit the enemy ship once. Even the solid bullets used were enough to punch a big hole in the wooden boat. If the location is below the waterline, then the ship will basically have a silent ending.
Therefore, regardless of the fact that there are only three warships, if led by Han Du, he is confident of destroying all visible enemy ships.
Although Lao Zhu didn't believe Han Du's words intellectually, he actually longed in his heart for what Han Du said to be true. If these three new warships are really so powerful, it would be really good news for the Ming Dynasty.
After thinking for a while, Lao Zhu decided to ask Tang He.
"Come here, pass the soup and enter the palace."
As a naval commander, Tang He was proficient in naval warfare. He also supervised the construction of these three warships. Asking for his opinion would naturally be more prudent.
Soon, Tang He came to Jinshen Hall.
Tang He saw Han Du as soon as he entered the door and couldn't help but be surprised. In his mind, Han Du should still be fishing at sea. How could he suddenly appear here?
Han Du saw Tang He looking over and nodded slightly to him.
Tang He just glanced at Han Du and then withdrew his gaze. Han Du is standing here so unusually, and there is no news about Han Du returning to Beijing. It seems that what happened today is not trivial.
"Chen Tanghe, pay homage to the Emperor."
"Brother, please get up quickly." Lao Zhu waved his hand.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Tang He then stood up and asked, "I wonder what is the important matter for the Emperor to summon me?"
Lao Zhu told Tang He what Han Du had said just now, and asked, "I want to ask you, are these three new warships what Han Du said?" After that, Lao Zhu Looking at Tang He closely, a trace of nervousness appeared in his heart.
After hearing this, Tang He frowned and pondered for a moment, then said: "No matter how you look at it, three ships cannot be better than a thousand warships."
Hearing this, Lao Zhu felt disappointed and couldn't help but glared at Han Du fiercely.
"However, if you use Han Du's tactics, you can indeed be invincible."
Lao Zhu was choked severely, and he suddenly became dissatisfied and asked Tang He: "Can you really be invincible? Then why do you still say that you can't defeat a thousand warships?"
"Your Majesty, these three warships are indeed powerful, but no matter how powerful they are, there is a limit. They mainly rely on artillery to destroy enemy ships. If there are enough gunpowder and shells, they can naturally gallop freely. But if the gunpowder and shells run out, Wouldn’t that make him a toothless tiger? If he really faced off against a thousand warships, the pile would be enough to kill them all.”
Han Du laughed flatteringly when he heard this. He was indeed bragging too much just now.
Lao Zhu felt relieved this time, since these three warships were available. If you don’t need it now, when will you wait? So Lao Zhu pondered and looked back and forth between Tang He and Han Du several times.
Seeing that Lao Zhu was tempted, Han Du immediately knelt down and said loudly and forcefully: "I am a humble minister but I am willing to lead the navy to attack the Japanese pirates and share the emperor's worries."
Tang He stood aside and said nothing.
Lao Zhu hesitated for a moment. As the proposer of this tactic, Han Du was naturally the best candidate to implement this tactic. But Han Du was too young after all. Even if he had contact with the navy, it was just fishing at sea. If Han Du is rashly allowed to lead his army to sea, it may be difficult to convince the public.
After thinking for a while, Lao Zhu said: "I'd better trouble my dear brother to go there this time."
"My lord, I obey the order."
"In addition, Han Du, you will also go together. Remember to ask Duke Xin for advice."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Now that the elimination of Japanese pirates has been decided, Lao Zhu asked about the situation of the three warships, "Xian brother, how are the construction of the three warships?"
"Back to the emperor, the warship has been built. We just need to install the cannons and then we can go to sea."
"How long will it take?" Lao Zhu asked, smacking his lips.
"Three days at most."
"Okay." Lao Zhu clasped his hands together, "Then we will go out in three days. I will not swear an oath for you this time. This will just happen to catch the Japanese pirates off guard."
Lao Zhu is also experienced in battles, so he naturally knows how to attack enemies unprepared.
In the past ten years, the Ming Navy has been passively defensive and has never taken the initiative to go on an expedition. Maybe even if someone goes to tell the Japanese pirates now that the Ming Navy is coming to conquer them. They will only think that someone is joking with them, and maybe they will treat it as a joke after dinner, and no one will believe it.
Dare the navy of the Ming Dynasty go on an expedition? It’s a fantasy.
