"Our army met the enemy on the sea thirty miles east of Changdao." At this point, the officer's expression moved, as if he was surprised to see something incredible. He continued: "The Japanese fleet The scale of their fleet is actually much larger than that of our army. The most surprising thing is that there are actually many gunboats in their fleet. ..." Yang Peng remained calm, but Ye Qi Guanyin and Yang Jiumei both showed great expressions. With expressions of shock and surprise, they never expected that the Japanese would actually dispatch a fleet larger than their own, and there were also gunboats in the fleet! In fact, when Yang Peng just learned about this situation from the letter, he was extremely shocked, but he did not show his shock.
The officer said: "Commander Wang Hai immediately ordered the fleet to attack the enemy in a two-wing formation, and the enemy also fought in a two-wing formation. Countless warships from both sides fought on the sea, and the sound of cannons was like thunder, and the sea was full of Water pillars soaring into the sky! The battle between the fleets of both sides started at noon and lasted until sunset. Both sides suffered heavy losses. There was no winner or loser, so they each retreated! After that, Commander Wang Hai ordered all sentry ships to send out alarms, and the fleet retreated to the water village to rest. Waiting for the battle, then Commander-in-Chief Wang Hai called his subordinates and handed this autographed letter to his subordinates, ordering them to travel day and night to deliver it to King Yan."
Ye Qi Guanyin and Yang Jiumei had worried looks on their faces. They held back for the time being and did not express their worries.
Yang Peng asked the officer: "What are the losses on both sides in this battle? I want detailed data!" The officer said with a look of embarrassment: "The specific loss figures were not calculated when my subordinates left..." Yang Peng said: "Tell me what you know, the more detailed the better, without any falsehood!"
The officer responded and said: "As far as my subordinates know, both sides were a little surprised in this battle and both sides were in a hurry. The Japanese suffered slightly more losses, but I don't know the specific number."
Yang Peng felt a little more at ease and asked: "What is the loss of gunboats on both sides?" Since both sides have gunboats as the core, the losses of gunboats on both sides will affect future battles.
The officer said: "This subordinate knows that at that time several of us on the flagship were counting the losses of the enemy's gunboats. A total of nine Japanese gunboats were sunk. This kind of Japanese gunboats are different from our ordinary gunboats. The size, speed, and power are all equivalent." After a pause, he continued: "Our army lost seven gunboats!"
Yang Peng nodded and asked: "Besides discovering the Japanese fleet, have you discovered any other transport fleets?"
The officer shook his head and said: "I haven't received any reports in this regard. There should be no reports. Otherwise, it is impossible that the observation posts placed on the desert islands in the outer sea would not be able to detect it." There is a general principle in navigation, that is, ships must follow the signs to follow the signs. Navigate forward, otherwise you are likely to lose your way. On the vast sea, once you lose your way, the consequences will be disastrous, and navigation follows the countless large and small islands scattered in the sea; even in a society with advanced technology, navigation This principle is generally followed, thus forming many so-called waterways. In ancient times when technology was very backward, using islands as symbols in conjunction with the compass and the sun, moon and stars was the main, or in other words, the only means of navigation. . Therefore, the fleets of this era, whether fleets or caravans, will definitely sail along the waterways marked by the islands in the sea. Therefore, as long as there is a large-scale fleet, the observation posts placed by Yanyun on the deserted islands are absolutely can be discovered.
Yang Peng thought for a moment, then smiled coldly and said, "The Japanese are really deliberate!" After a pause, he thought back to his time. Wasn't the same thing true for the Japanese at that time? Before the navy launches, they try their best to hide their naval strength and intentions. When they feel that their strength is enough, they will attack and plot to catch you off guard. A battle will determine the outcome. Sneak attacks and starting wars are the usual tricks of Japanese samurai! Don't expect this trick to succeed!
Yang Peng put these thoughts behind him, looked at Yang Jiumei and Yeli Guanyin, and asked, "Do you have anything to say?"
The two women had long been worried. When they heard Yang Peng's question, they immediately said together: "I..." The two women were stunned and looked at each other. Yang Jiumei lowered her head to show her humility. Ye Qi Guanyin said to Yang Peng: "Brother, although the enemy's large-scale transport fleet has not been found yet, this is something that cannot be guaranteed! Since the Japanese suddenly sent out their navy, which had been hidden for a long time, to attack us. Yan Yun, I’m afraid there will be a large-scale follow-up force on the way!”
Yang Jiumei frowned and said: "If the enemy army wants to attack, the coastal area may be their target! It is difficult to defend the thousands of miles of coastline. I am afraid it will disrupt our current deployment!"
Yang Pengchong said to Wang Kai: "Hang up the map of the Eastern Sea Territory." Wang Kai immediately called for a hidden killer, ran to the bookshelf behind the map shelf, took out a volume of maps, returned to the map shelf, and hung up the map.
When Yang Peng and others walked to the map, their eyes couldn't help but fall on the winding coastline in eastern China. Ye Qi Guanyin said: "If the Japanese really send out their army to attack across the sea, they will naturally not attack the areas west and north of Changdao. Otherwise, they may be raided by our navy, so there is no need to worry about these areas."
Yang Jiumei said: "But the entire southeastern coast of Shandong south of Changdao, as well as the coast of Lianghuai, may be raided by Japanese people." Ye Qi Guanyin pointed to Lianghuai and said: "Song Ting in the south is cowardly. They don't dare to rush to report the north! Even if they have the idea of mobilizing troops, because they were unprepared before, they have just begun to mobilize troops, money and food. It is impossible to send troops in less than a month. Therefore, we can completely mobilize the troops. The main forces of the fourth and fifth legions were transferred to Yizhou, Haizhou, Lianshui, Chuzhou, and Taizhou to solve the urgent needs first. At the same time, the governor of Lianghuai and Huaihe was ordered to mobilize the young officers on the east road of Lianghuai and prepare for the battle. In this way, even if The Japanese army raided the Huaihe River and Huaihe River, but it was difficult to succeed!"
Yang Jiumei looked at the map and said: "Then how to defend the southeast coast of Shandong?" Yeli Guanyin looked at Yang Peng and said: "I remember that there are many surrendered troops and generals in Shandong. You can order Shandong Xuanwei Envoy to organize them Get up and defend. Although these people are not very powerful, they are still much stronger than the government officials and ordinary strong men, and there are many people. If they can defend for a period of time, there should be no big problem!"
Yang Peng laughed, looked at Ye Qi Guanyin, and praised: "After all, it is the eldest princess. With some arrangements, the possible imminent crisis has been relieved!" Ye Qi Guanyin smiled and said: "This is nothing. , In fact, you have already thought of these strategies of mine!"
Yang Peng looked at the coastline on the Liao side of the Bohai Sea and said: "I hope that all the cruisers blocking the Liao coast will be withdrawn to Changdao to help fight against the Japanese fleet!..." The cruiser, which has appeared in the previous article, is a craftsman of Yanyun according to Yang Peng's description: A new design and construction of a real gunboat. Different from the square head of traditional Central Plains warships, this cruiser is very similar to the Western sailing cruiser of the 16th and 17th centuries, from size to power to twenty-four guns. The firepower of the artillery is very similar, and it can be said that it is the most advanced and complex weapon of this era.
Yang Jiumei said worriedly: "Although this can enhance the strength of our navy, once the coastline is no longer blocked, the Khitans will inevitably launch another attack from the sea. The loss of Juehua Island (now Taohua Island) will be small. If the Khitans attack by sea, Log in directly to the Hebei region, and the consequences will be disastrous!"
Yang Peng hesitated and paced back and forth in the hall. The situation now was very critical. One thing might lead to unimaginable consequences. Just as Yang Jiumei said, if the cruise fleet that blocked the coast of Liao Kingdom retreats, the Khitan army can launch a large army from the sea to attack Hebei. At this time, the strength of the troops is tight, and it is impossible to resist such an attack by the Khitan army. If they invade Hebei, the connection between the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and Shandong will be cut off. If the Khitan army continues to advance straight in, the entire eastern region of Yanyun will also fall into chaos. This is still light. The Khitan army's invasion of Hebei will definitely severely damage the morale of Yanyun, Shandong and even the entire Yanyun army. There is no guarantee that the two battlefields of Yanyun and Shandong will not be severely defeated. Once this happens, it will be difficult to turn the tide! As the saying goes, everyone pushes down the wall. At this time, I am afraid that the imperial court and Tubo will not sit still and will most likely raise troops to take advantage of the situation. By the way, there will also be Xiliao! With so many enemies swarming forward, Yan Yun is afraid that he will fall into a place of no return!
If we don't mobilize the cruise fleet to go south, I'm afraid there will be problems. According to the officer's description and the content of Wang Hai's letter, the battle between the Yanyun navy and the Japanese navy not long ago was evenly divided, but it was at a disadvantage. Otherwise, our navy would never have given up blocking the Japanese navy. If the army is close to the coast and takes the initiative to withdraw from the water stronghold, this will inevitably put oneself in a passive situation. Unless the situation is unfavorable to oneself, it will never do this.
Because he was not powerful enough to defeat the Japanese fleet, Wang Hai asked for instructions to withdraw the cruise fleet. If the cruise fleet does not move, there is no guarantee that the navy will not be defeated by the Japanese fleet. Once such a situation occurs, since Shandong currently does not have a regular army, it is likely that it will be unable to withstand a large-scale landing by the Japanese, and there will be no suspense about its fall. The consequences of the fall of Shandong were as serious as the consequences of the Khitan's invasion of Hebei, or even more serious, because the Japanese also had a large fleet. If they won, the huge fleet could turn north to encircle and annihilate their own cruise fleet. At that time, the Khitans People can then raise a Khitan army across the sea to attack Hebei. At that time, there were Khitans in Hebei and Japanese in Shandong!
The Khitan army retreated into the camp, looking a little downcast. The general of Yeqianhu City made statistics on the losses, and soon afterward the general reported the statistics. The losses in this battle were not small. The most important loss was about 15,000 iron pagodas. During today's battle, 30,000 iron pagodas entered the city and 15,000 people were trapped in a tight siege. Only half of them escaped. In addition, In addition, there were many other losses, especially the losses suffered after the central army formation was defeated by the Xuanjia Army. However, these were nothing compared to the losses at Tiefu Tu.
Yeqi Hucheng was so angry that he just wanted to capture Yang Peng and cut him into pieces. He couldn't help but roared for a long time. All the generals were trembling with fear. They all lowered their heads and didn't dare to let out a fart.
Ye Qihu City roared angrily for a long time, and finally his anger subsided. He stared at a pair of tiger eyes and said fiercely: "I will not give up until Yanjing City is captured! I must cut Yang Peng into thousands of pieces!" The generals couldn't help but feel an impulse surge in their hearts, and they all shouted: "I won't give up until I capture Yanjing! I won't give up until I capture Yanjing!..."
Just then, a scout ran in. All the generals stopped shouting. The scout rushed to the tent and knelt down to report: "To inform Your Majesty, the fifty carts of gunpowder requested by Your Majesty have arrived."
Ye Qian Hucheng's eyes lit up and he said loudly: "Okay! This king is waiting for these gunpowder to be used!" Then he said to Zheng Shilong: "You, immediately lead your troops to go to the back mountain to cut down trees. The more the better, use them." To make siege equipment!" Zheng Shilong promised with clasped fists, and then hurried out of the tent. …
Yang Peng and others stood on the city wall and looked out of the city. It was already getting late, and they saw bright lights in the Khitan army camp, and a fire dragon connected the Khitan army camp to the back mountain. Although the specific scene is not clear, you can faintly hear the sound of intensive felling of trees and the sound of chants.
Ye Qi Guanyin said: "They are cutting down trees wantonly, and they should be preparing to build a large number of siege equipment!" Yang Peng nodded, looking at the hot mountain outside the city, and said: "I just received a report from the scouts that the enemy Fifty carts of gunpowder have arrived." Ye Qi Guanyin and others were surprised. Yang Jiumei said worriedly: "The enemy is working hard to build siege equipment, and fifty carts of gunpowder have arrived. They will attack with all their strength within the next two days. I'm afraid The situation will be more dangerous than today!" Yang Peng said calmly: "Don't worry too much, since we can withstand their fierce attack for six days, we can withstand another six days, sixty days!" After hearing this, everyone was filled with excitement. With his confident words and seeing Yang Peng's calm and calm expression, he couldn't help but regain his confidence. …
His eyes turned to Bianjing.
Prime Minister Wang Qinruo and political advisor Wang Xiaozhi came to the palace late at night to ask for an audience. Zhao Heng, who had just slept with Concubine Zheng, was a little surprised and unhappy when he heard the report from the chamberlain. However, he also felt that something urgent must have happened, otherwise Wang Qinruo and Wang Xiaozhi would never dare to disturb Shengjia in the middle of the night.
After Zhao Heng was dressed neatly, he left Concubine Zheng's palace and came to the imperial study. Wang Qinruo and Wang Xiaozhi, who were waiting in the imperial study, bowed together: "Long live my emperor, long live, long live, long live!" Zhao Heng glanced at the two of them, walked to the desk and sat down, and said angrily: "What happened? What's the urgent matter that makes you two so anxious?"
Wang Qinruo bowed and said: "If I don't have urgent matters, I will never dare to disturb your Majesty's rest!" Seeing that he said so seriously, Zhao Heng couldn't help but feel shuddered and asked: "No, it can't be" Is there any urgent military situation? I treat King Yan well, so he won’t cause trouble, right?"
Wang Qinruo said: "The Privy Council has just received an urgent report from the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun. The Khitan Army and 600,000 troops have invaded the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun. Now the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun, except for Yanjing, is still resisting. In addition, almost all other states and counties were conquered by the Khitans..." When Wang Qinruo said this, he couldn't help but smile excitedly. When the emperor suddenly heard the news, he was stunned for a moment and felt unbelievable. Then he was overjoyed and stood up and asked excitedly: "Is this true?"
Wang Qinruo nodded and said: "It's absolutely true! According to the intelligence sent back, Yanjing is now surrounded by 300,000 troops from the Liao Kingdom. It will only be a matter of time before the city is broken. What's even more gratifying is that Yan King Yang Peng is also in the city! Once the city is defeated, Yang Peng may be captured or killed by the Khitans. In this case, the entire Yanyun will be in chaos, and the imperial court can take the opportunity to regain the entire Central Plains!"
Zhao Heng paced back and forth excitedly and murmured: "I didn't expect, I didn't expect that such a shocking reversal would happen! It's really, really unbelievable!"
Wang Xiaozhi said quickly: "This is all the result of your majesty's holy virtues and enlightenment. It is also his fault that Yang Peng's own perverse behavior made the world angry and resentful! Therefore, the sky protected your majesty and sent disasters to Yanyun, destroying the north of the sixteen states of Yanyun with huge natural disasters. The barrier gave the Khitan people the opportunity to invade the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun. This is actually a blessing from heaven to His Majesty!" Zhao Heng was very happy and nodded with a smile.
Wang Qinruo said: "Your Majesty, this is the opportunity given to you by heaven. You must not miss it!" Zhao Heng hesitated, returned to the desk and sat down, frowning and said: "Although the Khitans have gained an advantage now, it is still unclear who will win in the end. It’s hard to say! What if, what if Yan Yun defeats the Khitans, we will be riding a tiger with a hard time getting off, and the lessons learned from the past are not far away, so we must be cautious!"
Wang Qinruo said hurriedly: "The situation this time is different from the past. In the past, the Khitans and Yanyun were in a stalemate at first, but this time, Yanyun suffered a sudden disaster, and the Liao army swept across the sixteen states of Yanyun in one fell swoop. , No matter how powerful Yan Yunjun is, it will be difficult to turn the tide in this situation! Yang Peng and Yan Yunjun are also humans, not gods, and their manpower sometimes runs out. It is impossible to create a miracle when the building collapses and the embankment collapses!"
Zhao Heng was greatly moved by what Wang Qinruo said, but he still couldn't make up his mind. He had been defeated by Yan Yun one after another before, and his fear of Yan Yun and Yang Peng was not so easy to eliminate.
Seeing that Zhao Heng still couldn't make up his mind, Wang Qinruo cursed secretly and said: "There is another situation. According to the report of the maritime merchants who came back from the north, not long ago, the Japanese dispatched a very large fleet to raid the Yanyun Navy. The Yanyun navy was defeated and returned to the water village. Now the Japanese fleet is suppressing the Yanyun navy. I believe that it will not be long before the Yanyun navy will be annihilated by the Japanese navy!"
Zhao Heng suddenly heard the news and was very surprised. He hurriedly asked: "Is this true?" Wang Qinruo nodded, "It was not just one or two merchants who saw this situation. Basically, all the merchants from the north and back reported it. This matter is absolutely true! The Japanese naval forces were sent out in full force. It was obviously not possible just to destroy the Yanyun navy. They must also want to attack Shandong and take a piece of land. Therefore, there must be other forces behind the Japanese navy. They have a huge army, and if the Japanese navy wins, they will sweep through Shandong in one go!"
Zhao Hengshen nodded in agreement and said excitedly: "The Japanese destroyed Goryeo not long ago and fought several fierce battles with the Khitan. They are powerful and they have joined in. Yan Yun is indeed in danger!"
Wang Qinruo bowed and clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty is wise!" Then he said: "Your Majesty, now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain a fortune. The opportunity is fleeting. The Holy Master should take advantage of this opportunity to achieve eternal achievements!" Wang Xiaozhi quickly agreed: " Your Majesty is destined to become a holy king and lord that will be praised for thousands of years, so the heaven will send you favors! The students and people in the Central Plains have been suffering from the poison of Yang Peng for a long time. Everyone is in misery and hates it. They long for Master Wang just like The seedlings that have been drought-stricken for a long time are as eager for the rain as rain from the sky! Your Majesty should be obedient to the heavens and respond to the people, and revolt as early as possible in the northern expedition to the Central Plains to clear away the evil atmosphere and restore the clear blue sky to the Central Plains! This will be a blessing to all the people of the world!"
An impulse surged in Zhao Heng's heart, and he said loudly: "Since God's will and the people's will are like this, I will obey God's will and rise up to fight against the rebellion and regain the Central Plains!" Wang Qinruo and Wang Xiaozhi were overjoyed and worshiped together: "Your Majesty Wise!" Wang Xiaozhi said again: "I have a happy event to report to Your Majesty."
Zhao Heng was in a good mood and asked with a smile: "What good news do you have, Ai Qing?" Wang Xiaozhi said: "Your Majesty is so benevolent and so powerful that even scholars and people thousands of miles away look up to him! There is a scholar from Bianliang, Shang Shiheng, who respects the Celestial Empire. , looking up to Your Majesty, longing to restore the glory of the Celestial Empire day and night! To this end, Shang Shiheng secretly contacted many people with lofty ideals, and secretly assembled an armed force. Just waiting for the day of the King's Northern Expedition, they raised the flag of righteousness and seized the Celestial Empire in one fell swoop. Jingxin City!”
Zhao Heng was so moved that tears overflowed from his eyes, and he sighed: "What a loyal and righteous man!" Wang Qinruo clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, now that the right place, right place and people are all on the side of the imperial court, this victory is within our grasp. , there is no reason for failure!”
Zhao Hengshen said in agreement: "Aiqing's words can't be more correct!" Then he said resolutely: "I have made up my mind. I will raise an army of 500,000 and divide it into two groups. One group will attack Huainan, one group will leave Dongting, and one group will go straight to Cangzhou. Two groups will attack Huainan. Advance together and regain the Central Plains in one fell swoop!" Wang Xiaozhi and Wang Qinruo said in unison: "Your Majesty is wise!" Zhao Heng glanced at the two men and said: "Wang Aiqing is responsible for assembling the army and selecting generals. ..." Wang Qinruo bowed and agreed. , vowed: "I will live up to your majesty's trust!" Zhao Heng nodded and said: "I can completely trust Wang Aiqing!" Then he said to Wang Xiaozhi: "Wang Aiqing is responsible for mobilizing food and grass." Wang Xiaozhi Seeing that the emperor valued me, I was overjoyed and thanked him quickly. Then he said: "Your Majesty, Shang Shiheng and other scholars are in the Cao camp and their hearts are in the Han Dynasty. Their hearts are commendable. I wonder if I can grant them official positions first, so that the loyal and righteous people can feel the majesty of God and serve your Majesty wholeheartedly." work!"
Zhao Heng nodded and said: "It should be so." After a pause, he said: "Let Wang Xiaozhi be granted the title of stay in Bianjing!" Wang Xiaozhi bowed and said: "Your Majesty's grace is so great, Shang Shiheng and others can only live in ruins. To repay Your Majesty!"
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
