The Whale Sea, located between Japan, North Korea and the Ningguta Deputy Capital Area of the Qing Dynasty, is a very special ocean. Because the Japanese Archipelago, Ezo Island, and Sakhalin are a long chain of islands that look like dykes that separate the Whale Sea from the Pacific Ocean, the Whale Sea has almost no tides and the salinity of the water is lower than that of other oceans. The climate of the Whale Sea is also very special. Every year from September to February of the following year (lunar calendar), strong northwest winds blow, blowing cold and dry air, blowing the evaporated water vapor in the Whale Sea to the coast of Japan, causing Japan's northern Heavy snow fell on the coasts and mountainous areas of Riku, Tohoku Mutsu, and Ezo. At this time, the waves on the Whale Sea were also very scary, often reaching a height of three to four feet, making it not suitable for sailing at all.
After March, the weather gets warmer and the wind direction changes to the southeast. Compared with the violent northwest wind before, the southeast wind on the Whale Sea is much milder. The whole situation is calm and the climate is pleasant. It is definitely a good day for sailing.
However, for Shi Lang, Admiral of the Beiyang Navy of the Qing Dynasty, everything was good on this calm day at sea, except that the wind direction was not good - it was always southeasterly!
Shi Lang's destination happens to be Ezo Island, more than two thousand miles northeast of Busan. If he passes through the middle of the Whale Sea, he will have to go against the wind all the way. Although his boating skills are good and he can drive forward against the wind, the speed will be slow. , Shi Lang is still in a hurry!
Therefore, his fleet could only head east along the coastline of the Japanese archipelago, using the land wind blowing to the sea and the currents of the Sea of Japan (the currents of the Sea of Japan rotate counterclockwise) to sail at a faster speed.
In April of the 18th year of Kangxi's reign, the whales surfaced. Night has gradually fallen, and a fleet of ten 500-ton old lock ships and another twenty or thirty large bird ships is sailing eastward along the coast of Japan.
More than a hundred sails were raised high, almost blocking out the sky and the sun.
There is a huge word "Sui" on each sail. Those who didn't know it thought it was Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty who sent troops to conquer Japan!
However, even if the Japanese on the shore saw this mighty "Great Sui Naval Fleet" heading eastward, there was nothing they could do. Because now the entire whale ocean is dominated by Yang Qilong, and the Beiyang Navy completely controls the sea power. In the past, the Japanese navy could send Toyotomi Hideyoshi's hundreds of thousands of invading troops to the coast of Korea. Now there are not even a few small sea-going ships with a load of more than 500 koku left - all of which were left to the Tokugawa shogunate who implemented the policy of seclusion. Destroyed!
Although the new leader of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Mitsukuni Tokugawa, has begun to change his policy and is trying to rebuild the navy by building Western-style soft sailing ships, Japan has not built large ships for decades, and the demand for small ships is not large. Shipbuilding ability. The old generation of shipwrights are gone, and the new generation of shipwrights simply don’t exist because they have no business and can’t make money.
Even if Tokugawa Mitsukuni could order to find the descendants of old shipwrights, they would not know how to build ships, and they would not even know where to learn? The masters have been dead for many years!
This craft of shipbuilding is almost extinct in Japan!
In this case, the ten old lock boats that Li Zhongshan "approved" to Yang Qilong were walking sideways on the Whale Sea!
Each old lock ship can hold 18 cannons, 16 of which are 6-pound bronze cannons and 2 are 12-pound red cannons. This firepower, let alone Japan's small 500-stone sea-going ship, cannot withstand a bombardment by them, even if the old Japanese ship Toyotomi Hideyoshi used to invade North Korea encountered it, it would be a "sink"!
On the Beiyang Navy's flagship "Dongfeng", Yang Qilong was taking a leisurely walk on the deck at the top of the stern building, doing a few stretching exercises from time to time. Kyushu Observation Envoy Yin Yin and Kyushu Commander-in-Chief Sabusu have now established a foothold in northern Kyushu. The Japanese samurai army is exaggerated and is no match for North Korea's new army. Yang Qilong only mobilized 12 battalions of the new army and 100 sailing crab boats, and he had already firmly occupied the coastal area of more than 100 miles between Fukuoka City and Karatsu City, and also captured several key areas. The island ensures communication with the North Korean mainland.
Although it is still a bit far away from the goal of winning the entire Kyushu, at least half of it, this is undoubtedly a very good start.
According to the plan of the two old men Yin Yin and Sabusu, the main tasks of the Jiuzhou Physical Survey Department and the Jiuzhou General Military Office in the next stage are to consolidate, encroach and colonize!
Among them, consolidation is to build fortifications in the area between Fukuoka Castle and Karatsu Castle, striving to form a continuous defense system as soon as possible. And cannibalization is to occupy as much territory as possible while setting up defenses. As for colonization, of course, it means "colonizing" the loved ones and friends of the Korean sailors in the Korean New Army and Beiyang Navy to the territories of Fukuoka Domain and Karatsu Domain.
Their dearest relatives and friends have colonized Kyushu Island, so they naturally have to persist in resisting Japan on Kyushu Island. Even if they cannot resist in this lifetime, they can continue to resist for generations.
Moreover, those Koreans are also willing to fight against Japan on Kyushu Island. Most of them were born as commoners, misbegotten, or prostitutes. In North Korea, which implements the "law of motherhood" and pays attention to family origin, it is impossible to turn over in their lifetime. Even if he follows Yang Da Jianguo, it is impossible to completely counterattack unless Yang Da Jianguo goes one step further and engages in a "supervisor and self-usurpation" and transforms the supervisory country into a king!
But Yang Qilong hasn't had this idea yet. He still has to think carefully about whether it is better to usurp the Qing Dynasty or North Korea.
It’s really embarrassing!
Unknowingly, Yang Qilong had stopped and stared ahead, thoughtfully.
Shi Lang arrived at his side without knowing when, and reported in a low voice and sincerely: "Master, ahead is the Toshima Peninsula of Ezo Island. The Jinya of the Matsumae family, the owner of Ezo Island, is at the southern end of the Toshima Peninsula. .”
Yang Qilong was stunned, and quickly raised his binoculars to look ahead, and sure enough he saw a large green mountain ridge floating on the water.
Shi Lang said: "Master, that's it. The Matsumae family's Jinya is right there. That house is Matsumae Town, and the Jinya is in it."
The so-called array house is a compound surrounded by fortifications.
In the Edo period, not just anyone could own a "city" - "one country, one city"! Only those with a daimyo above the level of city lord can build a city for themselves.
The Matsumae clan of Ezo Island is the "island lord". Specifically, he is the "non-staff lord", not to mention the lord of the country or the lord of the city, not even the flag. Therefore, the Matsumae clan is not eligible to own a castle.
Historically, it was not until the mid-18th century that the Tokugawa family gave the Matsumae family the title of Ten Thousand Stone Daimyo, and the Matsumae family built Fukuyama Castle.
But now the Matsumae family only has one house, and even if they want to be caged in the city, they can’t be caged!
Yang Qilong put down the telescope and whispered: "Why so fast?"
Shi Lang smiled and said: "Can't God help me? It's more than two thousand miles in the first place. It's not a problem for a ship to travel thousands of miles in a day. This time we have a smooth sailing, so we will get there tonight and we will be able to travel tomorrow." Logged in."
"Has the landing location been confirmed?"
"It's decided! After landing near the Matsumae clan's Jinya in Ezo, we will capture the Matsumae clan's Jinya and the castle town!"
Yang Qilong asked again: "Are you sure? Ezo Island is a bitter cold place. Maybe the Japanese pirates here are more powerful."
"Don't worry!" Shi Lang said, "Although Ezo Island is bitterly cold, the Matsumae family and their retainers were originally the descendants of merchants who came to the island to do business with the Ezo people on the island. Although they have now changed their careers to become samurai, they are still merchants. We are still working, but we cannot compare with the Kyushu warriors. Besides, the ones we are dispatching this time are the most elite Sauron warriors, and there are quite a few of them, 3,000 of them!"
Yang Qilong nodded and said with a smile: "Okay! Shi Junmen, then I will keep an eye on it and remember that there can be no mistakes in the battle to land on Ezo. General Li attaches great importance to Ezo Island. He said that this island is the gateway to Ezo. A springboard to the New World! I was thinking, we should also have a foothold in this New World and occupy a piece of land. Even if it is vacant now, maybe it will be useful in the future?"
"My lord, you are right!" Shi Lang agreed, "I have made some calculations. If we can reach the New World by traveling 12,000 miles from Ezo Island, then our old lock ship can get there."
"Really? Can an old lock boat work?" Yang Qilong was still a little unsure.
If this old lock ship could complete the voyage of transporting a large number of people across the Pacific, it would be of great significance!
After all, Western soft sailing ships are too difficult to maneuver, but old lock ships with Western hulls and hard sails are easier to maneuver. And if the old lock ship can cross, it means that large bird ships and lucky ships can also be used to transport people across the Pacific Ocean!
The number of these two types of ships is too large. There are at least tens of thousands of them along the coast of China!
They must be able to carry a certain number of passengers across the ocean to the New World. The significance cannot be overemphasized!
You know, the home country of Spain, which now occupies the largest area in the New World, has a population of just over 6 million.
The population of the entire East Asian world must be upwards of 120 million, which is 20 times that of Spain!
"Yes!" Shi Lang nodded affirmatively, "It's just over 10,000 miles. If you have some allowance, 20 days will be enough!"
"Okay!" Yang Qilong clapped his hands, "Shi Junmen, prepare well, and you must win!"
"Got the order!"
When Yang Qilong was about to seize the springboard to the New World and start another big fight, on the other half of the earth, his once good brother-in-law Fuquan grew up to be a great traveler who could go down in history!
He had completed the long journey from Beijing to Paris and was now riding in a carriage bound for the Palace of Fontainebleau in France. Traveling with him were two other heavyweights, one was the Rakshasa Princess Sofia, who weighed more than 200 kilograms, and the other was the Rakshasa Kingdom's Foreign Minister Golitsin.
This time, Fuquan came all the way west from the Rakshasa Kingdom as a distinguished guest of King Louis of France. Originally, he could have arrived in France long ago, but because the armistice negotiations of the Franco-Dutch War had not ended, Sofia was worried that Fuquan might be detained by Louis' enemies on the way. So I just left him to live on the outskirts of Moscow for a few more days to develop their relationship!
And Fuquan also knew that if he didn't pay something, the Rakshasa people would not be willing to hand him over to King Louis of France. So, he could only hold his nose and flirt with Sofia, in order to show that he was " True love”, and I have to praise Sofia for her good figure! Well, in Mongolia, being fat is considered beautiful! Sofia weighs more than 200 kilograms, which is almost a hundred kilograms heavier than his "Yang Guifei". How can she not be beautiful?
Fuquan's attitude made Sofia extremely happy. As she grew up, she met many people who praised her for her intelligence, but this was the first time she met someone who praised her for her beauty and good figure! And he is also a very simple Mongolian prince.
This means that she finally met a prince-level husband who appreciates her!
So, Sofia asked Golitsin and Silva to hint to Fuquan—to propose immediately! Before proposing, you have to convert to Orthodoxy, so that the marriage can be successful!
After the proposal is successful, Sofia will take Fuquan to France to meet Louis. If possible, Sofia also hopes to hold the wedding in the French court!
If this thing is going to happen, all the ladies and noble girls of Rakshasa will be envious of her!
Fuquan looked at Sofia's figure, her face full of flesh, her big mouth, and her pair of eyes that always showed a fierce light. He really didn't know how to do it, but thinking of his current situation, he could only grit his teeth and ask Sofia for help. They got married, and before proposing, they were baptized under the auspices of the Orthodox Patriarch of the Rakshasa Kingdom, and thus became an Orthodox Christian, and also had a Christian name, "Constantine". Like Kangxi, They all start with the prefix Kang!
After the formalities for joining the church and marriage proposal were completed, the French finally signed armistice treaties with the Dutch, British, Spanish, and Germans. Louis XIV finally won a decent victory - not much, but a winner nonetheless! He also received the title of Sun King and could now claim to be the overlord of Europe.
That feels pretty good!
After learning that the Franco-Dutch War was over, Sofia finally took her fiancé "Constantin Fotonsky" and embarked on the journey westward together.
The distinguished guest of the Sun King was also a prince from the Great Mongolia. In addition, the Eastern Issue has become a hot topic in Europe recently, so Fuquan and Sofia's journey was quite pleasant. Along the way, they were ruled by various countries along the way. warm hospitality. Therefore, it was delayed for some more days, and it was not until the summer of 1679 that he arrived in France, the most powerful country in Europe.
"Look, that's the Palace of Fontainebleau! It's so beautiful, it deserves to be the palace of the King of France!"
Sofia's exclamation woke up Fuquan who was dozing off on the carriage - he was quite tired! We're engaged, and my fiancée weighs over 200 pounds! And he is not just a fat man, but a very strong fat man!
So Fuquan had no choice but to cope with it.
"Are you here? Are you here?"
Fuquan yawned, opened his slightly hazy sleepy eyes, poked his head out of the carriage and looked forward. At a glance, he saw the dense trees "standing" very neatly on the roadside, and then what came into view was a Very gorgeous door. The door was guarded by soldiers of the French Royal Guard wearing "robes", wigs and high hats. A gorgeous royal attendant had been standing outside the door. He saw two carriages approaching one after another, and there were several Cossack cavalry in front and behind the carriages. He knew that they were Princess Sofia and Prince Fotonsky.
"Are they Prince Fozansky and Princess Sofia?" the French attendant asked loudly in French when he saw the carriage slowly stopping.
In the driver's seat in front of Sofia's carriage, in addition to a coachman driving the cart, there was also her housekeeper, a Jew, also named Sofia. Hearing the French attendant's question, he also answered in fluent French: "Yes. Princess Sofia and Prince Fozansky are invited!"
As he spoke, he took out an invitation and handed it over.
In fact, there was no need to read the invitation. The attendant just stepped forward and took a look inside the carriage - a prince from the East and a princess of more than 200 kilograms of furry bear, both of whom are rare in France today, they came together. What else could be wrong?
These must be Sofia and Fozansky!
"Please follow me!" As he spoke, the attendant climbed on the step outside the front door of the carriage and personally showed the driver the way. After a while, he arrived at a courtyard covered with small stone slabs.
As soon as the carriage stopped and the door opened, Forzansky saw a row of three-story houses and two curved stairs leading directly from the second floor to the outside of the house. There is also a walkway between the two stairs, leading to a door. A little pockmarked man wearing high heels, a wig, an overly decorated coat and a pair of tight pants looks like a star. Stand in the aisle.
Is this Louis XIV? Fuquan looked at the "little pockmark" and his good mood suddenly disappeared: How come you can see little pockmarks everywhere? There was Kang Mazi in the Qing Dynasty, and there was Lu Mazi in France. It was unlucky!
(End of chapter)
