The key is that such a large-scale fleet entering the Yangtze River can be easily discovered by ships traveling on the river. It is difficult to say whether this will leak the news.
But now that things have come to this, we can only move forward without retreating, and there is no turning back.
"Is there any good way to avoid being discovered by the Huaiyang Army in Yangzhou and discovered by Nanjing to the greatest extent?"
The fleet finally set sail, and each ship had started to set sail. Only then did Feng Ziying ask.
With the exchanges with the Western Yi, the design principles of the masts and soft sails of the Western Yi ships were also introduced here. When the Denglai Navy was established, Feng Ziying encouraged them to build Western-style Clark ships on a large scale. The current Denglai Navy The division is actually dominated by Clark warships, and also absorbs some Chinese-style fortune ships to transport sailor battalion soldiers. The sailor battalions on the warships are on duty in turns, and the remaining soldiers will be on duty during large-scale expeditions. The process is mainly led by Fuchuan transportation.
"There is no good way to enter the Yangtze River Estuary from now on. Although this section of the river is wide, there are many ships coming and going. The navy can block the ships entering the Yangtze River Estuary, but there is no way for the merchant ships coming down from the upstream. Once intercepted, of course they came down from the upstream, and when they saw our fleet, they passed by in a flash. When they found us below Nantong Prefecture, it didn't have much impact, because they went to sea downstairs, even if they were above Sanjiangying. It doesn't matter if we discover it, because it's too late. Only the section from Sanjiangying to Nantongzhou, especially the section from Jingjiang and Jiangyin, if someone really discovered our movements and became suspicious, and then immediately docked the ship and issued a warning to Yangzhou, We may encounter prepared resistance from Yangzhou..."
Shen Yourong still spoke more objectively, and Feng Ziying agreed.
"In other words, there is still a risk that Chen Jixian senses something is wrong and immediately prepares to fight?" Feng Ziying asked thoughtfully.
"It is possible, but to be honest, it is unlikely. In other words, according to the situation you introduced, even if Chen Jixian realized that something was wrong, it would be too late to react. Huaiyang Town should be in a In a relatively chaotic state, I estimate that even if Chen Jixian wanted to immediately prepare for war, he might not be able to do it, or he would be powerless to achieve the effect he wanted."
Shen Yourong is old and capable, and his judgment of the status of Huaiyang Town is very accurate.
The river breeze passed by, and the fishy smell of the water alternated between light and strong. Feng Ziying nodded silently. Shen Yourong's judgment was not without purpose, but a combination of the current situation of Huaiyang Town and an objective evaluation of the various ministries of Huaiyang Town at this special time.
Or Chen Jixian can get early warning information, but can he assemble the army in the shortest time and quickly enter a state of war?
When everyone is dissatisfied and looking forward to the next phase of affluent and leisurely life in Suzhou and Hangzhou, you suddenly say that you need to prepare for war. I am afraid that the contrast will be too great and dangerous, and the entire army will be destroyed. Falling into greater chaos, if the Dragon Guard agents mixed in can take the opportunity to make noise, there is a high possibility that many people will directly surrender and recruit people.
"At this time, it seems that we have no choice?" Feng Ziying spread her hands freely, "Then as you said, let the navy send a few ships to stop them to prevent merchant ships from running ahead of us. After arriving in Nantong Prefecture, we will start preparations. What I mean is to let Wen Zhao's Denglai Town land from Guazhou Town, and the navy directly enters the canal and reaches Jiangdu City... Shen Yourong was shocked, "You don't mean to let Instead of entering Yangzhou, the navy will go to Jinling first?"
"In this situation, I think we still have to take Yangzhou first and deal with Chen Jixian's Huaiyang Town. On the other side of Nanjing, I think if Yangzhou goes well, then the Navy will still have time. If not, then Jiangbei will be dealt with. It’s okay for the Niu Sun Division to attack Nanjing again.” Feng Ziying nodded solemnly.
Shen Yourong's expression changed slightly, he stroked his beard and hesitated before saying, "Master Feng, I thought we should capture Jinling first. There are almost no garrison troops in Jinling, and the few guards are not worth mentioning. As long as our navy is stationed in Nanjing, Wang Ziteng will not dare to If we sail south in a grand manner, forcing them to choose a place to land, then we will have won the initiative. After solving Yangzhou, I think it is worthwhile to rush to Nanjing immediately.
and. "
Feng Ziying was also a little confused, "With just one navy, are we sure we can capture Nanjing? If the navy battalion is taken away, I would be a little worried."
"Then leave a battalion of sailors. Huaiyu will follow you, sir. I will take a battalion of sailors to Nanjing. I don't believe that the poor Jiang waterproofers and guards in Nanjing can really stop me!" Shen Yourong said brazenly.
Although there are no border towns in Nanjing, as the southern capital, the number of guards is more than 10,000. If a battalion of sailors is blocked when landing and a stalemate is drawn out, it will be difficult to predict the outcome of the war, especially in Wang Ziteng's department. It is still difficult to determine when to go south.
Feng Ziying finally nodded, "I still have some connections in Jinling. Jia Yucun, the prefect of Jinling, is an old acquaintance of mine. I also sent someone to contact him early. I just don't know if this person is brave enough. If he can come forward, If you raise your arms and call out, the Jinling Guards may not be able to be used by me."
Shen Yourong's eyes lit up, "Sir, the prefect of Jinling is still very useful at this time. It is still unclear how much role the Six Ministries of Nanjing can play in the future. The officials of the Six Ministries are all panic-stricken, and few people are willing to listen to them, especially several All the people in charge have gone to the capital, and those who are left behind are all useless, so if the prefect of Jinling comes forward, he will definitely be able to play a big role."
Feng Ziying smiled bitterly, "I know that too, but this guy is a little timid. It just depends on whether he dares to give it a try."
There was nothing to say during the night sail. The fleet sailed against the crosswind of the south bank of the Yangtze River. The wind was stronger at night and the temperature dropped rapidly.
The October heat in the south of the Yangtze River has long since dissipated, replaced by the howling autumn wind, but it is indeed a good thing for night sailing. The stronger the wind, the faster the progress, but it is only a pain for the sailors who operate the sails.
When the sun shone on the sails of the river again, the fleet had already passed Nantong Prefecture.
However, because it is close to the south of the Yangtze River, only the shoreline of the north of the Yangtze River can be seen in the distance.
Today should be the most critical day. As long as we can maintain this speed, we can successfully pass between Jingjiang and Jiangyin.
But at this time, Feng Ziying became more and more calm. Even Shen Yourong admired this little Governor Feng. After knowing him for so many years, he felt that this person was really a genius, unfathomable, and every time he came up with something The remarks and suggestions are all to the point and have far-reaching intentions. You can only truly feel them if you implement them.
Taking the use of Western-style warships in naval warships as an example, long-barreled artillery began to become popular on warships instead of the previous jump-to-the-side battle, and Shen Yourong was a little hard to accept it at first.
However, after personally organizing several rounds of battles between this type of warship and traditional Chinese warships, I found that the power of the Western-style warship's long-barreled artillery was too powerful, almost forming an overwhelming advantage.
Often the original traditional combat mode of the navy is replaced by this long-distance confrontation.
The bombardment battle was fragmented, and the flexibility of the Western-style warships and the combined power of the long-barreled artillery were fully utilized, and the other side was unable to organize an effective attack at all.
And trying to jump into a gang to join the battle will only work if the opponent makes a mistake and gets to a very close range. However, if it is supplemented by enough sailors and guns to shoot at each other, it will cause huge damage to the other side.
For this alone, Shen Yourong couldn't understand. How could a civil servant who had almost no contact with naval tactics and ships be able to predict the development direction of the navy?
But the facts proved that the other party was correct, which made Shen Yourong just say that he was born with knowledge.
It was precisely because of this that he still followed the opponent wholeheartedly at this age. Of course, the opponent also gave full support to Denglai Navy's components from all angles. This was also a reason.
There began to be more ships on the river. After the Navy sent warships from the east of Nantong Prefecture to intercept ships entering the Yangtze Estuary on the pretext of searching for Japanese pirates, there were only merchant ships going eastward.
There is not much we can do about these ships, and it is impossible to intercept them on such a wide river. We can only let them go eastward. Fortunately, the two sides are approaching each other. Unless they are alert enough and well prepared, it is difficult to intercept them in such a short period of time. It is very difficult to make predictions within a short period of time, dock quickly, and then report the news.
Of course, if such an unexpected episode really happened, Feng Ziying would admit it.
The journey seemed peaceful, but Feng Ziying felt increasingly uneasy. Everything will be revealed when they arrive in Guazhou Town. Two days have passed. Are Chen Jixian's soldiers still in Guazhou Town? Will there be more troops? While landing and attacking from Guazhou, the navy also had to enter the canal and attack Jiangdu. Feng Ziying wanted to bet that Chen Jixian would not be able to respond adequately, so that Jiangdu could be captured by surprise in the shortest time. Taking Guazhou was actually It becomes a backup backup in case the direct attack on Jiangdu fails, and Guazhou can use a frontal attack to defeat Huaiyang Town.
The sun sets and finally another night comes.
The scouts Feng Ziying sent to the shore to receive intelligence have not returned yet. He will ride farther ahead to wait for the first boat and then return to the fleet. This can save time and avoid unnecessary consumption.
The night is as dark as ink.
After listening to the scout's report, Feng Ziying felt mixed.
Fortunately, at least so far, Chen Jixian has not been alert, and the situation in Jiangdu City is still a bit chaotic. Worryingly, Chen Jixian's soldiers in Guazhou Town are indeed preparing to take a boat south to Suzhou in Guazhou Town. Their number has increased from more than a thousand to three thousand. In addition, part of the Huaiyang Army heading south from Gaoyou Prefecture will also arrive in Jiangdu tomorrow, which also means that Jiangdu’s military strength will increase.
