Chapter 558 Zheng He! Commander of the Third Squadron!
Boom boom boom!
On the surface of the Qinhuai River, when a sailing target ship appeared five miles away.
Sixteen ironclad ships, the first five in the front row fired first.
Ma He stood on the observation deck on the top of the cabin of the command room on the island of the ship, and personally observed the landing points of the guns.
The scattered shells fell messily in front, behind, left and right of the target ship.
Ma He frowned slightly.
Shaking his head: "Although we have conducted a lot of live-fire shooting in the past, the artillery we operated was only installed on wooden boats. There are still many subtle differences between the larger army artillery and the artillery built specifically for the navy like Yanhua."
The tutorials they have used for nearly ten years are all the results of the actual combat and exercises of the Yanhua Navy that the loyal and brave Duke secretly sent back.
Take this cross-fire test.
According to the distribution map of the landing points of the shells they obtained.
Even if the Yanhua Navy is testing, the landing points of the shells fired are very regular.
It is definitely not the messy and disorderly one in front of him now.
It is undoubtedly more difficult to find useful reference coordinates and calculate cross-fire coordinates through these chaotic shell landing points.
He has never seen the performance of the Yanhua Navy in actual combat.
But if the Yanhua Navy can hit 50% of the shell landing point distribution map described in the tutorial.
The upcoming battle will be very difficult.
Boom boom boom...
The second-order warships in the back began to cross-fire.
On the last flagship.
Xu Xianchang also stood on the observation deck above the command room.
He held up a telescope to observe.
He frowned and shook his head, but he breathed a sigh of relief silently.
His heart was very complicated.
Except for a few of his confidants, these people, including sailors, staff officers, and captains, were secretly trained by His Majesty.
This also means.
In the future, he may not be able to firmly grasp this fleet and make it his capital to gain a foothold in the Ming Dynasty.
He also wanted to persuade his former comrades to betray Yan Wang Zhu Di together.
In this way, they are outsiders in the overall environment of the Ming Dynasty.
His former comrades will definitely surround him closely.
In the past, when the previous emperor was in power, the Ming Dynasty had a prosperous navy Chaohu system.
Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, the Ming Dynasty will also have a faction headed by him.
Unfortunately...
Those people are ignorant of promotion!
At this moment, although he does not want these naval talents trained by the new emperor to grow up as soon as possible and threaten his future position in the court.
But he also hopes that these young people have some skills.
Compared to the future.
The current crisis is obviously more dangerous.
Ye Kai is definitely the most outstanding commander of the younger generation of the Yanhua Navy.
When Ye Kai was ordered to retire, he thought it was Yan Wang Zhu Di who wanted to clean up the Yanhua Navy.
The influence of this group of old people headed by Lu Zhen.
Unexpectedly, it was all a covert operation!
The best young generals of the Yanhua Navy commanded eight ironclad warships that he had no idea about and were said to be very advanced.
He was under a lot of pressure!
"Order the engine room to keep the current speed unchanged."
"All gun positions, advance three positions, elevation thirty..."
Just as Xu Xianchang was observing, Ma He held up a telescope, observing the target ship, and kept issuing orders.
"Engine room to keep the current speed unchanged!"
"Advance three positions!"
"Elevation thirty!"
...
The messenger stood in front of the exquisite brass trumpet and shouted loudly.
The sound was transmitted to the deck and gun cabin through the pipe.
One by one, the sailors standing at the trumpet listening mouth and listening closely shouted quickly after hearing the order: "Consistent speed!"
"Advance three positions!"
"Elevation thirty!"
"Fire!"
Boom boom boom...
Among the five ironclad ships in the third echelon, the warship where Ma He was located was the first to cross fire.
Dozens of huge round projectiles whizzed out amid muzzle fire and thick smoke.
Bang, bang, bang...
One by one, they fell on the water near the target ship.
Crack!
Two projectiles hit the deck of the target ship.
Suddenly, wood chips flew on the deck.
"Hit it!"
"We hit it!"
"This ironclad ship is so majestic!"
...
Just when everyone on the warship led by Commander Ma He cheered.
Xu Xianchang pointed at the warship where Ma He was and asked his confidant who followed him to join the Ming Dynasty, "Who is the captain of the eleventh ship? What's his name?"
The confidant smiled and said, "This man is called Ma He. When I selected the captain, staff and other ship commanders from them, I found that this young man was very good."
Xu Xianchang glanced at his confidant.
Remind: "We are now officials of the court, not in Yanhua. In the future, in front of me, get used to calling yourself subordinates and humble officials. Don't call me me, me, me. There is nothing wrong between us brothers, but if you can't change the previous titles without distinguishing between superiors and subordinates in the court, people will talk about you."
In Yanhua's army.
Even between officials and civilians.
The titles of humble officials, subordinates, and common people have long been abolished unconsciously.
In the army, when the subordinates meet their superiors, they will at most call them majors or generals.
The generals below will not call themselves humble officials or subordinates, but refer to themselves as "I".
This was not ordered to be cancelled by Yan Wang Zhu Di.
Rather, the change from the civilians to the officials occurred unnaturally.
It was this change that made him feel scared and terrified.
This just proved.
Zhu Di has been promoting the effect of getting rid of the outdated style of respect and inferiority over the years.
One day, when everyone forgets the distinction between the noble and the humble, such as the humble, the subordinates, the common people, and the adults.
I am afraid that no one will be superior in Yanhua anymore.
Even if Yan Wang Zhu Di dies.
These people may not be able to reverse the trend back to the past.
Therefore, instead of staying in Yanhua and not getting what they want, it is better to betray Zhu Di and take away Yanhua’s 16 ironclad ships, and use them as bargaining chips to exchange for a high-ranking fame and fortune in the court.
…
Xu Xianchang gathered his thoughts and watched the cross-fire drill several times.
He ordered: "Battleship No. 11, Battleship No. 8, Battleship No. 5, Battleship No. 13, Battleship No. 2, the shells of these five battleships all landed at a good point, especially the No. 11 battleship commanded by Ma He. These five battleships form a squadron."
"Ma He will be the commander of the squadron."
"Next, during the battle, let this third squadron be in the third echelon."
"Many captains of the remaining first and second squadrons have performed poorly and are not qualified to be captains for the time being. You will serve as captains. Zhang Nan, you will be the commander of the first squadron. When fighting Ye Kai, command your squadron to be in the first echelon and cross-fire for the second and third echelons behind, and strive to hit the best reference coordinates."
"Liu Dongjin, you will be the commander of the second fleet and be in the second echelon. Whether you can give Ye Kai that brat a head-on blow mainly depends on the attack of your second echelon. The green hands of the third echelon can only be regarded as supplements."
The group of people provided by the emperor must be used.
Otherwise, the emperor would probably doubt him.
Therefore, the five best performing captains, led by Ma He, formed a squadron.
Moreover, he personally promoted Ma He, who performed the best, to be the commander of the squadron.
Should this satisfy the emperor?
The rest, except for his flagship.
He would use his confidants to serve as captains of each ship. He would ensure that he could control eleven of the sixteen ironclad ships.
This was not enough!
It was far from enough to only let confidants serve as captains!
Some key positions on the ship must be filled by naval generals from Yanhua.
Next, he had to seize the time to persuade those diehard former comrades to follow him in betraying Yan Wang Zhu Di.
…
On the sea, after the new formation was formed.
The artillery drill continued.
On the shore.
In a carriage.
Zhu Chong and Zhu Yu sat in the carriage, listening to the rumbling sound of artillery fire and watching the water columns rising on the river in the distance.
Squeak!
The carriage door opened.
Zhu Chong's confidant in the Prince of Qin's Mansion opened the carriage door and whispered, "Your Highness, I have already found out that the captain of the No. 11 ironclad ship is Ma He, and he has just been appointed as the commander of the third squadron by Xu Xianchang."
Ma He?
Zhu Chong and Zhu Yu both frowned and looked at each other.
They had never heard of this name.
It was understandable.
After all, they were all talents selected by the eldest brother from the criminal list.
How could they pay attention to some prisoners with criminal records?
Zhu Chong waved his hand, "I know."
After the confidant left, the carriage door closed.
Zhu Chong frowned and looked at the river. The hit rate of the shells was getting higher and higher, and his brows gradually tightened a little.
Hum!
At a certain moment, he snorted angrily, "The eldest brother is really calculating and scheming!"
"Let's go! Go to Huitong Hall!"
...
Half an hour later.
Zhu Di's study.
Ma He?
Zhu Di frowned, and a wave of emotion rose in his heart.
He was thinking.
This Ma He.
Could it be Zheng He, the eunuch who made seven voyages to the West and was the first person to open the sea in the Central Plains!
Zheng He's original name was Ma He.
It was 'he' who gave him the surname of the country and changed his name to Zheng He.
This is not impossible.
Moreover, it is very likely.
Although history has been disturbed by him, it has long been unrecognizable.
But many people and things that were originally related to him in history.
Still appeared around him in various forms and intersected with him.
In the early days, Zhang Lao Da, Qiu Er Ge, Zhu Lao San, Zhang Wu, Tan Yuan...
Later Yang Rong.
Later, he met Yu Qian on his way back this time.
Now this Ma He is Zheng He, and there is nothing to be surprised about.
The inertia of history is still very strong.
Ma He, after all, has a connection with the sea.
So, what is his own destination and destiny?
Can you really stay out of trouble?
"Old Four, our big brother has done everything for today. Are you sure your eight ironclad ships can defeat these sixteen ironclad ships? If not, I will send a message to Yao Guangxiao as soon as possible." Zhu Chong said anxiously.
Zhu Yu also spoke up and persuaded: "Old Four, according to our observation, these naval talents secretly trained by the big brother have made rapid progress. At the beginning, their artillery fire was still chaotic, and the coordination between the warships was also very clumsy and unfamiliar. But when we came back, although the formation was still very sluggish and the formation change was very slow, we have to admit that it has been done in a decent manner."
"The Qinhuai River is no better than the sea."
"And here, there are a large number of coastal defense guns and even army artillery to assist in the battle, sharing the pressure for the sixteen ironclad ships."
"Uncle Tang's military power has been taken back by my eldest brother. In the past few days, all the artillery battalions in the Beijing camp are building artillery positions on the banks of the Qinhuai River."
…
"If you are really not sure, let the second and third brothers prepare early. Don't swear that the eldest brother will not do anything to you. Everything may change. At the beginning, none of us thought that the eldest brother would do anything to you. Something like this happened.”
Zhu Di looked at Zhu Xi and Zhu Yu gratefully, pondered for a moment, and shook his head: "Second brother, third brother, let's take a look. I have other trump cards to guarantee my life."
Fang Rui and Shixian should have lurked into Jinling City.
If the eldest brother really had murderous thoughts towards him.
The Military Intelligence Department will go on a killing spree in Jinling City.
On the other hand, the impact hall.
Just take away Yong Ming and safely send Yong Ming back to Yanhua.
Yong Ming arrived in Yanjing.
Yanhua has an absolute backbone.
The Yanhua Army landed in Fujian.
With his prestige and influence in Fujian.
As well as the cooperation of Shen Ren, the commander-in-chief of the Fujian army, and the help of a group of powerful men who followed him to sea from Fujian.
It is not difficult for Yanhua to control Fujian overnight.
Then, the Yanhua Army only needs to rely on the terrain of Fujian to defend Fujian while attacking Guangxi.
From Guangxi, he entered the Southern Dynasties and joined the Champa uprising army. They joined forces and retreated and asked to negotiate with his eldest brother.
If the eldest brother persists in his obsession.
Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan are the best places to go!
He didn't believe that after taking the land southwest of the imperial court, his eldest brother could still fight on!
The worst happens.
As long as Yongming leads Yanhua, he can fight the war well outside.
They are safe in Jinling.
Therefore, he did not want to involve his second and third brothers unless absolutely necessary.
In the early years, when their father was still alive, they hesitated to go out and find a foundation for themselves.
Now, if the second brother and the third brother are involved.
It would be better if the eldest brother was removed from the throne.
If not.
Their future situation will be extremely difficult.
…
same day.
Zhu Xi and Zhu Yu went to the Qinhuai River to watch the Ming Dynasty naval drills.
Then he returned to the city and broke into the Huitong Hall. The news of his meeting with Zhu Di was handed to Zhu Biao's desk by Ji Gang.
After Zhu Biao looked at it, he just shook his head and smiled, and said to himself: "Let the fourth brother know that I also have a trump card, it's nothing."
…
The next day.
It's approaching noon.
Lower reaches of Qinhuai River.
The last one is under the command of the Navy, and from then on, it reaches the river section of Jinling City, the last shore defense artillery position, and the river.
Completely enveloped by the roaring sound of artillery.
Bang!
A cannonball, carrying a huge inertial impact force, hit the flagship deck heavily.
Song Sansi had a white gauze wrapped around her head and one arm hanging around her neck, standing next to Ye Kai.
When the loud noise sounded, his body trembled subconsciously.
Watching the huge projectile leave a deep crater on the deck, bounce up and land on the water.
His face was extremely solemn.
He didn't know what the protective capabilities of the sixteen armored ships that had been controlled by the imperial court were.
But the defensive power of these eight new-generation Duke-class ironclad ships is simply too abnormal.
All the way from Songjiangkou to here.
The fleet commanded by Ye Kai has defeated thirteen coastal defense artillery positions established along the river!
Thousands of artillery pieces were damaged.
To know.
Since the 30th year of Hongwu, His Majesty, who was the crown prince at that time, had a conflict with King Yan.
The Yanhua Navy, the old minister Lu Zhen, commanded sixteen armored ships and rushed all the way to Jinling City.
Lu Zhen passed Jinling and heard that the prince had summoned him. However, she did not enter Jinling City, but went straight to Fengyang to meet the late emperor and empress.
By signing the Grand Cross Railway Plan with Yanhua.
Received a large number of factories and technical assistance from Yanhua.
After the Ming Dynasty mastered the casting technology of large gun barrels.
In recent years, His Majesty may have been humiliated because of the great humiliation he suffered.
Almost crazy strengthening of defense capabilities along the river.
But that's the case.
Today, six or seven years later.
These heavily invested and assembled coastal defense guns still cannot stop Yanhua's new generation of naval ships.
In addition to leaving countless craters on these battleships.
The greatest result of the thirteen coastal defense batteries was that fifty people from the Yanhua Navy were injured and eighteen were killed.
Five turrets damaged.
Two of the doors were quickly repaired and continue to be used.
Can the imperial court really stop this fleet that is armed to the teeth?
Can His Majesty's trump card... really work wonders?
"Too slow!"
Ye Kai frowned and muttered dissatisfiedly, interrupting Song Sansi's thoughts.
Then he turned around and ordered: "Give me the order, use explosive bullets..."
"Commander, do you really want to use explosive ammunition?" The staff officer around him was hesitant.
Ye Kai suddenly raised his hand angrily and pointed to the artillery position shrouded in thick smoke on the shore in the distance, "Look, do they treat us as compatriots?"
"In the previous coastal defense artillery positions, we talked about the friendship between each other, but as we go upstream, these coastal defense positions established thirty years after Hongwu were bombarded with high intensity. Do they regard us as compatriots?"
"Tell brothers, stop suppressing the speed of artillery fire and fire at full speed!"
"Yes!" The staff officer stopped hesitating and turned around to pass on the order after receiving the order.
Song Sansi opened his mouth, and the words of persuasion came to his lips.
Finally, he held back.
What reason is there to persuade?
After being rescued by Commander Ye and waking up.
Although the young Commander Ye had a very tough tone and shouted for fighting and killing.
But he was on the boat all the way.
Very clear.
They bombarded all the way, but did not use their full strength.
The newly built coastal artillery positions thirty years after Hongwu.
They were all built in the Songjiangkou Navy after the Chaohu system was disintegrated.
These coastal artillery positions are different from the coastal artillery positions built by the Chaohu system thirty years before Hongwu.
They have no friendship with the Yanhua Navy.
They are only loyal to His Majesty!
Boom boom boom!
Boom boom boom!
Soon, bursts of booming explosions sounded in the coastal artillery positions on the distant shore.
Amid the dense explosions.
It was even faintly visible that the clumsy gun barrels were blown away, thrown high, and then fell heavily.
Explosive shells were put into use.
After the ships stopped suppressing the speed of artillery fire.
Less than half an hour later.
There was no counterattack from the coastal artillery positions.
A gust of wind blew.
The thick smoke gradually dissipated.
Song Sansi raised the telescope and looked at the messy coastal artillery positions with wounded soldiers all over the ground, which looked like hell on earth.
His face turned slightly pale.
This is the true power of Yanhua's naval fleet!
The power of that kind of shrapnel is really too great.
The lethality is too great!
If they can't defeat other coastal artillery positions downstream, the soldiers still have a chance to evacuate the positions.
But here, I'm afraid that nine out of ten are damaged!
Perhaps this is the power of Yanhua's anger?
Humph!
Ye Kai hid his complex expression of grief on his face, snorted coldly, put down the telescope, and ordered: "The troops are approaching the city of Jinling! Aim all the guns at Jinling City!"
"Let's go!"
Woo woo woo...
With the sound of the whistle.
Eight warships, with sixteen supply ships coming up from behind, rushed straight to Jinling City.
"The last coastal artillery position has been broken!"
"The naval fleet of King Yan is here!"
"The battle between ironclad ships, the real war between our Ming Dynasty and Yanhua, is about to begin!"
"Quick, go out of the city, go out of the city and take a look!"
...
When the burning beacon fire was noticed by Jinling City.
The whole of Jinling was instantly boiling, restless and agitated.
Countless people rushed out of the city.
In the palace.
Zhu Biao walked out of the imperial study.
All the civil and military officials in the court stood at the steps outside the imperial study.
Zhu Biao raised his head and looked at the blazing sun above his head.
After a moment, he retracted his gaze and looked at the court officials below, "Today, I and all the officials went up to the city to watch this naval battle that was fought at the gate of the imperial capital!"
"Look at the soldiers of our dynasty who are defending the dignity of the court."
"It's just like the 30th year of Hongwu, my face is trampled on again!"
After speaking, Zhu Biao shook his sleeves and sat on the sedan chair...
The officials followed and went out of the palace in a mighty procession...
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