Chapter 920 1009 Destitute Navy

In the early years of Emperor Taizu's Hongwu reign, there were only three guards, namely Laizhou, Dengzhou and Ninghai, along the coast of Jiaodong Peninsula, which were under the jurisdiction of Shandong Command.

In the 31st year of Hongwu reign, Japanese pirates plundered Jiaodong, so Emperor Taizu added seven guards and three guarding thousand households to Shandong Command at one time. From north to south, they were Qishan Guarding Thousand Households, Weihai Guard, Chengshan Guard, Ningjin Guarding Thousand Households, Jinghai Guard, Haiyang Guarding Thousand Households, Dasong Guard, Aoshan Guard, Lingshan Guard and Andong Guard.

However, due to the long coastline and the decentralized power of the guards, the anti-Japanese battles and battles in the early years of Yongle still ended in failure.

For this reason, Emperor Chengzu added the "Governor of Denglai Coastal Military and Horse Preparation for Japanese Command" in the sixth year of Yongle, referred to as Shandong Preparation for Japanese Command as the "acting commander" of Shandong Command, and unified the management of Shandong coastal defense with the highest military institution along the Shandong coast, stationed in Dengzhou Prefecture.

Under it, three camps were built in Jimo, Dengzhou and Wendeng, and defense zones were demarcated and guards were governed.

Among them, the Dengzhou Camp guarded the North Sea, and governed the three left guards of Dengzhou, Laizhou and Qingzhou, and the three guards of Qishan, Fushan Zhongqian and Wangxuzhaiqian.

Dengzhou is located at the extreme edge, connected to the ocean, and has always been a naval fortress.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the state was promoted to a prefecture. Dengzhou Guard governed seven thousand households, each of which was equipped with ten Japanese ships, with a total of more than 70 warships.

After that, in order to prepare for the urgent needs of the Japanese, a navy mansion was built in Shuicheng, and a special navy camp was set up. The navy camp was led by a lieutenant general or a guerrilla commander, and was supervised by the governor of Denglai. This was the Dengzhou Navy, the predecessor of the Denglai Navy.

From the 25th to the 35th year of Jiajing, the Dengzhou Navy governed a total of five naval camps, namely Shuizuoying, Shuiyouying, Zhongzhongying, Shuiqianying and Shuihouying.

Each battalion has one commander, two sentries, one sentry officer, and each sentry is equipped with two Fu ships, one Hai Cang, and two warships.

In this way, the Dengzhou Navy has a total of five battalions and ten sentries, with fifty large and small warships and more than three thousand officers and soldiers.

In normal times, except for the central battalion that is responsible for strictly guarding the water city base, the other four battalions each have one sentry to patrol the sea, and the rest rest and train in the port, that is, there are four sentries and twenty warships patrolling the sea all year round.

In the organization of the Ming Navy, there is a "gang" above a single ship, "every ten are a gang".

Above the gang is a "zhouzong". According to the "Ming History Military Records", "the repair of sea boats, large and small, or one hundred or fifty are a zhouzong".

Each of them belongs to the water forts along the coast, and each fort has at least one general fort. There are five water forts in Fujian, six general forts in Ninghai, Zhejiang, and eight general forts in Laizhou, Shandong, with a total of 48 water forts in the country. In addition, each hundred-household and patrol office along the coast are equipped with 2 warships, 10 warships for each thousand-household, and 50 warships for each guard.

During the Longqing period, after Wei Guangde entered the cabinet, he felt that a large number of warships in Shandong guards were scattered, so he transferred all the sea ships of the guards near Denglai to Penglai Water City, which is how the current Denglai Navy was established, with Penglai Water City as its berth.

Penglai Water City, also known as Dengzhou Water City and Dengzhou Beiwo City, was built in the ninth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. In order to protect Dengzhou City, which was a sea route hub, from attacks by the active Japanese pirates and Goryeo pirates at the time, a well-equipped military fortress was built on the basis of Daoyuzhai, which was used for warships to berth in the Song Dynasty.

Although there was already a Penglai Water City at this time, it was of course still far inferior to the Penglai Water City built by Sun Yuanhua, the Right Censor-in-Chief and the Governor of Denglai in later generations.

The Penglai Water City left in later generations was actually renovated on a large scale on the current basis. In addition to the original rammed earth wall being transformed into rammed earth bricks, some of the walls of the early Ming Dynasty were also renovated on a large scale.

Even Sun Yuanhua imitated the popular bastions in Europe at that time and built some artillery forts here, turning it from a water city into a naval base.

Of course, the Ming Dynasty at this time did not have a real navy, only a navy.

Although, in the eyes of most people, the navy and the navy seem to be not much different, but in fact the two are very different.

Generally speaking, the navy refers specifically to the military ship forces active in inland rivers, lakes and seas. The Ming Dynasty implemented the guard system, so the water camp actually relied on the guard, and the officers and soldiers of the water camp were the military households of the guard.

The navy is actually a navy composed of military households "temporarily" drawn from the guard.

If it is a navy, it is at least a military force independent of the garrison, and it is called a navy if it can undertake independent offensive combat missions.

There are very few navies in the history of our country, and they are basically naval forces or navy divisions.

Even the Sanbao Fleet, which has been the farthest out to the sea, is not a simple military ship. It includes military ships, but it is difficult to call it a navy. In fact, it belongs to an escort fleet.

However, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was a fleet that could barely be regarded as a real navy, that is, Zheng Zhilong's fleet, which has nothing to do with the Ming garrison, active in the East and South Seas, and controls the maritime hegemony.

Of course, Wei Guangde actually wanted to work in this direction, but he still needed huge financial support from the court, so he chose to support Zhang Juzheng's reforms to ease the financial pressure of the court.

Only when Zhang Juzheng's reforms were effective, the Ming court would have enough money to support the establishment of a real navy.

Now, the officers and soldiers of the navy camp still have to receive the court's salary in their respective garrisons, at least the Ministry of War has this expenditure on its books.

When Yu Dayou caught up with the last two Ming warships, the navy officers and soldiers on the ship were still curiously leaning on the railings, looking at the huge warship passing by. The tall hull gave them a great sense of oppression.

You know, Yu Dayou's ship was not an ordinary large Fu ship, but a Fengzhou.

At the beginning, a huge fleet appeared behind the butt, which once frightened the only navy officers and soldiers in the north of the Ming Dynasty.

However, after the two fleets approached and confirmed each other's identities through flags, the officers and soldiers of the Denglai Navy calmed down.

But now a huge warship was catching up. In addition to marveling at the size of the other ship, they were also more surprised by his purpose.

A little disappointed with the Denglai navy in front of him, Yu Dayou turned around and ordered: "Look for the other side's general's ship and get on board."

With dozens of large and small warships, the opponent's general will certainly not be a guerrilla, but at least a deputy general.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the boss of the Denglai Navy, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Xie Zhen, led the patrol.

It's just that the possibility of this is somewhat small. Compared with the current generals of the Ming Dynasty, many of them have pursued luxury and enjoyment instead of fighting.

After continuing to chase for a while, the leader of the soldiers beside him stepped forward and whispered in his ear: "Commander, the medium-sized fortune ship in front should be the ship of the opponent's commander. Judging from the flag, it should be the commander of Denglai Navy. The fleet led by Xu Qiaoan.”

Yu Dayou looked closely at the warship in front and saw that the flag displayed by the other side showed that it should be the deputy general's ship. He was a little surprised and said: "Admiral Denglai Navy is only the deputy general? I thought it should be the deputy commander-in-chief."

"Strictly speaking, the Denglai Navy has only been established for a few years. It used to be just the Dengzhou Navy, stationed in Penglai Water City, so it was commanded by the Dengzhou Guards. It is already quite high to be a deputy general."

The leader of the personal soldiers replied in a low voice.

"Well, that's just for now. If we really follow Mr. Ge's idea and form the Beiyang Navy based on the Denglai Navy as the skeleton, the commander will at least be the commander-in-chief, and it's not impossible to even become an admiral."

Yu Dayou whispered.

"Ah, that's not on the same level as the Marshal."

The leader of the soldiers said in surprise.

How many warships does the Nanyang Navy have? There are more than 300 medium-sized and above warships, and more than 500 warships in total. This does not include those small ships. There are more than a thousand ships.

But based on the size of the fleet in front of Denglai Navy, it can be inferred that the total number of Denglai Navy warships will not exceed 200. If someone with such a little strength can hold the title of admiral, then the naval admiral of the Ming Dynasty is too worthless. Bar.

As Yu Dayou's ship chased after him, the captain's ship on the opposite side seemed to be aware of it. After hoisting a stop flag, the ship turned around and sailed out of the fleet.

Soon, not far outside the fleet, two warships gradually approached. After coming to a complete stop, a sailor rowed the oars to bring the two warships closer together.

Because the warship of Denglai Navy was smaller, the big ship lowered the long ladder after the small boat came up. Someone shouted to the opposite side: "Yu Dayou, the admiral of the Nanyang Navy of the Ming Dynasty and the right commander of the rear army governor's office, is here. Please Denglai." The naval commander will board the ship and speak."

"I'll go up and have a look."

After hearing the shouting, the armored general on the opposite side walked out of the crowd and walked towards the long staircase.

"General."

A soldier behind him shouted softly.

"It doesn't matter, they are all officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, not merchant ships, haha"

The general just smiled, continued to walk to the long ladder, and climbed up.

Several soldiers also followed behind him and climbed onto the opponent's warship.

The rules on the sea are to respect strength. When merchant ships encounter each other while walking on the sea, they will often take the initiative to avoid encounters and will not encounter each other.

If they meet together, they can only be treated with caution.

Because one moment we may all be merchants, but the next moment we may become pirates who rob merchant ships.

Moreover, because there is no way to escape because of the sea, the winner often chooses to kill them all, not only looting the goods on the other side's merchant ship, but also seizing the ship.

These days, building a sea-going ship costs a lot of money. Many large-scale merchants along the coast have accumulated huge wealth and huge fleets, often relying on this method, almost plundering the accumulated family property.

However, that was all aimed at maritime merchants.

They are all official ships of the Ming Dynasty. Is this necessary?

Although the fleet behind him was several times larger than his Denglai navy, there was no need for the other party to attack them, and it was impossible to kill them all. As long as one ship escaped, the consequences would be beyond Yu Dayou's ability to bear.

Soon, Yu Dayou met Admiral Denglai Navy on the top floor of the ship.

"The commander of the last general, Dengzhou Guard, also knows that Xu Qiaoan, the deputy general of Denglai Navy, has met the commander-in-chief."

Xu Zhong still showed great respect for the famous Yu Dayou. The reputation of Yu Long and Qi Hu was quite prestigious among the Ming army.

Whether it is Yu Dayou or Qi Jiguang, they have won honors through battlefield victories. For these mainland generals, they have nothing but admiration.

"Get up. I was ordered to escort the grain to Beijing. I encountered your troops patrolling the sea, so I came up to meet you. After all, we are all navymen, but I have never seen each other in the south and north."

Yu Dayou looked at Xu Qiaoan who was kneeling on one knee and said hurriedly.

"Thank you, Marshal."

Xu Qiaoan then stood up and stood aside with a bow.

"Xu Qiao'an, are you related to the Xu family of Dengzhou Yongkang Marquis?"

Ask about the relationship first when meeting, and Yu Dayou is no exception now.

At his level, his words and attitude actually have a great impact.

"The last general is a descendant of Marquis Yongkang, and the current head of the family, Marquis Yongkang Xu Qiaosong, is my cousin."

Xu Qiaoan said.

"Haha, everyone, please relax and stop being formal. Qiao Song and I have known each other for a long time. We went to Nanjing to report to the Ministry of War years ago, and I met him in Zhenjiang."

Yu Dayou laughed.

Marquis Yongkang is the descendant of Xu Zhong, the hero of the Jingnan War. In his early years, Xu Zhong served as deputy Qianhu of Henan Guard and commander of Jiyang Guard, guarding Kaiping.

When Chengzu was in trouble, Xu Zhong led his troops to surrender. He made many military exploits and was promoted to the left governor of the former military governor's mansion and was granted the title of Marquis of Yongkang.

During the Yongle period, Xu Zhong was ordered to stay in Nanjing and assist the prince in supervising the country.

During the Zhengtong period, Xu An, the second generation Marquis of Yongkang, was ordered to be transferred to Dengzhou. After settling in Penglai, the Xu family flourished and flourished. Most of his descendant branches were distributed in Penglai City, Xujiaji Village in the south of the city, and in the east of the city. Chunyu, Yaxia, Shangying and other villages in Chaoshui Town have developed into a prominent family in Penglai.

Although the current Yongkang Marquis Xu Qiaosong did not stay in Denglai to hold a position, he went to Nanjing in the late Jiajing period and served as the admiral of Cao Jiang and in charge of river patrols. He was responsible for protecting the safety of the river near Nanjing, the capital of Nanjing, and has stayed in Nanjing ever since.

Yu Dayou did not expect that although Xu Qiaosong left Denglai, the Dengzhou border guard station was still controlled by the Xu family.

Next, Yu Dayou asked about the current situation of the Denglai Navy and learned that the eight major water villages in Shandong in the early years were all included in the Denglai Navy. It was based in Penglai Water City and could dock nearly a thousand large and small ships. The scale can be imagined.

"If I didn't have any responsibilities, I would like to visit Penglai Water City."

When Yu Dayou heard that there was such a huge navy camp here, he immediately became interested.

But thinking that I have to go to Tianjin to deliver grain, and then carry Ji Zhenjun to Gaizhou, I definitely can't delay my trip here, which is worth regretting.

"The commander-in-chief can come to Penglai Water City to have a look when he returns from the imperial errands. The commander-in-chief will be waiting for you at the end. You are welcome to visit the commander-in-chief at any time."

Xu Qiaoan said immediately.

Although he was not familiar with Yu Dayou, he knew that he had a relationship with his cousin Xu Qiaosong, so he naturally wanted to show his cordiality, so he invited him warmly.

"You must go and see it when you have time."

Yu Dayou smiled, then looked at the Denglai Navy not far away, and then asked: "I think your ship is just a medium-sized fortune ship. Is there no big fortune ship in the Denglai Navy?"

"this"

Xu Qiaoan boarded Yu Dayou's ship and was naturally envious. The ship was bigger than the ordinary Dafu ship. In the past years, he had never seen such a big warship when he patrolled the sea.

Talking about it at this time, naturally I feel a little dull on my face.

"Commander, our Denglai navy used to have big fortune ships, but they were all in disrepair and could no longer go to sea.

In recent years, the imperial court and the Dusi have not allocated money to build new ships. These are the only ships in our Shandong Guard that can still go out on patrol. "

"As long as there are medium-sized lucky boats, how many are there?"

Yu Dayou asked curiously.

"There were eleven medium-sized lucky boats, seventeen small lucky boats, and the rest were sentry boats, which made the commander laugh."

Xu Qiaoan said embarrassedly.

"It's easy to talk about the ship. As long as the court is willing, you can make a big difference in your place in two years. However, I think the morale of the sailors on your ship is low. You should practice well after you return.

Also, it would be best to mobilize more sailors from the Denglai guards for training. How can this be done with such a small number of troops? "

Yu Dayou kindly reminded me. (End of chapter)