Taiwan Strait, 300 miles away from Jinjiang Port in Quanzhou, Yangzhou Navy Fleet, flagship Henan.

June 30, 16th year of Chongzhen, Yinshi.

That is, around three or four o'clock in the dawn of Beijing time in later generations.

It's already close to the coast of Taiwan, and if the weather is good, you can stand on the top of the mast and you can vaguely see the long coastline to the east. Almost more than 60% of tea, silk and porcelain have to be transported to all parts of the world through this strait, which is one of the busiest passages in Sino-Western trade and the gate of Zheng Jiajin.

At this moment, for the first time in four years since the formation of the army, the Yangzhou Zhenshui Division has sailed its fleet here, and the Zheng family has an unavoidable interest in the Taiwan Strait.

The fleet was anchored, and the sails were low. Fang Wei, the commander of the Ningxiang Combined Fleet and the general of the Yangzhou Township Naval Division, was wearing a black monk's robe at the moment, standing on the deck, watching the soldiers and sailors busy on the deck like worker bees. The lights are like a dream.

The cannons were sitting in the cabin, waiting for the battle to begin tomorrow, and then they would open the cannon windows, poke out the black hole, and spit out the flames of fury.

These new cannons have a very long range, great power, and most importantly, light weight. Relying on these huge number of bronze cannons, in the past year, the Ningxiang Navy Division has gradually brought the bad situation over, and fought on an equal footing with the Zheng family at sea.

In the recent year of his death, Fang Wei didn't know how many ships he had sunk or been sunk by the enemy, how many cannons he had lost, and how much military expenditure he had handled. Anyway, all the family's income in the past four years has been exhausted by the water master.

It is said that because the water master is too fierce in eating money, someone has already proposed to investigate whether he has benefited from it. However, General Sun still gave him absolute trust.

In this regard, Fang Wei was naturally grateful, and smiled bitterly again. Indeed, building a warship alone is 100,000 taels of silver. As long as you use a little brain, you can get more than a thousand taels of benefits without any problem. However, he is only in his early nineteens this year, he has no worries, he is a single person, what is he greedy for so much silver? The general was so kind to him, Dafang had long had the intention of killing himself to repay him, how could he be willing to do such a sloppy thing, he didn't ruin his reputation and lived up to the general's expectations.

Besides, the Ningxiang military system is extremely strict, and the army's accounts will send people to check every quarter, and they will not give up if they don't find your nosebleed. In this case, even if you want to be greedy, you can't be greedy.

In fact, Fang Wei's monthly allowances and military allowances were extremely generous, enough for every officer to live a decent gentry life. It's just that Dafang is scattered and bold. Every time I got it, in addition to keeping the next part for my own use, the other parts were sprinkled out. 10% is donated to the church, and the rest is either to pay for the fallen soldiers or to help the disabled. To this day, he also adopts the orphans of eleven fallen soldiers.

I think that we were just an orphan back then, fortunately thanks to the general's intake and God's mercy, this is where we are today, can I ask for more?

It had been a month since he had been ashore, and Fang Wei was holding the silver cross set with this ruby hanging on his chest, which was the most valuable possession on his body.

Fang Wei stood on the gently shaking deck and looked out, the sky was not yet bright, and the swarthy sea water kept rising and falling.

There is still an hour before the morning, and it is the darkest time. Even with his eyes wide, he couldn't see the other ships. In front of him, there was nothing in the black color, which made him a little uneasy. This is not normal for a young veteran who has been on the battlefield for a long time.

Yes, the stakes are high. I heard that the Zheng family had already concentrated all the mobile forces at hand in Jinjiang Port. And he also personally led a combined fleet of five new warships---- clippers---- six Spanish galleons, eleven Japanese ironclad ships, and a total of 300 ships of various colors, large and small, all the way south.

The people south of the Zheng family also knew the movements of the Ningxiang Army and Water Division for a long time, and it is estimated that all of them were dispatched.

Almost all the navies in Yangzhou Town were concentrated together, and they finished their work and battle. In a sense, this is the first time that the Ningxiang Army and the Zheng family in Fujian have dispatched so many men and horses, betting on who is the overlord of the four seas to block the fate of the army.

In Dafang's view, this battle is a winner-takes-all, and the loser loses the underwear.

It's been four years, and the gold and silver mountains have been thrown in, and only then did such a water army be formed.

Generous, generous, are you ready?

Are your young shoulders ready to carry this burden?

If defeated, what face do you have to go to the general?

Fang Wei felt that his hands grasping the cross were full of sweat, and a heart that had been so calm that it seemed to not be beating in the past was also fluttering.

It is said that when he was preparing for this unprecedented naval battle, Fei Hong, the deputy commander-in-chief of Yangzhou Town, also wrote to the general that there was no need for the naval division to put all its forces on this decisive battle. When the navy was founded, the officers and men still needed to be trained, and they couldn't eat hot tofu in a hurry.

"I look down on people too much, doesn't it mean that I am only young and difficult to take on a big responsibility?" As soon as he thought of this, Fang Wei's heart was furious: "Wasn't Huo Qu also my age when he was sick and sealed the wolf Juxu?" ”

"Fei Tou'er, you are already old, so old that you have lost your courage. Now, it's our time. ”

Fei Hongde was highly respected, but he had not commanded a war for many years, and his main task in the military town was to train soldiers. These old men of the Ningxiang Army have been living in peace for a long time, and their courage has become smaller, so what else can they do?

"Zhuge is only cautious and cautious all his life. What else to say, the water army is not easy to come from, and you can't take risks. Aren't good ships and guns just for war, can they be put at home as decorations, ""! Dafang spat the deck.

A guard walked over: "Sir, Shimazu wants to see you." ”

"Okay, we'll go right away, by the way, when will Shimazu come?"

"Back to the sir, Kazuo Shimazu came here in a small boat just now. Sir, you're thinking about things on deck, and you don't dare to disturb you. ”

Walking into the cabin, there was a smell of sweat like stinky salted fish. In the flickering light, Kazuo Shimazu and the two ronin retinues were standing straight, as short as three inches of nails.

"I've seen Your Excellency." All three bowed at the same time.

Kazuo Shimazu: "Your Excellency, this attack on the Zheng family's fleet, please let me take the lead, please!" ”

In the past year, with the support of the Ningxiang Army, he traded back and forth between Japan and Nanjing, and robbed merchant ships with him, and his power was greatly expanded. Today, there are more than 100 large and small ships, and 5,000 ronins and pirates have gathered under his command, which is a naval force that cannot be ignored on Kyushu Island.

In this decisive battle, after receiving Fang Wei's order, Kazuo Shimazu brought fifty large and small ships and two thousand ronins to participate in the battle.

"Okay, it's up to you!" Fang Weiyi helped him up: "Tomorrow, you will take the lead with Rhine, remember, you must use all your strength in this battle, and you will not fall into the prestige of our army." "Rhine is the leader of another mercenary army introduced by Pablona, with two hundred pirates and ten warships. This man's full name is Halmansson? Every? Rhine is a Dutchman. His sailors were all outlaws from Europe, including Dutch, Spaniards, and Frenchmen, and the most surprising thing was that there were twenty Kunlun slaves who were as black as charcoals.

"Hello!"

……

After sending away Kazuo Shimazu and the others, the sky was already hazy.

Guard: "Sir, it's time for the fleet to be deployed, please give the order!" ”

Fang Wei walked to the outside deck again, he slowly knelt down, drew a cross on his chest with his fingers, and chanted: "God, you are all my strength, please don't disgrace me, don't let my enemies sing triumphant songs on me, please don't stay away from me, Amen!" ”

……

"Whew!" With a bang, thousands of sails were raised, bulging into a full semicircle under the blowing of the southeast wind. I just came here in a small boat. Sir, you're thinking about things on deck, and you don't dare to disturb you. ”

Walking into the cabin, there was a smell of sweat like stinky salted fish. In the flickering light, Kazuo Shimazu and the two ronin retinues were standing straight, as short as three inches of nails.

"I've seen Your Excellency." All three bowed at the same time.

Kazuo Shimazu: "Your Excellency, this attack on the Zheng family's fleet, please let me take the lead, please!" ”

In the past year, with the support of the Ningxiang Army, he traded back and forth between Japan and Nanjing, and robbed merchant ships with him, and his power was greatly expanded. Today, there are more than 100 large and small ships, and 5,000 ronins and pirates have gathered under his command, which is a naval force that cannot be ignored on Kyushu Island.

In this decisive battle, after receiving Fang Wei's order, Kazuo Shimazu brought fifty large and small ships and two thousand ronins to participate in the battle.

"Okay, it's up to you!" Fang Weiyi helped him up: "Tomorrow, you will take the lead with Rhine, remember, you must use all your strength in this battle, and you will not fall into the prestige of our army." "Rhine is the leader of another mercenary army introduced by Pablona, with two hundred pirates and ten warships. This man's full name is Halmansson? Every? Rhine is a Dutchman. His sailors were all outlaws from Europe, including Dutch, Spaniards, and Frenchmen, and the most surprising thing was that there were twenty Kunlun slaves who were as black as charcoals.

"Hello!"

……

After sending away Kazuo Shimazu and the others, the sky was already hazy.

Guard: "Sir, it's time for the fleet to be deployed, please give the order!" ”

Fang Wei walked to the outside deck again, he slowly knelt down, drew a cross on his chest with his fingers, and chanted: "God, you are all my strength, please don't disgrace me, don't let my enemies sing triumphant songs on me, please don't stay away from me, Amen!" ”

……

"Whew!" With a bang, thousands of sails were raised, bulging into a full semicircle under the blowing of the southeast wind. (Guoshi.. /2/2080/)--(Guoshi/)