On the afternoon of April 11, Yinxiang arrived in Shanghai. *.*.*/*

Shi Shibiu, Lin Wei, Fu Anding, Fu Han, Chen Pengnian, Wan Yan Haifeng, Zha Siting, Zheng Qinghai, Zhang Yuanlong, Tang Degui and other officials and ship owners gathered at the wharf to greet them.

Eastern Expedition to Japan, at present, only Shi Shibiao and other naval generals know in their hearts that the prince sent the thirteenth elder brother at this time, and the meaning is naturally clear, but Yinxiang must be responsible for this expedition. However, a group of officials and ship owners in Shanghai are another account, after the fourteenth master is established as the crown prince, it is impossible to stay in Shanghai for a long time, and the thirteenth elder brother who has a close relationship with the prince is very likely to stay in Shanghai, so it is natural to have a good relationship in advance.

Yinxiang landed on the shore and exchanged pleasantries with everyone, declined the banquet arranged by everyone, returned directly to the Naval Academy, washed up a little, and then convened a meeting of several major generals of the Nanyang Fleet, such as Shi Shibiu, Lin Wei, Fu Anding, and Fu Han.

After a few people sat down, Yinxiang spoke: "This time, the prince ordered the Nanyang Fleet to go north to the east to conquer the Wazi Kingdom, the purpose is to prevent the Wazi Kingdom from taking the opportunity to harass our southeast coast after the naval expedition

Although the Japanese are closed to the country and implement a sea ban, they have a "Tang Chuanfeng storytelling" system, which can be said to be clear about the situation of the Qing Dynasty, but we do not know anything about the situation of the Japanese country, the initial construction of the navy is the stage of vigorous development, and it is at odds with Spain, the Netherlands and other Western maritime powers, so we have to be cautious, because we cannot afford to lose. Of course, there is also a purpose, which is to take this opportunity to conduct actual combat training.

In line with these two purposes, the main task of this expedition was to destroy all the ships and shipyards of the Wako Kingdom, and in order to prevent the delay of the expedition to Europe, the prince specially explained that it was not allowed to expand the war, and only allowed to land and fight in Edo. ”

Listening to Yinxiang's words, Shi Shibiao couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief, he has been in the navy for many years, and he has an understanding of the situation in Japan, although Japan is a small land, the territory is not half the size of the South Seas, but it has a large population, and its combat power is not weak, which is not comparable to Luzon and Java in the South Seas. These days, he has been worried that the navy will be able to fight smoothly in the South Seas, and Yinzhen will have the heart of underestimating the enemy, thinking that fighting Japan is as easy as conquering the South Seas.

Since the main task was only to destroy Japanese sea ships and shipyards, there was no problem at all, and Western warships were no match for Japan, let alone Japan, but why did they land in Edo? He had never heard of the name Edo. *.*.*/*

After a little hesitation, Shi Shibiao bowed and said, "Thirteenth Master, since it is only the sea ships and shipyards that only destroy the Wazi Kingdom, why do you want to land in Edo?" ”

Yinxiang glanced at a few people, and said with a smile: "Does General Shi know the situation in Edo?" ”

"I'm not afraid of the jokes of the Thirteenth Master, I haven't heard of it." Shi Shibiao said truthfully.

"Since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Wazi Kingdom has begun to cut off contact with the outside world, and it is normal for General Shi not to know the name of Edo." Yinxiang said in a deep voice: "The actual ruler of the Wako Kingdom is not their king, but the general of the shogunate, and now the ruling is the Tokugawa shogunate, also called the Edo shogunate, Edo Castle is the largest city in the Wako country, and it is also equivalent to their capital, which has been built for hundreds of years and has a population of hundreds of thousands. The reason why the crown prince designated to attack Edo was to force Japan to pay tribute and open up trade gates, so that he could grasp the movements of Japan at any time. ”

When he heard that Edo Castle was actually the capital of Japan, and that it had such a large population, the captain of the Marine Corps, Fu Anding, couldn't help but be greatly excited.

Shi Shibiao was quite worried when he heard it, a big city with a population of hundreds of thousands, and a capital city, must have high walls and strong defenses, and the navy can only land and fight with more than 6,000 people at most, and the time is pressing, this battle is really a little difficult to fight. ..., Lin Wei suffered a big loss under the artillery defending the city in the battle of Manila, and he asked with concern: "Thirteenth master, does the Japanese have any firearms?" Is it good? How many troops did Edo Castle have? ”

Yin Xiangsi took a sip of tea slowly, the old fourteen said that Edo's troops did not exceed 50,000 at most, obviously it was also estimated, Japan has been closed to the country, this force situation is impossible to find out clearly, this number can not be said to be too much, lest they are cowardly before fighting, if Edo's troops exceed imagination, it is a big deal to retreat, and if they get on the ship, they can be invincible.

Putting down the teacup, he said slowly, "According to intelligence, the firearms of the Wazi Kingdom are all controlled by the Dutch, but the number of firearms and equipment is only about thirty percent. After a slight pause, he continued, "The strength of Edo Castle is about 20,000 or less. ”

Hearing that the Japanese firearms were inferior to the Dutch, Fu Anding couldn't help but smile slightly, the Dutch's muskets were not comparable to the muskets of their marines at all, and the field battle was purely a one-sided massacre.

Lin Wei was worried, 20,000 people were defending the fortified city, and there were firearms, this battle was not easy to fight, he had not yet spoken, Shi Shibiao had already preemptively said: "Thirteenth Master, we are pressed for time, including the preparation for the war, there are only four months, and Edo City is a strong city with many people, is it a little hasty?" ”

Yinxiang nodded and said, "General Shi's worries are not unreasonable, and the prince also deliberately ordered that he would rather not fight than be defeated." As he spoke, he turned his head and said, "However, according to the information obtained, the Wako Kingdom has been peaceful for more than a hundred years since the Tokugawa family unified Japan, and its army should be imaginary, this is one of them.

Second, Edo Castle is on the bay, and our warships can surprise them and catch them off guard.

Third, the navy's firearms are far superior to those of the Japanese country, not only muskets, but also lightweight artillery are more powerful, and in field battles, even if they are several times the enemy, they can win in one battle, and the battleship is nearby, so we are invincible in the first place.

Fourth, we have heavy artillery, all of which are enough to break through his walls and gates.

Therefore, I think that we can first base ourselves on fighting, Japan is called a minister, pay tribute, and increase the trade gates, which can not only increase the brilliant achievements of the navy, but also establish the prestige of the crown prince, for the imperial court, it is also a matter of great face, and it is also good enough for the merchants, which can be said to be beneficial to the country and the people. ”

Lin Wei followed closely and said: "Since Edo Castle is on the seaside, we can advance and retreat freely, fight if we can, and withdraw if we can't, without any worries, we can give it a try." ”

Fu Anding glanced at Yinxiang and said: "Thirteenth master, the heavy artillery is too cumbersome, it is inconvenient to get on and off the ship, we have light mountain howitzers, it is best to lure them out of the field, even if it is a siege, you can also use the method of attacking Fuchengmen, with the cooperation of mountain howitzers, you only need to find a weak point in the defense, and you can easily attack the city wall." ”

Yinxiang nodded and said with a smile: "You kid, it seems that the battle of Fuchengmen has made you sum up a lot of experience." ”

Fu Anding puffed up his chest and said: "The dean has repeatedly told us that every time we fight, we must have a meeting to discuss, conduct a post-war summary, find out the successes and shortcomings, and make a good record.

Shi Shibi nodded slightly, and asked again: "Does the Thirteenth Master know the specific situation of Edo Bay?" ”

Yinxiang knew that he was worried about the storm, and smiled slightly, before he said: "Yuanmeng's two cross-sea expeditions to Japan were both defeated by the storm, but Edo Bay is different from Hakata Bay, it is an inner bay. As he spoke, he took out a map and spread it out, saying, "This is a simple map drawn by the prince." ”

After pointing out Edo Bay on the map, Yinxiang continued: "This is an inner bay, and the impact of ordinary storms is not great, and storms are rare from May to July. Seeing that Yinzhen was so well prepared, Shi Shibiao had nothing to say, and after a little groaning, he said: "Even so, I have nothing to worry about, let go and fight Edo Castle." ”

Yinxiang nodded and said: "For the Wazi Kingdom, the prince is deeply hated, and specially instructed that there should be no mercy in the slightest, listen to his tone, once he frees his hand, he will also land and forcibly occupy it, this time, we can also touch the bottom of the Wazi Country." ”

Lin Wei and the others were not interested in the future expedition, the Yande belligerent nature of the Beiyang Fleet, it would not be their turn in the future, but Shi Shibiao said: "The route from Shanghai to Nagasaki is familiar to all the sea trade ship owners, but I am afraid that no one knows the route to Edo. ”

"Don't worry about the route." Yinzhen smiled and said: "When we used to ban the sea, there were a lot of pirates on the sea, and there was no shortage of pirates in the Wazi Country, and Zheng tried his best to solve this matter." After speaking, he asked again: "Has Zheng rushed to Shanghai with all his heart?" ”

Because of the Eastern Expedition to Japan, he had no share of his own, Fu Han had been listlessly drooping his face, and when he heard this, he hurriedly bowed and said: "Back to the Thirteenth Master, I have arrived a few days earlier." ”

Yin Xiang nodded, and said, "This batch of twelve new auxiliary ships has already been launched and equipped with artillery?" ”

"Back to the Thirteenth Master, everything is ready, and I have tried to sail twice, and I can sail away at any time." Fu Han said, and said with a shy face: "Thirteenth Master, can you send some new students to study with the ship, and you can also be coolies." ”

Yinxiang glanced at him and said with a smile: "You want to go shopping in Japan, right?" Your batch of cadets have not completed their training in the queue, isn't it adding to the chaos when you go on the ship? Stay honest, in the future, the prince will have a chance for you. ”

As soon as he heard that there was no drama, Fu Han couldn't help but be very frustrated, Yinxiang ignored him, and said to himself: "The Japanese state has a system of "Tang Chuanfeng storytelling", in case of leakage of news, and in order to be able to buy more time, we have to start the crusade in mid-May before going to the peak trade season, are all aspects keeping up? ”

Shi Shibiao groaned slightly, and said: "As long as there is no problem with the route, there is no problem with logistics." ”

Nodding slightly, Yin Xiangcai said: "General Shi is in charge of logistics in Shanghai, Fu Anding will seize the time to train the troops, and Lin Wei will send 2,000 people to go to sea with me tomorrow to suppress pirates in the East China Sea. ”