Tang Linzong, the secretary of the military department and the minister of the cabinet, who is located in the city of Nanjing, is looking at the urgent battle report just sent by the sailor in his hand with a solemn and incredulous face......

A 1,500-ton fortune ship and two 1,000-ton warships were defeated by a 1,000-ton warship of the Haw Par Army, and two warships were directly buried at the bottom of the sea, and more than 800 sailors were angry and unknown......

"How is it possible, how is this possible...... Are the sailors and soldiers all pigs, so many warships, they can't even beat a single warship of the Tiger and Par Army? This was the first thought in the mind of the military department Shangshu after reading the war report.

At this time, the deputy standing in front of him suddenly reminded: "My lord, the battle report says that the Tiger and Par Army warships are equipped with a very powerful artillery, and when firing flowering shells, the firing range is more than four miles...... And the artillery equipped by our sailors can only fight two miles at most...... Xia Guan still has a certain understanding of naval battles, as long as the content of the battle report is true, there will be no surprise if he loses two warships......"

Being able to be the secretary of the military department and the minister of the cabinet, Tang Linzong not only has a high political mind and is deeply trusted by Emperor Chongzhen, but also dabbles in military affairs, Tang Linzong is definitely higher than ordinary generals in the army.

Therefore, as soon as the deputy's words were finished, Tang Linzong opened his mouth and retorted: "Impossible, absolutely impossible...... It is absolutely impossible for artillery to hit that far. It must be that the sailors who escaped back deliberately exaggerated the strength of the Haw Par Army in order to shirk their responsibilities......"

Maybe it's to compliment your boss, or maybe it's because you have limited understanding. As soon as Tang Linzong finished speaking, the head of the Military Garrison Department under the Yamen of the Ministry of War followed him and said...... "My lord." Xia Guan didn't believe it either. The Haw Par Army will have such a powerful equipment...... "The subordinate is responsible for the procurement of firearms and artillery and other equipment. As far as the lower officials know, Portugal and other countries with the strongest navy can only shoot shells three miles away with the most powerful artillery, and they still fire solid iron ball shells......"

The support of the head of the military armament directly made Tang Linzong's tense face relax a lot.

After taking a deep breath, he decisively decided: "Since this is the case, this matter will be suppressed by the official for the time being, and will not be reported to the imperial court for the time being...... But. The military headquarters must immediately send a battle order to the sailors...... All the officers and men of the Navy Division must go all out to meet the battle, and if there is any more false reporting of the military situation, the military department must report it to His Majesty and go to prison for questioning......"

Once defeated, Tang Linzong could see him as a mistake and a lie about the military situation. However, the second time, the third time...... Until the news of the defeat of the Eighth Water Division, it was continuously transmitted to the military department and to Tang Linzong.

Tang Linzong had to start paying attention to it, and began to doubt his original inference......

Could it be that the contents of these war reports are true? The artillery equipped by the Haw Par Army's naval division can really fight more than four miles...... on the battlefield of naval warfare. Our naval warships can only be beaten passively, and they don't even have a chance to resist......"

In the face of heavy losses, the deputy is not afraid to offend the immediate boss in front of him.

With a stern face, he replied: "My lord, according to the statistics of the battle report sent by the sailor...... Eight naval battles in a row, all of which ended with our defeat. So far, we have lost 11 large ships, 18 ordinary warships, and more than 8,500 sailors...... As for the results, only two Haw Par Army ships were damaged, and none of them were sunk by us......"

"If the Haw Par Army warships were not equipped with such sharp artillery, our sailor warships would be able to sink a few of the Haw Par Army ships even if they worked hard...... Therefore, the lower official is sure that the contents of the naval division's battle report are true, and he did not lie about the military situation......"

In the face of such a heavy loss, although Tang Linzong was very reluctant in his heart, he still had to admit this fact.

After some hesitation, he decisively affirmed: "Lord Zhou is right, it must be like this......"

After speaking, Tang Linzong shifted his gaze to the head of the Military Garrison Division, and said with an angry and dissatisfied expression: "Lord Wang, how are you the chief of the Military Garrison Division...... The Haw Par Army is equipped with such powerful artillery, and your armament department has no news at all...... Under such circumstances, what other troops would dare to use the weapons sent by your armament division......"

After speaking, Tang Linzong hurriedly left the yamen of the military department with a report from the water division and rushed to the palace where Chongzhen was located.

Half an hour later, Chongzhen also learned the news.

Under Tang Linzong's gaze, in just the blink of an eye, Emperor Chongzhen's face turned from sunny to gloomy......

Facing Tang Linzong, he asked rhetorically with a gloomy face: "Tang Aiqing, half a month ago, you promised me in front of the Manchu Dynasty's civil and military affairs. My sailors will surely defeat the Haw Par Army. And now, you have actually told me that my sailors have not only been defeated, but also suffered heavy losses, and in front of the Haw Par Army's sailors, my sailors have no room to fight back...... Aren't you going to give me a reason? ”

Under Emperor Chongzhen's questioning, all Tang Linzong could do was to shirk responsibility.

The head of the armament department, who supported his opinion at the beginning, unsurprisingly became the scapegoat for this defeat.

Coupled with the help of several other cabinet ministers, the entire defeat ended directly with the head of the Military Armament Department being imprisoned by the imperial court for questioning.

The punishment was also punished, and the anger in Chongzhen's heart slowly dissipated with the passage of time.

However, from beginning to end, Chongzhen held his breath in his heart, and he was dissatisfied with the Haw Par Army......

A year ago, the strong combat effectiveness and equipment of the Haw Par Army made Emperor Chongzhen very aggrieved.

Because, in the face of such strong strength, as the nominal emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he didn't even have a chance to resist.

However, this grievance did not last long. As the news of the successive defeats of the Tiger and Leopard Army by the Ganning New Army reached Chongzhen's ears, the achievements of the Ganning New Army immediately made Chongzhen see the hope of defeating the Tiger and Leopard Army again.

Therefore, the grievances that had been suppressed in Chongzhen's heart for more than a year disappeared directly from that time.

And now, the strong combat effectiveness and equipment shown by the Haw Par Army Sailor once again made Chongzhen feel this kind of grievance.

As an emperor, he is also full of conceit and never admits defeat. Of course, Chongzhen will not let this kind of grievance be pressed in his heart all the time.

Therefore, as soon as the matter of asking the sin was resolved, a bold idea came to Chongzhen's mind......

Since the new army of the imperial court formed by spending a lot of military spending, it can defeat the tiger and leopard army that has always been fighting on the battlefield.

Then why can't you take out part of your military spending to build a bigger and more combat-ready warship?

The Haw Par Army can create artillery with a range of more than four miles, and as the orthodox self of the Ming Dynasty, it will definitely be able to create artillery with a range of more than four miles, or even farther...... (To be continued......)