Before the arrival of the Spring Festival in the eighteenth year of Chongzhen.

Zhu Youzhen again set off for Huai'an, the recruit training base of the 123rd Guards Army.

Although there is no freezing period in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, there is also a layer of mist on the vast river surface, which envelops the royal boat as if it has stepped into Penglai Wonderland.

Occasionally, the egret makes a clear call.

The geese from the north also shuttled through the mist, but their voices were bleaker than egrets.

The wharves of various towns from Yingtian to Yangzhou are still busy.

"At present, only the people in the south can have a lively and lively New Year, the New Year's goods are here, Your Majesty is tax-free this year, and they are all hurrying to buy it, I am afraid that next year will not be good, but the dock in the north is only a pile of wild grass except for a few ships."

Ma Shiying, the secretary of the military department, saw where Zhu Youzhen's eyes could reach at this time, knew that Zhu Youzhen was paying attention to the southern wharf, and sighed at the difference between the north and the south at this time.

"On the one hand, there is still the southern country and the people are safe, and on the other hand, there is the wolf smoke north land that is ravaged by soldiers and bandits, from the end of the Western Jin Dynasty to the turn of the two Song Dynasty, and now the disaster of Jiannu, I don't know when my descendants of Yan and Huang will be able to kill this jackal from the north?

The richness of Guanzhong, Youyan and Hanzhong was slightly inferior to that of Jiangnan, but it is a pity that after several northern captives plundered the Kou, the people could not bear it, and the country could not bear its burden, so that all the rich and noble families moved to the south of the Yangtze River, and Rao was the merchants of Shanxi and Shaanxi also purchased more industries in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. ”

Lu Zhenfei, who was ordered to inspect the civil affairs of Fengyang, Shouzhou, Huai'an, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Songjiang and other prefectures, also stood up at this time.

As a native of Beizhili, he still has a deep nostalgia for his northern country, especially when the atmosphere of the Spring Festival is becoming more and more grand, looking at the gentry and people in the south of the Yangtze River are preparing for the carnival in a few days, and then looking at the scorched earth in the north behind him, it is inevitable to feel sad and angry.

Lu Zhenfei's words made Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youzhen realize that he might also take advantage of this to take advantage of the Chinese people's feelings for the Spring Festival to enhance the enthusiasm of the military and civilians to fight against the Tartars and restore the enthusiasm of the northern capital, especially the northern soldiers who left their hometowns.

"Aiqing is going to inspect the north of the river and the south of the Yangtze River, to comfort the people of the north, and if you leave your hometown, let the government help them spend the New Year, in addition, the water defense along the Yangtze River can not be careless, the southern dynasties have always resisted the soldiers of the north, all rely on the power of water warfare, the Three Kingdoms have Chibi, the Song Dynasty has quarries, and my Ming water army can not lag behind, go to call Liu Kongzhao, the commander of the Caojiang Water Army!"

Although Zhu Youzhen's visit to Huai'an this time was to review the training effect of the 123rd Guards recruits, he did have plans to inspect the water defense of the Ming Dynasty.

From a certain point of view, perhaps this is more effective than any guns to resist the attack of the northern Jiannu, of course, the premise is that the naval army must dare to fight.

Not only to guard against Jiannu, but also a potential enemy of the Ming Dynasty, that is, the pirate group that controls the sea trade, and the great enemies in the future in the competition for world power, the Western Oceans, etc., all need the Ming to have its own strong navy.

After Emperor Chongzhen moved south, Zhu Youzhen was busy rectifying the interior, controlling the government and reforming the financial and military systems, and training new soldiers.

In the second half of Chongzhen's seventeenth year, he didn't have time to think about the navy, but this didn't mean that he didn't care about it all the time.

The Caojiang Naval Army has always been under the control of the Nanjing Military Department, and is commanded by the Admiral of the Caojiang Naval Army.

But now the Nanjing Military Department has been withdrawn.

Therefore, only Liu Kongzhao, the commander of the Caojiang Water Army, was in charge.

Zhu Youzhen is familiar with the history of the Southern Ming Dynasty, so he naturally knows about this person.

Liu Kongzhao is the same as Xu Wenjue, and after Liu Bowen is sincere, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a wine bag and a rice bag.

Fortunately, Liu Kongzhao is still okay in terms of integrity, at least he is a loyal minister, and there are a few of the few relatives in Nanjing who are martyred for the Ming Dynasty.

It is precisely because of this that Zhu Youzhen has not moved his position as the commander of the river and water division.

Of course, Liu Kongzhao and Ma Shiying are good friends, and Zhu Youzhen also knows it.

Originally, Ma Shiying was able to successfully establish King Fu as the emperor in history, in addition to the help of the four towns of Jiangbei and Liu Kongzhao's water army.

"Liu Kongzhao has seen Your Majesty!"

Liu Kongzhao has always been on the imperial boat, and the last attack on the imperial boat made him really panic, although he did not know the situation in the Zhenjiang area because he was in Jinshan at the time, but he was also afraid that His Majesty would take advantage of this to anger him.

Now every time Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youzhen goes north to Huai'an, Liu Kongzhao personally escorts him, and he is afraid that there will be another mistake.

At the same time, he was also worried about when His Majesty would ask him to hold him accountable for the sinking of the Yuzhou on the Yangtze River in June.

Zhu Youzhen is still the first time to see Liu Kongzhao, if the appearance of the base person can be inherited to future generations through genes, then Liu Kongzhao's appearance should have a little bit of the charm of Liu Bowen.

But the Liu Kongzhao that Zhu Youzhen saw at this time was just a short and fat ugly person, with an obscene expression that neither had the slightest bit of his ancestor lupine scarf, nor the mighty wind of a military general, standing tremblingly in front of him, his eyes patrolling around like a thief.

"Admiral Liu, right, are you really sincere, like a fake?"

After Zhu Youzhen turned around and asked, he entered the cabin and sat on the chair.

Liu Kongzhao followed: "Don't dare to deceive Your Majesty, Weichen is indeed a sincere uncle, and the existing family tree is proof, so the lower official will go back to get it." ”

"No need, I'm not interested in whether you're sincere or not, but just ask, I ask you, when I went from Zhenjiang to Dantu in June, why were the Qian Party traitors able to ambush the river at night, causing the imperial boat to sink the ship, what are you doing with the river army?"

Zhu Youzhen's question made Liu Kongzhao's whole person feel bad in an instant, and secretly thought that this matter was still mentioned by His Majesty, so frightened that the whole person's knees weakened, and he hurriedly begged for mercy:

"Weichen, Weichen was in Jinshan that day, and in addition, the waterway was under the control of His Majesty's guards at that time."

"Get up, it seems that you are still not stupid, but since you are the commander of the Jiangjiang Naval Army, you have to train a powerful naval army for me;

From today on, you, the Admiral of the Jiangjiang Navy, no longer need to be called the Admiral of the Navy, and the Navy's World Navy, which has been changed to the Generalissimo's Mansion;

The Nanjing camp and the navy are now yours, you must make up a decent navy for me before April next year, I don't want the Yangtze River defense to be useless, there are not even a few broken ships, Jiangyin, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang and other places must become fortresses that hinder the enemy, if you can't complete it then, you can kill yourself on the river. ”

Zhu Youzhen said and ordered: "The formation and training of the navy can only be handed over to you for the time being, I will personally inquire in the future, in addition to the training of the navy, you have to pay close attention to shipbuilding, Wei Guogong is in charge of the engineering institute for me, you also have to find a way to open the shipyard, these can go to the Zheng family to learn, go to Macao to learn, you can also recruit some pirates along the coast to re-train, but you have to appease the pirates who pay attention to the rules." ”