Zhao Hongyu left Li Xiang, of course, there was an inquiry.

Now that Li Xiang has agreed to take refuge in himself, Zhao Hongyu feels that he should not hide it, and there are some things that should be asked.

Although he has already captured Kyushu, he still doesn't know much about the situation in the east.

Wang Fuzi provided some information, but the question is, does Wang Fuzi know more than Li Xiangduo? Obviously, this is unlikely, if a person stands at a different height, then he sees and hears differently.

Wang Fuzi is under Li Xiang, but he is just the master of a small boss, that is, the master of Liu Da Scar.

There are many high-level things that he will not be aware of.

Especially some people with heads and faces, that is not something he can reach.

Therefore, as the sea dragon king Li Xiang, who has dominated the eastern sea for twenty years, there is much more information than Wang Fuzi can provide.

Since Zhao Hongyu wants to go to Daming to handle immigration matters, it is indispensable to ask Li Xiang to provide information and intelligence in this regard. Only after mastering accurate information can Zhao Hongyu avoid some twists and turns, and directly find the right person to do things.

There is no way for Master Wang to provide this.

At the same time, although Li Xiang is now down, the emaciated camel is bigger than the horse. There must be a lot of relationships in his hands, and this is exactly what Zhao Hongyu does not have and lacks in the East.

Even if the Ming Dynasty gave up Li Xiang, the relationship here in Goryeo can always be used.

Zhao Hongyu of Goryeo is absolutely eyeing him, and he doesn't have a good impression of this stick country.

Since God has brought him to this era, if he doesn't get a stick, Zhao Hongyu's heart will definitely not be comfortable.

At the same time, after the affairs of the Ming Dynasty were completed, those immigrants had to be loaded on ships from the coast and transported to the Americas. In this way, Zhao Hongyu needs stability at sea.

And if Zheng Zhilong doesn't kill him, he will become a-stirring stick.

Who asked him to take in Li Xiang now. and also made him the Admiral of Kyushu under his command.

I think that if Zheng Zhilong's side knows the news, he will definitely have to come up with some moths.

At the same time, Zheng Zhilong will also order the fleet under his command to try the catties and taels on his side.

In order to deal with the next thing, Zhao Hongyu must get reliable information about his opponent from Li Xiang, as well as an assessment of his strength.

Only in this way can Zhao Hongyu say that everything is arranged before going to the Daimyo.

When the time comes, he won't have to worry about anything.

After all, it's far away from the Americas, so if you want to get support from the Americas. That's a lot of trouble.

Therefore, on the eastern side, Zhao Hongyu basically has to rely on himself.

Don't look at Zhao Hongyu's anti-heaven cheating, but he also needs accurate intelligence support, so that he can maintain his advantage.

"Lao Li, there are no outsiders here, and we are all martial artists, so you don't have to be so literate with me." , Zhao Hongyu is still a little unaccustomed to the way of speaking in this era.

"Etiquette cannot be abolished. Your Highness. ”

Li Xiang still persevered.

Zhao Hongyu shrugged his shoulders undeniably: "Okay, since you insist, I won't say this." ”

"Let me ask you, how many ships do you have on hand now?" , Zhao Hongyu asked.

Li Xiang pondered for a moment. Then he replied, "Fourteen Ming-style warships, fifty-eight clippers, and three hundred and ninety serial ships." Speaking of which. Li Xiang smiled bitterly. "This is already my worst foundation, I don't count the nineteen European-style warships you gave me here, Your Highness."

Zhao Hongyu pondered for a while and felt that Li Xiang's foundation was really a little weak.

Judging by the ships he had left on his hands now. The ones that could be used for naval battles were the fourteen Ming-style warships. As for clippers and serial boats, those things are not reliable at all, so they can't be counted as combat effectiveness at all.

Of course, this is Zhao Hongyu's personal opinion, if he said this to Li Xiang, Li Xiang would not agree.

It is important to know that in the naval battles on the eastern side, most of them are based on broadside battles, that is, boarding ships to capture the opponent's ships. Or simply fire and burn the enemy's warships.

This method of warfare is somewhat ancient, but it is the mainstream in the East in this era.

It is not surprising that Zhao Hongyu is not eye-catching, and in the time and space before him, naval warfare has changed greatly.

Basically, the two armies do not have to face each other, and they can fight hundreds or even thousands of nautical miles apart. Missiles, airplanes, submarines, these things are not what people in the 17th century could have imagined.

Therefore, from Zhao Hongyu's point of view, the tactics of this era are certainly ancient.

Everyone's thinking is different.

"Your foundation is too weak."

After listening to Li Xiang say the amount of strength he has on hand now, Zhao Hongyu glanced at Li Xiang and said.

Li Xiang also knew that he was indeed a little miserable now.

But if he weren't so miserable now, he wouldn't have been able to join Zhao Hongyu so happily.

So, this matter has to be looked at from two aspects.

Li Xiang smiled bitterly and said to Zhao Hongyu: "Your Highness, as you said, I now have too few warships on hand that can be used for battle. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been pressed and beaten by Zheng Zhilong, and many of my brothers would have left me. ”

It can be seen that this matter is a bit of a blow to Li Xiang.

Zhao Hongyu raised his hand and patted Li Xiang's shoulder lightly, comforting him.

"It's nothing, thirty years in Hexi and thirty years in Hedong, the so-called feng shui takes turns. Zheng Zhilong, don't look at the joy of dancing now, in fact, in my opinion, it's just like that. ”

Zhao Hongyu has confidence in saying this, after all, he is not a cheat against the sky.

Only Li Xiang felt that the young crown prince was a little angry.

Although he knew that the warships under the command of the crown prince were very good, after all, this was in the east.

With just a few dozen warships, it's impossible to deal with Zheng Zhilong.

You must know that today's Zheng Zhilong, as the chief soldier of the Fujian Navy Division of the Ming Dynasty, can mobilize the sailors in the southeast Fujian waters of the imperial court, not to mention, his younger brother is also in charge of the Zheng family's pirate fleet.

At the same time, the southern barbarians in the coastal areas of Fujian and Taiwan were also bribed by Li Xiang to fight for him.

Arguably. Zheng Zhilong has mastered three powerful sea forces.

Zhao Hongyu glanced at Li Xiang, and immediately guessed some of Li Xiang's thoughts from his expression.

"Lao Li, in fact, you should have a little confidence in me, as the so-called is not a Raptor. If I didn't have any confidence, I wouldn't have recruited you, would I? Don't I know that if I recruit you, will you offend Zheng Zhilong? ”

Zhao Hongyu's words made Li Xiang stunned for a moment, and then he thought about it, but he didn't make a sound.

"How much does Zheng Zhilong have at sea? I need to know something, and I hope you can tell me without reservation. ”。 Li Xiang didn't speak if he didn't speak, and Zhao Hongyu didn't bother to guess what he was thinking now.

Anyway, in Zhao Hongyu's opinion, as long as he can show strong strength, then Li Xiang can't have too many thoughts.

At the same time, as long as with his own support, Li Xiang can really win a few victories, and then inflict a few heavy blows on Zheng Zhilong, then Li Xiang will regain some confidence, and at the same time have confidence in himself.

Don't talk about the little Zheng Zhilong. The British, the Dutch, and the Spaniards in the Americas were also beaten by themselves.

Not to mention a Zheng Zhilong.

Zhao Hongyu is not afraid at all.

Of course, he also has such strength.

However, the methods of naval warfare on the eastern side are different. But the number of warships dispatched is also different.

Because of the small number of people in European countries, the battle at sea is basically a battle of more than a dozen ships. Except, of course, for a decisive battle of national strength, because if it is a decisive battle between two countries with the strength of a national force. Then the Europeans would have been able to come up with hundreds of warships to fight at sea like this.

However, on the eastern side, naval battles are definitely about the number of ships. It's not something that Europeans can compare.

"Your Highness, of course I won't hide anything, Zheng Zhilong is my mortal enemy, isn't it a fool for me to hide it for him." , Li Xiang responded. Then he began to answer Zhao Hongyu's question: "Zheng Zhilong's strength is very strong, and it can even be said that he is already a well-deserved overlord in this sea area. ”

Regarding Zheng Zhilong's strength, Li Xiang told the truth.

Yes, since Zheng Zhilong took refuge in the imperial court and began to press him step by step. Li Xiang's strength was weakened in the battles again and again, while Zheng Zhilong increased step by step.

With Li Xiang now cornered, Zheng Zhilong can be said to be the overlord of the Eastern Sea.

That's not an exaggeration.

Although Li Xiang has not been completely wiped out, how can he be Zheng Zhilong's opponent with the old, weak, sick and disabled at hand now.

The reason why Zheng Zhilong still killed Li Xiang at one time was actually because Zheng Zhilong was worried that if he killed Li Xiang and the bigwigs in the court at one time, he would attack him Zheng Zhilong.

Therefore, Zheng Zhilong decided to keep Li Xiang for the time being, and he slowly made friends with some people to serve as his backers, and turned them into his own community of interests.

When everything is done, Li Xiang will be solved.

At that time, even if the bigwigs in the court wanted to cross the river and tear down the bridge, it would not be so easy.

Moreover, Zheng Zhilong can also take advantage of this opportunity to continuously send some weapons and ships from the imperial court to enhance the strength of his Li family organization.

The bigwigs in the DPRK and China want to use Zheng Zhilong, and in turn, Zheng Zhilong is not using them in the same way.

Moreover, Zheng Zhilong is not a fool, on the contrary, he is also very smart.

"Let me tell me in detail, I need to know clearly how strong Zheng Zhilong's side is. How many ships he has and how many people he fights for him, I need you to explain to me. Only then can I decide how many ships and men to replenish for you. ”

Zhao Hongyu said to Li Xiang seriously.

Hearing Zhao Hongyu say this, Li Xiang's heart was excited.

Originally, he thought that after he took refuge in the world, it would be impossible for His Highness to replenish his own warship. It is estimated that he will use the existing warships at hand and become a Kyushu Navy Division after reorganization.

But I didn't think that after hearing what this His Highness said, I dared him to replenish the warship for himself.

This is a good thing, and Li Xiang will not refuse.

He absolutely wished that he had as many ships under his command as possible, because it represented his rights.

Although he took refuge, no one would object to it. Your rights are getting bigger and bigger. Especially for Li Xiang, a pirate leader, as long as his power is great, then he will also protect his family and brothers, right?

However, he also knows very well that the size of his power in the future is definitely not unrelated to the crown prince in front of him.

Zheng Zhilong himself has now taken refuge in the imperial court sailors, and in Fujian as the chief soldier of the navy, he has hundreds of warships under his command and tens of thousands of soldiers, but he can not be underestimated, and at the same time he also spent a lot of silver to buy the navy divisions of Donglai and Dengzhou along the coast of the imperial court. It can be said that these people will die for him. ”

Hehe!

Zhao Hongyu smiled: "I really can't imagine that Zheng Zhilong really doesn't feel distressed at all when he uses the silver." ”

For Zheng Zhilong, Zhao Hongyu appreciates it very much.

Because in Zhao Hongyu's opinion, using silver bullets to open the way is the smartest way, especially for a pirate leader who has been edicted, this hand is a wonderful game.

Those people received the money, and they would definitely do something for Zheng Zhilong.

Invisibly, it is equivalent to saying that Zheng Zhilong has expanded his power to the Dengzhou area, which is much stronger than fighting hard.

And those people took the money. will definitely be caught by Zheng Zhilong.

Maybe when, Zheng Zhilong will use this to blackmail them.

"That's not all, Zheng Zhilong also used silver to buy the Nanban Franc people who were mixed in Southeast Asia, as well as Taiwan and Fujian. Let them fight for him too, these guys from the South Barbarians are not easy to deal with. ”

Hearing Li Xiang mention the Europeans, Zhao Hongyu just rolled his eyes, because the Europeans were defeated and there was no need to worry at all.

"These guys from the South. In total, there are more than 70 warships, which is also a lot of force. Li Xiang thought about it. Based on the information I found out when I was in contact with those Europeans in the past, I sorted it out in my mind and then expressed my judgment.

There are more than 70 warships of Europeans, plus more than 100 warships of the Fujian Navy Division of the Ming Dynasty (clippers, transport ships, and chain boats are not counted), as well as the sailors in Shandong, there are at least three or four hundred warships.

Zhao Hongyu had a rough estimate in his heart.

Yo, Zheng Zhilong's strength is still quite strong, no wonder he will be so rich in the future.

Just when Zhao Hongyu was thinking about this question, Li Xiang continued: "At the same time, when Li Xiang defected to the imperial court, he also left a backhand. That is, he divided his Li family fleet in two, some of whom followed him to the imperial court, and some of whom continued to trade without capital at sea. And because Zheng Zhilong used his identity as the chief soldier of the Fujian Navy Division to continuously provide warships and materials to his own fleet, and now the Li family's fleet is expanding very much. ”

Speaking of this, Li Xiang's eyes darkened for a moment, because he thought about what happened after this.

"At the same time, in the years that Zheng Zhilong and I have been fighting, there are still many people who have taken refuge in Zheng Zhilong's side, so now Zheng Zhilong's strength is very strong......

After speaking, Li Xiang looked at Zhao Hongyu.

And Zhao Hongyu began to quickly continue to estimate in his heart how much Zheng Zhilong's real strength was.

Damn, Lao Tzu only has more than 50 warships, isn't the number a little less? After all, according to his own estimates, Zheng Zhilong's large warships can reach at least six or seven hundred, not counting those small and medium-sized ships.

If you count those small and medium-sized ships, the number can exceed three or four thousand.

No wonder this guy will be able to monopolize the eastern sea trade routes in the future, making himself rich as tens of millions of taels of silver.

It seems that Zheng Zhilong has already begun to prepare for the monopoly of the East.

When Zhao Hongyu assessed Zheng Zhilong's strength, he thought to himself after thinking of the number of warships under his command.

For Zheng Zhilong, in fact, Zhao Hongyu has no bad feelings.

It's just that Zheng Zhilong took refuge in wild boar skin after the most reluctance, which made Zhao Hongyu a little difficult to accept.

In fact, Zhao Hongyu also understands that Zheng Zhilong's choice is actually a very normal thing in this era.

If you think about it, you'll understand.

Zheng Zhilong was just speculation, but the worst result was that he was killed by a wild boar skin...... (To be continued......)