freenovelworld Chapter 124 New warship!
Chapter 124 New warship!
"The cities of Chuncheng, Haicheng, Leizhoucheng, and Jeju along the southeastern coast are isolated from the cities in the inland Zhejiang region, so transporting food and fodder is the biggest difficulty."
"In the past few years, I have been unable to occupy or abandon these cities. If we occupy a city, tens of thousands of Japanese pirates will gather at one point to besiege it. If we abandon it, the Japanese pirates will occupy it again in an instant."
Lei Zhenning, who had a smile on his face just now, now only had a sigh and a sad look on his face.
The problem of food and fodder logistics has always been a problem that the Zhejiang camp cannot solve.
"After those Japanese pirates occupied the city, if I mobilized a large number of troops to besiege the city, the Japanese pirates would flee in an instant and directly escape back to the sea."
"Although Zhejiang has a navy, the warships of the Japanese pirates are not inferior to our Zhejiang navy at all. If this continues, I will be in a dilemma. I will not be able to fight or retreat."
As Lei Zhenning finished speaking, a deep sigh came out of his mouth.
On the surface, he had 100,000 soldiers in Zhejiang, which gave him an absolute advantage in numbers over the Japanese pirates.
But in fact, these 100,000 troops are like an iron fist. Even though they are extremely powerful, they are still powerless when hitting cotton.
"What about the people in those cities?"
After listening to Lei Zhenning's analysis, Xia Yun suddenly asked.
"I have already relocated the people from the southeastern coastal areas to the interior of Zhejiang."
Lei Zhenning was silent for a moment.
Hearing this, Xia Yun immediately showed a calm and composed smile on his face.
"Master Lei, don't worry. According to what the Governor-General said, if Xia can blockade the entire Zhejiang Sea, the Governor-General can annihilate the Japanese pirates. Is that true?"
Xia Yun smiled and spoke, with a hint of inquiry in his words.
Lei Zhenning's body suddenly trembled.
"Master Xia, are you kidding me, Lei?"
There was confusion but also a bit of expectation in Lei Zhenning's eyes. Ever since Xia Yun appeared in Zhejiang, he had brought him too many surprises and unexpected things.
"There is no joke in the army."
The calmness and composure on Xia Yun's face were fully demonstrated in this.
Xia Yun's meaning was very simple. Although he was not a soldier under the governor, this was the governor's camp and he would never joke like this.
"If Lord Xia can really blockade the Zhejiang waters, I can definitely eliminate all the Japanese pirates in Zhejiang in two months at most!"
Although he didn't understand how Xia Yun could block the sea area, Lei Zhenning's expression at this moment had become serious and solemn.
"Starting tomorrow, Xia will begin building new warships in Hangzhou. All warships will be launched in three months at most."
Xia Yun expressed his thoughts.
For him, since he is now the governor of Zhejiang, if Zhejiang falls into chaos, it will undoubtedly destroy the results of his painstaking efforts.
"A new warship?"
Lei Zhenning's eyes widened. If he wanted to build a new warship, he needed to have sufficient funds and a reliable warship plan.
He had thought about building new warships over the years, but the court always rejected his proposals on the grounds that the treasury was empty.
"That's right. Xia has already purchased the blueprints of a new warship from a Southeast Asian merchant. We can start building it in Hangzhou at any time."
Xia Yun nodded and gave the reason he had already thought of.
Although he was not very proficient in things like shipbuilding, it was still completely sufficient for this era.
"In that case, Lei would like to thank Master Xia!"
After hearing that Xia Yun was ready, Lei Zhenning stood up from the table and bowed to Xia Yun.
"Master Lei, you don't have to be polite. You and I are both officials in Zhejiang. It is our duty to help eliminate the Japanese pirates. However, there is one thing."
"If the Japanese pirates launch a massive attack on Zhejiang before the warships are completed, I hope the Governor-General will hold the defense line."
Xia Yun expressed the last bit of worry in his heart.
According to time calculation, it will take about three months to build a new warship.
It is very likely that the Japanese pirates will launch a large-scale attack on Zhejiang during these three months.
At that time, Lei Zhenning's 100,000 elite troops would be needed to defend the Zhejiang defense line.
"Don't worry, Lord Xia. Within three months, I will never let the Japanese pirates occupy Zhejiang, even if it means risking my life!"
Lei Zhenning spoke with great confidence, his heroic spirit was evident!
Xia Yun's arrival tonight brought him so many surprises, making Lei Zhenning feel like he had met a soulmate in the mountains.
In these years, he was regarded by the world as a Jiangnan Party official, but only he knew the hardships involved.
The main reason why the imperial court repeatedly refused to allocate funds for the construction of new warships was because of the cabinet, or in other words, the young cabinet minister in the capital!
He received letters from the young minister more than once, asking him to preserve his strength in Zhejiang and not to rush into a decisive battle with the Japanese pirates.
Even a fool can understand the intention behind this.
The officials of the Jiangnan Party in the court did not want the threat of Japanese pirates in Zhejiang to end too early.
Those people still needed him, a senior official of the Jiangnan Party and the governor-general of Zhejiang in the imperial court, to continue to command a large number of troops and dominate the area.
In this way, Jiangnan Party officials in the court would have an extra layer of security.
In other words, as long as Zhejiang exists, Lei Zhenning will be there.
As long as Lei Zhenning is here, the officials of the Jiangnan Party in the court will be here!
After Xia Yun and Lei Zhenning finalized the details of the cooperation, the two of them toasted each other at the table.
Before I knew it, it was already dawn.
As the red sun gradually rose in the sky, Lei Zhenning and Xia Yun still looked energetic, without any sign of drunkenness.
"Master Lei, Zhejiang is busy with affairs, so I will take my leave now."
Outside the governor's camp, Xia Yun and his party had already mounted their horses, preparing to return to Hangzhou.
"The Japanese pirates are becoming more rampant. Lei needs to stay in the camp. Lord Xia, when you go to Hangzhou, please don't forget what happened between you and me."
Lei Zhenning smiled and clasped his fists as he said goodbye.
"Haha, Master Lei, don't worry too much, Xia is gone!"
Amid Xia Yun's loud laughter, the grain transport team left the governor's camp. At the same time, everyone in the team had a look of high spirits on their faces.
Yesterday, except for Xia Yun, all of them received an extraordinary reception in the Governor's camp.
"Wan'er, after returning to Hangzhou, you must immediately select a site near the dock and build a shipyard to build new warships."
On horseback, watching the red sun slowly rising from the earth, Xia Yun spoke in Chinese.
"shipbuilding?"
Hearing this, Xu Wan'er's face showed a hint of surprise.
Yesterday she was arranged to have dinner outside the governor's tent, so she didn't know the content of the conversation between Xia Yun and Lei Zhenning.
"Yes, after returning to Hangzhou, I will give you the blueprints. You will select a group of skilled craftsmen from all over Zhejiang Province and build 300 new warships within three months."
Xia Yun nodded immediately!