The Red Mansions

Chapter 788 Jia Heng: It is people who decide the outcome of a war...

Guangdong, Panyu

Jia Heng was negotiating with Bujialu, the Portuguese governor of Haojing, when suddenly a young soldier came running from outside the barracks and said loudly: "My lord, over there at Haojing, the Portuguese are fighting with the navy under General Wu. .”

As soon as this remark came out, the expressions of all the senior officials in Guangdong in the military tent suddenly changed, and they looked at each other and looked at each other in blank dismay.

In the past few days, through the translation by the attache, the Guangdong officials have learned of the lease agreement signed by the two parties, and have a deep understanding of the intention of Jia Heng's previous tough attitude.

In short, bluffing and overwhelming.

Hearing this, Jia Heng fixed her gaze, turned to look at Bujialu, and asked, "Sir, what's going on?"

Bujialu also had a blank expression on his face, and he reached out his hand and said helplessly: "Count, I didn't order my subordinates before I came, yes, besides, I'm still in your barracks."

Jia Heng frowned, his eyes flickered, and then he opened his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "What happened to Hao Jing?"

If he really wanted to go to war with the Han army, it would be impossible for the Governor of Australia to come and talk about it in person, and to renew the lease in a serious manner, which may be a solo walk by his subordinates.

At this time, Fang Jun, commander of the Guangdong capital, frowned and said, "Uncle Yongning, the Portuguese are fighting against us. Do you want to mobilize heavy troops to recover Haojing?"

If Hao Jing is recovered, and this Uncle Yongning plays his love, then in front of the emperor in Beijing, he will be regarded as the emperor's heart.

Seeing a few people discussing, Bujialu had already guessed the reason, and he was a little anxious, and hurriedly said: "Count, I can go to mediate and stop this war."

Jia Heng turned his head to look at Bujia Road, and said softly: "There must be a rebellion inside Haojing. If the Sir rushes back, he may be harmed by the traitor, and then blame us, which will cause disputes."

If he dared to let Governor Haojing go back, he was afraid that if he could not return to Haojing, he would be harmed by the rebels on the island, and then sow dissension, so that the Portuguese would go to war with the Han army in an all-round way, which would be in the hands of the rebels.

Jia Heng said in a cold voice: "Sir, this battle is inevitable, but Sir, you can follow my Guangdong Navy to shout to the Portuguese in Haojing, urging them to surrender to us."

Hearing this, Bujialu paused for a moment, but hesitated a little.

Speaking of which, this is also one of Carlos' calculations. If Bujialu asks his men to surrender to the Han army, it may cause an uproar in the country.

The governor sitting overseas did not protect the interests of his home country, but instead made his own warriors surrender to the enemy country.

Jia Heng looked gloomy, looked up at Bujialu, and said, "Sir, you can think about which of your generals launched the rebellion here, and you can deal with it later."

Bujialu frowned, and looked at Mr. Li who was beside him, but Mr. Li nodded.

After Jia Heng finished speaking, he stared at Wu Tao and said in a deep voice, "General Wu, summon the navy and immediately follow me to send troops to Haojing."

Wu Tao's face was startled, and he hurriedly clasped his fists in response.

Following Jia Heng's order, the soldiers of the navy battalion in Weigang, Panyu began to move quickly. The Pearl River headed towards Haojing.

Jia Heng's side also left the camp with a face like black water, and Chen Xiao followed suit, with a worried expression on his face, he said: "The Guangdong Navy fought against them and lost two ships, what do you think the odds are?"

If this battle is defeated again, it will be quite difficult.

Jia Heng thought for a while, and said: "The odds are [-]%, let's not talk about this, we will set off immediately after the ship is ready."

Said, looked up at Xue Baoqin, and said in a gentle voice: "Sister Baoqin, I will send someone to take you back to the inn later."

"Brother Heng, shall I go too?" Xue Baoqin raised her pink face, and the light of hope was seen in her apricot eyes.

Jia Heng turned to look at Xue Baoqin, with a serious face, and said softly: "In front of the two armies, swords and guns have no eyes, it's not a joke, sister Baoqin is obedient."

This is different from the past, and even in the past, he did not bring Xianning to the front of the battle.

Xue Baoqin felt regretful when she heard the words, but seeing Jia Heng's solemn expression, she had no choice but to agree unhappily, "That's fine."

It's just that I still feel disappointed in my heart. I originally wanted to see the situation of the naval battle between the two sides, but now I can't.

Jia Heng didn't say anything else, got up and left the Navy Port with Chen Ling, surrounded by a large number of guards from the Jinyi Mansion, and headed towards the waters where Haojing Island was located by boat.

At this moment, it was in the afternoon, and the first naval battle between the two sides had come to an end. In the vast sea area northeast of Haojing, the waves were surging, and the blue waves became billows.

Looking from a high altitude at this moment, the wooden sailboats with dark yellow cloth sails on their masts were sparsely falling in the sea area like dumplings. The blunderbuss, flashing bright flames from time to time, and then thick gunpowder smoke filled the air.

The [-] warships that Portugal took were in groups of three or four, and they were bombarded from a long distance with the Guangdong Navy ships, which were generally twice as many as their own.

The artillery shells on both sides of the warships of the Guangdong Navy's warships rarely fell on the Portuguese ships, and most of them splashed on the sea surface, sometimes accompanied by the shells' misfiring.

As for the Portuguese sailboats, they were equipped with black cannons in red, and their accuracy and range were significantly higher than those of the officers and soldiers. Although the hit rate in naval battles was a bit touching, it still caused great trouble to the officers and soldiers.

Even though the generals of the Guangdong Navy knew that the barbarians had sharp firearms and took precautions, they still suffered a lot in the process of fighting against them.

In fact, at the end of the seventeenth century, before the era of steam and ironclad ships, they were all wooden sailing ships propelled by wind, and the defense capabilities of both ships were not enough to deal with two or three shells.

At the beginning, the officers and soldiers were caught off guard and suffered losses, but relying on the large number of ships and intensive firepower, they also sank two Portuguese ships.

When Jia Heng came to Haojing, he saw the dejected Yuehai Navy, and several battalion commanders, commanders, and commanders greeted them.

"The last general has seen you." A group of generals saluted Jia Heng and Guangdong General Wu Tao.

Jia Heng nodded and asked, "How many ships and gunboats are there for the barbarians in Haojing? How many casualties are there for the navy?"

Qian Xi, the commander of the Guangdong Navy Battalion, explained: "Uncle Yongning, the barbarian artillery fire was very fierce. We sank two warships of [-] materials. Fortunately, the rescue was timely and there were not too many casualties."

That is to say, there were many ships dispatched by the government and troops. This time more than 1 people were dispatched. Even if some ships sank, they were quickly rescued by other government and military ships.

At this time, Bujialu, Mr. Li and several attendants came quickly, saying and gesticulating: "Uncle Yongning, I can go to the front of the army to shout, and the two sides will sit at the negotiating table again and negotiate again."

Jia Heng frowned, and said in a deep voice: "Sir, once a battle is fought, there must be a winner. This is no longer up to me, and I don't think Jazz can dissuade the one who just gained the upper hand at this moment." Your army."

If the official army had the upper hand before, then you can try to get some "unknown" rebels to defect through the Bujia Road, but now the Han army has suffered a small defeat, so you need to find a place.

This is already a matter related to the state system, otherwise there must be criticisms in Beijing and China.

Moreover, Sir Boogaroo's words at this time may not be good for the Portuguese, and the winner will not be blamed.

As Jia Heng said, he asked people to take Sir Boogaru and related attendants to rest first, and he brought a group of officers and generals to the temporary camp. The map was hung on the military tent, and on both sides were a row of bright, well-placed black lacquered chairs.

The generals sat down to discuss matters, and Jia Heng stared at General Wu Tao of Guangdong, and said: "General Wu, the range of the Flang machine guns equipped by our army is not as good as that of the Portuguese, and we cannot use our own weaknesses to attack the enemy's strengths. Haojing is entrenched, and you can send infantry to cut off the enemy's rear from Xiangshan County."

In the wars between the Ming army and the Portuguese recorded in the historical materials, there is a characteristic, that is, diving and digging boats and setting fire boats to retreat from the enemy, because at this time they are all wooden boats, and setting fire boats is still very useful.

As for the fire boat, it is a boat filled with hay and poured with kerosene. After the sergeant ignited the mother ship, he returned in a daughter ship, and then the mother ship floated to the enemy ships, causing chaos.

At this time, water battles and fire attacks are common things. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, if Zhuge Liang, who borrowed arrows from a straw boat, met Cao Cao, who ordered someone to release rockets, he would basically die on the spot.

As for Haojing, it is not an isolated island, it is itself connected to the land of Xiangshan County, but some small islands are surrounded by sea.

Wu Tao quickly said: "Our army has prepared a fireboat, which will come in handy in the next battle, and we are about to send a navy to Xiangshan County."

Fang Jun said: "Uncle Yongning, the final general is willing to lead the troops ashore to Xiangshan to support the operation of the Yuehai Navy."

In the territory of Guangdong, because of the existence of the Guangdong General, the position of the commander of the Guangdong capital has always been very embarrassing. Now that he has the opportunity, he must perform well.

Jia Heng nodded and said, "Then Lao Fang is handsome."

After finishing speaking, he looked at the generals of the Guangdong Navy, and said in a deep voice: "The specific strategy of deploying troops, you generals are all veterans of the army, so I don't need to say more, I just want to say one thing. All kinds of things are insignificant, such as the little Daoyi and my big Han Yuehai Navy are helpless, so there is no need for existence anymore!"

The Guangdong Marine Division has only 5000 infantry. Even if Haojing wins a game, it will be difficult to withstand the continuous attacks of the Guangdong Marine Division.

If even the small group of Portuguese like Hao Jing can't beat it, needless to say, the entire Guangdong Navy must be vigorously rectified, and he will stay here for a longer time.

However, it shouldn't be.

Judging from the performance of Wu Shou and others, they are basically veterans of the army, and their understanding has been unified, so there is no need for him to direct the rest.

When all the generals below heard the words, their hearts were shocked, and they responded in unison, and followed the Cantonese General Wu Tao out of the tent in a dark manner.

All the generals and schools left Weigang, gathered the troops of the headquarters and marched towards Haojing.

When the generals dispersed, Chen Xiao frowned, and seeing worry on her jade face, she said in a clear voice: "You don't want to make arrangements, and leave everything to Yuehai Haidi?"

Based on Jia Heng's past personal actions, this time he just said a few words and asked the Yuehai Navy to send troops, which was indeed beyond the girl's expectations.

"It may not be much better than these navy generals, especially Wu Tao, you can't underestimate him." Jia Heng frowned, his eyes fell on the map, and whispered: "Wait a minute, let's follow the ship Go to supervise the battle, and take a look at the power of the Hongyi Cannon."

At his level, except for key battles, it is rare to go to the front line to fight with a knife in person, and more is to deploy.

The last time I confronted Duoduo head-on, the original intention was to inspire the morale that was low after the defeat of Jiangnan Daying, not to show off bravery.

As for the deployment of the navy, it is more appropriate to issue combat tasks and allow the generals of the navy to complete them flexibly. Can't the machine gun move five meters to the left?
Chen Xiao thought for a while, and said: "These navy generals are indeed generals who have been immersed in water warfare for many years. If they work bravely, it will not be difficult to win, but they are afraid of doing bad things deliberately."

Jia Heng nodded and said: "They are the ones who are in trouble. At that time, the Guangdong Navy will definitely rectify. Whether they can stay in their current position is another matter. Of course, they can't let go completely. No matter, let's see which one is not good enough, and then make calculations."

Saying that, without further words, under the retinue of Li Shu and other guards of the Jinyi Mansion, they headed for Haojing Island in a mighty manner.

On the other side, it was just after noon, the sun was high, the sky was as blue as green, and the white clouds like cotton were floating in the sky, and the sound of water on both sides of the ship's side could be heard.

Carlos stood on the prow of a wooden sailboat with a huge mast, looking up at two warships of [-] materials that were lying in the sea in the distance. At this moment, smoke was billowing from the deck of the warship, and the mast A red cloth and black rusty Han army flag hanging on the top was damaged with a black hole.

At this time, Carlos' brother-in-law Alam, with worry in his eyes under his thick eyebrows, said in a deep voice: "Carlos, there are too many ships and troops in Han. Although our artillery is powerful, but so many Ships cannot be sunk one by one."

Compared with the noble Carlos, Alam is more like a phoenix man favored by the daughter of Carlos's family.

Carlos sneered and said, "Don't worry, these Han troops are nothing to be afraid of. As long as their losses exceed [-]%, they will collapse quickly."

There are still some worries in my heart. Sir is now in the Han army, and I don't know how to be treated by that arrogant Han Earl?

Of course, even if Jazz came back, he could still evade the shameless sneak attack of the Han army on them, they were forced to fight back, and he was worried that Jazz would be detained by the Han army, so he planned to lead the army to rescue them.

Anyway, with his family, even if Jazz was furious, he could only send him back to his country.

Carlos thought this way, and the rumble of gunfire also pulled his thoughts away.

At this moment, the 43 warships of the Guangdong Navy were "surrounding and beating" the [-] Portuguese sailing ships. Until the evening, after the officers and soldiers left the six warships billowing with smoke, the two sides stopped fighting.

The Portuguese ships were sunk two and severely damaged one.

The night covered the land, and the bonfires were lit up on the boats and boats. They were Han army ships with lanterns on their masts.

Jia Heng looked in the direction of Xiangshan County, Guangdong Navy sent a partial division, took a shortcut, abandoned the boat and went ashore, there were about 6000 people, intending to cut off the enemy's rear.

Jia Heng looked at Bujialu and Mr. Li who were not far away. Because they are the special envoys of the vassal state, they are now under the protection of the army.

Seeing that Bujialu was frowning, Jia Heng said: "Sir, you don't have to worry about your family members. As long as you defeat them, you will be able to send Sir to reunite with his family."

Bujialu looked at the boy in the python suit opposite, nodded and said: "Your Highness, I may know who is at war with your country."

Jia Heng's eyes moved slightly, and he asked, "Oh."

Bujialu's eyes were gloomy, and he said in a low voice: "It's Carlos. He actively persuaded me to go to war with your country earlier."

In this way, if he is defeated, although Carlos will also be blamed, the king's accountability still falls on him more.

Jia Heng frowned, recalling a tall young man with gloomy eyes, said: "The young man who came to Panyu to see me for the first time?"

Bujialu nodded and said: "Count, your army is not fighting well, do you need me to speak up?"

The current defeat of the Han army is only temporary, and as time goes by, they will be the ones who will lose in the end, and by then, the content of the previous negotiations will have changed.

Jia Heng said: "There is no rush now, just wait and see tomorrow."

If the Portuguese in Haojing can be defeated in one fell swoop, then the power of the Portuguese in Haojing will be greatly weakened, and it will also be a good start for progress in solving the problem of Haojing in the future.

Bu Jialu saw that the young man insisted on insisting, and vaguely guessed some of the reasons, so he didn't say much, but his face was solemn.

noon the next day
Under the escort of a group of guards from the Jinyi Mansion, Jia Heng led Sir Boogaru onto the ship, watching the battle taking place on the sea.

At this moment, official and military ships are attacking the Portuguese ships with Franco cannons. Franco cannons are actually from the pre-Ming Dynasty and have a history of nearly a hundred years. They should all be antiques in the history museum. Naturally, their efficiency is not high. It's too high.

Bujialu looked at the Han ships that were downwind, and said in a low voice: "Count, the artillery guns installed in your army are things that we have eliminated in decades, and they cannot compete with the current cannons at all."

Jia Heng said in a deep voice, "But it is people who decide the outcome of a war."

Bujialu was silent for a while when he heard the words, his face was thoughtful.

But at this moment, Guo saw several Portuguese ships suddenly frivolous. It turned out that last night, the Guangdong Navy sent soldiers proficient in water skills to dive into the sea water and dig a few holes at the bottom of the Portuguese ships anchored on the sea. a small hole.

However, the many characteristics of the official and military ships came into play, and it didn't take long for several Portuguese ships to sink into the sea with thick smoke.

"Rumble..."

The roar of the Frang machine gun and the Hongyi cannon resounded on the sea, deafening.

Although the officers and soldiers were powerless, they gradually drew in the distance and began a boarding battle.

Jia Heng watched calmly and didn't intervene, but was a little helpless with the tactics at this time.

The officers and soldiers in Guangdong are doing well, perhaps because they have had more contact with the barbarians, and their boat handling and artillery skills are better than those of the Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps.

In fact, this is the era of long-distance warfare, but because of the backward military technology of the Han Dynasty, and because of the lack of accuracy and stability of the firecrackers and artillery, there are forms of side-to-side battles and jumping.

After a while, General Wu Tao of Guangdong came over with a dozen personal guards, cupped his hands and said, "Uncle Yongning, the Portuguese navy has fled towards Haojing Island."

Relying on more ships and more guns, the officers and soldiers finally gained some upper hand regardless of the cost of ship casualties.

Jia Heng asked: "General Wu and several other generals have worked hard. Has there been any news from Xiangshan County?"

Wu Tao said: "Now there is no news from the Commander of Fangdu. I think there should be news tomorrow. Will we send people to pursue it?"

"Chasing after them tail-to-tail drove them to Haojing Island. They also need to go to the island to replenish water and food. Other naval warships are still besieging." Jia Heng said.

The Guangdong Navy currently involved in the naval battle is only a part, and there are still a dozen warships and dozens of patrol boats blocking the sea area around Haojing.

At this moment, Bujialu saw the smoky naval battle battlefield around him, his face was serious, and the scene he was most worried about still appeared.

There are too many troops in the Han Dynasty. Even if the firearms are not as good as theirs, Carlos and the others will eventually fall into a passive position because of the large number of people on board.

(End of this chapter)