Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 759 Lushunkou

"I'm here to see how the training is going." Li You bowed to Zheng Hongkui and said with a smile.

"General Li is thoughtful." Zheng Hongkui said with a smile, raising his hand and pointing forward: "General Li, please see, the current training is much stronger than before, and most of the soldiers have adapted. Of course, long voyages are still not possible, but staying at sea for two or three days is not a problem."

"This is all thanks to Commander Zheng. Without Commander Zheng, there would be no such result. I admire Commander Zheng's ability."

"No, no, this is what I should do. Northerners are not as good as southerners. They are not used to water, so it is natural for them to be uncomfortable when they first go to sea. In fact, it is not only northerners, but also southerners who have never been to sea. It is a surprise that the soldiers can achieve this level in such a short time."

Zheng Hongkui's words came from the bottom of his heart. He originally thought that such adaptation training would take at least a month to reach the current level, but he didn't expect that Li You's subordinates would be able to adapt so quickly. Except for a small number of people in the army due to physical reasons, most of the soldiers quickly adapted to the sea after the initial training, which surprised Zheng Hongkui greatly.

Even though these soldiers were far inferior to the sailors of the Zheng family, it was not easy. Moreover, the eliteness of this army was beyond his imagination. He had never thought that there was such a strong army in the world. Not to mention the combat effectiveness, the discipline and spirit, including the physical fitness of the soldiers, were simply amazing. Zheng Hongkui was well-informed, but this was the first time he had seen such an army in his life.

Privately, Zheng Hongkui couldn't help but sigh that it was no wonder that Zhu Shencui was able to raise an army in Shanxi, break into the capital in such a short period of time in the name of clearing the court and pacifying the national crisis, and ascend to the position of regent.

It is said that Zhu Shenzhui had more than 10,000 troops under his command, plus equally elite cavalry. With such a powerful army in his hands, how could the ordinary Ming army resist?

"This is all thanks to Marshal Zheng." Li You said gratefully. Although he knew that his new army had high quality and strong adaptability, even so, the biggest credit for training to this level in such a short time still went to Zheng Hongkui, especially Zheng Hongkui's experience at sea, which helped a lot. In addition, there was also the credit of the medicinal herbs that Zheng Hongkui brought out. Without these, how could there be the current results?

The two exchanged polite words. Li You asked Zheng Hongkui whether they could officially cross the sea to fight given the current situation of the soldiers. Zheng Hongkui looked at Li You and asked, "Has the court issued an order? To order us to send troops quickly?"

"Marshal Zheng, don't think too much. There is no decree from the court, but the war in Liaodong is still at a stalemate. I received news from the capital yesterday. It seems that the cabinet and the Ministry of War are urging Your Highness to send troops to reinforce Jinzhou as soon as possible. I am afraid that if it continues like this, I will not be able to explain to Your Highness..."

Zheng Hongkui understood what Li You meant. It has been nearly a month since he entered the palace to meet Zhu Shencui and was ordered to serve as the deputy general of Leiden to command the navy. During this month, Jinzhou was still under siege and the Ming army in Liaodong never dared to rescue it. Zu Dashou of Jinzhou tried several times to break the blockade but was beaten back by Huang Taiji. He could only continue to guard the isolated city and wait for reinforcements.

In the capital, Zhu Shenzhui kept delaying and was not satisfied with the rescue plan for Jinzhou. He had discussed it with the cabinet and the Ministry of War many times but still failed to reach a conclusion. It would have been fine if the time was short, but if it lasted for a long time, there would inevitably be some criticism from people in the capital.

There are even rumors that Zhu Shenzhui did not want to save Jinzhou at all, and would rather sit back and watch Jinzhou fall and Zu Dashou's troops be annihilated. This move clearly wanted to use Jiannu to deal with the Liao army. In addition, Zhu Shenzhui had previously issued an order to cancel the additional Liao salary and reduce taxes in several northwestern provinces. The combination of the two makes people think more.

Zheng Hongkui, who knew the truth, naturally scoffed at this, but most people in the world did not know Zhu Shencui's true plan, let alone that Zhu Shencui had already prepared for the battle across the sea. Now Zhu Shencui did not urge Zheng Hongkui and Li You, but took the main pressure on himself, but as a minister, he could not ignore Zhu Shencui's situation. If he continued to delay and did not send troops, once rumors spread in the capital, it would not be a good thing for Zhu Shencui.

"I understand. General Li is indeed a pillar of the court and the army. I am ashamed..."

"I dare not. I am just overthinking. I think the Regent has his own plans. But as a subject, I cannot help but think this way."

"That's right!" Zheng Hongkui agreed, and after thinking for a while, he said, "Now we can barely fight across the sea. We won't be able to become real sailors in a few days of training. As long as the soldiers don't get seasick and can recover quickly after landing, crossing the sea won't be a problem."

"In addition, let the soldiers take the herbs prepared earlier before crossing the sea, so that the boat can sail as smoothly as possible, which can reduce some turbulence. I have observed the sky and there will be no big waves on the sea in the next five days, so it is more suitable to cross the sea. How about resting for a day tomorrow and crossing the sea the day after tomorrow?"

"Is Zheng Shuai sure?"

"Haha, I dare not say it's 100%, but it's probably 70% to 80%. The sea is unpredictable, even I can't guarantee it completely." Zheng Hongkui replied with a smile.

Li You thought about it and thought that 70% to 80% confidence was enough. How could one be 100% sure in a war, especially when it was a battle across the sea? Time waits for no one. If they don't cross the sea, it will be troublesome if something happens in the capital. Li You gritted his teeth and said, "Since that's the case, let's arrange it this way. Rest for a day tomorrow and cross the sea to fight the day after tomorrow. By the way, I will write the memorial for the battle and General Zheng can agree. If anything happens, I will take responsibility!"

"General Li, what are you talking about!" Zheng Hongkui's face fell instantly, and he said unhappily: "I am the commander-in-chief, how can I let the deputy general take the responsibility? Needless to say, this is my duty. I will write this memorial, and General Li can just agree!"

"This..." "What? My words are not reliable?" Zheng Hongkui asked back unhappily.

Li You smiled bitterly and could only nod and said, "In that case, I'll leave it to Zheng Shuai."

"Hahaha, that's right. You and I don't have to be so polite. Once you're out to sea, you have to listen to me. Once you're on land, you have to listen to Brother Li. I'll take care of anything. Brother Li, just beat up those Jiannu. Haha, I've always heard about how powerful the Jiannu are, but I don't believe it. Can these Jiannu have three heads and six arms? Pah! When I was traveling around the world with my brother, I chopped off several heads of the red-haired devils. The Jiannu are nothing!"

"Haha, General Zheng is so awesome!" Li You also laughed and said, "Don't worry, General Zheng. When we get to Liaodong, I will definitely capture a few Jiannu for you to see. Then you can see with your own eyes what these Jiannu look like."

"It's a deal?"

"A word is settled!"

The two men laughed loudly, and the laughter was carried away by the sea breeze. The warships on the sea rose and fell with the waves, and they were about to cross the sea.

After a day of rest, on the third day, just as Zheng Hongkui had said, the Bohai Bay was calm, and the trade winds and tides were just right for crossing the sea. Li Xin, as the governor of Shandong, went to Laizhou in person to see the two off.

After the simple and solemn departure ceremony, as Zheng Hongkui issued the order, the soldiers who had been prepared for a long time began to board the ship one after another. These soldiers were divided into teams of 30 to 60 people and boarded the warships in an orderly manner. Because they were crossing the sea, the soldiers did not wear armor, and even the weapons were carried separately. Sailing on the sea requires lightness. Once they fall into the water, if they are wearing armor and carrying weapons, they will sink directly to the bottom, and there will be no time for rescue.

The same goes for the cavalry, who were divided into several teams and boarded the ships separately. The war horses were transported by special warships and were guarded and comforted by dedicated personnel.

After the first batch of soldiers boarded the ship, the warship gradually left the dock and headed towards the sea. The subsequent soldiers repeated the previous boarding method. After the whole procedure took about two hours, all the soldiers including the commander Zheng Hongkui and the deputy commander Li You were on board.

As the flag was raised on the largest flagship, hundreds of warships set sail and headed northward under the influence of ocean currents and trade winds.

At this time, Li Xin stood on a high place and looked out. Soon, the densely packed warships became farther and farther away and smaller and smaller. Finally, after a long time, the warships in front could no longer be seen and disappeared from sight.

It would take two days for the warship to cross the sea from Laizhou to Liaodong if it was fast. However, because it was a sea crossing battle, there were soldiers and horses on board. In order to consider their adaptability, Zheng Hongkui did not order a full-speed route. Instead, he organized all the warships into a fleet and headed north at a normal cruising speed.

Although the weather in the Bohai Bay has been good these days with little wind and waves, as the warships gradually enter the deep sea, the ups and downs of the warships are still greater than those near the coast. Even the soldiers and horses who have adapted to it for a period of time are still a little uncomfortable.

Fortunately, due to sufficient preparation and Zheng Hongkui's ability to command at sea, everything went smoothly. Three days later, the entire fleet finally crossed the Bohai Bay. As the coastline became faintly visible ahead, Zheng Hongkui on the flagship held a telescope in his hand, staring at the coastline, and asked the sailors around him about the specific location of the coastline ahead.

"Reporting to the Marshal, Lushunkou should be ahead, Tieshan Island is on the left, Songshu Island is on the right, and Jinzhou Zuowei is located a dozen miles away from the shore." The sailor in charge of navigation fiddled with the quadrant and compass in his hands and reported with certainty.

"Good!" Zheng Hongkui was overjoyed. It seemed that they did not deviate from the course and the target was just ahead.

Jinzhou Zuowei in Lushunkou was the primary target of this sea crossing operation. Firstly, it was the closest area to the Bohai Sea crossing, and secondly, it was also the part of the Dalan extending to the south. As long as this place was captured, the fleet could not only temporarily anchor and repair in Lushunkou, but also use Jinzhou Zuowei as a base to directly attack Jinzhou Wei in the northeast, and could attack when advancing and defend when retreating.

"Pass on my order! Order Zheng Laodao to lead three warships to attack Lushunkou directly. If no one is on guard and sends back a signal, land here directly. If there are Jiannu, bombard them directly with artillery to disperse the people on the shore and serve as the vanguard for the fleet to land!"

After the order was given, a sailor responded loudly, ran quickly to the mast and climbed up in no time. When he reached the top of the mast, he took out two flags of different colors from his waist and waved them. A moment later, three small warships without soldiers on board rushed out of the fleet. The three warships were arranged in a V-shape and headed towards Lushunkou ahead with full sails. Behind them, the entire large fleet was still sailing slowly.

(End of this chapter)