open sea

Chapter 638
The cool night wind poured into the room through the half-opened windows, blowing away the Beiyang generals who were smoking pipes and initiating military affairs, creating a miasma in the room.

The inner room of the Beiyang Yamen’s General Staff Office was still full of people. When generals and schoolmen in dark blue or red student uniforms stepped on horse-skin boots and kept coming in and out holding materials or tea, only Chen Mu in a python robe sat alone in the outer hall. , with elbows on knees and head on hands, fingers slowly rubbing temples.

The information that Yang Tingxiang brought back from Spain was too important. The new Spanish Galenic ship was a sea giant that deserved to be invincible even if you only looked at its bow. This picture of the ship made Chen Mu deeply admire Elizabeth, a small island country on the other side of the ocean.

He doesn't know how the historical Armada compares with today's Ming Dynasty ship materials, but the Spaniards' shipbuilding technology and capabilities will not undergo major changes. Without the stimulation of Lin Lai's setback in the naval battle, the ships in the historical Armada It may be slightly smaller than the picture of the ship that Yang Tingxiang calls the 'Giant Galen', but it's not that small.

The British defeated such a fleet and took the first step to dominate the sea.

According to Yang Tingxiang's ship picture scroll, the length of the newly built Spanish warship is comparable to that of the Wanli, but the shape of the ship is wider and the belly is larger, so it is estimated that more materials are used than the Wanli, although psychologically, Chen Mu tends to be this Spain's largest warship, but the actual situation did not allow him to make a hasty judgment - if Spain only had five such large ships, there would be nothing to fear.

However, if the number reaches ten ships, it will be able to provide sufficient naval support and sea deterrence for Spain in possible local battles; if it reaches thirty or more ships, Chen Mu's strategy for the Eastern Expedition must be readjusted.

Snapped!
Chen Mu clapped his hands on the table, raised his head and said to Wu Bian who was standing beside him, "Bring a pen and paper, I want to write a letter."

In the past, they had been planning to use the power of the newly established Eastern military government to march eastward, but that was based on the condition that the Ming army could gain an absolute advantage in the Great Eastern region, and the regional hegemon Spain did not go to war with Ming again in the short term. If there is no absolute advantage, Just need insurance.

Chen Mu wants to borrow people, boats and soldiers from Nanyang.

Borrow Shao Tingda and Shi Qi, soldiers from three thousand households, and ships from six fleets.

At the same time, he also wrote a letter to the prosperous Minguang Guild Hall in Guangzhou Fuhe, calling all ship owners to Tianjin.

This letter has nothing to do with the intelligence from Spain. Regardless of whether the Spaniards build new ships, he must write letters to merchants.

After deliberating to finish writing the letter, he ordered several trusted servants and riders to send the letter to Guangzhou day and night at the post station, and then he got up and went to the inner room.

In the inner room of the staff hall, several Beiyang instructors, including Deng Zilong and Juniper, and the staff of the commander-in-chief sat around a long table. The middle of the long table was opened to reveal a huge sand table eight feet long and four feet wide. The bamboo whip agreed on the route of the Eastern Expedition.

"Chen Lingang said after returning from America that long-distance sea and air travel is not suitable for a large group of ships, not to mention the difficulty of transporting luggage. We should use small fleets to lead the way, each according to the ship map, and follow the example of the road. The soldiers are divided into five sentries, and the branches arrive together." Du Tong cupped his hands and said to Chen Mu, and changed his tone: "But the division of troops requires generals and schools with sailing experience at sea, Beiyang is the most lacking."

As Du Tong said, Jun Jun nodded at the side. In fact, he meant what he meant before, and what Du Tong meant was the lack of officers with long-distance voyage experience in Beiyang.

Zhao Shizhen looked calm, and said to the crowd: "Chen Shuai just came. Can we transfer some generals from Nanyang? It won't be too long. As long as they take them with us on the first voyage, they can return to America when they sail to America." .”

"Don't worry, I have already sent a letter to Mr. Gao of Nanyang, please transfer troops and ship three thousand. I heard you say that the troops should be divided into groups. It's not impossible, but how many routes should we go out, and what route should we take?" Chen Mu was beside the table. He took the bamboo whip and pushed it on the sand table, saying: "Can there be a temple?"

Are there any routes available?There are only two in front of them. If you go north along the coast, you can either take the route that Chen Ju came back from Majiagang, or go a little south and take the route that the Spaniards sailed eastward.

They only have these two relatively mature routes, and they have no other options.

"Chen, Shuai Chen."

While the generals were looking at each other, Deng Zilong, who should not have spoken at this time, interjected.

When Chen Mu turned his head, he saw that Deng Zilong's expression was difficult to understand, it was a look of shame and embarrassment, and said: "I'm afraid Nanyang is unable to provide reinforcements at this time."

"It's all dereliction of duty. More than [-] troops from Nanyang belong to the imperial court. At this time, all the vassals in Nanyang think that the imperial court wants to swallow their soldiers and horses. The country is raging and the monarch can no longer restrain it. Duke Gao also tried his best to do it."

Chen Mu frowned. He forgot that more than 2000 vassal troops had been turned into local troops in Yunnan. , I'm afraid Gao Gong can't bear it either.

Nanyang didn't have many standing armies, and it was all supported by tens of thousands of vassal troops. If they lost their hearts, it would be difficult to regain them.

"It's okay, the letter has been ordered to be delivered quickly, it's up to people to do it."

Chen Mu didn't think that Gao Gong would be stubborn when he had something to do, "Even if the army can't get through, I can always lend a few ships. How about it? What did you discuss?"

Deng Zilong felt ashamed in his heart, and looked at the Beiyang instructors with the intention of atonement, and then pointed to the sand table and introduced to Chen Mu: "The soldiers and horses will go first before the food and grass are used. This time the voyage is very long. Without my city, the follow-up delivery of luggage may take a long time, I have calculated that the accompanying grain ship needs to prepare grain and grass for a year."

"The follow-up luggage should not exceed three months at most, and we must also prepare food and grass for a year."

"Take the Dafu made with four hundred materials as an example, carrying two thousand stones of water and food, including road consumption and drifting, there is no risk. If there are no horses, every two boats can only be used by a hundred banner troops, and if there are horses, three boats will be needed." Deng Zilong He asked Chen Mu, "How many soldiers and horses does Chen Shuai plan to transport?"

"Thirty sea-going ships of four hundred materials are required for a thousand-households' supply team, and at least fifty ships including warships and armored ships."

Chen Mu nodded slowly, his eyes were a little straight, and the logistics pressure was great. He said: "The grain ship, the horse ship, and the armored ship are called by the Ministry of War, and a group of brigantine blessing ships can also be recruited from the merchant ships. The troops are divided into five groups and set sail one after another. , the first batch will also bring timber, cement, fishing gear and agricultural tools, do you have any plans for the trip to the coast of America?"

"What I mean is that the first batch of landing flag troops will be led by Baihu along the coast, looking for a suitable landing place, and setting up ports and Baihu offices every twenty or thirty miles, spreading all the way from north to south."

Chen Mu's bamboo whip pointed to the western coast of North America, from the untouched south of Magui to the vast area of ​​Mexico, and said: "The first batch, five thousand households in the first phase of Beiyang, will be in North America within three months. Set up camp; the second batch, enlisting the guards of the Leiden lands as the frontier corps, set off with the baggage fleet after March, and arrived in the fourth month after the first batch of recruits landed. A hundred households reclaimed the land."

"The third batch will arrive in North America in the fall of the next year after the training of the second phase of Beiyang recruiting troops is completed..."

As Chen Mu spoke, he saw Hei Yunlong silently figuring something out with his fingers, and raised his head and said, "Chen Shuai, that is to say, we need [-] ships?"

　I'm sorry, I missed the morning, so good evening!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)