Chapter 4174 Reinforcements Arrive
Wang Xuance obviously understood what he was thinking. He smiled and said disapprovingly: "There is actually no reason to explain in this world. The barbarians from the north come south to break into the Han Dynasty every year to burn, kill and loot. How can they ever make sense? The truth is only within the range of artillery. Within, only under the sword of the Navy! We need Ceylon, that’s why!”
The only truth in this world is whether the knife is sharp or the fist is hard!
Other than that, what's the point?
When you are weak with the knife and weak with the fist, who will be willing to reason with you?
……
"Go to see Governor Su and tell him my opinion. He will definitely agree. You should lead a navy to Ceylon Island. If you can occupy the island, you will be famous in history! Ceylon Island is a land of wealth and treasures. The stupid people of Tianzhu are not worthy of occupying it, and they are simply a waste of natural resources.”
"Here!"
Xi Junmai immediately accepted the order, turned around and walked out of the staff room, and went to the Navy to see Su Dingfang.
Wang Xuance stood in front of the map with his hands behind his back, staring at Ceylon Island, and his heart was filled with ups and downs.
He went from being a mere soldier guarding the city to becoming the de facto helmsman of the "Eastern Datang Company", all thanks to Fang Jun's guidance and promotion. His gratitude to Fang Jun is naturally as endless as the ocean tide, so every one of Fang Jun's Orders will be executed to the letter.
Not only that, but he will continue to figure out Fang Jun's thoughts and implement them according to Fang Jun's intentions, such as establishing naval ports all over the world, and then connecting these activities with the ports and docks of various oceans, so that he can become a navy to travel across the oceans. With the supply, it can be used to radiate the navy's force to various countries along the ocean. While demonstrating the majesty of the Tang Dynasty, it can also continuously seize huge benefits.
The more I ponder Fang Jun's intentions, the more I admire Fang Jun for his way of establishing the Royal Navy and seizing naval bases at strategic locations around the world!
Although these naval bases walking across the ocean consume a lot of manpower and material resources to maintain governance, they also feed back the navy, allowing the navy to maintain a high degree of vigilance in the complex political environments of various countries. , conflicts hone the navy's combat capabilities and protect routes one by one on the ocean.
And these routes are like flowing rivers, attached to the body of "Eastern Datang Company", continuously transporting wealth from all over the world to Datang, filling Datang's treasury, and supporting infrastructure construction in various places. , as well as the financial resources to continue to use troops abroad.
In time, the navy will become a powerful force with a status no less than that of the Sixteenth Guards, attracting the attention of the world, instead of being regarded as the royal "eagle dog" before...
Of course there are disadvantages.
Wang Xuance has excellent strategic vision. He has already seen that in the near future, the growing navy will make maritime trade more prosperous and prosperous, which will greatly accelerate the accumulation of wealth in the coastal areas south of the Yangtze River. Sufficient financial resources will make the culture and commerce of these areas more and more prosperous. The country prospered and its population increased until it gradually threatened Guanzhong's dominant position as the heart of the empire.
And this is by no means a good thing for the empire with Guanzhong as its cornerstone. The foreseeable political turmoil has begun to brew...
*****
Heavy rains have fallen for days, causing the water level of the Yellow River to skyrocket. The rapid water flow is filled with sediment, and the yellow and turbid river water is turbulent. Most of the ferries along the Yellow River have been submerged. This made the Jin King and his officials who were stationed in Tongguan worried.
The private army raised by the Shandong family exceeded 50,000 people, and almost the same number of civilians transported a large amount of grain and baggage. They have arrived in the Puyang area at a very fast speed.
After the naval fleet defeated the Jiangnan private army in Yanziji, it went northward through the canal. It has now passed Shanyangdu and followed the Huaihe River upstream from Sizhou to the Tongji Canal. It will enter the Yellow River in the near future.
The Yellow River is now turbulent and is not conducive to crossing the river. If the Shandong private army has not completed crossing the river to join the Tongguan garrison or is crossing the river before the navy arrives, it is very likely that the scene in Yanziji will be repeated...
Li Zhi, dressed in a brocade robe and jade belt, with a beam crown on his head, stood on the bank of the Yellow River and felt the trembling caused by the river water under his feet colliding with the embankment. His ears were filled with the roar of the river, and his clothes were blown by the wind. Jian's eyebrows were furrowed, and his handsome face was full of solemnity.
The river is rolling and roaring. Even if the Shandong private army can arrive now, how can they cross it?
Xiao Yu also frowned and said worriedly: "If the river water cannot drop today, I'm afraid it will be difficult to cross the river when Shandong reinforcements arrive."
The Yellow River is not as good as the Yangtze River. The latter has a wide channel and gentle flow, making it relatively easy to cross the river. Even so, the Jiangnan nobles had been planning for a long time. All parties organized and launched with all their strength, but they were still defeated by the navy in one fell swoop.
The winding course and rapid water flow of the Yellow River are extremely unfavorable for large-scale crossings. If tens of thousands of troops want to cross from one ferry, it may take half a month or even longer.
However, there are already few ferries along the Yellow River. Now that the swollen river water has flooded some of them, there are very few ferries that can allow large armies to cross the river...
What if the navy arrives and strikes halfway across the river?
Yuchi Gong said: "The most important thing is to urge the Shandong reinforcements to arrive as soon as possible. As long as they can cross the river near Luoyang and then reach Tongguan via the Xiaohan Ancient Road, they can at least establish an undefeated situation. The navy sailed upstream from the Yellow River at an extremely slow speed, and Shaanxi Sanmen Mountain in Shaanxi Province is known as the natural chasm. If a navy boat wants to pass upstream, it must have trackers pulling fiber on both sides. We can reserve troops to block it, and we will definitely be able to keep it from the lower reaches of Shaanzhou, so that it cannot threaten it. Tongguan ”
In the final analysis, the biggest problem now is the lack of troops. As long as the tens of thousands of Shandong reinforcements can successfully reach Tongguan, based on the natural dangers of Tongguan, they can divide their forces to attack Sanmen Mountain, making it difficult for the navy to advance even an inch.
Sanmen Mountain is located in Shaanzhou and is the most famous canyon of the Yellow River. There are two hard diorite rock islands standing in the river with steep walls. Ghost Island is located on the right bank, in the shape of a curved bow; God Island is located on the left bank, in the shape of a fish clam, standing in the middle of the river; a little further down the river, there is a peninsula cut into the river on the left bank, called "Human Gate Island"; on the right bank, there are huge rocks protruding from the river bank. It is called "lion's head", as if a fierce lion is sitting on the bank.
On both sides of the Sanmen Canyon, there are thousands of cliffs. Two stone islands divide the waterway from the right bank to the left bank into three rapids: Guimen River, Shenmen River and Renmen River. The Guimen River and Shenmen River are extremely dangerous; the Renmen River is slightly slower, but also deep. The current is fast and it is difficult for the boat to move.
After the river water in the upper reaches passed through the three gates, it was merged into one by the huge rocks of the peninsula on both sides. After the water flow passed through the canyon which was only more than ten miles long and one mile wide, it flowed rapidly and the waves were large, the turbid waves were emptying, and there was a roar. It is huge and forms the famous Three Natural Gates since ancient times.
There are three natural dangers in the water and the ancient Tongguan on the shore. Therefore, there is a "Tianfu trend" in Guanzhong. It is very difficult to go against the trend and enter Guanzhong from the lower reaches.
Of course, if there are not enough troops to defend from both sides of the strait, they can only stick to the west side of Tongguan to guard against the surprise attack of Donggong Sixth. The Shaanzhou area allows the navy to set up trackers, and the navy's boats can cross Sanmen Mountain with their superb performance and experience. It’s not difficult...
Li Zhi nodded and said: "Look back and keep an eye on Mr. Cui, and urge the Shandong reinforcements to speed up. If it doesn't work, just pack lightly and leave the food and baggage behind. Only the main force will cross the river first, and we must block the navy under Sanmen Mountain." .”
As for Tongguan, which is now short of food and weapons, it can’t be taken care of for a while...
The river surged and roared, flowing thousands of miles away. The river wind blew in and caught everyone in their clothes. Everyone was silent for a while, feeling unparalleled pressure. If they lose this battle, they will probably not have a happy ending from top to bottom, and the family will be even more implicated. The whole Tang Dynasty will be in a state of depression, and they will be despised by their descendants.
After a long time, Li Zhi was shaken by the wind, came to his senses, looked up to the west, and said sadly: "During the Sui Dynasty, Yu Wenkai was ordered to supervise the construction of the Guangtong Canal, which was a mighty three-dimensional canal from Chang'an to Tongguan. Hundreds of miles, making transportation in Chang'an smooth and beneficial There are countless people... But who would have thought that if we had a navy in hand today, we could go upstream from the Guangtong Canal and attack Chang'an to determine the overall situation... Throughout the ages, it has never been said that the navy can influence the general trend of the world. .”
Everyone followed his gaze and saw the mighty water of the Guangtong Canal, which merged into the Yellow River not far from Tongguan. Their thoughts were complicated for a while.
Before the Sui Dynasty was established, the old city of Chang'an was in ruins. Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty ordered Yu Wenkai to build a new city south of Longshouyuan and named it "Daxing". However, although the Guanzhong Plain is known as a fertile wilderness, it is narrow and crowded, and has experienced years of war and over-development. It is no longer as prosperous as it was in the past, so its output is not enough to support the capital, and it has to rely on taxes from the eastern states.
Emperor Wen believed that the size of the Wei River was unpredictable, with shallow flow and deep sand, which often blocked canal transportation. Therefore, in the fourth year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign, he ordered Yu Wenkai to lead the hydraulic engineering team to open another canal. Yu Wenkai diverted the Wei River from the northwest of Daxing City, followed the old route of the Han Dynasty Cao Canal to the east, and entered the Yellow River at Tongguan. It was more than 300 miles long and was named Guangtong Canal.
This was a golden waterway that transported tax money and grain from Shandong and Jiangnan to Chang'an, but now it seems that it is also a chokepoint that leads directly to Chang'an.
It's a pity that the King of Jin does not have a navy at hand...
Then, they all turned their thoughts to Fang Jun. This dandy boy who was unlearned, stupid and dull at the time actually stood at the core of the Tang Empire's efforts, influencing the inheritance of the throne. Youtunwei and Donggong Liuliu , and even the unscrupulous Royal Navy have their strong influence.
If it weren't for Fang Jun's existence, His Majesty would have been in trouble long ago, and the prince would have been deposed and the king of Jin ascended the throne. How could he have been in such trouble today?
Quietly, he has become a giant in the court, with great power and can influence the general trend of the world.
Li Zhi sighed and regretted: "I have tried my best to show my goodwill to Fang Jun and lowered my profile to make friends with him. However, this person seems to have some estrangement from me and it is extremely difficult to get close to him. Otherwise, why would we be here today..."< br>
Half of what he said was an introspective mistake and he couldn't say any more.
After all, at this moment, he is surrounded by ministers who have abandoned their families and careers to follow him to fight for the throne. If he said that with Fang Jun's help, he would not be in the current predicament, wouldn't it mean that he despises the incompetence of the people in front of him?
However, this is indeed the case. With the help of Fang Jun, the prince not only kept his throne, but now also has a huge advantage in the battle for the throne. The power of one person is better than countless of the court bosses around him...
It's just that although he didn't say enough, who among the people present was not a good person who can figure out people's hearts? Naturally, they understood what it meant, so they were all a little embarrassed.
Fortunately, at this moment, a fast horse galloped from the direction of Tongguan, breaking the awkward moment.
The fast horse galloped like the wind and arrived suddenly. When he got close, the knight reined in his horse and stood still. He dismounted and said loudly: "Your Highness, a messenger has come from Luoyang. It is said that the Shandong private army will arrive at the north bank of the Yellow River tomorrow. Choose a day. Crossing the Yellow River at Mengjin Ferry!" (End of Chapter)