Chapter 3530
Although the fierce battle between the two armies in the strait was going on, Yue Shizong looked at it with a calm heart and seemed completely unmoved by the battle situation in front of him.
This is not because he is calm, but that such a battle situation is unlikely to occur on the territory of the Ming Dynasty - now the Ming Dynasty does not even have a coastline, and the outlets of the major rivers are all blocked by Haihan, and they have not participated in naval battles at all. possibility.
No matter who loses or wins this war, for Yue Shizong, it can only be a spectacle. He knows that as a landlocked country, Ming Dynasty is no longer qualified to discuss naval battles.
With a similar mentality, of course, there was Geng Jimao, who represented the Manchu Qing Dynasty. However, unlike Yue Shizong, Geng Jimao couldn't help but be a little jealous when he saw the armed fleets of both sides of the conflict.
Geng Zhongming, Kong Youde, and Shang Kexi, who rebelled against the Ming Dynasty and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty in the early years, only won the favor of the Qing Dynasty by controlling the navy in their hands. But now, although the Manchu Navy Army still exists in name, it has actually become an empty yamen, and there is no corresponding troop establishment at all.
Even North Korea, which was easily manipulated in the past, now has maritime armed forces that the Manchu and Qing Dynasties did not possess. The scale of the escort fleet accompanying the Korean king on this visit alone was beyond the reach of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties.
Of course, there are also people who are not optimistic about the armed fleets owned by both sides of the conflict. Su Keyi, who came to watch the battle on behalf of the Netherlands, is one of them.
Su Keyi looked at the battlefield in the distance and sighed: "The Japanese think that having a strong navy is the way to become a strong country, and they spend all their money on building an armed fleet. Little do they know that this is actually the way to die!"
Su Yongshan beside him asked in confusion: "Where did my father start from saying this? Isn't it a good thing to have a strong armed force?"
Su Keyi said: "That also depends on where the power comes from and why. Let me ask you, did they develop these warships equipped with artillery by themselves?"
Su Yongshan shook his head and said: "Baby, judging from its appearance, it has the same style as the Haihan warships. They must have been purchased from Haihan."
Su Keyi nodded and said: "Then tell me, why did Haihan sell so many warships to them? Is it really just to make money from the arms trade?"
Su Yongshan somewhat understood what his father meant: "Haihan sells arms to both parties in the conflict at the same time. Of course it will not be to persuade peace and promote talks. They will fight. Of course, it is also because they have a large number of advanced weapons and equipment in their hands. They think that their own Strength has won the civil war ”
Su Keyi said: "They are equipped with sharp weapons and have a murderous intention. If they hadn't bought so many weapons and equipment from Haihan, maybe this battle wouldn't have started so quickly. Of course, if they couldn't fight, then Haihan would Han probably won’t organize this cross-country inspection trip.”
Su Yongshan said: "So, Haihan brought us here to watch the battle. In addition to showing the combat performance of weapons and equipment, he actually also had the intention of taking this opportunity to beat other countries?"
Su Yongshan sighed: "I think one of Haihan's purposes is to make all countries realize that it is easy for Haihan to control a country into war. You see, both warring parties in the Japanese country not only dare not complain about Haihan's instigation of civil war. , but should be worshiped as a Bodhisattva to prevent Haihan from completely joining the opponent's camp."
"As for the weapons and equipment and armed fleets they possess, they seem to have strengthened their military strength, but in fact they can only be used on the battlefield of the civil war and cannot pose a threat to the outside world. The army that spent a lot of money to arm is nothing more than this. They are just chess pieces in a chess game." Perhaps because he was born as a Han Chinese and worked for a colonial power, Su Keyi could understand Haihan's thoughts to some extent. If the Dutch East India Company were to handle this matter, they would probably adopt similar methods.
It's just that he believed that Haihan's motive was to weaken Japan and further exert control, but he never expected that the decision-making of Haihan's executive committee was not like this and had longer-term arrangements for Japan's future situation.
As time went by and the sky became darker, although the shogunate army opened a gap on the Kyushu coast and was continuously transporting troops there, the attack on the highland forts had not yet made significant progress.
After several hours of fighting between the two sides in the mountains and forests, the shogunate army, which lacked bunkers and heavy weapons, had significantly more casualties than its opponents. And these troops who were the first to cross the sea were almost all elite Tokugawa troops, leaving Tokugawa Ietsuna in the rear. Heartbroken.
The losses at sea were equally huge. In this first confrontation, the shogunate army had already been damaged and sunk seventeen warships of various types, many of which had high-end cargo of the Haihan standard.
However, compared to the stagnation of the landing battle, the naval battle at least achieved some visible results. Many ships of the Kyushu Allied Fleet also lost their lives in the strait, which gave Tokugawa Ietsuna some comfort.
Judging from the situation of the coalition fleet participating in the battle, it does not have more Kaihan warships than the shogunate army, and it does not have the "majestic class" warships that Tokugawa Ietsuna was worried about before the war. In this way, if it is purely about consumption, the shogunate with a richer family will obviously have an advantage.
Warships are no better than individual weapons. Not only do they have a longer construction period, but they are also slower to form an army. After being installed, they cannot be immediately deployed on the battlefield like individual weapons. Even if an experienced sailor takes over the ship, it will take a certain running-in period to form it. combat effectiveness.
Once a large number of warships are lost in a battle, such a weakening will be difficult to recover in the short term.
When the two sides finish fighting warships and civilian ships, the shogunate should have a greater advantage - at least this is what Tokugawa Ietsuna currently thinks.
The sky is getting darker, the number of ships on both sides entering the battlefield is gradually decreasing, and the intensity of the battle at sea is slowly decreasing. However, the inspection team that had been watching for a long time was still very interested. Many people did not even leave the deck for dinner and just ate something to get by, for fear of missing the wonderful scene.
However, neither warring party seems to be interested in burning the midnight oil to fight. After all, with the visibility reduced, fighting in such a narrow strait is too risky, and unnecessary losses may be suffered.
Although the Kyushu Allied Forces also knew that the shogunate would definitely continue to send troops to their own coast during the night, they did not plan to intercept them in the dark all night.
In order to ensure the safety of the forts and fortifications on the hills near the sea, many more garrison troops were added after nightfall to replace the troops who fought fiercely during the day and rest, and at the same time to prevent the shogunate army from launching night attacks.
The headquarters of the Kyushu Allied Forces is located about five or six miles south of the narrowest point of the strait, very close to the current battle line on land.
The feudal lords of the five powerful feudal clans have all arrived to check and review today's combat results and battle damage. Of course, people from Haihan are indispensable for such occasions. Yan Chujie, who is sitting at the top, is here on behalf of the executive committee.