Chapter 364 Iron-clad ship, attack!

Author: There are dragons in Nanshan

Chapter 364 Iron-clad ship, attack!

Zhu Qizhen frowned, stared at the map, and at the same time, he reached out and gestured on it.

Kim Young was very puzzled and dared not ask.

He quietly moved half a step to the side, looked at Fan Zhong, and looked at him inquiring.

Fan Zhong understood what he meant, but shook his head.

Because he didn't know what happened, the emperor suddenly got up early and rushed over.

At this time, another person walked into the cabin. Jin Ying looked up and saw that it was Yuan Bin.

"emperor!"

Zhu Qizhen's eyes were still on the map, and he took care of Yuan Bin behind him, signaling him to come forward.

Yuan Bin took a few steps and asked, "I wonder what the emperor is doing to summon ministers?"

"Do you still remember that a month ago, the Duke of Qian sent a 600-li expedition?"

"Remember, it was said that there were foreign ships that were already coming towards my Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Qizhen stretched out his finger on the island of Horse at the junction of Chameng and Zhenwa, and then crossed the coastline northward.

"To date, no reports have been heard from the coast. Where have these ships gone?"

Yuan Bin looked along the map and his face became a little confused.

If these ships were really for the Ming Dynasty, why did they not dock?

Sailing on the sea is no more than on land. When you are tired, you can find a teahouse to take a break.

The food and fresh water loaded on the ship are limited. If you do not rely on the dock to replenish supplies, you will have died of thirst and starvation.

Don’t foreigners need to drink water and eat?

Yuan Bin finally realized that things were a little strange.

These ships have either turned around or hid on an island, or may even be hiding in a port on the southeast coast in disguise as merchant ships.

If it were in the past, it would not be a strange thing for foreign merchant ships to come to the Ming Dynasty. After all, the Ming Dynasty had already opened up its seas in full, and it would be normal for merchant ships to travel between countries to do so.

However, when it comes to mind the Wanyan Gunaha rebellion that happened not long ago, the matter is serious.

"Master, will those ships go to Luzon?"

Zhu Qizhen shook his head and said, "In the past month, King Hui has submitted two memorials, which did not mention this matter."

"Is it possible... they did not dock, but went directly to Japan, Ryukyu and other places?"

"The possibility is very small. Since receiving the memorial from Duke of Qian, I have already brought a message to Shi Heng. I have asked him to pay close attention to every move at sea. If there is any abnormality, I will definitely report it to me as soon as possible. Moreover, he has a navy in his hand and will react immediately when encountering enemy ships."

Yuan Bin was helpless. This was not the case, that was not the case. Could it be that those ships were buried at the bottom of the sea when they encountered a storm?

Zhu Qizhen stared at the map and said, "By bypass Linyi Prefecture from Horse Island, heading north. If you don't receive any news along the coast, the biggest possibility is... they have their own base on the sea!"

As he spoke, his fingers stopped at a place: "The information Kim Young found out is a very poor island!"

Yuan Bin and others went up to see and found that this was Qiongzhou Island in the Ming Dynasty!

Qiongzhou is not poor, but if a person only hears a few words and mistakenly hears the word Qiong as poor, it makes sense.

Judging from the map, Qiongzhou Island is the most suitable.

Zhu Qizhen asked again: "How much fuel is left now?"

The boatmen in the rudder cabin began to calculate and finally concluded that if they kept going south in Fuzhou and continued to move south, the remaining fuel would be enough to reach Qiongzhou Island.

Jin Ying was panicked. Even if the fuel was sufficient, she could not attack rashly.

If the other party is prepared and has only one ship, how can he ensure the emperor's comfort?

Even if those ships are really hidden in Qiongzhou, they have to wait to Fuzhou and let the emperor get off the ship and go by themselves.

A gentleman does not set up a dangerous wall. You are the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. You cannot rush forward in everything!

"Your Majesty, I think... I will arrive in Fuzhou as planned and then make plans."

Zhu Qizhen was still staring at the map, and after a while, he said: "Transfer the order, change the route, and the goal...Qiongzhou!"

"Your Majesty, no!"

Jin Ying hurriedly advised: "This time is just a trial voyage. Before departure, I was not prepared for the war. If I attacked in a hurry, I'm afraid..."

"What are you afraid of?"

Zhu Qizhen said dissatisfiedly: "The war is about to break out. Will the enemy let you go because you are not prepared?"

Kim Young had no choice but to shut up and go out to convey the imperial edict.

For a time, the entire ship issued an early warning.

In the cabin, the officers had just gotten up and heard the noisy sound outside. They didn't know what was going on, so they went around to inquire.

"I just heard that the route has changed and I won't go to Fuzhou anymore."

“Why change?”

"Are you going to Fuzhou, are you planning to go back to Ningbo?"

"What are you going back to Ningbo? The emperor is going to Qiongzhou!"

"Why go to Qiongzhou?"

"I don't know..."

Everyone was talking, and for a moment, they said everything.

"It is said that this ship consumed 30 million taels of silver, which is really bad. So much money is enough to build a fleet of ships voyages to the West, but now it has only built a smoke-producing iron-clad ship. The emperor is still too young and does not know the principle of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure."

"Thirty million taels, I'm afraid the national treasury will be hollowed out."

"Who said no? Is it not good to build a railway with this money? It would cost 30 million taels from Ningbo to Fuzhou!"

Many people know nothing about ships. In their minds, it is more cost-effective to build a hundred ships or build one.

After discussion, everyone became more and more excited.

Their attitude is very clear, just spending small money to do big things.

This is the money from the treasury, not yours. Even if it is yours, isn’t it from the people’s wealth?

So, everyone looked at the general governor Cao Yi.

Here, besides Tang Xinggu, Belin and others, he is the largest official.

Although Cao Yi was helpless and courageous to see the expected eyes of everyone, he knew very well that he had to do something.

At this time, if you praise the emperor, you will inevitably be despised by your colleagues and think that you are flattering. It seems that it is time to sing the opposite tune.

So, he came to the rudder cabin on behalf of all officials.

"I am the governor of Zhejiang, Cao Yi, ask the saints for your safety!"

"Well, what's the matter with your family?"

Zhu Qizhen was studying the map, but when he heard someone coming, he agreed casually.

Now, Cao Yi was even more angry. Are you fooling around?

I am an old minister of all dynasties at least, so you can’t respect me, at least look at me!

"Your Majesty, the old minister thinks that this iron-clad ship looks majestic and can be placed on the sea, so what's the use? The cost of this ship is too huge. The old minister suggests that more treasure ships be built. With the same budget, the price of treasure ships is much cheaper."

Zhu Qizhen finally raised his head and said, "I asked you to board the ship to open your eyes. I didn't expect that you will still stay in the past world. How can the Ming Dynasty's technology improve in the long run?"
Chapter completed!