In the north of Hangzhou, inside the Fujian and Zhejiang Governor's Office, Governor Zhu Wan looked at the map with a serious expression.
His eyes fell on a seemingly inconspicuous island - Ningbo Shuangyu Island.
Shuangyu Port is located between Fodu Island and Liuheng Island, with a very special geographical location.
Because of its unique geographical location, Shuangyu Port became a stronghold of the Portuguese and Japanese pirates. Years of operation have made this place like an independent small kingdom.
This is something Zhu Wan absolutely cannot accept.
He secretly vowed to capture this port occupied by Japanese pirates and Portuguese pirates.
To achieve this goal, we naturally have to build a strong army.
In the early Ming Dynasty, warships were basically official ships of 400 to 500 tons. These seagoing ships, which originated in the Yuan Dynasty, all had flat bottoms and were not very good at breaking waves.
Zhu Wan then ordered people to design and build a brand new Fu ship.
He had very detailed requirements for this type of Fu ship, and the final product had very distinct characteristics.
It was as tall as a building, and could hold a hundred people. It had a pointed base and a broad top, its head held high with its mouth wide open, and its tail towered high. It had three stories on top, its sides shielded with planks and bamboo, erected like a wall, and it had two masts.
The middle floor consists of four floors. The lowest floor cannot be lived in. It must be filled with earth and rocks to prevent it from floating away.
The second floor is where the soldiers sleep, hidden in cabinets on the ground, and one must climb down a ladder from above;
The third floor has water gates on both sides and a water tank in the middle, which is where the sails are hoisted and cooking is done. There are wooden anchors in front and behind, tied with palm ropes. The anchors are lowered and raised on this floor.
The top floor is a terrace, which can be reached by climbing up the ladder from the third floor. The panels on both sides are like railings, which people can lean on to attack the enemy, and arrows, stones, and artillery can all be fired from above.
If the enemy ship is small, it will be plowed and sunk when encountering it, and it will be difficult for the enemy to attack from above. It is a powerful weapon in naval warfare.
In essence, the Fu ship is also a kind of tower ship, but there are some differences. The Fu ship uses sails as power, while the tower ship relies on oars.
Therefore, Fujian ships are more suitable for sea voyages.
Of course, the Fu ships were also equipped with a large number of firearms for combat.
In addition to the Fujian ships, Zhu Wan also ordered people to quickly make the Guangdong ships.
Compared with the Fuzhou ships, the Guang ships are larger and much stronger. The Guang ships are made of ironwood, while the Fuzhou ships are made of pine or fir. If the two ships collide in the sea, the Fuzhou ship will be shattered because it cannot withstand the strength of the ironwood.
The Japanese also use pine and fir to build ships, and dare not clash with the Guangdong ships. However, the Guangdong ships are difficult to adjust, so it is easier to adjust the Fujian ships. If the Guangdong ships are broken, they must be repaired with iron and wood, which is difficult to repair. Moreover, their structure is narrow at the bottom and wide at the top, shaped like two wings. They are stable in the Caspian Sea but unstable in the open ocean.
The cost of building a Guang ship is twice that of a Fu ship, but its durability is also better. Fu ships are made of pine and fir, which are easily eaten by caterpillars and need to be burned and cleaned frequently. After eight or nine days, they will be unable to withstand the wind and waves. Guang ships are made of iron and strong wood, and even if caterpillars eat them, it is difficult for them to be damaged.
In addition to recruiting large warships such as the Guangchuan and Fuchuan, Zhu Wan also ordered the construction of the Haicang ship, which can be regarded as a small-scale Fuchuan ship with the advantage of rapid rotation.
This type of boat has a draft of about seven or eight feet and can be driven even when the wind is light.
As for the smaller Cangshan boats, they are wide at both the bow and stern, and serve as both sails and oars. When the wind is favorable, the sails are hoisted, and when the wind dies down, the oars are rowed.
The oars are set behind the waist of the boat on both sides, with five on each side, two oars on each, and two people on each jump.
When the oar is not in use, a wooden gate is placed on the jump, and the jump head is always exposed outside.
It is divided into two layers with boards, the lower layer is weighed down by stones, the upper layer is the battlefield, and the middle layer has a ladder leading down, where the couch is.
They set sail and dropped anchor at the battlefield.
Because it is narrower than Guang and Fu ships but wider than Sha ships, it is convenient and quick to use it to attack the enemy. People in Wenzhou call it Cangshan Iron.
With these wide variety of warships, Zhu Wan felt more confident. He felt it was time to have a big battle with the Portuguese and Japanese pirates.
Just when Zhu Wan was planning his battle plan, his personal soldiers came to report that Xu Yan, a student from Dinghai County, wanted to see him.
Although Zhu Wan was worried, he still asked his personal guards to bring Xu Yan to see him.
After a while, Xu Yan was brought to the front of the house.
"I pay my respects to the Minister."
Zhu Wan's promotion from governor to governor-general was due to Xu Yan's great contribution. How could he not know it?
Zhu Wan stepped forward, helped Xu Yan up, and said, "Xu Xiaoyou, this is too formal. I told you that we can call each other friends behind people's backs."
Xu Yanlian said he didn't dare.
Zhu Wan smiled without saying anything and gestured for Xu Yan to sit down.
After the two of them sat down, Zhu Wan asked, "Xu Xiaoyou, why are you so anxious to come see me? Is there something important?"
Xu Yan quickly said, "Your Excellency, I heard that you were planning to attack Shuangyu Island, so I came to ask for your advice."
Zhu Wan nodded slightly.
It was no secret that Zhu Wan wanted to attack Shuangyu Island. There were countless warships anchored at Panshiwei Port at this moment. It was not surprising that Xu Yan, a Ningbo native, heard the news.
"The Portuguese have occupied this island and disregarded the laws of the Ming Dynasty. If I turn a blind eye, how can I be worthy of His Majesty and the people of Zhejiang?"
"My lord, you are very righteous."
Xu Yan flattered him and thought that since he was already here, he might as well not hide it.
"I wonder how the Minister intends to attack Shuangyu Island?"
"Of course, we should first send out patrol boats to lure the enemy out of the harbor and engage the pirate ships."
Although Zhu Wan was born into a civil service family, he was also well versed in military strategy.
In his opinion, if the Portuguese resolutely retreated to the port and refused to fight, it would be very difficult for the Ming army to break through Shuangyu Port.
Xu Yan nodded.
"Your Excellency is absolutely right. To capture Shuangyu Port, we must first control its north-south waterways. I suggest you divide your forces. While luring the enemy out for battle, the main fleet will attack the main port. Two additional divisions will be dispatched to blockade the north-south waterways to prevent the bandits from escaping."
The reason why Xu Yan made such a suggestion was that although the Ming army won a great victory in the Battle of Shuangyu Port in history, many Japanese pirates took advantage of the chaos to escape, and then made a comeback after recuperating.
Of course he knew that it was impossible to achieve success in one battle, but it was still possible to block the waterway and eliminate the pirates as much as possible.
Zhu Wan remained silent.
If Xu Yan was just a young man who could write poems and lyrics, he would certainly not listen to Xu Yan's advice here, and might even directly order people to kick Xu Yan out.
But when he was inspecting Dinghai County, Xu Yan left a very deep impression on him.
The article "Strategies for Improving Coastal Defense" gave Zhu Wan great inspiration, giving him a clear idea when improving coastal defense.
First, take charge of military power and clearly define the functions of each department.
Second, establish the baojia system to strengthen the people's self-defense capabilities.
Third, strictly cut off the supplies of Japanese pirates and Portuguese.
Fourth, recruit soldiers and warships.
Many of these were Xu Yan's ideas, and Zhu Wan just made some slight improvements.
It can be seen that Xu Yan is a young man with many ideas, so Zhu Wan decided to listen to his suggestions on attacking Shuangyu Port.
"Xu Xiaoyou, please continue."
Xu Yan was overjoyed to receive Zhu Wan's affirmation and quickly said, "Shuangyu Port is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If you want to take it at a low cost, you have to use your wits to do it."
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