Soon after seeing Jeonra Island, Elder Niu ordered the ship to turn the rudder and sail in the direction of northwest using the Dangui needle.

March was a peaceful and calm spring month, with excellent visibility on the sea. Zhao Hao could occasionally see islands in the Korean waters through his telescope, which were excellent navigational landmarks.

In fact, you don't even need to look at the sea charts here. As long as you have a compass, you can definitely sail to Tianjin. Anyway, the coast is either the territory of the Ming Dynasty or the territory of Korea, so there is no danger at all. It's just a matter of taking a longer detour.

Therefore, the rest of the voyage was very relaxing. Zhao Hao accompanied the girls to fish, chat, look at the stars, and talk about life every day. He did not feel boring at all.

That day, he was in the cabin, playing mahjong with his godmother, when he suddenly heard a sailor on the mast shouting in surprise: "We've seen land!"

Seeing that he was about to lose, Master Zhao pushed his cards aside, picked up the telescope, and ran to the wheelhouse to look around.

Sure enough, at nine o'clock, a continent with lush green peaks appeared. At the end of the continent was a cape with towering cliffs.

The end of the mountain and the sky.

This is Weihaiwei, the easternmost tip of Shandong Peninsula.

"We have arrived in Shandong." Elder Niu said in a relaxed manner, "From here, we can go straight to Dagukou by using a single-armor needle for forty shifts. It will take exactly one hundred shifts."

"It's really fast." Zhao Hao couldn't help but sigh: "The last time I left Beijing, it took me nearly a month to get to Nanjing."

"Sir, this is considered very fast. The delivery time for the canal boats is usually three months, and it is not uncommon for them to exceed four months." Elder Niu said with emotion, "Although our trip was particularly calm, even if the weather was bad, we would still arrive in half a month at most."

Zhao Hao thought to himself that in fact, if they sailed along the North Korean side and took advantage of the warm current, they could save at least one more day.

But the crews all like to sail close to their own country, which makes them feel safer. Perhaps it is for this reason that the Yuan Dynasty's old friends would rather spend an extra day sailing against the current.

"But from now on, the coastal guards will be able to see us." Elder Niu said nervously, "Our fleet is so conspicuous that it will probably attract inspection."

"What are you afraid of? Who dares to stop the princess, even at sea?" Young Master Zhao encouraged him, but he was a little nervous. There is no law at sea, and if the government troops are tempted by money and play pirates, it will be a test for the Coast Guard.

~~

The 500-man maritime security team led by Wang Rulong and Ma Yinglong was responsible for the shipping security. Because there were more people than ships, they were not evenly distributed to each ship. Instead, five patrol ships were converted into warships, each carrying 100 security guards in addition to the captain and sailors.

The five boats looked the same as the other patrol boats, but they were not loaded with food, the planks were thickened, and copper was wrapped below the waterline. The sides of the boats were nailed with sharp bamboo and hung with barbed wire to prevent the enemy from climbing up when boarding.

In addition to the two Portuguese guns reserved for each grain transport ship for self-defense, the remaining 55 guns and five bronze snake cannons were placed on the decks of these five warships. In the later period of the anti-Japanese war in the southeast, the Qi family army mainly fought at sea. Wang Rulong certainly knew that concentrated firepower was powerful.

However, this firepower was still not enough on the sea. He knew that the more decent pirate groups had hundreds of cannons. And they were not the Portuguese cannons that had a short range and low power, something between guns and cannons.

Once he encountered a large sea ship of one or two thousand tons with more than a dozen cannons on it, his firepower would be completely suppressed. He would have to fight as quickly as possible.

But if that happens, it is inevitable that the enemy will dig them away. What will happen to the grain transport fleet?

As the escorting party, the pressure is even greater.

Along the way, Wang Rulong slept with one eye open, and only when he entered Laizhou Bay did he feel relieved.

Sailing here close to the coastline, the chances of escaping from the enemy are much greater. Moreover, the two sea defense zones of Denglai and Liaodong of the Ming Dynasty guard the Bohai Bay like a door. The Korean navy can also be called for help at any time, so generally no pirates will stir up trouble here.

The reason why they only let go halfway was because there was still a threat from the government troops.

Wang Rulong knew that the Ming Dynasty's coastal defense in the north was quite poor. Not only did it not have a dedicated navy, but the largest warships in Denglai and Liaodong were only 400 tons, had no long-distance sailing capabilities, and were seriously understaffed.

The reason is "poor". I heard that the government troops in Fujian and Guangdong have switched to Wuwei ships to fight pirates. Shandong and Liaodong are two poor places and have no money to build ships.

Even if we ask the imperial court for money, it has no money. Anyway, the Japanese pirates haven't harassed the north for more than a hundred years. Moreover, Jizhen has tens of thousands of elite troops stationed to defend against the Tartars. We can't beat the Mongols who are skilled in riding and shooting and come and go like the wind, and we can't beat the Japanese pirates who are naked? It depends on who dares to go ashore?

Therefore, the court did not allocate money. Wang Rulong heard from General Qi, who was born in Dengzhou Wei, that the military households in Denglai Liaodong were always hungry and had to go fishing on warships. If you meet a fat sheep at sea, you may ask if you want to eat knife-cut noodles or wonton noodles?

~~

Sure enough, after passing Chengshan, you can see fishing boats dotted on the sea... There are many hills in the area of ​​Denglai Weihaiwei, and there is a serious shortage of arable land. The people living along the coast can only rely on fishing for a living.

The fishermen who were casting their nets were all stunned when they saw fifty large ships of 400 tons each, arranged in three columns, with a hundred feet between each ship, coming from the east in a mighty force.

It was not until the fleet, which seemed huge to them, passed by that the military households suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly sailed back to report the news.

After a meal, thick smoke began to billow from the beacon towers on the shore.

The sky was clear and cloudless, and the smoke from the beacon fire ten miles away could be seen clearly.

Soon, beacons along the coast were lit one after another, and the people and the military were all in a panic.

The small fishing boats on the sea rowed back desperately. Merchant ships of all sizes also fled to the shore. The sailors thought the speed was too slow and began to throw the cargo overboard, ignoring the merchants' distressed shouts.

The sea was in chaos, and the water city of Penglai was in even greater turmoil.

The alarm bells rang throughout the city walls, and the lieutenant generals and guerrillas, accompanied by their personal soldiers, put on their armor and rushed to the military preparation office to receive orders.

The recruited sailors and marines carried out muskets, cannons, rockets, fire crows, and various gunpowder shells from the armory at the dock, and loaded them onto the ship in preparation for sailing!

This water city was built by the Ming Dynasty on the basis of Daoyuzhai in the Song Dynasty. It is backed by mountains and controls the sea, with steep terrain. It has all the facilities such as water gates, wave breakwaters, wave-suppressing platforms, docks, lighthouses, city walls, artillery platforms, and moats. It is the most well-regulated water city in the Ming Dynasty and the station of Denglai Bingbei Dao Yamen.

But the hard shell could not conceal the weak nature. At this time, Qin Shousheng, the highest military commander of Denglai Prefecture, had become an ant on hot pan.

In this water city that gathers all the warships of Dengzhou Guard and Laizhou Guard, there are only 43 regular warships, and most of them are small boats of less than 100 tons.

To make matters worse, there were huge shortages of artillery, gunpowder, and even sailors, so there were only about a dozen ships that were truly combat-ready.

According to reports from several military households, the fleet consisted of large ships of 400 tons, with as many as fifty or sixty of them. How could they defeat them?

It was not until the arrival of the military commander You Ji and other generals from Shuicheng that Qin Bingxian managed to calm down. He walked to the sea chart on the wall and said, "Everyone, the fleet will be here almost tomorrow morning. What should we do?"

The only mission of Penglai Water City is to guard the entrance to the Bohai Bay and never let enemy ships pass through the north of the water city, which is composed of a chain of islands consisting of Changdao and Jidushan.

Once the enemy ships break through the island chain, they can enter the Bohai Bay and head straight for Tanggu. It's hard to say for others, but Qin Bingxian's head will definitely not be saved.

Seeing that the military commander was already panicking, the mature and prudent Lieutenant General Pi hurriedly advised: "The military commander should be calm. This fleet that suddenly appeared, minus the sailors, has at most 10,000 soldiers and horses."

"Oh..." Qin Shousheng was so frightened that his eyes went dark and he almost fainted. He thought to himself, how can I, a civil servant who has never read a military book, bear such pressure that I shouldn't bear?

"Don't panic, I'm just talking about the worst-case scenario. You've forgotten the pride of our Dengzhou Guards. Marshal Qi is training his troops in Jizhen!" Lieutenant General Pi quickly added, "The troops defending the capital are all gathered in Tianjin. Even if the enemy has 10,000 troops, it's just a good opportunity for Marshal Qi to train his troops."

General Pi paused and said, "Besides, it is still unclear how many people there are and whether they are enemies."

"Hmm." Qin Bingxian was no longer so panicked. He stroked his neatly trimmed moustache and nodded, saying, "General Pi's words make sense. So what should we do specifically?"

"First, warn Tianjin and ask for help from Liaodong and Weihai." Lieutenant General Pi said in a deep voice, "At the same time, send fast ships to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance. I am willing to lead the main force to form a battle array in the waters of Changdao. Even if we perish together with the enemy, we will never let them cross the line of defense!"

"It is true that strong winds reveal strong grass and strong soldiers reveal loyal ministers, General Pi!" Qin Shousheng was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes and said, "I should live and die with you, but as you know, I am seasick. I can only wait here for news of your triumphant return!"

"Please wait for good news!" Lieutenant General Pi clasped his fists and saluted, then led his guerrillas and other subordinates out proudly and walked towards the dock.

"Boss, are we really going to fight to the death?" As they were far away from the military headquarters, the guerrilla behind him couldn't help but ask.

"Bullshit decision." Lieutenant General Pi spat and said, "Get the speedboat ready. If the situation gets bad, we'll just run away the old way. Anyway, the one who's going to take the blame is Qin."

The so-called old way is to sink your own warships. Because the navy has its own special features, it is not like the army, which asks you to fight to the death and you have to fight to the last man. Otherwise, it is considered desertion.

Once a navy ship sank, the sailors and marines would not be able to fight, so it was only natural for them to withdraw from the battlefield, so it was not considered desertion...