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Blue waves ripple on the blue sea.

The tumbling sun-moon wave flag and the chilling bloody red eagle flag fluttered in the wind, swaying back and forth.

Like a gigantic dragon, a huge fleet that resembles the roof of the sea, galloping all the way north against the hazy sea breeze.

It was mid-afternoon, and some hot sunshine was shining on the sea, occasionally emitting some dazzling light. In the distance, the sea and the sky were connected by a line with no end in sight.

Li Yuanqing was shirtless, wearing only a pair of large pants, leaning on a deck chair in the shade under the sail on the deck, looking at the surrounding scenery lazily but in an indescribably majestic manner.

At this time, it had been more than a month since the Ming army set out, and it was already mid-June. Li Yuanqing and his sons had begun to gradually adapt to the lonely but restless life at sea.

In fact, with the operation model of the Sakhalin Hihar Guard and the Nanyang fleet, the routes from Changsheng Island to Hihal Guard and Changsheng Island to Nanyang are already very sophisticated.

From Changsheng Island, to North and South Chenghuang Island, to Pi Island, to Jeju Island, and then to Vladivostok not far ahead, all the way to Xihaerwei further north, the entire structural system of Changsheng Camp is already very complete, and it is just for supplies.

Click and there will be dozens.

Although we were setting out for an expedition at this time, due to limitations in technology and productivity levels, the speed of the fleet could only be this, and the pace was actually very slow.

This also gave Li Yuanqing the illusion that this trip was not an expedition, but a vacation...

However, although his body was relaxed, the string in Li Yuanqing's heart was always tense.

At this time, Lao Maozi's control in Siberia was still very weak, and it was far from the raging power of Kang Xiaomazi's era decades later. Most of the people living in the vast Siberian region were local Tu people, and Lao Maozi's side

Manpower is very few.

But even though Siberia is vast and sparsely populated, the output of various local specialties such as furs, wood, rare Chinese herbal medicines, etc. is by no means a small amount.

"Strike first will gain you strength, but striking later will lead to disaster!"

The vast Siberia was originally under the rule of the Ming Dynasty Nuer Gandusi. Even though some old people have settled here, the local residents are naturally still mainly yellow people of the East Asian race.

In the whole world, there is nothing but the royal land.

These yellow people are naturally the people of the Ming Dynasty, and naturally include the Jiannu of the Hou Jin Dynasty who are currently causing rebellion and have not been exterminated.

Of course, Jiannu of the Later Jin Dynasty was just a dog kept in the Ming Dynasty's family, barking wildly.

Even if this dog is big and fierce, it is only an internal matter of the Ming Dynasty. But~~, here in Siberia, it is necessary to deal with foreign enemies, and it is necessary to strike first!

Previously, although Li Yuanqing had clamored to go to Moscow, it was just a way to boost morale, and more importantly, to motivate himself and win over people's hearts.

Of course Li Yuanqing understood that with the Ming army's current combat power, it was not impossible to reach Moscow, but~~ it would have to pay a heavy price.

Based on Li Yuanqing's consistent behavior pattern, he would naturally not choose such a mindless head-on confrontation, not to mention that in the vast wasteland of Siberia, there was no bloodshed in killing people.

But this was unexpected. Li Yuanqing drove away Lao Maozi's stronghold in Siberia, established a stronghold in southern Liaoning, and formed a line with the Xihar Guards.

Once this overall goal is formed, Li Yuanqing and his sons will monopolize at least 60% to 70% of the fur goods business in Northeast Asia, and even in East Asia.

Coupled with the smoothness of the Nanyang trade route, this total profit is no joke.

Of course, the most important thing is to beat these old fools until they are painful and frightened. It is best to seduce some of their main forces.

If they can successfully annihilate Lao Maozi's main force and make them "willingly" pay for the military expenses of this expedition, then~~ this trip will be a good start. Li Yuanqing and his sons can go all the way south to kill

Enter the hinterland of Mongolia to rob them of the war horse resources they need most, and then return to Liao Dynasty by land.

However, this is only the most ideal situation in the plan.

After leading troops for many years, he traveled all over the world and was invincible! Li Yuanqing understood deeply that it was far from possible for plans to keep up with the rapid changes.

Even if the command method is as advanced as that of later generations, and can almost directly communicate face to face and issue orders, there will inevitably be twists and turns.

Not to mention, this is an era where communication is so poor.

Any link in the middle, even if there are only some small problems, can affect the overall situation.

How to choose depends on how the commander will choose.

This was also the main reason why Li Yuanqing had to personally lead the army on the expedition.

At this time, the fleet had entered the Sea of ​​Japan for more than ten days, but even as the fleet moved northward and at higher and higher latitudes, the sea breeze in the Sea of ​​Japan did not become cooler. The entire weather was still very cold.

Hot.

I'm afraid it will take at least until the end of July for the weather to get cooler.

However, with supplements from surrounding strongholds, the fleet is very well-stocked with fresh water, vegetables, medicinal materials, etc.

At this time, Joseph, who was serving as the adjutant and deputy team leader today, jogged over and respectfully reported to Li Yuanqing: "Commander, our main force will arrive at the Vladivostok stronghold before evening. Should we dock and rest for the night, or should we continue on our way?"

The so-called 'adjutant system' is a kind of 'adjutant piloting system' that Li Yuanqing created on his own initiative in the fleet.

The main reason is that the sailing life is too boring. In order to maintain the excitement and motivation of his men, Li Yuanqing would order his generals Duan Xiliang, Shunzi, and Kong Youde to take turns leading their warships in the front every day.

On the one hand, this can arouse their interest and maintain their fighting ideology; on the other hand, it can allow these generals to enter the state as quickly as possible and become familiar with the surrounding environment.

Of course, with his status as Joseph, he is not yet able to become the team leader. However, after all, this guy is from a white noble family. Although it is a bit sparse, the education he received since childhood, especially in natural subjects and geography, is better than that of other sons.

Quite a few, and the sensitivity is very high.

During these days, Li Yuanqing summoned him to his ship every now and then and asked him to serve as Li Yuanqing's adjutant.

"Vladivostok?"

Li Yuanqing tapped his fingers lightly on the small table beside him, looked at the vast sea ahead, pondered for a moment, and said: "My men have worked hard all the way. Let's take a rest in Vladivostok tonight. Send orders to the men in front!"

"yes!"

Joseph couldn't help but be overjoyed and hurriedly ran to the captain's cabin.

Transferring from Jeju Island to the Sea of ​​Japan, heading north this way, he has been floating on the sea for almost ten days. This guy has already lost his patience and wants to step on solid land and have a good "down-to-earth" experience. Of course, if there is a woman

, that would be better...

Li Yuanqing was too lazy to pay attention to Joseph's little thoughts.

To be honest, the longer he has been in contact with them and the deeper he understands the laziness of these white people, the deeper Li Yuanqing understands it.

It’s no wonder that later generations of American and British soldiers would make some tidbits of news every now and then.

Comparatively speaking, in terms of discipline and obedience, and overall, yellow people are the neatest and superior.

Especially the little devil, he is simply scary overall.

It's a pity that the ruler is shorter and the inch is longer.

Compared with these white-haired monkeys, yellow people are still slightly inferior in terms of bloodiness and exploratory nature.

Looking through the battle plans that I had stayed up late to revise over the past few days, before I knew it, the sky was getting darker and the sea breeze was getting a little cooler.

Li Yuanqing was about to get up when the men around him cheered. Li Yuanqing looked up and couldn't help but smile. The legendary Vladivostok had arrived.

There were clippers ahead who had already reported the news to the men at the stronghold here, and there were already more than a hundred horsemen from the Changsheng camp waiting here.

But the docking of a huge fleet is no small matter. In addition, although the harbor in front of us is wide, it is still almost in its original state, which inevitably requires a lot of work for the men.

Holding a cup of hot tea, Gu Duo carefully came to Li Yuanqing's side and whispered: "Master, you have tea."

Li Yuanqing smiled: "Where's Daisy? Have you gotten up? Wait, I will take you to the shore for a walk."

Li Yuanqing brought a total of two concubines with him on this trip.

One is Cong Gu Lun's maid, Gu Duo, and the other is Dai Shan's concubine Dai Si who was 'captured' by Li Yuanqing back then.

Originally, Li Yuanqing did not want to take a concubine. After all, there were two old friends of Li Yuanqing's on the female guard side. In addition, Meng Qingzhu was also present during this trip. Li Yuanqing was already able to handle every aspect...

However, after careful consideration, Li Yuanqing still brought the two girls with him.

The main reason is that Li Yuanqing has long been accustomed to the splendor and wealth of this era. There is no one around to serve him, or in other words, if he is replaced by lavish soldiers, he will inevitably feel uncomfortable.

Furthermore, Guduo is a Jurchen, and Daisy is from the barbarian tribe further north. When she comes here, she returns to their hometown, and Li Yuanqing doesn't have to worry too much about their health.

Li Yuanqing also needs a "caring person" who can introduce him to the customs and customs in detail.

Gu Duo couldn't help but be overjoyed when he heard this. He put down the teacup carefully and said happily: "Sir, Sister Daisy has been up long ago. I'll call her right away."

Looking at Gu Duo's graceful back, Li Yuanqing couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

This little beautiful snake needs to be a little more familiar...

…………

Half an hour later, after a simple dinner, Li Yuanqing took Daisy and Gu Duo, escorted by Joseph, Yang Lei, and 200 fully armed soldiers, and went ashore in an orderly manner to inspect the Ming army stronghold in Vladivostok.

During the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties, Vladivostok was known as the "Yongming City" and was an important trading port in the Northeast region during the Yuan Dynasty.

Because it is located in the extreme north, but it is a "frozen-free port" and the surrounding bay conditions are extremely superior. It was prosperous during the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties.

Unfortunately, in the Ming Dynasty, due to the implementation of the sea ban policy, this place began to gradually become lonely.

Especially at this time, due to the rise of the Houjin Jurchen, the tribal disputes here became more complicated, the conflicts continued, and there was a lot of decline.

At this time, due to the manpower limitations of the Changsheng Camp and the "contract" between Li Yuanqing and Huang Taiji, the Ming army did not occupy the city of Vladivostok. Instead, they purchased a small island from the local Jurchen tycoons and tribal leaders, built fortifications, and served as

stronghold.

On the surface and in private, we conduct private trade with these local Jurchen wealthy families and tribal leaders.

These Jurchen wealthy tribes and tribal leaders gradually enjoyed the benefits of the deal with the Ming army. In addition, the Ming army's stronghold was at sea and they could not attack it even if they wanted to, so they acquiesced to this status quo.

At this time, the Ming army's stronghold was still about thirty-four miles away from the city of Vladivostok.

Otherwise, the size of the Ming army's fleet would have scared the shit out of these local dog Tatars.

In fact, both Wang Damao and Shu Luohuan had proposed to Li Yuanqing many times before that they wanted to capture the city of Vladivostok.

Shu Luohuan, in particular, wanted to take over the city of Vladivostok and use it as his own stronghold, without having to interfere with Wang Damao and the others.

But Li Yuanqing rejected their proposals several times and chose to maintain the status quo.

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Chapter completed!