Chapter 829 Smart Women

Song Nan and his entourage rushed into the city. Huang Jue tried their best to invite Song Nan to go to the military office to discuss the discussion. Song Nan thought about it and agreed. The group marched along the street to the six government gates outside Zhengyang Gate in the city. Looking at the street scene of Nanjing City, the old story came to Song Nan's mind, and Shen Yunyan's face came to her mind.

I haven't cared about Shen Yunyan's news for a long time. Now that more than a year has passed, Song Nan has no way of knowing whether the top card of Yunxiao Pavilion has married according to his wishes, or is still waiting alone in Yunxiao Pavilion. Song Nan wanted to send someone to Yunxiao Pavilion to ask about Shen Yunyan's situation, but he quickly gave up this idea. A year later, he didn't want to disturb Shen Yunyan's life. Everyone has his own fate. Since he didn't intend to, why should he provoke her?

"The Duke of Zhen has arrived. Please." Huang Jue's attentive greeting interrupted Song Nan's thoughts, and the magnificent gate building with the black tile lion standing in front of him was the gate of the Nanjing Military Department. Although it can be seen that the gray stones on the outer wall of the government office are a little peeled and mottled, and the top of the gate building also has a long grass climbing up, looking like a disrepair appearance, from the overall pattern, we can still see how magnificent the military government office should have been when Nanjing was still the capital.

The lobby of the Military Department is full. After Song Nan naturally sat in the lobby case, the Shangshu of Nanjing Military Department was over 70 years old and could not perform his duties in the early years. The large and small affairs of the Military Department are in the hands of the right servant Huang Jue, which is also the reason why Huang Jue's status in Nanjing is not low. Everyone knows that the old Shangshu will soon die, and the position of the Nanjing Military Department Shangshu has long been Huang Jue's bag. In fact, the current Huang Jue and the Military Department Shangshu are no different.

"All of you, please sit down."

Song Nan looked at the officials in Nanjing with a smile. Before Song Nan had said anything, a white-beard Hanlin of Hanlin Academy got up and said tremblingly, "Duke Zhen, I heard that the traitor Zhu Chenhao led 100,000 troops to attack our Nanjing City. Originally, the old man was only a rumor, but the Duke of Zhen led a large army. Coming, does that mean that this matter is true?

Song Nan smiled and said, "Is this old man?"

"Lord Zhou edited by Hanlin Academy." Huang Jue grabbed the way.

Song Nan nodded and said, "Lord Zhou, this matter is indeed true. According to the news received this morning, the rebels have flowed down and have occupied Tongling and Fanchang County. At this rate, in two days at most, they will occupy Wuhu and Dangtu and reach the river east of Nanjing."

After a burst of discussion, Lord Zhou asked again: "I also heard that the number of troops led by the Duke of Zhen here is only more than 40,000, but I don't know if there is a good way to resist 100,000 rebels."

Song Nan laughed and said, "Lord Zhou is very concerned."

The old man said, "To tell you the truth, the old man is so worried that there is no danger to defend Nanjing City. If it comes to the infantry, it will be fine. Zhu Chenhao's rebels are mostly sailors, and they are the nemesis of Nanjing City. Once Pukou is occupied, you can come to the city and fight against it with 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers and horses. I'm afraid that the Duke of the town will be difficult to resist.

Huang Jue shouted, "What did Lord Zhou say? What does it mean to be difficult to resist? What's the reason for being timid before fighting?

Song Nan waved his hand and said, "Lord Zhou's worry is not unreasonable. Yes, I have only led more than 40,000 soldiers, but in fact, Zhu Chenhao's rebels are not as much as he boasts. Guarding Nanjing is the minimum requirement. My purpose is to completely eliminate Zhu Chenhao in Nanjing, which is my real purpose.

There was a buzz of officials, some were happy and some did not believe it. Most people thought Song Nan was talking big.

Song Nan smiled and said, "Of course, it is inseparable from the assistance of your local soldiers and civilians in Nanjing. As long as we arrange it properly, it will not be so difficult."

Qian Taichang suddenly said, "Duke Zhen, I don't know whether Qian should say it or not."

Song Nan smiled and said, "Master Qian has something to say. Don't be stuck. You and I are old friends in Beijing."

Qian Taichang nodded and said, "Then I will report the situation of Nanjing to the prince. In the past, I did not know the situation of Nanjing in the capital. Until I took up the post of admiral of the left-in department, I knew that Nanjing's defense was extremely weak. Although Nanjing is the capital, nominally there are Jin Wuwei's military guards stationed in the city, and there are still Zhenjiangwei and Jian on the periphery. Yangwei and Jiangningwei's three guards are full of soldiers and horses, with less than 30,000. 30,000 people are stationed in this big city of millions of people, let alone fight against it?

Huang Jue said, "Isn't it enough to add more than 40,000 soldiers and horses of the Duke of Zhen and nearly 80,000 people?"

Qian Taichang glanced at Huang Jue and said, "I also came here to know the difference in the combat effectiveness of the defense here. The equipment and weapons have not been changed for several years. The military discipline is lazy, the soldiers are old and weak, and Jane is a soldier and horse that can't be used at all. If 30,000 soldiers and horses are willing to screen combatable soldiers, I'm afraid half of them are not enough. If the Duke of Zhen wants to join hands with these soldiers and horses, it's better not to join hands.

The leading officials in the hall reported their eyes one after another. Since the Marquis Qian Taichang was demoted to Nanjing, it seemed that the whole world had a grudge against him, and he was awkward everywhere. At this moment, he began to praise and depreciate the fighting power of the local defenders and gave a very poor evaluation, which was really unpleasant.

Song Nan smiled and said, "I just said that soldiers are not expensive, but it doesn't have to be assisted by Nanjing's soldiers and horses to defeat Zhu Chenhao."

Qian Taichang said, "I understand what the Duke of Zhen means, but if the Duke of Zhen wants to defeat Zhu Chenhao, I'm afraid he needs Nanjing to provide a large number of warships. General Mao 18 of the Nanjing Marine Division is here. You can ask him how many warships are available in Nanjing Marine Division."

Qian Taichang is worthy of having commanded the Beijing camp, and in one word, he said what Song Nan wanted. Zhu Chenhao's number of soldiers and horses should be eight. As many as 90,000, although the warship is not as exaggerated as the thousand ships he calls, there are at least six or seven hundred large ships to load so many soldiers and horses. Once these ships go directly through the mouth of the Qinhuai River into Nanjing and let the rebels enter Nanjing to fight, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Although the Qinhuai River gate has city stacks and city walls, as well as defenders' defense, Song Nan knows that there must be artillery devices in the bow of warships, and the walls of those estuary are absolutely irresistible. The only way is to block them on the river, preferably on the river.

Let's not talk about how to repel it. First of all, there are ships, otherwise the soldiers and horses they brought will float on the surface of the turbulent river one by one.

Before coming, Song Nan knew that there was a sailor's office in Nanjing. At that time, Taizu and Chen Youliang competed for the world. After the Poyang Lake War, thousands of warships were captured and set up in the capital Nanjing. In any case, there should be many ships in this sailor's office. These warships are needed.

But listening to what Qian Taichang means, there seems to be a secret.

"Which adult is Lord Mao, the chief soldier of Nanjing Marine Division?" Song Nan asked.

"The 18th visit of the Duke of Zhen." A short middle-aged man with a moustache came out and saluted with his fists.

Song Nan said, "Are you the chief soldier of Nanjing Marine Division?"

Mao 18 said, "I dare not, it's a humble position."

"Then tell me how many warships you have now?"

"My lord, 33 warships are available." Eighteen Mao Dao.

"What?" Song Nan thought she had heard it wrong and asked in surprise.

"Thirty-three, my lord. Our sailor's government used to have 700 warships, but that was decades ago. Now there are only 33, and the rest are rotten. In fact, the sailor's government has died in name. In fact, our government can only be responsible for patrolling the river and the patrol of rivers and lakes in the city, and there is no fighting power at all. Mao 18 said quietly.

Song Nan scratched her head and said, "How could it be like this? Nanjing is close to the water and should be a powerful place for sailors. Why is this situation? What about the boat? Won't it be repaired if it's rotten?"

"To the Duke of Zhen, this is still the amount after the repair of the humble job. Our sailor's money is tight. In addition to the salary of the officers and soldiers, the court only allocates 10,000 taels of silver a year for repair, which is not enough to repair two or three ships, and the humble position is also helpless."

Song Nan was silent. The court's military expenditure was tight, and the northwest war had hardly stopped for decades. Naturally, sailors in places like Nanjing would not be supported as key targets, but only symbolically allocated funds to let them survive and die. So a little silver repair fee can ensure that several ships can be used normally?

For a moment, Song Nan frowned and there was silence in the hall.