Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

It is said that when Emperor Guangwu established the Eastern Han Dynasty, in order to form a navy, he built a shipyard in Baishazhou, Jiangxia, Jingzhou, and started shipbuilding on a large scale. With the legacy left by his predecessors and Liu Biao's long rule over Jingzhou, the navy was naturally strong.

But when it comes to the historical heritage of the shipbuilding industry, the deepest one is actually Wujun, which is the place where Sun Ce was first sent by Yuan Shu.

Wujun was a major shipbuilding country during the Spring and Autumn Period. It once sent a fleet to attack Qi State from the sea. In order to go out to sea during the Qin and Han Dynasties, the shipbuilding industry never stopped. Therefore, the shipbuilding technology, talents and raw materials here must be very rich. Sun Ce also had the support of local gentry, so it was not difficult for him to build a powerful navy.

Zhang Mo continued to educate her son and husband, "The third best shipbuilding province should be Jiaozhou. Although it's geographically remote, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once sent envoys from the Nanri County Barrier and Hepu County of Jiaozhou to the Yichengbu Kingdom (Sri Lanka), which was considered the opening of the Maritime Silk Road. After that, there was also a lot of trade with India."

"Jiaozhou has a long history of shipbuilding and has never been ravaged by war. It's just that the sparse population there has limited its economic development."

"The last bastions of our Han Dynasty's shipbuilding industry are Liaodong and Beihai, that is, the Bohai Sea area. Liaodong is in the hands of Gongsun Du, and General Xu has probably gathered all the available resources in Beihai."

Therefore, among the available resources, the fastest speed of shipbuilding is just this. If we want to complete the great cause of unification faster, it seems that it is not enough to rely on our own construction. We have to find a way to get some ready-made warships from other places.

After hearing this, Lu Qian suddenly realized what was going on and asked, "Then what roles do these ships play in battle?"

Not only Lu Qian didn't know, Lu Bu also had no idea about it, and Zhang Mo only knew its name and saw its shape, but she couldn't describe its specific function.

Xu Rong led a few people along the river to the seashore, pointing to the large and small ships and explaining, "Those large ships are primarily used for warfare. Each floor is surrounded by a three-foot-high wall to defend against enemy weapons. Arrow slits and spear holes are cut into the walls, allowing soldiers to shoot and engage the enemy. Furthermore, they have battlements made of hardwood, serving as battlements. The walls of each floor are also covered with leather for added protection. A large ship can carry up to 3,000 soldiers."

He pointed to a medium-sized warship and said, "This type of ship is narrow and long, fast and highly maneuverable. It has crossbow holes and spear holes on both sides, mainly used for ramming and firing. It is covered with cowhide to protect against rockets."

"The vanguard ships are placed at the front of the fleet, used to attack enemy warships. There are also heavily armed ships called 'kans', with double decking. The smallest ships in a fleet are the red horse boats and yachts, used for scouts and patrols."

"I see!"

After learning about warships and naval battles firsthand, Lu Bu and his wife became less and less confident about conquering Dongwu and Jingzhou.

Currently, the only person in the Tang State who knows a lot about warships is Xu Rong, who was born in Liaodong. A lot of what he knows was learned in Bohai this year. In terms of actual naval battles, he seems to have only fought a few pirates who came to Qingzhou to plunder. Compared with Dongwu and Jingzhou, the current navy of the Tang State is like a newborn baby, while they are already adults. How can they fight?

Xu Rong said, "These are just the basics of naval warfare. I don't really understand the specific tactics used in actual combat. I also think there might be differences between fighting at sea and fighting on inland rivers."

He bowed his hands and apologized, "Your Majesty, Princess, it's not that I refuse to serve, but commanding the navy is beyond my ability. I'm afraid I can't bear this heavy responsibility."

For the current Tang State, warships are particularly important. If they are destroyed in a battle in the future, he is afraid that he will not be able to bear the responsibility.

Zhang Mo knew Xu Rong's concerns. The navy was the key to the Tang Kingdom's southward conquest of Eastern Wu and Jingzhou, and the naval commander was the key among the keys. A person with no experience in naval warfare, once he made a mistake in command during the battle, this battle could affect the world situation for decades to come. This was what happened when Cao Cao was defeated in the Battle of Chibi. After that battle, Cao Cao was no longer able to fight against Eastern Wu, and even later, Cao Pi conquered Wu three times, but all failed!

"General Xu, did you try to persuade the pirates to surrender when you intercepted the pirate ship?" Zhang Mo asked.

Xu Rong said, "I know the Tang Kingdom lacks naval forces, so I tried to recruit as many as I could. However, the pirates are cunning. After three battles, I only captured a few ships and some small fry. The main force fled. The pirates have built a stronghold on the island. I am not familiar with the waters here, so I dare not attack them rashly."

"Do you know who the pirate leader is?"

"I asked the captives. The bandit leader is named Guan Cheng, a native of Changguang County in Donglai. He's been a skilled swimmer since childhood. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Qingzhou, he organized the people into bandits, looting government ships and forming a maritime bandit army. They often sailed upstream, plundering the countryside, then fled to the islands. The Qingzhou government once sent a fleet to suppress them, but they returned without success."

"How many ships do they have?"

"The captive said they had two large warships, but because the rivers in Qingzhou weren't very suitable for them, they were essentially useless and had been stationed on an island. They also had over fifty warships and some small boats. They not only plundered Qingzhou, but also went to Liaodong to work, even robbing tribute from the Three Han states to Gongsun Du. One of the warships was looted from the Three Han states."

The Three Han that Xu Rong mentioned are Mahan, Jinhan, and Byeonhan on the Korean Peninsula today, which is basically the present-day South Korea, while Korea at that time belonged to Gongsun Du's territory.

Lu Bu felt shocked after hearing this. He had invested so much manpower, material resources and financial resources, but only had a hundred or so ships, while the possessions of a pirate on the other side were almost the same as his own. Moreover, this guy was obviously experienced in naval battles, at least his navigation skills were good.

Zhang Mo knew Guan Cheng, but there were not many records about him in historical materials. It was only said that he was a pirate who was defeated by Cao Cao and defected to Cao Wei. There was no further record of him after that, and it was unknown whether this guy participated in the Battle of Chibi.

"First, find a way to capture this thief. If we can get him to surrender, it will also be a great addition to our navy."

"How do we capture them? They're as nimble as loaches. The first two times I came, I didn't even see their shadow. The third time, I was lucky. I chose two places along the Donglai coast where they might land and set up an ambush. I happened to run into them and was able to intercept a few ships. Now they should be more alert to this area, making it difficult to capture them. Besides, the coastal areas are almost frozen, so we have to wait until spring to capture them."

Zhang Mo said, "Spring is a good start. After a winter of rest, those people will definitely be back working next year. During this time, we should think of a way. Even if we can't catch them alive, we must eliminate this bandit problem. As for the navy, you can only train them first. I will try to find a way to recruit someone from Jingzhou."