When Shi Shipiao learned from Wang Dong that the rebels in Ningbo had set up a fort at the mouth of the Yongjiang River, his face was gloomy and clear. The geographical location of the Yongjiang River was extremely clear. The Yongjiang River was at the entrance of Hangzhou Bay. The estuary was smooth and the river channel was unobstructed. You can directly reach Ningbo from the Yongjiang River. This is the best route to attack Ningbo from the sea.

It is precisely because of this that Shi Shipiao regarded Yongjiang as his preferred attack route, but he also knew in his heart that the rebels entrenched in Ningbo would not fail to notice the threat from Yongjiang to Ningbo, and would definitely defend themselves in Yongjiang.

However, with the Fujian Navy, Shi Shipiao was full of confidence in the combat effectiveness of the navy. After all, the Fujian Navy was the most powerful navy in the Qing Dynasty. He was brave and good at fighting and was invincible under the management of Shi Shipiao and his father. But at the same time, Shi Shipiao, who was good at water and land warfare, was very clear about the threat of the fort to the fleet. There is a Western proverb that the commander of the warship against the same fort is a fool. Although Shi Shipiao was not a Westerner, many years of war also told him that warships and turrets would not take any advantage over bombing under the same conditions, especially when the cannons of the turrets reached a certain scale, on a river surface like Yongjiang, warships were living targets placed in front of the other side.

Shi Shipiao knew that there were cannons in Ningbo City, but he knew better that Ningbo City's cannons were just decorations. Those cannons older than his father, who died, were not threatening at all. Could it be that the thieves in Ningbo wanted to set up their cannons on the fort to compete with the Fujian Navy?

"Don't you know, Grandmaster? Those thieves have been plundering the craftsmen in the city since they entered the city and vigorously developed firearms. These Ningbo people know that they were surprised when Shi Shipiao asked. Seeing that his answer was not fake, Shi Shipiao immediately asked other gentry to ask. The gentry in unison proved that the thieves in Ningbo City were indeed developing firearms after entering the city, and also gathered all the craftsmen that could be found in the city.

This answer made Shi Shipiao hesitate. As the navy admiral who is good at using firearms, Shi Shipiao's understanding of firearms is much better than others. He knew that casting cannons is not that simple, but there have always been talented people among the people. Moreover, it is hard for these thieves to pay so much attention to firearms. Who can guarantee that Ningbo's thieves would not cast a batch of cannons during this period? In addition, the origin of these thieves is strange. What if they had cannons in their hands long ago? Shi Shipiao, who has always been cautious, would never be able to engage in recklessness before he figured out the situation.

Once the warships enter the Yongjiang River, it will be difficult for the Fujian Navy to turn around and return. If the cannons in Ningbo's rebels can block the Yongjiang River, the attack on the Fujian Navy will be extremely powerful. After Wang Dong and the gentry left, Shi Shipiao thought that he would be more uneasy and quickly attracted people to give me some advice.

The Fujian Navy did not set off its anchor on the second day, but temporarily stationed in Zhoushan, claiming that the navy needed to rest and prepare and start the war on a date. But in fact, the reason why the Fujian Navy was temporarily stationed was because of the "fort" mentioned by Wang Dong. Shi Shipiao, who was cautious, must understand the defense situation of Yongjiang to ensure the authenticity of the intelligence and then send troops.

This stop lasted for two days. On the afternoon of the third day, the people sent by Shi Shipiao to investigate finally returned.

“How is the situation?”

He called the person onto his ship, and Shi Shipiao couldn't wait to ask.

"When returning to the army gate, Yongjiang River was indeed set up in Ningbo. After careful observation, there were five forts, here... and here..." The man pointed to the map he brought back, which marked the location of the fort. When he saw this map, Shi Shipiao frowned. The location of the thieves in Ningbo was obviously stuck at the key point of the river road, and they echoed front and back, relying on each other. It seemed that there were experts among the thieves!

"How about cannons? What kind of cannons are used by the thief?" Shi Shipiao asked. The cannon alone is more difficult, but more importantly, the cannons equipped, which is the real key.

"When returning to the army gate, the thieves were strictly guarding the fort, and it was extremely difficult for idle people to get close to. Bei Jie could only drive a small boat at night to see and observe. According to what Bei Jie saw, the cannon... cannon..." When he said this, the man hesitated.

"To be honest!"

"It's... Bei Zhi thinks that the cannon used by the thief is clearly the newly cast red barbarian cannon..."

"Red cannons? Newly cast? You read that right? How many are there in total?" Shi Shipiao was shocked and asked urgently.

"Weizhi will never read it wrong. The largest turret has three layers, the top turret is equipped with five gates, the middle turret is six gates, the lower turret is smaller, but there are ten gates. The remaining turrets are slightly smaller, but the smallest turrets are combined more than ten gates..."

Shi Shipiao was shocked when he heard this. He never expected that the Ningbo thieves would have such a powerful turret. It was impossible! Where did these cannons come from? Could it be that these thieves had a relationship with the barbarians entrenched in South China? Otherwise, how could they have produced so many red barbarian cannons?

Shi Shipiao had no doubt about his subordinate's judgment. After all, this subordinate was his old subordinate. He had participated in the war on attacking Taiwan under the command of his father many years ago, and was also a famous gunner in the fleet. Such an old gunner should be sure to judge the type of cannon. No wonder he was hesitant just now. The reason was that the power of the Ningbo thief-battery made him also shocked.

Faced with such a situation, how could Shi Shipiao sit still? After understanding the situation of the Yongjiang defense line, Shi Shipiao was shocked and glad. Fortunately, he knew about the Yongjiang Fort in advance, otherwise the entire Fujian Navy would have been sunk by the thief's fortress as a target by the thief's fortress. Now, although he has some doubts about the source of the cannons such as the thief, the facts are in front of him. The previous plan to enter the Yongjiang River must not be implemented anymore, and Shi Shipiao must re-select the route.

Remove the Yongjiang route, there are only two attack routes left in front of Shi Shipiao. One is to land from Xiangshan, and the other is to land from east of Dinghai, which is to land in Beilun in later generations to attack Ningbo.

It is no longer realistic to walk on Xiangshan. The fleet has already arrived in Zhoushan. If you want to land from Xiangshan, the fleet will go back. This will inevitably bring illusions to the gentry and the people of Zhoushan, and it will be even more unfavorable to the morale of the Fujian Navy. Then the only option is to land in Dinghai. The fleet has the shortest distance from Dinghai. It is also the most convenient. Unfortunately, after landing, the main cannons of the fleet cannot be carried, and attacking Ningbo can only rely on the bravery of small cannons and soldiers. But these Shi Shipiao is still confident. In his opinion, Ningbo's thieves are currently focused on the direction of the Yongjiang River. As long as he is fast, he will also send a small group of ships to the mouth of the Yongjiang River to make a fuss and shoot. It should be no big problem to take Ningbo.

Time was tight, and Shi Shipiao quickly made up his mind to recruit his subordinates to hold a pre-war meeting. When the next day was dawn, the entire Fujian Navy set sail and headed northward. After a distance from the sea, most of the navy turned south to Dinghai, and a small number continued to the northwest Yongjiang under the banner of Shipiao.
Chapter completed!