After listening to what Qiu Guangyi said about the island, Yang Zhen was silent for a while, and became more and more certain that it was the so-called Xiaobijiashan Island.

This small island, hundreds of years later, is still an uninhabited land. There must be a reason.

The reason for this is probably because there is no water source, it is small, there are no trees, and it cannot be cultivated.

If there are no trees on the island, it is impossible to cut down and build houses, and without trees, there is no wind protection. Not to mention summer typhoons, even ordinary sea winds, ordinary people cannot stay on this bare island.

In addition, if everything for food, clothing, and accommodation needs to be transported from other places, then the cost of garrisoning this island will be very high.

For the ordinary fishermen on the coast, apart from being able to temporarily rest on the shore when they go fishing, a barren island like this with no water, no trees, and no fields is of no use to them.

It is unattractive and cannot attract anyone to settle on the island.

Similarly, for the defenders of the coastal castles, this island is not only small, but also too close to the coast, so there is no need to send troops to garrison it.

First, the coast of Liaodong Bay will be frozen with ice in winter, especially in December, and the ice layer is also very thick in places closer to the coast.

I think back then, with Juehua Island being so far away from the Ningyuan coast, the sea surface between it and the coast was frozen into several feet of ice, which was enough for Donglu's cavalry to rush to the island on the ice.

, so let alone this small island with flat terrain and no danger to defend.

From a military point of view, this small island is of no value to the Tashan or Xingshan defenders on the nearby coast.

Secondly, five or six miles south of this island on the sea, there is a Big Bijiashan Island that can be directly connected to the land at low tide.

This large Bijiashan Island has a steep terrain and is mostly surrounded by cliffs. Not only is it much higher than the sea level, so there is no need to worry about tides and waves, but the area of ​​the island is also much larger. The island is lined with peaks, lush forests, and

There are many palaces, temples and complexes that have existed for unknown years, and garrisoning troops there can naturally save a lot of trouble.

In contrast, this so-called small Bijiashan Island has always been uninhabited and unguarded, and it was still a deserted island that no one cared about until hundreds of years later, which is quite normal.

However, for Yang Zhen, this small uninhabited island still has a different kind of value, and its value lies in its location.

First of all, it is not far from the Liaodong Army's maritime grain route transfer station, namely the Bijiashan Island Tunliangcheng on the sea east of Tashan. It is only five or six miles away. If something happens in Bijiashan, rescue can be done at any time.

Secondly, it is very close to the west coast, that is, the coast between Xingshan and Tashan, and the post road between Xingshan and Tashan is the Liaoxi Post Road that connects Ningyuan, Lianshan, Tashan, Xingshan, Songshan and Jinzhou Zhucheng.

, just within ten miles on the west coast.

Yang Zhen could completely use this island as a springboard, or advance base, and land on the shore at an opportunity to ambush the Manchu Tatar army passing by.

Although a head-on confrontation with the Manchu Tatar army in the wild is not possible for the time being, some sneak attacks or ambushes can still be carried out.

"If there is no water, you can bring water. If there is no wood, you can also bring wood. Although this island is small, it has its own uses. - By the way, it doesn't have a name. Since it is close to Beacon Mountain, it will be used in the future.

Let’s call it Little Bijiashan Island. As for Bijiashan in the south, where the Liaodong Army Grain City is located, we’ll call it Big Bijiashan from now on.”

Yang Zhen thought for a long time, and finally decided to send people to the island to build a dock for ships to dock on the island and a camp for the army to temporarily stay.

It doesn't matter that there are no trees on the island. He originally didn't want to carry out large-scale construction to build any permanent fortifications, castles or camps. He only needed to dig and build a number of semi-underground shacks in the leeward area of ​​the island, which was low on the ground. But

It is enough for the soldiers who are marching to Dongying to rest temporarily for the night.

Yang Zhen explained these things one by one, and finally said to Qiu Zhenhai and Qiu Guangyi: "Your fleet has done a good job in this matter. But next, we must make persistent efforts.

"On the one hand, Xiaobijiashan needs to be occupied, a port built, shacks built, and more firewood prepared. On the other hand, ships continue to be sent south along the coast, bypassing Dabijiashan, to the sea outside Tashan, and Lianshan

Go to the outer sea to investigate.

"Of course, there is no need to go to the sea outside Ningyuan City and the direction of Juehua Island, so as not to arouse the doubts of Ningyuan's superior officials. Moreover, this matter must be carried out as secretly as possible, and try not to attract any attention from the Dabijiashan garrison and the apricots along the coast.

Attention the troops stationed in Shan, Tashan, Lianshan and other places!"

After Qiu Guangyi heard what Yang Zhen said, he just nodded in confusion. However, Qiu Zhenhai felt something in his heart and seemed to realize something.

Since joining Yang Zhen at Xu Guanbao, Qiu Zhenhai has followed Yang Zhen in attacking Xiongyue City and Gaizhou City. He has gained some understanding of Yang Zhen's usual tactics.

At this time, after hearing Yang Zhen repeatedly say that he should act in secret and not disturb the troops stationed in Xingshan, Tashan, Lianshan and other places to avoid attracting attention, he immediately thought of the military actions Yang Zhen might take next.

"The governor is thinking that when the Manchu Tatars come to attack western Liaoning in autumn and winter, we can take the sea route to rescue Ningyuan by surprise?"

After Qiu Zhenhai said this, he immediately thought of the battle to rescue Songshan that made Yang Zhen famous.

The reason why Yang Zhen succeeded was precisely because he took the sea route and unexpectedly appeared behind the Manchu Tatar army besieging Ningyuan, and burned down the Manchu Tatar grain and grass camp in one fell swoop.

Therefore, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that Yang Zhen was going to repeat his old tricks, and he himself occupied an important position in it, and his heart suddenly became warm.

After Qiu Zhenhai abandoned his secret position and joined Yang Zhen, he still has not made any achievements so far. Although Yang Zhen praised him very much, took him seriously and held him in high esteem, he still felt a little uneasy in his heart.

He didn't want to be seen as the leader of the Songshan rear army, who was highly relied upon by Yang Zhen, because of his niece's favor.

At the same time, he didn't want to lead the fleet at Zhimao Bay all day long, just go out to sea for fishing, or repair fortifications, and cultivate and farm. He wanted to make meritorious deeds, follow Yang Zhen, and earn a greater future for himself and his subordinates.

.

Therefore, when he thought that Yang Zhen might use the fleet to fight, he immediately became a little excited.

Seeing him like this, Yang Zhen laughed at first, and then said to him: "You just go and prepare as I said. What we should do then depends on how Man Tatar acts. But no matter how Man Tatar acts,

, we cannot let them lead us by the nose on land. If we want to go, it must be by sea.

"That is to say, there will definitely be an opportunity to reuse your fleet. So during this period, in addition to doing the things I assigned you, you also have to prepare the ships that are left in the port. Repair those that need to be repaired, and repair those that need to be repaired.

When it comes to supplements, the more the better, the more the better, so as not to be overwhelmed when you need to use it.”

"Captain Governor, you can rest assured. At present, there are more than 240 large and small ships in the Zhimao Bay Ship Camp alone. If we include the ships of Yu Dusi, the sailor camp, and the ships under the command of General Yan Qian, the fleet has 300 large and small ships.

The remaining ships can transfer 2,000 men and horses at one time, so there will be no problem!"

After listening to what Yang Zhen said, Qiu Zhenhai became more and more certain that his judgment was correct. He immediately agreed to Yang Zhen's instructions and immediately reported the basic situation of the fleet to Yang Zhen.

Qiu Zhenhai and Qiu Guangyi were not outsiders. At noon that day, Yang Zhen stayed with the two of them to have lunch together at the General Military Mansion. While eating, they talked a lot about his plans for the future of the naval fleet.

For example, where should we go to cut down wood to build more new warships? For example, in the future, artillery that can open shells should be installed on the ship to support the Zhengdong Battalion in conducting offshore land operations, etc.

After Qiu Zhenhai listened closely to Yang Zhen's vision for the naval fleet, he became more confident in his own future and the future of the Qiu family's children.

For Yang Zhen, in order for these people to truly follow him wholeheartedly, he must have unlimited confidence in their future prospects.
Chapter completed!