The ninth son of the emperor was demoted at the beginning. I have a famous Chinese general.

Chapter 229: Capturing the Tamsui Chicken Coop

"General Li, you take the people to control the city gate, and I will be in charge of the city."

Xiang Yu was overbearing towards Li Yuan.

"it is good!"

Li Yuanba didn't waste any words and immediately led more than a hundred soldiers in two directions to control the city gate.

Xiang Yu led the remaining soldiers to continue advancing into the city.

At this time, the guards in the city also discovered something unusual.

"The enemy is coming, stop them quickly."

"kill!"

The defending general immediately rushed out of the camp with his soldiers.

Soon, the two sides started a fierce battle in the city.

Unfortunately, the enemy was numerous and we were few. The defenders of Tamsui had less than two thousand troops, while Xiang Yu had more than five thousand troops, and their combat effectiveness was extremely strong.

In less than a quarter of an hour, all the defenders were killed or wounded.

Xiang Yu took advantage of the situation and chased them to the Tamsui government office, where he arrested the Tamsui prefect and other officials.

In less than half an hour, Danshui City fell into Ning Quan's hands.

Ning Quan also entered the city later and personally supervised the restoration of order in the city and appeased the people.

Xiang Yu led his army towards Jilong City without stopping.

Jilong City is located northeast of Tamsui City, less than sixty miles away from Tamsui City.

In order to prevent Jilong City from receiving the news, it must be taken down as quickly as possible.

When Xiang Yu led his army to arrive, it was already evening and Jilong City was about to close its gates.

"kill!"

Seeing that the city gate was about to close, Xiang Yu immediately rushed into the city.

The soldiers guarding the gate were shocked when they saw the enemy coming so aggressively.

"Help! The enemy is coming into the city!"

The soldiers defending the city shouted in panic.

But they were killed by Xiang Yu after they had just shouted a few words.

Following closely, thousands of soldiers rushed into the city.

Next, just like with Tamshui City, Xiang Yu took Jilong City in less than a quarter of an hour.

Then Xiang Yu immediately ordered someone to inform Ning Quan.

Ning Quan was overjoyed when he learned that Xiang Yu had successfully captured the chicken coop.

If he could take over Tamsui and Keelung, he would have a firm foothold in Ryukyu.

With Ryukyu as a forward base, his naval dream took the first step forward.

"Send the order down, have all ships take this time to rest and resupply, and also send for General Zhou."

"Yes!"

After a while, Zhou Yu came in front of Ning Quan.

"General Zhou, I didn't expect us to take over Danshui and Jilong so easily. Now you're about to take over."

"Your next tasks are threefold: first, to occupy the entire Ryukyu Islands; second, to train the navy; and third, to develop the shipbuilding industry. We must have our own shipyards and be able to manufacture our own warships."

Ning Quan said incessantly.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will definitely fulfill my mission."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu clasped his fists respectfully.

"Well, I believe in your ability."

"If you have any needs, please tell me. I will do my best to meet them."

"Your Highness, if we want to build a shipyard, we will need a lot of gold and silver!"

"Also, Your Highness, could you please leave some food behind? Ryukyu is also suffering from a drought, and the people are starving."

"Of course, this is not a problem. I will leave you one million dan of grain and two million taels of silver. I also know that developing the shipbuilding industry requires a large amount of capital investment."

"Except for the crew members we captured who need to be released, all the remaining crew members, soldiers, and ships are left to you, including the large ship."

"But large ships must be used with caution, because the ammunition is limited, and every time you use one, you have one less."

Ning Quan explained.

"Yes, I understand. Your Highness, please rest assured."

"Okay, go down!"

"Yes, I will take my leave!"

Zhou Yu bowed and left.

"Your Highness, Princess Kim Hyo-joo requests an audience."

At this time, a guard came in to report.

"Well, please ask her to come in."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The guards retreated.

Not long after, Kim Hyo-joo came over.

"I have met His Highness."

Kim Hyo-joo bowed and saluted.

"Princess, please don't be so polite."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"Princess, are you here to worry about food?"

Ning Quan asked with a smile.

“Yes, Your Highness, I wonder when the food can be shipped to Silla?”

Kim Hyo Joo asked expectantly.

"Of course, we have to wait until the grain is unloaded in Pingjin, otherwise there won't be enough transportation capacity."

"Then could Your Highness give me an exact date so I can have an idea."

"Why, you look anxious?"

Ning Quan looked at Jin Xiaozhu and asked.

"Not really, I just want to get there as early as possible so that I can rescue the people sooner."

"Oh, I see."

"But the people of Daqian also need food, so Princess can only wait."

"Or maybe we can find more grain ships."

Ning Quan said with a smile.

"A grain ship?"

"Your Highness... I see there are many merchant ships in Tamsui Port. Can we hire them to transport food?"

Kim Hyo-joo's eyes lit up and she quickly suggested.

"Huh? That's a good idea. We can try it."

"But Princess, you have to think clearly. Hiring a merchant ship costs money."

Ning Quan reminded.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I understand this."

"I just don't know if they are willing to help me transport it." Kim Hyo-joo said worriedly.

"Why wouldn't you want to earn money?"

"Come on, I'll go with you to the dock and ask."

"Okay, I'll trouble you then, Your Highness."

Kim Hyo Joo expressed gratitude.

Afterwards, Ning Quan and Jin Xiaozhu took a carriage and headed straight to the port.

The two arrived at the port and found that there were quite a few merchant ships anchored there.

Some merchant ships were loaded with cargo, but most were empty.

Ning Quan ordered the captains of these merchant ships to come and ask them whether they were transporting food to Silla.

After some inquiries, the captains of the merchant ships all expressed their willingness.

Tamsui is only a five-day sailing trip from Silla, and they don’t have much work right now, so why not take the job?

Immediately, the captains of the merchant ships signed the agreement one after another, and Kim Hyo-joo also paid a deposit on the spot. Then dozens of merchant ships sailed to the open sea to load grain.

When the captains saw the big ship, they were also shocked as expected.

They swore they had never seen such a huge ship in their lives.

What shocked them even more was the huge pipes used to load the grain later.

That pipeline was like a whale-swallowing beast. A merchant ship with a capacity of two or three thousand dan could be filled up in just a few minutes. It was simply incredible.

Ning Quan has become accustomed to this and no longer cares about these shocks.

After loading and unloading, he ordered the merchant ship to set off.

But to Ning Quan's surprise, Kim Hyo Joo did not return to Silla on the ship.

“Princess, why don’t you go back?”

Ning Quan asked doubtfully.

"Well... I still want to go to Daqian and have a look. I don't want to go back so early."

Kim Hyo Joo said with a blushing face.

"I see, it's true... Daqian is worth a visit."

"It's just right that we're heading to Pingjin Port, so we can give the princess a ride along the way."