Li Mingxun left the Golden Eagle and the White Falcon to clean up the mess and took the Bald Eagle into the inner harbor of Vladivostok alone. The scene in front of him surprised him. The simple port with only one pier and the castle with earthen linings had changed a lot. The pier made of logs penetrated into the deep water area and there were two galleys moored. If it weren't for the flags of the trading company hanging on it and there were familiar people saying hello, Li Mingxun almost thought that the port had been occupied.

In fact, he was just preparing to investigate. If the situation was not good, he would launch a landing, seize the port, and enter the castle.

Vladivostok Castle has been raised and reinforced, and there is a low sheep and horse wall outside. The trench is very deep. The stench emits from the air and the bodies that come into view are enough to prove that there has been a fierce battle here. Li Mingxun met Song Laoqi, Ba Hai and their soldiers at the port. They did not have the sloppy appearance of being trapped for a long time. On the contrary, they seemed to be doing well.

When you enter the castle, you will see the residential areas with sewage flowing everywhere and tents. It is very common in the siege wars of this era. More details surprised Li Mingxun. There are knocking and beating in the blacksmith shop in a corner of the castle, while hundreds of horses stand side by side in the stables. Bags filled with grain can be seen behind the half-open door of the warehouse. Everyone's expression is full of fighting spirit.

Li Mingxun inspected the entire castle and his defense facilities were improved. Not only did he have a wall of sheep and horses, but there were more than a dozen shooting buildings on the city walls, with braided archers on duty. The turret was also reinforced. The chest wall formed by a vine basket filled with earth and stone was enough to withstand the direct shooting of the eighteen-pound cannons. The cannons in the turret cannons can rely on their height to shoot all targets within five miles, and the command room was also set up in the solid Half Moon Fort.

After entering the command room, the damp and moldy smell rushed into Li Mingxun's nostrils. If the table was not filled with the smell of food, Li Mingxun would have almost ran out. The room was about seven or eight meters long and wide, but there were only two windows that were not larger than the size of a washbasin. There was a mezzanine beside the window, which obviously also had the function of perforation, and nothing was considered to be the occupants.

Through the small window, Li Mingxun saw that the people in the castle were busy. Blacksmiths and apprentices were hoofing horses on the animals, soldiers were maintaining weapons, and prisoners were temporarily acting as men to transport the supplies brought by the detachment fleet to the warehouse. Li Mingxun even saw more than a dozen prostitutes cooking and washing clothes.

"Who can tell me what happened and who is the credit for all this? I want to reward him heavily, one hundred Jindu Carter!" Li Mingxun waved his horse whip excitedly and shouted.

Song Laoqi pulled a man with wooden legs and walked into the command room. This was a face tanned by the tropical sun. The pale yellow hair showed that he was a white man from Europe. He looked nearly fifty years old, but he might actually be a little older, with an indifferent look on his face. Li Mingxun suddenly remembered that this was the only foreigner who took the initiative to stay. He was once a blacksmith on the San Juan and a veteran from Genoa.

"Sambar, I still remember you, you did a good job." Li Mingxun said with a smile. He still remembered the name of this veteran, not only because he took the initiative to stay, but also because of the advice he once gave himself - not only does it take guns and food to trap the lonely city, but prostitutes are also indispensable!

Thinking of Sambar's serious face, Li Mingxun couldn't help but laugh. Now it seems that his goal has been achieved.

"Your Excellency, I just want to prove that the Genoese are the real conquerors!" Sambar put on another serious face.

Lee Mingxun patted his thick shoulder and said, "Okay, Sambar, you can get a bounty of 100 Kindu Carter. If you have the chance in the future, I will give you a European lady as your wife, which will definitely satisfy you."

Sambar finally smiled and left with a smile. Li Mingxun sat at the table, looked at Ba Hai and Song Laoqi, who were eating voraciously, and said solemnly: "Thank you for your hard work, the club will never forget your contributions."

"It's nothing, it's just that the city is extremely short of salt, so we can only eat it lightly. Oh, I've eaten enough fish stewed with mushrooms and fungus that I've eaten for several months." Song Laoqi said loudly while eating barbecue dipped in salt.

It was not until the two finished their meal that Li Mingxun asked in detail about what had happened in the past few months. If it weren't for his own words, Li Mingxun would never believe that Vladivostok could have such a situation.

When Li Mingxun left, there were not many people left, but there were a lot of guns, cannons and ammunition. Vladivostok Fort had been formed, with the Uzara Division assisting the guards, and more than 2,000 women and children assisting, they could deal with the general situation. Li Mingxun underestimated the importance of this land to the Qing Dynasty and underestimated the intelligence capabilities of the Qing Dynasty. Before spring began this year, there were scouts of the Donglu around Vladivostok Fort, and small boats appeared on the sea. When it was confirmed that Vladivostok Fort had been exposed, Ba Hai and Song Laoqi began to strengthen their defense.

Bahai quietly returned to Xingkai Lake and wanted to recruit some of the warriors of Qilien. It was already early April when he arrived. The Donglu from Ningguta had arrived. He first forced the tribes to pay fur tax, and then levyed large-scale dens, soldiers and ships, obviously preparing to besiege Vladivostok. Bahai persuaded two overwhelmed small tribes to follow him to the Vladivostok fortress. When he arrived at the beach, he found that there were already garrisons outside the fortress. It turned out to be troops from North Korea and soldiers and naval forces. Bahai sneaked into the enemy's camp, captured hundreds of people, and seized a large amount of food.

After Vladivostok Port was sufficiently manpowered, Sambar used local materials to reinforce fortifications according to the standards of European prisms, and also explored a small coal mine on the west side of the castle to solve the wintering problem. Although the elite soldiers of the Donglu and the Korean troops arrived in mid-April and attacked the castle several times, they had no choice but to do anything. Under the threat of the 18-pound cannon, they did not even dare to camp in the open space outside the castle, but instead retreated to the other side of the mountain.

"Big shopkeeper, you have arrived now. Are we planning a counterattack?" Song Laoqi asked at the end.

Lee Mingxun waved his hand and said, "No, let's figure out the situation first."

In the evening, Song Luofeng and David joined the meeting. Li Mingxun clicked Song Luofeng and asked, "Let's talk about the prisoners first."

"The big shopkeeper, as you expected, the Korean naval army fought against our fleet. The big ships came from Seoul, and the small boats were collected by Hamkyung. Most of the soldiers on it were from nearby Jingcheng and the Beiqing Protectorate. Most of them were temporarily arrested and had no combat power. They were defeated by us. Most of them were reduced. More than 1,400 people were captured in total. Six ships, two galleys and four rowing boats were seized. They could be repaired and repaired." Song Luofeng said respectfully.

Li Mingxun smacked his lips and said, "Oh, if this happens, there will be more than 6,000 people in the city, and I'm afraid I can't afford to support it."

Song Laoqi focused on the key point. There were nearly 3,000 people in the Uzara tribe alone, and two small tribes came. In addition, these prisoners were nearly 7,000, and there were nearly 100 horses and mules in the city. Even though they robbed some military rations last month and brought some in the fleet, it was not enough. Even if they had brought new fishing nets and seized the power to control the sea, they were not worried about fishing. However, compared with so many people, Vladivostok, the bastion was too small.

Wu Mu thought for a while and said, "Master, we are now strong and strong, so it is better to fight the enemy to fight to the decisive battle. As long as we defeat the enemy behind the mountain, many people will support this large black forest."

"Yes, right, defeat those Eastern Captains and solve everything." Ba Hai also waved his fists to support him.

"How many Tatars are there, and how about armor and equipment?" David asked.

Song Laoqi knew that Li Mingxun valued David very much. Since he could sit here, he naturally had the qualifications to be informed. Song Laoqi said: "The Donglu led the troops this time by Angbang Zhangjing Wu Bahai. He had 1,500 people under his command, of which 500 were elite white-armored soldiers, which was the most difficult. He also recruited nearly a thousand troops from various departments to attack. If the North Korean servants were added, it would probably be more than 3,500."

"If the fight starts, it's going to be a head-on battle. If you don't have the confidence to win, it's better to avoid the war." David said.

Li Mingxun nodded slightly. To calculate it roughly, if the sailors on the three schooners were also armed, Vladivostok could have nearly 2,000 entries. With the advantages of cannons and mesh ropes, they might not necessarily lose. However, Li Mingxun knew that he could not afford to lose, not to mention that he could not afford to lose, even the result of a miserable victory would be completely unacceptable.

"No fight!" Li Mingxun knocked on the table, stopping everyone's argument.

"Then how should we do it next?" Bahai asked.

Li Mingxun took out a map from under the table and spread it on the table. The map was obtained by him from Shen Youlong. The garrison and military station recorded on it were during the Wanli period, and it was not accurate at all. Fortunately, it could summarize the situation of the entire Nuergandusi.

"Our people should not be trapped in fortresses, nor should they confront the enemy. We are not the court, and the first priority of the community is not to defeat the enemy, but to obtain the fur and ginseng and antler needed for trade!" Li Mingxun said solemnly.

Everyone looked shocked. As high-level officials, they all knew the important position of fur and ginseng and antler produced by Nuergandusi in the trading system. Li Mingxun knocked on the map and punched him in a corner of the map. It was the location near the entrance of the sea in Heilongjiang (called Haramur River in this era. For convenience, it will be called Heilongjiang in the future). He said: "The Eastern Barbarians are prepared, so we should avoid the edge. This year's goal is to conquer here!"

Everyone never expected that Li Mingxun's eyes were placed in a more bitter and colder place. Ba Hai frowned slightly and asked, "The Soren barbarians there were very difficult, they were more primitive. Even the Mongols and the Ming Dynasty had never conquered them!"

Li Mingxun smiled and said, "Yes, this is primitive, but it is a place that must be perfect. This Heilongjiang has run through thousands of miles of land, and there are countless tribes, hundreds of tribal divisions of all sizes. Among them, we can trade salt, sugar and cloth to fur, pine nuts and fungus, and even golden sand. This is an endless forest, and the hardwoods grown inside, especially the oak trees that have grown for hundreds of years are the best ship materials for making warships.

, you can cut down and woven into wooden rafts and float down the river. As for food, you don’t have to worry. The salmon swimming in autumn will automatically jump onto your dining table. If you build a port here, you can catch whales, seals and sea lions around. The most important thing is that the forest is a natural barrier, and distance is the greatest reliance. Even the Donglu does not have the ability to send more than a thousand troops to it, and we who control the water can control everything there!"

"Big shopkeeper, this plan is too long-term. How can we overcome the current crisis?" Song Laoqi asked.
Chapter completed!