In the City Lord's Mansion in Jinshui City of the Bajin Empire, City Lord Zhou Delong asked his eldest son Zhou Rulian in a deep voice, "When will the fleet of the Zhou family in Ganyang come?" ”

Zhou Delong, the city lord of Jinshui City, is the current head of the Jinshui Zhou family, forty-eight years old this year, and according to his generation, he is the same generation as Zhou Rui's father and second uncle.

It's just that the second word in the name of the side children and descendants of the Jinshui Zhou family is no longer the same.

Zhou Rulian replied: "Father, the telegram from the seventh uncle said that the Zhou family in Ganyang is gathering troops and requisitioning transport ships, and they will probably leave in the next few days. ”

The seventh uncle mentioned by Zhou Rulian refers to Zhou Jingtong.

Since Zhou Jingtong reached an agreement with the Ganyang Zhou family last time to exchange Xiangshi Island for a number of warships, this time the Jinshui Zhou family still sent Zhou Jingtong to Ganyang City to ask for help from the Ganyang Zhou family.

Zhou Delong said a little anxiously: "Why is it still a few days!"

Now the armies of the Danyang Chang family and the Eshui Sha family are about to enter Jinshui City! ”

Zhou Rulian smiled bitterly and said, "The Ganyang Zhou family had no plans to rescue Jinshui City before.

If it weren't for the fact that our Jinshui Zhou family was willing to hand over Jinshui City, presumably even if our Jinshui Zhou family was wiped out, the Ganyang Zhou family would not have sent a fleet.

Therefore, it will take some time for the Ganyang Zhou family to gather troops. ”

Zhou Delong shook his head a little helplessly, "How is the situation outside the city now?" ”

"At present, the defensive lines in the three directions outside the city have all temporarily blocked the attack of their two armies.

However, the losses of several divisions outside the city were very large, because of the lack of weapons and ammunition, many of the replenished recruits could only be divided into two grenades.

To make matters worse, due to low morale, a large number of deserters appeared in several divisions, and they could not be caught.

I'm afraid the defensive line outside the city won't last long. ”

"How many people are there in the first and second divisions now?"

The Jinshui Zhou family originally had a full 12 divisions of army troops, of which the first division and the second division were the two most elite troops of the Jinshui Zhou family, with more than 20,000 people at full strength, and the other 10 divisions were all about 15,000 people.

Now the 2 ace divisions of the Jinshui Zhou family have suffered heavy losses on the battlefield, and 4 of the other 10 ordinary divisions have been completely annihilated, and the remaining 6 ordinary divisions have also suffered great losses.

At this time, on the defensive line in three directions outside Jinshui City, there were two ordinary divisions of the Jinshui Zhou family, each of which was doing its best to resist the attack of the Danyang Chang family and the Eshui Sha family.

The 1st and 2nd Divisions retreated into the city of Jinshui.

"The first division has recovered to more than 13,000 people, and the second division has recovered to more than 11,000 people, but the new recruits have also suffered from a lack of weapons and low morale.

If a few divisions outside the city can't withstand the armies of the two of them, it would be good to defend Jinshui City with the first and second divisions and hold out for three or four days at most. ”

Zhou Delong sighed, "If it weren't for the fact that our Jinshui Zhou family had no possibility of turning the tables at all, how could I be willing to give up Jinshui City to the Ganyang Zhou family."

Now we can only hope that the fleet of the Ganyang Zhou family can arrive as soon as possible. ”

"Father, is it possible to transfer the first or second division to a battlefield outside the city?

That should buy you some more time. ”

"It's better to keep the first and second divisions as much as possible, after Jinshui City is transferred to the Ganyang Zhou family, our Jinshui Zhou family still has to rely on these two divisions to fight to take back a city to accommodate!"

On the afternoon of January 8, 1538, in the bridge of the Dawn, the flagship of the Danyang fleet, Chang Haolin, the commander of the Danyang fleet, looked at a telegram in his hand, and his brows were already furrowed.

Daybreak is one of the four fortress-class all-steel battleships purchased by Danyang Changjia from the Golden Lion Empire, with a full load displacement of 14,500 tons, a maximum speed of 16.5 knots, and two twin 40x caliber 300 mm guns.

Chang Haolin, the commander of the Danyang fleet, is the younger brother of Chang Haozhao, the current head of the Danyang Chang family.

Chang Haolin put the telegram on the table beside him, and sighed to Zhang Zhichao, the captain of the Dawn, and said, "I didn't expect the worst result. ”

Zhang Zhichao was also frowning at this time, he had already read the contents of this telegram, "General, what should we do next?"

Although our Danyang fleet has 4 all-steel battleships, 2 ironclad battleships, 2 armored cruisers and 4 light cruisers, it is not worth mentioning at all compared to the fleet of the Zhou family in Ganyang.

The navy of the Zhou family in Ganyang has 20 battleships with all main guns alone, which makes people a little desperate when they hear it. ”

In the Battle of Shark Island, the coastal defense fleet participated in the battle of a total of 25 battleships and battlecruisers, of which 4 battleships with full main guns and 1 battlecruiser were sunk in the naval battle.

Because the Crescent Island Naval Base of the Coastal Defense Fleet has never been exposed, and most of the new warships that Zhou Rui added to the Coastal Defense Fleet have been staying on Crescent Island.

Therefore, the outside world generally believes that the coastal defense fleet of the Zhou family currently has 20 battleships with full main guns.

Chang Haolin said categorically: "We will immediately withdraw to Danyang City, once the fleet of the Ganyang Zhou family comes, it will be difficult for us to leave, after all, the difference in strength between the two sides is too big." ”

"What about Goldwater City? Still fighting? ”

"The head of the family has considered the situation of the Ganyang Zhou family's involvement, and there should be a way to deal with it."

Two days later, in the morning, an unusually large fleet arrived outside the port of Jinshui.

This huge fleet consisted of the entire third formation, a part of the fourth formation, and hundreds of transport ships of the Northwest Coastal Defense Fleet.

In addition to the six German Caesar-class battleships Tianxin, Tiangang, Tiangong, Tianguang, Tianjun, and Tianshu, the third formation also has three German Scharnhorst-class large armored cruisers, three German Wiesbaden-class light cruisers, and five Russian Wuli-class destroyers.

Part of the fourth formation, including 4 British Invincible-class battle cruisers Yongsui, Yongwei, Yongxi, and Yong'an.

In addition to carrying the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth divisions of the Zhenwei Army, hundreds of transport ships also loaded a large amount of combat materials.

Cai Ming'an, commander of the third formation of the Northwest Coastal Defense Fleet, was not surprised to find that the fleet of the Changjia family in Danyang had been evacuated from Jinshui Port.

This time, the Ganyang Zhou family sent troops to rescue Jinshui City, and they did not cover it up to the outside world, presumably the Danyang Chang family should have learned the news.

If they left their family's Danyang fleet here, it would basically be no different from waiting here to die.

Cai Ming'an turned his head and said to Song Shengwen, the captain of the Tianxin: "Send a report to the army, let them land immediately, and take down the four batteries in Jinshui Port first!" ”

Song Shengwen, the captain of the Tianxin, is the son of Song Limin, commander-in-chief of the Northwest Coastal Defense Fleet.

"Yes, Cai Zhi."

The sixth division of the Zhenwei Army immediately began to land at Jinshui Port first, and the Jinshui Zhou family was very cooperative with the landing of the Zhenwei Army, and even the Zhenwei Army asked to take over the four forts, and the Jinshui Zhou family was also very happy to let it out.

As of yesterday afternoon, the positions of the Jinshui Zhou family outside Jinshui City had all been lost, and the troops of the six divisions outside the city had finally retreated into Jinshui City with less than 8,000 troops left.

If the reinforcements of the Ganyang Zhou family do not come, Jinshui City should not be able to hold out for a few days under the siege of the Danyang Chang family and the Eshui Sha family.

After taking control of Jinshui Port, carrying the transport ships of the Zhenwei Army, they began to dock in batches, and by two o'clock in the afternoon, about 140,000 officers and soldiers of the four infantry divisions of the Zhenwei Army had entered Jinshui City.

That is, on January 11, the negotiators of the Danyang Chang family and the Eshui Sha family entered Jinshui City, hoping to hold peace talks with the Ganyang Zhou family and the Jinshui Zhou family.

It's a pity that Zhou Rui sent the Zhenwei army this time, but he didn't come to the peace talks, so the two sides argued for two days, but did not reach any consensus.

At nine o'clock in the morning of January 13, the 7th, 8th, and 9th Divisions of the Zhenwei Army launched a counterattack against the troops of Danyang Changjia and Eshui Shajia outside the city from the east, west, and north directions.

As soon as the battle began, the armies of the two families were almost crushed by the artillery units of the Zhenwei Army.

You must know that the armies of these two families are only equipped with a small number of 70mm infantry guns, and the total number of them may be more than a hundred.

However, on the Zhenwei side, each division has a heavy artillery regiment equipped with 30 155mm howitzers, and each brigade has an artillery regiment equipped with 30 105mm howitzers.

Even each infantry regiment and each guard regiment had an artillery battalion armed with 30 75-mm field guns, and the entire infantry division was armed with a total of 30 155-mm howitzers, 90 105-mm howitzers and 300 75-mm field guns.

Although the army besieging Jinshui City by the Danyang Changjia and the Eshui Shajia had to occupy some advantages in terms of strength, in the face of the Zhenwu army, which had an absolute advantage in firepower, the little advantage in strength was not worth mentioning at all.

In less than a day after the battle, the armies of the Danyang Chang family and the Eshui Sha family were somewhat defeated and had to choose to retreat.

Zhou Delong, the city lord standing on the wall of Jinshui City, put down the binoculars in his hand, and asked his son Zhou Rulian in disbelief: "The more than 200,000 troops of the Danyang Chang family and the Eshui Sha family were defeated like this?" ”

Zhou Rulian said with some emotion: "No wonder the tens of thousands of troops of the Zhou family in Ganyang can carry a group army of the Silver Wolf Empire, and the combat effectiveness is too strong!" ”

Zhou Delong sighed, "It seems that in the future, our Jinshui Zhou family will no longer have to think about any matters related to military power, and with the attitude shown by the Ganyang Zhou family, we will not let our Jinshui Zhou family have military power again." ”

"Father, as the saying goes, the one who knows the times is Junjie.

I think that our Jinshui Zhou family, it is best to hand over the military power in our hands directly, so as not to cause any trouble. ”

"I really can't hesitate any longer, there are still some people in the family who can't see reality clearly and still have some illusions.

Can't because of these people, give the Ganyang Zhou family an excuse to deal with our Jinshui Zhou family. ”