Section 147 Pearl River Estuary Task Force

This operation was entrusted to the navy to carry out, and the specific operational area was expanded to the entire Guangdong waters, with the Pearl River Estuary as the key operational area.

"The goal of this military operation is to create as much disturbance and chaos as possible in the Pearl River Delta region, so it is necessary not only to organize artillery bombardment, but also to conduct a small-scale landing battle and sabotage and strike at targets on the shore." Chen Haiyang expounded on the determination of the campaign, "Our targets are mainly government facilities, and we try not to strike at civilian targets. However, if they encounter resistance from local forces, they will be completely annihilated. ”

In principle, ships at sea should not be captured unless they are naval warships of the official army, unless the other side first commits a provocative or offensive act.

"Because of the special nature of this operation, the ships participating in the operation will be equipped with more sailors than usual, and will carry a number of additional army guns for the landing battle."

"If this combat activity is carried out, the warship will enter the Pearl River." Mondstadt stood up and asked, "We don't know anything about the hydrology of the Pearl River this time and space. Dark sand, shoals and tidal conditions are not very well known to us. ”

"No, we know it very well." "Do you think that the ships of Gao Guang and the transport ships of our navy have not carried out hydrographic surveys when they have traveled back and forth to Guangzhou so many times?" ”

"So we have enough Pearl River hydrographic data for the captains to use?" Mondstadt spent many days in the hospital and a long time in a sanatorium since the rescue of the five-masted ship.

Permission said: There are many such intelligence materials in the intelligence database set up by the Foreign Intelligence Service, and they are currently being compiled by centralized personnel. Soon the Navy will be able to obtain an unprecedentedly detailed picture of the hydrology and shipping lanes of the Pearl River Estuary.

"The navigation conditions in the waters of the Pearl River are very good, and even holy ships can reach it from the mouth of the Pearl River to Guangzhou. We will not have any problems with the small and medium-sized sailboats we mainly use. So there is no need to worry about the depth of the water – and now 400 years earlier than in the 21st century, the sediment in the Pearl River is much lighter. ”

Chen Haiyang said: "The channel of the Pearl River is still quite complicated. In particular, the landing battle will enter the inshore waters, so some indigenous captains who are familiar with the Pearl River channel will also be arranged. ”

Although everyone had a strong belief in their Jishu superiority, the slightly experienced naval officers had great concerns about the Battle of the Pearl River Estuary. This is not only because the hydrological conditions in and within the Pearl River estuary are complex, the river is full of dark sand, the channel has not been renovated, and the situation is complicated, and it is very difficult for large and medium-sized seagoing vessels that mainly rely on sail power to sail and perform maneuvers such as navigating and making U-turns.

During the Opium War, when the British Navy entered the Pearl River channel to attack Guangzhou, it mainly used paddle steamers as towing vessels, and towed sail warships and artillery boats to gain mobility.

"We don't have paddle steamers for the time being, but we do have Daihatsu motorboats." Chen Haiyang said, "The Daihatsu boat has very maneuverability, and it can be used to tow the ship and be barely competent, and it can also be used for the task of transporting sailors to shore and escorting." ”

Wen Desi disagreed: "How did the British fleet run to White Goose Pond during the Opium War? They don't necessarily have more hydrographic data than us, and don't they also drive thousands of tons of warships to the city of Guangzhou? Even if there is no hydrological data, it is enough to place a channel buoy while measuring the depth of the water in a dinghy. At most, the sailing speed is a little slower. ”

"In order to ensure this blockade and harassment operation, the navy will set up a detachment at the mouth of the Pearl River." Li Di began to report on the formation of the fleet in the plan.

The squadron will mainly use special service boats - that is, modified traditional Chinese style brigs and three-masted boats, and some special service boats will reduce the amount of ammunition they can carry, and carry as many sailors and artillery as possible.

Sixteen special service boats, 8 fast dhow patrol boats were used as an armed fleet, and 20 special service boats were integrated to transport sailors and supplies. Considering that the Pearl River Estuary is 500 nautical miles away from Lingao, the "Big Whale" and a number of special supply ships have also been incorporated.

At the beginning of the operation, the navy will first establish a temporary fortress on Hong Kong Island. It serves as a logistics supply and rest base for the Navy's Pearl River Estuary detachment.

Aside from the future commercial value of Hong Kong Island, it is located outside the mouth of the Pearl River, with excellent ports and a certain amount of fresh water resources, making it an ideal base for the activities of the naval detachment. Crossing the group's remote location in Hainan, Liliang is located in the westernmost part of the Liangguang Sea, and has very little influence on the entire Guangdong coast, once the occupation of Hong Kong Island and the establishment of a permanent detachment and naval base, it is equivalent to having a strong presence outside the Pearl River Estuary, and every move can affect Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta region. It not only controls Guangdong's foreign trade, but also protects the safety of its own shipping routes.

Of course, this move is likely to be seen by Liu Xiang as a challenge to his maritime supremacy in Guangdong. However, the General Staff and the Intelligence Bureau judged that even so, Liu Xiang might not dare to immediately open fire with the Crossing Group - Zheng Zhilong was still staring at him. If he goes all out to attack the Crossing Group, Zheng Zhilong will definitely not let go of this good opportunity to attack him with the Crossing Group.

Li Di expressed concern: "But the Pearl River Estuary is his territory after all, this is his fundamental place, and he will not retreat easily."

"If he wants to go to war, we will completely destroy him," Chen Haiyang said, "and sooner or later we will have a fight with Liu Xiang." It's inevitable. ”

Having said that, Liu Xiang's strength is strong after all, and the waters of the Pearl River Estuary area are the areas where his fleet often operates. Compared to the sparse Ming military camp outposts on the shore, it is entirely possible for Liu Xiang to use his numerical superiority to deal with the detachment.

The navy's jihua is: If such a situation happens, it will use the Hong Kong base as a support point to firmly attract Liu Xiang's main force near the mouth of the Pearl River, and then dispatch the main naval force from Lingao to deal a devastating blow to Liu Xiang. Jihua is even ready to dispatch holy ships for battle if necessary.

The detachment sent to the mouth of the Pearl River was personally led by Chen Haiyang. There are quite a few navy members who are willing to be fleet commanders, but most of them are just beginning to know how to handle ships. I have stripped a bunch of naval knowledge in my stomach, and only God knows whether I can digest it. Therefore, the Executive Committee and the Navy considered again and again that it would be better for Chen Haiyang to personally lead the fleet. At least he was a real naval officer.

"I really don't feel up to the task." He said. To this day, his entire sailing career is only as a captain. The concept of how to command the sail fleet in battle is basically all from books and Wendehei.

Modern naval servicemen like Chen Haiyang don't know more about how to command the warships of the Sail Age than Wen Desi, and the knowledge of both comes from books on naval history anyway.

"Mr. Wen, do you want to go with the fleet?"

"Of course, I'd love to." Wen Deji readily agreed.

"That's great, I think it's too much of a burden. Didn't engage in a sail fleet. ”

"I haven't done it either, it's each other anyway." Wen Deji touched the beard on his chin, "Which one are you going to choose for your flagship?" ”

"Linte 11, this is a three-masted ship, nearly three hundred tons, the largest ship in the task force. There are also many cabins, which can take the headquarters. You're on this boat with me, right? ”

"Okay." Wen Deji nodded, although it was a ship of nearly three hundred tons, it was actually a very small ship. Even a large European sailing ship with a displacement of more than 1,000 tons, such as the Gothenburg, has very limited internal volumes. When I went out to sea, it was crowded with sailors and supplies, and after that, the environment was not much better. But it won't take a few days to get to Hong Kong Island. When the time comes, the headquarters will be directly located on Hong Kong Island.

Shi 14 licked his fingers with satisfaction -- this was a bad habit that he had never been given away from in the naval officer training class. Of course, it is impossible for a person who gets on the boat at a very young age and wanders around to have too haode etiquette. The chest of his naval officer's uniform was stained with oil. A hearty lunch made him feel drowsy.

Shi Shixi no longer has many traces of being a pirate in the past, although his body was very strong in the past, but his posture is crooked, and his head is always tilted to the side. Now, the queue training and systematic physical training have made a great difference in his mental outlook and physical posture. He became strong and well-proportioned, and his hair and beard were neatly groomed.

He wore a navy officer's uniform in dark blue, a new summer dress, and in addition to the use of a cotton and linen blend to increase breathability, he also changed the stand-up collar to a small open collar - the army and navy officers were uncomfortable with the sweltering heat of wearing stand-up collars in summer.

Shi XIV is now a captain in the Navy - commanding a squadron of special service boats. He had learned how to command the squadron to spread out formation at sea: the most important thing was to fire in a column with the whole squadron lined up; How to seize the upper hand in naval battles, how to grasp the most haode firing distance and time.

He never thought that naval warfare could be carried out in such a way, and in the past he knew a little bit about the doorway, but no one had ever summarized it so accurately and meticulously, and it was clear in words, and if he couldn't understand the description in words, there were a lot of diagrams and model demonstrations to promote his understanding.

He learned the language of the flag, how to judge the distance and speed of the target...... Zuihou knew the rules of the salute, how to eat and how to talk as a naval officer...... Naval training and red tape made Shi 14 gradually unrecognizable.

However, such a day made him feel very happy, because Shi XIV knew that he was now a man of "high status", and that as a pirate, no matter how many men and ships he had, he would still be a bandit. It's not loud enough to say.