Section 186 marches in triumph

"I can make a furnace of good steel again." Chen Haiyang looked at Dai Harmonic of the planning institute's action team who was greedily registering the numbers in the record book, and said jokingly.

"It's not one furnace, it's several. Just these cannons and iron melt and get how much pig iron. As the director of the Survey and Statistics Division of the Planning Institute, Dai Hui has rarely been on the front line, and this time he personally led the "house raiding team" -- the special search team -- to the Pearl River Delta, which shows that Wu De has high hopes for seizing a large amount of materials from the Pearl River Delta region. Of course, the Planning Institute has indeed gained a lot. In particular, the cannons captured after capturing a few forts -- even the Franc machine and the like can turn two or three hundred kilograms of molten iron, not to mention the Hongyi cannons that can easily cost thousands of pounds.

The dismantled cannons of the sailors piled up on the beach to form a mountain of xiǎo, among which there were 12mén bronze cannons that were even more valuable trophies. But for the time being, there are no ships to transport them, so we have to wait for the follow-up supply fleet to arrive.

The big whale was snorting and snorting black smoke and was working nervously. The steam winch pulled out the wooden stakes that had been driven to the bottom of the water one by one. The wooden piles used for plugging were simply hammered down by the people with sledgehammers, not the results of mechanized pile drivers, and the depth of the plugging was only just established in the river. It was pulled out one after another by a slight pull of the steam winch. Even the crane and the specially prepared wire rope were not used.

Hundreds of wooden piles blocked the river, and the Planning Institute, which is known for its thrift and thrift, did not spare it, and several sailors who worked as rowmen arranged the stakes in a row, ready to be towed back to Tiger Mén by boat.

After clearing the water obstacles, the scouts found a group of boats moored horizontally on the river a few kilometers from Wuchong, loaded with sand and gravel. This is obviously another water obstacle. Chen Haiyang thought that it was fortunate that the Ming army did not sink the ship, otherwise of course it would not be able to cause any obstacles to the current wooden ships, but the course of the future 10,000-ton giant ship would be greatly affected.

However, according to the survey ship's measurements, the officers and men have indeed sunk a number of ships in the channel, although due to the problems of the cháo tide, the current and the wreck, the blocking line is intermittent and cannot be connected as a whole, but the water depth in some waters has become only about 1~2 meters. Buoys were set up on all areas where there was a risk of running aground.

The Great Whale began to dismantle certain blockages that might affect normal navigation, and several steamboats towed the ship laden with sand and gravel to shore, and the captives captured at Wu Chung were used as laborers. Chen Haiyang ordered a short rest, cleared the artillery, and prepared to continue the ascent, while sending sailors to the nearby villages to post notices and levy a "reasonable burden".

No village had the determination to resist them anymore, and even before the sailors arrived, the elders and families of the nearby villages sent people to give gifts and "rewards", expressing their willingness to accept all the conditions of the Australians. Nearby villagers also rowed xiǎo boats to sell vegetables, fruits, food and alcohol. There was also a clash with the civilian ships that followed behind the fleet and were ready to do business.

Many xiǎo boats gathered around Wuchong at once, forming a temporary but rather noisy water market. Zuihou even Jinv's boat came. Of course, it was possible for them to do the task force business, but the Jinvs still made a lot of money from the sailors and traders on other civilian ships.

Seeing that the civilian boats were gathering more and more, in order to prevent Shui Yong Hún from launching a sneak attack in it. Chen Haiyang ordered all civilian ships to be anchored in the vicinity of the Wuyong River estuary and not allowed to enter the waters where the fleet was moored. The two must be separated by 100 meters so that the enemy does not carry out a sneak attack with arsonist boats.

There were so many ships selling goods that Chen Haiyang found that as long as his fleet had money to pay, there was no need for a special supply fleet to transport him food—rice, poultry, eggs. Vegetables and fruits, as well as oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and liquor, can be purchased from the xiǎo ship, and the price is not expensive.

Chen Haiyang ordered the soldiers to buy a large number of citrus and other fruits to supplement their vitamins. At the same time, it was ordered that if there were no hygiene concerns, the price was right, and the food could be purchased directly from the vendors on the Xiǎo ship.

The common people didn't care about doing business with the "thieves" who were fighting the "political army", which surprised him very much. Although this phenomenon was beneficial to the Fu Bō army, he felt very uncomfortable with the practice of the common people acting as "Ming Jiān" so consciously and voluntarily.

At the moment of discomfort, another "delegation" came. This time, it was the owners and merchants of the ships anchored in the port of Huangpu. Because of the war, their ships and goods were stranded in the port and did not dare to sail. Now I heard that the thief has conquered Wuyong, and the entire Huangpu Port has become a naked and tied to the chuáng. The owners and cargo owners of the more than 2,000 large xiǎo ships in the harbor were terrified. The sailors and helmsmen had already fled, and even the officials and officials of the Whampoa River Anchorage had fled cleanly.

The shipowners had no choice but to send a 10-member delegation to Ochung to ask the Australians for "mercy". The shipowners and cargo owners were willing to pay a "ransom" of 50,000 taels of silver in exchange for a promise that the thieves would not confiscate the goods and not burn the ship.

"I hope your grace will give you permission," the leading merchant kowtowed heavily on the ground. The people behind also kowtowed. The floor of the cabin was slammed.

Wen Deji gathered his hands very hand--it feels really good to be the master: "Get up." No need to kowtow. ”

"Master Xie." The leading merchant bowed his hand again, and then stood up with his heart in his heart, bowing his head and waiting for orders.

"Your name is ...... Hmmm......"

"xiǎo people Qin Haicheng." The leading businessman, Xiǎo, said with a wistful expression.

"Is it a foreign merchant?"

Qin Haicheng was nervous for a moment, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yes, xiǎo is a foreign businessman." ”

"Where to trade?"

"Lord Hui, the Luzon Islands ......"

"I must have made a lot of money."

Qin Haicheng was trembling and didn't dare to answer. I'm afraid that if I make a mistake, I will be greatly blackmailed.

Wen Deji probably realized that such words were inappropriate. Quickly changed his tone:

"We don't want the silver," said Wen Deji in a grand manner, "but I have other requirements. ”

"Yes, please show me" Hearing that he didn't want silver, Qin Haicheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but thinking that the price of this "request" would not be cheap, maybe it would be much harsher than 50,000 taels of silver.

The first requirement is "and buy". Roughly speaking, they will send personnel to various merchant ships to inspect the goods, and all the commodities and goods that are in high demand will be "bought and bought". And the purchase price is the wholesale price of such goods in Guangzhou plus 10% freight and máo profit.

All ships that have been "bought" cargo must sail to Hong Kong, and then be escorted by special service boats to Lingao to unload their cargo after a local formation. Due to the severance of foreign trade, Lingao now has a great demand for many goods, and there are more than 2,000 ships in Huangpu Port, many of which are merchant ships, and the goods on it are dazzling. Of course, this kind of buying and buying has a certain amount of plundering -- it is much cheaper than the normal foreign trade purchase price between Lingao and Guangzhou in the past. However, it still leaves a certain profit for the shipowner and cargo owner, so as not to lose money.

Although the conditions are harsh, they are quite bearable. Qin Haicheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief—he wasn't worried that the Australians would not give money—the reputation of the Australians as businessmen was still very good in Guangdong.

The second request doesn't sound like a request, but rather like a suggestion. He only talked about how advantageous the geographical location of Hong Kong Island, which is currently under the control of Ao Song, and how complete the port services are. I hope that you will often go to Hong Kong Island to dock and load and sell goods - as for the cargo that needs to be transshiped, it can be transported by inland waterway vessels.

These words are very polite, but in fact, there is an element of compulsion. According to the plans of the Central Government Council, the Planning Yuan, and the General Staff Headquarters, although the main force of the task force will return to Lingao after the war against Guangzhou is over, the control of the Pearl River waterway will not be relinquished. In the future, light patrol fleets based in Hong Kong will continue to patrol the Pearl River Estuary and the Pearl River waterways, forcing merchant ships entering and leaving the Pearl River Estuary to trade in Hong Kong. Eventually, Hong Kong became the main outer port of Guangzhou, and became the port of Mén for foreign trade and coastal trade in South China.

"Yes, yes, xiǎo people understand." Qin Haicheng was a little surprised that they weishenme weishenme attached so much importance to Hong Kong Island, which he knew, a very desolate island - although it was a considerable area and had a very haode anchorage, ordinary merchant ships would not dare to go there - that area was the main place of pirate activity. Are Australians preparing to become another Australian?

"If only you understood." Wen Deji smiled, "It's just that you have to be consistent, don't disobey Yang Fengyīn." ”

"Xiǎo's don't dare" Qin Haicheng was so frightened that he almost knelt down, "Xiǎo's must let the ship go to Hong Kong to dock for trade" The others also resolutely said that they would go to Hong Kong to dock for trade.

"Alright, let's go. Now the river and the sea are safe. Trade wherever you want. As long as we do not engage in hostile acts, our navy will never stop attacking civilian ships. ”

"Master Xie." Qin Haicheng was surprised that he was let go of the thief without huā. But thinking that there is still a "pig killing knife" waiting for everyone in this place in Hong Kong, I don't feel a pang in my heart. But now that the Pearl River is the world of Australians, a "non-compliance" will immediately lose both the ship's cargo, and maybe even the life of Xìng will be lost. It seems that either you don't do maritime trade, or you have to go to Hong Kong to pay tribute. It is estimated that the asking price of Australians is at most about the same as Liu Xiang.

Wen Desi smiled, "But this Huangpu Port, in the future, it is better for your merchant ships to come." lest you be tired when you set fire and open fire. ”

"Don't dare, don't dare, xiǎo will never dare to come to Huangpu Port in the future, and they must all go to Hong Kong Island to trade."

Chen Haiyang then ordered the navy to dispatch a company, and at the same time sent two squadrons of special service boats to Huangpu with the delegates. Dai Hui and the indigenous clerks of the Planning Institute carried out the "and buying" - every shipowner and cargo owner had to submit a jiāo manifest for review, and any refusal to provide it or tampering with the manifest would result in the cargo being confiscated.

Qin Haicheng and the delegates announced the policy to the shipowners and cargo owners gathered on the shore. Everyone was relieved to hear that they didn't have to pay for it. And buy although less money, after all, the overall loss is limited. As for trading on Hong Kong Island, everyone thought that it was just an imitation of Zheng Zhilong's old tricks. Zheng Zhilong had repeatedly attacked Yuegang before, burning ships and razing the streets to the ground, with the aim of forcing all the trading merchant ships along the coast of Fujian to go to the Zhongzuo Station under his control. Australians also want to use this hand to sit on the ground and make money.

Of course, the merchants had no choice but to accept the conditions in their entirety -- you must know that the Australians were already gracious, and they could have accepted the 50,000 taels, or simply extort 100,000 taels and then make these two demands.

The sailors boarded the wharf and destroyed the wharf facilities and river moorings in Huangpu, and set fire to the river moorings.

The task force continued its upward movement the next day, and without much effort, it broke the defenses of the two batteries of Pazhou and Qinzhou, and the defenders of the two batteries fled except for hastily discharging the guns. The spy boat didn't even have time to fire a counterattack.

The next battle could no longer be regarded as a battle, and the morale of the Ming army was extremely low, and neither Shui Yong nor Shui Shi had any intention of attacking. Even when defending the battery, they are unwilling to contribute - since they can only be attacked by the enemy, and cannot hit the enemy themselves, what is the point of defending such a battery?

Only in Liede and Ershawei did the task force run into a little trouble - not from the batteries, but with the river already blocked. The big whale had to carry out the demolition and clearance work for two or three xiǎo hours in each lot. During this period, both the forts of Liede and Ershawei only fired a few shots in response to the accident, and did not take any measures to organize the Fu Bō army to dismantle the river barriers. As soon as the spy boat opened fire, the battle was over.

Now, the task force has entered less than three or four kilometers from Baietan. Except for a few hastily repaired sandbag forts, there was nothing to stop the Australians from entering White Goose Pond. This terrifying prospect has made the city of Guangzhou luàn a mess. The huā boats on the White Goose Pond scattered overnight and took refuge in the upper reaches of the Xijiang River. The gentry fled the city in large numbers with their families, the shops were closed, and the common people were unable to flee for their lives, so they had to close the mén to hide. Many lawless people in the suburbs of the city have raised the banners of the Australians, such as: "Pioneer of the Great Song Dynasty", "Marquis of Dingyuan in Australia", "Guerrilla General of Guangdong in Taiao", "Former Enemy Governor of Da Yan Country", "Pioneer of the Left Road of Australia", "Pioneer Officer of Guangdong Zhengyin in Australia and Song Dynasty", ...... and so on. Some people know that Australians play red flags and blue and white flags, so all kinds of flags similar to red sè or blue and white sè fluttered in Sixiang, Guangzhou. These gangsters either robbed homes and houses, or went around extorting money, which immediately caused panic in the hearts of the people.

The task force moved slowly, sweeping the way to the bandits and routs - the villages and towns no longer dared to fight them, but the rout of the bandits everywhere under the banner of "Australia" seriously affected the reputation of the ambush army. To that end, the contingent carried out a large-scale search and seizure campaign along the route. After successively exterminating more than a dozen bandits claiming to be the Australian Army, and executing a number of criminal bandit leaders, this trend is basically over in the area of Henan Island.

At the urging of Li Fengjie, Xu Tingfa had no choice but to launch a major counteroffensive against the thieves on the Pearl River -- from Li Fengjie to Shui Yong, who had eaten at hún, and everyone knew that this was an opportunity for the officers and soldiers to repel the thieves. Xu Tingfa used the Zuihou weapon of the Ming army's naval division - the arson boat.

Since the Portuguese first knocked on the border, the most effective tactical means for the Ming naval division to deal with the European sea liliang, which had a certain jishu advantage in both ships and guns, was to use arson ships. A large number of arsonist ships, driven by sailors with heavy bounties under the cover of the naval ships, rammed the enemy ships. In the narrow seas and bays, the small number of tall and clumsy European-style seagoing ships often suffer heavy losses because they lack the cover of light vessels. This is a tried and tested method to deal with European sea ships since the middle of the Ming Dynasty.

Xu Tingfa and others remembered this tactic again when they were cornered. Compared with the open water area of the Pearl River estuary, the fire attack tactics in the inland river of Guangzhou seem to be more effective. The inland rivers are narrow, and the thieves and warships are dense, making it difficult to maneuver and dodge; There are many inland harbors, and fire attack ships can be dispersed and concealed to seek opportunities.

Xu Tingfa consulted with the generals and believed that this method was feasible. It's just that the fire attack ships consume a lot of ships, and the sailors themselves lack ships. Therefore, as usual, this matter must be resolved by the governor.

Li Fengjie at this time, as long as the thief does not rush into the White Goose Pond, it is easy to say anything. At that moment, a license order was issued, ordering the prefect of Guangzhou and the counties of Nanhai and Panyu to seal the ships in Xijiang, Beijiang and other places. Regardless of the big xiǎo, they will all be sent to the White Goose Pond for use. For a time, fishing boats, cargo ships and huā boats that had just escaped from Baietan, on the river, were all affected, and a large number of them were nailed to Baietan. During this period, the officials and generals of the sailors who undertook it were inevitably corrupted and nailed everywhere in the name of facing the battle. The owner of the ship has money and has a mén road, so he naturally hurriedly asked someone to dredge it and redeem his boat, and the people who had no money could only watch their food capital being piled up with firewood and grass and poured with clear oil, ready to be burned, and there was no way to cry and shout.

In two days, the sailors gathered more than 50 fire attack ships of various kinds on the Baietans and Xijiang River, and rushed to produce more than 100 fire platoons that were exiled and drifted down the river. The boats and the platoons were all loaded with fuel, and large iron nails were attached to the bows. Xu Tingfa recruited people who dared to die among the water braves, fishermen, and officers and soldiers of the water division, and promised each person to give ten taels of silver to settle in first, and another twenty taels to those who came back alive, and ten taels of compensation if they died. More than 300 people were recruited at once. Prepare to sail your boat to ram the thief's ship.