Zhu Hailan asked in surprise, "What are you talking about?" ”

Zhu Jiumei repeated her statement: "I said, there is a shortage of people on my side, and I want my sister to come over to help me." ”

Zhu Hailan couldn't understand Zhu Jiumei's train of thought: "You are confused, sister, my side is a vigorous team, don't look at the current only more than 2,000 people, but in the future, it will be no problem to expand into a division and an army!" ”

"But in that case, the division commander and the army commander may not be handed over to your sister, so it's better to come to my side to help!" Zhu Jiumei did not give up her claim: "Do you know what is on my side?" ”

"What?"

Zhu Hailan couldn't think of any more tempting than expanding a division and an army, but she quickly admitted that the plan proposed by Zhu Jiumei was indeed tempting.

"It's the sailors, it's the navy, that's right, it's the navy!" Zhu Jiumei said now: "Now I am under the order of the inspector and am responsible for supervising the construction of steam warships in Panshi Village, and this time with troops in southern Jiangsu, the inspector specially named me and asked me to be in charge of the Taihu Lake Water Division." ”

Strictly speaking, "let me be in charge of the Taihu Lake Naval Division" is just an exaggeration, Zhu Jiumei only played a leading role in the manufacture and maintenance of warships, but no one can underestimate her weight.

As the use of the Rainbow Army, Taihu Lake can be said to be the biggest obstacle to the use of troops in southern Jiangsu, this big lake will divide the two main forces of the Rainbow Army into Suzhou and Changzhou, unable to support each other, not to mention that the southern Jiangsu region belongs to the river network zone, where there is not only the Huaiyang Naval Division of the Qing Army, but also a large number of guns and boats, all of which pose a threat to the advance of the Rainbow Army.

But for the Hongjun, which has evolved to a steam-based navy, all this is just trouble, as long as a steam warship appears on the surface of Taihu Lake, it represents a fundamental change in the water power of the Taihu Lake area.

In order to support the operation in southern Jiangsu, as well as further expansion, the Hong Army was determined to establish the Taihu Lake Naval Division with the steam paddle wheel battleship as the core and several sail warships as the auxiliary, and this time the expansion of the Naval Division was as the supreme commander of the navy, Zhang Sigui gave up his own people, but handed over the entire Taihu Lake Naval Division to Ye Niangzi's old department and the old backbone of the Hong Army sent into the water division.

This is a very normal thing, although Ye Niangzi quit the water division and quietly raised the baby, her influence in the water master is unquestionable, and Zhang Sigui, who has obtained the highest power, must not avoid suspicion, in case the statement that she is alone will reach Liu Chang's ears.

And Zhu Jiumei was also sent to Huzhou Mansion because of the steaming transformation of the Ziwei Star, which had been supervised in Panshizhai for several months, and she told her sister: "Now I have pulled the ship-building materials and steam engine to the edge of Taihu Lake, and I can start construction at any time, as long as this new ship is put into use, then the entire Taihu Lake, no ······ It should be that the entire Yangtze River should be in my hands, and the Yangtze River Naval Division will never be inferior to a division or an army, and more important is safety! ”

Although sometimes it is necessary to go on the ship in person, Zhu Jiumei's position is mostly responsible for building and repairing ships, and through the transformation of the Ziwei Star, the Hongjun has initially gained experience in building and renovating steam paddle ships.

In fact, most of the materials of this battleship that is about to be launched come from Shanghai, and there are even foreign technicians in Shanghai who are responsible for the guidance, although the performance is much inferior to that of Western warships, but in Taihu Lake and the Yangtze River, these steam paddle steamer warships equipped with a large number of rifled guns are almost invincible.

Zhu Hailan was a little moved by Zhu Jiumei's words: "This is really good, although the army is just a blank sheet of paper now, but the naval division is also starting from scratch, according to what you said, Zhang Sigui has completely mastered the outer naval division, then the Yangtze River naval division is our suitable stage, but ......"

Zhu Hailan's tone became firm, and she told her sister: "I still don't want to leave the stage of the 63rd Regiment, this is a team I have set up single-handedly, at least I can make him a proud existence like the Dragon Lance Regiment." ..., the two sisters couldn't convince anyone, Zhu Hailan still said: "Ninth sister, you'd better come over and help my sister!" ”

Zhu Jiumei came up with a solution: "In this case, it's better for the two of us to ask for the inspection question, and sister ...... I'm in a safe position! ”

This is a position where you only need to sit in the office, and most of them don't need to charge like the infantry commander Zhu Jiumei said: "Haven't you been tired of those fights? ”

Zhu Hailan also has her own insistence: "But at least let me have a perfect ending first."

The controversy between the two sisters finally came to Liu Chang, who was discussing with a group of cadres how to improve the details of the Battle of Southern Jiangsu, so he was surprised that the two sisters were looking for their own intentions.

Zhu Jiumei saw that Liu Chang was busy with affairs, so she immediately made a long story and introduced the dispute between the two sisters: "Check, let my sister come over to help me, I just want her to be stable!" ”

Zhu Hailan said: "The ninth sister should help me, check, what you say, the ninth sister will definitely listen!" ”

For such a dispute, Liu Chang couldn't make a fair decision, but he quickly said: "You don't have to fight for this first, everything has to wait for the end of this battle, the battle is about to start, Commander Zhu can't leave, Jiu Mei can't leave, can our steam warship catch up with the battle......"

With the speed of building ships in the nineteenth century, this is obviously impossible, but Zhu Jiumei also said: "Now that the warship has not been launched, I'm afraid it won't be able to catch up!" Although we can't make it up to this campaign, we have already brought in some small sail ships by land, equipped with rifled guns on them, which can assist the army in the battle, and we have also used some captured ships, with the rifled guns in our hands, we should be able to suppress the Demon Sailors. ”

"Rifled guns? #阝肯的线膛炮? Liu Chang immediately asked, "How's the progress?" ”

"Now his rifled cannon technique has been learned by us!" Zhu Jiumei immediately said: "This rifled gun is really good, and we have also made a small transformation." ”

"Whose idea?"

"Ma Qianzhu's idea, he is very good at stealing teachers!"

Liu Chang nodded, and asked again: "When will the steam battleship be put into battle?" ”

"Estimated early June!" Zhu Jiumei replied to Liu Chang's question: "If my sister can come over to help, maybe it will be faster!" ”

"That can't be!" Liu Chang told Zhu Hailan and Zhu Jiumei: "The 63rd Regiment is about to participate in the battle of Changzhou, and in such a short time, it is too late to appoint a second regiment commander, do you have confidence in this battle?" ”

"Have faith!"

Liu Chang asked again: "You guys think about the personnel arrangements after the battle in southern Jiangsu, although the sisters are a little inappropriate for their colleagues in a unit, but I can make an exception, Ninth Sister, what do you think, after this battle is over?" ”

Zhu Jiumei glanced at the heroic Liu Chang, thinking of her hard work in Tianjing City, and said with a ghostly voice: "My thoughts...... Marry someone······"

It's just that after she opened her mouth, she realized that she had said the wrong thing, glanced at Liu Chang again, grabbed her sister's hand and turned around and ran away.

And Liu Chang looked at the figures of the two sisters, they were all so beautiful, and couldn't help sighing: "Marry? Do you really want to get married? ”

This is just a small episode in the preparation of the whole campaign.

"Captain Feng!"

"Captain Feng!"

Feng Sixian can now be said to be energetic, he was originally the deputy head of the Taizhou Independent Regiment, but suddenly rushed to Hangzhou because of a telegram.

This telegram was very simple, just ordering him to go to Hangzhou immediately to accept the task without any delay, but as an old officer of the Hong Army, Feng Sixian had already guessed the meaning, that is, personnel changes. ..., he is from the dragon spear battalion of Gen Hongmiaozheng, and the resume of Huang Taiyu's independent battalion and Huangyan Zhixian has added a gilded color to him, and the current deputy regiment commander is just a transition.

He really thought well, and before he arrived in Hangzhou, he had already obtained his new appointment in personnel from the old man of the dragon lance battalion: "Commander of the 64th Infantry Regiment." ”

This is a new infantry regiment, and the situation is relatively special, the backbone of the entire infantry regiment is formed from the old department of the Taiping Army Dongwang, and according to the private statements of some old people in the dragon spear battalion, this regiment commander was originally appointed to He Wenhuan, but Yang Niangniang specially named him in order to take care of her brother's old department.

He believes in such rumors, and he also thinks it is very reasonable, you must know that his experience in the Huang Taiping Independent Battalion and Huangyan Zhixian shows that he Feng Sixian can deal with all kinds of characters, and can get along very well, whether it is Gao Liangcai, the prefect of Taizhou who was originally demoted in the Qing Dynasty, or Shi Huiji, the commander of the Huang Taiyu Independent Battalion, or others, he can get along very well.

And after taking over from the Hangzhou government, he found that his power and responsibility were heavier than he originally thought.

Originally, it was the teaching regiment that was responsible for the security of Hangzhou Prefecture, but the regimental headquarters and the main force of the teaching regiment had been transferred to Huzhou Prefecture, leaving only one reinforced battalion in Hangzhou Prefecture.

In addition to this reinforced battalion, there is only one old independent battalion and dozens of independent units of all kinds in the entire Hangzhou Prefecture, including a health brigade, a baggage battalion, a teaching team, and a military academy······ But most of them are not something he can move at will.

Other forces were the newly formed 64th Infantry Regiment and a large battalion, but since it was a newly established unit, most of the people were not very reassured.

And Feng Sixian, the commander of the 64th Infantry Regiment, also naturally became the garrison commander of the entire Hangzhou Prefecture, responsible for the security of the entire Hangzhou Prefecture, and commanded the three infantry regiments assigned to him.

But Feng Sixian looked further: "The main mission of my 64th Regiment is to support Jiaxing Mansion and Huzhou Mansion!" ”