The fleet of vehicles and ships went south and officially entered the Huaishui basin when they left Yingzhou. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

As one of the newly expanded reclamation areas of Huai Town, Huainan is already hidden in the green of crop clusters on some of the higher riverbanks between Gwangju and Shouju.

There was a faint sound of cannons, which were newly joined by the special water tanker gunboat responsible for opening the road, saluting and sending letters one by one towards the cantonment and military stronghold established by the Huai army on the shore.

Although it is expected that the steam warships of the two oceanic naval divisions will be a distant thing for the time being due to many factors such as sea conditions, the inland river steam ships that are running in relatively stable rivers have been able to flourish quite vigorously as an early test and expansion of application.

This kind of waterboat gunboat, which is specially used between Huaishui and Jishui and is convenient for passage, is a typical representative of one of them

In this specially designed counterweight hydrotank, the power wheel cabin that originally lived at the front end was moved to the middle, and the space used to carry goods and passengers was also divided between the two ends; On the outer deck of the first floor, six to eight fixed gun emplacements were placed in wood-iron structures that could be rotated by human winches, and semi-annular guards;

Inside, according to the general position, heavy firepower can be used from the turning gun, the machine row gun to the scattered small cannon, the four-inch long gun, and the six-inch short gun. In addition, a number of manpower catapults were set up on the middle line and the second open deck to throw large explosive bombs or fire mines, or simply set up fire mines (Hale rockets) to meet the needs of increased firepower.

Because of the extra weight reduction and more navigational design; Therefore, it is possible to cruise and cruise at a faster speed than the usual steamers and ships, or to hunt down and fight those smugglers or bandits who flow between the rivers.

Although it is a gunboat design for special fire projection, under normal circumstances, it can be used for both water strike operations and shore fire strikes and interdiction; But when needed, it is also possible to tow four or five specially designed river boats, as well as full loads of troops and supplies, as a temporary capacity for slower water cruises.

Compared with the northern and southern ocean naval divisions in the open sea, which are divided into the Jiaodong Peninsula in the open sea, there are also five battalions of Yunzhou naval forces in the inland with the Jishui and the Yellow River as the operating range; and the four battalions of the Sizhou Navy on the southern line to the Huaishui branch to the sea outlet as the patrol area, and the north and south are two major subordinates.

These gunboats belonged to the original sequence of the Sizhou Naval Army, and according to the three-three system, the squads, squadrons, and brigades, together with other troop transporters, vehicles, ships, and river boats loaded with baggage, were organized into two inland river gunboat brigades, east and west, with a total of 18 large and small gunboats, 46 new and old waterwheels, vehicles and ships for other purposes, and 2,819 personnel of various colors, including sailors and boatmen, and subordinate soldiers and miscellaneous workers.

In peacetime, it is responsible for cracking down on illegal activities on the water, and also protecting the shipping trade between the upper and lower reaches of Huai Town; When necessary, it also undertakes the key task of blockading the Huaishui River and blocking the enemy situation on the other side.

After all, although the various left-behind guards set up by the national dynasty have occupied most of the Central Plains. However, due to the shortage of troops in various armies and the emptiness of local garrison forces, there is still a gap in the scope of control and territory between each other, and there is still a gap that cannot be extended to a considerable degree of control and influence.

Therefore, for a long time, it has belonged to the chaotic area of the three regardless and is in the fending for itself, and it has also bred a large number of desperate bandits and rogue genera, as well as various part-time bandits waiting for opportunities, and the Xiangyong and Tutuan forces between black and white, if there is no one with a little strength and strength, really don't want to walk in the period safely.

Therefore, along the old road of several canals between the north and the south, it has become a relatively safe and convenient means of passage and route, especially in this Huaishui, which leads directly to the inland mountains and Jinghu Lakes, with the patrol escort and regular cleaning of the Sizhou Navy along the way, whether it is the land of Xiangfan in the south or the important point of Shangluo in the north, it has become a smooth road to a considerable extent.

Although the Northland is dilapidated and impoverished, the most basic land and mineral resources inherited from the past generations are there; In addition to the gray echo monopolized and controlled by Huaizhen, those overseas businessmen who like to pursue profits in various backgrounds can still discover a lot of business opportunities and interests from the local area.

Therefore, during this season, my fleet of vehicles and boats cruised on the water surface of the Huai River, and from time to time I could frequently encounter all kinds of merchant ships shuttling back and forth, or large and small fishing boats anchored in the coastal waters.

Of course, any outsider, force, or group that wants to make a living in this section of water must register with the subordinates of the Huaidi Transportation Division and pay a sum of money, and only after obtaining the qualification for admission can they pass through it without hindrance.

If you want to travel farther up to the areas of Dengzhou, Junzhou, and Jinzhou in the Nanyang Basin, you need to pay a toll maintenance fee to obtain the qualification to accompany and follow the Huaizhen Boat Regiment under the escort of naval gunboats.

However, because of the emphasis on the construction of the two oceanic naval divisions in recent years, and the fact that it has always paid attention to the investment in combat readiness on the northern front, compared with the Yunzhou naval army, which has always been aimed at assisting the defense of the northern front and fighting abroad in the west, it is basically fully manned and has a relatively high rate of new ships at present;

The initial purpose of the establishment of the Sizhou Navy Army was to provide disaster relief and suppress local needs after the Huai River flood, and it belonged to a rather backward sequence in terms of personnel and equipment investment;

Therefore, to this day, the steam-powered conversion rate of these gunboats has only been completed by half, and they are all used old goods eliminated by the regular army.

But even so, together with the other firearms equipped by the soldiers on board, it was enough to hang and suppress the endless stream of bandits along the Huaishui River, who often dared to come out to rob and fight for their lives with a small row.

Therefore, although there is no great fame in these years, it is often possible to sink dozens or hundreds of pirate ships and capture the same number of prisoners in the stern of the ship with a "record" of sinking dozens or hundreds of pirate ships.

This time, I was sent out to escort my fleet, and it was considered that the four ships were in the best condition of full staff, and two of them were majesticly cruising on the Huai River, and Rao had a sense of deterrence and presence.

However, this will change with the completion of this cruise;

Because after returning to Xuzhou along the Huaishui, a large part of the newly built vehicles and ships that have completed the initial seaworthiness will be included in the Sizhou Naval Army; Priority was given to acquiring a large amount of new equipment and personnel to supplement and expand the formation to six battalions to strengthen the surface forces of Huaizhen south of the Huai River.

There is no other reason and reason, just for the safety of the way to Jiangning to welcome relatives and receive marriage in the future......

And in the stone town in the inner city of Jiangning, although it has been deserted for a long time because of the departure of the driver, it has become lively again because of another important day that is about to be approached.

All of a sudden, there was already an endless stream of exchanges between these palaces, and there was an atmosphere of busy preparations.

Although there is still some time before the day of the real welcome and ceremony, as the accompanying capital that replaces the Cantonese Mansion and holds a big ceremony, it is inevitable that it will be solemnly prepared and planned in advance.

This marriage can be said to be a grand event that has become known to everyone and watched under the publicity and publicity of the dynasty.

The degree of attention it received in the various provinces inside and outside the ridge even overwhelmed the good news of the officers and soldiers who came to Tiannan City and surrounded the ****** who rebelled against the party and stole the territory; Or it is the news that the remnants of the empire in the north have established a state in Hedong, or it is the news that the rebellious western army has conquered the city in Guannai

As the privy deputy envoy and the head of the Five Roads Division, Ning Chongxuan, who accompanied the envoy left behind in Jiangning, couldn't help but stand on the head of the city and sigh. Because of his capacity and title as an ambassador for the ceremony, he also received a series of follow-up tasks to supervise the use of the wedding ceremony venue and the Qingjing place.

On behalf of the man's elders, the old Yan Gong of the National Dynasty who has retired for many years, as the head of the southern maid and the praiser is his wife Chen Huixian, and the deputy envoy and the proclamation official is the former Jingda Du Ciza, who has been officially promoted to the Tianzhangge University Scholar and the superintendent of the great sacrificial wine.

Almost all of the participants selected and arranged by the imperial court this time were people who were close to it or had some origins, and it was obvious that they had been carefully considered and planned.

Not to mention, for this marriage, in addition to him, the privy deputy envoy and important minister of the frontier, he directly used and came forward at least one Zaifu (Zheng Erguan), and a general chapter of the Counselor's Office (Sun Jingbang), which can be described as a grand favor.

It's just that he doesn't know why he is still a little unsure, but he doesn't know what the reason and origin are. Is there something else that I have missed?

With his idea of what to do just in case and his decision to act immediately, the ground in and around Jiangning Mansion became chaotic and noisy again.