Hu Min watched the whole battle from the ship, and he was deeply impressed by the colors that burst out on the battlefield.

Gunsmoke filled the air, and brightly colored military uniforms dotted the gray fields. In this concerto of guns and military music, thousands of people lined up in a neat queue to fight each other, which was a scene that had never been seen before. Hu Min decided to wait until the battle was over, so he reported to the Ministry of National Defense to apply for an instructor and trained his garrison battalion in Nanyang to the standard of field infantry.

Towards evening, the warship turned around and withdrew to Mawei Harbor, and Hu Min led his troops to the battlefield where they fought during the day.

The three and a half moon-shaped large artillery forts are basically completed, and several layers of bamboo baskets and cloth bags are solid to hold the soil, and it is safe to hide inside. The sappers and civilians continued to build the breastwork, and they were all disgraced and embarrassed. Hu Min thinks it's good, digging pits and repairing walls is better than a dead man.

The soldiers who participated in the daytime battle gathered around the fort. The faces full of excitement and bragging to each other are all hairless recruits. The veteran didn't speak, just smoked a cigarette and rested against the gun ram and the finished breastwork.

In the eyes of the officers of the rear command, the casualties today were relatively small, and the losses were just an acceptable figure. But for the soldiers who are fighting on the front line, every dead and wounded person is their robe brother, and they may have been discussing together yesterday to give birth to a child and become a baby bond, but today they are gone. Hu Min sighed softly, he could understand the loneliness and even emptiness of the veterans after the battle, and he often had this feeling.

Finding the headquarters located in the central battlefield, Hu Min reported to Langemann.

After nearly six years in Asia, Langemann learned the lingua franca of East Asia. I can't write Chinese characters, but I have no problem communicating in basic Chinese.

"Hu, are your soldiers physically strong now?"

"No problem, sir."

Hu Min took more than 1,000 green battalion soldiers on the Min River during the day for most of the day, and the enemy troops were waiting for them on the shore, and Hu Min's soldiers even had time to take a good nap on the boat.

"Good."

Langemann pulled Hu Min out of the tent and around the barracks.

The battlefield is clearly presented in front of you.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, hundreds of human bodies fell to the ground in various positions, and the light flickered on and off. Some were just wounded, and the wounded soldiers who were not yet dead were moaning in low voices. The blood mixed with the earth, leaving mottled marks on the earth, black and black, and the original color could no longer be seen. A few crows chirped and fell, searching for food for tonight.

Hu Min saw God.

A green battalion flag was planted in the pile of corpses, fluttering gently in the wind. Several Union Army soldiers were practicing firing their guns using the flag as a target. A non-commissioned officer scolded and kicked their ass.

"You stupid people, you actually knocked the whole strip away, and the old man was reprimanded by the chief. I'll tell you, don't eat dinner if you can't practice today. ”

Hu Min wanted to laugh when he heard it, he had also experienced this kind of thing when he was a recruit.

Langemann didn't hear it, he pointed to the field in the distance, and said to Hu Min: "Major Hu, pull your soldiers along that field in a line." Your mission is to provide alert for the entire army to prevent enemy attacks at night. ”

Hu Min took the binoculars and observed his position clearly.

"Yes, sir. I have only one request. ”

"Say."

"The night was cold, and I applied for a clockwork blanket for each soldier."

"No problem, I'll sign, you go to the logistics department to get the equipment."

"Thank you, sir."

Hu Min accepted the task and was about to leave when he saw the military doctor of the expeditionary force coming over with a team of people.

Langemann asked politely, "Doctor, is there anything I can do to help you?" ”

The medic saluted Langemann and said, "Lieutenant Colonel, please ask your soldiers to stop shooting." We need to clean up the battlefield and treat the wounded soldiers who still have hope. ”

"Oh, heal the wounded soldiers of the enemy?"

"This is a direct order from the consul, sir."

"Well, what are you going to do with the dead man?"

"Throw it into the Minjiang River, the corpse is easy to spread on the battlefield."

Hu Min blinked and went with his military equipment. When he returned to the battlefield, the Minfu team carried dozens of groaning wounded soldiers and evacuated, and the last few corpses were being pushed down the rushing river by the river.

Hu Min asked the soldiers to check their equipment one last time, and was about to set off when a familiar scream was heard. A cannonball flew into the camp and smashed an iron pot that was boiling water, causing a shout from the surrounding soldiers.

A couple more shells fell, and nothing hit. It's been shelled for a long time, and there will be no one to hide. Coupled with the iron pot just now, Jianzhou shelled intermittently for an afternoon, and hit a total of three times.

Langemann said: "The Tatar sling is not accurate, don't worry. I'll clean them up when the cannons are all in place. ”

Hu Min turned his head and glanced at the 12 naval guns that were being put in line, laughed secretly, and led the soldiers out of the camp after saluting.

It was dark, and a crescent moon hung in the sky. Hu Min's soldiers came from Nanyang, and as long as the soldiers were willing to eat fish every day, there was no problem of night blindness or anything.

When they were pirates, night raids and being attacked by night were commonplace, and the brothers were familiar with working at night. Hu Min took out the wine jug from his arms, took a sip, and passed it on.

"Tell everyone to find a pit and hide it yourself. Bear with me tonight and stop smoking. ”

The flickering light of the pipe will reveal the location, and it was a bloody lesson that was paid for it back then. Hu Min had already explained before leaving, and emphasized it again at this time.

The troops scattered in shifts and platoons to find a suitable position, Hu Min wrapped himself in a blanket and fell asleep. There were more than 10 soldiers around him, who took turns to keep watch according to the rules, and he himself was no exception.

In the middle of the night, Hu Min was awakened by the sound of gunfire, Tartar really came, and a hidden but fierce melee began.

……

Langemann replaced some of the first-line companies involved in the battle with reserves and let them go down to rest.

At daybreak, Hu Min led his soldiers to withdraw wearily. The fight didn't stop in the second half of the night, which made people want to die.

With the cover of the artillery barriers, there was no need to put so many troops on the front line today, and half of the troops were withdrawn.

Perhaps the Green Battalion wanted to test whether it was a fake cannon, but they actually tentatively rushed twice and were smashed back by piles of solid bullets.

That night, Shou ordered to sleep well. The first night after the battle was a little dangerous, but when the second day passed, the order was relieved.

Langemann continued to urge the artillery to extend the position, and all the men were dispatched to work through the night to repair two large artillery forts. The fortifications were repaired more and more, and it took a total of three days for 15 12-pounder guns to finally move into place at night, bringing the enemy barracks into range.

Early morning of the fourth day.

The muzzle flame flashed, and a solid projectile flew over the camp and fell into the harvested sugar cane field behind.

After several rounds of test firing, the artillerymen each found the right angle of elevation, and the salvo began.

For naval gunners, shooting on a smooth ground was much simpler than a rocking battleship deck, they took off their cotton coats, cleared their chests, loaded, reset, fired, and so on.

The 12-pound solid bullet smashed through the enemy's wooden wall, destroyed the tent, ignited the gunpowder, and crushed everything soft on the road.

Two hours later, the enemy troops poured out of the camp and retreated to the city of Fuzhou.

The Taipei battalion immediately dispatched a column to quickly approach the enemy's village and target the enemy's Hongyi artillery.

The rest of the divisions then went out of camp and pursued them in the depths of the shallow and near.

The enemy cavalry was still intact and held back the retreating position. In the telescope, Yang Yufan personally returned to the palace, which saved the lives of most of the soldiers. Because of the threat of cavalry, the Federal Army and the Ming Army could not pursue them to their heart's content, and were forced to slow down.

Seeing that the pursuit effect was mediocre, Langemann was willing to take a risk, so he asked Shou Xu for instructions, "Your Excellency, should we disband the formation and pursue the whole line?" ”

Shou Xuan shook his head, "Carl, the enemy has discarded the artillery, armor, and even the flag, and it is useless for this group of frightened naked infantry to run back. ”

"All right, Your Excellency. So what do we do now? The enemy camp has been captured. ”

"Approaching the city of Fuzhou," Shou Xuan smiled, "and then harvest the spoils." ”

The rich Fuzhou Basin has opened its arms to order.

Fuzhou is famous for its four-layer looms and is the second largest textile center in China after Zhejiang.

Fuzhou has the largest shipyard, Fuzhou lacquerware armor in the world, Fuzhou is the main export port of indigo, turmeric and other dyes, Fuzhou's paper industry, printing industry is developed. Fuzhou has many cash crops, and Xinzhou alone can produce nearly 30,000 quintals of cane sugar a year. Fuzhou Gutian is the main production area of Fujian iron, and there are many blacksmiths.

Now, these precious resources are waiting to be grabbed in an orderly manner.

Before that, the Army pushed the 12-pounder gun into a suitable position and broke the battery in Nantai Port from behind, and the fleet was able to sail directly to Nantai to anchor. Inland gunboats traveled up the river and occupied Hongtang Port, the timber and rice distribution center of Fuzhou.

The army cannot loot indiscriminately, and the necessary demeanor must be there.

Divide the area on the map and take turns entering the city and the outlying towns. Crowds of craftsmen, merchants, and women were escorted aboard. The process of looting was certainly not peaceful, and the orderly mind was blurred in it, and he did not know whether he was killing people or saving people.

Even without this raid, Fuzhou would have been quickly surrounded by rebel armies from all walks of life, and in its original history, the city had been without food for a long time, and the green battalion soldiers went out to collect food, and more than seventy percent of the residents of Fuzhou were starved to death and killed.

……

Maiden asked Shou to get all the craftsmen, which of course he could not agree.

With the workers of the Longjiang Shipyard, Taiwan's shipbuilding foundation is already very good, and Taiwan's contact with the mainland does not have to follow the iron law of the monsoon, and it is much more convenient to immigrate and recruit talents than the mainland. This time the talent harvest in Fuzhou, the lacquer craftsmen and weavers can share part of Taiwan, and take away all the rest.

All the blacksmiths were sent to Sanya, and Tiandu's production capacity has recently encountered a bottleneck, and the growth is very slow.

The local government has been recruiting shipwrights in Guangdong and Nanyang, and the shipbuilding capacity has increased steadily every year. The craftsmen of the Nantai Shipyard decided to put it in Borneo. Sarawak has large forests that produce countless tropical hardwoods, and the trees are cut down in the upper reaches of the rivers and put down the water, so that the downstream can easily obtain sufficient raw materials, and the resources are more abundant than those in the mainland.

Maiden had a bitter face and complained to Shou Xu: "Most of the resources for this dispatch of troops are provided by Taiwan, and the spoils distributed are too small. ”

Shou Xiang shrugged, "Whether it's people or materials, you're actually getting the most quantity. ”

"But people are not as good as the ones you want to take."

Shou Xuan patted the cannon beside him, "You might be able to dig deeper, can you take this cannon with you?" ”

"A pile of scrap metal, which will explode at any time, what's the use of asking for it?"

"Taiwan does not produce iron, you can melt it to make farm tools." Shou Xuan smiled, "Putting it on the bottom of the ship as a ballast can't take up much of your tonnage." Recently, the weather has improved, and you have this time to discuss with me, so you might as well find a way to make a few more trips between the straits. There are a lot of things worth sending back in Fuzhou. ”

Maiden left with a look of resentment, and he asked the garrison battalion and the Guizhou soldiers back, saying that it was convenient to pull the net.

A few days later, Maiden packed up on the outskirts of Fuzhou, loaded the cattle, the people, cloth, lacquerware, and everything that could be taken with him onto a transport ship and sailed back to Taipei. This time, a lot of junk ships that could go to sea were captured in the Minjiang River, and together with the fleet brought one after another, a total of more than 200 ships, loaded with trophies and sailed back to Taipei. Four warships, including the Keelung, escorted the transport fleet, and the Minjiang River was empty. Only three battleships including the Rafael and a fleet of river gunboats remained.

These materials can raise Taipei's productivity to a new level, and artisans can boost industrial development in local and other places. But there are not many hard currencies such as raw silk and precious metals among the trophies, which are not enough for Taiwan to pay off the huge debt it owed last year.

The majestic city wall of Fuzhou is right in front of you, and if you want to make money, you have to knock the city down. The garrison battalion was escorted away with the ship, and the other troops were still there. Shou ordered to abandon the empty Mawei Port and resettle the population planned to be taken away to Changle County, Jiangnan. The Taipei battalion and part of the Ming army withdrew to Changle Taiping Port, leaving nearly 3,000 men to rely on Nantai Port to build a fortress south of Fuzhou.

During the preparation for the siege, the headquarters made a sand table for Fuzhou City out of wooden planks and sand.

After several additions in the Ming Dynasty, the city wall of Fuzhou is nearly 20 miles long and 9 meters high. Because of the relationship between coastal defense, the city defense facilities are complete. There are 63 enemy towers, and the city gates have city towers and urn cities.

The north city wall is built on the Ping Mountain, the mountain and the three-storey Zhenhai Tower overlook the whole city, and now the stone furnace on the Zhenhai Tower is burning, and the beacon smoke rising from the sky is urgent to the neighboring prefectures and counties. The northern wall of the city is steep, so don't think about attacking the city from that side.

There is a water gate in Hongtang Port at Ximen, from which small river boats on the Min River can bring supplies into the city.

There is nothing special about the eastern wall.

The south gate is directly opposite the port of Nantai, and there is a canal that connects the moat with the Min River, but the water of the canal is relatively shallow, and boats can only enter the moat at high tide. The urn city, the large and small city towers, and the east and west wings together form the fortress facing south of the Fuzhou city wall, which is the strongest place for the enemy to defend it.

Nantai Port has ready-made infrastructure, and even if the enemy army has the strongest defense force here, the south is the best choice for order.

The army began to build artillery positions.

The news of the defeat of the Green Camp in Fuzhou spread rapidly in the land of northern Fujian like wings, and the surging undercurrent erupted from the ground, and the strength of the rebel army became stronger and stronger.

Fu'an County, Funing Prefecture, is located in the interior and is still unharmed. Liu Zhongzao, a scholar of the Longwu Dynasty, did not surrender like the others, and after the fall of Fujian, he returned to his hometown of Fu'an County to live in seclusion, secretly accumulating strength.

At the end of last year, the local defenders were defeated in Funing Prefecture and Ningde County, and the new Funing Soldier Dao Pan Yinglou was blocked in Fuzhou Prefecture again, and the defense in Funing Prefecture was very weak.

Liu Zhongzao raised troops and easily captured the county seat.