Wusongkou, Ming army fort.

Wu Zhikui saw through the telescope that the fleet of Yichuan in front of him had never launched a cannon. Beside the general soldier, a young general wore an eight-petal bright iron helmet, a long cotton armor, a black cherry blossom on his head, and a bright bronze heart guard reflecting the sun.

He took a step, "Father, the imperial court has entrusted us with the important task of preparing for the sea way. The Yichuan is about to cross the Wusong Pass, won't we attack yet? ”

"No, they're not here to be enemies of the Ming Dynasty."

"Why did my father say that, is it because the Yichuan is with the official warship with the Dengzhou flag?"

The banner can be impersonated, and Wu Ang doesn't quite understand his father's decision.

Wu Zhikui turned around and walked down the lookout, and Wu Ang followed in a few steps.

"There are some things you don't know. The imperial court has sent people to Macao to borrow troops from the Franco. This Jin Chengyi should also be invited by the imperial court. ”

"Won't Father send someone to check?"

"Don't bother, the Yiren only have one cannon ship, so there's no threat."

————

The Melville, in an orderly manner, stepped down from the aft deck and ordered Harris, "Let the fleet be de-prepared, and the Wusong Naval Division will not come out." ”

"Yes, Your Excellency."

In the second half of the first month, the weather and wind direction were unpredictable, and it was not appropriate to make a fleet of more than ten ships go up the river. Shou Xuan and Jin Shiying knew nothing about the navigation situation in the Yangtze River. Considering that the Ming army of Wusongkou might attack and intercept it, Shou Xu sent the Galleon Whampoa to explore the exact channel and place buoys in some of the tortuous channels during the main force of the fleet stationed on Chongming Island. In one or two of the more important areas, water mark boats were also set up. Harris followed the Whampoa several times to survey the shipping lanes and prepare for the fleet's passage.

The section of the flotilla that needs to be surveyed in particular is the water area where fighting may break out at Wusongkou. The Ming army did not intercept the Whampoa's reconnaissance voyage, but to Harris's embarrassment, the channel buoys lowered by the Whampoa disappeared overnight. It was not the Ming army who did it, but the Chinese fishermen on both sides of the strait took advantage of the night to fish these novelties home. Fortunately, the Ming army did not attack, and the impact was not great.

The distance between Nanjing and Wusong is about 170 nautical miles, and this section of the Yangtze River channel from Wusongkou to Nanjing, the ancient capital of China, is surrounded by beautiful rivers and mountains on both sides.

Rows of rolling hills rise from the verdant countryside. There are many small natural lakes at the bottom of the mountain, which are like water basins and surrounded by willow trees. Where there are no hills and a wide field of vision, you can see the low-lying plains between the hills, which are separated by narrow mounds, and these are cultivated land. The farmhouses are scattered among the fields, and the smoke rises from the cooking, which is a quiet and peaceful rural scene in the south of the Yangtze River.

For the Jincheng Navy and the Dengzhou Naval Division, the Yangtze River is a completely unfamiliar waterway. Every ship in the fleet had the possibility of running aground, and the reason why this did not happen was because the sea route had played a huge role. Starting from Nanjing Longjiang Pass, the Haidao has marked dozens of navigation landmarks such as Guanyin Mountain, Gongshan, Longtanyi, Yizhen, Jinshan Temple, Jiaoshan Gate, Wusheng Temple, Jiangyin, Wuzimen, etc., and in the vicinity of each landmark, all indicate the shoals, reefs and rapids in the vicinity of each landmark.

The books are always inaccurate, and can only roughly remind the fleet of the extent of the changes in the shipping lane, and the specific voyage still depends on the Chinese pilots. The pilotage business of the Ming Dynasty was very developed, and the coastal guards and water villages provided relay pilotage for old sailors, and the same was true for the Yangtze River. It's just that the pilotage business in the Yangtze River is in charge of the private sector. These experienced shipowners from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the southeast coastal areas are known as "skilled captains" or "fire chiefs". The fire captains were paid to guide the course of merchant ships sailing on the Yangtze River for the first time or who were unfamiliar with the waterways, and the government's cao ships also asked them to guide them at a high price.

The seaway was passed through and piloted, but accidents could not be avoided. At this time, the surplus power of the Galleria played a large role, and it was often necessary for two Galleries to tow the ship that was stuck on the beach.

When the Melville ran aground for the third time, Shou Order's face was a little unbearable, "Harris, have you recorded the voyage diary of the Yangtze River in detail?" ”

"It's all recorded, Your Excellency. I assure you that our four nautical staff officers took turns working in shifts and did not miss a single detail. ”

In the Yangtze River channel above Wusongkou, the change of shallows and dark sand is not as drastic as that at the estuary, and the hydrological data of the Yangtze River accumulated this time will be a very valuable archive.

The most frequent trouble during the voyage is not the shallow sand reefs. Above Wusongkou, the water surface of the Yangtze River will suddenly narrow in some sections, causing the river to produce a rapid current, and even if it is not affected by the tide, the speed of the water can reach 3 to 4 knots. This happens occasionally when sailing at sea. If the wind is not strong enough and the speed of the advancing ship cannot withstand the speed of the water, then the ship can only stop and anchor and wait for the wind to be more powerful before sailing.

There are more such things in the Yangtze River, the power of the sailing fleet mainly comes from the sails, and the wind direction is passive and uncontrollable, and in the narrow channel of the Yangtze River, the danger is especially great. Only paddling can provide a little extra active sailing ability. However, although the gales had oars, they could only be used for short voyages, and the oarsmen could not be expected to paddle all the way to Nanjing against the Yangtze River. Paddleing is more often used to adjust the course in time and deal with unexpected situations.

Only during the day, when the wind and direction are suitable, can the fleet seize the time to move forward for a while, and many times have to enter the harbor and wait. Fortunately, thanks to Jin Shiying's genuine Ming army identity, the way to stop at the ports of the Yangtze River was relatively smooth. As long as they avoided the key crossings where troops were stationed, other ports could not afford or would cause trouble for the fleet. On the contrary, because Jincheng's fleet was clear when purchasing materials, the children were not deceived, and the transaction was very fair, and after the reputation spread, some ports welcomed the orderly fleet to station. Every time they anchor in such a port, many coastal residents row small boats and sell eggs, fruits and vegetables to the fleet.

Except for the disadvantage of constantly anchoring and waiting for the wind, which makes the upward speed of the entire fleet very slow, it is generally relatively smooth.

At the end of February, approaching Zhenjiang Province, the flotilla encountered its first unnatural obstacles. There is a mountain about fifteen nautical miles downstream of Zhenjiang Prefecture, and the Ming army built two or three small forts, on which several cannons were placed.

The cannon sounded, and Harris hurriedly walked into the commandery, "Your Excellency, the Chinese troops on the shore are shooting at us, and the lead ship Huangpu has a flag and asks us if we want to return fire?" ”

Shou Xu picked up the binoculars and asked as he walked, "Has our army suffered losses?" ”

"The Ming battery fired three shells and missed."

Although there were no losses, it was clear that the Ming troops here refused to move on to the flotilla.

Ascend the stern in order and pull out the telescope.

It is a domed mountain with a peak plunged into the river. The channel of the Yangtze River at the foot of the mountain narrowed sharply. On the highest peak of the mountain, there is a seven-story tower. This is the first tower after entering the Yangtze River.

Harris had never seen the China Tower before, and he held up his binoculars and kept looking at it, admiring it all the time.

"Your Excellency, this tower gives the defenders a good view, although there is no military flag on the tower, but I think there must be a lookout of the Ming army on it."

"Grace Tower......" Shou Xuan remembered the name of this tower, he had been here before. The pagoda should be repaired in a few years. Shou Xuan didn't pay much attention to the tower, and he pointed his binoculars at the defenders' batteries.

From the position of the fleet, the mountain is a steep mountain. The mountain is about 100 meters high and rises from the plain on one side of the river, and there is a valley down the central slope of the mountain. There is a fort at the foot of the mountain and a battery in the col.

The Ming army's batteries were rudimentary, makeshift fortifications made of sandbags and wood, no cannons, only a few Furlong machines. Two galliers could easily defeat the defenders' batteries. It is worth noting the Ming army banner here, "Zheng." ”

Zheng Zhilong's hand is really long enough, the Yangtze River has become his territory, and he sighs a little at the order.

It is not difficult to understand that Jiangsu and Zhejiang are one of Zheng Zhilong's main sources of goods, and he must not allow Jiangsu and Zhejiang to be disrupted, and sending a fleet is also his due intention.

"Raise the flag, order the Whampoa to withdraw one after another, and the fleet reorganize the formation." Shou ordered that "let Jin Shiying send an envoy to contact the defenders." ”

The flotilla is located on a river nearly 3 kilometers wide, and the narrowest channel at the foot of the mountain is only about 1 kilometer. The current is noticeably more rapid, and Orderly does not intend to risk forcing its way through. On the south bank of the Yangtze River, less than 3 kilometers from the mountain, the battleship closed its sails and lowered anchor, waiting for the reply of the envoy.