History quietly turned a corner here, and in parallel history, the Ninth Town was defeated by Zhenjiang after the failure of the uprising in Moling Town. Xu Shaozhen proclaimed himself the commander of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang coalition army and recruited troops on a large scale. On November 30, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang coalition army attacked Nanjing in three ways, and the Jiangfang patrol camp was defeated, and Nanjing changed hands. Jiangning General Tieliang, Zhang Xun, commander of the Jiangfang Training Battalion, and Zhang Renjun, the governor of Liangjiang and minister of Nanyang, fled to the Japanese warships on the river. In this time and space, due to Hu Rui's birth, he took the lead in capturing Jiujiang and holding the two fortresses of Hukou and Madang in his hands. After the replacement of the new Krupp frame and the withdrawal of the gun, the two fortresses of Madang and Hukou, the names of the fortresses were confirmed, and the throat of the Yangtze River was firmly stuck like iron tongs. Therefore, there were no Japanese warships on the river in Nanjing, and Zhang Renjun, Tie Liang, and others could only board the Jingqing training ship of the Yangtze River Fleet nearby.

Yuhuatai was lost, Xiaolingwei was lost, and there was only one heavenly castle left in the Nanjing city fortifications. Before leaving, Zhang Xun handed over several battalions in his hand to Wang Youhong, the guard of the Heavenly Castle that he had single-handedly. After receiving reinforcements, the defenders of the Heavenly Castle increased to nine battalions and more than 4,500 people. Wang Youhong, who has a tendon, is clamoring to take more than 4,500 brothers from nine battalions under his command to fight to the death with the Anhui army! is ready to repay Zhang Xun with death for his kindness. It's just that no one cares about whatever he calls. The officer from the teaching battalion of the Anhui army is too lazy to take care of this goods, and he is called by a mad dog, and he doesn't even have time to take a look! Reading the textbook, how to say it, frog jumping attack! Bypassing you and directly defeating Nanjing City, that's not the same, it's really Nanjing has been taken down, where can you make a fuss about a heavenly castle? If you like to stay in the mountains, stay in the mountains, just surround you. The Qing army was even more busy running for their lives. Didn't you see the officials all over the city, Wen Diwu's smoke and all ran away? The Anhui army's gang of killers fought too fiercely, and Xiaolingwei and Yuhuatai didn't last half an hour combined! Your king has a macro love to call and call, it's best if you stay here to drag the Anhui army, so that our brothers can run for their lives! Anyway, there are still naval ships in Xiaguan, as long as there are warships on board, they will be able to escape.

After Tie Liang and Zhang Renjun got on the mirror and cleared the ship, it didn't take long for Zhang Xun to hurry over. Song Wenhui did not dare to delay, and immediately ordered a fire to be set to anchor. This warship, the oldest warship in the Yangtze River Fleet, carried three adults like lost dogs and slowly cruised on the river (the Jingqing training ship inherited from the Beiyang Naval Division, launched in 1885, is the oldest warship in the Yangtze River Fleet).

At the dock in Shimonoseki, hundreds of routs crowded into a group and forcibly requisitioned all the civilian boats along the river. The small wooden boat became Noah's Ark, and whoever got on the ship first and got on the warship first could escape, so they crowded to the dock. There is more porridge and less porridge, and the more and more defeated soldiers gather and start to fight for a small wooden boat, in order to survive to show the ugliest side of human nature. Former colleagues fought and shot each other, and the whole dock became a mess. Some of the overloaded wooden boats were overwhelmed and sank to the bottom of the river, and the water was full of patrol battalions struggling to survive.

"My lord, do you want the warship to come up and pick it up? It's all the soldiers of our Qing Dynasty! ”

Zhang Xun really couldn't look down on it, so he didn't dare to go to Tie Liang, so he came to Zhang Renjun's side and begged.

In the old army, soldiers are generals and soldiers. How many guns and how many soldiers carry guns are the foundation of a foothold in troubled times. Looking at the soldiers of the river defense patrol battalion struggling on the river, Zhang Xun trembled in distress, they were all his people. It was all his family money that he saved, not to mention that he lost the chassis in this battle, and even the team he had worked hard to manage for a long time was lost. Zhang Xun wanted to cry without tears, and he had already greeted the eight generations of the ancestors of the Anhui Army in his heart, how could there be such a war.

"Answer? This time, we are all mud bodhisattvas crossing the river, and it is difficult to protect ourselves, so we still have the heart to estimate them! If this will call the warship to come up, maybe we won't be able to leave ourselves! ”

Zhang Renjun looked at the soldiers of the Jiangfang patrol battalion who were fighting on the dock, and said with a wry smile.

After being the governor of Liangjiang for so many years, it was the first time he saw the patrol battalion soldiers so "brave and good at fighting". But they can't be blamed entirely, the fierce artillery fire of the Anhui army is rare in the world, not to mention that the patrol battalion is not much better if it is replaced by the Beiyang Army. Thinking of this, Zhang Renjun was slightly relieved.

"My lord, there is a batch of newly arrived Western fast and breech steel cannons on the docks of Shimonoseki! My lord, let's take this batch of arms away, and when he makes a comeback, he can kill them back! ”

Zhang Xun gritted his teeth and moved out of Zuihou's chips. The Silver Dollar Bureau broke off its mind as soon as possible, and it is estimated that it would have fallen into the hands of the Anhui Army. But he was reluctant to give up the batch of arms on the dock in Shimonoseki, more than 3,000 Western fast guns, enough to equip six battalions!

How could Zhang Renjun not hear this voice-over, Zhang Xun was reluctant to save his hard-earned family funds, and the arms were exchanged for those soldiers under him. As for the comeback and the words of killing back to Jiangning, it can only be digested and listened to. Anyway, he Zhang Renjun is dead-hearted, the Anhui army's gang of killing cannonballs is the same as not asking for money, even if Yuan Xiangcheng goes out of the mountain, it is estimated that he will not be able to please Beiyang over. It would be good that the Qing Dynasty could keep the north.

While he was hesitating, he suddenly heard a cannon sound on the river not far away, and then a splash exploded on the river in front of the bow of the Jingqing ship.

"Where's the ring? It's not the Anhui army that is coming! ”

Tie Liang's latest reaction was that he was now in a state of nod by the morning shelling. Immediately jumped up and asked.

"My lord, the lookout post reports, four nautical miles ahead, two gunboats are rapidly approaching!"

Song Wenhui hurriedly reported.

"Two gunboats?!"

Zhang Renjun looked at each other, and even the naval officers in the command tower were confused.

"Which flag? Flag Message! Ask about the nationality and the name of the ship, what happened to the shelling just now? ”

Song Wenhui was the first to react and ordered the signal soldiers. As he spoke, he grabbed the binoculars hanging around his neck and looked ahead.

"My lord, it's a red flag! They claimed to be PT2 and PT4 armored gunboats of the River Defense Gunboat Brigade of the Anhui Revolutionary Army! ”

It didn't take long for the signalman to report in a panic.

"Where did this Anhui army get so much silver, sometimes the heavy artillery is gunboats! Where did you buy all this?! ”

Tie Liang's face turned blue and said wildly.

"My lord, I've heard of it. When the Anhui Revolutionary Army sent troops to Jiujiang before, three gunboats were dispatched, and the batteries were suppressed with rapid-fire guns using the dead corners of the batteries, and the bullets rained down! The three boats are said to have been built in Germany and delivered less than two months ago. ”

A well-informed cronie leaned over and said.

"Pipe tape, do you think it's pulling the battle alarm?"

The gunner on the Jingqing ship quietly pulled Song Wenhui's sleeve and asked in a low voice.

"Let's see, our ship is a practice ship, inform the new officer to prepare, and listen to my orders. If the momentum is not right, immediately notify the rest of the ships to prepare for battle! ”

Song Wenhui shook his head and ordered in a low voice. The gunners then met and took the order.

"My lord, those two gunboats sent a message asking us to anchor in the ground, wait for orders, and move at will during this period!"

Song Wenhui put down the binoculars and leaned in with a dark face and said.

"The mantis arm is a car, not self-sufficient! General Ben wants to see what the two sampans are capable of! Shoot these bastards! ”

Tie Liang directly threw the telescope in his hand and yelled at Song Wenhui.

Song Wenhui looked at Zhang Renjun with embarrassment, thinking about how to shirk it. Suddenly, an officer in the cabin by the porthole shouted:

"Torpedo! Yu Lei! ”

The reckless voice frightened everyone a lot, and Song Wenhui, who was shocked, reprimanded and asked:

"What's the noise, where are the torpedoes?!"

"Pipe tape, lo and behold! Those two boats have torpedoes on both sides! Look at the caliber of the launch tube is even larger than ours! ”

Song Wenhui looked in the direction of his finger and couldn't help but gasp. I saw two gunboats approaching at full speed, and a cigar-shaped cylinder was installed on each side, wrapped in canvas. Several sailors on board were busy unwrapping the outer layer of canvas, and soon a torpedo tube was revealed. Perhaps for deterrence, the lid of the torpedo tube was opened, and a fully assembled torpedo could be clearly seen inside the launch tube with a telescope!

As early as when ordering these armored gunboats, Hu Rui referred to the popular modularity involved in later generations, and designed these small boats as a panacea! At the same time, it takes into account the ability of inland navigation of the Yangtze River and navigation in offshore and low sea conditions; There is a certain balance left on the tonnage to allow for diversification of uses. Equipped with minelaying tracks on both sides, you can carry twelve imitation Soviet-made 1923 "crab" mines (the woolly bear fake thing is powerful, cost-effective, and simple to use) as minelayers, and two German-made G7e 533mm torpedoes (the most used by the German submarine forces in World War II is the G7e, born from the G7a used during the First World War), you can use it as a torpedo boat (although the maximum speed of 16 knots is very bad, but it is still competent in the Yangtze River inland river). The 330-ton dinghy is very rebellious, and it has three purposes, and it is multi-purpose!

A training detachment of the Yangtze River Fleet was stationed at the Xiaguan Wharf, including 13 training ships, gunboats, and torpedo boats. The two armored gunboats carrying fish approached at full speed, aiming straight at the largest tonnage of the Jingqing ship.

"Pipe band, two gunboats sent a flag, telling us to pay attention to the river on the right!"

Before everyone could react, the signalman reported.

"The river on the right?! Could it be that the Anhui army is even equipped with underwater aircraft and ships?! ”

Song Wenhui speculated.

"Boom Boom"

Before the words fell, the river on the right side was boiling like boiling water in a pot! The shells exploded whizzing on the water, and the violent vibration caused the vibration to be felt in all compartments of the Jingqing ship. A near-arrow bomb landed less than twenty meters away from the bridge, and the waves and shrapnel from the explosion hit the Jingqing ship directly!

"Pipe belt, this is a heavy gun of more than 100 mm! At least ten! ”

The gunner, who was soaked with the river water, shouted tremblingly.

Song Wenhui was also wet by Jiang Shui, and the fierce heavy artillery salvo made him cold from his body to his heart.

"Pipe belt, two gunboats of the Anhui Army have sent a signal, asking us to decide whether to revolt within two hours!"

The Signal Corps dutifully reported.

"Inform the ship's management bands, come to the meeting quickly!"

Song Wenhui no longer looked at the faces of Tie Liang and Zhang Renjun, threw down a sentence and went to the conference room by himself, leaving everyone in Cambridge looking at each other.