"The salt barons broke the city, captured the salt transport and set fire to the yamen, burned and killed, and did all kinds of evil. The fire burned the city, and even the silver in the salt transportation yamen turned into silver water, and the whole Yangzhou became a sea of fireworks. Sanniang, am I too ruthless? Unscrupulous for the sake of the end......"

On the deck of the Jingqing ship, Hu Rui looked at Yangzhou City, which was shrouded in black smoke in the distance. With a long sigh, he asked faintly. As a traverser, the people-oriented belief of later generations has already imperceptibly penetrated into the heart. It's not that he hasn't heard the truth that he will succeed and ten thousand bones will wither, but ...... Those people are innocent! Just to justifiably take Yangzhou, take the life and death of hundreds of thousands of people in Yangzhou as an exchange, is it really worth it?

"Lao Hu, you are the commander of the Anhui army, and as a commander, you have no reason to be soft-hearted. Compassion is good, but it can also interfere with your decisions. You are the commander-in-chief, you are responsible for the future of the Anhui Revolutionary Army, and from this point of view, your decision is the right one! Don't be like this, be rational, this road is difficult, but for the sake of this country and the people of the world, we must persevere no matter what! Like you said, as long as all sacrifices are worth it, they are worthwhile. It's useless to say anything now, I can only hope that the turmoil will be quelled as soon as possible and the losses will be minimized. ”

Sanniang followed behind, completely without the vigor and resoluteness of the Swallow Gang, and some were just tender. Sanniang has never blamed Hu Rui for being weak, if it weren't for the early experience in the rivers and lakes that honed her from a kind little girl to a decisive boss on the sofa, she would not have done better than Hu Rui in the face of such a situation. reminds me of Hu Dashuai's early study abroad experience. Sanniang was gradually relieved. The Tessie states boasted of being a country of human rights, and there had been no war in Germany since the Franco-Prussian War. I've been in the peaceful and prosperous world for a long time. Back in the country, face such a mess. Hesitation and soft-heartedness are inevitable. As the only person close to her, Sanniang was duty-bound to stay aside, and Wen Yan enlightened.

The wind was strong on the river, Sanniang stood on tiptoe and laboriously draped the regular coat on Hu Rui's body. The thick wool tweed pressed on his body with a gust of fragrant wind, and Hu Dashuai silently felt the familiar warmth. Yan Nuxia next to her took off the curly-brimmed hat on her head, the wind was too strong to wear! The silk-like hair was unrestrained and spread out in the face of the river breeze. Sanniang worked hard to maintain her hairstyle. There is a stubborn beauty in the hair flowing.

"Whew! It's so cold on the deck, let's go back quickly! ”

Hu Dashuai took advantage of Sanniang's distraction, and took the Yan Nuxia beside him into his arms to cover his ears and steal the bell, leaving a kiss on his forehead while shopping. Then he affectionately hugged Yan Nuxia's shoulders and turned Yan Nuxia, who had been stupid, back to the cabin.

"Ascend...... Lecher! ”

It wasn't until after the meeting that Yan Nuxia came back to her senses from the sudden kiss. With a red face, he threw down Hu Dashuai beside him with shame and annoyance, and ran away. This...... Progress seems to be a little too fast. This man is really. Kindly comforted him and enlightened him, but he didn't expect to take advantage of others recklessly when he turned his head!

"Ascend to the disciple! Bummer! Rogue! Little whore! Human-faced beast heart ......"

Sanniang's face was red and white for a while, and she scolded viciously in her heart (Hu Dashuai behind him sneezed countless times, and quickly passed the regular windbreaker on his body.) Muttered to himself, "It's only November." Is it cold like this? ”）。

"Shoot the Yuan reloaded!"

"Bumper fuse reloaded!"

"Ready, put!"

"Boom, boom"

The cannon roared on the river, and the propellant was not completely burned in the chamber. The residue left behind flew out of the barrel with the shells whizzing. In a short time, a layer of choking black smoke filled the entire river. It's already November. The Yangtze River has also entered a dry period, and the water level has begun to decline rapidly. The navy to which the Anhui Army belongs. It was originally a detachment of the Yangtze River Fleet in the late Qing Dynasty, with a total of 13 training ships, torpedo boats, and gunboats. As the Yangtze River enters the dry season, it has become difficult for the fleet's training ships with large tonnage, unprepared, and deep drafts to maneuver in the Yangtze River, and they rush into the river to carry out fire support tasks, and there is a danger of running aground and running aground. Therefore, Song Wenhui, the temporary commander of the fleet, decisively took several training ships, including the flagship Jingqing, and carried Hu Dashuai and his party to cruise in the deep water area and stand by. Including the gunboats Jianwei, Jiang Yuan, and Baomin, together with a dry torpedo boat and an armored gunboat, they approached and bombarded the salt barons in the city with their main guns. The Yangzhou station of the Ministry of Intelligence has been calibrating the artillery by radio. Dozens of heavy artillery shells of more than 100 mm smashed into the thugs as if they had eyes, and the flesh and stumps flew sideways with a loud bang, causing a burst of crying fathers and mothers.

Among them, especially those old warships inherited from the Yangtze River Fleet of the former Qing Dynasty, they worked the hardest. Originally, the barrel life of naval guns was limited, and when it reached a certain number of rifling, it would be seriously worn, and it must be replaced at that time, otherwise there would be a risk of exploding. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, when the navy was rebuilt, almost all the ships were based on outsourcing, and all the artillery and various types of ammunition used on the ships naturally needed to be purchased. Not now, though. At the time of the Nanjing Uprising, Hu Dashuai once gave an extremely detailed modification plan, promising in person to arrange for the inland gunboats, including Jiang Yuan, to be refitted when he won the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau. Now that the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau has been won, and it is said that the German Krupp envoy has also arrived in Shanghai, it seems that this promise will soon be fulfilled. Thinking of this, several captains were overjoyed, and as for these old main guns, they naturally tried to consume as much as possible. All the navy's 150 mm and 120 mm caliber shells in the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau's inventory were collected and airlifted here, and the ammunition was absolutely enough. Anyway, if you want to get a new gun when you go back, then fight!

At the same time as the artillery fire was covering, two non-thousand-ton freighters in the fleet, which had been bought from the German Far East Detachment in Qingdao, were carrying the various units of the Second Mixed Brigade respectively, slowly breaking away from the fleet and heading towards the shore. The river is too shallow for ships of this tonnage to approach. Therefore, the transportation of personnel and equipment can only rely on dozens of small boats prepared in advance.

The transport ship dropped anchor on the riverside, and the sailors helped the army officers and men on board to tie the dinghy to the sides of the ship. I put them down one by one, and I also put down the net rope used for climbing. Fang Zong, the commander of the 2nd Mixed Brigade, gritted his teeth and blackened his face. Listening to the rumbling cannon in his ears, he specially picked a higher place to stand, ready to do Zuihou's mobilization.

"Brothers of the Second Mixed Brigade of the Anhui Revolution, this trip does not seek merit but no fault! We delayed the fighter plane, and now it is naturally up to us to make up for it! When he came, Song Wenhui of the navy boasted that he could use the cannons on the ship to fight those bandits in Yangzhou City in an hour, and they didn't need our army! Hehe, wearing a sinful body, even these wall grasses look down on us! Brothers. If it's a man, follow me! Let's teach those clowns a hard lesson, and teach those wall-to-wall grass a lesson! Tell them that our Anhui Army and Army are all good! Our second mixed brigade is all good! Our handsome men don't have fucking soldiers! ”

Fang Zong roared hoarsely, then stiffly adjusted the steel helmet, pushed away the guards around him, and took the lead in crawling along the rope net towards the boat on the river.

"TMD, brethren, don't disgrace our handsome! Don't disgrace our army! Don't embarrass our second mixed brigade! It's a gentleman, gone! ”

I don't know who shouted, and the crowd was angry. The sides of the transport ship were noisy like dumplings.

"Step on the horizontal rope with your feet, grasp the vertical rope with your hands, and pay attention to the shaking direction of the wind!"

The officers who went down first, standing on the dinghy. Tearing his throat and reminding loudly. The naval artillery was fiercely shelling Yangzhou, and the salt owls had long been too busy to take care of themselves, and they would not fire at all to intercept the landing force that was going down the side of the ship into the boat. But the wind on the river is strong. Blowing and swaying with the wind, he carried twenty kilograms of equipment on his back. If you are not careful, you can really plunge into the river.

"Quick! The troops who got on the boat, don't delay. While the artillery fire has not stopped, quickly row towards the shore! Hurry up and catch up! ”

Fang looked at the climbing nets that were constantly shaking in the river breeze, and the officers and men were going down the nets one by one to the dinghy little by little. Fang Zong, who was eager to make amends for his crimes, couldn't wait any longer, and ordered loudly. As he spoke, he snatched the oars from the guard's hand and rowed with all his strength. He couldn't wait for the troops to be assembled, so he directly rowed towards the shore with the troops who had already boarded the boat. In the distance, the city of Yangzhou was still shrouded in black smoke and firelight, and faintly the sound of gunfire and howls could be faintly heard.

Under the leadership of Fang Zong, the officers and soldiers who went down to the boat first followed suit, picked up the oars and rowed desperately. It's not that they underestimate the enemy, the Second Mixed Brigade is also an old unit that participated in the Battle of Nanjing, and its equipment, morale, and fighting spirit are not comparable to the salt lords of the rabble. As early as when he was in the army, Hu Rui instilled such a belief in all the officers and soldiers: When they meet on a narrow road, the brave wins! There is no invincible with me, there is no enemy without me! Even if you know that you are invincible, you must dare to show your sword! Since the day the army was formed, there has been no fear in the dictionary of this army! Seeing that the brigade commander took the lead in rowing away with the troops, the officers and soldiers who remained on the climbing net were so anxious that they were about to cry, time waits for no one! In a hurry, some of the brave ones gritted their teeth and untied their rifles, backpacks, and cartridge belts, and threw them directly onto the dinghy along the net ropes. As soon as I closed my eyes, I let go of my hands and feet wrapped around the rope and fell straight down! There are their own people on the river, and even if they can't land on the boat, they don't have to worry about drowning if they fall into the river. With the first one, the people who were eager to fight immediately followed suit, so that the water splashed on both sides of the boat like dumplings.

"Woo woo woo ~ "

With dozens of small boats loaded with officers and men of the Second Mixed Association, they headed towards the shore. A terrible siren sounded on the river, and the river defense gunboat squadron, which had been silent during the previous shelling, suddenly sounded the battle alarm. The squadron of gunboats quickly centered on the two armored gunboats, turned the rudder, and headed towards the shore at full speed. Twelve gunboats, churning in the waves and flying battle flags, approached with murderous vigour. The water on the river is shallow, and there is no other ship more suitable for fire support on the other side than them!

"Get on the battlefield and get ready to fight!"

On each gunboat, the captains excitedly gave the same order in German and Chinese! Now it's their showtime! (To be continued......)

PS: Ask for subscription, ask for support~