Deng Zixuan stood on the bow of the boat, looking intently at the endless sea. The sea is calm during this season, like a docile sheep at your tender touch. "My lord! As you requested, the speed of the boat was reduced. Chen Gensheng ran this route several times, and we accumulated a certain amount of experience. After dark, it will smoothly enter the predetermined sea area and ensure that the landing site will be reached at midnight. Lin Haisheng walked over silently.

Deng Zixuan said: "If we are lucky and we can't encounter a French battleship, we will win if we guarantee a smooth landing." "My lord, I have ordered the naval guns to enter combat readiness and deal with emergencies at any time." Lin Haisheng said. Deng Zixuan chose to land for operation, although there would be unexpected results. But danger also comes with it at any time, and what he is most worried about is that the French warship will be discovered by the French in advance, and if such a situation really occurs, it will be dangerous. However, choosing a landing operation was the only way to quickly defeat the French army, and Deng Zixuan had to take a risk.

Night came, and the sea became pitch black. "Commander-in-Chief, enter the cabin! The meals were heated several times. Bai Sheng came to his side and said with concern. Deng Zixuan said: "Tell the fleet that we must strictly implement light control. "Yes! I have issued instructions repeatedly. "The roar of the machines emitted by the fleet cannot be removed, and there is no way to do this, so we have to resign ourselves to fate.

Deng Zixuan simply ate a few bites of food, and then ordered the guards to take it down. The landing site and the situation on the ground were information from two months ago. Two months have passed, and it is unknown what will change. Deng Zixuan's choice of landing site was Thanh Hoa, an important town on the border of Ann Hai, about 300 kilometers from Hanoi. Weishenme's choice of Thanh Hoa landing is based on three considerations. First, Thanh Hoa Port can berth 1,000-ton cargo ships, while most of its own steam cargo ships are about 1,000 tons. Second, the sea area of Thanh Hoa is very smooth, the sea conditions are excellent, there are no reefs and shoals, which is very beneficial to the unfamiliar sea conditions, which can ensure the smooth landing of the fleet. Thirdly, it is the most important one, Thanh Hoa has a Pai Sang River from east to west, and this natural barrier is self-evident.

In addition, about 20 kilometers north of the Baishan River, there is also an east-west Ma River. Both rivers originate in the Hoi Phen Plateau in Laos and form excellent natural barriers. It is not difficult for people with a little military common sense to see that Deng Zixuan chose to land in Thanh Hoa. The French did not see Thanh Hoa as a strategic priority, based on contempt for the Qing navy. The French, including foreigners, hardly have to think about it, and foreigners are absolutely giants on the ocean, without any opponents.

The fleet continued to move forward with a roar, and most of the warships and merchant ships of this period continued to use sailboats. What is the concept, that is, there is both machine power and sail assistance. As a result, cargo ships, including warships, were mostly lined with masts. In short, this is the transition from the sail to the machine, so the coexistence of the two is very common. 25 steam cargo ships, 20 with soldiers and 5 with cargo.

In the dark, the soldiers sat densely on the deck, and the cabins below were also overcrowded. Every hour the guards were changed, the soldiers on the deck went down, and the soldiers in the cabin came up. No one is noisy, no one is clamoring, except for the roar of the machine, or the roar of the machine. Commanding the cargo ship, Lin Haisheng took out his pocket watch and glanced at it and said, "Chen Gensheng, you haven't deviated from the course, right?" Are you sure the land ahead is Thanh Hoa? ”

By the reflection of the moonlight, the outline of the land can be roughly distinguished. Chen Gensheng said: "The river that flows into the sea is the Baishang River, and it will not be wrong. "Very good, order to raise the sails and stop the machine!" Lin Haisheng ordered. In the subtropical seas, most of the winds blow from the ocean to the land. Suddenly, the roar of the machines stopped, the cargo ships began to sail angrily, the sea became quiet, and the fleet sailed silently towards the shore.

Thanh Hoa is a market town located on the north bank of the Pashan River, which is formed by the confluence of the river and the sea, and the town is about three kilometers away from the seaside pier. During the wet season, a 1,000-ton cargo ship can dock directly at Thanh Hoa Wharf, but now it is a dry season, and only 500-ton cargo ships can dock. So another pier was built on the edge of the sea three kilometers from the market town. There are no homes on the wharf except for the freight yard and warehouse, and there is another team of tax police set up here by the Annan Imperial Court to collect taxes, with more than 100 people.

Maybe it was the time of war, when the merchant ships ran away and the docks were empty. At that time, the French invaded the south of Annam one after another, and now they have been encroaching step by step, and after capturing Rong City, they will draw the ground as a prison. After several years of operation, Vinh can now berth warships and merchant ships of less than 3,000 tons, so Thanh Hoa cannot become a logistics base for the French for the time being. In addition, Vinh is located on the south side of Thanh Hoa, about 300 kilometers away from Thanh Hoa, and the French warships and merchant ships are basically larger than 2,000 tons, so Thanh Hoa Pier cannot dock at all.

The cargo ship docked smoothly, and the tax police on the dock naturally became prisoners. After dawn, Deng Zixuan stepped on the dock. Cargo ships are to unload cargo, mainly military supplies, weapons, ammunition and food. The troops who went ashore first had already rushed to the town, and no gunshots were heard, and Deng Zixuan estimated that the town had been controlled. Bai Sheng went to the town to command, and Deng Zixuan stayed at the dock to deal with the aftermath.

The soldiers nervously unloaded, and Deng Zixuan said: "Lin Haisheng! "Here! What does the lord command? "Be sure to unload the cargo before dark, and then immediately lead the fleet out of Thanh Hoa for Hainan Island, this place cannot be left for long, and if the French discover us, your fleet will not be able to escape at all." After you arrive at Hainan Island, you should seize the time to transfer goods to Guangzhou City to the maximum extent. In the future, after the blockade of foreigners, there will be no chance. "Don't worry, my lord! Subordinates do their best! ”

"Go and call the sapper captain!" After a while, a young officer came to Deng Zixuan: "Report to the commander-in-chief, what are your orders?" "After the fleet leaves, blow up the dock, must be completely destroyed?" "Understood! Rest assured, Commander-in-Chief! Deng Zixuan brought an engineering team of about 30 people in Shanghai, which was directly assigned to the command of the headquarters.

A few fast horses galloped over, and Deng Zixuan saw that only one of the five horses had a person, and the other four horses had a saddle and no one. "Commander-in-chief, it's the guard of the White Brigade Commander!" Said the guard beside him. The guard turned over and dismounted, "Report to the commander-in-chief, Brigade Commander Bai asked me to tell you that Thanh Hoa Town is under my control, and the first regiment has advanced to the northern river. ”

Deng Zixuan nodded and asked, "What's the matter with these Yanmar?" "Report to the commander-in-chief, there is a foreigner military station in Qinghua Town, there are 22 foreigners, the things in the military station are old-nosed, these big oceanic horses are foreigners, we have captured 22 horses, and Brigade Commander Bai asked me to send a few to the commander-in-chief." The guard said happily. When he set out on Hainan Island, Deng Zixuan stayed on Hainan Island in order to load more people and goods.

“haha！ What do you really want to come to? Let's go to Thanh Hoa Town! After saying that, Deng Zixuan stepped on the war horse, and the two guards also stepped on the war horse and galloped away. Entering the courtyard of the French military station, a group of French prisoners squatted in the middle of the courtyard, and several soldiers with guns stared at them. This group of French soldiers, escorts and logistics soldiers, stared at the people in front of them in confusion, and all of them fell into a daze. In their consciousness, there is no such army on Shijie, and they can't even understand that this strange army fell from the sky?

Deng Zixuan looked at the French prisoners, and saw that many soldiers were staring at each other with wide eyes, and frankly they were not afraid but confused. Many of the captives were bearded, and it was impossible to judge their actual age. This kung fu guy who showed a low-ranking officer suddenly stood up and muttered a string of French, to be honest, Deng Zixuan couldn't understand French.

The soldiers in custody thought that this guy was planning to do something wrong, and smashed him unconscious with the butt of a gun. The captives were so frightened that they hugged their heads and didn't dare to breathe, Deng Zixuan asked, "Which of you knows English?" "Nothing happened. This kung fu Bai Sheng rushed over from another courtyard when he heard the news, "Commander-in-chief, I have already been interrogated, and no one understands English!" "Try to find someone who understands French in the local area and find out what is going on." After Deng Zixuan finished speaking, he raised his legs and walked towards the courtyard.

Entering the house, Bai Sheng took out a small notebook and said: "Commander-in-chief, the preliminary statistics of the materials of the French military station have been obtained, about 500 Remington rifles, 100,000 rounds of ammunition, 4 artillery pieces, 2 machine guns, and 1,000 shells each. French uniforms, food ······. As soon as he went ashore, he picked up a foreign old man, and Deng Zixuan was in a good mood.

In the evening, Deng Zixuan and Bai Sheng stood at the riverbank wharf and looked at the other side. "Tomorrow morning I will march north with the 2nd Regiment, the artillery team, and the troops directly under me, and you will stay behind to deal with the aftermath. I suggested that Lin Qiang, the commander of the 3rd Regiment, lead a battalion to hold the defense line of the Baishan River, as this natural barrier seemed to be prepared for us. In addition, all the boats on the other side of the river were looted, and the wharf on the other side was completely blown up. ”

"Understood," Bai Sheng nodded. "I don't know if the first regiment has been in contact with Leng Yifei's reconnaissance troops, what is their situation, and what is the situation of the French army, we don't know anything." Deng Zixuan seemed anxious. "Commander-in-chief, I have already instructed the commander of the first regiment to get in touch with Leng Yifei's reconnaissance troops after occupying the river."

Deng Zixuan nodded and said, "I'm in Ningping for you, you have to catch up quickly!" ”