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Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, was already a large city with a population of 500,000 in the mid-18th century. Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions have the reputation of the land of fish and rice since ancient times, and it is the main source of government finance and taxation. Since the Southern Song Dynasty moved its capital to Hangzhou and changed its name to Lin'an, Hangzhou has achieved tremendous development. Even today, Hangzhou remains one of the most important cities on China's eastern coast.

In order to control Hangzhou and the surrounding rich areas, in the early Qing Dynasty, the Manchu Qing built a flag camp in the area of the West Lake in Hangzhou, commonly known as Manchu, which was commanded by the Hangzhou general to ensure the Manchu rule in this area. The current general of Hangzhou is the same Qiying who negotiated with the British in Nanjing during the Opium War. In addition, Zhejiang Province is under the jurisdiction of the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, but the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang is stationed in Fuzhou, and only the governor of Zhejiang is located in Hangzhou. The current governor of Zhejiang, named Liu Yunke, was appointed governor of Zhejiang in the twentieth year of Daoguang, that is, in 1840.

The Manchu Qing Dynasty was fighting against the Xinhua Army in Guangdong, and the main force of more than 30,000 people of the Zhejiang Green Battalion, under the leadership of Li Tingyu, the governor of Zhejiang, also went to Fujian to fight. The law and order in Zhejiang was maintained by the Eight Banners under the command of General Hangzhou and the government officials of various prefectures. Fortunately, Zhejiang's economy is developed, the people's living standards are relatively good, and the society is stable after all. In the short term, there won't be much of a problem.

However, for the ongoing war in the south, both the Hangzhou general Qi Ying and the Zhejiang governor Liu Yunke were a little worried. between Zhejiang and Guangdong. But it's just a Fujian across the road. In case the Qing army failed to defeat the Xinhua army, Zhejiang would inevitably be threatened by the Xinhua army. For this reason, Liu Yunke, the governor of Zhejiang, consulted with the Hangzhou general Qiying many times. It is hoped that they can jointly write to the imperial court, asking the imperial court to agree to the expansion of Zhejiang Green Camp to deal with possible crises. It's just that after the excerpt is handed over, it will take a lot of time to wait for the Manchu Qing to reply. What the two didn't expect was that when the Manchu government had not yet replied to them. The Xinhua army has already attacked.

At 3 p.m. on March 6, 1843, 12 'Shark-class' cruisers of the 1st Fleet of the Xinhua Navy escorted more than a dozen transports of the 2nd Marine Brigade. brazenly entered Hangzhou Bay. The Qiantang River flows from Hangzhou into the East China Sea, forming a trumpet-shaped bay tens of kilometers wide. The fleet of the Xinhua Army could even go down the Qiantang River and kill directly under the city of Hangzhou.

When a huge warship appeared in Hangzhou Bay. The fishermen were dumbfounded. And then. These fishing boats fled one after another, and they remembered that during the Opium War, the British warships entered Hangzhou Bay and burned, killed and looted.

"General, in front of you is the Tianfei Palace Fort of the Zhejiang Navy Division. There were a total of 12 large-caliber shore defense guns. However, these shore defense guns are old cast iron cannons, capable of firing only solid projectiles and have a range of less than a kilometer. "The captain of the cruiser 'Xinhua' reported to Rear Admiral Wei Yong.

"Hmmm! Command the ships. Advance to a point of 1.5 kilometers from the battery and destroy it. Major General Wei Yong put down the binoculars. The order was given. Hangzhou was an important city on the southeast coast, and after the outbreak of the Opium War, the Qing army also strengthened the defense of these important cities. The Fort of the Heavenly Concubine Palace was also strengthened in strength. However, such a fort still does not look enough in front of the Xinhua Navy.

At this time, the huge fleet that suddenly appeared on the sea also attracted the attention of the Qing defenders of the Tianfei Palace Fort. When the battleships were seen rapidly approaching the battery, an alarm sounded on the battery. On the one hand, the pipe band in charge of the fort ordered the Qing artillery to prepare for battle, and on the other hand, he hurriedly sent people to Hangzhou for help. He is not a fool, dozens of warships have appeared on the sea, and it is simply not something that one of his batteries can withstand. Of course, if the officials of Hangzhou could order a retreat, it would undoubtedly be the best.

At 3:35 p.m., the 1st Fleet of the Xinhua Navy sailed into the sea 1.5 kilometers away from the battery. The 12 'Shark-class' cruisers struck the hull of the ship one after another, aiming their sideboards at the batteries. The naval guns on the battleship have begun to adjust the firing position.

"Fire!" At 4 p.m., Major General Wei Yong gave the order to open fire.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "Four 105-mm naval guns and four 75-mm naval guns on the cruiser 'Xinhua' opened fire in turn. The Shark-class cruiser has been in service for several years, soaked in the sea all year round, and the structure of the hull is no longer as good as before. After the study of shipbuilding experts, they asked the officers of the navy not to use a salvo when firing, so as not to cause excessive recoil and cause the battleship to fall apart and disintegrate. Of course, this method of firing sequentially also affected the shooting accuracy of the battleship to a certain extent. However, it is much better than the disintegration of the battleship.

After the cruiser 'Xinhua' opened fire, 11 other cruisers of the fleet also opened fire. For a moment, the sound of intensive shelling echoed over the bay, as if it were thunder.

The cannonballs, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, fell around the fort of the Tianfei Palace. After the shell exploded, it only made people feel that the sky was falling apart, and the sand and rocks were flying. The stone bars that had piled up the fort were shattered in the explosion. The entire fort was enveloped in smoke and dust.

Some of the fishermen who were fleeing couldn't help but look at the queen from the fishing boat. All they saw was the battleship on the sea, which was heavily shelling the battery. Everyone's hearts sank, afraid that it was the foreign devil who called again. Once the war breaks out, they, the common people, will have to suffer again. It's just that soon these ordinary people knew that this war would not only not let them live a hard life, but would also allow them to live a prosperous and good life.

"Boom! Rumble! "Under the heavy shelling of the Xinhua Navy, the Qing troops guarding the Tianfei Palace Fort suffered heavy losses. The exposed forts could not withstand the fierce shelling of the Xinhua Army at all. Constantly artillery was blown up, and artillery was killed.

"Fight back, fight back!" The official road of the Qing army darkened his face and ordered loudly.

"Boom!" A shore defense gun finally opened fire after being charged. The solid projectile, weighing twenty pounds, flew quickly towards the bay. However, at a distance of at least 600 meters from the warship of the Xinhua Army, it fell into the sea and splashed a high column of water.

At a distance of 1.5 km, the 1st Fleet of the Xinhua Navy is very safe. The old iron cannons used by the Qing army would not pose any threat to them at all.

After the twenty-minute bombardment, the Tianfei Palace fort had been destroyed. The Qing army, which guarded the fort, suffered a lot of losses. The 12 old iron cannons were all destroyed in the shelling of the Xinhua army. The remaining defenders, seeing the gap between the two sides, also fled.

After destroying the Tianfeigong Fort, the 1st Fleet of the Xinhua Navy continued to advance, and at the same time, the transport ships carrying the 2nd Marine Brigade and the 6th Infantry Brigade also followed. The two brigades will land in Hangzhou and then cooperate to take Hangzhou. After that, the 2nd Marine Brigade will board the ship and set off, escorted by the 1st Navy Fleet, and go to the mouth of the Yangtze River with the main force. The battle in Zhejiang was handed over to the 6th Infantry Brigade of the Army. With the strength of an infantry brigade, it is not a big problem to sweep away Zhejiang, which does not have much military reserves.

At 4:25 p.m., the 2nd Marine Brigade of the Xinhua Kingdom landed on the coast near Haining County, Hangzhou Prefecture. There is a wharf for the Zhejiang Navy Division to land for the Xinhua Marine Corps. As for the Zhejiang Sailor, it was originally just a small sailor with only more than 1,000 people. When the Xinhua Navy bombarded the Tianfei Palace Fort, they fled.

When the marines of the new Chinese kingdom began to land, the cavalry sent to report the news was still running on the official road, and it was not until 5 o'clock in the afternoon that he arrived in the city of Hangzhou. Because the governor of Zhejiang was no longer there, he could only go to the governor's yamen to report the news. As for the Hangzhou general, there is a difference between the Manchus and the Han, and the soldiers of the Han people will not go to the Eight Banners under normal circumstances.

"Your Excellency, something is wrong. A large number of enemy ships appeared in Hangzhou Bay, and now the Tianfeigong Fort was under heavy bombardment by enemy warships. After the green battalion soldiers who reported the news saw Liu Yunke, the governor of Zhejiang, they immediately said.

"What? Enemy ships appeared in Hangzhou Bay? Did the British fight back? Didn't we sign a peace treaty with them? Liu Yunke was taken aback. In the Opium War, eastern Zhejiang was the main battlefield, which caused great damage to Zhejiang. If the British army invades again, and the main force of the Zhejiang Green Battalion is not there, what will it be!

"My lord, not British. Judging by the flags they hoisted, it was the Xinhua Army. The person said.

"Xinhua Army? Aren't they in Guangdong? How could it be here. How many enemy ships are there? Liu Yunke asked.

"My lord, there are at least more than fifty enemy ships in Hangzhou Bay." The visitor replied.

"Fifty ships, that's at least 20,000 people. Damn, what now? Liu Yunke was about to jump to her feet. If the 20,000 Xinhua army launched an attack on Zhejiang, they would not be able to stand it at all.

"Someone, prepare the horse, this official is going to the Hangzhou General's Mansion!" Liu Yunke hurriedly said. Originally, civil officials should have taken a sedan chair to travel, but now that the matter is urgent, he can't care so much. Around Hangzhou, except for the Eight Banners in the hands of Hangzhou General Qi Ying, there are no other troops. The next step is to defend or withdraw, and you have to consult Qiying's opinion first.

Zhejiang Governor Liu Yunke hurried to the Hangzhou General's Mansion, and Hangzhou General Qiying also received relevant news at this time. It's just that after learning that it was the Xinhua Army that came to attack, Qi Ying's face was also a little ugly. (To be continued......)