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Late on the night of March 6, the huge Xinhua fleet left Hangzhou Bay and continued north. The battle to conquer Hangzhou was simply a farce, and the Xinhua Army was originally going to send a Marine Brigade and an Infantry Brigade to attack Hangzhou, but before the Xinhua Army arrived, the Qing Army fled, which simply made the officers and soldiers of the Xinhua Army waste their expressions. In particular, Peng Mingqiang, commander of the 2nd Marine Brigade of the Xinhua Army, was even more depressed. His 2nd Marine Brigade had just disembarked, and the artillery had been removed from the ship, ready to march to Hangzhou. As a result, I got the news that Hangzhou was already an empty city, and the cavalry company of the 6th Infantry Brigade had already occupied Hangzhou.

At that time, Brigadier General Peng Mingqiang was stunned and very depressed. His Marine Brigade had to return to the ship without firing a shot. As soon as he got on it, he wasted a lot of body and made the officers and soldiers complain. What's more, there was no merit at all.

Now, the fleet has once again set off for the north, and the battles in Zhejiang will all be handed over to the 6th Infantry Brigade of the Army to complete. Originally, there were very few Qing troops in Zhejiang, but now even the Eight Banners of the Qing Army have fled, and the 6th Brigade can completely occupy the entire territory of Zhejiang.

On a transport ship, Brigadier General Liu Zhongming, deputy director of the Operations Department of the General Staff Headquarters, who was in charge of the operation, Rear Admiral Wei Yong, commander of the 1st Fleet of the Navy, Brigadier General Ye Feng, commander of the 4th Fleet of the Navy, Brigadier General Lu Ming, commander of the 4th Infantry Brigade of the Army, and Brigadier General Peng Mingqiang, commander of the 2nd Brigade of the Marine Corps. Everyone gathered together to discuss tomorrow's battle. Expected, tomorrow at noon. The fleet of the Xinhua Army will reach the mouth of the Yangtze River. At that time, the new Chinese army will start a real big war.

"Hangzhou went down without a fight, which was beyond our expectations. But that's a good thing for us. If all the Manchu cities could flee from the wind, then we would be much less troubled. At the beginning of the combat meeting, Brigadier General Liu Zhongming said.

The generals laughed. Only Brigadier General Peng Mingqiang, commander of the 2nd Marine Brigade of the Marine Corps, smiled unnaturally.

"General Peng, don't be angry, this battle has not been done. There are still opportunities ahead. Next, we will go west along the mouth of the Yangtze River, and there will be fewer battles by then? Landing operations are the strong point of the Marine Corps! Brigadier General Liu Zhongming said.

"That's it. We Marines are the best of the best. This time, you should take a good look at us! Brigadier General Peng Mingqiang said confidently. The Marine Corps of Xinhuaguo is still a subsidiary branch of the Navy, with only two brigades. Although the number of people is small, they are all carefully selected. Their equipment is the same as that of the army, each brigade has more than 6,000 people, and the army has it. But. In terms of training, the Marine Corps is more rigorous. In the case of landing operations, casualties are often the greatest. Therefore, only rigorous training in peacetime can ensure that at the beginning of the war, the minimum casualties will be paid.

"After entering the mouth of the Yangtze River tomorrow, the first target we have to deal with is the fort located at Wusongkou. During the Opium War, the fort at Wusongkou was destroyed by the British. But now, it's been rebuilt. According to the information we have, the Qing army focused on strengthening the strength of the Wusongkou Fort, and now the Wusongkou Fort has deployed more than 50 coastal defense guns, most of which are large-caliber coastal defense guns. Moreover, these cannons were purchased by the Manchus from the British. Many were even dismantled directly from the battleships of the British. Therefore, if we do not destroy the Wusongkou Fort, we will not be able to enter the Yangtze River. The task of destroying the Wusongkou Fort was entrusted to the navy. Brigadier General Liu Zhongming said.

"The Navy guarantees the completion of the task. The cannons of the Wusongkou Fort are all made in the UK, but they are all old breech guns. The maximum firing range is less than two kilometers, and to destroy this battery, there are no problems for us. Rear Admiral Wei Yong, commander of the 1st Fleet, said. The naval guns of the Xinhua Army are all new breech guns, and after the use of smokeless gunpowder, the range and power of the naval guns have been further improved, even if they really fight with the British Navy, Rear Admiral Wei Yong has the possibility of winning, not to mention the Qing Army Batteries equipped with British cannons.

"In addition, in addition to the Wusongkou Fort, we also have to guard against the Jiangnan Naval Division of the Qing Army. The main force of the Jiangnan Green Battalion has been transferred to Jiangxi to fight, but hundreds of large and small warships of the Jiangnan Navy Division are still in Nantong. We have to march west from the mouth of the Yangtze River, and after destroying the Wusongkou Fort, we will have to face the Jiangnan Naval Division in Nantong. Brigadier General Liu Zhongming said. Although, the sailors of the Qing army were equipped with warships with very small tonnage. and the warships of the Xinhua Army with a displacement of thousands of tons, there is no comparison at all. However, if the enemy is underestimated, it is also possible to capsize in the gutter.

"General Liu, please rest assured, as long as the Jiangnan Navy Division dares to face the battle, we will definitely let them have no return." Commodore Ye Feng, commander of the Navy's 4th Fleet, also assured.

"That's good. Well, tomorrow's battle is mainly arranged like this. The 1st Fleet was responsible for destroying the Wusongkou Battery, and the 4th Fleet went north along the river to destroy the Jiangnan Naval Division Battalion in Nantong. The 2nd Marine Brigade landed in Shanghai and occupied Shanghai after the 1st Fleet destroyed the Wusongkou Battery. After that, the 31st Brigade will also land in Shanghai. The 2nd and 31st Brigades of the Marine Corps attacked Suzhou by land, while the fleet went up the river and attacked Nantong by water. If there is no objection, then it is carried out. Brigadier General Liu Zhongming said.

The other generals all nodded their heads in approval of the battle plan.

The meeting ended, and the crowd dispersed. Brigadier General Liu Zhongming was a little excited, and the strategic plan he put forward was about to be officially implemented. If it succeeds, it will be a huge credit. The territory south of the Yangtze River was brought under the rule of Xinhua, which would greatly increase the strength of Xinhua, and at the same time greatly weaken the Manchu Qing. Under the circumstances of eliminating the advantages of the other, it will become easier for Xinhua to unify the whole country.

The Yangtze River is the largest river in China, and the mouth of the Yangtze River is dozens of kilometers wide. The river water mixed with sediment comes from the upper reaches to form this rich alluvial plain. Since ancient times, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River have been the granary of China, and after the Southern Song Dynasty, it has become the most important economic center of China, and even now, it is the most important source of finance and tax for the Manchu government.

On March 7, at 11:45 p.m., a huge fleet entered the mouth of the Yangtze River from the East China Sea. Between hundreds of huge ships, sailed into the mouth of the Yangtze River. The fishermen who were working couldn't help but be stunned when they saw the sails and masts that covered the sky. Even when the British called, they didn't have such momentum. However, when the fishermen realized that it was the enemy, they fled as soon as possible, and they did not care about fishing anymore, for fear that they would be killed by the sudden appearance of the fleet. After all, in the war, the lives of these people at the bottom are extremely fragile and are not valued by anyone at all.

After the fleet entered the mouth of the Yangtze River, the 1st Fleet of the Navy, which was escorting the fleet, split from the queue and began to accelerate westward. Their destination would be the Wusongkou Fort, located at the confluence of the Yangtze and Huangpu Rivers, and the most important fort of the Qing army in the south. The 4th Fleet will be temporarily responsible for the protection of the fleet, and when the 1st Fleet has completed its mission, they will move west to attack the Jiangnan Naval Division camp in Nantong.

12 'Shark-class' cruisers, riding the wind and waves, moving fast. On the cruiser 'Xinhua', Rear Admiral Wei Yong, the commander of the fleet, used his telescope to keep an eye on the Wusongkou Battery, which was getting closer and closer. When the fleet of the Xinhua Kingdom appeared, the Qing army in the Wusongkou Fort also noticed the sudden appearance of the fleet, and the Qing army on the fort immediately began to prepare for battle. This can be seen from the constantly running figures seen in the binoculars.

Wusongkou Fort is famous for its stubborn resistance to the Qing army in the Opium War, and Chen Huacheng, the governor of Jiangnan at that time, died here. It's just that even if Chen Huacheng and other heroes die on the battlefield, they can't change the outcome of the defeat of the Manchu Dynasty. Today, the navy of Xinhua will once again destroy the Wusongkou Fort and defeat the Manchus once again.

"Send a flag and let the Qing army at Wusongkou Fort surrender to us. Otherwise, we will destroy them. "When the fleet was two kilometers from the battery, Rear Admiral Wei Yong gave the order.

The flag-bearers on the cruiser 'Xinhua' began to issue flags to the Wusongkou Battery. The Wusongkou Fort belonged to the Jiangnan Naval Division, and there were also people there who could understand the flag language. However, the general who is now guarding the Wusongkou Fort is also a person with a broken brain, who only knows how to serve the Manchu court.

Therefore, the admiral refused the surrender of the Xinhua Navy and was determined to fight to the death.

At 12:55 p.m., the cruiser 'Xinhua' of the 1st Fleet of the Xinhua Navy first began to attack the Wusongkou Battery. Subsequently, the other 11 cruisers in the fleet also joined in. For a while, the cannon roared, and the entire Wusongkou Fort was shrouded in gunsmoke.

The fierce attack of the Xinhua army caused heavy losses to the Qing troops guarding the Wusongkou fort, but they also carried out a stubborn counterattack. More than 50 British-made shore defense guns on the battery opened fire one after another. It's just that the warships of the 1st Fleet of the Xinhua Navy are all staying in a safe sea area two kilometers away, and the Qing army's shore defense artillery can't reach the warships of the Xinhua Army at all, so they can only be passively beaten.

"Boom! Rumble! Two loud bangs sounded in succession, and a black mushroom cloud appeared on the Wusongkou Fort between them. It was the gunpowder of the Qing army that was hit by the shells of the Xinhua army, and there was a martyrdom. In the martyrdom, the Qing army on the Wusongkou Fort once again paid a heavy price. (To be continued......)