At the end of August 1628, the port of Yong'an in Annam was ...... The update is so fast.

"So your army is planning to let us sell new artillery shells for use in attacking the defense line of the Zhengjiang River?" Qian Tiandun put down the teacup in his hand and looked meaningfully at Zheng Ting, who was sitting opposite: "Sending troops to attack South Vietnam is not in line with the battle plan we agreed on in advance!"

After completing the Battle of Hoi An with the main force from the base camp, Qian Tiandun led his troops back to Vinh An Port in North Vietnam to rest. However, after not resting for two days, Zheng Ting hurriedly came to the 'door', and as soon as he opened his mouth, he wanted to buy a new type of artillery shell that had just begun to be equipped with the militia group.

When the Crossing Group drew up its plan of action in June, it asked the North Vietnamese side to send a feint to attract the attention of the South Vietnamese Army in order to cooperate with the militia army to launch a sabotage war behind enemy lines. However, at that time, the North Vietnamese side was suffering from the lack of military funds to carry out large-scale military operations, and they were somewhat reluctant, and if it were not for the fact that the Haihan Executive Committee was stuck in the arms trade, the North Vietnamese side was not very willing to participate.

Now that the North Vietnamese learned that the Hai Han militia had smashed Hoi An City in the south, and had attracted a large number of South Vietnamese troops to withdraw from the defense line of the river to Hue Province, they had moved their minds to take advantage of the 'chaos' situation in the south to fight a fight. This is a matter of course in the eyes of the North Vietnamese military, but in the eyes of Qian Tiandun, there is a bit of a taste of condescension -- I have long persuaded you to send troops to attack together, but as a result, you shirk it in every possible way, and now you immediately jump out when you see that there is a bargain to choose from.

Zheng Ting had been a student under Qian Tiandun when he was in the Tushan training camp, although the two were about the same age, Zheng Ting still respectfully performed the gift of his disciple: "Instructor Qian, "The Art of War" has clouds, soldiers are impermanent, water has no long shape, and those who can win due to changes in the enemy are called gods." The use of troops should be changed according to the changes in the battlefield and the external environment, and this is also the combat principle that you taught us at the beginning. At the beginning, our side decided not to fight because the South Vietnamese rebels were waiting for the defense line for the battle for the river, and our army did not have an advantage in strength, so even if it was fought, it would be difficult to win. Now that the South Vietnamese rebels have withdrawn nearly half, and the news of the fall of Hoi An has already made the people in his battalion panic, it is a good time to launch an attack. ”

"Yes, I've been to Victory Harbor for a few months, but I've learned to speak well. Qian Tiandun chuckled.

"It's all the instructors who are very well guided. Zheng Ting hurriedly responded.

"The price of our new shells is not cheap, you probably know that. Qian Tiandun said unhurriedly. He also knew that Zheng Ting had gone to Panyu with other officers and cadets to participate in the battle of Lijiazhuang during his training - perhaps it would be more appropriate to observe. Almost all the foreign officers and students expressed great interest in the new type of shotguns used by the militia army in the battles at that time, and Zheng Ting was not the only one who asked the Haihan officers about the price of the new type of shells. However, because the price of the new artillery shells is too high, only Xu Xinsu, a local tyrant in Fujian, who is not bad for money, has clearly placed an order for the "Haihan Military Industry".

Since the Xu Xinsu group was equipped with Haihan's arms, it has gradually regained its disadvantage in the struggle against the "Eighteen Zhi". For Xu Xinsu, the price of Haihan's arms is not a problem, the only thing to worry about is that the supply cannot keep up with the consumption. Because there are often some inexplicable situations on the Haihan side, this kind of gun is temporarily discontinued, and that kind of gun needs to be purchased in limited quantities, and several times the Fujian side has shipped cash in the past, but it is impossible to buy anything, so later Xu Xinsu simply ordered someone to save 100,000 taels of silver in the "Haihan Bank" in Guangzhou, and used it for the purpose of purchasing Haihan arms. Not long after the new cannonballs "appeared" in Lijiazhuang, Xu Xinsu asked people to cut out half of the 100,000 taels of silver, and named them to purchase Haihan's new cannonballs, regardless of the unit price, and they could buy as much as they could for 50,000 taels.

Compared with the Fujian tyrants, the economic situation of North Vietnam can only be described as miserable. Even if he fought a rare victory with the assistance of the Haihan militia last time, he did not enjoy the war dividends of the victor like the Haihan side at all, but owed the Haihan people a war debt. (Baidu search update is the fastest and most stable) It took half a year to finally get almost, and a new round of battles, or the 'tide' of burning money, is coming soon.

"I also inquired before, and Lord Bai of the 'Haihan Military Industry' said that this kind of shell costs twenty taels of silver per shot, and it is sold for 100 yuan and is not retail. Zheng Ting answered honestly.

Qian Tiandun laughed secretly when he heard it, he also participated in the research and development of this kind of artillery shell at the beginning, and he naturally knew the cost of its manufacturing. Although this kind of shotgun is more technical than the original cast iron solid bullet, its production cost has not risen to ten times as exaggerated. And due to the limited production capacity and the large orders placed in Fujian, Bai Kesi will have the saying of "100 sales".

"I do have some stock here, but the quantity is limited, I don't know how much you plan to buy?" Qian Tiandun saw that Zheng Ting's attitude was very sincere, so he also dispelled the idea of continuing to go around in circles with him, and returned to the topic.

Zheng Ting cautiously spoke: "One hundred rounds ......"

"I'm afraid a hundred rounds aren't enough. Before Zheng Ting finished speaking, Qian Tiandun shook his head and interrupted him: "Let me ask you, have you calculated the width of the landing site and how many 'guns' are needed in the battle plan you formulated?"

"This is naturally calculated. Speaking of the war, Zheng Ting also regained some confidence and began to discuss with Qian Tiandun: "The South Vietnamese rebels still have nearly 20,000 troops on the south bank of the Yangtze River, and if we want to establish a solid beachhead on the south bank, we must let enough troops land in a short time. According to our calculations, the landing site should be able to accommodate at least 3,000 advance troops, and as for the required artillery, it should be mainly a light Type 27 six-pounder gun. According to the code of conduct learned at the Victory Port Military Academy, on a scale of 3,000 troops, 4 to 6 'guns' were required for every 1,000 troops, and a total of 12 to 16 'guns' were required. ”

"It's fairly well organized, and it looks like I've learned something in the past few months. However, have you ever thought that if a hundred new shells are allocated, there will only be seven or eight shells per 'door' gun, and one hurried 'shot' will be gone? If the battle is unfavorable and the enemy does not retreat after the new artillery shells are fired, how do you let the beachhead troops deal with the enemy who has several times the strength?" Qian Tiandun asked rhetorically while analyzing.

"This ......," Zheng Ting was speechless for a while. In fact, he wanted to say that with the power of the new type of artillery shells, how could any unit be able to withstand three rounds of artillery bombardment at close range without collapsing, and there was no need to distribute too many shells. But Qian Tiandun said this, but he didn't dare to open his mouth to refute, after all, the initiative to sell or not is in the hands of the other party, if the words offend the other party, the cannonballs can't be bought, and this battle to cross the river and attack can only stay on paper.

"In my opinion, at least 300 rounds are enough. Qian Tiandun increased the order volume to three times the original amount in one sentence.

"But this ......" Zheng Ting was startled, two thousand taels of silver still made his father Zheng Bai feel unhappy, and he 'spent' six thousand taels out in one go, and he didn't dare to imagine the consequences.

"Nothing. Think about it, even if you don't run out of shells when you cross the river, you can keep them for later battles! If you encounter a similar situation in the future, will you come here to buy them every time? Be prepared!" Qian Tiandun explained very "kindly."

In fact, when he returned to the base camp to report on his work at the anniversary celebration, Qian Tiandun had already submitted a request to the executive committee to increase the military budget of the Heitu Port Military Region to meet the daily expenses of the growing Heitu Port Army. In the end, this proposal did not get the approval of the Executive Committee, because the original plan to expand the army was only approved by the Executive Committee when the Black Earth Port Management Committee proposed to bear the military expenses. However, this did not mean that Qian Tiandun, under the coordination of the Central Military Commission, the "Haihan Military Industry" later proposed a compromise method.

Considering that the Heitu Port Military Region is located in Annam, and that the "Haihan Military Industry," which is responsible for the manufacture and sale of military products, does not have a special marketing organization in the local area, Bai Kesti is responsible for the Heitu Port Military Region and bears part of the task of selling military products, and part of the profits are used as military subsidies for the Heitu Port Military Region. The first batch of test products was a new type of artillery shell that attracted the attention of many foreign officers and students.

Like all kinds of weapons and ammunition that were exported in the past, the "Haihan Military Industry" has also designed a special "door" export model for this kind of high-grade artillery shells with promising market prospects, and its power and "firing" range are slightly weaker than the artillery shells used by the militia in Lijiazhuang. The first batch of export models has been sent to Fujian for use by Xu Xinsu's troops. The troops who arrived at Yong'an Port were brought over by ship from the base camp to Hoi An, and the number was not large, only less than 500 rounds.

Because it played the role of a distributor, the price at which the "Haihan Military Industry" supplied to the Heitu Port Military Region was naturally far lower than the sales price to the outside world. For every shell sold, the Black Earth Port Military Region made a profit of ten yuan, and this was basically a militiaman's military expenditure for a month. Under such a stinging 'agitation', Qian Tiandun naturally became an amateur arms dealer and spared no effort to sell new ammunition 'medicines' to Zheng Ting. Qian Tiandun's account is straightforward and simple -- every 100 shells sold are basically enough for a company's militia expenses for a month, and the more they are sold, the less pressure on the military spending of the Heitugang Military Region will be.

Qian Tiandun's side spared no effort to sell in order to reduce the pressure on his own military spending, while Zheng Ting had to face his own military budget deficit. At present, North Vietnam has stationed nearly 20,000 troops on the front line of the Truong River, and the military expenditure allocated by Thang Long Province to the front line is only 20,000 taels per month, including the military pay paid to soldiers. If it weren't for the large number of cheap peasant soldiers to fill the camp, such a small amount of money would not be enough for military spending. And if you want to squeeze out a few thousand taels of silver to buy arms in such a stretched budget, it is not easy to 'operate'.

How much is taken out of the Haihan people here, how much must be deducted from their own military spending, and nearly one-third of the month's military expenditure will be deducted at once, but I am afraid that it will cause even greater 'chaos' before the war. Not only did Zheng Ting dare not carry this pot, but his old man Zheng Bai couldn't afford to carry it either. Therefore, Zheng Ting did not accept Qian Tiandun's slightly rough sales, but began to bargain with the other party in circles.

The two discussed for half an hour, and finally reached an agreement to purchase 200 rounds of new artillery shells for 3,800 taels of silver. In addition, as a subsidy for the agreement and the goodwill of the Hai Han military, the North Vietnamese military could borrow a number of small offshore boats from Vinh An Port to participate in the river crossing operation - of course, the sailors need to be provided by the North Vietnamese military, and there is no need for both sides to make a note on the agreement. It's not that there aren't enough sailors in Vinh An Port, it's that every manpower from Haihan's side has to be 'cost', and if you are injured or killed in battle, you have to bear the cost of treatment and bereavement, which is not a situation that the North Vietnamese military wants to see. Although the ships borrowed from Victory Port were not charged additional rent, if they were damaged or even sunk during the battle, the North Vietnamese military would still have to pay for them.

This is also something that cannot be helped, the North Vietnamese military originally did not have many boats, and it was somewhat reluctant to use them to cross the river, but the Haihan people had recently captured hundreds of large and small ships from Hoi An, and they were the only ones who could borrow boats. Zheng Ting almost left Yong'an Port by fleeing, because later, Qian Tiandun actually took the initiative to mention the plan of sending troops to assist the North Vietnamese military in the war, which frightened Zheng Ting and quickly left, because the military budget could no longer afford the expenses of this sky-high mercenary.

Zheng Ting was speechless about the Haihan people's style of being "obsessed" with money, but fortunately, the purpose of this visit was finally achieved, that is, he bought new cannonballs and borrowed the boats needed to cross the river. Although Qian Tiandun knocked a small bamboo pole, if this operation can smoothly break the trench of Zhengjiang and allow the North Vietnamese troops to re-set foot on the border south of Zhengjiang, it will be a great achievement, and the imperial court will not be unable to get along with the generals leading the front line because of this small military expenditure of a few thousand taels.

However, as part of the military assistance plan, the Haihan militia also sent an advisory group to the Zhengjiang front as a military observer. This advisory group was not directly involved in the operation, but only provided reference opinions on the military operations of the North Vietnamese Army -- of course, the most important task was to grasp more intuitively the current military strength and changes in the battlefield movements of the two "belligerents" in order to provide information for the CMC's future decision-making.

After another five days of 'intensive' preparations, on 2 September, the North Vietnamese army launched an attack on the river crossing the river south without warning.

Hundreds of large and small ships loaded more than 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers on the coast a few miles north of the mouth of the Zhengjiang River, and when the sky was dark, they sailed into the mouth of the Zhengjiang River and rushed directly to the south bank. The width of the river here is only about 100 zhang, and before the South Vietnamese army sentry can fully react, the flat-bottomed boats of the vanguard have already washed up on the beach.

The soldiers carried down the six-pounder guns and shells loaded on the ship and began to set up a beachhead according to the predetermined battle plan. It was only at this time that the South Vietnamese defenders reacted that it was the North Vietnamese army that launched a landing battle, and at that moment, while warning them, they dispatched a small force to attack the beachhead of the North Vietnamese army, trying to drive the North Vietnamese army, which had not gained a firm foothold, into the sea.

The South Vietnamese troops, who had come forward to 'engage', were still seventy or eighty feet from the beachhead, and were attacked by muskets mixed with sporadic shells, and quickly retreated after dropping more than 30 corpses. At this time, the first batch of ships to dock had already begun to shore and returned to Jiangbei to carry the next group of troops crossing the river.

Of course, the South Vietnamese defenders knew very well what it would mean to lose the line of defense against the river, so in a very short time they mobilized the 'elite' troops of the defenders to attack the beachhead again. And this time, among the troops, there was a new army that used muskets and artillery to fight.

At this time, the North Vietnamese army had only three or four hundred troops on the riverbank, and had no firepower superiority in the face of an enemy ten times their size. Fortunately, their commander was also a person who had studied in Victory Port, and at the beginning of the landing, he used the terrain and some wooden planks carried by the ship to erect a simple 'chest' wall as a cover.

Although this rudimentary cover was completely unable to block the shells and the 'fire' of muskets at close range, it still served some protection at a long distance - at least it would be psychologically comforting to the soldiers. And at this critical time, the North Vietnamese army 'spent' a lot of money to buy new artillery shells from the Haihan people finally began to play their due role.

Although the first batch landed only four 'six-pounder guns', when these four 'guns' were loaded with new shells and fired at the advancing enemy troops, they were very effective in easing the enemy's offensive. As Zheng Ting expected, in the face of such a cannon shell with a huge killing area, it was difficult for an army to maintain a dense formation and rush within a distance of thirty or forty zhang. The vast majority of the South Vietnamese soldiers fell at a distance of about 50 zhang, and they fell in pieces with the roar of artillery, and some South Vietnamese soldiers who rushed sporadically between the artillery 'fires' could not escape the horizontal volley of hundreds of muskets. Although the South Vietnamese army invested a large number of troops to attack this small beachhead from the beginning, it did not achieve the desired results. The muskets used by the South Vietnamese Army can only rely on luck if they want to hit a single target at this distance. There were only two small cannons with a frequency of two minutes, and the shells occasionally pierced the rudimentary "chest" wall on the beachhead, taking away the lives of a few unlucky ghosts. However, the development of the battle situation did not give the South Vietnamese army a chance to slowly wear down the opponent's forces, and as the number of ships docked continued to increase, the strength of the beachhead quickly doubled from three to four hundred, and the soldiers unloaded more artillery from the ships and pushed it to the gun emplacements on the beachhead.