Kai Fu Han

Chapter 293 Natural Harbor
November [-]nd, half past unitary time.

When Sun Lizheng was about to organize his army to attack Da Guzi, Da Guzi raised a white flag with a long wooden pole on the south wall of the village facing Xiao Guzi.

Leaving a company of men to guard Xiao Guzi, Sun Li led the others across the mountain stream and came to Da Guzi to receive the surrendered bandits.

The entire reception process went very smoothly, but dealing with these thieves has become the most difficult problem at the moment.

……

On November 28, the bow deck of the Dengzhou.

"Laoshan is ahead." Zhao Liang introduced Cui Wu.

"Will the sea along the coast here freeze in winter?" Cui Wu asked,
"Generally not. When it's too cold, some thin ice will form, which will have basically no impact on sailing." Zhao Liang replied.

As the fleet got closer and closer to the Laoshan waters, the mountains on the mainland gradually came into view.

"I have heard about the name of Mount Laoshan for a long time. Although it is located on Jingdong East Road, I have never visited it. Now I stand on the boat and look at it. It really deserves the name of 'the highest peak along the coast'!" Cui Wu praised.

"It is indeed handsome, but this scenery is not the most famous in Mount Laoshan. Laoshan's reputation mainly depends on its status in Taoism." Zhao Liangdao.

From the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, alchemists and wizards practiced in Laoshan Dianxia. Taoism in Laoshan became more and more prosperous in the Tang and Zhao dynasties.In addition to Taoism, Buddhism in the mountains is also comparable to Taoism. During the Western Jin Dynasty, Buddhism was introduced to the Laoshan area and also developed very prosperously in the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

"According to the information from Di Ting, apart from Taoist and Buddhist monks, there are also some bandits hiding in the mountains. After Jimo is occupied, you will start to eliminate these bandits."

"Understood." Cui Wu replied.

The fleet bypassed the Laoshan mountain range and explored the Laoshan head of the Yellow Sea, and continued to move towards Jiaozhou Bay.

Jiaozhou Bay is the city of Qingdao in later generations. It is a very superior natural port. The narrowest point of the entrance to Jiaozhou Bay is only seven miles, but when you enter the bay, it is very wide. The entire bay is shaped like a trumpet and has an area of ​​about the same. Equivalent to a circle with a diameter of thirty miles, the water area in the bay is nearly 80 acres.

Liu Xinqi knew the superiority of this port, so he asked Zhao Liang and Cui Wu to capture the port first, and then attack Jimo County.

In the future, Jiaozhou Bay will be the most important port for the southward trade of the Xinghan Alliance. As long as some forts are set up on both sides of the bay, it can basically be said to be impregnable in this era.

When the founding emperor of the later Southern Song Dynasty took refuge at sea, he collected thousands of ships in a few months. The current Zhao State is equivalent to the later Song Dynasty in national power. Presumably the Southern Zhao court's strength at sea will not be much worse.

The Xinghan League currently only has 110 ships, including all large and small ships. Even if it recruits some private ships, it will not exceed [-] ships. The gap between the maritime strength of Zhao State is too big.

At present, the Xinghan League and Zhao are not hostile, but as the power of the Xinghan League grows stronger, the relationship between the two parties will inevitably go downhill until they become antagonistic. By then, if there is no one in the Xinghan League who is easy to defend and difficult to attack, The port will be very uncomfortable.

Although Penglai Port is considered a good port, it has no advantage in defense.

Therefore, for Jiaozhou Bay, the Xinghan Alliance is bound to win.

The fleet entered Jiaozhou Bay through 'Tuandaojiao', Zhao Liang continued to introduce to Cui Wu:

"In Jiaozhou Bay, Nanjiao River, Dagu River and other inflows are very suitable for fish survival, and it is a very excellent aquatic product area. The shore of the bay is wide and deep, the wind is calm, and the sea water does not freeze all year round. It is an excellent natural harbor. And the coast of the bay is very It is suitable for salt households to boil salt, which means that this place is also very suitable for building salt drying plants. It is more superior and easier to defend than the salt field in Baishiwan." "The place name of Jiaozhou began in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The State of Zhao divided the east and west of Jiaozhou Bay into Mizhou and Laizhou administration is located in Jiaoxi County, Misszhou, on the west coast of Jiaozhou Bay. The name of the county means 'the county on the west side of Jiaozhou Bay'."

"That's it." Cui Wu said.

"The mouth of Jiaozhou Bay is small and almost closed. The mouth of the bay is between Tuandaojiao and Xuejia Island, and is only seven miles wide. The coastline in the bay is more than 300 miles long. According to the leader's plan, we will block the mouth of the bay with cannons in the future. The bay is vast The sea area is the inland sea of ​​our Xinghan Alliance, and there will be too much that can be done by then." Zhao Liang said.

"Yes, you can enter the Yellow Sea when you leave, and you can defend it as impregnably as you enter. This is a land given by heaven." Cui Wu praised.

"That's right, a land given by heaven!" Zhao Liang continued, and then expressed one of his doubts:
"I heard from the leader that the wind resources here are also very superior, but I don't quite understand why 'wind' is called a resource."

Qingdao, east of Jiaozhou Bay, is extremely rich in wind energy resources and is one of the areas rich in wind energy resources in the country.

"I can understand this. I have seen a windmill designed by the Ministry of Industry. It is a very huge windmill, more than ten feet high. The wind blows the blades several feet long, and then drives the machinery in the windmill to utilize the wind power. When you get up, you can grind flour, carry water, etc." Cui Wu guessed.

"So that's it. The Ministry of Industry is really amazing and ingenious."

While the two of them were chatting, the fleet headed north along the east coast of the bay and penetrated deep into Jiaozhou Bay.

The two people standing on the deck could already see the scattered ports on the shore.

"These are all small private ports. The maritime trade in the north is too far behind that in the south. The location of Jiaozhou Bay is a bit useless for those private merchants at sea. Maritime merchants on the Kyushu continent trade with South China Sea countries such as Hangzhou, Quanzhou and Guangzhou, the coastal state capitals, had sea trade with Goryeo and Japan such as Dengzhou, Binzhou and Cangzhou. Jiaozhou Bay was right in the middle between the north and the south, so sea trade had always been at a small level."

"Captain, we are approaching the 'Yin Island' ahead. Should we continue moving along the Mo River to Jimo City or dock on the Yin Island?" the captain of the Dengzhou came over and asked.

Yindao (now Hongdao) is a large island in Jiaozhou Bay. When the tide is high, it is in the middle of the water, and when the tide is low, it is connected to the mainland. Most of the residents on the island are engaged in fishing and salt industry to make a living.

"Docked by the Yin Island, the Mo River belongs to the season river, and the upper reaches must be dry now. Our fleet is all big ships, so we can't go in." Zhao Liang arranged.

"What happened to Jihe?" Cui Wu was confused.

"This Black Water River does not have water all year round. It only has water in summer and when there is a lot of rain. Generally, the water is most abundant in June, July and August, allowing boats to sail, but it basically dries up in winter." Zhao Liang explained. .

"Then we can only go to Jimo County on foot."

"Yes, but I will stay in Jiaozhou Bay. On the one hand, I will be your backup, and on the other hand, I will clear out the pirates and bandits in Jiaozhou Bay." Zhao Liangdao: "Remember to write me a letter after you successfully enter the city. I will be fine after I receive the letter. Head south in time.”

Jimo City is forty miles away from Jiaozhou Bay. Cui Wu took the soldiers of the First Infantry Battalion to disembark at the mouth of Mohe River. Then he unloaded all the supplies, weapons, etc. he carried this time, rested on the shore for a night, and set off early at midnight on the 29th. Head to Jimo City.

Zhao Liang docked the fleet at sea near Yin Island and sent two boats to Yin Island and Xuejia Island respectively. The ships carried some soldiers from the First Fleet and soldiers from the Military Intelligence Department.

According to Zhao Liang's order, these people will go ashore and use various means to detect pirate intelligence in Jiaozhou Bay.

(End of this chapter)