Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 206: In a bayonet fight with the Eight Banners at sea, who will be the king of the East China Sea?

Miao Youlin was wearing a Qianzong official robe, lowered his head and pressed the handle of the knife.

whispered:

"Come in and take control of the city gate and government office."

Whoops, the hundreds of people who were originally lazy transformed instantly.

Draw out your saber and start running.

The city gate official looked stunned: "Hey, hey, you guys~"

"Go away."

He was roughly pushed by someone wearing a "soldier" uniform and fell into the moat.

Jiaxing City is in a state of chaos.

Many people were confused. What was going on? Is it so noisy? It's not the season yet.

At the gate of the government office, two ignorant disciples dared to stop him.

Being knocked over on the spot, the entire Jiaxing magistrate's office fell under Miao Youlin's control.

The sound of running came from outside the city.

Li Yu smiled and said:

"Jiaxing Mansion, changed the surname to Li."

An hour later, all city gates were taken over.

All but one of the city gates are temporarily closed.

Guard patrols announced along the street:

"The Qing Dynasty is about to fall. There are White Lotus cult bandits in the west, Tiandihui in the south, and red-haired pirates on the sea. In order to preserve the prosperity of Jiangnan, the Li family army acts for heaven and takes over the defense of all cities in Jiangnan."

"Businessmen continue to operate as usual, people continue to live as usual, everything remains as usual."

"Abolish the Qing laws and replace them with wartime simplified laws."

……

Some flexible and discerning newly attached minor officials are rogues.

Notices began to be posted all over the city.

"Li Jiajun's Wartime Simple Law on the Area Under Li Jiajun's Actual Control":

Murderers should be shot.

Anyone who openly resists will be shot.

Those who injure others and rob others will be used as hard labor in front of the army.

Cancel all the original laws and regulations of the Qing court.

Specific methods for collecting money and grain taxes will be released later.

……

Gradually, the people in the city saw that no one was killed or set on fire.

The military men did not rush into the house to search for the rebels and take the opportunity to make money.

Those who live in a small household must continue to live their lives.

As a result, people began to slowly appear on the street.

The Li Jiajun's beautiful uniforms and flintlock guns also left a deep impression on them.

The next day, storytellers who had been briefly trained by the Strategic Publicity Department arrived.

At noon, two groups of armed militiamen arrived.

Jiaxing City, officially changes defense!

The damaged parts of the city wall will be slightly repaired after the cement is shipped.

According to Li Yu's prediction, the Jiaxing area is likely to become the front line.

Therefore, the captured prisoners were ordered to build a circular three-story gun tower outside the city, made of masonry and cement.

A trench was dug around it and a low wall was built.

The weapons were a short-barreled shotgun, several muskets, and the rest were muskets.

If you want to attack the city, you must first pull out these gun towers.

When attacking the turrets, you will face a pincer attack on the city wall.

……

The first wave of quick line-filling soldiers was quickly divided up.

Every time a city is occupied, a group of them will be stationed.

Depending on the importance of the position, it can range from half a brigade (250 people) to one to two brigade at most.

The second wave of line-filling soldiers is already on the assembly line.

If you have officers and muskets, you can start recruiting. After all, everything in the Qing Dynasty was expensive, except human life.

Landless farmers, laborers, refugees, beggars, thugs, and even prisoners are all welcome.

The first graduates of the Infantry Sergeant School are eager to get promoted.

The Lord has something to say first, and those who can do more work.

Whether you want to be the captain of a 50-person unit or be the captain of multiple units depends on your ability.

The assessment criteria are also very simple.

Three lines of troops marched half a mile, reloaded three times, and fired volleys at the designated targets.

As long as more than 9% of people complete these actions within the specified time, they will be considered qualified.

The officers wore red and black uniforms, with command swords on their waists, short sticks in their hands, and leather boots on their feet.

The expression is ferocious, and the corporal punishment is coupled with military regulations.

As expected, the first batch of line-filling soldiers newly recruited by Jiaxing Prefecture had two bloody heads hung up the next day.

According to the Lord's request, Jiaxing's city defense strength is still too weak.

It must be increased to 4 brigades as soon as possible.

Two days later, the transport fleet will deliver 100 light and heavy artillery pieces.

Xishan Iron Works has perfect cast iron cannon technology.

At Xishan Gun Factory, the technology of boring gun bores has also become increasingly sophisticated.

Most importantly, a group of mature and reliable apprentices have been trained.

These people are the future of Li's military industry!

……

At this time, Zhapu City was in a tense and solemn state.

The horse team shuttled back and forth, shouting orders.

All the bannermen in the city left their homes and went to report under the banners of various associations.

Weapons will be distributed to all women, children and children aged over 6 and under 60.

The cruise ship at Zhapu Pier goes out to sea for 30 miles.

The main warship and gunpowder and cannon were all carried into the cabin, and the sailors were not allowed to leave the ship.

An observation post was also set up at the Nanwan Fort to monitor the sea day and night.

Although Zhapu is small, it is an important town in the south of the Yangtze River and an important coastal defense area.

The Qing Dynasty set up a banner camp here with the same name as the deputy capital of the navy, with 1500 bannermen and more than 40 large and small warships under its command.

There is also a Luying Navy Association and a deputy general.

There is also a green camp on land, with a general name of Qian.

In short, little Zhapu is full of soldiers!

Vice-capital Tong Fengsheng had known for a long time that Li Yu had launched troops to capture prefectures and counties one after another.

He also knew the news about the annihilation of the Eight Banners at Jingkou in the Battle of Jinshan Guard.

Jinshanwei is less than 200 miles away from Zhapu.

Zhapu had already mobilized and was preparing for war.

The fall of Jiaxing Fucheng means that the enemy will arrive soon.

Fengsheng was dressed in military uniform and stood at the top of Zhapu City.

There were civilians all around and under the city, digging fortifications to strengthen the city defense under the supervision of whips.

……

"The capital is wise, repair the fortifications in advance and strengthen the city defense."

"Huh, I guess the rebels will arrive in a day or two. I just don't know which one will come first, land or sea?"

Mr. Luying Qian raised his hands and said:

"I think the traitors will come from the land."

"Oh, why?"

"There is a flag camp navy on the sea, 20 main warships, and a Nanwan fort for deterrence. If the flag is that Li thief, he will definitely not touch eggs with stones."

"Hahahahaha, well said."

Mr. Green Camp Qian continued his analysis:

"But on land, it's different. Zhapu doesn't have many troops on land, and they only rely on rumors to hold on. The Nanwan fort has all its muzzles facing the sea, so it can't bombard the invading enemies on land."

Fengsheng frowned and couldn't help but nodded.

What this Han Green Camp military attache said made sense. As a straightforward Eight Banners man, he could listen to correct military opinions.

"Mr. Tian Qian, from what you see. How should our army respond?"

Seeing Shangguan's appreciation and humility, Mr. Tian Qian was extremely pleased.

He said respectfully:

"Can you disassemble some of the warships and artillery pieces under Vice Admiral Ma's command and go ashore to strengthen the city's defense?"

Lieutenant General Ma's expression changed drastically.

He is the chief officer of Zhapu Lvying Navy and has more than 20 ships under his command.

Just when he was about to scold his grandson, he saw Fengsheng raise his left hand:

"That's it, let's do it."

……

One level of official rank is overwhelming, let alone many levels higher.

Lieutenant General Ma reluctantly complied.

30 artillery pieces were dismantled and carried to the top of the city.

As a result, the Lvying navy also lost its job.

Come ashore en masse and turn into artillery! Follow Mr. Zhang Qian’s orders.

"Look."

A beacon tower on the top of a mountain to the east lit up with smoke.

Everyone's expressions changed drastically. The enemy came from the sea?

Mr. Tian Qian's face became very embarrassed, but he remained calm and composed.

Fengsheng smiled and said:

"Wouldn't it be a good thing to win a game first? It will boost your morale."

"The Qiying Navy went to sea with our capital to let the thieves know that our Zhapu Navy is one of the four major offshore navy of the Qing Dynasty."

"General Tian Qian, Lieutenant General Ma, please guard the city until I return victorious."

"As ordered."

The two of them knelt down on one knee and watched Fengsheng walk away quickly.

……

"One puff of smoke means there are not many enemies coming."

"Humph."

Lieutenant General Ma walked away angrily and simply went to the Nanwan Fort to watch the battle.

Mr. Tian Qian continued to supervise the work.

The city of Zhapu is small, but the city wall is very strong. The stone strips were mined at all costs.

Now we just try to dig as many trenches as possible outside the city, and if we have time, we can cut down more trees to make a barrier.

Half an hour later, the Zhapu Banner Marine Division weighed anchor and sailed out of the bay area.

On the sea, four unknown warships came against the wind.

This is the first batch of warships launched by Jiangnan Shipyard, four new and improved red single ships. The red single ship is a popular sea-going ship in Guangdong and Guangxi.

The two ends are upturned, the middle is wide, the tail is narrowed, the keel is strong, three-masted hard sails, and double decks.

It is 14 feet long, 3.5 feet wide, and has a draft of 1.5 feet. It is a large ship with a load of 2200 tons.

(Using modern ship data to describe it, it is roughly 45 meters long, 10 meters wide, 5 meters draft, and has a displacement of 1100 tons.)

This red single ship renovated by Jiangnan Shipyard is actually a typical "Chinese and Western combination".

The sail is Chinese style.

The hull (mainly below the waterline), is Western style.

The reason for this is that Chinese-style hard sails require less manpower, are easy to maintain, and are simple to install, which greatly saves costs.

In sea trade, you can earn more by spending less.

The Western-style hull has a strong keel and dense ribs, which can withstand waves and make it seaworthy.

And it can easily accommodate dozens of broadside guns.

Merchant ships in this era often had one foot for the people and one foot for the army.

They are all armed merchant ships!

When it comes to the sea, no country's laws can be applied. Buddha can't control it, and Ye Yuhe can't control it. It all depends on strength.

……

The commander is Liu Wu's deputy, Wei Zilong, a man born among the villagers of Qingyue Village by Yuanshi Lake.

Speaking of which, this name was given by Li Yu.

The original name was too vulgar, so he was renamed.

Brother and sister Wei Zilong and Wei Jun are from the same race, but they were born in the fifth server.

"Pile up the sandbags and hang the shields on both sides of the freeboard."

It is a bit exaggerated for four red single ships to challenge more than 20 Qing warships at sea.

The information is wrong!

Previous estimates were too optimistic.

The archived document from the Jiangsu Governor's Yamen is probably out of date, and maybe it's still information from the Kang and Yong era.

Wei Zi was also a little nervous and began to sweat on his forehead.

The sea was moderately rough, but he stood steadily on the deck and opened his telescope to observe the enemy.

Similarly, Zhapu Deputy Chief Fengsheng was also observing this unknown enemy ship.

He frowned and said:

"It's like the boat in Guangdong, it smells evil."

"We have 20 ships and the enemy has 4 ships. The advantage lies with me. Pass the order and divide the troops into two groups. If necessary, jump into the gang and try to capture one or two enemy ships."

"Whoo."

The soldiers excitedly raised flags.

All the warships in Zhapu Navy Flag Camp gradually dispersed.

One team is blocking the lead, and the other team is preparing to take the lead.

It would be great if we could break up one or two ships and join forces to capture the remaining ships.

The ship is very expensive. Once it is repaired and resold, it can cost thousands of taels of silver.

……

Many bannermen had this idea, and laughed and discussed how much silver they could get from this reward.

To be fair, the Zhapu Navy's combat effectiveness is acceptable.

These people are all marines from three generations, or even generations.

Familiar with sailing and the temperament of the East China Sea.

Their ancestors were drawn from the Eight Banners of Jiangning and the Eight Banners of Hangzhou and guarded this coastal defense town for generations.

If we compare the Jiangnan Great Plain to a house facing the sea.

Then Jinshanwei and Zhapu are the two door locks.

None of the battlegrounds in history books are fictitious.

In an era without airborne troops, aviation forces, or high-standard roads, there were not many route options for the army to fight.

Capturing Zhapu was a key move in Li Yu's personal campaign.

At this time, the 2nd Battalion of Guards Musketeers and 1st Battalion of Artillery led by him were also on their way to Zhapu City.

A land and sea attack was launched to capture Zhapu and at the same time eliminate the flag camp.

We must not let them escape, otherwise there will be endless trouble.

……

The distance gradually narrowed, and the shape of the ship became clearer.

Wei Zilong discovered that although the Qing navy had a large number of ships, their ships were of mixed shapes and sizes.

Some of the boats are relatively old and fragile.

He became excited and ordered loudly:

"Today, we will fight with bayonets on the sea. Our ships are strong and have many guns. We will give priority to bombarding the patrol boats and sand ships in their formation."

"Then wedge their array lines."

"Divide the troops into two groups and fight on their own."

A semaphore followed by a roar.

The four improved red single ships that originally marched together were also divided into two.

In the eyes of the Qing army sailors, it was a great thing.

"Capital, these people have a lot of guns."

"There are 18 doors on a single side, which is really luxurious. After this battle, I will also report to the court to request funding."

The flagship where Fengsheng was located had only 20 guns on board.

The ship is a large warship belonging to the offshore navy of the Qing Dynasty in this era.

Fog slowly formed on the sea.

It's not really a thick fog, but it still affects the view a bit.

The sea has never been used to Hainanese people. It gets windy when it wants to blow, and it gets foggy when it thinks of fog.

If the sun comes out from the clouds, this sea fog will disappear soon.

The two armies gradually approached.

7 miles, 5 miles, 4 miles~

The Li Navy was on the left front side of the Qing warship, at an angle of 40 degrees and less than 4 miles away.

The two armies sailed diagonally.

It seems that Li's navy wanted to seize the T position, but it was obviously too late.

A single red ship suddenly began to turn.

Through the telescope, Fengsheng suddenly saw flames emerging from the gun sides of the enemy ships.

He screamed strangely: "Everyone, get down."

After being the first to lie down on the sandbag, those with quick reactions immediately followed suit.

Those who reacted slowly were still wondering what happened.

……

They were greeted by a volley of shells and splinters of wood flying across the deck.

A solid round shattered the freeboard.

He also beat a flagman sailor who was in a daze on the deck into two pieces.

The hard sail was torn open by a cannonball.

The sailor standing on the mast looking out was knocked off the deck and died on the spot.

Fengsheng's back was covered in cold sweat, and he shouted:

"Pull the casualties under the cabin, and everyone is ready to fight."

In the space of a cup of tea, Shen Ling loudly reported:

"The gunner is in position, the sailor is in position, the helmsman is in position."

Fengsheng roared:

"Put up a long snake formation and turn to the left."

"Capital, the enemy's artillery range is too far. The shots are too accurate."

"So get closer and fight. We have more artillery. We must not allow them to distance themselves and fly kites."

Judging from the wind direction and heading at this time.

Fengsheng's strategy is absolutely feasible.

Everyone is holding their breath, waiting for the moment when the fleet passes by.

……

The first ship of the Qing army was Fengsheng's flagship.

He had crouched behind the sandbag, put on his iron helmet, and raised his shield.

A naval battle is not a land battle.

The shells are flying randomly, and if you hit them, you will die. Personal martial arts are useless.

"fire."

Suddenly white smoke billowed and the deck shook.

All 10 guns on the side were fired at one go.

Due to the waves, only 4 shots hit.

The rest were shot high or low and fell into the water.

Li Shihong's single boat, 80 meters away, resisted.

One shot hit the deck, killing one sailor and wounding another.

Three bullets were hit on the side of the ship, one of which penetrated the side. Fortunately, no one was injured or injured.

The remaining two rounds did not penetrate the side of the ship.

The red single ship improved by Jiangnan Shipyard uses iron frames for the ribs and thickened sides.

Although oak is good, it was not available in the Qing Dynasty.

Therefore, based on reality, the best wood for shipbuilding is fir and beech.

The mast is made of teak or iron wood.

High-end seagoing ships can use mahogany wood. However, Li Jiajun currently does not have this strength.

The two fleets faced each other and passed each other.

The artillery roared continuously, and the white smoke and thin sea fog made the vision very unclear.

……

Suddenly, Wei Zilong yelled:

"Hit the small home boat."

Everyone immediately held their breath and concentrated, and the moment they passed by, they blasted sideways.

The fourth-ranked ship in the fleet was shot continuously on one side.

The shells of the 24-pounder gun were extremely destructive.

Big holes were opened continuously, and the hull split and fell apart.

The second Li Navy warship following closely behind immediately turned around.

Due to the wind direction, the Qing army's ship speed was slightly slower.

Taking advantage of this confusion, he actually wedged himself in the middle of the Qing army's battle line.

Then came a broadside salvo.

The sound of the cannon was astonishing, and the effect was astonishing.

Among the Qing fleet, the warships in the third and fourth positions all lost their combat effectiveness.

One banked and the deck was washed with blood.

A large hole appeared at the other stern rudder, and it was sinking slowly, and the bow of the ship was tilted up.

The consequence was that the Qing army's battle line could not be maintained.

From the fifth position onwards, all warships were forced to change course, either left or right, to avoid the tilting friendly warships.

……

[I originally wanted to draw a hand-drawn picture of a naval battle formation, but the author's calligraphy and painting have become sophisticated, and I'm afraid readers will scold me, so I decided not to. 】

(End of this chapter)