Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 439 Qianlong: Secretly punishing the traitor and opening up the second battlefield~
Shi and Huang exchanged views on the current battle situation.

after that,

Shi Lingyang stood up and bowed to say goodbye.

Huang Shijian also said goodbye solemnly.

The two parties agreed that three days later, the Shi family would board the ship with their valuables and head north with the fleet.

On the way, we replenished supplies at Xiapu Wharf in Funing.

All ships of the Funing Town Navy will also need to be incorporated into the upgraded fleet at that time.

Continuing to sail north,

After passing through the East China Sea, it replenished at Haizhou Port in Jiangsu, and then continued north to Dengzhou Prefecture.

Qianlong said in the letter,

Marquis Jinghai Shi Lingyang can recommend a clan member who has achieved a juren or higher title to serve as the prefect of Dengzhou, thus providing necessary convenience for the Fujian navy.

……

"My Lord, there are hundreds of people in the old house in Quanzhou. How can we move?"

"Shut up."

Shi Lingyang's face was calm, but his steps were quick.

The captain of the personal guards realized something in an instant, and immediately fell silent, with a serious expression, and called on the personal guards to follow.

The group hurried to the dock as if they were fleeing.

along the way,
Countless naval officers knelt on one knee to pay tribute to the descendants of their old master.

The Shi family holds an exclusive status in Fujian.

There are countless disciples and former officials, especially those naval officers who once followed the first Marquis of Jinghai. If their descendants have no job, they only need to kowtow in front of the Shi family mansion in Yakou Village, Jinjiang County, Quanzhou Prefecture.
The Marquis of Jinghai in every generation would lend a helping hand.

Those who are strong and healthy will be introduced to the navy.

Those who are gifted will be sponsored to study and take exams.

If they were honest, they would be arranged to be apprentices in Shi's shop or work as sailors on a ship.

……

The Shi family was the largest landlord in Fujian (including Dayuan). It was rumored that they could collect 60 dan of rice in rent every year.

The Shi family is not short of money.
Hundreds of years of investment have enabled the Shi family to have an extremely large network of contacts in the province.

Qianlong's feelings towards the Shi family were also quite complicated.

On the one hand, reuse is necessary.

On the other hand, be wary and restrict.

Therefore, the position of the Admiral of the Fujian Navy is often not held by the Shi family.

Duke Haicheng and Marquis Jinghai were both brave generals under Zheng Chenggong, but they later rebelled against the Qing Dynasty.

The first Duke of Haicheng, Huang Wu, was able to be conferred the title of "Duke" because he presented Haicheng, a land fortress that Zheng Chenggong had managed for a long time, to the Qing court.

It was a heavy blow to the Zheng family and an unexpected surprise to the Qing court.

Therefore, the reward is very heavy.

In addition, this person was the first to propose "relocating the border and closing the sea" to the Qing court, and he also dug up Zheng's ancestral tombs.

……

"Master, look at Marquis Jinghai's true~"

"He's lying!"

The elderly Huang Shijian stood on the hillside, staring at the boat sailing away from the pier.

"What about us?"

"I have already made arrangements~"

Huang Shijian turned around and walked down the hillside to inspect the twenty 3000-shi rice boats commissioned to be built by Fujian merchants.

He had long realized that the Fujian Navy's warships were old and not suitable for naval battles at all.

The country was peaceful and prosperous before, so it was impossible for the court to approve it.

Now, troubled times have arrived.

Prepare your army for war,

For the court and for myself.

……

Nanyang Prefecture, Henan, more than 2000 miles away.

Qianlong stood with his hands behind his back, staring blankly at the "Complete Map of the Imperial Territory" hanging on the wall.

He had been standing there for a quarter of an hour.

recent,
He is very concerned about Fujian because it is full of uncertainties.

Once Wu's army captured Guangdong, Fujian would be surrounded on three sides.

Where should Fujian go?
Can the Fujian Navy be saved?
Is the lineage of Marquis Jinghai reliable?
What on earth was Wang Danwang, the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, busy with?
……

During this time,
Qianlong stayed up all night, hoping to see through the fog.

He repeatedly reviewed memorials from all parties and added his own judgment, combined with the life of the first Marquis of Jinghai: Zheng - Qing - Zheng - Qing.

I can't guarantee it.
The subsequent trajectory of the Shi family is, Qing Dynasty - Wu -? ——?
The Shi family has been a powerful family for generations and is very capable. Such subordinates often only choose powerful masters and it is difficult for them to "be depressed and serve under others for a long time."

It is better to make a secret decision.

The Shi family was wiped out and replaced by Huang Shijian, Duke of Haicheng, who was in charge of the overall power of the governor of Fujian's land and sea routes.

in case,

If Huang Shijian and Wang Danwang work together sincerely, Fujian may even have the hope of opening up a second battlefield.

crucial moment,

A special force could be sent out from both land and sea to attack the Yueding Eye of Wu (judging from the map, it is entirely possible).

As for,
The so-called northward migration of the Fujian Navy was just a cover to test Shi's loyalty.

Qianlong's idea was good and strategic.

but.

He seriously underestimated Wang Danwang.

……

Shi Lingyang sneezed loudly.

Sitting in the cabin, thinking over the conversation just now, I suddenly realized that I had made my promise too hastily.

3 days!
How could it be possible to take care of all the hundreds of people in the Shi family and the countless gold and silver jewelry?

I'm afraid that old man Huang Shijian has seen through it.

but,

If he saw through me, why didn't he attack me then?

The guard behind Huang Shijian is obviously brave enough to fight against a hundred men. It would not be difficult for him to take his life within 5 steps. There are also ambushes behind the scenes.

The Shi family will never leave Fujian!

A fish out of water will not have a good ending.

His position: neither clear nor vague, waiting for the right price.

His strategy: to manage southern Fujian, add large ships, use the silver from maritime trade to support the army, and use the food from high-ranking officials to support the army.

Although there was a Shi Linglun in the Jinghai Marquis faction who once served as the deputy general of Taihu Association, he was killed by Li Yu.

But how could the blood of a mere descendant of a side branch possibly affect the strategy of the Marquis' Mansion?

……

"Am I too nervous?"

Shi Lingyang muttered.

suddenly,

Deckhand reports:

"My Lord, a patrol boat just passed by us and threw it over."

Shi Lingyang opened the cloth wrapped around the pebbles and his face turned pale instantly.

On the cloth, scrawled in ink:

"There is an ambush at sea, get ashore quickly."

He rushed out of the cabin and saw a patrol boat coming in the opposite direction, riding the wind and waves, and already half a mile away.

……

Shi Lingyang looked around and saw the vast sea.

He closed his eyes and sniffed the sea breeze.
When he opened his eyes again, he shouted loudly:
"Change course, target - Yongning Town."

The sailors agreed in unison and adjusted the sails.

Half an hour later,
There is an abandoned sampan on the beach of Yongning Town, Jinjiang County, Quanzhou Prefecture.

Shi Lingyang landed with only three trusted men, bought horses and returned home by land.

His ship still sailed into Quanzhou Bay according to the original route.

Shortly after entering Quanzhou Bay, they were ambushed.

Two large rice boats and four fast crab-sailed boats passed by each other in a vertical formation as if on normal patrol.

Suddenly turned hostile,

More than a dozen submachine guns and rifles fired together.

The ship was unable to react in time, the sails caught fire, and most of the deck crew were cleared out in an instant.

Naval battle boarding,

This is often the case when intentional actions are taken without intention.

1 quarters of an hour later,
The Tongan shuttle boat gradually capsized.

They were repeatedly rammed and crushed by the huge rice boats until they all sank to the bottom of the sea.

……

"Look quickly, is there anyone jumping into the sea?"

"All the people and the boat went to the Dragon Palace."

"Okay. Retreat quickly."

The six ships hoisted full sails, threw away all the bulky things to reduce weight, and quickly headed eastward away from the bay, and then south.

They were from the Fujian Navy's Tibiao Zhongying Battalion, and following the orders of the military commander, they killed traitors to the country and sank the ship of Jinghai Marquis Shi Lingyang, who was attempting to defect, into the sea.

of course,

Huang Shijian would choose to keep the death a secret.

In the end, the tragic story of Shi Lingyang's disappearance was attributed to "martyrdom in a pirate attack."

The messenger who came from Nanyang Prefecture was a guard from the Sticking Rod Department.

He is currently sitting in the Admiral's Mansion.

All smiles:

"Duke Haicheng is loyal and brave. No wonder the emperor ordered me to find you first when I arrived in Fujian instead of looking for Marquis Jinghai."

"No matter how this war turns out, the Huang family will always be loyal subjects of the Qing Dynasty."

"it is good!"

……

Dongping Mountain,
It is the highest peak on Xiamen Island.

Huang Shijian accompanied the guards of the Sticking Rod Office to inspect the defense of Xiamen Island. Today was a clear day, and the naval port on the north side of the island was clearly visible.

"During the Shunzhi reign, the main warships used by our Fujian navy were bird boats. In the 20th year of the Kangxi reign, they were gradually replaced by silk boats. Now, I have discovered that rice boats are more advanced, so I have vigorously introduced them."

The messenger actually knew nothing. It was the first time in his life that he saw the sea.

Just feel fresh.

Huang Shijian handed him a brass telescope and continued to explain:
"The rice boat is 9 feet long and 5 feet wide. It has a fast speed, is easy to control, has a wide deck, and can carry more guns. The biggest difference from the foreign ship is that the rice boat is shorter and does not have a raised stern cabin at the rear."

"Mr. Haicheng, it seems to me that our ships are quite tall and have stern cabins.

"is it?"

……

Huang Shijian took the telescope and took a look.

In an instant, his hair stood on end and he felt creepy.

A triangular soft sail, two gun decks, a tall stern cabin, and a square stern, this is clearly a galleon!
The Qing Dynasty navy had never been equipped with this type of ship.

He roared:
"There are barbarian ships, prepare for battle."

Shout,

He jumped up to the beacon tower on the top of the mountain with agility that was not commensurate with his age and lit the ~
boom,
Black smoke rose into the sky and the whole island was in chaos in an instant.

Amid the roars of officers at all levels, the naval soldiers ran frantically in preparation for battle.

"Please stay here and watch the battle, I will go down to command."

"well."

The guard of the Nianganchu who had lived in the capital for a long time was very curious about naval battles. He stared wide-eyed to see how the Fujian navy would defeat the foreign ships.

In the telescope,

Flames were seen gushing out from the side of the foreign ship, and our patrol boat immediately caught fire and even broke apart.

……

The command module of the Boyne River.

It was the first time that Liu Wu watched a naval battle from the perspective of a spectator.

Adelaide was standing next to him.

Explain your own tactics through translation.

After the Saxon fleet left Jinshanwei, in accordance with the verbal agreement with the State of Wu, it bombarded Xiamen Island, the main base of the Fujian Navy.

Out of caution for unknown opponents,

Adelaide dispatched three warships and two armed merchant ships.

The rest of the merchant fleet is temporarily anchored in the open sea and will not intervene in the battlefield.

……

The geography of Xiamen Port is quite special.

It is a typical "concave"-shaped military port with excellent conditions.

For the southern Fujian region where typhoons often occur, such a naval port can protect warships from damage by big waves to the greatest extent.

The disadvantages are also obvious~
Once blocked by enemy ships, there is no way out.

but,

If the Saxon fleet wanted to break in, it would have to first take out the gun emplacements on both sides of the dock.

The two turrets are like the two claws of a crab, guarding the main body.

Adelaide whispered something to the adjutant.

The adjutant passed the order to the flag bearer, who in turn passed it on to the nearby ships.

……

Liu Wu noticed that one of the fourth-level ships was obviously lagging behind, as if waiting for an opportunity.

He pulled open the telescope and saw the gunners on the deck operating three mortars.

"Is your navy also equipped with this kind of weapon?"

Liu Wu shook his head.
……

The sound of Qing army's artillery interrupted his thoughts.

The water columns rising from the sea are very spectacular.

but,

In the eyes of experts, what they saw was poor artillery skills.

Adelaide whispered something to the officer next to her, and everyone laughed.

I guess they were mocking the European countries for being frightened by the weak Qing Dynasty.

I mistook a paper tiger for a Siberian tiger.

This round of bombardment,
The nearest shell landed 100 feet away from the ship, which was an outrageous performance.

If the Royal Navy's assessment requirements were followed, the gunner should be whipped in public.

……

Adelaide was holding a pocket watch, calculating the interval between two artillery attacks by the Qing army's artillery.

The frequency of artillery fire is an important indicator to measure the quality of a gunner.

Only gunners who have developed muscle memory and tacit coordination can shorten the reloading interval and fire quickly.

The Royal Navy sailed

The captain often issues "combat orders" for no apparent reason.

Then he held his pocket watch and watched the second hand tick until the first salvo was fired from below the cabin.

Calculate how much time it took in total.

Every captain of the Royal Navy was keen on conducting "live-fire drills", each of which lasted half an hour and consumed gunpowder at a rapid rate.

So that
The Navy Department had to issue a "restraint order".

If there is no combat during the warship's cruise, the gunpowder consumption must not exceed one third every six months, otherwise the captain must pay for it.

The captains are too fanatical and the national treasury can’t afford it.

……

The whole ship shook as the guns fired salvos.

Liu Wu was born a carpenter and has been a naval commander for such a long time.

Ask in a low voice:

"What kind of wood is this boat made of?"

Translate the direct answer:

"Oak. The best wood in the world for shipbuilding."

"How much does it cost?"

"About 7 pounds, equivalent to 22 taels of silver."

After hearing this, Liu Wu felt sad.

……

Fierce artillery battle between the two sides~
The Qing army fired one shot every 220 breaths, while the Royal Navy fired one shot every 50 breaths.

quickly,

The turret was suppressed and hit by bullets in many places.

Several small brick and wood artillery batteries had collapsed, and the Qing troops inside fled in all directions like frightened cockroaches.

but,

The main battery, located at a higher point, is made of solid granite.

And,
Due to the height difference.

The battleship's guns are very effective.

Liu Wu walked to the square stern and looked at the lagging fourth-level ship.

The captain of the Boyne had a full view;

Said in a low voice:

"Your Excellency, it seems that our Eastern colleagues know about mortars."

Adelaide nodded and put away the gilded pocket watch.

……

Fourth-level ship deck,
The mortar violently spewed out flames.

The big iron ball drew a high parabola in the air and then fell down.

The mortar is actually the ancestor of the mortar.
The gunners kept adjusting their firing.

The mortar can fire much more frequently than the cannon because it is easier to load.

at last,

At about the 10th shot, it just hit the main turret.

There was a loud noise,
Then a quarter of the main battery collapsed, and it was smashed down.

The gunners cheered in unison~
……

Liu Wu opened the telescope and carefully watched the loading and firing process of the mortar.

The shape is not complicated.

The barrel is short and fat, and the muzzle is huge.

Bronze gun body and iron gun mount.

The distance was far, and the sailor's shadow was blocking the way.
He was not sure whether the mortar equipped by the Saxon Navy could adjust the shooting angle or rotate on the spot.

Anyway,

This is a powerful weapon.

The combat range is by no means limited to ship-based land bombardment, it can also be used as a close-range killing weapon for infantry, equivalent to a shotgun pro.

……

Adelaide and the captain discussed in low voices for a long time.
Suddenly he came to the stern,

Said:

"As a colleague, I would like to personally present you with a mortar."

Liu Wu naturally accepted it with pleasure.

Even before the early 19th century,

For a motive that is difficult to describe, Europeans did not mind sending their most advanced industrial products to the East, hoping to gain recognition and respect.

The main reason is guilty conscience and low self-esteem.

Hope to be recognized by the Ming Dynasty (Qing Dynasty).

At the beginning,

Among the gifts presented by the Macartney Mission was a heavy mortar.

At this time, he was lying in Qianlong's inner storehouse, gathering dust.

There was also a celestial motion instrument on the gift list, which was sent to the Imperial Household Department as a faulty clock and was repaired for half a year.

It was torn into pieces and ultimately could not be restored.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs simply reported that the tributes presented by the foreign envoys were "inferior goods that deceived the emperor."

……

(End of this chapter)