At the mouth of the Qingdao River in Laizhou City, Shandong Province, many places along the harbor are undergoing construction projects. Many ships are moored in the harbor, and many of them are warships equipped with artillery.

This is the Qingdao Naval Base that the Dachu Empire Navy has started constructing in the past two years.

Previously, the main naval base of the Chu Empire in the north was Penglai Port. However, the harbor here was not good and lacked a deep-water shelter, so it was moved to Weihaiwei Port.

Starting from Weihaiwei Port, the Dachu Empire Navy launched a large-scale landing operation on the Liaodong Peninsula in the sixth year of Chengshun. At that time, Weihaiwei Port was also at its peak, and there were a large number of military ships in the harbor every day.

In and out.

However, after capturing the Port of Port Arthur on the opposite side of the Liaodong Peninsula, because Port Arthur has an excellent deep-water sheltered port, the empire's naval fleet operating in the northern seas gradually moved to Port Arthur as its main base to support the nearby Liaodong region.

Operations, including a series of operations deep into the Liaohe River and Yalu River, as well as material transportation operations.

In this way, Weihaiwei has gradually become an ordinary transit port.

After the victory of the Liaodong Campaign last year, the navy no longer played a big role in the northern seas. Therefore, a large number of warships began to withdraw from this sea area, with some staying at Port Arthur and some at Weihaiwei Port.<

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Another part was transferred to the Port of Busan at the southernmost tip of the Koryo Peninsula to control the coastal defense security of the Koryo Peninsula, combat Japanese pirates, deter the Fuso people on the opposite side, and protect the safety of the merchant ships of the Chu Empire heading east for trade.

The last part was transferred to Qingdao on the southeast coast of Shandong.

Qingdao itself is a natural deep-water port, which is very suitable for use as a naval base. At the same time, there are no other good large-scale ports hundreds of miles north that can be used as a large-scale military base. Therefore, the navy is preparing to focus on the development of Qingdao Port.

.

As a result, the Chu Empire Navy has three main naval bases in the waters north of the Yangtze River, each responsible for different directions.

Qingdao, mainly facing the Yellow Sea, is a relatively typical ocean-going fleet. It is responsible for controlling and guarding most of the vast northern seas of the Chu Empire, protecting the coastal security of Jiangbei and Shandong, and can also provide nearby support for the coastal areas south of the Yangtze River.

Lushun is responsible for operations in the Bohai Sea and parts of the Yellow Sea, and is responsible for protecting the coastline security along the northern coast of Shandong, Hebei, and Liaodong.

Busan is responsible for parts of the Yellow Sea, Tsushima Strait, Whale Sea (Sea of ​​Japan) and other sea areas. It is responsible for protecting the coastal security of the East China Sea (southern Koryo Peninsula) and Liaobei Province (northeast of Jilin Koryo Peninsula). It is also directly responsible for Fuso's maritime operations.

Combat affairs.

In addition to these three major naval bases, there are also several small and medium-sized naval bases, such as Haizhou, Weihaiwei, Penglai, Tianjin, Shanhaiguan, Liaohekou, Zhenjiang (Dandong at the mouth of the Yalu River), Ganghwa Island (Seoul), etc.

Among these, small naval bases are either supply ports for naval warships, or they are nearby protected river outlets and important coastal cities.

For example, Haizhou Port is a typical supply port.

For example, the Ganghwa Island Naval Base, which used to be the island where the Lee Dynasty used to vacation and escape disasters, was directly transformed into a military base. It not only stationed the army, but also stationed the navy's warships. The navy fleet was to protect Seoul, and at the same time

Blockade the Han River to prevent potential enemies and even pirate ships from going directly along the river and into the interior.

There are quite a lot of naval bases in the Da Chu Empire, and apart from a few special large naval bases, most of these bases are not purely naval bases, but are often shared by the military and civilians.

For example, Tianjin Port is currently the largest civilian port of the Chu Empire in the northern region, covering the entire northern region. The so-called naval base of the Navy in Tianjin Port is actually a dock built to park warships.

Just a few barracks and warehouses.

The same situation exists at the mouth of Liaohe River.

However, the two major ports of Qingdao and Lushun are currently relatively pure naval bases, because there is no commercial activity in these places. If the navy does not build large-scale bases, Qingdao Port will still be deserted, with only a few small fishing villages.<

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As the navy develops here and attracts more people, land resources will naturally gather in these places. By then, these two ports may become a large-scale military-civilian complex like Wusong Port.

Port.

It’s just that these things will happen many years later.

Today, Qingdao Port, which is under development and construction, has welcomed several large-scale sea-going ships. Naturally, most of the ships that can come to this port at this time are navy ships, and private ships rarely come. This large-scale sea-going ship

The ship is flying the flag of the Chu Empire Navy.

There are two navy frigates and eight transport ships in this fleet. At first glance, it seems that it is a fleet of the Dachu Empire Navy.

But when the ship docked, the people who walked off the pier were not navy officers, but a large number of army soldiers wearing gray military uniforms.

Major General Xu Delin looked at a large number of his soldiers landing one after another, and his face looked a little better.

"I finally got over it. I will never take a boat again. This boat was so rocking that I almost vomited out all the food I had eaten last month!"

Xu Delin was quite excited and even curious on the first day after boarding the ship at the mouth of the Liaohe River. After all, this was the first time he led his troops to conduct long-distance maneuvers on a sea-going ship. This kind of experience had never been done before.

But Xu Delin regretted it after actually getting on the ship!

It’s not that he has never been on a boat, but he has never been on such an uncomfortable boat!

When Xu Delin led troops to fight in the past, he often took boats to cross rivers, and also took inland river boats to and from the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

But... only after he actually got on a big ship and went out to sea did Xu Delin realize that his previous experience of riding a ship was just child's play!

In just one day, Xu Delin could not stop vomiting, and by the next day, his entire face was pale.

If it weren't for the military order, Xu Delin would have disembarked from the ship and set foot on the earth again, but there was no way. His superiors mobilized his 15th Division to move to Shandong. Even if he vomited and couldn't get up, he had to be carried there.

Military orders are like mountains, this is no joke.

This journey was definitely the most uncomfortable one for Xu Delin in his more than ten years in the army.

But now we have finally arrived. When Xu Delin got off the boat and landed on the shore, he felt extremely at ease and his face looked a little better.

He immediately ordered the adjutant beside him: "Hurry up and let the soldiers get off the boat as soon as possible. There is really no place for people on the boat!"

"Also make arrangements with the Navy to allow the soldiers to enter the camp and rest as soon as possible!"

The adjutant immediately took orders to urge him.

Bao Gaofei, chief of staff of the 15th Division, also looked scared: "I heard from the 23rd Division before that they could directly launch a large-scale attack after crossing the sea by boat, and their combat power would not be reduced.

I didn’t think it was anything at first, but after a while, I finally understood why the superiors like to deploy the 23rd Division to carry out cross-sea landing operations!"

"It's not that I like it, but that I have no choice. Those who can land across the sea and still maintain combat effectiveness. There is only one 23rd Division in our army now. This seasickness is too uncomfortable!"

"If it were our division, if we took a boat for several days before launching a landing operation, I'm afraid most of the soldiers wouldn't even be able to stand still!"

Xu Delin on the side said: "That's natural. I don't have any skills. Otherwise, how could the 23rd Division become the treasure of the superiors? Wherever they have military exploits, just transfer them there!"

"Earlier during the Northern Expedition, they were transferred to Shandong. When we were attacking Liaodong, they were transferred to the Liaodong Peninsula. This year, when we were attacking Northern Liaoning, they were shipped to the Yalu River for landing operations. This time they were all eaten.

I’m done!”

"If there is any cross-sea landing operation in the future, this 23rd Division will still be the first choice!"

At this time, Chief of Staff Bao Gaofei said: "Sir, I heard that the superiors also intend to let us train landing tactics?"

Xu Delin looked hopeful and helpless at this time and said: "I don't know very well, but it's hard to say, and the higher-ups don't have an accurate answer."

Xu Delin wanted his troops to also train for landing operations. After all, the battle in the Northeast was almost done, and the only places left were Mobei, Moxi and other places, and the main forces in those places would not be surprised.

It will be cavalry, infantry, etc. It is difficult to have any eye-catching performance.

Besides, there are also many first-class infantry divisions in the northwest and even the Central Plains. If any war happens, their 15th Division will not be involved.

After all, their 15th Division and other troops have already had a feast in the Northeast Campaign, and the generals and generals have gained a lot of military exploits...

If we attack the northwest in the future, it will definitely be the garrison from the west first, and then some troops from the Central Plains. As for their troops who are the first to attack the northeast, even if they are transferred to the northwest to participate in the war, they can only do so honestly.

Watch the show in the back, do some maintenance, and serve as a strategic reserve.

If you want to go directly to the front line to grab meat, the generals of the first-class divisions on the northwest front and even the second-class preparation divisions can tear Xu Delin's mouth out.

Even if the elders of the Military Academy would not do this, they still have to be as fair as possible.

The army still needs to maintain a certain degree of fairness, and the credit must be properly divided. Otherwise, if you fight every day to gain credit, people can only watch the show on the side, and no one will accept it...

Therefore, it will not be easy for Xu Delin's 15th Division to take credit later.

The follow-up in the Northeast is just a small fuss, and no matter how hard it is, it won't get much credit.

The competition in the northwest is too great and you can’t squeeze in.

As for the southwest and other places, they are all bad places, and the empire's senior officials have no idea of ​​attacking those bad places in the south.

Xu Delin thought about it and thought that if he wanted to fight some wars in the future and move his military rank up, he could only hope that Fuso would not be wise or the empire would expand in Nanyang.

The expansion of these places requires cross-sea operations. Therefore, if the 15th Division can conduct cross-sea landing operations training and transform itself into an amphibious combat force, it will have a bright future.

It’s just... seasickness is so uncomfortable!

Xu Delin had very complicated psychological feelings about this. On the one hand, he wanted to transform into amphibious warfare. For this reason, he even started to contact and learn amphibious warfare methods in advance, and even wrote to the 23rd Division to ask for various experiences.

But on the other hand, he refuses to take a boat.

However, these few inner thoughts cannot stop his desire to be promoted!

When people sent by the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs talked to him about amphibious landings and asked him if he was willing to carry out amphibious landings and whether he had confidence, he shouted slogans loudly on the spot, as if he would give up on him!<

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"The 23rd Division used to be a branch of my 15th Division. If this son can do it, then naturally we, the fathers, can do it too!"

"You must have confidence in amphibious warfare!"

"Isn't it just seasick? It's easy. Let's practice and just soak in the sea all day long. If we soak too much, we won't feel sick anymore!"

During this transformation and subsequent promotion, Xu Delin had already made up his mind to just get seasick. He would stay on the ship. As for seasickness and vomiting, it was just like what the people in the 23rd Division said, he was vomiting and vomiting.

I'm used to it.
To be continued...