Historically, at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the closed country was opened by the powerful ships and cannons of the great powers, which brought China into a process of humiliation.
Nowadays, the ships of the Ming army are approaching important coastal areas, and the artillery roars, allowing the Qing Dynasty to see the importance of coastal defense in advance.
The lower reaches of the Minjiang River, from the confluence of the Wulongjiang River and the Nantaijiang River in the southeast of Fuzhou to the mouth of the sea, are commonly known as Majiang, also known as Mawei. In ancient times, attacks on Fuzhou from the sea would go up the river from here to the city, and it has always been a defensive fort for military strategists.
land.
Under the joint attack of the Ming Army and the Zheng Army, the Qing Navy was no longer capable of naval warfare. Geng Jingzhong reduced his troops in Fuzhou and stood there waiting for reinforcements. He also made defensive arrangements for Mawei, the gateway to the sea. The only ships were assembled.
They intercepted the Majiang and Minjiang rivers, and hastily pulled up three river-blocking iron cables in an attempt to block the Ming army's waterway attack.
The Ming army was well prepared for the iron cables blocking the river, because after forming the Yangtze River Navy, when formulating the battle plan, they took this obstacle into consideration based on past battles and spying intelligence, and formulated countermeasures.
Fire, which is the most primitive, has been used during the Three Kingdoms period, but it is more time-consuming; use artillery, or send troops to attack the shore to destroy the piles or winches holding the iron ropes. Zheng Chenggong used it in Guazhou when he led his army into the Yangtze River.
It is a comparative test of the shooting level of the artillery, as well as the strength and combat power of the landing operations; using gunpowder to explode is feasible after testing, but it requires a special explosive device, but it is still worth it to achieve a breakthrough and victory.
Of course, the Ming Army conducted research and drills on these methods so that they could be used selectively in different situations. Facing the iron cables on the Ma River, given that there were not many Qing troops on the shore, the Ming Navy used
Landing destruction method. Under the cover and support of the artillery on the ship, the Marine Corps drove a small boat to land on the beach. With a strict battle formation and fierce gunfire, they defeated the defending Qing army and destroyed the winch. The fleet passed through in a row and continued
Go upstream.
The beacon is rising! Commander-in-chief Deng Yao put away his telescope and raised the corners of his mouth, as if he was mocking. This is actually what he wants to achieve, to make the Qing army in Fuzhou feel pressure and act as a containment. Of course, the navy can forcefully
They rushed to the gates of Fuzhou City, but there were only 4,000 marines accompanying the fleet this time and they could not withstand too much loss.
"Master Marquis, an enemy ship has been spotted ahead." A staff officer conveyed the signal from the observer on the mast.
"Oh, the Qing army still has the ability to fight on the water?" Deng Yao frowned. Then he smiled coldly, "Send the order, the forward fleet attacks, the second fleet supports, the marines advance along the coast, and the third fleet moves ashore. Provide at any time.
Artillery support.”
Confidence comes from strength and victory. From the establishment of the navy to the present, investment can be said to have been uninterrupted. Even with purchases on credit, as well as capture and manufacturing, the number of ships of the Ming Navy is still less than that of the largest fleet in Asia.
However, in terms of the number of large ships and artillery they have, they are almost equal. Moreover, many of the artillery are long guns and cannons recently purchased on credit from Britain and France. In terms of overall quality, they have surpassed the Zheng family.
Mawei is still Mawei, but it has not yet been designated as a military port, nor has it built the complete defense system that it had in the late Qing Dynasty. There are forts, but they are very few, and the number of artillery is not large. In terms of range and power, it is even worse than the artillery newly equipped by the Ming army.
.The dozens of Qing warships that hurriedly came to attack them had small and weak hulls, thin plates and few guns, making it even more difficult to withstand the strong ships and sharp guns of the Ming army.
In the enemy formation, water jets were aroused one after another. The Ming army took advantage of the range, and the second fleet took the lead in firing with cannons. The shells crossed the water, passed the forward fleet, fell on the enemy warships, or smashed into the river. Thick smoke
In all directions, the blown flags and broken masts of the enemy ships were thrown into the water.
The vanguard fleet is all clippers, which are quite flexible and are suitable for both offshore operations and charging in the river. Taking advantage of the enemy ships being a little confused by the heavy artillery fire, the clippers rushed forward bravely, using Buddha's weapon within the range.
The Lang machine gun opened fire fiercely, followed by musketry and rocket fire.
In the firelight, the cracking of masts, the sound of drums, shouts, howls, the collision of battleships, the sound of cannons, and gunshots overcame the din of the river.
………………
As night fell, the sound of cannons roared and the flames shot out in Wusongkou Yangjiazuikou.
Wusongkou, with its dangerous terrain, is the gateway to national defense in the southeast. From the eighth to the 12th year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1651), the fleets of Ming generals Zhang Mingzhen and Zhang Huangyan attacked Wusong four times and the Yangtze River three times. In the 16th year of Shunzhi, Zheng Chenggong led
The army entered the Yangtze River and approached Nanjing, which greatly shocked the Qing government. In the 17th year of Shunzhi, Lang Tingzuo, the governor of Jiangnan, was ordered to build a fort at the Yangjiazui entrance of Wusong on the west bank of the Huangpu River.
In less than two years, the Qing army built two forts in Yangjiazui and installed a total of 32 artillery pieces, including eight 10,000-jin cannons, four 5,000-jin cannons, and 20 thousand-jin cannons. Embankments were built around the forts.
Dig trenches and erect wooden stakes outside the walls and embankments.
Although there is a fort, it is in the open air, which is a relatively big flaw. Furthermore, the shooting skills of the Qing army's artillery are really not flattering.
The Yangtze River Navy led by Chen Shangchuan had more than 40 long guns purchased from British warships. The long guns had a smaller caliber and lighter weight than cannons, but the barrels were longer and fired 17-pound shells.
The range can reach 2,500 meters.
In this way, the artillery battle with the Qing army's Yangjiazui Fortress was equivalent to "the Ming army can hit you at will but you can't fight back."
Several medium-sized warships went back and forth on the water, using their side cannons to bombard the Qing army's forts in turn. However, the Qing army's artillery shells could only stir up water columns in the water.
The Ming army's artillery shells became more and more accurate. The Qing army's forts were filled with rubble and smoke. After an earth-shattering noise, the gunpowder of a fort exploded. The fire dazzled people's eyes and thick black smoke rose into the air.
In less than an hour, the Qing army's fort became silent, and no more artillery shells flew. More than a dozen sampans carried landing troops and sailed to the beach. The Ming army began to land, preparing to occupy the fort and completely destroy it.
"Use a clipper to send a message to Zhoushan, and ask Deputy Commander Yang to send warships over from time to time to check. The Qing army cannot easily build another fort." Chen Shangchuan put down the telescope and ordered the staff beside him.
Although the Qing army's forts did not pose much of a threat to the Yangtze River Navy, this obstruction cannot be ignored. After all, this is the only way to enter the Yangtze River and out to the sea. If there are no warships equipped with long guns to escort other ships,
It's a problem to pass.
"If we can send troops to occupy this place, or Chongming Island -" Duan Zhiying, who had been promoted to deputy commander of the Yangtze River Navy, hesitated, and shook his head with a wry smile.
"Yeah, but it can't be realized for the time being." Chen Shangchuan was also helpless, "If the Zheng family can obey the orders and concentrate on fighting, warships will be like clouds, and if there is another Battle of Nanjing, maybe the whole Jiangnan will be spread. Now,
I can only be patient and go step by step."
"I wonder how powerful the thirteen naval forces are?" Duan Zhiying looked forward to it. "It would be great if the two forces joined forces and could control the Yangtze River and become invincible."
"Haha." Chen Shangchuan laughed twice and joked: "I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you. The Thirteenth Family is in a corner. How can we have the financial and material resources to build big ships and artillery?"
Duan Zhiying smiled sarcastically and argued forcefully: "Even if the thirteen naval forces are ineffective, with our strength, the Qing army cannot resist it."
"That's a good thing." After hearing this, Chen Shangchuan also felt heroic. He turned to look at the fleet of ships that had lit up the navigation lights on the sea, and said, "With these hundreds of warships and sharp artillery,
Even if the Qing army gathers ships from all over the Yangtze River, they may not be our opponent."
As if in response to Chen Shangchuan's confident words, gunshots and explosions rang out from the forts on the shore, but they soon calmed down. The resistance was light, and the Qing army was either killed or wounded. Most of them had fled, and the Ming army's marines easily occupied it.
The Qing government spent huge sums of money and took more than a year to build the Yangjiazui Fort.
The Yangtze River, there will be a new battlefield for me to fight, a new world for me to gallop. Duan Zhiying's eyes have moved to the west, and he narrowed his eyes slightly, not knowing what he was thinking.
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Zhoushan, backed by Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo and the vast hinterland of the Yangtze River Delta, has strong geographical advantages. It is located at the intersection of China's north and south coastal routes and the Yangtze River waterway. It is the maritime gateway and channel for the Yangtze River Basin and the Yangtze River Delta to the outside world.
The Qing government's coastal relocation was not only implemented on land, but also the people on the coastal islands were forced to move inland. This made it easy for the fleet led by Yang Yandi to land in Zhoushan and occupy it.
After returning, Luo Lun, who joined the army, walked across the springboard in a few steps and jumped onto the land of Zhoushan. His eyes couldn't help but get wet and he blinked hard to stop the tears that were about to fall.
As an armed member of the original Lu family from eastern Zhejiang, it is understandable that he was emotionally agitated when he returned to this familiar base where he had fought many bloody battles. Luo Lun could still control it, and some soldiers from eastern Zhejiang were already crying.
.
The people from the Eastern Zhejiang Clan had already been mixed in the Ming army and absorbed. However, this time the navy-based strategy was fully launched, and some people were selected and assigned to the Yangtze River Navy and Yang Yandi's division.
fleet.
Very simply, Zhang Mingzhen and Zhang Huangyan entered the Yangtze River three times, and many of their soldiers had experience in fighting in the Yangtze River. Ye Jin, Wang Fa, etc. were the vanguard generals of the Yangtze River Navy;
The army could not go south to Fujian, and they were very familiar with the situation along the coast of Zhejiang. Luo Lun and others served as guides for the praise painting in Yang Yandi's department.
When he saw the Zhoushan City that was almost demolished into ruins, Luo Lun finally couldn't help but burst into tears. He remembered that during the siege by the Qing army, countless robes fought bravely and shed blood; there were also literati who were unwilling to be humiliated.
The tragedy of committing suicide and martyring one's country.