Chapter 204 Armed merchant ships cut off the Xijiang River
Zhang Yuliang received intelligence from the Military Intelligence Bureau, and the Ming Navy dispatched more than fifty warships to control the Xijiang River.
The Ming Navy was escorting a batch of supplies and 30,000 Ming troops, preparing to support Wuzhou City.
Among this batch of supplies were a large amount of grain and grass, as well as Hongyi cannon and ammunition for defending the city.
This fleet will pass through Deqing City around October 24th.
It is already September 28th, less than a month away.
They must go north from Maoming County to blockade the Xijiang River.
The Xijiang River is the lifeline of Wuzhou City. The Qin army captured the Xijiang River and cut off the food route of Wuzhou City.
There were more than 200,000 Ming troops in Wuzhou City. Without the continuous supply of grain and grass from Guangdong, they would definitely be defeated.
Their Eighth Army arrived at Xijiang earlier than the Ming fleet.
Once the Ming fleet is allowed to pass through and Wuzhou City obtains a large amount of supplies, he will become a nail.
Firmly hold back the strength of the First Army.
The Eighth Army alone did not have enough strength to occupy Guangdong.
Zhang Yuliang decided to adopt a more risky combat plan.
Marching slowly, even by water, there was no way to reach Xijiang in a short time and cut off this lifeline of the Ming army.
The only option was to make a dangerous move and send an assault force to control Xijiang as quickly as possible.
Zhang Yuliang held a military meeting. He announced the intelligence obtained by the Military Intelligence Bureau and proposed a new combat plan.
"I am going to modify some merchant ships so that they can be loaded with artillery and turned into armed merchant ships that can fight.
The Ming Navy's warships control the Xijiang River. If we want to control the Xijiang River, we must have warships.
I decided to let craftsmen refit merchant ships and build some armed merchant ships.
With armed merchant ships as the vanguard, this force did not aim to capture the city.
His strategic goal was to quickly advance along the waterway, control the Xijiang River, and cut off the Ming army's lifeline.
The main force of the Ming army in Wuzhou, without the support of materials and troops from Guangdong, would have no way to stop the First Army's attack."
Chief of Staff Wang Kun agreed: "I think the Army Commander's proposal is a good idea.
We should not worry about the gains and losses of one city or one place. Our main goal is to eliminate the main force of the Ming army.
Xiong Wencan, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and more than 200,000 Ming troops were wiped out, and the rest of Guangdong must have surrendered.
The only difficulty now is the time to build armed merchant ships.
We do not have time to wait for the construction of armed merchant ships unless a batch of armed merchant ships can be built as soon as possible."
Zhu Shi Guan Yuntao also agreed: "This is a good idea. Our army's infantry artillery and field artillery have very good performance.
The old Hongyi cannons on the Ming navy warships were simply incapable of firing against our cannons.
As long as our cannons can be mounted on armed merchant ships, we will definitely be able to defeat the Ming Navy, cut off the Xijiang River, and control the Ming Army's food routes."
Zhang Yuliang said confidently: "Only some minor modifications will be made to the merchant ship. The time will not be too slow. It can be completed in three to five days."
When the officers present heard what Zhang Yuliang said, they all agreed on this combat plan.
Hu Hai said excitedly: "Commander, this task must be given to me.
Most of our troops are from Sichuan, and many of them have lived along rivers such as the Yangtze River since childhood.
They are very good in water, and I used to drive boats when I was a kid.
They fight on the ship and will not get seasick. They can also control the ship by themselves."
Zhang Yuliang also preferred the third division, as the first division was not good at water fighting.
They went to Nanning and encountered a small storm in Yujiang River. Most of the people in the first division became seasick.
"Hu Hai took the initiative to ask for help, and this matter will be left to the third division.
Your speed must be fast, and you must cut off the Xijiang River before the Ming fleet passes Deqing City."
When Hu Hai heard Zhang Yuliang's order, he said excitedly: "Commander, don't worry, I am willing to issue a military order and we will definitely be able to cut off the Xijiang River before October 20th."
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At the port by the river, there is a row of medium-sized merchant ships.
Wen Chenglin introduced to Zhang Yuliang: "Sir, I have found a total of 428 relatively intact merchant ships.
These merchant ships are equipped with adequate crews.
Twenty shipbuilders and one hundred and thirty-five apprentices were also found.”
Zhang Yuliang is very satisfied with Wen Chenglin's work efficiency.
This is the benefit of having local officials assist you.
If it were him, he wouldn't be able to find these people in a short time, even if he is forced with a gun.
The size of the fleet is enough for their Eighth Army to transport troops and baggage.
Zhang Yuliang met with these shipbuilders and introduced them to the modification of the merchant ships they were consulting on.
Time is tight, and major changes to the ship must not be possible.
Zhang Yuliang only made two requirements for these shipbuilding craftsmen.
Let them select the best quality merchant ships.
On these merchant ships, windows were created through which cannons could be fired.
This required minimal modifications to the ship, and the apprentices were able to complete the modifications as the shipbuilders figured out the solution.
Zhang Yuliang also summoned carpenters in the city to make gun carriages for ships.
Navy ships have already verified which gun carriages are effective.
Zhang Yuliang just asked craftsmen to make gun carriages with similar shapes and functions.
The quality of these gun carriages is definitely not as good as those specially customized by the Yangtze River Navy.
But if you use it for a short period of time, there should be no major problems.
A gray-haired old craftsman, he has a very high reputation among these craftsmen.
After hearing Zhang Yuliang's request, I personally answered it for him.
"I already know the purpose that your Excellency wants to achieve.
When I was young, I used to build armed merchant ships in Guangzhou for maritime merchants.
The adults rushed too fast and could not strengthen the keel and other parts.
It is very simple to transform an ordinary merchant ship into an armed merchant ship that can use cannons.
We guys can finish it in five days."
Following Zhang Yuliang's instructions, the craftsmen immediately began to transform these merchant ships into armed merchant ships.
The craftsmen only rested for two hours in batches every day, and it took three days to renovate fifty-two armed merchant ships.
Only fifty-two of these merchant ships could be selected, with good keels and good quality, capable of withstanding the vibrations caused by cannon fire.
During these three days, Zhang Yuliang was not idle. He summoned all soldiers who could drive ships in the Eighth Army.
Armed merchant ships must be sailed by the Qin army's own soldiers.
Armed merchant ships are full of elites, and leaving them to others to sail would be too risky.
Not to mention trust issues, ordinary crew members will inevitably panic once they encounter a war.
There is no way to operate the ship effectively, and in severe cases, it may cause accidents such as capsizing of the ship.
Many soldiers of the Third Division of the Eighth Army grew up on the banks of the Yangtze River and are familiar with the water and how to operate a boat.
These fifty-two warships can only carry one brigade of soldiers, so it is not difficult to find the crew.
When everything was ready, Hu Hai said goodbye to the main force and set sail with fifty-two armed merchant ships.
These armed merchant ships did not carry a large amount of baggage.
Each armed merchant ship is equipped with six field guns and twenty infantry guns.
The bow and stern are each equipped with a field gun, three infantry guns and a rocket launcher.
In Guangdong in September, southerly winds prevail.
The armed merchant ship moved forward with full sail and very fast speed.
Zhang Yuliang led the main force to attack Luo Dingzhou at normal speed.
They only opened the waterway, but did not divide their troops to attack the cities far away from the river.
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Hu Hai stood on the bow of the boat, and he could already see the capital city of Luoding Prefecture in front of him.
The Hongyi cannon on the city wall has been aimed at their fleet.
"Inform all ships to prepare for artillery fire."
There is no shortage of Hongyi cannons in Guangzhou, there are weapons workshops in Foshan, and they can also purchase them from the Portuguese in Macau.
Every larger city has red cannons on its walls.
The Hongyi cannons on the Ming army's city walls opened fire on the armed merchant ships.
Most of the projectiles missed, and one projectile hit the ship, sending sawdust flying everywhere.
This armed merchant ship was shaking violently in the river.
The soldiers urgently used wooden planks to repair the large hole that had been breached to prevent the ship from flooding.
The artillery on the armed merchant ship also began to fight back.
It is extremely difficult to aim a cannon at a moving armed merchant ship.
Fortunately, the most elite artillerymen of their Eighth Army were selected to arm merchant ships.
They all have basic mathematical knowledge and can skillfully use trigonometric functions.
The cannon still has a certain degree of accuracy, so it's not just a random shot.
The number of cannons controlled by Hu Hai was several times that of the Hongyi cannons on the Ming army's city walls.
The powerful cannonballs quickly exploded on the city wall.
Hu Hai suppressed the Hongyi cannon on the city of Luoding Prefecture.
He did not take the opportunity to expand his victory, and the fleet passed through this section of the river at high speed.
"Here in Luoding Prefecture, the river is not blocked.
I have already made preparations. If the river here is blocked, I will try my best to capture the capital city of Luoding Prefecture."
The extremely simple strategy of blocking the river with iron ropes was not even used by the Ming army.
Hu Hai looked at the river and saw their panicked merchant ships, and he wanted to understand.
Wuzhou needs a large amount of materials, and the materials collected by various counties are basically transported by waterway.
This is the lowest cost and fastest mode of transportation.
In addition, Ming military officials did not want to take responsibility.
The waterway was blocked and the Qin army did not attack. Whose responsibility was the loss?
Every official of the Ming army learned to protect themselves wisely. They did as little as possible and did not do as much as possible.
They will not use effective strategies.
The fleet passed the capital of Luoding Prefecture and did not encounter any large-scale enemies along the way.
Hu Hai stood on the deck of the flagship and used a telescope to observe the situation ahead.
He saw two forts standing on both sides of the river bank.
Next to the fort, there were several Ming army warships.
"Xijiang is almost here."
He has seen the relatively vast Xijiang River through the telescope.
The fleet entered combat mode.
Five armed merchant ships lined up in unison, and the cannons on the bows began to load.
Armed merchant ships active on inland rivers have very little room for movement.
There is no need to consider the flexibility of the ship, only the power of the cannon on the ship.
"fire."
The five armed merchant ships in the lead fired at the forts on both sides of the river.
At the same time, at the bow of the ship, soldiers were temporarily arranging gunpowder for rockets.
This kind of gunpowder is unstable. Generally, the gunpowder has the best effect within an hour after it is configured.
When the Ming army's fort saw someone attacking them, these soldiers also reacted.
They immediately used the cannons on the fort to counterattack.
Hu Hai used his binoculars to stare closely at the Ming army's fort.
The ship's cannon is naturally at a disadvantage when it hits the shore's cannon.
The ship is constantly shaking on the water, and a slight shake will cause the cannon to deviate from the intended landing point.
Hu Hai saw the cannons on the Ming army's fort, and all the shells missed.
Two of the cannonballs they fired landed around the fort.
When he saw the situation on the battlefield, he immediately smiled.
The Ming army now has an advantage, but the quality of their artillery is worrying and they cannot use their advantage.
After all, war is a human war. If the quality of the soldiers is not good, there is no way to use their advantages.
As the sound of cannons sounded, the Ming Navy warships around the river mouth also began to prepare for action.
"The gunpowder is prepared and the fire bombs are equipped."
Soldiers who possess rockets must report immediately.
The artillery company commander in charge of the rockets adjusted the firing angle of the rockets and pulled down the gun rope of the rockets.
Rockets are weapons of surface destruction. A rocket launcher is equipped with twelve rockets.
As long as a rocket landed on a Ming army ship, the heavy fire bomb would burn the ship down.
Hu Hai heard a familiar whistling sound, and sixty rockets from five ships flew towards the Ming Navy warships.
Most of the rockets fell into the river, and a small number of rockets landed on the Ming Navy warships.
The fire spread instantly on the Ming Navy warship.
In a short period of time, the Ming Navy warship turned into a big torch.
Other warships of the Ming Navy were quickly burned when they saw the warship ahead.
They immediately hoisted the sails and took advantage of the south wind to escape.
Hu Hai did not pursue the warships of the Ming Navy.
He commanded armed merchant ships to launch fierce attacks on the forts on the river bank.
The fort is just an ordinary masonry structure, and there is no way to withstand the indiscriminate bombardment of yellow explosives.
The armed merchant ships quickly destroyed the forts on both sides of the river.
The armed merchant fleet advanced one mile beyond the fort.
Ahead is a wide river.
"We finally entered Xijiang. Today is October 19th. We have completed our mission."
Hu Hai began to lead armed merchant ships to cut off the Xijiang River near Deqing City, prohibiting any Ming Dynasty ship from passing through the Xijiang River.
The Ming navy in Deqing City seemed to be crazy, and they launched multiple attacks on Hu Hai.
Hu Hai used the high range of field artillery and rockets to deal with the Ming navy warships.
The navy of the Ming Dynasty showed bravery that is not usually seen.
Ming Navy warships, once they were hit by rockets, the ships caught fire.
The ship immediately raised its sails and charged towards the armed merchant fleet.
But they did so in vain.
The armed merchant ships not only have rockets, but also field artillery and infantry artillery.
If these Ming navy warships got closer to armed merchant ships, they would be torn apart by cannons.
Hu Hai led his troops and destroyed a large number of warships of the Ming Dynasty near Deqing Prefecture.
When he was preparing to attack, he did not expect that more than thirty warships came from the direction of Zhaoqing Mansion.
Arming the merchant fleet and destroying the Ming navy warships had already consumed a lot of ammunition.
Suddenly encountering reinforcements from the Ming Navy, Hu Hai could only choose to fight fiercely with the Ming Navy.
Rockets and artillery shells were all consumed.
Finally, the merchant ships were armed and charged against the Ming Navy.
During the gang-hopping battle, he used the powerful power of his rifle to defeat the Ming Navy warships.
Hu Hai's armed merchant fleet continued to reduce its numbers.
Of the fifty armed merchant ships before departure, only twenty-three were left.
The Ming navy that came from Deqing City and Zhaoqing City in the Ming Dynasty were all wiped out by Hu Hai.
The armed merchant ship team has completely controlled the Xijiang River. No ship can pass through the current Xijiang River.
The Qin army cut off the Xijiang River and cut off the grain route of the Ming army in Wuzhou.
The only thing Hu Hai was relieved about was that the ships and artillery losses were somewhat heavy.
However, the losses of soldiers were relatively small. Most of the soldiers saw that something was wrong and immediately jumped into the river.
Armed merchant ships with exhausted ammunition acted as rescue teams and rescued many soldiers who fell into the water.