Two days later, when Zheng Lianchang saw Zhao Xin and others on Tanzai Island, he asked eagerly: "Captain Zhao, is my Zheng Yi okay?"
He came to see off Zhao Xin; fifty shipbuilders, a hundred sailors, and their families.
One day ago, the Dan family fishing boat responsible for investigating the situation of the Leishen reported to the Zheng family in Leiyuemen the news that the Leishen had defeated the Qing army's water camp. After Zheng Lianchang heard about it, he no longer dared to neglect, and took Zhao with him the next day.
The new people came to Tanzai Island.
Zhao Xin was very happy when he saw that the shrimp ball boy family was among the people Zheng Lianchang sent. When Zheng Lianchang saw Zheng Yi, Zheng Qi and others intact, he finally felt relieved.
After talking with Zheng Yi for the past two days, Zhao Xin heard a somewhat familiar name, Guo Podai. So after greeting Zheng Lianchang, he asked for another person.
When Zheng Lianchang covered his face and saw Vice Admiral Shi, Li Dagang and others tied up like hairy crabs in Tong'an's boat, he no longer had any intention of fighting with Zhao Xin, and quickly ordered his men to go back and bring Guo Po and his family over.
A small number of shipbuilders have built fortune ships and sailing ships, while others have only repaired ships. The sailors seem to be strong, but their faces are dark and their bodies are short.
The ribs are clearly visible; at first glance, it shows that he is overstretched and malnourished.
As for the family members, it was even more unsightly. The old men, women and children were all barefoot, with hungry faces, and the clothes on their bodies were as torn as strips of cloth. They were carrying a torn bag containing
All the belongings they could bring with them.
Zhao Xin asked A Miao to take a group of crew members and soldiers to bathe, disinfect and change clothes for these people first. As for the belongings, they were temporarily thrown on the deck and sprayed with disinfectant. The soldiers wearing masks were picking through the rags.
, keeping the useful ones and throwing all the rags, heads and the like into the sea.
Seeing such a scene, Zhao Xin had a serious face and said to Zheng Lianchang, who was wearing a satin shirt: "Gang Leader Zheng, can't you even keep your subordinates fed and clothed?"
"Captain Zhao, there are more than 3,000 people in the Red Gang. I, I can't take care of them at all." Even Zheng Lianchang didn't believe his reasons. He ate big fish and meat every day, and was hugged by the women on the Guangzhou flower boat.
He still cares about the life and death of his subordinates.
Zheng Yi, who was standing aside, pondered for a moment, glanced at Zheng Qi, and Zheng Qi understood. The two walked to Zheng Lianchang, knelt down on the deck, and kowtowed to Zheng Lianchang three times.
"Ah Yi, what are you going to do?!" Zheng Lianchang trembled in his heart and seemed to understand what his son meant.
"Abba, I forgive my son for being unfilial. My son has decided to go north with Mr. Zhao to learn his skills for a few years." Zheng Yi's head was still on the deck and he continued: "These days, Mr. Zhao, Mr. Liu and Mr. Ding will give me
He talked about a lot of truths. I want to work with Ah Qi to find a different path for our Dan family!"
Zheng Lianchang was heartbroken, glared and said angrily: "Ah Yi, you are the eldest son! If you are leaving, who will pass my position to in the future?!"
"Abba, these days I finally figured it out. Dominating the Pearl River Estuary is not a true hero; going ashore to kidnap and loot is not chivalry! I will follow Captain Zhao and the others to fight against the Qing Dynasty! I will fulfill their wishes for my grandpa and Mr. Guo.
!" Zheng Yi raised his head with determination on his face.
"Alas!" Zheng Lianchang regretted it to death at this time. He had known that he would not let Zheng Yi go out in the first few days. But now it seems that everything is too late. He turned around on the deck several times, stamped his feet and said: "
OK! You go. I will treat you as my legitimate son! But remember, you are not allowed to come back unless you behave like a human being!"
He then said to Zheng Qi: "Xiao Qi, please take good care of your brother Wen Xian. You two have been together since childhood, you..."
"Uncle, don't worry. I will protect Brother No. 1 even if I risk my life!" After Zheng Qi finished speaking, he kowtowed three times.
Zheng Lianchang turned around and walked to Zhao Xin and suddenly knelt down on one knee. Zhao Xin quickly stepped forward to support him, but Zheng Lianchang said: "Captain Zhao, Wen Xian is determined to go with you, I can't persuade him anymore."
.They are young and ignorant, and I was the one who got into trouble in the past. If anything happens to them from now on, I just ask you to show your kindness! I, the Zheng family, cannot be the one to renounce the heir apparent!"
Zhao Xin said warmly: "Gang Leader Zheng, what you said is out of context. Since Zheng Yi and Zheng Qi have come with me to learn their skills, then we are a family. From now on, if we all need to help each other, I still have something to ask of you."
After saying that, he took Zheng Lianchang to a deserted place and whispered a few words. Zheng Lianchang hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.
In the cockpit, Ding Guofeng looked at the scene of kneeling on the deck, turned to Liu Sheng and said: "Da Liu, do you feel that Zhao Xin is a little different from the past few days?"
Liu Sheng touched his chin, looked thoughtful, nodded and said: "Well, a little bit. But I can't say for sure. Maybe he was sick a while ago."
Ding Guofeng said: "I always feel weird. It seems that he is different from before."
Liu Sheng narrowed his eyes and said, "Oh? Be specific."
"The whole person's energy and spirit have changed a bit, and there is a posture of saying one thing."
Liu Sheng suddenly became happy and said, "What he said before didn't work?"
"That's not true, forget it anyway, I'm just thinking about it."
Taking advantage of the time when Zheng Lianchang and his son were saying goodbye and waiting for Mrs. Guo to be brought back, Zhao Xin found Lu Shoushan and asked, "What did Vice General Shi say?"
Lu Shoushan said: "The order to send troops was given by Sun Shiyi, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. However, Sun Shiyi also said that if he misses, let the man surnamed Shi carry it himself, and he will help him deal with it from behind."
Zhao Xin frowned and said, "What's going on with Ma Benzhu and those women?"
Lu Shoushan said: "This is also an order given by Sun Shiyi. The secretary surnamed Sun helped arrange it. Sun Shiyi found a method that several experts asked, saying that it was based on the tactics used by Wang Lun of the Qingshui Sect to deal with the army.
The woman was an old madam found from various brothels in Xiangshan County; and that Ma Benchu was a Taoist priest from Sanyuan Palace outside Guangzhou. He claimed to know the Five Thunder Methods and so on. Sun Shiyi asked him to come because he wanted to use the Five Thunder Methods.
Destroy our Thor. Master, what should we do with these prisoners?"
"Hmph, I think Sun Shiyi didn't shed tears even after seeing the coffin. He took them all back for labor reform. There is still a shortage of people in Soulengji Island!"
"Yes." Lu Shoushan nodded after hearing this.
Zhao Xin whispered at this time: "Shoushan, you will follow me back to Beihai Town this time. Let Xu Dayong keep an eye on Sheyang Lake first. Now our communication stations have been built, even if they are far away,
If anything happens, we’ll know quickly.”
Lu Shoushan praised: "What I brought you is really a magic weapon. You can hear your words clearly even from thousands of miles away!"
"What a magic weapon? It's science! After you go back this time, you first go to the training team to recuperate, and if you have nothing to do, go to school to listen to two more classes. The Manchus are pretending to be magic, but we can't do that!"
"I understand." After finishing the business, Lu Shoushan said with a smile: "Sir, you are engaged to Miss Shen's family, and I haven't congratulated you yet."
Zhao Xin patted Lu Shoushan on the shoulder and said: "Our relationship is different from other people's. It's enough to meet our expectations. When you finish training with the teaching team, I will give you a team. From now on, don't call me 'Master' in public, but call me the chief."
.I’ll think about other things first, and then I’ll tell you when I think of them.”
Lu Shoushan immediately stood at attention and saluted: "Yes."
One day later, the Thor lifted anchor and left Tanzai Island. Zhao Xin's first stop was Yanzi Bay on the west side of Hengqin Island. The British businessmen, who were facing disaster, never dreamed that the Seris people would actually know about the smuggling base.
s position.
In Yanzi Bay, the muzzles of the two D30 guns on the Thor were flattened. Without saying a word, they launched a wild bombing at the opium base in Yanzi Bay. This surprised the British businessmen on the island and the British sailors who were staying temporarily.
, they don’t understand where they have offended these Seris people.
As boxes of opium were turned into powder in the gunfire, the smuggling base that the British had worked hard to build for many years was wiped out in less than an hour. The Trust and Eliza anchored in Swallow Bay tried to fight back, but in the following few
After firing cannonballs, two three-masted merchant ships sank in the bay.
Dr. Higgins, who was soaked all over, swam to the beach holding a fast board. In front of him were masses of explosive flames and screaming and wailing compatriots. Not far behind him were the trustworthy ships and the Illy ships that were broken into two pieces and were sinking.
The sea was full of sailors who fell into the water and called for help. And further away, the blue and white Thor was still spitting out its anger.
"Oh God! Even if you want to dominate the opium business in Guangzhou, why do you ignore innocent lives?"
Zhao Xin couldn't hear Higgins' accusation. In his eyes, no British person who came to this sea area was innocent.
Shortly after the British screamed in confusion, the Niangmage Fort located on the west side of Saiwan, Macau was also bombarded by the Thor. This is the largest fort except the Sanba Fort in the center of Macau, with a total of 25 guns.
artillery.
When the first shell fell, most people in the city thought that a gunpowder magazine had exploded somewhere. But after two shells fell one after another, the defenders on the Niangma Pavilion fort realized that they were under attack.
.
By the time the artillery on the Sanba fort was loaded and ready to fire, there were already a lot of casualties on the Niangmage fort. All kinds of bronze and iron cannons were blown up everywhere, and some even fell into the sea from the high fort.
The impregnable stone fortress was bombed beyond recognition.
Just when the Macau and Portuguese authorities were confused and launched a city-wide mobilization, a Danjia fishing boat sailing from Tan Tsai Island sent a letter to the Macau City Hall.
The letter was written by Liu Sheng. He gave two Beihai Town silver coins to a fisherman on Tanzai Island and told the other party to deliver them to Matos. When Matos opened the letter in surprise, a line of Chinese characters appeared on his face.
eyes, and the signature is "Victory Lau".
Seeing this familiar name, Matos quickly remembered the tall Seris man wearing a white navy uniform. Although he could speak Cantonese, he was not familiar with Chinese characters, so he immediately sent someone to find him.
A Chinese translator. But when the Chinese man saw the contents of the letter, his face turned pale.
"What does the letter say?!" Matos roared angrily.
"It said above, it said," the Chinese translator was so frightened that he stammered and was speechless.
Matos grabbed the opponent's collar and said angrily: "I swear to the Virgin, if you hesitate again, I will hang you immediately!"
"It said that if they dare to smuggle opium to Guangzhou again, they will blow up Macau." The Chinese translator rolled his eyes and finished speaking. Matos was already holding him breathless. Matos then let go.
He took off his collar and let the other person collapse on the ground, gasping for air.
"Crazy! These Seris people are all crazy!" Matos yelled angrily. After yelling for a while, he translated to the Chinese: "Get up! Follow me to see the governor!"
At the same time, on the Shamian Pier outside Guangzhou, a man with oily sweat on his face and a smell of sweat jumped quickly from a watermelon boat that had just docked to the pier. He quickly rushed to the pier.
, seeing the carriage waiting to transport the guests, he jumped over in a few steps, climbed into the carriage and said to the coachman: "Quick! Go to the Governor's Yamen! Hurry!"
The coachman smelled that the other man was sweating and was wearing a dirty satin gown. He stretched out his hand and said, "This master, I would like to thank you for twenty coins!"
The man said anxiously: "I don't have any money with me now. I'll give it to you when I get to the Governor's Mansion! Let's go quickly!"
Unexpectedly, the coachman also had a bad temper, and said with a sideways glance, "I've seen people like you a lot. When we get to the Governor's Mansion, if you want it but still don't have money, who am I to talk to for reason?"
The man endured his anger and rubbed it on his body for a long time. Finally, he simply unbuttoned it, took off his gown and threw it into the coachman's hands.
"Can I use this clothes to pay for it?"
The coachman pinched his nose and looked at the clothes. Although they were a little dirty, they were not torn. They could be worth dozens of coins in a pawn shop. Then he released the brakes and led the horse towards the city gate.
Half an hour later, the carriage finally arrived at the gate of the Governor's Palace of Guangdong and Guangxi. Before the coachman could say anything, the man sitting in the carriage had already jumped out of the car, mixed his feet with garlic, and fell to the ground. The man rolled and crawled.
He got up and ran toward the side door of the Governor's Yamen with a disgraced face.
Supervisor Biao Yingqian, who was guarding the door, saw a disheveled guy running over and was about to step forward to chase him away when he heard the man say: "I am Sun Shuban, is Sun Zhitai here? I have urgent matters!"
"
When Mr. Qian saw the man's face clearly, he was surprised and said, "It's really Mr. Sun! What are you doing?"
Secretary Sun took out a crumpled letter from his coat, handed it to Mr. Qian and said, "Quick! Give it to Sun Zitai immediately. If it's too late, it'll be too late!" After saying this, he tilted his body and lay on the ground.
.
A quarter of an hour later, a "clang" came from the signing room of the Governor's Mansion, and then an old man slapped the case and yelled angrily: "How dare you, the thief!"
In the room, Sun Shiyi was shaking with anger, and two staff members were trying to comfort him. The tea bowl on the ground was smashed to pieces. On the desk in front of him, there was a personal letter from Zhao Xin:
"Master Sun, Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, if you want to steal chickens, don't be afraid of losing rice. Today's bombardment of the former village is a lesson to you! If you dare to harass our people in Guangzhou, I will bombard Guangzhou City and block the Pearl River waterway. I think
What are you going to tell Qianlong? Besides, your men are too cowardly, so I will take them to the north to train them for you, Zhao Xin."
"Come here!" Sun Shiyi shouted to the door.
As soon as he finished speaking, a soldier, Geshiha, walked in, knelt on the ground and said, "Please give me your instructions."
"Submit my order immediately! Let Nanshan, the horizontal rails, and the three forts at each location prepare to meet the enemy. Load up the charges. If an enemy ship comes, fire and annihilate it!" After Sun Shiyi finished speaking, he took a token from the lottery tube.
, handed it over to Goshiha.
The three forts Sun Shiyi mentioned are the Humen forts during the Qianlong period. Humen was called Hutoumen in ancient times, which generally refers to the Pearl River waterway between Nansha District, Guangzhou and Humen Town, Dongguan. It is named after the Big Tiger and Little Tiger mountains protruding from the Pearl River.
It is the transportation chokepoint for Guangzhou to the sea. During the Qing Dynasty, successive governors of Guangdong and Guangxi reported to the Qing government to strengthen local defense and management facilities.
In the fifty-sixth year of Kangxi's reign, the Qing government began to build defense fortifications in Humen. Later, battlements, gun caves, barracks, gunpowder stations and other facilities were successively added, forming the original state of the Humen fort group. Therefore, the current defense system of Humen is only Nanshan.
, horizontal rails, three gates and three forts, and the two counties of Nanhai and Panyu jointly undertake the "integrated inspection and prevention".
At present, the main task of Humenkou is to collect taxes. Guangdong Customs sends personnel to board the ships at Humenkou to measure the length of Western merchant ships coming to Guangzhou, and then collects ship bills at Huangpukou. At the same time, they supervise the importing merchant ships to unload gun emplacements and prohibited goods, and
Registration and miscellaneous fees are collected here.
It is related to the emperor's Nanku, can Sun Shiyi not be angry or anxious? If Humenkou is bombarded, the revenue of Guangdong Customs will inevitably be greatly reduced. By then, whether it is Qianlong or the princes and ministers of the Manchu Dynasty, his heart will be eaten away
It’s all there!
On the 23rd of the intercalary month in the 51st year of Qianlong's reign, the Qianshanzhai military camp located on the northwest side of Macau Island was bombarded by Beihai Town. On that day, the entire Qianshanzhai military camp was bombarded with explosions.
Warships and military camps were all under bombardment. People in Xiangshan County also heard the rumbling sound of artillery, and the surrounding villagers rushed to Xiangshan County to take refuge, helping the elderly and children.
Many people were so frightened that they hid under their beds at home and trembled, not daring to go out at all. The Prime Minister of Xiangshan County and the Haiphong Yamen were also frightened to the point of showing up. Chen Xinhuai, a 70-year-old Haiphong colleague, almost hanged himself.
As for the Macao and Portuguese authorities, of course they also heard the sound of cannons. Liu Sheng's warning still rang in their ears. Facing a large iron ship that could fire a cannon from a kilometer away, the Macao and Portuguese authorities didn't even dare to let out a fart!
In the years since then, whenever the big white boat is mentioned inside and outside Guangzhou, everyone's expressions will change, and even children will not dare to cry at night when they hear it.
The well-known Humen fort defense system in later generations had to wait until Jiaqing succeeded to the throne. Construction of Shajiao, Xinyong, Jiaomen, Zhenyuan, Hengdang platform, Dahu platform, etc. was built during Jiaqing; in the early Daoguang period, Dajiao and Weiyuan were built
, Yong'an, Consolidation, Jingyuan Tower. From then on, the largest coastal defense fort group in the country was formed, which formed three lines of defense. During the Opium War, the equipment of the Humen Fort was old and just like a decoration. And the fort design existed
A huge flaw. The design of many forts only focuses on the side facing the sea. The front of the fort is built very solidly, with a large number of gun holes and battlements to prevent the enemy from attacking the fort from the front. However, the defense behind the fort is ignored.
Both the fortifications and the solidity of the rear were far inferior to those in front of the forts. As a result, a large number of forts were captured from the rear by the enemy during the First and Second Opium Wars.