Since the construction of Guangzhou World, one or two paddle wheel tugboats have dragged a long line of barges every day, starting from Hong Kong, entering the Pearl River Estuary, and going up the river to the bottom of Guangzhou City.
The boat with its rotating waterwheels emitting black smoke and steam was already conspicuous enough on the Pearl River. It could also drag a group of boats upstream. To the people along the river, it was like an unprecedented diorama.
So every day, some people squatted at the nearest spot to the waterway, waiting for the tug fleet to pass by. Some people felt that the view from the shore was unreal, so they took a small boat and waited on the river to see it. There were also boats that were too close to each other.
, the waves stirred up by the tug fleet "sinked", killing the people watching the fun.
Most of the barges moving up are carrying construction materials. These barges, which are covered with tarpaulin and whose hulls are pressed low, not only carry high-yield steel bars, cement and glass, but also sand and gravel bricks prepared from various places.
Tile and lime.
In addition to these bulky bulk cargoes, there are also "Australian goods" that are carefully packaged in straw ropes and wooden boxes, making everyone jealous. These goods are unloaded at the Great World Terminal. Then the ships are loaded onto the ships that have been stored and transported at
Various goods in the dock stacks and warehouses. Goods purchased by the Australians from Guangzhou and from the entire Guangzhou Prefecture and even Guangdong are boarded here and transported downstream to Hong Kong. There they are then transferred to ships heading in different directions.
on board.
Nowadays, the novelty has worn off for most people. Although the shuttle fleets are more frequent and the goods are more and more diverse, the indigenous people in Guangzhou are not satisfied with the Australians who are blowing billowing black smoke and making sounds that can be heard outside the north gate of Guangzhou.
The huge roaring "steamboat" that can travel against the wind and water is no longer strange. If anyone rushes to watch it excitedly, it must be a foreigner who is new to the local area.
It's the New Year's Eve, the market is deserted, and people who are anxious about the end of the year are not interested in watching the excitement. At dusk, when the sound of New Year's firecrackers and smoke are everywhere, except for the fishermen who are doing a day's work and those who are curiously chasing every ship.
Except for the children, no one paid attention to another fleet of boats coming up the Pearl River.
In the past few months, it is said that because Guangzhou World is about to open, there are more than a dozen tug fleets coming from Hong Kong every day. They are filled with various equipment and materials for the world. So at the moment this fleet is
The arrival did not attract much attention.
There are three tugboats in the fleet. Each tugboat is towing six or seven barges that are tightly covered with tarps. However, the brisk traveling speed and the shallow draft indicate that these ships do not carry very heavy cargo.
Guangzhou World, which had completed investment promotion two years ago, has announced that it will suspend work for three days during the New Year. It is said that it is preparing to officially open after the New Year. All local employees, including dock workers, have a three-day holiday. The employees received their wages from the previous year.
After receiving the New Year gifts, they all happily went home to celebrate the New Year.
So there is not a single dock worker at the Great World Terminal at this moment. It seems that there is no worry about how to unload the goods without the dock workers. The barge fleet docked at the dock one after another unhurriedly. Amidst the low and suppressed shouts, the cabin doors opened one after another.
The unusual cargo this time was revealed - the cabin was full of teams of fully armed soldiers. The orders in lowered voices were passed down layer by layer, and the soldiers filed out one after another, stepping on the steps between the ships.
Step on the trestle and form a team. Then walk to the pier in an orderly manner.
At this time, there were already people waiting on the pier. Although there were only a few people, people inside knew that this was the highest level of local reception: all the people present were elders and senior naturalized cadres from Guangdong, and a local aboriginal
No.
"It's fucking cold here." Wang Ruixiang tightened his tight-fitting woolen coat and held up the dog-skin hat on his head. After confirming his image, he walked off the boat with his head held high and his chest held high.
Wang Ruixiang actually does not have a military position. Although he has been close to the army for a long time and has also engaged in some weapons research and development projects, his job is in the mechanical department. However, his naturally active personality means that he is often deployed abroad. This time he
The South China Army came to Guangzhou with the title of "Mechanical Director". As the name suggests, he is the chief engineer of the Senate in Guangdong. From battleship boilers to minigun bayonet jamming, there are all problems that cannot be solved by naturalized civilian mechanics.
, are all handled by him. He is also responsible for supervising the installation and maintenance of all the various mechanical equipment that will be sent to Guangdong. In short, this is a arduous and trivial job.
But Wang Ruixiang is very satisfied with this appointment. He is not a person who likes ease.
The queue of soldiers, led by the naturalized civilian staff, has begun to enter the storage area behind the dock. The storage area is a large yard surrounded by brick buildings with a circumference of several hundred meters, which is suitable for military garrisoning. It is a dual-use military and civilian area in the world.
The storage area is designed to be able to station at least two fully-manned infantry battalions and several companies of artillery, engineers and heavy equipment.
At this time, Guo Yi was watching the troops enter at the gate of the storage area. The first batch to arrive was the 4th Battalion of the Army. This is the army originally stationed in Hong Kong. Because it has been stationed in Hong Kong for a long time, it is very familiar with the local customs and customs.
, most soldiers can roughly understand Cantonese even if they cannot speak it. In recent years, officers of the 4th Battalion have conducted extensive staff tours in the Pearl River Delta region under the guidance of the Foreign Intelligence Service. A large amount of information has been collected and is still in use.
Battalion and company-level combat exercises were conducted at many locations along the coast. It was the battalion that was most fully prepared for the war in Guangdong, so it was not surprising that this battalion would be the vanguard.
As the earliest battalion-level unit established by the Senate, its equipment and training are quite complete. Just marching in such a fully armed formation is already very aggressive.
Guo Yi struck the match. Because of the cold weather, he was a little nervous. He struck the match several times before striking it. He lit the cigar and took a deep breath.
As the top person in charge of Guangdong, Guo Yi has been busy for several months in preparation for the army's arrival. In addition to helping the joint logistics department with logistical support work, he also has to conduct basic information on the social conditions, climate and geography of Guangzhou and surrounding areas.
Collection and organization work.
In Guangdong, there is not much suspense regarding the military. The key is how to govern. This is the biggest problem.
Guo Yi looked at the butt of his cigar. The strong wind from the river was blowing on him with a chilly chill.
Finally, he no longer has to take on this burden. He heard from his friends in Lingao’s Guanglei Department that his next appointment is likely to be the county magistrate of a county in Hainan, to prepare for his next appointment as a senior local official.
preparations. It is said that the next target of the Senate is likely to be Jiangnan.
Jiangnan is the Ming Dynasty's largest wealth center, with a large population and developed industry and commerce. Once a place like this is taken over, elders who are familiar with the Ming Dynasty's urban and economic life must be sent to take charge of the situation.
Wang Ruixiang walked forward with the marching army, but saw Guo Yi standing by the gate alone, looking at the marching army in a trance. He didn't know what he was thinking, so he went up to say hello.
"Have all of them gone in?"
"Well, we're all in. You're the only one left." Guo Yi looked back and said, "There are really a lot of people here this time."
"That's right. A whole camp will come today and tomorrow. There are more than a thousand people." Wang Ruixiang walked through the door, "Look at their outfits. The new military uniforms are unique. They are like this in the north. I'm here
The North also brought thousands of people at one time. Well, of course, they were all quite weak refugees. Thirty cavalrymen with swords could kill thousands of refugees. But..." He turned around and was about to
He picked up the buttons on the front and said, "Now they are all warriors under the rule of the Senate." Wang Ruixiang waved his hands exaggeratedly and raised his head to face the sky that was about to fall: "Within a few years, we can conquer the entire Guangdong, no matter what.
He is poor, rich, big and small, good and evil, and he will swallow them all in one mouthful! This place will soon become our territory!"
The "Lifan" of the big world - the term used by the elders to refer to the part of the backyard that the aboriginals are not allowed to enter in the big world - has prepared everything for the troops. As for the elders who came with the army, they naturally have arrangements to wash away their dust.
On the main tower in the backyard, a sumptuous banquet had been set. All the elders of the Guangzhou Station and all the elders currently in Guangzhou attended the banquet. Many of them had not seen each other for many years. Wang Ruixiang saw Lin Baiguang, and only
Apart from showing up once during the plenary meeting, there was no one at all in Lingao.
No one knows what Lin Baiguang is busy with, but judging from his dress and hair bun, he is probably active in the Ming Dynasty, either doing business in the Ming Dynasty or doing some secret work.
In the past few years, Lin Baiguang has traveled all over Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian. During this period, he also visited Jiangnan and Shandong. He is said to be doing intelligence collection work, but his intelligence collection work is different. He focuses on the roads, people's livelihood, products, and customs in various places.
and other aspects of social and economic life. Provide reference for future governance and administration for the Senate.
In his spare time, he repeatedly read Huang Zongxi's "Book of Benefits and Diseases of the Counties and Countries of the World" and various "Guidelines for Officials" published in the Ming and Qing Dynasties that the Great Library obtained for him, the most important of which was naturally "The Complete Book of Fuhui"
.Combined with his experience when he was the director of the county office, he wrote the "County Government Policy Outline", which has been selected by the Senate as one of the teaching materials for the cadre training class.
Lin Baiguang has received an appointment at this time. He is about to serve as the deputy director of the Military Control Commission and preside over the daily work of the Guangdong Military Control Commission. He has already made plans in his heart, focusing on the 15 counties and 1 state in Guangzhou Prefecture. The first to annex Guangdong.
The first step is the Pearl River Delta region, and Guangzhou Prefecture almost completely covers the entire Pearl River Delta. Only by digesting and digesting this area can it become a base for annexing the entire province. The weight of its responsibilities and the challenges faced by it make it difficult for them to