The navy was responsible for executing this operation, and the specific operational area expanded to the entire Guangdong sea area, with the Pearl River Estuary as the key operational area.
"The goal of this military operation is to create as much turmoil and chaos in the Pearl River Delta as possible. Therefore, it is not only necessary to organize artillery bombardments, but also to conduct small-scale landing operations to destroy and attack targets on the shore." Chen Haiyang elaborated on the campaign.
Determined, "Our attack targets are mainly government facilities, and we try not to attack civilian targets. However, if we encounter resistance from local armed forces, we will conduct a comprehensive annihilation operation."
In principle, ships at sea, unless they are navy warships of the military, are not captured unless the other party first provokes and attacks ***.
"Due to the special nature of this operation, each ship participating in the operation will be equipped with more naval troops than usual, and will also carry a number of additional army artillery as needed to launch a landing battle."
"If this combat activity is carried out, the warship will enter the Pearl River." Mond stood up and asked, "We know nothing about the hydrological conditions of the Pearl River in this time and space. We are not very clear about the shoals and tidal conditions."
"No, we know it very well." Xu Xu said, "Do you think that the ships of Gaoguang Shipping Company and the transport ships of our navy have not conducted hydrographic surveys since they have traveled to Guangzhou so many times?"
"So we have enough hydrological data of the Pearl River for the captains to use?" Mond spent many days in the hospital and a sanatorium after the five-masted ship rescue incident.
Xu said: There are many such intelligence materials in the intelligence database established by the Foreign Intelligence Service, and manpower is currently being concentrated to compile them. Soon, the Navy will be able to obtain unprecedentedly detailed information on the hydrology and waterway conditions of the Pearl River Estuary.
"The navigation conditions in the Pearl River waters are very good. Even the Holy Ship can reach Guangzhou from the Pearl River Estuary. The small and medium-sized sailing boats we mainly use will not have any problems. So there is no need to worry about the water depth - and it is better now than in the 21st century.
400 years earlier, sedimentation in the Pearl River was much lighter."
Chen Haiyang said: "The Pearl River waterway is still quite complicated. In particular, the landing battle will enter the coastal waters, so some indigenous captains who are familiar with the Pearl River waterway will also be arranged to participate."
Although everyone has strong confidence in their own technical advantages, slightly experienced naval officers are still very worried about the Pearl River Estuary Battle. This is not only because of the complex hydrological conditions of the Pearl River Estuary and the interior of the Pearl River, but also because of the complex water conditions of the Pearl River Estuary.
There are dark sands all over the place below, the waterway has not been regulated, and the situation is complicated. It is very difficult for large and medium-sized ships that mainly rely on sail power to sail or perform maneuvers such as turning around.
During the Opium War, when the British Navy entered the Pearl River Channel to attack Guangzhou, it mainly used paddle steamers as towing vessels to tow sail warships and artillery boats to gain maneuverability.
"We don't have a paddle steamer for the time being, but we do have a Dafa motor boat." Chen Haiyang said, "The Dafa motor boat has very good maneuverability and can be used to tow ships. In addition, it can also be used to transport sailors ashore and carry out military operations.
convoy."
Wen Desi disagreed: "How did the British fleet get to Baietan during the Opium War? They don't necessarily have more hydrological data than we do. Didn't they send thousands of tons of warships to Guangzhou? Even if there is no hydrology
For information, it is enough to use a small boat to measure the water depth and place channel buoys at the same time. At most, the sailing speed should be slower."
"In order to ensure this *** raid, the Navy will set up a Pearl River Estuary detachment." Li Di began to report on the planned fleet formation.
The squadron's battleships will mainly use spy boats, which are modified traditional Chinese-style two-masted and three-masted ships. Some of the spy boats will reduce the amount of ammunition they carry and carry as many naval troops and artillery as possible.
16 special agent boats and 8 fast single-masted patrol boats serve as the armed fleet, and 20 special agent boats are incorporated to transport naval troops and supplies. Considering that the Pearl River Estuary is 500 nautical miles away from Lingao, the "Big Whale" and "Big Whale" are also incorporated.
Several specialized supply ships.
At the beginning of the operation, the Navy will first establish a temporary fortress on Hong Kong Island to serve as a logistics supply and rest base for the Navy's Pearl River Estuary Detachment.
Putting aside the future commercial value of Hong Kong Island, this place is located outside the Pearl River Estuary, has an excellent port and certain fresh water resources, and is an ideal base for the activities of the naval detachment. Crossing the group's remote location in Hainan, the maritime power is located in the Guangdong and Guangxi waters.
The far west has little influence on the entire Guangdong coast. Once Hong Kong Island is occupied and a permanent detachment and naval base are established, it will be equivalent to having a strong presence outside the Pearl River Estuary. Every move can affect Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta region. Not only
It controlled Guangdong’s foreign trade and also protected its own route security.
Of course, this move is likely to be regarded by Liu Xiang as a challenge to his maritime hegemony in Guangdong. However, the General Staff and the Intelligence Bureau judge that even so Liu Xiang may not dare to immediately open fire with the Crossing Group - Zheng Zhilong is still staring at him
.If he attacks the Crossing Group with all his strength, Zheng Zhilong will never let go of this good opportunity to attack him with the Crossing Group.
Li Di expressed concern: "But the Pearl River Estuary is his territory after all. This is his fundamental place and he will not retreat easily!"
"If he wants to start a war, destroy him completely," Chen Haiyang said. "Sooner or later we will have a war with Liu Xiang. This is inevitable."
Having said that, Liu Xiang is very powerful after all, and the waters around the Pearl River Estuary are the areas where his fleet often operates. Compared with the sparse Ming army camp outposts on the shore, Liu Xiang is entirely possible to use his numerical advantage to deal with the squadron.
.
The navy's plan is: If such a situation occurs, it will use the Hong Kong base as a support point to firmly attract Liu Xiang's main force near the Pearl River Estuary, and then dispatch the main navy force from Lingao to carry out a devastating blow to Liu Xiang. The plan is
They are even prepared to dispatch the Holy Ship to fight if necessary.
The squadron sent to the Pearl River Estuary was personally led by Chen Haiyang. There were quite a few naval officers who were willing to be commanders of the fleet, but most of them had just learned how to operate a ship. They had devoured a lot of naval knowledge alive. Only God knows whether they could digest it. So.
The Executive Committee and the Navy have repeatedly considered that it would be better for Chen Haiyang to lead the fleet himself. At least he is a real naval officer.
"I really feel a little incompetent," he said. Until today, all his sailing achievements have been as a captain. The concept of how to command a sailing fleet in combat basically came from books and Wen Desi.
Modern naval officers like Chen Haiyang do not know any more than Wen Desi about how to command warships in the age of sail. Anyway, their knowledge comes from books on naval history.
"That's great. I think the burden is too heavy. I've never built a sailing fleet."
"I haven't done it either. Anyway, it's each other." Wen Desi touched the beard on his chin, "Which ship are you going to choose as your flagship?"
"Lint 11, this is a three-masted ship with nearly three hundred tons. It is the largest ship in the task force. It also has many cabins and can carry the headquarters. Will you come with me on this ship?
"
"Okay." Wen Desi nodded. Although it is a ship of nearly 300 tons, it is actually still a very small ship. Even a large European sailing ship like the Gothenburg with a displacement of more than a thousand tons has a very limited internal volume.
When we went to sea, it was crowded with sailors and supplies, and the environment was not much better. But we will reach Hong Kong Island in a few days. Then we will just set our headquarters on Hong Kong Island.
Shi Shishi licked his fingers with satisfaction - this was a bad habit that he had never gotten rid of in the naval officer training class. Of course, a person who has been on the ship since he was very young and has been wandering around cannot have good etiquette.
.The chest of his naval officer uniform was stained with oil. A hearty lunch made him feel drowsy.
Shi Shishi can no longer see many traces of his past as a pirate. Although his body used to be very strong, his posture was crooked and his head was always tilted to one side. Nowadays, queue training and systematic physical training have made him stronger.
His mental outlook and physical posture have been greatly improved. He has become strong and well-proportioned, and his hair and beard have been neatly trimmed.
The dark blue naval officer uniform he was wearing was a new type of summer dress. In addition to using a cotton and linen blend to increase breathability, the stand-up collar was changed to a small open collar. Army and navy officers were all worried about having to wear stand-up collar clothes in summer.
The heat is uncomfortable.
Shi Shishi is now a navy captain - commanding a squadron of spy boats. He has learned how to command the squadron to form at sea: the most important thing is to line up the squadron in column and fire; how to seize the upper hand in a naval battle and how to seize the opportunity.
The best distance and time to fire.
He had never thought that a naval battle could be carried out in such a way. In the past, he knew a little about it, but no one had ever summed it up so accurately and meticulously, and explained it clearly in words. If he couldn't understand the description in the words,
, as well as a large number of diagrams and model demonstrations to promote his understanding.
He learned the semaphore, learned how to judge the distance and speed of the target... Finally, he knew the rules for firing salutes, how to eat and how to speak as a naval officer... Naval training and red tape gradually made Shi Shishi
I no longer recognize myself.
However, such days made him feel very happy - because Shi Shishi knew that he had now become a "noble status" person. When he was a pirate, no matter how many men and ships he had, he was still a bandit. It was not loud enough to say it.