Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 231 The alarm bell rings

  In Port Moresby

  Due to the tense situation after the Malacca naval battle, ocean freighters sailing the Far East and European routes did not call at the port, the immigration ships were temporarily stopped, and the liners to Brisbane and the Red River Valley were also stopped.

  Moresby is under wartime control. The 27 fishing boats under the offshore fishing company have all stopped sailing and entered an inland port about 10 kilometers north of the port to avoid possible war.

The long trestle bridge of the port looks very deserted. There are only more than ten tall steel crane towers. Three seagull-type high-speed frigates and several 20-ton patrol boats are parked in the harbour, reflecting the light in the early morning. The cold texture of steel.

Moresby’s surrounding harbour is shaped like a long peanut. It is unobstructed when entering the bay. The entrance is about 3.6 kilometers wide and the distance to the pier is about 12 kilometers. The situation in the harbour can be observed from the open sea. Ships moored along the trestle bridge can also see the charm of a corner of Moresby in the valley.

Although    is a semi-open harbor, it does not mean that the enemy can easily attack it. In order to deal with possible attacks, there are two defensive forts on both sides of the harbor—the north and the south of the mountainous terrain.

Among them, the mountains on the south side are relatively low and open. The highest point is 116 meters. A three-layer defense system is arranged in a ring shape. On the top are three German Krupp 280 mm long-barreled shore guns arranged in a fret shape, with manual rotating mounts. It can cover a maximum range of 160 degrees.

   Downward from the top-level fort about 200 meters away from the hillside, is a circle of reinforced concrete curved fort, a total of 7 steel helmet-shaped permanent fortifications, connected by internal passages.

  The wide space inside each helmet-shaped permanent fortification is enough to place a 280mm heavy gun, but two 95mm Miss Australia guns are placed. All add up to a total of 14 doors, which can provide extremely strong firepower coverage.

  Further down on a gentle **** about 200 to 300 meters near the sea, the circular trenches are built. Usually only sentries are on duty. In wartime, garrison troops enter through the trenches to resist the enemy and seize important fort positions.

The mountains on the north side of    are relatively steep, with the highest point being about 470 meters.

  There is a very obvious natural step at more than 270 meters in the middle of the mountain. The Beishan Fort is set up here, equipped with 8 95mm Miss Australia artillery, which can form a tightly intersecting firepower network with the Nanshan Fort, inflicting heavy blows on the enemy.

  The reason why there is no heavy artillery in town is because Beishan is too steep, almost standing on the wall.

  The heavy pulley block that has been transported so hard can not bear the huge weight of the heavy artillery. The disassembly and hoisting of the 95mm Miss Australia artillery is barely competent, and more can not be done.

  In addition to the rush of time, it is impossible to build a complete heavy fort.

  Moresby Town

  This is a quiet morning as usual, the mountains are full of mist, and the slightest curls linger above the forest. The line of sight in the early morning is not very good, and the farthest sight is more than 150 meters.

  The town of Moresby was still asleep. Occasionally a group of six militiamen patrolled the street, and the sound of a big rooster crowing was faintly heard in the distance.

  Several independent wooden buildings lit up the oil lamps very early. This is the residential area of ​​the fleet officers. Geng Zhenbao and other officers got up early and went to the officers’ cafeteria for dinner after washing up.

after breakfast

  The three warships in Port Moresby will set sail to carry out routine patrols in the surrounding waters. The southwest and due south directions are the key search areas. If the Dutch fleet comes in, it is likely to enter from these two directions.

  As the captain of the Queensland Coast Guard, Geng Baogui left his beloved battleship "Albatross" to sit in Moresby because an experienced naval commander is required to take charge of the overall situation.

  Who showed extraordinary commanding skills in the Malacca naval battle is responsible for commanding the combined fleet in Jayapura, while Geng Baogui is the top commander of the Coast Guard sitting in the rear to ensure safety.

  The division of labor between the two is different, one is the main attacker and the other is the main defender.

  After breakfast, the fleet officers talked and laughed and walked along the road to the pier. This long stone road is about 500 meters long and leads to the pier trestle.

When approaching the end of the stone road, a patrol from the Third Guards Regiment came in orderly steps. There were two squads of soldiers in this squad, with shiny German-made Mauser 1871 rides on their shoulders. The rifle, led by a young platoon-level officer, stepped forward, the young officer was Li Shuanzhu.

   "Attention everyone, stand and salute the navy officers!" Li Shuanzhu gave an order, and the soldiers raised their hands in salute.

   "Return the gift!" Geng Guigui said in a deep voice.

  A group of naval officers stood down and raised their hands in response to the soldiers.

  Geng's precious gaze flicked across Li Shuanzhu’s young face, and he had a three-point affection for the young officer with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and asked in passing; “Mr. Army Second Lieutenant, is everything normal during the patrol?”

   "Report to the sir, everything is normal."

  "Please continue with the task."

   "Yes." Li Shuanzhu made a neat military salute and ordered; "Everyone has it, let's start..."

The   Army patrol was advancing along the stone road that the navy officers had just passed by. The neat footsteps of army boots reverberated in the street, giving people a sense of peace of mind and solemnity.

at this time

  On the top of the northern mountain at the entrance of the bay in the distance, a raging flame suddenly lit up, black smoke from the bonfire hit the sky, and a melodious alarm bell came faintly.

   "Enemy attack..."

The officers of the fleet were just stunned for a moment, and immediately rushed to the three warships docked on the pier trestle. At this time, the officers on the warship had already set fire according to the program order, and the tall chimney of the warship was in the tall chimney. Thick black smoke is coming out, and the boiler is continuously pressurizing...

At the moment when he heard the alarm bells, Geng Guigui knew that the peace and tranquility had been broken. Moresby would usher in the blood and fire of war and face the severe test of a large number of enemy siege. This place will become a flesh-and-blood mill. The baptism of the flames of war.

  The officers rushed to their respective ships and immediately issued a series of orders; “Remove the gun jacket, check the artillery, untie the cable, the chief engineer reports the situation, the boiler continues to increase the pressure...”

  Not long after

  The three ships moored on the shore trestle retreated flexibly into the deep water, drawn a beautiful arc, and sailed one by one to the exit of the bay.

at the same time

  When the Beishan police came, the alarm bells in Moresby town rang wildly, and the harsh alarm bells echoed in this new town, breaking the quiet of the morning in an instant.

  The whole town seemed to wake up in an instant, and many panicked people rushed out of their homes and looked towards the bay.

   But the mist is shrouded in the sea, and there is no way to see what is going on in the distance.

  Looking up high, you can see a faint red beacon burning fiercely at the 470-meter peak of the North Mountain. The huge black pillar formed soaring into the sky, the flame dispelled the surrounding mist, and it seemed so shocking.

  A sharp whistle of emergency assembly came from the camp of the third garrison regiment nearby. Soldiers swarmed out from the barracks and entered their positions under the leadership of the officers.

After experiencing the initial chaos, the residents of Moresby rushed home and started to pack their things. If a more serious warning comes, the residents must evacuate to the rear according to the plan and stay away from the town.

  In the worst case, the enemy ship broke through the blockade and entered the port, able to turn the entire town into a sea of ​​flames with naval guns.

  This kind of thing has been done by the Queensland Fleet in Medan Port. It is not unusual for the Dutch to retaliate.

  There were many more residents running around on the street. They were panicked calling Zhang San to Li Si. The patrol team led by Li Shuanzhu divided into two groups and was working hard to maintain order.

  A street not far away

There is a two-story stone building with seven gilt characters "Moresby Telegraph Office" written on a plaque at the door. A government employee in a youth outfit is knocking on the door desperately and shouting, "Open the door." , Open the door, there is an important telegram that needs to be sent immediately, the Dutchman is calling..."

  At this time, no one noticed, a strong man walked quickly towards the telegraph room, carrying a cloth bag in his left hand and his right hand in his arms.

When the door of the Telegraph Office was opened, the strong man rushed over like a silly ape. At the same time, he drew out the revolver held in his right hand, and opened the door at close range to the government employees and the staff of the Telegraph Office who opened the door. A few shots, and then burst in at one end.

  Li Shuanzhu was maintaining order, and he suddenly turned around when he heard the gunfire behind him, just in time to see this strong man breaking into the telegraph office.

  He reacted almost instantaneously and shouted; "No, the spy is going to destroy the telegraph office, hurry up and stop him with me."

  He led a few nearby soldiers and ran madly. He could hear gunshots still coming from the building. Li Shuanzhu was so anxious that he rushed to the steps of the Telegraph Bureau first, a short distance from the door.

At this moment, the "bang" exploded, and the violent air wave carried fire **** and gravel from the doors and windows. He immediately overturned Li Shuanzhu and the two soldiers behind him to the ground, and then the gravel fell like rain. .

Li Shuanzhu was "buzzed" by the sudden explosion of ears. He shook his head laboriously and got up from the ground. The original neat military uniform was stained with gray-white smoke, even his eyebrows became gray-white, and there was faint blood flowing out of his nose. .

  But what Li Shuanzhu was most worried about was not himself, but the people in the telegraph bureau and the precious telegraph machine. He staggered forward with a gun in one hand, and waved in an attempt to remove the dense smoke and dust with the other.

After a few minutes

  When a large number of soldiers and police arrived, they only saw Li Chuanzhu standing in a messy telegraph office, looking lost.

   Losing the telegram to transmit the war situation, Moresby became an isolated island in a more dangerous form.

  (End of this chapter)