Lu Ming

Naturally, He Rubin would not refuse.

The crossing people were invited here in the name of him, the chief military officer. Now he has proved that he is an elite, and he has also explained that he is only a local soldier in Guangzhou who only needs to do miscellaneous work... How can He Zhen do such a good thing for nothing? let go?

So half a month after the arrival of the support fleet, the Fujian-Guangdong coalition forces were finally formed.After setting off cannons to sacrifice the flag at noon that day, the coalition forces stormed out of the White Swan Pond aggressively.

Chapter 384 The real goal

The mode of the fleet's expedition this time is exactly the same as when Li Kuiqi was wiped out in Fujian.The fast fleet composed of 6 professional gunboats is the vanguard, the supporting fleet composed of 10 new lock ships + soldiers from the Ming Dynasty is the Chinese army, and the most numerous ships behind are the miscellaneous ships transferred from various water villages Team.

The departure ceremony was equally grand.

Considering that Guangzhou will be the new capital of the empire in the future, it will be the place where the flag of rebellion will be officially displayed, so the work of fighting for the hearts and minds of the people will start now.

So the time traveler changed his previous low-key style.Since coming to Guangzhou, the SAR government has seized every opportunity to expand its influence, trying to subtly instill in the people the concept of the General's Mansion being strong, wealthy, and trustworthy.

Specific to the departure ceremony of the day.

Since early in the morning, the surrounding area of ​​Baietan has been completely surrounded.In the Middle Ages, there was a lack of entertainment. In this era when beheadings, weddings and funerals can become public entertainment, the army's expedition can be regarded as a happy base camp level, not to mention the news that "there is a good show to watch today" is spread before the event. out.

So early in the morning, not only the surrounding area of ​​the pier, but also many pleasure boats on the White Swan Lake surrounded them, sealing off the perimeter of the warning circle.At the same time, the three leaders in red official robes were already sitting on the temporary stage, chatting and laughing happily.

The three leaders who came to the scene were Hong, the prefect of Guangzhou, He, the general of Guangdong, and Cao, the deputy general.

Below the stage is a set of long wooden tables.

On the desktop at this moment, there are countless shiny "Cao Datou" piled up.These machine-made silver dollars are erected one by one, and are creatively spliced ​​into a meandering "silver dragon".

The circling and shining silver dragon attracted everyone's attention and attracted the amazement and noise of countless people eating melons.

Usually when the ancients held chicken blood mobilization meetings, their style was very rough: XX kicked down the silver box, started to mobilize the cannon fodder loudly, and then the morale of the army burst, and began to kill the enemy bravely.

And those who have experienced all kinds of brainwashing and brainwashing scenes of bonuses of [-] million yuan in later generations will naturally not be so LOW.As for publicity, it only needs to be a little more artistic for the scene of giving out awards, and it will have a better effect, enough to make today's scene an enduring topic of conversation for the people of the city.

More than 2000 "combat officers and soldiers" mobilized by He Zhen from Xijiang and Beijiang are queuing up at the moment, grinning, and under the supervision of soldiers holding twenty-eight caps, they step forward one by one to receive silver dollars—ten dollars each. pieces.

After receiving a stack of shiny silver pancakes from the tent, the mental outlook of these officers and soldiers suddenly improved qualitatively.They smiled and blew the silver dollars one by one, and ran to the stage to kowtow to the adults. The chaotic scene lasted until the gang of uncles boarded the boat.

In the Ming Dynasty, except for a few elite troops that were the core of tactics, most of the rest of the armed forces belonged to the combination model of "family members + warriors".

Although the number of soldiers and servants serving as the general's private department is small, they have devoured most of the resources in the army.Generals rely on these well-equipped elites to suppress trilogy and maintain the establishment.

To put it another way: how many servants a general can support means how many troops he can command.In troubled times, as long as the core servants are still there, it doesn't matter even if the army breaks up and the generals are scattered—the broken soldiers and refugees everywhere, just grab some of them and they will form an army again.

So in this mode, the life of ordinary soldiers is naturally difficult.These people usually have a shortage of supplies, and their food is taken away by the master to eat up the vacancies and support their families, so their morale is generally low, their lives are difficult, and their lives are similar to those of beggars.

However, there are gains and losses.If they don't raise their soldiers well on weekdays, when they are needed to go into battle, these Qiu Bake will become uncles.All kinds of expenses for supporting the family, setting off, noon, rewards, equipment repairs, etc. all jumped out overnight.

Therefore, the fall of the Ming Dynasty is both a natural disaster and a man-made disaster.When the standing army system degenerates to such a ghostly state, even if they get enough starting fees to go to the battlefield, the combat effectiveness of this group of people is not guaranteed. Those battles that were about to collapse in the later period are examples.

……

Since the ten taels of silver that these soldiers got today belonged to Cao Datou, it must be General Cao's pocket.

There is no way, it won’t work if you don’t pay.Whether it's Fantai or He Rubin's General Army Yamen, when it comes to discussing bandit suppression, they are full of enthusiasm. However, when they hear that there will be a departure fee and no time, the bosses immediately change their faces and start crying poorly, wishing to show their patched underwear To prove innocence.

Therefore, Cao Datou can only be used by Cao Datou to solve the start-up expenses of this war: each soldier/5 taels in the previous arrears, and each person will be issued a comprehensive start-up fee of 5 taels, and then there will be one for each water village. A sum of money for ship repairs and provision for pensions.On the whole, for today's expedition ceremony, the cross-travelers spent no less than 4 taels.

However, this is in the hands of all the people who pass through.There is a saying in later generations that is very apt: what you are looking at is other people's interest, and what they are looking at is your principal.

The reason behind this is simple: Soldiers are not fools. These silver pancakes, which are obviously at a premium in the market, are all known to be issued by General Cao.In this way, Cao's reputation of being rich and powerful and willing to pay for his brothers will spread throughout the Guangdong military system.

In this era where a woman is a mother, what does it mean to buy a reputation similar to "Brother Timely Rain Cao" among the low-level soldiers... Who knows who is the traitor.

After paying the money and boarding the boat, the second climax of today's ceremony: live ammunition shooting.

Target shooting is an old trick, and it was used when I was in Fujian.Due to the good effect, it was transplanted to Baietan today.

Soon, under the lead of the leading ship, six beautiful warships with white sails opened the battle line and circled in the White Swan Lake regardless of the wind direction.Then, while the crowd was watching on the shore, an old blessing boat that had been arranged in the center of the lake began to be washed away by continuous artillery fire.

The Fuchuan soon sank slowly amidst the continuous cannonballs, white smoke and flames.And the melon-eating crowd on both sides of the strait and the sons and sisters in the nearby painting boats also reached a climax at the same moment, and the crowd cheered like a mountain and a tsunami... No one has ever seen such a neat and shocking sound and light effect , not to mention that there was another lucky boat that was sunk on the spot.

The sailors standing on the miscellaneous ships also raised their weapons and cheered at this moment: they are more or less knowledgeable, and they know what ships that ignore the wind direction represent.

After pretending to be aggressive, the team should officially set off.During this period, a series of interactions between cadres and groups, such as speeches by the leaders, face-to-face instruction, setting off cannons and so on, made the onlookers addicted to the eyes.I believe that in the whole city of Guangzhou, there will be no shortage of talking points in the future.

……

After the brigade fired its guns at noon and set off, the forward fast fleet quickly rushed through the middle of the Pearl River and headed straight for the Pearl River estuary.And when the officers and soldiers of the Humen water village saw this scene, they immediately opened the gate of the water village, and according to the previous agreement, released twenty warships of various sizes to join the subsequent army.

In this way, the coalition troops with a total of nearly 3000 people and 150 ships were officially assembled and began to rush to the Pearl River Estuary.

By dusk, the fleet had reached the waters between Lantau Island and Macau.

This tactical action first scares the pee from the Portuguese entrenched in Macau.After seeing the menacing large force led by the fast fleet, several plywood ships in Macau Bay immediately raised their sails and anchored, and then the St. Paul Fort, which was just built last year, was also full of gunners of various skins, always ready Defend your home.

Fortunately, after the fleet passed through the intermediate waters, it then headed obliquely to the east.So Frankie finally breathed a sigh of relief: they finally went to teach Liu Xiang, a pirate in the east, a lesson.

The Liuxiang Group was also shocked at the moment. The big and small bosses panicked and got into the big tent one after another to ask the shopkeeper for an idea. It was a chaotic scene of the end of the world.

However, the confusion was strongly suppressed by Shopkeeper Liu: "The officers and soldiers are here to get old, and they came here to deceive the eyeliners around here. Please stay safe and take care of your brothers. After dark, the officers and soldiers will divert their flight."

……

That's right, the real target of the crossing crowd leading the army to attack this time is another group of pirates entrenched west of the Pearl River Estuary: the Zhucai Boss Gang.

In history, this year, the pirate groups such as Zhucai Lao, Yang Liu and Yang Qi who fled in Fujian and Guangdong will be eliminated and annexed by Zheng Zhilong one by one.

Although these two bands of pirates were not well-known, they were also one of the few big pirate groups at that time. Among them, Yang Liu and Yang Qi were members of Zheng Zhilong's early Shibazhi.

As for shopkeeper Liu... You can tell from the way he is sitting on the Diaoyutai that the old man has already reached some ulterior agreement with a certain force, and now he is waiting for the agreement to be implemented.

Therefore, the Grand Fleet will not attack Hong Kong Island this time. The reason why the ship will sail to the east of Hong Kong Island is to give the nearby eyeliners a false impression and use it to paralyze the opponent.

However, this action is basically redundant, because the large fleet traveling overnight will easily surpass the sentinel ship to the west to report to the old Zhucai—if there is such a ship.

After dark, the six gunboats and ten sail transport ships disbanded and took on the role of navigators among the large fleet.

At this time, the large fleet, under the command of the lampposts and the correspondents arranged on the official ship, turned around in the sea off Hong Kong, and then passed the Pearl River Estuary again from east to west on the sea route where open ships would not go, along the Follow the mainland line and go straight to Luozhou, 150 kilometers away.

Luozhou, named Hailing Island in later generations, is the fourth largest island in Guangdong. It is located on the southwest coast of Yangjiang City. It has several natural ports and is an excellent habitat for pirates.

Chapter 385 Another battlefield

There is a saying that fighting a war is logistics.

This sentence can be subdivided: war is fought with organization, dispatch, supplies and food.Specifically, at the moment, when the crossing crowd successfully transported a group of miscellaneous soldiers to the destination, the raid operation was tantamount to over.

The seemingly simple marching action actually included early capital investment, high-tech night sailing, internal organization and coordination, and other things that the Ming army could not do.Since recruiting security, the people across the world have had many contact and cooperation experiences with the military system of the Ming Dynasty, which is fully reflected at this moment.

When the first ray of sunlight in the morning hit the hilltop in the center of Luozhou, the sleepy-eyed pirate lookout finally saw a line of battleships rushing from the north, and a large number of ships slowly approaching from a distance.

At the same time that the flag flower rocket was released from the top of the mountain, the fast fleet had already rushed into the bay where ships were moored on the west side of the island.

Without being polite, at the maximum distance of 2 kilometers, the 12-pounder cannon could not wait to smash the shells into the dense pile of pirate ships.Immediately after rushing to a range of 1.5 kilometers, the fleet slowed down, and the largest number of 6-pound guns also began to fire rapidly.

A large number of pirates who spent the night on the shore are rushing frantically to their own ships, trying to raise the sails and set sail.At this time, many sensitive boats had rushed out of the pile.The crooked course exposed the fear in the hearts of the pirates: they were trying to avoid the path of the row of strange ships so that they could escape.

However, when the boat bypassed the fleet and rushed to the mouth of the bay, it soon encountered a greater crisis: a black mass of Chinese sailboats was coming.

A certain force is now very familiar with the number of ways to close the door and beat the dog: under the command of the new lock ship and the liaison officer, the large fleet quickly opened a blockade at the mouth of the bay, just waiting for the pirates to break out and come to the door.

After plowing slowly from left to right, the battle line in the bay turned around regardless of the wind direction and started the second round of crazy shooting.

Not without braves.In the chaos, a few ships of Zhucai's direct descendants organized a counterattack, trying to drive the raiders out of the bay and buy time for their own side to regroup.

However, the so-called charge of five or six Fuchuan ships is as ridiculous as an old man chasing a car in front of the fast fleet.The Cantonese pirates who had never seen the power of a sailing boat before, were educated solidly this time, and the tuition they paid was their own lives.

Like a fish pond broken into by a shark, the bay is boiling at this moment, faint smoke is floating on the ocean surface, and there are enthusiastic escape scenes everywhere. No one wants to get close to the evil dragon that is constantly spraying flames and white smoke .

On the outskirts of the bay, the blockade lines that have been laid out have also begun work at this moment.A large number of panicked pirate ships plunged into the prepared arc, and were hit head-on by the high-moralized officers and soldiers. Soon, desperate ships lowered their sails and hoisted white flags.

There is a reason for the high morale of officers and soldiers.On the one hand, the opponent flees in a panic, and on the other hand, it is naturally the silver reward method common in the multiverse: the general who catches the captives will be rewarded, and it will be counted by the head.

There is nothing new under the sun.The tactic of rewarding money was once a great success in Zhangzhou Bay, setting off a wave of military and civilian arrests of pirates. Today, the old trick is used again, and it still works.

Although the ten new lock ships are transport ships, since this trip is clearly going to war, they are also equipped with rifled guns and naval soldiers.Coupled with the two six-pound guns at the head and tail, the firepower is already quite fierce.

Under the gunfire of the new lock boats serving as the backbone of the guerrillas, the pirate ships that ran out were immediately defeated, and then the official ships gradually found the knack, and began to intercept and capture the pirate ships while slowly shrinking the line of defense.

The fighting peak didn't last long.The further back, the more pirates who ran out in large numbers surrendered, because they saw the fate of their accomplices.

After that comes the long finishing touches.There are about 3000 under Zhu Cailao's men, and the size of about [-] ships, which is basically the same as the size of the attacking army.

If the ratio of 1:1 had not been maintained, the officers and soldiers would not have been able to gamble their opponents in the harbor. This is the reason why the crossing people organized a large army to come at any cost: the one-pot is the way that causes the least harm to the coastal residents. The traversers who have regarded Guangdong as their own territory will not allow large-scale routs to loot everywhere.

……

With the early morning sea fog and gunpowder smoke, the visibility in the harbor gradually reached its limit, and all objects began to become hazy; and the sound of the fast fleet's guns stopped in time.

In the harbor at this moment, the ships are clearly divided into two layers: the layer lying on the shore after being hit by shells, and the layer captured on the outer ring.

In the middle is the fleet cruising.

Dealing with this kind of scene is very familiar to everyone who travels through: the brave officers and soldiers have already driven all the desperate pirates into the hold, and the sufficient manpower reserve allows the officers and soldiers to allocate half of them to start the seized ships.

Not long after the officers and soldiers landed on the island, Mr. Zhu Cai himself was also found: the leader of the gang was hit on the head by a broken mast in the chaos, and died on the spot in a silent place.

After identifying Mr. Zhucai himself, today's battle is considered to have done its best - the court is very real, and the head of the bandit leader must be used for inspection to count the credit.

After that, it is the favorite activity of cleaning the battlefield for officers and soldiers.In addition to the belongings in the old camp being taken away by the traversers, there are still many fragments of property on the shore and on the stranded ship that can be picked up.So the officers and soldiers worked very hard, and by the way rescued some ordinary people who were kidnapped by pirates.

At this time, another group of people arrived: Hailing Island is only separated from Yangjiang County by a strait 3 kilometers wide, so the county magistrate and government servants who received the support military order led a large number of shabby civilians came running.

After the gang of wolves landed, they first set up the big pot of the pirates and cooked the rice and bacon left by the pirates.During this process, all the corpses of the pirates scattered on the shore and on the ship were searched by the civilians, and after leaving behind the high-quality clothes, the rest of the naked corpses were thrown into the sea.

In fact, there is still a lot of money to be made in this trip to Yangjiang County: there are nearly fifty or sixty pirate ships that leaked and stranded there. Up and down this time is really going to make a fortune.

After spreading the subconscious seed of "good things will happen with the short hair" in the coastal area again, the official army brigade started the journey back to the voyage early the next morning.

When the bloated fleet came to the Pearl River Estuary again, it was already late at night.However, the excited fleet did not stop. Under the guidance of the shining beam of light, for the first time in tens of thousands of years, there was a huge noise and countless boat shadows on the Pearl River at night. People on both sides of the strait got up one after another, thinking that there was another big wave pirate.

However, early the next morning, the news came from the upper reaches: the officers and soldiers won a big victory last night, and they are now praising their achievements in Baietan...

The enthusiasm for the expedition a few days ago has not yet passed, and the residents of Guangzhou City once again ushered in a large-scale live broadcast.This time it was at the Spring Festival Gala level.Not only has the number of people eating melons doubled, but all the officials in the city, big and small, are also present: this is a big victory that the army has not seen in many years, and an official who does not come here to catch the heat at this time... then he is not qualified official.

The time-travelers who are committed to increasing their influence will naturally not miss this opportunity.A series of head offerings, prisoner offerings, and bonuses were held lively and prosperous.From the second day onwards, a boat auction with a starting price of one or two taels of silver was held on the pier, not to make money, but to attract attention.

As for the more than 2000 pirates who were captured, they were naturally swallowed by the transversal crowd and shipped to Taiwan—all the expenses in the early stage were counted on these strong men to pay off their debts, whether they went to dig coal or work in factories, in short, they could do it. With the technical job of pirates, these people must be very capable.

……

After the end of the Prisoner Offering Spring Festival Gala, another battlefield began: the confrontation between General Cao and Governor Wang.

Theoretically speaking, Cao Chuan, a high-ranking military figure, should go to Zhaoqing to pay a visit to the top military figure, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, the first time he arrives in Guangzhou, even if he is a visitor from other provinces.

However, when the subordinates went to Zhaoqing to call for an appointment time, the Governor's Mansion replied with a cold sentence: "The matter of suppressing bandits is urgent now, and General Cao is not in a hurry to make an appointment, so he can concentrate on his errands."

After hearing this news, the people who traveled across the world immediately understood: Wang Zunde, an old man, was still very upset when he lost face.

So this matter was suspended, and it has been dragged on until today - with the Dongfeng who defeated Li Kuiqi Group, this matter was put on the agenda again.

It's not that General Cao insisted on meeting Wang Zunde, but that this meeting will promote the implementation of the previous implicit agreement: Wang Zunde wants to recommend someone Cao as Zhangchao's deputy commander.

This implicit agreement was acquiesced by the governments of Fujian and Guangdong before General Cao sent troops... Otherwise, who would come to help you suppress the bandits?

In fact, the brochure has already been prepared—the joint recommendation brochure written by Xiong Wencan himself is now in the hands of Cao Chuan, and all that is needed is for Wang Zunde to sign on it.

So now everything is ready, and the only thing left is the east wind: the Cao family has made great achievements in suppressing the bandits, and the public opinion of other officials around has also been settled, only Wang Zunde's nod is missing.

This is the reason why General Cao had to pay a visit to Wang Zunde; in other words, Wang Zunde had to agree to meet Cao Chuan once while pinching his nose, complete the official papers, and then sign the booklet.

Ever since, a subordinate sent from General Cao's mansion, where General Cao was temporarily staying, came to Zhaoqing again after the prisoner offering ceremony, met with the subordinates of the governor's yamen of Guangdong and Guangxi, and asked for an appointment for Vice General Cao to see Governor Wang.

Soon after, the subordinate officials brought Governor Wang's meaning: agree to meet.

Chapter 386 Rhythm

General Cao went to Zhaoqing to meet with Wang Zunde this time. It is foreseeable that both the host and the guest will definitely hate each other.

Because of the bad things before, in short, after being slapped in the face, it is necessary that Governor Wang does not want to see him, Mr. Cao.If it hadn't been for the time-traveling to settle the relevant parties ahead of time, plus the new great achievements in suppressing the bandits, Governor Wang, who was forced into a corner, would definitely delay doing things for a while.

So after a comprehensive analysis of the situation, the think tank clearly told Zhang Dongdong, who was about to go to Zhaoqing: just put on a tough stance and go about business. Don’t be afraid to offend that old man, because you have already offended the old man to the end, so it doesn’t matter. At this time, he will be humble again. Meaningless.

As for the things that should be done...joke, Wang Zunde has the guts not to try it?

The previous agreement was a consensus reached after Wang Zunde made a strategic mistake and was forced to hand over the initiative, and the official circles of Fujian and Guangdong jointly endorsed it; Just change it?

Once the cross-travelers are in a hurry, they can take the soldiers away here... Liu Xiang is still in charge in Causeway Bay, and the reason why the cross-travelers have not formally recruited Liu Xiang is because of this tactic.

Therefore, when things have evolved to this point, Wang Zunde is actually completely passive, and Cao, who came here with great achievements, does not need to give him face at all.

After deducing the old king's fierce nature, Zhang Dongdong, with confidence in his heart, immediately took his servants to Zhaoqing, went straight to the governor's office, and then saw Wang in an official robe with a face like a donkey in the lobby.