Thank you for the huge reward, bow!
***
Shuangyu Port is the home port of the East China Sea Fleet. Because it is not inland, and the area within a radius of 50 miles is designated as a military restricted area, ordinary fishermen and passing merchant ships are prohibited from entering this sea area. This makes the entire Shuangyu Port seem very mysterious.
After defeating the Zheng family, the Qin Dynasty incorporated a large number of personnel and warships. The number of people in the Qin Royal Navy has reached 40,000. In addition to the North Sea Fleet and the East Sea Fleet, the South Sea Fleet was actually formed, and Zheng Sihai was appointed as the admiral of the South China Sea Fleet.
In addition, according to some rumors circulating internally, Daqin also plans to establish an ocean-going fleet in the future, but now this is just a legend and no one knows whether it is true.
The South China Sea Fleet is now temporarily using Shuangyu Port as its home port, but this is only temporary.
As for where the South China Sea Fleet’s home port will be chosen, it all depends on the will of the Emperor in the Daqin Palace.
The topic of the South China Sea Fleet's home port is now the most discussed topic among the officers and soldiers. Some people think that Quanzhou might be chosen, but this view was immediately opposed by others.
Because Quanzhou has been recovered and a Maritime Customs Office has been built, if the South China Sea Fleet's home port was chosen in Quanzhou, a military port should have been built long ago, and it would not still be squeezed in Shuangyu Port with the East China Sea Fleet.
Some people said that Guangzhou Bay was most likely to be chosen in the end. After the imperial court announced that it would take back the lease of Macau, others said that Macau might be chosen.
Hai Rufeng didn't think so. Just like everyone thought that the North Sea Fleet's home port would be Dengzhou, but now it is not the case.
His Majesty the Emperor of Great Qin made a decisive decision to place the home port of the North Sea Fleet on the Liaodong Peninsula further north, and built a home port at Lushunkou at the top of the Liaodong Peninsula.
Although this location is not far from Dengzhou, its meaning is completely different. It reflects a strong sense of control over Liaodong and Korea.
From this point of view, Hai Rufeng believes that it is unlikely that the South China Sea Fleet will choose the Pearl River Estuary as its home port.
The so-called South China Sea Fleet, as its name suggests, is used to control the entire South China Sea. Hai Rufeng thinks that the South China Sea Fleet's home port will be further south in the future. It may even be outside the mainland.
Most others did not agree with his guess. Therefore, if they went further south, there would be no suitable place as a home port from the perspective of supplies.
Hai Rufeng did not argue with him about this.
After the Yanziji exercise, naval commanders including Gu Rong, Zheng Sihai, Hai Rufeng, Shi Lang, and Tong Haifeng hurried back to Shuangyu Port. The two fleets, totaling 30,000 troops and nearly a thousand warships of various sizes, immediately entered into intensive preparations for war.
Twenty thousand land forces also began to quietly gather towards Dasong on the coast, and in Haining in Hangzhou Bay, there were 300 merchant ships stepping up supplies. These things were carried out in a scattered manner, and the people on the shore were preparing to celebrate the New Year, and no one noticed these quiet changes.
"Is the fresh water tank full? Fill it up quickly. We can't stop at the shore for supplies along the way, so it must be filled up." Hai Rufeng checked everything one by one and shouted from time to time.
The soldiers were busy and sweating as they moved supplies from the dock to the ship.
Admiral Zheng Sihai stood on the shore and shouted, "Wang Guichen."
"I will be here in the end."
"Speed up the supply. Once the supply is completed, you will immediately lead the 10th Battalion's warships to Dasong Station and be responsible for escorting the army's troop transport ship."
“Yes.”
Wang Guichen saluted. He turned around and yelled at his soldiers. He was originally from the Dengzhou Navy and was an old friend of Admiral Zheng Sihai. A while ago, he took Tianjin City in Northern Zhili and then defeated 500 Qing troops. He captured a Manchu Beile alive. Based on his merits, he was directly promoted to the position of battalion commander.
The entire Shuangyu Port was a busy scene. Captain Lu Tian of the 9th Battalion heard Zheng Sihai's order to Wang Guichen. He felt something was wrong and came over to ask Hai Rufeng, "General, where are we going to attack this time?"
"Why are you asking so many questions? Didn't I tell you to attack Guangdong and Guangxi?" Hai Rufeng moved to the side and let two soldiers who were carrying ammunition pass by.
"That's not right, General. We are almost out to sea. Please give us some inside information."
"What do you think is wrong?"
Lu Tian chuckled and said, "I've thought about it over and over again, and I just feel something is wrong. This time, our East China Sea and South China Sea fleets have dispatched a total of 25,000 troops. They also have to bring 20,000 land forces, which is fine, but they also have to carry so much ammunition and supplies. With this kind of situation, I don't think it's as simple as taking care of Guangdong and Guangxi. At least to attack Guangdong and Guangxi, our navy doesn't need to come up with such a big battle."
"Stop talking nonsense, lest your bastards start to make noises. We are here to cooperate with the army to attack Guangdong and Guangxi, do you understand?"
"Hehe, General, I guessed it right..."
"You guessed it right. If you don't resupply your ship within one stick of incense, I will send you to the sea for a swim."
"Yes, General."
Before the two navies were about to set sail, Gu Rong and Zheng Sihai gathered the commanders of each camp together and read out a secret decree from the Emperor of Great Qin.
Afterwards, except for some warships left behind by the East China Sea Fleet to guard the house and carry out daily sea patrols, the remaining more than 600 warships of various sizes set sail and sailed out of Shuangyu Port in a mighty manner in the sunset.
The sea is surging, the sky is boundless, flocks of seagulls are flying, and six hundred warships with black sails are like dark clouds blowing from the sea, covering the sea surface with darkness. Such a huge fleet cutting through the waves, this spectacular scene makes people's blood boil.
In the midst of the pitch black, only the golden dragon on the big flag is baring its fangs and claws. This huge color contrast gives people a strong visual impact.
It was as if the ferocious golden dragon rose from the deep sea, dancing in the dark clouds, exuding a domineering aura that made people afraid.
At Dasong Station west of Shuangyu Port, the 20,000 land forces also announced that they had completed boarding. They were all on the large armed merchant ships of the Zheng family, which had certain naval combat capabilities. In addition, they were escorted by Wang Guichen's naval battalion, and followed closely behind the two naval fleets in front.
The commander-in-chief of the 20,000-man army was Changshan Hou Ai Nengqi, and his two deputy generals were Feng Shuangli and Ma Weixing.
Nowadays, there are so many generals in Nanjing City, and many people are vying for the position of the commander-in-chief of the 20,000-man army. The fact that Qin Mu let Ai Nengqi take charge shows that Qin Mu's trust in him has not diminished. At least there is no need to worry that Qin Mu will do something ungrateful.
Ai Nengqi, Feng Shuangli and Ma Weixing finally felt relieved and were full of anticipation for the upcoming bloody battle.
Cui Feng, who had never been relieved of his post as the General of the Southern Expedition, and generals such as Ma Liuliang, Qin Zuoming, and Liu Tichun, also hurriedly bid farewell to the prosperous city of Nanjing with their personal soldiers, and galloped all the way south with the sound of iron hooves and billowing dust.
For the generals of the Qin Dynasty who gathered in Nanjing, Guangdong and Guangxi and Yunnan were the last two pieces of fat meat, and everyone wanted to grab the credit. The generals of the Qin Dynasty were still very young, and they were eager to make achievements;
It was a blessing to be assigned this combat mission. No one would care that the New Year was approaching, and no one would be nostalgic for the prosperity of Nanjing. The battlefield with rolling war clouds was the place that the generals longed for.
The city of Nanjing was filled with festive atmosphere, as people were busy purchasing New Year's goods and preparing holiday gifts.
Even the poorest families were filled with joy and everyone had a smile on their face.
Because cloth this year is much cheaper than in previous years, large textile factories have been built in Suzhou, Songjiang, Jiaxing, Hangzhou, Yangzhou and other places.
The production cost of cloth was decreasing, output was increasing, and the price naturally came down. Even poor families could afford one or two pieces of cotton cloth to make new clothes for the whole family for the New Year.
Another issue is the price of meat. After the recovery of Hexi, Hetao and Liaodong, the imperial court vigorously encouraged border trade. A large number of livestock were sold to the mainland by merchants. The supply was much more abundant than before, and the price was also falling. Families who originally only planned to buy a few pounds of meat to offer to their ancestors also rushed to buy more to make bacon and other New Year flavors.
In fact, the most common goods are all kinds of goods from overseas. In the past, the Ming Dynasty had no coastal defense, pirates were rampant, and trade routes were blocked. Now it is different. The Qin Dynasty encourages merchants to go out to sea for trade, opens private shipyards, and no longer restricts the size of merchant ships. The Qin Dynasty navy specifically trains those pirates, and with the Zheng family being incorporated, the entire East China Sea is calm.
The risks for merchants going out to sea for trade were reduced and the costs were falling. Anyone who was able wanted to buy a ship to go out to sea for trade. A large number of overseas goods poured into Daqin, and the prices continued to fall. The prices of things like pepper and spices fell by nearly 40%.
Anyway, now the farmers in Daqin are all farming, it is easy for handicraftsmen to find jobs and make money, and goods are abundant and cheap. Everyone can benefit from it, especially in a city like Nanjing, where the festive atmosphere is particularly strong and the streets are full of happy smiling faces.
In the entire city of Nanjing, Vasiki is probably the most worried person.
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ps: Before I know it, it’s already the second half of the month. I’m really tired. The southern expedition will begin soon. Brothers, please give me some monthly tickets!
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.(To be continued..)
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