Chapter 2007
Chapter 2007
Chapter 2007
Due to the open terrain, the gunshots from the river bank could be heard for a long distance at night, at least in the upstream and downstream of this pier and in the riverside area with a radius of two or three miles on the opposite side of the canal. There were gunshots, and many watchdogs kept in nearby warehouses were also barking wildly after being alarmed.However, even if the vast majority of people heard the noise, they still didn't know what happened by the river. They just subconsciously thought that it should be the sound of firecrackers. This is the only reasonable explanation that the public can think of.
But among those who heard the gunshots, there were also those who knew the source of the noise very well, and thus perceived the danger signal.
The place where Lu Kangtai supervised the battle was about one mile away from the wharf where the accident happened. Although the real-time situation of the battle could not be seen here, gunshots from the direction of the wharf could still be heard. He could also give new instructions to the combatants if necessary.But everything happened too fast. When he realized that the gunfire from the battle site was too dense, the battle on the front line had actually come to an end. He didn't even have time to send people to investigate the situation ahead, or to issue instructions to the front line. With the new order, the gunfire from the south has stopped.
Lu Kangtai was well aware of the combat capabilities of his musketeers, it was unlikely that they would maintain such a high rate of fire in battle, and there was no need for a big fight against a group of fellow salt merchants.According to the experience of the previous operations, as long as the first row finishes shooting and kills a few people, the opponent will immediately collapse, and there will be no strong resistance at all.And today's unusual gunshots meant that something unexpected must have happened ahead.
Lu Kangtai didn't immediately think in a bad direction. He still believed that the Musketeers were strong enough to deal with emergencies. However, out of prudence, he immediately sent his men to ride horses to the front line to check the battle situation to confirm his judgment. That's right.
The speed of getting rewards was faster than Lu Kangtai imagined, because the people sent out met the members of the Musketeers who were fleeing back from the pier halfway, and quickly withdrew back together after learning about the battle ahead.
No matter how steady Lu Kangtai was on weekdays, he bounced off his chair in shock after hearing the news of the Musketeers' defeat.Being able to make a fat man who weighs more than 200 pounds and almost [-] kilograms make such light movements shows how much this news shocked him.
"How did this happen! Tell me, what happened!" Lu Kangtai pointed at the man who escaped from the front line and said sharply, "How did you lose!"
The gap in strength and preparations between the two sides was so huge that it was almost just a face-to-face time. The Salt Merchant Musketeers suffered heavy casualties during the battle, which led to the ensuing defeat.This process was so fast that even the people who participated in it didn't really realize what happened. They only saw that their own people kept falling, and most of them were killed or injured almost instantly. If the people who survived by chance didn't turn around Escaping, it is estimated that he will not be able to escape such a fate.
But Lu Kangtai had high hopes for the Musketeers, and it was hard to accept such a result. He immediately grabbed the teacup on the table and smashed it directly against the wall, shouting at his subordinates, "Hurry up and gather your hands! Fight with them!"
However, he quickly calmed down from his rage, stopped his subordinates who were about to carry out his orders, and told them to evacuate to a safe area first.Now that a big mistake has been made, if you still overthink your capabilities and go to the other party to fight recklessly, you may even toss your own money into it.And if he loses again, it will probably have a considerable impact on his local status and influence.
In order to facilitate things tonight, they have already spent money to buy off the government office and the garrison before that, so that they would not intervene in the battle that took place by the canal tonight, so they dared to let the Musketeers form a formation and open fire on their own initiative. , but now that an unexpected situation has occurred, they also have no way to ask for help from the officials in the city.
And Lu Kangtai also realized that since the opponent has the strength to defeat the Musketeers, then gathering his own private armed forces to rush there is purely to deliver food to the door.He had even thought that the people who fought against his musketeers on the pier might not be the salt transport team of Ningbo salt merchants at all, they were just disguised as salt merchants, but in fact they were well-trained troops.And the purpose of the other party's coming to Ningbo is probably not just to sell salt to grab the market, it is very likely that they are here for their Musketeers.
"Prepare the car and go to He's Manor!" Lu Kangtai knew that the current situation would be difficult to solve by himself alone, so he had to inform his partners of the situation as soon as possible, and asked them to use all available means to stop the "Ningbo" gang "Salt Merchant" left Yangzhou.Although the loss of the Musketeers made him feel very distressed, the real reason for his urgency was the trouble it would cause him in the future.
His partners have warned many times that this armed force should not be exposed to public view, otherwise it will definitely attract the attention of the Haihan people because of the weapons it uses, and may even call for military strikes.Lu Kangtai also thought that this kind of statement was just alarmist talk from his partners, but after what happened just now, he realized that this kind of warning was not just words. hit.
And on the pier not far from here, Gong Shiqi and Ji Yuanqing have already cleaned up the battlefield under the command.The process of the battle just now was basically within their expectations.Building up fortifications like this, setting up a good position, waiting for the opponent to attack, doing mental calculations without intention, and winning cleanly and neatly is the logical result, so their emotions are relatively calm.
According to the plan formulated before the war, they need to leave Yangzhou as soon as possible after the battle is over to avoid possible subsequent troubles.This kind of trouble does not refer to the armed attack from the local salt merchants, but the possible intervention of the local government. At that time, the private fight in the salt industry will escalate into a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. This is what Hai Han does not want to see to the situation.Because their purpose was not to attack Yangzhou salt merchants, but to find out who helped Yangzhou salt merchants form this musketeer team.
After the battle was over, everyone immediately began to count the results of the battle, seized the weapons of the opponent, and moved all the people who were knocked down on the dock to the ship, whether they were dead or alive.
As for the salt bags used to build the fortifications, there was no waste of manpower to move them back to the ship. Compared with the results achieved today, this props fee is just a small expense.
The firearms that the Ministry of Security and the Military Intelligence Bureau have been thinking about have seized at least more than 30 guns during this battle.This time, there was no need to wait for a special inspection after returning to Zhoushan. Ji Yuanqing picked up one of them, lit it with a torch, and came to a conclusion: "This gun was made by Westerners. We attacked Manila at the beginning of the year. When I was in the city, many of these muskets were seized locally, and some were later sold to North Koreans!"
"Spanish!" Although Gong Shiqi had been active in the north in recent years, he was not completely unfamiliar with the existence of Spaniards.Back then when he was working with He Xi, he often listened to He Xi popularize various knowledge about western countries.In the past few years, the Ministry of Security has often fought wits and courage with the Spaniards, and he also learned about the intensifying battle process between the two sides from internal reports.
But how the Spaniards got through Haihan's blockade on the southeast coast, connected with the salt merchants in Yangzhou, and worked together to come up with such a paramilitary project, it was hard for Gong Shiqiyi to figure out for a while.
From the Pearl River Estuary to Hangzhou Bay, it can be said that the southeast coast of Daming has been regarded by Haihan as its sphere of influence. Merchant ships from countries like the Netherlands and Portugal cannot enter Taiwan Island at will without Haihan's permission. In the northern waters, it is even more forbidden to bypass Haihan and directly trade with the coastal areas of Daming and other countries.Haihan has multiple ports in this large sea area, and has deployed armed fleets near important waterways, and will regularly patrol the sea.If a Spanish sailing ship with obvious appearance characteristics is found, the military and the Ministry of Security should both receive reports, but so far there is no news in this regard.
"I'm also wondering how the Spaniards got involved with the Yangzhou salt merchants!" Ji Yuanqing seemed to know Gong Shiqi's thoughts very well. In fact, he also had the same confusion.From Haihan's point of view, this matter is indeed a bit unreasonable.
"Perhaps there are other intermediaries between them and the Spaniards, such as brokers and arms dealers." Gong Shiqi could only find a makeshift possibility to explain the current situation.
Haihan is no stranger to the practice of supporting private and local armed forces in the Ming Dynasty. In fact, Haihan has already tried to do this as early as ten years ago. Li Jifeng from Guangzhou and Xu Xinsu from Fujian are all from Haihan. direct beneficiaries of this measure.And the effect of this approach is also very significant. These local tycoons supported by Haihan must bind their interests to Haihan in order to obtain the military equipment and technical support they need.After they grew up, they became the spokespersons of Haihan's local interests, and played a big role in opening up the market for Haihan in Daming, obtaining raw materials and labor.
But if other colonial countries want to use similar methods to support spokespersons in Ming Dynasty, it will form a direct competition with Haihan, especially the Western counterparts who have extended their tentacles to all over the world, and Haihan has always been concerned and vigilant Object.If there was a secret military cooperation relationship between the Yangzhou salt merchants and the Spaniards, then Haihan would definitely not sit back and watch this relationship continue to develop, but would take decisive action to nip it in its infancy.
Although it is still unknown where the Yangzhou salt merchants obtained batches of Spanish-made muskets, this is obviously an extremely dangerous signal. If the two parties join forces to fight against Haihan, it is really possible to create some troubles in the future After all, Yangzhou salt merchants have plenty of money. As long as someone provides the corresponding military technology and gives them some time to develop, it is possible to forcibly spend money on an armed force.
"I can't control that much for the time being. Fortunately, we have caught some people alive. Maybe they can tell us what happened in the middle." Gong Shiqi didn't expect to get an answer immediately. The witnesses and material evidence were brought back to Zhoushan Island.Otherwise, these local salt merchants would go to the Yamen to report a robbery and murder case, and the government would come forward to intercept them after dawn, and it might not be so easy for them to leave Yangzhou.
Another reason is that almost all the people they captured on the pier had gunshot wounds, so they failed to escape in time.However, the medical conditions on the ship are limited, so it may not be possible to treat these wounded in a timely manner. In addition, there is still a voyage of nearly a thousand miles from here to Zhoushan Island. Maybe there will be no more people, so I have to go back as soon as possible.
While cleaning the battlefield, Ji Yuanqing also sent a few groups of people to guard the periphery of the pier, in case the other party gathered manpower to launch a counterattack again.However, perhaps the previous fight made the opponent realize the gap in strength, and did not send anyone over to die, and the offensive against them came to an abrupt end.
It took more than an hour to clean up the battlefield, and after confirming that there was nothing missing, Ji Yuanqing sent a signal to recall everyone on the shore, and then ordered the anchor to be raised and the sails to return to the Yangtze River along the original route of the canal.However, the visibility at night was poor, and they were not familiar enough with the environment of the canal. In order to avoid accidents in the narrow channel, the two ships could only slow down and move forward slowly.
Gong Shiqi checked the time. It was about two hours before dawn, and it was about forty miles from the pier where they parked to Guazhou, where the canal and the Yangtze River were connected. Rush downstream with fast horses and notify the navy along the river to intercept them. In theory, it is still possible to catch up with them.And all they can do at this time is to pray that the local salt merchants will not be too stubborn, and continue to chase after them relentlessly.
At the same time, Lu Kangtai had already arrived at He's Manor, and met He Huan and others who were waiting for news here.But it is a pity that the salt merchants who had prepared the celebration banquet did not get the good news they expected. Lu Kangtai, who was in charge of commanding the operation, brought a bad news instead. It was defeated by the opponent in a very short period of time, and the weapon used by the opponent was also a musket.
"They are just waiting for my Musketeers to show up." On the way back, Lu Kangtai had already figured out the key point, and directly gave his own conclusion: "These people came to Yangzhou to sell salt to anger us. We take the initiative to use force to deal with them, and the ultimate goal is my Musketeers! Everyone, only seven people who went to the pier to perform tasks this time escaped alive, and the rest of them are all dead or alive. If we let them leave Yangzhou , then the next time they reappear, they will most likely come to deal with everyone here!"
(End of this chapter)
Due to the open terrain, the gunshots from the river bank could be heard for a long distance at night, at least in the upstream and downstream of this pier and in the riverside area with a radius of two or three miles on the opposite side of the canal. There were gunshots, and many watchdogs kept in nearby warehouses were also barking wildly after being alarmed.However, even if the vast majority of people heard the noise, they still didn't know what happened by the river. They just subconsciously thought that it should be the sound of firecrackers. This is the only reasonable explanation that the public can think of.
But among those who heard the gunshots, there were also those who knew the source of the noise very well, and thus perceived the danger signal.
The place where Lu Kangtai supervised the battle was about one mile away from the wharf where the accident happened. Although the real-time situation of the battle could not be seen here, gunshots from the direction of the wharf could still be heard. He could also give new instructions to the combatants if necessary.But everything happened too fast. When he realized that the gunfire from the battle site was too dense, the battle on the front line had actually come to an end. He didn't even have time to send people to investigate the situation ahead, or to issue instructions to the front line. With the new order, the gunfire from the south has stopped.
Lu Kangtai was well aware of the combat capabilities of his musketeers, it was unlikely that they would maintain such a high rate of fire in battle, and there was no need for a big fight against a group of fellow salt merchants.According to the experience of the previous operations, as long as the first row finishes shooting and kills a few people, the opponent will immediately collapse, and there will be no strong resistance at all.And today's unusual gunshots meant that something unexpected must have happened ahead.
Lu Kangtai didn't immediately think in a bad direction. He still believed that the Musketeers were strong enough to deal with emergencies. However, out of prudence, he immediately sent his men to ride horses to the front line to check the battle situation to confirm his judgment. That's right.
The speed of getting rewards was faster than Lu Kangtai imagined, because the people sent out met the members of the Musketeers who were fleeing back from the pier halfway, and quickly withdrew back together after learning about the battle ahead.
No matter how steady Lu Kangtai was on weekdays, he bounced off his chair in shock after hearing the news of the Musketeers' defeat.Being able to make a fat man who weighs more than 200 pounds and almost [-] kilograms make such light movements shows how much this news shocked him.
"How did this happen! Tell me, what happened!" Lu Kangtai pointed at the man who escaped from the front line and said sharply, "How did you lose!"
The gap in strength and preparations between the two sides was so huge that it was almost just a face-to-face time. The Salt Merchant Musketeers suffered heavy casualties during the battle, which led to the ensuing defeat.This process was so fast that even the people who participated in it didn't really realize what happened. They only saw that their own people kept falling, and most of them were killed or injured almost instantly. If the people who survived by chance didn't turn around Escaping, it is estimated that he will not be able to escape such a fate.
But Lu Kangtai had high hopes for the Musketeers, and it was hard to accept such a result. He immediately grabbed the teacup on the table and smashed it directly against the wall, shouting at his subordinates, "Hurry up and gather your hands! Fight with them!"
However, he quickly calmed down from his rage, stopped his subordinates who were about to carry out his orders, and told them to evacuate to a safe area first.Now that a big mistake has been made, if you still overthink your capabilities and go to the other party to fight recklessly, you may even toss your own money into it.And if he loses again, it will probably have a considerable impact on his local status and influence.
In order to facilitate things tonight, they have already spent money to buy off the government office and the garrison before that, so that they would not intervene in the battle that took place by the canal tonight, so they dared to let the Musketeers form a formation and open fire on their own initiative. , but now that an unexpected situation has occurred, they also have no way to ask for help from the officials in the city.
And Lu Kangtai also realized that since the opponent has the strength to defeat the Musketeers, then gathering his own private armed forces to rush there is purely to deliver food to the door.He had even thought that the people who fought against his musketeers on the pier might not be the salt transport team of Ningbo salt merchants at all, they were just disguised as salt merchants, but in fact they were well-trained troops.And the purpose of the other party's coming to Ningbo is probably not just to sell salt to grab the market, it is very likely that they are here for their Musketeers.
"Prepare the car and go to He's Manor!" Lu Kangtai knew that the current situation would be difficult to solve by himself alone, so he had to inform his partners of the situation as soon as possible, and asked them to use all available means to stop the "Ningbo" gang "Salt Merchant" left Yangzhou.Although the loss of the Musketeers made him feel very distressed, the real reason for his urgency was the trouble it would cause him in the future.
His partners have warned many times that this armed force should not be exposed to public view, otherwise it will definitely attract the attention of the Haihan people because of the weapons it uses, and may even call for military strikes.Lu Kangtai also thought that this kind of statement was just alarmist talk from his partners, but after what happened just now, he realized that this kind of warning was not just words. hit.
And on the pier not far from here, Gong Shiqi and Ji Yuanqing have already cleaned up the battlefield under the command.The process of the battle just now was basically within their expectations.Building up fortifications like this, setting up a good position, waiting for the opponent to attack, doing mental calculations without intention, and winning cleanly and neatly is the logical result, so their emotions are relatively calm.
According to the plan formulated before the war, they need to leave Yangzhou as soon as possible after the battle is over to avoid possible subsequent troubles.This kind of trouble does not refer to the armed attack from the local salt merchants, but the possible intervention of the local government. At that time, the private fight in the salt industry will escalate into a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. This is what Hai Han does not want to see to the situation.Because their purpose was not to attack Yangzhou salt merchants, but to find out who helped Yangzhou salt merchants form this musketeer team.
After the battle was over, everyone immediately began to count the results of the battle, seized the weapons of the opponent, and moved all the people who were knocked down on the dock to the ship, whether they were dead or alive.
As for the salt bags used to build the fortifications, there was no waste of manpower to move them back to the ship. Compared with the results achieved today, this props fee is just a small expense.
The firearms that the Ministry of Security and the Military Intelligence Bureau have been thinking about have seized at least more than 30 guns during this battle.This time, there was no need to wait for a special inspection after returning to Zhoushan. Ji Yuanqing picked up one of them, lit it with a torch, and came to a conclusion: "This gun was made by Westerners. We attacked Manila at the beginning of the year. When I was in the city, many of these muskets were seized locally, and some were later sold to North Koreans!"
"Spanish!" Although Gong Shiqi had been active in the north in recent years, he was not completely unfamiliar with the existence of Spaniards.Back then when he was working with He Xi, he often listened to He Xi popularize various knowledge about western countries.In the past few years, the Ministry of Security has often fought wits and courage with the Spaniards, and he also learned about the intensifying battle process between the two sides from internal reports.
But how the Spaniards got through Haihan's blockade on the southeast coast, connected with the salt merchants in Yangzhou, and worked together to come up with such a paramilitary project, it was hard for Gong Shiqiyi to figure out for a while.
From the Pearl River Estuary to Hangzhou Bay, it can be said that the southeast coast of Daming has been regarded by Haihan as its sphere of influence. Merchant ships from countries like the Netherlands and Portugal cannot enter Taiwan Island at will without Haihan's permission. In the northern waters, it is even more forbidden to bypass Haihan and directly trade with the coastal areas of Daming and other countries.Haihan has multiple ports in this large sea area, and has deployed armed fleets near important waterways, and will regularly patrol the sea.If a Spanish sailing ship with obvious appearance characteristics is found, the military and the Ministry of Security should both receive reports, but so far there is no news in this regard.
"I'm also wondering how the Spaniards got involved with the Yangzhou salt merchants!" Ji Yuanqing seemed to know Gong Shiqi's thoughts very well. In fact, he also had the same confusion.From Haihan's point of view, this matter is indeed a bit unreasonable.
"Perhaps there are other intermediaries between them and the Spaniards, such as brokers and arms dealers." Gong Shiqi could only find a makeshift possibility to explain the current situation.
Haihan is no stranger to the practice of supporting private and local armed forces in the Ming Dynasty. In fact, Haihan has already tried to do this as early as ten years ago. Li Jifeng from Guangzhou and Xu Xinsu from Fujian are all from Haihan. direct beneficiaries of this measure.And the effect of this approach is also very significant. These local tycoons supported by Haihan must bind their interests to Haihan in order to obtain the military equipment and technical support they need.After they grew up, they became the spokespersons of Haihan's local interests, and played a big role in opening up the market for Haihan in Daming, obtaining raw materials and labor.
But if other colonial countries want to use similar methods to support spokespersons in Ming Dynasty, it will form a direct competition with Haihan, especially the Western counterparts who have extended their tentacles to all over the world, and Haihan has always been concerned and vigilant Object.If there was a secret military cooperation relationship between the Yangzhou salt merchants and the Spaniards, then Haihan would definitely not sit back and watch this relationship continue to develop, but would take decisive action to nip it in its infancy.
Although it is still unknown where the Yangzhou salt merchants obtained batches of Spanish-made muskets, this is obviously an extremely dangerous signal. If the two parties join forces to fight against Haihan, it is really possible to create some troubles in the future After all, Yangzhou salt merchants have plenty of money. As long as someone provides the corresponding military technology and gives them some time to develop, it is possible to forcibly spend money on an armed force.
"I can't control that much for the time being. Fortunately, we have caught some people alive. Maybe they can tell us what happened in the middle." Gong Shiqi didn't expect to get an answer immediately. The witnesses and material evidence were brought back to Zhoushan Island.Otherwise, these local salt merchants would go to the Yamen to report a robbery and murder case, and the government would come forward to intercept them after dawn, and it might not be so easy for them to leave Yangzhou.
Another reason is that almost all the people they captured on the pier had gunshot wounds, so they failed to escape in time.However, the medical conditions on the ship are limited, so it may not be possible to treat these wounded in a timely manner. In addition, there is still a voyage of nearly a thousand miles from here to Zhoushan Island. Maybe there will be no more people, so I have to go back as soon as possible.
While cleaning the battlefield, Ji Yuanqing also sent a few groups of people to guard the periphery of the pier, in case the other party gathered manpower to launch a counterattack again.However, perhaps the previous fight made the opponent realize the gap in strength, and did not send anyone over to die, and the offensive against them came to an abrupt end.
It took more than an hour to clean up the battlefield, and after confirming that there was nothing missing, Ji Yuanqing sent a signal to recall everyone on the shore, and then ordered the anchor to be raised and the sails to return to the Yangtze River along the original route of the canal.However, the visibility at night was poor, and they were not familiar enough with the environment of the canal. In order to avoid accidents in the narrow channel, the two ships could only slow down and move forward slowly.
Gong Shiqi checked the time. It was about two hours before dawn, and it was about forty miles from the pier where they parked to Guazhou, where the canal and the Yangtze River were connected. Rush downstream with fast horses and notify the navy along the river to intercept them. In theory, it is still possible to catch up with them.And all they can do at this time is to pray that the local salt merchants will not be too stubborn, and continue to chase after them relentlessly.
At the same time, Lu Kangtai had already arrived at He's Manor, and met He Huan and others who were waiting for news here.But it is a pity that the salt merchants who had prepared the celebration banquet did not get the good news they expected. Lu Kangtai, who was in charge of commanding the operation, brought a bad news instead. It was defeated by the opponent in a very short period of time, and the weapon used by the opponent was also a musket.
"They are just waiting for my Musketeers to show up." On the way back, Lu Kangtai had already figured out the key point, and directly gave his own conclusion: "These people came to Yangzhou to sell salt to anger us. We take the initiative to use force to deal with them, and the ultimate goal is my Musketeers! Everyone, only seven people who went to the pier to perform tasks this time escaped alive, and the rest of them are all dead or alive. If we let them leave Yangzhou , then the next time they reappear, they will most likely come to deal with everyone here!"
(End of this chapter)