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"Didn't the plan say that the refugee bases are in Jeju and Taiwan?" Liu San interrupted and asked. As a member of the Senate, he had already roughly read the entire plan on the internal bb. Before boarding the ship, I read the mission briefing of the Haitian voyage.
Zhao Yingong explained: It is true that the refugee bases are in Jeju and Taiwan, but an advance base is also needed in Shandong as a transfer point for collecting refugees and a base for the work team.
Now they have established a relationship with Sun Yuanhua through the Hangzhou Catholic Church. As long as they have his support, it will not be a problem to set up a village as a base in the name of reclaiming wasteland in the Denglai area.
The scale of the base does not need to be very large. If it is too large, it will involve the problem of having to equip left-behind troops, and the investment in construction will further squeeze out the Planning Institute's resources for the engine plan. Therefore, the scale of this base cannot be large, and it must be based on the use of local resources in Shandong: including population and building materials.
After the engine operation is over, the Shandong base can be retained or revoked depending on the situation. Zhao Yingong's preference is to try to retain it as a tentacle for the future Shandong strategy.
"If possible, there is nothing wrong with arranging one or two elders to serve as powerful landlords in Shandong." Zhao Yingong said, "Shandong's coastal areas can make a difference whether in agriculture, fishery or commerce."
While Zhao Yingong was chatting freely with Li Ziping and others on the poop, other members of the mission on the bow deck were on tenterhooks. Most of them were reluctant to get on the "smoky ship" out of necessity. A few merchants were sitting on the temporary benches prepared for them with their heads hunched over like a duck, wondering how much money they would have to pay for this "send to the gods". None of the tea and snacks placed on the folding table were touched. The only one who was calm and composed was Zhao Tongliao. As Zhao Yingong's bodyguard, he certainly knew that there was an unusual relationship between the master and the Australians.
Gao Xuan carefully sat on the stool, looked at the tea and snacks on the table, and swallowed involuntarily. The poor scholar Gao Xuan got on the ship purely for a business deal. He got here as an imposter. It was not because he admired Australian culture and wanted to have close contact with it, but because a clerk in the mission did not want to take the risk and face something. "Australian" and spent four taels of silver to get him on the ship.
Gao Xuan was poor but had short ambitions, and the situation at home was about to turn the tables, so he had no choice but to accept the four taels of silver. Fortunately, things are not troublesome, it's just a matter of advancing and retreating as the class goes.
"Everything will be done according to Mr. Zhao's instructions." The clerk who paid the money told him, "You can just go on your own after getting off the ship. There is no need to worry about the rest."
After getting on the boat, I saw Mr. Zhao being taken into the cabin alone. They were left here with a few sailors to look after them. Mō looks kind-hearted and can speak Chinese. But on this deck, there were soldiers holding blunderbuss everywhere, all wearing blue and white short coats, holding blunderbuss with murderous intent, as if they were facing a powerful enemy. Everyone was in a state of confusion, and there was no interest in drinking tea and snacks.
But Gao Xuan hadn't eaten anything since the morning. The so-called breakfast was buckwheat rice crispy rice boiled at the bottom of the pot with a little water. His family had been without rice for several days, and he was able to survive by relying on donations from his father-in-law and brother-in-law to buy some grains. Now I see a lot of snacks in front of me - in fact, they are just a few colorful biscuits brought on board specially for the veterans: including very rare butter cookies, waffles, pineapple mì biscuits and salty soda crackers.
The accompanying drink is kombucha. Not only is it gasy, but it is still fermenting, so it is not suitable for long-term storage and transportation on board ships.
Finally, he couldn't help but pick up a long white snack that looked fleshy. He took a bite and a sweet and cloying texture immediately spread in his mouth, but when he was about to taste it carefully, the biscuit disappeared without a trace in his mouth.
This strange feeling immediately stung his stomach, and his empty stomach immediately made a loud protest to him. So all kinds of biscuits quickly fell into his stomach one after another. At first, Gao Xuan was worried about saving face. , seeing everyone's lack of appetite and physical needs finally prevailing over their spiritual needs, they began to eat without ceremony, and in a short time they swallowed all the biscuits on the table like a whirlwind. I drank two more cups of kombucha in one go.
"This husband has a good appetite." Sitting opposite him was a Huizhou businessman and the head of the local tea guild. Tea is a big business in Hangzhou. Since the Tea Guild has money, a lot of expenses will inevitably fall on them. This time it will naturally fall on the Tea Guild. Seeing the imposter on the other side eating and drinking so enthusiastically without worrying at all, the president was very unhappy and couldn't help but secretly cursed: "Wine bag and rice bag!"
Gao Xuan's face turned red, and he said arrogantly: "As soon as we get on the boat, why don't we just let them control us? Instead of sitting around and worrying, it's better to eat and drink freely, sneer, and stop talking. Of course he is not a scholar who is talking nonsense. opponents, but he sincerely looked down on these "sour men" who were not officials. He looked at the deck - this deck was really strange: there were ropes, sails and various equipment that he didn't recognize everywhere. It looks unbelievably chaotic, but if you look closely, it appears to be very orderly. The sailors perform their duties and do not move around randomly, and no one chats and talks casually, which looks very rigorous.
"What a gangster." Hui first thought of this and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. He wondered if they knew he was the owner of the tea house, would they hold him for ransom?
Gao Xuan had a full stomach, but his mood relaxed. He was a poor scholar, penniless, and didn't have many worries. Instead, he curiously observed the Haitian Ship. What he was particularly interested in was the big, black, thick and tall chimney on the base in the middle of the deck. It was emitting black smoke almost all the time, and from time to time, some white water vapor would also emit. .
Regarding this black chimney, there has been a lot of discussion in the city these days. Some people say that it is a witchcraft of the Australians, that the chimney is used by them to worship gods, and that the black smoke is some kind of foreign fragrance; some also say that there is a huge giant under the chimney. The stove is constantly burning fire and using firepower to push the ship. The latter statement has been ridiculed by many people: How can a large stove be installed on this big wooden ship to burn the fire every day without burning the hull? As for burning a fire and sailing a boat, this is unheard of. Some people also speculate that there are livestock pushing the water wheel below the deck...
Gao Xuan was also very curious, but now even if he was only ten feet away from the huge chimney, he couldn't see the reason. But one thing he was sure of was that the smoke coming out of the chimney was definitely not some "overseas smell" smoke, but out-and-out coal smoke. There was indeed a big stove under the chimney.
He wanted to get closer and take a closer look, but he didn't dare. If there is some kind of "military power" there, I might lose my head if I get close. Then his eyes were cast on the cannon that was close at hand.
The 48-pound cannon on the bow deck did not have a gun jacket. The precision-cast iron barrel was aimed directly in the direction of Hangzhou City. The barrel was polished and sparkling. Gao Xuan noticed that the cannon was mounted on a strange gun mount. There were no wheels under the gun mount, but there were two black iron rails, which were shiny from friction. On the side of the ship next to the cannon body, a row of round black cannonballs was stuck in a long slot. Everything seemed in order. Gao Xuan, like all Confucian scholars in the late Ming Dynasty, had a strong interest in "guns", "firearms" and "military science". This was related to the social and historical background at that time. Continuous military defeats made the imperial court increasingly There were great expectations for the development and introduction of several new weapons to turn the tide of the war. At that time, not only did a paper firearms development initiative emerge, but many so-called new tactics also emerged, such as "javelin control of the enemy", "The sap defeats the enemy"...there are many types of them.
Like all similar "military enthusiasts" of the Ming Dynasty, he has high ambitions and low ambitions, without any skills or experience, and is purely empty talk. In Wanbi Bookstore, he once wanted to find some Australian military art books to achieve a surprise victory. But there are no such books in the bookstore.
Now that this "sophisticated" Australian cannon is right under your nose, of course you have to take a few more looks.
Suddenly someone yelled: "There is enemy situation in direction 105!" Following this roar, several sailors standing next to the cannon ran up to their positions, turned the cannon, and headed in the warning direction reported by the lookout post.
Compared with the size of the artillery, its rapid rotation direction surprised Gao Xuan - the four or five gunners moved the artillery with ease, with almost no effort, and there was no unpleasant creaking sound, which surprised everyone present. Everyone was surprised.
Gao Xuan knew that it was not difficult to make an object rotate. A wooden door, a wheel, a stone mill... it was nothing more than installing a round axis. But the thing on it is too heavy, so it will not be easy to turn, and it may even not turn at all.
What's the mystery behind the Australian cannons? Gao Xuan stared at the base under the cannon, hoping to see some clues and write them down in the book when he came. Maybe some big boss would take notice of him and recruit him into the scene. With the help of a big boss, it is no longer a problem to be selected as a candidate. After a few years, I can still hold an official position, which impresses my father-in-law and makes my brother-in-law kneel down in front of him to say hello. This waiter is now treating him. There is no respectful attitude at all, and the words are very rude!
The sailors didn't know Gao Xiucai's plan, and they just nervously paid attention to the river bank where the threat was. After a while, the warning was lifted. The three ox carts seen by the watch post were not hauling cannons, but were pretending to be "rewards" that the Hangzhou government was preparing to send on board. ! .
< >, reading is a kind of enjoyment, it is recommended that you collect it.
