Thorpe was secretly happy because Guangdong had never been able to be self-sufficient in food. He originally planned to obtain grain through Guangxi, but he was completely unsure of how much grain Guangxi could transport. Now it seems that Guangxi grain can not only be transported out of China, but also in large quantities. As for salt, it was originally an important pillar of the Senate's economy. Once Guangdong is occupied, all the salt fields in Guangdong will fall into the hands of the Senate. There is no shortage of supplies.
He couldn't help but nodded and said "ok". The excitement was palpable.
Chen Hongyi seemed very happy to see him smiling. I don't know what he meant by that sentence, I just laughed with him.
Then Thorpe asked many questions about shipping. He spoke kindly and the atmosphere of the conversation was very relaxed. Chen Hongyi told everything he knew, and the conversation lasted until late at night. Hearing three drums being beaten in Qiao Tower, Thorpe realized that it was late at night, and then asked Lin Ming to send Shopkeeper Chen out.
When Chen Hongyi was about to get off the ship, he couldn't help but ask Lin Ming: "Who is this master?"
Lin Ming did not answer, only said: "Old Chen, you have won the jackpot." He smiled and said nothing.
Chen Hongyi shivered and went home and fell asleep for half the night. Even the word "Prince" came to his mind.
The boat continued its journey early the next morning. Entering the boundary of Zhaoqing Prefecture. The river here is still open, so even if you can row against the current, you can use both oars and oars. When the wind blows, you can still sail with a sail. As a few days passed, the two sides of the river became increasingly mountainous and the water flow became turbulent. It became more and more difficult to sail the boat. From time to time, it was necessary to carry the boat on one's back to go up.
On this day, the ship entered the Sanrong Gorge, which is where the so-called "Xijiang Little Three Gorges" is located. It is also an important passage between Zhaoqing and Sanshui. From here, travelers leave the vast Pearl River Delta and enter the mountainous areas of western Guangdong.
As soon as the ship entered Sanrong Gorge, the river suddenly narrowed, from nearly a thousand meters to 370 meters. The water is strong. The rocks on the river beach on the north bank are as jagged as tall buildings. It is also known as Diaoyutai. It is also a scenic spot of the Little Three Gorges.
Thorpe saw the boats moving as slow as a snail, and then saw the trackers climbing up the mountain and hobbling along the towpath. I couldn't help but feel anxious: This Sanrong Gorge is 55 kilometers long and stretches upwards. Walking less than ten kilometers in a day, it would take nearly a week to go to Sanrong Gorge alone!
Because they are an "official ship", there are more than a dozen civilian ships accompanying them on the water. Due to the heavy load, the speed of entering the water is even slower. Thorpe estimates that it will take them at least ten days to complete the Sanrong Gorge. .
"I didn't expect that there would be no road construction in such a major transportation corridor. What on earth do the local government and people do to eat?" Cummings saw the trackers, whose bodies were almost parallel to the ground, struggling to move forward slowly on the rocky beach. He couldn't help but say.
"You're wrong to blame them." Thorp looked at the trackers on the rocky beach who were shouting chants and struggling forward. "The plank road in the Xijiang Three Gorges began in the Ming Dynasty. This gorge road originally had no road at all. It was only thanks to the construction of roads and bridges several times in the Ming Dynasty that we finally had a basically passable plank road. Otherwise, the trackers could only carry their tows on the cliffs halfway up the mountain..."
Cummins clicked his tongue, back slim on this kind of terrain? It's good just to climb up without falling off...
"This was presided over by Chen Yilong, a high-ranking official, and it was only completed at the end of Wanli." Lin Ming hurriedly came to join in the fun, "It's called the 'Xiashan Dry Road', and it was very difficult to build. Usually only trackers use it."
Cummins looked at the simple roads and bridges that appeared and disappeared between the cliffs, and had a more straightforward understanding of "the low productivity level of ancient society."
"The water depth here is very deep. It is not difficult for a 3,000-ton ship to reach Zhaoqing." Thorpe said, "There is just a shoal downstream. The new shoal needs to be dug out."
"This project is too big." Although Cummins does not engage in engineering, as a combat service staff officer, he still has considerable ability to identify the project volume. "The troops cannot do it alone. The executive committee must organize manpower and material resources..."
"Of course. So we need to make more use of local shipping power. They are familiar with the waterways." Thorpe said, "It's just that it's too slow to get on the water..."
"It would be great if there was a diesel engine. Modify the sailboat." Cummins, "The small steam engine is too slow now, and you have to bring your own coal..."
Thorpe nodded: Power indeed troubled the construction of their magnificent "shallow water fleet." Even the steam three-engine boats whose manufacture and use have been fully mastered are actually only used for short distances: as the voyage mileage increases, coal and boiler water will become a troublesome matter. Especially if you need to sail for a long time in a long inland river system like Guangdong.
Even though the plan for the inland river fleet proposed by Gong Gongkou looked beautiful, in fact he doubted whether other plans besides shallow water tugboats and gunboats could be successful - power was a fatal flaw.
The salt boat hobbled upward. Finally entering Dading Gorge, the canyon becomes wider and the river widens. The water slowed down. However, there are also many water bandits. Small groups of water bandits operate small boats in the forks of the river bank, and plundered ships are also seen along the way. Thorpe warned of increased vigilance.
Although they are "official ships". The intimidating escort flag was hung again, but the "unfriendly" water bandits also took a peek from time to time. Fortunately, these water bandits were alone and did not know the details of the official ship, so they did not dare to take action rashly.
There are mountainous areas on both sides of the river here, and boats on the water need to be hauled slowly. No wonder it is a hunting ground where water bandits gather. The Yangtze River where water bandits are most rampant is also the Three Gorges River from Yichang to Chongqing.
It seems that things in Guangdong are very difficult. Thorpe thought to himself, the social sentiments we have to face are more than a hundred times more complicated than those on Hainan Island. Just say that the long mountains on both sides of the Little Three Gorges can be used as a "hiking and camping" place even in the 21st century, let alone the less developed 17th century. Maybe there are South China tigers in these mountains...
After passing Dading Gorge, you enter the essence of the Little Three Gorges: Antelope Gorge. Among the Three Gorges, Antelope Gorge has the highest mountain and the deepest water. It is formed by Antelope Mountain and Lanke Mountain sandwiched between the Xijiang River. The main peak of Lanke Mountain, Lanke Peak, is 904 meters above sea level. It has many peaks and rugged rocks. The main peak of Antelope Mountain, Longmen Top, is 615 meters high. The mountain is high and the slope is steep, close to the river bank. The undulating green mountains wind and pour into the canyon, ranking first among Sanrong Gorge and Dading Gorge for its danger, wonder, steepness and beauty.
However, the water here is more turbulent and the gorge road is more dangerous. The trackers landed on the shore with their backs bent, climbing trees and climbing cliffs one step at a time. The twenty-mile journey took three days. You can't go on the water at night, so you can only moor the boat for the night. Apes and tigers roared on both sides of the strait, and one night they heard extremely shrill screams for help, which was frightening.
Finally, the journey was uneventful, and we finally arrived at the mouth of the gorge. It was close to Zhaoqing Fucheng and the river surface was much calmer. There are mountain temples on both sides of the gorge mouth. The two temples stand across the river. The monks calling from across the river fill the gorge with their voices, which is quite interesting.
As night falls, fishing boats moor in the water branches for the night, and there are live sounds of river wind, fishing fires, and midnight bells. Therefore, this is a must-visit place for literati from all dynasties when visiting Zhaoqing.
The terrain here is dangerous and it is the choke point for entering the Pearl River Delta. In the Qing Dynasty, a customs house was set up here, and the Guangxi warlords built forts to control the river here.
If the Ming army in Guangdong or Guangxi wanted to prevent Fu Bo's army from entering Guangxi from the west, Zhaoqing's Little Three Gorges would definitely be their chosen line of defense. But what means can they use? If artillery is used, the Hongyi artillery set up on the north and south banks can block the river, but it cannot withstand the Fubo Army's bombardment and naval landing assault. If the sunken boats block the river, the water here is too deep.
Zhaoqing was the residence of the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi in the Ming Dynasty. The governor in the city now is Xiong Wencan, who is famous for his appeasement. However, the Senate Navy raided Xiamen and killed Zheng Zhilong, which in fact destroyed the Zheng Group, and then forced the Liu Xiang Group to retreat to Chaoshan, and finally had to surrender amid internal and external difficulties. Xiong Wencan's achievement of "recruiting Zheng Zhilong and pacifying the sea" is far less prominent than in history. Of course, this did not prevent him from blaming himself for the demise of the Liu Xiang Group. For this reason, he had a minor unpleasantness with Zou Weilian, the governor of Fujian. Finally, the account was opened at 46 when the report was made.
In line with his usual style, the Executive Committee was surprised that he did not send anyone to "appease" him. Originally, everyone thought that this was inevitable. Regarding whether to "appease" and "if so, what conditions should be negotiated" in the Senate There were quite heated discussions. But the messenger of appeasement never appeared. This was far beyond the expectations of the executive committee and the elders.
The level of the agents placed by the Foreign Intelligence Bureau in the Governor's Yamen was too low, and they did not have access to Xiong Wencan's inner circle and could not understand his decision-making ideas. However, judging from the content of Xiong Wencan's policies in the past three years, he was mainly "wiping the butt" of the Guangdong army after the defeat.
Guangdong is different from Liaodong, the gateway to the capital. Without the support of the imperial court in terms of manpower and material resources, it can only rely on self-financing. Fortunately, Guangdong was still a peaceful and prosperous place in the late Ming Dynasty. There is no need to search like in the Central Plains.
The Battle of Chengmai and the subsequent Battle of the Pearl River Estuary destroyed almost all the field troops of the Ming Army in Guangdong. Except for the decayed Weisuo Army, almost all the main field battalions were wiped out. Only the deputy commander-in-chief of Nanyue and the defense army were left in Guangdong. General Yao Shen's troops are still intact. Xiong Wencan cared for the exiles, recruited new soldiers, and rebuilt the navy that was completely destroyed at the Pearl River Estuary... In short, all his work was in line with the obligations of a governor.
The Foreign Intelligence Bureau speculated that Xiong Wencan would not discuss recruiting with the Senate before he had sorted out Guangdong's defense. After all, recruiting also requires strength.
"What a pity, Governor Bear, this achievement is not your turn." Thorpe thought to himself as he sat in the front cabin, looking at the dark river.
Thorpe knew that Zhaoqing did not have many troops. The only ones that could be called an "army" were the Governor's Zhongjun Biao Battalion and a small number of naval forces cruising on the Xijiang River. This is not much resistance to the well-equipped naval forces and river gunboats. (To be continued)
ps: Note: In fact, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi was stationed in Guangzhou at this time. Since there was a governor of Guangdong and Guangxi in the Ming Dynasty, he was only in Guangzhou in the early and middle years of Chongzhen, and he was in Zhaoqing at other times. Now it is set to still be in Zhaoqing for the sake of the plot.
