Since the construction of Guangzhou World began, one or two paddle-wheel tugboats have dragged a long line of barges every day, starting from Hong Kong, entering the Pearl River Estuary, and going up the river to the city of Guangzhou.
The boat with its rotating waterwheels emitting black smoke and steam was already conspicuous enough on the Pearl River. It could also drag a fleet of boats upstream. To the people along the river, it was like an unprecedented diorama.
So every day, some people squatted in the place closest to the waterway, waiting for the tug fleet to pass by. Some people thought that the view from the shore was not realistic, so they took a small boat and waited on the river to see it. There were also ships that got too close and were "sinked" by the waves kicked up by the tug fleet, killing the onlookers.
Most of the barges moving up are carrying construction materials. These barges, covered with tarpaulin and with their hulls pressed low, not only carry steel bars, cement and glass produced by the company, but also sand and gravel bricks prepared from various places. Tile and Lime.
In addition to these bulky bulk goods, there are also "Australian goods" that are carefully packaged in straw ropes and wooden boxes, making everyone jealous. These goods are unloaded at the Great World Terminal. The ships are then loaded with various goods that have been stored and transported in dock stacks and warehouses. Goods purchased by Australians from Guangzhou and from the entire Guangzhou Prefecture and even Guangdong are boarded here and transported downstream to Hong Kong. There they were transferred to large ships heading in different directions.
Nowadays, the novelty has worn off for most people. Although the fleets shuttle more frequently and the goods are more and more diverse, the indigenous people in Guangzhou are not satisfied with the Australians who are blowing billowing black smoke and making sounds that can be heard outside the north gate of Guangzhou. It’s no wonder that “steamships” roar loudly and can travel against the wind and water. If anyone rushes to watch it excitedly, it must be a foreigner who is new to the local area.
It is the end of the New Year, the market is deserted, and people who are anxious about the new year are not interested in watching the excitement. The sound of New Year's firecrackers and smoke are everywhere at dusk. Except for the fishermen who work all day long and the children who curiously chase each ship, no one cares about another fleet of ships coming on the Pearl River.
A few months ago, it was said that it was because Guangzhou World was about to open. There are more than a dozen tugboats coming from Hong Kong every day, filled with various equipment and supplies for the big world. So the arrival of this fleet did not attract many people's attention at this moment.
The fleet has three tugs. Behind each tugboat were six or seven barges, tightly covered with tarps. However, the brisk traveling speed and the not deep draft indicate that. These ships did not carry much heavy cargo.
Guangzhou World, which had completed investment promotion a year ago, has announced that it will suspend work for three days during the New Year. It is said that it is preparing to officially open after the New Year. Three days' holiday for all locally employed workers, including dock workers. After the employees received their wages and New Year's gifts, they all happily went home to celebrate the New Year.
So there is not a single dock worker on the Great World dock at the moment. There seems to be no concern about how to unload the cargo without dock workers. The fleet of barges slowly docked at the dock. Amidst the low and suppressed shouts, the cabin doors opened one after another, revealing this extraordinary cargo - the cabin was full of teams of fully armed soldiers. The orders in lowered voices were passed down layer by layer, and the soldiers filed out one by one, stepped on the pedals between the ships, and walked onto the trestle to form a team. Then they walked to the pier in an orderly manner.
At this time, there were already people waiting on the pier. Although there were only a handful of people, insiders knew that this was already the highest level of local reception: all those present were elders and senior naturalized cadres from Guangdong, and there was not a single local native.
"It's damn cold here." Wang Ruixiang tightened his tight-fitting woolen coat and held up the dog-skin hat on his head. After confirming his image, he walked off the boat with his head held high and his chest held high.
Wang Ruixiang actually does not have a military position. Although he has been close to the army for a long time and has engaged in some weapons research and development projects, his job is in the mechanical department. However, his naturally active personality means that he is often deployed abroad. This time he came to Guangzhou with the South China Army. His name is "Mechanical Director". As the name suggests, he is the chief engineer of the Senate in Guangdong. As big as the boiler of a battleship, as small as the bayonet jamming on a Minigun, there are no problems that naturalized civilian mechanics cannot solve. It's all handled by him. He is also responsible for supervising the installation and maintenance of all various mechanical equipment that will be sent to Guangdong. In short, this is a arduous and trivial job.
However, Wang Ruixiang is very satisfied with this appointment. He is not a man who likes ease.
The queue of soldiers, led by the staff of naturalized civilians, has begun to enter the storage area behind the dock. The storage area is a large courtyard surrounded by brick buildings with a circumference of several hundred meters, which is suitable for military garrisoning. The dual-use military and civilian storage area of the Great World is designed to be able to station at least two fully-manned infantry battalions and several companies of artillery, engineers and heavy equipment.
At this time, it was Guo Yi who was watching the army enter at the gate of the storage area. The first group to arrive was the 4th Battalion of the Army. This is the army originally stationed in Hong Kong. Because they have been stationed in Hong Kong for a long time, they are very familiar with the local customs. Most soldiers can generally understand Cantonese even if they cannot speak it. In recent years, officers of the 4th Battalion have conducted extensive staff tours in the Pearl River Delta region under the guidance of the Foreign Intelligence Service, collected a large amount of information, and conducted battalion and company-level combat exercises in many coastal locations. It is the battalion most fully prepared for the war in Guangdong. It is not surprising that this battalion plays the forward role.
As the earliest battalion-level unit established by the Senate, its equipment and training are quite complete. Just such a fully armed formation marching. The momentum is already aggressive.
Guo Yi struck the match because it was cold. He was a little nervous again, so he struck the match several times before striking it. He lit the cigar and took a deep breath.
As the top person in charge of Guangdong, Guo Yi has been busy for several months in preparation for the army's entry. In addition to assisting the joint logistics department in logistical support work, he also collects and organizes basic information on the social conditions, land and geography of Guangzhou and surrounding areas.
In Guangdong, there will not be much military suspense. The key is how to govern. This is the biggest problem.
Guo Yi looked at the butt of his cigar. The strong wind from the river was blowing coldly on him.
Finally, I no longer have to shoulder this burden. He heard from friends in the Guanglei clique in Lingao that his next appointment was likely to be the county magistrate of a county in Hainan, to prepare for his next step as a senior local official. It is said that the next target of the Senate is likely to be Jiangnan.
Jiangnan was the largest wealth center in the Ming Dynasty, with a large population and developed industry and commerce. Once a place like this is taken over, elders who are familiar with the city and economic life of the Ming Dynasty must be sent to take charge of the situation.
Wang Ruixiang walked forward with the marching army, but saw Guo Yi standing by the gate alone, looking at the marching army in a trance. He didn't know what he was thinking, so he went up to say hello.
"Have all of them gone in?"
"Well, they're all in. You're the only one left." Guo Yi looked back and said, "There are really a lot of people here this time."
"That's right. A whole camp is coming today and tomorrow. There are more than a thousand people." Wang Ruixiang stepped through the door, "How do they look at their outfits? The new military uniforms are unique. They are like this in the north. I'm here The North also brought thousands of people at one time. Well, of course, they were all quite weak refugees. Thirty cavalrymen with swords could kill thousands of refugees. But..." He turned around and was about to He picked up the buttons on the front and said, "Now they are all warriors under the rule of the Senate." Wang Ruixiang waved his hands exaggeratedly and raised his head to face the sky that was about to fall: "Within a few years, we can conquer the entire Guangdong, no matter what. He is poor, rich, big and small, good and evil, swallow them all in one gulp! This place will soon become our territory!"
The "Lifan" of the big world - the term used by the elders to refer to the part of the backyard that the natives are not allowed to enter in the big world - has prepared everything for the troops. As for the elders who came with the army, they naturally have arrangements to wash away their dust.
On the main tower in the backyard, a sumptuous banquet has been set. All the elders of the Guangzhou Station and all the elders currently in Guangzhou attended the banquet, many of whom they had not seen for many years. Wang Ruixiang saw Lin Baiguang. Except for his appearance during the plenary meeting, there was no one at all in Lingao.
No one knows what Lin Baiguang is busy with, but judging from his dress and hair bun, he is probably active in the Ming Dynasty, either doing business in the Ming Dynasty or doing some secret work.
Lin Baiguang has traveled all over Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian in recent years. During this period, he also visited Jiangnan and Shandong. It is said that he does intelligence collection work, but his intelligence collection work is different. It focuses on social and economic life such as roads, people's livelihood, products, customs and so on. Provide the Senate with a reference for future governance.
In his spare time, he repeatedly read Huang Zongxi's "Book of Benefits and Diseases of the Counties and Countries of the World" and various "Guidelines for Officials" published in the Ming and Qing Dynasties that the Great Library obtained for him, the most important of which was naturally "The Complete Book of Fuhui" . Combined with his experience when he was the director of the county office, he wrote the "County Government Policy Outline", which has been selected by the Senate as one of the teaching materials for the cadre training class.
Lin Baiguang has already received the appointment. He is about to serve as the deputy director of the Military Control Commission and preside over the daily work of the Guangdong Military Control Commission. He had already made a plan in his mind, focusing on the 15 counties and 1 state in Guangzhou Prefecture. The first step in annexing Guangdong is the Pearl River Delta region, and Guangzhou Prefecture almost completely covers the entire Pearl River Delta. Only by eating and digesting this area can it become a base for annexing the entire province. The weight of his responsibilities and the magnitude of the challenges he faced made Lin Baiguang eager to give it a try. (To be continued.)
