1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1022 Advance Team ([-])
Due to the continuous rain in the past few days, at this bend with a large turning angle, the rising river water could not hold back its forward momentum, and it had overflowed the river bed to form a mudflat about 200 meters wide on the bank, and the degree of muddyness was still low. Far better than the river bank at the mouth of the sea.This scene made Morgan a little disappointed. He originally expected to set up a stronghold here against the river bend, so that the east and north faces the water, and the defensive area and corresponding pressure would be much reduced. Judging from the sights we saw, it was obvious that we had to keep a safe distance between the stronghold camp and the river bank, otherwise there would be a flood of water in the rainy season.

Except for flocks of leisurely wild ducks, there are no traces of human activities on the river beach.Morgan led the soldiers to find a slope with a slightly higher terrain. After simply confirming the surface soil quality and surrounding conditions, this slope with a radius of about [-] meters was designated as an alternative location for the stronghold camp.As far as the eye can see, there is no trace of reclamation, and it seems that it is not the daily activity area of ​​the local aborigines. Perhaps the aborigines can be avoided more smoothly when building a stronghold here in the future.

After completing the inspection of the river bend, Morgan saw that it was noon, and ordered the team to stop for dinner.However, it was raining non-stop and there was no shelter nearby. It was a bit troublesome to bury the pot for cooking, so I had to gnaw some dry food for the bottom.After eating, re-board the ship and continue upstream.To Morgan's relief, the channel of Houlongxi has always maintained a width of 300 meters. The current flow of flat-bottomed barges must be no problem. I just don't know how long the water condition can last until the rainy season passes. Will there be such a condition in the future.

From here, go all the way to the south and continue upstream, and Houlongxi basically extends forward in a straight waterway.However, it is not difficult to see from the alluvial plains on both sides of the river that this small river has been diverted and flooded many times in history, in order to wash out such a valley terrain about three to four kilometers wide in this stretch of mountains.

The local aboriginal tribes obviously lack experience in using such a fertile alluvial plain, and there is no sign of reclaimed land for farming along the way. It was not until about an hour after leaving the previous river bend that Morgan saw the distance in the telescope. It seems that there are stretches of cultivated fields, but the scale is still very limited, and there are only twenty or thirty acres of land as far as the eye can see.Although these fields are still about a kilometer away from the Houlong River, Morgan did not expect the barges passing on the river to hide their tracks. The steam and soot released by the steam boilers are even farther away. It can also be easily discovered, as long as the aborigines here are not blind, it will be a matter of time before they discover these strange ships traveling on the Houlongxi.

But the encounter with the aborigines came sooner than Morgan expected. When the boat moved forward for a while, Morgan noticed that several people were wading and fishing on the river bank a hundred meters ahead.But the tools they use are not fishing nets, but bamboo harpoons.The natives, who were naked to the waist, turned their heads and stared blankly at the steamboat approaching in the distance almost at the same time Morgan noticed them.

"Be alert!" Although Morgan knew very well that the other party's threats were extremely limited, he did not become careless because of this, and immediately issued an order.

Several soldiers at the bow immediately pointed their rifles at the natives in front, but these natives seemed to be more nervous, yelling and running to the river bank and began to flee, but they did not forget to get on the river bank when they fled. A bamboo basket with fish on one side.Naturally, Morgan would not order the soldiers to hunt down these natives, and watched them disappear behind the bushes on the river bank.

Seeing the natives fleeing ashore in a panic, Morgan did not feel relaxed. The subconscious actions of these uncivilized natives actually reflected their vigilance and distrust of outsiders.If the other party is not even willing to engage in contact, then the possibility of peaceful coexistence between the two parties in the future is very slim.

There is another point worth noting. Since these natives will come to the river to fish, it means that their tribe should not be far from Houlongxi. If this tribe is hostile to Haihan in the future, the nearby rivers will obviously be in the vicinity of the indigenous people. The range covered by armed forces is also a potential threat that must be guarded against.

But now Morgan is in a hurry to go upstream to survey the terrain, and there is no time to find out the specific location of this indigenous tribe.Otherwise, he would really like to take his individual equipment to track down these natives and see where their lairs are.

In the next few miles, Morgan noticed that the west bank of Houlongxi gradually changed from plains to hills, while the change on the east bank was just the opposite.Comparing the map in his hand, Morgan knew that the next [-]-degree bend in the river was just ahead.

This river bend presents a rather large radius arc from north to east, but it is not as firm as the nearly right-angled river bend downstream, so the water flow is not as turbulent as the downstream bend.Morgan still followed the previous operation method, got off the boat and went ashore to conduct a foot survey, looking for an area suitable for setting up a camp here.But judging from the terrain here, Morgan is unlikely to find a location with a natural defense advantage, which will definitely increase the amount of work in the subsequent construction of the stronghold.The only advantage of this kind of terrain is that it is possible to observe the dynamics of the surrounding area conveniently. As long as a three- to four-story observation deck is built in the stronghold, it is enough to see the situation within a few miles.

In fact, when Yu Yao came here for a field trip last time, he also stayed in these places for a short time, but at that time it was mainly to verify the reconnaissance map, and he did not come with a specific purpose like Morgan, who carefully studied the terrain and landforms. To investigate.As for the location Morgan chose here, it is basically certain that it will become the place where Haihan will build a large number of construction projects in the future.

After inspecting this bend in the river, the sky had already darkened.Considering the unfamiliar geographical environment here, Morgan would not take the risk of sailing again, so he found a nearby river bank with a slow current to stop, and then all the crew disembarked and set up a temporary camp.

Although the troops Morgan led were not field troops, but because of the special nature of the mission this time, a lot of field equipment was distributed before departure. The marching tents, kitchen utensils, simple fortifications, etc. were arranged very quickly. Hours later hot food was served.At this time, the pattering rain finally stopped, and the soldiers took off their wet military uniforms and put them next to the fire to bake while they were warming up while eating.Although everyone has a military raincoat, it is inevitable that a lot of rain will soak into the inner military uniform from the collar after a whole day of action outdoors.

At present, Haihan has trial-produced rubber-coated raincoats. The chemical industry department uses charcoal and sulfur to prepare carbon disulfide, which is used to dissolve rubber and apply it to the surface of the fabric to achieve an excellent waterproof effect.This method was originally invented by the British Mackintosh at the end of the 19th century, and the word "raincoat" in English was also named after the inventor's name, Mackintosh. Hesitantly allowed the invention to appear more than two centuries earlier.

However, due to production costs and production capacity issues, this rubber-coated raincoat is temporarily only eligible for distribution to traversers and a small number of naturalized senior cadres and officers.At present, the standard raincoats issued by the military are still made of oilcloth made of fabric soaked in oil. Although the waterproof effect is not bad, this thing is extremely flammable and has certain safety hazards. It has become the first choice for military procurement.

Morgan still sent a telegram to the Penghu base in accordance with the agreed time, informing of the progress of today's investigation, and briefly mentioned a few words about encountering natives in the wild.The campsite chosen by Morgan today is already located on the edge of the mountain, and it is estimated that it is only three to four kilometers away from the destination out of the sulfur pit. If all goes well, we will arrive at the destination tomorrow morning. Of course, the premise is that this section of the waterway has sufficient navigation conditions. .Otherwise, if you want to abandon the ship and go ashore by land, it will be difficult to estimate the time.

The next morning, Morgan and his soldiers set off at dawn and continued eastward by boat.Although the mountains in this area are not steep and steep, the ridges at an altitude of about 500 meters have a very obvious drop compared with the coastal plains on the west coast.

The mountains here run north-south, and the Houlong River, which originates from the central mountain range, cuts the ridge horizontally from east to west, tearing it into two parts without reason.The Chusulkeng Oilfield that Haihan was looking for was located in this valley across the ridge.

Although the rain has basically stopped, the water volume of Houlong Creek does not seem to be affected. Morgan watched the plains on the banks of the river disappear little by little, replaced by rapidly rising mountains on both banks.Although Morgan also knew that most of the mountainous areas here had the existence of indigenous tribes, as far as the current observations were concerned, this place was completely untouched virgin forest.As far as the eye can see, there are towering trees surrounded by several people, and the forest is full of vitality with the singing of birds and insects.

However, Morgan is not in the mood to appreciate the natural scenery. Right now, this channel is much narrower than the plains outside the mountains, only less than 30 meters wide. Fortunately, the water is deep enough for normal navigation.Morgan asked the boatman to slow down, and asked two soldiers to stand on the bow of the boat with bamboo poles, and kept probing to the bottom of the river to make sure that there were no reefs and shoals in the water that would threaten the boat's advancement.

Morgan recalled the information provided by Yu Yao. He had mentioned that there were many shoals in the upper reaches of Houlongxi, and navigation was difficult. However, he did not encounter such a situation during his journey. It seems that it should be the positive impact of the rainy season.

Of course, there is another strange phenomenon that has also attracted Morgan's attention, that is, in the process of traveling all the way from the mouth of Houlongxi to here, he did not find any boats of indigenous tribes on the river, even if they were canoes and bamboo rafts. None of them were seen.If it wasn't for the poor craftsmanship of the natives who couldn't make water vehicles, then it's very likely that they were hiding their strength and deliberately didn't release it for the Haihan people to see.

Morgan believed that even if these natives living in the mountains could not build large boats that could go out to sea, building canoes or bamboo rafts, which were not high-tech water vehicles, should not be a problem for them.And if they had hidden the vehicles they built before the arrival of the Haihan people, it would be a bit deep thinking.

For the time being, Morgan couldn't figure out what the natives' motives were for this move, so he could only think of tricks.But there is one thing Morgan is sure of. No matter how many tricks the natives have, it is still difficult to change the balance of strength between the two sides in the face of Haihan's absolute superiority in force.Let him come a few ways, I just go all the way, with the gun in hand, Morgan is not afraid of how big the primitive armed forces in the vicinity can make.He dared to enter the mountain with only about twenty people, which is also the full trust in Haihan's own force.

About two hours later, Morgan's team arrived at their intended destination.Although Morgan had a more detailed map and Yu Yao's guidance, it took him more than ten minutes to confirm the location of this place is the Chusulphurous Pit that the executive committee has been thinking about. The legendary underground oil field is located in the On the gentle slope on the south bank of Houlongxi.Of course, this place is still in an undeveloped and primitive state, and there seems to be no obvious human footprints, which should be regarded as good news for Haihan.At least when Haihan develops this area in the future, there will be no disputes with the aborigines because of the ownership of the homestead.Of course, the premise is that there are no indigenous tribes within a radius of ten miles, otherwise the other party will still regard this area as their own, and will not sit back and watch the Haihan people settle down here.

But God is not good, at the same time as Morgan's team arrived at the sulfonic pit, it began to rain continuously.Morgan could only let go of the excitement of finding the destination, and ordered the soldiers to set up tents on the shore and carry some supplies off the ship.Although he has already found this place, Morgan is not going back just to take a look around. He has to roughly confirm the surrounding environment here, such as whether there are conditions for building a wharf, and whether it is possible to build supporting oil refining facilities for the oil field here. and workers' living quarters, etc.

Most importantly, make sure there is no Aboriginal activity in the surrounding area.It would be best if armed conflicts could be avoided, but the pressure on Haihan to build oil fields and settlements would be greatly reduced.

Morgan divided his men into two teams. One team was carrying and guarding supplies on the shore, while he himself led another team and began to explore the mountains. situation.The mountain ridge on the south side of Chusulph Keng is about 500 meters above sea level, and the mountain is relatively gentle, which is just suitable for serving as a temporary observation point.

(End of this chapter)