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Chapter 1150: Battle of Fau Harbor 4
"You are so confused, Jin Gui, you come and explain to the Governor-General's Chief of Staff why we can't delay. I don't want to waste any more time talking to an idiot!"

As a result, the flattery was not good, and it seemed to have hit the horse's hoof. The emperor's legs were raised, and if there were no naval officers near the rear deck, they would probably have kicked him out.

"Chief of Staff, the climate here is a bit strange. Although it's not too hot or too cold now, the temperature will soar in February. It will be extremely hot during the day, and you will get burned out if you don't have any shelter.

No matter how brave our soldiers are, they can't fight against the weather. On the contrary, the people here are more used to it. Your Majesty is afraid that the Portuguese will find excuses to help the Ottomans delay time. If Basra is not taken before March, it will not be suitable for fighting until October, and this year will be wasted. "

Jin Gui received the order, clasped his fists towards Ding Shun, and raised his voice to describe the climate characteristics of the two river basins. In fact, these data were all noted in the supplementary pages of the combat plan, and the officers should not have ignored them.

But people who have never been here would not have a direct understanding of it and would easily overlook it. Fortunately, the emperor was a wise man and always paid great attention to details, so the criticism was not unjustified.

"The student was careless and should be punished!" After listening to Jin Gui's explanation, Ding Shun immediately realized that he had made a big mistake. At this time, all excuses would only have a negative effect, and the right thing to do was to admit his mistake.

"Wang Chengen, Chief of Staff Ding, remember this. If there are three such incidents, we will punish them all at once. I want to see if there will be a commander-in-chief wearing blue epaulettes in the army!"

According to military law, Ding Shun should be punished for his carelessness, and Hong Tao did not say that he would not be punished, but just temporarily shelved it. However, there was a hidden threat in his words, and it was up to the individual to understand how to interpret it.

The little incident caused by the Portuguese only delayed the team for two hours. After receiving the emperor's oral order, Zhu Haiou sent soldiers to put the two Portuguese representatives on the boat without saying a word, and then raised the sail to continue advancing inland.

If the Portuguese sailing ships had not left, they would have become the first batch of victories in this battle and would have sunk two enemy ships!

With the big black ball hanging in the sky, there were no more secrets within a dozen miles. A camel within a few miles would be discovered, and hiding a large army became a luxury. The vanguard fleet no longer had to send small troops ashore for reconnaissance, and the speed of travel was significantly increased.

But ocean-going ships sailing in inland rivers can't go very fast no matter how smooth the wind and the water are. When the sun set in the west, only half of its face was visible, the fleet had only traveled about 30 kilometers, at a speed of only 3 knots per hour.

Hot air balloons are useful during the day, but can they still serve as eyes at night? The answer is no. In ancient times, there was no way to protect against darkness, and people had to rely on humans to ensure safety.

All ships were anchored in the channel 300 meters apart, with the gun ports on both sides open. The gunners slept at their gun positions, ready to provide fire support to both sides at any time.

The 8000 brave horse guards and army soldiers on board the fleet could not sit idle either. 3000 of them landed on both sides of the river respectively. They did not set up tents or camp. After building two trenches, they rested on the spot, keeping their clothes on and their guns in their hands.

Another 500 people rowed small boats up the Shatt al-Arab River for about a mile, hammering three steel piles into both banks, connecting them with iron chains, close to the water surface.

If the enemy sent a small boat to attack from upstream, it would be blocked by the iron chain and instantly shot down by the firepower from both sides. If a fireboat went downstream, it would also be blocked by the iron chain, and then the waiting soldiers would row a small boat to sink it. Whether the enemy attacked from land or water, this not-so-large team could give a timely warning. As long as they were not caught off guard, relying on the hundreds of naval guns on warships and armed cargo ships, the defense pressure was not great.

Unfortunately, after struggling for most of the night, no enemy was seen. The next day, the big rooster in the cabin sang a ballad at the top of its lungs.

"Your Majesty, why did the enemy leave the fleet alone? Is there a trick?"

Although there was no night attack, most people did not sleep well, such as Army Commander Du Wenhuan. Not long after the cockcrow, he finished washing and dressed neatly and got out of the cabin. Seeing that the emperor was already sitting on the recliner behind the rudder, he hurried over to raise his doubts.

"Adapt to local conditions. The enemy general guarding Fao Port is well aware of this and is not a reckless person. We must take it seriously!" Hong Tao didn't sleep much that night. He didn't even return to the cabin. He just lay on the recliner with a sleeping bag for a few hours.

It was easy to say that he could defeat Faou in one battle, but he was not sure about the actual implementation. After all, it was the first time to fight against the Ottoman Empire. He had no idea about its tactics, tactics and military character, and could not find a standard to measure it.

As for the lack of a night attack, his understanding was different from Du Wenhuan's. He did not think that the enemy had a greater intention, but rather that the enemy generals were more pragmatic and familiar with hot weapons warfare, and knew that in such an unobstructed terrain, a surprise attack on a fleet escorted by warships would suffer heavy losses.

"I heard that the Ottoman army is also equipped with a lot of artillery, and the caliber is particularly large. The river is so narrow, if they ambush on both sides and suddenly attack, it may be difficult to escape."

Du Wenhuan commanded the army to fight in countless battles, both large and small. He should have been very confident about the army's combat effectiveness, but he suffered from not understanding his opponent and was always afraid of unexpected omissions.

"Don't worry, there are eyes in the sky, and any movement within a dozen miles can't be hidden. How about this, since we are not far from Fao Port, send two more thousand households to patrol along the river."

Hong Tao was not too worried about being attacked by surprise, but he could not guarantee that it would be foolproof. In order to ease the worries of his soldiers, he simply added another insurance. In this way, the possibility of being attacked by surprise basically did not exist.

Compared with yesterday's trip, the situation on the second day was similar, except that the hot air balloon occasionally reported that scattered cavalry were found cruising a few miles away. After walking for a whole morning, nothing was seen.

"Your Majesty, the hot air balloon has spotted Fao Harbor. The southern wall is very low, and the houses in the city are also low. Only the temple spire in the north of the city is relatively high. No ships were found near the dock, nor were there any traces of large enemy forces."

Before lunch, the hot air balloon brought good news. The port of Faao was clearly visible. There were no strong fortifications or deep moats, nor were there any natural barriers. This largest trading port in the northern Persian Gulf was built on the river bank, in a long strip from north to south. There were not many signs of planning, and the shape was very irregular. Generally speaking, it was easy to attack but difficult to defend.

But after walking a few kilometers, bad news came. The lookout on the hot air balloon found several things that looked like trenches in the south and west of the city, with many circular low buildings in between. Although it was not clear, it looked like artillery positions. The buildings near the dock were too messy to be seen clearly for the time being.

(End of this chapter)