The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 176 Nanping

On March 1728, 3, when spring returned to the earth and everything revived, seven large ships slowly sailed in the harbor where the ice had gradually melted, and left the dock one by one.

On the shore, countless relatives waved their arms to see each other off, with sad looks on their faces, and said goodbye to the people on the boat.

Once this is gone, we may never see each other again.

Some officials and gentry stood reservedly on the pier under the cover of umbrellas, smiling as they watched the ship slowly go away.

On the other side, the general of the Great Qin Navy was still looking at the armored ship that was dragging behind with a shocked expression. Under the sunlight, the thick gun barrels glowed with a cold light, and he felt a sudden palpitation in his heart for no reason.

If this were to happen with one shot, wouldn't everyone like us be turned into a pile of dust, with no bones left?

The reason for this idea is that the Qin-Ming War broke out.

And Fake Ming has always been Qi's little follower.

With the outbreak of the Korean War, the entire coast of Shandong instantly turned into a war zone.

Because, according to reports from patrol boats, fake warships have also begun to swim in the nearby waters, looming as a threat to the entire northern coastal area.

It is true that neither Da Qin nor Pseudo-Ming dare to move the fleet of Da Qi royal family. Even without the escort of this armored ship, they can safely sail in the waters around Da Qin.

But the people of Qi went to such great lengths to mobilize such a powerful armored ship to escort them, probably to intimidate them from Qin and Ming.

It's enough for you to fight, don't endanger our Qi country's merchant ships traveling here!

Qi's maritime strength is strong, its ships are strong and its guns are powerful, and everyone in Qin Dynasty knows this. But now witnessing the appearance of an armored warship not only caused a huge shock to the Qin navy generals in Penglai Port, it was actually a subversive feeling to almost everyone in the world.

God, how can this steel battleship float on the sea?

With a tall hull, solid armor, powerful gun barrels, and a speed that is no less than that of a wooden sailboat, this is simply a sea dragon that can roam the world, and it is also the top predator among surface warships in the world.

I think our Daqin Navy has been developing for more than ten years and has built more than a hundred large and small ships. However, the largest model is only more than 800 tons, which can be called a giant ship.

However, if it were listed on the side of this ironclad ship, it would be like a child.

It is conceivable that as long as this armored battleship does not get into a close fight, it can basically ensure that it is not damaged and can easily sink the enemy on the opposite side.

With the rise of Qi's maritime power, both the generals of the land and sea armies in the Qin State, as well as officials and gentry who are not familiar with military affairs, all know that today's naval warfare is different from the past.

In the past, naval battles were nothing more than two ships touching each other, and then guns, bows and arrows flew in unison. Soldiers brandished their sabers, straddling the ship and killing each other. With the development and progress of guns and artillery, naval battles once again evolved into a slightly wider distance, firing guns at each other, throwing kerosene at each other, and then waiting for opportunities to engage in battle.

A few decades ago, when Qi's ships were crisscrossing the seas and dominating the South China Sea, larger warships and more powerful artillery became the basis for measuring maritime strength.

Facing this warship covered with iron armor from top to bottom, it looks indestructible. All the traditional tactics in the past may not be used at all.

In addition, it is too tall and large, and even if the two ships are connected, it will be extremely difficult to jump into gangs and fight.

It’s simply out of reach!

Its bow seems to be equipped with a sharp cone-shaped ramming device. If nothing goes wrong, it should be able to hit the opponent's ship hard.

Of course, what shocked everyone the most was the dozen or so cannons. They were too long, too thick, and too big. They would definitely shake the mountains when fired. If they were hit by a single shot, all the people and ships would be destroyed, and no bones would be left.

It can be said that such an armored battleship from Qi State directly outshines all the naval ships of Da Qin.

Think about our Great Qin Dynasty, which has moved here and there, developed stealthily for more than ten years, and constantly imitated various sail warships, only to accumulate a pitiful number of naval ships.

Even so, in the face of constant provocations and threats from pseudo-Ming warships, he still hid in Tibet all day long, either hiding in the water village of Jiaozhou (now Qingdao) or hiding in the Yangtze River, and occasionally patrolling the southeastern waters. However, when approaching the Korean waters, they hurriedly circled back and were cautious, fearing that the puppet navy would gather and annihilate them.

How frustrating and helpless this is!

After spending so much money, they failed to control the northern seas or even the Korean seas!

If there is a border provocation with the Qi State, they don't need to mobilize a large fleet to attack. Just sending such an armored warship will probably sink all the ships of our Great Qin Navy.

Alas, with the passage of time, Qi's maritime superiority is getting bigger and bigger, and I, Da Qin, may not be able to surpass it even if we spend all our efforts.

Regardless of the fears of the Penglai County officials and generals about the Qi State's iron-clad ships, the fleet carrying the Da Qi royal family's visiting Qin envoys quickly sailed toward the southeast along the coastline after leaving the port.

After passing Chengshanjiao, it immediately changed direction, heading south to east, blowing out thick smoke and galloping into the sea.

The fleet had only been traveling for half a day when they encountered scattered Beiming warships.

Obviously, as soon as the Korean War started, the Beiming navy launched a massive attack and gathered in the northern seas. On the one hand, it provided flank cover for the Ming army entering Korea, and on the other hand, it cut off Qin's possible sea supplies, forcing the Qin army to use land. Traveling thousands of miles to transport troops and supplies to North Korea.

When these Beiming warships patrolling the northern seas encountered the Qi fleet, they maintained due respect. Not only did they frequently wave greetings and salutes, but they also accompanied them all the way for more than ten miles to protect them. It can be said that they gave the people of Qi enough face.

In addition to one ironclad ship accompanying the escort, this fleet of Qi State also has two steam-sail escort gunboats. It is also a very powerful armed force in this area of ​​​​the sea, providing sufficient supply for the several accompanying merchant ships. of psychological safety.

After the fleet arrived in Shanghai County, it stopped for two days and replenished some fresh water food.

When it set sail again, the fleet had grown to more than ten ships. In addition to merchant ships carrying large amounts of cargo, there were also several passenger (immigration) merchant ships.

The fleet traveled for a few more days and arrived in Guangzhou. There were accompanying ships left behind, but more merchant ships joined the fleet.

Three days later, leaving the Pearl River Estuary, the fleet further expanded, gathering nearly twenty merchant ships of various sizes, meandering towards Annan.

On April 4, the fleet arrived in Nanping (now Cam Ranh, Vietnam), the headquarters of the Annan Governor-General, in just five days.

For Fan Agui, who was taking a boat for the first time, he was always in a dazed state from the time he boarded the boat in Penglai until he arrived at the border of Annan. After getting off the boat, he could not tell the directions of southeast, northwest and northwest at all.

The excitement and joy that we felt just after boarding the ship suddenly turned into depression after the ship sailed into the depths of the sea.

Yes, he was seasick.

He and several brothers from the Fan clan who were preparing to go to Qi State were all holding a spittoon and vomited so hard that they almost wanted to spit out all the gall in their stomachs.

The ship was rocking on the sea, and they were vomiting and vomiting in the cabin. They were dizzy, nauseated, and even suffered from heart palpitations, anxiety, fatigue and other symptoms. Three to five days later, perhaps because he had slightly adapted to the conditions at sea, or perhaps because he had eaten too little, Fan Agui finally stopped vomiting, but he was still dizzy and his mind was barely awake.

After more than twenty days at sea, what he looked forward to most was to dock at the shore. Although his legs and feet were soft and he could hardly stand and walk, he felt that even lying on the ground at the dock and feeling the solidity and stability of the earth would be ten thousand times more comfortable than lying in a dull and dirty cabin.

The ship they were traveling on was a large ocean passenger ship with a displacement of 2400 tons. It was driven by a steam engine and had a speed of 14-16 knots. It had more public activity places on board than a cargo ship, and it also had first-class cabins and cabins with good riding conditions. Second class.

But it was a pity that Fan Xingbao only bought them the cheapest third-class ticket, and they had to live in a cramped bottom cabin.

In fact, compared to the immigration ships that mixed passengers and cargo decades ago, the special passenger ships they are now on have much better conditions, both in terms of riding environment and food supply.

I think back then, when Qi officials launched large-scale immigration activities, the passenger mortality rate on a single sea voyage from the mainland to the Hanzhou mainland was as high as 15%-20%. In the cabin, a bunch of people were crowded together. There were no beds or seats. They were all lying on the floor. Vomit, feces, and sewage flowed across the floor. The smell of sourness, sweat, and mold filled the entire cabin. .

During the voyage of the immigrant ships, sailors would throw one or two corpses into the sea almost every day. From Annan, to the Nanyang Islands, and then to the mainland of Hanzhou, large and small ports and supply points along the way were filled with people who were seriously ill. OK immigration.

Although the Qi State later built a number of special immigration ships, the conditions were not much better, except that the cabins were not filled with various groceries. But in order to load more immigrants, the space on several decks has been compressed to just over one meter high. There are rows of large bunks, and dozens of people are crammed into each compartment, making it extremely difficult to turn over. .

Unlike today's ocean liner, even the third-class cabin with the worst conditions at least allows passengers to have a separate bed - although this bed is still very narrow, and it has three floors, upper, middle and lower, so that people will not turn over. The body will roll onto others.

Passenger ships like Qi's have strict safety requirements in terms of anti-sinking, fire prevention, and life-saving. They generally adopt a construction model of multiple watertight cabins and are also equipped with several lifeboats. At the same time, certain improvements have been made to the comfort in terms of roll reduction, shock absorption, and sound insulation to try to make passengers feel comfortable during long-distance voyages.

Most of these passenger ships sail on scheduled routes, so people in Qi generally call such passenger ships liner.

In order to avoid being affected by monsoons and ocean currents, the passenger ships put into operation by several transportation companies in Qi are basically all steam ships or motor-driven sailing ships, which ensures their timeliness.

If you don't make too many stops along the way and just replenish fresh water, food and coal, a steam passenger ship can reach Jianye in just over 30 days from Guangzhou, which is twice as fast as a traditional sailboat.

However, in order to achieve maximum benefits from passenger ship shipping, such regular liners generally berth at important ports along the way.

Nanping, as the seat of the Annan Governor-General, the anchorage of the Qi Navy's Annan Fleet, and the largest trading port in the region, naturally attracted many merchant ships traveling from south to north to berth here.

Nanping Hotel, Nanping Hotel, Timber Exchange Market, Annan Grain Trading Center, Imperial Bank Annan Branch, Annan Union Bank Headquarters, Hanzhou Insurance Company Building, Navy Annan Fleet Headquarters, Annan Financial Bond Trading Center, Nanping Hospital, Navigation Lighthouse, Mazu Fan Agui, who came to Nanping for the first time, was dazzled by various large-scale buildings such as the statues of gods and the Babel Tower, and was almost dazzled.

The windows of the buildings reflected the dazzling sunlight. Carriages rumbled past one after another on the streets. Qi soldiers in straight military uniforms marched proudly. Potbellied businessmen looked arrogantly in all directions. Busy citizens wore cool clothes. , hurriedly running in the market, the cowering Annan natives looked around blankly.

Oh, and there are those beautiful women, wearing simple horse-faced skirts and fresh light-colored shirts, with bulging breasts. Fan Agui couldn't help but swallow a few mouthfuls of saliva when he saw them.

Is this the state of Qi? !

"This is the territory of our Governor of Annan, Daqi. There are still hundreds of thousands of miles away from Hanzhou!" Fan Xingbao looked at the column of carriages in front of him. The vehicles were luxuriously decorated, protected by cavalry at the front and rear, and there were two teams of fully armed soldiers. The military police accompanying them, who should be the royal nobles traveling with them, were welcomed into the city to rest by local military and political officials.

"A hundred and eighty thousand miles apart?" Fan Agui was surprised, "How come it's so far away and it's also your Qi country's territory?"

"We, Daqi, dominate the two oceans, and the territory we occupy is naturally vast." Fan Xingbao said proudly: "On the other side of this world, I, Daqi, also occupy many territories. I'm afraid you don't know, I, Daqi, Our territory stretches tens of thousands of miles from east to west, and you can see the sun rising high in every place at different times and never sets!"

"It's all nonsense. The sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening. It's a cycle of heaven and a natural phenomenon. How can you, Qi State, hang the sun high and never set? Is this sun still your Qi State's fault? ?”

Fan Agui sneered at Fan Xingbao's words. Although we are poor, we are not fools. No matter how rich your Qi country is, you can't let the sun hang in the sky all the time!

Why?

Money can make the world go round. Is it possible that money in your country of Qi can make the sun never set?

"..." Fan Xingbao was startled for a moment, and then he defended with a pale face: "What do you know? All of us live on top of a big sphere. When the sun rises, it can only illuminate part of it. The rest is night. And the territory occupied by our country Qi covers the entire earth, and the sun can illuminate our territory of Qi once it goes around."

"Fourth brother, you are here...hey." Fan Agui grinned, "Do you think, if we live on a big round ball, wouldn't all the people living below be wiped out? Got down?"

"..." Fan Xingbao almost spit out a mouthful of blood when he heard this, "Agui, the earth we live in is very big, and all of us do live on it. Moreover, the earth is still rotating. You have to revolve around the sun..., yes, no, I can't explain it to you! Each one of them doesn't understand anything!"

"..."

Seeing Fan Xingbao's furious look, Fan Agui and several of his brothers looked at each other, wondering if they had offended him and made him lose face.

Gee, that could be very bad.

When they arrived in Qi State, they were unfamiliar with the place and relied on others for everything, so they couldn't offend them too much.

"Fourth brother, don't we believe you? You said that we all live on a sphere, so let's live on a sphere. Even if you say that when we arrive in Qi, we will live in the Lingxiao Palace of the Jade Emperor. , that’s it too.”

"Get out of here!" Fan Xingbao was amused. He picked up his hand and brushed Fan Agui's head. "It makes me feel like I'm telling you the story of "Journey to the West"!"

"We have heard a few passages of the story "Journey to the West" in the teahouses in our town. Why, is it also available in Qi State?"

"Of course." Fan Xingbao said disdainfully: "What your Qin State has, we Qi State also have. What your Qin State does not have, we also have!"

"Oh..." The accompanying Fan family disciples nodded hurriedly in agreement.

That is, Qi is rich and everyone knows it.

Now that you have money, don’t you just buy everything?

"Come on, let's find a place to eat. These days, the food on the ship is really hard to swallow. It's a good idea to have a meal while the ship is stationed for these two days."

"..."

"...together, together."

Seeing several brothers of the same race looking at him eagerly, Fan Xingbao waved his hand proudly.

"Not counting your expenses. ...Brother, I'm treating you!"

(End of this chapter)