Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 94 Countermeasures
Watching the Franky ghost's sailing warship leave in disgrace, the soldiers waved their swords and cheered loudly, shaking the sky, and their morale was unprecedentedly high.

The two warships with the Chinese character "Fen" in their names continued to patrol the bay, while the flagship "Guangming" sailing ship returned to the Davao River estuary dock and was greeted by a group of military and political officials.

After Zheng Guohui got off the boat, he didn't say much, but just told everyone to go to the city hall for a meeting.

This time we fooled the Franks and sent them back. They probably won’t come back in the short term.

The white governor would certainly not "respectfully offer generous gifts, kneel before the throne of this king, and devoutly pray for forgiveness." He would not be able to fulfill any of these harsh conditions.

Coupled with the gimmick of the Taiping Rebellion, the French were unable to figure out the origins of the Chinese forces on the island for a while.

Many of these Franks had heard about the disastrous war that took place on the Chinese mainland.

The war lasted for more than ten years and tens of millions of people died.

The war is still going on, and there is no hope of ending within one or two years. It sounds very bloody and cruel.

Now that some "King of Tranquility" has emerged and led his troops south to occupy Mindanao and become king, it doesn't seem particularly difficult to understand.

The main purpose of holding a high-level military and political meeting in the city hall was to appease the people.

The Franks are coming, let them come, we should do what we should do, if they come, we will fight them with our troops, if they come, we will block them with earth!

Although there were only more than 1700 soldiers in Davao City, Zheng Guohui was not worried at all.

When needed, with a single order, the Chinese immigrants who have just started to live a good life will surely respond. Everyone on the island is a soldier.

There is no need to worry about the fighting capacity of these guys who immigrated here earlier.

After the meeting

Seeing everyone leaving with a relaxed look on their faces, Zheng Guohui couldn't smile, as he felt heavy with worries in his heart.

If the Frankies attack in large numbers at this time, it will be really difficult to deal with.

these few months

The seized British and French merchant ships were returned one after another, but due to the huge language barrier, the other party did not get to know much information.

A total of six French sailing cargo ships have been seized in Zamboanga and Davao, with a carrying capacity ranging from two to three hundred tons to five to six hundred tons, but they cannot be converted into warships.

Because there were no shipboard artillery, no well-trained artillerymen, and no sufficient iron sheets to strengthen the hull, the naval power remained weak.

There were only five sailing warships that could be relied upon, and the artillery was not fully equipped. The warships were all equipped with 5-pound field guns, which were much less powerful.

If a real fight breaks out, the loss is likely to be large.

Once defeated by the Frankish fleet and the nearby waters blocked, the immigrant ships would be like fat meat delivered to the enemy's doorstep, at the mercy of the enemy.

Zheng Guohui felt particularly heavy-hearted when he thought of these things. He could not tell anyone about this tremendous pressure and could only bear it himself.

It's mid-September

If we want to completely change the current passive situation, we have to wait until around June next year when the warships and machinery and equipment purchased from the American-owned Wan Guo Tong Bao Trading Company arrive, before we can turn the tide.

At this stage

The French Navy is definitely much more powerful. They have 7 genuine sailing warships and can also mobilize more armed merchant ships.
After careful consideration
Zheng Guohui called his eleventh uncle Zheng Shouzhong. After the two of them discussed secretly for a long time, they called over a dark and thin man.

"I, Wang Haigou, pay my respects to the General. May the General be blessed with good health and happiness."

"No courtesy, get up!"

"Thank you, General."

"Your name is quite interesting. Is it a name or a nickname?"

"To answer your question, General, I was trafficked to Malacca as a Chinese laborer when I was young. Due to my young age, I wasn't chosen by the local white plantation owners. I've been making a living at the docks, hanging out with the sailors. I can understand a few white languages, so I was nicknamed 'Sea Dog'. Since my surname is Wang, I used that nickname to refer to myself."

"Well, what do you think of my conduct on this island? Is it in accordance with public opinion?"

"Reporting to the General, I believe that... your action is a meritorious act that is worthy of the name of the Buddha."

"Oh...tell me about it?"

"We common people were born in poverty and have been wandering around for more than ten years. Those white guys have never treated us as human beings. They order us around like cheap things and we have no dignity at all!" When Wang Haigou said this, he thought of the hardships he had experienced over the years and couldn't help but burst into tears.

He knelt down again and said in tears;
"Until the general arrived with a mighty thunderbolt, his army swept through the barbarians, forcing the white and black people to surrender, and everyone was in awe.

Only now can we, the common people, stand up straight and live with a little dignity.

All of these are due to the protection of the general.

Wang Haigou is not the kind of person who doesn't know how to be grateful. He should remember where the water came from and know how difficult it is to live like this.

For hundreds of years, our Han people have been bullied and lived like dogs without dignity.

Only a great man like the general can save us from suffering. If we don't follow him wholeheartedly, won't we be living like a dog at this age? "

"Hahaha... Although the words are vulgar, the truth is good." Zheng Guohui glanced at Uncle Eleven and laughed heartily, then said;

"Wang Haigou, you are more clear-headed than most people in this world. You understand that dignity is hard-earned and must be fought for with swords and guns in your hands. Without strength, how can you get respect?

"General, I have high hopes for you. I wonder if you can shoulder this heavy responsibility." "General, although I, Wang Haigou, am dead, I have a strong heart and a strong blood. Even if I have to go through fire and water, what harm does it have to me?"

"Hahaha, well said..." Zheng Guohui was now even more satisfied, and pointed at his eleventh uncle Zheng Shouzhong beside him and said;

"This is my eleventh uncle, Lord Zheng. He recommended you for this important task, and he has also taken on a corresponding responsibility.

Today's View
It is true that heroes emerge from the grassroots.

Now kneel down and obey my orders..."

"General, I, Wang Haigou, will obey your orders no matter what it takes, no matter how hard it tries." Wang Haigou knelt down and answered in a strong voice.

Zheng Guohui stared at him and ordered word by word, "In the name of my lord, I appoint Wang Haigou as a seventh-rank secret envoy, specifically responsible for investigating all military and political intelligence from the Manila Governor-General's Office. No mistakes are allowed."

"I will obey your orders and live up to your trust, General."

"You are no longer common people. You can change your words."

"My Lord General, I will not let you down and will repay your trust with all my heart and soul."

"Well, you will take a boat to Manila immediately. You can recruit more than 10 helpers from the Chinese immigrants, receive 500 taels of silver as expenses, and set up a business in Manila. The people and money you need can be obtained from Lord Zheng." Zheng Guohui instructed.

"We will follow the orders of the general and will not make any mistakes." Zheng Shouzhong and Wang Haigou both clasped their fists and saluted, then took the order and left.

Since ancient times
Being a spy is not uncommon, and the two of them naturally knew what to do.

Zheng Shouzhong had gone to Southeast Asia alone to investigate military and civil affairs. He was experienced in this area and could provide considerable help.

After arranging this matter, Zheng Guohui felt a little relieved.

He estimated that the French would not react so quickly, but for such a major event concerning the safety of the country, there could be no room for luck, nor could there be any "probably" or "guessing"; adequate precautions had to be taken.

In case the situation changes, you won’t be caught off guard.

This unexpected incident completely ruined Zheng Guohui's original plan of an expedition to Cagayan in the north.

Given that Davao City’s defenses are insufficient, it would be inappropriate to split up the troops and launch an expedition at this time.

Fortunately, Cagayan is just a small seaside town with a population of several thousand. There are not many indigenous villages around it. The total population is just over 10,000, and the population size is not large.

As for how much more than ten thousand, there is no accurate statistics.

The unexpected arrival of the Franks made Zheng Guohui feel more threatened, and the plan to build a fortress at the river mouth, which had not been planned before, was quickly given priority.

Therefore, more than 4600 people were specially allocated from the hard labor prisoners to build the river mouth fortress.

The city of Davao is located on a plain, and the surrounding area has only gentle hills, but no decent mountains. The collected rocks have to be transported from other places.

The so-called "estuary fortress" refers to the fortresses built at both ends of the Davao River estuary, one large and one small, one main and one deputy.

It is mainly located in the suburbs of Davao City, about 3.8 kilometers deep into the river mouth. The invading enemy fleet cannot fire at sea and must sail into the Davao River.

At the mouth of the Davao River, the river surface has expanded to more than 700 meters, looking like a vast ocean and spectacular.

But compared to sailing freely on the sea, the width of the river of more than 700 meters is far from enough for sailing warships to come and go freely and avoid attacks from coastal artillery.

There is no other way but to bear it.

This is also the value of the estuary fort, which can effectively prevent the enemy fleet from going upstream and forming a siege on Davao City.

The main battery fortress is 10.6 meters high, 8.4 meters wide at its widest point facing the Davao River, and 620 meters long. It can accommodate twelve 60-pound coastal heavy guns to block the river, and its firepower is extremely strong.

The entire main artillery fortress is thick in the west and thin in the east. On the west side facing the river, the city wall is 8.4 meters wide and has a circumference of more than 2300 meters. It is a typical Chinese city wall structure.

The main city wall is built with rammed earth mixed with thatch and glutinous rice. The outer side is built with stone slabs and the inner side is built with bricks. It has facilities such as garrison caves, armories, water storage caves and barracks, and is fully equipped.

A moat was dug outside the city, which is 28.6 meters wide and 5.2 meters deep. Water from the Davao River was diverted into it. Only a stone bridge connected the inside and the outside.

The secondary battery fort is located opposite the river mouth, about 5.5 kilometers away from the estuary, and deeper into the hinterland, making it difficult for the invading enemy fleet going up the river to attack the secondary battery fort first.

These two fortresses are military cities and civilians are not allowed to enter. They are heavily guarded after they were built.

The first thing the invading enemy fleet would have to face up the river was the main artillery fortress, which was more solid, better equipped, and had stronger firepower.

When the enemy fleet attacks with fierce coastal artillery bombardment, the secondary artillery battery can attack from behind and use large-caliber coastal artillery to support the main artillery battery of the fortress.

The secondary battery fortress is much smaller and can only be equipped with 5 60-pound heavy guns, plus a dozen 40-pound and 30-pound coastal guns, and its firepower is also quite strong.

Since the width of the Davao River opposite the secondary battery is only 420 meters, which is much narrower than the river mouth, this will greatly restrict the movement of the enemy fleet.

Therefore, the secondary battery's fire is more deadly and its bombardment is more accurate, and it should never be underestimated.

Over the next twenty days

The river mouth fortress, with one main fort and two secondary forts, gradually took shape under the construction of thousands of indigenous laborers day and night.

This time
The Franks had not come to harass, and there were spies closely monitoring the sailing fleet in the Manila port, which made Zheng Guohui feel much more at ease, and he finally felt relieved.

If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight!

(End of this chapter)