Chapter 594 Zhongzuo Suocheng
Due to the large hull of the "Prestige Signal" and the fact that it was already dark, it took longer than ordinary ships to dock at the port. A total of hundreds of sailors were working on the ship and on the shore with torches and lanterns, and used cables and winches to drag the huge "power signal" to the dock bit by bit. It took more than an hour just for the seven ships of the mission fleet to dock. After the ship stopped, Xu Yuzhuo boarded the "Wei Signal" again and asked the people from the mission to disembark and go ashore.
"The operating efficiency of this terminal is low enough." Ning Qi shook his head and gave the Zhongzuo Terminal a failing rating. His scoring standard is based on the average level of ports such as Victory Port, Sanya Port, Heitu Port, and Zhennang Port, and the situation here is obviously still far from a qualified military terminal. Of course, this may also have something to do with the fact that the local dock has never received such a large ship.
"Contrary to you, when I see this situation, I feel relieved." Shi Diwen responded with a smile.
"Why?" Ning Qi didn't react for a moment and asked subconsciously.
"Low operating efficiency means that their navy's training intensity is not enough, warships enter and leave the port less often, and their sailors are not skilled enough in the operation of large ships docking." Shi Diwen explained patiently.
"I see, that makes sense!" Ning Qi nodded in sudden realization, and couldn't help but look at Shi Diwen with admiration.
Their mission when they came to Fujian this time was not only to interview Xu Xinsu on some important matters related to cooperation between the two parties, but also to take advantage of this opportunity to collect local intelligence information, which of course included Fujian's military situation. Being able to infer the training status of the local garrison from the details of the arrival and landing was something Ning Qi had never thought of before. If Shi Diwen hadn't noticed it, Ning Qi would have missed it inadvertently.
"This is a habit we have developed from sailing in the past. Every time we arrive at a new port, we have to observe the operation of the local terminal, and also measure data such as water depth and flow rate." Shi Diwen said while pointing out He pointed to the port side to the outside, where several soldiers were quietly measuring the water depth and other data with tools according to his previous instructions.
"My Majesty, Yongning Guards General Xu Yuzhuo of the Ming Dynasty, respectfully invites the Haihan delegation to come ashore!" Xu Yuzhuo's voice came from the cabin, stopping their discussion.
"Let's go and see this Zhongzuosuo Castle!" Ning Qi didn't show any airs and immediately got up and walked out of the cabin.
However, his wish was not fully realized. Although lanterns and torches were lit on the wall of Zhongzuo Suo, only a rough outline could be seen in the dark night. After getting closer, it can be seen that the height of the city wall is about seven meters. The outer wall is made of large granite strips. The city wall is complete with various fortifications such as battlements, gun ports, and towers. It is the most beautiful thing they have seen since traveling. It is the strongest point among the military strongholds. The walls of the guard station ruins I saw in Yulinjiao were only about half of the Zhongzuosuo City, and most of them were made of adobe. Only the city gate was made of stone bricks, which was far stronger. Incomparable.
Starting from the dock, local Ming soldiers stood on the roadside holding torches at intervals of about two feet to welcome this special envoy into the city. While they were marching to Zhongzuo Castle, the soldiers on the roadside were very quiet and did not move around randomly. Even Ning Qi could feel that the military discipline of this unit at least seemed to be very good.
"There are 1,240 soldiers stationed in the local Zhongzuosuo City. The city has four gates in the east, west, north and south, namely Qiming Gate, Huaiyin Gate, Qiade Gate and Huangshu Gate. The place where you can enter the city is Huaiyin Gate in the west." Xu Yuzhuo led the way and introduced the situation of Zhongzuosuo City to the guests: "My father has set up a reception banquet for you in the city, and you can enjoy it later."
"Your father is also in the city?" This news surprised Ning Qi a little. Before he came here, he thought that he would not meet Xu Xinsu until he went to Zhangzhou.
"To be honest, Teacher Ning, my father just came here from Zhangzhou yesterday just to greet you." Xu Yuzhuo explained.
After the team entered the city from Huaiyin Gate, they soon arrived at the core area of the city, the command center of the garrison. When Ning Qi was in Zhennan Port, he saw the photos of Xu Xinsu secretly taken by the intelligence department provided by Malik. When he saw an old man with a vaguely similar face to Xu Yuzhuo approaching, he recognized the other person's identity.
"Haihan Ning Qi, I have met Mr. Xu!" Ning Qi clasped his fists in salute and took the initiative to say hello.
"I have admired Mr. Ning for a long time. When I saw him today, he was really majestic and extraordinary in appearance!" Xu Xinsu was a businessman and had been in the world for many years. He came out with his flattery without any hesitation.
Xu Xinsu was dressed in casual clothes and not in official uniform, which made Ning Qi feel a little more relaxed. He personally did not like to deal with Ming officials, nor did he want to simply handle the relationship between Haihan and Fujian on a public-to-public basis. If Xu Xinsu insists on receiving the Haihan delegation as the Fujian General Soldier, then there will probably be much less room for maneuver on some of the topics to be discussed next.
Xu Xinsu set up two banquet tables. Before the banquet started, both parties introduced the people present on their side. Ning Qi noticed that the attendees arranged by Xu Xinsu were not civilian officials from the Zhangzhou area, but were all from the military. Moreover, most of the people accompanying the guests were named Xu. It was obvious that the relationship with Xu Xinsu was not just a simple superior-subordinate relationship. In other words, Xu Xinsu arranged for his own people at this reception banquet.
Xu Xinsu did not mention the fortifications at the banquet, but only gave a symbolic greeting about the situation of the mission's fleet on its way to Fujian, and also recalled his own experience of his last visit to Guangzhou. Haihan was very cooperative and did not rush to bring up the business. After all, there were many people talking on this occasion, and it would be more appropriate to wait until a formal meeting later to talk about some more secretive matters.
After the banquet was over, Xu Yuzhuo took them to their residence. However, this garrison was temporarily organized by the military camp in the city. Xu Yuzhuo was a little apologetic: "Everyone, please stay for one night. We will arrange for you to go to Zhangzhou tomorrow. My family has prepared a large house for you there. I guarantee that Let everyone have a comfortable stay.”
Before Ning Qi could respond, Shi Diwen had already rushed in and responded: "It doesn't matter where you live, as long as it's clean. If it's convenient, we would like to stay here for two or three more days."
Xu Yuzhuo said with an expression of embarrassment: "To be honest, my father has some important matters to go back to Zhangzhou to deal with tomorrow, so he hopes to receive all of you distinguished guests in Zhangzhou City where the conditions are better. It's not a problem if you want to stay on Jiahe Island for a few more days. , I’m just afraid of delaying the business you have to do.”
Ning Qi and Shi Diwen exchanged glances, and then said proactively: "Otherwise, I will go to Zhangzhou tomorrow, and Shi Diwen will still stay here. It is inconvenient for our big ship to sail into the Zhangjiang River, so it will dock at Jiahe Island It’s better here.” This is a good reason. Although the "Wei Signal" is not a giant, there are indeed some hidden dangers for a sea-going ship of this tonnage to sail into the inland river. What's more, the water conditions of the Zhangjiang River are completely blind to the crew. Ning Sakiya didn't want to take any risks with the navy's treasure. And Ning Qi also saw that Shi Diwen probably wanted to stay consciously. Since the military had such a plan, he was also willing to cooperate.
After Xu Yuzhuo settled them in and left, Ning Qi asked: "What are your thoughts on staying?"
Shi Diwen nodded and admitted Ning Qi's guess: "It's all in the dark today and I can't clearly see the situation here. I plan to take some time to study the defense situation here and get a feel for the bottom of Xu Xinsu's army."< br>
"Your military wants to invade Xiamen Island?" Ning Qi made a bold guess very sensitively.
"You are thinking too much." Shi Diwen denied Ning Qi's idea this time: "The military's first choice is Penghu and Taiwan, which are some distance away from the mainland. Even if a military base is to be established here in Fujian, we think Kinmen Island is better than Xiamen The island is more suitable, and its location can easily control Quanzhou in the north. ”
Kinmen Island and Xiamen Island face each other across the sea to the east and west, and are only five nautical miles apart at their closest point. However, Kinmen Island is located farther out, and the radiation control range is relatively larger. It is also farther from Quanzhou in the north than Xiamen. The island was nearly a quarter closer. Of course, Ming troops are also stationed on Kinmen Island. As long as the cooperative relationship between the two parties continues, Haihan will not be able to take some unfriendly actions against "friendly forces". Therefore, the development plan formulated by the military does not target Xiamen Island and Kinmen Island off the coast of Fujian, but focuses on the area east of the Taiwan Strait.
"The people we sent here have always lived in Zhangzhou City, and there is still no information about the deployment of Xiamen Island. I have to take this opportunity to collect some useful information." Shi Diwen said while speaking from A SLR camera was found in the suitcase: "I'll go out for a walk tomorrow and take photos of the defense conditions inside and outside the city. They don't know what I'm doing anyway."
"Remember to give me a copy of the photo when you return. It will become a precious historical document hundreds of years later!" Ning Qi quickly added.
The various expedition teams or combat troops dispatched by Haihan will archive and back up the photographed or recorded image data in the large database in Victory Port. Although it is only theoretically possible to say how many years these data can be saved, time travelers still hope to preserve these original image data until future generations have the technological level to interpret them from the disk.
Shi Diwen responded: "No problem. By the way, did you notice just now that almost all the people attending today are members of the Xu family?"
Ning Qi nodded and said: "Of course I noticed it. Xu Xinsu probably doesn't want us to have too much contact with the outside world. It may even be to prevent the news of our visit from spreading too early."
"But this probably won't be possible. When daybreak, our ship will cause a sensation, and ships entering and leaving the Zhangjiang River estuary will also be able to see this big guy!" Shi Diwen winked at Ning Qi and said: “Didn’t we create this big guy just to attract attention?”
Ning Qi ignored Shi Diwen's joke, coughed dryly and changed the subject: "What do you think the representatives of Shibazhi would think if they knew we were coming."
The smile on Shi Diwen's face slowly faded: "I think they have the idea of getting rid of us quickly. We are providing Xu Xinsu with arms, training the army, and teaching him how to fight. These things are not a secret. I believe that Shibazhi has known this information for a long time. For them, perhaps cutting off the military assistance behind Xu Xinsu is the best way to defeat Xu Xinsu."
Shi Diwen pointed at himself and then at Ning Qi: "You and I should be their potential targets. Maybe they will send out assassins to see if they can assassinate us."
"You sound like it's dangerous when you say it like that." Ning Qi didn't take it seriously: "If they can assassinate us, they can also assassinate Xu Xinsu. Why do they go through such a big circle to provoke us, who are untouchable? A big evil star? ”
Shi Diwen shrugged and said: "Maybe Xu Xinsu will be killed when we assassinate us. But I must remind you that Zhangzhou is more dangerous than here. You have to be careful about your personal safety."
There is only one Zhongzuosuo City on Xiamen Island. Basically, all troops are stationed in the city, so it is generally difficult for outsiders to sneak in. Although there are still some fishermen living on the island, they are unlikely to be allowed to enter the city. Therefore, it is safest to live in Zhongzuosuo City, which has slightly worse conditions. In contrast, the situation in Zhangzhou City, which is full of three religions and nine streams, is indeed It's much more complicated.
However, Ning Qi was not a timid person. He just smiled calmly and said: "I will be more careful. If someone really comes to assassinate me, I would like to try to see if I have the ability to protect myself."
In accordance with internal security regulations, travelers like them who travel to uncontrolled areas are issued personal weapons. Ning Qi also received a pistol and ammunition before setting off. Although the last time he practiced target shooting was before crossing, this did not prevent Ning Qi from being more confident in his shooting skills.
"I will let old Morgan go to Zhangzhou with you. With him by your side, I will feel more at ease." Shi Diwen did not recognize Ning Qi's blind confidence and still arranged a protective umbrella for him.
Although Morgan's main individual skill is sniping, his pistol shooting accuracy is also very impressive - after all, this is the unique skill of a sniper to save his life in close combat. Moreover, Morgan has received formal military training, and his reaction and handling methods are a hundred times better than those of Ning Qi, who only received ten days of temporary military training. He also knows how to protect himself and others when a real situation arises.
(End of chapter)