Chapter 2627
The next morning, Zhu Zian's cargo fleet successfully arrived in Zhoushan waters.
Although Shi Chengwu and others had introduced the situation of Dinghai Port in advance the night before, when the fleet sailed into the harbor from the Luotoumen Channel, Zhu Zian could not help but be shocked by the sight he saw.
The ten-mile-long coastal port area far exceeded Zhu Zian's previous imagination. The largest seaport he had ever seen before was Liaodong Port Arthur, but compared to the Dinghai Port in front of him, the size was at least four to five times smaller. At this time, there are probably thousands of large and small ships within sight, which shows the prosperity of maritime trade here. Only then did he truly understand why Zhoushan Dinghai Port was known as the "No. 1 Port in the East China Sea".
Of course, Zhu Zian, like all those who visited Dinghaiport for the first time, was quickly attracted by the densely packed warships docked at the nearby pier. According to Shi Chengwu's introduction yesterday, Dinghai Port is the home port base of Haihan's East China Sea Fleet, and it is also Haihan's most important military base in the East China Sea. The number of warships seen now can completely confirm what Shi Chengwu said Not empty.
At this time, there was no need for anyone else to explain. Zhu Zian instantly understood why Haihan could firmly control the offshore areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and even the lower reaches of major rivers such as the Yangtze River and Qiantang River, all in his own hands.
"If our Ming Dynasty had such a huge naval fleet, maybe Jiangsu and Zhejiang would not have fallen..." Such thoughts came to Zhu Zian's mind involuntarily.
But he immediately suppressed this dangerous thought. It is not that Ming Dynasty has never tried to use force to resist the expansion of Haihan. It is just that it still has vast territory on land as a natural barrier, but it has never been at sea or even in offshore areas. It was a one-sided situation, and the Ming Navy never played its due role.
During his stay in Hangzhou, Zhu Zian also read the local chronicles and learned that as early as twenty years ago, Haihan's armed fleet had broken into the Qiantang River and reached the city of Hangzhou, forcing the then Zhejiang Chief Envoy to grant him trade rights. Although there were several naval forces in Zhejiang at that time, they were unable to resist the actions of the Haihan Army. They could only watch Haihan's armed fleet come and go freely on the Qiantang River. And since that chaos, the navy in Zhejiang has existed in name only and has never played its due role.
Of course, the situation in Shandong where he used to be was not much better in this regard. The Denglai Navy was originally a strong naval force in the northern part of the Ming Dynasty, but part of it was coerced by Kong Youde when he launched the Denglai Rebellion and went to Liaodong to join the Manchus. The other part was stationed overseas on Phi Island and became a lone force, and was finally conquered by Haihan. The few remaining troops had no resistance when the Haihan entered Shandong. They could only watch helplessly as the Haihan established a stronghold in Dengzhou, gradually expanded the control area from the Shandong Peninsula to the Liaodong Peninsula, and finally expanded the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea. Everything is under control.
When Zhu Zian went to Lushun Port last time, he also saw some warships of the Northern Fleet there, but in terms of quantity and scale, Zhu Zian believed that they would never be able to catch up with these warships docked in Dinghai Port. It's no wonder that when Shi Chengwu talked about the East China Sea Fleet to himself, his pride was always palpable.
However, what Zhu Zian didn't know was that the East China Sea Fleet was not the only warship that docked at Dinghai Port recently. In addition to the fleet that Wang Anguo brought home, there are also a large number of naval forces from other places that move north and south to change defenses. After all, between Fujian and Shandong, there is only one large naval base like Dinghai Port, and the surrounding areas are rich in products. It is rich, so most naval forces passing through the East China Sea will choose here to rest and replenish supplies.
The port dispatched a guide boat early to lead the fleet to a dock that had vacated its berth in advance. Although preparations have been made, this pier only has eight berths, and the entire fleet has more than 20 ships, so the docking process also takes some time. The ship Zhu Zian and others were on was at the end of the fleet. By the time they docked, it was already past noon. Although he only stayed on the boat for more than a day, Zhu Zian couldn't help but feel as if his feet were stepping on cotton once he set foot on land again. Until he went to the officers' mess in the naval base and sat at the dining table to prepare for a meal, he still felt that his body was swaying involuntarily, as if his body had landed ashore, but his soul was still on the ship.
Zhu Zian saw that no one at the table showed any signs of discomfort, so he could only hold back at the moment. After all, he is the only one among this group of people who rarely takes a boat, and the others are much more adaptable to going to sea than he is.
Shi Chengwu and Wang Anguo want to integrate the joint fleet for this trip in Zhoushan. The next work is very complicated. They expect to stay here for at least five to seven days before setting off again.
The materials purchased by Wang Anguo and the immigrants he recruited this time have basically arrived in Zhoushan. At present, the main task is to complete the relevant acceptance, statistics and shipment work. At the same time, he also needs to conduct surprise training for the immigrants before departure to let them Acquire some basic sailing knowledge and skills. After all, the next voyage is thousands of miles away. During this period, these immigrants can't just eat and drink, but also have to do some work on the ship.
In addition, Wang Anguo also needs to inspect and accept several ships previously ordered at Zhoushan Shipyard. Although these ships had been put into sea trials for many days before they arrived in Zhoushan, the final handover still had to be signed by Wang Anguo himself after verifying his identity.
And Shi Chengwu's task is no simpler than Wang Anguo. He has to review the defense replacement troops in Zhoushan to confirm that their preparations have met the requirements. In addition, since there are many maritime military exercises scheduled for this trip, the officers must be convened in advance to hold a combat readiness meeting to discuss the content of the exercises.
The missions of Tao Hongfang and others heading north this time were basically concentrated in the Hangzhou area. Regardless of the degree of completion, they have now left Hangzhou, and these missions have automatically ended. This time when they returned to Zhoushan, they were all fine and relaxed, and could enjoy themselves for a few days.
Ha Jianyi has been to Zhoushan for the third time recently, and his familiarity with the local area is far greater than that of his colleagues. So on the way here, he had already volunteered to take on the job of guide, and was going to take advantage of these few days of rest to take his friends around the island to make up for the regret that they were too hasty the last time they came here. .
As a clerk, Zhu Zian was supposed to stay in the army and follow the commands of Shi Chengwu and Wang Anguo. However, the next work of Shi Chengwu and Wang Anguo involved military secrets, and Zhu Zian was obviously not qualified to access this information, so he was temporarily suspended. He was assigned to the team of Tao Hongfang and others, and followed them during their stay in Zhoushan.
(End of chapter)