Chapter 2834
After inspecting the Lushun Shipyard, Chen Yixin saw that it was still early, so he proposed to go to the Jinshan Fort to see the whole picture of Lushun Port, and also to pay homage to the Huanglong Mausoleum.
So a group of people took a car to the foot of Golden Mountain, and then transferred to horses to go up the mountain.
Although there is a mountain in the name of Golden Mountain, its highest point is only more than a hundred meters above sea level. However, its location is just on the east side of the port, guarding the only channel in and out of Lushun Port. At the northern foot of the mountain is the Donggang Port area where Lushun Shipyard is located, and its firepower is sufficient. Covering a large area inside and outside the port.
Moreover, the terrain of Golden Mountain is very steep, densely forested, and difficult to climb. It is a place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even if the enemy wants to seize this commanding height by land, it will be extremely difficult.
Although everyone went up the mountain on horseback, it still took some time to follow the winding mountain path to the top of the mountain because of the steepness of the mountain.
There is only a small piece of flat land on the top of the mountain, almost all of which was used to build coastal defense forts, and less than one-fifth of the area was used to build two rows of barracks. A simple freight ropeway is also installed in the north of the mountain, leading to the Donggang Port area at the foot of the mountain. According to Chen Yixin, this was built during the construction of the fort. Most of the various building materials and weapons and equipment were transported to the top of the mountain through this cableway.
This freight ropeway is still in use and is used daily to transport ammunition and daily supplies for the garrison troops. Due to the high terrain, food and domestic water for the artillery troops on the top of the mountain also rely on this thing to be transported up from the bottom of the mountain. A large reservoir was dug outside the barracks on the top of the mountain to ensure that the garrison could hold the stronghold on the top of the mountain for a long time in extreme circumstances.
There are a total of six gun positions on the mountaintop coastal defense battery, which are spread out in an arc along the terrain. Through the crenels on the gun emplacement, one can overlook the large sea area outside Lushun Port on the south side. When the weather is fine, the surrounding area within twenty to thirty nautical miles can be monitored with the naked eye alone.
Between the six gun positions, there are also three underground ammunition depots. These permanent facilities are all made of concrete. As long as they do not encounter heavy firepower, their use will not be a problem for hundreds of years.
"Such a big project must have consumed a lot of resources during its construction, right?" Bai Letong also visited many military facilities during his trip, but it is true that permanent fortifications built in difficult terrain like the Golden Mountain Fort are rare. , I couldn’t help but feel a little emotional at the moment.
Chen Pingliao heard the words and responded: "In order to build this fort, there were as many as six to seven hundred packhorses and donkeys mobilized from Jinzhou and Dengzhou. It took more than two years intermittently. Completed. These barracks, reservoirs, underground ammunition depots and other supporting facilities were gradually expanded after the fort position was put into use.”
Bai Letong said: "It's a pity that we have spent so much effort to build this fort, but there is no chance for actual combat!"
Chen Pingliao said: "With such an excellent commanding height, even if no fort is built, troops must be stationed and classified as a military control zone. We might as well do it in one step!"
Bai Letong nodded and said: "Indeed, for the sake of the safety of Port Arthur, even if a fort is not built, a sentry post must be built on the top of this mountain." With today's international situation, Haihan naturally does not have to worry about who else can Raiding Port Arthur from the sea, the Golden Mountain Fort inevitably seemed a bit redundant. But when Haihan sent troops to occupy Lushun, and then faced off with tens of thousands of Qing troops in Jinzhou, the situation was not stable. If the war went unfavorable, the Haihan army in Liaodong would have to retreat from Jinzhou to the stronghold of Lushun. In that case , the fort located high in the port can play a great role. With different eras and backgrounds, the military value of this fort will naturally change.
At this time, Chen Yixin was introducing another position of the Golden Mountain Fort to Bai Kesi: "Old Bai, look, the top of the hill to the south is the No. 2 position of the fort."
Position No. 2 is only about half as high as the fort where they are currently, and has five gun emplacements. The two forts are separated by a few miles, with a canyon in the middle. However, looking here from the sea, visual errors can easily make people think that the two forts are on the same hill, making it difficult to aim accurately. The effective use of natural terrain has also created a unique and special coastal defense position structure here.
In the canyon between the two forts, there are still some scattered buildings, which are Huanglong's mausoleum and ancestral hall.
After visiting the fort, everyone went down the mountain to the Huanglong Mausoleum to pay homage to the Ming Dynasty general. Although Huang Long was not a famous general, he was the last senior Ming army general to die in the Liaodong Peninsula, so he was respected by future generations as a model of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism.
It’s just that the Ming Dynasty later lost the courage to fight to the end in the face of powerful enemies. Whether it was Haihan or the Manchu Qing, the resistance measures taken by the Ming Dynasty were very limited. The Ming army often collapsed at the first touch, and it was almost difficult to form effective resistance. If it weren't for Haihan who severely attacked the Qing army in Liaodong, the Ming Dynasty would have been completely destroyed as it was in the original history.
The Xianzhong Temple next to the Huanglong Mausoleum was built under the leadership of Haihan. What is slightly surprising is that the incense in this ancestral hall hidden in the ravine is actually quite good.
"This is because there are many local soldiers and civilians from the former Dongjiang Town. They are grateful for Huang Long's deeds, so they come here to pay homage to him. I think this may be their last memory of the Ming Dynasty!" Chen Yixin explained.
It has been more than 20 years since Huang Long died for his country. Many soldiers from Dongjiang Town who worked with Huang Long back then still live in Jinzhou. As Chen Yixin said, Huanglong represents not only the soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town stationed in Liaodong, but also the Ming Dynasty who dared to resist foreign invaders. Dongjiang Town is gone, and the Ming Dynasty in their hearts has long since fallen on the day Dongjiang Town was taken over by Haihan.
Considering the situation of Dongjiang Town at that time, the Ming Dynasty had given up on them, and it was impossible to reconcile with the Manchus. Only surrendering to Haihan was the best solution for them. Haihan not only gave them a way to survive, but also did not ask Dongjiang Town to send troops to attack the Ming Dynasty to prove their loyalty. Everyone was properly accommodated, even the former commander-in-chief who had died before Haihan came to Liaodong. There is also an ancestral hall, so there is really nothing to fault.
"Colonel Shen, what do you think?" Bai Kesi saw Shen Zhixiang behind Chen Yixin and decided to test him again.
Shen Zhixiang's expression was very calm, and he responded in a deep voice: "General Huang has devoted his duties to the Ming court and served the country with his own life. He is a model soldier. I admire him very much for his humble position. However, my humble position is only loyal to the executive committee now. If there is a future, In war, no matter who your opponent is, you will be loyal to your country despite your humble position!”
(End of chapter)