Chapter 3172
In the early morning of March 30, 1657 in the Haihan calendar, in the east of Hangzhou, at the mouth of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal.
As the starting point of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, this is one of the busiest shipping locations in Hangzhou. Maritime trade commodities imported from Zhoushan and Ningbo via the Qiantang River, as well as various inland goods transported from the north to Hangzhou via the canal, must be delivered and transshipped here before they can go to the next destination.
But this large inland port, which operates around the clock all year round, is unusually at a standstill today. The riverbanks for several miles along the river had been completely cleared yesterday. Except for several patrol boats of the East China Sea Fleet, not even a single civilian ship could be seen.
Needless to say, such a large formation is naturally to welcome the upcoming executive committee and his party.
According to the instructions issued by the local government, the closure of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal estuary will last at least until noon, and will not be lifted until the executive committee disembarks into the city. Until the government lifts the blockade, all civilian ships must stay outside the designated areas.
This is not purely for security reasons. The Executive Committee's fleet is escorted by nearly half of the East China Sea Fleet. There is no other armed force in the Qiantang River basin that can threaten its security.
However, if the docking area on the river bank is not cleared in advance, and such a huge fleet is mixed with a large number of civilian ships leaving the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, the scene will definitely be chaotic.
Fortunately, when Bai Kesi came to Hangzhou for inspection last year, the government had already done this once. Afterwards, they checked for any leaks and filled in the gaps, and further improved the plan. This time, the process of clearing the site was much smoother than last year.
Various ceremonial guards prepared to welcome the Executive Committee, as well as local civil and military officials, celebrities and gentry in Hangzhou, also arrived here early before dawn, waiting for the arrival of the Executive Committee. There were nearly a thousand people including coachmen, sedan bearers and entourage alone.
However, this is not the main venue for welcoming events, but a place specially provided for local prominent figures to show their faces. In the early morning, he went ten miles out of the city to greet him, showing respect and sincerity.
There were also some people who went out of their way to watch the excitement, but they were unable to enter the area where martial law had been implemented and could only stand far away from the pier to watch.
According to Shi Diwen's arrangement, the executive committee will enter the city through Qingchun Gate in the east of the city, where the official welcome ceremony will be held.
A large number of people will line the streets inside and outside Qingchun Gate to welcome the arrival of these high-ranking officials. The government estimates that the number of people may reach 100,000, which is almost half of the population of Hangzhou.
The city defense army and the 7th Army Division stationed outside the city have been dispatched, and more than 3,000 soldiers are expected to participate in maintaining order.
Almost all local people have heard the news. One of the purposes of the Executive Committee's visit to Hangzhou is to take advantage of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China to announce the relocation of the capital to Hangzhou.
For Hangzhou people, this is undoubtedly a more important event than the National Day celebration. The last time Hangzhou became the national capital dates back to the Southern Song Dynasty more than 500 years ago. As for Haihan, a new empire that originated in the South China Sea, its national power was obviously much stronger than that of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Anyone with a little knowledge will think that this decision of the executive committee will probably not only change the future of the city, but also very likely change their own future and destiny.
Among the many people who have this idea, Zhu Zhongyun is one of the very few who can put it into practice. It's just that his ideas are contrary to others, and his goal is to prevent Haihan from establishing his capital in Hangzhou.
Zhu Zhongyun couldn't close his eyes because of the strong excitement. Finally, he went to the attic and lay down next to the predetermined shooting position. Only then did he finally feel more at ease, closed his eyes and fell asleep for a short while.
But before the second watch, he couldn't sleep. He stood up and walked to the window, looking at the street not far away. The Haihan Army to maintain order has begun to enter the scene and set up roadblocks at various branch road intersections to ensure smooth traffic on the main road.
Many people chose to leave the city early and go to the open area outside Qingchun Gate to occupy a place to watch.
The space on both sides of the main roads in the city has long been divided up by shops and private houses facing the street. Each house has set up its own partitions to leave the limited space facing the street in front of its door to its relatives and friends.
Of course, there are also many smart people who, after the government announced the arrival of the executive committee yesterday, put their street-facing locations up for sale. There are countless people who want to watch it up close. Hangzhou is a prosperous place, so naturally many people are willing to pay for a good seat.
Even though the house where Zhu Zhongyun and others are hiding does not face the street, it has a three-story attic with a relatively wide view. Last night, several groups of people came to the door and asked if they could pay to watch the execution in the attic. The committee entered the city.
Oral rejection was not enough to make these people give up. Zhu Zhongyun could only ask the head of the household to show them the seal that the government had posted before sending these uninvited guests away.
Zhu Zhongyun took out the rifles he had received and inspected them one by one.
This was at least the tenth time he had done this in a day. He repeatedly reviewed the plan he had made. If there were any unstable links, it might be that these rifles had not been calibrated by himself and could not be fired. Confirm that it is as accurate as the seller claims.
But judging from the quality of these rifles, Zhu Zhongyun also felt that his worries were somewhat unnecessary. The manufacturing level of Haihan rifles is far superior to that of the Ming Dynasty. These guns are still weapons used by the Haihan army, so there should be no mistakes.
Zhu Zhongyun recalled that he had gone to the craftsmen of the Arms Department a few years ago to ask about the difficulty of imitating Haihan guns. The craftsmen said that the materials alone meant that Ming Dynasty would not be able to mass-produce weapons of the same quality.
The fine steel used by Haihan to make guns and weapons could not be produced in large quantities in the Ming Dynasty. As for the processing technology, there was a huge difference.
The inability to mass produce meant that the combat effectiveness of the Ming army would not be greatly improved, and the gap in the performance of weapons and equipment made it impossible for the Ming Dynasty to engage in large-scale battles with the Haihan army on the frontal battlefield.
This is precisely why Zhu Zhongyun could only choose to assassinate senior officials of Haihan, and even had to use weapons made by Haihan in the operation to ensure the probability of success.
"No matter how good the weapons are, what can we do? We are not going to die under such weapons!"
While Zhu Zhongyun was wiping his rifle, a strange thought occurred to him. Of course, he also knew that this was just a thought to comfort himself, but as long as a few hours passed and he succeeded in striking, these details would not be important.
"The Haihan rebels will let you die at the point of my gun when they enter the city!"
Zhu Zhongyun raised his gun and looked out the window, and there seemed to be a target in front of him who was waving to the onlookers.
(End of chapter)