Chapter 3173
At dawn, lights suddenly appeared on the river in the distance, and then became more and more dense, as if there were a large group of fireflies flying in the sky.
Those lights were windproof lanterns hung from masts and were used to mark each ship's position during night sailing to maintain a consistent course and speed.
This seemed to be a shot in the arm of the people who had been waiting for a long time by the Qiantang River. They cheered up and arranged their clothes again to prepare for the arrival of the distinguished guests.
The fleet carrying the Executive Committee hurriedly hurried that night and finally arrived outside Hangzhou at dawn.
When the huge figure of the Zhoushan came into view of the onlookers on the shore, many people couldn't help but sigh.
In the eyes of most people, a Fu Chuan with a displacement of four to five hundred tons is considered a big ship on the Qiantang River. The Zhoushan, with a tonnage of ten times that, is probably a super ship that many people have never seen in their lives, and it is even beyond their imagination.
Some old masters even trembled with emotion. Even the treasure ship built by Zheng He, the eunuch of the Three Treasures, when he sailed to the West more than two hundred years ago, may not be so huge in size. With such a powerful giant ship in the Haihan Army, not only the South China Sea, but also the pacification of the four seas is just around the corner.
The huge fleet that accompanied the Zhoushan to Hangzhou stretched for more than ten miles on the river, and its scale was breathtaking. People watching on the river bank finally understood why the government had to clear the docks near the mouth of the canal in advance.
After the fleet docked one by one, the first people to land were not the senior officials of the Executive Committee who had come from afar, but the armed forces responsible for escorting them.
This is the security battalion that came from Sanya with the Executive Committee, and its duty is to provide the tightest personal protection for the members of the Executive Committee. No matter what security measures are deployed in the Donghai Region, they must fulfill their responsibilities and provide the final guarantee for the personal safety of the Executive Committee.
After the security battalion confirmed the safety of the surrounding environment, the ramp already prepared on the pier was allowed to be pushed next to the Zhoushan and docked with the ship's side.
Then, under the gaze of the people, Shi Diwen, the governor of the East China Sea Region, was the first to appear on the gangway.
In recent years, Shi Diwen has spent almost half of his time in Hangzhou and has appeared in public a lot, so most people must recognize his appearance. As soon as he appeared, some people took the lead in cheering.
After waving to the people on the shore, Shi Diwen slowly walked down the gangway. Tao Donglai and others followed him and disembarked from the boat one by one.
As the host, Shi Diwen introduced to Tao Donglai and others the local officials and civil representatives who had been waiting here for a long time, as well as the envoys stationed in Hangzhou from various countries.
"Old Tao, this is Dai Yingda, the president of the Yangzhou Salt Merchant Association."
After listening to Shi Diwen's introduction, Tao Donglai stretched out his hand and said: "I have admired you for a long time."
Dai Yingda quickly stretched out his hands, bowed and shook hands with Tao Donglai, and responded in a trembling voice: "I am really lucky to meet all of you adults today!"
Tao Donglai said: "I heard that Boss Dai has contributed a lot to the construction of the Donghai Region. When I have time, I would like to ask you to come and tell us about the situation here."
When Dai Yingda heard this, he bowed even lower: "The villain is always at your disposal."
Since Shi Diwen had already greeted him before, Tao Donglai didn't care about giving him face. And Tao Donglai really wanted to know what drove the Yangzhou salt merchants to spend so much money.
After completing a simple interview at the pier, everyone boarded the prepared carriage and headed to Hangzhou, a few miles away, under the escort of the cavalry. "This is the most prosperous place in the East China Sea region? Why doesn't it look like a city?"
After Thomas got off the boat, he asked Simon with some confusion. As far as the eye can see, there are only rows of warehouses and a few private houses. Could this place be the new capital chosen by Haihan?
Simang explained: "Sir Thomas, this is just a pier outside Hangzhou. Please look to the west. Where the lights are lit in the distance, that is the city of Hangzhou!"
Thomas looked westward according to the direction he pointed, and sure enough he could see the vague image of the city outline in the distance. The city wall stretches along the north-south direction, gradually blending into the horizon.
The official road leading from the mouth of the canal to Hangzhou City has been renovated after Haihan took over Hangzhou. The damaged road surface was repaired last month. The road condition is now in the best condition.
Tao Donglai and Shi Diwen were riding in the same car. From time to time, they raised their arms and waved gently to the onlookers on both sides of the road.
Tao Donglai asked inadvertently: "How is the progress of arresting the assassins in Hangzhou?"
Shi Diwen said: "According to the situation reported by the Military Intelligence Bureau, everything is under control. There is no need to worry about safety issues."
When Tao Donglai saw that he didn't want to elaborate, he said insinuatingly: "Hangzhou is your territory. If there are any questions, the executive committee has to ask them only from you!"
Shi Diwen smiled and said: "Old Tao, the elites of the Ministry of Security and the Military Intelligence Bureau are all in Hangzhou. There are also more than 2,000 policemen, more than 2,000 city defense troops, plus a regiment of the armed forces of the Seventh Army Division. So many People are fortified at all levels, what else can go wrong?”
At the same time, there were people in Hangzhou who were not as optimistic as Shi Diwen.
Gong Shiqi frowned and stared at the city defense map on the table in front of him. He stayed up all night, coordinating and commanding various departments to track down the assassin. By this time, his eyes were bloodshot.
If it hadn't been for the constant supply of ginseng tea and refreshing medicine that night, he might not have been able to survive given his current age and physical condition.
But how could Gong Shiqi dare to close his eyes and rest at this time? According to the intelligence currently available, there are at least three teams of undiscovered assassins in the city, as well as perhaps more than ten standard rifles.
A whole night of searching failed to uncover these guys. Seeing that dawn was approaching and the Executive Committee would soon arrive in Hangzhou City, how could he feel at ease?
Gong Shiqi couldn't help but feel anxious when he thought that these guys were probably already preparing somewhere, just waiting for the Executive Committee to enter the city before carrying out their assassination operation.
If I had known that the matter was so serious, I should not have waited to leave with the Executive Committee's fleet after receiving the order in Sanya that day. Instead, I would have gone to the Navy to mobilize the fastest reconnaissance boat to come to Hangzhou. This would have given me at least four or five more days. Time, that would be enough to solve the trouble at hand.
But now I am afraid that I only have one or two hours left to solve the case and arrest the person. If something goes wrong with the Executive Committee later, my old life will not be enough to pay for it.
When Gong Shiqi was restless, his subordinates had already brought the latest news: "The fleet of the Executive Committee has arrived at the mouth of the canal outside the city."
After hearing this, Gong Shiqi stood up and pushed open the door of the house and walked outside. On the Qiantang River, which was faintly visible in the distance, a fleet of ships was slowly docking. The location where he was at this time was the Qingchun Gate Tower that the Executive Committee and his party would pass by when entering the city later.
(End of chapter)