Han Shizu

Chapter 2048 The Last Journey 19
On the Lingding Yangtze in December, there were strong winds and waves, and there were turbulent waves. In ordinary years, the area outside the Pearl River Estuary has basically entered a deserted season, not to mention that it was the 29th year of Kaibao, when the "Fanren Rebellion" broke out in Guangzhou.

In fact, the impact of the accident on Guangzhou's economy and overseas trade will have to wait until spring to see the navigation situation on the Lingding Ocean.At least one thing is certain, in a short period of time, the traffic of those big food and Persian merchants, or more accurately those MSL merchant ships, will drop sharply. On this point, people like Liu Changyan have already poured out the bitter water to the old emperor, or in other words, vaccinated them. The fiscal and tax revenue of Guangzhou and even Guangnan East Road will drop sharply in the coming year.

Due to his "outstanding" performance in rectifying the Yi religion and subsequent counterinsurgency, he won the favor of the old emperor with his toughness, determination and decisiveness, and was promoted to the deputy chief envoy of Guangnan East Road. Before the new chief envoy arrived, the Taoist chief envoy took office. All affairs in the department are presided over by him.

In response to Liu Changyan's complaints, the old emperor reprimanded him mercilessly.In the eyes of the old emperor, the prosperity of Guangzhou was created by the hard work and sweat of the countless people of the Han Dynasty, not those cannibals and Persians.

It has always been those merchants who have been demanding from the Han Dynasty, and most of the goods that the Han Dynasty needs are non-necessities. Even precious metals such as gold, silver, and copper, without the cannibals, and other overseas tribes and states, Even if the soldiers and civilians of the Han Dynasty use swords to develop and fight, there will always be alternatives.

Food merchants are not indispensable. The arrival of most of them has certainly played an icing on the cake for the prosperity of Guangzhou. It has also established some interest chains and is even relied on by some people as a source of wealth to make a fortune. Seeing it as a livelihood, it even creates the illusion that big food merchants have brought prosperity to Guangzhou.

However, some bureaucrats in Guangnan East Road have interests at stake or are blind, so they cannot see the essence under the surface. Instead, they magnify the icing on the cake and exaggerate its role.

Since some people were not clear-headed, the old emperor used thunderous means to give them initiations to wake up some people.In the remaining days of November, another major turmoil occurred in the officialdom of Guangnan East Road. In essence, it was to rectify Guangnan's political style and strengthen centralization. On the surface, it was a response to the "Fanren Rebellion" in Guangnan's military and political affairs. The charges against the officials include bullying the emperor and perverting the law, forming cliques to monopolize power, corruption and harming the people, etc. Especially those who profited from the Panyu palace renovation project, no matter how cruel the punishment is, no matter how cruel the punishment is.

It is conceivable how much shock it brought to the officials and people of Guangnan East Road after the old emperor arrived in Guangzhou.The common people are powerless, and so are the bureaucrats. However, looking at what the old emperor has done since his southern tour, the dignitaries in the southern states have completely realized one thing: the old emperor is here to ruin things and lose his job...

What is certain is that after the turmoil in Guangzhou Mansion, no matter where he goes next, no one will sincerely welcome the old emperor.No bureaucrat is willing to serve a moody emperor who likes to kill people, and no city wants to experience the feeling of economic stagnation and regression for ten years. Not all cities are called Guangzhou...

Naturally, the old emperor didn't foresee this situation, he just didn't take it seriously.His intention is not to make everyone like him. He is just a Kaibao Emperor, not a Kaibao Tongbao. On the other hand, this is also related to the current mental state of the old emperor, who is really unscrupulous and does whatever he wants.

What troubled everyone on Guangnan East Road was that the old emperor seemed to be planning to spend the winter in Guangzhou. They had been working on it for more than a month, but there was no sign of starting.

The old emperor really had no consciousness of the "God of Plague". Instead of having any thoughts of leaving, he chose a cold and clear day to go to sea for training with the naval fleet stationed in Guangzhou.

This was the second time the old emperor took a boat to go to sea in his life. The last time was in Hebei during his northern tour in the early years.At that time, the old emperor was in his prime, high-spirited, and guiding the country, but now he is senile, and his whole state is like a ship rocking on the sea, with the risk of capsizing at any time.

The ocean is boundless and full of deep and cold blue tones. Seeing the same scenery too much can also make people depressed.Of course, the old emperor's trip to the sea was not to enjoy the scenery. It was a review of the Guangzhou Navy and an observation of its training. It was not just an ordinary naval tactical training.The training sea area is far away from the land and away from ordinary trade routes. It is surrounded by empty areas and only scattered islands and reefs can be seen in the distance, making the picture less monotonous.

Even the behemoth main battleship was just a tiny speck of dust on the vast sea. The hull was shaking slightly under the impact of the waves, but the old emperor didn't care at all at this time.

Standing on the bridge, he was wrapped in a heavy mink robe, his hands tightly grasping the armrests, and his old eyes staring at the "training ground" in the distance.

The distance was too far. With the old emperor's current eyesight, it was obviously impossible to see the situation clearly. Looking from a distance, he could only see some vague outlines.

However, the old emperor's ears are still good, and the noise on the training ground is really quite big.At this time, in this sea area, in addition to the roar of the raging wind, there was a roar of "bang bang". Such a movement was not surprising to many people in the Han army today. It was the roar of artillery.

Needless to say, what the Guangzhou naval fleet presented to the old emperor was naturally an offensive drill by gunboats.Since the birth of artillery, it has gradually been used in the Han army and gained recognition at an extremely fast speed. Some senior generals are even keen on improving artillery that is more powerful, easier to operate, and more convenient for transportation.

This is true for the Army, and so is the Navy.After so many years of development, the use of artillery in war modes such as field warfare, urban warfare, offense, and defense has become increasingly mature and even systematic.

In contrast, how to move artillery from land to warships has become a problem that has troubled the Han Navy for many years. After many efforts and more than ten years, the Han Dynasty was finally built at the Jinling Shipyard. A generation of combat gunboats.

It has to be said that this is almost a comprehensive test of Dahan's shipbuilding technology, and it is also a technical upgrade that lasts for more than ten years. After all, compared with ordinary warships, gunboats have much higher requirements for craftsmanship, workers, and materials.

Even so, this first-generation gunboat was still just a test ship. Jinling Shipyard built only five ships in total, which were distributed to various naval fleets for testing. As the most important anchorage of the Han Navy in the south, Guangzhou was where the main force was located. Got a boat.

The old emperor's patrol was here, so it was impossible to miss it. The gunboat was one of his iconic products that promoted the historical process. Once this ship was launched, his "Nanyang Strategy" had another strong support.

The first-generation gunboats were naturally primitive and crude, and their bombardment was inconsistent. After each launch, the gun barrel had to be cleaned, explosive shells filled, and the firing adjusted. The accuracy could not be guaranteed.

But every roar sounded so sweet to the old emperor's ears, as if it was the cry of the era he created.Probably due to the arrival of the saint and destiny, this training successfully sank the target ship before destroying the cannon.
(End of this chapter)