Rebirth of The Deer and the Cauldron, Wei Xiaobao Becomes a God

In the county government office, two white silks were hung high, ending the lives of the two timid scholars, the county magistrate and the county magistrate. They had tried to escape reality, but in the end they could not escape the trick of fate.

Li Qianzong adhered to his military duty, holding the bent steel knife tightly in his hand. His body was covered with blood, and he was hit by dozens of bullets, and finally fell in a pool of blood. He defended the dignity and honor of this city with his life.

At noon, the Governor-General of Liangjiang in Nanjing, Fu Lata, received news that the multinational coalition forces had captured the Wusongkou Fort and Shanghai County.

He immediately ordered Jiangnan Governor Li Chengdong to lead his troops to provide emergency support to Shanghai County.

The Jiangnan Governor's Office was located in Songjiang Prefecture, and its jurisdiction included the military affairs of all Han barracks in the four prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou and Zhenjiang.

There are five upgraded battalions, namely left, right, front, rear and center. Each battalion has 500 people, for a total of 2,500 people.

The Tibiao Battalion set up by the Qing army in the Han Camp was a regular army different from the city defense battalion and the coastal defense battalion. It was a field army that could be deployed to fight at any time.

In addition, the city defense camps of the Hanying Jiangnan Camp were also equipped according to the level of prefects, including five city defense camps in Suzhou Prefecture, Songjiang Prefecture, Changzhou Prefecture, Zhenjiang Prefecture and Liyang County.

The personnel configuration of these five battalions ranged from 500 to 2,000, totaling about 7,000 people. Since they were scattered in various places, it was difficult to assemble them quickly in a short period of time.

The Jiangnan Hanying also had sixteen inland navy camps, responsible for the defense of the Yangtze River from Wusongkou to Jiangyin on both sides of the river.

Their main tasks were to crack down on pirates, ensure the safety and smooth flow of salt and grain transport, and maintain order on the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal within their jurisdiction.

This huge navy has more than 11,500 cavalry and infantry, who are well-equipped and well-trained.

The ships they drove were also of many types, including thirteen bluffing ships, fourteen sand ships, eight silk-chasing ships, forty-four patrol ships, thirty-four blasting ships, and eighteen other small boats, totaling one hundred and thirty-nine ships.

Since these ships are inland vessels, their tonnage cannot be calculated by displacement like sea vessels, but they have unique advantages: they are small and exquisite, have shallow draft, and have extremely fast sailing speed.

The largest sand boat is 25 meters long, 7 meters wide and 2.5 meters high; the smallest net shuttle boat is only three or four meters long, less than one meter wide, and has a draft of only seven or eight inches, or more than 20 centimeters.

The weapons and equipment of these ships mainly continued the firearms technology of the Ming Dynasty, with a wide variety of types that are dazzling. They include red cannons, Portuguese cannons, iron guns, Portuguese-style chain guns, raised guns, hundred-shot guns, bird guns, swarms of bees, magic arrows, fire bricks, spray guns, etc. Although these firearms are old, they were hot weapons that were superior to cold weapons at the time.

When Li Chengdong, the governor of Jiangnan, received the order from the court, he took immediate action. He sent a letter to the commanders of the 16th Battalion of the Navy by carrier pigeons, ordering all ships of all sizes to assemble immediately 20 miles away from Wusongkou.

At this tense and critical moment, Zhang Zaikui, the general of the navy, personally led the expedition and shouldered the important task of retaking Wusongkou occupied by the enemy. This was not only a military action, but also a defense of national dignity and territorial integrity.

After receiving the order, more than 10,000 naval infantry and cavalry took quick action. They assembled towards Shanghai County without stopping, determined to reach Huaqiao Town in Kunshan County within two days.

At the same time, Li Chengdong, the commander of the Jiangnan Hanying, was also unambiguous. He gathered the five battalions stationed in Songjiang Prefecture, totaling 2,500 officers and soldiers, and resolutely marched towards Shanghai County, 40 kilometers away. The war has begun, and every step is full of challenges and tests.

It is worth mentioning that the equipment of the Ti Biao Battalion, as the main force of this battle, also reflects the characteristics of alternating cold and hot weapons. Each Ti Biao Battalion has 500 people, mainly equipped with fire guns, artillery, bows and arrows, rattan shields and waist knives, etc. Among them, there are 200 fire gun soldiers, 50 artillery soldiers, 100 archers, and 150 rattan sword soldiers. This configuration enables the Ti Biao Battalion to have powerful firepower and flexible tactical options, and can cope with various complex battlefield situations.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, more than one hundred Hanying navy warships of various sizes finally arrived at the river bank twenty miles ahead of Wusongkou.

Zhang Zaikui, the commander-in-chief of the navy, decisively ordered all warships to dock and sent a team of infantry and cavalry ashore to conduct reconnaissance at the Wusong Wharf ahead. This decision showed his caution and courage. Only by fully understanding the enemy situation can a more effective strategic plan be formulated.

Half an hour later, the reconnaissance infantry and cavalry had arrived at the dock. They dispersed and hid, observing the situation of the multinational coalition forces at the dock.

There were seventy or eighty large ships of more than 500 tons quietly parked at the Wusong Wharf, dropping anchor and setting sail. All of them were in battleship formation, with their sides facing the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and their gun ports all open, apparently on guard against the Jiangnan Hanying navy drifting in from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

As night falls, the shadow of war covers the earth, but the soldiers' hearts are burning with fighting spirit.

Not long after, a scout came back and told the general the specific location of the multinational coalition's ships docked at the pier.

Zhang Zaikui looked at the map and began to think. He knew that they were in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and the river was flowing downstream. If they wanted to successfully attack the red-haired devils, the best way was to sneak over there under the cover of night.

So he decided to use a night attack and use a blasting ship to deal with the enemy.

It was late at night and the wind was cold, but the soldiers' hearts were full of passion and determination.

Around two o'clock in the morning, thirty-four blasting ships quietly raised their bamboo sails. The spikes on the bows were polished to a sharp point, flashing a cold light.

Each demolition ship is equipped with ten brave soldiers. Their task is to paddle hard to make the demolition ship go faster to avoid being attacked by enemy ships.

Following the order from the navy commander-in-chief, thirty-four demolition ships rushed towards the huge enemy ships parked at the Wusongkou Wharf like arrows.

It was the early morning of the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, the sky was pitch black, and one could not see one's hand in front of one's face. Occasionally, the sound of firecrackers and barking of dogs came from the distant village, adding a touch of life to this silent night.

The river was filled with thick fog, and visibility was extremely low. In the lookout on the mast of the multinational ship, the lookouts were shivering in the cold wind, and could not bear the torture of the cold, so they lay down in the lookout, drowsy.