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Volume 3: The Wind Rises in the South Chapter 121: Chance Encounter

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    After flowing through the central arid zone, the ancient heartland where Bagan was located, the Irrawaddy River merged with the Chindon River and continued to meander through the densely populated arid zone to reach the Ren'an Qiang. Since then, it has mostly flowed southward.  It flows through a narrow valley between Minwu and Pyay downstream, with forest-covered mountains on both sides - the peaks of the Arakan Mountains to the west and the peaks of the Bago Mountains to the east. On both sides of the mountain peaks, there are dense  Precious hardwood forests, Myanmar¡¯s world-famous teak with the best quality is produced on the slopes of both sides of the Taiwan Strait.  After flowing through this narrow valley, the Irrawaddy River enters the last part of the Irrawaddy River Basin - the most fertile Irrawaddy Delta region.  On the rugged mountain road, Zhang Qi was walking panting with a rifle on his back. His dark face was already a little chapped by the mountain wind. Behind him were fifty equally dark and thin soldiers and soldiers from the army.  There are twice as many Burmese civilians. Looking from a high altitude, this small team is like a thin line, winding on the hillside beside the river.  It turned out that this small Shun army was an advance reconnaissance team sent by Batu. Its main task was to explore the British defense situation in the canyon between Minwu and Pyay downstream.  After this advance force arrived at Minwu by boat, they disembarked and walked instead to avoid being discovered by the British patrol boats on the river.  "Help!" A cry for help suddenly came from the end of the team. Zhang Qi stopped and looked back. He saw a Burmese farmer clinging to a small tree on the steep slope. His feet were already dangling in the air.  It is the fast-flowing Irrawaddy River.  "Get out of the way, get out of the way!" Zhang Qi scolded his men in a low voice, and quickly ran towards the end of the team. When he reached the place where the man who had lost his footing was, he saw that the man was still carrying a heavy luggage, and between the man and the luggage  Pulled by the weight, the small tree was slowly bending and in danger of breaking at any time.  "What's going on?" Zhang Qi shouted sharply.  "Sir, this man just slipped and slipped -" a civilian leader replied in a low voice. Zhang Qi looked around and found a cedar tree as thick as a thigh, and shouted: "Get a rope quickly!" Soon the rope was obtained  When he arrived, Zhang Qi tied one end of the rope around his waist and the other end to the tree trunk. He carefully grabbed the rope, held the knife in his mouth, and slid down the steep slope step by step.  The stones on the steep slope have been weathered by the river wind for thousands of years. If someone touches them, they will roll down, which looks very scary.  Zhang Qi just ignored him and moved towards the small tree without saying a word. When he got closer, he raised the knife and cut the cloth belt on the farmer's shoulder. The heavy cloth bag immediately rolled into the river.  , the splash of water is chilling to hear.  Then Zhang Qi tied the civilian husband with himself, and with the soldiers pulling him up the hillside.  "Idiot!" As soon as Zhang Qi untied the rope around his waist, he kicked the civilian husband. The civilian husband did not dare to tell the difference, but just kowtowed and thanked him.  Zhang Qi snorted coldly, looked at the sky and the surroundings, then pointed to a mountain col not far away and said: "There seems to be an open space over there. Everyone, please work hard and rest and eat there!"  All the soldiers had left long ago, but Zhang Qi was running the army in a strict manner and did not dare to say a word. Hearing the sound, he cheered in unison.  Everyone now had a goal, and their pace was three points faster.  After half a cup of tea, everyone had arrived at the col. Sure enough, there was a piece of flat land. Everyone gathered firewood and boiled water for cooking.  Zhang Qize compared the map with the help of two young officers, marked his current location, and prepared for tomorrow's action route.  "My lord, my lord, there is movement on the river!" "What?" Zhang Qi raised his head, and a soldier replied breathlessly: "There is no spring water here, so my two brothers and I went to the water at the foot of the mountain to fetch water.  I found a British ship sailing slowly, so I came to report it!" "A British ship? You can be sure!" "It's true, there are a few yellow-haired soldiers on the bow.  "It's very slow. Why do you stop every now and then?" Zhang Qi pondered for a moment. It's very close to the delta area controlled by the British. It's not surprising that a British ship appears, but it doesn't sound like it from the soldier's description.  It would be better to go down and take a look at the appearance of the patrol boat.  Thinking of this, Zhang Qi ordered: "Give me the order to put out the bonfire. Everyone will eat dry food today and prepare weapons and stand by. I will go down and see for myself!" "Yes, sir!" A young officer immediately responded, and another said: "I'm here.  I also know a little about the British ships, so why don't you let me go down with you?" "That's fine!" Zhang Qi said with a smile, "Wei Sunan, I'll trouble you!" In the forest, Zhang Qi and the young man  Under the leadership of the soldier, the officers moved forward carefully. Through the gaps in the trees, they could already see the British ship that the soldier said was moving upstream at a slow speed. At the bow, two British soldiers were heading toward the water.  There was a rope inside, and he would turn around and report a number from time to time. A man behind him was holding a notebook.The soldier was writing in his notebook.  "What are you doing?" Zhang Qi asked.  Wei Sunan frowned: "They should be measuring the depth of the channel. I have a brother serving in the Fuzhou Navy. He once mentioned to me that some large warships want to enter inland rivers or harbors. In order to prevent stranding, they must first use  Only small boats can measure the waterway so that large warships can pass. "You mean the British are preparing for large warships to go upstream?" Zhang Qi's face immediately became serious, although he had not personally experienced the British Royal Navy.  The powerful power, but in the fierce battle outside Bagan not long ago, the scene of British surface ships bombarding one's own military camp with rockets and heavy artillery was still vivid in his mind, which immediately made him vigilant.  "Sir, I'm not sure, but it's very likely!" Wei Sunan's face was also very solemn. Compared to Zhang Qi, he was better educated and naturally understood better that once a large British warship went upstream, it would have a profound impact on the battle situation.  Influence.  Zhang Qi looked at the sky and whispered: "The British people on this ship who are measuring the water depth are probably not ordinary people. If we attack the enemy ship and catch two alive, we will definitely be able to get a lot of real information from them.  , I don¡¯t know what you think!¡± Wei Sunan nodded in agreement: ¡°What your Excellency said is true. Even if the British don¡¯t say it, as long as we know the water depth of the channel they measured, we can roughly know the draft and approximate size of the British ships that are coming in, regardless of the situation.  We can target them by laying mines or sinking ships, but we only have a few rifles in our hands. "Haha, it doesn't matter!" Zhang Qi smiled and stroked his short beard.  : "Think about it, looking at the speed of their boat, it can only travel two or three miles in an hour. And they can't do their job when it's dark. It's getting late now. They either have to stop in the river and anchor, or they can find a boat.  We have to find a place to rest on the shore. If they stop in the river, there is nothing we can do. But if they rest on the shore, God has left them in our hands. " "It is true what your Excellency said!  "Wei Sunan high-fived and praised.  "Let's do it like this. I'll go back immediately and let the brothers eat and rest. You can hang two people far away on the mountain road and leave marks along the way. There is no cover on the river anyway, so you don't have to worry about this guy getting lost. Wait for the group to eat.  We will deal with it after catching up after resting!" "Yes, sir!" "The Thames" is a schooner with a displacement of 140 tons. It has a slender hull and graceful curves. The only weapon is the bow and  The two six-pound guns at the stern are very light and agile, which is why Kitchener chose them.  After getting the ship, he also installed a steam engine on the "Thames". If the wind is favorable, coupled with the power of the steam engine, the ship can reach an astonishing speed of seventeen knots.  In his opinion, this modification is necessary for future operations.  While Zhang Qi and Wei Sunan were discussing in the forest, Kitchener himself was concentrating on marking the channel on the drawing in the cabin.  Like most outstanding soldiers, he likes to go to the front line in person and collect necessary intelligence with his own hands and eyes. In the military plan he has drawn up, the inland river fleet assumes an extremely important task, and the lower reaches of the Irrawaddy River  The hydrological conditions of the river fleet cannot be overestimated.  "Colonel!" An officer walked into the cabin and gave Kitchener a military salute: "The captain invites you to have dinner with him!" "Yes!" Kitchener nodded and stood up from the desk.  He looked at the sky outside. Half of the sun had disappeared under the ridgeline on the left. Soon the river would be shrouded in darkness. In this case, it was meaningless to continue measuring the channel.  "Stop the measurement and let the measuring officers sort out the data. I'll bring it to my cabin after dinner!" "Yes, Colonel!" Kitchener tidied up his clothes and headed toward the back of the ship under the guidance of the officer.  Walk past the officers' mess.  Generally speaking, until the beginning of the 20th century, the life on the Navy's ships was very bad. The narrow spaces, poor air circulation, and poor food all destroyed the physical and mental health of the sailors on the ships.  But if you turn your attention to the senior officers on the ship, the situation is completely different.  Not only did the officers have a more spacious resting place, but the food they received was also much more exquisite.  At this time, what was placed in front of Kitchener was fresh steak and white bread, as well as fish soup, and dessert after the meal.  After enjoying all this, Kitchener's mood became happier.  "Colonel, please taste the black tea!" The captain smiled and made a gesture of invitation: "I know you prefer coffee, but this ship is too small and requires too many utensils to make coffee. But Ceylon's black tea is also  Very good, you can try it! ¡±  Kitchener nodded, picked up the white porcelain tea cup and took a sip. A strange bitter taste spread to the tip of his tongue, and soon turned into a faint sweetness. He frowned slightly and said:  "Nice drink!" He then put the tea cup back on the table and asked, "Mr. Captain, what do you think is the maximum tonnage of a ship that can sail to Mandalay?"
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