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Volume 4 Leviathan 98 Battle of Keelung 2

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    Jefferson turned around and saw a patch of brown at the end of the sea level.  As an old sailor, he knew very well that that was the destination of this operation-Keelung Port.  Although the order given to him by his superiors before departure did not allow him to attack this important port on Taiwan Island, it only asked him to blockade the nearby ocean and prevent more troops and military supplies from being transported to this port, and delay it as much as possible  The Chinese used this as a time to attack the Japanese who invaded Ryukyu.  However, after carefully considering the number of fleets he owned and the scale of the goal he wanted to achieve, Colonel Jefferson finally believed that directly attacking the port, destroying all warships and other ships, and setting fire to the supplies in the warehouse was the only possible way to achieve the goal.  The reason is simple. China's coastline is too long, and he has too few ships. There are only seven ships in total, and the remaining one has been sent by him to perform other tasks. In an era without radar and radio, it was impossible to rely on just a few ships.  To block such a long coastline, I am afraid only the Almighty God can do it.  What Jefferson is waiting for now is the people who are going to conduct reconnaissance. He needs to get detailed information before launching an attack, but the reconnaissance people and ships have been out for a day and a half, and there is no response at all.  Jefferson's nose twitched nervously, which was a sign that he was about to get angry.  He took out his pocket watch, took a look at it, and complained loudly.  "Damn, it's already four o'clock! These sluts have been out for a day and a half. These guys must have gotten under the skirt of some whore. I swear to God, if there is no satisfactory explanation, I will  Their backs were whipped like mutton chops in the market!" At this point, Jefferson slammed his thick fist on the railing in anger and shouted down: "Harry, bastard, I am!  Where are the tea and biscuits? Come on, have they been eaten by the devil?" Soon there was a sound of heavy footsteps below, and a young man in a student uniform climbed up the stairs and spoke in English with an Irish accent.  Answer: "Excuse me, Your Excellency Commander. But please believe me, the devil will not eat these biscuits and tea, because they are too unpalatable!" Jefferson snorted and sat down on the wicker chair under the parasol.  His heavy body made the chair creak.  He took the tin pot of milk and poured it into the black tea cup, and whispered: "Okay, I have to admit, you kid is right. I have been chewing navy biscuits for more than thirty years. Those quartermasters  They should all have solid cannonballs tied to their feet and kicked off the gangplank into the sea. I don't know where they found the flour to bake these cookies. It tastes like bricks and I suspect the ingredients are similar.  , which contains as much flour as dust. The sad thing is that you have to eat this thing for decades, so the sailors have bad teeth!" At this point, Jefferson opened his mouth to the students, revealing his uneven gums.  .  Harry quickly refilled Jefferson's tea cup and replied with a smile: "Yes, these biscuits are terrible, but that's okay. We can always handle it, right?" The boy's cheerful look and answer made Jefferson  Very satisfied, he nodded with satisfaction: "You are right, Harry, although the situation is very bad, we can always handle it all, which is why we stay here. Okay, you can  "Going down." "Yes, Commander!" Harry stood up straight and gave the other party a military salute in high spirits.  Jefferson¡¯s right hand gently crossed the brim of his hat, and he looked at the young man¡¯s leaving figure. The conversation just now made him feel better.  "Yes, it is indeed difficult, but the situation will always get better. The good guys of the Royal Navy can always defeat their opponents. You should relax a little and enjoy the afternoon sunshine!" At about nine o'clock in the evening,  The people who were sent out to investigate Keelung finally came back.  Jefferson summoned them immediately. He was satisfied to see the sweat and stains on the commander, Captain Thomson, which showed that his men carried out their orders seriously. However, Jefferson did not feel satisfied.  Showing it, because he had always believed that as a man and as an officer in the Royal Navy, showing emotion was a sign of weakness.  "Your Excellency, Commander, according to your order, we started to conduct a serious reconnaissance of Keelung Port yesterday." Captain Thomson stood in front of a map and explained: "At the beginning, we drove the 'Queen'  'The hydrology and topography of Keelung Port were measured on the periphery of Keelung Port, and the main forts built by the Chinese defenders were marked. This port is located in the north of Taiwan Island, at the entrance to the city. It is a naturally formed sheltered bay with most of the rivers on both sides of the bay.  It is a towering cliff, and the terrain is extremely dangerous. Using the promontory cliffs protruding into the harbor and the shallow waters along the coast, there are strategic positions that can be defended almost everywhere in the harbor. Forts can be seen everywhere, but  Most of the forts should have been built a long time ago.It is not suitable for modern artillery.  In order to confirm this, several soldiers and I took a small boat ashore last night and carefully surveyed a considerable number of forts, which confirmed this. Most of the forts have not been modernized and some have been abandoned.  However, the defenders have built 15 bunkers on the cliffs around Keelung Port, and built a fort on a low land inside the harbor where it is easy to land. This is a fortress-style fort with a total of 4 gun ports facing the sea.  There are four 170mm fortress guns, each of which has additional armor protection. Next to this fort is the road leading from the sea to the Keelung Coal Mine.  The newly arrived commander of the port garrison built two new forts at Baimi Weng and Xiandongbi, the key points in the harbor. He also selected an old earthen fort to expand next to the lowland fort that was conducive to landing.  Very big.  I believe that if they were given another two to three months, it would be impossible to attack this port from the sea.  Colonel Jefferson did not answer immediately, but quietly looked at the situation map that had been marked. A few minutes later, he knocked the fort equipped with five cannons with his knuckles and said, "Let's move this fort  Name it 'D' Fort. This is the key to defense. You are right, Captain. Time is running out and we must launch an attack immediately.  What about warships?  Do you know the berthing situation of ships in the port?  "Captain Thomson's face showed a blush of shame: "Please forgive me, the Chinese sentries are very tight, it is difficult for us to get close to the berthing area. The only thing that can be confirmed is that there are many ships in Keelung Port and they are very mixed.  Probably not ready yet!  " Jefferson frowned slightly, but he did not rebuke his men. His many years of military career told him that it was very difficult to conduct reconnaissance in a completely unfamiliar country. Thomson's men had huge differences in appearance, skin color, language and local people.  The difference is that if you enter the port area for reconnaissance, you will easily be discovered by the locals and inform the defenders. This is tantamount to warning the defenders to be on guard. Maybe the defenders already know your arrival at this time. ¡°You have done a good job.  , Captain Thomson!  Jefferson's voice became gentle: "You can go down and rest now!"  " "Yes, Your Excellency, Commander!  " Jefferson stood next to the map and thought about it for a long time. Finally he raised his head and ordered the adjutant beside him: "Let the captains come to the Steadfast!  "Keelung Port, church. The place that was originally a chapel has been transformed into a banquet hall. The host of the banquet has not yet arrived. A dozen commanders and captains of the warships are sitting around the wine table, bowing their heads.  A thin man with a yellow face cleared his throat and asked in a low voice: "Everyone, who knows the reason why the commander invited us here tonight?  " "Huang Qiandai, you are from Nanyang and you are considered a local snake. You don't even know it. Who of us from the north know?"  "A burly man opposite him smiled. He was the commander of the ironclad "Jiyuan" coming from Lushunkou. His surname was Li De Sheng. The navy in Dashun is actually divided into two systems, the north and the south. On weekdays,  There are many conflicts here, and this time when ships were mobilized from various places, all kinds of conflicts were immediately revealed. "Master Li, you have been here very frequently these days, Marshal Zao.  The Marshal also relies on you very much and obeys your advice. Everyone knows that you are a popular person here, so naturally you know more than I, Mr. Huang!  " Li Desheng was a little annoyed by the other party's strange words. He sneered: "The commander-in-chief is a minister of the imperial court and the commander-in-chief of the military forces in Fujian and Taiwan. Naturally, we have to serve him carefully. There are great rules in Nanyang, and Lianda  Even Shuai's orders can be ignored, but Mr. Li is ignorant!  " Li Desheng's words immediately caused a burst of laughter. If you observe carefully, you will find that almost all the officers who laughed were from the north, but there was a look of dissatisfaction on the faces of the south. Especially the yellow pipe belt, which was originally  His yellow face turned a little blue, and he snorted coldly: "Ignore the military order!  Mr. Li has such a big hat, Mr. Huang cannot afford it.  I would like to ask, who is Commander Xiang Jinde, who wants to push all our ships to the south outside, and you can hear them coming from inside.  Did you come up with this idea?  " Li Desheng sneered and replied: "Yes, it was me!  But what I said is that there are many rocks outside, and it would be difficult for a large ship to move when it stops there, so it should be allowed to stop inside.  Who told you that the boat in the south is small?  ¡± Thank you to book friends Deadwood Huangxue, Sailwind and Stainlesslotus for their rewards. It¡¯s another new week, and I hope everyone will continue to support Weber!
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