nucmednet Chapter 128 Taking Down the Humen Forts
Chapter 128 Taking Down the Humen Forts
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Hearing Liu Ye's words, Liang Xiaoming said with embarrassment, "I misunderstood you. In any case, serving as our soldier to fight Huang Taiji is worse than being a slave to him, worse than a pig or a dog."
Liu Ye patted him on the back with a smile: "Mingzi, I'm not a saint. I do most things for myself, but I won't just stand by and watch those barbarians of the Manchu Qing kill and burn. I can't be a savior, but I can be a warlord with a conscience, haha."
After the two finished speaking, the outline of the land appeared on the sea level. Liang Xiaoming came to the bow of the boat and told Liu Ye, "The estuary is just ahead. Liu Heizi said this place is called the Pearl River Estuary, and the inland river leading to Guangzhou is called the Pearl River. Our route is to go inland along the Pearl River."
Liu Ye waved his fist towards Guangzhou and shouted, "Wang Zunde, I'm here! Hurry up and pack your bags and get out of here! From now on, I'm the one who calls the shots in Guangdong. Whoever becomes the governor will have to keep their tail between their legs!"
The hydrological conditions of the Pearl River in the 17th century were obviously much better than in the 21st century. The river was wider, with the sky and water merging into one, as vast as the sea. There were harbors, river branches and sandbars everywhere. The plains on both banks where the waters converged gave people the illusion that it was an inland sea dotted with islands.
Both banks of the river are covered with fields of farmland, and the late-season rice has already blossomed, filling the air with its fragrance. Villages and market towns are scattered along the riverbanks, with almost no roads, only boats for transportation. Rivers of all sizes form a complex network connecting towns and villages. Every now and then, masts and sails can be faintly seen peeking out from the depths of the rice paddies.
There were no naval forces along the way, and the Guangdong navy was far too weak to guarantee patrols in the Pearl River Estuary. In Xia Tiannan's eyes, they were less of a threat than pirates. Some inland waterway transport ships and fishing boats were sailing on the river. Upon seeing such an aggressive fleet, they all fled to the harbors and tributaries on both sides. Liang Xiaoming ordered his men to capture several fishing boats and inquire about the situation on the river.
According to the fishermen, there were no government troops patrolling the Pearl River. The only official armed vessels were a few small boats at the Zini customs station. The only threat to the fleet was the cannons at the Ya Niang Xie fortress at Humen. The later-famous Humen fortresses were expanded from the fortresses on Ya Niang Xie Island.
The fishermen were so frightened that they immediately knelt on the deck, thinking they were going to be killed. They pitifully begged for mercy: "Boss, please let us go. We have elderly parents and young children to support, and we depend on fishing for our livelihood."
Liang Xiaoming said to Liu Ye, "They are familiar with the hydrological conditions and need their help to enter the Pearl River smoothly."
Liu Ye ordered his men to bring out some loose silver and said, "We are not pirates and we will not kill people indiscriminately. As long as you take us across the Pearl River to Guangzhou, I will not only release you, but also give you silver."
The fishermen had no choice but to act as temporary pilots. According to their descriptions, there were two waterways from the Pearl River Estuary into the Pearl River Inland Waterway all the way to Guangzhou. One was the outer route, passing through Humen, over two sandbars, and directly to Huangpu. This was the main route for merchant ships heading to Guangzhou, with relatively good navigation conditions. The other, called the inner route, went upstream from western Macau, crossed Hengsha Shoal, then reached Xiangshan, and from Xiangshan went upstream through Humen to Huangpu. This route involved navigating many shoals and inlets, and was generally used by small vessels.
The fleet's tonnage dictates that they can only take the outer route, so the first hurdle they must overcome is the Ya Niang Shoe Fortress.
Humen, Ya Niang's Shoe Fort.
At this moment, Chen Qian, the commander of the garrison, was sunbathing at Humen Village. His main duty was to protect the Ya Niang Shoe Fort. He had a total of 640 men under his command, but this was only on paper. More than 200 of these positions were vacant and were used to collect salaries without actually working.
On Ya Niang Xie Island, there is a stone and earthen fort, which was gradually built from the Wanli period onwards, and many parts have collapsed and are damaged. In addition to the Ya Niang Xie fort, there is also a stone and earthen fort on Shang Heng Dang Island opposite, which is equipped with four large breech-loading cannons. The crossfire between the Ya Niang Xie fort and the Ya Niang Xie fort is very weak.
These two forts have a total of only 26 cannons, all of which are breech-loading cannons cast during the Wanli period or even earlier, as well as older breech-loading cannons. Not only are they not powerful enough, but they are also covered in rust from being exposed to the sun and rain every day.
This amount of troops and artillery was barely enough to intercept merchants and deter civilians, let alone deal with pirates. Fortunately, the pirates wouldn't be so foolish as to attack the fortresses, which was a completely unprofitable endeavor. Chen Qian usually made a living by taking a cut from passing merchants and extorting some money from them.
When Liu Ye's fleet arrived at Humen, Chen Qian thought he was dreaming. He had never seen such large ships before, especially five of them lined up in a row. He instinctively felt that this orderly fleet was definitely not a merchant ship, and that their intentions were not good. He just didn't know whether their target was the Ya Niang Shoe Fort or Guangzhou City.
However, regardless of where this fleet was headed, Chen Qian couldn't afford the responsibility: the Ya Niang Xie Fort was the gateway to the Pearl River; any mishap would surely punish him. If he allowed them to enter the upper reaches of the Pearl River and caused trouble in Guangzhou, his head would be on the chopping block. Chen Qian quickly grasped the gravity of the situation and shouted hoarsely, "Everyone grab your weapons! Fort, prepare to fire!"
The large breech-loading cannons and breech-loading cannons began firing at the fleet. Scattered shells flew from the gun emplacements and fell limply into the sea, splashing up columns of water as high as a person.
Liang Xiaoming looked up at the location of the fort. "What a waste of such a good position. If it were equipped with enough cannons of 12 pounds or more to form crossfire, it would be a considerable threat to any ship passing through here."
He said to Liu Ye, "This level of firepower is not enough to cause any real damage to the fleet. We can quickly pass through this area, and perhaps not a single shell will land on the ship."
Liu Ye observed the Ya Niang Xie fort on the right and the Heng Dang fort on the left, considered for a moment, and said, "We were able to pass through unscathed this time. If the court decides to expand the fort here, it will be a great threat to our future voyages. Therefore, the best solution is to eliminate this fort once and for all."
Chen Qian had assumed the enemy would quickly pass through the channel under the threat of artillery fire, thus at least he would have managed to intercept them, albeit out of strength, and he would have an excuse later. Unexpectedly, the enemy had no intention of doing so at all, but instead moved towards the fort, with five ships lined up in a straight line, anchored, and square windows opened on their sides.