Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 213 The British in the South ([-])

"This Sun Shengjun still can't get rid of his habit of rogues in war." Xie Hansan said with a smile to Liu Ang, listening to the reports of the returning east bank militiamen.

"He was born as a thief." Liu Ang wrapped himself in a thick sheep jacket, drank a sip of wine to warm himself up, and said lazily: "Besides, he will go to fight with the crooked melons and dates he has on hand." The British? Or to attack the well-fortified British fortifications? Unimaginable! Isn’t the advantage of the rogue is to avoid the truth and make use of the strengths to avoid weaknesses. Yes, and it looks like it will snow for several days. Haha, this time the British are miserable."

At present, almost all activities in the Fort in the River have been suspended, and even the slaves flying the two flags are hiding in wooden houses covered with hay and reeds to avoid the bad weather.Under the teachings of the people on the east coast, the lives of these aborigines have changed a lot. They have built earthen stoves and learned to cook food; some bad hygiene habits have also been corrected; Learn languages ​​and simple common sense inside the castle.On the whole, they have gradually broken away from the ignorant and barbaric living conditions of the past, and have begun to evolve towards civilization.

Xie Hansan also picked up a bottle of Hezhong Daqu on the table and took two gulps, then picked up a handful of peanuts, stuffed them into his mouth and started to chew.He had just finished patrolling with some soldiers, and it was snowing heavily outside. In just one night, a thick layer of snow had accumulated on the farmland, ponds, ditches, and houses near the Hezhong Fort.

Before the snow fell, Liu Ang had already organized people to build many brick and tile houses, which were allocated to the residents on the east bank.However, the current number is not enough, and many people still live in wooden houses.Fortunately, there is more or less a place to live, plus a large amount of firewood and briquettes that have been collected before winter, so you don’t have to worry about heating in winter. The Englishman under the shed is a world of difference.

Now that it has snowed so much, the Eight Banners can no longer be allowed to stay in the mountains.Just now Liu Ang had signed an order ordering Sun Shengjun to lead the surviving Eight Banners Army to withdraw.Originally, he was going to let the supply troops with more than a dozen carts withdraw together, but after he was surprised that they had gathered more than 20 fugitive British immigrants in the past few days, he decisively decided to let them stay. There, and with some more cavalry, the search was extended to see if any more British fugitives could be found.

"By the way, I heard that the two Irishmen who fled at first have recovered?" Xie Hansan asked while drinking.

"En." Liu Ang nodded, "That kid is dead. There is some inflammation in his body, which caused a low-grade fever. We don't have any medicine to treat him. In the end, we can only change him into dry clothes and provide him with some heat. In the end, he relied on his own resistance to take care of things like water and hot food."

"Hey, if you survive a catastrophe, you will be blessed." Xie Hansan smiled, "Didn't you let him go to the British castle to promote it? Only by comparing can the enemy's will be shaken, let him go to the British to promote more Propaganda about how good the food is here, how happy life is, etc., keeping those frozen British bumpkins scrambling to join us. To put it bluntly, these people are almost unable to get along in the UK and go overseas The colonies try their luck, who do they hang out with? We get one more from our side, and one less from the British side. This is such a good deal.”

"How could someone like me, who is so thoughtful, not have thought of this section. Don't worry, I have already notified the over there to let those British who have defected to the Fort of Good Hope collectively encourage the British immigrants to flee. Our people are not Come forward, let the British go, even if the British come to us in the future, we will have an excuse, haha." Liu Ang said with a smile.The port of Cape Town is an undeniable threat to the people on the east coast, and it is even more competitive and oppressive to the Fort in the River.Now as long as there is anything that can weaken the strength of the British in Cape Town, Liu Ang is willing to do it.

"Can the British guys have a future?" Xie Hansan sneered, "This test is not easy, they should just ask for luck."

While Liu Ang and Xie Hansan were drinking and chatting, suddenly a guard came in to report that several ships from the mainland were coming to the pier.

Liu Ang and Xie Hansan looked at each other, and they were both a little surprised. The transport fleet had just left Hezhong Fort for more than 20 days, so why did it come again?The two couldn't care less, so they simply ran to the pier to watch.

I saw a huge double-decked battleship and two small ships docking silently on the deep-water pier of the Fort in the River after being dredged. The national emblem pattern of double-headed eagle and yin-yang fish is even more eye-catching.

The sky was gray, and heavy snow like goose feathers fell on the ground, the river, and the deck of the ship. At this moment, the three lieutenants Guo Zili, Julien, and Liu Dafa were walking towards Liu Ang, surrounded by adjutants.

"Old Guo, you are..." Liu Ang raised his head and looked back, but he didn't see any more senior naval officers coming.

"Don't look at it. The old Guo Rong was promoted to the captain of the newly commissioned battleship 'Free Trade'. This time we came here on a mission." Navy Lieutenant Liu Dafa said looking at his family.

"Fuck, the 'Free Trade' ship is already in service!" Liu Ang exclaimed, "Let me just say, such a majestic double-decked battleship looks different from the other two."

"Okay, don't stand here." Xie Hansan, who is very popular among the army and navy, grabbed the arms of Guo Zili and others, and waved his hand: "Go back to the house and drink, let's go! "

Several people quickly got into the office, which was as warm as spring, and the orderly brought hot tea and coffee.

"This time we have a mission." Guo Zili, as the leader of this line, opened up the conversation first, "When we set off, Dongfang Port had already shipped a transport ship full of cloth and weapons to the Ottoman Empire. Izmir Port. Of course, this ship will stop at Bordeaux first, and will continue to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea after contacting the Hornician family. After all, a long time has passed, and it is hard to say whether there is any change there. Although the Atlantic route is temporarily available, the Executive Committee is still very eager to open up the African route. As you know, the African route is very useful. In addition to doing business, sailing eastward along this route can also reach Southeast Asia, and arriving in Southeast Asia means that Daming is not far away. Therefore, the executive committee is currently taking the opening of this route as a major task."

"So, you ships are here to explore the African route?" Liu Ang asked.

Guo Zili nodded: "At present, the officers and sailors on the three ships are basically selected from the entire army. Some of them are skilled, some are knowledgeable, some are experienced, and some are familiar with the route. , It can be said that elite soldiers and strong generals gather together. Three ships, including a battleship, a high-speed cruiser, and a frigate, the smallest tonnage is four to five hundred tons. We will strive to cross the converging zone of the two ocean currents outside the Cape of Good Hope Then enter the Indian Ocean. After entering the Indian Ocean, try to find another foothold. The first choice is the later Antsiranana area on the north side of Madagascar. If it is not possible, you can also temporarily station in Portuguese East Africa. Mooring. This is the goal of the first stage. After completing the goal of the first stage, the fleet will return to the Fort in the River to rest and wait for the next action plan of the Executive Committee.”

"Yes, it's good to be cautious." Liu Ang commented, "But the climate in Antsiranana is hot and humid. Do we have enough anti-malarial drugs? The cinchona trees brought back from the mountains in Chile haven't grown yet, right? There are not enough antimalarial drugs, and at this stage to establish a stronghold in Antsiranana, a tropical rainforest climate, the death rate will be unbearably high."

Speaking of which, everyone was a little silent.The harsh natural environment is a very real problem. Mosquitoes, fruit flies and even some local parasites may cause great harm to everyone's health, especially in the case of insufficient preparation. This is completely life-threatening to fill.

"Anti-malarial drugs must come up with a specific solution from the executive committee, otherwise the opening of the route is empty talk. Everyone on the east coast is precious, especially the dispatched this time are all good players in the navy. We can't afford any loss. Forget it, don't think so far, let's talk about reaching the Mozambique Strait first." Guo Zili concluded.

"When are you going to leave?" Xie Hansan asked from the side.

"As soon as possible." Guo Zili said, "We are going to rest here for two days, replenish fresh water and food, and then head south around the Cape of Good Hope to start exploring the route. By the way, I heard that the British built a new route in the Cape Town area. How about a port now?"

Hearing this, Liu Ang and Xie Han looked at each other with a smile, and said: "Hanging half dead, it's almost over. If the bad weather continues and if there is no outside rescue, I really doubt that there will be a few living people left in their place by the beginning of spring." .”

"Hey." Everyone laughed after hearing Liu Ang's words.It's good for the British to suffer, but how can such a provocative behavior be tolerated by blatantly building a port under the eyes of the people on the east coast.If the port of Cape Town begins to take shape and can provide supplies for British ships, it will definitely not be a blessing for the people on the east coast.

(End of this chapter)