Chapter 147: The Pearl River Delta Task Force

This operation was to be carried out by the navy. The specific operational area was expanded to the entire Guangdong sea region, with the Pearl River Delta as the key operational zone.

“The objective of this military operation is to create as much turmoil and chaos as possible in the Pearl River Delta region. Therefore, we will not only organize bombardments but also conduct small-scale landing battles to destroy and strike shore targets,” Chen Haiyang explained the operational determination. “Our targets will primarily be government facilities, and we will try to avoid hitting civilian targets. However, if we encounter resistance from local armed forces, we will conduct a full-scale annihilation operation against them.”

Ships at sea, unless they were government warships, would not be captured in principle, unless they first engaged in provocative or aggressive actions.

“Due to the special nature of this operation, each participating ship will be equipped with more marines than usual and will also carry additional army artillery for landing battles.”

“If we carry out this operation, our warships will have to enter the Pearl River,” Meng De stood up and asked. “We know nothing about the hydrography of the Pearl River in this time-space. We are not very clear about the sandbars, shoals, and tidal conditions.”

“No, we have a very clear understanding,” Xu Ke said. “Do you think the ships of the Gao Guang Shipping Company and our navy’s transport ships have made so many trips to and from Guangzhou without conducting hydrographic surveys?”

“So, you’re saying we have sufficient hydrographic data of the Pearl River for our captains to use?” Meng De had spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital after the five-masted ship rescue incident and had also been in a sanatorium for a long time.

Xu Ke stated that the Foreign Intelligence Bureau’s intelligence database contained a great deal of such information, and they were currently concentrating manpower to compile it. The navy would soon receive an unprecedentedly detailed set of data on the hydrography and channels of the Pearl River estuary.

“The navigation conditions in the Pearl River waters are very good. Even the ‘holy ship’ can reach Guangzhou from the Pearl River estuary. The small and medium-sized sailing ships we mainly use will have no problems at all. So, we don’t need to worry about the water depth—and it’s 400 years earlier than the 21st century, so the sediment deposition in the Pearl River is much lighter.”

Chen Haiyang said, “The channels of the Pearl River are still quite complex. Especially during landing battles, we will enter near-shore waters, so we will also arrange for some native captains familiar with the Pearl River channels to participate.”

Although everyone had strong confidence in their technological superiority, the more experienced naval officers still had great concerns about this Pearl River estuary campaign. This was not only because the hydrographic conditions of the Pearl River estuary and the inner river were complex, with sandbars scattered beneath the water and un-dredged channels, but also because it was very difficult for large and medium-sized sailing ships, which relied mainly on wind power, to navigate and maneuver, such as turning.

During the Opium War, when the British Royal Navy entered the Pearl River channel to attack Guangzhou, they mainly used paddle steamers as tugboats to tow the sailing warships and gunboats to gain mobility.

“We don’t have paddle steamers for now, but we have Daihatsu motorboats,” Chen Haiyang said. “The Daihatsu boats have good maneuverability and can be used to tow ships. They can also be used to transport marines ashore and for escort duties.”

Wen Desi disagreed. “How did the British fleet get to the White Swan Pond during the Opium War? Their hydrographic data wasn’t necessarily more extensive than ours, and they still managed to bring ships of several thousand tons to the gates of Guangzhou. Even without hydrographic data, using small boats to sound the depth and place channel buoys would be enough. At worst, the navigation speed would be slower.”

“To ensure this blockade and harassment operation, the navy will form a Pearl River Delta detachment,” Li Di began to report on the fleet composition in the plan.

The fleet’s warship composition will mainly consist of special service boats—that is, converted traditional Chinese-style two-masted and three-masted ships. Some of the special service boats will reduce their ammunition load to carry as many marines and cannons as possible.

Sixteen special service boats and eight fast single-masted patrol boats will form the armed fleet, with another twenty special service boats for transporting marines and supplies. Considering the 500-nautical-mile distance from Lingao to the Pearl River estuary, the “Great Whale” and several dedicated supply ships were also included.

In the initial phase of the operation, the navy will first establish a temporary fortress on Hong Kong Island to serve as a logistics and rest base for the Pearl River Delta detachment.

Putting aside the future commercial value of Hong Kong Island, its location just outside the Pearl River estuary, with its excellent harbor and some fresh water resources, made it an ideal base for the naval detachment’s activities. The Transmigration group, being situated on Hainan, meant their naval power was at the far western end of the two Guangdong sea regions, with very little influence over the entire Guangdong coast. Once they occupied Hong Kong Island and established a permanent detachment and naval base, it would be like having a powerful presence right outside the Pearl River estuary, with every move capable of influencing Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta region. Not only would they control Guangdong’s foreign trade, but they would also protect their own shipping lanes.

Of course, this move would likely be seen by Liu Xiang as a challenge to his maritime hegemony in Guangdong. But the General Staff and the Intelligence Bureau judged that even so, Liu Xiang might not dare to immediately go to war with the Transmigration group—Zheng Zhilong was still watching him. If he were to attack the Transmigration group with all his might, Zheng Zhilong would absolutely not miss this good opportunity to attack him in a pincer movement with the Transmigration group.

Li Di expressed his concern, “But the Pearl River estuary is his territory, his base. He won’t back down easily!”

“If he wants to fight, we’ll wipe him out completely,” Chen Haiyang said. “We will have to fight Liu Xiang sooner or later. It’s inevitable.”

Be that as it may, Liu Xiang’s strength was still considerable, and the Pearl River Delta sea region was where his fleet often operated. Compared to the scattered Ming army garrisons and outposts on shore, Liu Xiang could very well use his numerical superiority to deal with the detachment.

The navy’s plan was: if such a situation occurred, they would use the Hong Kong base as a pivot to firmly draw Liu Xiang’s main force to the vicinity of the Pearl River estuary, and then dispatch the main naval force from Lingao to deliver a devastating blow to Liu Xiang. The plan even included the possibility of deploying the “holy ship” for battle if necessary.

The detachment sent to the Pearl River estuary would be personally led by Chen Haiyang. There were plenty of naval personnel willing to be fleet commanders, but most of them had only just learned how to handle a ship. They had crammed a pile of naval knowledge into their heads, but only heaven knew if they could digest it. Therefore, the Executive Committee and the navy, after repeated consideration, decided it was best for Chen Haiyang to lead the fleet personally. At least he was a real naval officer.

“I really feel a bit inadequate,” he said. To this day, his entire naval experience was as a ship’s captain. His concept of how to command a sailing fleet in battle was almost entirely from books and Wen Desi.

Modern naval personnel like Chen Haiyang knew no more about commanding sailing warships in battle than Wen Desi. In any case, both their knowledge came from naval history books.

“President Wen, would you like to go with the fleet?”

“Of course, I’d be happy to,” Wen Desi readily agreed.

“That’s great. I feel the burden is too heavy. I’ve never handled a sailing fleet.”

“Neither have I. We’re in the same boat,” Wen Desi said, stroking the beard on his chin. “Which ship are you planning to choose as your flagship?”

“Ling Te 11. It’s a three-masted large Guangdong ship, nearly three hundred tons, the largest ship in the task force. It has many cabins and can accommodate the headquarters. Would you like to join me on this ship?”

“Alright,” Wen Desi nodded. Although it was a ship of nearly three hundred tons, it was still quite small. Even a large European sailing ship like the Götheborg, with a displacement of over a thousand tons, had very limited internal space. When at sea, it would be crowded with sailors and supplies, and the environment would not be good. But it would only be a few days before they reached Hong Kong Island. At that time, they could set up the headquarters directly on the island.

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Shi Shisi licked his fingers with satisfaction—a bad habit that the naval officer training class had never managed to break. Of course, a person who had gone to sea at a young age and drifted around could not be expected to have very good manners. The front of his naval officer’s uniform was stained with grease. A hearty lunch had made him feel drowsy.

There was little trace of his pirate past left on Shi Shisi. His body, though once strong, had been crooked, his head always tilted to one side. Now, drill training and systematic physical exercise had greatly improved his appearance and posture. He had become strong and well-proportioned, his hair and beard neatly trimmed.

He wore the new summer version of the dark blue naval officer’s uniform. Besides using a cotton-linen blend for better breathability, the stand-up collar had been changed to a small open collar—both army and navy officers found the stand-up collar unbearably hot in the summer.

Shi Shisi was now a naval lieutenant, commanding a squadron of special service boats. He had already learned how to deploy his squadron in formation at sea: the most important thing was to form a line ahead to fire; how to gain the weather gage in a naval battle, and how to judge the best firing distance and time.

He had never imagined that naval warfare could be conducted in this way. In the past, he had known a thing or two about it, but no one had ever summarized it so accurately and in such detail, explaining it clearly in writing. If he couldn’t understand the written description, there were also plenty of diagrams and models to help him understand.

He had learned flag signals, how to judge the distance and speed of a target… and finally, he knew the rules for firing salutes, how to eat as a naval officer, how to speak… The naval training and red tape had gradually made Shi Shisi unrecognizable to himself.

However, he enjoyed this life—because Shi Shisi knew he had now become a person of “high status.” As a pirate, no matter how many men and ships he had, he was still a bandit. It wasn’t a very prestigious title.