With the plan set, the few people assigned to the task immediately took action and went to find competent helpers. Captain Wang was in a good mood when he saw that the problem was solved perfectly. He dragged Li Hailong, Jie, and the others to visit Dinghai Old City to get first-hand information!
Ever since Li Hailong and the others came ashore, they had been so busy that they were dizzy. They had never seen the old city before. Now that they saw that the situation was developing in an orderly manner, although there were still a lot of things to do, they were still a little more relaxed than before. Moreover, they happened to pass by the county government, so they naturally agreed to it quickly.
Speaking of Dinghai City, although Captain Wang had always lived in Zhoushan, he had never seen it before! The reason was very simple. The city wall had already been demolished in 1956! The city walls were changed to the current roads. The southern city wall was demolished and rebuilt into Jiefang Road, and the other city walls became a section of Huancheng East Road, Jiefang Road, Huancheng West Road, and Huancheng North Road.
Now that they were lucky enough to see it with their own eyes, of course, they wouldn't miss such an opportunity. From the boat to the shore, they first passed by an earthen wall. Of course, Captain Wang became a guide. Although he didn't know it completely, he had heard and seen more than others. Therefore, they just chatted and set off for the city.
The highest peak of the mountain was the Xiaofeng Ridge. The cannons were still there, but there were no cannons on them. They had all been transported away by the British army. The walls around the cannon had also collapsed. There were still countless black bullet holes on the walls, showing the cruelty of the battle! Now that he had gone to Taikong, no one came to clean it up. It was a mess…
Li Hailong and the others had come and gone in a hurry, so they really hadn't observed it carefully. Now that they looked at the earthen wall, although it was rammed up with soil, it was not small! It was a straight road that was at least ten meters wide and one or two meters higher than the bottom. It led from the Bamboo Mountain Gate to the direction of the Green Leitou Mountain. In the middle was the Tutou Earth City that was higher than the earth wall and the Zhenyuan Cannon at the East Peak Palace Mountain. On the side of the sea was a high parapet wall. Ordinary people could run upright inside.
There were many arrow mounds arranged in a regular pattern. Looking out from the arrow mounds, everything in Dinghai Port could be seen clearly. The few islands on the opposite side were clearly visible. If it was a tourist, such a scenery would indeed be beautiful. Unfortunately, it was now in the war era. All of this would be appreciated later!
There were a few high platforms on the inner side of the wall. Although there were no more cannons on them, they could still be seen from the appearance. From the looks of it now, this mud wall was built very well. It was just that the places that lacked protection were bare. The scattered shrapnel naturally maximized the lethality! However, with this mud wall, it was naturally inconvenient for the British army to attack from the beach. No wonder they had to go around the salt warehouse beach in the north!
The interior was a flat field with a few small rivers meandering there. There were no bridges on the small rivers. How did people cross the river?
These rivers converged into the main stream that flowed out from the south wall of the city, bypassing the city and leading to the sea outside the port. There were a few small docks on the banks of the city, and there were still wooden stockades at the mouth of the river that blocked the entry and exit of ships. It was obvious that they had been abandoned now. There were a few straw huts at the foot of the mountain far away, but no matter how one looked at it now, they did not look like people lived inside...
Although the mud wall looked like it had been blasted into pieces, its foundation was still intact. Most of it was still intact. There were a few places that had been blasted so low that it was close to the foundation. It could be seen that the battle was quite intense!
Captain Wang explained what he knew while walking. The other inspection team members who followed him to the shore also added. They described the historical records of Dinghai resisting the British according to the situation at the scene.
On September 26, 1841, which was August 12, the 21st year of Daoguang, the British army leader Henry Pudingcha led the fleet to invade Dinghai. Ge Yunfei, Wang Xipeng, and Zheng Guohong, the three commanders, fought for six days and nights and died heroically.
August 17th (October 1st) Dinghai City was captured. At that time, Zheng Guohong was guarding the Bamboo Mountain Gate, which was where everyone went ashore just now. Wang Xipeng was guarding Xiaofeng Ridge, which was the peak above the Bamboo Mountain Gate.
Ge Yunfei was defending the area around Tucheng, which was the big bunker in front of them, including the mud wall they were standing on. The three of them led a lot of people. The book recorded that there were 5800 people, and it seemed that most of them had died in the end. Very few people escaped!
When everyone heard this, they all felt sorry for the heroes of these ethnic groups. At the same time, they were also encouraged and excited by the fact that when their own ethnic groups were invaded by outsiders, there would always be many fearless warriors who stood up to fight! The countless soldiers who had sacrificed themselves here deserved the title of national valor. They were worthy of everyone's respect and learning!
Everyone agreed that since they were here, they should build a monument for these national heroes! If they couldn't find these original records after a long time, then those people who had nothing to do would be worried!
When they found out that the bodies of the three commanders had been taken back to the mainland, although everyone was very happy, they still felt that these soldiers should be given the status and honor they deserved! This defensive battle fully demonstrated the great national will and righteousness of the people of China, which could not be insulted and the territory of China could not be invaded.
Soon, they arrived at the earthen city through the wall. Captain Wang naturally told them everything he remembered. This city was also known as the Mud City. It was close to the sea and beside the Hao River, which flowed out of the city into the sea. It was a big place, so fishermen came here to trade. Some people in the fishing business built houses here, or processed fish products, or used it as a warehouse. Gradually, other professions also developed here, such as hair-shaving, carpentry, restaurants, snack bars, and so on. This place had become a big business hub.
When the war came, Ge Yunfei thought that the market was defenseless. He spent nearly a month here. In April of the twenty-first year of Qing Daoguang (1841), he built an earth city with a total length of 1436 zhang and a height of 10 zhang. It surrounded the houses built by the merchants. It could strengthen management and increase the defense. There were only two gates in the Tucheng. The east gate, Jiu 'an, led to the Urban area area, while the west gate, Changzhi, led to the seaside dock. There were cannon positions on the city, which were guarded by Ge Yunfei himself.
A few hundred meters away from the sea bend in front of the city was the big and small islands of Mount Wukui. Not far to the south was the Zhenyuan Cannon at Mount Dongyue Palace. Originally, this arrangement could help each other and increase the strength of defense. Unfortunately, not long after the battle, Mount Wukui on the other side was taken. This increased the pressure on the city and the Zhenyuan Cannon, and the defense along the way lost its original effect.
The city that appeared in front of everyone had completely changed. The original high walls were filled with gaps, and the lower parts could be crossed by a person. The eastern city gate was not damaged much. It could be seen that the people here did not put up much resistance at the city gate, or they had already run away, so they were preserved.
On the west side, the city gate could no longer be seen. There were all kinds of traces left by the fierce battle. From the outside, one could see that the few small roads were littered with rubbish. There was not a single person on the street. It seemed that the locals had not given up their worries. Since that was the case, no one wanted to alarm them. They bypassed the Tucheng and followed the small road along the river to the south gate of Dinghai County not far away.
Dinghai County was relatively small and low against the backdrop of Zhen Ao Mountain (a lock mountain). The city walls of the county were also damaged in the war. The corners of the east were missing and the walls of the west were missing. However, because of this, everyone understood that the city was seized through fierce battles. Although it failed in the end, its unyielding spirit made everyone feel excited and speechless.
If everyone had the spirit to resist the bandits here, how could the Qing Dynasty stand on the land of China? How could there be so much humiliation later? What has our nation lost? Could the Chinese people really enjoy eternal peace with the land that they had respected for thousands of years? Could it really allow the Chinese people to be alone? Is this really what we need? Or is it the so-called national culture that some people have imposed on us? Unfortunately, no one could figure it out…
Looking at the dilapidated city walls and city gates, everyone felt a lot of pressure. Everyone silently passed through the nearly ten-meter-thick city gate hole. No one said anything. This deep hole gave them too much, as if it was letting them pass through the time tunnel between their previous life and the future. It made them no longer look at everything in front of them with the eyes of an expert. Transmigrating through the crowd, think about everything that you need to face!
This was the starting point, a brand new beginning. Starting from the city gate, the road was like the street in front of them. It was not very wide and not straight. The second-floor houses on both sides of the street squeezed the already narrow road even more gloomily, as if they wanted to devour everything on the road. However, the road still stretched steadily into the distance.
Everyone turned around the city gate and stepped onto the horse path on the side of the city wall. They stood in the open space in front of the city gate tower that was tilted to the side, and their eyes could not help but light up. On the open sea in front of the bay, a gentle breeze blew across the surface of the sea, causing ripples. The sunlight seemed to be divided and reflected in all directions by countless prism, making it impossible for people to see the appearance and color of the sea clearly. The broad aura made everyone's suppressed hearts suddenly explode.
Oh-oh oh
Ahh------
The people on the city gate tower seemed to have discussed it beforehand. After a round of shouting, they began to expand their chests again!
After a short rest, they all became spirited and talkative. Now that they wanted to occupy this place, they had to understand the terrain here. Therefore, they wandered around the city wall and observed everything inside and outside the city. Captain Wang and the other three people also told them what they knew.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。