At this time, naval warships simply did not have the ability to fight at night, so the small warships blocking the entrance to Weihaiweijun Port stopped shelling early and fell into silence as night came.
But here at Weihaiweijun Port, it was not completely silent.
Several small boats quietly rowed out of the military port. According to the hydrological conditions of the military port, the sailors on board took advantage of the darkness of night to quietly send several large iron balls tied together with ropes into the water without making too much noise.
After sending more than a dozen groups of these large iron balls into the sea, they rowed quietly back to the shore of the military port and landed.
If there are any modern people here, as long as they have a little knowledge of military affairs, they will know exactly what the iron ball that the boat just put into the sea at night is.
Mines! And a series of mines!
This thing appeared in the Song Dynasty. Modern mines were invented by the French, and it is not difficult to get samples through the Khmer base.
Once you have a sample, things will be much simpler after that.
Don't think that the technological content of sea mines at this time is very high. At least it is simpler and easier than producing standard artillery shells.
The fireworks and firecrackers workshop under Wu Dong had already produced them and had undergone sea trials for several years.
This time, it was just a surprise for Xiaori Warship.
I don’t know if it was because they were doing a lot of evil things during their childhood, but their luck didn’t work in China, and there was fog on the sea in the early morning.
Even the two small Japanese warships not far apart can't see each other with the naked eye.
In such an environment, one can almost only hear the roar of the warship's steam engine.
On that day, the sailors on the warship did not notice that nearly ten torpedo boats were slowly approaching from the sea outside Weihaiwei in the fog.
Suddenly, a small warship suddenly exploded violently.
Amidst the loud rumbling sound, a ball of fire was seen rising up in the thick fog, dyeing the surrounding white fog orange-red.
Before the surrounding warships could react, there were several more earth-shaking loud noises. The bridge of the unlucky warship suddenly rose high, and then quickly fell to the sea with a loud bang.
At this time, one could still hear the screams of the sailors on the warship.
The surrounding warships wanted to rescue, but they had no idea what was happening. Faced with the thick fog that made it almost difficult to see, they were at a loss for a while and had no idea what to do.
When they dispatched a small boat to rush over cautiously, only the bow of the unfortunate warship was still exposed above the sea, and the rest of the ship had completely sunk.
At this moment, a warship not far away suddenly exploded violently. The orange-red flames were like huge torches, rising blazingly and dazzlingly.
The rest of the warships in Xiaotian were shocked. Before they could disperse immediately, there were suddenly several violent explosions, and at the same time there was a piercing torpedo alarm.
At this time, the small warships gathered at the gate of the Weihai Weijun Port suddenly panicked, and some of them started to fire shells at the military port indiscriminately. Some of them had already begun to turn and prepare to leave this dangerous place.
At the same time, small warships were patrolling the surrounding waters at high speed like crazy, hoping to find the Qing warships that were bold enough to secretly launch torpedoes.
The chaos lasted until the morning. When the sun rose completely and the thick fog on the sea dissipated, the Xiaori Fleet was shocked to discover the heavy losses.
Three warships have completely disappeared on the sea, and three more have been severely damaged and must be returned to their home port for emergency repairs, otherwise they are likely to sink directly.
Several of the remaining warships suffered minor injuries of varying sizes. It can be said that the losses were huge.
When the fleet boss saw this situation, his heart suddenly dropped.
What made him even more frightened was that the Qing army actually had countermeasures.
Whether it was torpedo boats quietly dispatching or some other means, it was enough to make him prepare to leave.
As for the landing army, they only sent some liaison personnel to land quietly. It would be best if they could be contacted. Even if they couldn't be contacted, it was not his fault.
Seeing that the Weihai Guard Port was still under the control of the Beiyang Navy, he could only curse the bastard and command the fleet to leave cautiously.
As a senior member of the Beiyang Navy, Admiral Ding, who was stationed at the Weihai Guard Port, was naturally aware of what happened to the navy in his childhood.
Although my heart was shocked, I couldn't help but smile bitterly...
He knew that Senior Brother Wu would have the final say in Weihai Weijun Port from now on.
Even though it still belongs to the Beiyang Navy on the surface, the actual right to speak has completely fallen into the hands of Senior Brother Wu.
There is no way to keep saying that, whether it is the army or the navy, only those with strong strength and good records can speak with confidence.
As for the nearly ten torpedo boats and gunboats that quietly disappeared in the military port, Admiral Ding didn't pay attention at all.
No matter what, the medium-sized ships of the Beiyang Navy are still there, and the base navy still has a certain combat effectiveness and has not been completely wiped out.
For Admiral Ding, he now has the confidence to report to Li Zhongtang.
Just thinking of Senior Brother Wu and the amazingly powerful Boxers under his command, he couldn't help but feel a chill.
Lu Di is close to the capital, but it hides such a terrifying army. If something happens...
"No accident can happen!"
Wu Dong, who seemed to have understood the worries of Admiral Ding of the Navy and other senior generals early on, was filled with joy and said directly at the subsequent meeting: "If I had done anything evil, the entire Lu region would have been in chaos, and even
I have completely controlled you!"
"The reason why we didn't act rashly is that we didn't want to give the great powers an opportunity to take advantage of. On the other hand, we didn't want to get caught up in an endless war with the gentry of the world!"
"Otherwise, how could all the Boxer farms under my command be built in the wilderness? I just don't want to have too many entanglements with local forces!"
"Then, Senior Brother Wu, how will you arrange the many elite troops under your command?"
Admiral Ding was not stupid and asked directly: "The mutiny of Song Taizu Chen Qiaoyi is not a secret, and it is not something that Senior Brother Wu can do whatever he wants!"
"If you want to compete for territory, you can't do it only in the land of China!"
Wu Dong laughed, ran his fingers over a group of Beiyang navy generals, and said leisurely: "If you are tired of the mess within the officialdom one day, you are welcome to join us!"
When the navy generals looked at each other in confusion, Wu Dong and his confidants laughed and left.
When his strength has reached this stage, there is no need to hide it too much, at least from the generals at Weihaiwei Navy Base.
By then, there will be a large-scale sea transportation of personnel and materials at Jiao'ao Terminal, which cannot be concealed even if it is wanted.
Instead of the naval generals making random guesses and scaring themselves, it is better to get vaccinated early.
After so many years of development, Wu Dong's subordinates have established their own system, including talent training and promotion channels, as well as good development in all aspects, especially in mechanical technology and gunpowder production, which are not favored by the mainstream of the Qing Dynasty.
It's not like he hasn't tried before, to get Boxer Farm to contact the local area, trying to find a more suitable communication model.
As a result, there was no effect at all, and on the contrary, it was harassed.
It's not that local forces are emboldened, but that their desire to control land, means of production, and even personnel is too deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
As members of the farm management association in the experimental area, half of them were directly dragged into the water in just six months.
They took advantage of their positions to secretly modify the fundamental policy of the farm, allowing outside gentry forces to purchase the farm's mature fields, and they themselves were among the purchasers.
As a result, by the time Wu Dong became aware of it, most of the land allocated to the Boxer families on the farm that was used as a test field had changed hands, and none of the public land was left.
There was nothing to say. Wu Dong directly arrested those guys who were colluding with the local forces and sent them to the Khmer to open up wasteland and undergo labor camps.
As for the local gentry who resorted to tricks, Wu Dong did not confront them directly. In short, everything their family owned was isolated from the Boxer system.
Not only that, but they are often harassed by thieves and bandits.
It was not until the squire who dared to reach out to the Boxer Farm went bankrupt that they stopped going on.
As a result, Wu Dong has completely given up the idea of integrating into the mainstream circle.
However, the mainstream gentry circle could not stand the domineering behavior of Wu Dong and the Boxer forces, and intentionally or unintentionally isolated them from the outside world.
In this way, Wu Dong saw clearly how difficult it was to get involved in the land of China.
This will happen in the Boxer Farm and the key areas controlled by the Dharma Altar. Once Wu Dong can't hold back and sweeps the Lu land, one day all his close Boxer forces may step aside.
Only then did he deeply understand that the hard work of those talented people who founded the country were simply making the world an enemy and destroying all the courage to rebuild. Not everyone had it.
At least at this time, Wu Dong didn't have such determination. It was better to start over in Khmer. At least there was basically a blank. Whether it was order or everything, he and his men could decide in one word, without too many entanglements and conflicts.
Mental effort.
Therefore, after the incident of this small life, his Boxers will have to start large-scale migration. He really does not want his brothers to be wasted in the entanglement with the Qing Dynasty.
This time, the battle with the Xiaori Army gave him a clear recognition of the strength of his Boxer armed forces.
Just in time to take advantage of the high morale, take the Khmer to repair the dishonest French.
As for the senior generals of the Beiyang Navy who were stationed at the Weihai Guard Port, whether they believed what he said was their own business.
Wu Dong planned to stay in the Jiao'ao area and use this springboard to continuously send human and material resources to Khmer. There were already tens of thousands of boxers and their families who were organized and armed, as well as nearly 100,000 Guangdong provinces who took the initiative to defect.