In the city of Liaodong, arson under the jurisdiction of the Ordnance Bureau, boxes of wooden boxes loaded with gunpowder and bullets were loaded onto a carriage and then transported to the railway station of Liaodong City. Some of these important materials were transported to Muling Lake in the north, near Chuyuer Lake, and some were transported to Dalian Port in the south.

"The military headquarters suddenly sent military orders these days. The amount of gunpowder required was really surprising, enough to launch a huge war. It must be divided into two batches of north and south. Is the military leader planning to fight on both sides?" The officials of the arsenal muttered to themselves while recording the supplies transported from the factory.

The Ordnance Bureau is a logistics department and has no right to interfere with the strategic arrangements of the military department. Their responsibilities are only to transport the materials to the designated location in a timely manner according to the list of materials provided by the military department.

"After a cannon, there were tens of thousands of taels of gold. In the past few days, the supplies we transported out were worth 100,000 taels of silver." Another official also had the same feeling, "The inventory that we had finally accumulated in two years was gone in a short time."

"This is the resolution above, not spending our own money. We should register well and never make mistakes. Otherwise, if something is missing, it will be entangled by the people of the Finance Bureau."

Liaodong City is the industrial center of Liaodong, and it is equally important to the power center Jinzhou City and the foreign trade center Dalian Port. Due to its proximity to Anshan Town, many mines and smelters have been moved to this nearby. This batch of firearms and ammunition to be transported to Dalian Port is loaded on dozens of trains and then transported to Dalian Port.

There were heavy troops gathering near the northern Shoyuer Lake, and almost all Mongolian tribes in the south of the desert were involved in the upcoming war, and there were troops gathering secretly in the Dalian Port in the south. However, this group of gathering troops was not infantry and cavalry, but the Beiyang Fleet that had been acting in a low-key manner in the Beihai.

The Dachu and Dayan two sail battleships with fifty-four artillery guns were anchored in Dalian Port. Among them, the Dayan formation was stationed in Dalian Port for a long time, and the Dayan was summoned back from the Ryukyu Guards. In addition to the two sail battleships, there are also several cruisers, frigates and some merchant ships.

This group of ships had a total of about twenty ships. The most eye-catching one was not the Da Chu or the two largest sail battleships of the Da Yan, but an iron-armored merchant ship painted in black paint. This iron-armored ship has a huge black chimney with steel texture, and the hull is painted with white paint on the three big words "Yongchang".

For the people of southern Liaoning who have only seen wooden sailboats, iron-armored ships are still very novel. However, as new things such as trains and street lights emerge like a tide, these ordinary people can easily accept them.

"Look, that's the official iron-armored ship Yongchang. It's the fourth time it's been here this month, right?" the workers on the dock talked.

"The Yongchang is really made of steel? So heavy and not afraid of sinking into the sea?"

"I have transported the goods to the top and touched the deck and hull with my hands. The touch was cold. It must be made of steel. I just don't know how much steel a big ship needs to use."

"Is it really made of steel? Is it a cargo ship or a warship?"

"Cargo ship, you see, the flag of the Far East Trading Company is hung on the Yongchang, not the Beiyang Fleet. It is obviously a large cargo ship run by the official. Some time ago, it was also said it was a passenger ship, but it was later changed to a cargo ship. There were only a few cannons on it, so it would definitely not be a warship anyway."

The workers were talking about it, but it was just some of the rumor I got and it didn't matter.

This time, a large number of ships were concentrated in Dalian Port, and there were obviously important actions. Only those who knew about this action were the Beiyang Fleet and some people from the highest level of the Navy.

"The Navy Department has received the order from the Military Department. Our Beiyang Fleet is responsible for protecting this batch of merchant ships, including the Yongchang, and going to Nagasaki Port in the Japanese Kingdom for trade." Shi Daxuan, deputy commander of the Beiyang Fleet, said to the captains of the two formations of Dachu.

He was Zheng Zhilong's former subordinate, and now he is Zheng Zhilong's adjutant, but the difference is that he has the Navy and Chu Yun, who are directly under the command of the Navy.

"I am confused by the deputy commander. Although these merchant ships are not as firepower as the gunships we built specifically for naval warfare, many of them are armed merchant ships, with more than a dozen bronze cannons and fewer cannons. Our iron-armored merchant ship of Yongchang was pulled out alone to the sea of ​​the Japanese Kingdom. As long as there is no close combat, there will be no ships that can sink it. Why do we use almost the entire Beiyang Fleet to protect them?" A frigate captain asked in confusion.

"You don't need to ask about this for now. When you arrive at Nagasaki Port, you will consider it as an exercise for our Beiyang Fleet." Shi Daxuan didn't explain much, "After the materials are loaded, you will set off immediately!"

Not only the merchants of the Fu Liao army, but even the merchants on the merchant ships that were about to set off with the Beiyang Fleet were kept in the dark. They were originally going to go to Nagasaki Port for trade, but they suddenly received a notice from Chu Yun. Chu Yun promised that if these merchants set off with the Beiyang Fleet, they could obtain generous profits. Given the considerable returns since their cooperation with the Fu Liao army, these merchants united with the official merchant ships of the Fu Liao army.

"What medicine do you think is sold in the Fuliao Army's gourd? Why should we take us with you? Could it be that there were pirates in the North Sea?" a merchant muttered on his merchant ship.

"From Liaodong to Liaodong in the north and Nanyang in the south, almost all the pirates have been pacified by the Fu Liao army. It is impossible for pirates to be rampant to use the power of the ten warships of the Fu Liao army to escort it, right? With these ten warships, let alone pirates, even a big name in Japan is more than enough." Another merchant on the same boat shook his head.

"Then this is strange, isn't it..." Suddenly a businessman had a bold idea, "Is the Liao army really going to fight against some famous Japanese name?"

"Don't say this nonsense. We are just merchants. They are carrying our ships to fight Japan?"

After receiving a steady supply of gunpowder, ammunition, fresh water, grain and other supplies from the dock, the wooden boards connecting the dock were drawn onto the ship, and the sailors and soldiers pulled the sails up in an orderly manner.

The chimney of the only strange steam iron-armored ship Yongchang was emitting rolling black smoke, forming a unique view.
Chapter completed!