On the night of May 2, six ships gathered together drove out of Zhenhaibao Naval Base in the dark in the dark. After they set off, Zhenhaibao Naval Base blocked the port and implemented a strict retreat policy.

The naval fleet, named Guinea Task Force, left the port and headed eastward toward the west coast of South Africa to avoid popular Brazilian coastal routes and reduce the chance of being discovered.

On June 5, the Guinea task force crossed the entire Atlantic Ocean and found the location of the estuary of the Berg River on the chart in the wind and rain. The South African pioneer team sent by the Executive Committee should have established a stronghold along the Berg River here. Even the name of this stronghold has been named: Fortress in the River - means a fortress surrounded by rivers.

Navy Lieutenant Sang Kai and Army Lieutenant Jiang Zhiqing took a platoon of army soldiers wearing thick oilcloth raincoats and rowed a boat under the heavy rain, trying to march towards the Berg River. They were looking for this stronghold. After more than half an hour of rowing, the Berg River, which was in the winter rainy season, was abundant and the river was surging, so the group had to abandon the boat and land on foot in order to avoid accidents.

There is really little rain near Cape Town, South Africa. Jiang Zhiqing wiped the rain on his face, and there was a gray rain screen between the sky and the earth around him. Everything was not very real to see more than thirty meters away.

"Sang Kai, do you think something happened to Mo Ming and the others?" Jiang Zhiqing said with some anxiety. "We have never seen it again since he took one or two hundred people. It is really not easy for more than one hundred people to explore such a deserted place. The last time I got their news was half a year ago when Li Yi and Wang Yang and the others came back to transport supplies. Oh, I said Li Yi and the others. I don't know what's going on in the Beard Whale Port. I hope they are all fine."

"Don't talk nonsense." Sang Kai pursed his lips and continued to walk on the muddy grass on the river bank. Behind them were sixteen soldiers. In such weather, their flintlock rifles became fire sticks, so each of them carried a 3-meter spear on their body as a self-defense weapon.

"The indigenous Koisan people in South Africa are red people, short and peaceful by nature. Unlike the Bantu blacks in East Africa, they are not very aggressive. They can basically get along with each other." Sankai said while walking, "Mo Ming and the others have more than 100 people, and they are also very well-known. After building basic defense facilities, I don't believe these red people can defeat them."

"Okay, let's continue to move upwards." Jiang Zhiqing wrapped the rain cloth on his body and said, "Maybe their city is built far upstream in order to hide. Moreover, I see that the river flows here is relatively fast and is not suitable for building a port. Let's continue to walk."

The group continued walking for about three kilometers, and finally saw a gray city hidden in the rain near an open river bay.

"It's Hezhong Fort!" Jiang Zhiqing said excitedly. In the cold winter rain, the exhaled white vapor from his mouth floated in the air.

"Not bad! It must be Hezhong Fort! Let's go and take a look." Sang Kai limped over. His cowhide military boots were filled with mud and water, and his body was full of mud and mud ideas, looking extremely embarrassed.

The soldiers who were slightly depressed by the heavy rain also became a little excited. They mustered up Yu Yong and followed the two officers step by step. Of course, in order to prevent possible situations, they also took off the spear on their backs.

There seemed to be a shouting sound on the banks of the Berg River. Jiang Zhiqing wiped the rain on his face and looked closely: a short man in a black uniform and a big cap on the opposite side was waving his arms under a tree on the bank of the river.

"It's Sheriff Aiwani!" A soldier from Orient Harbor recognized the man who was waving his arms, "He is Sheriff Aiwani of the Orient County Police Department! Thank goodness, our people are still there!"

...

The news soon reached the Guinea Task Force, which was cruising on the coast. After hearing that Mo Ming and others were safe and sound, everyone smiled. Soon, Hezhong Fort sent several water diggers. Under their guidance, the entire fleet avoided some of the easily stranded shallows in the Berg River under the strong sea breeze, flowed up and arrived at the simple docks on the banks of Hezhong Fort.

Six large sailboats filled the small dock. Here is a wide river bay with water depths above five or six meters and a river surface ranging from 600 to 800 meters wide. It is not unreasonable for the South African pioneer team to choose the dock here.

The naval sailors threw the cables to the unshaven and worn-out Chaluya dock workers who came over the wooden dock, who were wearing shabby raincoats. These workers tied each cable one by one without any effort, and then looked at the sea that came down from the ship and the army soldiers.

"Brother, what are you bringing from China?", "Brother, I'm looking forward to people coming to China...", "Relatives, since I brought two ships of building materials from Balewhale Port a few months ago, I have never seen anyone from a civilized world."

As more and more seas and army soldiers disembarked, dozens of residents of the River Fort suddenly surged from the dock. These residents, who looked almost as bad as savages, were wearing simple raincoats woven by leaves, huddled on the dock, staring at the task force with their eyes.

"Does go, dos go!" A scolding sounded from the dock. Liu Ang from the State Intelligence Administration led a group of people to kick and beat them with sticks. Only then could he easily squeeze a crack and rush to Lu Ming, who had just got off the boat.

"Relatives..." Liu Ang held Lu Ming's hand tightly with a sad face and kept shaking it, "It's considered that you're here."

Lu Ming looked at the former senior researcher of the State Information Administration who was wearing a ripped umbrella in front of him, his clothes were damaged, faded, his beard was unshaven, and his hair was like a chicken coop. He couldn't help but get goose bumps all over his body. Why is it so cold?

"Why do you look like this?" Lu Ming couldn't help but ask. He asked while looking ahead, where more people were coming from the castle in the rain.

"What else can there be a reason?" Liu Ang cursed, "It's still that bullshit Li Yi, Bombing Yang, it's almost half a year. I haven't sent us supplies yet. Damn, I don't know if they are dead. We need gunpowder, we need cannons, we need manpower, we need medicine, we need clothes, we need cannons, wine, tobacco, cocoa and even toilet paper, etc., all the goods you need, wipe, I don't want to be a savage."

Lu Ming was speechless, then he turned around and ordered his adjutant, asking them to take people to unload some of the supplies from the two transport ships and leave them to Hezhong Fort.

"I originally wanted to replenish some supplies from you, but now we will pay a lot of them first." Lu Ming shook his head and said with a wry smile.

After seeing Lu Ming ordering them to give some supplies, Liu Ang jumped up happily. Then he shook Lu Ming's hands vigorously and said, "Commander Lu is such a good person! Do you want to supply supplies? It's simple! Although our Hezhong Fort looks very cold, at least it has opened up 500 acres of wheat fields and 200 acres of vegetable fields to solve the problem of some of your fresh vegetables. The brothers also raised some pigs and sheep, but the number is still small, and they are usually used for tooth sacrifices. However, there are a large number of cattle. Recently, a tribe of the Koisan people came to attack us and was defeated by us. Then the brothers pushed back and took their nest in one fell swoop, seizing a lot of cattle herds that were freely raised by this tribe."

"Where is Mo Ming? Why didn't I see him?" Lu Ming suddenly asked. As the captain of the South African pioneer team, Mo Ming did not come out to welcome the task force, which made him feel very strange.

"Captain Mo was injured while attacking the Koisan tribe a while ago. The injury was not serious, but the wound was accidentally infected. Then it was not until the past two days that he recovered. He saved his life and is still lying on the bed." Liu Ang said with a sigh.

"What?" Lu Ming was also scared. Once Mo Ming, the captain of the South African pioneer team, died, although the base area of ​​Hezhongbao would not collapse immediately, it was certain that it would be severely hit.

The two of them walked towards the city while talking. The navy sailors had already started unloading goods on the dock with pulley booms. After the cans, cans, cocoa, coffee, soybean oil, candles, paper, gunpowder, building materials and other materials were unloaded, the residents of the river-centered fortress on the dock immediately cheered warmly. As they were lonely guarding the southern end of the African continent, the assistance from the motherland gave them hope to persevere.

The construction of Hezhong Fort was relatively smooth. Even though their manpower and materials were very short, and a nearby Koisan tribe was harassed them continuously, Mo Ming's South African pioneer team initially established basic facilities in more than a year: a brick and stone wall with a circumference of about 400 meters, hundreds of acres of farmland and livestock surrounded by barbed wire between the wall and the river bank, as well as civil facilities such as residential residences in the city, made this small Hezhong Fort initially have the ability to be self-sufficient.

Mo Ming, with a waxy face, sat on a chair and greeted Lu Ming and his group. This time he waved around the gate of hell before coming back, and his spirit looked a little depressed. His orderly soldier brought the newly unloaded coal stove on the dock, put the honeycomb coal in it, and boiled a pot of coffee.

"Thanks to the supplies you sent." Mo Ming leaned on a chair covered with lion skin, looked at Lu Ming with a smile and said.

"Damn, ivory, antelope skin, dog-headed gold..." Several naval officers who followed Lu Ming in were surprised when they saw the decorations in Mo Ming's room.

"Haha, they are all gadgets." Mo Ming said indifferently, "If you like, brothers, take a few of them. Anyway, there is nothing here in South Africa, so there is no shortage of these things. Commander Lu, are you passing by this time or what?"

"Passing by." Lu Ming nodded, "We are going to replenish some fresh vegetables, meat and fresh water here, and then go north along the Bengra cold current and quickly advance to Gambia, destroying the British merchant stations and military facilities in one fell swoop, and then acting on the camera."

"It's a very risky military operation, but there's no better way." Mo Ming sighed in understanding, "It's not difficult for you to replenish some food and water. Over the past year, we have planted hundreds of acres of land, and it's more than enough to replenish your fleet. If I give me some manpower and supplies in China and let me build this place completely, then our room for activities will be much greater in the future. The next step of exploring the Indian Ocean route can be put on the agenda."
Chapter completed!