Chapter 329 Decided to Send Troops
Li Jifeng knew that the Haihan people were always cautious in their actions, especially in handling relations with the Ming Dynasty. It would not be easy to get the Haihan people to provide military assistance to Lijiazhuang, so he went to the Lijiang Guangdong Office in person. It's a pity that Schneider has been transferred back to Port Victory, and the person in charge in Guangzhou now does not have enough weight in the executive committee. Neither He Xi nor the newly arrived Malik have the right to make decisions on such a major matter, so they can only pass the information through the radio It is sent back to the base camp and handed over to the executive committee to make a decision.
"Let's talk about it. After all, people are begging us now!" Tao Donglai looked around at the executive committee members present and said in a deep voice: "Can we help with this, and if so, how can we help? Let’s add up together!”
"We must help. The Li family is now the spokesperson for our interests in Ming Dynasty. If their roots are dug down, it will cause a lot of losses to us. Besides, the shareholders of 'Qiong Lianfa' are now We have just joined the team, and they will also see how we respond to the Li family’s request for help.” Schneider took the lead in expressing his attitude: “As for how to help, I think we still need to listen to professionals. Opinions, I am a layman and will not talk nonsense.”
From a purely profit perspective, Schneider's words are indeed correct. Although there are many more export channels for Haihan products than half a year ago, "Furuifeng" is still a recognized Haihan brand in the Ming Dynasty business circle. Han spokesperson, as long as Haihan is allowed to sell goods, "Fu Ruifeng" will be the first merchant to get the goods, and even many rare things that are not seen on the market, that is, "Fu Ruifeng" will Only have unique sources of goods. In the more than half a year after establishing a business relationship with "Furuifeng", the gross profit earned by Chuanchuan Group from the goods sold through this channel has exceeded 200,000 taels of silver.
In addition, the materials purchased by the Chuanchuan Group, the immigrants introduced, and the strongholds arranged in the mainland all have the contribution of "Furuifeng". Without the assistance of the Ming Dynasty's leading party, the Cross-Travel Group's layout in the mainland would not have been so smooth. Now, although the Ministry of Commerce has taken the lead in setting up the "Qiong Lianfa" organization to develop more leading parties, the Executive Committee's emphasis on the veteran "Fu Ruifeng" has not decreased because of this. On the contrary, it has specially established the "Qiong Lianfa" organization. "Golden Shield Security" to help the Li family expand their business scope - of course, the main purpose of establishing this organization is to prepare for the Cross-Travel Group's military layout in the mainland.
Many things that the Time Travel Group cannot do in its own name are almost all handed over to "Furuifeng". Although now there is a larger shell of "Qiong Lianfa" to borrow, but "Furuifeng" Existence is still an indispensable force for the Time Travel Group. When it comes to the choice of "helping or not", no one on the executive committee will have a negative opinion on this, because no department can be completely isolated from the supply of materials and manpower from the outside world - this is also the current status of the Cross-Travel Group.
Sure enough, after Schneider finished speaking, no one jumped out to question his opinion. Regardless of whether it is from the perspective of justice or selfishness, it is impossible for the Chuan Chuan Group to remain idly by and watch the Li family's difficulties.
Bai Kesi said: "I also agree with Mr. Shi's opinion. We must help, but how to help and to what extent we can help must be carefully considered. What is the situation of the civil unrest in Guangzhou? The message is not very clear. Teacher Ning, do you have any relevant information?”
Ning Qi nodded and responded: "After receiving the notice from Mr. Tao, I went to check the database and found that the chaos in Guangzhou Prefecture was not just as simple as what was said in the message. The root of this matter dates back to a few years ago. Starting..."
In the third year of the Ming Dynasty, that is, 1623, four years before the time travelers came to this world, banditry broke out in Conghua County, Guangzhou Prefecture. The main force was the lower class people who made a living by burning charcoal. The leader was Lai Ding. Ji Ji, Liao Dabi, Zhang Weichong and others, numbering in the thousands, are active in Conghua, Zengcheng, Longmen, Qingyuan and other counties in Guangzhou Prefecture, as well as Shaozhou Prefecture and Huizhou Prefecture. This banditry plague lasted for many years in Guangdong, and historical records indicate that it was not until the fifth year of Chongzhen that it was gradually calmed down.
In the fourth year of the Apocalypse, most areas of Guangzhou Prefecture suffered from famine. Unscrupulous rice merchants took the opportunity to raise rice prices. As a result, the increase in rice prices triggered civil uprisings in Boluo County, Huizhou Prefecture and Guangzhou Prefecture. Although the government suppressed them promptly Although the civil uprisings in these two places were stopped, there were still a large number of bankrupt and hungry people who chose to join the gangs in Guangdong in order to survive. After this, it was mentioned in the call from Guangzhou that banditry intensified due to natural and man-made disasters between the sixth year of the Apocalypse and this year.
According to historical records, in the next few years, Guangdong will continue to suffer droughts, floods, earthquakes, plagues and pirate attacks. The frequent occurrence of various disasters will further intensify civil unrest. If we infer based on historical data and Guangzhou cables, then the bandit forces that have caused chaos near Guangzhou recently and have threatened Lijiazhuang should be dominated by the "Charcoal Burning Party" that began to emerge two years ago.
In fact, the government has no good way to deal with these bandit forces, otherwise they would not have been allowed to do evil in Guangdong for many years. The Li family was obviously aware of this, so they did not place their hopes on the authorities, but quietly approached the Guangdong Office for help.
"Four years ago? Are these bandits considered veterans? If thousands of people attacked Lijiazhuang, it would be difficult to defend it with just the number of people in their militia." After listening to the historical background introduced by Ning Qi, Bai Kesi said to Li I also have a better understanding of my current situation.
"Are you sure now that the bandits will definitely attack Lijiazhuang?" Yan Chujie finally expressed his opinion: "If this is certain, then we can no longer waste time discussing how to rescue the Lijiazhuang, but must take action immediately! ”
"It's so far from Victory Port to Guangzhou, so it will take some time to mobilize manpower and purchase materials, right? Besides, the local situation is unknown, so it's hard to make a conclusion on how many manpower we need to send. Shouldn't we be more cautious at this time?" Gu Kai had always disagreed with the military's attitude of always beating and killing, and immediately questioned Yan Chujie's statement.
"When we slowly mobilize manpower, prepare supplies, and then cross the sea to Guangzhou, it will take more than seven or eight days, right? Do you think it will take seven or eight days for thousands of bandits to besiege a village? We are here It's okay to have a meeting slowly, but can the Li family wait? Will the bandits sit down and wait for us to discuss the results before taking action? Collect the corpses!" Yan Chujie refuted Gu Kai's statement mercilessly, just shy of saying "talking on paper".
Gu Kai was a little embarrassed when he was snatched away by Yan Chujie, but it was not his strength to argue with Yan Chujie in this regard. He moved his lips a few times and finally chose to shut up.
"Okay, Lao Yan, don't get angry in a hurry. Aren't we just discussing solutions now?" Tao Donglai quickly stepped forward to smooth things over and gave Gu Kai a wink, signaling him not to argue with Yan Chujie anymore. Every time the Executive Committee prepares to take military action against foreign countries, there will always be voices of opposition. Meng He used to be from the Ministry of Information Industry. After this re-election, Meng He was squeezed out of the new Executive Committee. The candidate with a pacifist tone became Gu Kai, who was transferred back from Heitu Port.
Although there is no partisanship in the executive committee, whenever this happens, there will still be a vague divide into two factions: "main war" and "main peace". However, since the victory in the Battle of Annan, the voice of "main battle" has obviously become much louder at this time. In addition to Mr. Yuan who has clearly taken sides, Ning Qi, who often questioned the military's practices, is now often on the fence. Attitude, only Gu Kai still insists on using non-violent means to solve problems.
What Yan Chujie said was not a matter of will. Now even if the Executive Committee immediately passes the proposal for military assistance, organizes troops, prepares supplies, and fleets, it will still take at least two days to set off from Victory Port. Even if the journey goes smoothly, , it was almost a week before we arrived at our destination. If the local bandits really wanted to attack Lijiazhuang, I'm afraid they would have done it long ago.
"What do the military mean?" Tao Donglai seemed to be knowingly asking to help Yan Chujie set the pace.
"Be prepared with both hands." Yan Chujie made a scissors gesture: "First, the base camp will immediately mobilize militia troops to form an expeditionary force and set off as soon as possible. Second, organize a resistance force nearby in Guangzhou and go to Panyu to assist Lijiazhuang in defending against bandits. ”
"The only armed forces near Guangzhou are..." Ning Qi heard this and roughly understood what Yan Chujie meant.
The Crossing Group's armed forces near Guangzhou were originally only a small number of militiamen from the Guangzhou Garrison Office, but they have only recently expanded to a platoon. Next is the Li Jia Militia Regiment, which was trained in Guangzhou and currently has about two companies. In addition, there are more than 100 people from the Fourth Company of the Shengli Port Independent Battalion who were recently sent to the Pearl River Estuary to establish a stronghold on Dawanshan Island - this is probably the resistance force that Yan Chujie mentioned. In terms of combat capabilities alone, the militiamen of the Fourth Company are definitely stronger than the Li's Militia. This is not just because the Fourth Company, with all its members equipped with flintlock rifles, is better than the militiamen who still use matchlocks as their main weapons and only a small number of elites. The number of Li Jia Min Regiment issued with flintlock rifles exceeds that of a large number. More importantly, all members of the Fourth Company participated in the Annan Battle. They are an armed force with real combat experience. The combat experience is similar to the nature of the Li Jia Min Regiment as a village protection team. There is still a huge difference between amateur militias. If it were a battlefield showdown, there should be no pressure on the four companies to single out the two companies of the Li Jia Militia.
If the fourth company is transferred to Lijiazhuang to participate in the defense, then there will be a greater chance of repelling the bandits. After all, on the Annan battlefield, the Fourth Company had a record of repelling enemies several times their own strength. The combat effectiveness of this bandit could never be any better than the South Vietnamese army. The most important thing is that the arrival of this group of Haihan regular troops can completely serve as branches, organize a more structured and disciplined defense force in the local area, and direct the Li's militia to cooperate in operations.
"The Fourth Company went to the Pearl River Estuary to perform a garrison mission this time. The weapons and ammunition are very fully equipped and can fully support their needs to complete several small-scale operations locally. The voyage from Dawanshan Island to Panyu on the Pearl River is sixty It is more than 100 miles away and can be reached by boat on the same day. The distance is also very short and it is completely within the time limit." Yan Chujie continued to give other reasons that could prove the feasibility of this plan.
"The Discovery is also docked at Dawanshan Island. If the fourth company needs to be mobilized, transportation capacity will not be a problem." Yue Zhiyun from the Ministry of Shipping also added. Although the navy has now become a separate force, due to its poor transportation capacity, overseas operations often require the cooperation of the Ministry of Shipping. Therefore, the Ministry of Shipping also has a clear understanding of the status of the only warship in the line.
"What about the defense of Dawanshan Island? We still have hundreds of migrant workers on the island. Even if the base camp mobilizes troops for reinforcements, there will be a gap of several days." Ning Qi was a little confused. asked worriedly.
"This brings us to the benefits of establishing grassroots militia organizations!" Yan Chujie immediately took over: "Half of the personnel selected to participate in the construction of Dawanshan Island this time have received more than three trainings in Victory Port. Militia training. Our military originally intended that these personnel stationed on the island could become an auxiliary force for the troops stationed on the island, but now it seems that they can be used in advance after the fourth company sets off, and they can be temporarily used for defense. Leave it to these militiamen, it will only take a few days anyway, and everything will be fine once the reinforcements from the base camp arrive.”
"What about the weapons they used?" Ning Qi continued to ask.
"Weapons have been shipped a long time ago. This is not something your Ministry of Civil Affairs handles. Why are you asking me?" Yan Chujie took the opportunity to laugh at Ning Qi.
When Ning Qi thought about it, he seemed to have an impression. Among the military supplies that were originally shipped, it seemed that there was indeed "militia weapons". However, at the time, he thought they were weapons for the militia troops stationed on the island. But now that he thinks about it, it is wrong. The weapons are all installed on the "Discovery". The cargo labeled "militia weapons" shipped on the cargo ship should be what Yan Chujie said.
Of course, these grassroots militiamen did not have any high-end weapons, and they did not even have large-scale equipment for matchlocks. The standard weapons were iron-tipped spears one foot long, paired with a small number of swords and shields. However, the combination of military-trained militiamen and this kind of armed force is definitely enough to deal with the mob that lacks long-range weapons and heavy weapons. In fact, as long as there is no naval battle, the military believes that it may be enough to deal with pirates in nearby waters.
"The other materials needed by the Fourth Company to fight in Panyu..."
"It's only forty miles from Guangzhou City to Panyu. If you need anything, just say hello and the Li family will buy it and send it over. We don't need to worry too much about it." Before Ning Qi could finish asking, Yan Chujie immediately rushed to answer. answered his question.
Ning Qi made a helpless expression and said, "Okay, I don't have any other questions for the time being."
"With all due respect, I think everyone has overlooked one thing." Gu Kai, who had been silent for a long time, couldn't help but speak again: "When we send troops to fight in Panyu, do we need to consider the feelings of the local officials of the Ming Dynasty? First of all, let me state that, The feeling I'm talking about has nothing to do with respect. The key is that if Ming Dynasty knew that we openly sent armed forces to fight in areas near Guangzhou, would they regard our existence as a threat? "
"The possibility you mentioned does exist, but we don't actually need to make this operation public." Tao Donglai took the initiative to take the question raised by Gu Kai: "The existence of private group training is semi-legal in Ming Dynasty. , even if the weapons and equipment are a bit excessive, as long as they don't take the initiative to cause chaos, the local government will usually turn a blind eye when we enter Panyu to fight. In fact, we don't need to use the banner of the Haihan Militia. Our people will not be stationed there permanently. , Besides, the local government knew that there was a banditry in that place, and it was too late to hide. How could it send people to the local area at this juncture to check whether the equipment of the militia exceeded the standard? "
"Let's vote, after all, time is very tight." Seeing that the others had no intention of continuing to ask questions, Yan Chujie immediately urged.
The result of the vote was also expected. The Executive Committee successfully passed the proposal for armed support to Lijiazhuang and authorized the Military Commission to direct this military operation. Other relevant departments must also fully cooperate.
After Yan Chujie got Shang Fang's sword, he immediately asked for leave and left. He didn't even participate in the subsequent meetings. He quickly returned to the Military Commission's office to convene an emergency meeting. The first thing to do is to send telegrams to inform the Guangdong Office and Dawanshan Island respectively about the resolution and general action plan of the Executive Committee, and request the two places to start preparations immediately and complete the corresponding measures in the shortest possible time. of transfer.
Secondly, the base camp cannot just sit idle. Just in case, a second wave of reinforcements from the north must be prepared immediately. After the Battle of Annan, the base camp had already carried out an expansion and recruited three companies of cadets from the army and navy. Currently, the army cadets have actually completed the three-month training period, but have not yet been admitted to the formal establishment. The military's external statement is the Victory Port Independent Battalion, but in fact the local strength is far less than an independent battalion. Even after dispatching four companies, the army stationed in the Sanya area still maintains the size of six companies. After discussion, the senior military officials decided to send two more companies, one old and one new, to go north to ensure the safety of this military assistance operation.
"I feel like we are going to become mercenaries!" Gu Wei said with emotion: "After helping the Vietnamese to fight the rebels, we are now going to help the Ming Dynasty fight the bandits. After forming the army, all military operations are We are fighting for outsiders!”
"It doesn't matter who we fight for, what matters is the actual benefits after the fight. Just wait and see, after this battle is over, the Li family will definitely pay for our military expenses!" Yan Chujie said with a smile on his face. , there was no longer the sense of anxiety that I had in the Executive Committee just now.
(End of chapter)