Chapter 344 Sword Guide to Yue
Of course, the production line of matchlocks will not stop. Even if it is not sold to North Vietnam, selling this kind of weapon to Ming Dynasty is still a very cost-effective deal. Matchlock guns from the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty cost 20 taels each. Xu Xinsu, who needed to raise his own military expenses to purchase equipment, was naturally more willing to buy high-quality and low-priced Haihan goods. In fact, when the second batch of trainees from Fujian arrived at Victory Port, It also brought a new order from Xu Xinsu, one thousand Type 27 matchlock guns.
Xu Xinsu, who is rich and wealthy, has always done cash transactions, and has even made several attempts to ship the money first and then negotiate the order. Naturally, he placed this order in the hope that Haihan would deliver the goods as quickly as possible. If we want to squeeze goods from North Vietnam, we can quickly complete the order from Fujian. The so-called work stoppage was just an excuse given by the military industry department to North Vietnam.
So the North Vietnamese quickly received new news from Hai Han. This time it had nothing to do with the invitation to send troops. It was the "Hai Han Military Industry" that informed them that due to the need for technological upgrading, the production of matchlock guns would be suspended for a period of time. As for the specific one It depends on the work progress of the "relevant departments". In other words, before this so-called "technical upgrade" is completed, North Vietnam will temporarily be unable to purchase rifles from Hai Han.
As for artillery sales, there are also small "adjustments". In the short term, there will be no small-caliber army artillery for sale. The only thing that can be purchased is the long-tube city defense artillery. Although this thing is also very powerful, its mobility is basically Zero, far less flexible and practical than army artillery on the battlefield.
These two adjustments made the North Vietnamese court fully feel the "malice" from Victory Port. Of course, they also understood what the Haihan people's statement meant. After all, they had just rejected the invitation to cooperate with Haihan in sending troops not long ago. It seemed that the Haihan people were not interested in The reply was quite dissatisfying.
North Vietnam now has a new army of about 2,000 men, but it is impossible to say that these 2,000 men can defeat the rebels in the south. As soon as Hai Han cuts off weapons exports, the North Vietnamese Army's expansion plan will immediately come to a standstill.
Are you going to protest to the Haihan people? But the reasons given by the Haihan people are also reasonable and there is no way to blame them. The most terrible thing is that North Vietnam still purchases weapons by trading rice plus population. There is really no confidence at all. If the Haihan people say that they use money to buy, then North Vietnam can really only stare. Moreover, these dignitaries have more or less benefited from the transactions with Haihan in private, and no one wants to go out and negotiate with the Haihan people - this time it will be enough to interrupt the supply of weapons, and next time it will be necessary to stop the supply of refined salt. And other good things have stopped trading, so who will take the blame?
So over this matter, a group of dignitaries in Sheng Long Mansion argued for several days. The topic of the debate was no longer to accuse Hai Han of being unkind, but to consider how to resolve this opinion from a practical perspective. Diverged.
In the end, Thang Long Palace softened its attitude and expressed its willingness to cooperate with the military operations led by Hai Han to a certain extent. However, regarding the specific proportion of military expenditure burden, Thang Long Palace was unwilling to let go easily - this is no longer a political attitude and integrity. The problem is that I really can’t get the money out. Of course, after they made such a soft statement, the Hai Han Executive Committee also responded politely and stated that it would resume the supply of weapons to the North Vietnamese court in the near future.
After weighing the pros and cons, the Haihan military finally came up with a more compromise plan of action: North Vietnam gathered troops on the Hengshan and Zhengjiang lines, made a gesture of raising troops for a southern expedition, and tried its best to attract South Vietnam to send its troops to the war zone. transfer. The Haihan side will seize the appropriate opportunity and go south from Victory Port directly to the rear coastal ports of South Vietnam to attack its maritime trade.
The North Vietnamese troops mainly played the role of attracting firepower in this plan, but in fact they did not need to actually launch a large-scale offensive. They only needed to act realistically so that the South Vietnamese troops could focus their attention there. Of course, if the North Vietnamese military believes that it has this spare power and can deal with South Vietnam on its own, then it can give it a try.
The Haihan Army's raid in the hinterland of South Vietnam was the centerpiece of this operation. Considering the difficult economic situation of the allies, the Military Commission finally "generously" stated that North Vietnam would only need to bear 30% of the Haihan military expenditure this time. . Of course, for the remaining 70%, the Military Commission has no intention of taking it all on itself - there is no reason to come back empty-handed when fighting so far across the sea. Based on past experience, such attacks on trading ports are often quite fruitful.
Although both parties have reached preliminary agreement on this plan, its practical application is not something that can be accomplished overnight. In this era, it often takes a year and a half or even several years to prepare for a major war. The battle in North Vietnam at the beginning of the year has not slowed down for half a year. This is thanks to the victory. If it were defeated, The situation is even more miserable. Although this time only the North Vietnamese army is required to cooperate in the performance, large-scale troop mobilization still requires a considerable amount of materials, and the recruitment and transportation of these troops and materials cannot be completed in a short time. In this era, even in the world, there are very few armies that can complete expeditionary combat preparations within a few days like the Haihan Militia.
According to the estimates of the North Vietnamese military, in order to show enough momentum to deceive South Vietnam, at least 20,000 to 30,000 troops must be mobilized on the front line. Currently, there are about 15,000 permanent troops stationed on the Zhengjiang Hengshan defense line, which means that at least 5,000 more troops must be transferred from the north. Although the North Vietnamese army's material supply to the front line has been significantly improved after several cargo ships provided by the Black Tu Port Shipyard, the mobilization of large numbers of troops will still put a great burden on the supply line. Fortunately, the Black Earth Port Management Committee has stated that several ships can be dispatched to help North Vietnam transport troops and supplies during military operations, which can basically solve their transportation shortcomings.
The preparations for Haihan cannot be completed in a short time. Fortunately, the Army maintains a relatively high level of training before the war. It only needs to prepare and gather for a week of special training before going out. What is more troublesome is the newly established navy. Since the existing warships are all newly delivered, the crew and ships are basically still in the running-in period. As the flagship of the navy, the "Exploration" has not even completed outfitting. It is indeed a bit inappropriate to drag him out to fight. Therefore, after discussion on the Military Commission's side, the combat plan will be implemented at the end of July so that the Navy can be more fully prepared.
As for the coordination of other materials and personnel, due to the experience of previous expeditions, various relevant units have already figured out a more efficient way of working, and there is no need for the executive committee to coordinate.
Of course, the military will not be idle in the month before this. In addition to strengthening training, there is also a corresponding on-the-spot reconnaissance plan. Since the Black Tu Port colonization point was opened in North Vietnam last year, the North Vietnamese population transported to Victory Port has exceeded 10,000. Most of the immigrants have naturalized citizenship, and the rest are South Vietnamese prisoners who were used as military debt repayments. , or they are new immigrants who have not yet passed the quarantine observation period.
Among these North Vietnamese immigrants who have acquired Hai Han naturalized citizenship, a considerable number of young men have chosen to join the Hai Han militia to serve as soldiers. Many newcomers in the army, navy and police force are from North Vietnam. It is not difficult for the military to select a special operations team of Annan origin.
As for the officer leading the team, after careful consideration, the military decided to hand over this important task to Qian Tiandun, who had been stationed in Annan and was most familiar with the situation in Annan. Compared with other competitors, Qian Tiandun's advantages are too obvious: he was born as a scout, his professional quality is unquestionable, he has been stationed locally for a long time, and his reputation in the Haihan Army is also very high - as long as all Annan militiamen , even if you have never seen him, you all know that the "Chief Qian" of the Haihan Militia in Annan is an extraordinary figure. All the troops deployed by the Haihan Militia in Annan are under the command of Chief Qian.
But in addition to the officers leading the team, the military must also try to find a reasonable identity cover for this reconnaissance team - after all, the reconnaissance targets this time are some of the most prosperous port cities in South Vietnam, not an uninhabited desert island. Yeji, if his identity is revealed, it will definitely cause trouble for subsequent military operations.
In the current situation, a reasonable and safe identity is the caravan. After all, Hoi An, south of Hue Province, is a very important maritime trading port in South Vietnam at this time, and there are a large number of foreign maritime traders in the area. Frequent in and out, and using the caravan as a cover for reconnaissance is not easy to attract attention. However, if you want to disguise yourself as a caravan, it is best to find an experienced driver in this industry to be the leader. The military quickly determined the candidate, but it was not convenient to do the persuasion directly and could only be left to other departments.
The old driver selected by the military is one of the shareholders of "Qiong Lianfa". He is a maritime merchant who has been traveling between Ming Dynasty and Annan, Angkor, Siam and other places for a long time. Zhan Gui's maritime trade route was different from that of "Fu Ruifeng", Xu Xinsu and others. He almost focused on pure maritime transportation as his main business, not a combination of sea and land. Since getting on the line with the Hai Han people last year, Zhan Gui quickly realized that this thigh was worth holding on to, and then took over the salt business in the area south of Hue Province, including the Champa Kingdom that the Hai Han people specifically named.
Zhan Gui often comes in and out of Victory Port, so he is naturally aware of the rapid development here that changes every month. He has been wandering at sea for most of his life, and he is relatively indifferent to issues such as nationality and ethnicity. Therefore, he is not disgusted with the "outlawed land" approach of the Haihan people in Victory Port. Instead, he feels that there is much to be done. . Therefore, when Shengli Port first started to attract investment and build a business district, he was also one of the first maritime merchants to invest in land enclosures here. He also moved his concubine and children from Guangzhou to settle in Shengli Port. Later, when the General Office of the People's Republic of China organized the "Qiong Lianfa", Zhan Gui was also one of the first businessmen to sign up to participate. If we put aside "Fu Ruifeng" who had a deep entanglement with Haihan, Zhan Gui can be regarded as a well-known "Haihan faction" among businessmen in the Ming Dynasty.
Zhan Gui has a residence with a front store and a backyard in Shengli Port as his residence here. On weekdays, the concubine takes care of the accounts, plus a shopkeeper and a few assistants to take care of the business. Most of the goods sold are luxury goods such as rare wood, gems, rhinoceros horns, and ivory from Champa and other places.
On this day, Zhan Gui returned home after handling the ship's affairs at the port. As soon as he entered the gate, he saw his concubine coming out and said in a low voice: "Master, Mr. Ning and Mr. Shi from the executive committee, and a Haihan military master." Come together!" Zhan Gui said: "Why don't you let the servants go to the pier to inform me? How can you keep the distinguished guests waiting?"
"It's okay. We just have time to help your daughter with her homework." As he spoke, Schneider also walked outside the house and answered from a distance.
"Mr. Shi is so polite!" Zhan Gui hurried forward to bow to him, and asked his concubine to prepare some food. He glanced at the room and saw that besides Ning Qi, there was also the military master the concubine mentioned. ——Yan Chujie, the number one person in the Haihan military, is here. Zhan Gui suddenly felt a little nervous. He recognized these big shots and occasionally interacted with them, but there had never been a situation where the three of them came to visit together.
Zhan Gui couldn't guess what the situation was for a while, so he had to go into the house with Schneider first, and then asked his little daughter to go back to the room quickly. The daughter Zhan Gui had with his concubine is eight years old and is currently studying at Shengli Port Primary School. She can be considered a student of Ning Qi.
"Is it because the little girl is not disciplined in school? Mr. Ning must not taboo anything, and he will be punished. How can this child learn to behave if he is not punished!" Zhan Gui, not knowing the purpose of these three people, could only say You can just find a topic to talk about first.
Ning Qi smiled and said: "Boss Zhan, although your daughter's academic performance is not very good, she still does a pretty good job in observing discipline. This should be the result of Boss Zhan's usual good discipline. I am also planning to appoint her as the director. The monitor.”
Zhan Gui quickly responded: "Mr. Ning loves my little girl so much, this..."
"Boss Zhan, there is no need to refuse such a small matter. If the child behaves well, we as teachers will definitely give her more opportunities to perform." Ning Qi said with a smile.
Listening to this, Zhan Gui always felt that Ning Qi's words seemed to have some overtones, so he heard Schneider next to him also say: "Boss Zhan, you got the name for the child well! Zhan Zheying, stand and win, tsk tsk, I don't think you should say that." As a squad leader, it won’t be difficult to become a cadre in our Haihan organization when you grow up.”
What does "cadre" mean? Zhan Gui, who is based in Shengli Port, knows very well that the three in front of him are the big cadres among the Haihan people. Being able to become a cadre in the Haihan system is almost equivalent to becoming an official and entering the official career. ——It just won’t be officially recognized by Ming Dynasty. Zhan Gui has also met a few female cadres among the Haihan people. For example, the female cadre named Cai from "Haihan Bank" has a fierce face at all times. Zhan Gui hides her face with fear every time he sees her. He walked away quickly, fearing that she would scold her if she caught him doing something wrong.
Zhan Guipai smiled and said: "Mr. Shi is joking. The next businessman would not dare to have such a delusion."
"The child is still young. Whether he will be a cadre or not in the future is another matter. But Boss Zhan, you have always cooperated very happily with us. If I want to give your child a good future, I think there will be no problem." Yan Chujie, who was sitting silently, finally spoke.
When Zhan Gui heard this, he seemed to understand something, and immediately asked: "I dare to ask you three, but is there anything I need to send you?"
"I can't tell you about the mission, but there is something I really hope you can help us with." Seeing him asking, Yan Chujie stopped going around in circles and returned to the topic: "We are planning to send a fleet to Hue Province in the near future. Traveling around Hoi An, you are familiar with the local environment, so I want you to lead this team. What do you think?”
Zhan Gui can be regarded as an extremely shrewd person. When Yan Chujie said this, he already understood six or seven points. At the beginning of the year, the Hai Han Militia sent troops to help the North Vietnamese court fight. This had long been known to everyone in Victory Port. The thousands of South Vietnamese prisoners sent over the next few months also proved the results of the war promoted by the Executive Committee. Since the Haihan Militia fought a war with South Vietnam, there is certainly no reason to establish trade relations with South Vietnam so soon. The so-called sending a fleet to go around is more likely to mean sending troops to go around - Otherwise, I'm afraid these words would not have come out of Yan Chujie's mouth.
As the largest maritime trading port in South Vietnam, Zhan Gui has been to Hoi An no less than twenty or thirty times. Normally he would go there about twice a year on average - he even married a concubine there and bought a house. property. Just after the war a few months ago, Zhan Guidu went to Hoi An. But if Zhan Gui is asked to go there with an army instead of a caravan, there is indeed a big psychological obstacle.
Although Zhan Gui is usually a very articulate person, he couldn't help but stutter a little at this moment: "I don't know... the executive committee... is... is... planning..."
"I just want you to lead the team around the local area, there is no other meaning, and I don't know how to fight." Yan Chujie explained with a smile.
Before Zhan Gui could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard Yan Chujie say again: "...The fight will only happen after you bring our people back from that place."
Zhan Gui said in astonishment: "This... Your Excellency, you mean to let me lead the militiamen to inquire about the situation, and then send a large army to attack Hoi An Port?"
"Absolutely." Yan Chujie did not deny Zhan Gui's guess. Anyway, it has been decided to drag Zhan Gui into the water, so there is no need to worry too much about him leaking the militia's combat plan - to say the least, even if it is leaked, it will be difficult for South Vietnam to organize a group within a month. A decent surface force came to resist. If they really plan to do this, it will simply increase experience points for Tom Wang's navy for free.
(End of chapter)