Chapter 381: Impatient
However, only some of the more than 100 captives could make it to Sanya alive, because almost half of them were injured to varying degrees in this battle, and all the medical supplies on Wanshan Island were sourced from outside the island. It is certainly impossible to waste too much supplies on these pirates. At most, it can only help them stop bleeding. As for whether you can survive it, it depends on your personal physical fitness.
Fortunately, Haihan's casualties in this battle were controlled to single digits, maintaining an overwhelming advantage as always. The maritime battle that worried the military's top brass the most before the war was that no one was killed in the battle, and the warships basically suffered no major damage.
As for the materials seized in this battle, they are even more mediocre. There were a bunch of cold weapons confiscated from the prisoners, hundreds of taels of broken silver, a few small cannons that could only be recycled, and a dozen Type 27 matchlock guns that the pirates bought from someone unknown. In the eyes of the officers, these things are better than nothing - the hundreds of shells fired in the battle alone are worth much more than these rags.
A dozen large and small pirate ships were captured, but these ships were generally captured because their hulls were damaged and they were unable to escape in time. Some of the hulls were badly damaged by cannonballs and severely flooded, some had their masts broken by cannonballs, and some were seriously injured when trying to stop the Haihan warship. In short, these pirate ships towed back to the port basically need to be overhauled before they can be restored to use. Wanshan Port does not have a dock that can provide ship overhauls at all. There are only a few carpenters and part-time repairmen who can only do some repairs. They can't even do small repair jobs, such as replacing the mast or mending the keel. The Wanshan Port Management Committee wants to turn the captured pirate ships into usable assets, which is not something that can be achieved in a short while.
"It's useless for you to talk to me about ship repairs! Shengli Port Shipyard is not a unit under the Military Commission. It's useless for our military to talk about personnel transfers." Chen Yixin waved his hand and rejected Li Dou's entanglement: "Let's talk about Victory. The Hong Kong Shipyard is now saturated with production tasks. They are working overtime to build warships. How can they find manpower to be transferred to us? ”
Li Dou said reluctantly: "This is not just my business. Think about it, after these ships are repaired, the executive committee will not be interested in taking them back to Sanya. In the end, they will definitely be allocated to us for use. , whether it is used for fishing, transporting goods, transporting immigrants, or even used as a patrol boat, it will all come in handy. If the repair period is delayed for a long time, it is actually us who suffer... …”
"Okay, okay, stop talking. Now you are going with me to see Wang Tom. If you want to ask the executive committee for help, it would be more appropriate for him to come forward." Chen Yixin had no choice but to admit defeat in the face of Li Dou's reluctance. .
Although Wang Tom is not a member of the Executive Committee, he is now the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy and the third-in-command of the Military Commission, and his voice carries much more weight than middle-level managers such as Chen Yixin and Li Dou. And before the end of this military operation, Wang Tom, as the supreme commander of the theater, has the final decision-making power on all matters in Wanshan Port. If Wang Tom comes forward to make a request to the Executive Committee for the same thing, the effect will definitely be obtained. will vary. Chen Yixin knew that he was a man of small words, but Li Dou's words really convinced him. If Wanshan Port could have more than a dozen ships available, then the business it could engage in in the future would be much more than it is now. Putting aside Regardless of the economic benefits, it can at least improve and strengthen the living environment on the island.
However, when they found Wang Tom and reported the matter, Wang Tom's attitude was not very optimistic: "I can report this matter to the executive committee, but you don't have too much hope in this report. First, Victory Port The shipyard is really busy right now and may not be able to spare the manpower to support Wanshan Port. Secondly, although we won the battle this time, the cost was not small, and the things captured were not worth much. If the headquarters is responsible for the repair costs of these ships, the executive committee may be stuck. Third, Wanshan Port is too small, and it is not easy to build a dock in the harbor. It is difficult to carry out ship overhauls here. Too realistic.”
Wang Tom's answer undoubtedly poured cold water on the two young boys. Although they have many ideas on how to build and improve Wanshan Port, the reality may not develop according to their intentions. Especially in terms of investment in materials and personnel, Wanshan Port's disadvantages are actually very obvious - the place is too small, and many projects cannot be deployed here at all.
Of course, Wanshan Port was not positioned as a large-scale base during planning. To put it bluntly, choosing this place is just a transitional choice of last resort at this stage - if the strength is sufficient, the military will definitely choose to develop the prospect. Better Hong Kong Island area. In the future, as Haihan's military strength gradually increases, the position of the Pearl River Estuary stronghold will change sooner or later. Now investing too much resources in Dawanshan Island is not a very cost-effective deal for the Executive Committee.
The foreign merchant ships that happened to be in Wanshan Port on the day of the battle basically did not suffer much damage during the battle. Only one ship had a hole in the side of the ship due to a poor docking position, but it was repaired. It's not too difficult, and a local carpenter will be able to do it.
"Shopkeeper Gu, we will bear all the repair costs of your ship, but we have to delay you for another two days. I'm really sorry." Dealing with these merchants should have been a matter for the Ministry of Commerce, but because of Wanshan Island's The staffing is limited, so Li Dou has been doing this part-time.
The shopkeeper surnamed Gu quickly bowed his hands and said: "It's only two days, there's no need to delay. But how can I let you bear the cost of repairs! This Liu Xiang and his gang are coming menacingly. If the brothers of the militia hadn't fought to the death, this villain would have Even the ship and the cargo may not be saved, and it's too late to be grateful. How can I blame you for this debt? Director Li, I have prepared two hundred taels of silver here. To express my condolences to all the brothers in the militia, please don't refuse! ”
Li Dou comforted the businessmen one by one and heard few complaints. On the contrary, he received more than a thousand taels of silver in various forms of condolences, which could barely subsidize the expenses of this operation.
Foreign businessmen have a relatively consistent view of this battle - the Haihan militia is not only capable of fighting on land, but also performs well at sea. Liu Xiang is considered the most powerful pirate leader along the coast of Guangdong, but his fleet is attacking However, they obviously suffered a big loss during the Wanshan Port operation. The businessmen didn't know that Wang Tom chased Liu Xiang all the way, but the scene of the pirate fleet being attacked in the port area and being beaten and fleeing in embarrassment was something everyone had experienced and witnessed with their own eyes, and nothing could be faked. . Afterwards, the Haihan fleet returned unscathed, and the captives chained in chains, as well as the damaged and captured pirate ships docked at the dock, fully proved that this was a battle with a clear outcome. fighting.
These businessmen did not understand how powerful Haihan's weapons were, how advanced his tactics were, and how high-quality his soldiers were, but the contrast in strength between the two sides was obvious - the pirates came with dozens of ships, and Haihan came to fight. There were only a dozen or so ships, but in this case Haihan still defeated the many with less and beat the opponent without the ability to fight back. The strength gap between the two sides is evident.
Although Haihan will not report the victory to the Guangzhou government with the results of the battle, the battle will soon spread among the people through various channels. Who knows that in the future, all kinds of magical things about the Haihan militia will be revealed Rumors will once again become the main topic of conversation among people in Guangzhou.
The Portuguese Council in Macau received a report of the battle the next day - a merchant ship docked in Wanshan Port was returning to Guangzhou from Nanyang. After leaving Wanshan Port, it went to Macau to unload its cargo. The sailors on the ship were So he spread the news about what he had seen and heard the first day with added fuel and jealousy. This news shocked the Portuguese Council, but it was also somewhat fortunate. If peace had not been reached with the Haihan people two months ago, the Portuguese ships near Macau would inevitably have to fight against the Haihan militia. What would be the outcome of the battle? Liu Xiang has already set the best example for the Council.
Naturally, the Executive Committee immediately received the battle report from Wanshan Port through the radio. Although such a result was expected, the Executive Committee still felt very happy. After all, this is a manifestation of the strengthening of one's own strength. Looking back at the time when the establishment of the Wanshan Port stronghold was discussed in the first half of the year, everyone was still full of doubts about the strength of their own surface armed forces and worried that this stronghold would be attacked by pirates in nearby waters. attack. However, half a year later, the militia navy defeated the attack of Liu Xiang's pirate gang near Wanshan Port. This has fully proved that the executive committee's huge investment in Wanshan Port and the navy was not in vain, and the effect was quite satisfactory. . Although the Liu Xiang pirate gang suffered heavy losses in this battle, and it was certain that they would not be able to launch another attack for a period of time, the Executive Committee still did not leave much time for the expedition troops to rest and recover, and called back to ask Wang Tom After arranging local defense, he led his troops to return to Victory Port before the 25th of this month.
The reason why the Executive Committee was so eager to recall the troops from the expedition was because some people were more eagerly looking forward to the emergence of the militia navy than the Executive Committee. Just two days before the naval battle of Van Son Port broke out, the envoy from Thang Long arrived at Victory Port and expressed to the Executive Committee the intention of the North Vietnamese Dynasty to hope that the Hai Han Militia would send troops to assist in the war.
The North Vietnamese army had already fought through the Zhengjiang defense line three months ago, established a large camp north of Zhengjiang, and gradually moved its troops southward. However, three months have passed, and the North Vietnamese army has made very limited progress on the battlefield. Now it has only advanced the front line more than fifty miles south, and the two sides have formed a new confrontation across the river near Dong Hoi.
This is not entirely due to the limited combat effectiveness of the North Vietnamese Army. In fact, the North Vietnamese Army today is in a steady increase in combat effectiveness because it has installed more and more Hai Han muskets and artillery. The main reason for the slowdown in advancement is Because of the contradiction between the capacity limit and supply needs.
At present, North Vietnam's military supplies are mainly transported by sea, from the Red River Delta in the north to the Yong'an Port controlled by Haihan in the south, and then transferred from Yong'an Port to the front line 40 nautical miles away. Among them, the voyage from the Red River Delta to Yong'an Port was almost entirely handled by Haihan cargo ships, while the few sea-going ships in North Vietnam were mainly responsible for the transportation task of the latter one-fifth of the distance. Even so, the daily needs of tens of thousands of people on the front line still put great pressure on the North Vietnamese transport fleet. When the sea conditions are bad, it may even cause a shortage of supplies on the front line in the short term.
According to a survey conducted by the Black Tu Port Military District for the North Vietnamese Army, for every ten miles the front advanced southward, the time required for ships to transport supplies back and forth increased by at least three hours. If the ensuing war goes well and the battle line advances from Dong Hoi to Quang Tri City, one hundred and sixty miles south of Dong Hoi, known as the "Hue Barrier", then the time required to transport supplies will still be based on the current By adding two full days to the increase, relying on the existing transport capacity will definitely not be able to meet the combat needs of tens of thousands of people.
Faced with this fact, if the North Vietnamese court wants to continue to advance south, it must have more maritime transportation capacity. The production capacity of the Black Tu Port Shipyard is limited, and it will not be able to meet the needs of the war for a while. The only external force that the North Vietnamese court can rely on is Hai Han.
Sanya did not hide the temporary armistice agreement reached between Haihan and the South Vietnamese envoy Ruan Jinggui from North Vietnam, and promised that if South Vietnam refused to surrender, Haihan would continue to send troops to assist North Vietnam in attacking South Vietnam. North Vietnam also expressed understanding of this at the time. The armistice period agreed at that time was thirty days, but due to the situation in Guangdong later, the Executive Committee had no time to pay attention to the war in Annan, and prioritized its energy on the battlefield in Guangdong.
However, thirty days have passed and North Vietnam has not seen any moves from Hai Han's side. Sixty days have passed and there is still no movement from Hai Han's side. North Vietnam is a little anxious - have they agreed on military assistance? What about the agreed-upon coordinated operations?
In December, the Shenglong Mansion finally lost its temper and sent the eldest son of King Qingdu, Zheng Zhao, as an envoy to come straight to his door. An important person of Zheng Zha's level was sent as an envoy. In addition to the fact that he had dealt with Haihan many times and had a relatively familiar relationship with him, another reason was that the North Vietnamese court hoped to reach a package solution with Haihan this time. , solve the South Vietnam problem as soon as possible.
In the past, every time Hai Han sent troops to assist in the war, they basically negotiated the terms separately before sending troops. Each time, both parties had to negotiate and bargain. Not to mention the inefficiency, North Vietnam also shouldered an extremely heavy economic burden, so much so that it was For a period of six months, North Vietnam even rejected Haihan's invitation to send troops together because they could no longer afford the military expenses Haihan requested. ,
In view of these previous situations, Thang Long House hopes to reach an agreement with a longer term and a wider scope of cooperation, and to negotiate at one time the conditions for Hai Han to assist North Vietnam in completing the great cause of reunification. Although the Haihan people might charge a sky-high price for this, Sheng Long Mansion believed that it would be more satisfying than having to be bled every two or three months.
After listening to the suggestions put forward by Zheng Zha on behalf of the North Vietnamese court, the executive committee members were also very surprised. The Annan Civil War has always been regarded by the Executive Committee as a test base for establishing a slave state system. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations with North Vietnam, Haihan has been gradually strengthening its influence in Annan through economic, trade, cultural, and military exports. At the same time, it has also gained from Annan. With a large amount of wealth and population, if the current progress continues, it is almost certain that Annan will become a vassal of Haihan in 357 years. In order to help North Vietnam unify the country, the Executive Committee had already prepared a series of exchange conditions for them, but no one had ever imagined that all these conditions would be taken out at once and traded with the North Vietnamese court.
The reason why the Executive Committee used single military operations or combat objectives to set prices in the past was because it made it easier to predict war trends and calculate military expenditures. But if we want to calculate military expenditures with the goal of wiping out the South Vietnamese regime, this is more complicated. Even if the Hai Han militia tried its best, it would be difficult to guarantee that the South Vietnamese resistance forces would be completely wiped out within a month or two. If there is no way to plan a rough war period, it will be difficult to calculate a reasonable military budget, let alone a relatively reasonable price.
"How about giving them a big blow? Anyway, they have no other way out but to admit our fault!" After sending Zheng Zha to the guest house, Yue Zhiyun eagerly made the suggestion .
"I want money! I want people! I want land! I want power!" Yan Chujie expressed his opinion expressionlessly: "Since the North Vietnamese court has come to ask for help, I agree with Xiao Yue and seize this opportunity to make a good deal. . Otherwise, after Annan is unified, it will not be so easy for us to control Shenglong Mansion.”
"The stick must be knocked down, but where to hit it and how to control the strength is still worth studying." Tao Donglai reminded insinuatingly: "These entry points mentioned by Lao Yan are very good, and I also To add, in addition to economic gains and immigration, the conditions we propose to North Vietnam must also consider how to strengthen our influence and control in Indochina.”
"I don't know much about other aspects of things, so I'll just talk about the military aspect. Indochina is an important strategic node for us to lead to the South China Sea in the future, so several major port areas in South Vietnam must be placed under our control Under control. Whether it is ceding land, concessions, or governance rights, in short, these places must be taken over." Yan Chujie continued: "In addition, the second batch of officers sent by North Vietnam to receive training in Victory Port. Students have graduated and returned to China last month, and the next batch is expected to arrive soon. I suggest that the Executive Committee should consider how to gradually support pro-Haihan forces there to further increase our actual influence in the local area. .”
(End of chapter)