Chapter 541 Detective Li Dagui
Although with the speed of the "Lightning", there is no need to worry about being intercepted by enemy ships at sea, but Tom Wang does not want to directly expose this unique-looking sailboat to the sight of the Dutch. Regarding the reconnaissance plan for this small port on the east coast of the island, Wang Tom and the people from the Security Department have made other arrangements and do not plan to directly land on the island for reconnaissance at this time.
The "Lightning" spent two days cruising around Natuna Island. During this period, when passing the port waters on the east coast of the island, it also conducted long-distance observations of the local conditions through telescopes. Wang Tom concluded that the size of the terminal is only equivalent to that of Changhua Port on Hainan Island, and it is what it looked like just after the first phase of the project. There will probably be no more than fifteen ships that can dock at the port at the same time.
In addition, according to the information provided by the Ministry of Security, the total population of the island is only about 4,000, and the population near this small port is probably less than 3,000, of which more than 70% are Han or mixed race with Han ancestry. , there are a small number of blacks, Indians and Southeast Asian natives, while the real Dutch only account for about 10% of the local population. This small number of Dutch had about a company of armed forces. The main individual weapons were matchlock guns that had been basically eliminated by the Haihan Militia, and five to eight artillery pieces of different calibers. In addition, the Dutch also trained a group of about 200 indigenous militiamen. However, in the eyes of the Haihan people, these indigenous soldiers who used cold weapons probably did not have much deterrence and could only serve as The presence of live targets and human sandbags.
After completing the voyage around the island, Wang Tom could basically confirm that there was indeed only one port controlled by the Dutch on the island that was relatively well-established. With a little modification, it could be operated using Haihan's port management method. It’s not that there are no other coasts on the island that can be developed and built as ports, but the natural conditions are not much better than the existing ports. Instead of going to all the trouble to build a new port, it’s better to just use the existing ones. Anyway, this The local development potential is not great, and it will only be used as a maritime transit supply station in the future. After completing the reconnaissance mission around the island, the "Lightning" returned to the uninhabited island in the north and waited for the arrival of the subsequent fleet.
On January 2, 1631, the three Chinese-style sailing ships and two "Exploration-class" warships hanging behind finally arrived at the uninhabited island where the advance team settled. After everyone arrived, Wang Tom organized a mobilization preparatory meeting for the operation.
After introducing the situation of Natuna Island that he had recently scouted, Wang Tom began to explain the next actions: "...we will send two lucky ships pretending to be Daming merchants to dock at the island's port and supply supplies. During this period, I contacted the security staff lurking on the island to complete the intelligence handover. Now, I would like to ask Commissioner Lin from the Security Department to explain the situation to you.”
Lin Nan took over and said: "The Ministry of Security has sent people to sneak into the island to settle and collect intelligence in March this year. So far, it has sent two effective reports to the base camp. The Dutch are not very vigilant about intelligence struggles. This may be related to the fact that they have no rival in this sea area.”
"Are there many people from the Ministry of Security lurking on the island? Can they give us some help when we seize the island?" Mu Xiabai asked.
"We only have two people on the island..." Lin Nan looked a little embarrassed: "Due to the limited staff, there are only about ten people in the entire Nanyang Intelligence Department. As for the help during the battle, I am afraid it will be even more limited. In order to keep their identities confidential, the Ministry of Security did not issue muskets to potential intelligence agents.”
"I understand." Mu Xiabai stopped asking further after hearing this. It is obviously impossible to expect the latent personnel of the Ministry of Security to cooperate inside and outside. At that time, it will still have to rely on the militia to do it themselves.
"We will leave for Natuna Island tomorrow. I will lead the fleet to provide support in the nearby waters. The people landing on the island will be under the unified command of Major Mu Xiabai. Commissioner Lin Nan of the Security Department will serve as an assistant and be responsible for intelligence collection during this period." Wang Tom was very happy. The assignment of tasks soon began: "The time to land on the island is tentatively scheduled for two days. If there are special circumstances, we will use the radio to contact you. Everyone must remember not to conflict with the Dutch on the island unless necessary. Our mission this time The mission is to collect information here and avoid any unnecessary complications!”
Although the military and the Ministry of Security had planned and rehearsed this reconnaissance operation before departure, after arriving here, everyone still did not dare to take it lightly. The Dutch armed forces on the island are not a problem for Haihan. If he is willing, the existing manpower can probably defeat the Dutch on the island, but what the Executive Committee wants is control of Natuna Island. It is by no means a simple battle to seize Hong Kong. As the commander-in-chief of this operation, what Wang Tom wants is to quietly complete the occupation of Natuna Island. Any act of alerting the enemy will undermine this mission.
On January 4, two lucky boats sailed away from the coast of the uninhabited island and headed south towards Natuna Island.
At the same time, Li Dagui was dragging a thigh-thick piece of wood into the yard and preparing to saw it open. The Dutch on the island ordered two sets of log furniture from him a few days ago. He only had half a month to complete the order, and time was a bit tight. However, Li Dagui didn't care about how much income this order could bring him. He was worried about another thing.
According to the agreed time, the contact person sent by the headquarters to collect information should have arrived seven or eight days ago. In the past, there was at most a two or three day error in the contact. However, this time it was delayed for many days, and Li Dagui had no way to get through. I contacted the headquarters through other channels, and I was a little worried about whether something unexpected had happened.
Li Dagui is one of the two spies deployed by the Ministry of Security on Natuna Island. He knows that there is a colleague of his on the island, but he does not know who this person is and what his identity is lurking on the island. He knew that this was an intentional arrangement by his superiors. Such a single-line contact method could better protect the intelligence network. Even if one of them had an accident, the other line could continue to operate. Li Dagui's communication channel with the headquarters is a Ming Dynasty merchant ship that docks here every three months. At that time, he will find an opportunity to hand over the previously written report to his colleagues on the merchant ship, and they will take it back to the headquarters in Sanya. .
Li Dagui's special status is also one of the reasons why he was selected by the Ministry of Security to perform tasks in such a remote place. His father is from Li. He went to sea with Han merchant ships in his early years and settled down in Annan. He married an Annan woman as his wife, so he can be considered a mixed race. During the civil war in Annam, Li Dagui was also one of the refugees who fled. Later, he was lucky enough to board Haihan's immigration ship in Thanhhua, and the whole family moved to Black Tu Port to settle down.
Li Dagui's father learned to speak Chinese when he was a sailor with the Han people. He even used this relationship to send Li Dagui to a private school for three years. Therefore, there was no language barrier between Li Dagui and Haihan's boss. When they first arrived at Heitu Port Soon he was appointed to manage a local lumber camp. He was one of the first batch of naturalized cadres sent back to the base camp by Heitu Port for further studies. It was when he returned to Sanya for further study that Li Dagui was selected by the intelligence department, which was still in its infancy at the time. So he inexplicably transformed from a clerk in the Ministry of Civil Affairs to an intelligence officer in the Ministry of Security.
Because Li Dagui's appearance was obviously different from that of ordinary Han people, when the Ministry of Security was considering dispatching intelligence personnel to the Nanyang region, Li Dagui was selected. Because he worked as a carpenter for a period of time in Black Earth Port and was somewhat skilled, he went to Natuna Island in this capacity and settled down on the island. Speaking of which, he still has a high degree of freedom of movement here. His immediate boss is thousands of miles away and there is no way to monitor his work. His duty is to continuously collect various local information, write reports and send them back to the headquarters regularly. For a specially trained intelligence officer, this does not require much time and energy. After all, the island has only a small population, and the port town where Li Dagui is located is so small that it can be circumvented in half an hour. I walked around in a complete circle, but there was really nothing to investigate.
Regarding the Dutch on the island, Li Dagui believed that they were no match for the Haihan militia. The Executive Committee only needed to send one or two companies of the army to wipe out the Dutch on the island. Moreover, this group of armed Dutchmen are not regular troops. One-third of them are veterans who have retired from the European battlefields and have come to the Far East to try their luck in finding a job. One-third are young immigrants from the Netherlands. Strong, and the rest are some criminals and gangsters who were sent here. It would be hell if such an army could go head-to-head with the Haihan militia.
However, after staying here for more than half a year, Li Dagui also knew that the power of the Dutch was not limited to the conditions that could be seen on the island. When the Dutch attacked this island thirty years ago, they dispatched more than 20 ships and nearly a thousand infantry. Li Dagui also knew that the Dutch stronghold was 2,000 miles south of the island. Even the all-powerful Haihan Executive Committee currently did not have the ability to get involved in that place.
Li Dagui did carpentry work until the afternoon. When it was almost time to prepare dinner, someone stood outside the yard and shouted: "Li Dagui, a merchant ship has come to the port and is looking for a carpenter to repair the ship's planks. Hurry up and bring your tools." Go! ”
Li Dagui responded, thinking that he had finally waited. Immediately he responded, quickly put down what he was doing, and went back to the house to pack his things. Li Dagui took out the written report from under the bed board, put it into the wooden box containing tools, and then went out to the dock with a large box of tools.
Li Dagui's residence was less than a mile away from the pier. From a distance, he saw two Chinese-style fortune ships docked at the port pier. This scene made him slightly surprised. It was not these two ships that came here to hand over information to him in the past. Could it be that he made a mistake?
But after getting closer, Li Dagui confirmed from the lantern hanging at the stern that this was indeed the intelligence ship of the Ministry of Security. It seemed that it had been replaced with a new ship. He could only think that this was probably because the other party arrived seven or eight days late. reason.
Li Dagui walked to the pier and saw several people dressed as Ming merchants next to the two ships. They were discussing with the Dutch through an interpreter the docking fees required to enter the port. One of them glanced sideways at him, and Li Dagui almost screamed in fright.
Li Dagui never thought that he would see Mu Xiabai in this place. When he was in Heitu Port, Mu Xiabai was the military official in charge of local security, so Li Dagui naturally recognized him. Fortunately, he was calm. After taking a look at Mu Xiabai, he immediately lowered his head and stood beside him with a low eyebrow.
Mu Xiabai obviously noticed him and greeted him: "Shop Manager Lin, the carpenter is already here, take him on board to work quickly!"
After Li Dagui followed Lin Nan into the cabin, he lowered his voice and asked in surprise: "Brother Lin, why is General Mu even here?"
"Don't ask about this in a hurry. Give me the report first." Lin Nan stretched out his hand and said, "When General Mu comes back later, you can ask him face to face."
"This... I don't dare to be humble!" Li Dagui quickly took out the report from the mezzanine of the tool box and handed it to Lin Nan.
"If you don't ask him, he will ask you questions." Lin Nan reached out and patted Li Dagui on the shoulder and said, "You have a rest first, I will deal with the things outside."
After a while, Mu Xiabai arrived in the cabin, and Lin Nan followed him. Li Dagui hurriedly stood up to say hello. Mu Xiabai waved his hand and said, "There are no need for so many rules. Sit down and talk. Are you Li Dagui? I remember seeing you in Heitu Port before. At that time, you were working under Zhou Hengxing."
"Yes, yes, the chief has a good memory. At that time, I was the director of the lumber mill and was managed by Director Zhou." Li Dagui quickly responded: "If it weren't for the support of the leaders all the way, I would not have the opportunity to complete such an important task for the executive committee. .”
"I won't say any polite words. The purpose of our coming to this island this time is to thoroughly understand the defense situation here. We will take over this place within fifty or sixty days at the latest!" Mu Xiabai said concisely and concisely. Understanding the purpose of his visit: "Li Dagui, I have read the report you wrote before on the way. Judging from the content of the report you wrote, the defense of this place seems to be very weak?"
"With the strength of our army, we should be able to defeat them in one go." Li Dagui explained: "Although there are more than a hundred Dutch soldiers on this island, these people are not regular troops and have little training. Their weapons and equipment are not on par with our army. In terms of humble position, it is only on the same level as the Ming Dynasty Guards. If the Executive Committee wants to capture this island, it will not be too difficult."
(End of chapter)