Chapter 588 Military Port Construction
Before the Haihan Militia took action to annex Xin'an Shuizhai this time, most of the people present here had actually received the news through various channels, and had preliminary ideas about their own fate. Although Haihan said "send people to join the water stronghold", everyone with a discerning eye knows that Haihan's move is not to give people, weapons and money to the Ming Dynasty navy, but to let the people stationed on Hong Kong Island The Haihan Militia put on a legal skin and openly operated in this area in the name of the Ming Dynasty Navy.
Under this premise, it can be said that it is expected to clean up the original personnel of the water village. In particular, the officers at all levels and veterans in the water village will become the focus of the new owner's cleaning. The people in Shuizhai also know that they are unable to resist Haihan's strong will, and there will be no superiors to make decisions for them - those who can directly take care of this matter have basically been blocked by the money Haihan sent. He stopped talking, or even simply gave up his position like a certain general who had just taken office.
As for resistance by force, let alone resistance. Liu Xiang's group of pirates serve as a warning. Two years ago, the Haihan militia was able to beat Liu Xiang until he fled back to Fujian. Two years later, would they still take this small Xin'an water village seriously? What's more, since the Haihan people built Zhennan Port in the south of the island, the Haihan warship has been cruising on the sea near Lei Yue Gate from time to time, deliberately showing off their force. The people in Shuizhai also know how heavy they are, as long as they are No one who is tired of life will have some unrealistic fantasies.
How to obtain the greatest benefit for oneself at this juncture is probably what these people present are most concerned about at the moment. If you don't have any skills, or if you don't want to work under the Haihan people, the only way out is to get a severance package and leave. Of course, Haihan did not do everything right. The Ming army soldiers who voluntarily retired and left were still given a way out. They could be given priority to enter the Haihan Shipping Department for employment. The job content was of course sailors. After all, these people are in the water village establishment. Even if they don't know how to sail, at least they won't get seasick. They can go to sea with the ship as soon as they take office. They don't even need an adaptation period. They are very good immediate combat capabilities for the shipping department.
Of course, if any of these people voluntarily want to join the Haihan Navy, the military will be happy to see it happen, but they must first pass a specially formulated skills assessment and political review. In fact, among the Ming Dynasty soldiers in Yazhou Water Village, a small number of better-qualified personnel were incorporated into the navy's establishment, which can be regarded as a precedent for this operation. The difference is that there is a Luo Shengdong-like figure on the Xinan Shuizhai side, who can cooperate with Haihan in a more "harmonious" way.
Chen Yixin did not want to spend too much time on these two or three hundred people. After explaining the policy in a few words, he ordered the registration to begin. Those who did not want to stay could receive their severance pay and leave immediately. As for Chen Yixin himself, he also has other things to do.
Although the strength of Xin'an Water Village is extremely weak, the fixed assets here still need to be taken over. Especially the surface ships owned by the Water Village will be the assets of the military in the future, and even a ship nail is indispensable.
Although Chen Yixin was affiliated with the Army, his responsibility while stationed at Dawanshan Island was to manage the land and sea jointly. The navy living in Wanshan Port was also commanded by him. He was no stranger to the establishment of water-based armed forces, so he took over Hong Kong this time. The navy, which had already sent most of its elites to Nanyang, did not send another person for the task of the island's Xin'an Water Village. Chen Yixin was directly responsible for it.
Although Xin'an Water Village was leaderless before, and many people were secretly taking out military supplies and reselling them for money, no one dared to touch the several warships in the water village - after all, even if they were sold out, except for No one except the daring Haihan militia dared to take them, and these warships are probably the most valuable assets in the water village besides the sailors and boatmen.
Although the sailors in Xin'an Water Village have been extremely cowardly in recent years and have always adopted a strategy of avoiding fighting against foreign enemies, this has also brought about a benefit in disguise, that is, the wear and tear of these warships in Shuizhai is extremely low. There are several ships that have been in service for seven or eight years. Since they have only been sailing for very little time, they still look relatively new.
A naval officer who had been bribed by Haihan through an intermediary earlier took Chen Yixin to count the warships in the water village. Except for the two warships from the Wanli period that were in disrepair and could no longer be used, and could only be chopped up and burned as firewood, in Chen Yixin's opinion, the other warships should at least have no problem sailing normally at sea.
After counting, there are a total of 400 materials that can still be used: one battleship, two eagle ships, two Cangshan ships, two Haicang ships, ten net shuttle ships, as well as various weapons for distant and near attacks. . In terms of ship configuration, it is similar to the original condition of Yacheng Water Village. However, because the ships here are better maintained, their condition is much better than that of Luo Shengdong's ships. It is worth mentioning that since Luo Shengdong joined Haihan, almost all of the original ships under his hands have been replaced. Now they are all used from the Haihan Shipping Department. I don’t know which ones. Luo Shengdong was given an old ship by someone in the shipping department, so someone in the shipping department gave Luo Shengdong the nickname "The Takeover Man".
In terms of shape, these ships are still quite different from the warships used by the Haihan Navy. Even in mixed formations, there will be certain problems. In Chen Yixin's opinion, the firearms equipped on the ships are relatively primitive and difficult to combat. The effectiveness is very low and is not suitable for the tactics pursued by the Haihan Navy. However, this does not prevent the Navy from receiving these Ming warships and using them as naval training ships.
As the mainland strategy is being carried out step by step, the army and navy's military expansion measures are also being implemented step by step. The Military Commission has previously formulated a plan to establish a dedicated military port there after taking over Hong Kong Island, so as to better control the waters of the Pearl River Estuary and the main waterway from Guangdong to Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. By then, sailors recruited from the mainland will be able to receive recruit training nearby. There is no need to transport the recruits from the mainland to Sanya for training. After training, they will be sent back from Sanya to station on the mainland coastline. Using Ming's ships and training Haihan's soldiers should be able to save a lot of military expenditures for the military.
Chen Yixin didn't know how much money the relevant departments spent to capture this water stronghold, but judging from the condition of these warships, at least the money was well spent. What he bought back was not a pile of junk, but a pile of junk. Something that the military can actually use.
"Seal up all these ships first, and arrange another platoon to live on this dock to guard these ships." Chen Yixin issued the order after counting the ships. Although they have taken over these boats now, the militia cannot use them yet. After all, there are no new recruits assigned here for training yet. The first thing to deal with now is the personnel issue of Xin'an Water Village.
Of course, the resettlement policy announced by Chen Yixin on behalf of the Haihan military could not satisfy everyone involved. After he left the venue, some people did try to clamor for trouble. However, the soldiers under Chen Yixin are almost all veterans who have participated in several fierce battles such as the Lijiazhuang Defense Battle, the attack on Dangan Island, and the Wanshan Port Defense Battle. The concept they have always accepted is that "the executive committee is the largest in the world." , there is no concept in the mind that the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty are superior to others. When they see someone trying to cause trouble, they immediately fuck the guy. After knocking down a few restless guys, the crowd that was about to move quieted down and began to honestly choose their own way out according to the instructions of the Haihan military. After two days of statistics, among the nearly 300 personnel in Xin'an Water Village who are affiliated with the Daming Navy, nearly 50% have chosen to stay, and nearly 30% have chosen to go to the Haihan Military. Only about 20% of the people who were recommended to work in the Haihan Shipping Department chose to take their severance pay and leave. But as for whether those who want to stay can get their wish, it depends on whether they can successfully pass the Haihan Navy's professional assessment test.
In addition to handling the reception work of Xin'an Water Village, there are actually a series of projects in the northern area of Hong Kong Island that also require Chen Yixin's participation in command and coordination.
The first is the reconstruction and expansion of Xin'an Water Village. If this place only maintains the previous garrison size, it would be barely enough. However, this time the Haihan Navy transferred five warships to station here, although they are all "exploration" level", but it has made the space in the water village very crowded, which obviously does not meet the Navy's requirements for the use of military ports, and the reconstruction and expansion project is imperative.
Another military project that will be started in the near future is the shore defense works on both sides of the Lei Yue Mun Waterway, which is close to the water village. On the other side of Shau Kei Wan is the mainland, and this narrow waterway formed between it and Hong Kong Island is the only way for almost all ships east of the Pearl River Estuary to enter the Pearl River system, and all ships in the Pearl River basin have to go to Fujian. Pass through Lei Yue Mun. Holding this key waterway is almost equivalent to controlling most of the maritime trade between Fuzhou and Guangzhou. No matter from a political, economic or military perspective, controlling this place has considerable practical significance.
Haihan has accumulated considerable experience in building coastal defenses on both sides of narrow waterways, from the early Shengli Port, Tieliang Port, and Black Tu Port to the recently developed Zhennan Port and Camlan Port. The Chinese side has always regarded the coastal fortifications with forts as the main body as the main defense method of the colony. Although this approach requires a large investment and a relatively long construction period, it is superior to its powerful firepower output. It is difficult for ordinary armed merchant ships or even warships to compete head-on with the firepower of dense coastal defense batteries. Moreover, after this kind of fort is built, it is relatively simple to use and maintain. Compared with the navy's long-term investment, it is much smaller, and its durability is also very good. You only need to upgrade the artillery as the technology tree climbs, and the fort itself is at least It can last for decades.
The conditions of the Lei Yue Mun Waterway are unique for the construction of coastal defenses. The narrowest section of the waterway is about 700 meters, and the distance between the two banks is only about 500 meters. The terrain on both banks is also hilly, which is the most suitable for building coastal defense artillery. The slope is not too steep. Cargo ships can be used to transport building materials and construction personnel from the shore to the slope. The construction difficulty is much less than when the Yulinjiao Fort was originally built.
The only problem is that the other side is still under the control of Xin'an County, Guangdong. It is currently inconvenient for Haihan to directly erect the fort there, so the first phase of the project can only be implemented on the slope next to Shaujiwan. But within this range, the coastal defense artillery currently produced by Haihan can be deployed anywhere on the shore to achieve blind-angle fire coverage, so even if a fort is built alone on the south coast, it will be enough to cover this waterway.
What's more, there is a naval station right next to it. As long as the high-altitude lookout posts warn, the navy's warships can be dispatched in time to block the waterway nearby, making it impossible for the opponent to rush through this fire-intensive water area.
After seeing the terrain and soil quality, the on-site surveyors sent from Sanya were convinced that as long as the building materials and labor force were in place, the fort project with a design plan of twenty artillery pieces could be completed within this year. The observation post at the top of the mountain and the supply ramp at the foot of the mountain can be built together.
As for where the construction labor will come from? Chen Yixin is not worried. After taking over Hong Kong Island, Haihan's immigration speed will speed up compared with previous years.
As Haihan's influence gradually expanded in the mainland, the Executive Committee was no longer satisfied with the size of the Lijiazhuang immigration camp. Although there is still a lot of land near Lijiazhuang that can be expanded on a larger scale, the problem is that the radiation area is relatively limited, and the waterway near Lijiazhuang is relatively narrow, making it unsuitable to build large docks, which also limits local shipping. scale. Now it is not a big problem to transport two to three thousand people per month, plus dozens of cargo. If the scale of shipping further increases in the future, Lijiazhuang's role as a population transfer station will be limited. In addition, this place has always been under the nose of Guangzhou City, and there are still many scruples in doing things. The executive committee has long been interested in establishing a large-scale transfer point on the outlying islands in the waters of the Pearl River Estuary.
The most suitable location for this purpose is Hong Kong Island. The location here not only guards the Pearl River Estuary, but also can radiate to the eastern Guangdong region. Immigrants coming from Fujian can also be gathered here first, selected and identified, and then transported to Hainan. Placed in various places on the island.
Of course, during the first two years of time travel, the Executive Committee could only drool and think about it. After all, it was still weak at that time and could not control an area as large as Hong Kong Island, and it was not sure that it would be able to eat it. Living in Daming will not cause a backlash from the Guangdong government. But now Haihan's wings have gradually become stronger. For Haihan, taking over Hong Kong Island is a matter of course, and the plan to establish a new immigrant transfer base on Hong Kong Island has been put on the agenda again.
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(End of chapter)