Chapter 601 Morgan’s Proposal
According to the current military expenditure standards of the Haihan Militia, even if a battalion-level unit stationed abroad does not perform combat missions, the military expenditure required in a year is about 150,000 to 180,000 yuan. Because a considerable part of the military supplies have to be transported from Sanya to the local area by sea, the farther the garrison is from the base camp, the higher the corresponding maintenance costs will be. Fujian is willing to bear this considerable expense, and Haihan's attitude is definitely happy to see the results.
After this unit is deployed to Fujian, it can effectively change the current situation of the base camp's slow response to the situation in Fujian. In the past, the base camp could only passively receive information from Fujian, and most of the time it was seriously lacking in timeliness. However, the garrison can respond to changes in the local situation more quickly, and can even take proactive actions to guide the situation. Strengthen Haihan's influence in Fujian.
For the local war factions in Fujian, the news announced by Ning Qi was even more powerful than the sale of new warships. After all, there is still a long way between the purchase of new warships and the formation of effective combat effectiveness. The latter step will be at least a year or two later. However, the final decision on whether to cease the war must be made in the short term. Just rely on The move to buy a boat from Haihan was definitely too late. As for the Haihan militia stationed in Fujian, it sounds much more feasible. If the invincible Haihan militia is stationed in Zhangzhou, the difficulty of annihilating the Shibazhi will undoubtedly be greatly reduced. Moreover, the scale of the Haihan militia stationed in Fujian is very limited, only one battalion. It seems that there is no need to worry about how much trouble this small number of troops will cause in Fujian.
At that moment, some people spoke out one after another, praising Haihan for his eagerness for justice and justice. This move will save the people in Fujian who have suffered from banditry for many years. Some people also expressed their attitude that as long as the Haihan militia dared to go to sea to fight against the Shibazhi, they would advance and retreat together with the militia army. Some people who previously advocated peace talks have now wisely kept their mouths shut - the Haihan people have made it clear that they want to fight against the Shibazhi. Even if they can persuade Xu Xinsu, can they still persuade the Haihan people?
Of course, there is no need to discuss the specific implementation details of these things in depth on this occasion. As long as the leading figures on both sides have expressed their attitudes, the remaining matters can be left to the people below to negotiate slowly.
After the banquet that day, no other activities were arranged. The residence arranged by Xu Xinsu for the mission was very close to Xu's mansion, just across the street. Xu Xinsu's influence in Zhangzhou was indeed not overshadowed. He directly ordered people to temporarily close the streets, and then sent a team of guards to send the Haihan delegation there.
Although Ning Qi drank a lot at the banquet, after arriving at his residence, he drank two cups of hot tea and sobered up a lot. He asked his entourage to invite a few people from the mission to come over to discuss business matters.
After a while, the people he notified arrived. One was Morgan, who was in charge of the mission's military, security and medical care, and the other was Sun Jin, a naturalized cadre affiliated with the Ministry of Security.
"Sun Jin, have you contacted our people today?" Ning Qi pointed to the chair in the room and motioned for him to sit down and answer.
Sun Jin sat half-assed on the edge of the chair and responded respectfully: "Report to the chief, the delegation has already contacted our people when they entered the city. They will come here tomorrow to report to the chief in person."
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Sun Jin is also one of the immigrants who fled to Sanya from Guangdong a few years ago. She is only in her early twenties. When he first arrived in Shengli Port, he was assigned to work on the dock. Later, because he had read and read well, he was recommended to teach literacy classes in Shengli Port Primary School. After the establishment of the Ministry of Justice, there was a shortage of internal affairs clerks, so Sun Jin was transferred to serve as a part-time employee. Later, the Ministry of Security was separated from the establishment, and he was seconded to the Ministry of Security to do internal affairs. However, the special nature of the Security Department does not allow personnel to concurrently serve in other departments, so Sun Jin's establishment was changed from three to one, becoming a full-time staff member of the Security Department.
After becoming a full-time employee, the work Sun Jin is responsible for is no longer just internal affairs. After all, young people like this with a clean foundation, good cultural foundation, and smart work are considered scarce resources in the Ministry of Security, so it is reasonable for them to be reused to a certain extent. among. This time Haihan sent a mission to Fujian, and the Ministry of Security appointed Sun Jin to accompany him. He was responsible for contacting the personnel stationed in Fujian after arriving here, and waiting for opportunities to collect various local intelligence information.
The Ministry of Security had previously deployed a small number of personnel to Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, and their public identities were all affiliated to certain companies under the Haihan Ministry of Commerce. Therefore, when the mission entered the city, these detectives had already openly interviewed Sun Jin. touch.
Ning Qi nodded and said: "About Shibazhi, does the Ministry of Security have any news now?"
Sun Jin responded: "Our people have already obtained some information, but we are too short today. The specific situation will not be clear until they come over tomorrow."
What Ning Qi asked was not the Eighteen Zhizhi entrenched in Penghu, but the representatives sent by the Eighteen Zhizhi to Zhangzhou to negotiate peace with the Ming army. The Haihan mission came all the way to Fujian to disrupt the situation. The main purpose was to try to prevent the negotiations between Shibazhi and the Ming army. In addition to working on Xu Xinsu's side, the mission will also try to find the peace envoy sent by Shiba Zhi to see if it is possible to solve the problem from the root.
After Ning Qi asked a few more questions, he sent Sun Jin to rest first. Sun Jin knew that the two leaders had something to discuss alone, so she immediately stood up and left, not forgetting to close the door behind her.
After Ning Qi watched Sun Jin leave, he turned his head and looked at Morgan sitting opposite: "Morgan, tell me what you think when you get here."
Morgan organized his language and then said in Mandarin with a strong "Waiguoren" accent: "I think the situation is better than we previously expected. The main militant faction in the Ming army still accounts for the majority. I will pay attention today." After a while, there was not even a single person from the military who advocated peace talks at the banquet.”
Ning Qi nodded and said: "That's true. I also paid attention at the time. Most of the people who advocated for peace were businessmen or literati. The military generals were very eager to fight. But it's no wonder. After all, soldiers have to accumulate military merit to rise to the top. For them, no contact means they have lost their way to promotion.”
"So you see, whenever it comes to such important decisions, it's usually the literati who hold them back..." Seeing Ning Qi's face looking a little unhappy, Morgan quickly added: "Of course, I didn't mean to ridicule you, it's just that Express your views on the situation in Fujian.”
Every time the Executive Committee discusses military plans, the objections come from a few civilian officials, and Ning Qi is naturally one of them. Of course, he is still much better than the pacifist Gu Kai. At least most of the time, he will still rationally weigh the interests between war and not fighting, instead of blindly opposing war like Gu Kai. Although Morgan is a doctor by profession, he is more focused on the military, so his attitude is on the side of the military. It is inevitable that he will criticize this phenomenon of civil servants holding back.
Ning Qi didn't want to argue with him about this issue, so he just waved his hand and said: "It's okay, let's continue talking about business."
"Let's get down to business..." Morgan nodded and said: "I think it is worth noting that the city defense level of Zhongzuo Institute and Zhangzhou City is quite good. It is said that this is the result of the guidance of our military adviser. After returning, I would like to suggest that the Military Commission check the records to see who was responsible for this task at that time. Such talented people should be promoted.”
"Then what do you think of the local Ming army?" Ning Qi continued to ask. "You can't tell much by just watching them stand in line." Morgan shrugged and said: "I hope to have the opportunity to see their training, of course, it is best to be in actual combat, so that we can truly see the combat level of a unit. How. But I noticed that the Ming army here is equipped with a large number of Type 27 matchlock guns, and about one-tenth of the Type 28 flintlock guns. With these weapons provided by us, I believe in their combat effectiveness. It is definitely higher than other Ming armies of the same era, but this also needs further confirmation.”
"You mean to suggest that the Ming army organize a military exercise during our visit to Fujian?" Although Morgan's words were convoluted, Ning Qi still understood what he wanted to express.
Morgan nodded and said: "We can take the initiative to propose a joint military exercise in the near future. We also have three warships coming. We can take this opportunity to show our force to the top leaders of the Fujian military."
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"That's a good suggestion." Ning Qi responded, touching his chin.
Organizing joint military exercises with the Fujian military was not actually part of the mission's plan for this trip. However, the mission has two very clear tasks. One is to promote new arms to the Fujian military, and the other is to demonstrate to it the strength of the Haihan Militia Navy. Organizing a joint military exercise would be a perfect way to accomplish both tasks at the same time. In the meantime, local figures such as Xu Xinsu could also be invited to observe the exercise, allowing them to see with their own eyes the power of Haihan's black technology.
As the saying goes, seeing is worth hearing a hundred times. Even if Ning Qi can boast about the performance of the Haihan warship, he might as well drag these people on board and see with his own eyes how this new warship can crush it at sea. All opponents encountered. Buying a ship can also give these people a little more confidence and let them understand the huge gap between the maritime armed strength of the Shibazhi and the Haihan Militia.
"According to the schedule, I will have a separate meeting with Xu Xinsu tomorrow. I will mention this to him then." Ning Qi felt that this plan was feasible, and immediately decided to try it. He believed that Xu Xinsu would not object to this proposal. After all, for these Ming troops who had originally received military training under the Haihan model, it was extremely difficult to get an opportunity to conduct joint exercises with the Haihan militia. Normally, they could not even ask for it. Yes, how could you miss such a good opportunity that comes to your door?
"Besides meeting Xu Xinsu tomorrow, do you have any other outings?" Morgan asked.
Ning Qi thought for a while and said: "I want to go out and walk around Zhangzhou City. After all, we are going to send troops here, so it is better to understand the local environment first. In addition, the scale of the Fujian office may also need to be further increased. In the past, The small yard arranged for expatriates may not be able to accommodate future institutions, and they will have to purchase additional properties locally.”
"Okay, that's it, see you tomorrow morning." After a few words of business, Morgan stood up and left.
"What's your emergency?" Ning Qi asked curiously. You must know that during the journey a few days ago, Morgan, who had nothing to do, spent almost every day dragging Ning Qi here and there to pass the time, but now he seemed to be a different person.
Morgan spread his hands and said: "My friend, I am a very knowledgeable person. I think you should leave some private time to enjoy the hospitality of the owner here."
Ning Qi heard Monk Zhang Er scratching his head: "Morgan, what are you talking about?"
Morgan put his index finger in front of his mouth to make a silencing gesture, and then went out. When Ning Qi was confused, a woman's voice came from outside the door: "The little girl was sent by Mr. Xu to serve Mr. Ning..."
Ning Qi stood up and walked to the door, where he saw his own bodyguard blocking a little girl outside. This little girl looks to be only fifteen or sixteen years old. She has a pretty face, a fair skin that is rare in Lingnan, and is slightly thinner. When the little girl saw Ning Qi opening the door and coming out, she quickly bowed and blessed her, but she didn't dare to look at Ning Qi.
Although Ning Qi is a scholar by background, he is not a saint or gentleman. Although he has never been to places like Dongguan before time travel and has seen the big world, he basically understands the common sense that he should know, and he understands the meaning once he sees this posture.
Ning Qi coughed dryly and said, "I drank too much just now and didn't eat too much. Go to the kitchen and get me some food."
The little girl responded, turned around and left. Ning Qi then told his bodyguard: "It's getting late, you should go and rest."
The guard responded, but did not really leave. He just retreated far away to the porch on the other side of the courtyard and stared silently. Ning Qi knew the working regulations of these personal guards. They could not completely trust themselves to be alone in a room with a stranger, so he returned to the house without saying anything else.
After a while, the little girl came back with four-color pastries and a bowl of milk. Ning Qi was also a little surprised when he saw this: "There is actually milk here?"
The little girl responded: "In response to Mr. Ning, the steward has told Haihan that all the gentlemen like to drink milk before going to bed, so today's fresh milk has been prepared in the kitchen early and is kept with hot water. The gentlemen will come back anytime. You can drink it all.”
"Corruption, it's so corrupt!" Ning Qi internally criticized this way of enjoyment that he had never experienced before, but after criticizing it, it would not prevent him from continuing to enjoy it. Although there was a special supply of milk when we were in Sanya, the people who brought the milk were usually the rich and powerful guards, not the cute little girl in front of me.
(End of chapter)