Chapter 644 Taking over defense
"The Dutch are not Annan's old-style army. Many of them had combat experience on the European battlefield before coming to the Far East, and they are not that easy to deal with. The Portuguese have been defeated steadily by them in the Far East over the years, and their colonies continue to Being snatched away is an excellent proof." Qian Tiandun was not particularly surprised after hearing this result: "What about Mu Xiabai's post-war report?"
The original battle plan to go south to seize the Ambon Islands was jointly planned and formulated by the Annan Military Region and the Military Commission Staff Department, and the candidates for the task were also recommended by Qian Tiandun. Although Qian Tiandun is not directly responsible for the local war situation, if Mu Xiabai does not perform well, it will not look good on his face.
"Mu Xiabai submitted a request for assistance to the Executive Committee, but he did not ask for an increase in the garrison. Instead, he asked the base camp to send engineers to help them improve their defenses. In addition, he asked for an increase in the supply reserves on the island." Ning Qi introduced: "Mu Xiabo believes that the Dutch will not give up here, so probably in the future, Amborna Island will become the southernmost battlefield within our control."
"I think it is more accurate to say a training ground. The special local environment means that the opponent cannot invest too much troops, so it is almost impossible for them to use their superiority in strength to eat up our defenders. Even if they make a comeback, they will only accompany us. It's just troop training." Qian Tiandun's tone seemed relatively relaxed: "Compared with enemies who are not good at hot weapon warfare, opponents of the East India Company's level are more valuable for troop training. The militia army is stationed in the local area in rotation and improves its actual combat capabilities through combat.”
Ning Qi shook his head, raised two fingers and said: "There are two problems. First, the military expenditure for a long-term war is not a small amount. The expenditure is too large and inconsistent with our original intention of seizing Amborna Island. Second, press As you mentioned, there will be a lot of people involved in the battle. If more people know about it, it will be difficult to keep the secret. Don’t forget that the people who control Amborna Island are a group of pirates.”
"In fact, these two problems are not problems." Qian Tiandun immediately responded: "We only need to defend Ambon Island, and the East India Company has to organize a fleet to launch an expedition from Batavia. I remember correctly If so, the voyage between the two places exceeds 600 nautical miles, and it will take the Dutch fleet at least a week to reach the place. However, the consumption during this journey probably exceeds the cost of our battle. In comparison, we The military expenditure is well spent. Wasn't one of our original intentions to capture the Ambuna Islands also to interfere with the Dutch's sea routes? Now that this effect has been achieved, Ambuna Island can be given to them. Slowly bleeding out will also prevent them from paying more attention to Fujian.”
"As for the second question, I think we can find a suitable time this year to openly take over Ambrosia Island from the so-called pirates in the name of Haihan. After all, we can't continue to play this drama. As for I think you civil servants should be better at how to do it specifically, so I won’t dictate here.”
Haihan's model of sending troops to occupy Amborna Island was originally imitated by the "Prairie Fire Plan" implemented earlier in Qiongbei. First, a force was sent to occupy the local area under the cover of being a pirate, and then the Haihan militia was deployed as a righteous force. Flag, take this place from the pirates. Of course, after the seizure, the ownership rights will not be returned to the original owner, but the spoils will be turned into Haihan's jurisdiction as a matter of course. The Qiongbei region has already changed its flag and become owned by Haihan under this kind of thinking. The operation of the small Amborna Island is naturally much less difficult.
The difficulty in completing this plan is not the matter of changing the flag, but the right time and how to inform the Dutch East India Company of Batavia about the news. If done well, perhaps the East India Company would retreat and stop launching military operations against Ambrosia.
Ning Qi smiled bitterly and said: "You are swaying the blame in a cool way. If the Dutch don't stop, then the blame belongs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, right?"
"Don't talk about whose fault it is, it's a surprise. Everyone divides the work and cooperates to contribute to Haihan!" Qian Tiandun has been a local official for several years, and naturally he has learned the ability to speak in official style.
"Speaking of which, you will go to Nanri Island to complete the handover in two days. I will go back with the mission fleet. It is up to you to look after the Fujian side. If there is anything unclear, you can contact the Zhangzhou Consulate Office My father and son asked, they are familiar with the local situation in Fujian. In addition, Xu Xinsu's fourth son Xu Yuzhuo, the naval admiral who went to sea to greet you today, had studied abroad in Shengli Port for a period of time, and his political attitude should be. He is more inclined to our side. Xu Xinsu usually lets him be responsible for communicating with us. If you have the opportunity, you can win over him. I won’t go into details, you know.”
Qian Tiandun nodded, he naturally understood the process. When Haihan was stationed in Annan, he also consciously selected some young officers in Annan for key training and support. The common feature of these Annan officers is that they have systematically received military training and military indoctrination from Haihan, they have a relatively friendly and even dependent attitude towards Haihan, and they themselves have a certain background. It can ensure that they will have more opportunities to climb up in Annan's officialdom. Both the Executive Committee and the Military Commission believe that these young officers, with the support of Haihan and entering the top political circles of Annan, can drive and influence the country to continue to maintain a pro-Haihan political attitude in the next few years.
For example, Zheng Ting, who is currently the commander of the First Division of the Annan Guard Corps, was one of the first batch of officers trained by the Haihan military system for the Annan military. In addition to going to the Victory Port Military Academy for further training many times, he also had the experience of operating with the Haihan Militia on several occasions and observing the operations of the militia on the front line. His father, Zheng Bai, is the current Secretary of the Ministry of War in Annan. He is also related to Zheng Jie, the Qing Dynasty king who holds the power in Annan. It can be said that he has a bright future. Haihan hopes to support him to a higher position. It is best to take over Annan's Ministry of War in ten or twenty years. This will help to strengthen the alliance between Haihan and Annan. Keep it up for a long time.
Similar routines can also be copied in Fujian, especially with Xu Yuzhuo's background and personal conditions, which deserve the military's focus and training. Qian Tiandun has been in Annan for so long and is no stranger to the operating techniques.
On July 15, after a short rest, Qian Tiandun led the Haihan fleet to leave the Zhongzuo Institute and continue northward to Nanri Island off the coast of Putian, where they met with Shi Diwen's troops who had been stationed here for more than a month. Conduct defense handover. Shi Diwen was not idle during this period. He directed thousands of workers sent by the Fujian government to repair and strengthen the port terminals and Nanri Village's city defenses. Although the defenses here are far from as strong as Fort Victory, they are already much better than the defenses on Ambrosia Island in the South China Sea.
"Don't be too polite to the Ming army here, they are all lazy guys!" Shi Diwen did not forget to give Qian Tiandun a heads up when the handover was completed.
Qian Tiandun nodded and expressed his gratitude to Shi Diwen for his kind reminder. Although the defense here was dominated by the Haihan Militia, Xu Xinsu still insisted on deploying a thousand infantrymen on the island. This is not because Xu Xinsu is not confident about the strength of the Haihan militia, but because she hopes to take this opportunity to learn more advanced military skills from the Haihan people.
Although Fujian sends dozens of military officers to study abroad in Shengli Port, Qiongzhou Island every year, Xu Xinsu is not stingy about the expense. However, the problem is that the Haihan Military Academy has many restrictions on the enrollment quota. Even if he wants to spend more Even if you spend more money and send more people, you can't do it. This time the Haihan people sent regular troops to station in Fujian for a long time. Xu Xinsu believed that this was a good learning opportunity, allowing his mid-level and senior officers to see how the Haihan people deployed defense and conducted daily military training. As for how much you can learn in the end, it all depends on your talent.
Of course, Xu Xinsu is a businessman herself, and she also knows very well that there is no such thing as free food in this world. If you send people to learn things by yourself, you will definitely not learn any real skills if you don't pay the tuition. Therefore, Xu Xinsu knowingly sent some benefits to the Haihan Mission, and at the same time sent a battalion of elite officers and soldiers to be stationed on Nanri Island to live next to the Haihan Militia, so that Shi Diwen could give guidance on their daily training. .
Although these soldiers are already considered the elite of Fujian in Xu Xinsu's eyes, they are still far behind the requirements of the Haihan Militia. After all, their past training level and corresponding treatment cannot be compared with that of the Haihan Militia. And Shi Diwen also knew very well that the intensity of Qian Tiandun's training in the special operations camp in Annan was more exaggerated than that of the ordinary Haihan militia. During Qian Tiandun's stay here, these Ming troops would probably suffer a lot.
At the same time as the troops led by Qian Tiandun arrived here, there was also a batch of supplies specially sent by the Fujian government, mainly various poultry and livestock. This was not Xu Xinsu’s own initiative, but at Haihan’s request. The food supply of the Haihan garrison has always been full of meat. However, in a relatively closed environment like Nanri Island, it is more troublesome to obtain stable supplies from the outside world. Therefore, the logistics department plans to feed some livestock on the island by itself. , and even cultivated fields to grow some fruits and vegetables to subsidize the daily consumption of the garrison.
This kind of treatment naturally made the Ming army stationed nearby a little envious. Their usual training was with the Haihan Militia, and the general content was similar. However, Haihan soldiers only eat white rice after training and can eat meat for at least one meal a day. However, the food here in the Ming army is far from reaching this level. Being able to keep them fed is basically considered a pretty good treatment. . As for meat, it’s good to have some meat every now and then.
However, the difference in food will be indirectly reflected in physical fitness. In addition, the training intensity of the Haihan Militia has always been relatively high. Not to mention the daily exercises, it is almost a small training session every three days and one training session every five days. Haihan's food level ensured that the soldiers could keep up with such intensity of training, but it was a huge obstacle to the Ming army. The physical exertion cannot be replenished in a timely and effective manner from food intake, which can only cause the body to continue to be overdrawn. Therefore, Ming army soldiers who became tired and sick began to appear on a large scale.
As a result, the Ming army troops who trained with the Haihan Militia quickly declined from the full strength at the beginning, and the number of participants in the training became smaller and smaller. Until Qian Tiandun came to Nanri Island to take over, he still followed the Haihan Militia every day. The basic training is only for officers and soldiers with better living conditions.
Of course, it’s hard to say how many of them are really unable to continue training due to physical reasons. Anyway, there must be many people who are deliberately pretending to be sick and being lazy. Although there are certain objective reasons, Shi Diwen still has a bad impression of these Ming troops, because these people have regarded being soldiers more as a profession of eating and waiting to die, and lack the due diligence of an army. He has no energy and spirit, and does not have the consciousness to protect his family and country. From a spiritual level, the gap between the Ming army and the Haihan militia is much larger than in terms of weapons and tactics, and this is also a main reason for the gap in combat effectiveness between the two sides.
For Haihan soldiers, being able to join the militia as a soldier is actually a pretty good way out. Not only can they maintain their own livelihood, but they can also seek better treatment for their families. Under the rule of Haihan, whether it is naturalization, school enrollment, job recruitment, or property purchase, those who have relatives who have served in the militia or who have experience in the militia will receive many preferential conditions. Veterans who have retired from the militia and returned to their hometowns have corresponding work arrangements, so they don't have to worry about losing their skin and having no food to eat one day. Even if someone dies in battle, there will be a dedicated department responsible for taking care of the deceased and his family, and the pension level is much higher than that of the Ming army.
Another very important point is that Haihan is in a period of rapid development, and he is promoted very quickly based on his military merit. None of the first batch of veterans who enlisted in the army in 1627 have been discharged. The lowest military position is platoon leader. Most of them are company commanders. Some of them, like Yu Tiezhu and Gao Qiaonan, have outstanding performance and have even reached the rank of deputy battalion. They can Commanded thousands of soldiers. For ordinary soldiers, this is a living example that can stimulate their progress, because these people were just like them four or five years ago, just a group of farmers who had just put down their hoes, fishermen who gave up fishing and joined the army, and people who gave up their work to join the army. Hunters who have lost their lives in the mountains and forests, and even down-and-out literati who have repeatedly failed in exams. The system of the Haihan Militia can provide a relatively fair promotion channel for these civilians, giving them the opportunity to gradually transform from ordinary people into officers with distinguished status.
(End of chapter)