Chapter 754 Fengrong Village
The reason why Qian Tiandun was so cautious was not because he was worried about how strong the indigenous people were in combat, but because his team's lineup for landing on Taiwan Island this time was half-experienced and half-new. A company of special operations troops led a company of new recruits. This lineup performed ordinary tasks. The reconnaissance mission is probably enough, but if you have to perform combat missions in an unfamiliar environment, the risk is still relatively high.
Two months of recruit training can only ensure that these rookies can act in accordance with military orders, but it cannot guarantee that they can perform qualifiedly in actual combat. Moreover, Qian Tiandun's original intention in planning this operation was to find out the situation in this area. By the way, Let the recruits adapt to the environmental conditions of field combat, not really intend to fight the local indigenous people. Of course, even if there is an armed conflict with the indigenous people, it is not too far to retreat to the coastline. With the seaside camp and two warships as backup, the troops entering the inland do not have to worry about having no way to retreat.
At the end of the conversation, Qian Tiandun still mentioned the issue of the ownership of the area: "This place used to be considered an unclaimed land, but it will no longer be. We will set up an official agency here to manage the civil affairs here and guide you in the reclamation. and provide protection. I hope you will cooperate and refrain from any form of hostile behavior.”
The two villagers looked at each other with a look of panic on their faces. But before they could politely refuse, Qian Tiandun blocked their mouths with words: "I am not discussing with you, but informing you!"
Sensing Qian Tiandun's unkind tone, the two of them knelt on the ground with their knees weak: "Young people know your mistakes, adults, please don't blame me!"
"I'm not blaming you. After all, this place needs to be managed by the government, otherwise we will become savages?" Qian Tiandun put away his serious tone and said pleasantly.
"Yes, yes, sir, you are right. The local people have always cared about the Ming Dynasty. Now that they can return to the Ming Dynasty, the villagers will be very happy about it." The older villager was obviously much more talkative, and immediately It expresses a willingness to obey.
"Daming? No, no, no, from now on this place will be under the jurisdiction of Haihan, not Daming." Qian Tiandun immediately corrected the deviation in his understanding.
The old man was stunned and said: "But sir... you are not..."
"General of the Ming Dynasty?" Qian Tiandun smiled and said: "The Fujian government has granted ownership of the entire island to Haihan, so the land and residents here will be under the jurisdiction of Haihan in the future. This is my opinion. Identity has no direct relationship.”
What is Haihan's background? Even if the people in this place have very little communication with the outside world, they will not know who is the culprit who caused Shibazhi to retreat steadily and finally abandon their old nest. If Haihan hadn't intervened in the Fujian war, perhaps the Shibazhi rebellion would have been successful long ago, and Zhao'an would have been cleared. Of course, if that happens, this place will naturally become the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and these early people who immigrated to Taiwan from the mainland will also be included under the rule of the Ming Dynasty government again.
Haihan supported the Fujian government to defeat Shibazhi, and the biggest prize he got was the Penghu Islands and the still wild Taiwan Island, as well as the influence he had in the Taiwan Strait and the Fujian coast. The Fujian government has no interest in developing Taiwan Island. Since the Haihan people are willing to take this place, the Fujian side is happy to be a favor - the Haihan people are willing to make great efforts to develop Taiwan Island, so it is unlikely that they will do anything to Fujian again. Coastal areas are interested so that everyone can sleep more peacefully at night. Trading an ownerless overseas desert island for several years of peace and tranquility in Fujian's coastal areas must be a very cost-effective deal for the Fujian government.
As for the attitude of the people on the island...who cares? After those people left Fujian, they were no longer treated as citizens of the Ming Dynasty by the government. Many of them were once supporters of Shibazhi, so it was convenient to leave these troubles to the Haihan people.
Qian Tiandun said again: "I will send a small team to your Fengrong Village later to have a look... Don't be afraid. Firstly, we don't want your food, secondly we don't want your money, and thirdly we won't conscript your people." Folks, just get to know the living conditions of the local people, don’t worry too much.”
Naturally, the two villager representatives did not dare to question, so they could only respond submissively. However, they did not take Qian Tiandun's words seriously. They were thinking about how to collect some consolation gifts from the villagers when they returned to the village and give them to these origins. Unknown soldiers, in exchange for peace.
"Gao Qiao Nan!" Qian Tiandun called, and Gao Qiao Nan immediately stepped out from the side and responded.
"Take a platoon and follow these two fellow villagers to the village later. Remember to restrain your subordinates and don't cause trouble, understand?" Qian Tiandun ordered.
"Yes! General!" Gao Qiaonan saluted with a military salute, then quickly stepped back to gather his troops.
Qian Tiandun did not want the local residents to be resistant to the Haihan Militia from the beginning, so he did not plan to send troops directly to the village to garrison. Instead, he only asked Gao Qiaonan to bring a team of people into the village to see the situation. Of course, the main purpose is to declare sovereignty to the people here and let them know who this place should belong to in the future.
Gao Qiaonan quickly gathered his men and returned to Fengrong Village with two village representatives. Although this was not considered a combat mission, Takahashi Minami still carefully asked everyone to check their equipment and weapons before setting off, and warned his subordinates to remain vigilant - no one knew the people in this village. Is it true that the relationship with Shibazhi has been established?
The group left the station and continued eastward along the path beside the Zhuoshui River. After walking for about two miles, the trail extended beyond the mountain forest. In front of it were fields with crisscrossing roads, and the outline of the village in the distance could already be seen. This place is already seven or eight miles away from the sea, with a large dense forest in between. If you didn't go deep into the inland, it would be hard to imagine that there would be a hidden village inhabited by Han people here.
The younger of the two villagers was sent back first to inform the villagers. Gao Qiaonan walked with another old man and asked as they walked: "Do you usually travel to the villages in the south by land or water?"< br>
The old man responded: "If you are transporting large quantities of goods, you can take the waterway out to sea and go around, enter Bengang Port and then land on land. If you are traveling on a regular basis, then you can take the land route, which is about fifty or sixty miles south from Fengrong Village. place.”
After walking for a while, Gao Qiaonan suddenly said out loud: "Those people in the south don't get along with you, do they?" The old man said in astonishment: "Sir, where do you start talking about this?"
Gao Qiaonan explained: "When you told General Qian earlier, I was also listening carefully. The conditions in Bengang are obviously much better than here. You moved out specially and had to endure the natives coming every month. The attack was probably due to conflicts with those in the south, right?”
The old man couldn't figure out Takahashi Nan's intention, and he didn't dare to admit it casually. He just laughed twice. However, in Takahashi Minami's view, this has undoubtedly confirmed his speculation.
Takahashi Nan continued: "I heard you say before that many of the people in Bengang are related to the people in Shibazhi, and even joined Shibazhi as pirates. Shibazhi Even though we have withdrawn, we will probably still have some eyes and ears here, don’t you think?”
The old man responded hurriedly: "Sir, all the good people in Fengrong Village are honest and responsible. The whole village has always made a living by growing grain, and no one has joined the pirates. Please tell me a lesson!"
Takahashi Nan said: "You don't have to rush to defend, we will not wrongly accuse good people." He has noticed that although the old man is eager to defend, his words do not include the people in Bengang into his "honest duty" within the range.
As he spoke, he soon arrived at the entrance of the village, because another villager was sent back to report the news first, and the people in the village gathered here to welcome the arrival of the "imperial army". Although everyone was surprised by this strangely dressed army, no one questioned its identity, because the muskets held by the soldiers did not look like fakes at all, and the murderous aura was even more breathtaking. , definitely not to the extent that they had seen those people in Shibazhi before.
"Young man Mou Qing is the head of this village, and I would like to welcome General Gao!" When an old man with a white beard saw the team approaching, he quickly took two steps forward and bowed to announce his identity.
Takahashi Nan did not deliberately correct the other party's mispronunciation of his surname. Over the past few years, he had already become accustomed to such misunderstandings. He waved his hand and said: "Village Chief Mou, you're welcome!"
While answering, Gao Qiaonan carefully looked at Mou Qing's clothes, and saw that he was only wearing a navy blue homespun gown, with soap-colored cloth shoes on his feet. His face was dark, his back was slightly rickety, and he was holding a bamboo stick. It didn't look like he was wearing anything. A pampered person.
After Mou Qing and Gao Qiaonan met, they invited the armed group to rest in the village. Gao Qiaonan was not polite and entered the village with Mou Qing. Although the soldiers looked normal, they were secretly on guard in their hearts to prevent emergencies.
After Gao Qiaonan joined the Haihan Militia, he traveled extensively and visited many places in the past few years. After entering the village, he could immediately see the real situation of the village. Almost all the houses in this village have adobe walls and thatched roofs, and a bamboo fence outside is considered a wall. There is not even a house with a bluestone background, which shows that the people here are indeed relatively poor. In the relatively early developed areas on Hainan Island, such as several salt fields, Tiandu Industrial Zone, etc., ordinary people have already lived in houses with masonry structures. Such adobe houses must be considered the lowest class in areas under Haihan's rule. living conditions.
The village chief's house is no better than others. It is the same adobe and thatched house. If there is any difference, the yard enclosed by the bamboo fence is just a little larger than the other houses. After Gao Qiao Nan's group entered, the courtyard was immediately filled to 70 to 80% capacity.
However, the village chief was well prepared when he invited the Haihan militia to come into the village to rest. Soon someone brought tables and benches in and placed them in the yard. Then someone continued to serve food, wine and food - of course, the content was indeed relatively shabby.
Gao Qiaonan could tell at a glance that the few dishes served earlier were wild vegetables, because there were similar varieties of wild vegetables on Penghu Island. However, there obviously won't be as many spices to choose from in the kitchen of the Haihan Militia. Takahashi Minami guessed that the cooking method of these dishes is probably just boiling water until cooked, with a few sprinkles of salt at most.
The several jars of wine that were presented later were, according to the village chief, fruit wine brewed by nearby natives, but when poured out they were as turbid as pot water. Apparently the natives did not care much about the need for filtration when making wine. link. Although it smells fragrant when you pick it up, the presentation in the earthen porcelain bowl is really not good enough. Gao Qiaonan picked up the bowl and took a sip. He felt that the sour taste was stronger. Not to mention compared with "Sanya Special Brew", even the fruit wine brewed by Li Miao Village tasted much better than this one. Even if he didn't move He put down the wine bowl with a voice. As for the soldiers at the other tables, no one dared to pour themselves wine without Takahashi Minami saying anything.
Finally, a few meat dishes were put on the table. Most of them were aquatic products, including fish, shrimps, crabs and snails. They probably came from the nearby Zhuoshui stream. But even these low-cost meat dishes are not available on every table. Takahashi Minami took a look and found that except for the main table where he was sitting, the other tables were probably filled with fish on this table and shrimp on the other. It seemed that the portions were indeed not enough to entertain his team. As for the local chicken soup that was served to the table at the end, there was only one serving for the main table. Takahashi Minami calculated the time from when someone went back to the village to report the news to when he was sitting here, the chicken was probably brought out just after it had been stewed.
"This village's production is not abundant and the hospitality is not good. Don't blame me!" Mou Qing saw that Gao Qiaonan didn't use his chopsticks very much. He thought that he might not be able to dispatch the soldiers with this little thing, so he asked others to serve him. A tray came out with two ingots of silver on it, about twenty taels in size. Mou Qing slowly pushed the tray in front of Takahashi Nan and said: "Sir, you have worked hard leading the troops, please accept this small tribute."
Gao Qiaonan has now been promoted to battalion commander, and his military salary for a month is more than this amount. Since he knows military discipline well, he will not accept this small amount of money from him. He gently pushed the tray back and said, "Village chief, you don't have to be so polite. We have said before that we just came to the village to have a look, and we have no intention of looting the local money. It seems that the conditions here are indeed not good, so we should keep the money and use it in the village. But when we take over here, life will be different! It won’t be so painful.”
Before Mou Qing could push him, Gao Qiaonan had already held down the tray: "Okay, don't push it around, just put it away! In terms of money, we have a lot, and you don't have to worry if you follow Haihan in the future. If you can’t afford meat, ask someone to bring you some food. My people will have to do some work after eating.”
Seeing that Gao Qiaonan didn't seem to be joking, Mou Qing quickly asked someone to withdraw the money and serve freshly steamed rice. Takahashi picked up the bowl from the south end, took a few bites, chewed it, and slowly put the bowl back on the table.
(End of chapter)