Chapter 792: Looking for new targets
Due to the outstanding performance of the special operations battalion in the past few years, the military budget has always enjoyed a special preferential policy. Therefore, the value of the individual equipment of the soldiers belonging to the special operations battalion is nearly half higher than that of the equipment distributed by ordinary troops. The same goes for the military pay of soldiers and officers. Even the navy, which has received major support from the Central Military Commission in recent years, is not as good as the special operations battalion in terms of per capita treatment.
And Qian Tiandun is not worried that this high investment will not get a reasonable return. In fact, during the Haihan military's southern and northern campaigns in the past few years, the special operations battalion acted as the vanguard in almost all key battles, and on the battlefield The performance has never disappointed the Military Commission and the Executive Committee. And important tasks like this will definitely be the exclusive domain of the special operations battalion for some time to come - the Military Commission obviously had this aspect in mind when it deployed him and the special operations battalion to the bridgehead of Penghu. It has become a consensus of the Military Commission and the Executive Committee to hand over the most difficult tasks to the special operations battalion.
Although the special operations battalion is organized as a "battalion", its actual strength now exceeds the standards of the Haihan Militia, and the number of personnel continues to expand slowly. A month after recruiting Sun Zhen's batch of new recruits, the Penghu Base Recruitment Office recruited a new batch of ignorant recruits from the immigrants without stopping, and continued to recruit new recruits at monthly intervals. While Sun Zhen and others were happily receiving personal equipment and weapons, the last batch of conscripts from the Penghu base in 1632 were listening to relevant policy propaganda on Baisha Island. Calculated based on the current establishment and recruitment frequency, the special operations battalion is expected to increase its strength by three more companies in the coming year, bringing the total strength of the special operations battalion to more than 1,500 people. This is actually enough to upgrade the establishment to " group".
Of course, the reasons for the recruitment of special operations battalions are also very good. At present, the Military Commission has not assigned separate troops to station in Kaohsiung. Therefore, the special operations battalions must bear the responsibility of guarding Penghu and Kaohsiung at the same time. Although there are no strong foreign enemies in the nearby area, this deployment arrangement is undoubtedly an excellent reason for the expansion of the special operations battalion. As long as he can enjoy the preferential treatment of the Executive Committee, Qian Tiandun will certainly work hard to increase the number of troops he can command.
More than a thousand people was not the upper limit of the troops commanded by Qian Tiandun. During his tenure as the supreme commander in Annan, the number of troops he could directly command exceeded 5,000 people. Of course, not all of these troops belong to the Haihan Militia, but some of them are affiliated to the Annan military's cooperative army. For a general who leads troops, the more troops he can command, the better. What's more, what Qian Tiandun wants to pursue is to make achievements in this era and become a famous general who will go down in history.
However, Haihan's expansion speed was obviously slower, and the frequency of war outbreaks could not satisfy the desire of the soldiers headed by Qian Tiandun to make meritorious deeds. If it weren't for logistical constraints, Qian Tiandun would actually have a strong desire to go north to explore the situation. Whether it is the pirates operating in the East China Sea or the Spanish colonists entrenched in Taipei's Jilong Port, they are all good opponents for the special operations battalion - the so-called good means that they cannot beat themselves, but they are solid from the perspective of their position. There is a certain threat to Haihan, or there is an irreconcilable conflict of interest, and it must be eliminated during the development process.
Qian Tiandun actually already had a choice in his mind as to which side to attack first. One is a battlefield with unknown conditions 1,500 miles away from Penghu, and the other is a place with only one-third of the voyage distance of the former, and has greater occupation value. There are many more resources worthy of development in northern Taiwan than in Kaohsiung, Tainan. The undeveloped gold mines alone are enough to make the executive committee excited.
According to historical records, the Jinguashi gold mine near Jilong Port was not discovered until the end of the 19th century, which benefited the Japanese who occupied Taiwan at the time. Later, the local area was once known as the "First Gold Capital in East Asia." Qian Tiandun would not leave such a treasure for more than two hundred years. If the military can take the lead in occupying the area in the near future, there will be more sufficient reasons to ask the Executive Committee for military expenses in the future.
Of course, if Haihan wants to directly intervene in local development, he will inevitably conflict with the Spanish who currently occupy Jilong Port. Compared with the Portuguese and Dutch, who put profits first and could completely abandon their moral integrity for money, the Spaniards, who regarded themselves as the boss of Europe, were not someone who could be surrendered by the threat of force alone. Although Spain in this era has begun to decline, the war on the European battlefield is not going smoothly, and it is also facing competition from many rising stars in the colonial world around the world, but for the ruling royal family, Spain is still the The invincible empire that controls the dry land and dry air in the middle of the world. The Habsburg Dynasty, blessed by God, can fight for at least another five hundred years.
If we look at the Battle of Rocroix in 1643, which marked the end of Spain's hegemony in Europe, it seems that Spain still has ten years to live, and it will take a long time for the French to truly challenge Spain's dominance in Europe. authority. But from a global perspective, Britain, France, Portugal, and even the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East have become opponents that can compete with Spain in local areas. Of course, the Spanish's biggest opponent overseas at this time is still the Dutch, who are currently fighting with them on the European battlefield.
In terms of population base, Taiwan Island is not an ideal colony. The level of civilization of the indigenous tribes living here is not even as good as that of some areas in Africa at the same time. However, due to the ideal geographical location of Taiwan Island, discerning people will establish a stronghold here to support the trade routes in Northeast Asia. Therefore, these two families have been fighting for several years over their foothold on the island of Taiwan. It's just that the foundations of both sides here are relatively shallow, and the forces they can invest are relatively limited. They fight back and forth without really distinguishing themselves.
Although the two families were rivals, when Haihan attacked the Dutch, the Spaniards showed no intention of getting involved and killing the Dutch together. Perhaps in their view, the powerful Spanish Empire did not need to cooperate with the humble Easterners, or they were cautious because they could not figure out Haihan's intentions. After all, the history of Haihan's rise was not a secret. As long as the Spaniards did not Crazy, he must have regarded this group as one of his competitors in the Far East.
As far as Qian Tiandun knew, the Spaniards had built a small castle in Jilong Port and stationed an armed fleet equipped with an unknown number of artillery. The difficulty of attacking the area head-on would probably not be lower than that of Damuan Port. Simply collecting this level of intelligence was not enough for Qian Tiandun to make up his mind to take action against the local area. He had to wait patiently for more detailed information and a better time.
In the early morning one day at the end of December, before dawn, a large ship with black sails sailed silently into Magong Port in Penghu. Except for the dock staff on the shore who were responsible for guiding the ship to the berth, no one noticed this inconspicuous sailing ship. However, after the ship docked, the crew on the ship did not immediately go to the shore, but quietly waited for something.
A moment later, a covered carriage came to the pier. The driver showed his badge to the staff on the pier: "Security Department is working, clearing the place, no entry!"
Magong Port is currently under military control, and a curfew is imposed at night. The curfew has not yet ended at such an early hour, and there are actually no people waiting on the pier. However, the Ministry of Security obviously needs to pick up some important people or materials that need to be kept secret from here, so it makes such a request.
After clearing the place, several sailors lifted a heavy sack package from the ship, followed closely by a middle-aged man dressed as a businessman. The coachman on the shore opened the curtain, got on the vehicle with people and goods, and immediately drove the vehicle away from the dock. Qian Tiandun got the news just after he woke up from his sleep. He hurried to the headquarters without even bothering to eat breakfast. The Penghu Office of the Haihan Security Department is in the yard next to the military headquarters. Qian Tiandun walked straight into the headquarters and walked straight through the yard to the Security Department.
"I've seen Chief Qian!" Everyone in the room immediately stood up and saluted when they saw Qian Tiandun.
"Du Rong, what's going on?" Qian Tiandun nodded, and then asked the head of the local security department.
Du Rong had served on Amborna Island before. Before Haihan seized the place, there were two secret agents of the Ministry of Security lurking on the island. One was Li Dagui, who was still staying there to assist Roger, and the other was Du Rong. Not long after Ambuna Island was captured by Haihan, Du Rong was transferred to Fujian to work.
Du Rong's public identity when he was on Ambona Island was that of a barefoot doctor. Although he did not change his name after being transferred from the local area, his occupation changed slightly, from a doctor to a medicinal materials merchant. Except for a few high-level personnel such as Qian Tiandun, few people in Penghu know that Boss Du is actually an intelligence officer of the Haihan Security Department.
The area Du Rong is in charge of includes not only Penghu itself, but also Taiwan Island and the areas north of it. To a certain extent, he shares the work of the Ministry of Security's intelligence agency in Fujian. Under his command, there is a field team specially responsible for collecting intelligence about Jilong Port. Ever since Haihan captured Nanri Island a year ago and ensured the safety of the channel at the northern end of the strait, they have regularly set out from Fuzhou to Jilong Port to collect medicinal materials and wood. As the main trade item, deal with the Spanish who are entrenched in the local area.
Over the past year, Du Rong's people have made four or five trips to Jilong Port and have some preliminary understanding of the local situation. However, since outsiders cannot enter the castle built by the Spanish and can only conduct transactions on the seaside, there is still not much useful information collected about the deployment of local defense forces. After Qian Tiandun inquired twice, he stopped urging the Security Department to take action and focused on the previous preparations for the attack on Penghu. Later, after Penghu was captured, a lot of matters needed to be handled by Qian Tiandun personally, and then he started to attack the southern part of Taiwan Island. He did not interfere with the intelligence collection work of the Ministry of Security for a long time. Early this morning, Du Rong sent someone to Qian Tiandun's residence to report that there was an emergency, which was a bit beyond Qian Tiandun's expectations.
"Chief Qian, please allow me to introduce you. This is Jin Ming, the secret agent responsible for collecting information about Jilong Port. He just came back from Jilong Port. Let him explain the specific situation." Du Rong introduced the person standing behind him. The person standing there was the middle-aged businessman who had just disembarked at the pier.
"Thank you!" Qian Tiandun nodded slightly to him: "Sit down and speak slowly."
"I'll see you, Chief Qian!" Jin Ming bowed before taking his seat: "I left Fuzhou ten days ago and went to Jilong Port to do business with the Spanish... Spanish. After arriving there, I was waiting for the other party to raise the goods. , and stayed for a few days. After nightfall the day before yesterday, the goods had been loaded on the ship, and Beizhi was about to leave the place and return to Fuzhou. Unexpectedly, before leaving, he encountered an accident..."
This time Jin Ming went to Jilong Port to purchase some high-quality wood from the local area. He stayed there for a few more days while waiting for the Spanish to arrange shipment. Of course, Jin Ming didn't care about the delay for a few more days. He wished that the Spaniards would delay as much as possible, so that he would have a reasonable reason to stay there and slowly investigate the intelligence. After staying there for five days, all the goods had been shipped, and Jin Ming was ready to leave overnight in order not to arouse suspicion. But just when they were about to unmoor and raise the sail to leave the harbor, a drunk man came to the dock. He walked crazily along the gangplank to the deck and collapsed.
Jin Ming happened to recognize this man as a blacksmith in the castle, who was also responsible for repairing weapons, armor and other equipment part-time. Although he is not a big shot, as an intelligence officer, Jin Ming naturally knows that this person also has a lot of valuable information. It was already dark at that time, and there was no sign of anyone on the dock. This guy drunkenly climbed onto the boat where Jin Ming was, and no one else noticed at all. Jin Ming made a quick decision and had someone put it in a sack, tied it with a cowhide rope, carried it into the cargo hold and hid it, and then immediately left the port. After going to sea, I didn’t even go back to Fuzhou and went straight to Penghu. There were security personnel on duty at the pier. After seeing the unexpected appearance of the ship, they immediately called a carriage according to the operating procedures and picked up the people directly from the shore.
Jin Ming arrived at the office and reported the situation to Du Rongyi. Du Rong also felt that the matter was so big that he couldn't make up his mind and had to report it to the higher authorities for instructions. However, he was already the highest-ranking local official of the Ministry of Security. If he wanted to report further, he could only report it to the base camp. The urgency of the matter did not allow for any delay, so he could only notify the base camp by telegram. However, the only radio station on the island is in the hands of the military. To send a telegram, you must obtain Qian Tiandun's approval. This matter cannot be circumvented in any case. Without much hesitation, Du Rong decided to report the matter directly to Qian Tiandun and let him make the decision.
"You actually came back alive? That's okay, you guys!" Qian Tiandun couldn't help but have a smile on his face: "Where is he?"
(End of chapter)