Chapter 848 Open the door and surrender
When Zhang Qian came out, he thought that he might run into trouble with Haihan, but he didn't expect that the Haihan people would have such a tough attitude. He was aggressive in every word, and he didn't even bother to say anything in the scene. He almost didn't directly say "surrender". "The two words were sprayed on Zhang Qian's face.
How could the Ming Empire surrender to a group of overseas barbarians? Naturally, Zhang Qian would never let go of something that could be understood with his toes. If he utters the word "surrender" here in Haihan, he will be treated as a traitor immediately when he returns. But if he really wanted to fight a powerful enemy to the end and sacrifice his life for the country, let alone Zhang Qian, a weak scholar, even the group of Qiu Ba in Shipu Suo City could not do it.
Therefore, surrender is absolutely forbidden, but it is best to avoid fighting as much as possible. As Shi Diwen said, even if they die here fighting for the country, they may not be recognized by the country - this is undoubtedly a An excellent reason for the Ming army, which originally lacked fighting courage.
Zhang Qian was still waiting to say a few words, but the Haihan officer named Shi was no longer interested in listening to him anymore and asked people to see him off. Zhang Qian was full of anxiety when he came, and looked defeated when he left. None of his plans before setting off were realized, and he just came to learn a lesson. If I must say there is something gained, it is probably that I witnessed the true face of the Haihan Army with my own eyes, and completely eliminated the unrealistic fantasy of "the Haihan Army is strong on the outside but powerful on the inside".
Ma Ling did not expect Zhang Qian to come back so soon. After hearing the report, he immediately rushed to the city gate to meet Zhang Qian and inquire about the outcome of the negotiation. Zhang Qian responded casually, but his eyes flickered from left to right. Ma Ling understood this and immediately retreated from his men.
"Brother Zhang, have the Han people outside the city agreed to withdraw?" Ma Ling asked hopefully.
Zhang Qian shook his head slightly and said: "This matter is very troublesome. Not only did the Haihan people refuse to retreat, they also asked the defenders in the city to disarm and leave the city and accept their supervision. Although I tried my best to persuade, the enemy chief was extremely rude and gave him an hour. Restrictions, if the defenders still can’t get out of the city after an hour, they will attack the city!”
"These thieves are so rampant!" Ma Ling was so angry that he punched the city wall next to him, causing dirt to fly everywhere. Although he has no fighting will, his personal strength is not bad. This punch actually smashed a shallow hole in the adobe city wall, and the strength is really amazing. However, the real problem cannot be avoided. The Haihan people are approaching the city. Whether to fight or surrender, a decision must be made immediately. At this point, Ma Ling did not dare to believe that what the other party said was just a bluff. Once the cannons outside the city were fired, it would be difficult to stop the war.
"Let's call everyone together to discuss it again!" For such an important decision, Ma Ling did not dare to act arbitrarily, and planned to gather several of his hundreds of households to hold another meeting.
After listening to Zhang Qian's talk about the situation outside the city, several hundred households looked at me and I looked at you, but they all kept silent. Ma Ling was so anxious that he could only name them one by one: "Lin Baihu, the situation is like this, what do you think we should do?"
After the fair-skinned Lin Baihu was called upon, he responded softly: "This matter is of great importance. I don't dare to discuss it arbitrarily because of my humble position. I should obey your decision."
Ma Ling snorted and said to another person: "Zheng Baihu, what do you think?"
This man surnamed Zheng has a big beard and looks rough, but his words are impeccable: "This Haihan thief has come to our door, he really deserves to be killed. Brothers, with the salary from the court, they should serve the country! It's just that the thief has the power It is too big to be defeated. How to defeat the enemy requires careful planning. ”
Ma Ling thought to herself that this was all nonsense. It was the same as whether he had said it or not. He pointed at the other person and said, "Wang Baihu, do you want to fight or not?"
Ma Ling was afraid that he would follow the example of the people before him, so he simply made the problem more clear. Wang Baihu said with a bitter look on his face: "Master Ma said war, so brothers will fight to the death to serve the court. If Master Ma feels that they cannot fight with the thieves head-on, then the brothers will endure this tone and save their strength for the time being. Just take revenge.”
This Wang Baihu seems to be obedient and obeys the wishes of his boss Ma Ling, but Ma Ling knows that he, like the first two, only wants to evade responsibility. If Ma Ling talks about war, then after the defeat, the responsibility will be entirely Ma Ling's. After the war, the Haihan people have to settle the matter. It means there are grievances and debts, and everything can be blamed on Ma Ling. After all, he is the commander of Shipu Institute, so the responsibility will naturally fall on him. If the court wants to investigate him in the future, he will do the same thing. These hundreds of households had already figured out the key. At this time, they all shirked their responsibilities and refused to make a clear statement, just to leave the blame to Ma Linglai.
Ma Ling was extremely angry at this time. He had such a group of cowards who were fearful of the enemy, and it would be troublesome whether they were fighting or surrendering. At the moment, he could only disperse the people with a sullen face and let them return to their respective posts. Zhang Qian bowed and resigned, but Ma Ling stopped him and left him alone.
"Brother Zhang, think about it carefully. That enemy chief...that Haihan officer named Shi, does he want war or peace?" Ma Ling asked Zhang Qian again.
Zhang Qian blinked and asked, "Is there any difference?"
"Of course there is a difference!" Ma Ling said anxiously: "If they intend to kill us all, they naturally do not intend to leave us a way out. Surrender or not will be a dead end! If they are willing to seek peace, there may be a glimmer of hope."
Zhang Qian thought for a while before responding: "In my opinion, although the Haihan people are willing to negotiate for peace, they are ready for war. If you want to end the war early, you still have to follow their wishes."
Ma Ling said: "If we follow their wishes and disarm the city, our army will have no power to resist. If we are harmed by the Haihan people, it will be all over!"
Zhang Qian became anxious when he heard what he said: "What the few hundred households said just now, do you have any intention of resisting? When the Han people start fighting, these people may open the door and surrender, and tie you and me up. It's possible to send it out for merit!" Ma Ling's face darkened. He came down and said: "These guys usually call each other brothers and laugh, but when the critical moment comes, no one can be relied on. It's really annoying! If I order the city to be opened, and the higher-ups investigate and hold me accountable in the future, these guys will probably betray me!"
Zhang Qian said: "If you really decide to open the city to negotiate peace, then just reach an agreement with the Haihan people and let them solve these problems."
Ma Ling frowned slightly and said, "What if the Haihan people go back on their word?"
Zhang Qian shook his head and said: "What rumors have you and I heard about Haihan? Is it because they are powerfully armed? Do they behave vulgarly? Are they spending money like water? Are they wise in making money? None of these. It's because the people of Haihan keep their promises and do what they say! As long as it's what they promised. The business will be completed regardless of loss or profit. This is the main reason why Fuguang merchants are willing to cooperate with them. I am afraid that what the Haihan people say is more reliable than the hundreds of households under your command."
Ma Ling had also heard about the rumors about the Haihan people. It is said that most of the wealthy people in Fuguang are willing to deposit their gold and silver in the "bank" opened by the Haihan people, and when they need it, they can withdraw it with a special gold and silver check. Transactions between acquaintances do not even require cash, just take a check and transfer it directly to the bank. This kind of trust is based on the excellent business reputation of the Haihan people. Only by promising a large sum of money can people trust their money to be deposited in their hands. After listening to Zhang Qian's persuasion, Ma Ling, who was already somewhat interested in taking action, became even more shaken now.
Ma Qianhu inside the city was still hesitant, but the Haihan army outside the city was already eager to give it a try. After taking control of the eastern port area of Shipu Port, nearly a thousand soldiers have landed and formed several military formations in company units about 300 meters south of Shipu City. In front of it is the artillery position that has been set up. Four siege cannons and eight 12-pound army guns have all entered the gun positions and are ready to fire at any time to attack the city.
Takahashi Nan raised his hand to check the time. The mechanical automatic watch in his hand was a private reward given to him by Qian Tiandun after the Battle of Taipei. Although the original value of this watch is not high, it is considered a priceless treasure in this time and space. Takahashi Minami is also grateful for this. After all, among the naturalized civilian officers and cadres, only a handful of people can receive such a precious reward. Countable.
With this watch, Takahashi Nan's orders are more timely when commanding operations. For example, at this time, he can confirm that Shi Diwen has little time left for the defenders in Shipusuo City. , and at this time there still seemed to be no sign of any intention to surrender in the city. Takahashi Minami decided to ask his superiors for instructions one last time whether to launch an attack on Shipura Castle on time.
"Tell Battalion Commander Takahashi to launch the attack on time." Shi Diwen was not a soft-hearted person. Since the Ming army in Shipu Suo didn't know what to do, they just carried out the attack according to the plan made in advance. However, before launching the official attack, he felt that he could still give a small warning to the Ming army in the city.
"Let the artillery position calibrate a few rounds first, so as not to miss the mark when the battle begins!" Shi Diwen ordered lightly. He knew that Shipura Castle did not have any long-range firepower that could threaten his artillery position, so he could implement this attack plan as an artillery and stone bomb training.
So just when people in Shipusuo City were panicking, the rumble of artillery suddenly came from the Haihan position outside the city. Ma Ling suddenly jumped up from his chair: "Why did the Haihan people start the war early! The promised hour has not come yet!"
The defenders on the top of the city were in a mess. When they heard the sound of cannons, they didn't care about defense at all. They all ran to the base of the city wall like headless flies. The irony is that the people who took the lead in deserting were all officers, including the few Baihu who just said they wanted to follow Ma Ling. If Ma Ling hadn't come out in time to maintain the situation, this group of people might have just opened the northern city gate and fled into the mountains.
In fact, the sound of the cannons only rang a few times and then stopped. It was just that the nerves of the people in the city were too nervous to notice this at all, and they were still in chaos. Ma Ling was still a Qianhu after all, and soon realized that something was wrong with the enemy. He shouted angrily: "You guys are so panicked! The Haihan people are just shooting artillery in the school, and they haven't started a war yet! Any further troublemakers will be punished by military law!"< br>
Seeing that the chaos in the city calmed down, Ma Ling cursed and went to the top of the city to check the situation. Haihan had only fired six rounds just now, including four 12-pounder cannons and two siege heavy artillery rounds. Because the distance was too close, all six shells hit the southern city wall. One of the siege shells was deliberately fired by the artillery at the city gate. Although it did not penetrate the two four-inch thick door panels, it had already penetrated the city gate. The three door bolts and two door bars behind the city gate were all shattered. The hinges at the connection between half of the city gate and the city wall have also become loose. Another 12-pound shell hit the wall stack, splattering adobe debris everywhere. The height of the wall stack was cut off by nearly a foot, and no one could hide behind it.
Although this round of shelling caused no casualties, the panicked performance of his men really disappointed Ma Ling. He thought about how he had planned to organize this group of people to hold on for several days at the beginning until the Haihan Army retreated on its own. Compared with the reality, it was a huge irony. Many of the soldiers under his command have never been on the battlefield since joining the army, and they usually neglect training and only go out for training once a month. How can they be expected to perform well when the enemy attacks.
Of course, this is not entirely Ma Ling's fault. If he wants to rely on his officers to control the soldiers, he must feed them; if he wants to rely on his superiors to protect him and seek promotion opportunities, he must pay tribute to his superiors; while doing this While working, you also have to support your family and save some wealth for yourself. To achieve these goals, Ma Ling's own military salary alone is definitely not enough. He can only rely on empty pay, cutting military expenditures, smuggling and other means to accumulate money. This guard army usually only acts as a facade to scare the pirates. There is no need to actually start a war anyway, but now facing a well-trained professional army, its weaknesses are suddenly exposed.
Of course, Ma Ling could still order to continue to hold on and wait for the Haihan people outside the city to launch an attack. But he could also imagine the consequences of doing so. With the fighting will of these people in the city, as soon as the city gate was broken, there would probably be no more resistance.
"It's useless to fight, let's surrender..." Ma Ling shook his head helplessly and made the final decision: "Give me my order and open the city gate..."
Seeing Shipusuo City slowly opening the city gate, Gao Qiaonan outside the city also shook his head helplessly: "With an army like this, no wonder it colludes with pirates. There is really no way to leave the Ming Dynasty's maritime territory in the hands of such people. Saved.”
Ma Ling led Zhang Qian, followed by several hundred households, and walked out of the city dejectedly, standing in a line on the side of the road, waiting for the Haihan army to come forward and accept the surrender. Although this is an extremely shameful thing for soldiers, these people are all equally happy that at least their lives have been saved for now. As for how the Haihan people will deal with them and the Shipu City, the initiative has been handed over.
Shi Diwen also witnessed all this from a distance and smiled disdainfully: "Sure enough, it only takes a few shells to scare them. This courage is worse than that of the guards in Fujian and Guangdong!"
(End of chapter)