Chapter 917 Military Exercise Deployment
Whether fighting a war is a waste of people and money or making a fortune depends on one's strength. For example, since Haihan established its foothold on HN Island, foreign wars have continued year after year. This should have been a huge drain, but Haihan has relied on war to continuously expand its population and control area, which has become a shortcut for rapid growth in strength. In the early days, the Executive Committee would still have objections to this kind of foreign war, but as time went by, everyone realized the huge benefits brought by the war, and turned a blind eye to the military's various actions.
In the past, the Haihan Militia's own routine military exercises were basically only arranged on HN Island every year. The joint military exercises with Annan were held at the Catba Island training base in the Beibu Gulf every year, and the scale was limited to about a thousand people. However, the military has made a lot of profits from the war in the past two years, and the scale of military exercises has also increased. The South China Sea cruise military exercise planned this year will last more than a month, and the fleet will cover a round-trip voyage of more than 2,000 nautical miles. Annan's navy did not have the financial resources of Xu Xinsu, and it was impossible to send the entire fleet to follow Haihan to complete this military exercise trip. He could only cooperate in the waters of the Indochina Peninsula. As for the journey from the Indochina Peninsula to the Amborna Islands, From Annan's side, only the observation team led by Zheng Zha accompanied him.
Most of Annan's navy's military expenditures are spent on purchasing ship equipment and maintaining daily operations. It is not even enough to participate in exercises, let alone fight. Yan Chujie advised him not to do things that waste people and money. Although he said this It's a bit rude, but it's not false. Judging from Annan's current national strength, if he wants to launch another war to destroy the country, he will indeed face great risks and pressure. Annan's rulers are not confident of victory, so they came to Haihan for help.
Although Zheng Zha was a little unhappy in his heart, as the future heir of Annan's unification, he still had some finesse and accomplishments, and he would not show it superficially on his face. Since Yan Chujie didn't want to talk about this matter in depth, Zheng Zha took the initiative to change the topic to other things: "The Ministry of War plans to place an order for four more exploration-class warships within the year. What does General Yan think?"
"Four ships?" Yan Chujie thought about it in his mind, nodded and said: "The Da Nang Shipyard should be able to free up at least two slipways. The Sanya Shipyard will order two more ships, which should be able to meet the requirements of the Ministry of War of your country. As for the price and construction period, just follow the old rules.”
"Can you open the order for steamships this year?" Zheng Zha then asked the question he was really concerned about: "As long as General Yan relents, the price can be easily negotiated."
"I'm afraid this is difficult." Yan Chujie said with an embarrassed look on his face: "This is not a question of whether to sell it or not, but the output of this marine steam engine is extremely low. We can only manufacture a few units here every year. The young prince probably also You see, not every one of our own warships can be equipped with a steam engine, and we really can’t produce excess steam engines for export.”
The current total number of active warships equipped with steam engines in the Haihan Navy is only about a dozen. This is partly because the production capacity of marine steam engines is indeed not high, and partly because the existing sail warships need to be equipped with steam power. system, the required processes are relatively complex and the construction period is long. Moreover, there are not many senior technicians who can complete this kind of modification task. The required equipment is not available in other places, so it can only be completed at the Sanya Shipyard.
In view of the high cost and difficulty of modifying existing ships, the Haihan military focused on building new ships after modifying several ships. Installing a steam propulsion system on a newly built warship is much easier to construct than retrofitting an old ship, and the cost and construction time are also more controllable.
Of course, even if Haihan has sufficient production capacity, it will not meet Annan's requirements. The steam engine is one of Haihan's capitals in this era, and it is also one of the most valuable black technologies in Haihan's hands. Its production technology is strictly confidential. In particular, the steam propulsion system used on sea-going ships is one of the core military technologies that Haihan insists on. Before widespread civilian use, it is impossible to sell it as an export product to other countries, even to Annan. Allies are no different. As for the price, it is not within Haihan's consideration at all now.
Now Zheng Zha was really a little unhappy: "Our country has been in alliance with you for many years, and we have always adhered to the concept of sharing blessings and suffering together, but you have good things, but you are unwilling to share them with your allies. It’s a little too petty.”
Considering Zheng Zha's identity, Yan Chujie could not directly say that I would not sell this thing, so he could only patiently explain to him: "When the young prince is free in the future, go to Sanya to visit the place where steam engines are made, and you will know How troublesome it is to make this thing. This thing is not something that can be sold just by saying it is sold. Let’s put this aside for now and let’s discuss the details of the next action!”
The two sides have agreed to conduct joint military exercises in the South China Sea this time. Annan will send a fleet consisting of eight warships, four troop transports, and four supply ships to meet with the Hai Han fleet in Da Nang and then go south, and to Quy Nhon and Cam Ranh. The three ports belonging to Hai Han, Vung Tau and Vung Tau were docked for rest. Haihan, on the other hand, dispatched a fleet of twenty-two ships led by a Majestic-class warship, and planned to rendezvous with the South China Sea Fleet stationed there at Cam Ranh Port. By then, the total number of ships participating in the operation would exceed five. With ten ships, the number of troops invested will also reach more than 2,000. Judging from the scale, it is no less than the forces assembled by Haihan in the northward ZJ operation.
For the combined fleet to complete an exercise with such a long round-trip distance and such a long action time span, it must have a detailed action plan. Especially if you want to play with the Annan fleet, timely communication between the two parties is particularly important.
During the Annan Civil War a few years ago, Zheng Zha had experience in joint operations with the Haihan Militia. He also knew that the Haihan people had extremely rigorous plans for marching and fighting. At the moment, he could only put aside the discomfort of being rejected by Yan Chujie and focus on the current situation. Let's get down to business later.
The action plan for the entire military exercise was formulated by the General Staff of the Haihan Militia Corps. The requirements for Annan's participating troops were relatively simple, and they only needed to follow Haihan's arrangements. At this time, the benefits of Haihan's many years of helping Annan train officers became apparent. There is no need to explain more about the marching routes, drill projects, maritime contact methods, etc. formulated by Haihan, and they can basically be done. Seamlessly. This Annan navy, which was built from scratch with Haihan's aid after the end of the civil war, has even been "Haihanized" to a degree that far exceeds that of the navy under FJ Xu Xinsu. In addition to being the same in terms of equipment and training level, Apart from the differences between the genuine Haihan Navy, other aspects are almost a one-to-one replica.
The fleet rested in Da Nang for three days, and Yan Chujie dedicated a day to visit and inspect the local construction situation. Hai Han has been developing Da Nang for nearly three years, with the goal of building it into a new trading port to replace Hue and Hoi An. Although it also has certain military functions, it is not the main development direction of Da Nang. The straight-line voyage between here and Sanya Port is only 150 nautical miles. The freight for transporting goods from Sanya is much lower than that of transporting goods from Sanya to GD. Therefore, Da Nang has become the main channel for Haihan to export trade to Annan.
At present, Da Nang has built a ten-mile-long civilian port area, which also includes four docks for both military and civilian purposes. The number of goods imported and exported from Da Nang every month currently ranks first among overseas ports in Hai Han, and the cargo throughput is even about 10% higher than that of Hong Kong Island at the Pearl River Estuary. The booming development of maritime trade has also injected vitality into this place. When it was first founded, the population here, including locals, was only one or two thousand. Now, the permanent population in Da Nang has reached 5,000, of which more than 80% are registered manufacturers. Register naturalized citizens. Although many of these people are of Annan origin, after they join Haihan and enjoy the various benefits brought by this new social system, the vast majority of them will be proud of their new identity.
There are two largest local industries in Da Nang. In addition to maritime trade, the other is the shipbuilding industry. In addition to the Da Nang shipyard jointly established by Hai Han and Annan, there are also many small private shipyards here. What Li Maozai and others did in Jilong Port, Taiwan, has actually been implemented here for a long time.
During Yan Chujie's inspection trip, he arranged to visit a local private shipyard. The owner of this shipyard is named Zhan Qin. It sounds like he is no outsider. He is the nephew of the sea merchant Zhan Gui, and the boss behind the scenes is actually Zhan Gui. Zhan Gui has cooperated with Haihan for many years, and even moved his family to Sanya to settle down. He is also considered one of Haihan's die-hard supporters. Because of this, the Zhan family's property in the Hai Han colony received more or less support and care. For example, the designs of the fishing boats and cargo ships built at the shipyard in Da Nang came from the Hai Han Shipping Department.
While taking Yan Chujie around the slipway, Zhan Qin introduced him to the operating conditions of his shipyard: "... Nowadays, most Annan businessmen are aware of the benefits of sea trade, and they are also very willing to spend money to build new ships. I am here. Orders have been scheduled for the second half of next year, and we are planning to use the few months before the end of the year to build two more slipways and start construction together.”
After resting and replenishing supplies in Da Nang, the combined fleet set off from Da Nang on September 17. It is worth mentioning that on the day the fleet set off, Da Nang actually organized a farewell ceremony at the pier. Thousands of people came to the pier to see off the huge fleet. The lively scene made Yan Chujie mistakenly think that he had returned to Victory Port. .
After leaving Da Nang, the fleet headed south along the coastline and arrived in the waters near Hoi An that afternoon. This city was once the most prosperous seaport city in the central and southern Annam region, but it was almost completely destroyed in the Battle of Hoi An in August 1628. It was also the first city conquered by the Hai Han militia in overseas operations. In addition to the flight of a large number of Chinese businessmen who originally settled here, the Portuguese also closed down their commercial establishments in Hoi An after suffering hardships. The Han Dynasty built Da Nang in the north, replacing Hoi An's trading port function. Since then, Hoi An has been in decline and has now become an ordinary seaside town. The Hoi An city wall that was destroyed by Hai Han artillery has never been renovated. The traces of the war a few years ago are still clearly visible in the area.
The combined fleet practiced landing and seizing the island tactics on Cham Island off the coast of Hoi An. Since it happened to be in the rainy season from September to March of the following year, continuous rainfall and wind and waves at sea caused considerable difficulties for the exercise. However, Yan Chujie believes that the harsh climate environment is more conducive to military training. After all, when fighting a real war, there is no way to specify whether to operate in good weather or bad weather. When Qian Tiandun was training in the special operations camp, he even used to conduct outdoor training when the weather conditions were bad.
Zheng Zha also observed the entire exercise on the deck of Haihan's flagship. Watching the infantry rowing small boats to land on the beach under the cover of rumbling cannon fire, and then quickly establishing a beachhead position, Zheng Zha had to admire Haihan. The Han people's amphibious operations in offshore areas are indeed at an extraordinary level. Although there were only virtual imaginary enemies on the island and there was no resistance of any kind, Zheng Zha was sure that this attack method was enough to suppress the resistance of the defenders, but it also made him think of an interesting question.
"General Yan, if your army encounters such an offensive, how will it defend itself?" Zheng Zha asked with interest. This is a problem similar to spears and shields. Zheng Zha wanted to know how the Haihan Army defended this kind of landing operation.
Yan Chujie said: "Our Haihan port area generally has coastal defense artillery. Its power and range can suppress naval guns at sea. The tactic of approaching the coast and using ship-based artillery to cover the landing is very effective when attacking Haihan Port. It’s actually very difficult to achieve.”
Zheng Zha asked persistently: "What if it is a beach like this and no coastal defense artillery is deployed?"
Yan Chujie said: "We can just send the navy to solve it directly at sea."
Zheng Zha continued to ask: "What if there is no naval fleet nearby that can arrive in time?"
Yan Chujie smiled and said: "That's easy, just put the enemy troops on the shore. As long as the enemy troops are out of the cover of sea firepower, our army can launch a counterattack. When it comes to land operations, there should be no army that can Beat the Han civilian army across the sea."
Zheng Zha thought that this was indeed the case. When the Haihan Militia intervened in the Annan Civil War, almost every combat mission was to use less to fight more. Unless there are ten times more troops, it will be difficult to suppress the Haihan Militia Army on the frontal battlefield. Regardless of whether you are playing the attacker or the defender on the battlefield, it is indeed an uncomfortable thing to be an enemy of the Haihan Militia. Fortunately, Annan and Haihan are allies, so there is no need to worry about this happening. Although Haihan, an ally, sometimes seems too strong, from the actual effect, Annan's own military strength is indeed improved because of Haihan's support and assistance. has been significantly enhanced.
(End of chapter)