Chapter 1122 The New Look of Zhifu Bay
According to the timetable of the Haihan Executive Committee, the planned process for Northeast Asia is similar to Shen Zhixiang's idea. After the troops heading north gain a firm foothold in Shandong, they will prepare to march across the sea into the Liaodong Peninsula, which is currently occupied by Hou Jin. . However, the issue of land ownership after the recapture of Liaodong will probably not be completely distributed according to the wishes of Dongjiang Town. After all, Haihan spent a lot of resources to march into the north, not to make wedding clothes for others.
Even if Haihan's current strength is not enough to invade and occupy the northeastern inland area on a large scale, the southern end of the Liaodong Peninsula guarding the intersection of the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea is a strategic location that must be captured in Haihan's plan. As long as it controls this area, Haihan's influence can radiate to most of the coastal areas in North and Northeast China, forming a control zone along the Daming coast from Liaodong to Hainan, which has great strategic significance in terms of politics, military, and economy.
Of course, for such a grand plan, in this era, few people can see Haihan's true intentions from a strategic perspective. Just like Pan Yan and Shen Zhixiang don't quite understand, this country of Haihan, located thousands of miles away in the south, Why do you have to spend your own money and go to the distant Liaodong sea to fight for the Ming Dynasty? In their view, this kind of action seemed completely unprofitable and entailed great risks. However, the Haihan people they came into contact with were extremely shrewd and did not seem like people who would make such a low-level mistake.
The two also analyzed it privately during the voyage, but they were not sure what Haihan's real purpose was. But one thing both of them were sure of was that the reason why Haihan did these things was definitely not to relieve the Ming Dynasty from the standpoint of a vassal state.
The voyage back to Dengzhou from Pi Island was very smooth. The weather was fine along the way. The fleet arrived at Zhifu Bay in only about thirty hours. The sailors on the ship were very excited to be able to complete the mission safely and return to the base. Although the mission only lasted about a week, because the sea areas were relatively unfamiliar and most of the voyage was within the so-called enemy-occupied areas, The sailors were in a state of preparation for war along the way. After several days, they were mentally and physically exhausted, and they were waiting for a short rest period after returning to Zhifu Bay.
However, there were people on the ship who were more excited than them. Pan Yan, who had been away from Dengzhou for more than a year, almost lost his temper when he saw the outline of Zhifu Island appearing on the sea level. He had never thought that he could still be alive before that. Back in Shandong, I almost burst into tears at the bow of the boat. I grabbed Shen Zhixiang's arm and said, "Brother Shen, in front of you is Zhifu Island! It's Zhifu Island!"
Shen Zhixiang's hometown is in Liaodong instead of Shandong. Of course, he was not as excited as Pan Yan who returned to his hometown. However, seeing Zhifu Island appear in the field of vision has proved that Haihan's previous claim that he has established a stronghold in Shandong is true. . This Dengzhou is the boundary of the Ming Dynasty, and Shen Zhixiang no longer has to doubt that the Haihan people will play other tricks around the sea.
Shen Zhixiang had been to Dengzhou many times before on missions, and was no stranger to Zhifu Bay. It had always been an important port on the Jiaodong Peninsula before the Ming Dynasty. It was slowly abandoned after the Ming Dynasty implemented a sea ban. , the government's supervision here is relatively weak, and the Haihan people are quite discerning in choosing this place as their base. However, when the fleet sailed around the east corner of Zhifu Island and entered Zhifu Bay, Shen Zhixiang couldn't help showing a surprised expression when he saw the situation here.
Before this, both Tom Wang and Xie Li revealed to him that Haihan was building a port, wharf and settlement in Zhifu Bay, but Shen Zhixiang believed that the scale of the construction of these temporary facilities would not be too large. After all, the roots of the Haihan people are in the south, not Shandong. , if they want to build large-scale facilities locally, they will inevitably face a serious shortage of labor. Since Haihan talents have arrived in Shandong not long ago, this will probably be an unsolvable problem for them. Therefore, before arriving at Zhifu Bay, Shen Zhixiang always believed that the base here was at most a few temporary trestles and large tents on the shore.
However, what he saw was completely different from what he expected. A hundred-foot-long dock area had been built on the south coast of Zhifu Island. Although part of it was not completed, the overall outline was already revealed. There are nearly a hundred ships moored in the harbor, including various types of Haihan warships. There are many small boats in the harbor shuttling between Zhifu Island and the mainland, whether they are fishing or transporting people and supplies.
As the fleet approached the dock, Shen Zhixiang could finally see clearly that there were a large number of workers on the shore carrying stones to build the dock under the command of the foreman. The number was at least a thousand people. There are many buildings not far from the shore, and it is not difficult to tell their functions from their appearance. They include tall and sealed warehouses, and neat residential areas. There are even sections of smooth roads that have been laid, and a port has begun to take shape. The prototype of a small town. It is obvious that the scale and construction progress of Haihan's local projects far exceed Shen Zhixiang's previous imagination.
"These laborers working on the shore are all immigrants we recruited from Fushan County." Xie Li appeared next to Pan and Chen at the right time and explained to them the current situation in the local area: "Before we went to Liaodong this time, we had There are more than a thousand workers working for us on the island, and this number will surely increase a lot now.”
Shen Zhixiang pointed to the dock construction site and said: "Why are there still foremen with whips to drive people to work in the sea? Is this what you call immigrant treatment?"
"Don't get me wrong, General Shen. These people working in the sea are not immigrants. They are prisoners of war captured by us before. They are all bandits in Dengzhou." Xie Li quickly explained to him to avoid misunderstanding: "Chief They did not want the immigrants to work in harsh conditions, so they allowed these prisoners of war to complete the hardest work, which was also a chance for them to atone for their sins.”
"I see, I made a mistake." After hearing this explanation, Shen Zhixiang found it reasonable. If Haihan wanted to implement such a large project on Zhifu Island, he would definitely have a shortage of labor force, so it was reasonable to send all the prisoners of war to the construction site.
However, after hearing this answer, Pan Yan became a little worried about his colleagues, and quickly asked Xie Li: "Then what should be done with the other people captured by your army at Lushunkou this time?"
Xie Li glanced at him and said: "Of course I have to accept reform through labor first, and then make a decision based on his performance."
Pan Yan said: "I have a heartless request, and I hope your army can agree to it."
Xie Lidao: "If you have any requirements, you can tell us first. But if you want us to release you directly, then there is no need to say it. Your situation is already a special case, and we cannot all handle it this way."
Pan Yan said hurriedly: "How dare I make such an unreasonable request! On the way back, I kept thinking that even if we regain our freedom, we cannot return to Shandong safely, let alone continue to join the army, otherwise we will definitely be punished with treason." If I can get permission from your army, I would like to persuade my captured colleagues to join the Haihan camp!" This arrangement was originally one of the solutions that Haihan wanted to implement, and Xie Li would naturally not object, but he did not. He immediately expressed his position and wanted to see what Pan Yan had to say.
Seeing Xie Li's silence, Pan Yan thought that the other party did not agree with his proposal, so he continued to persuade: "Dengzhou Navy is the elite of Shandong Navy. These colleagues below are all veterans who have been in the army for many years, and they are all familiar with each other." The sea conditions will definitely help Haihan! ”
Xie Li did not answer immediately, but asked Shen Zhixiang next to him: "What do you think, General Shen?"
Shen Zhixiang said: "Master Wang also said that Haihan and Ming Dynasty are in the same camp, and they have to deal with the common enemy Houjin. When these people left Dengzhou, they were already sentenced to death. If they can survive , then it’s not a bad idea to play for Haihan.”
Pan Yan, a rebel officer, told Haihan that he could persuade his colleagues to switch sides in front of active Ming army officers. This was actually a big taboo. If he hadn't been friends with Shen Zhixiang, he probably wouldn't have dared to be so bold. . Xie Li did not express his position because he did not want to appear too impatient and lose his sense of proportion in front of Shen Zhixiang. But fortunately, Shen Zhixiang took this matter very lightly and had no intention of killing all the former Dengzhou Navy personnel.
Of course, this is probably because Shen Zhixiang has many old friends who served in the Dengzhou Navy, so he does not have a serious dislike for this army that defected from the Ming Dynasty. But in fact, if we investigate carefully, the loss of Lushunkou and several other sites in Liaodong by Dongjiang Town is inseparable from the former Dengzhou Navy. It was with this surface mobile force in Houjin's hands that he was able to attack the controlled area of Dongjiang Town by sea and land, making it difficult for the Ming army to parry and could only shrink the defense line step by step.
"I will convey your intentions to the chief. The specific arrangements will ultimately depend on the chief's decision." Naturally, Xie Li would not give them a positive answer at the moment, and would first calm down the two of them.
"Thank you, sir!" Pan Yan bowed deeply. This was a crucial life-saving straw. He had to try his best to seize this opportunity for the sake of the navy brothers who were detained in the bilge and still stranded in Liaodong. If it weren't for his lack of wealth, Pan Yan really wished he could give all his belongings to Xie Li in exchange for his promise.
However, Wang Tom had no time to deal with the matter at the moment. After arriving in Hong Kong, he met Sun Changmi who came to greet him, and then went straight to the headquarters to report to his colleagues what he had learned and gained from his trip north.
Compared with the original plan, this reconnaissance operation to the north has undergone major changes. It was originally planned to only march to the Jinzhou Bay area and then turn around, but in the end, it took away the coastal area from the east coast of the Liaodong Peninsula to the northwest of the Korean Peninsula. circle, and have a more specific understanding of the current situation in Liaodong.
At present, Hou Jin has captured the Liaodong Peninsula and completely expelled the Ming army from this land. However, its rule is still short and its foundation in this area is not solid. The method used by the Hou Jin Dynasty in the past to disperse and relocate the people in the occupied areas and then immigrate the population from other places has not yet been fully implemented in the Liaodong Peninsula. The Ming army in Dongjiang Town is obviously in a very difficult situation. Given time, even if Hou Jin does not raise his troops to attack, the small society on the island will gradually collapse due to the increasingly serious supply problem. This is already the last battle of the Ming Dynasty in the Northeast. Once it is lost, Hou Jin will basically have nothing to worry about and can concentrate his forces on the Western Front to challenge the Ming Dynasty.
With Haihan's ability, it is not impossible to attack Houjin alone, but that would require higher numbers of troops and materials to be deployed on the front line. At the same time, such use of troops may also cause discomfort to Ming Dynasty. There are many smart people in the Ming Dynasty. They can naturally see through that Haihan traveled all the way to Liaodong to make money. It cannot be for the simple purpose of doing good people and good deeds. When the time comes, they will stumble Haihan here in Shandong and on the front line. There's no way to fight.
The countermeasure designed by the Ministry of National Defense for this possible situation is to use the Ming Dynasty garrisons in Shandong and Liaodong as much as possible, send troops in their name, and occupy Liaodong in a high-sounding manner. Similar to this plan, Haihan has adopted many times in the south before, either using his own militia army to replace the Ming army's garrison establishment, or in the name of joint operations, allowing the Ming army to send a small number of troops to participate in the operation under the official banner. Deal with your own goals. This time, Wang Tom’s partner in the Liaodong Sea was the remaining Ming army in Dongjiang Town.
For Haihan, the current situation in Dongjiang Town is actually very convenient for Haihan to win over, and the only one who can really save them now is the Haihan family. Otherwise, in two years, the Qing general Azige will lead his troops to invade. Pi Dao, captured all the soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town.
"Instead of waiting for the wild boar skin to attack Pi Island and kill the people in Dongjiang Town, it is better to let us take it for our own use, so that we can march into Liaodong under the banner of Dongjiang Town, and it will be much more convenient." Wang Tom told his colleagues They explained: "The people in Dongjiang Town have been fighting Hou Jin for many years. They have rich practical experience and are familiar with the local situation in Liaodong. They should be able to do the job whether they are serving as guides or assisting the army."
Sun Changmi responded: "I don't doubt their fighting ability, but I think there are still variables whether Dongjiang Town can cooperate with our actions in the future. We checked the information before you came back. The last governor of Dongjiang Town, Shen Shikui, was a dead man. The loyal faction did not betray the Ming Dynasty until they were beheaded, so they are not easy to bribe.”
"It depends on what kind of cooperation agreement we can reach with Dongjiang Town next." Wang Tom did not deny Sun Changmi's concerns, but he was still quite optimistic about the prospects of cooperation: "Although Shen Shikui is a bit foolish and loyal, he also understands Who is the unrelenting enemy and who is the partner who can cooperate? While we provide assistance, we can also gradually exert influence on his men and make them gradually break away from Ming's camp in terms of political stance and come to our side. .”
(End of chapter)