Chapter 1142: Fighting for Copper Mines
Prior to this, Dengzhou Prefecture had not expressed any objection or hostility to Haihan's arrival. The prefect Chen Zhongsheng even expressed appreciation for Haihan's action in helping Fushan County eliminate the cancerous Wanjiajun gang, and also acquiesced to Haihan. The act of building a port and residence on Zhifu Island. In the absence of face-to-face contact, it is considered very friendly for local officials to have such an attitude. The Zhifu Island Command also believed that Chen Zhongsheng was a worthy candidate, and planned to send him some more practical benefits. However, they did not expect that the other party would suddenly make such a move, and their attitude suddenly became tougher.
Zhang Pucheng, the magistrate of Fushan County, naturally did not dare to disobey his superiors' orders, but he did not want to offend Haihan. After all, the adults in Dengzhou City had not seen the performance of Haihan's army with their own eyes, but he knew very well how powerful this group of people was. In a word, I can't afford to offend him. Zhang Pucheng sent this official document to Zhifu Island, and his meaning was very clear - this was not because I, Zhang Pucheng, was acting as a monster, but because I wanted to go to the state capital. Even if you have any grievances, please don't take it out on me.
In any case, the Fushan Copper Mine will definitely not be given away. One of the reasons why Haihan chose Zhifu Island as his base is to mine this copper mine nearby, and no one knew about this vein before. Now Haihan has The place was found and ready to be mined. The local government wanted to come out to pick peaches at this time. How could Haihan be willing to let the mine go? Even Hao Wanqing, who had always been relatively steady, couldn't help but get a little angry after hearing the news.
"Don't be impulsive, everyone. This piece of paper only expresses the government's attitude and does not have any actual binding force on us. We just keep doing what we need to do. If the Dengzhou government really wants to use violent means to solve this matter, we will There is no need to take action first." Qian Tiandun remained calm enough at this time and did not get angry like others: "If those thousands of soldiers in Dengzhou City dare to come out to fight us, then I don't mind giving them. A profound lesson for them! But before that, I think we should deal with it calmly and find out what happened first, which will cause the Dengzhou government’s attitude to suddenly change.”
After hearing this, Wang Tom quickly calmed down from his anger: "Commander Qian is right, we can't mess up our original plan because of this matter. This Magistrate Chen suddenly changed his attitude. Maybe someone was obstructing it and deliberately Make things happen to test our reaction.”
"Stay unchanged in response to all changes. No matter what tricks they play, as long as they don't send troops, we don't have to pay attention to them." Qian Tiandun said solemnly: "Fushan County, we have the final say now! If they want to take back the copper mine, then Just take the heads!”
Qian Tiandun said a few harsh words steadily, and everyone's mood calmed down a lot, and they began to seriously discuss countermeasures.
Hao Wanqing said: "Since Dengzhou Prefecture has issued such an official document, I think further information will be sent back within two or three days. If they want to send troops, it should not be hidden from the eyes of my men."
After Gong Shiqi led a team to Dengzhou City to inquire about intelligence last time, he left several people lurking in Dengzhou City, specifically responsible for collecting military and political intelligence. For an operation like an army expedition, a large number of supplies would be mobilized a few days in advance, and army and civilian servants would be recruited to transport the baggage. With the mobilization ability and command level of the Dengzhou Ming Army, it should be impossible to hide it from Haihan's eyes and ears in the city. . As long as the Dengzhou garrison has such movements, the news will come back in at most two days, and this time difference is enough for Haihan to be prepared to deal with it.
Sun Changmi said: "Tian Yeyou, Chen Yixin and Morgan are still in the mining area. Do you want to send them some reinforcements?"
"There's no need to rush this. Gaoqiao Nan's troops are not far from where they are. After they finish dealing with the Wanjia Gang, they can go over to reinforce the mining area." Qian Tiandun already had a plan to deal with this: " Gao Qiaonan leads two companies, plus the troops in the mining area, and there is almost a battalion. It does not have heavy weapons, but it should be enough to set up a small-scale defense zone for self-protection. However, this supply line from Zhifu Island to the mining area. We need to establish it as soon as possible. The daily material consumption of our troops stationed there and the miners is not a small amount, and winter is coming soon, so the logistics supplies must keep up with the winter clothes and quilts shipped this time. , we have to start transporting it as soon as possible.”
At this time, Gao Qiaonan was in the mountainous area about 20 miles southwest of the Fushan Copper Mining Area. Although Gan Qiang and Pu Xueguang, the main leaders of the Wanjia Army's remnant party, had been captured before, Gao Qiaonan was still clearing out the areas where the Wanjia Army was widely distributed. It still took several days for his team to reach the stronghold and dig out the bandit treasures buried outside.
Of course, the reward for this hard work was quite generous. Not only did Haihan get hundreds of free coolies, he eliminated the threats lurking in the mountains, and more importantly, he recovered the treasures buried by Wanjiajun in various places in the mountains. Its total value is nearly one hundred thousand taels of silver. Due to the large quantity, Gao Qiaonan was also worried that there would be extraneous problems. He spent a whole day personally escorting the goods all the way to Jiahe. After putting them on the ship, he followed the new instructions and rushed to the mining area and fields non-stop. Ye You and others meet up.
During this period, the spies deployed by the Ministry of Security in Dengzhou City finally sent back further information. This official document issued by the Dengzhou Prefecture was indeed drafted by the prefect Chen Zhongsheng, and was not a trick used by others in his name. However, behind this incident, it seems that there is still an inseparable relationship with the Dengzhou Ming Army.
According to the information obtained by the spies, the news that Haihan was prospecting for ore in Fushan County reached Dengzhou City. Someone secretly dug up the ore from near the mining area and sent it to the city for appraisal. It turned out that I don’t know where there was a flaw in this matter. , after spreading from east to west, it reached the ears of interested people.
Dengzhou originally had few valuable products. I heard that the recently discovered Haihan people discovered copper mines in Fushan County. Naturally, some people started to think that the mines buried in the local area should of course be owned by the local people. How can you let a bunch of barbarians from the south take over something good you have grown?
Of course, even if you have this idea, you have to first consider whether you have the ability to go mining in Fushan County. Mining is not a small business. The initial investment is huge and not everyone can afford it. Moreover, if the Haihan people are rich and powerful, it is not so easy to squeeze them out. If you want to use private power to fight against the Haihan people, the recent destruction of the Wanjia Army is a fresh and warm lesson. Those who think that their strength is not as good as that of the local bully armed forces do not need to go out to provoke the Haihan people.
The most important thing is to get the permission and support from the government. Otherwise, with just a piece of official paper, the mine will be nationalized in minutes, and no matter how much investment is made, it will all be in vain.
There are many people in Dengzhou City who are greedy and ambitious, but not many people can meet these conditions at the same time, especially the condition of getting government support, which is impossible for most people to achieve.
However, there are exceptions to everything, and Zheng Fan, the brother-in-law of the prefect Chen Zhongsheng, is a special case. This man is considered a wealthy businessman in the Denglai area. He served in the army in his early years and later left his job to engage in business. By leveraging his connections in the military and Chen Zhongsheng's local prestige, he quickly made a fortune and embarked on a successful career. reached the pinnacle of life. Today, the grain and cloth business in the Denglai area is almost exclusively run by his trading firm. It is said that after Zheng Fan heard the news about the Fushan Copper Mine, he went to his brother-in-law Chen Zhongsheng to discuss taking the copper mine from Haihan and putting it under his own name. The profits from the mining could be divided into three parts. Zheng Fan , Chen Zhongsheng each had one share, and the remaining share was used as a tax to be paid to the state treasury. In this way, each got what he deserved, and Chen Zhongsheng could also get a brilliant political achievement.
Of course, in order to achieve such a result that is beneficial to all parties, Haihan must first be eliminated. In the eyes of Chen Zhongsheng and Zheng Fan, there is nothing wrong with this method of handling. Who knows that Haihan is a foreigner from the south? What about the barbarians?
At this time, the Dengzhou garrison also jumped out and expressed its support for Zheng Fan and was willing to provide necessary military assistance. Of course, the relevant expenses must be borne by Zheng Fan. In addition, the military requires that the proceeds from copper mining in the future must be divided into four parts, and the military must also take one share. After weighing the pros and cons, Chen Zhongsheng actually agreed to the military's conditions.
The spies of the Ministry of Security learned the relevant information through a low-level military officer they knew. The credibility is quite high. It can basically be confirmed that this decision was jointly made by Dengzhou civil and military officials, and it should not stop at a less binding document such as a written document. means. If Haihan refuses to give in, the possibility of the Dengzhou garrison directly intervening in the matter will be very high.
"If the Dengzhou Ming Army wants to take action to seize the mines, they will probably do it recently. Otherwise, if there is a snow or two after winter, even if they want to come out to seize the territory, the weather will easily affect the progress of their actions." Hao Wanqing told The military issued a warning: "I recommend strengthening monitoring of the area west of Guxian Town as soon as possible and formulating an action plan to counter the opponent."
Qian Tiandun and Wang Tom also attached great importance to the warnings of the Ministry of Security. For this reason, they temporarily postponed the planned operation of the navy and the Pidao Ming Army to jointly recover the Changshan Islands. Zhifu Island sent an additional batch of artillery and weapons equipment to the location of the Fushan Copper Mine to enhance the defense of the area. At the same time, Harugong was asked to move the cavalry battalion's defense area to the Linhai Plain area west of Guxian Town, specifically responsible for monitoring disturbances in the direction of Dengzhou.
At the end of October, the weather had turned colder, and just when the Zhifu Island headquarters was doubting whether Dengzhou would take action before winter, further news finally came. Dengzhou garrison Guo Xingning's troops have begun to gather to prepare for war, and grain dealer Zheng Fan recently provided five thousand kilograms of grain sponsorship to the ministry. The Ministry of Security believes that these two things are not a coincidence, and the target of his expedition is most likely to be in Fushan County. copper mine.
"I received an order from the command center to let you return to the island to rest for a few days. After the troubles here are dealt with, you can come back to take charge of the work." Morgan informed Tian Yeyou of the current situation and the command center's response measures. .
Tian Yeyou shook his head and said: "I don't think it's necessary. A battalion of the army is stationed here. What else is there to be afraid of? Even if the Ming army in Dengzhou City deploys in full force, they may not be able to seize this mine, right?"< br>
Morgan said: "That's what I said, but considering your personal safety..."
"Needless to say, if I go back to the island, I will have to stop work for at least four or five days. It is the time to rush for the construction period, how can I let go at this juncture." Tian Yeyou still insisted on his opinion: "You When I called back to the headquarters, I was told that I couldn’t leave here for the time being.”
Morgan also knew that what Tian Yeyou said was true, so he no longer insisted on persuading him to leave. The garrison camp area of the mine is now almost complete, but the construction of the miner's camp area is still intensifying. If it is not completed before the severe winter arrives, some migrant workers will have to return to Zhifu Island to spend the winter, and the progress of the mine infrastructure project will be greatly affected. Tian Yeyou is currently serving as a supervisor on the construction site here. If he leaves, some of the construction sites will indeed come to a standstill.
Four days later, the Haihan cavalry discovered the leading troops of the Ming army thirty miles east of Dengzhou City. The opponent's scout cavalry also noticed the presence of the Haihan cavalry, but both sides were very cautious and did not choose to fight. After observing from a distance, they chose to withdraw their troops.
That day, the vanguard of the Ming Army marched to Jijia Town, sixty miles east of Dengzhou, and settled at Jijia Town. At the same time, they began to dispatch teams of cavalry to control a ten-mile radius around the station. Although Harugong's hands were a little itchy, considering that the opponent's main force had not shown up yet, taking action at this time would probably alert the enemy, so he continued to exercise restraint.
In the afternoon of the next day, this Ming army had entered Fushan County and was marching at a very fast pace. Presumably the general leading the troops also wanted to minimize the time spent on the march and seize the Fushan Copper Mine in a quick battle. control. But it's a pity that the enemy he has to face is Haihan, who has no intention of giving up the copper mine and has made preparations for the battle several days in advance.
In order to ensure that the operation was foolproof, the Zhifu Island headquarters asked two companies of the army to go around the rear of the Ming army by boat and land quietly on the coast near Guxian Town in order to outflank the Ming army's retreat after the battle started. At this time, the size of the incoming Ming army had been basically reconnoitred. It was led by Staff General Guo Xingning, and consisted of about 1,500 Ming troops, including major arms such as infantry, cavalry and artillery, and 700 to 800 logistics personnel. Follow the army and civilian husband.
Although the number of troops Haihan invested in this area was only about half of his opponent's, he had already been prepared for a fight, so he did not panic. However, Zhang Pucheng, the magistrate of Fushan County, noticed the recent frequent mobilization of troops in Haihan, and restored the wartime martial law to the county several days in advance. The opening time of the city gate was also reduced to half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening.
(End of chapter)