Chapter 1151 Return to Changshan Islands
In addition to several warships, this fleet that left Zhifu Port and headed north also had more than twenty passenger and cargo sailing ships with a displacement of about 200 tons. Its destination is not the coast of Jiaodong Peninsula, but Pi Island across the sea from Zhifu Island.
The leader of this fleet is still Navy Commander Wang Tom. He has already led the team to Phi Island once before, so he is familiar with it. The purpose of this trip to the local area is threefold. The first is to deliver relief supplies to Dongjiang Town, the second is to have face-to-face talks with the top management of Dongjiang Town, and the third is to assist Dongjiang Town in returning to the Changshan Islands adjacent to the Liaodong Peninsula.
Since the last contact with Dongjiang Town, Haihan has shipped grain, cloth and other living materials worth tens of thousands of taels of silver to Pidao, and as part of the exchange conditions and rewards, Pidao has also exported to Haihan. More than 2,000 healthy young laborers, some of whom had been transferred to Dinghai Port in Zhoushan in the south after a short stay on Zhifu Island, were then distributed and resettled to various colonial sites along the southeast coast. In the next year, tens of thousands of refugees from Liaodong will be transferred to other places in the south through the immigration camps on Zhifu Island. The two sides will use this method to gradually solve the refugee crisis on Phi Island.
For Haihan, Dongjiang Town is not just a down-and-out Ming army that is not valued by the court. As long as it is used properly, not only can it harvest a large amount of cheap labor from the jurisdiction of Dongjiang Town, but it can also serve as Haihan's entry into Liaodong. Lead the way and reduce the difficulty of executing combat missions locally. The Ming Dynasty is no longer able to retake Liaodong, but Haihan has always been very interested in this choke point guarding the northern sea frontier, especially the Jinzhou area at the southernmost tip of the Liaodong Peninsula, which had been controlled by the Executive Committee a few years ago. It has been included in the list of areas that must be controlled in advance.
This area used to be under the jurisdiction of Dongjiang Town, but what Haihan wants to do now is to use the name of Dongjiang Town to carry out armed occupation of the area. Of course, the Ming army generals in Dongjiang Town may not be willing to accept Haihan's plan, so Wang Tom must go to Pidao in person to discuss the details of future cooperation face to face.
Prior to this, General Shen Zhixiang of Dongjiang Town had visited Zhifu Island and witnessed Haihan's military strength with his own eyes. Haihan also specially arranged measures to instill in him some information about the changes in the situation in the Northeast, so that he could realize Haihan's intervention in this matter. The benefits of this area to Daming, especially to Dongjiang Town, and the bright prospects for a win-win situation after cooperation between the two parties.
Judging from the reaction of Dongjiang Town after Shen Zhixiang returned to Pidao, the other party should be relatively able to accept the cooperation conditions currently proposed by Haihan, which also provides the possibility for the two parties to explore more in-depth cooperation in the future. But the road still has to be walked step by step. This time Haihan will help Dongjiang Town return to the Changshan Islands. After the spring, the local area can start cultivating food as soon as possible. Part of the food problem will be solved by the end of next year, and Haihan’s material transportation pressure will also be Then lighten it up a bit.
Of course, food problems are only part of the reason. Haihan hopes that through such means, Dongjiang Town can maintain sufficient pressure on the east coastline of the Liaodong Peninsula throughout the winter. This is because after this operation, the main force of the northward fleet will leave the southeast of Shandong and return to Zhoushan Dinghai Port to spend the winter and perform maintenance on the warships. There will be no way to continue to exert pressure on the Houjin control area. Before that, Wang Tom must reach a preliminary agreement with Dongjiang Town on the future cooperation method.
Two days later, the Haihan fleet arrived safely in the waters near Pi Island, and then sent a small boat to the island to inform the Ming army of their intention. Then the Ming army also sent people to the fleet's flagship and agreed with Wang Tom on the time and place for the meeting.
The next morning, on an uninhabited island less than one mile in diameter and adjacent to the main island to the west of Pi Island, Wang Tom met with Shen Shikui, the current commander-in-chief of Dongjiang Town. This island is less than a hundred feet away from Phi Island, and there are no hidden places on the island. After landing on the island, you can have a panoramic view of the island's conditions. Both parties landed on the island in small boats, so that each other could feel more at ease.
However, Haihan has always been very thorough in preparing details, so after landing on the island, he immediately found a flat place on the island, set up a large awning, and then placed folding tables and chairs. , and a camp stove for making tea was set up next to it. The whole process took only a few minutes, which left Shen Shikui and his party who landed on the island almost at the same time dumbfounded. It was Tom Wang who took the initiative to greet him first, and then the two parties greeted each other, and then sat down together under the awning.
"I heard from Zhixiang that the masters of Haihan are all people who are good at enjoying themselves. When I saw them today, they are indeed well-deserved!" After Shen Shikui sat down, he looked at these utensils. He was a businessman, so he naturally paid close attention to materials and workmanship. Although the Ming army also had equipment such as field tents and folding tables and chairs, the quality was not as good as the things used by the Haihan people. In particular, the stove for boiling water is extremely small. It does not burn wood or coal, but the flames are burning brightly. If it were not in front of the Haihan people, Shen Shikui would probably be amazed by this.
Tom Wang responded with a smile: "In this life, we work very hard, just to make ourselves more comfortable. People like us who have been wandering outside all year round can only try our best to eat well and wear good clothes to comfort ourselves. Make Master Shen laugh!”
Shen Shikui sighed: "I thought that when I was doing business in Liaodong, I lived a life of fine clothing and fine food. But I didn't expect that the situation changed and Liaodong changed its flag. By some mistake, I became the commander-in-chief of Dongjiang Town. Now, I can only live a frugal life on this desert island, and I don’t know if there is still a chance to change the situation!”
"Yes! Of course there is!" Wang Tom followed these words and talked about the purpose of his visit this time: "Liaodong has always been the territory of our Han people, how could we let this group of gold thieves take over the wild boar skins outside the customs! Shen If you are willing to regain Liaodong, we Haihan will be happy to help.”
Wang Tom's words "We Han people" warmed Shen Shikui's heart. Although he also knew that these people in front of him were actually not Ming people, since they considered themselves of Han descent, of course he was happy to see it happen. It is not that Shen Shikui did not expect that the Haihan people had other purposes for providing money and effort to help Dongjiang Town, but judging from the current situation, the Haihan people at least have not made any excessive demands, and they also regard the Hou Jin regime as an enemy. The political stance is consistent with the Ming army. The assistance provided by Haihan is irresistible to Dongjiang Town, which is in trouble.
However, Shen Shikui is also very clear-headed. He knows that with the existing armed forces in Dongjiang Town, counterattacking Liaodong and defeating Hou Jin is almost tantamount to wishful thinking. Even if Haihan is willing to provide military support, he is not willing to let his men easily The troops went to serve as cannon fodder on the battlefield of the Liaodong Peninsula. Therefore, Shen Shikui still kept a relatively calm mind regarding Wang Tom's remarks: "General Wang, Dongjiang Town is currently short of major generals and food and clothing. It is difficult to confront Jiannu head-on. I think we should first take back the Changshan Islands to solve the problem. The food issue comes first. It won’t be too late to make other plans when our Dongjiang Town recovers a bit.”
Shen Shikui's answer was basically as expected by Wang Tom. Before his departure, the Zhifu Island Command had already made a rough assessment of Dongjiang Town's armed strength and believed that the number of troops it could devote to combat missions in the short term was insufficient. There will be more than 3,000 people, and such a small number of people is simply a drop in the bucket for the vast territory of Liaodong. Not to mention defeating Hou Jin, it is good to occupy one or two strongholds. Therefore, Haihan did not place too high hopes on it. The rhythm and progress of the next march into Liaodong must be controlled by himself.
"The Changshan Islands must be brought back. This is also the purpose of my coming to Pidao this time." Wang Tom first reassured Shen Shikui, and then extended the topic: "But our ultimate goal is to start from Hou Jin recaptured Liaodong, so whether it is the Changshan Islands or other places in Liaodong, it is just a springboard for us to march into Liaodong and defeat Hou Jin. I hope that our two sides can form a strategic alliance in the form of a joint force in Liaodong. Regional operations. Of course, considering the current situation in Dongjiang Town, we will also provide you with certain assistance in terms of personnel, weapons, training and transportation.”
Shen Shikui was not overjoyed because of the favorable conditions offered by Wang Tom. After all, he was a merchant, and his first reaction to this situation was to consider what the other party wanted from him. The Haihan people were not believers, as the measures they had taken in Dengzhou and Lushunkou had fully proved. Shen Shikui still did not dare to agree to Wang Tom's alliance proposal without understanding Haihan's true intentions. Shen Shikui coughed dryly and said: "I would like to ask, if your country wants to start from Dongjiang Town... no, it should be the Liaodong area, what benefits does your country want to get from here? Can General Wang tell you clearly, so as not to It would be wrong for me to make misunderstandings by making random guesses.”
Wang Tom did not rush to answer his question, but asked his subordinates to bring the freshly brewed hot tea: "This is Longjing tea produced in Hangzhou Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. It is a new tea picked at the beginning of this year. It must be difficult to buy here in Dongjiang Town. It’s here. Mr. Shen can have a taste. If you like the taste, I’ll ask someone to leave a few kilograms of tea later.”
Shen Shikui smiled bitterly and said: "Dongjiang Town can't even buy food, how can we get the good tea from the south! Let alone drinking tea, if it weren't for your country's help, many people would not even be able to drink rice soup this winter. General Wang Thank you in advance!”
Wang Tom took a sip of tea, slowly put down the cup, then raised his hand to reject the soldiers and followers around him. Seeing this, Shen Shikui knew that Tom Wang might be getting to the point, so he immediately followed suit and asked all his men, including Shen Zhixiang, to retreat a few feet away.
"Since Mr. Shen asked me about it, it would be unreasonable for me not to be honest." Wang Tom said unhurriedly: "We don't really want much, we just want a port to stay on the Liaodong Peninsula. , just like the Zhifu Port we are building in Dengzhou.”
Shen Shikui narrowed his eyes slightly and continued to ask: "Then I want to ask, will this port belong to Haihan from now on, or will it still be under the jurisdiction of Ming Dynasty?"
"The right to use belongs to our country, and the ownership rights can be slowly negotiated." Seeing Shen Shikui's puzzled expression, Wang Tom explained to him: "Just like Zhifu Port in Dengzhou, nominally the place still belongs to the Ming Dynasty, but in fact The management and use authority are in our hands, and all local rules and laws are subject to those formulated by our country, but we also respect the existence of local governments. Most things can be negotiated by both parties, and we can also use them. Provide certain subsidies to local governments in the form of material assistance or rent.”
Shen Shikui was noncommittal, and then asked Tom Wang: "Since General Wang has considered it so carefully, he must have chosen a good place?"
Tom Wang nodded and replied: "Lushunkou."
"Good vision!" Shen Shikui praised: "When I crossed the sea from Shandong in the Ming Dynasty and entered Liaodong to destroy the remnants of the previous dynasty, I landed at Lushunkou. The natural harbor there is indeed a rare and good place!"
Tom Wang continued: "The harbor belongs to us, and the military glory goes to Dongjiang Town. What do you think, Lord Shen?"
Shen Shikui thought for a moment, nodded and said: "I think it is feasible. However, this transaction is limited to Lushunkou. General Wang, don't forget it."
Tom Wang smiled and said: "I understand what Lord Shen means, it's easy to say, easy to say."
Pan Yan, the former commander-in-chief of the Dengzhou Navy who was captured by Haihan at Lushunkou last time, returned to Pidao from Zhifu Port with Shen Zhixiang. He told Shen Shikui in detail about the combat methods of the Haihan fleet, so he did not doubt the Haihan army. Have the strength to capture Lushunkou. However, Shen Shikui was worried that Haihan was greedy and would continue to meddle elsewhere after taking over Lushun, so he kept his ugly words up front to avoid being exploited by Haihan in the future.
However, Wang Tom is not worried about this agreement. In Haihan's plan, Dongjiang Town is actually the target of annexation in the future. Most of these thousands of Ming Army soldiers had fought against Hou Jin in Liaodong, and many of them could be recruited as soldiers for the Haihan Army. As long as given time, this corner will definitely be dug down slowly. When the time comes, Dongjiang Town becomes an empty shell, and the previous promises will naturally lose their binding effect.
Of course, these exchange conditions are still only verbal commitments, and it is impossible for both parties to sign a written agreement for this, so there are still certain variables. What is currently feasible is for the Haihan Fleet to assist the soldiers and civilians of Pi Island to return to Changshan Islands.
According to the general plan agreed between Shen Zhixiang and Haihan at Zhifu Port, Haihan will provide some food and living supplies for the approximately 5,000 soldiers and civilians returning to the Changshan Islands, and will provide them with grain seeds and supplies in the spring of next year. Farm tools to enable the area to resume agricultural production smoothly. Many of the details still need to be finalized by Wang Tom and Shen Shikui.
(End of chapter)