Chapter 1153 Revisiting Liaodong
Although the intelligence information on Dongjiang Town was relatively limited, the Zhifu Island Command tried its best to study the opponent's organizational structure and staffing, and finally concluded that Shen Zhixiang could be a key target to win over and manage the relationship. The current commander-in-chief of Dongjiang Town, Shen Shikui, has no children, and his most trusted descendant is Shen Zhixiang. Due to the special historical reasons of Dongjiang Town, it is difficult for the court and the Ministry of War to directly influence the personnel appointments here. Shen Shikui will most likely hand over the position of commander-in-chief to him in the future. In Shen Zhixiang's hand.
Originally, there was another person in Dongjiang Town who could compete with Shen Zhixiang, Shang Kexiang, but due to being squeezed out by Shen Shikui, he defected to Houjin last year. Vice General Jin Riguan has always followed Shen Shikui's lead and will certainly not oppose his wishes. Now there is no one else in Dongjiang Town who can compete with Shen Zhixiang for the position of successor. When Haihan invests in Shen Zhixiang, the risk will be relatively small, but the future returns can be expected.
If he just wanted to forcibly enter Liaodong, Haihan could certainly do it with his own force. However, this approach would inevitably arouse the dissatisfaction and vigilance of the Ming court. In the long-term planning of Northeast Asia, Haihan did not intend to have a real relationship with the Ming Dynasty. In the foreseeable future, they will even help to maintain the stability of the Ming Dynasty and allow it to continue to resist the southward momentum of the Hou Jin armed forces in the north. Therefore, finding a reasonable and legal cover as a cover for the operation not only saves Haihan some unnecessary trouble, but more importantly, it can continue to maintain the "peaceful" relationship between Daming and Haihan without affecting the relationship. to the increasingly close economic and trade relations between the two sides.
In Wang Tom's view, the recent armed conflict between Haihan and the Ming army in Dengzhou was not a big deal. It was only two years ago that Sun Yuanhua, the governor of Denglai, was executed by the court because Kong Youde was involved in the rebellion. With this experience in mind, who would dare to let Dengzhou fall into war again? Previously, the headquarters decided to let go and give the Dengzhou Ming Army a hard time because they saw that the Dengzhou government had no courage to speak out after hitting a snag. Instead, it would cover up the situation on its own out of fear of punishment.
Compared with the cooperation between the Dengzhou government and the garrison, Haihan was more concerned about the role of Dongjiang Town. Almost all of the Ming army they belong to are from Liaodong, and they are far more familiar with the local situation than the Haihan army, which is mainly from the south. With this help, Haihan's actions in Liaodong can be done under the guise of the Ming army, and many things can happen. It’s also much easier to handle. At present, as long as Shen Zhixiang is captured, it can be said that it is equivalent to capturing half of Dongjiang Town. The Haihan Army's subsequent actions in Liaodong will no longer have to worry about being held accountable by the Ming court.
It is precisely because of this that Haihan is willing to give Shen Zhixiang some very generous conditions and promises, clearly expressing his willingness to support him, hoping to win over the other party and completely join Haihan's camp.
Shen Zhixiang responded noncommittally: "I believe what General Wang said, but I also want to know, what are your country's plans for the future development of Dongjiang Town? There is no need to repeat the dramatic words you said to my family before. I repeat, after all, most of what he knows about your country’s situation was relayed by me. If he had gone to Zhifu Island to see the measures implemented by your country with his own eyes, he might not have agreed to cooperate so easily!”
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Tom Wang smiled and said: "What you said is quite straightforward... Well, I will tell you about the situation that may arise in the future."
When Shen Zhixiang asked this question, Wang Tom could certainly sense his ambition. Although Dongjiang Town is now in dire straits, it was once one of the main forces guarding Liaodong. It still had thousands of soldiers and horses under its command, and tens of thousands of people at its disposal. The Han people in Liaodong only recognized this partial division, so there were many people They all fled to Pidao in the direction of North Korea, rather than to Shandong across the sea. With such a foundation, and Haihan's deliberate attempts to win over, Shen Zhixiang naturally felt that he had some bargaining power, so he did not immediately agree to Wang Tom's conditions, but wanted to have more in-depth discussions.
"If what I say next offends Dongjiang Town, please forgive me, General Xiao Shen!" Since this was an essential discussion, Wang Tom took the precaution first.
Shen Zhixiang nodded solemnly and said: "It's easy to talk, General Wang, please speak freely and don't have any scruples."
Wang Tom said: "The main enemy of the Ming Dynasty is the Houjin Kingdom in Liaodong. I believe General Xiao Shen is also very aware of the trend of the war situation between the two sides in recent years. The Ming Dynasty has won less and lost more. The capital of Liaodong has lost most of its territory, and There is no hope of retaking it in the short term. Hou Jin will go south to harass the Xuanda area every year, and the Ming Dynasty can only deal with it and cannot come up with effective countermeasures. Given time, it is only a matter of time before the Hou Jin breaks through the Ming Dynasty's northern defense line. I would venture to ask, if there is no intervention from our country, how long does General Xiao Shen think the current situation of Dongjiang Town can last?”
Shen Zhixiang was so engrossed in listening that he did not expect that Tom Wang would suddenly raise such a very essential question. After hesitating for a moment, he replied: "Dongjiang Town will not be able to survive long without the support of the court. So next In the end, we can only survive for a year or two without destroying Dongjiang Town.”
Tom Wang continued to ask: "Is this your personal opinion, or is it the general opinion of Dongjiang Town's senior officials?"
Shen Zhixiang looked at Tom Wang and said: "To be honest, this is actually my family's opinion, otherwise he would not have agreed to cooperate with your country so easily!"
Wang Tom nodded and said: "Master Shen assesses the situation, and his vision is accurate. In fact, our country also holds a similar view on the situation in Liaodong. No later than the year after next, Hou Jin will send troops to solve the hidden dangers in the east. Not only your Dongjiang Town, but also There is a vassal state called Korea. Let’s not talk about Korea. They are just a bunch of mediocre people. We can’t count on them to contribute, but at that time, Dongjiang Town probably couldn’t muster many troops to fight against Hou Jin.”
Shen Zhixiang deeply agreed with Wang Tom's statement: "North Korea is a group of cowards from top to bottom. They are obedient to the Ming Dynasty, but at the same time they are afraid of offending Jiannu. In addition to supplying a little food to Dongjiang Town, they are really embarrassed. Great use.”
Tom Wang continued: "North Koreans are not only embarrassing and unloyal, they may turn back at critical moments. In short, they cannot be trusted. When dealing with North Korea, you must be more cautious and don't be betrayed by others." ”
In the original history, Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty Huang Taiji led an army of 100,000 to invade North Korea in 1636 and forced it to surrender, which was known as the Bingzi Rebellion in history. The purpose of this war was to relieve worries about the subsequent attack on the Ming Dynasty and to defeat North Korea, a country that did not understand current affairs. It only took the Qing army less than two months to force North Korea to surrender, causing it to sever its relationship with the original sovereign, the Ming Dynasty, accept the canonization of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and even change the reign name used from the Ming Dynasty to the Manchu Qing Dynasty. At that time, Li Zhu, the fifteenth king of the Joseon Dynasty, was forced to negotiate peace with the Manchu Qing Dynasty. The crown prince Li Zhen and the second son Li Hao were both sent to Fengtian as hostages. However, the great scholars Yin Ji, Wu Daji, and Hong Yi who advocated anti-Qing Dynasty The three Han people were executed in public, and Korea became a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty.
Of course, Huang Taiji did not forget the remnants of Dongjiang Town on Pidao, and ordered North Korea to send troops to assist the Qing army in attacking Pidao. After more than two months of hard fighting, most of the Ming army on the island was killed on the battlefield. Major generals such as Shen Shikui and Jin Riguan died for their country. The establishment of Dongjiang Town was finally completely eliminated. The only high-ranking general on the island who surrendered to the Manchus was Shen Zhixiang.
Of course, Wang Tom couldn't tell the truth about these details. Otherwise, Shen Zhixiang would not only not believe them, but might even become suspicious of them. However, since the top management of Dongjiang Town has a relatively clear prediction of the future situation, it will be easier for Wang Tom to follow this rhythm.
Wang Tom said: "We don't want Ming Dynasty to be defeated, but directly sending troops to attack Hou Jin Dynasty, or providing military assistance to Ming Dynasty, that is not what we can do now. So we can only try to hold back Hou Jin Dynasty, no Letting them remove the obstacles to the south so easily cannot support Ming Dynasty, but we can support Dongjiang Town. Although your strength has declined sharply, as long as you have enough time and resources to recover, I think you should still be able to follow. Jin had a good time.”
Shen Zhixiang said: "Then let me venture to ask, if we can defeat the Jiannu and regain the country, who will have the final say in Liaodong from now on?" "Dongjiang Town has the final say in Dongjiang Town." Wang Tom Shen Sheng responded: "But of course the places under the jurisdiction of our country have the final say."
"Is it like Zhifu Island?" Shen Zhixiang asked.
"That's right, the area under the jurisdiction of Haihan is managed by the Haihan Executive Committee and enforces the laws of Haihan." Wang Tom said: "I have already explained these contents to Master Shen when I had a private meeting with him. The principle He has also accepted our conditions.”
Shen Zhixiang said: "In that case, I have one more question. If one day, your country has a conflict with the Ming Dynasty, will Dongjiang Town be listed as an attack target?"
Wang Tom said: "The covenant that Mr. Shen and I made does not represent Haihan and Ming Dynasty, but Haihan and Dongjiang Town. We will not unilaterally tear up the covenant. I hope Dongjiang Town can do the same."
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"Understood, I also hope that there will never be a day when Dongjiang Town needs to make a choice." Shen Zhixiang is also a smart man, so he naturally understands the meaning of Wang Tom's words. This is both a warning and a promise.
For this reason, even if the matter is basically finalized, Wang Tom does not need anything signed and signed by Shen Zhixiang to prove the cooperative relationship between the two parties. The conversation changed to another matter: "Now that winter has begun, we After escorting the Pi Island troops, our fleet will soon return south to Zhejiang, so there should be no major wars this winter.”
When Shen Zhixiang went to Zhifu Island last time, Haihan had already let him go, so he was not surprised when he heard Tom Wang's words now. He nodded and said: "General Wang has been working hard this time, but it's all over now." You can go back to the south and have a good rest for a few months. It won’t be too late to come back to Liaodong to deal with the Jiannu!”
Wang Tom said: "Don't be too idle this winter. In addition to organizing your troops to rebuild various facilities in the Changshan Islands, you can select some close associates and capable personnel to go to Zhifu Island to receive military training."
Shen Zhixiang said with some disapproval: "Although Dongjiang Town is not powerful, they are all veterans of Liaodong Dusi's battles for many years. More than 90% of them have seen blood on the battlefield, and they are adapted to the geography and climate of Liaodong. Why do they need any more training? ”
Wang Tom explained: "Your combat methods mainly use cold weapons, and you have seen the weapons we use on Zhifu Island. The combat methods are completely different from yours. First train a group of officers, and then Only when these officers go back to train soldiers can the overall combat strength of Dongjiang Town be improved.”
Shen Zhixiang sighed: "Although your country's weapons are sharp, they are expensive to make. With the financial resources of Dongjiang Town at this time, I am afraid that it will not be able to install such expensive weapons."
When Shen Zhixiang went to Zhifu Island for inspection, he naturally had to visit the actual combat drill specially arranged by Haihan. The Haihan Army, which almost exclusively used firecrackers and artillery to fight, left a very deep impression on Shen Zhixiang with its advanced combat methods and powerful lethality. impression. At that time, he also specifically inquired about the cost of making and using Haihan's weapons, hoping to introduce them to the troops in Dongjiang Town, but in the end he could only bow his head in front of the high price.
"We can use interest-free loans to sell a batch of weapons to Dongjiang Town and help you form a new army with all firearms." A businessman-like smile appeared on Wang Tom's face: "As for the loan, it can be divided into You can repay it slowly over a few years, or you can use the discounted mortgage of young immigrants. There will always be a way to solve this small problem. ”
"Is this true?" Shen Zhixiang's eyes lit up and he immediately asked. If a strong army fully equipped with firearms can be formed, the chances of counterattacking Liaodong will undoubtedly be much greater. As for the cost of purchasing these arms, when the time comes to return them to Liaodong, are you afraid that you won’t be able to get the money from the Jiannu?
"Of course, and we will give priority to introducing General Xiao Shen's subordinates as training targets. After the spring, we will transport a batch of weapons, so it is best not to delay the time, and strive to form combat effectiveness by next spring." Wang Tom smiled and said: "I just wonder if General Xiao Shen is interested in military cooperation in this area?"
"Yes, yes! Of course I'm interested!" Shen Zhixiang nodded repeatedly and responded: "Without further delay, I'm going to gather my subordinates and make a list first... By the way, how many people does General Wang think are more suitable?"
"Thirty to fifty people!" Wang Tom thought for a while and gave a rough range.
"Okay, okay, I'll take my leave first!" After hearing the news, Shen Zhixiang was far more excited than the cashier before, and he couldn't sit still at that moment.
Wang Tom sent Shen Zhixiang away and sat back down to take a sip of water. He raised his eyes and looked out the porthole and saw the outline of Pi Island slowly disappearing into the distant sea level.
(End of chapter)