Chapter 1233 Clouds of War
When Tan Juren received the notice sent by Roger, he quickly put down what he was doing and hurried to the military camp to meet Roger. Although commanding operations was Roger's responsibility, Tan Juren, as the chief executive of the region, naturally had to personally intervene when encountering such a major event.
"What's going on now?" Tan Juren asked immediately after seeing Roger. Unlike Roger, he had personally participated in the battle. Although he was not afraid of the opponent Johor, the tension when the war broke out was still inevitable. This time he heard that the spies sent from Johor had been caught, and he had a premonition that a conflict was about to break out.
"We have all been recruited. This team is all spies from the Johor Army. Their purpose of sneaking into Star Island is to find out the deployment status of our army." Roger Surong responded: "But there are no senior officers in this team, and they also provide There is no more valuable information, and we don’t know when Johor’s senior officials plan to take action.”
"That's it?" Tan Juren would not think that Roger sent someone to notify him just to explain these few words. If Roger didn't get some key information, he could just send him a copy of the confession transcript for his review.
Roger dismissed his men and then pointed out the key point to Tan Juren: "Based on the confessions of the prisoners, it is indeed certain that the British East India Company was behind it. The intelligence given to us by the Dutch should be credible.",< br>
"In addition to providing them with weapons, what other tricks do the British have?" Tan Juren calmed down after hearing the news. There had been relevant news before that that the British might intervene in this matter, which was expected. status. But Roger specifically mentioned this, and there must be more to discover.
Roger responded: "The British also sent soldiers into Johor to help them train new troops using firearms."
Tan Juren said: "This... is not a surprise, right? Since the British have provided weapons, they will definitely provide follow-up services."
"You are right." Roger nodded and said: "But the British sent too many people to Johor. I have reason to suspect that they may want to directly intervene in the war at the right time."
"How many people did they send?" Hearing what Roger said, Tan Juren's curiosity arose.
"At least five hundred people. This is the number given by the prisoners." Roger gave a number that did sound exaggerated.
The first country to have comprehensive military cooperation with Haihan was Annan. The main function of the military base Haihan established on the Tushan Peninsula in Annan was to train new troops in Annan to use firearms. The two Haihan generals, Feng Annan and Mu Xiabai, once served as chief instructors at the Tushan base. Now many senior officers in Annan's army were apprentices led by them. The military assistance Haihan provided to Annan also laid a solid foundation for the later alliance between the two sides.
However, with such a close relationship between Haihan and Annan, the number of instructors sent to Tushan Base in the name of military observers was only a few dozen at most. Moreover, with the national strength of Annan, the initial establishment of the new army only has a strength of about a thousand people. The national strength of Johor is far less than that of Annan. The size of the army that can install new weapons will only be smaller. How can it need too many instructors?
"Five hundred people? This is probably not military assistance, but a direct garrison, right?" Although Tan Juren was not a military expert, he was well-informed after all. He could immediately understand what this number meant.
Roger nodded and said: "The British may not be willing to just act as the mastermind behind the scenes, and plan to personally operate it."
"How courageous!" Tan Juren sighed: "Aren't they afraid of getting into trouble if they do this?"
"You've never been beaten, how can you know it hurts?" Roger's face showed a trace of expectation. He was not afraid of the British's intentions, but instead aroused his interest.
In Roger's view, Johor's military strength is very limited and not enough to cause Haihan too much trouble. However, if he could fight the British face to face, Roger would be energetic and deal with it seriously. After all, he chose Xingdao to be stationed here not because he planned to become a local emperor of the reclamation army, but because he wanted to find opportunities to fight with foreign armed forces and exchange military exploits for higher status and power. Johor's strength is a bit weaker. If the British are their opponents, the sense of accomplishment after winning will definitely be much stronger.
"But do the British really have so many people in the Far East?" Tan Juren was not in a hurry to get excited with Roger. He had more detailed questions in mind.
The way these Western countries operate in the Far East is to carry out colonial activities through so-called trading companies. Because the journey is too long, the number of citizens who can come to the Far East from their homeland is very limited, and there are often only a few colonial sites. Hundreds of people. Like the Netherlands, an old colonial power that has been building cities on Java for many years, there are only a few thousand real Dutch in Batavia. The British strongholds are all far away from here on the Indian Peninsula, and it is unlikely that there will be too many armed personnel deployed to the South China Sea. Hundreds of people have to be deployed in Johor to perform tasks that are not absolutely certain. This kind of deployment is undoubtedly a problem for the British It takes a lot of determination.
Roger immediately revealed the answer: "Of course they won't all be British. There should be mercenaries they collected from various colonies. I think it would be good if real British people accounted for one-tenth of them. ”
Roger's guess is obviously much more reasonable. The British influence in this area is extremely limited, and the risk of investing too many people at once is too great. However, if a large number of mercenaries are used, it will indeed solve this problem. effective solution to the problem. With the financial resources of the British East India Company, it would certainly not be a problem to arm hundreds of mercenaries. Even if all these people were lost, it would not seriously damage the British business in Asia.
Luo Jie didn't wait for Tan Juren to respond, then changed the topic and said: "But we cannot ignore the existence of this group of people. I won't be afraid of the Johor army even if it comes in the thousands. After all, it is difficult for them to defeat them in a short time." They can adapt to the new way of fighting, but this is not necessarily true for these mercenaries. If they are musketeers trained by the British, then we still have to deal with them carefully."
Tan Juren understood that this was the real reason why Roger came to him for an interview, so he asked directly: "Then how do you need my cooperation?" Roger responded: "Based on the existing information, I can't judge yet. The opponent may choose the main direction of attack. Just waiting for the opponent to come to the door is not an option, so I plan to do the opposite and proactively monitor the opponent's troop deployment situation across the Johor Strait and collect first-hand intelligence. ”
At this point, Roger paused for a moment before continuing to explain his purpose of asking Tan Juren to come: "I plan to lead the team myself, so I need you to take command while I'm out."
"You personally lead the team? Go to Johor? Isn't this too risky?" Tan Juren immediately expressed doubts: "Johor is a strange area for us. Isn't it okay to send your capable personnel to carry out this task? ”
"Of course you can send men down, but they are not the supreme commander here, I am. I need to have a clear judgment on the situation in Johor before I can make targeted deployments. No matter how detailed the information given by others is, It won't be better than my own eyes." Roger had obviously made up his mind and was not shaken by Tan Juren's doubts.
Tan Juren saw that this road was impassable, so he changed another angle and continued to try to say Roger: "Then what if Johor launches an offensive just during your departure? They can choose to attack from the strait in the north, of course they can Go directly from the sea to the south to attack the port. Do you want me to command your troops then? "
Roger responded: "You don't have to worry too much about this problem. If the Johor people are willing to go around dozens of nautical miles at sea to attack the southern port, then it will be easier for us to deal with it. Think about it, the northern strait is the narrowest The place is only one or two nautical miles away, and small sampans can slowly row over, and they can project as many troops as possible to the star island. But if the destination to be attacked is dozens of nautical miles away, then the enemy will be vulnerable. Will the commander use small ships? They can only use slightly larger sailing ships, but this will greatly affect the troop projection ability, and the logistics supply will be more troublesome. Besides, we still have several warships in the port area. The coastal defense fort has a well-established fire defense line and the depth to retreat inland. If we want to break through the defense in the south, how many lives can Johor spend to fill this hole? "
Tan Juren had to admit that Roger's statement was reasonable. Haihan had never stopped building port and coastal defenses since he settled in Xingdao. Although it was impossible for this place to become an unbreakable pass like Victory Port in the short term, it was not a matter of chance. Anyone can break in. The Xingang Port area has defense fortifications with the coastal defense fort as the core. Ten large-caliber coastal defense cannons and several warships are enough to deal with general levels of maritime harassment. The area near the fort is also equipped with barbed wire fences, trenches, and bunkers. A deep defense zone composed of fortifications. Unless the opponent has the ability to deploy a large number of troops at the port and build a beachhead in a short period of time, directly attacking the port will really risk death.
Can a small Southeast Asian country like Johor, which has an underdeveloped maritime industry, carry out an amphibious landing battle that is difficult for Haihan to defend? The answer is obviously no. Even if a military power like Haihan wants to launch an amphibious landing operation with a scale of 1,000 people, it will require long-term planning by the top staff and the cooperation of multiple combat units before it can be implemented. Even on the other side of the desolate and inhabited Johor Strait, Roger would not dare to launch a landing battle at will, let alone the star port defense system that he had put a lot of effort into building.
Tan Juren was silent for a while and then said: "Johor may indeed not have the ability to launch naval battles and amphibious landings. What about the British? You just said that if the British want to end the war personally, then we have to be more careful in dealing with it."
"The possibility you mentioned is not completely impossible." Roger admitted that Tan Juren's concerns were reasonable, but he still insisted on his own opinion: "But I also said that the defense line of Xinggang should be able to withstand Since the war began, we have deployed thousands of soldiers on this line of defense. Do you know what this concept is? The last time the Haihan Army invested so many people in the defense battle in the South China Sea, it probably dates back to that year. It was time for the Annan people to defend the Zhengjiang Hengshan defense line. Even when the Dutch counterattacked on Amborna Island in 1631, Mu Xiabai's island defense troops did not have so many people available, plus there were thousands of regular troops. The complete fortifications can’t hold a single port, so we’d better pack up and return to Sanya as soon as possible!”
Roger had said this, and if Tan Juren still doubted his own strength, it would be a bit too much. However, out of caution, he still had to say ugly things first: "I'm afraid that my professional level is not enough. You It’s best to leave a capable person at the port, lest something happens and I rush to give the wrong order, which will cause trouble.”
"You have met my subordinate Ruan Fu. He is very stable and a veteran. I will keep him here at the star port. If an emergency occurs, you can grant him temporary command authority." Roger also said this. He was well prepared and informed his plan immediately.
Ruan Phu is a veteran who joined the army soon after Haihan entered Annam. Although he is of Annamese descent, over the years he has become the same as other Haihan citizens who speak Chinese and write Chinese characters. After the Annan Civil War, Hai Han gained control of the four southern ports. At that time, Ruan Phu was stationed in Cam Ranh Bay as a company commander. Later, he was transferred to Roger's staff, and then came to Xingdao. Whether it was military quality or political consciousness, Nguyen Phu made Roger very reassured, so most of the time his army troops were under the command of Nguyen Phu.
"Don't worry, I will keep in touch with you through the radio. If something happens here, I will rush back as soon as I receive the news." Roger patted Tan Juren on the shoulder and gave him another reassurance.
"How many days will you need to go out for this mission?" Tan Juren saw that Roger had made up his mind and had considered all aspects carefully, so he no longer insisted on his objections, but seriously discussed the feasibility with him.
Roger responded: "I plan to set off during the day tomorrow, wait until night after reaching the northern coast, and cross the strait at night. But after arriving there, it is not clear how long I will stay... three days! Three days. I will return to Xingdao within a few days. If there is any other situation, I will contact you via the radio.”
Tan Juren continued to ask: "How many people do you plan to bring there?"
Roger said: "The more people there are, the easier it is to be exposed. I plan to lead only one class."
"Do you need a naval warship to provide cover?"
"The navy should stay here at the port!" Roger smiled and said: "I just went over to reconnoiter the enemy's situation, not intending to go over to destroy Johor. If it is not necessary, I will not take the initiative to expose my whereabouts, so don't worry too much. ”
(End of chapter)