Chapter 1306 The New Look of Haikou
Facing a powerful opponent like Haihan, just relying on more troops, high morale or clever command may not be able to recover the disadvantages in weapons and equipment. This kind of attempt will only produce the results most of the time. Still desperate, otherwise the Westerners, who also have armed sailing ships and powerful artillery, would not behave in a humble manner in front of the Haihan people. Even if Liu Shang didn't know much about military affairs before, he had watched the Haihan Army's combat drills at sea a few days ago, and a knowledgeable officer was beside him to explain the whole process. Now he at least understands the Haihan Army's combat methods better than ordinary people. This Only then can we ask some more in-depth questions to Xiaobao.
Although Liu Shang didn't quite agree with Xiaobao's answer, he really couldn't think of a reason to refute it. The gap in military strength between Haihan and other countries was clearly there. Anyone with a discerning eye could see it clearly. Past battle examples This has been proven time and time again. Judging from the content of the military exercises seen in Danzhou this time, it seems that the gap in military force between various countries and Haihan has not narrowed, but has become wider.
Another officer from the inspection team, Lu Ting, also took the initiative to join the discussion: "Director Yu is right. The advantages of our Haihan Army are indeed mainly reflected in weapons and equipment, but I want to say one more thing that really plays a decisive role. Yes, it is an advanced tactical system based on this. We have radio stations that can transmit messages thousands of miles away, and telescopes that can increase the observation range, so we have an efficient command system; we have steam warships with amazing speeds, and a navy. The new tactics used by the fleet are also developed around the maneuverability of steam warships; only with muskets and artillery that can shoot far and accurately can we eliminate the old metal armor and allow the infantry to perform combat missions on the battlefield more flexibly. . And the improvement of tactics has in turn maximized the performance of the equipment, which makes the Haihan Army's combat effectiveness far superior to that of other countries' armies."
Liu Shang chewed Lu Ting's remarks carefully and asked thoughtfully: "Brother Lu means that the strength of the Haihan Army is not only the excellent performance of its weapons, but more importantly, its correct tactics and ability to fight in battle." Make full use of these equipment. Then I would like to ask more, if this is the case, why are you exporting weapons and tactics to Annan and other countries? Are you not afraid that they will become ambitious and bite Haihan in the future? "
Lu Ting responded: "The answer to this question is very simple. Annan bought our weapons and ammunition and learned our fighting methods, but they can't make these weapons and equipment on their own. They can equip them as much as we give them, and Of course, the weapons sold to them will not be as good as their own use. One of the purposes of displaying advanced weapons in military exercises is to tell these countries that the weapons and equipment they can buy are not the best. If you can challenge Haihan by arming a group of troops with the weapons, you’d better weigh your own weight first.”
"In order to ensure nothing goes wrong, the amount of arms and equipment sold to foreign countries every year is carefully calculated by relevant departments. The weapons and ammunition these countries can buy from our country are only enough for peacetime training and daily defense. If they really want to launch a war, They have to temporarily order ammunition from my country." Yu Xiaobao also informed Liu Shang without any scruples about some of the control measures adopted by Haihan in the arms trade.
Sure enough, the Haihan people are still cunning! Liu Shang couldn't help but secretly sigh in his heart, could these Haihan people who are as smart as ghosts think of the problems he could think of? The arms trade in Haihan seems to be prosperous, but in fact it is under strict control. It seems that the people of Haihan are not just focused on money, but do have a longer-term vision. Haihan State was able to become the military overlord of the South China Sea in just a few years. This is by no means a fluke.
However, Liu Shang still does not think that other countries in the region are really convinced of Haihan's strength. The submission they show is more likely just an attitude of last resort. After all, they have not dealt with Haihan well before. The armed forces have been beaten one by one, and they have suffered more or less. The most serious ones, such as Shiba Zhi and his ilk, were attacked and killed by the Haihan army from thousands of miles away. For the surrounding countries, their attitude towards Haihan is mostly limited in respect and mostly in fear.
To be honest, if there were no hidden dangers in Sanya, Liu Shang would actually be happy to stay in Danzhou for a few more days and have some opportunities to communicate with these foreigners. He would like to know what countries other than Ming Dynasty think of Haihan. This may be a reference for Ming Dynasty to adjust its relationship with Haihan in the future.
However, Liu Shang did not have much hope for this possibility, because he knew that some of the big shots above were actually very dissatisfied with the situation Haihan had achieved in the South China Sea, thinking that it was just a new emerging force that had replaced Shibazhi. The armed maritime merchant organization is not much different from the bandits who dominate the mountain. As long as the Ming Dynasty calms down the civil strife and stabilizes the north, it can free up its hands and drive the Haihan people out of the southern coastal areas like flies. But after Liu Shang came to Hainan Island himself, he could confirm that the situation here was not that easy to change. Today, the Haihan Kingdom rules hundreds of thousands of people, has a complete bureaucracy and a powerful army, and is a real country. sense of regional power. In order to drive Haihan out of this area, the imperial court was determined to fight a big war with the whole country.
To launch a war in the Lingnan area that has been riddled with holes by Haihan, the preparation work may not be much worse than the war itself. Haihan has countless contacts and ears in Lingnan officialdom, and the court's orders may still be Before execution begins, the Haihan people will get wind of it first. It's hard to say who will act faster at that time.
The more he knew, the colder his heart became. Before Liu Shang came to Hainan Island, he was also ambitious, thinking that he would be able to find a way to expel the Haihan people. But the longer I stayed, the more I realized that my original thinking was too simple. Not to mention driving away the Haihan people, even if we want to curb the continuous expansion of the Haihan Kingdom, it will be difficult to reach the sky. In time, after the thousands of miles of South China Sea are firmly controlled by Haihan, I am afraid that he will go north to compete in the Central Plains.
Although these Haihan officials never mentioned attacking the Ming Dynasty, they did not show any awe when talking about the Ming Dynasty. They completely regarded the Ming Dynasty as a neighboring country like Annan and other countries. If one day the Haihan Executive Committee announces that it will go north to attack the Ming Dynasty, these people probably will not hesitate too much. After all, they no longer regard themselves as Ming people.
Liu Shang originally wanted to ask a few more questions, but when he saw Zhang Qianzhi also coming to the deck, he closed his mouth in a sensible manner. Although he now knows that the person Zhang Qianzhi is monitoring along the way is not him, at least he is not the main target, but whenever he sees Zhang Qianzhi appearing in front of him, he still can't help but feel a chill on his back. In front of Zhang Qianzhi, Liu Shang always felt that he was the prey being targeted by a hunter. If he didn't hide his tail well, he would be picked out and killed by the hunter at any time.
Zhang Qianzhi did not pay attention to him. This time he caught a group of officials and contact persons from abroad in Danzhou who had betrayed state secrets. This was another great achievement for the Ministry of Security. When the dust settles, he will inevitably receive another commendation order.
Yu Xiaobao naturally knew that Zhang Qianzhi had made great contributions in this operation. When he saw him coming to the deck for some fresh air, he took the initiative to congratulate him and said, "You have made great achievements again this time. You will probably arrive in Haikou. The commendation telegram from Victory Fort It will be sent over.”
Zhang Qianzhi smiled and said: "Actually, the person who deserves the most credit this time is not me, but Director Zhang. Otherwise, this case would not have been handled so smoothly. But the matter happened in Danzhou, and Victory Fort may not give him credit anymore. ”
Although most of the people arrested this time were operating on the ground in Danzhou, Zhang Xin actually did not have much responsibility as a local official, and it was precisely because he noticed some abnormal conditions in the areas under his control that he took the initiative to contact them. The Ministry of Security investigated and finally dug out these people. Although the arrested Haihan officials attempted to betray intelligence, they did not have serious consequences because they controlled the confidential information they had access to in advance. However, these people who committed the crime will probably never have a chance to get out of the hard labor camp alive. This case will not affect Zhang Xin's status in Danzhou, but the impact will not be very good after all. So as Zhang Qianzhi said, the executive committee will probably not have any public reward measures for Zhang Xin. At most, it will be a small reward. The merits and demerits outweigh the merits, so Zhang Xin will not be held responsible for his leadership.
Yu Xiaobao said: "Speaking of which, what is going on in this case? If it is not confidential, can you tell us about it?"
Lu Ting hurriedly answered: "Then let's get out of the way first."
Liu Shang really wanted to stay and hear the inside story, but Lu Ting had already expressed his opinion. It would be a bit unwise for him to stay regardless. When he was about to say goodbye, Zhang Qianzhi took the initiative and said: "This matter actually doesn't have much confidential content. It doesn't hurt to talk about it. You can also listen to it."
It turns out that these Haihan officials began to receive various benefits secretly from several Ming merchants in the past year. At first, they just asked them to facilitate trade procedures, or provide them with some things that were not secret, but for them. News that has commercial value to businessmen. But later on, when they got more benefits, the other party asked them to provide some information about Haihan's military and political affairs. Even if these officials felt regretful, the other party had already grasped the many reasons why they had received the benefits, so they could no longer stay out of the matter. .
Zhang Xin accidentally learned that the financial situation of these officials was somewhat abnormal, so he secretly notified the Ministry of Security and asked them to investigate. As a result, the investigation revealed the hidden case. However, the investigators were very patient and waited for the opponents of these officials to appear. They judged that they would contact and complete the intelligence transaction in Danzhou, so they arranged a Hongmen Banquet to catch them all.
"So the people who contacted them to buy information were from Ming Dynasty?" Yu Xiaobao couldn't help but ask after hearing this.
"After a preliminary review last night, they were all members of the Jinyiwei." Zhang Qianzhi said of this yamen that made people talk about it in the Ming Dynasty, but there was no excitement on his face: "The Jinyiwei still comes to send people off every year, and there is nothing new. I Leave the person to Wang Baisuo and let him interrogate him slowly to see if he can dig out some deeper clues. "
Liu Shang felt that when Zhang Qianzhi said this, his eyes seemed to be staring at him intentionally or unintentionally. However, he did not dare to speak out on this topic, so he could only stand and act as an audience.
Regarding Haihan Kingdom on the coast of the South China Sea, Jinyiwei, as the intelligence department of the Ming Dynasty, cannot sit idly by and ignore it, but the various intelligence work carried out against Haihan has actually been ineffective. Although Jinyiwei insists on sending some people to sneak into Hainan Island every year disguised as various identities, trying to collect intelligence while causing some trouble for Haihan, but since the Danzhou assassination and the Shilu Mine riot that year, the Haihan Security Department has Cleaning up Jinyiwei's potential personnel has become a key task. Jin Yiwei sends people here every year, and Haihan catches some people every year. Both sides come up with unique tricks and battles of wits and courage, but Haihan's security department has the advantage of being at home and takes advantage more often.
For Zhang Qianzhi, catching a few Jin Yiwei disguised as businessmen is not a big deal. The key is to see whether more valuable information can be mined from them. With just a few shrimps, it was not enough for him to interrogate in person, so after handing it over to Wang Baisuo, he took a boat to Haikou with the inspection team, where the Security Department's office in Qiongbei region was located.
These overt and covert battles in the intelligence field sounded ordinary to Zhang Qianzhi, but Liu Shang was secretly frightened when he heard them. Although he is not a member of the Jin Yiwei, the purpose of coming to Hainan Island is similar to that of the people who were arrested. If he is captured by Zhang Qianzhi's department one day, I don't know if he can survive Haihan's torture.
With this uneasy mood, Liu Shang seemed very preoccupied and taciturn on the way to Haikou. However, others thought that he was not fully recovered and mentally weak, but no one connected his condition with what he had seen in Danzhou.
The voyage from Danzhou to Haikou is more than 80 nautical miles. The inspection team was not in a hurry, so they traveled slowly and leisurely. They arrived at the mouth of the Nandu River on the coastline of Haikou City in the middle of the night. The city built after Haihan took over this place is located on the Linhai Plain on the west bank of the Nandu River. In fact, the original Qiongzhou Fucheng is also here, but the land in the city is very expensive and is not suitable for large-scale commercial development. Therefore, the new city was chosen to the north of the original Fucheng and is connected with the newly built Haikou Port. It can be said that It is another port city after Sanya.
(End of chapter)