Chapter 1375 Arriving in Shandong
Although Liu Shang is now an official in the Haihan Youth League, he still habitually stands on the Ming Dynasty's side when considering issues and examines Haihan's various policies with a hostile eye. Through these few months of observation, Liu Shang had to admit that Haihan did have many clever methods on the immigration issue. It was these measures that effectively helped Haihan grow rapidly at an unimaginable speed and become a very powerful figure outside the Ming Dynasty. emerging threats.
Now that Haihan's tentacles have crossed the Shandong Peninsula and reached the more distant Liaodong region, Liu Shang, apart from admiring Haihan's generosity, seems to have no other way to stop Haihan's actions. Not only could it not be stopped, Liu Shang had to contribute to Haihan's expansion in the process. For him, a Haihan official who still retained his undercover status, it was an inexplicable irony.
Liu Shang's current identity can be said to be very subtle. He is a senior intelligence officer who has files in the Ming Dynasty. However, after Liao Yuan, Qin An and others died in a shipwreck on Hainan Island, he has temporarily lost contact with the intelligence department to which he belongs. Even though he had no contact channels, he could not explain to his superiors that the accidental death of Liao Yuan and others had nothing to do with him. Now Yu Xiaobao has been inserted into the cadre team that went north to aid construction. It will definitely not be possible to return to the south within a year and a half after this trip. The entire team has completely lost contact with the superiors for such a long time. By then, His name on some secret roster has probably been crossed out a long time ago.
The idea of letting go of the past, changing allegiance, and becoming a Haihan official in the future has appeared in Liu Shang's mind every night in the recent period. His loyalty to the Ming Dynasty is being worn away bit by bit as time goes by. He himself knows this very well. It is even more obvious where he has a better future as an official. On the one hand, he has to work hard to gain wealth, and his identity may be exposed at any time and die unexpectedly. On the other hand, nobles have already built a ladder for him in the officialdom. From now on, as long as he climbs up the ladder, there will definitely be no problem in becoming a peace officer.
Giving up the previous identity and surviving with the current new identity is the most rational decision, and Liu Shang himself understands this. But this meant completely giving up everything in the past and giving up his identity as a subject of the Ming Dynasty. He still had a hard time letting go. To put it bluntly, I am still feeling lucky, thinking that if one day I can no longer stay in Haihan, and there happens to be a suitable opportunity to escape from Haihan and return to the Ming Dynasty, my secret identity may still be of some use.
Of course, such a way out must have a prerequisite, that is, the identity will not be revealed by the Haihan security department during this period. Liu Shang will not underestimate the capabilities of the Haihan Intelligence Department just because he has successfully lurked for several months. On the contrary, he has been walking on thin ice every day in the past few months, especially when he witnessed General Zhang Qianzhi's inspection in Danzhou. After the mole in the group was found out, he was even more careful, lest he had any flaws that would be discovered by others.
Being far away from Sanya is actually a relief for Liu Shang. Before that, he didn't have to worry about being closely monitored anymore. Although there are also people from the Ministry of Security in Shandong, and it is said that big shots are still in command, Liu Shang knows that the focus of their work will not be internal, but against the Ming Dynasty. Working and living here, he can relax a little and no longer have to worry about his identity being exposed every day.
After entering Shandong waters, the number of sea-going ships here was significantly less than that of Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the south. The fleet moved along the coastline and did not encounter one or two ships for a long time. And even if they meet occasionally, after seeing the size of the Haihan fleet and the two-color flag hanging high on the top of the mast, the other party will usually choose to avoid it.
The composition of Haihan's northbound fleet is actually no longer the same as when it set off from Sanya. Some of the ships have turned back after arriving at the Pearl River Estuary, Penghu, Zhoushan and other places, and another group of ships from the local area have joined in. When they arrived in Shandong waters, most of the ships in the fleet had already joined later. Only the passenger ship transporting cadres heading north, a few cargo ships transporting equipment, and two warships serving as escort missions all came out of Sanya together. This kind of fleet, consisting of dozens of large sailing ships, has rarely appeared in Shandong waters in recent years, so it is natural for witnesses to avoid it.
"Here in Shandong...isn't there a Ming navy operating at sea?" After Liu Shang hesitated for a long time, he still found an opportunity to ask the captain this question.
"Navy? There are some, but I've never seen one before." The captain shook his head and said: "It's probably the same as the navy on Hainan Island, only a sign is left!"
Hainan Island had a certain scale of naval establishment during the Ming Dynasty, the most famous of which was the Yacheng Water Village. However, the Ming navy stationed in Yacheng Water Village was also the first Ming army to surrender to Haihan in an organized manner. Its commander Luo Shengdong worked as a private salt dealer for several years under the guidance of Haihan and became rich. After that, his official position was promoted to the rank of general. However, later Luo Shengdong also felt that this status was unsustainable. Considering the long-term development of the family, he finally gave up his status as a military attache of the Ming Dynasty completely and got a local official position in Haihan. Although his jurisdiction is limited to one county, he is already a genuine Haihan official.
As for the naval establishment under the command of Luo Shengdong in the past, it has still been preserved. The flag of the navy is still hanging on the dock of Sanya Port. Of course, all the personnel have been replaced by soldiers of the Haihan Army. It is just a borrowing. This flag is used to facilitate handling of some matters. Liu Shang had stayed in Sanya Port for almost two months, so he naturally knew what the situation of the so-called "Da Ming Navy" in the area was like. At this time, he heard the captain use the navy of Hainan Island as an example, and he understood that even if the Shandong navy had not been replaced by Haihan, it would probably not be able to perform daily maritime patrol tasks.
In fact, after the Denglai Rebellion, there were indeed very few naval forces left along the coast of Shandong. In order to prevent the Haihan Navy from entering and exiting the Bohai Bay at will and heading to important areas in Gyeonggi, the Shandong Capital Command has concentrated all the remaining naval forces in the province to various coastal ports on the Bohai Sea so that it can promptly respond to the naval forces stationed on the Shandong coast. Possible "aggressive" actions by the Haihan Navy. This means that basically no official maritime armed forces have been deployed in the eastern half of the Shandong Peninsula. In fact, it has completely given up control of this sea area.
"It saves a lot of trouble." Liu Shang could roughly figure out the secret and couldn't help but muttered. Without having to fight directly with the Ming Navy, Haihan easily controlled the navigation rights in these sea areas. Haihan undoubtedly played the role of the big winner again. This is also due to the fact that Shandong is far enough away from Hainan Island. If it were as close as Fuguang, the Haihan people would have occupied most of the Shandong Peninsula.
After continuing to drift at sea for three days and nights, the fleet finally arrived at its destination, Zhifu Island in Fushan County, Dengzhou, Shandong. Although everyone was mentally prepared before coming here, they were still shocked by the improved port facilities after entering the port. Although the size of the port here is not as large as that of Zhoushan Dinghai Port, its construction standards are not inferior at all. It not only has berths that are of the same standard as other Haihan ports, but also has cargo loading and lifting, rail transportation and other facilities. Its operations are also in accordance with the standards of the Shipping Department. Operating procedures are in progress. From entry guidance, berthing and docking, to dropping off passengers and unloading cargo, everything is the same as other Haihan ports. These details also make the officials who are new to the port feel an inexplicable sense of intimacy. The only thing that makes people feel uncomfortable is probably the weather here. Compared with the warmer south, Shandong now has to wrap up in cotton jackets and trousers to stay outdoors for long periods of time. Liu Shang and other aid cadres all put on the warm clothes and pants they were issued early, but the cold sea breeze blowing on their exposed faces still made people feel the harshness of the northern winter.
Liu Shang shuddered, tucked the scarf around his neck into his clothes, then shrugged his neck and put both hands into the pockets of his cotton coat. He had been living in the Lingnan area before and had never thought that winter in the north would be so cold. He subconsciously wanted to hide his whole body in his clothes and curl up. Fortunately, the cotton coats distributed to them by the logistics department are extremely thick and warm. Wearing them is almost as effective as wrapping yourself in a heavy quilt. They also come with scarves, cotton hats, shoes and gloves, which are enough to keep them warm. time.
Su Yan next to him couldn't help laughing when he saw Liu Shang's appearance: "Director Liu, your posture is too exaggerated. It's not even the coldest time yet, and you've already shrunk like this. When I came from Shandong When I escaped, I didn’t have such thick cotton clothes on my body, but I still survived the winter.”
Liu Shang shook his head and said: "That's because you stay in the north all year round and are more adaptable to the climate here. Although I was born in Shandong, I have been living in the south since I was a child. I have not been to such a cold place in the past few decades. How can I be with you? Incomparable.”
Su Yan also shook his head and said: "You southerners are so delicate. How can it be cold in this weather... Forget it, you should be able to adapt to it in a few days."
Although Liu Shang huddled up, he did not forget to look around at the situation in the port habitually. Now the boat has docked and allowed them to go down to the dock. However, the reception staff did not immediately arrange for them to stay at the dock. Instead, they continued to stay on the dock. Liu Shang has been in the Haihan system for such a period of time, and he also knows that such an arrangement is probably due to the appearance of a big shot, so he just waits honestly and does not dare to complain.
Sure enough, a carriage arrived not long after, and a middle-aged man got out of the carriage and came to the crowd surrounded by several security personnel. After the introduction, Liu Shang learned that this man who looked different from the Han people was General Morgan of the Haihan Army, and was also the highest military officer of the Haihan base in Shandong at this time.
Liu Shang couldn't help but murmur in his heart. When he was in Zhoushan, he heard that Haihan's naval commander and army general were both in Shandong, but they were not General Morgan. How come those two were still below Morgan's status?
However, this question was quickly answered by Morgan himself. He told everyone that the main force of the Shandong garrison was currently fighting the Houjin Army in the Liaodong area across the Bohai Strait, so he was temporarily in charge of local military affairs.
When Liu Shang heard this, he realized that Haihan was at war with Houjin at this time. Liu Shang also admired Haihan's courage in fighting against a powerful country like Hou Jin thousands of miles away from home. Although he has never been to the north, he also knows that the Ming Dynasty has been quite tight on the northern front in recent years. The Jin army seems to be getting stronger and stronger. Every year, they go south to knock the pass and rob the Ming Dynasty's wealth and population. Compared with the ugly Hou Jin, Haihan, who also plundered the Ming Dynasty, is really elegant. At least he still wears the cloak of trade and immigration, and rarely makes direct moves.
But what Liu Shang didn't quite understand was why Haihan came forward to fight Hou Jin. Logically speaking, after the Jin Dynasty restrained the Ming Dynasty outside the northern pass, Haihan could peacefully engage in affairs in the south without worrying about being liquidated by the Ming Dynasty. And for traveling so far to Liaodong to fight with Hou Jin, the biggest beneficiary was obviously not Haihan, but the Ming Dynasty. Why did Haihan spend his own money to do such a thankless thing? What direct benefits can defeating Hou Jin bring to Haihan?
Liu still doesn't understand these questions, but he believes he will find the answers here. He will stay here to work for a long time, and there will be plenty of opportunities to slowly inquire about relevant information. No, maybe there is no need to inquire at all, someone will naturally tell him the inside story. Because he is now an officer of the Youth League and is also responsible for part of the propaganda work. If he is not informed of these inside stories, how can he publicize them to the grassroots people and soldiers?
Morgan gave a brief lecture to the newly arrived cadres on the dock, giving a general introduction to the local situation, and then called these cadres and grassroots officials "the torches that light up the north for Haihan" and "the heroes who opened up the territory." , and "outstanding figures who will be recorded in history books", they used various words of praise without hesitation, making everyone including Liu Shang feel that they had a bright face, as if they had really become the Haihan Empire. A great hero.
Of course, there will also be some people with delicate and steady minds who will think of such praise from the chief, and I am afraid that the work here will not be much easier. Because only the most difficult and dangerous tasks can deserve such praise from the chief.
Liu Shang didn't think so much. He knew very well that he was just a civil servant and it was almost impossible to be sent to the front line of the battlefield to participate in the battle. Therefore, he was not worried that he would fall into a war situation. He just felt that the climate here was too cold. This long winter will probably be very difficult. Now I can only hope that my superiors will allocate less tasks to me that need to be performed outdoors. It would be great if I could stay in a warm room to write manuscripts and handle some paperwork.
(End of chapter)