Chapter 1418 Distribution of Benefits
Although Haihan claims to be invincible, it is still only a small country with a total population of only a few hundred thousand, and the total strength of the army is still very limited. The Ministry of National Defense already occupied a large number of troops to guard the colonies scattered across the Far East. It was actually quite difficult for Haihan to mobilize heavy troops across regions to fight a big battle. Based on past operational experience, letting Xie Congjun join the operation is undoubtedly a shortcut to solve this problem.
The first to obtain the status of the Confederate Army was undoubtedly the Annan Army, which was the first to have in-depth military cooperation with Haihan. It was with the help of Haihan that Annan ended the civil war between the north and the south. Later, with the support of Haihan, he established a new army equipped with guns and artillery, and a navy that completely copied Haihan's model. As Haihan's earliest military ally, Annan's army sends personnel to participate in the military exercises organized by Haihan's Ministry of National Defense in the Beibu Gulf every year. In Haihan's many subsequent military operations in the South China Sea, Annan State also sent troops to coordinate operations, and did not shy away from binding its own interests to Haihan.
Later, another powerful auxiliary army came from the Ming Dynasty. Haihan spent countless efforts and resources to support the Xu Group in Fujian. The local armed forces headed by Xu Xinsu, under the banner of the Ming Dynasty official army, also gave Haihan Great rewards. In the previous battles to annihilate Shibazhi and clean up the Dutch and Spanish colonial armed forces, Fujian sent troops to cooperate with Haihan's actions, and also provided many conveniences to Haihan's operations on the southeast coast.
To this day, the relationship between the Fujian military and Haihan is still very close, and the military cooperation between the two parties is advancing as always. Even in the process of Haihan establishing strongholds in Zhejiang and Shandong, the Fujian side is actually also using shipping and human connections. and other fields have given explicit or implicit support.
As for the pirate armed forces that surrendered to Haihan along the coast of Zhejiang, they were not qualified to fight alongside Haihan. It would be too reluctant to call them co-conscripts.
Although the Pidao Ming Army, which is isolated overseas, has limited troops, it is still a front-line force that has been fighting with Hou Jin for many years. After being trained and transformed by Haihan, the combat effectiveness of this army has been enhanced to a certain extent. Although its strength is not as good as that of Xu Xinsu's Fujian navy, which was piled up with real money, it is better than the latter because it has the ability to fight against the Jin army. Based on experience, if you want to assist the Haihan Army on the Liaodong battlefield, you can basically do the job.
Pi Dao wanted to send more than 2,000 people to participate in the war, and the command was still in the hands of Haihan. Such a move was enough to show its sincerity in cooperation, and Morgan was very satisfied with it. However, there are still many details that need to be carefully discussed with Shen Zhixiang before settling these Ming soldiers in Lushun.
Based on the current situation of Phi Island and the consumption of food, grass and ammunition for this group of people during the battle in Liaodong, it is probably impossible to expect the Ming army to prepare supplies on their own. Most of the needed supplies can only be provided by Haihan. The specific combat arrangements require a relatively complete connection between the command systems of both parties. Although the two sides have conducted several joint military operations to sweep the coast of the Liaodong Peninsula in the past year, the scale and goals of this operation are greatly different from previous operations, so pre-war preparations It will also be more complicated.
After a brief discussion, Shen Zhixiang plucked up the courage and said: "General, I have one more thing. I hope you can give me a message."
Morgan nodded, indicating he could speak out. Shen Zhixiang said: "You must also know that the land on Pi Island is barren and cannot grow food, so it is difficult to support the lives of the soldiers and civilians on the island. Although Changshan Islands can grow food, the place is too scattered and difficult to manage. So the Governor would like to ask, If we can counterattack Liaodong this year and drive away the gold thieves, can we set aside a piece of land in Liaodong for the soldiers and civilians of Pi Island to move back and settle?”
Although Morgan is considered a senior general in the Haihan Army, his expertise is in the field of combat, and he is not so professional in terms of political sensitivity and overall view. He understood Shen Zhixiang's question, but he didn't immediately come to a conclusion on how to respond.
The cooperation matters agreed between Haihan and Pidao are mainly for Haihan to provide military and food assistance, while Pidao will act as an immigrant exporter and strategic ally. However, regarding the redistribution of the occupied areas, since the time for the attack on Liaodong has not been specified before, the two sides have not conducted in-depth discussions on this issue, nor have any written agreements been reached.
It is actually not difficult to allocate a piece of land to the soldiers and civilians of Pi Island. With the few immigrants and troops Haihan plans to place in Liaodong, it is impossible to occupy all of this area of hundreds of square kilometers, but things cannot start like this. Look at it from a simple perspective. If Pidao and his gang move to Liaodong, then how big and where the land should be allocated are matters that need to be carefully considered. Moreover, when both parties live under the same roof, should Pidao's soldiers and civilians accept Haihan's plan? Direct rule, and whether Shen's uncles and nephews can formally pledge their allegiance to Haihan are all unavoidable issues.
When Shen Zhixiang saw that Morgan didn't respond for a long time, he was secretly worried, thinking that this tall-nosed and deep-eyed Banren general might have some bad opinions about Pi Dao. Before Shen Zhixiang came to Lushun this time, Shen Shikui had already given him instructions, explained the importance of this move, and asked him to obtain this condition from Haihan. Otherwise, when Haihan conquers Jinzhou and establishes a firm foothold, Pidao's role will become smaller and smaller. It is hard to say whether Haihan will still be willing to spend huge sums of money to support Pidao.
Pi Dao is far away from the mainland of the Ming Dynasty and is a deformed existence in itself. However, Shen's uncle and nephew are now caught between the Ming Dynasty and Haihan, and are in an even more delicate situation. If Haihan is willing to grant Pi Dao soldiers and civilians a fiefdom in Liaodong, Shen's uncle and nephew will also regard this as a reflection of Haihan's friendly attitude. If they want to bargain with Ming Dynasty in the future, they will have one more way out.
Seeing that Morgan was silent, Shen Zhixiang had no choice but to break the silence and said: "Sir, if you have any difficulties, you might as well make it clear to the general."
When Shen Zhixiang said this, Morgan couldn't continue to pretend to be dead, and responded in a deep voice: "You want to establish a foothold in Liaodong, this is not a problem, even if you don't take the initiative, we will make corresponding arrangements. Since we are sending troops in the name of the coalition, of course we will leave a piece of land for you to garrison after the war..."
Shen Zhixiang was immediately happy when he heard this. He understood that Haihan's move was actually to act under the banner of the Ming Dynasty so that he could legitimately occupy Liaodong, but this did not conflict with Pi Dao's plan. He and Shen Shikui both knew that even if Haihan recaptured Liaodong, control would never return to Ming Dynasty. But as long as Morgan opens his mouth, Haihan will agree to this matter, and Pi Dao's goal will be achieved.
But I heard Morgan continue to say: "...But you want to station troops here for a long time, and the specific arrangements will have to wait until the Ministry of National Defense of our country has planned them properly. I can't give you an exact answer now, but I will send your Request that the Ministry of Defense be informed as a reference.”
Shen Zhixiang bowed deeply and thanked him: "Thank you, sir. I have prepared a small gift for you when I come here this time. I hope you will accept it." After saying that, he ordered his soldiers to bring up the things he had prepared. As long as Morgan relaxes, he has already seen the hope of success. As for how Morgan will report to the superiors, there is still room for improvement, so Shen Zhixiang will not let go of this opportunity and quickly presents the gift he prepared. .
Shen Zhixiang had dealt with Haihan many times, and he also knew that the senior officials of Haihan were very rich and did not look down on gold and silver at all, so he did not try to buy Morgan directly with money, but prepared some special products plundered from North Korea. . Beautiful crystal and gemstone jewelry, two-finger-thick Korean ginseng, pollack caviar... Although the quantity is not large, it is quite interesting.
Morgan was not a person who was greedy for money and pleasure, but when he saw that the gift prepared by Shen Zhixiang was indeed interesting, he did not refuse it too much and accepted it after thanking him. Of course, he understood that the other party's gift was not for nothing, and immediately said: "As for the Ministry of National Defense, I will put in a good word for you, but the final arrangement still depends on the wishes of the superiors."
Shen Zhixiang responded quickly: "I will understand, I hope you will take more trouble with this matter, and I will thank you again after the matter is completed!"
In fact, Haihan military leaders have already been discussing the distribution of benefits after the spring offensive. Haihan and Pidao jointly sent troops for a high-sounding reason. The nature of the war can be publicized to the outside world as "the Ming Dynasty sent troops to recover the lost territory of Liaodong", instead of being said to be "Haihan invaded the Ming Dynasty to seize the Ming Dynasty's territory", which is easily dismissed. Rhythmic wind direction. Therefore, after the war, there must be local Ming army garrison and institutions. Even if it is just an empty frame, it also represents the Ming Dynasty's symbolic rule over this area. On this point, Haihan's military leaders have already reached a consensus.
The focus of the debate was mainly on how to get along with Haihan and Pi Dao in the future, which would directly affect Haihan's arrangements for Ming Dynasty's institutions in Liaodong after the war. On the one hand, Haihan also needs Pidao to continue to maintain the identity of the Ming army for a period of time in the future, so as to appease the domestic discussion of Haihan's march to Liaodong; on the other hand, Haihan also hopes that Shen's uncle and nephew and his troops can Be loyal to Haihan. Otherwise, if so many thousands of soldiers are stationed on Haihan territory and have to take orders from another country at certain times, it will obviously be a huge security risk. Whether the two sides should continue to maintain an alliance or fully integrate Pi Dao's team is the main issue that the military has not yet reached a conclusion on.
Naturally, Morgan would not make decisions on behalf of the Ministry of National Defense, so he could only express Haihan's attitude first and tell Shen Zhixiang not to worry. It happened that Gao Qiaonan had also returned to Fort Port Arthur from the front line, so Morgan summoned senior officers from the local garrison, plus Shen Zhixiang, a partner, to hold a meeting to discuss the current situation and follow-up arrangements.
The series of ambushes organized by Morgan a few days ago really caused the Jinzhou army to suffer a heavy loss. While it was withdrawing to the Jinzhou camp to move reinforcements, Takahashi Minami led the team to complete the attack on Jinzhou in just a few days. reconnaissance of the plain area south of the isthmus and drawn relevant military maps as a reference for the subsequent spring offensive.
After listening to the general description, Shen Zhixiang couldn't help being shocked. Not only did Morgan personally go to the front line to fight, but he only brought more than ten people with him. He dared to go deep into enemy-occupied areas to cause trouble. In the end, he set up an ambush and destroyed nearly two hundred Jin troops. This ability cannot be imitated. With such a fierce general supervising the battle in Liaodong, Shen Zhixiang couldn't help but have a little more confidence in the spring offensive.
At this preparation meeting, Shen Zhixiang also heard General Haihan describe the general operational arrangements for the spring offensive for the first time.
Morgan stood in front of a seven-foot-wide and four-foot-high map, holding a stick and explaining the Department of Defense's combat plan to the officers present: "...Everyone should already know that the operational goal of our spring offensive is to cut off from here. Gold control area, drive the enemy to the north of this level."
As he spoke, he used a stick to draw a line at the narrowest point of the Jinzhou Isthmus: "Controlling this place is equivalent to controlling the hundreds of miles to the south. Hou Jin's maritime armed forces are insignificant, so we don't even We need to worry about them launching counterattacks or harassment from the sea in the future. If we want to achieve this operational goal, we must pursue a fast, accurate, and ruthless method! We must strive to capture this pass with thunderous momentum, and then quickly establish a defense line to prevent Houjin. Counterattack.”
Morgan used a stick to mark the east and west coastlines of the Liaodong Peninsula and said: "The Ministry of National Defense's combat plan is a three-pronged approach. It will attack the target area from the east and west at sea, and implement amphibious landing operations at the same time, and then cooperate with the Chinese army on land. Advance and seize this place.”
Shen Zhixiang looked at the map and listened to the explanation, thinking that the tactics of the Haihan people were simple and clear. It would be relatively easy to advance in the east and west directions on the sea. After all, there were very few warships of the Later Jin Dynasty, and they would definitely not be able to stop the offensive of the Haihan fleet. The only place where they can struggle is probably the land battle. But with the determination shown by Haihan this time, how many troops did Hou Jin have to send to block this gap to stop Haihan's offensive?
When Shen Zhixiang was distracted, Morgan had already called the name of the Pidao Ming Army: "...the Pidao friendly forces will then join the special operations battalion to attack the front of the enemy's defense line from the middle."
Shen Zhixiang came to his senses and responded quickly. Of course, he was no stranger to the special operations battalion. During Haihan's military operations after arriving in Shandong, he could always see the special operations battalion. Haihan's surprise attack on Lushun and the defeat of the Houjin garrison at the beginning of winter last year were also the achievements of the special operations battalion. Being able to cooperate with such a Haihan ace army on the battlefield is both an honor and a rare learning and training opportunity for the Pidao Ming Army. He glanced at Gao Qiaonan, who was sitting across from him, and knew that this short Japanese general was very good at fighting. Maybe he should give him a gift later, so as not to use the Pi Dao troops as cannon fodder on the battlefield. Come and use.
(End of chapter)