Chapter 1487 Offensive and defensive transition
Although Liu Shang only held a position with little real power during his tenure, there were many non-Haihan people he came into contact with who took the initiative to give him gifts. When he was in Majiazhuang, Shandong Province, Ma Bo, the director of the immigration camp, also offered him gifts. However, he sensed something was wrong at that time and did not dare to accept the other party's bribe. But the benefits sent by Ningbo businessman He Li were sent on behalf of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang business groups in order to get some valuable information from him. This was not money from an unknown source. He told He Li The information cannot be said to be the betrayal of official secrets, it is just a hint.
He Li's initiative was considered well-informed in Liu Shang's eyes. He opened the envelope and glanced at it, seeing a few Haihan banknotes with a face value of 100 yuan. He couldn't help but nodded, thinking that this person was familiar with the business and knew how to directly Sending Haihan coins to save yourself trouble. It seems that I did this kind of thing a lot when I was in Zhejiang.
However, Liu Shang didn't dare to just accept the money. He would still have to say hello to his boss later. Reporting it by himself would have a completely different nature than if he was found out in the future. Although the Haihan officialdom was not too strict about accepting benefits, Liu Shang did not want to put his future in danger just because of such a small amount of money.
Speaking of which, He Li got the news from Liu Shang and handed over the benefits smoothly. He also felt that the job was done beautifully and wandered back to his residence with his hands behind his back. Seeing that he had finally returned, other businessmen from Jiangsu and Zhejiang hurriedly gathered around him and asked him what the outcome was. Naturally, He Li would not make this matter too easy, and deliberately let it slip and said: "I have tried my best on this matter. As for how the matter will develop, maybe we will see the results in the next few days."
Others asked eagerly: "Brother He, please tell me whether this is good or bad!"
He Li responded: "This is a situation where bad luck has turned into good luck. You don't have to worry too much."
As soon as He Li said this, everyone's expressions became a little more relaxed. They must have gotten some hints or promises from Liu Shang. Although this may not be the final conclusion, it is always good to grasp a life-saving straw.
"Brother He, have you heard anything else?" Someone continued to ask unwillingly. After all, everyone contributed money to send gifts to Liu Shang, so naturally they hoped to get as much information as possible.
When He Li heard his question, he remembered something and said to everyone: "When the Fuguang Merchant Group arrives here, they will definitely arrange for them to inspect the area north of the defense line. The battle will definitely be big by then, and most of the Jin people will still be there." We have to launch an offensive like last time, maybe there will be fun to watch.”
When it came to fighting, everyone immediately became excited. They witnessed a battle between Haihan and Houjin on the battlefield the day before yesterday, and saw how the Haihan army defeated the opponent with foot and cavalry. After watching Afterwards, while feeling very excited, I also feel that I still have more to say. After all, ordinary people may not have the opportunity to witness such an exciting scene once in their lifetime, and they are protected by the Haihan Army at all levels, so they don’t have to worry about their own lives being threatened. Where else can you find such a viewing environment in the world? Get a second place? If they still have the opportunity to watch the Haihan Army's battle, they naturally don't want to miss it.
Sure enough, in the early morning of the next day, the atmosphere in Sujiabao began to become tense. Various troops gathered one after another after breakfast time, while non-military personnel were strictly restricted from movement. People from the business group were not even allowed to move. Feel free to leave your tent. Obviously, this was the control measure before the war. The people from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang business groups had already experienced this once when they were in Jijiabao, so they immediately realized this.
Everyone stood guard at the door of their tents and saw the people from the Fuguang Merchant Group heading towards the north gate surrounded by a group of soldiers. They knew that what He Li said yesterday was true. The Haihan Army was really going to arrange for them to inspect the war zone. . Everyone was a little anxious when they saw it, and quickly urged He Li to come forward and talk to Gao Qiaonan to see if they could apply for the opportunity and go out for a walk.
He Li himself actually wanted to go and see it again, but after everyone was so excited about it, he immediately gritted his teeth and went to the soldiers to report that he had something to do and wanted to meet with Battalion Commander Takahashi.
Gao Qiaonan came very quickly, and seemed to have anticipated what He Li wanted to say. After meeting him, he asked him directly: "Do you want to follow too?"
He Li prepared a bunch of reasons but all of them were useless. At that moment, he was not sure what Takahashi Nan meant by asking, so he hesitated before answering: "The general clearly knows that this villain does have this intention." < br>
"In that case, let your companions pack up and set off." Takahashi Minami paused and said, "Don't I need to repeat the rules again?"
"No, no, no, you guys remember it!" He Li didn't expect Gao Qiaonan to be so happy, so he offered to take them around again. In this case, He Li certainly wanted it and he immediately agreed. He still clearly remembered all the precautions that the Haihan officers repeatedly ordered him to do when he was in Jijiabao a few days ago, and there was really no need to review them again.
After the news was brought back to the station, He Li was immediately regarded as a hero by everyone, and some even began to ask how he persuaded the murderous-looking General Takahashi.
He Li secretly felt ashamed, thinking that there was no persuasion. This was just the original plan and he was just going with the flow. However, he didn't dare to boast too much, lest he would have to stand up for similar things in the future. , and immediately responded humbly: "I actually didn't say anything. It's just General Takahashi who is reasonable."
Naturally, everyone did not believe what he said, but no one could go to Takahashi Minami to verify the truth of what he said. This ideal result also attracted everyone's attention, and everyone packed up and prepared to set off. However, no one was wondering how He Li accomplished this.
So thanks to the Guangzhou Business Group, He Li and others actually got another opportunity to conduct field inspections. Although this kind of inspection may not necessarily lead to a battle between the two armies, just setting foot on the battlefield and seeing the enemy cavalry cruising in the distant fields is enough to make people's blood boil. Haihan provided more thorough protection this time, not only because the two business groups were dispatched at the same time, but also because in addition to Gao Qiaonan, the generals leading the patrol today were Qian Tiandun and Harugong. A senior military official personally dispatched, and the security level has been upgraded to the highest level. For this purpose, two security platoons directly under the two senior officials were dispatched to participate in the protection work.
But the only thing that made the members of the business group feel a little uncomfortable was that in order to protect them, the members of the two business groups were merged into one team. The military provided two caravans for everyone to ride in, as well as mounts for those willing to ride on their own. Those who did not want to be crowded in a caravan with another trade group could choose to ride with the group on their own. Of course, the one that everyone envied the most was Li Nai, who had a special relationship with the senior officials of Haihan. He not only chose to ride a horse on his own, but also rode side by side with General Haihan talking and laughing. This kind of treatment was unparalleled to all other members of the business group. No one can compare.
Of course, this is not the first time that Li Nai has gone on an expedition with the Haihan Army. The most recent one was probably the Spanish fleet's surprise attack on Victory Port in September last year. At that time, Li Nai witnessed the battle between the two armies from the lighthouse on the Yulin Peninsula. For him, watching the Haihan army fight was not as exciting as other businessmen, but it was also very interesting to be able to communicate with the Haihan generals on the battlefield and observe the process of them commanding the battle.
The Haihan military also mobilized a large number of troops for this patrol, and this mobilization obviously could not be completely hidden from Hou Jin's surveillance. Of course, Generals Haihan may have wanted to achieve this effect, so that Hou Jin could not restrain himself and took the initiative to send troops.
This time, Houjin's response was faster than the last time when the Jiangsu and Zhejiang merchant groups visited alone. The scouts quickly observed that Houjin had assembled at least three thousand-man cavalry teams in the northern wilderness. This required The number of troops that attacked the Jiangsu and Zhejiang merchant groups was several times higher than the last time. It's just that these movements of the Hou Jin Army were invisible under the observation of telescopes, and they all fell into the eyes of the Haihan Army.
"We're going to catch a big fish this time!" After Qian Tiandun heard the report from the scouts ahead, not much nervousness showed on his face, but he started talking to Harugong next to him in a very relaxed tone. joke.
Haru Kyouya smiled and said: "If the other side knew that we brought a dozen cannons out this time, they would probably give up all irrational ideas."
"They always hope to get lucky once, but they don't know that their offensive opportunities are deliberately created by us. No matter how hard they hit, they will only end up with a bloody head!" Qian Tiandun responded proudly. This set of tactics to lure the enemy to attack was originally formulated by the frontline headquarters and can be adjusted according to different conditions. Even if there is no business group bait, there are other ways to lure the Houjin Army in the north to take the initiative to attack. This kind of routine has been tried repeatedly by the Houjin Army, and it can cause a big blow to it every time.
Li Nai, who was following him, also chimed in: "Although this Jin man is fierce, in terms of tactics, he is not the enemy of Haihan! I just hope that they will not be timid before fighting, and they must send troops to fight."
"You are just afraid that the world will not be in chaos!" Qian Tiandun laughed and scolded: "Do you really think you won't die in a war?"
Li Nai said sternly: "It is the supreme honor of a soldier to open up new territory, wrap one's body in horse leather, and sacrifice one's life for the country. The Haihan Army has always relied on war to support war. It is said that it is fearless in war. How can it be greedy for life and fear of death! Besides, it can do so with minimal casualties. In exchange for victory in the battle, it is a good deal for Haihan, otherwise why would the leaders continue to use this tactic to attack the enemy? "
Li Nai didn't know much about the military, but he had a deep understanding of the thoughts of Haihan's senior officials. Since the Haihan military had such a large formation in Liaodong and deployed thousands of troops to confront Houjin here, the purpose was certainly not just to confront each other in the air. It is estimated that a big battle will not be fought. After all, Hou Jin's focus is on the Ming Dynasty west of the Bohai Bay, and he will not mobilize heavy troops to fight Haihan on the Liaodong Peninsula in a life-and-death battle that is destined to be fruitless. Small battles involving thousands of people will be the focus of the competition between the two sides. In other words, Haihan's method of bleeding Hou Jin is more accurate.
Throwing out some fighter planes from time to time to let the Houjin army see a glimmer of hope of changing the situation is Haihan's current main strategy to lure the enemy. Actively lure the enemy, wait for the enemy to attack, then quickly switch to a defensive posture, and rely on the previous weapons to cause a large number of casualties to the enemy. This is the Haihan Army's tactic, which is simple but very effective.
When the Hou Jin army began to gradually press forward in formation, Haihan immediately shrank the defense area accordingly, and the convoy where the merchant group was located also received an order to stop moving and began to build a defensive position around it.
This time, Haihan quietly hid more than a dozen artillery carriages on the south side of the team to accompany him. It was not until this time that the pack horses appeared in front of the formation. This kind of light field artillery can be converted and fired in only about two minutes at the fastest from moving to entering combat. It can be said to be an extremely convenient heavy field weapon. And the barrage that a dozen artillery pieces can create with grape bullets at a distance of a hundred meters, its huge lethality is by no means comparable to that of a rifle array.
In fact, the Houjin Army had suffered from this kind of field artillery many times in its battles with the Haihan Army. It was not that they were unaware of the power of this tactic, but they had never been able to find an effective means of attack. He could not blindly show weakness under Haihan's show of strength, so he could only bite the bullet and continue to fight this one-sided battle with Haihan's army whose equipment level was superior to him by unknown numbers.
The merchants of the Fuguang Merchant Group were obviously much calmer than the merchants of Jiangsu and Zhejiang who had seen the war scene. Even when they saw the cavalry of the Hou Jin Army gradually approaching, they did not make any noise. He Li noticed this situation and quietly asked Liu Shang if Fuguang merchants often had such opportunities to watch battles.
Liu Shang actually didn't know the details of this group of Fuguang merchants, but he had carefully studied the history of the Hai-Han War in the Sanya Municipal Library, and he could roughly guess why they were able to face the current scene relatively calmly.
"A few years ago, the Haihan army fought against the Shibazhi and the Dutch in the Fujian Strait. Almost all the pro-Haihan maritime merchants along the coast of Fuzhou and Guangzhou sent ships to transport Haihan troops, food, wounded soldiers and prisoners. To put it bluntly, This shouldn't be the first time for these people to be on the battlefield, so of course they will be calmer." Liu Shang explained to He Li according to his own understanding.
He Li had heard the story of Haihan raising thousands of troops to cross the Fujian Strait and attack Penghu and Taiwan Island, but he didn't know that many civilian ships also joined the battle. But if you think about it carefully, this explanation is reasonable. After all, even if the Ming Dynasty navy is dispatched to kill pirates, it will recruit a large number of civilians to serve as logistical force. It is understandable for Haihan to do this. However, what he didn't know was that Haihan's ability to recruit civilian ships from Fuguang was inseparable from the strong support of the local government. Haihan's own influence alone could not achieve such an effect.
(End of chapter)