Chapter 1792 Going to North Korea
Activities such as military exercises were naturally held occasionally by the Zhejiang Ming Army in the past. The naval fleet sailed in formation on the Qiantang River outside Hangzhou to be reviewed by senior officials. This was once a popular event for the people of Zhejiang, but compared with the scale of the Haihan military exercises seen today, officials will inevitably be confused. I felt that the military exercises I had seen in the past were a bit of a show. Fully displaying attack methods like the Haihan Fleet allows viewers to realize the true strength of an army, which seems to be what military exercises should be like.
Of course, if the Haihan people really have any ill intentions, and the fleet that just carried out the exercise in Hangzhou Bay is determined to rush into the Qiantang River to cause trouble, then the more than 20 warships assembled in advance on the upper river by the Zhejiang Capital Commander should not be able to stop it. The Han people who live in Hainan will most likely become cannon fodder under the opponent's firepower.
Fortunately, the Haihan people really didn't seem to have any thoughts of overstepping the rules. After the rounds of shelling near Yehuangpan Island, they gathered up the team and left Hangzhou Bay and headed north, without causing any complications as the officials feared. The officials who had been hanging in the air finally breathed a long sigh of relief, and began to praise Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo, for his meritorious service in negotiating with Haihan, and for single-handedly maintaining stability and peace in Zhejiang.
Zhejiang official circles mostly affirmed Qu Yutong's mediating role in this incident. They believed that if he had not communicated with the Haihan people in time, even if the Haihan people had no bad intentions, this military exercise would have been ruined. The social order in Zhejiang was in chaos. The various news released by the Ningbo government quickly calmed down the public sentiment, and invited officials from various states to observe and supervise Haihan's military exercises, which indeed effectively calmed people's hearts. Even if some people have other ideas about Qu Yutong's position as prefect, they have to admit that if it were him, he might not be able to handle things as properly as Qu Yutong did.
Of course, it is not that no one has doubts about the origin of Haihan's military exercise. They even associate this suspicion with Qu Yutong. They think that the Ningbo government can respond so quickly to Haihan's military exercise. In fact, there are reasons. Suspected of collaborating to cause trouble. However, this suspicion did not have any actual evidence, and it could not explain the direct benefits to Qu Yutong, so this doubt was quickly buried in the continuous praise.
The statement that was quickly and generally accepted by the public came from the Ningbo government office, saying that the reason why Haihan arranged military exercises at this juncture was mainly because a group of troops happened to be going to the north to change defenses, and there were warships from several other countries accompanying them. It was decided to arrange this exercise in Hangzhou Bay so that this multinational force could have better collaborative combat capabilities.
The Zhoushan authorities also gave an explanation for the reason why the exercise location was arranged in Hangzhou Bay. On the one hand, it is because it is relatively close to Zhoushan Dinghai Port, so it is convenient for Haihan to clean up this sea area beforehand to prevent private ships from accidentally entering. On the other hand, it is It was also considered to be convenient for officials from nearby Linhai prefectures and counties to go to sea to watch this military exercise. The invitation of these officials was also to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings caused by the military exercise near the Daming coast. The reasons Haihan gave were high-sounding, and his actions were hard to fault. Although it was suspected of being disrespectful to the Zhejiang government for not asking for instructions beforehand, no one dared to put this charge on Haihan. Otherwise, could the Haihan people really be punished?
For the Zhejiang government, as long as there is peace, Haihan's minor problems can be tolerated. As for the destination of this huge Haihan fleet after it goes north, most officials will not be overly concerned. Even if there is any trouble later, it is not Zhejiang's trouble, and there is no need to worry about taking the blame.
Not to mention these outsiders, even within the Haihan Army, most people were notified one after another after leaving Hangzhou Bay. The destination of the fleet was not Liaodong or Shandong, but North Korea, which was separated from the Ming Dynasty by the Yellow Sea, and It is possible that he will be stationed in North Korea for a period of time and perform some special combat missions.
As for who the opponent is, the Fleet Command still has not released more detailed information, but this cannot be hidden from the people who are interested. Most of the troops heading north this time have served in the north and have a relatively good understanding of the international situation in Northeast Asia. It is not difficult to guess who else in this area is qualified to be Haihan's opponent.
Ming Dynasty and North Korea established diplomatic relations with Haihan last year, and North Korea secretly concluded a military alliance with Haihan. The common enemy of the Ming Dynasty, North Korea, and Haihan Kingdom was the Qing Dynasty, which occupied the Liaodong region. They had fought against this opponent several times in Jinzhou before, and the Haihan Army basically took the initiative. However, because of its limited strength, it could no longer continue to push the front northward and could only maintain a long-term confrontation with it on the Jinzhou Isthmus front.
The enemy, who had been given buffer time, did not rest in the past year. They built a large number of earth and stone bunkers on their defense lines, and gradually connected these bunkers with sections of defensive walls, forming a defensive wall several miles deep. The densely fortified area was stationed with heavy troops, and many artillery pieces brought to Liaodong by the Ming rebels were even deployed. Even if the Haihan Army has heavy firepower, it will not be easy to defeat this kind of defense line in a short time.
Some people immediately speculated that the Ministry of National Defense might want to try to open a second battlefield outside Jinzhou and launch an offensive against the Qing Dynasty from North Korea, using North Korea as the rear to reduce the pressure on logistical supplies. However, this possibility soon attracted refutation, arguing that there was no need for the Ministry of National Defense to divide its forces while taking the initiative. It would be easier to achieve results by concentrating its forces on the Liaodong Peninsula, which was far more suitable for rapidly advancing the front than the rolling mountainous areas across the North Korean border.
Regarding the war in Liaodong, these troops who have performed combat missions there before naturally have the most say. However, for the newly joined foreign troops, the far north is still a completely unfamiliar area. Zheng Ting, Xi Mang, and Xu Yuzhuo have recently spent more time on the Haihan flagship than on their own ship. Wang Tom had to specially arrange cabins for them on the flagship in order to accommodate them. Be able to familiarize yourself with the land and sea maps of the Yellow Sea area as soon as possible so that you can perform to your due level in the next war.
The three generals were shocked by the detailed map information Haihan had in his hands. They really couldn't understand why Haihan could master the maps of North Korea and the Qing Dynasty, but this seemed to confirm Haihan's knowledge from the side. How did the Han Dynasty achieve consecutive battles and victories in the war launched in the unfamiliar territory of Liaodong?
Wang Tom promised them without hesitation that the map in his hand was even more detailed than the official maps of the two countries, which gave the coalition generals a little more confidence in the future war. However, the North Korean diplomat who boarded the ship from Zhoushan to join the fleet did not know such details. This official named Jin Sangjiu was a diplomatic envoy stationed in Zhoushan last year and was mainly responsible for business work. The trade between North Korea and Haihan and the Ming Dynasty's Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions was basically completed at Dinghai Port in Zhoushan, and Jin Shangjiu handled money and goods delivery here on behalf of North Korean officials. It was a relatively easy and lucrative job.
This time Li Xi invited Haihan reinforcements from Sanya to go north. He had also notified Jin Shangjiu, who was stationed in Zhoushan, through Haihan's official radio station, and asked him to serve as a guide and personally accompany the Haihan fleet to the north. After Jin Sangjiu saw this fleet in Dinghai Port, he was so excited that tears filled his eyes, saying that North Korea might be saved by this. Before setting off from Zhoushan, Jin Shangjiu personally pledged a hundred pieces of gauze produced in Suzhou to serve as military supplies for the supporting troops.
Although Kim Sang-jiu also lives on the fleet flagship, because he is not a military attache, he is generally not arranged to participate in combat preparation meetings held by the coalition headquarters. This will only happen if certain decisions related to North Korea are made in the meeting. Notify him. Although Jin Shangjiu was a little dissatisfied with this, he did not dare to question Wang Tom for fear of offending the "savior" who had finally been invited.
Of course, Wang Tom deliberately made such an arrangement and found a reason to exclude Jin Shangjiu so that the generals could have less scruples when formulating the battle plan. In fact, there are some subtle differences between Wang Tom's ideas and the purpose of the executive committee in sending troops to North Korea this time. The Executive Committee had prepared for the worst and wanted to slow down the fall of Korea by sending troops. However, what Wang Tom considered was more from a military perspective, how to make good use of the limited troops on hand to create an impact on the Qing army. A relatively strong blow.
To do this, Tom Wang cannot think too much about the feelings of North Koreans. What he needs is North Korea's obedience and solid logistical support. As for what the war will do to this country, and whether North Korean troops should be used as cannon fodder if necessary, these arrangements naturally let the North Koreans know as little as possible. . Not to mention Jin Shangjiu, after arriving in North Korea, Wang Tom also planned to do the same and continue to let the North Koreans do as they were told.
Now that there are dozens of warships from Annan, Portugal, and Fujian navies in the fleet, Wang Tom has a lot more maritime maneuvering power at his disposal, and the tactics that can be used are naturally richer. Based on the intelligence he continued to receive from the north along the way, Wang Tom also made some adjustments to the action plan initially formulated in Sanya. Since the Qing army had not yet sent troops south to invade North Korea, the time left for his side to act was more generous than expected. You can plan in detail whether you can snipe the Qing army near the North Korean border - this will definitely be much less difficult than stopping the Qing army in North Korea.
In addition to Portugal, almost all senior officers of the Annan and Fujian navies have received military training from Haihan. Zheng Ting and Xu Yuzhuo have also studied naval command-related subjects at the military academy in Sanya. For amphibious landings and offshore He is also familiar with conventional tactics in environments such as raiding, seizing and defending islands, and blocking river estuaries. Therefore, he can generally understand General Haihan's intentions relatively quickly during combat preparation meetings, and can put forward some questions and suggestions.
Simao from Portugal is having a harder time. Although he also understands Chinese and even fought side by side with Haihan Navy for a period of time during the Battle of Manila, in terms of the degree of integration into Haihan's tactical system, he is better than Haihan in any case. There are no "direct lineage" generals like Zheng Ting and Xu Yuzhuo. For many of the tactical arrangements listed by Wang Tom at the meeting, those two were able to understand them at a glance, but Xi Mang needed Wang Tom to explain them in more detail before they could slowly digest them, and the progress was far inferior to the other two.
Simang is also very troubled by this. The combat environment this time going north is very different from the last time he fought the Spanish in the South China Sea. The combat operations will not be limited to a specific area like the Battle of Manila. The entire Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea may be affected. Become a battlefield. The tactics required are also very different. The Qing army may not have any established maritime armed forces that can fight, but the strength and mobility of its army are incomparable to the coalition forces heading north this time. of. If this force that went to North Korea to serve as reinforcements wanted to achieve anything, it had to be very flexible in its tactics, rather than the offensive and defensive battles around a city like Manila.
Ximang has no doubts about the combat capabilities of the Haihan Army, but if the troops under his command cannot keep up with the Haihan Army's pace, or cannot well cooperate with the Haihan Army's combat intentions, they may become a hindrance on the battlefield. existence, this was an unacceptable situation for him. But judging from the current situation, it may be difficult for the Portuguese fleet to integrate into Haihan's combat system like the other two fleets. It is likely to be assigned to complete some less important tasks, such as transporting logistics supplies for combat troops. Class errands.
But this is not the purpose of Simao's troops coming to the north. After the Battle of Manila, Portugal must once again prove to Haihan that it has the ability to become Haihan's most reliable partner in a larger area. It is necessary to allow Portugal to Establish new trade routes in Northeast Asia. But if this fleet traveled all the way to North Korea and was just here to serve as a logistics supply fleet, then it is self-evident what attitude the Haihan Executive Committee would have towards Portugal's request for a new route after the war.
Therefore, Xi Mang was holding back his strength and did not want Tom Wang to underestimate his troops. Fortunately, the Portuguese performed very bravely and decisively in the Battle of Manila, which left a deep impression on Wang Tom and other generals. Therefore, despite Simang's various discomforts during the combat preparation meeting on the way north, Wang Tom and others still It showed enough patience and trust, and was not in a hurry to adjust the combat missions originally responsible for the Portuguese fleet.
On the afternoon of the third day after leaving Hangzhou Bay, the leading force of the northbound fleet had entered the waters of Jeju Island at the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula. However, the local area of Jeju Island did not seem to receive the notice. After discovering this huge fleet, the fishing boats and merchants offshore chose to quickly return to port to avoid the limelight.
(End of chapter)