Chapter 2078
Although not much valuable information was obtained from Kim Sang-hyun, the arrangement of a supply port on Jeju Island was basically finalized through this meeting, so the work was not in vain. At this time, seven or eight days have passed since the Datongjiang Base received the notice from Sanya. The staff department has also formulated a rough action plan, and the ships can be arranged to set off after Wang Tom's approval.
Chen Yixin also sent a telegram from Lushun, informing him of the inspection mission carried out in the waters near Kyushu, Japan. However, his mission at that time was not to prepare for war, so he generally only took a quick look at it, and his understanding of the local area could not be said to be very deep.
However, Chen Yixin specifically pointed out in the telegram that there were many Japanese pirate armed forces entrenched on the Goto Islands west of Kyushu back then. Times have changed, and whether these Japanese pirate armed forces are still operating in this sea area is something to pay attention to.
Considering that the operation at this stage is only for the purpose of reconnaissance, Wang Tom does not intend to send an established armed fleet to the local area. Instead, he will use light reconnaissance ships as the main force and only send a few exploration-class light warships as assistance. Such a configuration can also make the North Koreans feel more at ease. After all, the Haihan Navy has not deployed in large numbers, and the possibility of causing trouble on Jeju Island is low.
This reconnaissance operation not only deployed the navy, Qian Tiandun's special operations group also participated. This is not because Wang Tom kindly wants to share the credit with Qian Tiandun's men, but that there are several Japanese officers in the special operations group represented by Takahashi Minami who joined the army early, and they can play a role in such reconnaissance missions. .
These Japanese officers were all captured in the attack on Port Victory. They were basically down-and-out samurai from poor family backgrounds who had drifted overseas. At that time, they were able to be selected as soldiers by the military mainly because they had certain combat capabilities, and they also had the willingness to serve Haihan mainly and be loyal to Haihan.
The implementation proved that the military's decision at that time was correct. It was among these prisoners of war who surrendered to Haihan that outstanding officers like Takahashi Minami emerged, who made great contributions to the development and growth of Haihan.
Today, the origins of Takahashi Minami and others no longer have any problems. The language and living habits they use in daily life have been completely Haihanized. Their Japanese origins have been greatly influenced by the Haihan Army's many years of overseas campaigns. It rarely works, so many people don't even know that they are naturalized Japanese people.
Qian Tiandun did not let Takahashi Minami go out personally, but sent Shiro Amakusa, who is currently serving in the staff of the special operations group, to carry out this task. When Chen Yixin led the team to reconnoiter the Kitakyushu area, Shiro Amakusa was also in the team. Amakusa Shiro himself was born in Kyushu, so his understanding of the local environment was unparalleled among the Kaihan Army, and he was suitable for carrying out this mission.
As for the Navy, Major Yuan Zhi, who is in charge of maritime reconnaissance operations of the Northern Fleet, serves as the commander. Although Major Yuan is not well-known in the military, he has participated in many combat operations. Starting from the Haihan Army's attack on Zhoushan in 1634, Yuan Zhi basically participated in almost all military operations carried out by the navy on the northern coast of the Ming Dynasty. The reason why he is not well-known is simply because the reconnaissance missions he engages in rarely have the same outstanding military exploits as the combat troops, and there is little chance of gaining public attention.
But for the navy, the reconnaissance link during combat is indispensable, and the risk of performing such tasks in an unfamiliar environment is no lower than on a frontal battlefield. Moreover, in order to keep the reconnaissance sailing ship at a high speed, the ship is rarely equipped with heavy weapons such as naval guns and hull armor. Only individual weapons such as muskets are used for last-minute self-defense. If you encounter an enemy at sea, it is generally They will not seek combat and can only evacuate to protect themselves.
The reconnaissance ship currently used by the Navy is a sailfish-class light sailing ship with a displacement of less than 100 tons. This light sailing ship is specially used to perform fast shipping and reconnaissance missions. It was developed by the maritime department as early as 1628. After it was officially put into service, it was based on Based on the Navy's feedback, three modifications were made based on the prototype ship.
Today, the Sailfish-class C-type light sailing ship is in service in the Northern Fleet. It is also the latest improved model, with a maximum speed of more than fifteen knots. Because this kind of sailboat has some special technical requirements in terms of ship materials, structure and manufacturing technology, it can only be built at the Shengli Port Shipyard in Sanya, so the number currently in service is extremely limited. Because the Northern Fleet is in a war zone and needs to perform more combat missions on a daily basis, it gave priority to obtaining this new model of sailboat with more powerful performance.
During last year's battle with the Qing army, this kind of sailfish reconnaissance ship was dispatched several times to conduct deep reconnaissance of the enemy in the Yalu River. In the later stages of the war, it was also used as a logistics support ship to transport the wounded. The most recent dispatch was two months ago, when the Marine Corps entered the Qing-occupied areas to search for the Musketeers, in which the Sailfish reconnaissance ship also played an indispensable role.
After carefully reviewing the combat plan submitted by the staff department, Wang Tom finally approved a small fleet consisting of two swordfish-class reconnaissance ships, two exploration-class warships, and two comprehensive supply ships to go south to perform this reconnaissance mission. The reconnaissance fleet is led by Yuan Zhi and Amakusa Shiro as the chief and deputy commanders respectively. The fleet carries a set of radio equipment to facilitate communication with the Datong River base.
Since this fleet will also be temporarily stationed in Jeju Island during its mission, the North Korean military also sent a senior military attache to participate in the operation in order to properly arrange the logistics support affairs of Haehan's small fleet in Jeju Island. Of course, by the way, you can also monitor the actions of Haihan's fleet nearby to see if there are any irregularities, and at the same time find out what kind of methods Haihan wants to take against Japan.
The military attachés sent by the North Korean military are also of a low rank. This officer named Shen Xueyi is a Habayashi Guard General with an official rank of second rank. He is the son of the current military judge Shen Jingzhen. Shen Xueyi also participated in the battle with the Qing army last year, and had been cooperating with the navy and Han army at the Datong River base for a while, so he was relatively familiar with the garrison generals at the Datong River base.
Shen Xueyi rushed to the Datong River base to rendezvous and informed the Haihan military that it had obtained permission from the king to temporarily borrow the port and was willing to take the initiative to bear half of the supply costs.
Such a statement can be regarded as quite informed. Not only did it provide ports and supplies to the Haehan fleet, but it also took the initiative to bear half of the costs. Making such a statement is probably because Kim Sang-heon was worried that Haehan was not satisfied with his previous attitude. This comes as compensation. Of course, there is no need for Kim Sang-hyun to worry about local supplies, nor does he need to dig into his own pocket to fill the hole. After a decree from Seoul is sent, local officials can only find ways to deal with related expenses on their own.
Of course, Wang Tom had nothing to fault about this. The Koreans were unwilling to take the initiative to provoke Japan for various reasons, and Haihan could not force them. But as long as Haihan's requirements can be met in terms of logistical support, it can be regarded as a deal.
One day in late March, this reconnaissance fleet slowly left the dock of the Datong River base and sailed south along the river bank to the mission area.
It was not until after departure that Shen Xueyi was allowed to look at the chart used for this mission, on which the rough route and area of action had been marked with a red marker.
"Because the higher authorities have extremely high confidentiality requirements for this operation, I did not show you the relevant marching route map and action plan before departure. I hope General Shen will not blame you." Yuan Zhi spread out the chart and asked Shen Xueyi Explain the previous arrangement. Shen Xueyi said hurriedly: "This operation must be of great importance, that's why we have this request. I should cooperate. General Yuan, you don't have to be polite."
Shen Xueyi looked at the chart carefully and realized that the target area of the Haihan Army's trip was near Kitakyushu, Japan. As a senior military officer, he was no stranger to this area, so he immediately asked: "Is your army going to attack Hirado or Nagasaki?"
Yuan Zhi shook his head and said: "We don't have such plans yet. We are just going to reconnoiter the situation in that sea area this time. As for the subsequent plans, that is something to be considered by the above."
Shen Xueyi said to himself that you have all started to send ships there to survey the terrain and environment. It cannot be just to send merchant ships there to do business, right? He knew that Nagasaki and Hirado were the only two trading ports in Japan currently open to foreign merchants. If a war broke out in these two ports, Japan's foreign trade would be immediately interrupted. I don't know how they provoked the Haihan people over there, but they actually made Haihan plan to send troops to solve the problem. I'm afraid they will suffer a lot.
Yuan Zhi asked: "Does General Shen know anything about this area?"
Shen Xueyi said: "I have never been to Japan. Some of the things I know are from hearsay, but there is nothing special."
Before Shen Xueyi set out, his father, Shen Jingzhen, warned him to keep a low profile in front of the Haihan people. He also kept this in mind and was very cautious when dealing with Yuan Zhi and Amakusa Shiro.
Yuan Zhi originally didn't have much hope for Shen Xueyi, but he just wanted to give it a try with the idea of hitting it with a date but without a date. If we really want to talk about local knowledge, I am afraid Amakusa Shiro, who was born in Kyushu, has a better say.
In the eyes of Shen Xueyi, apart from his name, Shiro Amakusa was completely different from the Japanese in his impression. He was obviously a typical Haihan talent. But Shin Xueyi also realized that the reason why Amakusa Shiro participated in this operation was probably mainly because he was of Japanese descent and could provide more information during the operation.
However, Amakusa Shiro was also a man of few words and did not make any expression at the moment. For him, his career and family are now in Haihan, and he has not been back to his hometown for more than ten years, and there are not many things there that he can remember about so many years.
If it weren't for the requirements of this mission, Amakusa Shiro would actually be reluctant to mention his Japanese origin. He prefers his current identity as a Haihan officer who is respected wherever he goes, rather than the Japanese samurai who was so destitute that he could only live overseas as a pirate. He even wanted to change his name at one point and use a Han surname to mark his identity. However, Takahashi Minami told him that this change did not make much sense. No matter whether they used a Japanese surname or a Han surname, nowadays They are all Haihan nationals, and what matters is nationality rather than surname.
Although Amakusa Shiro did not completely agree with Takahashi Minami's opinion, he finally gave up his plan to change his name and gave his children the surname Amakusa. But if he was asked to return to Japan and resume his previous identity, he would never accept it. Therefore, when faced with topics about Japan, he just listened quietly and did not join in the discussion.
Shen Xueyi asked: "It is said that the two light sailing ships dispatched this time are extremely fast, so why don't we take those two ships and rush to Jeju Island as soon as possible, and we can squeeze out more time to make arrangements before the action."
Yuan Zhi smiled and said: "General Shen has never been on a sailfish sailboat, that's why he asked this question. In fact, the reason is very simple, that is, the riding experience on that sailboat is not very good."
In order to pursue speed, one of the main technical measures taken by the Sailfish-class light sailing ship is to reduce the total weight of the ship by reducing various non-essential facilities on the ship. In addition to the cancellation of all heavy weapons such as naval guns, some living facilities are also Simplified to the maximum extent possible, a long journey at sea on a sailfish sailboat is not a pleasant journey.
So on the way south, several senior officers took the exploration-class warship. At least there was room on the ship for them to sit down for meetings, lie down and rest. The voyage was relatively smoother, so they could save a little money on the way. physical strength.
According to the action plan, they will stay for about two days to rest after arriving in Jeju Island, and then head east to the Kyushu region before setting off again. During the operation, they will complete maritime reconnaissance of the Goto Islands, Kitakyushu, Hirado Island, Iki Island, and Tsushima Island, especially the two trading ports of Hirado and Nagasaki. This reconnaissance operation will be key goals.
Of course, if it is just maritime reconnaissance, it may be difficult to confirm the current status of the Eighteen Shiba Party in the Hirado Domain. Therefore, if a suitable opportunity can be found, people may be sent ashore into the area to collect first-hand intelligence. And the person suitable to carry out this task is probably Shiro Amakusa.
Three days later, the horizon of Jeju Island appeared in the sight of the lookout soldiers. The outline of Halla Mountain on the island is very conspicuous, and you can easily confirm that this place is Jeju Island from a distance.
However, the supply port requested by Wang Tom must be on the south side of the island, so that it can be closer to the area where the reconnaissance will be carried out later. Therefore, the fleet has to continue to go south around the island to reach the temporary supply port provided by North Korea.
(End of chapter)