Chapter 2101
"This military parade on Zhoushan Island is mainly divided into two parts: sea and land. The army will pass in front of the stand later. There are not many people, but the Haihan people's muskets and cannons can be seen. The armed fleet will leave from the sea later. If it is the main force, then the scene will be different. Everyone should pay attention. There is really no chance to see the Haihan Navy dispatched in a group. "
Sitting next to Ma Zhengping was a talkative man who enthusiastically took the initiative to introduce the military parade to his neighbors. It seemed that this was not his first time participating in this event.
Ma Zhengping said: "It seems that I have met you many times, brother?"
The man nodded and replied: "I dare not say more, but there are still three or four times. The size of the navy and Han army stationed in Zhoushan is getting bigger every year, and the military parade is still very interesting. Brother, if it is the first Once you see it, it’s the right time.”
After Ma Zhengping chatted with him, he learned that this businessman named Xuan Xiangming was a native of Ningbo Prefecture. He had come to Zhoushan Island to do textile business with the Haihan people in the seventh year of Chongzhen. Now he comes here seven or eight times a year, and in The island also has its own business store, which can be regarded as Haihan's senior trading partner.
Ma Zhengping came in a hurry this time and did not find a guide or the like in advance. He happened to have many questions about Haihan that he could not find anyone to answer. The appearance of Xuan Xiangming suddenly solved his troubles, almost. Answering all questions gave Ma Zhengping a general understanding of the situation of the Zhoushan garrison.
Of course, Xuan Xiangming is just a businessman and not a professional espionage officer, so his understanding of the Zhoushan garrison comes mostly from his continuous observation over the past few years, as well as the information he learned after contacting some Haihan officials. It's a military secret, so if you say it in such a public place, you don't have to worry about being investigated and punished by the Haihan people.
Haihan's troops currently stationed on Zhoushan Island are mainly composed of the East China Sea Fleet. The strength and organization of the entire fleet are naturally military secrets, and it is difficult for the outside world to know the specific numbers. However, there is also an infantry battalion of the Haihan Army stationed on Zhoushan Island. This is not a secret. After all, during the National Day military parade every year, the Army troops appear in front of the public under the name of the infantry battalion. According to the establishment of the Haihan Army, a battalion has about 500 to 800 people, so the size of the army troops stationed on the island is semi-public information.
Of course, even if the nearby coastal state capitals knew that the Haihan Army stationed on Zhoushan Island did not have many troops, they would not have any other ideas, because civil and military officials knew very well that the Haihan Navy could blockade Hangzhou Bay at the slightest disagreement. The powerful power is what really makes them afraid. Any armed force that wants to attack Zhoushan Island must first pass the Haihan Navy. As for the Ming Navy navy in the coastal state capitals of Zhejiang, except for Hangzhou, which still maintains a certain scale of troops, the other state capitals basically have only written establishments.
As long as the Haihan army did not take the initiative to attack the Ming Dynasty and send troops to invade the mainland, the coastal states would also tacitly pretend to be deaf and dumb to the existence of the Haihan army on Zhoushan Island. After all, under the lucrative current situation, no one wanted to Take the initiative to break this balance.
Although the action taken by the Zhoushan garrison against the Yangzhou salt merchants caused a lot of casualties in the local area, the personnel involved in the action had never identified themselves locally, and the party that suffered the loss did not dare to take the initiative to report it to the government because of the secret possession of weapons. Therefore, Yangzhou Prefecture pretended that nothing happened. Even if it knew that Haihan people were involved, it had no intention of holding Zhoushan accountable.
Of course, Ma Zhengping was sure that the civil and military officials in Yangzhou Prefecture also understood that if they asked the Zhoushan authorities for an explanation, they would most likely be ignored and would simply lose face. As for sending troops to ask for trouble, local officials probably have not considered it at all. Doing nothing is the best way to deal with it, so in the past few months, no one has come to Zhoushan to trouble Haihan because of the Yangzhou incident.
Because Zhoushan Island has the Haihan garrison to provide comprehensive protection, the trading environment here is naturally extremely safe. Businessmen, whether they are doing legal business or operating trend trade, are willing to come to Dinghaiport for transactions. The annual Haihan National Day celebrations and related military parades also gave these businessmen enough confidence in the safe environment here to trust their wealth here boldly.
"When doing business here, you really don't have to worry about being targeted by bad guys with ulterior motives?" Ma Zhengping asked a question that he was very concerned about. He knew that officials like Yang Yun would definitely not get a true answer to this question, but perhaps Xuan Xiangming, who was very familiar with Zhoushan Island, could tell him the truth.
"Brother, look around. There are Haihan soldiers watching everywhere here! Don't forget, this is Zhoushan Island!" Too long! The Haihan people have their own set of strict laws and will not punish prisoners according to Ming law. Once they are convicted of a serious crime, they will be forcibly sent to work as hard labor overseas. It may be difficult for even the bones to return home after death. Some people Dare to take such a risk? Besides, there are many legitimate opportunities to make money here. It’s not difficult to find ways to make money if you use your brain, so why take risks?”
Although places like Zhoushan were known as free ports before Haihan occupied them, various armed forces were entrenched on the islands, and the dragons and snakes were mixed together. In fact, the transaction risks were extremely high. After Haihan occupied this place, he re-established the trading rules and used the army to maintain social order on the island. In just a few years, this place became one of the most important trading ports on the eastern coast of the Ming Dynasty.
Haihan officials know very well what kind of trading environment can attract more merchants, and safety is an essential factor. Dinghaiport's good and stable public security environment and comprehensive security system are indeed very attractive to merchants. Their goods and money will receive effective official protection on the island, and anyone who tries to challenge the public order will be severely punished by the officials. Therefore, to the outside world, the troops stationed on Zhoushan Island seem to symbolize the military pressure exerted by Haihan, but for these businessmen, the Haihan Army is a guarantee of order and security, and a powerful force that can provide them with shelter.
As for hostility towards Haihan, some people may have it, but in the face of huge interests, the vast majority of people who come to the island will choose to compromise, and then slowly be smoothed away by the powerful strength displayed by Haihan. As for the few people who are unhappy and must do something to feel comfortable, most of them are just like Xuan Xiangming said. After being caught and convicted by Haihan, they were directly sent to other places overseas to serve their sentences, and their whereabouts are completely unknown. information.
Ma Zhengping is a smart man. After listening to Xuan Xiangming's explanation, he roughly understood the reason. The other party spoke so highly of Zhoushan, which further confirmed Ma Zhengping's idea of buying a property here.
He was about to learn more about the regulations on purchasing property on the island, when Xuan Xiangming raised his hand and pointed into the distance and said: "Look, look, the Haihan Army team is coming out!"
When the real host appeared, Ma Zhengping quickly gathered his thoughts and returned his attention to the current military parade. Before he came to Zhoushan, he had never seen the formation of the Haihan Army. After arriving on the island, he only saw some soldiers here and there. Until now, he had witnessed the style of the Haihan Army traveling in formation. A red and blue flag fluttered at the front of the team, followed by a marching formation with Haihan characteristics. The muskets in the hands of all the soldiers were inserted with shining bayonets. This made the entire phalanx stand out from a distance. They look more like traditional spearmen than firearms troops.
The people on the side of the road kept cheering, but they still couldn't cover up the unified footsteps of the army's phalanxes. If the road hadn't been sprinkled with water in advance, I believe the road would have been dusty by now.
Ma Zhengping had also seen the Ming army's drills when he was in Yangzhou. He had to admit that in terms of marching alone, the Haihan army's phalanx marched neatly and was indeed better than the Ming army. However, if he knew a little bit about military affairs, he would know that this gap is not surprising. The Haihan Army is mainly composed of musketeers. Maintaining an orderly formation during the march is a compulsory course, and the requirements for this are much higher than those of the Ming Army. There are many, so if they can outperform the Ming army, it is just a matter of cleaning up. Of course, this kind of neat formation that has been practiced for a long time is very visually impactful, and it is perfect to put it in this kind of military parade that shows force.
At this time, Shi Diwen and his officials had already stood up first, and other spectators in the stands also stood up after seeing this. Although Ma Zhengping didn't know why, he saw everyone standing up next to him, so he stood up too. Then he saw the army phalanx changing the pace of their march as they passed through the stands, shouting some kind of slogan at the same time, and Shi Diwen also raised his hand to salute the phalanx in the audience. It seemed to be a unique review process of the Haihan Army.
Ma Zhengping's attention has been attracted by the team behind the phalanx, which is composed of packhorses pulling several army field guns. Although the army on the island only has one battalion, it has quite a lot of artillery, ranging from the smallest 85mm caliber light artillery to the 155mm large-caliber cannon. The team even used four horses to pull a 235mm caliber cannon. siege artillery as a suppressing force. Of course, a siege cannon like this is basically just a scare prop. If the Zhoushan garrison was not assigned the task of attacking a fortified city, they probably would not have the opportunity to use this level of heavy weapons.
Although they are just being pulled by horses and swaggering through the market, this does not prevent the audience who see these artillery from beginning to imagine the scene of these weapons showing their power on the battlefield. Most people who often come to Zhoushan Island have heard through various channels that the Haihan Army severely damaged the Qing army on the battlefield in Liaodong. The large number of artillery installed in the Haihan Army has also been attached with a mysterious color, and various exaggerated There were endless rumors, but all of them turned the Haihan Army's artillery into a powerful weapon that could destroy the world.
Although Ma Zhengping lives in Yangzhou, he has heard more or less such rumors. However, he personally does not believe in the authenticity of these rumors. He believes that although the Haihan Army is strong in combat, it should not be as strong as the rumors. Otherwise, using these powerful weapons to invade the capital of the Qing Dynasty and destroy it once and for all will not be possible. , why bother fighting the Qing army in Liaodong for many years?
But when he actually saw these dark steel weapons slowly passing in front of the stands, goosebumps still appeared on Ma Zhengping's back. Although he had never actually seen artillery combat, he subconsciously felt that the power of this weapon was indeed beyond the power of human beings.
After the artillery team passed the stands, all the reviewing troops affiliated with the army had already appeared. Followed closely by the militia troops on Zhoushan Island, there is only a square formation of less than 200 people. This formation is much worse than the professional soldiers in front, but in Ma Zhengping's view, it should also be the same as the Ming army. The level of performance is quite good.
However, the people on the roadside opposite the stands did not lose their enthusiasm at all because these people were militiamen. Instead, they cheered even louder. Ma Zhengping didn't know the secret, so he asked Xuan Xiangming next to him for advice.
Xuan Xiangming said: "The Haihan troops stationed on the island are all transferred from other places, and these militiamen are mostly selected from the local islanders. The people watching opposite include many of their relatives and friends, so naturally the noise will be louder. Bigger.”
Ma Zhengping suddenly realized this, and then asked: "Will these militiamen be transformed into a formal navy and Han army in the future?"
Xuan Xiangming nodded and said: "Brother, I can see clearly that some of the best among them will indeed be selected by the army, and this is one of the main reasons why they become militiamen."
Ma Zhengping said in surprise: "Why is this? Could it be that the military pay of the Haihan Army is extremely high?"
Xuan Xiangming said: "As long as you join the Haihan Army, you will automatically obtain Haihan nationality immediately, and you will have land and buildings. As for the military salary, it will be calculated separately. Do you think this condition is very attractive?"< br>
Ma Zhengping was quite surprised after hearing this. He also knew that Haihan had been recruiting immigrants from Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, but he did not expect that Haihan would give soldiers such high treatment that these people would give up their nationality to work for those soldiers. Haihan served as a soldier. The Ming Dynasty would definitely not be able to provide such high military benefits, and probably only the wealthy Haihan Kingdom could operate in this way.
However, Ma Zhengping did not know that the land allocated by Haihan to these military immigrants would not be cashed in until their service terms expired, unless their families were willing to obey the allocation and immediately move to the south to settle down. Moreover, these fields are not located in the Ming Dynasty, but in immigrant villages far away in various parts of the South China Sea. Most of the land that can be allocated is not cultivated land, but wasteland that needs to be cultivated and cultivated by oneself. Its actual value cannot be used as a standard for the fields in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. .
Of course, even with many restrictions, this is still very attractive to people who have no property and are eager to own their own land and real estate. Therefore, among the immigrants recruited from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions every year, a considerable number of young adults choose to enlist in the army to obtain such treatment. Some of them will stay on Zhoushan Island as militiamen, but in fact these people are basically selected by Shi Diwen. Most of the personnel intercepted later will directly supplement the establishment of the East China Sea Fleet in the future.
(End of chapter)