Chapter 2105
In fact, the North Korean court made such a decision, which was partly due to helplessness. The request that Haehan informed at the beginning was only for North Korea to provide Seogwipo as a temporary supply port, and it was only intended to be used briefly for a few days. Such a request naturally made the North Koreans unable to refuse, and they could only ask Jeju Mu to cooperate as much as possible.
Although they knew that Haihan's reconnaissance operation against Japan was most likely to prepare for the subsequent war, North Korea was very optimistic that a war would not break out in the near future. Unexpectedly, just a few days later, Wang Tom informed Seoul that Due to changes in the situation, the naval fleet stationed in Daedong River will go south to perform military missions. During this period, Seogwipo Port will be needed as a logistics center. The estimated period is thirty to sixty days.
Haihan's notice left no option for North Korea to refuse. Although North Korea had no intention of going to war with Japan, it could not persuade Haihan to cancel the decision. The only good thing is that Haehan's current expropriation request gives a relatively clear time limit, and it seems that he does not intend to use such an excuse to seize Seogwipo.
However, after last year's war, North Korea's top leaders have become accustomed to the Haehan Army's practice of requisitioning domestic resources for combat operations, and the hard-line officials headed by Kim Sang-heon also believe that using Haehan's hands to defeat Japan would It will help dispel the idea of attacking North Korea again in the future. If the Haihan Army can kill more Japanese during the operation, it will be regarded as retaliation in disguise for the old grudge against Japan's invasion of North Korea.
Although the local officials in Seogwipo were quite critical of this arrangement, in the face of the court's strict orders and Haehan's warships, they had no other choice but to compromise and accept.
Soon the government announced that the Seogwipo area had entered a state of war. The area within a radius of 20 miles of the port was classified as a military control area. People were prohibited from leaving this area for any reason, and any unapproved ships were not allowed to go to sea. No one is allowed in, no one is allowed out, so as to prevent any leaks before the combat operation begins and prevent the enemy across the sea from being prepared in advance.
The Haihan vanguard troops who arrived here early were responsible for organizing and directing the martial law work in the area. The few local government officials in Seogwipo were all organized and assigned to several patrol teams to serve as guides and microphones.
The army is about to attack, and a small place like Seogwipo cannot prepare all the necessary supplies. Therefore, starting from the second day after military control was implemented in Seogwipo, cargo ships from the Taedong River base began to arrive one after another, unloading a large amount of combat materials at this small port.
Many private houses near the port have been requisitioned by the authorities and used as temporary material warehouses. The people here who usually make a living by fishing or farming began to set up large military tents under the command of Haehan soldiers to prepare for the subsequent personnel and materials entering Seogwipo.
According to the combat plan formulated by the Datong River Base, most of the warships and troop carriers of the North Sea Fleet stationed at the Datong River Base will be dispatched this time, and the naval force invested will be about 1,500 people. The Army dispatched two combined infantry battalions under the special operations group, with a strength of approximately 2,000 people. In addition to more than a thousand logistics personnel, a total of nearly 5,000 people will be invested in this combat operation, and almost the entire Datong River base will be evacuated.
This is only the scale of the North Route Army's troop dispatch. If the East China Sea Fleet in the south is added, the entire operation will require about 8,000 troops. It is definitely a large-scale military operation for Haihan.
In past large-scale military operations like this, the Haihan Army often had relatively clear interests during the operation, such as gaining control of a certain place through war, or plundering local wealth and population during the operation. , in order to offset the huge military expenditures consumed by combat operations. These purposes will be determined during the stage of formulating combat plans.
However, this attack on the Hirado Domain did not have a relatively clear goal. It only determined that it would reduce military expenditures by quickly resolving the battle and try to avoid falling into a long-term battle. He knew that the Fujian Ming army participating in the operation would definitely be happy to carry out lucrative tasks such as looting and looting, but he was somewhat worried that the Ming army would lose control in the process and affect Haihan's quick battle plan.
On the fourth day after Seogwipo was designated as a military control zone, Qian Tiandon finally arrived here after a long journey. Two battalions of army combat troops arrived in Seogwipo along with him on more than a dozen troop transport ships.
If the local people did not have a clear understanding of what being classified as a military control zone meant before, then with the arrival of the Haihan Army, the local wartime atmosphere really improved.
Ships and ships of Haehan soldiers landed at the small Seogwipo Port and settled in the camp that had not yet been completely set up. Due to insufficient accommodation, some residential houses in nearby villages and towns were also requisitioned as temporary barracks. The Haihan Army was temporarily stationed in these places in platoon units. However, it is hard to say whether this measure is because Haihan does not have enough tents available, or whether the military intends to use this measure to station troops in nearby villages and towns to implement military control.
Two days after Qian Tiandon arrived in Seogwipo, the fleet that went to Hirado for a reconnaissance mission finally returned. Commander Yuan Zhi and Amakusa Shiro heard that Qian Tiandun had arrived, and immediately rushed to the headquarters to see him without taking a rest.
During the reconnaissance process, Yuan Zhi had also reported the progress of the operation to the rear several times through the radio. However, it was not so convenient to transmit information through the radio. Many details still had to be reported face-to-face for the superiors to clarify the situation.
The most important information discovered by the reconnaissance force in Hirado was that it found the place where the opponent secretly manufactured weapons and warships. This was also the main reason why the top military officials decided to launch a military attack on Hirado as soon as possible. If it hadn't been for the discovery of conclusive evidence in this regard, it would probably be difficult for the military to make up its mind to fight this cross-sea battle.
In addition, the reconnaissance force confirmed the fact that there were descendants of Zheng Zhilong in the local area, and thus determined that the Eighteen Shiba Yu Party was operating the Hirado Domain as a sanctuary. This news is not a big surprise to Haihan, but Fujian obviously does not want this situation to continue. Even if someone uses Zheng Zhilong's name to revive Shibazhi, this must be stopped. However, in addition to the information that has been reported, Qian Tiandun is also very concerned about possible local variables, such as the actual strength of the Hirado Domain and the number of troops stationed at Hirado Port, and whether the shogunate will impose sanctions on the Hirado Domain under attack. Helping hands, as well as the armed forces controlled by the Eighteen Zhiyu Party who have been hiding in secret, etc.
These issues that Qian Tiandun was concerned about had been given instructions to Amakusa Shiro before the reconnaissance force set off. Therefore, Amakusa Shiro also consciously explored these issues during the local reconnaissance. However, the results were not necessarily satisfactory. Meet Qian Tiandun’s requirements.
"I asked around in Hirado and found out that the size of the Hirado Domain's armed forces was about 1,500, of which nearly one-third were sailors. There were about a hundred cavalrymen, and these people were members of the Hirado Domain. Among the elite samurai, the only ones who were qualified to equip armor were probably these cavalry samurai. In addition, it is said that the Hirado clan had begun to equip its troops with muskets ten years ago with the help of the Portuguese and the Dutch, but they used them at that time. The weapon is very primitive, it is a matchlock gun that even has a trigger, and there are only a small number of them.”
"Beginning about four or five years ago, the Armed Forces of the Hirado Domain seem to have slowly begun to improve. First, there are more armors and steel weapons. Second, the establishment has increased from a thousand people to the current scale. I think this is related to The time when Shibazhi was defeated in Penghu coincided with it. Perhaps from that time on, Shibazhi had been trying to develop Hirado into a base for a comeback and provide economic and military assistance to the Matsuura clan of Hirado Domain. With enough time to mobilize before the war, the Hirado clan can probably organize a peasant army of two to three thousand people.”
"But from the Battle of Penghu to the Battle of Miyakojima, I was unable to get detailed information on how many members of the Eighteen Shiba fled to Hirado. However, judging from the reputation of the Tagawa family in the local area, the remaining members of the Eighteen Shiba should be The Tagawa clan, who is related by marriage to Zheng Zhilong, is the target of support, and Zheng Zhilong's descendant Tagawa Nanzaemon is likely to become the new loyal target of these people. When Tagawa Nanzaemon reaches adulthood, he will probably take over as the head of the family. These people will naturally become his retainers, and maybe the Tagawa clan will directly replace the Matsura clan and become the new master of the Hirado clan."
"From what I learned in Nagasaki, the Tokugawa shogunate has become increasingly unfavorable to the Hirado clan in recent years due to differences in the implementation of the lock-down order and conflicts of interest in competing for foreign trade shares, and has been trying to Let the foreign merchants change their destination to Nagasaki Port, which is controlled by the shogunate. If trouble occurs in the Hirado Domain, the Tokugawa shogunate will probably stand aside and watch. Even if the shogunate is willing to send troops, it will be difficult to organize enough troops in a short time. formed an organized force and crossed the sea to rescue Hirado Port. ”
"I believe that if we focus the attack target of this operation on Hirado Port and catch the opponent off guard, we will not encounter too strong resistance and can completely capture the area within three days. However, if a long-term occupation is to be implemented, the local products may not be able to support the large-scale garrison. In addition, Hirado Port is too small and it is difficult to further develop it. If a base is to be established in Japan, it should be on the west coast of Kyushu. Sasebo Bay is more suitable, there are not many indigenous people there, and it is easier to clean up.”
Amakusa Shiro's report was very detailed. After talking about the topics that Qian Tianton was concerned about, he also told about his landing operations in Hirado Port and Nagasaki Port. He talked about it for more than an hour before it ended.
After he finished speaking, Yuan Zhi then began to report on various information collected by the navy during this reconnaissance operation, including the hydrological conditions of several planned landing attack locations, the voyage distance between various attack targets, and the methods for launching a landing battle. Difficulty, etc. Considering the strength of the opponent, the navy was not the main force in this operation, so Yuan Zhi's mission was relatively simple, which was to find a suitable place to send the army ashore.
After completing this reconnaissance operation, the Navy has another goal, which is to clean up the standard warships secretly built by its opponents and ensure that the warships that have been launched will not sneak away from Haihan's nose after the war begins. .
This task is actually not too difficult for the navy. Putting aside the number of warships and firepower output levels, it is difficult for these warships to form combat effectiveness just for their short service time. Even with the advanced training system of the Haihan Navy, it will take at least half a year from the launch of a new ship, to the deployment of crews for service, to the completion of the run-in and initial formation of qualified combat effectiveness.
Almost all of the warships that Amakusa Shiro saw during the local landing reconnaissance were recently launched. These ships may not even have time to be equipped with enough sailors before the war begins, let alone form combat effectiveness. Of course, if Haihan hadn't discovered their existence and allowed them to develop freely for another year or two, it would be hard to say. But under the current situation, it shouldn't take much effort for the Haihan Navy to destroy its opponent's unformed surface armed forces.
After listening to the reports of the two men, Qian Tiandun asked questions again to confirm some details. In Qian Tiandun's view, the focus of this operation is not whether it can defeat the opponent, but how to complete the military strike at the minimum cost and as quickly as possible, and then capture and exterminate the Eighteen Zhiyu Party members locally. . Considering the size of Hirado Island and the extensive sea routes, the implementation of the latter may be even more difficult.
He has two battalions of infantry at his disposal, so attacking the city is definitely not a problem, but if this force is spread over an island of more than 100 square kilometers to capture fugitives, it will still be a drop in the bucket. Although the message sent from Zhejiang stated that Fujian had dispatched more than a thousand infantry to participate in the operation, these Ming troops were responsible for cleaning up the Goto Islands. It is difficult to expect them to participate in the combat operation on Hirado Island at the first time. Come in.
For the current plan, we can only try our best to deploy a blockade after landing in the northern part of Hirado Island to seal all land channels escaping south from Hirado Port. Qian Tiandun roughly estimates that the number of troops required for this deployment is about one battalion. If all the land forces are used, it will probably affect the combat operations in the area near Hirado Port. Therefore, depending on the combat progress and battlefield situation, it will probably take more Mobilize part of the navy to land and perform blockade tasks.
Although the map Qian Tiandun has in hand contains relatively detailed topography, considering that these data are from hundreds of years later, the development and construction of human activities during that period must have caused certain changes to the local natural environment, so he still has to talk to Amakusa Shiro again. Carefully check the details in the battle plan to avoid making the wrong deployment.
(End of chapter)