Chapter 2137
Not to mention a population of several thousand, even if this number expands ten times on this basis, Haihan, who has a strong demand for labor, will not have a problem with nowhere to receive them. Whether in Haihan itself or in various overseas colonies, increasing population and labor force is one of the main policy agendas. As the governor of Zhoushan Colonial Zone, Shi Diwen naturally knew the importance of population to local development.
Because Zhoushan is close to the Ming Dynasty, the main way to obtain a population is to recruit immigrants from the Ming Dynasty. However, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions where it is located are already prosperous places, and the willingness of ordinary people to migrate and settle overseas is not strong, so the recruitment effect is relatively limited. If additional fees such as intermediary channel fees and settlement fees are included, the cost of this method of acquiring people is actually relatively high, and it will even occupy a considerable part of Zhoushan's financial expenditure in certain periods.
Nowadays, a large number of people can be obtained from Pinghu at a very low cost. This is actually equivalent to saving Zhoushan a large amount of civil affairs expenses. Shi Diwen will certainly not miss such an opportunity. If possible, he even wanted to move all these people to Zhoushan and settle them in the areas under his own rule.
Of course, whether it is for security reasons or political reasons, the Executive Committee will probably not agree to let him "monopolize" this special resource. Therefore, although the subsequent population relocation operations will be directed by Shi Diwen, not all of the people who were restrained from moving out of Hirado will flow to Zhoushan.
In fact, after receiving the notice from the Executive Committee, the colonial areas in Shandong and Liaodong were already formulating their local labor requirements and preparing to get a share of the pie. The Fushan Copper Mine operated by Haihan in Dengzhou, Shandong Province needs to further expand the scale of mining, and the Changshan Islands off Liaodong Sea are preparing to implement immigration development, which requires a large amount of labor.
Even with Haihan's operational efficiency, this large-scale population migration plan cannot be completed in a short period of time. Ships are mobilized from various places, and personnel and materials are transported from Hirado. The time required for this round will most likely be ten days and a half. Considering the shipping schedule, this time will probably be extended. And this means that the coalition fleet must continue to be stationed in Hirado to guard against counterattacks from opponents.
Although the coalition forces defeated their opponents relatively smoothly, the quick victory envisioned by the Ministry of National Defense was ultimately greatly compromised due to the escape of the target individuals. Now that they have to stay stationed for additional operations for a period of time, the commanders Logistical issues had to be put back on the agenda.
Thousands of coalition troops consume a huge amount of supplies every day for food, drink, and diarrhea. The various supplies they carry during the expedition can last for about half a month. However, it seems that as the stationing time is extended, there will definitely be a gap in the supply of supplies. .
There are only two solutions. One is to transport materials from the rear supply port. For example, huge ammunition has been consumed during the battle, and it can only be supplied through rear transportation. The second is to requisition materials on site, which can solve part of the food and grass supply problem.
Due to terrain and environmental problems, Hirado's local food production capacity is relatively limited. The cultivated farmland area on Hirado Island is even less than that of Fukue Island, which has a smaller population. Therefore, a considerable part of the food consumed daily on Hirado Island actually comes from the Kyushu region. The amount of food stored on the island is usually only enough to sustain the islanders for about two to three months. Now that thousands of troops have suddenly been added, the food consumption rate has immediately increased sharply.
After the Haihan Army took control of Hirado City, they immediately seized all local rice shops and granaries, large and small. Regardless of whether they were official or private, all the grain in stock was requisitioned as war preparation supplies. However, judging from the current inventory, there may still be a certain amount of pressure to last until the end of the operation. Therefore, in addition to local grain storage, it is also necessary to transport some grain from the rear for emergency response.
Fortunately, before the war, Jeju Island had been asked to raise local reserves of food and grass. Although the amount was not large, it must have been enough to sustain the coalition forces stationed in Hirado for seven or eight days. However, now that the plan has changed, there is no need to specially transport these grains and grass to Hirado. Shi Diwen has already made better arrangements for this.
"We now use troop transport ships to transport people from Hirado to Seogwipo first, and then ships from the north and Zhoushan direction go directly to Seogwipo to pick up people. This way we can save a lot of time and the corresponding consumption of materials. It will be reduced a lot.”
Shi Diwen's plan is very simple. He plans to use transshipment to complete the relocation of the Hirado population as soon as possible. As long as all the people and high-value materials are transported away, the army can evacuate here earlier, thereby achieving the purpose of saving military expenses.
Qian Tiandun said: "The plan is good, but such an arrangement may make Seogwipo's side busy for a while."
Shi Diwen said: "Whether there will be chaos is a problem for the local officials in Seogwipo, not mine. There will definitely be some chaos in this process, and some people may die, but as long as we can complete the task Done, those are just minor issues.”
Qian Tiandun knew that what Shi Diwen said was right, so he did not question it again. This is not the first time he has fought overseas, and of course he knows what war means to civilians. After a meeting of several big shots thousands of miles away, their fate has been decided. Regardless of whether they are innocent or not, the people of Hirado will have to leave their homes and go to a completely unfamiliar environment, and this process will not end in their favor. The will is transferred.
In troubled times, those who survive are considered lucky, but some people may also get the opportunity to change their destiny, just like Takahashi Minami who was captured by Haihan as a Japanese pirate.
Takahashi Minami had no resistance to the instructions issued by the executive committee. He did not think there was anything wrong with these local people being forcibly relocated from this place. If the Kaihan Army withdraws and Tagawasuke and his men regain control of this area, it is very likely that the Kaihan Army will return here in a year or two, and innocent people will have to fall into war again.
Relocating these people and completely destroying the social system of Hirado Port will greatly increase the difficulty for Tagawasuke to rebuild Hirado, thus eliminating the possibility of revenge on Haihan. And innocent people will not suffer war again, let alone worry about being forcibly recruited and sent to the battlefield as cannon fodder by the authorities.
Compared with these serious consequences, Takahashi Nan believes that the decision of the executive committee is already very humane, and these people will not be treated as slaves. According to the official explanation, as long as they can honestly accept the official placement, they will be able to live in the future. There is still a chance to naturalize Haihan and become a Haihan national like yourself. As for how many people will be "eliminated" in this process, Takahashi Minami feels that this is all destiny, and this responsibility cannot be attributed to the war launched by Haihan.
As one of the few senior officers of Japanese origin in the Haihan Army, Minami Takahashi's understanding of Japanese social conditions is undoubtedly better than that of his superiors. At this time, he had to shoulder the task of identifying and classifying immigrant groups. Generally speaking, the people who will be moved out of Hirado will be divided into two categories. One is the higher risk group, that is, Hirado domain officials at all levels, public servants, and captured members of the domain army. These people will go to the most closed, dangerous and arduous heavy manual labor positions, such as miners who have to go underground to extract ore, salt workers who have been exposed to the sun on the beach for many years, etc. Their meaning to Haihan is pure labor force. They can only be released when they are completely squeezed out. Their treatment is basically the same as that of prisoners in the hard labor camp of Haihan Kingdom.
The remaining people are uniformly classified into the second category, that is, the group "can accept naturalization inspection". These people will be dispersed and resettled in various areas under Haihan's rule, and some may even be assigned to Xingdao. A place far away from Japan. These new immigrants are usually assigned to settle in relatively remote and desolate areas with low population density on the Haihan territory, and use the fruits of their labor to slowly accumulate the conditions required for naturalization.
In order to prevent these people from gathering secretly and forming a party after immigration, the civil affairs department will try to separate them and resettle them. An overseas colonial area may only get a few hundred people, and then disperse them to various villages and towns below. It is basically impossible to form another Together.
Of course, Shi Diwen, who is responsible for handling this matter, will definitely fight for more people in his jurisdiction. After all, the Zhoushan Islands is not big, but it is certainly not small. There are ways to resettle more people without violating immigration regulations. some people.
Takahashi Minami's task is to confirm whether there are any objects that need special attention among the "dangerous elements" classified as the first category. For example, leaders or officials who are Han Chinese are most likely from Shibazhi and need to be handed over to the Military Intelligence Bureau for further interrogation.
In addition, there are also some people who are craftsmen engaged in manufacturing weapons and equipment. They are also regarded as public employees and are temporarily classified into the first category. However, if these people are good at craftsmanship, they may still have certain use value, Takahashi Nan needs to confirm whether their circumstances qualify them for amnesty. After all, craftsmen like these who have mastered professional skills such as smelting, casting, and shipbuilding are also scarce resources in Haihan. If they are directly sent to work as coolies, it would be a waste of natural resources.
After Shi Diwen made the plan, he immediately notified the Seogwipo local area to prepare to receive the personnel transported by Hirado. At the same time, he accelerated the local personnel screening work and dispatched a troop transport ship to transport some of the prisoners of war whose identities had been confirmed to Seogwipo first.
The reason why the prisoners of war were transported first was to eliminate the unstable factors in Hirado as much as possible. After these people were transported away, even if the remaining local people resisted the arrangement of forcible relocation overseas, it would be difficult for organized groups to appear again. Resisted. In addition, if an extreme situation occurs, such as the Hirado navy launching a counterattack again, there is no need to worry about a riot on the island that will respond internally and externally.
Of course, this fear of the headquarters did not occur. After the coalition forces occupied Hirado Port and the city, the warships of the Hirado Navy never appeared near the Hirado Strait. The warships out on patrol even expanded their range to Iki Island, eighty miles to the north, but still found no trace of the Hirado Navy's activities. It can be seen that they have left Hirado Island far away and will not come back for the time being. .
The failure to completely eliminate the Hirado navy was probably what Shi Diwen regretted the most. The navy dispatched dozens of combat ships in this operation, but most of the battle time was spent acting as a sea fort to attract firepower. The actual battle with the Hirado navy only took half a day, and the opponent was not the main force.
Shi Diwen reflected after the war and felt that the decision made at that time might have been a little impulsive. Perhaps ignoring the trials of those Japanese warships at that time might lead to the main force of the Hirado domain later. As a result, the two majestic-class warships picked off the opponent's entire fleet that day. While demonstrating their strength, they probably frightened the opponent so much that they decisively gave up their plans to challenge again.
The fighter plane was fleeting, and it was impossible for Shi Diwen to get a chance to make a new choice. However, Shi Diwen believed that as Haihan emptied the Hirado Port, it would be much more difficult for the Hirado Domain to support a fleet in the future. Even far beyond what its financial resources can support.
According to the information confessed by the prisoners of war, the main force of the Hirado navy still has at least a dozen Chinese-style warships and a sailor force of about a thousand people. Without the income source of Hirado Port, if this navy does not plan to disband, it will either mothball some warships and reduce its size, or it will have to find other ways to find income, such as returning to its old business as a pirate.
By then, North Korea's southern coastal areas, which lack surface armed forces, are likely to be affected by this. However, if such a situation occurs, it will definitely not be a bad thing for Haihan. After all, after last year's war, the more North Korea is in internal and external troubles, the more it will rely on Haihan's help. If you suffer losses from Japanese pirates at that time, you will most likely seek help from Shanghai Han. If you have a suitable reason, you will come to Hirado again to harvest. You can also collect a protection fee from North Korea, which is also a way to train your troops. remaining means of generating income.
After thinking about it this way, Shi Diwen felt a lot relieved about the escape of the main force of the Hirado naval force. Although he failed to achieve the expected combat goal, it might not be a bad thing to leave a little remaining space for his opponent to move.
Haihan transported hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war out of Hirado, and it was impossible for there to be no movement, so the news quickly spread in the city. Many smart people with flexible minds immediately smelled something unusual in Haihan's move, and began to try to find out further information.
Yu Chengli was sitting in Gonzalez's shop. From time to time he got up and walked to the door to look around, then sighed and sat back on the chair. He was waiting for Gonzales to come back. To be precise, he was waiting for the news that Gonzales had brought back.
They already knew that the Haihan people had shipped the prisoners away, and they also sensed that the situation might change in some bad ways. Gonzalez found out that there was a Portuguese military attache accompanying the Haihan Army, so he went to visit him today with a generous gift. Yu Chengli was also involved, so he waited here for news about Gonzalez so that he could make plans for the next step in advance. .
(End of chapter)