Chapter 2200
Dai Chengrong's idea has actually been considered by many people before him, but often after realizing the underlying reasons for Haihan's strong military power, they give up the idea of imitating it in full.
Most people's impression of the Haihan Army only remains on the surface of strong ships and powerful guns. As for the technology and industrial system required to mass-build these advanced weapons, it is a part that is difficult for the outside world to see directly. Haihan has always maintained extremely strict control over the export of weapons. If he wants to improve his military strength simply by purchasing weapons, not only will the effect be extremely limited, but the scale of the armed forces will be completely under Haihan's control. a reliable means.
It is much more difficult to introduce Haihan's military technology than purchasing weapons. So far, only the Annan and Fujian Xu families can enjoy this privilege. If the problem of weapons sources cannot be solved, it will be impossible to completely imitate Haihan's military system and establish a relatively large-scale armed force.
However, Dai Chengrong's current understanding of the situation is not so in-depth, so it is naturally difficult to think everything through. After thinking about it, he only feels that the resources he can mobilize are too few. Then I thought about it again. It took the efforts of the seven major surnames to organize more than a hundred people to study in Zhoushan. One can imagine how many resources must be invested in establishing a standing armed force.
After the group study was over, it was almost lights-out time in the military. Everyone took the time to wash up and then lie down to rest. They have just been informed by the instructor that they will have morning exercises starting tomorrow morning, and the training will last throughout the day, so they must seize the time to rest to ensure that they have enough physical strength to complete the training tomorrow.
But many people, including Dai Chengrong, were unable to fall asleep immediately. The amount of information they had been exposed to during the day was so great that it was difficult for them to digest it for a while.
What can you learn from Haihan? For this group of students, military skills are of course the primary goal, but they are not the only one. In fact, when they were selected by their respective families, they had already received many instructions, requiring them to pay more attention to other news besides training. After all, Dinghai Port is a trading port that has grown rapidly in Jiangsu and Zhejiang in recent years. The business information here is much richer than that in Yangzhou. Maybe you can earn back the tuition fees given to Haihan by grabbing a few pieces of information.
It was just that the people who deployed the mission at that time could not have imagined that these salt merchants' children would be imprisoned in the military camp after arriving in Zhoushan. They would not be able to get out at all in the short term, and they would not have access to outside news. It was obviously impossible to inquire about business information in Zhoushan. .
But in addition, they also have other tasks. For example, before Dai Chengrong set off, he received instructions from Dai Yingda to make as many connections as possible in the Haihan Army for future use. This kind of network does not refer to the internal network of the salt merchant's children, but to him trying to make friends with more Haihan military attachés. The higher the level, the better.
This is not an easy goal for Dai Chengrong. Currently, the only senior officer he has access to is Duan Tiancheng, and Ma Zhengping has obviously been on this line. He can even ask Duan Tiancheng in the military to summon the Ma family on his behalf. When his disciples met with him, Dai Chengrong thought that competing with Ma Zhengping for this network was not a good choice. After all, Ma Zhengping still needs to take care of him outside. If he competes with him for such human resources, it is likely to cause Ma Zhengping's displeasure, thus affecting the current training.
Dai Chengrong counted the days and found that it had been five days since he left Yangzhou. Before he left, he heard that his opponent was likely to launch an attack in a few days, and he couldn't help but worry about the situation at home. Although Haihan sent a team of armed personnel to Yangzhou for reinforcements, it was not Haihan's army after all. Dai Chengrong was still a little worried about whether his family could withstand the opponent's offensive.
However, Dai Chengrong's father, Dai Yingda, the head of the Dai family, had the opposite view of the situation. He believed that after Haihan's reinforcements arrived, war preparations were on the right track and the situation was developing in a direction that was favorable to Huizhou salt merchants.
The only thing that worries Dai Yingda is that sooner or later, the news of Jin Dun's group's arrival in Yangzhou will leak out. If the Shanxi salt merchants cancel their original attack plan because they are afraid of the intervention of the Haihan people, it will not be a good thing for their own side. , will only allow the current passive defensive situation to continue, and the musketeers under the Shanshan Salt Merchant cannot be solved through fighting.
Jindun's Yuan Tao has made it clear that he will not take the initiative during his stay in Yangzhou and will only assist the Huizhou salt merchants to defend the manor. Therefore, if the Huizhou salt merchants want to use Jindun's help to get rid of the Shanxi salt merchants' musketeers, they can only You can expect the other party to take the initiative to knock on the door, and this is not a situation Dai Yingda wants to see.
"Master, Shopkeeper Yuan wants to see you."
After nightfall, Dai Yingda had finished washing and was going to sleep, but the housekeeper suddenly came to report to Yuan Tao to see him. Dai Yingda knew that Yuan Tao's visit at this time should be to discuss important matters, so he quickly asked the housekeeper to ask Yuan Tao to go to the study to wait.
"Shopkeeper Yuan, you've been waiting for a long time!" Dai Yingda hurried to the study after getting dressed, and first confessed to Yuan Tao when he entered the door.
Yuan Tao stood up and cupped his hands and responded: "No, it's Yuan who is causing trouble! But there is news from Zhoushan, and I feel that I should inform Boss Dai as soon as possible, so I rushed over to ask for a meeting."
"Oh? I wonder what the good news is? Could it be that the fleet has arrived in Zhoushan?" When Dai Yingda heard what he said, he had actually expected it.
Yuan Tao nodded and said: "The fleet arrived in Zhoushan successfully last night and entered the military port to berth early this morning. All personnel are in good condition. After completing the registration, all members have been admitted to the Zhoushan military camp and formal training has begun."
Although he knew that the Haihan people had the ability to communicate messages from thousands of miles away, Dai Yingda still felt very miraculous that he could get the news from Zhoushan so quickly, and he quickly thanked Yuan Tao.
Yuan Tao continued: "Major Duan Tiancheng, who serves as their instructor, is a popular figure in the East China Sea Fleet, and his abilities are deeply trusted by General Shi. I believe that the team that returns to Zhoushan in three months will definitely impress Boss Dai!"< br>
"I have no doubt about this!" Dai Yingda laughed. The Seven Great Surnames spent so much money to send them to Zhoushan for training. Naturally, they had to see obvious results before they would be willing to accept it.
Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one around, Dai Yingda once again raised the question to Yuan Tao: "Shopkeeper Yuan, if the opponent still doesn't take action when the time is expected, can you please take the initiative? Shopkeeper Yuan only needs to quote the price, and Dai Yingda will I will try my best to satisfy you!”
This was probably the third time Yuan Tao received such a proposal after arriving in Yangzhou, but like the previous two times, Yuan Tao rejected the proposal without hesitation.
"Boss Dai, this is not something I can decide. Let me say it again. The mission Jindun came to Yangzhou was directly commanded by General Shi. The order I received was to provide you with armed defense and did not include a plan to take the initiative." "Then if there is an excellent opportunity, should we just miss it?" Dai Yingda asked unwillingly.
Yuan Tao shook his head and said: "Boss Dai, this is not a business. The military orders are like mountains, and there is no room for bargaining."
"But your golden shields are not an army..."
"Orders come from the military. They are military orders. It has nothing to do with whether our Golden Shield is an army or not. We can only execute it without compromise." Yuan Tao still refused to give in.
Dai Yingda couldn't argue anymore. He knew that Jindun had a very strong military background. To put it bluntly, it was probably an extended armed organization of the Haihan Army, just wearing the skin of an escort company as a cover. But when the other party collected the money, he counted every penny and looked like a businessman. But when it came time to do things, he said that there were a mountain of military orders and he couldn't bargain. This double standard made Dai Yingda feel a little aggrieved.
Seeing Dai Yingda's gloomy face, Yuan Tao could guess what he was feeling, and immediately advised him: "I know what Boss Dai is worried about. In fact, in my opinion, even if the other party knows that we have arrived in Yangzhou, they will still launch the plan according to the original plan." Attack instead of dragging on.”
"Oh? How do you say this? Shopkeeper Yuan please explain." Dai Yingda asked quickly when he heard that things seemed to be turning around.
Yuan Tao said: "The reason is actually very simple. Boss Dai might as well exchange positions with the other party. Think about it if you learn that the other party has invited strong reinforcements to Yangzhou... just assume that they have invited a musket from the Hirado Domain. The team is ready, do you think that the other party’s purpose of inviting reinforcements is just for self-defense?”
"Of course that's impossible!" Dai Yingda responded without hesitation, and soon understood what Yuan Tao meant: "What does Shopkeeper Yuan want to say, that the other party will also think that we moved reinforcements from Zhoushan with the intention of attacking them?" < br>
Yuan Tao nodded and said: "Even if you write a letter right away and tell the other party that we are only invited to Yangzhou to protect ourselves, do you think the other party will believe it?"
Damn it if you can believe it! Dai Yingda didn't need to test, and he knew that the result would indeed be what Yuan Tao said. The other party would definitely not believe that the Haihan people entered Yangzhou again just to protect the personal safety of the Huizhou salt merchants. After all, the bloody battle at the end of last year had already cost Shanshan salt merchants an extremely heavy price. They would never believe that the Haihan people would return to Yangzhou with peaceful purposes.
Yuan Tao continued: "We have been behind closed doors since we came to Yangzhou, and there has been no movement. Based on Boss Dai's understanding of the other party, do you think the other party will just settle down, or will he become suspicious and restless?"
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Dai Yingda seriously considered the possibility mentioned by Yuan Tao. He Huan, Lu Kangtai, and Wang Yu from Shanxi Salt Merchant were all very cunning old foxes. If they learned about the arrival of the Golden Shield troops, they would If you find that you have been standing still here, you will inevitably have random thoughts.
In other words, even if they don't take any measures, the other party will think that they are secretly planning some big move. Although Dai Yingda believed that procrastination would cause a lot of inconvenience to his own side, judging from Yuan Tao's statement, as long as he stood still, the other side would probably be more eager to take action.
"How's it going? Boss Dai, do you think this is true?" Yuan Tao said while observing Dai Yingda's face. When he saw his expression slowly turning from gloomy to clear, he knew that his persuasion had had a certain effect.
Dai Yingda nodded and said: "Shopkeeper Yuan is still experienced and considerate, and I have learned from you!"
Yuan Tao said: "Boss Dai is just a fan of the authorities. We just need to maintain the current measures so that the other party does not know what we are doing. Remember, the information they can get will only make them more panic. As long as they start to worry , we will definitely make mistakes, we just wait for them to come to our door.”
After seeing off Yuan Tao, Dai Yingda finally felt a little more relaxed. In today's situation, those who are passive may not be truly passive, and those who are active may not be truly proactive. Whoever takes action first will fall into passivity. He decided to adopt Yuan Tao's advice and cope with the ever-changing situation, prepare a good defense for Daijiazhuang, and wait for the other party to take the initiative to attack.
But is Yuan Tao really so confident about the direction of the situation? Not really. After coming out of Dai Yingda's house, Yuan Tao also breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that if Dai Yingda could not be persuaded well, the Huizhou salt merchants might have doubts about the defensive measures taken by Jindun in Daijiazhuang, which would affect the relationship between the two parties. Next collaboration.
Fortunately, Yuan Tao found a very convincing entry point, which convinced Dai Yingda that maintaining the current status was the best choice. But to be honest, Yuan Tao's understanding of Shanshan Salt Merchant was extremely limited, and he was not sure whether the other party would really consider the problem according to his speculation. However, Jin Dun's order was to defend, and all he could do was to persuade Dai Yingda to accept this arrangement.
At present, the reinforcement work of Daijiazhuang's defenses is progressing smoothly, but the time left for construction workers is too short. If there is a month's buffer, Yuan Tao believes that he is fully capable of transforming Daijiazhuang into a real armed fortress. But now that time is limited, he can only do the next best thing and increase the number of defenses that can be deployed quickly. Try to reduce the number of passages through which foreign enemies may invade Daijiazhuang to a minimum, so that when war begins, effective forces can be concentrated in key areas and form a concentrated fire defense effect on the passages into the village.
But Yuan Tao didn't have much clue when and how his opponent would attack Daijiazhuang. Now he can only try to reduce the weak links in the defense line as much as possible. As for turning Daijiazhuang into a killing trap and catching all the invading enemies, it seems that Jindun is beyond his power.
In the past few days, the core family members of the seven major surnames have moved into Daijiazhuang in batches at night. I'm afraid these people will have to live here temporarily until this matter is resolved. If the Shanshan salt merchants really put off taking action, then I am afraid that the Huizhou salt merchants themselves would not be able to bear it for at least a month. Therefore, Yuan Tao also sincerely hopes that his opponent will be bolder and has made a reservation for ten days, so he can act on time and get rid of this trouble as soon as possible.
(End of chapter)