Chapter 2357
Most of the officers Wang Tom convened for the meeting were subordinates who had followed him for many years in the north and south and had rich navigation and combat experience. Almost all of these people have experienced life and death with him, and there is no doubt about their loyalty to the country or to him personally. If not, their attitude toward Wang Tom's crazy plan might not only question its feasibility, but directly express opposition.
Most of these officers have good professional qualities and can quickly discover various problems and risks in this plan based on their own experience, but these are not actually the fundamental reasons why they question Wang Tom.
Why did he take such a huge risk to do this? Whether there were enemies of the Haihan Kingdom in that distant place, or there were endless treasures, Wang Tom did not explain clearly. That's why the officers questioned what the purpose of implementing this high-risk navigation plan was, and whether it was worth risking the fleet and the lives of thousands of people.
Of course, Wang Tom can directly order the fleet to implement this plan, but if they cannot understand the significance of exploring this new route, it will inevitably cause confusion among many people, thus affecting subsequent implementation and execution. But the problem is that Tom Wang is very clear that with the level of knowledge of the world among his subordinates, it is impossible to understand the reason why he is obsessed with this matter.
Of course, these questions raised by the officers also made Wang Tom realize that he was not really ready to go to the Bering Sea. There was still a lot of work to be done for the fleet under his command, both materially and spiritually. But now it is obviously too late.
However, regarding the technical details, Wang Tom patiently explained them to his subordinates. Wang Tom also made corresponding arrangements for how the fleet would sail to the target area in extremely cold weather, how to allocate materials and personnel during the period, and contingency plans for various emergencies.
But as for the purpose of this trip, Wang Tom thought for a long time and was still not sure how to explain it to his subordinates. When the officers saw him pause and then fall into silence, they all thought that this matter must be of great importance, and they all held their breath, not daring to speak out to disrupt his thoughts.
"The target I marked on the map may not be populated within a thousand miles. It does not have strategic significance at present, but it is the sea entrance to another continent. Sometime in the future, there will always be There will be voyagers who will confirm the route to the New World through there. I hope that the brave men who will accomplish this feat will be from our country of Haihan.”
After Wang Tom finished speaking, he smiled and said: "But what you said makes sense. Our preparations for this are indeed not perfect at the moment. If the fleet is to be put in danger or even suffer casualties for such a goal, then It must be my responsibility as the commander. So after careful consideration, I decided to be prudent and wait until the next opportunity to make full preparations and wait until a more suitable season before trying to explore the northern route."
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Everyone felt relieved after hearing his statement, but they couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. If they could find the New World along the route set by Wang Tom, wouldn't that be a great achievement? Some people immediately secretly regretted that they should not have spoken so harshly just now.
Of course, the opinions of the officers are not the final deciding factor. It is Wang Tom's wishes that determine the next direction of the fleet. But he has realized that there will not be any favorable factors for the journey northward. If he insists on going his own way, it will most likely cause unmanageable consequences. It is better to withdraw the troops in time and wait for the next more suitable time to complete this goal.
Shen Xueyi was sitting on the deck bored at this time, staring at the falling snowflakes in a daze. Today is the seventh consecutive day of snowfall, and all sailors were mobilized in the morning to remove snow everywhere on the ship. Although Shen Xueyi has a special status, as a member of the fleet, he must also participate in labor like everyone else.
Before the work at hand was finished, some senior officers were notified to gather in the combat conference room on the ship. However, Shen Xueyi didn't seem to be included in this call. He specifically asked the messenger, and after receiving a definite answer, he continued to work on snow removal angrily.
During this long voyage, the fleet's regular meetings usually did not avoid him as a military observer, but today was obviously an exception. As Shen Xueyi worked, he silently pondered in his heart what secrets Tom Wang had to exclude him.
He first ruled out the possibility of Wang Tom taking military measures against the Ainu people on the nearby coast. Although these aborigines seemed to be in good physical condition and extremely adaptable to the local cold climate, the Haihan people probably would not treat these almost savages. The aborigines were interested, and as for the animal furs they regarded as commodities, they were not worthy of being plundered by the Haihan army.
Moreover, Wang Tom once mentioned to him Haihan’s site selection criteria for the construction of overseas ports. Obviously, this place does not meet the criteria. It neither has a natural harbor nor is it a strategic location, let alone those Ainu people. I wonder if there are any special properties around here. Tom Wang is not even interested in going ashore, so why would he waste his time using troops here?
Since the possibility of local military action has been ruled out, all Shen Xueyi can think of is that there may be major changes in the fleet's next sailing direction. However, he also did not expect that Wang Tom planned to continue to advance to the desolate northern waters. In his opinion, the most ideal destination for the fleet should be to bypass the Soya Strait, and then go south from the east coast of the Japanese archipelago to visit the most prosperous place in Japan. of several locations.
Shen Xueyi had studied the nautical charts provided by Haihan countless times during the voyage, and he already knew the locations of Japan's major cities marked on the charts. Although the possibility of leading the North Korean army to the city one day is slim, there is no harm in researching it, maybe it will come in handy at some point. Of course, it would be best if the fleet could visit these places.
With this idea, Shen Xueyi subconsciously believed that Wang Tom would arrange a different route on his return trip than when he came. The east coast of Japan was an excellent choice. Edo, Nagoya, and Osaka, these big cities can be seen in one go, which should also be of great benefit to the fleet's intelligence collection work.
But Shen Xueyi's judgment has basically come to nothing. Wang Tom does not intend to bring the fleet to visit these Japanese cities. Although the maritime armed forces controlled by the Japanese shogunate are basically unlikely to pose a threat to this fleet, Wang Tom does not want to cause trouble and let The shogunate believed that Kaihan had strong military intentions against Japan.
This meeting did not last long and ended before lunch. The participating officers did not even stay on the flagship to have a meal and hurriedly returned to their respective warships.
Shen Xueyi wanted to find someone to ask about the content of the meeting, but he was worried that the Haihan people would misunderstand that he was inquiring about military secrets, so he could only wait patiently.
In the afternoon of the same day, the small group that came ashore to trade with the Ainu also returned to the fleet with the goods. Amakusa Shiro's trip was very fruitful. The iron tools he brought were very popular among the Ainu people. The tribe where the uncle and nephew belonged took out all the best fur stocks in exchange for the goods provided by Haihan. .
And the final result is just as the uncle and nephew said when they set off from Matsumae Domain, the trading conditions Haihan got here are indeed far better than those in Matsumae Domain. After all, there are no middlemen to make the difference, and their demand for Haihan's goods is greater. It was urgent, so I did get a lot of good things back from this trip.
"General, this is a filial gift from those Ainu people." Amakusa Shiro finished reporting the transaction. Then he presented a small wooden box to Wang Tom. This wooden box seemed to be made with rough craftsmanship. It should be the work of the Ainu people. Wang Tom took it and opened it. Inside were ten finger-sized pearls, each one round, smooth, and shining brightly.
"What a good thing!" Wang Tom is also a person who knows the goods, and he can tell at a glance that this is a rare and high-quality product. And Amakusa Shiro took the initiative to offer the treasure to him, probably just to get compliments.
Wang Tom said: "When I go back, I will ask for credit for you and help you ask General Qian for a battalion commander."
Amakusa Shiro was overjoyed and quickly bowed to thank Tom Wang for the promotion.
Tom Wang smiled and said: "You have to prepare a copy of this kind of good thing for your boss! You can share half of this box of pearls!"
Amakusa Shiro responded: "Thank you for your concern, General. This intention was originally prepared for the General. As for my family, I have other plans for my humble position."
Wang Tom said: "You have thought carefully!"
Shiro Amakusa ran forward and backward during this trip and took many risks to go ashore to contact the Japanese. He must be credited with a share of the credit. As for using trade opportunities to seek some benefits for oneself in this process, this is considered human nature. As long as the means are not too ugly, Wang Tom will naturally not take such trivial matters to heart.
However, Amakusa Shiro was actually very good at being a good person. He knew how to seize the opportunity to get some good things for his boss that were not usually seen. Although Tom Wang was not greedy for money, he would not deliberately show off his integrity. He would just accept the gifts that should be received. As for promoting officers, as long as their professional abilities are not bad, of course those with high emotional intelligence will get more opportunities.
In the afternoon of that day, everyone in the fleet received the latest instructions. They rested for one night and set off from the local area early tomorrow morning and turned to sail southwest. The sailors were greatly relieved when they heard that they were no longer going north. The current cold climate has made many people unable to bear it. If they continue to go north, the days ahead will only become more and more difficult. Now that Wang Tom has ordered a change of course, it seems that he is going back. This should be good news for the entire fleet.
When Shen Xueyi heard the news, he went to see Wang Tom and asked why he did not choose to go to Sakhalin Island or return to North Korea via the east coast of Japan.
"If we take the east coast of Japan, our supply operations along the way are likely to be regarded as hostile reconnaissance operations. For now, we do not want the Japanese shogunate to cause misunderstanding and hostility towards our country." Wang Tom explained : "Japan is not our country's enemy...at least not yet."
"As for Sakhalin..." Wang Tom took a deep breath and said: "Going to Sakhalin means that we will probably have to fight there, which is not in line with the purpose of our voyage."
The southern end of Sakhalin Island is only a hundred miles away from the current location of the fleet. Across the Soya Strait, you can see this giant island that is twice the size of Hainan Island.
This island has been ruled by China for a long time in history. The Tang Dynasty established the Blackwater Governor's Office to manage and rule Sakhalin Island in 725 AD. After that, although the ruling power continued to change hands with the changes of dynasties, by the establishment of the Ming Dynasty After that, the Nurgan Command was still established in the lower reaches of Heilongjiang near Sakhalin Island, which administered the Heilongjiang and Ussuri River basins, including Sakhalin Island.
The Ming army even set up Nanghar Guards, Polo River Guards, and Uleh Guards on Sakhalin Island to manage local military and civil affairs. The people on the island would also use various fishing and hunting incomes to pay tribute to the guards in kind. Pay taxes.
However, after entering the seventeenth century, the influence of the Ming Dynasty on Liaodong gradually declined, and the Later Jin Dynasty rose rapidly during this period, and the Sakhalin area far away from the Central Plains also fell into the control of the Later Jin Dynasty. According to historical records, Nurhaci only sent 400 troops and incorporated Sakhalin into Houjin's territory.
However, Sakhalin Island is vast and sparsely populated. It originally had a small population, let alone rich products at the time. Therefore, the resources it could provide to the Manchus over the years were also very limited, and it could only be regarded as a border area under the rule of the Manchus.
Today, Wang Tom certainly has no exact information about the situation on Sakhalin Island, but he thinks that place has been ruled by the Qing Dynasty for more than 20 years, and he probably won’t have any good impressions of Haihan. If the fleet Landing locally will most likely lead to attacks by local armed forces. Although it may not cause many casualties to the Haihan Army, it is still a trouble that must be guarded against.
For Wang Tom, Sakhalin is not a target that Haihan needs to pay attention to in the near future, and there is no need to pay the price of casualties for exploring this place. Besides, even if all the armed personnel on the island were killed, it would not be an effective blow to the Manchus.
Of course, Wang Tom knew very well what Shen Xueyi was up to. As long as Haihan could go to war with the Manchus, he would definitely be happy to see it happen. However, Wang Tom would not point out his little thoughts. The Haihan Army fought overseas for the interests of its own country and would not take the thoughts of the Koreans as a consideration. Being able to make such an explanation to Shen Xueyi was already a special treatment given to him by Tom Wang.
Early the next morning, the fleet assembled and set off, sailing out of Soya Bay and heading toward the southwest sea.
(End of chapter)