Chapter 2394
When Sun Zhen set off from Zhifu Island this time, he specially picked up a batch of handcuffs made in Sanya from the warehouse. They were originally intended to be used to detain refugees who made trouble, but he did not expect that they would first be used to detain Hulusa and others who had sneaked into Zhaoyuan County. The spies of the Qing army were used on the Dengzhou Ming army again this time. They captured two groups of people, but they were not refugees. Instead, they brought together the enemies of the Qing army and the Ming army.
Fortunately, Fushan County sent people over a few days ago to escort all the Qing army spies back. Otherwise, with the size of the temporary camp of the Haihan Army, there would be no way to separate the two captives.
The Haihan Army was all cavalry, and they were all equipped with long-range attack weapons such as muskets. After killing two people in protest at the beginning, the remaining people did not dare to move and even gave up escaping. The commander-in-chief, who was originally very arrogant, turned pale when he saw that Hai Hanjun was really killing people. He didn't dare to argue with Sun Zhen anymore, so he just surrendered and was captured.
When Sun Zhen saw this, he smiled contemptuously and said: "You are so courageous and dare to come out to make trouble. No wonder you are killed by the Tatars every year!"
Sun Zhen had personally witnessed the virtues of the Ming army during the Denglai Rebellion. He had no favorable impressions of these so-called officers and soldiers, and insisted that these people were stumbling blocks that hindered Haihan from saving the world's common people. If it were not for the fact that the relationship between the two countries cannot be damaged by such a local conflict, his method of dealing with these people would probably not be much more merciful than dealing with the Qing army.
Sun Zhen ordered these Ming troops to be escorted back to their base first. As for the Ming army's weapons and food, naturally all the Ming troops were taken over by the Haihan Army. However, these Ming troops were not organized as combat troops. Many of them had never even set foot on a real battlefield. They were completely unprepared for being captured. Some people could not afford to kneel down and begged the Haihan army to let them go. They have a way out.
Seeing this, Sun Zhen had no choice but to say loudly: "Our country, Haihan, and the Ming Dynasty are not at war, and you are not prisoners of war. It's just that you have misbehaved and hindered our country from rescuing refugees, so I will wrong you for a few days. Let's take care of things here, naturally. I will let you go back! As long as you obey the instructions and don't cause trouble, you don't have to worry about your life!"
Sun Zhen's statement still had a comforting effect. When these Ming army prisoners heard that they did not have to die, they immediately became much calmer. In troubled times, being able to live well is the most important thing. Since the Haihan Army does not intend to kill the prisoners and will release them after a while, there is no need to fight desperately.
The Haihan army defeated the Ming army so quickly. This was undoubtedly a shocking scene for the people watching nearby. They really didn't expect that the local Ming army was so vulnerable. They were captured by the Haihan army in just one encounter without even trying any decent countermeasures. Many people were secretly glad in their hearts that they did not choose to seek refuge in Dengzhou City. Otherwise, with this fighting power, let alone fighting against the wolf-like Qing army, I am afraid that even a group of bandits would not be able to stop them.
The Haihan Army was rumored to be able to defeat the Qing Army. Judging from the performance against the Ming Army just now, the rumors were indeed true. These Haihan people claim that they can provide safe shelter for refugees in Fushan County. It seems that they are not bragging. At least they are much more reliable than these Ming troops who only bully the people.
If the refugee group had previously had great doubts about the safety prospects of going to Fushan County, then after the Haihan army took action to deal with the Ming army blocking the road, the refugees were obviously more willing to believe Haihan's propaganda. Fushan County should It is a relatively safer area.
Sun Zhen personally escorted these prisoners back to the camp. Seeing this, Gong Shiqi couldn't help laughing and said: "I asked you to solve the problem, but you ended up solving the people who caused the problem as well! You have to control the food after you have captured so many people." Keep it under control, it’s going to cause trouble!”
Sun Zhen said: "I have ordered people to transport all their food rations from the camp. I will release them when the food is gone. During this period, I will use them as coolies for a few days and show the refugees who is here." The one who has the final say!”
Gong Shiqi smiled and said: "Okay, Sun Zhen! You have settled the accounts very clearly!"
Of course Sun Zhen would not give food to these captured Ming troops, but he also did not want to let these people go. Once these people continue to cause trouble after being released, it may not be so easy to capture them again. Therefore, he planned to imprison these Ming troops first and give them some hardship, so that after releasing them, these people would know how powerful they were and withdraw from Zhaoyuan County on their own.
Although the temporary station of the Haihan Army has been set up, due to very limited time and manpower, many infrastructure details have only been dealt with hastily. Now that more than a hundred Ming troops have been captured and there is a labor force that can be used, we can take this opportunity to improve the infrastructure of the camp. For example, essential camp facilities such as fortifications, drainage ditches, reservoirs, and toilets can be completed by these Ming army prisoners. Arranging labor tasks will exhaust these people's physical strength and prevent them from having random thoughts and dangerous thoughts during their detention.
Sun Zhen handed over the Ming army commander to Gong Shiqi and asked him to examine it carefully to confirm who was behind the Ming army and whether there were other concealment methods that had not yet been used. If the opponent still plans to continue fighting with Haihan, then Sun Zhen may have to ask the headquarters for a fight.
The magistrate of Gu County in the city also learned about the Haihan Army's attack on the Ming Army and captured many people alive through unknown channels the next day. At that time, he sent his staff to the Haihan camp to intercede with Sun Zhen, hoping that he would Keep people under your command, don't hurt the lives of these Ming soldiers.
Guzhi County's statement was forced out of help. If all the Ming troops sent by Dengzhou City were defeated in Zhaoyuan County, and as the head of a county, he did not try rescue measures, he would be chased afterward. Responsible. And from his point of view, he really doesn't want this matter to become a big deal. He allows the superiors to focus their attention on his own jurisdiction. He could have made extra money by secretly flirting with the Haihan people, but if he is being stared at, that won't be possible. Easy to operate. Therefore, Guzhi County hopes that Sun Zhen can handle the matter properly and not give Dengzhou Prefecture more reasons to intervene in Zhaoyuan County's affairs.
"Go back and tell Magistrate Gu that we have always dealt with such incidents in a measured manner and will not hurt people at will, let alone cause diplomatic problems between the two countries. If he is still worried, we also welcome him to come out of the city in person. Take a look." Sun Zhen can understand the caution of local officials, but the efficiency of communication is really low if the master is in the middle every time, and he doesn't want to waste too much time on this method of communication.
Outside the camp where the Haihan Army was stationed, dozens of Ming Army prisoners were digging holes and digging soil under the supervision of Haihan soldiers, and building trenches with both defense and drainage functions around the camp. This strange sight also attracted many refugees to stop and watch. However, the people all know that this is a military camp, so they don't dare to get too close. They will inevitably point and talk about why these Ming soldiers became coolies driven by the Haihan Army. This arrangement certainly has the evil taste of a public execution, but both Sun Zhen and Gong Shiqi believe that such a measure will help refugees quickly identify who can truly seek asylum. This may require It is more effective than shouting propaganda with a tin trumpet until your mouth is dry.
The fact is that refugees may not be willing to share better places to escape to others out of selfish motives. Therefore, many refugees who have just arrived do not know where to go next. However, news like "the Ming army is acting as coolies for the Haihan army" will spread as quickly as possible, and those who are interested will soon learn from this that the Haihan army is working for the refugees. Fushan County, more than a hundred miles away, provided a shelter.
As for Dengzhou City, there is no need to waste time to go and find out, because the Ming army in Dengzhou City is also digging trenches for the Haihan army in Zhaoyuan County. It is undoubtedly obvious who is more reliable in Dengzhou.
According to the results of Gong Shiqi's interrogation of the prisoners, they confirmed that it was Chen Zhongsheng, the prefect of Dengzhou, who sent the Ming army. It is worth mentioning that the commander who led the team was also a son of the Chen family, but he obviously did not have enough understanding of the deeds of the Haihan Army, so he carried out Chen Zhongsheng's orders without any compromise and tried to use a tough attitude to control the Haihan Army. The Han army drove out of Zhaoyuan County and blocked the flow of refugees to Fushan County under Haihan control. But without strong enough force as a backing, and if you have to show such a tough attitude in front of the Haihan Army, the consequences will only be self-humiliation.
According to their explanation, Dengzhou City's current defenses are empty due to the mobilization of troops. The number of troops defending the city is estimated to be only a few hundred, and most of them are just like the troops that went out to Zhaoyuan. The personnel are all patched together. , there is no combat effectiveness at all. Of course, under such circumstances, it would be difficult for Dengzhou City to send another force to Zhaoyuan County for reinforcements.
"With the current situation in Dengzhou City, if you can pull my camp over, I can take it in a day at most!" After hearing the results of Gong Shiqi's interrogation, Sun Zhen couldn't help but sigh: "Then Chen Zhongsheng They don’t know how to march and fight, and their own city defenses are empty, but they dare to divide their troops and go out to fight. The Ming Dynasty expects such officials to guard the territory. They are just foolish and loyal. How can they resist foreign enemies?”
Gong Shiqi's mood was very calm: "I have been traveling around Shandong in the past two years. I have basically been to all the big cities in every state. In fact, the cities are all well built, but the people in charge everywhere are civil servants, and almost none of them have experienced war. Once a war breaks out in the area under their jurisdiction, officials like Chen Zhongsheng are not alone. You see, this time the Qing army entered Shandong, everything was in chaos, and no effective organization was organized in time. Defense, Jinan City fights alone, how can it defeat the Qing army?"
Gong Shiqi could understand Sun Zhen's sentiment of hating iron but not steel, but the situation in the Ming Dynasty was not just a matter of the Ming army's combat power, but that the entire country was not ready for a full-scale war. When the war came, the decision-makers were made by some civilian officials who had never set foot on the battlefield. This could only greatly reduce the military strength of the Ming Dynasty.
Chen Zhongsheng, the prefect of Dengzhou, is responsible for defending the territory and has reasons to confront Haihan. However, his ideas and strategies are too taken for granted. In the eyes of professionals like Sun Zhen, they are naturally full of loopholes and unbearable. One blow. To the Ming Dynasty, Chen Zhongsheng might be considered a loyal minister, but in Sun Zhen's view, he was just a mediocre official who randomly interfered in military command. If Haihan really planned to attack Dengzhou City, or if the Qing army invaded Dengzhou, officials like Chen Zhongsheng probably would not be able to organize a decent resistance, and in the end it would end with martyrdom at most.
Sun Zhen knew in his heart that what Gong Shiqi said was the truth, and as an outsider he was unable to change the situation, so he could only sigh deeply at the moment.
Gong Shiqi said: "Brother Sun, there is no need to be depressed. Although we are Han people, we are all serving the Haihan Kingdom now. As the people of the Haihan Kingdom, the rise and fall of the Ming Dynasty is not something we need to worry about."
< br>
Sun Zhen nodded and said: "Brother Gong is right. It was the incompetence of those people in the Ming Dynasty who led to today's situation. It's just that they are stupid, but they have caused the people of the world to suffer from the Tatars." The pain of ravage! ”
Gong Shiqi said: "Our country, the Han Kingdom, is getting stronger and stronger day by day, overwhelming the Ming Dynasty everywhere, and the Tatars are not our enemies. I believe that one day in the future, our country will definitely compete in the Central Plains and replace the Ming Dynasty! By then, all the people in the world will become our country. The people of Han, the country is rich and the people are strong, and they are invincible in the world!”
Sun Zhendao: "In fact, I have thought about the situation that Brother Gong mentioned more than once, but I don't know when it will come. If Sun can conquer the world for the Executive Committee in the future, he will have no regrets even if he dies on the battlefield. ! ”
Sun Zhen's thoughts are not uncommon in the Haihan Army. Many senior officers who know the true strength of the Haihan Army will have similar thoughts. In recent years, the Haihan Army has had few opponents in the South China Sea, and most military operations have been carried out in the north. After fighting against the armies of many countries, it is not difficult for the officers to find that there are not many opponents in the world who can match the Haihan Army. If it were not limited by the strength, mobility and supply capabilities, the territory occupied by Haihan would have been the current one. Several times.
Of course, whether they are fighting Westerners, Nanyangs, Easterners, or northern Tatars, for the majority of senior military officers who are composed of Han people, these wars are just equivalent to practicing their skills, competing in the Central Plains, and establishing traditions. The central dynasty should be the future direction of Haihan Kingdom.
But it seems that the always wise Executive Committee is not very interested in this prospect. At least so far, it has not shown a sense of urgency to march into the Central Plains. The scope of activities of the Haihan Army has still remained within a hundred miles near the coast. Moreover, it has maintained a so-called ally relationship with Ming Dynasty for a long time. As a result, when the Haihan Army came into contact with the Ming Army, they often restrained their efforts and had reservations. Just like Sun Zhen captured these Ming troops in Zhaoyuan County, after arresting them, he had to consider when to release them.
(End of chapter)