Chapter 2832
The coastal defense fort built at the commanding heights near the entry and exit channels is undoubtedly the most reliable local defense. However, judging from the current situation in Liaodong, these defenses will probably not be used in the foreseeable period.
The Manchu Qing Dynasty in the north has lost its outlet in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea areas and can no longer threaten Port Arthur from the sea. North Korea in the east is Haihan's ally. Large-scale mobilization of North Korean troops even has to be reported to Haihan first, and every move is under Haihan's control. Although the Ming army in the west still theoretically retains a naval force, almost all of them are on duty in the inland rivers and no longer go out to sea, so as to avoid the scope of activities of the Haihan Navy as much as possible.
The main local military and political officials in Lushun had already lined up on the dock to welcome the arrival of superior officials.
After the group landed on the dock, Bai Letong noticed that there was a stone tablet about ten feet high erected on the pier. After asking Chen Pingliao, he learned that it turned out to be the monument to Haihan's landing in Liaodong.
In the winter of 1635, Haihan launched the Battle of Lushunkou. After landing here, he defeated the Hou Jin army stationed here, which also opened the prelude to Haihan's strategy in Liaodong. On the tenth anniversary of Haihan's landing in Liaodong, Chen Yixin ordered the construction of this monument to remind future generations to remember the achievements of the Haihan army in opening up territory.
A colonel in navy uniform stepped forward quickly and saluted everyone. Chen Yixin introduced his identity as Captain Shen Zhixiang, the chief officer of the Port Arthur garrison and affiliated with the North Sea Fleet.
Shen Zhixiang is a son of Dongjiang Town, and his uncle Shen Shikui is the last commander-in-chief of Dongjiang Town. Dongjiang Town lost Liaodong and could only be stationed on Pi Island near North Korea. It was short of supplies and found it difficult to survive. In the end, it had to seek refuge with Haihan in order to survive. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Dongjiang Town were also dispersed and relocated to Jinzhou, Dengzhou and other places.
Shen Zhixiang joined the Haihan Army at that time. Thanks to his background and Haihan's objective need to appoint Dongjiang Town officers to win the hearts and minds of the people, his starting point was much higher than that of the ordinary Ming army who was recruited. , entered the army as a second lieutenant staff officer, and was later sent to the Naval Academy in the south for further training, and participated in a series of military operations by the Haihan Army to attack the Qing Army in the Liaodong region, with an impeccable resume.
At that time, the executive committee attached great importance to the recruitment work of Dongjiang Town, and held several meetings to discuss the resettlement and appointment plan for Dongjiang Town personnel. Of course, Bai Kesi knew very well who Shen Zhixiang was and why he could take up this position. At that moment, Wen Yan gave him a few words of encouragement, and also He specifically asked about Shen Shikui's physical condition. In order to avoid suspicion and to pave the way for Shen Zhixiang, Shen Shikui surrendered his military power early and retired to the second line. He only retained the position of military adviser to the Northern Region. Now he has settled in Jinzhou to live out his old age.
In fact, there are quite a few Dongjiang Town personnel like Shen Zhixiang who continue to work hard in the army after taking refuge in Haihan. Even today, there are many people in the Northern Region Army who are descendants of Dongjiang Town. Of course, the object of their allegiance has long since changed from the Ming Dynasty to Haihan.
It was getting late at this time, so there were no more tours arranged for the guests. They immediately took the bus to the naval base to rest.
The next day, Bai Kesi and his party went to Lushun Naval Base for an inspection.
Although the Northern Region currently has three large bases in Lushun Port, Zhifu Port and Qingdao Port, as well as two garrison stations in the direction of North Korea, namely Datongjiang and Yiju, the size of the garrison in other areas is still not comparable to that of Lushun. Nearly half of the North Sea Fleet's warships are still stationed at the Lushun base, including two Majesty-class warships, 12 Expedition-class warships, more than 30 Exploration-class warships, and eight Sailfish-class fast reconnaissance ships. Ten Barracuda-class troop carriers, twelve Yugong-class comprehensive supply ships and a large number of combat vessels. The combat power here alone is enough to form a military advantage in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea.
After nearly two decades of continuous reconstruction and expansion, the scale of the entire military port base is also quite astonishing. The port area spread along both sides of the Long River estuary is several miles long and has dozens of large and small berths, which can accommodate Warships twice the size of the North Sea Fleet docked in the port for supplies.
There are various storage and supply facilities built in the port area. Here, Baikes saw not only the belt conveyors for loading and unloading coal, but also diesel storage tanks built under the ground. Although there are currently very few ships equipped with diesel engines like the Bikes ship, and this kind of oil storage equipment can only be idle most of the time, it can be seen from this that the Lushun base is already making preparations for future development. Ready.
Bai Letong asked his father in a low voice: "The diesel stored here is all transported from the south?"
Bai Kesi nodded slightly and said: "That is the case at present, but in a while, the Liaodong area should be able to produce oil, and by then it may be transported to the south."
The underground oil and gas resources contained in the Liaohe River Basin are considerable. With the mining technology currently mastered by Haihan, it is possible to develop the oil fields in this area. However, because the Liaodong region is too far away, it is extremely difficult to transport large-scale mining equipment from the south. In addition, the situation in Liaodong was not stable in the past few years, so the plan to exploit the Liaohe Oilfield has been delayed again and again.
However, now that the Qing Dynasty has surrendered, it will probably no longer threaten the mining areas in the lower reaches of the Liao River, and related development plans have once again been put on the agenda. One of Bai Kesi's tasks during this inspection of Liaodong is to confirm that the northern region has qualified development conditions and can officially start related projects.
Of course, Chen Yixin's plan is far more than just extracting oil, but to establish an upstream and downstream industrial chain in Liaodong. In addition to the petrochemical industry, he also hopes to introduce the engine industry. After all, in addition to oil, this place is also extremely rich in coal and iron resources, and the major resource factors for the development of heavy industry are equally good. Once energy and power are solved, the prospects for industrial development in the northern region will be bright.
However, such a long-term plan will encounter many difficulties in the implementation process. Relevant technologies are all in the hands of the Executive Committee. So far, no region has been able to decentralize the complete industrial chain technology. There will be some links that are stuck to ensure that the Executive Committee can control these high technologies. industry. Even if the Northern Region is rich in resources, the Executive Committee may not completely let it go.
What Chen Yixin has to do now is to persuade the other party to accept his development plan as much as possible during Bai Kesi's inspection trip, to move him emotionally, to understand him rationally, and to show his advantage when necessary.
(End of chapter)