Chapter 2861
"Ziwu, I heard that you went to Qingyang Fort for a few days not long ago? Could you briefly tell me about the situation there." Chen Pingliao called Zhu Ziwu over and gave him the task of introducing the situation. I don't know if I want to give him a chance to perform, or if I want to use this to test him.
Bai Letong and Ning Zijing were both a little surprised. They thought that Chen Yixin arranged for Zhu Ziwu to go to Shenyang just to experience the garrison environment here. They never thought that this man had even been to the border front. Although Haihan and Manchu have already signed an armistice agreement, and it seems that diplomatic relations have become normal, there should still be certain risks in border areas like Qingyang Fort.
Zhu Ziwu's expression remained normal. He had stayed in Liaodong for more than half a year and had already become accustomed to his new identity. He immediately explained the local situation to them.
The area north of Shenyang is under military control. The Haihan Army deployed a battalion in Tieling Acropolis and Liaohai Acropolis respectively. Qingyang Fort is a border stronghold under the jurisdiction of Liaohai Acropolis. A reinforced company with about two hundred soldiers is stationed there.
Although Qingyang Fort has a garrison and performs armed patrols in the border area on a daily basis, because the border line where Qingyang Fort is located is 70 to 80 miles long, and there are only boundary markers as a separation from the Manchu and Qing territories, the garrison troops are not The entire border cannot be monitored at all times, and the so-called patrol operations are more symbolic to indicate Haihan's authority in the area. Therefore, many local border residents and even caravans will freely shuttle across the border areas between the two countries. Most of the time, the garrison troops turn a blind eye and do not strictly supervise this behavior.
This situation will inevitably give rise to many problems, such as smuggling transactions that are beyond official control, the entry and exit behavior of floating populations, and the secret infiltration of spies and even saboteurs, which may affect the security situation in border areas.
Of course, now we have to add another one, cross-border attacks by unidentified armed men.
Bai Letong asked: "How did you get the message back after the incident in Qingyang Fort?"
Zhu Ziwu said: "There is a radio station deployed in Liaohai Acropolis. The garrison in Liaohai Acropolis should have been notified first, and then the news was sent back to Shenyang through the radio."
Bai Letong said: "Then the Qingyang Fort garrison asked for instructions whether to pursue the armed bandits. If the news from here was sent back, the other party would have disappeared, right?"
Zhu Ziwu said: "The procedures in the military are like this, and the local garrison is just doing things according to the rules."
Chen Pingliao coughed dryly and interjected: "There are too few troops stationed in Qingyang Fort. It is definitely inappropriate to attack rashly. What's more, the opponent has retreated to the Manchu territory, so actions need to be more cautious. They are right to ask for instructions first."
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Ning Zijing asked: "Then how will this matter be handled next?"
Chen Pingliao said: "Probably we have to follow the path of courtesy first and then attack. My father is meeting with the Manchu envoys. In addition to reporting the situation, he must also exert pressure and require the other party to cooperate with the investigation and handle follow-up matters."
Ning Zijing said: "If it is really the Qing army's hand that involves troop mobilization, it shouldn't be difficult for the other party to investigate, right?"
Chen Pingliao shook his head and said: "That's not necessarily the case. The Qing army belongs to the Eight Banners, and the men are both civilians and soldiers. They produce and work in peacetime, and serve in wartime. They even provide their own weapons, food and grass. Until Huang Taiji fought with us for many years After realizing the shortcomings of this military system, the Qing Dynasty began to establish a standing army. However, the Qing Dynasty could not support a large number of professional soldiers like our country, so the standing army was only a minority, and tribal armed forces were still the main force. The armed forces of these tribes can gather and disperse flexibly, and they are not under the direct control of the Qing government. If they want to do something, the Qing government may not know about it. But the timing of this incident is really strange..."
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Before Chen Pingliao finished speaking, Chen Yixin had already walked in furiously, followed by Bai Kesi and Sun Zhen. The officers waiting in the conference room immediately took their seats. After Chen Yixin and others took their seats, the meeting began.
First, Sun Zhen stood up and introduced the current situation. What was attacked was a convoy belonging to the Liaodong Commercial Alliance, and the Liaodong Commercial Alliance was a quasi-official commercial organization, so this convoy was actually working for the government.
This convoy is carrying a batch of goods jointly purchased by four Manchu and Qing trading houses, including salt, sugar, cigarettes, tea and other in-demand commodities. The total weight is more than 70,000 kilograms, and it is packed into 54 carriages. The total price of the goods was approximately 200,000 taels of silver. It is expected that after the sale is completed in Manqing, the profit will be at least 60%.
The relevant payment for the goods has been settled in Shenyang. Since the Manchu and Qing Commercial Bank did not have enough transportation capacity, it was handed over to the fleet of the Liaodong Merchant Alliance to complete the transportation task. This cargo was shipped from Shenyang and was destined for Shuangmiaozi Town in Manchu and Qing Dynasties, about thirty miles north of Qingyang Fort. It was delivered to the Manchu and Qing cargo owner locally.
The convoy rested for one night after arriving at Qingyang Fort and went through the entry and exit procedures at the local government office. But just a few miles away from Qingyang Fort the next day, the convoy was ambushed by Manchu armed personnel in the wild.
According to survivors' descriptions, although these Manchu and Qing armed personnel did not wear uniforms, the weapons such as knives and bows they used were obviously the standard equipment installed in the Qing army, and many of them used flintlock guns.
There were about 300 attackers, which matched the strength of the Qing army. There were only about thirty armed escorts accompanying the convoy. Although they were all equipped with muskets, they rushed into the battle unprepared and failed to withstand the opponent's offensive.
Perhaps they were worried that the Haihan Army from Qingyang Fort would come to the rescue. After all the convoy escorts lost their combat effectiveness, the attackers did not kill the drivers of the convoy. Instead, they seized the carriage and cargo and immediately fled northward.
The Qingyangbao garrison arrived at the scene about an hour after the battle ended. However, because the attackers took away their dead and injured accomplices, no clues could be found at the scene to confirm the identity of the attackers.
The garrison at Qingyang Fort did not dare to act rashly, so they could only follow the procedures and report it to the battalion headquarters. After receiving the news, the battalion headquarters at Liaohai Acropolis sent a telegram to Shenyang and mobilized a company of troops to reinforce the Qingyang Fort to prevent The situation expanded. The official entry and exit procedures at Qingyang Fort have been suspended, and several caravans are currently detained there.
After Sun Zhen finished speaking, Chen Yixin concluded: "First, the other party set up an ambush and attacked near Qingyang Fort. They came and went quickly. They were obviously prepared. There is reason to suspect that the attackers had obtained the convoy's itinerary in advance. and the content of the goods being transported, so everyone in the fleet, as well as other people in charge of the itinerary, must conduct investigations. ”
"Second, there are witnesses and various clues that confirm that the attacker is likely to be from the Manchu Qing Dynasty. I have instructed the Manchu Qing envoy to immediately communicate with the Qing court to find out the truth of the incident and make sure to give an explanation to our country."
"Third, in order to ensure the peace of the border, a battalion of troops was transferred from Shenyang, led by Sun Zhen himself, and set off for Qingyang Fort today. If such an incident occurs again in the past few days, the troops guarding the area can attack on their own. There is no need to Please ask for further instructions!”
(End of chapter)