Chapter 3018
In late January of 1657 in the Haihan calendar, Xingdao Military Port in the South China Sea.
Luo Jie, Tan Juren, and Qian Tiandun were at the port to review the troops about to leave for the expedition.
The scale of this expedition was huge. In addition to the special operations division under Qian Tiandun, there were also some troops from the Eighth Lu Division and the Second Detachment of the South China Sea Fleet from Annan, as well as the Ninth Lu Division and the Third Detachment of the South China Sea Fleet belonging to the Xingdao Region. of the navy and army units.
This coalition, composed of multiple troops, has a total strength of more than 8,000 people, and uses more than 70 warships of various types. In addition, it has requisitioned nearly a hundred civilian ships to serve as a logistics fleet.
It is no exaggeration to say that the strength of this coalition is enough to push the armed forces of any country in the Malacca Strait region. But who in the outside world could have imagined that Haihan mobilized his troops in such a way just to attack a non-existent opponent.
"Since the establishment of the Xingdao Region, there has never been such a large-scale military operation! To be able to see this scene, the more than 20 years of fighting in Xingdao are not in vain!"
Although Tan Juren was not a soldier and did not have to go into battle in person, he was the most excited among the three. Perhaps it was one of his long-term goals for the Xingdao Region to take military actions openly like this to pursue external expansion.
Qian Tiandun responded with a smile: "Old Tan, this is just the beginning. Take good care of your body. You will have a lot of territory to take care of from now on!"
Roger did not speak. He just raised his hand and gave a military salute to the soldiers lined up. He was responded to by shouts like a mountain roar and a tsunami: "We must win! We must win! We must win!"
In terms of military strength alone, Xingdao has already had the conditions for external expansion. However, because the environment at home and abroad has not reached an ideal state, the Xingdao authorities have to postpone the expansion plan again and again.
It wasn't until Qian Tiandun convinced the executive committee to make the South China Sea region the main expansion direction of Haihan in the next few years that the Singdao authorities finally seemed to see a turning point.
Even so, in order to prepare for the war more fully, Xingdao still spent several more months. So much so that the Luzon Region, which had originally agreed to take simultaneous actions, had already come to an end in its southern expedition, while Xingdao was just getting ready to take action.
But good food never comes late. Compared with the primitive islands captured by the Luzon Region, the first step of Star Island's goal is to connect the key trade lanes between the two oceans. Once captured, profits can be generated almost immediately. Just to be on the safe side, it was still acceptable for Roger and Tan Juren to wait a few more months.
Li Yuande's fleet has become an affiliate of the special warfare division, so he is also among the first batch of people to set off. It's just that he doesn't have a military status, so he has no role in the activities on the dock. He can only watch from a distance on the ship as several senior officials review the troops that are about to go on the expedition.
When he heard the troops under review shouting the slogan "We must win", Li Yuande couldn't help but feel excited, and raised his arms and shouted several times.
Li Yuande has heard a lot about the reasons for this expedition recently from various channels, but he actually doesn't believe much about the attack on the Haihan Merchant Ship.
The group of young officials Li Yuande met in Xingdao were all very tight-lipped when it came to the pirate incident, and they all claimed not to know the inside story. However, such a unified statement aroused his suspicion.
It was not until later that Roger announced the dispatch of troops to suppress the bandits, and ordered more than half of the troops stationed on Xingdao, that Li Yuande finally realized that he was going to use this matter to start a big fight.
After the review ceremony was over, each department began to board the ship to prepare for departure. Roger will also set off with the troops and direct the next operations together with Qian Tiandun. According to the pre-plan, Roger, who was familiar with the environment of the Strait of Malacca, commanded the vanguard force, while Qian Tiandun was responsible for the main force serving as the backbone of the operation. Behind him was the Second Detachment of the South China Sea Fleet commanded by Mu Zhennan.
The fleet left the Sing Tao military port in batches within a day, then sailed westward along the coast and entered the Strait of Malacca.
Most of the coast of Sumatra Island on the southwest side of the Strait of Malacca is a tidal flat, so there are no decent ports and cities, and there are only a few fishing villages. Most of the areas are in a relatively primitive state, and all the way to the northern end of Sumatra Island, the population density is very high. It will slowly increase and populated towns will begin to appear.
The Malay Peninsula on the northeast side of the strait is much more lively. Due to the important value of the geographical location of the strait, it has been a battleground for military strategists in recent centuries. Although there are also only a few large ports and cities, all forces are sparing no effort to compete for control of these places.
For those living in the region, these recent years of peace have been nothing more than a brief respite in a long war. War is the norm in the Straits region.
Four hundred miles away from Star Island is Malacca City, the largest city in the strait.
The city has a history of only more than two hundred years. It was founded by Paramesura, a prince from Sumatra, and founded the Malacca Dynasty on the basis of the city, which was also known as the Kingdom of Malacca in the Ming Dynasty.
But as the city of Malacca gradually prospered, foreign enemies also appeared. First, Siam sent troops to attack Malacca twice, and then the more ferocious Portuguese and Dutch came. The Malacca dynasty only existed for a century before being destroyed by Portuguese muskets and artillery.
Of course, the war in Malacca did not stop there. Johor, Aceh and other countries later joined the fight, and wars, large and small, continued into this century.
Although the Portuguese, with the help of Haihan, repelled the Dutch who wanted to invade this place, the price was to hold their noses and recognize Haihan's control of Star Island.
What makes the Portuguese even more uneasy is that the construction results they spent more than a century in Malacca City seem to be unable to compare with Haihan's achievements in just over 20 years in Sing Tao. Whether it is port conditions, trade scale, or military strength, Malacca City has been left behind by Sing Tao.
The former regional center is now rapidly losing its original influence after being overtaken by the competitor Sing Tao. This is one of the reasons why the Malacca Strait has become peaceful in recent years. Waging a war to seize control of the city of Malacca seems to have become less and less attractive to the rulers of various countries.
Of course, the Portuguese are not willing to be easily deprived of their status as a regional trade center by latecomers, but there is really no effective way to deal with Star Island. They cannot directly launch a war like they did with the indigenous people.
The only thing they can do is to try their best to maintain the current status of Malacca City, maintain their influence in the Straits region, and prevent the Haihan family from becoming dominant.
However, the cooperation between the Sing Tao authorities and Aceh has become closer in the past two years, which has also made the Portuguese increasingly worried about the future prospects of Malacca City. Banda Aceh and Sing Tao are located at opposite ends of the strait. If these two families join forces, the city of Malacca sandwiched in the middle will not have much oil and water.
(End of chapter)