Chapter 3583
As the sharp horn sounded, the entire Yanziji Pier knew that the naval personnel of the East China Sea Fleet stationed here had begun to gather again.
When Qin Jian heard the horn sound coming from outside in the office, she just frowned slightly and had no intention of getting up to take a look.
Since the fleet came to Yanziji, this situation has happened almost every two or three days, and this horn is the signal for the troops to gather for training.
At first, there were many people who liked to join in the fun and would rush over to watch after hearing the trumpet sound. Later, they realized that this was just a rally call and not a signal to launch an attack, so the number of spectators gradually decreased.
Although Qin Jian has been transferred to the Nanjing Management Committee, he still retains an office location at Yanziji Pier so that he can return here at any time to handle official duties.
Since he received the task from Tao Hongfang a few days ago to arrange for the East China Sea Fleet to be stationed in Yanziji, he knew that the matter was of great importance, so he simply packed up his bedroll and moved to the dock to stay temporarily so that he could handle related matters nearby.
With him personally taking command, there were no troubles during the stationing of the East China Sea Fleet. It was just that the superiors originally requested that relevant matters be kept confidential to avoid leaking military secrets, but within two days, Qin Jian was asked to organize a meeting of various shipping companies and deliberately pass on some confidential information, which inevitably made him feel a little at a loss.
Although the war has not yet broken out, the number of refugees from the Ming Dynasty arriving at Yanziji Pier has suddenly increased in recent days. After reading the registration information, Qin Jian found that most of these refugees came from Jiangpu and Liuhe counties on the other side of the river. After fleeing to Yangzhou, they were diverted by local organizations and transported to Nanjing for resettlement.
It goes without saying that it was the arrival of the East China Sea Fleet that put tremendous pressure on the other side. It was believed that a war was imminent, which caused the local people to begin to flee in large numbers.
Seeing these refugees who were sent to Nanjing, Qin Jian seemed to suddenly understand why the East China Sea Fleet organized drills every three days but was in no rush to launch a real offensive on the other side.
If this is really fought, there is no way that thousands of refugees can be gathered and controlled so easily. After the other party lost so much population in a non-war state, the two counties of Jiangpu and Liuhe on the other side were actually about to fall into a self-defeating situation.
After Qin Jian entered the officialdom, he also took the time to read a lot of books. He knew that this move was called "subduing the enemy without fighting" in military books, but this was the first time he had seen it applied in practice in this way.
Qin Jian has also been thinking in the past two days. If the people in the two counties on the other side of the river are running away, and only two county towns are left in the end, then Nanjing should really send troops to knock down those two county towns.
At this time, some of his subordinates came in and reported to him that today's assembly seemed to be a little different from the previous few days. The warships had begun to unmoor and raise the sails.
After hearing this, Qin Jian immediately stood up and walked outside the house to confirm what his men said.
During the assembly training a few days ago, most of the warships of the East China Sea Fleet did not leave the port. Only a few high-speed reconnaissance ships actually took action. The local fleet also dispatched several times to act as an atmosphere team.
However, the scene on the pier at this time was already different from the previous days of training. Even the two largest majesty-class battleships were raising their main sails and were obviously about to move.
Qin Jian was a little dumbfounded when he saw this, not because he had not received advance notice from the military, but because at first he thought that there would be a war after the arrival of the East China Sea Fleet. However, things did not turn out that way. The fleet only continued to exert deterrence on the other side, but There was no actual move to go to war. So he changed his mind and thought that this was a good show deliberately arranged by the superiors. The war would not really break out. When the people on the opposite side had almost escaped, the show would naturally come to an end. However, the gathering situation of the East China Sea Fleet at this time actually seemed to be about to go into action.
"This...isn't it a fake show?" Qin Jian murmured to himself, watching the scene in front of him in disbelief.
It was not only Qin Jian who raised this question, but also Tao Hongfang who was communicating with Shi Chengwu.
According to the plan that Shi Chengwu told him in advance, the East China Sea Fleet stationed in Nanjing was just a normal cross-regional defense exercise, and the force deterrence against the Ming Dynasty was only to create chaos and would not launch a real offensive.
However, Shi Chengwu suddenly came to him early in the morning and told him that the time was now ripe to take over Jiangpu and Liuhe counties on the other side.
This was not in the original plan, and Tao Hongfang was naturally very surprised when he heard the news.
What he is worried about is not only whether the East China Sea Fleet can quickly enter combat status, but also whether this matter has been approved by the Executive Committee.
If this is just Shi Chengwu's personal decision, then who should bear the consequences.
Shi Chengwu was also very frank: "As for the situation in Nanjing, I have reported it to the Ministry of National Defense and the Executive Committee, requesting further action, but I have not received a reply yet. If Hongfang is willing to join me in petitioning , which will surely give the superiors more confidence in this operation.”
Tao Hongfang hesitated for a moment and then sighed: "The armistice agreement signed with Ming Dynasty last year has not yet been completed for a year. It is easy to start a war but difficult to end it. I am worried that there is still too little time left for the local people to recuperate."
Shi Chengwu heard that his willingness to oppose the action was not firm, so he immediately explained: "Hongfang, the targets of this action are mainly Jiangpu and Liuhe counties. According to the agreement reached with Daming last year, the control of Tianfu needs to Handed over to our country, and these two counties were originally under the jurisdiction of Yingtian Mansion, it is natural for us to send troops to regain control.”
"This operation will only take the land of two counties, and will not launch further offensives against Chuzhou and Fengyang. Even if Ming Dynasty is dissatisfied with this, there is a high probability that it will only negotiate with the Executive Committee through diplomatic channels, and is unlikely to send troops to follow up. We are fighting, so the possibility of a large-scale battle is also very low.”
Tao Hongfang reminded: "There are still two county towns over there, and there will be some soldiers and horses defending the city. Can they be taken without taking action?"
Shi Chengwu smiled and said: "It is really possible. Half of the people in the two counties on the other side have fled. How can we defend the two counties without reinforcements? As long as we promise to let the people in the city live, we can probably win over them. Abandoned the city voluntarily.”
Tao Hongfang said: "If we really want to fight, we still have to be prepared for a siege. We must not underestimate the enemy!"
Shi Chengwu said: "So, Hongfang, you agree?"
Tao Hongfang said: "Since you and I are partners, of course we must try our best to help you achieve your goals. But you must make a quick decision and don't be greedy for credit and rush forward!"