1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1032 Hope Oil Field ([-])

Xu Yuzhuo is currently the chief of the navy in the Zhangquan area, commanding the most elite fleet in the Fujian navy, and has also commanded the Ming army's navy to cooperate in many military operations led by Haihan. The relationship with the high-level Haihan military Also more acquainted.When Wang Tom commanded the Haihan Navy to attack Miyako Island last year, Xu Yuzhuo was also a military observer of the Ming army to watch the battle. Xu Xinsu sent him to Penghu to inquire about the news when the situation was not clear, which can be regarded as the right arrangement.

After hearing Xu Yuzhuo's intentions, Tom Wang comforted him and said, "General Xu, don't worry. Our fleet is only passing through Penghu and going to Zhoushan, Zhejiang to replace the local garrison. During this period, it will not stop at the ports on the coast of Fujian, nor will it It will disturb the local people."

Wang Tom didn't say a word about the real purpose of the fleet's trip to Zhejiang, nor did he reveal the plan to do it on Taiwan Island next.These two matters are directly supervised by the executive committee, and the level of confidentiality is also the highest. Before the phased results are achieved, the Haihan military does not want to let the Fujian government get the news for the time being.

After hearing this, Xu Yuzhuo felt more at ease, because he also knew that the possibility of Haihan using force against Fujian was very slim. Even if one day the Haihan people were full of ambitions and wanted to go to war against Ming, it would definitely be Guangdong, which is closer to Hainan Island, which would suffer first.As for the purpose of this fleet going to Zhejiang to change defense or have other plans, that's not something Xu Yuzhuo needs to worry about.I heard that there have been a lot of people going up and down in the officialdom in Zhejiang recently. It is very likely that Haihan is starting to make efforts to eliminate dissidents in the local officialdom. pressure.

However, as an ally of Haihan, Xu Yuzhuo still had to be polite: "General Wang's words are beyond words. If your country's fleet needs anything during its passage through Fujian, I will definitely help you."

In the past, when the Haihan army went to Fujian to carry out military operations, it was true that they would not be polite to the government here. Fujian officials not only had to contribute people, but most of the time they also had to pay for food and money to bear part of the consumption of the Haihan army, and the reward was " "Allies" status, and opportunities to participate in Haihan-led military operations.Although it seems that the Fujian government has paid more, in fact, it can be regarded as taking what it needs. Compared with other provinces in the Daming Sea, the combat power of the Fujian Navy is definitely one of the best. This is mainly due to the cooperation with Haihan. Long-term cooperation in the military field.

Before Xu Xinsu entered the officialdom, he was a calculating businessman. Of course, it is impossible to do business at a loss. Although Haihan has been given many benefits in the military field, thanks to the South China Sea route opened by Haihan, the maritime trade under Xu Xinsu's control is also Earning a lot of money, the benefits even far exceed the military expenditure.Moreover, Xu Xinsu has been in the officialdom for several years, and she also deeply understands that her current status comes from Hai Han's support, and helping Hai Han is actually helping herself. The fundamental nature of these two things is the same.Therefore, no matter whether it was the Penghu base, or whether there were Haihan troops passing through the border, Xu Xinsu was willing to spend a little more money to consolidate the relationship with Haihan.

Although Wang Tom said that there was no need for the help of the Fujian government this time, Xu Yuzhuo still donated 1000 dans of rice and [-] taels of silver to Haihan in his own name as military funds.Tom Wang knew that if the gift was not accepted, the Xu family might not be able to feel at ease, so he accepted the gift list, and sent Xu Yuzhuo away after some kind words of comfort.

Although the task force has an absolute advantage in terms of strength, Wang Tom still did not order to enter Miaoli immediately out of careful consideration.He first learned about the general situation from the Miaoli garrison through the radio, and then began to prepare relevant combat materials.Considering the hydrological conditions of Houlongxi, the flagship would definitely not be able to dock at the coastal camp, and the local opponents were only active on land, so there was no need to dispatch large warships to deal with them.In addition, the local climate and environment cannot be ignored. It is necessary to prepare a large number of rainproof equipment and medicinal materials for dispelling wind and dehumidification, so as to avoid various diseases and large-scale non-combat attrition of troops after entering the area.

However, formulating a combat plan has become a relatively simple link in preparing for war.In addition to being not familiar enough with the geographical situation, the Haihan army has an advantage in other aspects. Basically, they don't need to think too much about tactics, just push and crush them.Given the gap in combat effectiveness between the two sides, the indigenous tribes really had no chance of turning over in a confrontation on the frontal battlefield.Now that the troops have arrived here, Tom Wang is not in a hurry to do it in a day or two. He plans to wipe out the indigenous tribes in one fell swoop after everything is ready.

"Tom Wang will arrive in Miaoli in three days." Bex shared the telegram he had just received with Morgan: "The combat operations at that time will be jointly commanded by you and Tom Wang."

Although Wang Tom's establishment is in the navy, his current military position is indeed a little higher than that of Morgan, and it is understandable even if he directly takes over the local military command.Of course, Morgan didn't care about such details. He and Wang Tom were very good friends before crossing, and being able to cross half of the world together to participate in this non-returning crossing operation already shows the relationship between them. It is undoubtedly the best arrangement for them to be able to partner and command operations together again.

Morgan planned this campaign to wipe out the indigenous tribes in the Miaoli area. The main targets were the Maoli Society in the mountainous area on the west bank of the Houlong River, and the Dajia Society in the upper reaches of the Houlong River, east of the oil field camp.After pulling out these two nails, I hope that the oilfield project can enter the normal operation stage, otherwise Haihan, as the defensive side, will have to be nervous day and night to prevent the sneak attack of the natives, and there is no time to send more Focus on oil projects.

After the drilling started that day, it was not smooth at the beginning, and no oil was found after drilling for more than 60 meters.Although this drilling depth is not considered large, it does not match the oilfield data that Haihan has.You must know that the person who first discovered this oil field dug it out on the boundary of his own land with a hoe, and the shallowness of the burial can be seen.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Tian Yeyou decisively stopped drilling. He changed a place and spent two days re-erecting the drilling rig. Sure enough, he saw oil as soon as he drilled down. Immediately, he ordered the workers to lower the casing and pour cement for solidification. well, and then temporarily seal the wellhead.The reason why mining is not started immediately is mainly because the supporting refining facilities and the required storage containers are not ready, and there is no way to start regular production at the moment.

According to the original oilfield exploitation plan formulated by the Ministry of Industry, the construction of these supporting facilities should be carried out simultaneously when the camp starts construction. However, due to capacity constraints, weather reasons, external instability factors, etc., the supporting facilities have not kept up with the development at all. Progress, even if the oil has been drilled now, there is no way to start production immediately.

However, in this way, Miaoli's limited local human resources are prioritized for infrastructure projects.At present, besides a company of the army, there are also various engineering and technical personnel and migrant workers stationed in the oil field camp. There are as many as 700 people in total.The goal of the first phase of the oil field camp is to build a small town that can accommodate a thousand people. It is more accurate to call it a stronghold based on the current situation. Ensure the security of the camp.

During the period of waiting for the reinforcements from the base camp, the sneak attacks by the indigenous armed forces continued. Even with enhanced defenses, the fleet passing through the Houlongxi inevitably became the main target of the indigenous attacks.Compared with the Haihan stronghold, which is almost inaccessible, the fleet with limited defense is obviously easier to deal with in the eyes of the natives, and the attack is more effective.

After the first death in battle, Haihan failed to prevent casualties. Up to now, two soldiers were wounded and killed in the battle with the natives while escorting the convoy, and the number of injured personnel has reached double digits.Another migrant worker died in a sneak attack while collecting wild vegetables outside the camp, and even his head was cut off by the natives. For a while, the mood of the people in the camp also fluctuated.Morgan had to issue a more severe ban, prohibiting people in the camp from going out without the protection of the army.

Even if Wang Tom didn't lead a large army to come for reinforcements, Morgan was already thinking about how to solve the troubles caused by the natives as soon as possible.Although the local garrison is limited in scale and unable to carry out large-scale encirclement and suppression, Morgan believes that with the elite troops at hand, especially the group of sniper trainees he brought over from Sanya, there is still a chance to lurk near the tribe and carry out several targeted attacks. The beheading action may be used to deal a heavy blow to the indigenous tribes.

Of course, Tom Wang's arrival undoubtedly minimized the risk of Haihan's actions, and the effect must be unmatched by the beheading operation.But in order to be able to cooperate with Wang Tom to command operations, Morgan must temporarily leave the oil field camp for a few days, return to the coastal camp first, and plan and arrange specific action plans with Wang Tom when he arrives.

"While I'm away, the command here will be handed over to you, Lao Bai." Morgan was somewhat uneasy about making this decision, and after speaking, he asked again: "Old Bai, are you okay?"

Beks laughed and said, "Even if I have never commanded a battle, at least I have hundreds of professional soldiers under my command, so I can't hold on to this camp? But you should be careful, the natives have been launching sneak attacks along the Houlong River recently, Don't let anything happen to you on the way."

Morgan replied: "If the natives dare to come, that's exactly what I want. Then I will let them know what a professional gunman is!"

Although Morgan said he didn't take the natives seriously, he still spent some time preparing for the trip back to the coastal camp.He divided his sniper trainees into two teams equally, one team stayed in the oil field, and the other team set off together as his personal bodyguard.In response to the attack methods of the natives, carpenters have recently reinforced and modified the inland barges. Not only have the sides of the ships been raised to increase the protective effect, but each barge has added a few pieces of roof so that the personnel on board can use bows and arrows against the natives. Can dodge when thrown from the shore.In order to ensure safety, Morgan’s boat was temporarily reinforced twice, the sides of the ship were raised and the roof was connected into one piece, leaving only a gap of about one foot on both sides of the ship’s sides. Above the shoulders can be exposed, aiming and shooting are not affected.

Of course, such a specially reinforced barge is extremely conspicuous in the fleet, and it is very likely that it will have side effects, making the natives notice this ship with a lot of protective measures, so as to concentrate their firepower attack it.But Morgan thinks this kind of adventure is worth it. If he can attract the attention of the natives and chase after the ship to attack, then he and the dozen or so gunmen on board can play a good role.

On the morning of May [-], Morgan led the team aboard the convoy of barges, ready to return to the coastal camp.The return barges were almost empty because there was little to load.This time, a total of five fleets set off from the oil field camp together, and all the cargo was only a few barrels of crude oil samples that would be transported back to Sanya by sea. On the barges of each fleet, there was a squad of army escorts.

In addition to him and his entourage, there were two boatmen on Morgan's ship, one was in charge of the helm, and the other was in charge of the operation and operation of the steam engine.The boiler of this steam engine is installed at the rear of the ship. During the operation, it takes about 10 minutes on average to open the furnace to add coal, which is also a labor-intensive task.While the steam engine on board was still warming up, the two boatmen had already taken off their shirts and were operating with their upper bodies naked.

"Let's go!" Seeing that all the fleets were ready, Morgan gave the order to set off.Seeing the signal from Morgan's ship, the staff on the pier blew the copper whistle to signal the fleets to leave the shore.

Looking at the forest on the other side of the Houlong River, Morgan thought that maybe the natives had arranged an observation post there, and every time they saw a fleet of ships departing from the oil field camp, they would pass the information downstream so that their companions could wait for the opportunity Launch a raid.However, he quickly vetoed this speculation. The natives lacked a way to transmit information over long distances. There was at least twenty miles from this place to the conflict-prone river, and the natives probably had no way to transmit the news in a short time.It is more likely that the indigenous tribes organized teams from time to time, squatting near the river bank to guard Haihan's fleet.

But this kind of squatting is also a great consumption for the indigenous tribes with low productivity. These young and strong must be the main labor force in the tribe. There were casualties, and these natives were so persistent in confronting Haihan, it was indeed a situation that Haihan did not expect when planning this project.

(End of this chapter)