1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1096
Due to the extreme shortage of labor force in the construction site on Zhifu Island, the first batch of immigrants who arrived in the area did not arrange the so-called isolation and observation period. Sun Changmi immediately began to arrange for these people to be assigned to various construction sites. All the men over the age of 14 They were requisitioned as labor force, while women and the elderly were assigned to the logistics unit, responsible for relatively easy tasks such as washing and cooking.The food, clothing, and other living conditions these people will enjoy in Zhifu Island will all be paid for by Hai Han, so naturally they cannot be raised for nothing.

Regarding such an arrangement, the immigrants were relatively relieved, because they had already learned about the arrangement after arriving at Zhifu Island from the propagandists before that, and it was reasonable to use labor in exchange for a relatively safe and stable living environment. things in.Haihan didn't ask them to sell themselves as slaves, but was willing to provide food, shelter, and protection, which is considered a great kindness. After all, even the local government they trusted and relied on the most could not provide the same living conditions. .

Of course, there is another very important reason, that is, these immigrants have witnessed how the Haihan people easily defeated the Wanjia army dominating Fushan County with fewer enemies and more enemies.Under the current situation where the local government and the garrison are obviously weak, the strength shown by this foreign armed force can obviously bring them more sense of security.Moreover, the Haihan army was decisive in killing and killing the bandits who mixed in with the immigrants and executed them decisively, without any delay.

Those who were escorted back to Zhifu Island as prisoners of war were treated much worse.The wharf site where they will be assigned will spend at least half a day in the sea. Haihan himself arranges shifts to operate, but after changing the prisoners, they will probably be allowed to stand in the sea for a while. It's over.They will feel the bitter taste of peeling their upper body in the sun and peeling their lower body after being soaked in the sun.

Some of these prisoners of war may be innocent and forced to become bandits, but in this situation, no one will have the leisure to distinguish who is rich and who is full of crimes, and they will all be dealt with as bandits.Whether they can leave the hard labor camp and start a new life in the future can only be said if their lives are hard enough to survive this period of heavy physical labor.

Compared with resettling these immigrants and prisoners of war, several bigwigs in the military are currently focusing on the resistance Haihan encountered in Fushan County.Before they came to Shandong, the main opponent they expected was the Ming army stationed in Dengzhou, but they didn't expect that the local bandit armed forces would jump out to fight against them first.Moreover, according to the analysis of the information currently available, this armed force is still quite influential in Fushan County. At least the county town and the local guards have nothing to do with them, and they even deliberately avoid their edge. Behavior is deaf and dumb.

Why did this bandit army jump out to act as a stumbling block? The answer is actually very obvious. After all, Fushan County has only such a small population. Turn a blind eye, otherwise these bandits will probably have to put down their knives and guns, pick up hoes, and go to open up wasteland and farm to support themselves in the future.

"This group of people has a fundamental conflict of interest with us!" Wang Tom sighed: "If the population of Fushan County continues to outflow in large numbers, these bandits will eventually switch to farming and become farmers, or they will have to switch to other fields. Go to other places, like the peasant army in the Central Plains, wandering around and looting."

"Why doesn't the local government intervene?" Chen Yixin asked curiously.He rushed over from the construction site only after receiving the news of the meeting, and he didn't know much about what had happened before.

Qian Tiandun explained: "According to our understanding, there are not many garrisons in Fushan County, and even self-protection is a problem. There is nothing to do with the tens of thousands of troops. They probably have nothing better than sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight. There is a way."

Hao Wanqing said: "However, it is reasonable to say that the Fushan county government should ask for help from the nearest Qishan Qianhu Office after encountering such pressure. This Qianhu Office surnamed Feng should not mess with us."

"Probably not." Qian Tiandun shook his head and said, "Let him see what he should have learned, and give him the benefits that should be given. With the soldiers of the Qishan Qianhu Station, it may not be enough for him to muster up the courage to follow him." We work hard."

With regard to the real situation of the Qishan Thousand Households, the Haihan military has obtained basic information through the interrogation of the Ming army prisoners on the pier tower of Yantai Mountain. The base creates trouble.Even if Feng Fei brought all his men and horses to charge, they might not even be able to pass the sandbar defense line.If Feng Fei wanted to mobilize reinforcements from other guard cities to make a big deal, it would not be something that could be done in a short period of time, and it would be difficult to avoid Haihan's monitoring measures during the assembly process.In fact, Qian Tiandun thinks that there is very little chance that Qishan Institute will insist on confronting Haihan, because doing so would be too risky for him and has no benefit at all. As long as Feng Fei's brain is not broken, he will not make such a stupid decision .

"Then what do you mean, we can concentrate on dealing with the Wanjia Army first?" Hao Wanqing asked.

"That's right." Qian Tiandun nodded and said: "Since the conflict of interests is irreconcilable, the only safe option is to eliminate them. I suggest that we continue to increase troops in the direction of Fushan County and maintain a high-pressure situation against the Wanjia Army. .If they're going to take the plunge, let them be on their way."

"Today, more than 500 laborers are sent, which is just enough for you to spare some of your troops to deploy elsewhere!" Tom Wang smiled and exposed Qian Tiandun's purpose.

Qian Tiandun did not deny this, and changed the topic to Harugong and asked: "There are two cavalry companies under your command, Lao Ha, to the west of Jiahe, can you assign them to us for the time being?"

Harugong was probably still upset about the injury to the two cavalry, and said with a dark face, "You can assign the command to you, but I hope that during the battle, I can try to avoid causing unnecessary casualties to myself."

Qian Tiandun joked: "Okay, then let your cavalry troops sweep behind!"

Harugong stared wide-eyed and said: "If the cavalry don't charge ahead, what kind of formation will they plunder!"

"What if you hurt your people? I can't afford it!" Qian Tiandun continued jokingly.

Harugong snorted a few times and said, "Then why don't I go to Fushan County to supervise the battle at the front line, and you give me the temporary command of the Special Operations Battalion."

"Do you really want to go to the front?" Qian Tiandun asked.

Haru Gong said: "I know I don't have as much combat experience as you, but I am also a soldier, and I still have basic combat rules and military qualities. If I can't fight a bunch of bandits with two cavalry companies and two infantry companies, I don’t need to wear this military uniform anymore!”

Haru Gong was a retired cavalry soldier before time travel, and has been serving in the army since time travel. He single-handedly created the only cavalry unit in Haihan. Naturally, there is nothing wrong with his qualifications and contributions.But Harukon also has a very obvious shortcoming, that is, he has been in Hainan Island all year round after crossing, and has never commanded a unit above the company level alone. In this regard, he is even inferior to Chen Yixin, a junior who has been serving overseas. .As far as the experience of commanding operations is concerned, it is indeed a relatively weak field in Harukon's personal ability.

But Harugong spoke so bluntly, if anyone objected to his plan, it would indeed be a bit embarrassing.Qian Tiandun said with a smile: "Don't get excited, old man! Of course, you can command, but I think it's better to let Xiao Chen go with you. He is familiar with the situation of the special warfare battalion, and it is easy to communicate when cooperating with infantry and cavalry. and give orders."

Chen Yixin is currently Qian Tiandun's adjutant, and has participated in and commanded quite a few battles. Naturally, the people present will not have any objections to this proposal. It was immediately decided that Harukon and Chen Yixin would lead the troops to Fushan County Carry out reinforcements and wait for an opportunity to solve the potential hidden danger of the Wanjia Army.

Since half of the troops of the cavalry battalion have been deployed in the area west of Jiahe, the composition of this support force will be mainly infantry units of the special warfare battalion.In order to ensure that everything is safe, Qian Tiandun also specially equipped them with an artillery company to increase their firepower output.When the support army arrives at the temporary stronghold in the upper reaches of the Jiahe River, the strength of the local Haihan garrison will reach about 700, which is enough to attack any city of thousands of households along the coast of the Jiaodong Peninsula.

I don’t know whether it was intentional or unintentional, but the assembly of the reinforcements was almost completed under the noses of the new immigrants. The majestic Haihan soldiers with live ammunition brought them a very strong visual impact, as long as the eyes are not blind. Soon realized the obvious difference between this force and ordinary civilian armed forces.During the period, the foremen and civil affairs cadres who directed these immigrants to work also cooperated to seize this opportunity for publicity, and instilled in the newcomers the role of the powerful armed forces of the Haihan Army in ensuring the stable life of Haihan.

"Have you all seen it? This is the Haihan army that protects your personal safety. It is much more reliable than the Ming army that just talks and doesn't practice. As long as these people are there, you don't have to worry about falling into war again in the future! In the sea Life in the area under Han rule is much better than the fear you used to hide in the slums outside the county! As long as you work honestly for the executive committee, you will no longer suffer from hunger, food and shelter, and you will go to the south in the future , you will also get the land, houses, and the opportunity to start your life again! If you think you need such an opportunity, then work hard now! As long as you behave well, the next batch of immigrants to the south There will be a place for you on board!"

These slogans are very provocative, and when the immigrants came to Zhifu Island and saw the scene of labor in full swing, they naturally realized that the previous propaganda of the Haihan people was not bragging, but they really wanted to build this place into a port. .The many large sailboats moored in Zhifu Bay made these people who were born and raised by the sea dumbfounded. They have never seen so many large ships in their life, and the few sailboats they boarded before are considered to be relatively small in size. It's a small one.

These people with limited knowledge do not have a clear idea of ​​how much money is needed to build such a huge fleet, but they know that the descriptions that the Haihan people said earlier sounded very mysterious and unreachable. Really, it is a rebirth opportunity worth fighting for.And what they need to do and what they can do now is limited to the construction site in front of them.Whether it was digging earth or moving building materials, everyone was assigned the amount of work that needed to be done. The foreman repeatedly emphasized that only those who worked the hardest here would have the priority to get the opportunity to settle in the south.

Due to the increase in the size of the front combat troops, this batch of troops heading to the upper reaches of the Jiahe River also carried a large number of weapons and ammunition in case of emergency.Especially the artillery company going out with the team, in order to ensure that it will not become a spectator on the battlefield because of too little ammunition, each gun is equipped with [-] rounds of shells and doubled gunpowder.This artillery company is equipped with four [-]-pounders, four [-]-pounders, and two [-]-pounders. Although there are fewer large-caliber artillery, considering that the target of the battle is banditry rather than a fortified city, our side still has a powerful force. The cavalry and the special warfare battalion with extremely rich combat experience, this kind of firepower configuration is actually a bit like a sledgehammer.

However, it took some time to reload these supplies and other supplies that needed to be supplemented to the front line on the ship, and in the end they still didn't have time to set off before dark, so they could only organize people to board the ship the next morning.

During the half day of dispatching troops on Zhifu Island, the Jiahe stronghold was not idle.Although the Wan Family Army was still entrenched outside the city, many people still chose to sneak around along the bank of the Jia River from the south of the city after learning the results of the morning's battle, and went to the Haihan camp to defect.In the afternoon, another 400 people were accepted one after another. The previous two-pronged approach of propaganda and force strikes is now slowly beginning to pay off.

On the same day, a messenger who claimed to be an envoy from the Fushan County Government came to the Haihan camp and asked to see the person in charge of the camp.Liu Xian and Amakusa Shiro met this person as the commanders of the garrison, and got a verbal statement from him from the local magistrate-as long as the county seat is not attacked, other matters can be discussed.

Although the envoy's words were very tactful, both Liu Xian and Amakusa Shiro could clearly feel that the local government had given up on their attitude, just as their attitude towards the Wanjia Army was similar.For these local officials, keeping the government is their top priority. As for the life and death of the common people outside the city, they have neither the ability nor the intention to control too much.

(End of this chapter)