1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2151
"My lord, my lord! The Haihan fleet is back!"

He Xiao was sleeping deeply when he was suddenly awakened by his subordinates.He quickly turned over and ordered while putting on his clothes: "Hurry up and prepare the car! Go to the port!"

"My lord, we are at the port at this time."

He Xiao slapped his forehead and said: "That's right, I'm drowsy, go get a basin of water and I'll wipe my face and clear my head, lest I see General Shi say something wrong later."

He Xiao has been waiting for the return of the East China Sea Fleet in the Dinghai port area since yesterday afternoon, but he did not see the fleet appearing until dark. He Xiao was worried that he would miss the opportunity, so he simply opened a room in a hotel in the port area for a temporary stay one night.At the same time, he ordered his subordinates to keep an eye on the port, and wake him up as soon as the Haihan fleet appeared, so as not to miss the welcome ceremony on the pier.His room is only half a mile away from the navy pier in Dinghai Port, so if there is any movement, there is no time to go out and rush there.

The reason why He Xiao is so nervous about this matter is of course not just to catch up with Shi Diwen as soon as possible.In fact, after the East China Sea Fleet set off from Zhoushan, he rushed over from Ningbo Mansion to wait for news.

Before the East China Sea Fleet set off, Shi Diwen had a special meeting with Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo, and told him not to panic about the transfer of the Zhoushan garrison.Although Qu Yutong believed that Shi Diwen would not send troops to Ningbo, but the Zhoushan garrison made a large-scale deployment. How can I rest easy.

The only thing Qu Yutong could be sure of at the time was that the target of the East China Sea Fleet should be north of Ningbo.The reason is simple. All the southern coastal areas are Haihan's sphere of influence. The further south they go, the greater their influence. Even if the Haihan people want to do something, it seems that there is no need to send troops from the Zhejiang coast to the south.

If Haihan goes to war with other countries, Qu Yutong doesn't have to worry about it, but if he fights on the coast of Daming, it may cause turmoil in the coast of Daming, which has been peaceful for a few years.

Qu Yutong felt that the most likely target was actually Yangzhou. He knew that Haihan had used force in Yangzhou in a private way before, and had a relatively fierce conflict with the local salt merchants. If Haihan wanted to retaliate, Of course, the soldiers pressing the border is an effective way to force the opponent to submit.However, if Haihan adopts such a tough method, it is likely to lead to the outbreak of war between the two countries, and the consequences will be extremely serious.Of course, judging from the current relationship between the two countries, the possibility of Haihan making such an extreme choice is very slim.

Qu Yutong sent He Xiao to Zhoushan to wait for the news, because he was worried that something unexpected would happen.Of course, He Xiao also understands what the outbreak of war means, so these days he is also trying his best to find out the whereabouts of the East China Sea Fleet.But he didn't dare to be too explicit, otherwise, if the Haihan people noticed that he was tracking the whereabouts of the East China Sea Fleet, it would easily cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

It wasn't until a few days ago that a group of local merchant ships received a temporary call-up order, and He Xiao finally got relatively reliable information from this. Only then did he know that the East China Sea Fleet's expedition was aimed at Hirado, Japan, and had almost nothing to do with Ming Dynasty. , so I can relax a little.

Regardless of the real reason why the Haihan army attacked Hirado, as long as they did not use force on the coast of Daming, He Xiao believed that it should not affect the trading environment in Zhoushan, and the various trades he operated could still make money steadily.

He Xiao couldn't help being a little surprised when he saw that the merchant fleet that landed first put down a large number of Japanese. It seems that the Haihan army not only won a complete victory as usual, but also gave away the opponent's property. copied back.

However, before these Japanese had time to see the whole picture of Dinghai Port, they were escorted to the immigration camp in the inland area north of the port area.They will rest for a few days at the new camp, re-register their personal data, and go through basic training to understand the systems and regulations they need to abide by.

Compared with the crude camps in Seogwipo, which were only surrounded by bamboo and wooden fences to delimit the boundaries, the conditions of the immigration camps on Zhoushan Island were much better.There are not only unified dormitories for immigrants to live in, but also living facilities such as canteens and bathhouses. There is a relatively stable guarantee for food and housing.The immigration camp here was previously used to receive refugees brought back from Shandong, Jiangsu, Liaodong and other places, with a maximum capacity of more than 2000 people, so the Japanese refugees transported back to Zhoushan Island this time are more than enough.

The civil affairs agency on the island has already made preparations for receiving them in advance, and has a complete set of operating procedures. The only difference is that this time the target is not the Han people, but the neighboring countries on the east sea.Fortunately, some of the refugees sent back this time have taken the initiative to seek refuge with the government, and they can help the civil affairs agencies complete the next resettlement work.

Monk Xiu Nian is one of these people. His temporary civil affairs officer position has been renewed on the way to Zhoushan, and he can continue to enjoy the treatment of the privileged class.However, when he was in Seogwipo, it was because the local area was under military control, and there were no full-time civil affairs officials in charge of managing Japanese refugees, so he was able to obtain relatively large authority, but after arriving in Zhoushan, there was a department specializing in immigration affairs. He took over, and his temporary position has undergone subtle changes, from a temporary civil affairs officer to a temporary assistant.

As for the content of the job, it is to act as an interpreter for the civil affairs officials in Haihan and direct the Japanese refugees to obey the arrangement.In fact, this job is not much different from what Xiu Nian did when she was in Seogwipo, except that the military manages the immigration camp relatively extensively, as long as there is no large-scale chaos in the camp.After arriving in Zhoushan, the refugees were taken over by professional civil affairs departments, and many things had to be done in accordance with the rules.For example, assistants like Xiu Nian can only follow the orders given by officials step by step, and no longer have the power to make their own decisions.

However, Xiu Nian has no resistance to this, he understands his own situation very clearly, and now he is living under the fence of others, how can he be qualified to fight for the power that is as big as mung beans and sesame seeds.Now at least the food and lodging are stable, and there are channels for direct communication with Haihan officials. This treatment can be said to have surpassed most of the Japanese who were sent to Zhoushan for resettlement.

Before Xiu Nian left, she took a look at Yin Changxing who was happily helping Yu Chengli carry luggage to the shore, and finally held back and didn't go to say hello.Although in Seogwipo, the two discussed to take care of each other after arriving in Zhoushan, but Xiu Nian was recruited by Haihan officials, and Yin Changxing was still working with Yu Chengli for the time being. .Mountains are high and rivers are long, if there is fate in the future, there will naturally be opportunities to meet each other.

Xiu Nian left the port too early after landing, so that he missed the follow-up content of the welcoming ceremony.Yin Changxing was lucky enough to stay at the pier and heard Shi Diwen's public speech at the port after he landed.

There are two main points in Shi Diwen's speech. One is to explain to the public the reasons for the large-scale deployment of the East China Sea Fleet and the achievements it has made. The other is the impact that the Haihan Army's action will have on international trade.

On behalf of Haihan, Shi Diwen said that because the Japanese Hirado clan had sent armed sailboats to plunder merchant ships at sea for a long time and caused great losses to Haihan, the Haihan Kingdom decided to send troops to attack those affected by the Hirado clan. Asylum's armed pirate gang.

Because Fujian also secretly dispatched troops to participate in this operation, which is very sensitive information, Shi Diwen did not elaborate on the scale of the dispatched troops and the situation of the participating troops in his speech. The archipelago and Hirado Island launched a military strike, captured the Hirado Port, the seat of the Hirado Domain, and successfully wiped out the navy and army under the Hirado Domain, including the well-known Hirado Navy in Japan.

The Japanese brought back to Zhoushan were part of the "trophies" of this operation. However, considering that these Japanese refugees had to be resettled in the area under their control, Shi Diwen declared that they were all innocent people. Rescue them from the rule of the evil Hirado feudal lord and give them the right to start a new life freely. In the future, these Japanese refugees will also have the right to apply for Haihan nationality.

However, when Shi Diwen talked about this paragraph, all the Japanese refugees had been taken to the immigration camp, and he could not hear his important promise, otherwise there would be more people applauding him at the scene.

Thousands of people listened to Shi Diwen's speech at the scene, most of them were local officials, businessmen and soldiers in Zhoushan, and a small part came from other countries including Daming, and their personnel were mainly businessmen .

For the vast majority of the audience, it was the first time that Haihan's senior general made such a public explanation of the just-concluded war at the scene, which was both fresh and exciting.

The battle that took place more than 2000 miles away is more like a wonderful story to them, but the obvious signs of battle damage on the warships moored in the port prove from the side that what Shi Diwen said is true. This armed fleet quietly went to Japan and eradicated the Hirado domain known for its Japanese pirates and transnational trade. After returning, it lightly announced its achievements. This kind of behavior is probably only possible for the Haihan Army.

As for whether the Hirado Clan, who was attacked by the Haihan army, deserved what he deserved, and whether there is any unknown inside story, the people present will not have the heart to study it at this time.Perhaps after a while, there will be detailed reports on this war in the newspapers issued by Haihan Country, and then there will probably be a storyteller based on it to create and write a more fascinating story.

Of course, it doesn't matter who is the righteous side in this battle, the victory belongs to Haihan, and the bystanders only need to stand on the victor's side.The audience present expressed their support for Haihan with applause and applause, but quite a few of them should be more concerned about the subsequent impact of this war.

Can trade with Japan continue?The answer given by Shi Diwen is in the affirmative. According to him, the Haihan Army's move is not to interrupt the trade with Japan of various countries, but to remove the dangerous factors on the waterway in one fell swoop, and to provide businessmen engaged in trade with Japan. In the long run, it will help to expand the scale of trade with Japan.

Of course, Shi Diwen didn't say a word about how to calculate the huge losses suffered by the merchants who are currently engaged in trade with Japan in this war, and who will bear the corresponding responsibilities.

Merchants who know the benefits and are willing to cooperate with Haihan, such as Yu Chengli and Gonzales, will be able to operate their businesses in Zhoushan with more favorable treatment. It is not a big problem to restart trade with Japan in the future.

But if any businessman wants to blame Hai Han for the loss, and has the idea of ​​"seeking justice" with Hai Han, then he can only ask for trouble.

"Trade between businessmen from various countries and Japan can continue, but I have to remind everyone that the trade with Japan must not have any content that harms the interests of our Haihan country, otherwise it will inevitably be punished accordingly."

Shi Diwen's ugly words are at the beginning, and at the same time, it is also laying the groundwork for Haihan to take some unconventional measures to control trade with Japan in the future.This reason is very broad, and Haihan can use it when he wants to attack anyone in the future.

As for what to do in order to be in the interests of the Haihan Kingdom, of course the businessmen from the Haihan Kingdom are the clearest about this.Export Haihan goods and culture, recruit local talents with special skills, buy local officials, and cooperate with official agencies to collect political and economic information on trade destinations... There are many types of tasks that can be chosen, in short, stand on the standpoint of Haihan Kingdom It can be regarded as in the interests of Haihan country to operate cross-border trade.

"Finally, I would like to say a few words for the warriors who died in this battle. They exchanged their lives for this important victory for Haihan Kingdom. Each of them is an amazing fighter. Next we They will be sent to escort their coffins back to Sanya, where they will be buried in the National Martyrs’ Shrine and become heroes passed down from generation to generation in our country! Please remember that the peaceful environment you enjoy on Zhoushan Island is precisely the result of these warriors In exchange for sacrifice!"

Shi Diwen made a sensational summary and won another long round of applause.The social status of soldiers in Haihan State is extremely high, which is also inseparable from the military's ubiquitous propaganda offensive.A senior general like Shi Diwen not only knows how to lead troops to fight, but after serving as an official for more than ten years, he has already developed his speech ability. If he seizes such a special occasion to give an impromptu speech, he doesn't even need to prepare a script.

After the speech, Shi Diwen boarded his exclusive carriage and slowly left the pier under the escort of the armed guards.But the audience at the scene still had something to say, and continued to discuss what Shi Diwen just said in twos and threes.

(End of this chapter)