1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2200
Dai Chengrong's idea has actually been pondered by many people before him, but they often give up the idea of ​​imitating it after they realize the deep-seated reasons why Haihan has a strong military power.

Most people's impression of the Haihan Army is only on the surface of strong ships and powerful guns. As for the technology and industrial system required for mass production of these advanced weapons, it is difficult for the outside world to directly see the part.However, Haihan has always maintained extremely strict control over the export of weapons. If he wants to increase his military strength simply by purchasing weapons, the effect will not only be extremely limited, but the scale of the armed forces will be completely under Haihan's control. a reliable means.

It is much more difficult to introduce Haihan's military technology than to buy weapons. So far, only Annan and Fujian Xu's family can enjoy this privilege.Without solving the problem of the source of weapons, it is impossible to completely imitate Haihan's military system and establish a relatively large-scale armed force.

However, Dai Chengrong's current understanding of the situation is not so deep, so it is naturally difficult to think carefully. After thinking about it, he only feels that the resources he can mobilize are too few.After thinking about it again, it took the strength of the seven major surnames to organize these more than 100 people to study in Zhoushan. One can imagine how much resources will be invested in establishing a standing armed force.

After the group study was over, it was almost time to turn off the lights in the army. Everyone took the time to wash up and lie down to rest.They have just been notified by the instructor that they will have morning exercises starting tomorrow morning, and the training will last throughout the day, so they must take the time to rest to ensure that they will have enough physical strength to complete the training tomorrow.

But many people, including Dai Chengrong, couldn't fall asleep immediately. The amount of information they came into contact with during the day was too great for them to digest for a while.

What can you learn from Haihan?For this group of students, military skills are of course the primary goal, but not the only one.In fact, when they were selected by their respective families, they had already received many instructions, asking them to pay more attention to other news after training.After all, Dinghai Port is a rapidly rising trading port in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions in recent years. The business information here is much richer than that in Yangzhou. Maybe you can earn back the tuition fees handed over to Haihan by grabbing a few news.

It’s just that the people who deployed the mission at the time didn’t expect that these salt merchants’ children were imprisoned in the military camp after they arrived in Zhoushan. .

But apart from that, they also had other tasks. For example, before Dai Chengrong set off, he was instructed by Dai Yingda to make as many contacts as possible in the Haihan Army for future use.This kind of network does not refer to the internal network of the salt merchant's children, but to try to make more friends with military officers of Haihan, the higher the level, the better.

This is not an easy goal for Dai Chengrong. At present, the only senior military officer he can contact is Duan Tiancheng, and Ma Zhengping has obviously reached this line, and he can even ask Duan Tiancheng to call the Ma family on his behalf. When his disciples met with him, Dai Chengrong thought it was not a good choice to compete with Ma Zhengping for this connection.After all, Ma Zhengping is still needed to take care of him outside. If he wants to compete with him for this kind of network resources, it may cause Ma Zhengping's displeasure, which will affect the current training.

Dai Chengrong counted the days, and it has been five days since he left Yangzhou.Before he left, he heard that the opponent was likely to launch an attack in a few days, so he couldn't help but worry about the situation at home.Although Haihan sent a team of armed men to Yangzhou for reinforcements, it was not the Haihan army after all, and Dai Chengrong was still a little worried about whether his family could withstand the opponent's offensive.

However, Dai Yingda, Dai Chengrong's father, the patriarch of the Dai family, had exactly the opposite view of the situation. He believed that after the arrival of Haihan's reinforcements, the preparations for the war were on the right track, and the situation was developing in a direction that was beneficial to the Huizhou salt merchants.

The only thing that worries Dai Yingda is that the news of the Jindun group's arrival in Yangzhou will leak out sooner or later. If the Shanshan salt merchants cancel their original attack plan because they are afraid of the intervention of the Haihan people, it will not be a good thing for their side , It will only allow the current passive defensive situation to continue, and it will not be possible to solve the Musketeers under the Shanshan salt merchants through fighting.

Yuan Tao of Jindun has already expressed his attitude. He will not take the initiative to attack during his stay in Yangzhou, and only assists the Huizhou salt merchants to defend the manor. It is expected that the other party will take the initiative to hit the door, but this is not the situation that Dai Yingda would like to see.

"Master, shopkeeper Yuan please see me."

After nightfall, Dai Yingda had finished washing and was about to go to sleep, but the housekeeper suddenly came to ask Yuan Tao to see him.Dai Yingda knew that Yuan Tao's visit at this time should be to discuss important matters, so he quickly asked the housekeeper to ask Yuan Tao to wait in the study first.

"Treasurer Yuan has been waiting for a long time!" Dai Yingda hurried to the study after getting dressed, and confessed to Yuan Tao first when he entered the door.

Yuan Tao stood up and clapped his hands in response: "Where is it? Yuan is bothering you! However, there is news from Zhoushan, and I feel that I should inform Boss Dai as soon as possible, so I came here to ask for an interview."

"Oh? I don't know what good news it is? Could it be that the fleet has arrived in Zhoushan?" Dai Yingda had already expected something in his heart after hearing what he said.

Yuan Tao nodded and said: "The fleet successfully arrived in Zhoushan last night, and entered the military port early this morning. All personnel are in good condition. After completing the registration, all personnel have entered the Zhoushan military camp and started formal training."

Although he knew that the Haihan people had the ability to send messages across thousands of miles, Dai Yingda felt amazing to be able to get the news from Zhoushan so quickly, and quickly thanked Yuan Tao.

Yuan Tao went on to say: "Major Duan Tiancheng, who served as an instructor for them, is a celebrity in the East China Sea Fleet, and his ability has won the trust of General Shi. I believe that after three months, the team that returns to Zhoushan will impress Boss Dai!"

"I have no doubts about that!" Dai Yingda laughed.The seven major surnames spent so much money to send them to Zhoushan for training, so naturally they had to see obvious results before they were reconciled.

Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one around at this time, Dai Yingda asked Yuan Tao the question again: "Master Yuan, if the opponent still hasn't made a move when it's expected, can you please take the initiative to attack? Shopkeeper Yuan only needs to quote the price, Dai I will do my best to satisfy you!"

This was probably the third time Yuan Tao received such a proposal after arriving in Yangzhou, but like the previous two times, Yuan Tao still rejected the proposal without hesitation.

"Boss Dai, this is not something I can decide. Let me say it again, the mission that Jin Dun came to Yangzhou to carry out was directly commanded by General Shi. The order I received was to provide armed defense for you, and there was no plan to take the initiative to attack."

"Then if there is an excellent opportunity, do you want to miss it?" Dai Yingda asked unwillingly.

Yuan Tao shook his head and said, "Boss Dai, this is not a business. Military orders are like mountains, so there is no room for bargaining."

"But your Golden Shield is not an army..."

"The order comes from the army, that is a military order, it has nothing to do with whether our Golden Shield is an army or not, we can only implement it without compromise." Yuan Tao still refused to give an inch.

Dai Yingda couldn't continue the debate. He knew that Jindun had a very deep military background. To put it bluntly, it was probably an extended armed organization of the Haihan Army, but it was just covered with a layer of bodyguards as a cover.But when the other party collected the money, he counted every penny and tenth clearly. He looked like a businessman, but when it came time to do business, he said that the military order was like a mountain and he couldn't bargain. This kind of double standard made Dai Yingda feel a little aggrieved.

Seeing Dai Yingda's gloomy face, Yuan Tao could guess how he was feeling, so he persuaded him immediately: "I know what Boss Dai is worried about. In fact, in my opinion, even if the other party knows that we have arrived in Yangzhou, they will still follow the original plan. Attack instead of dragging on.”

"Oh? What do you mean by this? Please tell Shopkeeper Yuan one or two." Dai Yingda heard that things seemed to be turning around, so he hurriedly asked.

Yuan Tao said: "The reason is actually very simple. Boss Dai might as well switch positions with the other party. Think about it, if you learn that the other party has invited a reinforcement to Yangzhou... just assume that they invited a musket from the Hirado Clan The team is ready, do you think that the purpose of the other party's reinforcements is only for self-defense?"

"Of course it's impossible!" Dai Yingda replied without thinking, and immediately understood Yuan Tao's meaning: "Treasurer Yuan wants to say that the other party will also think that we have the intention to attack them by moving rescuers from Zhoushan?"

Yuan Tao nodded and said, "Even if you write a letter immediately and tell the other party that we are only invited to Yangzhou to protect ourselves, do you think the other party will believe it?"

To hell with it!Dai Yingda didn't need to experiment, and knew that the result would indeed be what Yuan Tao said. The other party would definitely not believe that the purpose of the Haihan people entering Yangzhou again was only to protect the personal safety of the Hui nationality salt merchants.After all, the bloody battle at the end of last year had already caused the Shanxian salt merchants to pay a very heavy price. They could never believe that the Haihan people would return to Yangzhou with a peaceful purpose.

Yuan Tao continued: "Since we came to Yangzhou, we have stayed behind closed doors without any movement. Based on Boss Dai's understanding of the other party, do you think the other party will settle down, or will they be suspicious and restless?"

Dai Yingda seriously considered the possibility Yuan Tao said. He Huan, Lu Kangtai, and Wang Yu from the Shanshan salt merchants were all very cunning old foxes. Finding that this side has been standing still, it must be unavoidable to think wildly.

In other words, even if they don't take any measures, the other party will think that they are quietly planning some big moves.Although Dai Yingda thinks that procrastination will cause a lot of inconvenience to his own side, but according to Yuan Tao's statement, as long as he stands still, the other side may be more eager to take action.

"How is it? Boss Dai thinks this is the reason?" Yuan Tao was also observing Dai Yingda's face while talking. Seeing his expression slowly turn from cloudy to sunny, he knew that his persuasion had achieved a certain effect.

Dai Yingda nodded and said, "It's still the shopkeeper Yuan who has rich experience and considerate considerations. I've been taught by you!"

Yuan Tao said: "Boss Dai is just a fan of the authorities. We just need to maintain the current measures so that the other party does not know what we are doing. Remember, the information they can get will only make them more panic. As long as they start to worry , we will definitely make mistakes, we can just wait for them to come to our door with peace of mind.”

After seeing Yuan Tao off, Dai Yingda finally felt a little more relaxed.In the current situation, those who are passive may not be really passive, and those who are active may not be really active. Whoever makes the first move on both sides will fall into passiveness instead.He decided to adopt Yuan Tao's advice, so as not to be inconvenient to cope with any changes, he would do a good job of defending Daijiazhuang, and wait for the other party to take the initiative to attack the door.

But is Yuan Tao really so confident in the direction of the situation?Not necessarily.Coming out of Dai Yingda's home, Yuan Tao also let out a sigh of relief. He knew that if Dai Yingda could not be persuaded well, the Huizhou salt merchants might have doubts about the defensive measures Jin Dun took in Daijiazhuang, which would affect the relationship between the two parties. Next cooperation.

Fortunately, Yuan Tao found a very convincing entry point, which convinced Dai Yingda that maintaining the current state was the best choice.But to be honest, Yuan Tao's understanding of Shanshan salt merchants is extremely limited, and he is actually not sure whether the other party will really consider the problem according to his speculation.However, the order Jin Dun received was to defend, and all he could do was to persuade Dai Yingda to accept this arrangement.

At present, the reinforcement work of Daijiazhuang's fortifications is progressing smoothly, but the time left for the construction personnel is too short.If there is a one-month buffer, Yuan Tao believes that he is fully capable of transforming Daijiazhuang into a real armed fortress, but now that time is limited, he can only settle for the next best thing in order to increase the number of rapidly deployable fortifications. Try to reduce the number of passages through which foreign enemies may invade Daijiazhuang to a minimum, so that when the war starts, the effective forces can be concentrated in the key areas, forming the effect of concentrated fire defense on the passages entering the village.

But when and how the opponent would attack Daijiazhuang, Yuan Tao didn't have much clue.Now he can only minimize the weak links in the defense line. As for turning Daijiazhuang into a killing trap to wipe out all the invading enemies, it seems that Jin Dun is powerless.

In the past few days, the core family members of the seven surnames have all moved into Daijiazhuang in batches at night.Until this matter is resolved, I am afraid that these people will have to live here temporarily.If the Shanshan-Shaanxi salt merchants really procrastinated, it would take at most a month, and the Anhui salt merchants themselves would not be able to stand it anymore.Therefore, Yuan Tao also sincerely hoped that his opponent would be more courageous, and if he had scheduled a ten-day period, he would act on time and get rid of this trouble earlier.

(End of this chapter)