1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2224
The naturalized officers who have been promoted the fastest in the Haihan Army over the years are generally divided into two situations.One is an ordinary person without any family background, then like Gao Qiaonan, he can only rely on continuous fighting on the front line to accumulate military exploits in exchange for promotion of military rank.These officers generally joined the Haihan Army at an early stage, had a solid foundation in the army, and also won the trust of senior generals.

The second category is those who have a good family background and outstanding personal conditions, have a better understanding of the military system and combat methods advocated by Haihan, and are able to implement the intentions of high-level military officials.Because such officers have a certain cultural foundation, they will be arranged to learn more advanced tactical theoretical knowledge during the training stage. After being assigned to the army, most of them will go to positions such as combat staff officers.

The latter type has only gradually increased after Haihan’s rise in recent years, but because of its stronger comprehensive ability, and some of them joined the army for other reasons, it can be understood that Haihan and these people are behind the scenes. A political exchange of power, so their promotion speed is no less than that of their predecessors.

Although Chen Xiaoyu didn't know about the gray operations, he also knew that people like Dai Chengrong would probably have better development prospects in the army than himself.Since Dai Chengrong respects him very much, he is also willing to give him some advice, not to mention that his boss, Duan Tiancheng, has already given him instructions to pay more attention to the mental state of these students. Need to focus on.

After hearing this, Dai Chengrong was silent for a while.After coming to Zhoushan to really get in touch with the Haihan army, it really opened his eyes. He gradually realized why Daming tolerated Haihan's many offenses in the past few years. Afraid of the strength of the Haihan army, he just didn't want to cause this big trouble.

Within a few days of entering the camp, this group of students had already been assigned several courses on military history. Although there might be elements of Haihan's self-promotion, they also learned about the glorious achievements of this army from the side. .

Many achievements of the Haihan Army in the South China Sea cannot be verified, but the achievements in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Liaodong and other places in the north are widely spread in Daming, but because the official has always kept a silent attitude towards it, most of them come from hearsay and folk rumors .The wars described from Haihan's point of view simply opened the door to a new world for them, allowing them to understand that so many wars had occurred near the coastline of Daming in the past few years.

And the protagonists of these battles are almost all the Haihan Army, and Da Ming's role in it is extremely limited, and the officers and soldiers occasionally appear on the opposite side of the Haihan Army, and there are no outstanding victories, so it is really not very glorious.Dai Chengrong tended to believe the statement given by the Haihan Army. After all, if Daming had gained the upper hand in these armed conflicts, why wouldn't he not publicize his achievements?
The Haihan army has few opponents from the south to the north. Dai Chengrong was planned by his family since he was a child to take the route of practicing martial arts and joining the army. The scene of one of them conquering the world.

But wanting and doing are two different things. Although Dai Chengrong yearns for the combat effectiveness of the Haihan Army, it is another matter to join the Haihan Army.Even if he has his own ideas, it is impossible to go against the will of the family and give up his mission.

People like Chen Xiaoyu had no worries in Daming, and joining the Haihan gave him a new life, but Dai Chengrong came from a completely different background, and to join the Haihan Army, he had to give up his identity as a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, which was a must for him. Another objective factor to consider.

As for the possibility of being promoted in the Haihan Army, even if what Chen Xiaoyu said was true, Dai Chengrong didn't think it was enough to make him give up his original identity.

Seeing that Dai Chengrong was silent, Chen Xiaoyu knew that the other party should still have some scruples about this, or that the matter of joining the Haihan Army was far from attractive to him, so he raised his glass immediately and said: "Since today is Take you out to relax, don't think about such a headache, come, come, I will borrow flowers to present Buddha, and I will toast you!"

Seeing this, Dai Chengrong raised his glass to welcome him, and drank it all in one gulp.He has been walking around with the elders of the clan since he was a child, and he has participated in many social activities. In addition, he has practiced martial arts for many years, so he can drink quite well. Even if he drinks this pot of jade wine by himself, it will not be a big problem.

But Chen Xiaoyu doesn't have such a good drinker capacity.Before Chen Xiaoyu went to Haihan, because of his poor family, he didn't drink much good wine. After enlisting in the army, although his financial situation improved, he had fewer chances to drink.After drinking a few drinks with Dai Chengrong, he couldn't help but look a little flushed because of the alcohol.

"Instructor, wait a moment. I'll ask Xiaoer to get some refreshing hangover food." Dai Chengrong winked, and when he saw this, he got up and went out to find something for Chen Xiaoyu to hangover.

Xiaoer, who led them upstairs earlier, got orders from shopkeeper Wang, and waited at the door. After listening to Dai Chengrong's request, he responded, "Mr. Jun, how about the chilled fresh juice?"

Dai Chengrong raised his eyebrows and said: "Your semicolon is really good. Some of the main numbers are here... Then send them quickly!"

Xiao Er responded and hurried downstairs.This indigenous ice-making technique is not uncommon. Ice can be made by dissolving saltpeter in water. Restaurants, where the demand is relatively large, can also use the principle of evaporation and crystallization to extract saltpeter from ice water for repeated use.Of course, even so, its production cost is not affordable by ordinary small shops, and only the customer groups of high-end restaurants have enough consumption power to enjoy this kind of service.

Dai Chengrong was waiting to return to the room, but he saw an acquaintance at a glance.

"Cheng Rong, why are you here?"

This acquaintance was Ma Zhengping, who also saw Dai Chengrong, and couldn't help being very surprised—how did Dai Chengrong get out of the heavily guarded military camp at this time?

Dai Chengrong replied: "Uncle Ma, I'm going out to camp with the instructor to do errands. I'll have dinner by the way, and I'll go back to the camp after eating."

Ma Zhengping wondered: "The instructor brought you out? Then you have a good relationship! Can I see you?"

"Why not! Uncle Ma, please follow me!" Dai Chengrong didn't dare to neglect, and quickly led Ma Zhengping into the private room.

On behalf of the seven surnames, Ma Zhengping temporarily stayed in Zhoushan, first to discuss trade cooperation with Haihan, and secondly to supervise the military training provided by the Haihan army to the children of the seven surnames.Before Dai Chengrong set off, Dai Yingda had appointed him as the leader of this group of people, and Ma Zhengping was naturally very concerned about his movements.

Ma Zhengping entered the room and saw that the instructor sitting inside was really familiar. He must have seen him on the training ground, so Dai Chengrong made an introduction right away.The two exchanged some polite words, and Ma Zhengping toasted a glass of wine, then stood up and said goodbye.

Dai Chengrong sent him outside the door, and Ma Zhengping said: "I still have guests over there, so I won't greet you. Go back to the camp early after dinner, and remember not to cause trouble outside."

Dai Chengrong responded respectfully one by one, and did not dare to ask Ma Zhengping who was hosting the banquet.Of course, if he wants to ask, maybe the meal cannot be finished with peace of mind.

When Ma Zhengping returned to his private room, Xuan Xiangming greeted him: "Old Ma, why have you been away for so long? Could it be that you were overwhelmed by alcohol and vomited secretly?"

Ma Zhengping said with a smile: "The old man's drinking capacity is average, but the wine quality is not so bad. Just now I went out and met a familiar junior, so I went to say hello, so I was delayed for a while."

Xuan Xiangming said: "Don't make excuses to fool us, shouldn't all the juniors who are familiar with you on this island stay in the barracks?"

Ma Zhengping said: "I also thought he should be in the barracks, but I didn't expect to meet him in this second building."

Duan Tiancheng sensed something was wrong as soon as he heard it, and immediately asked: "Is it the child you sent to Zhoushan for training? Who is so capable and can sneak out at this time?"

Ma Zhengping said: "Dai Chengrong, it was his instructor who brought him out, and he said he came out to do business and have a meal, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Ma Zhengping deliberately told the whole story to test Duan Tiancheng's attitude.If Duan Tiancheng was furious about this and wanted to deal with Dai Chengrong and the instructor, then Ma Zhengping would probably follow suit and try to push his own children to take Dai Chengrong's position.

Hearing this, Duan Tiancheng took a deep breath, nodded and said: "So that's the case. Then I must have something to do. I'll find time to ask what's going on later."

Hearing his tone, Ma Zhengping obviously wouldn't pursue this matter at least for now, and it seemed that he was trying to cover up this matter that sounded unruly.

He noticed that Chen Xiaoyu didn't have an officer's rank mark on his military uniform just now, he was obviously just an ordinary soldier serving as an instructor, and his status was probably far from Duan Tiancheng's.This can lead people out of the barracks and has not been investigated. It seems that there is something else going on.

Of course, Duan Tiancheng would not admit to Ma Zhengping that Chen Xiaoyu's actions were more or less due to his own instruction. This involves the true attitude of Haihan officials towards these trainees, which cannot be disclosed to the outside world.Although Ma Zhengping has previously stated that he can accept the trainees to choose whether to stay in Haihan for future development, there is still a subtle difference between voluntary staying and Haihan creating conditions to attract them to stay.

Duan Tiancheng believes that this difference may affect the attitude of the Huizhou salt merchants towards Haihan, and thus have a negative impact on the in-depth cooperation between the two parties. Avoid Ma Zhengping paying too much attention to the details.

However, Duan Tiancheng probably didn't expect that Ma Zhengping was also thinking about it. He hoped that the Ma family's children who were sent to Zhoushan for training would perform well in the army and be recognized by the Haihan people, so that they would return to Yangzhou to form a joint militia group with seven major surnames. When organizing, you may be able to have more voice.

If a few of them can be favored by the Haihan people and choose an opportunity to join the Haihan army in the future, it will be equivalent to an extra strong support for the Ma family.In the future, if one or two of the Ma family's descendants can reach Duan Tiancheng's level, it will be much more convenient whether they are in Yangzhou or dealing with Haihan officials.

Of course, Ma Zhengping can't arrange the development direction of the situation as he likes. After all, he hasn't dealt with Haihan for a long time, and there are still many things that need to be patiently understood slowly. Giving a lot of benefits to the other party, but it does not mean that Duan Tiancheng will give him much special care.

Both sides have their own calculations in their hearts, but neither of them will reveal it face to face.Seeing that Duan Tiancheng was avoiding this topic intentionally, Ma Zhengping also changed the topic knowingly and voluntarily.

But Chen Xiaoyu and Dai Chengrong who were in another room didn't know about it.Dai Chengrong saw that Chen Xiaoyu was overwhelmed with alcohol, so he stopped trying to persuade him to drink. He poured most of the remaining jug of wine into his own glass and let Chen Xiaoyu drink the iced juice that was just served.

The topic of changing nationality is too heavy, and the two of them lack a clear understanding of the details of the operation, so they didn't talk about this topic in depth.

It was rare to have such an opportunity to communicate alone, so Dai Chengrong took the initiative to ask Chen Xiaoyu about his past combat experience, and wanted to hear him talk about what it was like on the real battlefield in detail.

It just so happened that Chen Xiaoyu participated in the East China Sea Fleet's expedition to Hirado a few months ago. During the period, there were indeed many battles that left a deep impression on him, so he chose the one where the East China Sea Fleet blocked the Hirado Strait and bombarded Hirado Port for days. For a paragraph, talk to Dai Chengrong and listen to it.

Although Chen Xiaoyu had a limited vocabulary, it was difficult to describe the tense atmosphere on the battlefield at that time, but he was also a witness, so under Dai Chengrong's constant questioning, he slowly added many details.And Dai Chengrong also seems to use his own imagination to outline the scene of the battlefield where the Hirado Port is full of gunfire.

"Since Hirado Castle is an important trade center in Japan, why is the city defense so loose? Before the Haihan army broke through the port, the city defense was broken first!" Dai Chengrong heard behind it, and it was the army that attacked Hirado by land that succeeded first. I am very puzzled.

Chen Xiaoyu explained: "This is because General Shi considered that there are many coastal defense batteries deployed in Hirado Port. Letting the fleet forcefully storm Hirado Port may cause unnecessary losses, so our battle plan at the time was to attack at sea. The bait is used to attract the attention of the enemy, and the main direction of attack is to place it on land."

"Furthermore, the so-called Hirado City is not comparable to the cities of Daming. It has walls, towers and moats. It is just a small castle located on the highlands by the sea. And the city outside the castle is not as good as our Haihan army. Fortification is not much different."

Dai Chengrong nodded, and asked again: "Then the muskets equipped by the Hirado army are the same as those of the musketeers of the Shanshan salt merchants?"

Chen Xiaoyu understood what he meant, and replied with a smile: "We have made a comparison after the war, and they are indeed exactly the same muskets. There were thousands of musketeers in Hirado, and we wiped them out completely, so you Don't worry that Yangzhou's opponents can turn the world around! To deal with their tricks, we have plenty of means!"

(End of this chapter)