1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2394
When Sun Zhen set off from Zhifu Island this time, he specially picked up a batch of handcuffs made in Sanya from the warehouse. They were originally intended to be used to detain refugees who caused disturbances, but they did not expect that they were first used to detain Hu Lusha and others who had mixed into Zhaoyuan County. The spies of the Qing army were used on the Dengzhou Ming army this time, and the two groups of people arrested were not refugees, but they brought together the Qing army and the Ming army.

Fortunately, Fushan County sent people over a few days ago to escort all the spies of the Qing army back. Otherwise, with the size of the temporary camp of the Haihan Army, it would be impossible to separate the two captives.

The Haihan army is all cavalry, and all of them are equipped with long-distance attack weapons such as muskets. After killing two people to demonstrate at the beginning, the rest of them dare not move, and even gave up running away.The boss, who was still very stubborn at first, turned pale when he saw that the Haihan army was really going to kill someone, and he didn't dare to argue with Sun Zhen anymore, so he obediently let him go.

Seeing this, Sun Zhen smiled contemptuously and said, "You have the guts to come out and make trouble. No wonder you are killed every year by the Tartars!"

Sun Zhen personally witnessed the virtues of the Ming army during the Denglai Rebellion. He didn't have any good feelings for these so-called officers and soldiers. He insisted that these people were stumbling blocks that prevented Haihan from saving the common people in the world.If it were not for the fact that the relationship between the two countries cannot be damaged by such local conflicts, his methods of dealing with these people would probably not be much more benevolent than dealing with the Qing army.

Sun Zhen ordered these Ming troops to be escorted back to their camps first. As for the weapons, food and grass of the Ming troops, the Haihan Army naturally took over all of them.But these Ming troops were not a combat force at all, and many of them had never even set foot on a real battlefield, and they were completely unprepared for being captured. They have a way out.

Seeing this, Sun Zhen had no choice but to say loudly: "We Haihan Kingdom and Ming Dynasty did not go to war, and you are not prisoners of war. It's just that you have behaved improperly and hindered our country's rescue of refugees, so I have to wrong you for a few days. Let's wait for this matter, naturally. I will let you go back! As long as you obey the arrangement and don't make trouble, you don't have to worry about your life!"

Sun Zhen's statement still had a comforting effect. When these Ming army prisoners heard that they did not need to die, they immediately calmed down a lot.In the troubled times, being able to live well is the most important thing. Since the Haihan army does not intend to kill the prisoners, they will be released after a while, so there is no need to fight desperately.

The fact that the Haihan army took down the Ming army so quickly was undoubtedly a shocking scene for the crowd watching nearby.They really didn't expect the local Ming army to be so vulnerable. They were taken down by the Haihan army after only one encounter, and they didn't even try any decent countermeasures.Many secretly rejoiced in their hearts and did not choose to go to Dengzhou City to seek asylum. Otherwise, with this fighting power, let alone fighting the wolf-like Qing army, I am afraid that even a group of bandits would not be able to stop them.

The Haihan army was rumored to be able to defeat the Qing army. Judging from the performance against the Ming army just now, the rumors are indeed true.These Haihan people claim to be able to provide safe shelter for refugees in Fushan County. It seems that they are not bragging. At least they are much more reliable than these Ming troops who only bully the people.

If it is said that the refugee group had relatively great doubts about the safety prospects of going to Fushan County, then after the Haihan army took action to solve the Ming army blocking the way, the refugees are obviously more willing to believe Haihan's propaganda, Fushan County should It is a relatively safer area.

Sun Zhen personally escorted the prisoners back to the camp. Seeing this, Gong Shiqi couldn't help laughing and said, "I asked you to solve the problem, but you also solved the person who caused the problem! After arresting so many people, you have to take care of the food." Hold on, it's troublesome!"

Sun Zhendao: "I have ordered people to bring all their rations from the camp. When the food is exhausted, they will be released. During this period, they will be used as coolies for a few days. I will also show the refugees who is here. The one who has the final say!"

Gong Shiqi said with a smile: "Okay, Sun Zhen! You have done your calculations quite clearly!"

Of course, Sun Zhen would not give food to these captured Ming soldiers himself, but he did not want to let these people go. Once these people continue to make trouble after they are released, it may not be so easy to catch them back.So he planned to imprison these Ming soldiers first and give them some suffering, so that after releasing them, these people will know how powerful they are and withdraw from Zhaoyuan County on their own.

Although the temporary garrison of the Haihan Army has been set up, due to the limited time and manpower, many infrastructure details have only been dealt with hastily.Now that more than 100 Ming troops have been captured and there is a labor force that can be driven, then we can take this opportunity to improve the infrastructure of the camp.For example, essential camp facilities such as fortifications, drainage ditches, reservoirs, and latrines can be completed by these Ming army prisoners.Arranging labor tasks exhausts the physical strength of these people, and also prevents them from thinking wildly and having some dangerous thoughts during the detention.

Sun Zhen handed over the general manager of the Ming army to Gong Shiqi, and asked him to have a good trial to confirm the mastermind behind this Ming army and whether there are other concealment methods that have not been used yet.If the opponent still intends to continue the fight with Hai Han, then Sun Zhen will ask the headquarters for a fight.

And Guzhi County in the city did not know through what channels, and the next day also learned that the Haihan army attacked the Ming army and captured many people alive, and immediately sent a staff to the Haihan camp to intercede with Sun Zhen, hoping that he would Keep people under your command, don't hurt the lives of these Ming soldiers.

Guzhi County’s statement was also forced out of helplessness. If all the Ming troops sent by Dengzhou City fell in Zhaoyuan County, and as the head of a county, he had not tried rescue measures, he would be chased after the fact. blamed.And from his standpoint, he really doesn't want this matter to become a big deal, so that the superiors can focus on their own jurisdiction. Originally, they can secretly flirt with the Haihan people to make some extra money, but if they are stared at to death, then it's not good. Easy to operate.Therefore, the magistrate of Gu County hopes that Sun Zhen can handle this matter properly and not give Dengzhou government any more reasons to intervene in Zhaoyuan County's affairs.

"Go back and tell Guzhi County that we have always handled such incidents with a sense of propriety. We will not hurt people at will, let alone cause diplomatic problems between the two countries. If he is still worried, we welcome him to come out of the city in person. Take a look." Sun Zhen can understand the cautiousness of the local officials, but every time the teacher is in the middle of the message, the communication efficiency is too low, and he doesn't want to waste too much time on this communication method.

Outside the camp where the Haihan army was stationed, dozens of Ming army captives were digging pits and digging soil under the supervision of Haihan soldiers, and built trenches with both defensive and drainage functions around the camp.This strange scene also attracted many refugees to stop and watch.However, the public knew that this was a military camp, so they didn't dare to get too close. They would inevitably point and talk about why these Ming troops became coolies driven by the Haihan army.

Of course, this arrangement has a bit of an evil taste of public execution, but both Sun Zhen and Gong Shiqi believe that such a move will help the refugees quickly identify who is the real asylum seeker, which may take some time. It is more effective than the dry-mouthed propaganda with a tin trumpet.

And the fact is exactly the same. Out of selfishness, the refugees may not be willing to share better escape destinations with others. Therefore, many refugees who have just arrived do not know where to go next.However, news like "the Ming army is serving as coolies for the Haihan army" will spread at the fastest speed, and those who are interested in this will soon learn that the Haihan army is helping the refugees Fushan County, more than a hundred miles away, provided a shelter.

As for Dengzhou City, there is no need to waste time going there to find out, because the Ming army in Dengzhou City is also digging trenches for the Haihan Army in Zhaoyuan County. It is undoubtedly obvious who is more reliable in Dengzhou.

According to the results of Gong Shiqi's interrogation of the captives, they confirmed that it was Chen Zhongsheng, the prefect of Dengzhou, who sent this Ming army.It is worth mentioning that the leader of the team is also a child of the Chen family, but he obviously lacks sufficient understanding of the deeds of the Haihan army, so he carried out Chen Zhongsheng's order without any hesitation, trying to use a tough attitude The Han army drove out Zhaoyuan County and blocked the influx of refugees to Fushan County under Haihan's control.But without a strong enough force as a backing, if you have to show such a tough attitude in front of the Haihan army, the consequences will only be self-inflicted humiliation.

According to their account, Dengzhou City is currently defenseless due to the mobilization of troops. The number of troops defending the city is estimated to be only a few hundred people, and most of them are made up of patchwork like the troops that went to Zhaoyuan. , there is no fighting power at all.Of course, under such circumstances, it would probably be difficult for Dengzhou City to send another army to Zhaoyuan County for reinforcements.

"With the current situation in Dengzhou City, if I can pull my battalion over, I can take it in a day at most!" After hearing the results of Gong Shiqi's interrogation, Sun Zhen couldn't help expressing emotion: "Then Chen Zhongsheng They don't know how to march and fight at all, their own city defenses are empty, and they dare to divide their troops to go out to fight. The Ming Dynasty counts on such officials to guard the territory. They are foolish and loyal, how can they resist foreign enemies!"

Gong Shiqi's mood was very calm: "I have been traveling in Shandong for the past two years. I have basically been to all the big cities in the prefectures. In fact, the cities are well built, but the people who are in charge here are all civil servants, and almost none of them have experienced wars. , Once a war breaks out in the jurisdiction, it will inevitably be chaotic. Officials like Chen Zhongsheng are not an exception. You can see that this time the Qing army entered Shandong, and it was a mess from top to bottom. Defense, Jinan City is fighting alone, how can it defeat the Qing army."

Gong Shiqi could understand Sun Zhen's hatred of iron and steel, but the situation in Ming Dynasty was not just a matter of the Ming army's combat power, but that the entire country was not ready for a full-scale war.When the war came, the decision-making was made by some civil servants who had never set foot on the battlefield. This could only greatly reduce Ming's military strength.

Chen Zhongsheng, the prefect of Dengzhou, was responsible for guarding the land, so he had to fight against Haihan, but his thinking and the strategies he adopted were too taken for granted. In the eyes of professionals like Sun Zhen, they were naturally full of loopholes and unbearable. one strike.To Ming, Chen Zhongsheng might be regarded as a loyal minister, but in Sun Zhen's view, he was just a mediocre official who meddled in military command.If Haihan really planned to attack Dengzhou City, or if the Qing army attacked Dengzhou, officials like Chen Zhongsheng would probably not be able to organize a decent resistance, and in the end it would end with martyrdom at best.

Sun Zhen knew that what Gong Shiqi said was the truth, and he, an outsider, was powerless to change this situation, so he could only sigh deeply at the moment.

Gong Shishi said: "Brother Sun, you don't need to be depressed. Although we are Han people, we are all serving the Haihan Kingdom. As citizens of the Haihan Kingdom, the rise and fall of Ming Dynasty is not something we need to worry about."

Sun Zhen nodded and said: "Brother Gong is right. It was those people in the Ming Dynasty who were incapable of governing the country, which led to the current situation. It's just that they are stupid, but they have caused the people of the world to suffer from the Tartars. The pain of ravages!"

Gong Shiqidao: "My Haihan Kingdom is becoming stronger and stronger, and it is overwhelming Ming at every turn. The Tartars are not our enemies. I believe that one day in the future, our country will definitely compete in the Central Plains and replace Ming! At that time, all the people in the world will become our Hai The people of the Han Kingdom, the country is rich and the people are strong, and the world is invincible!"

Sun Zhendao: "Brother Gong said this kind of situation, I have actually thought about it more than once, but I don't know when it will come. If he can win the world for the executive committee in the future, Sun will have no regrets even if he dies in battle. !"

Sun Zhen's thoughts are not uncommon in the Haihan Army. Many senior officers who are more aware of the true strength of the Haihan Army will have similar thoughts.In recent years, the Haihan Army has had few opponents in the direction of the South China Sea, and most of its military operations have been carried out in the north.After battling the armies of many countries, it is not difficult for the officers to find that there are not many opponents in this world who can match the Haihan army. If it is not limited by the strength, mobility and supply capabilities, the territory occupied by Haihan may have long been the current several times.

Of course, whether it is fighting Westerners, Nanyangers, Orientals, or northern Tartars, for the majority of senior military officers composed of Han Chinese, these wars are only equivalent to training their hands, competing in the Central Plains, and establishing traditional wars. That should be the future direction of Haihan Kingdom.

But it seems that the always wise Executive Committee is not very interested in this prospect. At least so far, it has not shown a sense of urgency to enter the Central Plains. The range of activities of the Haihan Army has remained within a hundred miles of the coast. Moreover, he has maintained a so-called ally relationship with Daming for a long time.As a result, when the Haihan army came into contact with the Ming army, they often restrained their hands and had reservations.Just like when Sun Zhen arrested these Ming soldiers in Zhaoyuan County, he had to consider when to release them after the arrest.

(End of this chapter)