1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 296

The social changes in the Shengli Port area do not only affect the local area. With the gradual acceleration of the construction process, the influence of "Haihan" has gradually spread to surrounding areas, especially Yazhou, which is only a hundred miles away from Shengli Port. The effects of this influence are increasingly evident and are starting to change the living environment of the local population.

Qiu Yuan opened the door of the room, stood at the door and stretched his waist greatly. Seeing that Zhang Guang was doing radio gymnastics with the rich and rich brothers, he couldn't help laughing and said: "You are in good spirits, and you don't forget to exercise."

"I have nothing to do, so I can only pass the time by exercising. Now I know why the prisoners in American TV dramas are exercising during their free time. It's just idleness!" Zhang Guang complained, patting the two brothers' faces The head said: "Go to the kitchen and bring out breakfast!"

"Where's the old horse?" Qiu Yuan looked around and asked without seeing Maliko.

Zhang Guang responded casually: "Today it's the old horse's turn to go out on inspection, have you forgotten?"

"This leisurely life... I'm so confused." Qiu Yuan shook his head and laughed at himself.

The Cliff Office didn't have much to do recently. After He Xi, Mu Xiabo, and Feng Annan left one after another, there were only four staff left in the Cliff Office.Maiko and Qiu Yuan took over the task of daily patrolling Yazhou's city defenses originally undertaken by the Military and Police Department, but the frequency has changed from once every two days in the past to once a week now.It's not that they are lazy and don't want to run away, it's that this job has become less and less practical - at least half of the guards stationed in Yazhou have escaped in the past few months, and more than half of these escaped people have passed All kinds of channels quietly entered the Victory Port area and became hired laborers under the executive committee.Some went early, and even obtained the status of naturalized citizens. Even among the current Haihan militia, there are many deserters from the former Daming Guard system.

And Zhang Guang and Zhao Xiaoruo are in charge, maintaining the daily affairs of the office in Ya.As far as the present is concerned, there is actually not much to do. It is nothing more than settling the immigration fee with the dental office every month. The yamen or individuals who should burn incense regularly will send people to run errands to give gifts.Yesterday Zhao Xiaoruo took a boat back to Shengli Port to participate in the lottery of the welfare housing. By the way, he met friends who had been separated for a long time. He probably stayed for a day or two before returning.

Just after breakfast, a guest came to the door, and the background was not small. It was Zhang Qianhu from Weiya Prefecture, Hainan Province. In terms of rank, he was two ranks higher than Luo Shengdong. He was a fifth-rank court official.This Zhang Qianhu is also considered a native of Hainan. It is said that the last three generations have served as guards in Hainan. His generation has finally developed, and his career has reached the level of Qianhu.However, Zhang Qianhu has also reached the age of retirement, and if there is no accident, he will retire and return to his hometown at the same time as the current Yazhou Zhizhou, Tongzhi, and Shuizhai's He Shen.

Qiu Yuan had met this Zhang Qianhu several times at the wine table before, so he was no stranger to him, so he welcomed him into the living room, asked Dafu to make tea, and then asked Zhang Qianhu why he came.

Zhang Qianhu is a rough person, and he didn't mean to go around in circles, so he directly stated his intention: "Recently, many soldiers from our Yazhou escaped from the barracks. It is reported that these people are all going to the direction of Shengli Port. I don't know what Boss Qiu has to say? "

Qiu Yuan said in amazement: "An explanation? I don't have any explanation. What does this have to do with our office in the cliff? Mr. Zhang, we have had contact with you, but we have no contact with those soldiers under your command, and we are not interested in trying to bribe them." Those little soldiers under your command, let them escape quietly."

What Qiu Yuan said was indeed the truth, it was not intentional at all by the Cliff Office, but it was purely the spontaneous action of these guardsmen.There is no other reason, and these soldiers are just begging for a bite to eat.In a remote place like Yazhou, you can't expect to get any subsidies from the Ministry of War. Even the Yazhou Water Village, which is a regular frontier army, is still using old-fashioned weapons from the Wanli period, let alone the half-army and half-agricultural The guard is gone.Regardless of whether it is military rations or military salaries, most of them have to be settled by themselves, and Yazhou, a remote place where prisoners are exiled, has an underdeveloped social economy. Coupled with the embezzlement of military leaders, the lives of soldiers at the bottom have always been extremely difficult. , even worse than some self-cultivating farmers.

The emergence of Victory Harbor gave these people new hope. They learned from various channels the various favorable treatment that the Haihan people gave to ordinary workers—of course, the information they learned was consciously arranged by the relevant departments. means only.Some brave people gave up their status as guard soldiers and resolutely moved to Victory Port.And when the various treatments in the rumors were gradually confirmed, more and more guard soldiers chose to leave Yazhou quietly and live in Shengli Port.Some people even moved their entire family, including their wives, children, and children.

At first, this situation did not attract the attention of the army chiefs. After all, to make a fortune in the guard system, they depended on empty pay and soldiers' blood. A little more empty space may not necessarily be a bad thing.But soon this situation intensified. The number of disappearing people per month began to rise rapidly from five or six to double digits. In January 1628, the number of people who fled was even close to a hundred. It is not a trivial matter for the Yazhou Weisuo Army. If it continues to develop at this speed, I am afraid that before the end of the year, the entire Weisuo Army will have only a few polished commanders left.

At this point, the leaders of the Guards Army will naturally no longer sit idly by, and the whereabouts of the deserters is no secret, and soon the Chief Qian of the Guards Army will go to the Cliff Office to "excuse the teacher".

Mr. Zhang Qian sighed: "Boss Qiu, now it's not a question of who let them escape, and I don't mean to blame you Haihan people, but the matter has come to this point, there must be a solution, right?"

Qiu Yuan blinked and said, "What solution does Mr. Zhang want?"

"Naturally, these deserters must be recovered one by one and severely punished!" Zhang Qianhu said through gritted teeth.

"Then you just go directly to Shengli Port to arrest people, there is no need to come here to waste time." Qiu Yuan would not accept his argument, and immediately pushed back forcefully.

"This... that's not what I said..." Zhang Qianhu probably didn't expect Qiu Yuan's attitude to be so tough, and he didn't know how to explain it properly.

The reason why the guards didn't go directly to Shengli Port to catch the deserters was also very simple. They also knew that they couldn't offend the Haihan people.It is no secret in the Yazhou area that the Haihan militia has sharp guns and powerful combat power. The military leaders have no intention of taking the initiative to deliver food.Besides, people like Zhang Qianhu usually get all kinds of benefits from the office in the cliff, so it seems a bit unreasonable to tear their face directly.

Qiu Yuan sighed and said: "Master Zhang, you also know that our stall in Shengli Port is very large, and the number of immigrants who arrive in Shengli Port every month is [-] if not [-]. It is impossible to check their identities one by one. We don't know if there are deserters from Yazhou mixed in, you say that's the reason?"

"Yes yes yes..." Zhang Qianhu responded repeatedly.

"If you have sufficient evidence to prove that someone is a deserter from the Ming Dynasty, you can go to Shengli Port to arrest him at any time, and we won't stop you. Is my attitude enough to cooperate?" Qiu Yuan continued to ask.

"Yes, yes... But it seems inconvenient for us to catch it..." Zhang Qianhu said while controlling Qiu Yuan's expression.

"The problem is that we don't know who is a deserter, so we can't catch them?" Qiu Yuan continued to shirk responsibility.

"But this..." Mr. Zhang Qian was still about to argue a few words, when he heard a voice from the courtyard: "Master Zhang, come to the door so early, do you have any good news to share with us?"

"Is Boss Ma back? Just in time, I have a problem and I want to ask you for help!" Mr. Zhang Qian has also dealt with Maliko, and knows that this is the rightful owner of the Yazhou Office, the Haihan people in Yazhou Boss Ma has the final say on all affairs.Seeing Maliko striding in, Mr. Zhang Qian suddenly felt a savior coming.

After Maliko entered the room and sat down, he heard Mr. Zhang Qian tell the story again, then he closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before he opened his mouth and said, "Master Zhang, what is your real purpose? It is to capture the people who have already escaped." ? Or do you want to prevent others from continuing to escape?"

Mr. Zhang Qian was not confused, and immediately responded: "Of course it is best to have both!"

"I'm afraid it will be difficult!" Maliko shook his head and said, "I also know a little about the situation of the soldiers in the guard. These soldiers usually don't even have enough to eat. Now they know that there are other places where they can live a good life." , How can you not run? If Mr. Zhang wants to prevent other people from continuing to escape, I think the most direct and effective way is to improve their treatment, let them have enough food and clothing, and enough military pay, so naturally there will be no other ideas. As for arresting people, I agree with Qiu Yuan's opinion, Mr. Zhang can take his troops to Shengli Port and try it out."

When Maliko said this, there was still a smile on the corner of his mouth, and his intention was very obvious-you can catch someone if you want to catch them, but whether you can catch them or not is another matter.

Mr. Zhang Qian secretly scolded Maliko for being unkind. If I could go directly to Shengli Port to arrest people, I would come to the Yabu Office to talk about shit.If these soldiers from Yazhou were brought to Shengli Port to cause trouble, there would probably be only one result, that is, they would all be imprisoned in Haihan prisons.It is said that Wei Ping, the brother-in-law of Tongzhi’s family, was imprisoned by the Haihan people in the first few months when he went to Yazhou as an inspection officer. The first thing he did after he was released was to go back to Yazhou to persuade his brother-in-law to support Luo Shengdong’s old man in the water village. Luo Shengdong is already known as the "Haihan Party" in Yazhou. Wei Ping's performance clearly means that he has been subdued by the means of the Haihan people. Mr. Zhang Qian is not prepared to let himself also Go and experience the means of the Haihan people for yourself.

Mr. Zhang Qian thought about it, and had no choice but to change the angle and continue to complain: "Boss Ma, Boss Qiu, it's time for me to step down and hand over the seal this year. Once there are more deserters, the vacancy in the army will not be able to make up. How will we be able to hand over to the next President Qian at that time? If things get serious at that time, let Commander Wei know, and in the end, this trouble will be caught up with you? You don’t want to cause extra problems because of these small things, do you?”

Mariko thought for a while and said: "Master Zhang, can I think so? The problem now is not how many deserters appeared in the guard army in Yazhou, nor is it whether these deserters can be captured. The rest will You won’t continue to escape, but the Yazhou Guards Army has too many vacancies, so that you won’t be able to do business at that time?”

Mr. Zhang Qian coughed dryly and said, "Although Boss Ma's view may be biased, it is still fundamental. I do have this concern."

Maliko smiled and said, "If it's just like this, then the problem is actually easy to solve."

"Boss Ma, please tell me!" Mr. Zhang Qian immediately regained his energy when he heard this.

"At that time, as much as you are short, my Haihan militia will make up for it. If there are no soldiers, my Haihan militia can be on top. Yazhou has 120 people, right? Well, it shouldn't be a big problem !"

Mr. Zhang Qian stared like a bull's eye: "Boss Ma, what are you talking about? Use the Haihan militia to replace the soldiers in the guard? It must be done, isn't this nonsense!"

"Master Zhang, don't rush to object, let me analyze it for you slowly." Maiko responded calmly: "In terms of military appearance, military discipline and combat effectiveness, our Haihan militia should be above the guards. Shouldn't you deny it?"

Mr. Zhang Qian nodded helplessly. This is not a matter of up and down, but a huge difference in strength. During the sea trial, the "Explorer" went to practice near Yazhou. Mr. Zhang Qian had personally seen the scene of the Haihan militia landing on the Ningyuan River. Of course, this kind of military exercise must be related to the Yazhou water village It was carried out under the banner of coordinated exercises.

At that time, the Haihan militia's full musketeer configuration and orderly combat command left a deep impression on Mr. Zhang Qian, and the number of artillery equipped in the army was enough to make an old army leader like Mr. Zhang Qian Speechless.There are only a few old and rusty Fran cannons in the entire Yazhou City, but the Haihan people are all black and shiny self-produced cannons, and even a few cannons are frantically arranged on the ship.From then on, Mr. Zhang Qian understood why the water village headed by Luo Shengdong fell to the Haihan people.

Maliko continued slowly: "Since the establishment of the Haihan Militia, we have never asked the Yazhou government for a single coin, from weapons to military pay, from building garrisons to daily consumption, all of which are paid for by ourselves. Our Haihan militia came to replace the Guards Army, and we don’t need you, Mr. Zhang, to take money out of your pocket, and all the expenses will be borne by us, isn’t that sincere enough?”

"Having said that, the command of the Haihan militia is not in the hands of our guards. How can I easily hand over the important task of city defense to outsiders?" Zhang Qianhu obviously still couldn't accept Maiko's suggestion.It's a small thing to impersonate, but if something goes wrong in the city defense security, the lives of his whole family will be in danger.

The Haihan people with strong soldiers and horses will raise the anti-flag to attack Yazhou's own sect. This kind of rumor has not never appeared in Yazhou. Similar rumors have appeared as early as when the Yazhou Office began to organize immigrants from Yazhou.And as Haihan's power in Victory Port gradually stabilized, the frequency of such rumors gradually increased.A while ago, the Haihan militia set off from Victory Port to go on an expedition to Vietnam. After the news reached Yazhou, it became the Haihan militia sent troops to attack Yazhou, which caused a small-scale chaos in Yazhou City for a while.Fortunately, the preparatory work of the Cliff Office was relatively complete, and the air was communicated to the various yamen early on. Officials like Zhang Qianhu had been informed in advance by the Cliff Office, so there was no chaos.

Regarding whether the Haihan people will rebel and attack Yazhou, seven or eight of the local officials in Yazhou do not believe it. The reason is very simple. Much richer.Historically, most of the rebellions were forced by life to raise the flag, or the generals in the army already had military power, but the Haihan people were all wealthy men who were proficient in maritime trade. Where did the rebellion come from?Besides, it is said that the immigrants who came to the land of the Haihan people can have food and shelter. The Haihan people occupy Xiayazhou, and they have to support the population of [-] for Daming. The officials don't believe that the shrewd Haihan people will do such a thankless job matter.

Zhang Qianhu naturally did not believe such rumors, otherwise he would not have kept in touch with the Cliff Office.But it is one thing to believe it or not, but it is another thing to have military power. If the Haihan Militia were allowed to enter Yazhou City, then who would have the final say on this place?Zhang Qianhu didn't expect the Haihan people to listen to his command at that time. If the Haihan people changed their minds, this Yazhou would immediately cease to be Daming's territory.

"Let's see it this way. Mr. Zhang, don't rush to make a conclusion. It's better to go back and think about my suggestion first." Maliko noticed Zhang Qianhu's emotions and guessed about his thoughts, so he didn't rush to make a decision. This matter: "Let me reiterate that we don't have any unreasonable ideas about Yazhou City. We Haihan people are very happy to cooperate with Daming and the Yazhou government to maintain the prosperity and stability of Yazhou area. Whether it is Business or military cooperation, as long as we need to contribute, Master Zhang just greets us."

After sending away Zhang Qianhu who was restless, Qiu Yuan couldn't help laughing and said, "Good old horse, when you spoke just now, you were a bit like a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!"

Maliko said seriously: "I'm not joking with him. When I returned to Shengli Port to participate in the welfare housing lottery two days ago, I also talked to the executive committee about the recent changes in the situation. For the Yazhou area, we will adopt peaceful evolution as much as possible. , Gradually evade the government to control it. The executive committee has already negotiated with Luo Shengdong on the whereabouts of the Yazhou water village. In the future, our navy will gradually replace the Yazhou water village and take over the maritime defense of the entire south coast of Hainan Island. If it is feasible, I would like to try to see if I can use a similar method to deal with the guards in Yazhou."

"The Haihan militia under the banner of Ming Dynasty sounds very impressive." Qiu Yuan also admired Maliko's idea very much: "But I just don't know if this Zhang Qianhu can change his mind and accept your opinion."

"Even if we don't do anything, the fleeing situation of the Yazhou Guards will become more and more serious. It is not us asking him for convenience, but he is coming to ask us for help!" Maiko said very Said confidently.

(End of this chapter)