1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 375 Liu Xiang's Messenger

Of course, the history of Zheng Zhilong's change of family did not end here. After spending several years defeating the Dutch and integrating internal forces, Zheng Zhilong completely controlled the Taiwan Strait and established a colonial area belonging to the Zheng family on Taiwan Island.

In 1644, the small imperial court of Nanming who was beaten by wild boar skin almost destroyed the country, canonized Zheng Zhilong as Nan'anbo, in charge of the anti-Qing affairs in Fujian province, and in the following year he was granted the title of Marquis of Nan'an, controlling all the military power of Nanming.However, these rewards did not save Zheng Zhilong's already arrears of integrity. In 1646, he began to take the initiative to negotiate surrender with the winning Qing Dynasty.And it was at this time that his son Zheng Chenggong, who later became a national hero, finally turned his back on him and led his troops to the sea to fight against the Qing Dynasty, which can be regarded as saving the Zheng family's reputation.

Zheng Zhilong, who surrendered to the Qing army, finally suffered his own unjust revenge. In 1655, he was impeached for treason and sent to prison. A few years later, he was sentenced to exile in Ningguta. As soon as Shunzhi died in 1661, Zheng Zhilong and his relatives were beheaded by Suke Saha, the assistant minister, to show the public. Only then did he end his rich life.

From the beginning to the end, Zheng Zhilong has never been loyal to any boss or any force. Everything he does is for his own benefit, and he has repeated surrender and betrayal almost his whole life.For such a character, the Executive Committee is absolutely afraid to cooperate with him with confidence. No one can guarantee that this guy who can turn his face faster than a book will suddenly get into trouble if something goes wrong.

However, due to the relatively large gap in strength between the two sides, Haihan has been avoiding a direct conflict with "Eighteen Zhi".The "Eighteen Zhis" focused their energy on dealing with Xu Xinsu, and had not taken any action against Haihan before. This time, the "Eighteen Zhis" sent envoys to express their attitude to the Guangzhou Office, which can be said to be a sign The relationship between the two parties has entered a new stage, and the confrontation has finally shifted from the underground to the surface.

"Eighteen Zhi" is an opponent rather than a potential partner. This point has already reached a consensus in the executive committee, so no one will consider changing the attitude towards "Eighteen Zhi". Now a decision needs to be made. How to deal with conflicts that may arise.

"The Military Commission has already made a response plan half a year ago, and it is revised every quarter according to our actual situation. Lao Yan, please tell everyone." After Tao Donglai clarified the direction of the discussion, he will lead the discussion. The power was handed over to Yan Chujie.

"First of all, I would like to make a statement that the cost of our action plan for various emergencies that may arise from the 'Eighteen Zhi' is out of the military budget, and the military confrontation with the 'Eighteen Zhi' probably I hope everyone can understand this." Yan Chujie looked around the crowd and said: "If there is a delay in military expenditure, it may affect the actual effect of the operation."

The military budget issue has always been a sore foot for the military. According to the current budget rules, the implementation costs of the various emergency plans formulated by the military are not included in the budget. Therefore, Yan Chujie must put the ugly words up front, so as not to be involved because of military expenses. Discuss the issue with the relevant departments.

"This is not a problem. We can adopt the emergency budget plan for security projects according to the current rules. There should be no objections from those present." Finance Minister Schneider immediately responded to this question.Of course, in fact, Schneider met with Tao Donglai and Yan Chujie before the meeting, and reached a tacit agreement on some key issues, so as to avoid further delays in the meeting where decisions need to be made as soon as possible.

"Then let me talk about the response plan we have formulated." Yan Chujie got up and made a gesture, and the militia immediately came up and hung a large map of the southeast sea area on the wall in front of the conference room.

"Everyone, please look at the area marked with a red pen." Yan Chujie pointed to the map and said.On this map, the vast area from the east of the Pearl River Estuary to Ningde at the northern tip of Fujian, including the west coast of Taiwan, is circled by a conspicuous red circle.

"The area marked by the red line is the main range of activities of the 'Eighteen Zhi' at present. It seems that the territory is very large, doesn't it? But don't be too nervous, this is only their range of activities, not the range that can actually be controlled." Yan Chujie side Said, while drawing a smaller circle within the red circle with his hand: "We thought that the forces of the 'Eighteen Zhi' had already controlled the Dapeng Bay east of the Pearl River Estuary, but after this period of observation Judging from the fact that their control area is constantly shrinking, the bandit leader Liu Xiang has withdrawn from Dapeng Bay to the north and is currently stationed in Nan'ao Island outside Chaozhou. According to the analysis of the staff department, it is believed that the "[-]th The reason why Zhi' took the initiative to shrink the control area should be related to the unfavorable war situation in Fujian, and they must concentrate their forces on the coastal waters of Fujian to maintain control over the waterways of the Taiwan Strait."

Yan Chujie continued: "Speaking of which, I have to mention the current battle situation in Fujian. You all know that we have provided Xu Xinsu Group with a lot of munitions this year, and these munitions have indeed helped the local Ming army defeat the 'ten Eight Zhi's multiple attacks. However, Xu Xinsu's advantage can only stay on land at present. If he wants to go to sea to fight, the entire Fujian Navy is tied together, and I am afraid that he will not be able to defeat the 'Eighteen Zhi' with a large number of ships. Therefore On the issue of cooperating with Xu Xinsu to attack 'Eighteen Zhi', he can delay the 'Eighteen Zhi' forces to a certain extent, but it is unrealistic to expect them to go to sea and fight with us."

"As for our own naval strength, I would like to report to the executive committee members here." Yan Chujie pointed to Tom Wang who was watching the meeting: "Please tell everyone about it, Tom."

Wang Tom stood up and said: "Currently, there are two 'Expedition-class' warships under the establishment of the militia navy. Among them, the outfitting of the second ship has been completed and is in the trial acceptance stage. The eight 'Exploration-class' warships have all entered The above are the main combat ships, and there are 850 other supply ships, troop carriers, and reconnaissance ships. The number of sailors is [-], but there is still a shortage of gunners. The navy's manpower is now mainly stationed in Victory Port and There is no problem with the guarantee of ammunition and supplies at the two strongholds in Wanshan Port."

"Has the manpower of Heitu Port been counted?" Ning Qi interrupted and asked.

"The combat troops of the Heitugang Military Region are organized separately. Now the water troops over there are under the name of the Heitugang Special Warfare Battalion, and they are not included in the militia navy's establishment for the time being." Wang Tom explained to him. Dao: "Moreover, the level of shipbuilding in Heitu Port is still relatively limited. There are currently no conditions for the construction of warships like the 'Explorer Class'. We can only use some small offshore ships to undertake daily patrols, troop transport and other combat tasks. It is possible, but if it is a battle at sea, the effect will be very worrying. Of course, if it is really necessary, we can also mobilize the personnel there to participate in the operation."

After Wang Tom’s introduction, Yan Chujie took over the conversation: “Our navy is enough to deal with South Vietnam, but compared with the sea giant ‘Eighteen Zhi’, its strength is still too weak. Compared with pirates , our warship artillery has a certain firepower advantage, but we cannot afford the loss of ships or soldiers, and the risk of facing hostile forces at sea is too great. Therefore, the plan we have prepared is to build defenses centered on port strongholds network."

Yan Chujie pointed to the map and said: "From the map, we can intuitively see that the line between the actual control range of 'Eighteen Zhi' and Sanya is more than 500 nautical miles. If you want to carry out military operations in the waters around Shengli Port, one-way at least It will take seven or eight days, and the supplies needed on the way are quite troublesome, and this is a completely unfamiliar sea area for them, so it is almost impossible to make a battle plan in advance. Judging from the stalemate in Fujian, Zheng Zhilong is unlikely to send a large fleet to attack our base camp at this juncture, but Wanshan Port at the mouth of the Pearl River may become their first target, after all, it is much closer to their control area .”

"You mean, if 'Eighteen Zhi' wants to turn against us, then the most likely target to be attacked is Wanshan Port at the mouth of the Pearl River?" Ren Liang asked.

Yan Chujie nodded and said, "That's right, if the 'Eighteen Zhi' wants to deal with us, the most likely target is Wanshan Port, which seems relatively easy to attack, and there are merchant ships coming in and out of the local area every day, so it is difficult for the outside world." There is no secret at all. As long as the people in 'Eighteen Zhi' are neither deaf nor blind, it should be easy to know that it is an important transshipment port for our trade with the mainland, and the geographical location is excellent, and the waterway in and out of Guangzhou can be monitored. A bunch of old pirates can't fail to understand the meaning."

"Then what is the action plan of the Military Commission?" Ren Liang then asked.

"The Military Commission believes that it is necessary to transfer combat ships to the Pearl River Estuary as soon as possible, and the size of the militia stationed on the island also needs to be further increased. In addition, the relevant intelligence departments also need to be activated to collect as much as possible about the recent movements of the 'Eighteen Zhi' news, so that the military can make a correct judgment.” Yan Chujie looked at the executive committee present and said, “Everyone, the opponent in this battle is not South Vietnam, who had little power to fight back before, but someone who can face the Ming Dynasty head-on. Armed forces, I hope everyone will pay enough attention to this and give the military cooperation and support."

At the end of the meeting, in fact, Yan Chujie did not introduce the deployment of troops and combat plan to the executive committee members in detail, because these things are too professional, if they want to explain clearly to the executive committee members one by one, this meeting will probably take two or three days God.The purpose of holding an emergency meeting is to unify everyone's thinking and understanding, not a tactical discussion meeting. Therefore, after the emergency budget was passed, Tao Donglai announced the end of the meeting, and various units began to prepare for battle.

November 1628, 11, the sixth day of October in the first year of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, Guangzhou City.

Liu Xin paced back and forth restlessly in the guest room, looking up at the sky outside the window from time to time—it was pouring rain outside, like the Milky Way hanging upside down, washing away the entire city of Guangzhou.

This sudden torrential rain has been falling for two consecutive days. The drought in the vicinity of Guangzhou has been relieved, but the rain has come too late. The season for irrigation of grain fields has already passed, and the farmers who have gone bankrupt because of the lack of summer grain Now, this rain will not bring about a change in their lives. On the contrary, the strong wind and heavy rain destroyed the thatched huts of many poor families, and made more people fall into the situation of fleeing from home.

But Liu Xin didn't care what consequences the rain would bring to the common people, he only knew that the important task he shouldered had been delayed for two whole days.Because of the heavy rain, all the manned vehicles in Guangzhou were temporarily closed, so that Liu Xin had no way to go out of the city to visit the Haihan people's offices in Guangzhou—unless he was willing to roll up his trousers and walk through the inn regardless of appearance There is a large puddle that is almost a foot deep outside, and then walk on the muddy road to visit the door.

This is of course impossible. Even if Liu Xin doesn't care much about his own image, he still has to take into account the reputation of his own boss—he represents Liu Xiang, one of the big bosses of the "Eighteen Zhi", who came to negotiate with the Haihan people. The men who eat are very rough, but after landing, you should not be too sloppy when you go ashore, so as not to be regarded as mud legs that can't stand on the stage.

Liu Xin had studied in a private school for a few days before joining the gang, and was able to read and write. He was also considered a literate person among the pirate gangs, so he always acted as an aide beside Liu Xiang, advising Liu Xiang.When Haihan goods first appeared on the Guangdong market a year ago, he had already noticed, and suggested that Liu Xiang buy such goods through underground channels and sell them to Fujian.However, due to the very small shipments of Haihan products at that time, and the exclusive agency, the market was very tight, and Liu Xiang did not get much benefit from this kind of smuggling business.As for the fact that Haihan arms were sold to Fujian through certain channels, Liu Xiang did not fail to discover, but out of his own considerations, he was unwilling to bring these matters to the fore.

"Eighteen Zhi" is the most powerful pirate gang in the southeast coast, but Zheng Zhilong is not alone in this pirate gang, but there are more than a dozen leaders including Yang Tiansheng, Shi Daxuan, Zhong Bin, Li Guozhu, Liu Xiang, and Li Kuiqi. , everyone has their own subordinates and territory.The attack on the Ming army in Fujian was not unanimous among the "Eighteen Zhi". For example, Liu Xiang, whose main territory is on the coast of Guangdong, was not too impressed with Zheng Zhilong's obsession with defeating the Fujian navy. .

If Zheng Zhilong takes down the center and left office and breaks through Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, he will get the most of the benefits, and there is not much actual benefit to Liu Xiang to speak of.However, the weapons produced by the Haihan people flowed to Xu Xinsu's side, which could wear down Zheng Zhilong's strength to a certain extent. Liu Xiang, who was somewhat displeased with Zheng Zhilong, had always turned a blind eye to this.Of course, he also had the idea of ​​buying Haihan weapons, but they would never sell a second one, no matter how high the price was, it was useless.It wasn't until the establishment of "Qiong Lianfa" in the first half of this year that the Haihan people began to relax the restrictions on arms exports, and the company's shareholders also had the right to purchase weapons and equipment for their own militia. Liu Xiang managed to buy a batch of Haihan matchlock guns at a high price.

Zheng Zhilong is not a fool if he can become the leader of "Eighteen Zhi". He will also discover what Liu Xiang can discover.Ever since he knew that the weapons of Xu Xinsu's troops came from Haihan people, he had given Liu Xiang an order to intercept as many merchant ships as possible in Guangdong waters.But this kind of order has no effect, because "Fu Ruifeng" has long been on guard against this day, and changed the method of weapon transportation from sea transportation to land transportation.

At this time, because of the battle of Lijiazhuang, the reputation of the Haihan militia has spread for its tyrannical combat effectiveness.In addition, the militia took away the pirates who supplied Liu Xiang on Dangan Island without making a sound, and fully demonstrated their muscles. There was no armed conflict, which worried the executive committee at the time.

Due to the unfavorable battle of the "Eighteen Zhi" in the coastal areas of Fujian and many casualties, Zheng Zhilong had to order that the leaders of each family must contribute their efforts to participate, so Liu Xiang, who was taken away from some of his manpower and ships, had to give up some of the original ones. The sphere of influence will be narrowed to the northern coastal areas of Guangdong.And at this time, his mentality began to change - Zheng Zhilong's people were the ones who fought life and death on the Fujian battlefield before, but now that his brother has also stepped into that battlefield, he can no longer let the Haihan army flow into him Fujian.

After discussing with the think tanks around her, Liu Xiang decided that it would be better not to tear up the face rashly. After all, the Haihan people are not soft persimmons. It is easy to fight but difficult to end.So Liu Xiang entrusted Liu Xin as an envoy to go to Guangzhou to have direct contact with the Haihan people.Liu Xiang's request is also very simple, that is, to ask Haihan to stop selling arms to Fujian immediately.

Although Liu Xin had collected a lot of information about Hai Han before this, and he was almost half a master of Hai Han, but there are some things that cannot be understood without personal experience. It was difficult for Liu Xin to adapt.Liu Xin talked several times in the Guangzhou Office, and both sides talked dryly, but in the end they didn't draw any substantive conclusions.Especially the Haihan leader surnamed Ma, every time he negotiated, he was eloquent and eloquent, and there were also a lot of words that Liu Xin didn't understand at all, which often made him indisputable and unable to start.

Of course, it's not that Liu Xin has never thought of "showing Haihan people some color", but when he first came to the door and saw a lot of militiamen stationed in the Canton Office, he gave up this dissatisfaction. practical thoughts.Although his master also has a musketeer in his hand, it is hidden like a treasure, and he will never show it outside, let alone confront the famous Haihan militia.

(End of this chapter)