1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3857

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Shi Chengwu put down his chopsticks and began to get down to business: "Zijing, Jianyi, when the Executive Committee transferred you to Nanjing this time, did they mention the specific tasks for this trip to you?"

Ning Zijing replied, "The Executive Committee didn't reveal much information. They only instructed us to command this temporarily formed fleet and transport the personnel and supplies needed for this operation to Nanjing. They didn't give any detailed instructions on the subsequent arrangements and told us to stay in Nanjing and wait for further orders."

Shi Chengwu nodded and continued, "Then do you know where the target of this operation is?"

Ning Zijing and Ha Jianyi exchanged a glance before Ning Zijing replied, "There are rumors circulating outside that the target of this military expedition is Jiujiang in Jiangxi. I wonder if this information is accurate?"

Shi Chengwu said, "It seems the news can no longer be kept secret! That's right, our target for this operation is indeed Jiujiang Prefecture."

Ha Jianyi asked, "Won't this prematurely revealing our position give the Ming Dynasty time to prepare and make our operation more difficult?"

Shi Chengwu shook his head slightly and said, "The impact should not be significant, because the other side did not only learn of this news recently. In fact, we had already taken the initiative to put pressure on Jiujiang more than a month ago."

Seeing Shi Chengwu's confident demeanor, Ning Zijing couldn't help but ask, "Judging from what you're saying, it seems that Jiujiang has no intention of putting up any resistance?"

Shi Chengwu said, "If all goes well, this military expedition will only be an armed patrol and will not result in large-scale battles. We can take Jiujiang Prefecture, and even more places, without bloodshed."

Tao Hongfang continued, "But even if we take Jiujiang peacefully, we need to establish a management agency there immediately to restore normal operations as soon as possible and ensure smooth shipping on the Yangtze River. Chengwu and I will definitely be tied up, so we need to find someone more capable to be the governor and the garrison commander. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be selected from the officials who participated in this operation."

Tao Hongfang's gaze darted back and forth between Ning Zijing and Ha Jianyi, the meaning of his words already self-evident.

Ning Zijing finally understood. The purpose of transferring him and Ha Jianyi to Nanjing was to prepare for the takeover of Jiujiang. However, he still didn't quite understand why, since the Executive Committee had decided on the personnel, they hadn't informed him and Ha Jianyi of the arrangement directly, but instead had Tao Hongfang relay the message after they arrived in Nanjing.

It's understandable to keep the operation secret, but according to Shi Chengwu, the news that Haihan was going to attack Jiujiang was no secret for a long time. They might have even already negotiated surrender terms with the government in Jiujiang. So why was there any need to keep this personnel appointment a secret?

As if guessing what Ning Zijing was thinking, Tao Hongfang immediately explained: "As far as I know, the Executive Committee should have more than one plan for post-war personnel appointments. Perhaps it is to prevent unforeseen changes, so the specific arrangements were not announced to you in advance."

Ning Zijing felt a slight tremor in his heart. He had already lost to Tao Hongfang once in the competition for the position of governor in Nanjing three years ago. Could it be that he might lose again in the second chance he had waited for after three years of hard work?
Ha Jianyi was quite frank about this: "Since in the end Zijing and I were chosen to lead the team to Nanjing, it means that we are the main choices. Any other options are just backups."

Shi Chengwu said, "Regardless of whether the Executive Committee has other plans, Hongfang and I will definitely choose to support you. Jiujiang and Nanjing are not too far apart, so we can look after each other in the future."

Tao, Ning, and Ha were childhood friends. Although Shi Chengwu wasn't that close to them, after Haihan moved its capital to Hangzhou, they were all in the same circle, and now they had shared interests, so it was natural for him to maintain good personal relationships with them.

Of these three, only Ha Jianyi's background was slightly weaker. His father, Ha Lugong, was now retired, while the fathers of the other three were all members of the Executive Committee, wielding far greater influence. However, Ha Jianyi had grown up in the military since childhood, learning the most advanced military knowledge and serving in both the army and navy. His background and professional skills were impeccable, and he had always been a key figure in the military's development program, so it was not surprising that he received this opportunity.

After roughly confirming Ning Zijing and Ha Jianyi's missions, Shi Chengwu then revealed the preliminary preparations to them.

Ning Zijing and Ha Jianyi were hearing about the inside story for the first time, and they were both surprised by the wide scope of the matter, the large number of people involved, and the complexity of the interests involved.

However, if the peaceful handover of Jiujiang Prefecture is ultimately successful, then all the complicated preliminary preparations and related investments will be worthwhile.

From the perspective of the soon-to-be-appointed local officials, Ning Zijing and Ha Jianyi naturally hoped to win without fighting, which would greatly save them the trouble of post-war reconstruction.

However, Ning Zijing had never served as a local official before and had no experience in taking over such a newly occupied area, so he immediately consulted Tao and Shi.

Tao Hongfang asked, "Zijing, what is your biggest concern right now?"

Ning Zijing thought for a moment and said, "If the local government of Jiujiang chooses to surrender and surrender the city, what should be done with these officials? Should they be allowed to remain in their posts, or should they be persuaded to retire?"

Tao Hongfang said, "We have roughly agreed on the terms with the prefect of Jiujiang. The prefect and his staff can remain in the area as advisors, and we will decide whether to appoint them to new official positions based on their performance."

"As for the other officials, the prefect will provide us with a list of those he recommends to retain, along with their personal information. This list should include officials who are willing to cooperate, and you can use it as a reference."

"There are also some local powerful figures who might be able to help with future governance. I'll give you a list later. Most of these people have already purchased real estate in Nanjing, and their attitude of siding with our country is quite clear."

Ning Zijing nodded repeatedly, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Hongfang and Chengwu, your guidance has been a great help! If I had to figure it out on my own, I don't know how much trouble I would have gone through!"

Ha Jianyi then raised a question that interested him: the size and composition of the garrison troops that remained in the area afterward.

Shi Chengwu said, "The Ministry of National Defense's current plan is to station two regiments of army troops in Jiujiang, as well as an inland river fleet with no fewer than twenty warships."

"In addition, the Nanjing troops participating in this operation will also leave a cavalry unit and an artillery unit to be temporarily stationed in Jiujiang to assist in improving the local defense deployment."

"Based on our assessment, it is unlikely that the Ming Dynasty will launch a military counterattack immediately after Jiujiang changes hands. Therefore, the size of the garrison is aimed at maintaining local security and deterring foreign enemies."