1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3961

It remains to be seen how many ambitious young talents the editorial published in the *Haihan Times* will inspire to go overseas. However, it is certain that this kind of publicity, endorsed by the Executive Committee, will have a far greater impact than Li Yuande's recruitment efforts within China.

Before Li Yuande even left Hangzhou, people had already come to him seeking information about the special operations division's jurisdiction.

In order to obtain reliable information from Li Yuande, these visitors would usually proactively disclose their sources, often referring to guidance from Yangzhou salt merchants, who would then seek guidance from Li Yuande.

A few others had sources within the officialdom who knew that Li Yuande was representing the Special Forces Division in Hangzhou. Finding him was essentially equivalent to indirectly communicating with Qian Tiandun. They could discuss business cooperation or purchase war bonds issued by the Special Forces Division with Li Yuande.

Suddenly, Li Yuande's temporary residence in Hangzhou became bustling with visitors. The departure time that had been arranged with Chen Pingliao had to be postponed for a few days to finish some important cooperation negotiations before he could leave.

Chen Pingliao had basically finished his business in Hangzhou. Instead of staying in Hangzhou to wait for Li Yuande, he set off for Zhoushan to join the northern troops who had already moved south.

This time, Chen Yixin selected a group of elite troops from the 5th and 6th Army Divisions and the North Sea Fleet stationed in the Northern Region to accompany Chen Pingliao to the Special Operations Division's jurisdiction.

To minimize the burden on the special operations division, this unit departed carrying a large quantity of weapons and ammunition, along with weapon repair technicians and spare parts, just in case. This way, if they were to participate in combat operations, they wouldn't need to rely on the special operations division for ammunition supplies in the short term.

When Chen Pingliao arrived in Zhoushan, the troops had already been resting at the Zhoushan naval base for several days and had just resumed their normal training schedule.

Perhaps worried that Chen Pingliao lacked experience in independent command, Chen Yixin specially arranged for a great general to assist him this time—Sun Zhen, the commander of the 6th Army Division and the current commander of the Shenyang garrison.

Sun Zhen's rank was certainly high enough to command such a special task force, but Chen Pingliao knew that there were some deeper reasons behind this selection.

Sun Zhen was a Shandong refugee who fled south after the Dengzhou-Laizhou Rebellion. He then joined the Special Forces Division and was one of the first personnel of the Haihan Army to land on Zhifu Island in Dengzhou, Shandong.

When Chen Pingliao was not even a year old, Sun Zhen was promoted to lieutenant company commander for his outstanding performance in the attack on Manila, Luzon, and later became one of Qian Tiandun's capable subordinates.

It was precisely because of his impressive military experience that Qian Tiandun promoted him to command the 6th Army Division and was responsible for the defense of the Liaodong region before leaving the Northern Region.

After learning that Chen Yixin planned to send a unit to reinforce the special operations division, Sun Zhen volunteered to Chen Yixin, hoping to become the commander of the unit.

His reason was simple: he wanted to serve his old boss one more time while he was still able to move.

Although such words might be considered disloyal to his current superior, Chen Yixin wasn't bothered and readily agreed. This kind of deployment far from home required a commander with close ties to the special operations division for smooth coordination and cooperation, and Sun Zhen perfectly fit that description. Chen Yixin wasn't worried that Sun Zhen would lead his troops to the special operations division and never return. First, he knew Qian Tiandun would never do such a thing—absorb the forces of the Northern Region. Second, the Northern Region was originally established by Qian Tiandun, so temporarily using their troops was perfectly reasonable.

If Qian Tiandun really intended to draw troops from the Northern Region, let alone mobilize Sun Zhen, if the situation became urgent, even Chen Yixin himself could personally lead troops to reinforce the Special Forces Division.

With an experienced veteran like Sun Zhen in command, Chen Pingliao felt a significant relief. Moreover, he had known Sun Zhen since childhood and they had a fairly good personal relationship. After their meeting, Sun Zhen informed Chen Pingliao about the scale of the troop deployment and the preparation of supplies.

This deployment involved drawing one battalion each from the 5th and 6th Marine Divisions, totaling approximately 1,500 men. Additionally, the North Sea Fleet dispatched 22 ships, including warships, reconnaissance vessels, troop transports, and supply ships, with approximately 1,000 personnel. Including the accompanying civilian staff, medical personnel, artisans, and a small number of immigrants, the total number of personnel exceeded 3,000, making it a fairly large ocean-going fleet.

"In order to make room for us, the East China Sea Fleet specially transferred a batch of warships from here to Wenzhou and Taizhou in the south to be stationed."

Sun Zhen led Chen Pingliao on a tour of the ships in the port, explaining the situation to him as they went.

Although the Zhoushan Islands have many islands and ports, most are just ordinary fishing ports with limited dock conditions, making them unsuitable for warships to berth for extended periods. The East China Sea Fleet had no choice but to divert some of its warships from Dinghai Port to a southern naval port for a period, returning only after the North Sea Fleet's fleet had departed.

The matter itself may be minor, but the favor it represents is significant. The East China Sea Fleet's goodwill was undoubtedly a gesture of goodwill from Shi Diwen out of consideration for Chen Yixin.

Chen Pingliao couldn't repay such a favor right now; he could only wait for another opportunity.

Sun Zhen then told him that recently, some salt merchants' ships had arrived in Zhoushan one after another, reported to the military, and then docked at the civilian wharf of Dinghai Port.

According to the figures Chen Pingliao compiled in Hangzhou, the salt merchants of Yangzhou estimated that they would send around thirty ships to participate in the operation. Of course, this was not the entire fleet; Li Yuande claimed that the main force of his fleet was in the Pearl River Estuary and Sanya Port area, and would join the main force when heading south.

Chen Pingliao had never commanded a long-distance ocean-going fleet of this size before, so he had to plan things out carefully with Sun Zhen. However, the nautical charts for routes outside the South China Sea were still in Li Yuande's hands, so they could only formulate a specific itinerary after Li Yuande arrived in Zhoushan.

Li Yuande stayed in Hangzhou for five extra days before finally arriving to meet Chen Pingliao. Meanwhile, the sons of various salt merchants had also arrived in Zhoushan as agreed, but the total number of ships far exceeded expectations, with over forty vessels arriving.

Li Yuande was not surprised by this, saying that every time he returned to China to purchase goods, his fleet was about the same size, but he would not have so many armed ships escorting him along the way.

Chen Pingliao asked curiously, since the battle reports he had read showed that the special forces division had fought against armed pirates many times. Wasn't he worried that Li Yuande's fleet might encounter trouble on the way?

Li Yuande explained, "It's just that the western part of the Strait of Malacca is a little more dangerous, and we do need warships to escort us. Once we enter the Strait of Malacca, both ends are our territory, and when we reach the South China Sea, it's like returning to our own home. We don't need to worry about pirates at all."