1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 412 Persuade Wu Sen
Thousands of warships, tens of thousands of water troops, what kind of scale such a surface force is, it is impossible to imagine with Ruan Jinggui's knowledge.In its heyday, the Nanyue Navy only had about a hundred warships. Most of them were lost in the civil wars, and the rest were wiped out by the Haihan militia.The Haihan Navy, which wiped out the Nanyue Navy, actually only had about twenty warships. Although the individual combat effectiveness was good, the number was indeed too small.If it is brought to fight in the sea area of ​​Fujian, let alone defeating the opponent, the possibility of being besieged by pirates will be even greater.

Ruan Jinggui knew that a high-ranking person like Yan Chujie would not easily joke in front of his subordinates. Since these words came from his mouth, they should be indistinguishable.But speaking of this, Ruan Jinggui finally understood why the Haihan people had to obliquely provide military assistance to the Ming army, instead of raising their knives themselves.

Yan Chujie himself said that he couldn't beat him, and Ruan Jinggui didn't dare to come up with any random ideas at the moment, so he said as much as he could and was wrong, he should just quietly be a bag boy.He secretly regretted his outspokenness just now, worried that he would leave a bad impression on the two high-ranking Haihan officials.

"By the way, there is one more thing, I need your help." Schneider did not forget Ruan Jinggui's entrustment, but he still found an opportunity to bring it up: "Mr. Ruan has a close friend among the prisoners brought back by your military. It is said that he has some real skills, I hope your military can give him a chance."

Yan Chujie glanced at Ruan Jinggui, and asked calmly, "Is it Wu Sen?"

"Yes, yes, it is Wu Sen." Ruan Jinggui responded hastily.Ruan Jinggui didn't find it strange that the other party would know about it. It would be really strange if senior officials of the Haihan military didn't know that among the captives transported to Sanya were the enemy's generals.

"I've also read the information on this person. Whether he is capable or not is second to none, but it is said that he is a diehard!" Yan Chujie's tone was not very good when talking about Wu Sen.

In fact, this person had already been noticed by the frontline headquarters when Hue was captured.In order to replenish the navy, which was short of troops, the military originally planned to recruit captives to surrender. As one of the few captives in the South Vietnam Navy, Wu Sen was naturally recruited by the military.However, Wu Sen himself had no intention of changing his family, and rejected the military's invitation immediately.Although die-hards like Wu Sen would not be dragged out to be shot, they certainly had no good fruit to eat, and sending them to hard labor camps for hard labor was an unavoidable treatment.If he is willing to admit defeat, it is not that he has no chance of being used, but if he continues to bear it, he will probably only be able to spend the next few years in a hard labor camp. It is hard to say whether he can survive until the day he is released after serving his sentence.

"President Yan, please ask Beizhi to come forward to persuade you!" Ruan Jinggui hurriedly said, "If it doesn't work, Beizhi is willing to accept the punishment!"

"Are you sure to convince him?" Yan Chujie asked.

"I'm not sure, but I must try my best!" Ruan Jinggui didn't dare to say anything about guarantees. This rescue of Wu Sen was out of friendship, but there is no need to drag himself into the water. I'm afraid it's not a good time to explain to Yan Chujie.

Yan Chujie was silent for a while before saying: "Well, I'll write you a note, you take it to the Ministry of Justice, and let them send someone to take you to visit Wu Sen."

Schneider wondered: "Isn't the whereabouts of the prisoners of war under the control of your Military Commission?"

"It is under the control of our Military Commission, but it is on the battlefield." Yan Chujie had to explain to Schneider: "But after being escorted back to Sanya, except for those who are willing to accept naturalization and are asked to leave by various units, the rest The die-hards were all imprisoned in the hard labor camp. Who was in charge of this hard labor camp before, you can’t forget it, right?”

"Ren Liang!" Schneider finally came to his senses.

At the beginning, Ren Liang was favored and promoted by the executive committee because of his effective presiding work in the hard labor camp, and he won the re-election of the executive committee on the first anniversary of time travel, and entered the highest authority of the time travel group.Ren Liang is now the Deputy Minister of Justice and the Director of the Police Department. This hard labor camp is the foundation of his fortune, and naturally it is still under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice.Although the Military Commission also has the power to deal with these prisoners, the actual jurisdiction is in the hands of the Police Department, and there is indeed a certain overlap between the two parties in terms of authority.

The previous authority relationship of these agencies is like a bible for Ruan Jinggui, who has just stepped into this system for two days, but fortunately, with Schneider's promise, it can save the time of going through the formalities in the middle.

There are people in the court who are good at handling things, and this principle works no matter what time it is.After receiving the note approved by Yan Chujie himself, Ruan Jinggui passed the green light all the way to the Ministry of Justice without hindrance, and got the visitation right smoothly.

Since Wu Sen had been escorted to the inland Tiandu Iron Mine for hard labor, and Ruan Jinggui's new immigrant status could not enter that area at will, Ren Liang also sent someone to take him there.

Ruan Jinggui noticed that the policeman looked very young, but the logo on his collar was different from that of the patrolmen on the street.Ruan Jinggui once learned in class in the isolation camp that the patrol police in Sanya are divided into two levels, the second-level patrol is the general police officer, the first-level patrol is the squad leader, and the next level is the superintendent, superintendent and superintendent , and what distinguishes these police ranks is their collar badges.This young man, who seemed to be less than 20 years old, wore a collar badge that was actually a second-level police superintendent, and he was considered a petty official in this system.

Looking at his appearance, Ruan Jinggui couldn't tell whether he was a Haihan or a naturalized citizen for a while, because this man had shaved short hair, which is very common among Haihan people, but his complexion was dark and tight, which was obviously darker than the common Haihan people. The Han people were blacked out.

Ruan Jinggui followed the police officer out of the office, and greeted him, "I'm Ruan Jinggui, haven't you asked me for my brother's name?"

The young police officer glanced at him, and replied in a deep voice: "My surname is Fu, you can just call me Officer Fu."

This young police officer is one of the first batch of naturalized people of the Li nationality to work in the Haihan system, Fu Lile, the former young master of Fushandong.Fu Li left Lidong two years ago and mixed with the Haihan people.After his little friend Yu Xiaobao went to Guangzhou, Fu Li originally wanted to join the army, but because of his sensitive identity, the military did not accept him in the end, but stuffed him into Ren Liang's hands.

Ren Liang did not consecrate this young master as a Buddha statue, but took him by his side, slowly taught him some police-related knowledge, and at the same time enrolled him in night school literacy classes.After entering the police force, Fu Li gradually transformed from a boy in the mountains to a backbone of the police force.

Fu Li did not make any great contributions during his time in the police force. He was able to be promoted to superintendent at the age of 17 because he "joined the revolution" earlier, and because of his special status, most He always works by Ren Liang's side.After Ren Liang was promoted to be a member of the Executive Committee and took charge of the Police Department, Fu Li was also promoted along with the rising tide.Of course, this kind of benefit has not yet been deeply realized, and it may take a year or two. After Haihan's power grows, he will gradually realize how much advantage he has won on the starting line.

"I have to trouble Police Officer Fu a lot for today's matter. I can't repay you. If you are a little careful, Officer Fu will not dislike you!" Ruan Jinggui took out a few circulation coupons and handed them over.In the past when I was in South Vietnam, there were people in the family who worked in Gongmen. Ruan Jinggui also knew the rules of this business. A fortune.

But before Ruan Jinggui could pass it over, he was blocked by Fu Li: "That's unnecessary, the rules of our police yamen are a bit different from the place you used to stay, so I don't like this."

Ruan Jinggui wasn't sure about Fu Li's attitude, but seeing his firm tone, he had no choice but to take it back resentfully.

It is almost twenty miles from Fort Victory to Tiandu, and the fastest way of transportation is still to take the train.So the two came to Fort Victory Station, waiting for the next train bound for the inland.

A group of noisy laborers on the platform immediately quieted down after seeing Fu Li in black cloth uniform appearing.Although the number of police officers in the areas under the executive committee is small, their powers are very large. In Ren Liang's words, "the top is in charge of the sky, the bottom is in charge of the land, and the middle is in charge of the air." It can be said that apart from the Haihan militia, the police is the most prestigious organization in the local people.

And Fu Li's status as a police officer often brings a lot of convenience when going out. For example, after the train arrived at the station, the workers on the train took the initiative to reserve a seat for Fu Li, and even Ruan Jinggui, who followed him, was also honored. .

Although it was not the first time to take a train, Ruan Jinggui was still a little excited.This is not only because he will see his old friend soon, but also partly because he can finally enter the hinterland of Haihan's controlled area and have the opportunity to see how the mysterious workshop there produces all kinds of exquisite artifacts.

For new immigrants who have not yet obtained naturalization, most of the inland areas of Tiandu are restricted areas. Without Fu Li's company, Ruan Jinggui would probably be charged as a spy when he got off the train Get caught.And this time Ruan Jinggui was fortunate enough to go deep into Tiandu, in fact, it was more or less thanks to Wu Sen. If this guy hadn't been imprisoned to work in the Tiandu iron mine, Ruan Jinggui would have no corresponding reason to apply for this visit.

As the train moved forward, Ruan Jinggui also noticed that between the train road and the Tiandu River, there was an official road with a width of more than one foot. From time to time, there were bullock carts walking along the road, and he secretly admired the Haihan people. Skills in engineering construction.

When getting off the train at Tiandu Railway Station, Ruan Jinggui, who only had an immigration ID card hanging around his neck, was checked. Fortunately, Fu Li, who was with him, showed his ID and the road directions issued by the police department to his colleagues in time. , and this was successfully passed.Even so, Ruan Jinggui has already realized that this Tiandu is not a place where you can come to casually. Even if this station is so strictly inspected, let alone the workshops that produce various utensils.

After the two of them got out of the station, Fu Li led the way, along a narrow rail passage, up a gentle slope.After walking for more than a mile, Fu Li pointed forward and said, "The Tiandu Iron Mine is ahead!"

Ruan Jinggui glanced over and saw that there didn't seem to be many people working in that area, so he was still a little puzzled.After he got closer, he realized that the mining scale of this mine was far beyond his appearance.

The Tiandu Iron Mine adopts the open-pit mining method. A large pit with a diameter of more than 300 meters has been dug on the vein, and the excavation surface is spiral downward, reaching a depth of tens of meters.Standing on the edge of the top of the mine, Ruan Jinggui could see at least [-] to [-] hard laborers in the mine below who were naked, with only a cloth strip wrapped around their crotches, bent over and digging desperately.

The excavated ores are packed into bamboo baskets, and when they are full, special laborers carry them on their backs, transport them to several concentration points, and pour the ores in the bamboo baskets into minecarts the size of the tabletop of the Eight Immortals Table.If you move a little slower, you will be scolded by the nearby supervisors. If you don't listen to the greeting, you will soon be whipped.

Ruan Jinggui noticed that there were two thin rails under these mine carts leading directly to the top of the pit, and there were ropes under the mine carts that also went up along the rails, and the other end of the rope was fixed on a strange device.

Ruan Jinggui had already experienced the operation of steam locomotives. Seeing laborers adding coal to the device, coupled with the curling steam around him, Ruan Jinggui roughly guessed the purpose of this device.

Sure enough, after a while, the rollers in front of the device started to move, winding up the rope connecting the mine cart below, pulling the heavy mine cart up from the pit wall.After two years of use, this steam-powered lifting equipment has already had relatively mature production, installation and commissioning procedures. Now not only the Tiandu Iron Mine is using this equipment, but also the Damao Manganese Phosphorus Mine located deeper inland. Mine, as well as the Heitugang Coal Mine in northern Annan, have also used the same facilities to improve production efficiency.

In addition to this kind of lifting device, there are mineral concentrators and stone crushers that also use steam power. These tall and mighty machines made Ruan Jinggui's eyes straight when he just arrived.I have heard all kinds of rumors about the Haihan people being able to use fire to generate force and water to generate force. At that time, they only knew that the Haihan people knew magic, but after seeing these demonstrations with their own eyes, Ruan Jinggui really couldn’t tell whether it was magic or not. Or some other secret technique.

Fu Like had no time to show Ruan Jinggui the production status of the iron mine, and directly found the colleague in charge of the local guard task, and showed him the prisoner arraignment letter issued by Ren Liang.

After waiting by the mine for a full two sticks of incense, Ruan Jinggui finally saw Wu Sen who appeared naked in front of him.Although it has not been a few days since the last meeting, Ruan Jinggui feels that Wu Sen's body seems to have lost weight, and his mental condition is far from what it used to be. Big drops of sweat are dripping down his chin, as if he just got out of the water. It's like pulling it out.

"Officer Fu, can I find a quieter place so I can talk to him?" Ruan Jinggui didn't rush to meet Wu Sen this time, but made another request.

Fu Li got Ren Liang's instructions before he set off, and he was very clear about the purpose of bringing Ruan Jinggui here, so he did not refuse this request, and asked the police on duty at the mine to take Wu Sen to the nearby police camp tent.

"Brother Wu, you have suffered!" Seeing his old friend again, Ruan Jinggui still couldn't help sighing.I thought that both of them were young talents from South Vietnam at the beginning, and they both had good prospects for development, but now that I have changed my family and joined the Haihan people, I will soon become a naturalized official, but my stubborn friend is under the supervision of the Haihan people. Served as a prisoner in hard labor.Ruan Jinggui, while lamenting the tricks of good fortune, couldn't help but made up his mind to take Wu Sen away from this place.

When Wu Sen saw that it was him, he still didn't have a good face, and snorted coldly, but his emotions were not as excited as they were when they met last time.

"Brother Wu, I miss you very much when we say goodbye that day, so I specially asked various connections to come here to meet Brother Wu." Ruan Jinggui knew that his time was limited, and he didn't want to waste time slowly going around in circles with Wu Sen, so he just Straight to the point: "Brother Wu, I think that when you commanded the navy, you also practiced water skills. Now that Haihan is powerful and Hue's small court is gone, it's a shame that your skills have been buried. It's a pity. The Executive Committee is willing to give you a chance to start over, why don't Brother Wu let go of his prejudices and work with Haihan people?"

Ruan Jinggui's words were considered very polite, he did not ask Wu Sen to serve the Haihan people, but used the term "work together" to set up a ladder for Wu Sen to go down.But Wu Sen obviously didn't buy it that way, he shook his head and said: "I, Wu Sen, am a warrior, and I don't understand the general principles, but the word 'loyalty' has always been in my heart. As a general in Huhua Prefecture, If you surrender to the enemy, that is disloyalty; hundreds of my navy brothers were buried in Xiangjiang, if you surrender to the enemy, it is injustice. This act of infidelity and injustice, Wu Sen cannot agree!"

Fu Li, who was watching, snorted coldly and interjected: "Do you still remember your old master? You are really stubborn. A diehard like you deserves to dig mines here for the rest of his life!"

The corner of Wu Sen's mouth twitched when he heard this, but he didn't open his mouth to refute anything, which also shows that the short few days of mining career has caused him a lot of psychological shadow.

Ruan Jinggui didn't dare to continue with Fu Li's words. He sighed and continued to persuade: "Brother Wu, the small Hue court is gone, and your loyalty is just stupid loyalty! Besides, the two countries are fighting each other, fighting on the battlefield, life and death are different. With ability, the dead and injured sailor brothers have fulfilled their duties, so why do you keep holding on to a righteous word and refuse to let go?"

(End of this chapter)