1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 435
"The cargo has been loaded, let the boss sign it!" After confirming that the cargo has been handed over, the dock staff asked Song San to sign for receipt on the corresponding receipt.

Song San couldn't write, so he pressed his finger prints with inkpad, and then called the sailors to gather and count the number of people, and prepare to set off.Of course, he didn't forget to send someone to notify the militia members and let them board the ship quickly.

Li Qingyang leaned on the ship's side, watching this group of about 20 armed militiamen board the ship one by one from the pier trestle.Obviously, it was not the first time for these soldiers to go out to sea by boat, and their expressions were very relaxed. If it weren't for the rucksacks and firecrackers on their backs, it would be difficult for Li Qingyang to treat them as a group of soldiers.

Suddenly Li Qingyang felt someone staring at him, turned his head and saw the Haihan officer surnamed Xiao standing on the pier smiling and waving goodbye to him, this action made him heave a sigh of relief.If this Haihan man surnamed Xiao wanted to board the ship, then Li Qingyang's nerves would probably be tense the whole time. He didn't want to be watched by this terrifying Haihan man all the time during his trip to Sanya.

"Leave the cable and raise the sails, let's go!" Song San gave an order, and the sailors on the deck immediately got busy. Together they pulled up the anchor chain that was lowered into the water, and the sailboat slowly turned around in the middle of the river under the action of the wind, heading for the Pearl River channel in the southeast direction.

The boarding militia team did not enter the cabin to rest, but sat in two rows on the deck against the left and right sides of the ship under the command of the leading officer.

Entering the Pearl River from the waterway near Lijiazhuang, it is about [-] nautical miles away from Wanshan Port.This voyage is probably a little more than half a day for an "exploration class" sailboat, but for the Canton Ship that Li Qingyang achieved, it will take more than half a day to complete.When the sky began to darken, the sailor in charge of the lookout finally managed to see the lighthouse on Dawanshan Island.

"That's Wanshan Port?" Li Qingyang asked after hearing the news and walked out of the cabin, looking at a little light on the sea level in the distance.

"That's right, we'll be there in about half an hour. Stay overnight at Wanshan Port tonight, and then leave tomorrow morning." Seeing that the destination was imminent, Song San seemed very relaxed.

When they arrived at Wanshan Port, it was already dark. Although there were lights on both sides of the port to guide ships entering and leaving the port, the coastal artillery fortifications on the island could not be seen clearly at this time, which made Li Qingyang feel a little regretful.

When the sailboat was slowly approaching the pier, Li Qingyang noticed a group of heavily armed Haihan militiamen waiting on the shore, which made his nerves tense up again.However, he saw that the other people on the boat had no special reaction, so he guessed that this was probably just some kind of routine method of the Haihan people, and he should not let himself be confused and show his flaws.

Li Qingyang looked around, although the sky had already darkened, but from the lights on the shore of the harbor, he could roughly infer that the scale of the harbor was actually not large, but the terrain was naturally concave inwards, so it was considered a good safe haven on the sea .

After the ship docks, the staff of the Wanshan Port Harbor Affairs Center are the first to board the ship. They must first register the personnel and cargo on board. If there are people who need to land, they must register separately to arrange accommodation.

The group of militiamen who took the boat disembarked first at this time. They did not need any form of registration, they only needed to obey the orders of the local military chief.

On the way, Li Qingyang discussed with his companions that one of them would stay on the boat and one should go ashore this night.Li Qingyang was basically familiar with Captain Song San now, and his position was barely considered a management team, so he could still enjoy the treatment of going ashore and staying in a hotel for one night.After he proposed, Song San readily agreed - he would have to drift at sea for a few days, and it would be good to stay on land for one more night.

After completing the registration, Song San, Li Qingyang and others, led by the staff, landed in a small courtyard on the shore and arranged their board and lodging.Before leaving, the staff specifically told them not to go out of the courtyard at night, so as not to cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

After the man left, Li Qingyang asked Song San: "Is the management here always so strict?"

Song San shook his head and said: "That's not true. Wanshan Port has a special activity area for foreigners. As long as you don't leave this area, you'll be fine. There is no restriction on not being allowed out of the yard. I'll ask someone later Ask, maybe there is something wrong."

Li Qingyang nodded, ate his dinner absent-mindedly, and returned to the small private room arranged for him.Considering the conditions of an isolated overseas island, the condition of this small single room is considered good. There is a three-foot-wide wooden bed in the room, with a thin quilt and bamboo mat on it.In addition, there is a small desk, a chair, and a small wardrobe in the room, on which is a glass-covered windproof oil lamp made by Haihan.The floors are all wooden with a varnish on it.The house is clean and there is no peculiar smell.There is a bathing place next door, and the toilet is on the other side of the yard, both of which are public facilities.

Because he only rested here for one night, almost all of Li Qingyang's personal luggage was put on the boat and he did not bring it out. After Li Qingyang took the copper basin in the house to the next door to fetch water to wash, he went back to the house and lay on the bed, thinking about what happened today. Experience and knowledge.

Compared with the various pieces of information obtained by Nanzhen Fusi before, the information obtained by Li Qingyang leading the team to the south this time is undoubtedly more detailed and comprehensive.The Hai Han people are by no means only 500 people in the rumors, but overseas Han Chinese survivors who are simply engaged in maritime trade. This group of people not only has the means to make money, but also shows great ambitions. It is definitely a potential for the Ming court. threat.

This force chose to settle at the southern end of Qiongzhou Island, where the emperor is far away from the sky, and the entire Qiongzhou Island garrison is only at the level of [-] people, and its combat power is even more worrying. On the other hand, the so-called militia organized by the Haihan people turned out to be all standard guns , Even the military uniforms are uniform, how can this be a militia, it is already a private army!Although it is not yet clear how big the Haihan militia is, but based on the territory and population controlled by the Haihan people, I am afraid that the number of troops will be in the thousands. The island garrison can deal with the level now.

What worries Li Qingyang the most is the navy of the Haihan people. If the rumors are true, then the armed level of the warships of the Haihan people is also a head above that of the Daming navy, and this gap in combat power may require five or ten times the strength of the troops to recover. Pull the two sides back to the same starting line, and the navy in the Guangdong and Guangxi areas is obviously still far from this goal. Let alone fighting, I am afraid that they will not even be able to block the trade lanes of the Haihan people.

When Li Qingyang was ordered to go south, he thought it would be an easy task, as long as he verified the charges, and then reported to the local government to dispatch troops to wipe out these outsiders.But as he learned more and more about the situation, Li Qingyang also realized that he had thought things too simply.As far as the current information is concerned, it is enough to convict the Haihan people of several treasonous crimes, but how can we deal with these people?People have money, soldiers and territories, so of course it is impossible to put on shackles and handcuffs to stay in a prison after receiving a paperwork from the government.If you want to put down this "chaotic party", I am afraid that you will have to use force in the end.

However, according to Li Qingyang's understanding, the Ministry of War probably did not have the military budget for the large-scale war on Qiongzhou Island.Since the reign of Apocalypse, the country's strategic center has been placed in northern Xinjiang, and the amount of Liao's salaries levied to raise military expenses has increased almost every year, and a considerable part of the imperial court's finances has been used on the northeast front.If the Haihan people are to be mobilized, at least tens of thousands of combat troops must be mobilized in South China to go to Qionghai. The ships, food, and supplies that need to be mobilized are definitely not the amount that can be raised in a short time, but the most important thing to deal with the Haihan people I'm afraid it's just a matter of time.

According to the information we have now, the Haihan people have settled in Yazhou, and it has only been more than two years since now. With considerable influence, given time, even if this force did not openly rebel, with their means, it would be enough to turn Qiongzhou Island into an extrajudicial place, out of the actual jurisdiction of the imperial court.

Fighting may not be able to solve the problem smoothly, and may even cause a lot of trouble for the court.But if we don't fight, sooner or later this problem will develop into an unmanageable situation.Li Qingyang suddenly found that he had fallen into a dilemma before he even reached his destination.

"After we settle down in Sanya, we need to repair the book and report back as soon as possible. Let the superiors decide this headache!" Li Qingyang tossed and turned until midnight, finally came up with a non-solution, and fell asleep in a daze .

As soon as it was dawn, Li Qingyang was woken up by a burst of high-pitched trumpets.He put on his clothes and went outside, and saw that the residents in other rooms had also come out one after another.

Li Qingyang saw the sleepy-eyed Song San stretching out, so he leaned over and asked in a low voice: "Brother Song San, what's the reason for this trumpet sound?"

Song San yawned a lot and said: "This is the militia army on the island is going to have morning exercises! This place is different from other places, it is the area under the direct jurisdiction of the militia army, so everything has to follow the rules of the militia army Come on. They do morning exercises, and others don't want to sleep in."

Li Qingyang said in astonishment: "Could it be that all the **** are like this?"

"It's all like this." Song San nodded with a natural expression: "The Haihan militia is very good at fighting, and that's a skill that has been practiced in real combat. It's not like the army of the imperial court, heh...forget it .”

Li Qingyang was speechless about this. Even the elite troops of the imperial court couldn't perform exercises every day. It was very common for the local garrison to perform exercises only once every half a month or even once a month. Although no one usually thought there was anything wrong with it, Comparing with the Haihan militia's training, it's worth the difference.Although he is not a soldier, he also knows that if the army is negligent in training, it will be difficult to ensure that they can perform outstandingly on the battlefield, especially in the face of a well-equipped and diligent opponent like the Haihan Militia. Rely on the superiority of troops to narrow the gap in combat effectiveness.But this will return to the starting point of the vicious circle - the imperial court probably will not have excess military spending to provide the South with large-scale military operations.

When Li Qingyang was feeling a little depressed, he heard the sound of orderly running from outside the courtyard. Based on his experience, this was at least the sound that would only be made when troops with more than a hundred people assembled.Li Qingyang really wanted to go out and see how the Haihan militia practiced, but he was worried that his deeds would be too ostentatious and be noticed by the Haihan people.Just as he was hesitating, he heard the footsteps stop outside the courtyard.

After a moment of silence, many human heads suddenly appeared on the surrounding roofs, and then a row of gun barrels stretched out, pointing condescendingly at the stunned people in the courtyard.

"Everyone in the No. [-] Courtyard, please be safe. This is a normal military exercise. Follow the command and don't move around. No one will be harmed!" Someone held a metal horn and shouted loudly at the people in the courtyard while leaning on the wall.

Li Qingyang's first reaction was that something had happened, and he subconsciously began to observe the opening for escape.However, this courtyard is a square structure with flat-roofed houses on all sides. There is only one gate facing the port to enter and exit, and the windows of each house are facing the courtyard. Even the toilet and bathroom have no exit to the outside, except for the gate. Otherwise, the only way to escape from this yard is to turn over the roof.But under the aim of more than a dozen guns, Li Qingyang was not sure if he had the chance to climb the eight-foot-high roof unscathed.

It was already dark when we checked in last night, Li Qingyang didn't notice the strange layout of the yard, and it was too late to find something wrong.The design of this courtyard is simply a small prison, and the people living in it have no chance of resisting or escaping from the control of the outside world—this is the true portrayal of his situation at this moment.

When Li Qingyang was at a loss, Song San comforted him from the side: "Don't worry, the Militia Army doesn't arrest people casually. Since it's just a drill, just stand still and nothing will happen."

Li Qingyang thought to himself that this might not be a rehearsal arranged by the Haihan people, but it was aimed at him, but he didn't know where he was showing his flaws, so that they would notice.Captain Song San has been with him all the time, and he didn't find anything wrong, so how did the Haihan people get hold of him?
The door opened with a creak, and a group of militiamen with live ammunition filed in, followed by a very young Haihan officer who could even be described as childish.However, Li Qingyang could feel the aura similar to that of the officer surnamed Xiao in Lijiazhuang from this young man. This kind of murderous deterrence was not commensurate with his young appearance. It is not difficult to infer that this young Haihan officer has Experienced the temper of the war.

(End of this chapter)