1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 509 Action Plan
With real soldiers and live ammunition, if Zheng Bo still doesn't understand what Qian Tiandun is talking about, he doesn't have to continue to be the general of Dingbei to seek rebellion.The joint military exercise arranged by the Haihan military, more precisely, should be a joint military operation, and it is already clear who the opponent is.

Annan was not afraid of the opponent of Ming Dynasty. Even in the most powerful period of Ming Dynasty, Annan never conceded defeat on the frontal battlefield.Although Daming had sent large armies into Annan many times, judging from the final results, it can be said that Ming did not take advantage of the war and lost tens of thousands of troops in vain.

But this time was not that time. When the two countries were at war, Da Ming played the role of the invader. It can be said that Annan took advantage of the right time, place and people to fight against the Ming army that was stronger than him.But if this role is transferred and Annan's army is allowed to take the initiative to attack Daming, the result may only be the opposite and one-sided.What's more, Annan only ended the civil war last year. The overall situation in the country has been initially determined, and a thousand things are waiting to be done. To start a foreign war at this time, the opponent is still a behemoth like Ming, and the battlefield is also in the territory of Ming. Smart move.

Zheng Bo was silent for a long time before he asked, "What is your purpose for this war?"

Having dealt with the Haihan people for a long time, Zheng Bai also knew that this group of people would never make money-losing deals, especially in military operations. If there was not enough interest, the Haihan people would not easily use weapons.And with the Haihan people's current family background, it is obviously not realistic to start a full-scale war with Daming - it's not that the Haihan militia can't beat the Ming army, but that there are too few people in Haihan, even if they defeat Daming, they can actually occupy the place will also be extremely limited.From this, Zheng Bo concluded that Haihan's war was not aimed at overthrowing Ming's rule, but had other clearer and more specific purposes.

Qian Tiandun replied: "We have spent a lot of energy on the management of Qiongzhou Island, but there are still some places in the north that are under the control of Daming. This is an obstacle that must be eliminated for Haihan's future development... ...So, the result we want is to realize the complete rule of the Executive Committee as the highest power in the area south of the Qiongzhou Strait!"

These words undoubtedly confirmed Zheng Bai's previous speculation, but Zheng Bo did not relax because of this, but became more nervous: "With the combat power of your army, it is not difficult to deal with the Ming army stationed on Qiongzhou Island. Why do you want to borrow troops from us in the name of joint military exercises?"

Qian Tiandun said slowly: "If we go to war with Daming directly, there will be a lot of follow-up troubles, so we must think of a way to buffer. General Zheng can imagine that if a third-party force attacks Daming's city, then I will As a reinforcement, it should be reasonable to drive away the invaders at the critical moment, and temporarily take over the defense of these cities in the name of defense assistance, right?"

Reasonable?Zheng Bai's jaw almost fell to the ground.He never expected that Haihan's decision to drag Annan's army into the water was actually out of such a consideration.This scapegoat is simply too big, and Zheng Bai is not willing to let An Nanjun bear the burden.

But before Zheng Bai refused, Qian Tiandun continued slowly: "Of course, we have no intention of dragging your country into trouble, and we will not let your army fight under the banner of Annan. The troops we borrowed from your country , you only need to cooperate with our army’s actions. All the corresponding military expenses will be borne by our side. If there are casualties on the battlefield, we will also issue pensions according to the standards of the Haihan militia. And what your country’s army can get from it Combat experience is probably difficult to measure with money, right?"

Do not send troops in the name of Annan?Zheng Bai swallowed the rejection that had already reached his lips back into his stomach.If troops are not sent in the name of Annan, then this is indeed a good opportunity for military training.Moreover, Qian Tiandun said that the casualties of Annan's troops were also issued according to the standards of the Haihan militia, so there was basically no need to worry about the Haihan people using Annan's troops as cannon fodder.

"In addition, if your country is willing to cooperate with our military operation this time, then next year's arms procurement plan, we can appropriately relax the scope of choices." Qian Tiandun paused and said: "For example, General Zheng has always been very interested The Type [-] Army Cannon and Type [-] Flintlock Gun will be sold to Anando next year in double quantities. In addition, four to six 'Exploration Class' warships can also be sold to the Annan Navy."

"Is this true?" Zheng Bai's eyes immediately widened. These kinds of armaments are basically things that Annan's military wants to buy. The installation speed of the army is extremely slow, and the new weapons provided by Haihan are often issued after several months of formation.Not to mention warships, not to mention the high cost, there are only two quotas per year, so that it is difficult for the Annan Navy to form a truly useful maritime combat force in a short period of time.

"Everything I said just now is true." Qian Tiandun replied: "And I didn't give you these conditions personally, but explained them to you on behalf of the Haihan Executive Committee."

Zheng Bai thought for a while and said: "The Annan officers who go to the Sanya Military Academy every year for further study must be increased on the current basis."

"I can answer this right now, and add [-] more places every year." Qian Tiandun is not bragging. He had indeed communicated with the Military Commission before coming to Tushan Peninsula, and he also obtained some bargaining authority. .As for accepting a little more of Annan's commissioned officers every year, this is actually not a big problem. The purpose of controlling the number of trainees before is mainly to select the best from the best, and give priority to supporting Annan officers with good development prospects as much as possible.

"You need to send a naval training consultant to provide training guidance to our naval forces."

"sure, no problem."

"The duration of this operation should not exceed three months, otherwise our country's domestic defense arrangements will need to be greatly adjusted. General Qian also knows that our country's domestic transportation is inconvenient, and the transfer of troops is very troublesome."

"I can also promise you this. You can send your troops back to China in at most sixty or seventy days."

After agreeing to Zheng Bai's series of conditions, the talks between the two finally entered a substantive stage.Zheng Bai asked: "Then how many troops do you need from our country?"

"3000 people are enough." Qian Tiandun thought for a while and added: "I'm talking about combat troops, and it's best to focus on the new army."

Zheng Baiying said: "It will take some time for the new army to be stationed in various places."

"I'll give you one month." Qian Tiandun said, "One month later, the troops will gather here in Tushan, and then the two armies will conduct joint training."

Annan currently has a new army of more than 5000 people. Almost all of these troops come from the Tushan training camp. The weapons, tactics, organization and command system are all from Haihan. It is understandable for Tian Dun to raise this condition.However, if you conduct joint training in advance, you will be more confident in your actions. At the same time, you must establish the dominant position of the Haihan Militia Army in the combat process before the battle to avoid poor command on the battlefield.

"What capacity will our army serve in the battle?" Zheng Bai found that Qian Tiandun hadn't answered this crucial question directly from the beginning to the end, so he asked him again.

Qian Tiandun said: "There are two identities to choose from, one is a pirate, and the other is a traitor in the northern mountainous area."

Zheng Bai hesitated and said, "I'm afraid that both of these identities are inappropriate..."

"How to say?" Qian Tiandun asked.

"We sent troops together. They are all regular troops. They are completely different from the mob of pirates. Even if they change their uniforms, as long as they are not blind, they can see the tricks at a glance." Zheng Bai continued: "Let's talk about the rebels in the northern mountainous area. , it is even more impossible, their activities are all in the deep mountains and old forests, how can they get so many big ships to cross the sea to Qiongzhou Island? Isn't this extremely unreasonable?"

Qian Tiandun shook his head and said: "What General Zheng said is correct, but I have to say that you are really overthinking. The true identity of the armed forces that invaded Qiongzhou Island is just an excuse for our Haihan militia to send troops. General Zheng , do you really understand why we borrowed troops from your country?"

Zheng Bai suddenly realized: "Is it because the language, living habits, and appearance of our soldiers are different from the Han people on Qiongzhou Island, enough for ordinary people to distinguish us from your militia?"

"That's right, that's the reason." Qian Tiandun nodded in agreement with his guess: "As long as ordinary people realize that it is not the Haihan militia that attacked Qiongzhou Island, then the goal will be achieved."

"When the time comes, your army will be the savior. They will drive away the invaders and take over the northern cities. Taking these places will also gain the appreciation and gratitude of the people. This plan of yours really kills two birds with one stone!" Haihan's intentions are fully understood. Zheng Bai couldn't help sighing.

"It's easy to say, easy to say!" Qian Tiandun couldn't help showing a little complacency on his face.

Yuan Ruoxiu proposed the concept of this plan at the beginning of the month, and then a group of people from the military and relevant departments spent time demonstrating the feasibility, and made a preliminary action plan, and after the executive committee discussed and approved it, they sent a message to inform On Qian Tiandun's side.And Qian Tiandun made some adjustments to the action plan based on the actual situation of Annan's garrison, and only after obtaining the approval of the Executive Committee did he start this secret meeting with Zheng Bai.

In the original plan, the Annan garrison actually played the role of the invaders. However, Qian Tiandun believes that although the local militia troops with only about 2000 troops can win some small battles, they are not enough to attack Qiongzhou Island. To launch a comprehensive raid on the northern coastline of China, the safest way to complete this task is to replenish more than double the number of troops, so that at least a certain degree of encirclement can be formed when attacking the capital city of Qiongzhou.Otherwise, with just two thousand people, it would only be enough to block the door outside Qiongzhou Fucheng, and the deterrence power is also seriously insufficient, which can't set off the tall and powerful image of the militia army who appeared in the later stage.

So under Qian Tiandun's suggestion, the executive committee agreed to let him come forward and borrow troops from Annan's army to go out.More than [-]% of Qian Tiandun's troops are from Annan's local area, and there is no sense of disobedience when mixed with Annan's army. When they play the role of invaders together, it will be even more difficult to show their flaws.

As for playing a pirate or a rebel armed force, it really doesn't make much difference to the overall situation.Under the guidance of Haihan's conscious public opinion, ordinary people will only know that the people who rescued them in the end were the Haihan militia, and where did the previous invaders come from? After the war, not many people will investigate the root cause .If someone insists on doing this, then the relevant departments will not mind sending these good people to Annan to find out, and by the way, add a little free labor to the mines in Black Earth Port.

It really doesn't matter if the officials of the Ming Dynasty can see how tricky it is. Anyway, Haihan's future rule in Qiongzhou Island will not be able to use these wine bags and rice bags.A very small number of people with real talents and practical learning may be recruited by the Executive Committee, and most of the corpses who are vegetarians will probably be placed under house arrest for a long period of time after the war.

Although the two parties have reached a basic agreement on the terms of the exchange, there are too many specific details of the action that need to be discussed in detail.Moreover, with such a large military mobilization, Zheng Bo didn't dare to make decisions on his own, so he wrote a book that night, and sent someone back to Shenglong Mansion overnight to send a letter to Zheng Bing for instructions.

Zheng Bai and Qian Tiandun had a secret meeting for four consecutive days on the Tushan Peninsula. From the second day on, other senior military officers from both sides participated to discuss the details of the operation.Four days later, when the talks between the two sides came to an end, the reply from Shenglong Mansion was also sent.Zheng Bing did not mention the content of this joint military operation in the letter, but only gave Zheng Bo the power to mobilize combat troops and command the operation on behalf of Annan.In fact, this is Zheng Yan's statement in disguise, agreeing to Annan's army's intervention in this matter.

From the beginning of July, Annan's new army began to assemble from various garrison locations towards the Tushan Peninsula, while Haihan's ships shuttled between Tushan Peninsula and Cat Ba Island every day, transporting the Annan New Army who arrived here one after another to Cat Ba The training base on the island.At the same time, various supplies sent from Sanya are also continuously being sent to Catba Island to supply the growing number of combat troops on the island.

This time the executive committee can be regarded as spending a lot of money. Thousands of people started to assemble and train a few months in advance. After the start of the war, the war is likely to last until the end of the year. The military expenditure in the past six months has even exceeded the annual budget. .The executive committee had to add an additional 50 yuan to the war emergency budget, which made a group of people in the Ministry of Finance cry out.The only thing that can be counted on now is that the post-war fines and confiscations can fill up this big hole, otherwise there will inevitably be a rather alarming deficit in the financial settlement at the end of this year.

(End of this chapter)