1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 538 Annan's Reaction

The nature of the matter of robbing the Natuna Islands from the Dutch is no longer purely a military operation. At this stage, Haihan is not sure of winning if he wants to tear himself apart from the Dutch.After all, the Dutch also deployed a certain scale of armed forces in the Far East, including warships and a considerable number of armed merchant ships, and their maritime strength should not be underestimated.Moreover, the ability of the Dutch to seize Portugal’s colonies in the Far East in the past few decades also shows that these Nordic barbarians are not a fearful race. They can win a place in the global ocean hegemony not only by Luck component.If you want to use force to make the Dutch retreat, I'm afraid it won't be possible at this stage.

Considering that the current relationship with Ming Dynasty is also at a delicate stage, the follow-up treatment of the Qiongbei occupied area still needs a lot of energy, and the executive committee may not be willing to add another strong opponent to itself at this time.If the military wants to take action against the Natuna Islands at this time, the possibility of being rejected by the executive committee is extremely high, unless there is a way to avoid a full-scale conflict between the Netherlands and Haihan—for example, Hao Wanqing, representing the security the proposal proposed by the Ministry.

At present, almost all the main forces of the militia, navy and army are deployed in the newly occupied area in the northern part of Hainan Island, and it is unlikely that they will be transferred away from the local area in a short time.However, the number of troops stationed in various states and counties in Qiongnan is already insufficient, and it is even more impossible to mobilize them in a concentrated manner. Therefore, it is basically impossible to transfer troops from Hainan Island to the south to seize the Natuna Islands.Of course, in the deployment of the military's stretched troops, there is also an exceptional unit that happens to be idle, and that is the Annan militia army that just completed its combat mission on Hainan Island a month ago and withdrew to the station for rest.

The "Liaoyuan Project" aimed at occupying Qiongbei is basically a combat plan built around the Annan militia army. In the process of the Haihan militia occupying Qiongbei, the Annan militia disguised as a pirate army has always played the leading role.It is precisely because the Annan militia successfully conquered the main prefectures and counties in Qiongbei in the early stage of the battle, defeated the resistance of the Ming army, and destroyed the local government institutions, so that the Haihan militia could successfully take over the city, including Fucheng, in the later stage of intervention. These areas originally belonged to Ming Dynasty.

From the point of view of the masses who do not know the truth, the image of the Haihan militia in this farce undoubtedly has all the attributes of Wei Guangzheng, and they also accepted the so-called "temporary trusteeship" of the Haihan militia more obediently.So far, the results of this action plan can be regarded as very successful, and the Executive Committee and the military have also affirmed this.

Such an easy-to-use method, if it is only used once, it would be a bit of a waste. The Ministry of Security obviously intends to squeeze out all the value of this trick—since it works on Hainan Island, it might as well take it to the south Use it again.Anyway, Nanyang is also a place where pirates haunt, and it is not difficult to invent a group of daring pirates.

Yan Chujie said solemnly, "Have you contacted Annan about this matter?"

"Of course not, you must get your nod from Mr. Yan first." Hao Wanqing immediately denied Yan Chujie's suspicion: "Besides, Qian Tiandun has no authority to mobilize the local militia army to leave Annan. It has to be ordered directly by the Military Commission.”

"In addition to the information you provided before, we also need to know the specific defense deployment of the local port, the size of the garrison, the hydrological conditions of the port, and the situation of the local civilians. If necessary, we may need to have people lurking in as a guide for our operations. Guide." Yan Chujie made up his mind much faster than Hao Wanqing expected, but he also put forward a series of requirements: "The amount of information we can grasp before taking action is inversely proportional to the risk of action. I think you understand too."

Hao Wanqing nodded and replied: "Of course I understand that these requirements of the military are very reasonable, and we will try our best to meet them. There are already our people lurking in the Natuna Islands, but there is no better solution for the transmission of information. This matter also requires your military’s assistance, after all, your military has the right to dispatch maritime liaison ships.”

The so-called maritime liaison ship is actually a warship equipped with a radio station.However, except for the two Majestic-class flagships, there is no fixed radio configuration on other warships. Usually, the radio station will follow wherever the naval commander goes.The navy's operations at sea are currently mainly realized through semaphore, signal lights and a small number of high-power walkie-talkies.These tools are sufficient to maintain information communication between ships during wartime, but to maintain communication between the fleet and the base camp, it still has to rely on limited radio stations.To send liaison ships with radio stations overseas, this authority is only available to the military. The Ministry of Security's intelligence station in Nanyang cannot deploy radio stations. In addition to security considerations, part of the reason is also due to insufficient authority.

Now that Yan Chujie has moved his heart, Hao Wanqing's purpose of interviewing him has basically been achieved.And as long as the general direction is agreed, there is no need for the two leaders to discuss the details later, and they can leave it to the subordinates to deal with.

On December 12, just two days after the budget and final account meeting was completed, and all departments were still struggling to review the unit's accounts, the executive committee held another emergency meeting.The emergency meeting was much smaller than the previous one, with just nine members of the Standing Committee, as well as special representatives from the military and security ministries.And the content of the meeting was not conveyed to various departments after the meeting like ordinary executive meetings. All participants were asked to temporarily seal their mouths and were not allowed to disclose the contents of the meeting.

On December 1630, 12, Annan Tushan Peninsula camp.

Qian Tiandun held the secret telegram that had just been sent from the Sanya base camp in his hand, and his face was very solemn.He originally thought that after Qiongbei's "Liaoyuan Project" ended, the militia troops stationed in Annan would not have any action arrangements in the near future, but he did not expect that after returning to the Annan station for more than a month, the executive committee was ready to activate it. Annan is a special force.

"This is really using us as actors!" Qian Tiandun read the content of the telegram repeatedly, and couldn't help but let out a sigh.

The telegram requested Qian Tiandun to gradually transfer the elite forces of Annan's garrison to the southern region in the near future, and conduct targeted drills to seize the island.In addition, the base camp has dispatched a reconnaissance fleet from Sanya to the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea to perform reconnaissance missions.The fleet will stop at Da Nang, which is under construction, and take the local commander Mu Xiabo to the south to participate in this reconnaissance mission.

"Gaoqiao, the executive committee wants us to prepare to go south to fight the Dutch, what do you think?" Qian Tiandun put down the telegram and asked Gao Qiaonan who was standing upright.At present, his two deputies, Mu Xiabo and Feng Annan, are not in the local area. One went to Thang Long Mansion to discuss with Annan's army about the next year's officer training list, and the other was in Da Nang in the south to maintain local law and order. When he was transferred to carry out reconnaissance missions, the only trusted person around him who could discuss matters was his confidant Takahashi Minami.

"Reporting, sir, this is a good opportunity for our department to make another contribution!" Takahashi Minami replied sternly, "Please, sir, let me fight!"

"Now it's not a pre-war mobilization meeting, so there's no need to be so excited." Qian Tiandun waved his hand to stop Gao Qiaonan from continuing to express his position: "Just like doing tactical deduction in usual times, I just want you to talk about it. What do you think of this move by the Executive Committee?"

Gao Qiaonan's face relaxed a little: "Our army's military base in Cam Ranh Bay has just started leveling the foundation, and the port and wharf have not yet settled down. It seems a little early to launch an attack on the Nanyang waters at this time. I have seen the Nanyang Sea before. Figure, the location of the Natuna Islands is too far away from Annan, if you want to fight there, supplies may become a very serious problem."

"The Executive Committee is indeed taking risks." Qian Tiandun nodded his approval to Gao Qiaonan's statement, and his evaluation was more bold and explicit: "This is not very consistent with the conservative style of the Executive Committee. So after I received the telegram, I called back to confirm it. Judging from this decision, the Executive Committee should be a little impatient, and I think the Military Commission and the Ministry of Security must have played a big role in this process."

Gao Qiaonan remained silent and did not respond. Let alone commenting on the executive committee's decision in front of his superiors, even expressing his opinion, that is not what an officer of his level should do.Takahashi Minami, who was born as a retainer and samurai, has a very strong sense of hierarchy. Although he has joined the militia for nearly three years, he still has not changed this habit.

Qian Tiandun sighed and said: "It's a pity that we still can't fight in an upright manner this time. We still have to pretend to be pirates like last time."

Takahashi Minami couldn't keep his composure now, and asked in surprise, "Why is this happening? Isn't that area owned by the Dutch? There is no direct trade between us and the Dutch, why didn't the Executive Committee dare Offend them?"

"Because the Dutch are also very strong at sea, the executive committee doesn't want to bring in another strong opponent for themselves at this time." Qian Tiandun had to spend a few minutes temporarily to give Gao Qiaonan a brief science popularization Take a look at the maritime status of the Netherlands in this era.

Takahashi Minami was obviously depressed after hearing this: "So our army can't go to war with the Dutch navy for the time being?"

"It's not that we can't, but it's not necessary." Qian Tiandun shook his head and said, "We're going to an all-out war with the Dutch now. Whether we win or lose, it doesn't have much practical benefit for us. Even if we beat them out of Nanyang, There is also not enough manpower to occupy the blank area they left behind. The Executive Committee wants to attack the Natuna Islands, but only hopes to take this place as a sea supply station for going south to deal with the Dutch in the future."

While explaining to Gao Qiaonan, Qian Tiandun also clarified the strategic intention of the executive committee by the way.As a senior military officer, he has no resistance to the combat orders issued by the Executive Committee, and even has a little excitement. After all, he chose to come to this time and space to lead troops to fight and enjoy the process of conquering the world.But this time the Annan militia army still couldn't play in its true colors, which made Qian Tiandun feel a little uncomfortable.

The training intensity of the Annan Militia Army is a bit higher than that of militias in other regions, and its field combat ability can also be called the first in the army. However, apart from making an appearance in the Battle of Hue, this army has always been anonymous The method appears on the battlefield in its true colors.The last time he participated in the Qiongbei battle as a pirate, although the Military Commission gave the Annan Militia Army a collective commendation order shortly after the incident, but after all, the name was not justified and the reason for the award could not be announced. This is very important to Qian Tiandun and For his soldiers, it was quite aggrieved.

Fortunately, the Executive Committee and the Military Commission have also given some compensation from other aspects. For example, the combat rewards for the combatants this time have doubled the amount promised before the war.Some of the personnel who have made military achievements during the battle even have the intention of retiring and returning home after receiving generous rewards.If it weren't for the militia's service period regulations, this wave of veterans would take at least hundreds of soldiers away.

Qian Tiandun very much hopes to fight in the name of the Annan Military Region in an upright manner, but this plan obviously has no chance of being realized in the near future.The telegram sent by the executive committee made it very clear that the troops attacking the Natuna Islands must fight as pirates, and no one is allowed to reveal their true identity during the mission. Sex is another test.

Qian Tiandun is not worried that his subordinates will disobey orders. During the two-year service period, these soldiers have been tempered repeatedly, and the words "obey orders" have been deeply imprinted on them. deepest part of my heart.But as the supreme commander of the Annan Militia Army, Qian Tiandun still hopes that one day he can display the banner of the army on the battlefield.

Qian Tiandun picked up a pen and wrote a few lines on the paper, then folded it and handed it to Gao Qiaonan: "Send this to Da Nang by telegram."

"Yes!" Gao Qiaonan gave a military salute, then took the paper and left the office.

Qian Tiandun was in the Tushan Peninsula, so he must not have time to participate in this reconnaissance operation. Therefore, the Military Commission arranged for Mu Xiabai, who was in Da Nang, to join in.There is nothing to question Mu Xiabo's military quality, but Qian Tiandun was a little worried about his understanding of the executive committee's strategic intentions, so he specially reminded some key points in the telegram.

On December 12, the reconnaissance fleet departing from Sanya arrived at Da Nang Wharf.This fleet consists of three traditional Chinese sailboats, two "exploration-class" warships, and two catamaran sailboats that have not been dispatched for a long time.The lineup for this trip is also luxurious. In addition to the navy commander Tom Wang personally leading the team, the army, navy, commerce, shipping and other departments have sent competent personnel to participate in it.

(End of this chapter)