1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 704 Battle Preparatory Meeting

At that moment, someone asked again: "I heard that this time I went to Fujian to fight against Shibazhi. Has Mr. Cao fought against people from Shibazhi before?"

"When I followed the chief to fight Shibazhi at the mouth of the Pearl River, you guys didn't even know which way the gate of Shengli Fort opened!" Lao Cao couldn't help showing off his qualifications again: "After I joined the militia The first battle I fought was against Shibazhi in Guangdong! I think Liu Xiang was regarded as a tyrant along the coast of Guangdong at the beginning, even the Daming Navy did not dare to show his edge, so he brought his fleet to attack because of his strength. Wanshan Port. Hehe... Lao Cao was the first time I saw the power of my own artillery! Almost half of the fleet brought by Liu Xiang was left in Wanshan Port, and the rest of the ships were We fought all the way to Chaozhou Mansion, and it was lucky for him to escape that time!"

"The battle of Wanshan Port took place more than three years ago. Presumably now that there is a 'majestic-class' cannon ship, it should be easier to fight Shibazhi?" Someone asked very flatteringly.

"Of course!" Lao Cao said excitedly, reached into his pocket and took out his cigarette roll, and someone nearby immediately took out a match and lit it for him.Lao Cao took two puffs, and then continued: "There are quite a few cannons on this 'Blue Shark', right? But it's not even half of the 'Majestic Class'. Think about the 'Majestic Class' who fired the guns." How fierce is the time? It’s a pity that I didn’t participate in the navy’s battle against the red-haired men in Fujian last year. I heard that our ship fired a broadside salvo and knocked out the red-haired man’s gunboat, and finally escaped. There are only two boats left."

"It would be great if I could serve on the gunboat of the 'Majestic Class' in the future!" The eyes of the sailors showed envy. "Blue Shark" also often serves as the frigate of the main battleship of the "Majestic Class" in the fleet during daily training, so these sailors have watched the majestic appearance of the "Majestic Class" at close range more than once. Beautiful masts, densely packed gunboats, and mysterious power propulsion devices on board are all reasons why sailors yearn for it.And if you can serve on the flagships of the various fleets of the navy, it will be a very face-saving thing to say.

"There is definitely a chance, but you have to work hard!" Lao Cao said with a puff of smoke: "As long as you have more than one year of military service, you can sign up for the selection. You guys are coming soon, and less than half a year is enough." Qualified. But if you can make achievements in this mission, then maybe you will have a chance to get special approval from the chiefs."

After Lao Cao finished speaking, the sailors around heard their eyes light up, secretly counting the length of their service in their hearts.The requirements for sailors on the flagship are much higher than those of ordinary warships. The restrictions are not only the number of years of enlistment, but also professional skills, background and so on.Only those who are loyal to the executive committee and have strong professional skills will have the opportunity to be selected to serve on the flagship.

"Boss Cao, the flag has signaled, telling us to slow down and wait for the troop carrier behind." Someone came over and reported.

"Don't just stand around stupidly, do things!" Lao Cao stood up, extinguished the unfinished half of a cigarette on the mast, put it back in his pocket, and then began to direct the sailors to adjust the sails.

Due to the relatively large scale of the fleet on this trip, many of the ships were traditional Fuchuan Cantonese ships, and their speed was slower than that of the Haihan warships, so the entire fleet had to slow down.Four days later, the expeditionary force arrived at Zhennan Port in the southern part of Hong Kong Island.

At this time, Zhennan Port has completely entered a state of military control, civil organizations have been completely evacuated from here, and all civilian ships are prohibited from sailing into the bay between Ap Lei Chau and Hong Kong Island.After the fleet docks at Zhennan Port, they will have a short rest of the day.The army and sea troops that had already been mobilized here will join the fleet and head eastward together.

On April 4, the expanded fleet of 7 ships set sail from Zhennan Port, circled Huang Majiao to the south, and then headed northeast while maintaining a distance of about 62 nautical miles from the coast.All the sea-going ships encountered along the way looked sideways at the huge fleet flying the red and blue Haihan flags, and gave way one after another.Fortunately, these sea merchants also knew that Haihan never looted civilians, so even if they were shocked, no one would flee for their lives out of fear.

On April 4, the vanguard of the fleet sailed past Nan'ao Island and entered the waters of Fujian.The Fujian navy also dispatched five warships to welcome and guide the arrival of the Haihan fleet.

Since the Executive Committee decided to adjust its strategy for Shibazhi, hoping to exert pressure in various ways to force it to abandon Penghu, the large fleet did not choose the time of night when it entered the waters near Kinmen. , but drove into Weitou Bay in a mighty manner during the day, advocating force without any shyness.

Xu Xinsu, the commander-in-chief of Fujian who came to Kinmen Island to meet the Haihan fleet, and civil and military officials from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou were also dumbfounded when they saw this huge fleet.The prefect of Zhangzhou said in a low voice: "I finally understand why the Haihan people insist on expanding the pier on Kinmen Island. It turns out that they will send so many warships!"

The Quanzhou prefect nearby also responded: "It seems that the Haihan people have made the best of their talents this time, and the overall situation can be determined!"

The three main warships of the "Majestic Class" that Haihan sent to Fujian to participate in the war are all in this huge fleet. But this time, three such large warships appeared at the same time, and the visual impact was much greater than the previous one.Some generals who watched the battle with Xu Xinsu last year still remember how the "Wei Signal" single-handedly defeated the fleet deployed by Shibazhi on Nanri Island.Now three of the invincible gunboats in their minds came at once. Just seeing these ships is enough to make them confident in the victory of this battle.

In addition to the three flagships, there are a total of [-] combat ships of two levels smaller. The "Exploration Class" warships, which are regarded as treasures by the Fujian Navy, only serve as peripheral reconnaissance in Haihan's fleet. , Guard and other tasks, let a group of officers of the Fujian Navy look at it very envious.

"My lord, General Yan of the Haihan militia has arrived."

After Xu Xinsu heard the report from his subordinates, he got up and greeted him: "Everyone, General Yan of Haihan has landed, please come with me to meet him."

Xu Xinsu could feel the importance Haihan attached to this expedition.This time, not only a huge combat fleet and a large army were sent from Sanya, but even the leaders of the Haihan Militia went to Fujian in person. Civil and military officials and cronies came to Kinmen Island to welcome Yan Chujie and Haihan's troops.

"Long time no see, General Yan is still so majestic! It's been a hard journey!" Xu Xinsu waved his hands and greeted loudly from a long distance away.

"Your Majesty Xu, you are being polite! Everyone is working for Daming, so the hard work will be ignored!" Yan Chujie responded with a smile.In this kind of public occasion, he knew very well what kind of attitude he should adopt in order to make these officials of the Ming Dynasty look good.

Sure enough, after Xu Xinsu heard this, the expression on his face became brighter again: "Thanks to everyone in Haihan who understands righteousness and is willing to serve the country. I and the people of Fujian are very grateful!"

"Master Xu loves the people like a child, and takes good care of our Haihan family. Of course, we will not be ambiguous when we can contribute. Besides, these eighteen Zhizhi are indeed hateful. To kill them is to do justice for the sky. Master Xu is promoted, and we Making a fortune is the best of both worlds, and we Haihan have always been happy to do it." Yan Chujie is also a well-tested talker, and in addition to having been in a high position in the past few years, it is not easy to communicate with Xu Xinsu, an old official in the officialdom. Will not be left behind.

The welcome ceremony on the pier and the welcome banquet afterwards were just routine links, and the real discussion of the business would have to wait until the next day's combat preparation meeting.

In fact, the big battle strategy, the two sides have communicated many times before, Wang Tom came to Fujian in advance, in order to coordinate the battle arrangements between the two armies.However, because of the clues revealed by Shibazhi recently, Haihan's strategy has been adjusted. This also requires further communication with Fujian, otherwise one wants to fight and the other wants to let go, and problems will easily arise.

"What's the latest move of Shibazhi? Are you sure that they are really planning to give up Penghu and flee?" Tao Donglai quickly introduced the topic after the meeting started: "We can discuss the future after we have confirmed this point. come down with the countermeasures.”

"According to the information sent back two days ago, Shibazhi has not reinforced the stronghold in Penghu. In addition, a small fleet recently returned to Penghu from other places. It is said that this fleet went to Ryukyu." Xu Jiaqi responded: "We suspect that Shibazhi intends to move to Ryukyu, but there is no conclusive evidence at present. In addition, the news spread in Zhejiang has also played a role. The governor of Zhejiang has sent a message a few days ago, asking Shibazhi to attack the coast of Zhejiang in the near future. Is the news true?"

"Master Xu must have given Zhejiang a satisfactory answer?" Yan Chujie looked at Xu Xinsu and asked.

Xu Xinsu nodded slightly and said: "This matter is of course true. Even the pirates' confession about where they attacked first and then where they attacked was sent to Zhejiang. I believe that after a few days, the coastal islands of Zhejiang will inevitably have a lot of trouble. Jump."

Yan Chujie smiled slightly. Even if Xu Xinsu didn't elaborate, he could roughly imagine what actions the Zhejiang government would take after receiving such a reply.It is estimated that this kind of news will soon reach the ears of Shibazhi's local spies, and then feed it back to Zheng Zhilong.Even if Zheng Zhilong originally had the idea of ​​going to the coast of Zhejiang to occupy an island, he would probably reconsider after knowing the news there.

Xu Xinsu went on to say: "The day before yesterday you proposed to start a war in a hurry. The chance of success in encircling Shibazhi is not high. I want to drive them out of Penghu. I think it is feasible. However, Zheng Zhilong has always been cunning, and there is no conclusive evidence to prove that Shibazhi Zhihui will take the initiative to abandon Penghu, maybe he is playing tricks to lure us to send troops early. I wonder what General Yan thinks?"

Yan Chujie responded: "Of course we also thought of this possibility, so we still transferred the troops according to the original battle plan. Regardless of whether Shibazhi escapes or not, we are all ready to fight a big battle. Escape, we The main strategy is to drive them away, and if they don’t flee, then destroy their ships as much as possible and cut off their flight routes.”

Xu Xinsu said: "Then what are you worried about now?"

"It's mainly the adaptation of the troops and logistical supplies." Yan Chujie explained: "Among the militia troops who came to Fujian to participate in the war this time, there were not many soldiers from Fujian origin. Master Xu can also understand."

Xu Xinsu nodded and said: "If such a situation happens, it will indeed affect the combat power. The official has ordered the famous doctors in the concentrated cities of Zhangquan and Quanzhou to be on standby, and all kinds of medicinal materials can be used as much as you want. In addition, you will be provided with rice grains Vegetables, including the water source provided by the newly built reservoir on Jinmen Island, are all inspected by special personnel to ensure that there are no mistakes in the diet."

"Master Xu has a heart!" Yan Chujie thanked first, and then continued: "As for the logistics supply, we originally hoped to use three months to transport the combat supplies to the Kinmen base in advance, but because of the unexpected situation in Penghu, The combat materials we are currently transporting are only about half of the plan. This means that if the duration of the battle or the intensity of the battle exceeds the original plan, then we may have a truce due to insufficient ammunition or other materials.”

"General Wang mentioned this matter to me before, but I do have a solution. I wonder if General Yan can listen to it?" Xu Xinsu replied.

"Master Xu, please speak."

"Within two days, I will be able to mobilize a fleet of [-] sea-going ships in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, and then go south to Sanya to transport the supplies needed for your army's operations. If everything goes well, it will be around [-] days It can go back and forth, so it should be able to catch up with the needs of the battle." Xu Xinsu threw out his own plan: "If one trip cannot be completed, then within ten days after the departure of this fleet, I can organize another fleet of the same size. The fleet is going south. So the two fleets transport supplies between the two places with a difference of ten days, maybe it should be able to solve the problem your army is worried about?"

This solution can only be described as "simple and rude", but Yan Chujie had to admit that Xu Xinsu's suggestion could completely solve the supply problem that Haihan was worried about—at least in terms of transportation capacity, it was up to the standard.And there is no need for the size of a hundred sea-going ships, roughly halving is enough.If the Haihan militia has not been able to take Penghu by the time the supplies are exhausted, then stop fighting as soon as possible, because the militia cannot afford to lose this person.

(End of this chapter)