1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 750 The way forward

For the appointment of grass-roots officers by the Haihan Militia, in principle, they must first submit a registration form, and the approval of the Military Commission will be considered valid. Even for troops stationed abroad, the generals who lead the troops only have the power to nominate and recommend, and have no right to directly adjust the rank of appointment.However, in actual operation, due to the slow transmission of documents, troops stationed abroad often adopt the method of giving posts first and then reporting to higher levels. The Military Commission generally does not reject applications for military post adjustments.Similar to the special forces under Qian Tiandun's command, the selection of candidates is basically up to him, and he can report to the Military Commission afterwards.Therefore, his plan to promote Sun Zhen at the right time was not just a joke, but there were indeed not many rookies like this who were favored by him during the recruit training period in the past few years.

In terms of geographical conditions in Penghu, it is not particularly suitable as a training base for army recruits. After all, the land area here is limited and the geographical environment is relatively simple. For training military subjects with a relatively large range of operations, or adapting to a more complex combat environment, the situation of the Penghu base is not enough.

Of course, Qian Tiandun could also send the troops to the coastal areas of Fujian for training, but Fujian is the territory of the Ming Dynasty after all, and the Haihan Armed Forces used to conduct training, and the atmosphere in the middle would be very delicate after all.Even if Xu Xinsu believed that Haihan would not do anything in his sphere of influence, in order to be able to explain to the outside world, he would definitely send the Ming army to join in in the form of "coordinated exercises" or "military observation groups". Such an arrangement was not what Qian Tiandun was willing to accept.

Haihan and the Fujian military had secretly signed a military cooperation agreement a few years ago. The Fujian Ming Army also stationed liaison representatives, military observers, officer cadets, etc. at the Penghu base. Trained together with Hai Han militia.However, the teaching of military skills is often limited to relatively basic parts. For some subjects involving specific tactical exercises, the Haihan militia will naturally not bring the Ming army to play together. Things still cannot be easily exposed.

At present, although the Penghu garrison, including recruits, still puts their training grounds on the Penghu Islands, Qian Tiandun is definitely not satisfied with this status quo, not to mention that there is an excellent training ground around him.

In mid-October, Sanya received an application from the Penghu Base, requesting that the unaffiliated areas on the west coast of Taiwan Island be included in the training grounds of the garrison.Qian Tiandun did not list many reasons in his application, but simply explained the reasons, that is, "adapt to the environment of Taiwan Island and prepare for future military operations."The attitude expressed by this reason is also very clear, that is, the Penghu garrison does not tend to expand northward as discussed by the Executive Committee in the next direction of action, but intends to first settle eastward on Taiwan Island.

"Whether it is going north or east, we are all developing. What needs to be judged is which direction is more beneficial, easier to implement, and will have a greater role in promoting our future development!"

When the executive committee members were arguing over this, Tao Donglai had no choice but to stand up and stop the crooked discussions that had already begun.The topic has shifted from "whether the application for the Penghu garrison should be approved" to whether Taiwan or Hainan is more suitable as the focus of Haihan's construction in the next few years.If we continue to allow the executive committee members to continue arguing, it will be difficult to reach a conclusion approved by the majority before the end of the day.

"Of course, we should control Taiwan first, even if it is only a part of the west coast. The nearby colonization can share part of the pressure of maritime transportation. The natural resources obtained locally and the primary materials produced can supplement the demand nearby. After we achieve self-sufficiency, we will also There is no need to transport so many supplies and food all the way to Fujian every month.” Yue Zhiyun, the representative of the Ministry of Shipping, took the lead in expressing his attitude, clearly standing on the side of the military.

"Xiao Yue, you have only seen the benefits, but not the real difficulties!" Ning Qi, as the representative of the opposition, immediately retorted: "Qian Tiandun is now saying that the local area is included in the training ground, but in the sitting Everyone in Taiwan must understand the reason why the military is doing this. In the final analysis, it still wants to attack Taiwan. Don’t forget, everyone, that the best ports in Taiwan, the south and the north, have been occupied by foreign devils. If you want to enter Taiwan, you have to drive them away. Don't forget that we just finished fighting Penghu in May, and we are still in the repair period, so is it possible that we will launch another war soon?"

"We can choose the middle ground on the west coast and avoid the Dutch and Spanish first." Wang Tom proposed another solution.

However, Ning Qi was not impressed by his plan, and shook his head to retort: ​​"The vacant section of the west coast of Taiwan Island is not all unclaimed land, and there are still many indigenous residents living in these areas. According to later generations, We call these aborigines living in the coastal plains of the west coast the Pingpu people... well, the aborigines living in the mountains are the Gaoshan people we are familiar with. The aborigines of Taiwan Island are not descendants of the Han people in terms of ethnicity, but Ma. There are mostly people here, so don't expect to have any relatives with them to get closer..."

Someone muttered in a low voice: "No wonder those guys on the island have been fighting against the mainland before crossing over!"

Ning Qi said sternly: "The situation of Taiwan before we crossed is more complicated than it is now. After all, it was occupied by the Japanese for a while, and many of the islands are descendants of little devils, and they don't have the same heart with the Chinese at all. But this is not the focus of our discussion now. If we want to settle down on the west coast of Taiwan Island, there will definitely be resistance, and maybe a war will break out because of it. Everyone, what we urgently need is population and labor, not something that will slow down the speed of development war!"

"The matter may not be as serious as you think." Yan Chujie responded slowly: "The aborigines on the west coast of Taiwan Island...that is, the Pingpu people you mentioned just now, are all primitive tribes at the stage of clan civilization. We don’t have any weapons. Compared with the armed forces in places like Annan and Champa, what can we use to fight against us? It happens that Qian Tiandun trains elite soldiers at the Penghu base. Find a place for his men to practice their skills. Wouldn’t it be a good thing to clear out the place and establish a colony by the way? I think it’s an armed conflict at best, and it’s far from a war.”

Gu Kai interjected: "What is the difference between doing this and the American massacre of Indians in America? Why do we want to create hatred and conflicts? Have you ever seen a Taiwanese movie, the content is that the local aborigines fight back against the oppression of the Japanese... "

"Gu Kai, if you want to be such a holy mother again, why don't you just go to Taiwan Island to preach to the local aborigines, and let them voluntarily give up the place, okay? At least we can lead them to live a better life, can't we? "Yan Chujie interrupted Gu Kai with a mocking look on his face.

People in the military have always been unaccustomed to Gu Kai's Madonna habits.Every time the military proposes a plan, Gu Kai will jump out and oppose it, and the debate between the two sides often runs through the entire discussion process.However, because Gu Kai's military attainments are not enough, there are not enough reasons to refute the military's opinions. As for the slogans he advocated, such as friendliness and humanity, they are often not enough to impress the executive committee members—everyone abandons the original Living in this strange time and space, I am not here to be a saint to save the public, but to play the role of a conqueror in this world.Simply relying on peaceful and gentle means, there is no way to gain a foothold in this world, let alone become a conqueror.

Gu Kai was not angry at being robbed by Yan Chujie, but just drew a cross on his chest and said, "May the Lord forgive you for such a rude behavior."

Yan Chujie snorted, seeing that Gu Kai did not continue to refute, he stopped choking him with words.Although Gu Kai said it beautifully, if he was really asked to go to Taiwan Island alone to deal with the natives, he probably wouldn't be so crazy.Given the almost primitive environment of Taiwan Island, the natives of the island would have killed him as an intruder before he could find a way to communicate.Of course, the military will not really force him to step down. After all, Gu Kai still has the positions of the Minister of Justice and the Supreme Justice, so how can he easily leave his job and go to other places to do nothing.

Of course, Ning Qi would not be so stupid as to use similar reasons to oppose the military's opinion. The way he chose was to return to the immigration issue: "Most of the indigenous tribes on Taiwan Island are unruly and unruly, and they are not suitable for recruiting as new immigrants. However, our main direction of introducing immigrants is still in the northern area of ​​Daming, so continuing to deploy in the coastal areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang and building the next foothold is the best support for the immigration plan.”

Yan Chujie shook his head and said: "Our layout in Zhejiang is far inferior to that in Fujian. If we want to settle near Hangzhou Bay, we should not act too hastily, otherwise it will easily arouse the resentment of the local government. Although we don't have to be afraid of Daming in terms of military affairs, after all, there are demands now. Yuren, if you want to settle in the local area, you must obtain more local resources. You can’t transport all the materials from Hainan Island, right? Taking advantage of the gap in the north where there is no way to start, do something on the island of Taiwan. Build a few colonies and stand firm first. This is what we should do now. As for the possibility of war, I think you are really thinking too much. The people under Qian Tiandun are not vegetarians. Let's not forget that his troops are best at fighting in rainforest and mountain environments."

"Then if the Penghu garrison encounters resistance locally, and the Dutch or Spaniards come forward to oppose us at this time, what should we do?" Ning Qi felt that he couldn't argue with Yan Chujie in this direction, so he immediately changed another one. Way.

Yan Chujie smiled and said: "Isn't that just right? We just can't find an excuse to fight with these two parties for the time being! If they take the initiative, the matter will be easier. Especially the Dutch in Dayuangang, although they are far away from Penghu The base is very close and can threaten us at any time, but on the other hand, our garrison is also very close to Dayuan Port. As long as the Dutch dare to make a sound, the Penghu garrison can put the barrel to their throats in minutes .”

With such a tough attitude from the military, it would be difficult for Ning Qi to find a more sufficient reason to object.As for the final voting results, the military once again had the upper hand and was approved by the executive committee with a 7:2 gap.Of course, what has been approved now is only the application made by Qian Tiandun. As for the authority to establish a colony on Taiwan Island, or even fight with the Dutch, it is not yet within the scope of action approved by the Executive Committee.

"It seems that the quarrel is not serious this time!" Qian Tiandun took the telegram from Sanya and showed it to Chen Yixin with a smile: "Look, the telegram was approved within 48 hours after it was sent. The opposition this time Not strong!"

Chen Yixin also responded with a smile: "I won it so smoothly, I guess Mr. Yan has done his job well."

"The field survival training at the end of the month will be put on the other side. At that time, we will go to two companies, one company for recruits and one company for veterans, to adapt to the conditions of Taiwan Island." Even if Qian Tiandun made a decision, the original training The plan was adjusted.

Chen Yixin said: "Then who will lead the team?"

"I'll go in person." Qian Tiandun replied without hesitation: "I haven't been to Taiwan Island before crossing, so it just happens to be a tourist."

"Does Ms. Luo agree?" Chen Yixin asked narrowly: "I heard that Ms. Luo doesn't like to ask you to perform missions in dangerous places!"

Qian Tiandun coughed dryly and said, "This matter is a military secret. God knows it, you know it, and I know it. If she finds out, you are ready to take the blame!"

The smile on Chen Yixin's face froze and he said: "This is not very good... Besides, it will not take a day or two to lead the team out, and they will be discovered anyway."

Qian Tiandun pondered for a while and said: "At that time, I will say that I went to Zhangzhou to have a meeting with Xu Xinsu, and let her stay in Penghu safely. The training will only last for a week at most, and nothing will happen. You are watching in Penghu. Call the radio station if you need anything."

Seeing Qian Tiandun's resolute attitude, Chen Yixin stopped joking, nodded and said, "Then where is the best place to choose?"

Qian Tiandun turned around, looked at the map of Taiwan hanging on the wall and was silent for a while, then raised his finger to somewhere on the west coast and said, "This is it!"

Chen Yixin took a closer look at the markings on the map. The place Qian Tiandun was pointing to was the Zhuoshui Creek, a geographical indicator that divides the north and south of Taiwan Island into two.

Zhuoshui River originates from the southern foot of Hehuan Mountain in the central mountain range of Taiwan Island. The river is more than 180 kilometers long and is the longest river on Taiwan Island.In terms of geographical conditions alone, the alluvial plain where it enters the sea downstream is indeed quite good agricultural land, and it is indeed an excellent choice for building colonies.

(End of this chapter)