1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 848 Open the door and surrender

When Zhang Qian came out, although he also thought that he might run into trouble with Haihan, he really didn't expect that Haihan's attitude was so tough. "The two words were sprayed on Zhang Qian's face.

How could the Ming Empire surrender to a group of overseas barbarians?Zhang Qian will never let go of something that can be understood with his toes.If he said the word "surrender" here in Haihan, he would be treated as a traitor immediately when he returned.But if he really wants to fight a powerful enemy to the end and dedicate himself to the country, let alone Zhang Qian, a frail scholar, even the group of Qiu Ba in Shipu City can't do it.

Therefore, surrender is absolutely unacceptable, but it is best to avoid wars as much as possible. As Shi Diwen said, even if they die here for the country, they may not be recognized by the country-this is undoubtedly given An excellent reason for the Ming army, which lacked fighting courage.

Zhang Qian was still about to say a few words, but the Haihan officer surnamed Shi was no longer interested in listening to his babbling, so he sent someone to see him off.When Zhang Qian came, he was full of anxiety, and when he left, he looked defeated. None of the plans before departure were realized, and he just came to learn a lesson.If I have to say that there is something to gain, it is probably to witness the true face of the Haihan Army, and completely wipe out the unrealistic fantasy of "the Haihan Army is strong outside but capable in the middle".

Ma Ling didn't expect Zhang Qian to come back so soon. After hearing the report, he immediately rushed to the city gate to meet Zhang Qian and inquire about the result of the negotiation.Zhang Qian answered a few words casually, but his eyes were wandering left and right. Seeing this, Ma Ling understood, and immediately retreated from his subordinates.

"Brother Zhang, have the Hai Han people outside the city agreed to retreat?" Ma Ling asked hopefully.

Zhang Qian shook his head slightly and said: "This matter is very troublesome. Not only do the Haihan people refuse to retreat, but they also want the defenders in the city to disarm and go out of the city to accept their supervision. Although I tried my best to persuade them, the enemy chieftain was extremely rude and gave him an hour If the defenders still close the city after an hour, they will attack the city!"

"These thieves are so rampant!" Ma Ling was so angry that he punched heavily on the city wall beside him, splashing dirt everywhere.Although he has no will to fight, his personal strength is not bad. This punch actually smashed a shallow hole in the adobe city wall, and his strength is really amazing.However, the real problem is still unavoidable. The Haihan soldiers are approaching the city. Whether to fight or surrender, a decision must be made immediately.At this point, Ma Ling didn't dare to think that what the other party said was just a bluff. Once the cannons outside the city were fired, it would be difficult to stop the war.

"Let's convene everyone to discuss it again!" Ma Ling didn't dare to make such an important decision any longer, and planned to gather a few hundred households under him to hold another meeting.

After listening to Zhang Qian's talk about the situation outside the city, several hundred households shut up while looking at me and you.In desperation, Ma Ling could only call names one by one: "Lin Baihu, what do you think of the situation?"

After the fair-skinned Lin Baihu was pointed out, he responded in a soft voice: "This matter is of great importance, I dare not speak rashly in a humble position, I should listen to the adults' decision."

Ma Ling snorted, and said to another person: "Zheng Baihu, what do you think?"

This man surnamed Zheng has a big beard and looks rough, but his words are impeccable: "This Haihan thief came to the door, he really deserves to be killed. Brothers are holding the salary of the court, and they should serve the country! It's just a thief. Big, invincible, how to retreat from the enemy needs to be calculated carefully."

Ma Ling thought in his heart that you are all nonsense, it is the same as if you didn't say it, and then pointed to another person: "Wang Baihu, do you think it is a war or not?"

Ma Ling was afraid that he would learn from the previous people and mud, so he simply made the problem more clear.Wang Baihu said bitterly: "Master Ma said to fight, and the brothers will fight to the death to serve the court. If Lord Ma thinks that you can't fight head-on with the thieves, then brothers will bear this tone and save your strength for the time being. It's time for revenge."

This Wang Baihu seems obedient, following the wishes of his boss Ma Ling, but Ma Ling knows that he is just like the previous two, only wanting to avoid responsibility.If Ma Ling talks about fighting, then after the defeat, the responsibility will be entirely Ma Ling's.After the war, if the Haihan people wanted to be liquidated, it would be due to their grievances and debtors, and they could all be passed on to Ma Ling. After all, he was the commander of the Shipu Institute, and the responsibility naturally rested on him.In the future, if the imperial court wants to investigate, it will do the same.These hundreds of households have already figured out the key point. At this time, they all shirk their responsibilities in unison and refuse to make a clear statement at all. They just want to throw the blame on Ma Ling.

Ma Ling was also very angry at this time, with such a group of wimps who feared the enemy like tigers under his command, it would be troublesome whether it was fighting or surrendering.At the moment, I can only disperse the crowd with a sullen face, and let them return to their respective posts to be on duty first.Zhang Qian bid farewell, but was stopped by Ma Ling, leaving him alone.

"Brother Zhang, think about it again, the enemy chief...that Haihan officer surnamed Shi, does he want to fight or make peace?" Ma Ling asked Zhang Qian again.

Zhang Qian blinked and asked back, "Is there any difference?"

"Of course there is a difference!" Ma Ling said anxiously: "If they intend to kill them all, they naturally don't intend to leave us a way out. Surrender or surrender is a dead end! If they intend to seek peace, there may be a glimmer of life."

Zhang Qian thought for a while before responding: "In my opinion, although the Haihan people have the heart to negotiate peace, they are ready to go to war. If you want to end the war early, you still have to follow their wishes."

Ma Ling said: "If they follow their wishes and disarm the city, our army will be powerless to resist at that time. If they are harmed by the Haihan people, it will be over!"

Zhang Qian became anxious when he heard what he said: "What did the few hundred households say just now, do you mean to resist at all? Once the Han people in Haihai start fighting, these people might open the door and surrender, and tie you and me together." It is possible to send it out to ask for credit!"

Ma Ling's face darkened: "These guys are usually called brothers and sisters, laughing and joking, but at critical times, no one can be trusted. It's really annoying! If I order the opening of the city, and the higher authorities will investigate and hold them accountable in the future, most of these people will betray me! "

Zhang Qian said: "If you really decide to open the city to discuss peace, then reach an agreement with the Haihan people and let them solve these troubles."

Ma Ling frowned slightly and said, "What if the Haihan people turn back on their promises?"

Zhang Qian shook his head and said, "What are the rumors that you and I have heard about Haihan? Are they armed and powerful? Behavior is vulgar? They spend money like dirt? They make money well? None of them, it is Haihan people who keep their promises and keep their promises! As long as they promise Buying and selling will be completed regardless of loss or gain, this is the main reason why Fuguang merchants are willing to cooperate with them. What the Haihan people say is probably more reliable than the hundreds of households under you."

Ma Ling has also heard about the rumors about the Haihan people.It is said that most of the wealthy people in Fuguang are willing to deposit gold and silver in the "bank" opened by the Haihan people, and withdraw them with special gold and silver checks when they are used.Acquaintance transactions do not even need cash, just take a check to the bank to transfer the account.This kind of trust is based on the excellent business reputation of the Haihan people. Only by making promises can people rest assured that they will hand over the money to them for storage.After listening to Zhang Qian's persuasion, Ma Ling originally had some active thoughts, but now he was even more shaken.

Ma Qianhu in the city is still hesitating, but the Haihan army outside the city is already eager to try.After controlling the eastern port area of ​​Shipu Port, nearly a thousand soldiers have landed, and several army formations have been formed in companies about 300 meters south of Shipu City.Before it is the artillery position that has been erected. Four siege cannons and eight 12-pound army guns have all entered the gun positions, ready to fire at any time to attack the city.

Gao Qiaonan raised his hand to check the time. The mechanical automatic watch in his hand was a reward personally given to him by Qian Tiandun after the Battle of Taipei.Although the original value of this watch is not high, it is considered a priceless treasure in this time and space. Gao Qiaonan is also grateful for this. After all, among the naturalized military officers and cadres, there are only a handful of people who can get this precious reward. countable.

With this watch, Gao Qiaonan's orders are more time-sensitive when commanding operations. For example, at this time, he can confirm that the time Shi Diwen left for the defenders in Shipu City is running out. , At this time, there still seems to be no sign of any intention to surrender in the city.Gao Qiaonan decided to ask his boss for instructions one last time, whether to launch an attack on Shipu Suocheng on time.

"Tell Battalion Commander Gaoqiao to launch the attack on time." Shi Diwen is not a merciful person. Since the Ming army at Shipu Station doesn't know what is good or bad, the attack should be carried out according to the plan made in advance.However, before officially launching the attack, he felt that it was still possible to give a small warning to the Ming army in the city.

"Let the artillery position shoot a few rounds first, so as not to lose their aim when starting the battle!" Shi Diwen ordered lightly.He knew that Shipusuo City had no long-range firepower that could threaten his own artillery positions, so he could completely use this attack plan as artillery stone bomb training.

So when people in the city of Shipu were panicking, the sound of rumbling artillery suddenly came from the Haihan position outside the city.Ma Ling jumped up from the chair all of a sudden: "Why did the Haihan people go to war early! The agreed hour hasn't arrived yet!"

The defenders on the top of the city were even more chaotic, and they couldn't care less about defense when they heard the gunfire, and they all ran to the base of the city wall like headless chickens.The irony is that the deserters who took the lead were all military officers, and the few hundred households who said they wanted to follow Ma Ling just now were among them.If Ma Ling hadn't come out in time to maintain the situation, this group of people might have gone straight to open the northern city gate and fled into the mountains.

In fact, the gunfire only rang a few times and then stopped, but the nerves of these people in the city were too tense, they didn't notice this at all, and they were still in a mess.After all, Ma Ling is also a thousand households, and soon discovered that the enemy's situation was wrong, and shouted angrily: "You guys are panicking! The Haihan people are only shooting artillery at the school, and the war has not yet started! If there are any rioters, they will be dealt with by military law!"

Seeing the chaos in the city calm down, Ma Ling went up to the top of the city cursing to check the situation.Haihan only fired six rounds just now, including four rounds of 12-pound guns and two rounds of heavy siege guns.Due to the short distance, all six shells hit the southern city wall. One of the siege cannons was fired at the city gate consciously. Although it did not penetrate the two four-inch thick door panels, it did. The three bolts and the two door bars on the back of the city gate were all broken by the shock.The hinge hinges at the junction of half of the city gates and the city wall have also been loosened.Another 12-pound shell hit the wall stack, and adobe debris was splashed everywhere. The wall stack was cut off by nearly a foot in height, and there was no way to hide behind it.

Although no casualties were caused by this round of bombardment, Ma Ling was really disappointed by the panicked performance of his men.When he thought about it, he planned to organize this group of people to stand firm for several days until the Haihan Army retreated on its own. Compared with the reality, it was simply a great irony.Many of the soldiers under him have never been on the battlefield since they joined the army, and they are usually neglected in training. They only perform exercises once a month. How can they be expected to perform well when the enemy strikes.

Of course, this is not all Ma Ling's fault. If he wants to rely on his officers to control the soldiers, he has to feed them; At the same time, I have to support my family and save some property for myself.To achieve these goals, it is definitely not enough to rely on Ma Ling's own military pay alone. He can only accumulate money by eating empty pay, reducing military expenditures, and doing smuggling.The guards usually acted as a facade, and it was enough to frighten the pirates, and there was no need to start a war anyway, but at this time, facing the well-trained professional army, their weaknesses were exposed all at once.

Of course, Ma Ling can still order to continue to stand firm, waiting for the Haihan people outside the city to attack.But he can also imagine the consequences of doing so. With the fighting will of these people in the city, as long as the city gate is broken, no one will continue to resist.

"It's useless to fight, let's surrender..." Ma Ling shook his head helplessly, and made the final decision: "Pass my order and open the city gate..."

Seeing the gates of Shipusuo City slowly opened, Gao Qiaonan outside the city also shook his head helplessly: "With such an army, it's no wonder they collude with pirates. It's really impossible to hand over the Great Ming sea to such people." saved."

Ma Ling led Zhang Qian, followed by a few hundred households, and walked out of the city dejectedly, and stood in a line by the road, waiting for the Haihan army to come forward and accept the surrender.Although this is an extremely humiliating thing for soldiers, all of these people are equally fortunate in their hearts, at least they have saved their lives for now.As for how the Haihan people will deal with them in the future, the initiative has already been handed over to deal with this Shipu city.

Shi Diwen also witnessed all this from a distance, and smiled disdainfully: "Sure enough, it only takes a few shells to frighten them. This courage is worse than that of the guards in Fujian and Guangdong!"

(End of this chapter)