Chapter 1512 Show off force

However, Mei Shengchuan immediately realized another problem. Since the people of Dongjiang Town fought side by side with the Haihan Army in Liaodong, they must have seen or even come into contact with these powerful weapons of Haihan. How could they send the information to the capital?

The details of these weapons are not clear, and they are all mentioned in one sentence. Is Shen Shikui, the commander-in-chief of Dongjiang Town, deliberately concealing the military information related to Haihan? If so, what is the reason and purpose of Dongjiang Town's doing this? Are they still loyal to the Ming Dynasty, or are they clinging to the Ming Dynasty?

Haihan hugged his thighs so much that his position changed. Mei Shengchuan couldn't help but feel a little headache when he thought about this series of questions.

After watching the army drill in the morning and having a brief lunch, the afternoon schedule was for the navy drill. Of course, Umeikawa knew that this arrangement was not entirely friendly. The Haihan people clearly wanted to intimidate themselves by showing off their force.

.But even if he knew the other party's plan, he could not refuse such an arrangement. In public, he had to understand Haihan's military strength in this way and collect relevant intelligence for the Ming Dynasty. In private, he did have a strong curiosity.

I want to know how many secret weapons Haihan has that are not known to outsiders.

The changing of the guard fleet that just arrived in Lushun is composed of six exploration-class warships, four expedition-class warships, four comprehensive supply ships, two troop transport ships and two high-speed reconnaissance ships. Although there is no "majesty" in the formation.

"class flagship, but such a lineup was enough to make Mei Shengchuan sigh. After the Denglai Rebellion, the Bohai Bay area in the northern part of the Ming Dynasty no longer had a complete naval force, and Haihan's armed fleet was obviously

The condition is much better.

In fact, there are not many Ming Dynasty officers who have visited Haihan naval drills. There are very few senior officers above the rank of General Qian in the coastal prefectures of Fuzhou and Guangzhou who have not seen the power of Haihan navy. Every time Haihan visits Fuzhou,

When military exercises are conducted along the coast of Guangdong, or even in the South China Sea, officers from various states are invited to visit. However, after these military intelligence reaches the state level, it is terminated here in a tacit understanding, and is not fed back to the Ministry of War through official formal channels.

.Although spy organizations such as Jinyiwei and Dongchang have more or less collected some military intelligence, the level of detail and credibility is far from enough to attract sufficient attention from the court and the Ministry of War, and many of them were intentionally released by Haihan.

Misleading information comes out.

Therefore, under Haihan's intentional control, the military intelligence mastered by Ming Dynasty showed a very strange situation. On the one hand, it was very clear about Haihan's record. Who was defeated in what year, month, and where? Every one of them has

Detailed battle reports; on the other hand, the weapons used by Haihan, the warships equipped, the status of ammunition used, and the specific tactics used by Haihan's army in the battle are completely unclear, and there is not much certainty.

The specific data of the letter.

As a result, the Ming court's impression of Haihan's military strength remained at the level of being victorious and undefeated for a long time, but it did not know much about specific military intelligence. In this way, the Ming court wanted to have an impression of Haihan.

When using troops and trying to formulate a battle plan, you will find that the valuable information you can refer to is really limited, and it is simply not enough to formulate a complete and thorough battle plan. In addition, local officials have various interests to consider, and they are not interested in the imperial court.

There was no good cooperation with Haihan's intention to raise troops, so the situation in the south was delayed again and again. Finally, when the court realized that Haihan's control area in the south could no longer be disintegrated simply through local battles,

The choice of starting a war can no longer be used as an active option for Ming Dynasty.

From an intelligence point of view, this is actually a special way of combat, but when Ming Dynasty realized this, Haihan had completely taken the initiative on the battlefield. As the current senior official of the Ministry of War, Mei Shengchuan naturally understood Ming Dynasty's

What's the trouble? It's not that he hasn't thought about breaking this vicious cycle, it's just that there is no one in the south who can be fully trusted to complete such a task. In the past, some military attachés tried to trick the Haihan military to obtain military intelligence, but these brave attempts

Most of the lives of these people end up with accidental death or mysterious disappearance. As time goes by, more and more people rationally choose to take risks with their money instead of their lives.

However, Mei Shengchuan wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to visit Liaodong, and try to see if he could not only get money, but also collect military information that he was interested in. He considered himself as the minister of the Ministry of War, and he could be regarded as representing the pre-Ming Dynasty.

As an envoy who came to discuss the important matter of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, even if the Haihan people realized that their intentions were not so simple, they would not do anything to embarrass themselves.

Now that the Haihan people had arranged this review event on their own, it was as comfortable as sleeping on a pillow for Mei Shengchuan. At that moment, he happily took a carriage to Lushun Port and boarded the sailboat arranged by the Haihan military.

The maritime combat drills of the Haihan Navy basically have fixed routines, especially the drills that are specially shown to outsiders. They are as lively as they come. The high-speed march of the combat queue and the firing of artillery are enough to amaze those who have not experienced naval battles.

People's blood vessels are running high.

And it just so happened that Umeikawa was an official who had never participated in a naval battle. Although the live ammunition firing of the Haihan warship was only aimed at the coast, it was not difficult for Umeikawa to imagine that a Ming warship was ravaged by such artillery fire.

What kind of tragedy will it be next? Dongjiang Town said in the secret report that "the Haihan warship can defeat a hundred at sea, and defeat the enemy like chopping melons and vegetables." Now it seems that this description is not entirely a boast. Ordinary

When a wooden warship is under such artillery bombardment, isn't it just like a dish on a chopping board?

"Our navy has equipped hundreds of warships like this." Sha Xi gave Mei Shengchuan another blow at the right time. In fact, the Haihan Navy has not yet reached such a large scale. What Sha Xi said is actually true.

It seems like bragging. Of course, if troop transports, supply ships, and reconnaissance ships are all included in warships, it would make sense.

Mei Shengchuan calculated in his mind that such a fleet would have to mobilize several times the number of warships to have a chance to fight a 50-50 battle. However, he heard that this was not the most powerful warship of the Haihan Navy, but he did not know what the so-called warships were.

What exactly is the existence of the Haihan Warship of the Sea Butcher?

As if he had seen through Mei Shengchuan's doubts, Sha Xi continued to introduce him: "As for the flagship of our Northern Fleet, the Majestic, it has been out on combat missions recently. I believe that Lord Mei will have a chance to see it in the next few days."

After watching the drill of Haihan Navy, Umeikawa did have a more intuitive understanding of its strength, but at the same time he also reduced the idea of ​​starting a war with Haihan. Although he had never experienced a naval battle before, he still knew how to fight a naval battle.

, what common combat methods are described in various military books. He has also spent time studying them. It can be said that he is relatively familiar with the common tactics of naval battles. But the tactics displayed by the Haihan fleet were obviously beyond his knowledge.

He could not imagine such a tactic of directly using artillery fire to defeat the enemy at a relatively long combat distance in the past, because the Ming Dynasty's warships did not have such a weapon configuration at all, and naturally there was no similar tactic.

As for how to break such a tactic, the only thing Umeikawa can think of now is to stay away from the Haihan fleet on the battlefield. Only staying outside the range of its naval guns is the safest way to deal with it. Extending the battle line may also help

There was a chance to cut off the Haihan people's combat supply line. But he immediately woke up. How could he repay this so-called tactic to the court? Besides, the Haihan people's battle line was drawn from the South China Sea to Liaodong. The voyage of several thousand miles was already long enough.

Obviously, distance alone cannot stop the actions of the Haihan fleet.

There are many officers of the Ming Dynasty who have visited the exercises of the Haihan Fleet, and there are naturally not a few people who can think of this kind of response method, but who dares to report this weak idea as a tactic. The most sensible way is naturally to attack the Haihan Fleet

He was vague about his specific tactics and strength, trying to confuse the higher-ups. At this time, Umeikawa seemed to understand why the Ministry of War had never been able to obtain reliable military information about Haihan. If he reported it truthfully, he would definitely be criticized for boosting the enemy's morale and destroying it.

As for his own prestige, he couldn't even report the method of defeating the enemy. He would definitely be accused of fear of war.

Thinking of the consequences, Mei Shengchuan could only secretly complain about this. The strength of the two armies was too different, and ordinary tactics would not work at all. Sha Xi had been in contact with many Ming officials in his early years, and he was simply overwhelmed by the change in his mentality during his visit to the military exercise.

It can be said that he knew it well and continued to exert invisible pressure on Mei Shengchuan: "Sir Mei, in fact, our country has always had an open mind towards the Ming Dynasty. Even in the military field, we have never intended to hide it. Our country is very

We are happy to provide Ming Dynasty with a complete set of military assistance plans, including weapons and equipment, personnel training, joint operations, etc."

"But these so-called aids are certainly not free, right? Lord Sha, you might as well tell us what your conditions are. I heard that you have funded many local armies in the south." Mei Shengchuan heard Sha Xi take the initiative to mention it.

After asking for military assistance, I calmed down and planned to take a closer look at how Haihan used the so-called "military assistance" method to control the garrison of coastal state capitals in the south.

"Of course it won't be free. Although we Haihan people are willing to do charity, we don't just do charity." Seeing that the other party was interested in listening, Sha Xi also seized this opportunity and began to use his eloquence: "But the military assistance we provide does not

It is not necessary to obtain returns through cash transactions. In fact, many local garrisons in the South receive military assistance from us without paying any money. As long as the local garrisons are willing to provide us with certain conveniences or even cooperate with us

, the conditions can actually be negotiated slowly. Does Mr. Mei know Mr. Xu Xinsu, the commander-in-chief of Fujian?"

Mei Shengchuan nodded slightly and replied: "Master Xu has a lot of properties in Fujian, and he is said to be as rich as anyone in the country. He has also refused many appointments from the imperial court to recruit him to Beijing. Naturally, I know this."

Sha Xi used this as an example: "Master Xu was one of the earliest military attachés in the south to cooperate with our country. The original intention of cooperating with our country was to destroy the Shibazhi pirate gang that endangers the maritime security of Fuzhou and Guangzhou. Provided by us

With weapons and personnel training, it took less than three years to completely eliminate the 30,000 pirates who had been roaming the Fuguang waters for many years. After that, the southern coast was peaceful in the past few years, and the maritime trade business was very profitable. I am not afraid to tell the truth.

Mr. Mei, Mr. Xu is like a local emperor in Fujian. If you want soldiers and money, why should you go to Beijing to be an official and suffer the consequences?"

Mei Shengchuan said in his heart that Xu Xinsu is so arrogant and does not take the appointment of the imperial court seriously, not because you are supporting him behind the scenes. However, the Fujian Navy is now known as the first navy of the Ming Dynasty, and presumably it has something to do with Haihan's military assistance.

.

Sha Xi continued: "To be honest with Mr. Mei, in addition to the troops from Dongjiang Town, there are also Ming Army officers from the Fuguang area in the south in Liaodong. What they have learned here is probably very useful after being a soldier in the south all their lives."

Hard to access. The military assistance provided by our country is not just the sale of weapons, but related military skills training is also a very important part."

Mei Shengchuan secretly thought that the subjects of this military training were all Ming army officers. No wonder the army in the southern coastal state capital was so silent. These officers were half Haihan, so how could they go against Haihan? The name of Haihan was

Military aid is actually an opportunity to poach people, causing the Ming Dynasty's local garrison to gradually deteriorate. Even those who can withstand this kind of training and brainwashing may not be able to withstand the money offensive. Thinking about it, Mei Shengchuan can't help but feel short-handed.

Not to mention these local officials.

After watching the drill of the Haihan Navy, Umeikawa not only did not feel that his curiosity was satisfied, but he felt even more uneasy. The strength of the Haihan Fleet was right in front of him, and it was only more powerful than what was described in the rumors. Umeikawa had no doubt that the strength of the Haihan Fleet was in front of him.

If the Han fleet marched westward to the Bohai Bay, the Ming Navy ships stationed in the Bohai Sea would not be able to stop this tiger and wolf force.

Although Sha Xi raised the issue of military assistance, Mei Shengchuan did not express his attitude towards it at the moment. He realized that there were too many plots of the Haihan people behind this measure. Once agreed, the direction of the Ming army in the future may change.

A qualitative change. If Ming's troops were no longer loyal to the emperor and the court, Mei Shengchuan could not imagine what that would be like. Even if he accepted the benefits from Haihan, he would never completely betray Ming's interests.

, just hope to find a balance between personal gain and peace between the two countries.

Although Sha Xi did not mention whether this issue would affect the final negotiation results between the two parties, Mei Shengchuan could foresee that there was still room for maneuver in the process, because he knew that in addition to Sha Xi, there were also higher-level people in Liaodong.

Official Haihan will meet with him at a later date. Perhaps then every word spoken by both parties will truly become a trace left in history.
Chapter completed!