Chapter 2224

The naturalized officers who have been promoted the fastest in the Haihan Army over the years are generally divided into two situations. One is ordinary people without any family background, who can only rely on constant fighting on the front line like Takahashi Minami.

They fight hard to accumulate military exploits in exchange for promotion in military rank. This type of officer usually joins the Haihan Army at an early stage. They have a solid foundation in the army and are deeply trusted by senior generals.

The second category is those with good family background and outstanding personal conditions. They have a better understanding of the military system and combat methods advocated by Haihan, and can implement the intentions of the military leaders. This type of officer has a certain cultural foundation.

, so during the training stage, they will be arranged to learn more advanced tactical theoretical knowledge. After being assigned to the military, most of them will work in positions such as combat staff.

The latter type has only gradually increased in recent years after Haihan gained momentum, but because of its stronger comprehensive ability, and the reasons why some of them joined the army have other meanings, it can be understood that the relationship between Haihan and these people is

It is a political exchange of power, so their promotion speed is no less than that of their predecessors.

Although Chen Xiaoyu didn't know about the gray operations, he also knew that people like Dai Chengrong would probably have better development prospects in the military than himself. Since Dai Chengrong respected him so much, he was willing to give more to him.

For reference, his boss Duan Tiancheng had already given him instructions, asking him to pay more attention to the mental state of these students in peacetime. Those who are willing to join the Haihan Army should pay special attention to them.

After hearing this, Dai Chengrong remained silent for a long time. After coming to Zhoushan and actually getting in touch with the Haihan Army, his eyes were really opened. He gradually realized that why the Ming Dynasty tolerated Haihan's many offenses in the past few years was not because of the Ming Dynasty's magnanimity.

I don't care about this small country, but I am afraid of the combat power of the Haihan army and don't want to cause such a big trouble.

Within a few days of entering the camp, this group of students had already been given several courses dedicated to military history. Although there might be elements of Haihan's self-bragging, they also learned about the glorious achievements of this army from the side.

.

Many achievements of the Haihan Army in the South China Sea cannot be verified, but the achievements in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Liaodong and other places in the north were widely spread in the Ming Dynasty. However, because the official attitude has always been silent on this, most of them come from hearsay and folk rumors.

.And these wars described from Haihan's perspective simply opened the door to a new world for them, allowing them to understand that so many wars had occurred near the Ming coastline in the past few years.

The protagonists of these wars were almost all the Haihan Army, and the Ming Dynasty's role in them was extremely limited. The official army's occasional appearance was almost always on the opposite side of the Haihan Army, and there were no impressive victories. It was really not very glorious.

Dai Chengrong was inclined to believe the statement given by the Haihan Army. After all, if the Ming Dynasty had the upper hand in these armed conflicts, how could it not publicize its achievements?

The Haihan Army has few opponents from the south to the north. Dai Chengrong has been planned by his family since he was a child to learn martial arts and join the army in the future. After learning about the deeds of the Haihan Army, it is natural that he will admire him and even want to imagine what he will be like.

The scene of one of them fighting all over the world.

But wanting to do it is two different things. Although Dai Chengrong yearns for the combat effectiveness of the Haihan Army, joining the Haihan Army is another matter. Even if he has his own ideas, he cannot violate the will of his family and give up his responsibilities.

mission.

People like Chen Xiaoyu had no worries in the Ming Dynasty. Joining the Haihan Army gave him a new life. However, Dai Chengrong's background was completely different. To join the Haihan Army, he would have to give up his identity as a citizen of the Ming Dynasty. This was a must for him.

Another objective factor to consider.

As for the possibility of being promoted in the Haihan Army, even if what Chen Xiaoyu said was true, Dai Chengrong did not think that this would be enough for him to give up his original identity.

Seeing Dai Chengrong's silence, Chen Xiaoyu knew that the other party should still have some scruples about it, or that joining the Haihan Army was not attractive enough to him, so he took the initiative to raise his glass and said: "Since today is

I’ll take you out to relax, don’t think about such troublesome things, come here, I’ll lend you flowers, offer them to Buddha, and give you a toast!”

Upon seeing this, Dai Chengrong quickly raised his glass to greet him and drank it all in one gulp. He has been walking around with the elders of his clan since he was a child, and has participated in many social activities. In addition, he has practiced martial arts for many years, so he has a pretty good drinking capacity.

It wouldn't be a big problem even if he drank the pot of jade wine by himself.

But Chen Xiaoyu doesn't have as good a drinker as him. Before joining Haihan, Chen Xiaoyu didn't drink much good wine because his family was poor. After joining the army, although his financial situation got better, he had fewer opportunities to drink.

After having a few drinks with Dai Chengrong, I couldn’t help but look a little red in the face because of the alcohol.

"Instructor, wait a moment, I'll ask the waiter to get some refreshing hangover snacks." Dai Chengrong was quite eye-catching, and when he saw this, he took the initiative to get up and went out to find Chen Xiaoyu's hangover hangover snacks.

The waiter who had led them upstairs received the order from Shopkeeper Wang and waited at the door. After hearing Dai Chengrong's request, he responded: "Master Jun, how about some iced fresh juice?"

Dai Chengrong raised his eyebrows and said: "Your branch office is really good. We have all the main offices here...then send it over quickly!"

The waiter responded and hurried downstairs. This local method of making ice is not uncommon. Ice can be made by dissolving saltpeter in water. In places with high demand like restaurants, the principle of evaporation and crystallization can also be used.

Saltpeter is extracted from ice water and used repeatedly. Of course, even so, the production cost is not affordable by ordinary shops, and only the customer groups of high-end restaurants have enough spending power to enjoy this service.

Dai Chengrong was about to return to the room when he saw an acquaintance.

"Chengrong, why are you here?"

This acquaintance was Ma Zhengping. He also saw Dai Chengrong and couldn't help but be very surprised - how did Dai Chengrong get out of the heavily guarded military camp at this time?

Dai Chengrong responded: "Uncle Ma, I am accompanying the instructor on some errands in the camp. I will have dinner on the way. I will return to the camp after eating."

Ma Zhengping asked curiously: "The instructor brought you out? Then you two have a good relationship! Can I meet you?"

"Why not? Uncle Ma, please come with me!" Dai Chengrong did not dare to neglect and quickly led Ma Zhengping into the private room.

Ma Zhengping lives in Zhoushan temporarily on behalf of the seven surnames. First, he discusses trade cooperation with Haihan, and secondly, he supervises the military training provided by the Haihan Army to the children of the seven surnames. Dai Chengrong was hand-picked by Dai Yingda to serve in this group before departure.

The leader of the group, Ma Zhengping, was naturally very concerned about his movements.

Ma Zhengping entered the room and saw that the instructor sitting inside looked familiar. He must have met him on the training ground. Dai Chengrong immediately introduced him. The two exchanged a few polite words. Ma Zhengping toasted a glass of wine and took the initiative.

Get up and say goodbye.

Dai Chengrong sent him outside, and Ma Zhengping said: "I still have guests over there, so I won't greet you anymore. After dinner, go back to camp early, and remember not to cause trouble outside."

Dai Chengrong responded respectfully and did not dare to ask more about who Ma Zhengping was hosting. Of course, if he wanted to ask, he might not be able to finish the meal with peace of mind.

When Ma Zhengping returned to his private room, Xuan Xiangming greeted him: "Old Ma, why have you been gone for so long? Could it be that you were too drunk and secretly vomited?"

Ma Zhengping smiled and said: "I have a mediocre drinking ability, but the quality of the wine is not that bad. I just went out and met a familiar junior, so I went to say hello, so I was delayed for a while."

Xuan Xiangming said: "Don't make excuses to fool us. Shouldn't the juniors who are familiar with you on this island stay in the military camp?"

Ma Zhengping said: "I also thought he should be in the military camp, but I didn't expect to meet him on the second floor."

Duan Tiancheng noticed something was wrong as soon as he heard this, and immediately asked: "Is this the disciple you sent to Zhoushan for training? Who is so capable and can sneak out at this time?"

Ma Zhengping said: "Dai Chengrong, it was his instructor who brought him out. He said he was out to do some work and have a meal on the way. This should be okay, right?"

Ma Zhengping deliberately told the whole story to test Duan Tiancheng's attitude. If Duan Tiancheng was furious about this and wanted to deal with Dai Chengrong and the instructor, then Ma Zhengping would probably follow suit and try to push one of his own children to replace Dai Chengrong.

Hearing this, Duan Tiancheng took a deep breath, nodded and said, "I see. Then I must have something serious to do. I'll find time to ask what's going on later."

Hearing his tone, it was obvious that Ma Zhengping would not pursue the matter at least for the moment. It seemed that he was trying to cover up this matter, which did not sound quite according to the rules.

He just noticed there that Chen Xiaoyu did not have an officer's rank mark on his military uniform. He was obviously just an ordinary soldier serving as an instructor, and his status was probably far from Duan Tiancheng. This could bring people out of the military camp.

Without being held accountable, it seems that there is something else going on.

Of course, Duan Tiancheng would not admit to Ma Zhengping that what Chen Xiaoyu did was partly due to his own instructions. This involved the Haihan official's true attitude towards these trainees and could not be disclosed to the outside world. Although Ma Zhengping had previously stated that he could accept it.

Trainees can choose whether to stay in Haihan for development in the future, but there is still a subtle difference between staying voluntarily and Haihan creating conditions to attract them to stay.

Duan Tiancheng believed that this difference might affect the attitude of Huizhou salt merchants towards Haihan, and thus have a negative impact on the in-depth cooperation between the two parties. Therefore, his handling method was also more subtle, hoping to get this matter over with as soon as possible.

Avoid Ma Zhengping paying too much attention to the details.

However, Duan Tiancheng probably didn't expect that Ma Zhengping was also making small plans. He hoped that the children of the Ma family who were sent to Zhoushan for training would perform outstandingly in the military and be recognized by the Haihan people, so that they could return to Yangzhou to form a joint militia group with seven major surnames in the future.

When organizing, you may be able to have more say.

If a few of them can be favored by the Haihan people and choose the opportunity to join the Haihan Army in the future, it will be equivalent to having a strong support for the Ma family. In the future, one or two of the younger generations of the Ma family will be able to reach Duan Tiancheng's level.

level, it will be much more convenient in the future, whether in Yangzhou or dealing with Haihan officials.

Of course, Ma Zhengping cannot arrange the development direction of the situation as he pleases. After all, he has not been dealing with Haihan for a long time, and there are many things that need to be understood slowly and patiently. Even if he gets a "noble man" like Duan Tiancheng,

I gave him a lot of benefits, but that doesn't mean Duan Tiancheng will give him much special care.

Both parties had their own concerns, but neither would tell them face to face. When Ma Zhengping saw that Duan Tiancheng was deliberately avoiding the topic, he also took the initiative to change the topic.

However, Chen Xiaoyu and Dai Chengrong in another room did not know about this. Seeing that Chen Xiaoyu was too drunk, Dai Chengrong stopped trying to persuade him to drink. He poured most of the remaining pot of wine into his own cup, leaving Chen Xiaoyu to drink.

Drink the freshly served iced juice.

The topic of changing nationality was too heavy, and both of them lacked a clear understanding of the details of the operation, so they did not discuss this topic in depth.

It was a rare opportunity to communicate alone, so Dai Chengrong took the initiative to ask Chen Xiaoyu about his past combat experience and wanted to hear him explain in detail what it was like on the real battlefield.

It happened that Chen Xiaoyu participated in the East China Sea Fleet's expedition to Hirado a few months ago. During that period, there were indeed many battles that left a deep impression on him, so he chose the one where the East China Sea Fleet blocked the Hirado Strait and bombarded the Hirado Port for days.

A paragraph, tell and listen to Dai Chengrong.

Although Chen Xiaoyu's vocabulary was limited and it was difficult to describe the tense atmosphere on the battlefield at that time, he was also a witness, so under Dai Chengrong's constant questioning, he slowly added many details. Dai Chengrong seemed to also use his own

His imagination sketched out the battlefield scene of Hirado Port where artillery fire was everywhere.

"Well, since Hirado Castle is an important trading town in Japan, why is the city defense so sparse? The city defense was broken before the Haihan army could break through the port!" Dai Chengrong heard what happened later, and it turned out that the army that attacked Hirado from the land was the first to succeed.

Very puzzled.

Chen Xiaoyu explained: "This is because General Shi considered that there are many coastal defense batteries deployed in Hirado Port, and letting the fleet rush into Hirado Port may cause unnecessary losses, so our combat plan at the time was originally to attack at sea.

It is a bait to attract the enemy's attention, and the main direction of attack is on land."

"And the so-called Hirado Castle is not comparable to cities like the Ming Dynasty. It has walls, towers, moats and other defensive means. It is just a small castle located on the seaside highlands. And the city outside this castle is not as good as for our Haihan Army.

It doesn’t make much difference if you fortify it.”

Dai Chengrong nodded and asked further: "The muskets equipped by the Hirado clan army are the same as the weapons of the musketry team of the Shanshan salt merchants?"

Chen Xiaoyu understood what he meant and responded with a smile: "We have compared them after the war, and they are indeed exactly the same muskets. The Hirado clan had thousands of musketeers, and they were not completely wiped out by us, so you

Don’t worry, Yangzhou’s enemies can still wreak havoc! We have plenty of means to deal with their tricks!”
Chapter completed!