Chapter 518 Convincing Wang Zunde

October 14, 1630, the ninth day of September in the third year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, Zhaoqing, Guangdong.

Although today is the Double Ninth Festival, Wang Zunde, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, is not in the mood to celebrate the festival. Early in the morning, he received an emergency report that Qiongzhou Prefecture was attacked by pirates and suffered heavy losses. Guangzhou needed to send troops to reinforce immediately, otherwise the outcome of the war would be unpredictable.

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The news came from the special envoy sent to Guangzhou from Qiongzhou Fucheng. The letter asking for help was stamped with the seal of Qiongzhou Zhizhou, which should not be false. Moreover, the special envoy claimed that Danzhou and other places had been occupied by pirates, and he left Qiongzhou Fucheng.

By that time, the city had been besieged by pirates from three sides: east, west, and south. Although the defenders fought several battles, they were still unable to defeat this group of pirates who were well-equipped.

There is also relatively clear news about the identity and origin of this group of pirates. These pirates are the remnants of the Mo Dynasty of Annan. They have always only been active in the mountainous and coastal areas of northern Annan, but this year I don’t know what kind of crazy thing happened.

, actually directly set their sights on Qiongzhou Island. Moreover, this group of people did not simply go ashore to plunder. After capturing Danzhou, they continued to advance eastward and surrounded Qiongzhou City. However, the Qiongzhou garrison did not

No matter how effective it was, it actually resulted in the loss of thousands of people - if all the empty positions in the guard army are included.

There is no doubt that this is the biggest crisis that Qiongzhou Prefecture has encountered in recent decades. Even if banditry broke out all over Guangdong in the past two years, with tens of thousands of bandits at their peak, it did not lead to the loss of the city. Unexpectedly, Qiongzhou

The pirate invasion of the island turned out to be so serious.

What makes Wang Zunde and other senior officials in Guangdong unable to step down the most is not the loss of Danzhou and other places, but the fact that there have been various rumors about this matter as early as a month or two ago. Various signs and news indicate that pirates are very likely.

Xinghui attacked Qiongzhou Island. Moreover, Qiongzhou Prefecture had sent a message to Guangzhou a month ago asking for help, asking Guangzhou to send navy to the Beibu Gulf to eliminate pirates, but in the end they did not receive assistance from Guangzhou. And Qiongzhou Island

There is still no news from the local navy more than half a month after the departure, and it seems that the situation is already in danger.

If there had been a sudden attack, it would have been excusable to have lost the city and the land. But the problem was that this matter had been exposed a long time ago, and the relevant departments had not made any corresponding preparations at all, so that the garrison was destroyed as soon as the battle began.

Defeat after defeat, they retreated from Danzhou to Qiongzhou City. If Qiongzhou City was also lost, it would really be equivalent to losing the Ming Dynasty's control over Qiongzhou Island. And the responsibility for the loss of territory was borne even by Wang Zunde, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.

Sorry, if you don't want to lose the black gauze hat on your head, you have to find a way to repel the pirates on Qiongzhou Island as soon as possible and regain the lost land.

The situation had deteriorated to this point. Wang Zunde naturally could no longer sit idly by and ordered the troops from Guangdong to be assembled to fight back to Qiongzhou Island. However, someone nearby objected to this approach: "Sir, according to someone from Qiongzhou Island, this

The bandit bandits numbered in the thousands, and were well-equipped, mostly with firearms. The local garrison was completely unable to resist. If a few Guangzhou garrison troops were rushed over in a hurry, they might not be able to reverse the situation of the war. I hope your lord

Think twice!”

Wang Zunde still has a good idea of ​​the real strength of the Guard Army. These troops are more useful for suppressing small-scale civil unrest, but when it comes to setting up a battle formation to fight a big battle, the troops in Guangzhou may not be as good as those in Qiongzhou.

How good is the island's military guard? However, some things cannot only be considered from a military perspective. Whether to save Qiongzhou Island is not only a military issue, but also a political issue.

Wang Zunde said in a deep voice: "Qiongzhou Island is our gateway to the south. We must not throw it away. How can I just sit back and watch the pirates wreak havoc on Qiongzhou Island? Master Liu, if you want to persuade me not to send troops, then there is no need to say more."

The Master Liu who advised Wang Zunde was Liu Qian, who had had previous dealings with the Office in Guangdong. The year before, Haihan occupied land in the south of Hong Kong Island to build a port, following the path of this Master Liu. Later.

The military industry department also used this method to sell a batch of old-fashioned rifles and small-caliber artillery to the Ming Dynasty army in Guangdong. Of course, Mr. Liu's work was not in vain. Because he could speak in front of Wang Zunde, the Guangdong Office

The hard work fee paid to him is really not a small amount.

About two months ago, Liu Qian received a big order from the General Office of the People's Republic of China. At that time, Maliko filled out a five thousand tael bearer check and gave it to him on the condition that the next time Wang Zunde planned to use it on Qiongzhou Island,

During the army, Liu Qian persuaded Wang Zunde to let the Haihan Militia carry out combat missions.

At that time, news of the pirates' attack on Qiongzhou Island had already spread in Guangzhou. Therefore, Liu Qian believed that Haihan's move was probably to take the opportunity to seek the legal status of the Haihan Militia, so that the militia could be promoted from a private armed force to an auxiliary army.

status. This routine may not work on the mainland, but it is possible to implement it on Qiongzhou Island, because Qiongzhou Island has a large Li and Miao population, and the armed forces of the Li and Miao people have always been

It exists as an auxiliary force for the Ming Dynasty government. Since there is already a precedent, it does not seem to be too inconsistent to include the militia armed forces formed by the Haihan people in this field.

Since the matter was not difficult to handle, Liu Qian naturally accepted the money with peace of mind. In his opinion, the price of collecting the five thousand taels of silver was much easier than the previous times when he had done things for Haihan. It was just a matter of necessity.

Under the circumstances, I just flattered Haihan a little and asked them to send troops first to deal with the pirates attacking Qiongzhou Island.

At that time, Liu Qian did not expect that the situation would take a turn for the worse in just a few dozen days. Not only did the pirates defeat the officers and soldiers on Qiongzhou Island, they were unable to fight back, but they also occupied most of the territory in the northern part of the island, threatening to swallow them up.

The momentum of Qiongzhou Island. A few days ago, He Xi personally went to the city to find him, asking him to fulfill his original agreement as soon as possible, and he must persuade Wang Zunde to let Haihan replace the Ming army.

Today is different from the past. If it were just pirates intruding, then it would be an understandable decision for the government to let local militia groups conduct defensive operations. But the current situation on Qiongzhou Island is that the momentum of pirates can no longer be suppressed, and if the pirates are attacked at this time,

If the monster Han is also released from the cage, no one can make an accurate prediction of what the final result will be. Liu Qian really wanted to return the five thousand taels of silver to the Han people, but before that, he was in Xinjiang outside Guangzhou.

I bought a manor and married a concubine. I had already spent more than half of the five thousand taels. I couldn't come up with so much money even if I wanted to give it back, so I had to bite the bullet and go ahead.

Of course Liu Qian would not give up and continued to persuade: "Sir, even if we mobilize local troops to Qiongzhou Island to suppress the bandits, the materials required will not be available in a short time. It will take our army ten and a half days

It took months to prepare supplies and set off, but it’s hard to say what the situation was like in Qiongzhou City, which was under siege by pirates at that time!”

"This..." Wang Zunde couldn't help but hesitate after hearing this.

What Liu Qian said is indeed true. If six or seven thousand troops were to be mobilized in Guangzhou, it would be impossible to exhaust all the garrison troops in Guangzhou City and turn Guangzhou into an empty city. A small amount would have to be mobilized from surrounding prefectures and counties.

Garrisoning troops. This mobilization of troops is a very time-consuming process. In addition, with thousands of people eating horses and chewing horses, the daily consumption of supplies is not a small amount. And whether the other side of the sea can provide supplies, it is not possible now.

It is difficult to predict. The safest way is to raise enough supplies for the reinforcements to fight on Qiongzhou Island before departure, and then cross the sea to fight. And this process may take longer than mobilizing the army. Liu Qian

The ten days and a half month mentioned is really not an exaggeration.

Liu Qian saw that Wang Zunde was hesitant, so he quickly seized the opportunity and continued to persuade: "Moreover, if our army wants to go to Qiongzhou Island, it will either take a boat south from the Pearl River Estuary, or march to Leizhou to cross the sea, but no matter which way it is

A large number of ships are needed to complete the journey. Even if we cross the sea from the southern end of Leizhou, the trip will take a day. If we cross the sea in batches, there is a risk of our troops being scattered. We may not be able to prepare so many ships to cross the sea at the same time.

What's more, that group of pirates has the ability to send thousands of people to Qiongzhou Island to cause chaos, so their maritime combat power must not be underestimated. Now that the pirates have blocked the Qiongzhou Strait, the reinforcements we sent may have to be attacked before landing on the island.

Let’s fight these pirates at sea first.”

Wang Zunde was secretly shocked. At least he still had to fight the land battle with the pirates, but as for the naval battle...that really needed to be carefully considered. In the past few years, pirates were rampant at the Pearl River Estuary, and the previous governor had never found a good solution. And Wang Zunde

After taking office, he undoubtedly took an advantage. All the pirates at the Pearl River Estuary were driven away by the Haihan people. However, the Guangdong Navy has been suppressed by pirates in recent years and even dare not go out to the water fort. It is out of the question.

How much combat capability does it have? If it were sent out to fight a naval battle, no one can be sure of the outcome.

"Then in your opinion, how should we deal with it now?" Wang Zunde did not dare to make a conclusion at this time, and decided to listen to what his staff could come up with.

"Sir, the Haihan people have made a statement earlier, saying that they will send out troops to drive away the pirates on their own. In view of my humble duty, this is a good time to let the Haihan militia come in handy!" Liu Qian went through a circle of bosses,

Finally got to the point.

"What's the reason?" Wang Zunde leaned on the back of his chair and changed into a more comfortable position, ready to listen to Liu Qian's opinions.

Liu Qian saw that Wang Zunde was interested in continuing to listen, so he quickly started persuading according to the ideas he had prepared: "First, the Haihan militia has strong soldiers and horses. According to local news in Qiongzhou, its combat power is even far better than the official army..." said

At this point, Liu Qian saw that Wang Zunde had no objection, so he continued: "The Haihan militia is also a hidden danger locally. I must have been thinking about how to eliminate this hidden danger. Now that pirates have attacked Qiongzhou Island, the Haihan people have

If you volunteer to do this, it would be better to comply with their wishes, which will consume their strength and reduce hidden dangers in the place."

Naturally, Wang Zunde would not object to the combat effectiveness of the Haihan Militia. Wang Zunde had carefully studied the various achievements of the Militia Army in the past two years. He also agreed with the view that the combat effectiveness of the Militia Army was higher than that of the Ming Dynasty official army.

. But the Haihan people’s stronghold is in a place far away from the sky like Yazhou, and they seem to have no intention of expanding outward. Therefore, Wang Zunde has always turned a blind eye to the existence of the Haihan militia.

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But as Liu Qian said, the existence of militia groups has always been an unsettling factor for the Ming Dynasty officials. What's more, when the Haihan people have money, they can also make their own guns and cannons, and even warships.

It is simply an act that should be punished. However, the Haihan people have become a climate in Yazhou. Although the local taxes paid are quite a lot every year, Wang Zunde is not really deaf and blind. There are all kinds of things about Sanya on the market.

He had also heard of the rumors. Even exaggerating, Haihan's influence in Yazhou far exceeded that of the Ming government. This was probably an indisputable fact.

How to eliminate Haihan's military influence and make these people be obedient people has been a headache for Wang Zunde since he took office. Although Haihan seems to be selling his face, he doesn't give money to the government at all.

Not being stingy, but Wang Zunde still believes that we must find a way to lower Haihan's level of force. Direct orders obviously have no effect. Even if the Haihan people verbally agree, the place in Yazhou is already well managed by the Haihan people.

He couldn't get in, and Wang Zunde didn't want to force him to rebel against these dangerous guys.

Now listening to what Liu Qian said, it seems to be a good idea to send a militia to exterminate the pirates. No matter how powerful the Haihan militia is, people will die in this battle, not to mention the money and materials required for a war of this scale.

It's not a small amount. If the government can save a little, the accounts handed over to the court in the coming year will not be too ugly.

However, Wang Zunde did not make up his mind immediately after hearing this. After hearing this, he just nodded slightly and signaled Liu Qian to continue.

Liu Qian hurriedly continued: "Secondly, the Haihan militia station is much closer to the captured area in the northern part of Qiongzhou Island than the deployment of troops from Guangzhou. Moreover, the Haihan people made their fortune in maritime trade, and they have various sea-going ships.

It is also enough to complete the task of projecting troops and transporting supplies in a short period of time, this is a very convenient location!"

Wang Zunde still nodded and agreed with Liu Qian's second reason. Compared with the several-day voyage required to mobilize troops from Guangzhou to Qiongzhou's capital city, the Haihan Militia only needed to bypass half of Qiongzhou Island from the Sanya area.

Arrive at the destination. It is said that the Haihan sailing ship is much faster than the Fuchuan Guangzhou ship. It can reach Qiongzhou Fucheng in two or three days. This speed should be enough to rescue the besieged Qiongzhou Fucheng.
Chapter completed!