Chapter 541 Spy Li Dagui

Although with the speed of the "Lightning", there is no need to worry about being intercepted by enemy ships at sea, but Wang Tom does not want to directly expose this unique-looking sailing ship to the sight of the Dutch. For the east coast of the island

Wang Tom and the people from the security department have already made other arrangements for the reconnaissance plan for this small port, and do not plan to directly land on the island for reconnaissance at this time.

The "Lightning" spent two days cruising around Natuna Island. During the period, when passing the port waters on the east coast of the island, it also conducted long-distance observations of the local situation through telescopes. The conclusion drawn by Wang Tom

The size of the wharf is only equivalent to Changhua Port on Hainan Island, and it is what it looked like just after the first phase of the project. There are probably no more than fifteen ships that can dock at the port at the same time.

In addition, according to the information provided by the Ministry of Security, the total population of the island is only about 4,000, and the population near this small port is probably less than 3,000, of which more than 70% are Han or mixed race with Han ancestry.

, there are a small number of blacks, Indians and Southeast Asian natives, and the real Dutch only account for about 10% of the local population. These few Dutch have an armed force of about one company, and their main individual weapons are Haihan people.

The regiment has basically eliminated matchlock guns and five to eight artillery pieces of different calibers. In addition, the Dutch also trained a group of indigenous militiamen numbering about 200 people. However, these indigenous soldiers who use cold weapons are not in the eyes of the Haihan people.

It seems that it probably doesn't have much deterrence, and can basically only serve as a living target and a human-shaped sandbag in wartime.

After completing the voyage around the island, Wang Tom can basically confirm that there is indeed only one port controlled by the Dutch on the island that is relatively established. With a little modification, it can be operated using Haihan's port management method. This is not the case on the island.

There is no other coast that can be developed and built as a port, but the natural conditions are not much better than the existing ports. Instead of going to all the trouble to build a new port, it is better to just use the existing ones. Anyway, the potential of this place can be developed.

It is not big, and from now on it will only be used as a maritime transit supply station. After completing the reconnaissance mission around the island, the "Lightning" returned to the uninhabited island in the north and waited for the arrival of the subsequent fleet.

On January 2, 1631, three Chinese-style sailing ships and two "Exploration-class" warships hanging behind finally arrived at the uninhabited island where the advance team settled. After everyone arrived, Wang Tom organized a meeting

Mobilization and preparatory meeting for action.

After introducing the situation of Natuna Island that he had recently scouted, Wang Tom began to explain the next actions: "...We will send two lucky ships pretending to be Daming merchants to dock at the island's port and supply supplies.

, during this period, we will contact the staff of the Security Department lurking on the island to complete the intelligence handover. Now, please ask Commissioner Lin from the Security Department to explain the situation to you."

Lin Nan took over and said: "The Ministry of Security has sent people to sneak into the island to settle and collect intelligence in March this year. So far, it has sent two effective reports to the base camp. The Dutch are not very vigilant about intelligence struggles.

This may be related to the fact that they have never had a rival in this sea area."

"Are there many people from the Ministry of Security lurking on the island? Can they give us some help when we seize the island?" Mu Xiabai asked.

"We only have two people on the island..." Lin Nan looked a little embarrassed: "Due to the limited staff, there are only about ten people in the entire Nanyang Intelligence Office. As for the help during the battle, I'm afraid it will be even more limited.

In order to keep their identities confidential, the Ministry of Security did not issue muskets to potential intelligence agents."

"I understand." After hearing this, Mu Xiabai stopped asking any more questions. It is obviously impossible to expect the latent personnel of the Ministry of Security to cooperate inside and outside. At that time, it will still have to rely on the militia to do it themselves.

"We will set off for Natuna Island tomorrow. I will lead the fleet to provide support in the nearby waters. The people landing on the island will be under the unified command of Major Mu Xiabai. Commissioner Lin Nan of the Security Department will serve as an assistant and be responsible for intelligence collection during this period." Wang Tom was very happy.

The assignment of tasks soon began: "The time to land on the island is tentatively scheduled for two days. If there are special circumstances, we will use the radio to contact you. Everyone must remember not to conflict with the Dutch on the island unless necessary. Our mission this time

The mission is to collect intelligence here and avoid any unnecessary complications!"

Although the military and the Ministry of Security had planned and rehearsed this reconnaissance operation before departure, after arriving here, everyone still did not dare to take it lightly. The Dutch armed forces on the island were not a problem for Haihan.

, if you want, the existing manpower can probably defeat the Dutch on the island, but what the Executive Committee wants is control of Natuna Island, not a simple battle to seize the harbor. As this operation

As the commander-in-chief, what Wang Tom wants is to complete the occupation of Natuna Island quietly. Any act of alerting the enemy will undermine this mission.

On January 4, two lucky boats left the coast of the uninhabited island and headed south towards Natuna Island.

At the same time, Li Dagui was dragging a thigh-thick piece of wood into the yard and preparing to saw it. The Dutch on the island ordered two sets of log furniture from him a few days ago, and he only had half a month to complete it.

The order was a bit tight on time. However, Li Dagui didn't care about how much income this order could bring him. He was worried about another thing.

According to the agreed time, the contact person sent by the headquarters to collect information should have arrived seven or eight days ago. In the past, there was at most a two or three day error in the contact, but this time it was delayed for many days, and Li Dagui had no way to get through.

I contacted the headquarters through other channels, and I was a little worried about whether something unexpected had happened.

Li Dagui is one of the two spies deployed by the Ministry of Security on Natuna Island. He knows that there is a colleague of his on the island, but he does not know who this person is and what his identity is lurking on the island. He knows this

It is a deliberate arrangement by the superiors. This single-line contact method can better protect the intelligence network. Even if one of them has an accident, the other line can continue to operate. The communication channel between Li Dagui and the headquarters will stop here every three months.

A Ming Dynasty merchant ship, at that time he would find an opportunity to hand over the previously written report to his colleagues on the merchant ship, and they would take it back to the headquarters in Sanya.

One of the reasons why Li Dagui was selected by the Ministry of Security to perform tasks in such a remote place was his special status. His father was from Li. He went to sea with Han merchant ships in his early years and settled down in Annan. He married an Annan woman as his wife.

So he can be considered a mixed race. During the civil war in Annam, Li Dagui was also one of the refugees who fled. Later, he was lucky enough to board the Hai Han immigration ship in Thanh Hoa, and the whole family moved to Black Tu Port to settle down.

Li Dagui's father learned to speak Chinese when he was a sailor with the Han people. He even used this relationship to send Li Dagui to a private school for three years. Therefore, there was no language barrier between Li Dagui and Haihan's boss. When they first arrived at Heitu Port

Soon he was appointed to manage the local logging camp. He was one of the first batch of naturalized cadres sent back to the base camp for further study in Heitu Port. It was during his return to Sanya for further study that Li Dagui was returned

He was selected by the intelligence agency that was still in its infancy, so he inexplicably transformed from a clerk in the Ministry of Civil Affairs to an intelligence officer in the Ministry of Security.

Because Li Dagui's appearance was obviously different from that of ordinary Han people, when the Ministry of Security was considering dispatching intelligence personnel to the Nanyang region, Li Dagui was selected. Because he worked as a carpenter for a period of time in Heitu Port, he also

He had some skills, so he went to Natuna Island in this capacity and settled down on the island.

Speaking of which, he has a high degree of freedom of movement here. His immediate boss is thousands of miles away and there is no way to monitor his work. His duty is to constantly collect various local information and write reports and send them back to the headquarters regularly.

.For a specially trained intelligence officer, this does not require much time and energy. After all, there is only such a small population on this island, and the port town where Li Dagui is located is so small that it can be reached in half an hour.

After circling the perimeter for a while, there really wasn't much to investigate.

Regarding the Dutch on the island, Li Dagui believed that they were no match for the Haihan militia. The executive committee only needed to send one or two companies of the army to wipe out the Dutch on the island. And this group of armed

The Dutch are not regular soldiers. One-third of them are veterans who have retired from the European battlefields and have come to the Far East to try their luck in finding a job. One-third are young Dutch immigrants, and the rest are

They are criminals and gangsters who were sent here. It would be hell if such a unit could go head-to-head with the Haihan militia.

However, after staying here for more than half a year, Li Dagui also knew that the power of the Dutch was not limited to what could be seen on the island. When the Dutch attacked the island thirty years ago, they dispatched more than twenty ships.

There are nearly a thousand infantrymen. Li Dagui also knows that the Dutch stronghold is 2,000 miles south of the island. Even the omnipotent Haihan Executive Committee currently has no ability to get involved in that place.

Li Dagui did carpentry work until the afternoon. Seeing that it was almost time to prepare dinner, someone stood outside the yard and shouted: "Li Dagui, a merchant ship has come to the port and is looking for a carpenter to repair the ship's planks. Please bring your tools quickly."

Bar!"

Li Dagui responded, thinking that he had finally waited. After he responded immediately, he quickly put down his work and went back to the house to pack his things. Li Dagui took the written report out from under the bed board and put it into the mezzanine of the wooden box containing tools.

Then he went out with a large box of tools and rushed to the dock.

Li Dagui's residence was less than a mile away from the pier. From a distance, he saw two Chinese-style fortune ships docked at the port pier. This scene surprised him slightly. In the past, people who came here to hand over information to him were not the same.

It's not these two ships. Could it be that I made a mistake?

But after getting closer, Li Dagui confirmed from the lantern hanging at the stern that this was indeed the intelligence ship of the Ministry of Security. It seemed that it had been replaced by a new ship. He could only think that this was probably because the other party arrived seven or eight days late.

reasons.

Li Dagui walked to the dock and saw several people dressed as Ming merchants next to the two ships. They were discussing with the Dutch through a translator the docking fees required to enter the port. One of them turned to look at him sideways, Li Dagui

I almost cried out in fright.

Li Dagui never thought that he would see Mu Xiabai in this place. When he was in Heitu Port, Mu Xiabai was a military official in charge of local security. Li Dagui naturally recognized him. Fortunately, he was calm and looked at

After Mu Xiabai took one look, he immediately lowered his head and stood beside him with a low eyebrow.

Mu Xiabai obviously noticed him and greeted him: "Shop Manager Lin, the carpenter is already here. Let's take him on board to work!"

After Li Dagui followed Lin Nan into the cabin, he lowered his voice and asked in surprise: "Brother Lin, why is General Mu even here?"

"Don't rush to ask about this. Give me the report first." Lin Nan stretched out his hand and said, "When General Mu comes back later, you can ask him face to face."

"This... I don't dare to be humble!" Li Dagui quickly took out the report from the mezzanine of the tool box and handed it to Lin Nan.

"If you don't ask him, he will ask you questions." Lin Nan reached out and patted Li Dagui on the shoulder and said, "You take a rest first, I will deal with the things outside."

After a while, Mu Xiabai came to the cabin, and Lin Nan followed him. Li Dagui quickly stood up to say hello, Mu Xiabai waved his hand and said: "There are no need to have so many rules, sit down and say. Are you Li Dagui? I

I remember seeing you in Heitu Port before, when you were working under Zhou Hengxing."

"Yes, yes, the chief has a good memory. At that time, I was the supervisor of the lumber mill and was managed by Director Zhou." Li Dagui responded quickly: "If it weren't for the support of the leaders all the way, I would not have the opportunity to complete such an important task for the executive committee.

.”

"I won't say any polite words. The purpose of our coming to this island this time is to thoroughly understand the defense situation here. We will take over this place within fifty or sixty days at the latest!" Mu Xiabai said concisely and concisely.

Understanding the purpose of his visit: "Li Dagui, I have read the report you wrote before on the way. Judging from the content of the report you wrote, the defense of this place seems to be very weak?"

"With the strength of our army, we can attack it in one go." Li Dagui explained: "Although there are more than a hundred Dutch soldiers on this island, these people are not regular troops and have little training. Their weapons and equipment are not on par with our army.

And I mean, considering my humble position, I am only on the same level as the Ming Guard Army. If the Executive Committee wants to seize this island, it will not be too difficult."
Chapter completed!