Chapter 584 Fighting South

Of course, Xu Xinsu had to pay a considerable part of the benefits from controlling Fujian's coastal ports to Haihan as a fee to obtain Haihan's military support. It didn't take Wang Tom to say more that Li Jin could imagine that in the Guangzhou market

How Haihan goods, which have always been in good demand, were sold in large quantities to the Fujian market through Xu Xinsu's network, earning considerable profits.

What Li Jin didn't know was that under the operation of Fujian, Haihan products had crossed the Fujian market two years ago and entered regions further north. Compared with the markets in Fujian and Guangdong provinces, the Yangtze River

The Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas in the middle and lower river basins have stronger purchasing power. In the past two years, the sales situation has gradually approached that of Fuzhou and Guangzhou, and has become one of the main sources of income from Haihan export trade.

But all these profits from the territory of the Ming Dynasty, according to Wang Tom's theory, all rely on the guarantee provided by the strong military strength of the Haihan militia. Otherwise, Haihan's products would not be sold to the far north of the Yangtze River.

Even if you want to sell it to Guangdong, you have to ask the pirates at the Pearl River Estuary first if they agree.

Originally, if the Guangdong Navy was stronger, or had a few more visionary people like Fujian Xu Xinsu, it might be able to benefit more from Haihan's rise. However, the best opportunity has been missed, and now Haihan

It does not require the cooperation of the Guangdong Navy to control the main waterways and ports on the coastline of Guangdong and Guangxi. Similar to the naval camp stationed on Hong Kong Island at the Pearl River Estuary, it is already facing a situation of being directly annexed by the Haihan militia. This kind of

At that time, even if the navy took the initiative to post more, it would probably only receive a little severance pay from Haihan.

Li Jin had to admit that after understanding Haihan's operating model that combined military and trade, he felt even more disappointed. The Haihan people did apply this theory very proficiently, but this successful example was difficult to apply.

Go to Ming Dynasty to enrich Ming Dynasty's existing military strength. Li Jin is not a politician, but he also knows that Ming Dynasty's problems are not just due to the weakness of military power. Changing the status quo cannot be done by the Ministry of War alone.

matter.

"Okay, I still have official business to deal with now. Let's discuss these issues with General Li another day!" Wang Tom chatted with Li Jin for a long time, and felt that the routine was almost complete, so he took the initiative to see the guest off: "Wait for me

When you get back from this business trip, please invite General Li to go to sea and have some fun together!"

With so many warships gathering in Danzhou Bay, and supplies being shipped day and night, Li Jin was not blind, so he could naturally tell that the Haihan people were preparing for war, and immediately asked: "Can General Wang reveal this preparation?"

Where to conquer?"

Wang Tom laughed and said: "Don't worry, we are not fighting against the Ming Dynasty. We have never had such thoughts. Look, aren't the Ming Dynasty government offices on Qiongzhou Island all fine?"

Li Jinxindao's Yamen is still there, but everything has become a decoration. It has been more than a month since he took office as Danzhou General, and he still only has four soldiers brought from the mainland. According to the establishment, even the lowest level

Xiaoqi also led more soldiers than he does now. If his former colleagues knew about this situation, they would probably laugh out loud - he spent thousands of taels of money to get a position, but in the end he came all the way to Danzhou to be a decoration.

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After living in Danzhou for so long, Li Jin has actually understood who has the final say in the current Qiongzhou Island. This is true for a big city like Danzhou, not to mention Yazhou and other places in the south of Qiongzhou Island. From Wang Tom’s confidence

In his remarks, Li Jin could also clearly feel that Haihan's control over Qiongzhou had surpassed that of the Ming Dynasty, and they still retained the existence of the Ming Dynasty government. Maybe it was really just what Wang Tom said, and he didn't want to have to deal with it.

The Ming Dynasty just started a war.

March 30, 1631, the twenty-eighth day of February in the fourth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty. On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the crossing, the task force commanded by Wang Tom left Danzhou Port and began to head south, heading for the distant Natuna in the South China Sea.

The islands perform combat missions.

On the day of departure, Li Jin also forcibly dragged Yan Mingjun to Danzhou Port to watch the departure of the Haihan Navy. Due to the certain confidentiality of this operation, neither the military nor the local government arranged a public farewell event.

Only a few prominent figures from the local management committee were present to see the fleet off. Two officials from the Ming Dynasty had received special permission to observe the process as guests.

Although this fleet only has a dozen ships and is not actually very large in scale, its exposed combat effectiveness is already very shocking. Yan Mingjun, who has been staying in Danzhou City recently without going out, saw these huge

After seeing the warships sailing out to sea, he couldn't help but shook his head and sighed: "With the combat power of the Haihan militia, I am afraid that it will be difficult for Ming Dynasty to regain Qiongzhou."

Li Jin responded: "As long as they don't continue to expand northward, they will be lucky. Fortunately, the news I heard recently is that this fleet is going south and will not go to war with the Ming Dynasty."

"It can be considered a blessing among misfortunes..." Regarding Li Jin's "good news", Yan Mingjun really couldn't be happy.

Li Jin was somewhat dissatisfied with Yan Mingjun's pessimistic attitude: "Brother Yan, I have talked with the Haihan people many times these days and found that they do not have much hostility towards the Ming Dynasty. On the contrary, they intend to support the Ming Dynasty in developing its military power. Their achievements in recent years have been brilliant."

The Fujian navy is the Haihan people who are providing assistance behind the scenes. If they are willing to contribute to the imperial court, why worry about the worries in the north?"

Yan Mingjun shook his head and said: "Are the Haihan people easy to get along with? They do everything as if they are doing business. If you take a feather from them, you will have to pay a corresponding price! Besides, the Haihan people now occupy

Qiongzhou Island, if the imperial court knows the truth, how can it be willing to give up easily?"

"There's nothing we can do if we don't give up!" Li Jin shook his head and said: "Brother Yan has witnessed the strength of the Haihan Militia with his own eyes. How can the troops of Guangdong and Guangxi beat them? Besides, the imperial court probably can't spend the military funds to start a war in the south now, otherwise

Last year, we no longer had to watch the Haihan people send militia groups to take over the defense of Qiongbei. Instead of confronting them, we should think about how to use them to serve the Ming Dynasty."

"Haihan people will only work for money!" Yan Mingjun thought about this issue more thoroughly than Li Jin: "They have never paid attention to the imperial court. How about aiding the Fujian Navy? If Fujian doesn't take money

, will they provide free assistance? Brother Li, you have also contacted the Haihan people. These people have different accents and are obviously not from the same place. It is useless to talk to them about the righteousness of the family and the country. Yes, Daming can and

They cooperated and used money, land, and population in exchange for their military assistance, but doing so was tantamount to drinking poison to quench their thirst. Even if their military strength could be strengthened, it would gradually be controlled by Haihan. And the speed at which they expanded their strength was much faster than that of the Ming Dynasty.

Well, think about it, it has only been four years since they came to Qiongzhou Island! What about ten or twenty years? Can the Ming Dynasty really restrain the ambitions of these people? "

Li Jin sighed, shook his head and ended the discussion: "The Ming Dynasty can no longer control them."

After setting off from Danzhou, the fleet led by Wang Tom went straight south, bypassing Changhua and heading to Annan-Da Nang. There the fleet will meet up with the field infantry battalion sent by the Annan militia. After completing the assembly, it will continue to move south. From Danzhou

The voyage to the destination Natuna Islands is more than a thousand nautical miles. Counting the time required to stop for supplies on the way, Wang Tom estimates that the voyage will take twelve to fourteen days to complete. It is estimated that it will take about a month to return after completing the mission.

After that.

On April 1, the fleet arrived in Annan Da Nang as scheduled. The first phase of the port terminal project here is nearing completion. Da Nang, with more than 3,000 residents, has already taken the shape of a seaport city. In the next two or three years, here

We will continue to recruit naturalized citizens from the local area, complete the follow-up construction projects of the port and terminal, and build this place into the most important foreign trade port in the central part of Indochina - of course, the so-called Annan foreign trade must and can only be controlled by Haihan.

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Military use is not the main purpose of Da Nang. According to the Hai Han Military Commission’s planning, Do Son Peninsula in the Beibu Gulf and Cam Ranh Port in the south are ports specifically used for military purposes. However, this does not prevent Da Nang from temporarily

To serve as a military port, before the arrival of the task force, the troop carrier carrying the Annan Militia Field Infantry Battalion had already arrived here in advance, and had a few days of brief rest and material supplies.

The officer leading the Annan militia is Mu Xiabai. He participated in the reconnaissance trip south last year and is relatively familiar with the situation on Natuna Island. After completing this combat mission, he will be stationed as the local leader.

This will also be the farthest base to date for overseas travelers to be stationed.

The task force only stayed in Da Nang for one day. After adding six troop transport ships, the fleet expanded to 17 ships and left Da Nang and continued to move south. However, because the troop transport ships of the Annan militia were all traditional Chinese-style

The speed of the sailing ship slowed down a lot, and it took two and a half days to reach the next port of call, Cam Ranh Port, which is 300 nautical miles away from Da Nang.

Although the development and construction project of Cam Ranh Port was theoretically launched last year, due to insufficient labor, the progress of the project is relatively slow. So far, only a 200-meter-long standard pier, a dozen warehouses, and a small number of buildings have been completed.

Civilian facilities. The supplies that can be supplied here are relatively few. Only fresh water, vegetables and fruits, poultry, livestock and meat are in short supply here. All the only seven or eight pigs that can be sold in local farms are

It was requisitioned by the fleet in the name of military supplies.

Continuing south from Cam Ranh Bay, there are no other supply points on the way, and it is still more than 500 nautical miles away from the destination. Even if everything goes well, it will take about four days to complete the journey.

Fortunately, the journey was smooth and did not encounter any bad weather. Eighty hours later, the fleet sailed into the waters of the Natuna Islands.

Of course, Wang Tom was not so arrogant that he immediately launched an attack on the harbor on the main island of Natuna with the troops that had been bumping along the way. Instead, he chose to stop at the uninhabited island north of Natuna Island to rest. From here to

The voyage between destinations is about sixty nautical miles, so there is no need to worry about being easily discovered by the opponent, and it is also convenient to plan the time to launch an attack.

While the fleet was resting on the uninhabited island, Wang Tom did not forget to send a fortune ship disguised as a merchant ship to the port of Natuna Island for supplies. He also contacted the secret agent of the Ministry of Security stationed on the island to confirm the island for the last time.

defense situation.

The news sent back the next day made the officers who were still a little nervous heaved a sigh of relief. Perhaps they were paralyzed by the docility shown by the Han people on the island. The Dutch were obviously not very vigilant, and they were also

I don’t think there is a possibility of a large-scale attack here. After all, there is no condition to build a large port here, and the military value and development prospects are very limited. In this sea area, neither the Portuguese nor the Spanish are obviously likely to take a fancy to this area.

place.

The Dutch armed personnel on the island are still in their early 100s, plus about the same number of militiamen, mainly equipped with cold weapons, which is almost the entire defense force of Natuna Island. Apart from the matchlock gun, the only heavy weapon is

There were only a few six-pound cannons installed in the small castle where the Dutch lived. But this kind of weapon was obviously not enough in front of the ten 12-pound cannons and two 24-pound cannons specially prepared by the Haihan Militia for this battle.

In addition to the defense forces on land, the Dutch defense arrangements at sea are also very limited. There is only one armed merchant ship stationed here, and the firepower on the ship is also extremely limited. According to the reconnaissance results of the carpenter Li Dagui, this ship

The few small-caliber artillery on the ship are obviously not enough to pose a threat to the task force fleet equipped with more than a hundred naval guns. In the words of Wang Tom, if this broken ship can fire a second round of shells in the battle, it will be a special task force.

A disgrace to the fleet.

Of course, the Military Commission sent such a powerful fleet to carry out this mission, not entirely to crush the opponent when attacking Natuna Island. After all, based on previous intelligence, it was known that this port did not have coastal defense artillery facilities.

It is unable to stop the Haihan Militia's landing operations. The reason why such a strong lineup is sent is, firstly, to verify the reliability of the "Dignity-class" warships during long-distance operations, and by the way, to exercise the cooperation between the warships and supply ships.

Secondly, they are worried that if they are unlucky enough to reach the Dutch armed merchant fleet in this sea area, this lineup should be able to destroy the opponent in one fell swoop.

There are detailed harbor plans and defense layouts, as well as statistical data on weapons, equipment and military strength. Coupled with the huge gap in strength between the two sides, this battle can be concluded in advance before it even starts. On April 12, hidden in

The fleet on the uninhabited island completed its rest and recuperation, sailed away from the station and continued southward, heading to its destination to begin its final combat mission.
Chapter completed!