Chapter 1114 Plan Change

Wang Tom asked Pan Yan to be escorted down and held incommunicado. Then he summoned the main officers of the fleet to discuss changing the action plan. The operation to go north to Liaodong was originally based on terrain reconnaissance, waiting for opportunities to launch raids and harassment along the coast of the Liaodong Peninsula. But now

Received news about Phi Island halfway, Wang Tom believed that this was an opportunity to open another immigration channel for Haihan, and it should be dealt with as a priority. However, to go to Phi Island, it was necessary to redesign the route and corresponding material and personnel deployment plan.

At the same time, they were also informed of the Huizhifu Bay Base Camp and asked them to check relevant information on Pi Island as soon as possible so that they could make corresponding preparations.

Although the Haihan Fleet has not traveled from Lushunkou to Pidao before, the fleet has detailed charts of the relevant areas and has Pan Yan, a former Dengzhou Navy officer who can act as navigator, to complete this journey.

It is not difficult to sail a straight-line distance of only a hundred nautical miles. The real uncertain factor is still on Phi Island. What is the current situation there? Whether the military and civilians on the island will be hostile to outsiders like Haihan, and how to deal with local officials in charge of power.

, these issues require Wang Tom and his staff to carefully consider and prepare response plans in advance.

Wang Tom arranged a boat near the north bank to monitor the movements of Zhongzuo City. However, the Houjin Army in the city did not move rashly throughout the day. The city gates were still closed until sunset, and it seemed that they were not safe.

He planned to take the initiative to attack. Wang Tom did not relax his vigilance because of this. The Jin army was much more familiar with the local terrain and still needed to be wary of the opponent launching a night sneak attack. Although this possibility was unlikely, Wang Tom still

A platoon of infantry was deployed at the junction of Laohwei Peninsula and the mainland as a night sentry. Its position was three or four miles away from the fleet's temporary camp. As long as an enemy situation was discovered and a warning was issued immediately, the camp would have time to prepare for the battle.

Wang Tom's preventive measures really worked. After nightfall, the Houjin Army indeed arranged for some men to leave the city and take the overland route around the Laohwei Peninsula in an attempt to launch a night attack on the Haihan camp. However, this nighttime smear march in the wilderness was really serious.

It was not easy, and they could not rush forward quickly on horseback. It was only in the middle of the night that they finally reached the Tiger Tail Peninsula. However, the Jin Army probably did not expect that their opponents would place sentries several miles away from the camp.

, when he reached this area, he did not deliberately slow down to hide his whereabouts, but was discovered by the infantry platoon deployed by Haihan.

The platoon leader who led the troops could not see how many men and horses the opponent had at night, so he immediately set off a warning firework into the sky. When the firework exploded in mid-air, it briefly illuminated the area, and then the sea

The Han soldiers took the opportunity to launch a round of shooting at the Hou Jin army who was still stunned.

The light of the fireworks only lasted for a few seconds, and everything returned to darkness. I don't know how many Houjin troops were shot in this round of shooting, but it created enough chaos, and screams came one after another. However, the Haihan army did not

They did not take advantage of the enemy's chaos to continue the pursuit. The risk of fighting in such a dark environment was too great, and the results were not necessarily cost-effective. Therefore, they followed the strategy formulated in advance and retreated decisively after completing the warning to prevent the opponent from getting closer.

Opportunities for melee combat at combat range.

The Hou Jin Army knew that their whereabouts had been exposed, and they did not know how many troops their opponents deployed in the dark. They did not dare to march in the dark at the moment. They hurriedly lit torches and gathered the chaotic troops to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of them.

A random attack. Niu Lu Zhangjing, who led the troops, briefly counted the casualties. In fact, there were not many losses. Only five people were shot. Two of them unfortunately hit critical parts and died on the spot. However, in the darkness, the soldiers crowded and trampled on each other.

, but seven or eight others were injured in the chaos.

When Zhang Jing saw that all the wounds he suffered from the enemy were caused by firecrackers, he was a little frightened. If he continued to advance, he was afraid that his opponents would have already deployed their positions after receiving early warning. Moreover, this is the Tiger Tail Peninsula.

It's all hilly and mountainous, and there's no way to use cavalry. Letting his men attack the cannon position is tantamount to dying in vain. Leaving his team here is not the most fatal thing. If the opponent waits for dawn and then attacks the center and left,

The city might be difficult to hold because of the shortage of troops. After hesitating for a moment, he chose to deal with it safely and ordered the troops to withdraw and return to the camp.

Haihan was naturally in a hurry after receiving the warning. However, after waiting for a long time, the opponent did not attack. Later, the news sent back by the scouts stated that the Jin army had quietly retreated.

"The Hou Jin Army is so cowardly?" Wang Tom, who was woken up from his sleep to supervise the battle, was a little surprised when he heard the news. The Hou Jin Army took the initiative to attack twice in the morning and night, and suffered two consecutive defeats at the hands of the Hai Han Army.

After the first loss, he could not endure it and fought hard. This also subverted the image of the Jin army in his mind that he could only be brave and fierce. Although he looked down on his opponents verbally, Wang Tom also understood that he stood from the perspective of a commander.

, since the purpose of the night attack has been exposed early, then a decisive withdrawal is a rational choice. The opponent's ability to make such a decision shows that its commander has basic tactical literacy.

Naturally, Tom Wang would not send troops to pursue him in this dark time. He would only send troops to strengthen the perimeter vigilance to prevent his opponent from playing other tricks. However, from midnight to morning, nothing else happened. It seemed that the opponent was really giving up.

.

Wang Tom had already worked out the action plan and route to Pi Island with his officers the night before, and ordered everyone to break camp and leave after breakfast. As for the dozens of prisoners of war captured after the battle the day before, they were all packed up.

Enter the cabin and wait until you return to Zhifu Bay to be interrogated slowly.

Pan Yan, a former Ming army officer who took the opportunity to defect to Haihan, received slightly better treatment. Although the shackles and handcuffs were still not removed, at least he did not have to be imprisoned in a dark, airtight and crowded cabin with his former companions.

After spending the rest of the voyage, you can stand on the deck and use the information you know in your mind to win the favor of your new master.

Pan Yan thought about it all night but still couldn't figure out the origin of the "Haihan Kingdom". When he stepped on the deck of the flagship, he quickly realized that this "Navy" was very different from the Dengzhou Navy where he served before.

, not only the military uniforms and weapons are different, but the hull structure and sail system of this ship are obviously different from the Ming warships he knows. It seems that it is not the Ming navy he thought before. But there are

One thing is undoubted, that is the strength of this army. It is better to work with such a backer than to be forced by gold thieves to go against the Ming Dynasty at Lushunkou.

After the people who landed yesterday packed up and reboarded the ship, the Haihan fleet quietly sailed away from the coast one by one, leaving Lushun Port along the original route from the narrow waterway on the east side of Laohwei. In this section of the waterway near the coast, occasionally

One or two corpses washed ashore by the waves could also be seen. They should all be victims of yesterday's battle. However, now that the Haihan fleet is eager to leave this place, it is impossible to stop and collect these remains.

Yesterday's naval battle was basically an overwhelming victory, but the people captured after yesterday's battle were all Ming troops who were stationed in Dengzhou, and not a single living Houjin soldier was captured. And last night, the outpost troops and the night attack were

The enemy troops had a brief confrontation and retreated without having time to check the results. The damage caused by the enemy troops was not clear, so there was no substantial gain at all. This result also made Wang Tom feel a little regretful.

If we could catch one or two Hou Jin soldiers alive, we might have a clearer understanding of Hou Jin's troop deployment in the Liaodong region.

The new route planned by Tom Wang is not to draw a straight line between Lushunkou and Phi Island. After discussing with his officers last night, Wang Tom realized that he could actually take care of the reconnaissance mission on the way to Phi Island.

, as long as we follow the east coast of the Liaodong Peninsula and make a slight circle to the northeast, spending an extra day or two on the way, we can at least complete the reconnaissance of the coastline outline and coastal islands, but we probably don't have time to send the Marines ashore to do more detailed work.

field trip.

For dozens of miles east of Lushunkou, the coast is almost all mountainous. It was not until Dalian Bay in later generations that there was terrain suitable for berthing ships. Of course, there was no place named Dalian in this era, and it was called Jinzhou.

Bay is more suitable. There are only more than 20 nautical miles from Lushunkou to Jinzhou Bay. Although the fleet slowed down, it only took less than half a day to reach the peninsula at the southern end of the bay.

Sun Changmi and Yue Zhiyun of the Ministry of Transport both lived in Dalian for a long time before participating in the crossing. During this trip north, Wang Tom also saw many pictures of Dalian on Sun Changmi's laptop, so he

It didn't take much effort to identify the bay near Laohu Beach. According to the map, after bypassing Laohu Beach, turn north and sail into the Jinzhou Bay.

The area of ​​Jinzhou Bay is much larger than that of Lushun Port. The width of the bay entrance formed by the two peninsulas is more than ten kilometers. The sea area in the bay is nearly 100 square kilometers, which is as big as more than a dozen Lushun Ports.

.There are also several small natural harbors that are concave inland on the long coastline. However, because the map in Wang Tom’s hand came from hundreds of years later, the harbors have already had many changes in the coastline caused by man-made construction, which is different from the current situation.

The actual situation is quite different, so this kind of on-site investigation is still necessary.

Wang Tom led the fleet into Jinzhou Bay, and the purpose was of course not just to examine the terrain here. After he knew that, the main force of the Jinzhou Navy was deployed in Jinzhou Bay, and he used this trip to see how big the enemy was.

According to Pan Yan, a prisoner of war, the size of the Ming Navy navy held hostage by Kong Youde's rebels at that time was as many as four battalions. This battalion consisted of four Dafu ships, two Haicang ships, and four Cangshan ships, for a total of ten ships.

Warships, the four battalions of warships combined are quite large.

Yesterday, we faced only four of the ships at Lushunkou. But if the main force is here in Jinzhou Bay, even if the Haihan fleet is well-equipped, we have to deal with it carefully. After all, the Haihan fleet only has a

With eight warships, one large, two medium, five small, plus four comprehensive supply ships and a reconnaissance boat, it would be very troublesome if the opponent's superior force really entangles them.

After entering Jinzhou Bay, Wang Tom ordered everyone to enter a state of combat readiness. Several logistics ships with relatively poor self-protection capabilities did not follow the large forces into the harbor, but were stationed near the large and small mountain islands outside the harbor to avoid any eventuality.

During an armed conflict, it is too late to leave the battlefield.

The person who is most nervous right now is not the naval officer, but the prisoner of war Pan Yan. He hopes that Haihan will find the former Dengzhou Navy fleet here to prove that the information he provided is accurate and valuable. But if the two sides meet,

, then there will inevitably be another fierce battle. Judging from yesterday's battle, the Haihan fleet with very powerful shipboard firepower should still have an advantage in the battle, and he has many old friends in the navy, and he will not

It was unbearable to see these men who originally belonged to the Ming Dynasty being so damaged by Haihan's gunfire again. Pan Yan hesitated again and again and made a request to the soldiers guarding him to see Wang Tom.

"Pan Yan, do you want me to let go of these naval soldiers who betrayed the Ming Dynasty?" Wang Tom was a little surprised after hearing Pan Yan's request. This guy didn't just think about self-protection in the current situation.

Trying to intercede for his former comrades-in-arms is a sign of loyalty.

Pan Yan knelt on the deck and begged with his head lowered: "General Wang, we people did not intend to betray the Ming Dynasty, but we were forced by the situation at the beginning. If we did not get on the ship, we would immediately become the victims of the rebels. We have no choice but to come to Liaodong.

It’s just to survive. Except for those few rebels who came from Liaodong, who would want to leave their hometown and come to this inhospitable place to stay!”

Wang Tom said: "If I don't beat them, they will beat me under the coercion of Hou Jin Bing. Besides causing trouble to me, what else can they do? Can they choose to join us like you?"

When Pan Yan heard that Wang Tom's tone had relaxed, he immediately responded: "If there is a chance, I am willing to act as a lobbyist for General Wang! There are many capable people in the Dengzhou Navy who are familiar with the sea conditions in Liaodong. If they can serve the general,

My subordinates will definitely help the general put down the golden thieves!"

Tom Wang smiled and said: "If you want to be a lobbyist, then I have to capture the prisoners alive first. Isn't this more troublesome than killing them directly?"

Pan Yan said anxiously: "We can try to summon the personnel of the old Dengzhou Navy to find opportunities to cooperate inside and outside and escape from the control of the gold thieves. When we go to sea, there are only a dozen gold thieves on board to supervise the battle. As long as we are prepared in advance, there will be

Chance to escape!”

Wang Tom said: "It's so lively. I didn't see your people yesterday looking for an opportunity to escape?"

"This..." Pan Yan thought to himself: How could he risk his own life for such a thing? If there was no good escape route, who would dare to offend those Houjin soldiers who did not regard the Han people as human beings.
Chapter completed!