Chapter 1792 Going to North Korea

Activities such as military exercises were naturally held occasionally by the Zhejiang Ming Army in the past. The naval fleet sailed in array on the Qiantang River outside Hangzhou to be reviewed by senior officials. It was also an event that the people of Zhejiang loved to see, but the scale is not the same as today.

Compared with the Haihan military exercises seen today, officials can't help but feel that the military exercises they saw in the past are a bit of a show. Fully displaying attack methods like the Haihan fleet allows viewers to realize the true strength of an army.

, seems to be what military exercises should be like.

Of course, if the Haihan people really have any ill intentions, and the fleet that just carried out the exercise in Hangzhou Bay is determined to rush into the Qiantang River to cause trouble, then the more than 20 warships assembled in advance on the upper river by the Zhejiang Capital Commander should not be able to stop it.

The Han people who live in Hainan will most likely become cannon fodder under the enemy's firepower.

Fortunately, the Haihan people really didn't seem to have any thoughts of overstepping the rules. After the rounds of shelling near Yehuangpan Island, they gathered up the team and left Hangzhou Bay to head north. There was no extra trouble as the officials feared. Originally, their hearts were hanging on.

The officials in the air finally breathed a long sigh of relief and began to praise Qu Yutong, the prefect of Ningbo, for his meritorious service in negotiating with Haihan and single-handedly maintaining stability and peace in Zhejiang.

Zhejiang official circles mostly affirmed Qu Yutong's mediating role in this incident, believing that if he had not communicated with the Haihan people in time, even if the Haihan people had no bad intentions, this military exercise would have been ruined.

The social order in Zhejiang was in chaos. However, the various messages released by the Ningbo government quickly calmed down the public sentiment, and invited officials from various states to observe and supervise the Haihan military exercise, which indeed effectively played a role in calming people's hearts.

Even if some people have other ideas about Qu Yutong's position as prefect, they have to admit that if it were them, they might not be able to handle things as properly as Qu Yutong did.

Of course, it is not that no one has doubts about the origin of Haihan's military exercise. They even associate this suspicion with Qu Yutong, thinking that the Ningbo government can respond so quickly to Haihan's military exercise. In fact, there are reasons

Suspicion of collaborating to cause trouble. However, this suspicion did not have any actual evidence, and it could not explain the direct benefits to Qu Yutong, so this doubt was quickly buried in the continuous praise.

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The statement that was quickly accepted by the public came from the Ningbo government office, saying that the reason why Haihan arranged military exercises at this juncture was mainly because a group of troops happened to be going to the north to change defenses, and there were warships from other countries accompanying them.

It was decided to arrange this exercise in Hangzhou Bay so that this multinational force could have better collaborative combat capabilities.

The Zhoushan authorities also gave an explanation for the reason why the exercise location was arranged in Hangzhou Bay. On the one hand, it is because it is relatively close to Zhoushan Dinghai Port, so it is convenient for Haihan to clean up this sea area beforehand to prevent private ships from accidentally entering. On the other hand, it is

It was also considered to be convenient for officials from nearby Linhai prefectures and counties to go to sea to watch this military exercise, and these officials were invited to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings due to the military exercise near the Daming coast. The reason given by Haihan

It sounds high-sounding, but the way it is done makes it impossible to criticize. Although it is suspected of being disrespectful to the Zhejiang government for not asking for instructions beforehand, no one dares to put this charge on Haihan. Otherwise, can the Haihan people really be punished?

For the Zhejiang government, as long as there is peace, Haihan's minor problems can be tolerated. As for the destination of this huge Haihan fleet after heading north, most officials will not be overly concerned.

Even if there is any trouble later, it will not be Zhejiang’s trouble, and there is no need to worry about taking the blame.

Not to mention these outsiders, even within the Haihan Army, most people were notified one after another after leaving Hangzhou Bay that the destination of the fleet was not Liaodong or Shandong, but North Korea, which was separated from the Ming Dynasty by the Yellow Sea, and

It is possible that he will be stationed in North Korea for a period of time and perform some special combat missions.

As for who the opponent is, the Fleet Command still has not released more detailed information, but this cannot be hidden from the people who are interested. Most of the troops heading north this time have served in the north and have a relatively good understanding of the international situation in Northeast Asia.

It is not difficult to guess who else in this area is qualified to be Haihan's opponent.

The Ming Dynasty and North Korea established diplomatic relations with Haihan last year, and North Korea even secretly concluded a military alliance with Haihan. The common enemy of the Ming Dynasty, North Korea, and Haihan is the Qing Dynasty, which occupies the Liaodong region.

.Having fought against this opponent several times in Jinzhou before, the Haihan Army basically took the initiative. However, due to its limited strength, it could no longer continue to advance the front to the north and could only maintain a long-term confrontation with it on the Jinzhou Isthmus front.

The enemy, who had been given buffer time, did not rest in the past year. They built a large number of earth and stone bunkers on their defense lines, and gradually connected these bunkers with sections of defensive walls, forming a defensive wall several miles deep.

A densely fortified area, with heavy troops stationed in it, and even many artillery brought to Liaodong by the Ming rebels. Even the Haihan Army with heavy firepower will not be able to deal with this kind of defense line in a short time.

It can be taken down easily.

At the moment, some people speculated that the Ministry of National Defense might want to try to open a second battlefield outside Jinzhou and launch an offensive against the Qing Dynasty from North Korea, using North Korea as the rear to reduce the pressure on logistical supplies. However, this possibility is very likely

He quickly summoned a counter argument, arguing that there was no need for the Ministry of National Defense to divide its forces while taking the initiative. It would be easier to achieve results by concentrating its forces on the Liaodong Peninsula, which was far more suitable for rapidly advancing the front than the rolling mountainous areas across the North Korean border.

Regarding the war in Liaodong, these troops who have performed combat missions there before naturally have the most say. However, for the newly joined foreign troops, the far north is still a completely unfamiliar area. Zheng Ting, Xi Mang, Xu Yuzhuo

These three people have recently spent more time on the Haihan flagship than on his own ship. Wang Tom had to make special cabins on the flagship to arrange accommodation for the three of them, so that they could become familiar with the land and sea in the Yellow Sea area as soon as possible.

Map so that you can perform to your due level in the next war.

The three generals were shocked by the detailed map information Haihan had in his hands. They really couldn't understand why Haihan could master the maps of North Korea and the Qing Dynasty, but this seemed to confirm Haihan's knowledge from the side.

How did the Han Dynasty achieve consecutive battles and victories in the unfamiliar territory of Liaodong?

Wang Tom promised them without hesitation that the map in his hand was even more detailed than the official maps of the two countries, which gave the coalition generals a little more confidence in the future war.

However, the North Korean diplomat who boarded the ship from Zhoushan to join the fleet did not know this detail. This official named Jin Sangjiu was the diplomatic envoy who was stationed in Zhoushan last year and was mainly responsible for business work. North Korea and Haihan and Ming Dynasty

Trade in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is basically completed at Dinghai Port in Zhoushan, and Jin Sangjiu handles the delivery of money and goods here on behalf of the North Korean official. It is a relatively easy and lucrative job.

This time Li Xi invited Haihan reinforcements from Sanya to go north. He also notified Jin Shangjiu, who was stationed in Zhoushan, through Haihan's official radio station, and asked him to serve as a guide and go north with the Haihan fleet in person. Jin Shangjiu met at Dinghai Port

After this fleet, he was so excited that tears filled his eyes, saying that North Korea might have been saved. Before setting off from Zhoushan, Jin Sangjiu personally pledged a hundred pieces of gauze produced in Suzhou for this support.

Military supplies for soldiers.

Although Jin Sangjiu also lives on the fleet flagship, because he is not a military attaché, he is generally not arranged to participate in combat preparation meetings held by the coalition headquarters. This will only happen if certain decisions related to North Korea are made in the meeting.

Notify him. Although Jin Shangjiu was a little dissatisfied with this, he did not dare to question Wang Tom for fear of offending the "savior" who had finally been invited.

Of course, Wang Tom deliberately made such an arrangement and found a reason to exclude Jin Shangjiu so that the generals could have less scruples when formulating the battle plan. This time, Wang Tom's idea and the purpose of the executive committee were actually to send troops to North Korea.

There are some subtle differences. The Executive Committee has prepared for the worst and wants to slow down the fall of North Korea by sending troops, while Wang Tom is considering more from a military perspective, how to make good use of the limited troops at hand.

The troops formed a relatively large blow to the Qing army.

To achieve this, Wang Tom cannot think too much about the feelings of the North Koreans. What he needs is North Korea's obedience and solid logistical support. As for what the war will do to the country, whether North Korean troops should be used if necessary.

To act as cannon fodder, the less North Koreans know about these arrangements, the better. Not to mention Kim Sang-jiu, after arriving in North Korea, Wang Tom also plans to follow this plan and continue to let the North Koreans do as they are told.

Now that there are dozens of warships from Annan, Portugal, and the Fujian Navy in the fleet, Wang Tom has a lot more maritime maneuvering power at his disposal, and the tactics that can be used are naturally richer. According to

On the way, he continued to receive intelligence from the north. Wang Tom also made some adjustments to the action plan originally formulated in Sanya. Since the Qing army has not yet sent troops south to invade North Korea, the time left for his side to act will be more generous than expected, and he can

Plan in detail whether you can snipe the Qing army near the Korean border - this will definitely be much less difficult than stopping the Qing army in Korea.

In addition to Portugal, almost all senior officers of the Annan and Fujian navies have received military training from Haihan. Zheng Ting and Xu Yuzhuo also studied naval command-related subjects at the military academy in Sanya. For amphibious landings, offshore

He is also familiar with conventional tactics in environments such as raiding, seizing and defending islands, and blocking river estuaries. Therefore, he can generally understand General Haihan's intentions relatively quickly during combat preparation meetings, and can put forward some questions and suggestions.

Simao from Portugal is having a harder time. Although he also understands Chinese and even fought alongside the Haihan navy for a period of time during the Battle of Manila, in terms of the degree of integration into the Haihan tactical system, he is better than the Haihan navy in any case.

There are no "direct lineage" generals like Zheng Ting and Xu Yuzhuo. For many of the tactical arrangements listed by Wang Tom at the meeting, those two could understand it at a glance, but Xi Mang needed Wang Tom to explain it in more detail before he could slowly digest it.

, the progress is far less than the other two.

Simang was also very troubled by this. The combat environment this time going north was very different from the last time he fought the Spaniards in the South China Sea. The combat operations would not be limited to a specific area like the Battle of Manila. The entire Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea might be affected.

became a battlefield. And the tactics required are also very different. The Qing army may not have any established maritime armed forces to fight, but its army has the strength and mobility of the coalition forces heading north this time.

It is incomparable. If this force that went to North Korea to act as reinforcements wanted to achieve anything, it had to be very flexible in its tactics, rather than the offensive and defensive battles in Manila that revolved around a city.

Ximang has no doubt about the combat capabilities of the Haihan Army, but if the troops under his command cannot keep up with the Haihan Army's pace, or cannot well cooperate with the Haihan Army's combat intentions, they may become a hindrance on the battlefield.

existence, this is an unacceptable situation for him. But judging from the current situation, it may be difficult for the Portuguese fleet to integrate into Haihan's combat system like the other two fleets, and it is likely to be assigned to complete some unfamiliar tasks.

Such urgent tasks, such as transporting logistical equipment for combat troops.

But this is not the purpose of Simao's troops coming to the north. After the Battle of Manila, Portugal must once again prove to Haihan that it has the ability to become Haihan's most reliable partner in a larger area. It is necessary to allow Portugal to

Establish new trade routes in Northeast Asia. But if this fleet traveled all the way to North Korea and was only used as a logistics supply fleet, what would be the attitude of the Haihan Executive Committee towards Portugal's new route requirements after the war?

, the results are self-evident.

Therefore, Simang was holding back a lot of energy in his heart and did not want Wang Tom to underestimate his troops. Fortunately, the Portuguese had performed very bravely and decisively in the Battle of Manila, which left a deep impression on Wang Tom and other generals, so

Although Simang showed various discomforts at the combat preparatory meeting on the way north, Wang Tom and others still showed enough patience and trust, and did not rush to adjust the combat missions originally responsible for the Portuguese fleet.

On the afternoon of the third day after leaving Hangzhou Bay, the leading force of the northward fleet had entered the waters of Jeju Island at the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula. However, the local area of ​​Jeju Island did not seem to receive the notice. After discovering this huge fleet, the fishing boats and merchants offshore chose

Return to Hong Kong quickly to avoid the limelight.
Chapter completed!