Chapter 1512
Showing off force
Chapter 1512 Showing off force
However, Mei Shengchuan immediately realized a problem. Since the people of Dongjiang Town fought side by side with the Haihan Army in Liaodong, they must have seen or even contacted these powerful weapons of Haihan. The details of these weapons are vague, and they are all mentioned in one stroke.Is Dongjiang Town's Chief Soldier Shen Shikui intentionally concealing the relevant military information about Haihan? If so, what is the reason and purpose of Dongjiang Town's actions? Are they still loyal to Daming, or are they holding Haihan's thighs so much that they have changed their stance? Thinking of this series of questions, Chuan couldn't help but feel a little headache.
After watching the army exercise in the morning and having a simple lunch, the afternoon itinerary was another naval exercise.Of course, Mei Shengchuan understood that this arrangement was not entirely a friendly intention. The Haihans made it clear that they wanted to shock themselves by showing off their force.But even if he knew the other party's plan, he couldn't refuse such an arrangement. Yu Gong had to use this form to understand Haihan's military strength and collect relevant information for Daming. To know how many secret weapons Haihan has in the end is still unknown to outsiders.
The changing of the guard fleet that has just arrived at Lushun consists of six Expedition-class warships, four Expedition-class warships, four comprehensive supply ships, two troop transport ships and two high-speed reconnaissance ships.Although there is no "majestic" flagship in the array, such a lineup is enough to make Mei Shengchuan sigh.After the Denglai Rebellion, the Bohai Bay area in the northern part of the Ming Dynasty no longer had a complete navy unit, and the armed fleet of Haihan was obviously in much better condition.
In fact, there are not too many Daming officers who have visited the Haihan Navy drills. There are few senior officers above the rank of thousands in the coastal prefectures of Fuguang and Guangxi who have not seen the powerful Haihan Navy.Every time Haihan conducts military exercises along the coast of Fuguang and Guangxi, or even in the waters of the South China Sea, he will invite officers from various prefectures to visit.However, after these military intelligence reached the state capital level, it was terminated here tacitly, and was not fed back to the Ministry of War through official official channels.Although spy organizations such as Jinyiwei and Dongchang have collected some military intelligence more or less, their detailed and credible level is far from enough to attract enough attention from the court and the Ministry of War, and many of them are intentionally released by Haihan misleading information.
Therefore, under the intentional manipulation of Haihan, the military intelligence held by Daming showed a very strange situation. Detailed battle reports; on the other hand, regarding the weapons Haihan used, the warships equipped, the ammunition used, and the specific tactics used by the Haihan army in the battle, they were completely muddled, and there was not much precise information. specific data of the letter.
As a result, the Ming court's impression of Haihan's military strength remained at the level of constant victories and undefeated for a long time, but they did not know much about specific military intelligence.In this way, when the Ming court wanted to use troops against Haihan, when it tried to formulate a combat plan, it would find that the valuable information that could be referred to was really limited, and it was simply not enough to formulate a complete and thorough combat plan.In addition, due to various interests, the local officials did not cooperate very well with the court's intention to raise troops against Haihan, so the situation in the south was delayed again and again, and finally the court also realized that Haihan was in the army. When the control area in the south can no longer be simply disintegrated through local battles, the choice of starting a war can no longer be used as an active option for the Ming Dynasty.
From an intelligence point of view, this is actually a special combat method, but when Daming realized this, Haihan had already taken the initiative on the battlefield.As a current high-ranking official of the Ministry of War, Mei Shengchuan naturally understands the suffering of Daming. It is not that he has never thought of breaking this vicious circle, but he is suffering from the fact that there is no one who can fully trust in the south to complete such a task.In the past, there were some military attachés who tried to use the Haihan military to obtain military intelligence, but the lives of these brave attempters mostly ended in accidental deaths or mysterious disappearances. Over time, more and more people chose rationally. To get money instead of risking your life.
However, Mei Shengchuan wanted to take this opportunity to visit Liaodong, and try to see if he could not only take the money, but also collect the military intelligence he was interested in.He considers himself to be the Minister of War, and he can be regarded as a messenger representing Daming to discuss the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Even if the Haihan people realize that their intentions are not so simple, they should not embarrass themselves.
And now the Haihan people have arranged this kind of inspection activity on their own, and for Mei Shengchuan, it is as comfortable as a sleepy encounter with a pillow.Immediately, he happily took the carriage to Port Lvshun and boarded the sailboat arranged by the Haihan military.
The naval combat drills of the Haihan Navy basically have fixed routines, especially the drills that are specially displayed to outsiders. They are all lively and how to come. The high-speed movement of the combat queue and artillery shooting are enough to make people who have not experienced naval battles. People's blood vessels are stretched.
It just so happened that Mei Shengchuan was an official who had never participated in naval battles. Although the live ammunition of the Haihan warship was only aimed at the coast, it was not difficult for Mei Shengchuan to figure out that a Ming warship was ravaged by such artillery fire. What a tragedy it will be.Dongjiang Town said in the secret report that "Haihan warships can be one hundred at sea, and defeating the enemy is like chopping melons and vegetables." Now it seems that this description is not completely boasting.Ordinary wooden warships are under such artillery bombardment, isn't it just like vegetables on a chopping board?
"Similar to this kind of warship, our navy has already equipped hundreds of them." Sha Xi gave Mei Shengchuan another heavy hammer at the right time.In fact, the Haihan Navy has not yet reached such a large scale. Sha Xi's words are actually bragging.Of course, if the troop carrier, supply ship, and reconnaissance ship are all counted in the warship, then it makes sense.
Mei Shengchuan calculated in his heart that such a fleet would have to mobilize several times the number of warships to have a chance to fight five to five times, but I heard that this is not the most powerful warship of the Haihan Navy, but I do not know that What is the existence of the Haihan Warship of the Butcher at Sea?
As if seeing through the doubts in Mei Shengchuan's heart, Sha Xi continued to introduce to him: "As for the flagship of my Northern Fleet, the Majestic, it has been out for combat missions recently. I believe that Mr. Mei will have a chance to see it in a few days."
After watching the exercises of the Haihan Navy, Mei Shengchuan did have a more intuitive understanding of its strength, but at the same time, he also diminished the idea of starting a war with Haihan.Although he has not experienced naval battles before, how to fight at sea and what common combat methods are described in various military books. He has also spent time studying them. It can be said that he still understands the common tactics of naval battles.However, the tactics displayed by the Haihan Fleet were obviously beyond his understanding. Such tactics of directly using artillery fire to destroy the enemy at a longer fighting distance were completely unimaginable in the past, because Daming's warships did not have any. Such a weapon configuration, naturally, there has never been a similar tactic.
And how to crack such a tactic, the only thing Mei Shengchuan can think of now is to stay away from the Haihan Fleet on the battlefield.Extending the front line may even have a chance to cut off the supply lines of the Haihan people.But he woke up immediately, how could this so-called tactic be returned to the court?Besides, the battle line of the Haihan people was drawn from the South China Sea to Liaodong, and the voyage of thousands of miles was long enough. Obviously, the simple distance could not stop the actions of the Haihan fleet.
There are a lot of Ming officers who have visited the Haihan Fleet's drill, and there are certainly not a few people who can think of such a response method, but who would dare to report such a weak idea as a tactic.The most sensible way, of course, is to be vague about the specific tactics and strength of the Haihan Navy, and to confuse it.At this time, Mei Shengchuan seemed to understand a little bit why the Ministry of War had never been able to obtain reliable Haihan military information. If he reported the truth, he would definitely be criticized for raising the enemy's morale and destroying his own prestige. He was definitely charged with fear of war.
Thinking of the consequences, Mei Shengchuan could only secretly complain about it. The strength of the two armies was too different, and ordinary tactics simply couldn't work.In the early years, Shaxi had contact with many Daming officials, and he was quite aware of the changes in his mentality during his visit to the military exercise, and he continued to exert invisible pressure on Mei Shengchuan: "Mr. With an open mind, even in the military field, I never intend to hide it. Our country is very happy to provide Daming with a complete set of military assistance plans, including weapons and equipment, personnel training, joint operations, etc. "
"But these so-called aids are definitely not free, right? Mr. Sha might as well tell us what your conditions are. I heard that you have funded a lot of local troops in the south." Mei Shengchuan heard Sha Xi take the initiative to mention it. After military assistance, he calmed down and planned to take a good look at how Haihan used the so-called "military assistance" to garrison troops in the southern coastal states.
"Of course it won't be free. Although we Haihan people are kind and generous, we don't just do charity." Seeing that the other party was interested in listening, Sha Xi seized this opportunity and started to show his eloquence: "But the military aid we provide is not enough. It is not necessary to obtain returns through cash transactions. In fact, many garrison troops in the south receive military assistance from us without paying the price of money. As long as the local garrison is willing to provide us with certain conveniences, or even cooperate with us , the conditions can actually be negotiated slowly. Does Mr. Mei know Mr. Xu Xinsu, the general soldier in Fujian?"
Mei Shengchuan nodded slightly and replied, "Master Xu has a lot of business in Fujian. He is known to be rich and rivals the country, and he has repeatedly rejected the imperial court's appointment to recruit him to Beijing. This official naturally knows that."
Shaxi took it as an example and said: "Master Xu was one of the first military attaches in the south to cooperate with my country. The original intention of cooperating with my country was to eliminate the Shibazhi pirate gang that endangered the maritime security of Fuguang and Guangxi. Provided by us With weapons and personnel training, it took less than three years to completely wipe out the [-] pirates who had roamed the Fuguang waters for many years. In the following years, the southern coast was very peaceful, and the maritime trade business made a lot of money. I'm not afraid to tell the truth. Master Mei, Master Xu is like a native emperor in Fujian, if you want soldiers and soldiers, if you want money and money, why should you go to Beijing to become an official and get angry?"
Mei Shengchuan thought that Xu Xinsu was so arrogant that he didn't take the appointment of the court seriously, and it wasn't because he had you behind him to support him.However, the Fujian navy is now known as the first navy of the Ming Dynasty, and it is also inseparable from the military assistance of Haihan.
Sha Xi continued: "To be honest with Mr. Mei, in addition to the troops from Dongjiang Town, there are also Ming army officers from the Fuguang area in the south. What they have learned here is probably a lifetime of soldiers in the south It is difficult to reach. The military assistance provided by our country is not only the sale of weapons, but related military skills training is also a very important part.”
Mei Shengchuan thought to himself that the targets of this military training were all Ming army officers. No wonder the troops in the southern coastal states were so silent. These officers were half Haihans, so how could they go against Haihans?The name of the Haihan people is military aid, but in fact, they took the opportunity to dig a wall, so that the local garrison in Daming gradually deteriorated.Even people who can withstand this kind of training and brainwashing may not be able to withstand the money offensive.Mei Shengchuan thought that he was short-handed, let alone these local officials.
After watching the drill of the Haihan Navy, Mei Shengchuan not only did not feel that his curiosity was satisfied, but he felt even more uneasy.The strength of the Haihan Fleet is in front of us, and it is only more powerful than the rumored description. Mei Shengchuan has no doubt that if the Haihan Fleet moves westward into the Bohai Bay, only the ships of the Daming Navy stationed in the Bohai Sea will not be at all. The law stopped this division of tigers and wolves.
Although Sha Xi raised the issue of military assistance, Mei Shengchuan did not express his attitude towards it at the moment.He realized that there were too many conspiracies of the Haihan people behind this measure. Once it was accepted, the future direction of the Ming army might undergo qualitative changes.Mei Shengchuan couldn't imagine what it would be like if Daming's army was no longer loyal to the emperor and the court.Even if he received the benefits from Haihan, he was never willing to sell out Daming's interests completely, but just hoped to find a balance between personal gain and peace between the two countries.
Although Sha Xi did not mention whether this issue would affect the final negotiation result of the two parties, Mei Shengchuan could have a hunch that there was still room for manoeuvre in the middle, because he knew that in addition to Sha Xi, there were also higher-level people in Liaodong. Haihan officials will meet with him at a later date.Perhaps every word spoken by the two sides at that time will truly become a trace left in history.
(End of this chapter)
However, Mei Shengchuan immediately realized a problem. Since the people of Dongjiang Town fought side by side with the Haihan Army in Liaodong, they must have seen or even contacted these powerful weapons of Haihan. The details of these weapons are vague, and they are all mentioned in one stroke.Is Dongjiang Town's Chief Soldier Shen Shikui intentionally concealing the relevant military information about Haihan? If so, what is the reason and purpose of Dongjiang Town's actions? Are they still loyal to Daming, or are they holding Haihan's thighs so much that they have changed their stance? Thinking of this series of questions, Chuan couldn't help but feel a little headache.
After watching the army exercise in the morning and having a simple lunch, the afternoon itinerary was another naval exercise.Of course, Mei Shengchuan understood that this arrangement was not entirely a friendly intention. The Haihans made it clear that they wanted to shock themselves by showing off their force.But even if he knew the other party's plan, he couldn't refuse such an arrangement. Yu Gong had to use this form to understand Haihan's military strength and collect relevant information for Daming. To know how many secret weapons Haihan has in the end is still unknown to outsiders.
The changing of the guard fleet that has just arrived at Lushun consists of six Expedition-class warships, four Expedition-class warships, four comprehensive supply ships, two troop transport ships and two high-speed reconnaissance ships.Although there is no "majestic" flagship in the array, such a lineup is enough to make Mei Shengchuan sigh.After the Denglai Rebellion, the Bohai Bay area in the northern part of the Ming Dynasty no longer had a complete navy unit, and the armed fleet of Haihan was obviously in much better condition.
In fact, there are not too many Daming officers who have visited the Haihan Navy drills. There are few senior officers above the rank of thousands in the coastal prefectures of Fuguang and Guangxi who have not seen the powerful Haihan Navy.Every time Haihan conducts military exercises along the coast of Fuguang and Guangxi, or even in the waters of the South China Sea, he will invite officers from various prefectures to visit.However, after these military intelligence reached the state capital level, it was terminated here tacitly, and was not fed back to the Ministry of War through official official channels.Although spy organizations such as Jinyiwei and Dongchang have collected some military intelligence more or less, their detailed and credible level is far from enough to attract enough attention from the court and the Ministry of War, and many of them are intentionally released by Haihan misleading information.
Therefore, under the intentional manipulation of Haihan, the military intelligence held by Daming showed a very strange situation. Detailed battle reports; on the other hand, regarding the weapons Haihan used, the warships equipped, the ammunition used, and the specific tactics used by the Haihan army in the battle, they were completely muddled, and there was not much precise information. specific data of the letter.
As a result, the Ming court's impression of Haihan's military strength remained at the level of constant victories and undefeated for a long time, but they did not know much about specific military intelligence.In this way, when the Ming court wanted to use troops against Haihan, when it tried to formulate a combat plan, it would find that the valuable information that could be referred to was really limited, and it was simply not enough to formulate a complete and thorough combat plan.In addition, due to various interests, the local officials did not cooperate very well with the court's intention to raise troops against Haihan, so the situation in the south was delayed again and again, and finally the court also realized that Haihan was in the army. When the control area in the south can no longer be simply disintegrated through local battles, the choice of starting a war can no longer be used as an active option for the Ming Dynasty.
From an intelligence point of view, this is actually a special combat method, but when Daming realized this, Haihan had already taken the initiative on the battlefield.As a current high-ranking official of the Ministry of War, Mei Shengchuan naturally understands the suffering of Daming. It is not that he has never thought of breaking this vicious circle, but he is suffering from the fact that there is no one who can fully trust in the south to complete such a task.In the past, there were some military attachés who tried to use the Haihan military to obtain military intelligence, but the lives of these brave attempters mostly ended in accidental deaths or mysterious disappearances. Over time, more and more people chose rationally. To get money instead of risking your life.
However, Mei Shengchuan wanted to take this opportunity to visit Liaodong, and try to see if he could not only take the money, but also collect the military intelligence he was interested in.He considers himself to be the Minister of War, and he can be regarded as a messenger representing Daming to discuss the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Even if the Haihan people realize that their intentions are not so simple, they should not embarrass themselves.
And now the Haihan people have arranged this kind of inspection activity on their own, and for Mei Shengchuan, it is as comfortable as a sleepy encounter with a pillow.Immediately, he happily took the carriage to Port Lvshun and boarded the sailboat arranged by the Haihan military.
The naval combat drills of the Haihan Navy basically have fixed routines, especially the drills that are specially displayed to outsiders. They are all lively and how to come. The high-speed movement of the combat queue and artillery shooting are enough to make people who have not experienced naval battles. People's blood vessels are stretched.
It just so happened that Mei Shengchuan was an official who had never participated in naval battles. Although the live ammunition of the Haihan warship was only aimed at the coast, it was not difficult for Mei Shengchuan to figure out that a Ming warship was ravaged by such artillery fire. What a tragedy it will be.Dongjiang Town said in the secret report that "Haihan warships can be one hundred at sea, and defeating the enemy is like chopping melons and vegetables." Now it seems that this description is not completely boasting.Ordinary wooden warships are under such artillery bombardment, isn't it just like vegetables on a chopping board?
"Similar to this kind of warship, our navy has already equipped hundreds of them." Sha Xi gave Mei Shengchuan another heavy hammer at the right time.In fact, the Haihan Navy has not yet reached such a large scale. Sha Xi's words are actually bragging.Of course, if the troop carrier, supply ship, and reconnaissance ship are all counted in the warship, then it makes sense.
Mei Shengchuan calculated in his heart that such a fleet would have to mobilize several times the number of warships to have a chance to fight five to five times, but I heard that this is not the most powerful warship of the Haihan Navy, but I do not know that What is the existence of the Haihan Warship of the Butcher at Sea?
As if seeing through the doubts in Mei Shengchuan's heart, Sha Xi continued to introduce to him: "As for the flagship of my Northern Fleet, the Majestic, it has been out for combat missions recently. I believe that Mr. Mei will have a chance to see it in a few days."
After watching the exercises of the Haihan Navy, Mei Shengchuan did have a more intuitive understanding of its strength, but at the same time, he also diminished the idea of starting a war with Haihan.Although he has not experienced naval battles before, how to fight at sea and what common combat methods are described in various military books. He has also spent time studying them. It can be said that he still understands the common tactics of naval battles.However, the tactics displayed by the Haihan Fleet were obviously beyond his understanding. Such tactics of directly using artillery fire to destroy the enemy at a longer fighting distance were completely unimaginable in the past, because Daming's warships did not have any. Such a weapon configuration, naturally, there has never been a similar tactic.
And how to crack such a tactic, the only thing Mei Shengchuan can think of now is to stay away from the Haihan Fleet on the battlefield.Extending the front line may even have a chance to cut off the supply lines of the Haihan people.But he woke up immediately, how could this so-called tactic be returned to the court?Besides, the battle line of the Haihan people was drawn from the South China Sea to Liaodong, and the voyage of thousands of miles was long enough. Obviously, the simple distance could not stop the actions of the Haihan fleet.
There are a lot of Ming officers who have visited the Haihan Fleet's drill, and there are certainly not a few people who can think of such a response method, but who would dare to report such a weak idea as a tactic.The most sensible way, of course, is to be vague about the specific tactics and strength of the Haihan Navy, and to confuse it.At this time, Mei Shengchuan seemed to understand a little bit why the Ministry of War had never been able to obtain reliable Haihan military information. If he reported the truth, he would definitely be criticized for raising the enemy's morale and destroying his own prestige. He was definitely charged with fear of war.
Thinking of the consequences, Mei Shengchuan could only secretly complain about it. The strength of the two armies was too different, and ordinary tactics simply couldn't work.In the early years, Shaxi had contact with many Daming officials, and he was quite aware of the changes in his mentality during his visit to the military exercise, and he continued to exert invisible pressure on Mei Shengchuan: "Mr. With an open mind, even in the military field, I never intend to hide it. Our country is very happy to provide Daming with a complete set of military assistance plans, including weapons and equipment, personnel training, joint operations, etc. "
"But these so-called aids are definitely not free, right? Mr. Sha might as well tell us what your conditions are. I heard that you have funded a lot of local troops in the south." Mei Shengchuan heard Sha Xi take the initiative to mention it. After military assistance, he calmed down and planned to take a good look at how Haihan used the so-called "military assistance" to garrison troops in the southern coastal states.
"Of course it won't be free. Although we Haihan people are kind and generous, we don't just do charity." Seeing that the other party was interested in listening, Sha Xi seized this opportunity and started to show his eloquence: "But the military aid we provide is not enough. It is not necessary to obtain returns through cash transactions. In fact, many garrison troops in the south receive military assistance from us without paying the price of money. As long as the local garrison is willing to provide us with certain conveniences, or even cooperate with us , the conditions can actually be negotiated slowly. Does Mr. Mei know Mr. Xu Xinsu, the general soldier in Fujian?"
Mei Shengchuan nodded slightly and replied, "Master Xu has a lot of business in Fujian. He is known to be rich and rivals the country, and he has repeatedly rejected the imperial court's appointment to recruit him to Beijing. This official naturally knows that."
Shaxi took it as an example and said: "Master Xu was one of the first military attaches in the south to cooperate with my country. The original intention of cooperating with my country was to eliminate the Shibazhi pirate gang that endangered the maritime security of Fuguang and Guangxi. Provided by us With weapons and personnel training, it took less than three years to completely wipe out the [-] pirates who had roamed the Fuguang waters for many years. In the following years, the southern coast was very peaceful, and the maritime trade business made a lot of money. I'm not afraid to tell the truth. Master Mei, Master Xu is like a native emperor in Fujian, if you want soldiers and soldiers, if you want money and money, why should you go to Beijing to become an official and get angry?"
Mei Shengchuan thought that Xu Xinsu was so arrogant that he didn't take the appointment of the court seriously, and it wasn't because he had you behind him to support him.However, the Fujian navy is now known as the first navy of the Ming Dynasty, and it is also inseparable from the military assistance of Haihan.
Sha Xi continued: "To be honest with Mr. Mei, in addition to the troops from Dongjiang Town, there are also Ming army officers from the Fuguang area in the south. What they have learned here is probably a lifetime of soldiers in the south It is difficult to reach. The military assistance provided by our country is not only the sale of weapons, but related military skills training is also a very important part.”
Mei Shengchuan thought to himself that the targets of this military training were all Ming army officers. No wonder the troops in the southern coastal states were so silent. These officers were half Haihans, so how could they go against Haihans?The name of the Haihan people is military aid, but in fact, they took the opportunity to dig a wall, so that the local garrison in Daming gradually deteriorated.Even people who can withstand this kind of training and brainwashing may not be able to withstand the money offensive.Mei Shengchuan thought that he was short-handed, let alone these local officials.
After watching the drill of the Haihan Navy, Mei Shengchuan not only did not feel that his curiosity was satisfied, but he felt even more uneasy.The strength of the Haihan Fleet is in front of us, and it is only more powerful than the rumored description. Mei Shengchuan has no doubt that if the Haihan Fleet moves westward into the Bohai Bay, only the ships of the Daming Navy stationed in the Bohai Sea will not be at all. The law stopped this division of tigers and wolves.
Although Sha Xi raised the issue of military assistance, Mei Shengchuan did not express his attitude towards it at the moment.He realized that there were too many conspiracies of the Haihan people behind this measure. Once it was accepted, the future direction of the Ming army might undergo qualitative changes.Mei Shengchuan couldn't imagine what it would be like if Daming's army was no longer loyal to the emperor and the court.Even if he received the benefits from Haihan, he was never willing to sell out Daming's interests completely, but just hoped to find a balance between personal gain and peace between the two countries.
Although Sha Xi did not mention whether this issue would affect the final negotiation result of the two parties, Mei Shengchuan could have a hunch that there was still room for manoeuvre in the middle, because he knew that in addition to Sha Xi, there were also higher-level people in Liaodong. Haihan officials will meet with him at a later date.Perhaps every word spoken by the two sides at that time will truly become a trace left in history.
(End of this chapter)