Chapter 2101
Chapter 2101
Chapter 2101
"The military parade on Zhoushan Island is mainly divided into two parts: sea and land. Later, the army will pass in front of this stand. There are not many troops, but you can see the guns and cannons of the Haihan people. The armed fleet that will leave the sea later If it is the main force, then the scene will be different, everyone has to watch carefully, there is really no chance to see the Haihan Navy go out collectively."
Sitting next to Ma Zhengping was a talkative old man who enthusiastically introduced the situation of the military parade to his neighbors. It seemed that this was not the first time he had participated in this event.
Ma Zhengping accosted, "It seems that you have seen Xiongtai many times?"
The man nodded and replied: "I dare not say too much, there are still three or four times. The size of the Haihan army stationed in Zhoushan is getting bigger every year, and the military parade is still very interesting. If it is the first time, brother Once you see it, it’s the right time.”
After chatting with Ma Zhengping, he realized that this businessman named Xuan Xiangming was a native of Ningbo Prefecture. He had come to Zhoushan Island to do textile business with Haihan people in the seventh year of Chongzhen, and now he would come here seven or eight times a year. The island also has its own business store, which can be regarded as Haihan's senior trading partner.
Ma Zhengping came in a hurry this time, and he didn't find a guide in advance. It happened that there were many questions about Haihan that no one could answer. The appearance of Xuan Xiangming solved his troubles at once, almost Answering all questions gave Ma Zhengping a general understanding of the situation of the Zhoushan garrison.
Of course, Xuan Xiangming is just a businessman and not a professional spy, so most of his knowledge of the Zhoushan garrison comes from his continuous observation over the past few years and the information he learned after contacting some Haihan officials. It's a military secret, so if you say it in such a public place, you don't have to worry about being investigated by the Haihan people.
At present, Haihan's troops stationed on Zhoushan Island are mainly based on the East China Sea Fleet. The strength and organization of the entire fleet are naturally military secrets, and it is difficult for the outside world to know the specific figures.However, there is still an infantry battalion of the Haihan Army stationed on Zhoushan Island.According to the establishment of the Haihan Army, a battalion has about 800 to [-] people, so the size of the army stationed on the island is semi-public information.
Of course, even if the nearby coastal state capitals know that the Haihan Army stationed on Zhoushan Island is not strong, they will not have any other ideas, because the civil and military officials are very clear that the Haihan Navy can block Hangzhou Bay even if they disagree. The powerful power, that is the existence that really makes them afraid.Any armed force that wants to attack Zhoushan Island has to pass the Haihan Navy first.As for the navy of the Ming army in the coastal prefectures of Zhejiang, except for Hangzhou, which still maintains a certain scale of troops, the other prefectures basically only have a written establishment.
As long as Haihan does not take the initiative to mobilize troops against Daming and send troops to invade the mainland, the coastal state capitals will also tacitly pretend to be deaf to the existence of the Shanghai Han army on Zhoushan Island. Take the initiative to break this balance.
Although the actions taken by the Zhoushan garrison against the salt merchants in Yangzhou caused a lot of casualties in the local area, the personnel involved in the action have never disclosed their identities in the local area. Therefore, the Yangzhou government pretended that nothing happened. Even if they knew that Haihan people were involved, they had no intention of holding Zhoushan accountable.
Of course, Ma Zhengping is sure that the civil and military officials of Yangzhou Prefecture also understand that if they want to ask the Zhoushan authorities for an explanation, they will probably be ignored, and they will just lose face.As for the self-sufficiency of sending troops, the local officials should have never considered it at all.Doing nothing is the best way to deal with it, so in the past few months, no one came to Zhoushan to trouble Haihan because of the Yangzhou incident.
On Zhoushan Island, because of the comprehensive guards provided by the Haihan garrison, the trading environment here is naturally extraordinarily safe. Whether it is a legal business or a trend trade businessman, they are all willing to come to Dinghai Port for transactions.The annual Haihan National Day Celebration and related military parades also gave these businessmen enough confidence in the security environment here, so that they could entrust their wealth here with confidence and boldness.
"Doing business here, don't you really have to worry about being targeted by villains with ulterior motives?" Ma Zhengping asked a question that he was very concerned about.He knew that officials like Yang Yun would not get a real answer to this question, but perhaps Xuan Xiangming, who was very familiar with Zhoushan Island, could tell him the truth.
"Brother, look around, there are Haihan soldiers staring at this place everywhere! Don't forget, this is Zhoushan Island!" Xuan Xiangming said mockingly: "It's an old birthday boy who hangs himself if he wants to make trouble here. It’s too long! The Haihan people have their own set of harsh laws, and they don’t punish criminals according to the Ming law. Once they are convicted of a felony, they will be forced to be sent overseas as hard labor. Maybe even the bones will be difficult to return home after death. How many people Dare to take such a risk? Besides, there are many legitimate opportunities to make money in this place, as long as you use your brain, it is not difficult to find a way to make money, so why take risks!"
Although these places in Zhoushan had the name of free ports before Haihan occupied them, various armed forces were entrenched on the island, and dragons and snakes were mixed together. In fact, the transaction risk was extremely high.After Haihan occupied this place, he re-established the trading rules and used the army to maintain the social order on the island, making this place one of the most important trading ports on the eastern coast of Daming in just a few years.
Haihan officials are very clear about what kind of trading environment can attract more businessmen, and safety is an essential factor.Dinghai Port's good and stable public security environment and comprehensive security system are indeed very attractive to merchants.Their goods and money will be effectively protected by the government on the island, and those who try to challenge the law and order will be severely punished by the government.Therefore, from the outside world, the army stationed on Zhoushan Island seems to symbolize the military pressure exerted by Haihan, but for these merchants, the Haihan army is the guarantee of order and security, and it is a powerful force that can provide them with shelter.
As for the hostility towards Haihan, some people may have it, but in the face of huge interests, most people who come to the island will choose to compromise, and then the edges and corners are gradually smoothed by Haihan's powerful strength.As for the few guys who feel dissatisfied and must do something to be comfortable, most of them, as Xuan Xiangming said, were caught and convicted by Haihan and sent directly to other places overseas to serve their sentences, and their whereabouts were completely gone. information.
Ma Zhengping is a smart person, and after listening to Xuan Xiangming's explanation, he roughly understood the reason. The other party's positive evaluation of Zhoushan was so high, which made Ma Zhengping further affirmed the idea of buying property here.
He was waiting to learn more about the rules for purchasing property on the island from the other party, when Xuan Xiangming pointed to the distance and said, "Look, look, the Haihan Army team has come out!"
Ma Zhengping quickly calmed down and returned his attention to the military parade right now.Before he came to Zhoushan, he had never seen the formation of the Haihan army, and after going to the island, he only saw some soldiers sporadically, and it was only at this moment that he witnessed the style of the Haihan army marching in formation.
A red and blue double-color flag fluttered at the front of the team, followed by a marching phalanx with Haihan characteristics. All the muskets in the hands of the soldiers were inserted with gleaming bayonets, which made the entire phalanx far away. It looks more like a traditional spearman than a firearms unit.
The people on the side of the road continued to cheer, but they still couldn't cover up the unified footsteps of the army's phalanxes. If the road hadn't been sprinkled with water in advance, I believe that the road would have been covered with dust by this time.
When Ma Zhengping was in Yangzhou, he also watched the Ming army's drills. He had to admit that in terms of marching alone, the Haihan army's phalanx marched in a uniform manner, which was indeed better than the Ming army.However, if he knows a little bit about military affairs, he will know that this gap is not surprising. The Haihan army is mainly composed of musketeers, and maintaining a neat formation while marching is a compulsory course, and the requirements for this are higher than those of the Ming army. There are many, so it is only a matter of cleaning up if it is better than the performance of the Ming army.Of course, this neat formation after long-term practice is very visually impactful, and it is perfect for this kind of military parade that demonstrates force.
At this time, Shi Diwen and his officials had already stood up first, and other spectators in the stands also got up after seeing this.Although Ma Zhengping didn't know why, he saw the people around him standing up, so he also stood up, and then he saw that the army phalanx changed its marching rhythm when passing the stands, and at the same time shouted some kind of slogan loudly. Shi Diwen also raised his hand to salute the phalanx in the audience, which seems to be the unique inspection process of the Haihan Army.
But Ma Zhengping's attention was already attracted by the team behind the phalanx, which were several army field guns pulled by pack horses.Although the army establishment on the island is only one battalion, the artillery is not too small, ranging from the smallest 85mm caliber light artillery to 155mm large caliber guns, and even the team finally used four horses to build a 235mm caliber The siege cannons acted as pressure arrays.Of course, a siege cannon like this is basically just a prop to scare people. If the Zhoushan garrison was not assigned the task of attacking the strong city, it is estimated that there would be no chance to use this level of heavy weapons.
Although the horses were only used to swagger through the city, this did not prevent the audience who saw these artillery from starting to imagine the scenes of these weapons showing their prowess on the battlefield.Most of the people who often come to Zhoushan Island have heard through various channels that the Haihan army severely damaged the Qing army on the Liaodong battlefield, and the large number of artillery installed in the Haihan army was therefore mysterious, and all kinds of exaggerated There are endless rumors, but all of them have blown the artillery of the Haihan Army into a big killer that can destroy the world.
Although Ma Zhengping was in Yangzhou, he had heard such rumors more or less.However, he personally does not believe in the authenticity of these rumors. He believes that although the Haihan army is strong, it should not be as strong as the rumors. Otherwise, using these big killers to attack the capital of the Qing Dynasty and destroy it once and for all , Why do you have to fight the Qing army in Liaodong for many years.
But when he really saw these dark steel weapons slowly passing by in front of the stands, goose bumps still appeared on Ma Zhengping's back.Although he hadn't actually seen the scene of artillery combat, he also subconsciously felt that the power of this weapon was indeed beyond human power.
After the artillery team passed the stands, all the parade troops belonging to the army had already appeared.Followed by the militia on Zhoushan Island, there is only a phalanx of less than 200 people. This formation is much worse than the professional soldiers in front, but in Ma Zhengping's view, it should also be compared with the Ming army. The level of performance is comparable.
However, the people on the side of the road opposite the stands did not lose their enthusiasm at all because these people were militiamen. On the contrary, they cheered even louder.Ma Zhengping didn't understand the mystery, so he asked Xuan Xiangming next to him for advice.
Xuan Xiangming said: "The Haihan troops stationed on the island are all transferred from other places, and most of these militiamen are selected from the local islanders. Many of the people on the opposite side are their relatives and friends. Naturally, the clamor will be louder. Bigger."
Ma Zhengping suddenly realized, and then asked: "Then these militiamen, will they be transformed into the official Haihan army in the future?"
Xuan Xiangming nodded and said: "My brother can see clearly that some of the best among them will indeed be selected by the army, and this is one of the main reasons why they become militiamen."
Ma Zhengping asked in surprise, "Why is this? Could it be that the Haihan Army pays extremely high salaries?"
Xuan Xiangming said: "As long as you enter the Haihan Army, you will automatically obtain Haihan nationality immediately, and then you will have all the land and houses. As for the military salary, it will be calculated separately. Do you think this condition is very attractive?"
Ma Zhengping was quite surprised after hearing this. He also knew that Haihan had been recruiting immigrants from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, but he did not expect that Haihan gave the soldiers such high treatment that these people would give up their nationality to work for them in order to obtain those treatment. Haihan is a soldier.Daming would definitely not be able to give such a high military salary, and probably only the wealthy Haihan Kingdom could do this.
However, Ma Zhengping was unaware that the land properties allocated by Haihan to these military immigrants would not be cashed in until after the service period expired, unless their family members were willing to obey the allocation and immediately move to the south to settle down.Moreover, these fields are not located in the Ming Dynasty, but immigrant villages in various places in the South China Sea. Most of the land that can be allocated is not cultivated land, but wasteland that needs to be reclaimed and cultivated by itself. .
Of course, even with many restrictions, this is still very attractive to those who have no property and are eager to own their own land and property.Therefore, among the immigrants recruited from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions every year, there will be a considerable number of young and strong people who choose to enlist in the army to obtain such treatment, and some of them will stay in Zhoushan Island as militiamen, but in fact these people are basically selected by Shi Diwen Most of the personnel intercepted afterwards will directly supplement the establishment of the East China Sea Fleet in the future.
(End of this chapter)
"The military parade on Zhoushan Island is mainly divided into two parts: sea and land. Later, the army will pass in front of this stand. There are not many troops, but you can see the guns and cannons of the Haihan people. The armed fleet that will leave the sea later If it is the main force, then the scene will be different, everyone has to watch carefully, there is really no chance to see the Haihan Navy go out collectively."
Sitting next to Ma Zhengping was a talkative old man who enthusiastically introduced the situation of the military parade to his neighbors. It seemed that this was not the first time he had participated in this event.
Ma Zhengping accosted, "It seems that you have seen Xiongtai many times?"
The man nodded and replied: "I dare not say too much, there are still three or four times. The size of the Haihan army stationed in Zhoushan is getting bigger every year, and the military parade is still very interesting. If it is the first time, brother Once you see it, it’s the right time.”
After chatting with Ma Zhengping, he realized that this businessman named Xuan Xiangming was a native of Ningbo Prefecture. He had come to Zhoushan Island to do textile business with Haihan people in the seventh year of Chongzhen, and now he would come here seven or eight times a year. The island also has its own business store, which can be regarded as Haihan's senior trading partner.
Ma Zhengping came in a hurry this time, and he didn't find a guide in advance. It happened that there were many questions about Haihan that no one could answer. The appearance of Xuan Xiangming solved his troubles at once, almost Answering all questions gave Ma Zhengping a general understanding of the situation of the Zhoushan garrison.
Of course, Xuan Xiangming is just a businessman and not a professional spy, so most of his knowledge of the Zhoushan garrison comes from his continuous observation over the past few years and the information he learned after contacting some Haihan officials. It's a military secret, so if you say it in such a public place, you don't have to worry about being investigated by the Haihan people.
At present, Haihan's troops stationed on Zhoushan Island are mainly based on the East China Sea Fleet. The strength and organization of the entire fleet are naturally military secrets, and it is difficult for the outside world to know the specific figures.However, there is still an infantry battalion of the Haihan Army stationed on Zhoushan Island.According to the establishment of the Haihan Army, a battalion has about 800 to [-] people, so the size of the army stationed on the island is semi-public information.
Of course, even if the nearby coastal state capitals know that the Haihan Army stationed on Zhoushan Island is not strong, they will not have any other ideas, because the civil and military officials are very clear that the Haihan Navy can block Hangzhou Bay even if they disagree. The powerful power, that is the existence that really makes them afraid.Any armed force that wants to attack Zhoushan Island has to pass the Haihan Navy first.As for the navy of the Ming army in the coastal prefectures of Zhejiang, except for Hangzhou, which still maintains a certain scale of troops, the other prefectures basically only have a written establishment.
As long as Haihan does not take the initiative to mobilize troops against Daming and send troops to invade the mainland, the coastal state capitals will also tacitly pretend to be deaf to the existence of the Shanghai Han army on Zhoushan Island. Take the initiative to break this balance.
Although the actions taken by the Zhoushan garrison against the salt merchants in Yangzhou caused a lot of casualties in the local area, the personnel involved in the action have never disclosed their identities in the local area. Therefore, the Yangzhou government pretended that nothing happened. Even if they knew that Haihan people were involved, they had no intention of holding Zhoushan accountable.
Of course, Ma Zhengping is sure that the civil and military officials of Yangzhou Prefecture also understand that if they want to ask the Zhoushan authorities for an explanation, they will probably be ignored, and they will just lose face.As for the self-sufficiency of sending troops, the local officials should have never considered it at all.Doing nothing is the best way to deal with it, so in the past few months, no one came to Zhoushan to trouble Haihan because of the Yangzhou incident.
On Zhoushan Island, because of the comprehensive guards provided by the Haihan garrison, the trading environment here is naturally extraordinarily safe. Whether it is a legal business or a trend trade businessman, they are all willing to come to Dinghai Port for transactions.The annual Haihan National Day Celebration and related military parades also gave these businessmen enough confidence in the security environment here, so that they could entrust their wealth here with confidence and boldness.
"Doing business here, don't you really have to worry about being targeted by villains with ulterior motives?" Ma Zhengping asked a question that he was very concerned about.He knew that officials like Yang Yun would not get a real answer to this question, but perhaps Xuan Xiangming, who was very familiar with Zhoushan Island, could tell him the truth.
"Brother, look around, there are Haihan soldiers staring at this place everywhere! Don't forget, this is Zhoushan Island!" Xuan Xiangming said mockingly: "It's an old birthday boy who hangs himself if he wants to make trouble here. It’s too long! The Haihan people have their own set of harsh laws, and they don’t punish criminals according to the Ming law. Once they are convicted of a felony, they will be forced to be sent overseas as hard labor. Maybe even the bones will be difficult to return home after death. How many people Dare to take such a risk? Besides, there are many legitimate opportunities to make money in this place, as long as you use your brain, it is not difficult to find a way to make money, so why take risks!"
Although these places in Zhoushan had the name of free ports before Haihan occupied them, various armed forces were entrenched on the island, and dragons and snakes were mixed together. In fact, the transaction risk was extremely high.After Haihan occupied this place, he re-established the trading rules and used the army to maintain the social order on the island, making this place one of the most important trading ports on the eastern coast of Daming in just a few years.
Haihan officials are very clear about what kind of trading environment can attract more businessmen, and safety is an essential factor.Dinghai Port's good and stable public security environment and comprehensive security system are indeed very attractive to merchants.Their goods and money will be effectively protected by the government on the island, and those who try to challenge the law and order will be severely punished by the government.Therefore, from the outside world, the army stationed on Zhoushan Island seems to symbolize the military pressure exerted by Haihan, but for these merchants, the Haihan army is the guarantee of order and security, and it is a powerful force that can provide them with shelter.
As for the hostility towards Haihan, some people may have it, but in the face of huge interests, most people who come to the island will choose to compromise, and then the edges and corners are gradually smoothed by Haihan's powerful strength.As for the few guys who feel dissatisfied and must do something to be comfortable, most of them, as Xuan Xiangming said, were caught and convicted by Haihan and sent directly to other places overseas to serve their sentences, and their whereabouts were completely gone. information.
Ma Zhengping is a smart person, and after listening to Xuan Xiangming's explanation, he roughly understood the reason. The other party's positive evaluation of Zhoushan was so high, which made Ma Zhengping further affirmed the idea of buying property here.
He was waiting to learn more about the rules for purchasing property on the island from the other party, when Xuan Xiangming pointed to the distance and said, "Look, look, the Haihan Army team has come out!"
Ma Zhengping quickly calmed down and returned his attention to the military parade right now.Before he came to Zhoushan, he had never seen the formation of the Haihan army, and after going to the island, he only saw some soldiers sporadically, and it was only at this moment that he witnessed the style of the Haihan army marching in formation.
A red and blue double-color flag fluttered at the front of the team, followed by a marching phalanx with Haihan characteristics. All the muskets in the hands of the soldiers were inserted with gleaming bayonets, which made the entire phalanx far away. It looks more like a traditional spearman than a firearms unit.
The people on the side of the road continued to cheer, but they still couldn't cover up the unified footsteps of the army's phalanxes. If the road hadn't been sprinkled with water in advance, I believe that the road would have been covered with dust by this time.
When Ma Zhengping was in Yangzhou, he also watched the Ming army's drills. He had to admit that in terms of marching alone, the Haihan army's phalanx marched in a uniform manner, which was indeed better than the Ming army.However, if he knows a little bit about military affairs, he will know that this gap is not surprising. The Haihan army is mainly composed of musketeers, and maintaining a neat formation while marching is a compulsory course, and the requirements for this are higher than those of the Ming army. There are many, so it is only a matter of cleaning up if it is better than the performance of the Ming army.Of course, this neat formation after long-term practice is very visually impactful, and it is perfect for this kind of military parade that demonstrates force.
At this time, Shi Diwen and his officials had already stood up first, and other spectators in the stands also got up after seeing this.Although Ma Zhengping didn't know why, he saw the people around him standing up, so he also stood up, and then he saw that the army phalanx changed its marching rhythm when passing the stands, and at the same time shouted some kind of slogan loudly. Shi Diwen also raised his hand to salute the phalanx in the audience, which seems to be the unique inspection process of the Haihan Army.
But Ma Zhengping's attention was already attracted by the team behind the phalanx, which were several army field guns pulled by pack horses.Although the army establishment on the island is only one battalion, the artillery is not too small, ranging from the smallest 85mm caliber light artillery to 155mm large caliber guns, and even the team finally used four horses to build a 235mm caliber The siege cannons acted as pressure arrays.Of course, a siege cannon like this is basically just a prop to scare people. If the Zhoushan garrison was not assigned the task of attacking the strong city, it is estimated that there would be no chance to use this level of heavy weapons.
Although the horses were only used to swagger through the city, this did not prevent the audience who saw these artillery from starting to imagine the scenes of these weapons showing their prowess on the battlefield.Most of the people who often come to Zhoushan Island have heard through various channels that the Haihan army severely damaged the Qing army on the Liaodong battlefield, and the large number of artillery installed in the Haihan army was therefore mysterious, and all kinds of exaggerated There are endless rumors, but all of them have blown the artillery of the Haihan Army into a big killer that can destroy the world.
Although Ma Zhengping was in Yangzhou, he had heard such rumors more or less.However, he personally does not believe in the authenticity of these rumors. He believes that although the Haihan army is strong, it should not be as strong as the rumors. Otherwise, using these big killers to attack the capital of the Qing Dynasty and destroy it once and for all , Why do you have to fight the Qing army in Liaodong for many years.
But when he really saw these dark steel weapons slowly passing by in front of the stands, goose bumps still appeared on Ma Zhengping's back.Although he hadn't actually seen the scene of artillery combat, he also subconsciously felt that the power of this weapon was indeed beyond human power.
After the artillery team passed the stands, all the parade troops belonging to the army had already appeared.Followed by the militia on Zhoushan Island, there is only a phalanx of less than 200 people. This formation is much worse than the professional soldiers in front, but in Ma Zhengping's view, it should also be compared with the Ming army. The level of performance is comparable.
However, the people on the side of the road opposite the stands did not lose their enthusiasm at all because these people were militiamen. On the contrary, they cheered even louder.Ma Zhengping didn't understand the mystery, so he asked Xuan Xiangming next to him for advice.
Xuan Xiangming said: "The Haihan troops stationed on the island are all transferred from other places, and most of these militiamen are selected from the local islanders. Many of the people on the opposite side are their relatives and friends. Naturally, the clamor will be louder. Bigger."
Ma Zhengping suddenly realized, and then asked: "Then these militiamen, will they be transformed into the official Haihan army in the future?"
Xuan Xiangming nodded and said: "My brother can see clearly that some of the best among them will indeed be selected by the army, and this is one of the main reasons why they become militiamen."
Ma Zhengping asked in surprise, "Why is this? Could it be that the Haihan Army pays extremely high salaries?"
Xuan Xiangming said: "As long as you enter the Haihan Army, you will automatically obtain Haihan nationality immediately, and then you will have all the land and houses. As for the military salary, it will be calculated separately. Do you think this condition is very attractive?"
Ma Zhengping was quite surprised after hearing this. He also knew that Haihan had been recruiting immigrants from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, but he did not expect that Haihan gave the soldiers such high treatment that these people would give up their nationality to work for them in order to obtain those treatment. Haihan is a soldier.Daming would definitely not be able to give such a high military salary, and probably only the wealthy Haihan Kingdom could do this.
However, Ma Zhengping was unaware that the land properties allocated by Haihan to these military immigrants would not be cashed in until after the service period expired, unless their family members were willing to obey the allocation and immediately move to the south to settle down.Moreover, these fields are not located in the Ming Dynasty, but immigrant villages in various places in the South China Sea. Most of the land that can be allocated is not cultivated land, but wasteland that needs to be reclaimed and cultivated by itself. .
Of course, even with many restrictions, this is still very attractive to those who have no property and are eager to own their own land and property.Therefore, among the immigrants recruited from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions every year, there will be a considerable number of young and strong people who choose to enlist in the army to obtain such treatment, and some of them will stay in Zhoushan Island as militiamen, but in fact these people are basically selected by Shi Diwen Most of the personnel intercepted afterwards will directly supplement the establishment of the East China Sea Fleet in the future.
(End of this chapter)