Chapter 3012
Chapter 3012
Chapter 3012
On the last day of December 1656, at the port of Padang on the west coast of Sumatra.
According to the calendar of the Han people, it is already the twelfth lunar month of winter, and it is time to wrap up in thick winter clothes.However, Padang Port is located in the tropics, the temperature is still over 20 degrees, the vegetation is lush, and there is no sign of deep winter.
The location of Padang Port is a coastal plain, where many rivers flow into the Indian Ocean, and the water resources are very abundant, which is very suitable for farming crops.
The aborigines who settled here are called the Minangkabau people. Although this race is a matrilineal clan structure, it is not closed. As early as more than 100 years ago, they built a trading port here to transfer all kinds of local agricultural products. and wild spices to foreign merchants.
After the Aceh Kingdom conquered this place in the last century, it further expanded the original port, and sent people here to guide the indigenous people to grow various spices, trying to build it into a spice industry base.
Wherever there are valuable spices, there will be western colonists who hear the news, and Padang Port is no exception.Soon the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British came in droves. While purchasing spices from the local area, they were also constantly exploring the possibility of colonizing Padang and even occupying it.
The Minangkabau people, who have gradually become rich, also began to feel dissatisfied with the exploitation and suppression from the Aceh royal family, and tried to gain independence by forming an armed force.
Aware of this trend, some western countries also began to sell weapons to the Minangkabau people to help them fight against the rule of Aceh for the purpose of creating trouble for Aceh.Of course, such assistance is not free. Western colonists hope to increase their influence in the region through this method, and by the way, they can also obtain huge profits from arms transactions.
When everyone was trying to get a foot in here, Haihan also lost no time to join in the fun.
However, Haihan's participation was not active like Westerners, but was invited.To be precise, Aceh paid a lot of money to specially invite them here.
The foreign mercenary regiment affiliated to Xingdao entered Padang Port a year ago, and it was a full battalion of troops, and it was also equipped with many armed warships equipped with artillery.
Regarding the presence of the mercenary group, Aceh officials said it was to protect Haihan's business interests and personnel safety in Padang Port.But the actual situation is that before the mercenary group came here, Haihan had no property in Padang Port. This statement is obviously a deception.
The mercenary group soon showed the locals their true purpose in Padang Port.They raided several nearby tribal armed forces, mercilessly destroyed the locations of these tribes, and transported a large number of captives away by sea.
As for where these captives were sent, basically no one in the local area knew the truth, there were only some unconfirmed rumors, and it seemed that they were all taken to some remote island to mine.
Although the mercenary group's initial operations went smoothly, it did not completely destroy the confidence of the Minangkabau people.They have dealt with the Malacca Dynasty, Danmu Kingdom, Aceh Kingdom, and all kinds of Western colonists here. The new mercenary group is just another invader trying to dominate here.
The Minangkabau people wisely abandoned confrontation on the frontal battlefield, but attacks against mercenary regiments and Aceh government agencies continued.
This forced the mercenary regiment to abandon the multiple strongholds originally set up in the area near Padang Port, and shrink all the garrison troops to Padang Port in order to protect the official institutions of Aceh.
The protracted security war forced Aceh to continue to pay the mercenary group to maintain their garrison in Padang Port.
However, a telegram recently sent from Xingdao to Padang Port seems to change the situation here.
"The Sing Tao Command asked us to adjust our deployment and set off for the northern waters of the Strait of Malacca as soon as possible to perform new missions. Everyone, our vacation in Padang Port is coming to an end."
Shao Tianhu, the commander of the first battalion of the mercenary regiment, showed the telegram in his hand to the officers present, and everyone couldn't help sighing unwillingly.
Although Shao Tianhu has a Chinese name, his appearance has obvious Western characteristics. This is because he is only a quarter of Han Chinese blood. His father is a mixed Han Chinese and Persian, and his mother is a European from Sardinia in the Mediterranean people.
The place where Shao Tianhu was born was not the territory of the Han people, but Goa, which was far away on the west coast of the Indian peninsula.If only from the place of origin, he can be regarded as a descendant of Portuguese colonization.
However, when Shao Tianhu was young, he traveled across the sea with his parents to live in Malacca, and later moved to Xingdao under the rule of Haihan to settle down.
In order to be able to become a Haihan nationality, Shao Tianhu chose the shortcut of joining the army.And he does have talent in this area. In the first two years in the army, he was continuously promoted because of his repeated military exploits.
At this time, Roger also noticed this up-and-coming young man, and gave him two choices. One was to continue to serve in the Haihan Army, but because of his background, it was difficult for him to obtain the opportunity to study in a military academy. Opportunities and room for further advancement in the military are limited.
The second way is to retire and transfer to the mercenary regiment. Not only can you have a higher position and authority, but you can also get training opportunities. In the future, you can be transferred from the mercenary regiment back to the Haihan Army to serve.At that time, his service experience in the mercenary regiment can be declared to the Ministry of National Defense as a special contribution, and his promotion will no longer be restricted.
Shao Tianhu chose the second path without hesitation.As for whether Roger's arrangement was to test his loyalty or to take this opportunity to hone his abilities, he actually didn't care.Because he is of non-Han descent without the protection of family inheritance, it is indeed difficult to hold an important position in the army, and he can only have a chance by finding another way.
So he got the opportunity of further study that he dreamed of, and went to the Army Academy in Sanya to receive half a year of training, and then he retired and transferred to the mercenary regiment.
As one of the few officers who received Haihan's orthodox military training, Shao Tianhu was appointed as the commander of the first battalion after only two years in the mercenary regiment.
In the history of the Xingdao Foreign Mercenary Corps, Shao Tianhu can definitely be regarded as one of the youngest senior officers, and the first major task he received when he took office was to lead his troops to Padang Port to quell the chaos.
The first battalion only carried out relatively intensive combat missions in the early stage of stationing in Padang Port, defeated the main local rebels, and then it was relatively easy, just protecting the urban areas and government agencies near Padang Port.Unless there is a request from Aceh, and the corresponding supplies and combat military expenses are provided, the mercenary group will generally not take the initiative to attack again.
After the combat missions were greatly reduced, Shao Tianhu said that he was stationed here as a vacation, which is not too much of an exaggeration.Of course, the reason for the officers to sigh is not just the end of this relatively easy mission abroad.
(End of this chapter)
On the last day of December 1656, at the port of Padang on the west coast of Sumatra.
According to the calendar of the Han people, it is already the twelfth lunar month of winter, and it is time to wrap up in thick winter clothes.However, Padang Port is located in the tropics, the temperature is still over 20 degrees, the vegetation is lush, and there is no sign of deep winter.
The location of Padang Port is a coastal plain, where many rivers flow into the Indian Ocean, and the water resources are very abundant, which is very suitable for farming crops.
The aborigines who settled here are called the Minangkabau people. Although this race is a matrilineal clan structure, it is not closed. As early as more than 100 years ago, they built a trading port here to transfer all kinds of local agricultural products. and wild spices to foreign merchants.
After the Aceh Kingdom conquered this place in the last century, it further expanded the original port, and sent people here to guide the indigenous people to grow various spices, trying to build it into a spice industry base.
Wherever there are valuable spices, there will be western colonists who hear the news, and Padang Port is no exception.Soon the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British came in droves. While purchasing spices from the local area, they were also constantly exploring the possibility of colonizing Padang and even occupying it.
The Minangkabau people, who have gradually become rich, also began to feel dissatisfied with the exploitation and suppression from the Aceh royal family, and tried to gain independence by forming an armed force.
Aware of this trend, some western countries also began to sell weapons to the Minangkabau people to help them fight against the rule of Aceh for the purpose of creating trouble for Aceh.Of course, such assistance is not free. Western colonists hope to increase their influence in the region through this method, and by the way, they can also obtain huge profits from arms transactions.
When everyone was trying to get a foot in here, Haihan also lost no time to join in the fun.
However, Haihan's participation was not active like Westerners, but was invited.To be precise, Aceh paid a lot of money to specially invite them here.
The foreign mercenary regiment affiliated to Xingdao entered Padang Port a year ago, and it was a full battalion of troops, and it was also equipped with many armed warships equipped with artillery.
Regarding the presence of the mercenary group, Aceh officials said it was to protect Haihan's business interests and personnel safety in Padang Port.But the actual situation is that before the mercenary group came here, Haihan had no property in Padang Port. This statement is obviously a deception.
The mercenary group soon showed the locals their true purpose in Padang Port.They raided several nearby tribal armed forces, mercilessly destroyed the locations of these tribes, and transported a large number of captives away by sea.
As for where these captives were sent, basically no one in the local area knew the truth, there were only some unconfirmed rumors, and it seemed that they were all taken to some remote island to mine.
Although the mercenary group's initial operations went smoothly, it did not completely destroy the confidence of the Minangkabau people.They have dealt with the Malacca Dynasty, Danmu Kingdom, Aceh Kingdom, and all kinds of Western colonists here. The new mercenary group is just another invader trying to dominate here.
The Minangkabau people wisely abandoned confrontation on the frontal battlefield, but attacks against mercenary regiments and Aceh government agencies continued.
This forced the mercenary regiment to abandon the multiple strongholds originally set up in the area near Padang Port, and shrink all the garrison troops to Padang Port in order to protect the official institutions of Aceh.
The protracted security war forced Aceh to continue to pay the mercenary group to maintain their garrison in Padang Port.
However, a telegram recently sent from Xingdao to Padang Port seems to change the situation here.
"The Sing Tao Command asked us to adjust our deployment and set off for the northern waters of the Strait of Malacca as soon as possible to perform new missions. Everyone, our vacation in Padang Port is coming to an end."
Shao Tianhu, the commander of the first battalion of the mercenary regiment, showed the telegram in his hand to the officers present, and everyone couldn't help sighing unwillingly.
Although Shao Tianhu has a Chinese name, his appearance has obvious Western characteristics. This is because he is only a quarter of Han Chinese blood. His father is a mixed Han Chinese and Persian, and his mother is a European from Sardinia in the Mediterranean people.
The place where Shao Tianhu was born was not the territory of the Han people, but Goa, which was far away on the west coast of the Indian peninsula.If only from the place of origin, he can be regarded as a descendant of Portuguese colonization.
However, when Shao Tianhu was young, he traveled across the sea with his parents to live in Malacca, and later moved to Xingdao under the rule of Haihan to settle down.
In order to be able to become a Haihan nationality, Shao Tianhu chose the shortcut of joining the army.And he does have talent in this area. In the first two years in the army, he was continuously promoted because of his repeated military exploits.
At this time, Roger also noticed this up-and-coming young man, and gave him two choices. One was to continue to serve in the Haihan Army, but because of his background, it was difficult for him to obtain the opportunity to study in a military academy. Opportunities and room for further advancement in the military are limited.
The second way is to retire and transfer to the mercenary regiment. Not only can you have a higher position and authority, but you can also get training opportunities. In the future, you can be transferred from the mercenary regiment back to the Haihan Army to serve.At that time, his service experience in the mercenary regiment can be declared to the Ministry of National Defense as a special contribution, and his promotion will no longer be restricted.
Shao Tianhu chose the second path without hesitation.As for whether Roger's arrangement was to test his loyalty or to take this opportunity to hone his abilities, he actually didn't care.Because he is of non-Han descent without the protection of family inheritance, it is indeed difficult to hold an important position in the army, and he can only have a chance by finding another way.
So he got the opportunity of further study that he dreamed of, and went to the Army Academy in Sanya to receive half a year of training, and then he retired and transferred to the mercenary regiment.
As one of the few officers who received Haihan's orthodox military training, Shao Tianhu was appointed as the commander of the first battalion after only two years in the mercenary regiment.
In the history of the Xingdao Foreign Mercenary Corps, Shao Tianhu can definitely be regarded as one of the youngest senior officers, and the first major task he received when he took office was to lead his troops to Padang Port to quell the chaos.
The first battalion only carried out relatively intensive combat missions in the early stage of stationing in Padang Port, defeated the main local rebels, and then it was relatively easy, just protecting the urban areas and government agencies near Padang Port.Unless there is a request from Aceh, and the corresponding supplies and combat military expenses are provided, the mercenary group will generally not take the initiative to attack again.
After the combat missions were greatly reduced, Shao Tianhu said that he was stationed here as a vacation, which is not too much of an exaggeration.Of course, the reason for the officers to sigh is not just the end of this relatively easy mission abroad.
(End of this chapter)