Chapter 3015
Chapter 3015
Padang Port is located in the central part of Sumatra Island. On the coastline between here and Banda Aceh at the northern end of Sumatra Island, there is no other big city. There is only one decent port, Sibuga Port, but the local development level It's not even as good as Patong Port, it's just a seaside town.
However, this environment also facilitated the secret operations of the troops led by Shao Tianhu. After leaving Padang Port, as long as the fleet did not take the initiative to dock, there would be almost no ships from other countries on the way, so there was no need to worry about leaking their whereabouts.
After sailing silently at sea for nearly four days, the mercenary fleet has arrived in the waters near Banda Aceh, which means that it is not far from its destination, the Andaman Islands.
The city of Banda Aceh, which was built in the early 13th century, has a history of more than 400 years. It is not only the capital of the Aceh Kingdom, but also the largest city within a thousand miles.
This is a transit point for pilgrims from Southeast Asia to Mecca, and a shopping center for Arabs to buy gold, ivory and camphor. Today, it has become one of the spice trade centers in Southeast Asia.
Zheng He visited Banda Aceh when he was sailing to the west, and presented a gift to the then king of Aceh. It is said that it is still treasured in the royal palace of Aceh.
However, the diplomatic friendship between Daming and Aceh has long since come to an end. The most influential country in Aceh today is not the former Heavenly Kingdom, but the upstart Haihan, which has only risen rapidly in the past 30 years.
Not only has Haihan become Aceh's largest trading partner in the past few years, but it has also provided Aceh with the most urgently needed support in many fields, and military assistance is one of them.
Haihan's military aid project is far more than dispatching mercenaries to quell the civil strife in Aceh. At the same time, it is also selling various weapons and equipment to Aceh, including warships and artillery, as well as training new equipment that can skillfully use these equipment. Army so that Aceh can face the challenge from Western colonial powers.
Part of the Second Battalion of the Xingdao Mercenary Regiment has been stationed in Banda Aceh for a long time in the name of a military adviser.It is said that the Aceh king's guards have also begun to gradually replace their equipment and update their combat methods. It must be inseparable from these military advisers.
However, Shao Tianhu was carrying out a top-secret mission at this time. Not only could he not stop at a big city like Banda Aceh on the way, but he also had to try to detour around the nearby sea areas to avoid being discovered by interested people.
Questions began to arise about the destination of the trip when the soldiers noticed that the horizon of Sumatra was gradually being left behind the ship.Because what the officers claimed at the time of departure was to go to a certain place on the west coast of Sumatra Island to perform combat missions, but it is not difficult to judge from the itinerary that the fleet has already left the northern tip of Sumatra Island, which is not the same as the destination that the officers said.
It was only at this time that Shao Tianhu ordered to announce the truth to the soldiers, saying that the destination of the trip was not in Sumatra, but the specific location still had to wait for further instructions from Xing Tao.
The fleet finally stopped near the Great Nicobar Island in the northwest of Banda Aceh City. Shao Tianhu ordered the communications team to set up a radio station and send a telegram to Xingdao, asking for instructions on the next step.
Great Nicobar Island is the southernmost tip of the Andaman Islands, separated from Sumatra by the [-]-mile-wide Great Strait.However, because of the remote location of this island, which is half the size of Star Island, there are no settlers on the island, and merchant ships sailing between the Indian Peninsula and Sumatra Island generally do not choose to dock here.To the outside world, this place is basically an uninhabited island.
There is a sheltered bay on the east coast of the island. Shao Tianhu ordered the fleet to temporarily park here, and at the same time sent soldiers to land to find water sources to replenish fresh water.
Although the information said that this was an uninhabited island, considering the nature of this mission, Shao Tianhu might encounter other forces here, so he ordered the troops to prepare for battle.
But until Xing Tao sent the latest instructions, the troops did not find any trace of anyone's activities here.After Shao Tianhu read the content of the telegram, he immediately called a meeting of the officers.
"Everyone, our mission this time is not easy! The command asked us to act as pirates in the waters north of the Strait of Malacca and carry out indiscriminate attacks on foreign merchant ships passing through this area. The target can be chosen by oneself. The time limit for action is one month from today. The command will terminate the mission at any time depending on the progress."
When everyone heard this, there was an uproar.
It's not that the mercenary regiment has never done dirty work, but it was the first time in their military career that they received such an order from the headquarters.
"Listen to me!" Shao Tianhu made a gesture to calm everyone down first, and then continued: "The headquarters requires us not to reveal our identities and not to leak information. After the operation is over, all participants will receive military merit awards and obtain official nationality. And you can choose to transfer to the Haihan Army or retire, and the treatment will be in accordance with Haihan national standards, and the government will make corresponding arrangements, and all of them will be resettled elsewhere in the country."
"But Xing Tao will not admit that such an order was given to the mercenary group. If any situation occurs, such as revealing our identity, we can only bear the consequences by ourselves."
After everyone listened to it, they all had the same thought in their minds—no wonder this mission is a top secret. Once the truth of this kind of dirty work is revealed, it will definitely have a negative impact on Haihan.After the deal is done, of course the participants can no longer stay in the mercenary group, otherwise there is no way to keep the secret.
Shao Tianhu put down the telegram in his hand, and said in a deep voice: "Now everyone is an insider, no matter what the purpose of this task is, we can only follow it. If something happens, we can only take the blame. Your subordinates If there are those who don't want to participate, or those who like to gossip, they should stay on this island, so as not to drag everyone down to get promoted and get rich!"
The implication of Shao Tianhu's words is to ask everyone to confirm that those who participated in the operation are all reliable people, so as to avoid mistakes.
"Battalion Commander, to what extent is this job going to be? Does anyone who has seen us die?"
"Battalion Commander, if you encounter a merchant ship from the Portuguese or Aceh, can you still do it?"
"A one-month operation time, if we have to operate frequently, do we have enough supplies?"
"The speed of the supply ship is slow, and it is inconvenient to move with the warship. You should arrange a station? Or just camp here?"
"Did all the robbed ships and goods sink into the sea or what to do with them?"
The crowd raised a lot of questions, which also indicated that this task might not be as simple as it sounds.If it is not handled carefully, many links may expose the truth of this task.
Shao Tianhu was silent for a long while before he opened his mouth and said: "First check the flags and shipboard marks on each ship, remove what needs to be lowered, and cover what should be covered. In short, we can't let people recognize our identities from a long distance at sea."
However, this environment also facilitated the secret operations of the troops led by Shao Tianhu. After leaving Padang Port, as long as the fleet did not take the initiative to dock, there would be almost no ships from other countries on the way, so there was no need to worry about leaking their whereabouts.
After sailing silently at sea for nearly four days, the mercenary fleet has arrived in the waters near Banda Aceh, which means that it is not far from its destination, the Andaman Islands.
The city of Banda Aceh, which was built in the early 13th century, has a history of more than 400 years. It is not only the capital of the Aceh Kingdom, but also the largest city within a thousand miles.
This is a transit point for pilgrims from Southeast Asia to Mecca, and a shopping center for Arabs to buy gold, ivory and camphor. Today, it has become one of the spice trade centers in Southeast Asia.
Zheng He visited Banda Aceh when he was sailing to the west, and presented a gift to the then king of Aceh. It is said that it is still treasured in the royal palace of Aceh.
However, the diplomatic friendship between Daming and Aceh has long since come to an end. The most influential country in Aceh today is not the former Heavenly Kingdom, but the upstart Haihan, which has only risen rapidly in the past 30 years.
Not only has Haihan become Aceh's largest trading partner in the past few years, but it has also provided Aceh with the most urgently needed support in many fields, and military assistance is one of them.
Haihan's military aid project is far more than dispatching mercenaries to quell the civil strife in Aceh. At the same time, it is also selling various weapons and equipment to Aceh, including warships and artillery, as well as training new equipment that can skillfully use these equipment. Army so that Aceh can face the challenge from Western colonial powers.
Part of the Second Battalion of the Xingdao Mercenary Regiment has been stationed in Banda Aceh for a long time in the name of a military adviser.It is said that the Aceh king's guards have also begun to gradually replace their equipment and update their combat methods. It must be inseparable from these military advisers.
However, Shao Tianhu was carrying out a top-secret mission at this time. Not only could he not stop at a big city like Banda Aceh on the way, but he also had to try to detour around the nearby sea areas to avoid being discovered by interested people.
Questions began to arise about the destination of the trip when the soldiers noticed that the horizon of Sumatra was gradually being left behind the ship.Because what the officers claimed at the time of departure was to go to a certain place on the west coast of Sumatra Island to perform combat missions, but it is not difficult to judge from the itinerary that the fleet has already left the northern tip of Sumatra Island, which is not the same as the destination that the officers said.
It was only at this time that Shao Tianhu ordered to announce the truth to the soldiers, saying that the destination of the trip was not in Sumatra, but the specific location still had to wait for further instructions from Xing Tao.
The fleet finally stopped near the Great Nicobar Island in the northwest of Banda Aceh City. Shao Tianhu ordered the communications team to set up a radio station and send a telegram to Xingdao, asking for instructions on the next step.
Great Nicobar Island is the southernmost tip of the Andaman Islands, separated from Sumatra by the [-]-mile-wide Great Strait.However, because of the remote location of this island, which is half the size of Star Island, there are no settlers on the island, and merchant ships sailing between the Indian Peninsula and Sumatra Island generally do not choose to dock here.To the outside world, this place is basically an uninhabited island.
There is a sheltered bay on the east coast of the island. Shao Tianhu ordered the fleet to temporarily park here, and at the same time sent soldiers to land to find water sources to replenish fresh water.
Although the information said that this was an uninhabited island, considering the nature of this mission, Shao Tianhu might encounter other forces here, so he ordered the troops to prepare for battle.
But until Xing Tao sent the latest instructions, the troops did not find any trace of anyone's activities here.After Shao Tianhu read the content of the telegram, he immediately called a meeting of the officers.
"Everyone, our mission this time is not easy! The command asked us to act as pirates in the waters north of the Strait of Malacca and carry out indiscriminate attacks on foreign merchant ships passing through this area. The target can be chosen by oneself. The time limit for action is one month from today. The command will terminate the mission at any time depending on the progress."
When everyone heard this, there was an uproar.
It's not that the mercenary regiment has never done dirty work, but it was the first time in their military career that they received such an order from the headquarters.
"Listen to me!" Shao Tianhu made a gesture to calm everyone down first, and then continued: "The headquarters requires us not to reveal our identities and not to leak information. After the operation is over, all participants will receive military merit awards and obtain official nationality. And you can choose to transfer to the Haihan Army or retire, and the treatment will be in accordance with Haihan national standards, and the government will make corresponding arrangements, and all of them will be resettled elsewhere in the country."
"But Xing Tao will not admit that such an order was given to the mercenary group. If any situation occurs, such as revealing our identity, we can only bear the consequences by ourselves."
After everyone listened to it, they all had the same thought in their minds—no wonder this mission is a top secret. Once the truth of this kind of dirty work is revealed, it will definitely have a negative impact on Haihan.After the deal is done, of course the participants can no longer stay in the mercenary group, otherwise there is no way to keep the secret.
Shao Tianhu put down the telegram in his hand, and said in a deep voice: "Now everyone is an insider, no matter what the purpose of this task is, we can only follow it. If something happens, we can only take the blame. Your subordinates If there are those who don't want to participate, or those who like to gossip, they should stay on this island, so as not to drag everyone down to get promoted and get rich!"
The implication of Shao Tianhu's words is to ask everyone to confirm that those who participated in the operation are all reliable people, so as to avoid mistakes.
"Battalion Commander, to what extent is this job going to be? Does anyone who has seen us die?"
"Battalion Commander, if you encounter a merchant ship from the Portuguese or Aceh, can you still do it?"
"A one-month operation time, if we have to operate frequently, do we have enough supplies?"
"The speed of the supply ship is slow, and it is inconvenient to move with the warship. You should arrange a station? Or just camp here?"
"Did all the robbed ships and goods sink into the sea or what to do with them?"
The crowd raised a lot of questions, which also indicated that this task might not be as simple as it sounds.If it is not handled carefully, many links may expose the truth of this task.
Shao Tianhu was silent for a long while before he opened his mouth and said: "First check the flags and shipboard marks on each ship, remove what needs to be lowered, and cover what should be covered. In short, we can't let people recognize our identities from a long distance at sea."