Chapter 3582
Chapter 3582
Chapter 3582
These news came out one after another, and the local government did not dare to neglect it. The relevant information was immediately sent to the Zhongdu Liaison Office in Fengyang Prefecture, 300 miles away, as urgent military intelligence by Liuhe and Jiangpu counties, requesting the mobilization of Ming troops from the eight guards and one under its jurisdiction to rush to the north bank of the Yangtze River for reinforcement as soon as possible.
However, the troops in Fengyang Prefecture could not be mobilized at will. The main duty of the garrison troops under the Zhongdu garrison was not to go out to resist foreign invasion, but to stay in Fengyang Prefecture to guard the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum. Leaving the garrison without the emperor's order was a serious crime punishable by beheading.
What's more, the Zhongdu Liaison Office was under the jurisdiction of the Changhuai Guard, Huaiyuan Guard and Hongtang Qianhu Suo, which were originally more capable of fighting. During the war between Ming and Hai Han last year, they had been sent to Yingtian Prefecture for reinforcement once by Emperor Chongzhen. As a result, they were of course beaten by the Hai Han army and had almost no ability to fight back. In the end, only three or four out of ten troops successfully withdrew to the north bank of the Yangtze River, and their vitality was seriously damaged.
Today, the combat effectiveness of the Ming army under the jurisdiction of the Zhongdu Liaison Office is no longer suitable for use as a front-line combat force. Even if the remaining troops are sent to reinforce Jiangpu and Liuhe counties, it will most likely become a tactic of adding fuel to the fire, and will give the Hai Han army military credit for nothing.
With the previous experience, Zhongdu Liushousi was very cautious about sending reinforcements. It only sent a message to the two counties to strengthen their defenses and continue to explore the military situation. As for when to send reinforcements, it depends on how the situation changes.
After receiving the report, the county governments in Jiangpu and Liuhe were extremely anxious, because during the few days when the letters were sent back and forth, the situation had become increasingly tense.
The Hai Han fleet on the other side of the river had completed its initial assembly. Several high-speed reconnaissance ships made four or five trips to the north bank a day, openly investigating suitable landing locations right in front of the Ming army on the shore.
The Ming army was powerless to do anything about it. Opening fire would give the other side an excuse to start a war. Sending ships to intercept would not be possible but they could not catch up with the other side.
At the same time, it was said that the Hai Han army in Huai'an Prefecture was also gathering on Hongze Lake in the north, and had formed a pincer attack with the Hai Han army in Nanjing. The gates of the local Sizhou City were already closed, and the whole city was under martial law.
Of course, Huai'an Prefecture was just bluffing and could not really launch a large-scale offensive. The local garrison commander happened to be one of Shi Diwen's favorite students. Shi Chengwu sent a telegram and the other party agreed without hesitation to cooperate in building momentum and exerting pressure on the neighboring areas.
For Jiangpu and Liuhe counties, which were sandwiched in the middle, it would be very difficult to resist the Hai Han offensive without reinforcements. Now they could only try their best to recruit young and strong local people to join the militia and resist for as many days as possible when the Hai Han army attacked.
However, although the local government still has a certain will to resist, the people may not be so. Knowing that they are invincible and still insisting on fighting, they will only do so when they have no way out.
But for ordinary people, the current situation is far from being without a way out and requiring everyone to fight desperately to survive.
Yangzhou, which borders Liuhe County, has no signs of a war breaking out. Several large trading companies affiliated with Hai Han are still importing large quantities of high-quality quartz sand from Liuhe County, and the daily traffic between Liuhe and Yangzhou is still normal.
Quartz sand is of little use to the locals, but Hai Han can use it in the glass, ceramic, and chemical industries. The high-quality quartz sand mine in Liuhe County just meets the relevant technical requirements, making it one of the most profitable export businesses in the area.
Of course, some people would think that the existence of this special mineral would make Hai Han covet Liuhe County, but it was extremely unrealistic to interrupt the quartz sand trade with Hai Han. This was because the ore trade not only supported a large number of miners in Liuhe County, but also a whole series of industries such as processing and transportation that relied on this trade for their livelihood.
Even many people in the local government have privately invested a lot of money in this business, and have accumulated a lot of wealth through the dividends it brings. There are too many people in Liuhe whose interests are involved. If this trade is interrupted, I am afraid that before the Hai Han people can attack, Liuhe County will have to break out in civil strife.
But because of this, many people realized that if they wanted to avoid the war, Yangzhou should be a safe place to go.
If they run north, they might run into the Hai Han army coming south from Hongze Lake. Chuzhou to the west is also within the attack range of Hai Han. To the south is the Yangtze River. Only Yangzhou to the east has a peaceful atmosphere.
The only thing that is uncertain is the attitude of the Yangzhou government and whether it will close the border during wartime and prohibit refugees from pouring into the area.
At this time, news came from Yizheng County, which is adjacent to Liuhe County under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou, that local people began to build a large number of temporary buildings near the border between the two counties, which were said to be shacks to accommodate refugees.
This is undoubtedly a clear message to the people in the neighboring counties that if they want to flee, they can just run here and don't have to worry about having nowhere to stay.
As a result, the fleet of ships carrying quartz sand and other goods heading to Yangzhou suddenly increased several times in size. The cargo was not much more, but the number of escort teams increased dramatically.
Thousands of people from Liuhe and Jiangpu counties began to flee to Yangzhou through this passage. The carriage and boat companies immediately switched to passenger transport, specifically accepting the people who fled in advance. Of course, the freight was much more expensive than usual.
Rich people can choose to take a boat, which is easy and fast, and they can arrive in Yangzhou on the same day of departure; those who are not rich can just buy an escort identity from the carriage and horse company, and follow the ore transport vehicle on foot. Although the process is more tiring, they can also pass the customs smoothly and reach Yangzhou.
Because the number of refugees crossing the border through this channel was so large, the Ming army guarding the border was unable to stop them, so they simply collected a crossing fee per person.
No matter whether you are a young and strong man being recruited by the government, as long as you pay the money, you can pass through the customs. Once this business is launched, the customs fees collected in one or two days far exceed the military salary these big soldiers received in several years of military service.
Although Liuhe County Government also received the report, it could not come up with any effective solution. Those carriage and boat companies that brought people through the customs all had deep backgrounds, and the county government did not have enough weight to confront them head-on.
Besides, even if we change people to guard the border, it may not be effective under the current situation. It might just be a waste of time to add a group of people to share the profits.
Jiangpu and Liuhe counties carried out recruitment for seven or eight days, but in the end only one or two hundred people reported to the government office. Many of them were old men in their fifties or sixties who were there just to make up the numbers. It was impossible to expect these people to play a role in wartime.
As the people of these two counties were in panic, the Hai Han fleet on the other side of the strait finally began to move.