Chapter 3603
Chapter 3603
Chapter 3603
Seeing that the enemy was about to turn and disengage, Li Zhencheng naturally did not want to miss such an opportunity easily, and immediately ordered to speed up the pursuit. However, a major sent to his ship by the Luzon Combat Command reminded him that the main mission of the Taiwan fleet was not to annihilate the enemy, but to escort the supply fleet safely to its destination.
Moreover, this sea area is relatively unfamiliar to the Luzon Navy, not to mention the newly arrived Taiwanese fleet. Even with a nautical chart in hand, it is impossible to confirm whether there will be other Spanish warships ambushing in the surrounding waters.
Li Zhencheng was not a person who acted on his own. He was inevitably a little excited when he saw the Spanish fleet appear just now. After hearing the advice of the combat staff, he quickly calmed down and realized that chasing the enemy ships would inevitably lead to being separated from the supply fleet, which was obviously contrary to his current mission.
If this was a trick by the opponent to lure the tiger away from the mountain, and anything went wrong with the supply fleet, he would not be able to explain to Manila. You know, before leaving from Cavite Port, he patted his chest and promised Qiu Yuan and Xiao Liang that he would definitely escort the supply fleet to Beimen Port without any harm.
"Cancel the pursuit order and have the scout ship follow the enemy ship to confirm its direction."
Li Zhencheng quickly redeployed and terminated the order to pursue the enemy.
After receiving the order, the two reconnaissance ships were already far behind. Their maximum speed could reach over fifteen knots, and they could escape even if they encountered a dangerous situation by virtue of their speed advantage.
However, considering the complex environment here, Li Zhencheng did not dare to let them follow too far. At most, they would have to turn back and catch up with the main force in a day and a half.
Seeing the Spanish fleet quickly heading north, Li Zhencheng couldn't help but feel a little regretful that the military merit that was right in front of him had slipped away. If he hadn't been concerned about the safety of the supply fleet, he would have at least let the other side leave a few ships behind today.
Li Zhencheng calmed his mind and turned his attention back to the current mission. After reuniting with the supply fleet, he returned to the established route and continued sailing south.
The two reconnaissance ships sent to track the Spanish fleet reunited with the main force and reported that the Spanish fleet changed direction half a day later and headed east along the northern coast of Papua Island.
Based on the battle reports provided by the Manila authorities, Li Zhencheng couldn't help but suspect that the Spaniards might have a secret port somewhere in the sea in that direction. These dozen large ships have been operating in that area for a long time, and they will eventually have to find a place to get supplies to maintain their operations.
But my current itinerary doesn’t allow me to go back and check it out, so I can only wait for the next opportunity.
In the next few days, we did not encounter any Spanish sailing ships on the way. We successfully completed the last third of the voyage and arrived at Beimen Port on the northern coast of the New World.
Li Zhencheng had not personally experienced the early days of Hai Han's establishment in Taiwan. After seeing the current state of Beimen Port, he did not quite understand why the Luzon Region would go to such a remote place at all costs to build a small colonial port.
The so-called port here is just a few wooden piers built along the coast and a few warehouses that look very simple.
These warehouses built with logs have not even had time to be painted, and the gable roofs are only covered with a layer of waterproof tarpaulin as a rainproof measure.
Some scattered wooden houses have been built near the port area, but most areas are still dominated by tents of various sizes, and there is no living environment to speak of. The only place that made Li Zhencheng feel relatively relieved was the reclamation area that the local civil affairs officer took him to see. This was not unfamiliar to Li Zhencheng. A large amount of coastal land in Taiwan was converted into farmland through reclamation. And it is said that some of the materials shipped to Beimen Port this time were crops that originated in Taiwan.
The scale of the military farms here is not too large. So far, there are only three or four hundred acres of farmland, and because the season has not yet arrived, formal farming has not yet begun. However, the relevant farmland water conservancy facilities have been built in advance, and there are also special agricultural technicians here to provide farmers with necessary training and guidance.
The ranch located elsewhere has already started operating, and almost all kinds of domesticated livestock and poultry that Li Zhencheng knows can be seen here.
From Li Zhencheng's perspective, he can see that the development plan here is quite good. If nothing unexpected happens, food self-sufficiency can be achieved within one or two years at most.
However, Li Zhencheng could also imagine that the Luzon Region had gone to such great lengths to open up this colonial port, probably not just for the purpose of establishing farmlands and raising livestock here.
If the goal was just to have more farmland, there were still at least millions of acres of land available for reclamation and development on Luzon, so there was no need to go so far and start from scratch.
Li Zhencheng tentatively asked the civil affairs officer, but unexpectedly the other party was very frank and told him the reason directly.
"There are mines nearby... gold, iron, bauxite."
Hearing this answer, Li Zhencheng suddenly realized that the value of these mineral deposits far exceeds that of farmland, and mining itself is a business that can only make profits and no losses. It is no wonder that the Luzon Region would spend a lot of effort to develop this place.
Li Zhencheng's hometown, Taiwan Island, also derives a considerable portion of its fiscal revenue from various mines on the island. The gold, copper, coal, sulfur, oil and other mineral resources currently being mined have created a large number of jobs and wealth for the local area.
However, this place is so far away from the Luzon region, and the route has to pass through the Spanish sphere of influence, which greatly increases the cost of operating the North Gate Port.
Through conversations with the civil affairs officer, Li Zhencheng also learned that in addition to its function as a colonial port, this place was also an important supply point for the Luzon Army. The Luzon Army fighting in the northern waters would take turns returning here to rest and replenish supplies.
At the same time, on the west coast of the New World, there is a colonial port developed by the Xingdao District. It is said that two or three large settlements have been built there, and the development progress is far ahead of the North Gate Port that was delayed by the war.
Back in the temporary camp, Li Zhencheng once again confirmed the location of Beimen Port on the nautical chart.
He came here from Kaohsiung Port on Taiwan Island, a voyage of more than ten thousand miles. Such a remote place was actually included in the territory of Hai Han. He couldn't help but sigh that the country's strength had even exceeded his imagination.
It’s a pity that due to Taiwan’s functional positioning, it is difficult for the garrison troops to have such an opportunity to expand territory and conquer all directions overseas. I don’t know when I will get a similar job next time.
Li Zhencheng decided that after completing this mission, he would suggest to his father that he be transferred to combat units in other regions. Otherwise, accumulating military merits would be a small matter. If he stayed on the island, he would sooner or later become a frog in a well with limited vision.