Chapter 4021
Chapter 4021
Chapter 4021
Minami Takahashi was well aware that if the special operations division were to advance into Suez and carry out the canal project, which would take several years, it would first have to establish an outpost and transit supply port in the Red Sea to provide logistical support for these operations.
Therefore, no matter how difficult the conditions, the construction of Zhenhai Port is imperative and must be carried out steadily in strict accordance with the timetable. The implementation of the Suez Canal must not be delayed due to the construction progress.
"Gentlemen, we have been developing Zhenhai Port for two years now. The division headquarters' plan is to build a port here within three years that can support the transfer and combat of 5,000 people. I'm sure you all know how far we are from that goal. If we fail to complete the port project by then, we will not be able to report to the Executive Committee and Commander Qian, and everyone will be punished, including me!"
Takahashi Minami looked around at everyone, paused for a moment, and then continued, "The division headquarters will definitely not hide the support it can provide. If it really can't provide it, then don't have too high expectations."
Takahashi Minami's implication was that the garrison officers should not place all their hopes for completing the mission on support from the rear, nor should they think of using limited conditions as an excuse for delays.
What Takahashi Minami can do right now is to delegate authority to the garrison at Zhenhai Port, giving them more freedom to act. This way, the garrison can decide for themselves and use some "unconventional" measures to ensure the project's progress.
These measures are nothing new; they simply involve using certain means to obtain more labor and resources from nearby areas.
The simplest and most feasible way, of course, is to spend money to purchase from the local indigenous forces in the surrounding areas. The special operations division has never been stingy in this regard, but now that they have basically explored all the channels that can be used to spend money, the marginal benefits of continuing to invest more funds will be relatively limited.
Due to Haihan's strong intervention in the past two years, the price of slaves in Aden Port, the regional trade center, has more than doubled in the past two years. Now, many slave traders are directly shipping their "goods" to Zhenhai Port, letting the Special Forces Division, a major customer, select the young and strong ones to sell at a good price, and then transporting the rest to Aden Port and other places for sale.
While the labor costs of the surrounding indigenous tribes were not high and were acceptable to the special forces division, the indigenous people were only capable of a limited range of jobs. They were not good at delicate work that required even a little skill, and they could not be exploited like slaves and prisoners of war. Instead, they had to be fed and cared for after work, otherwise it would be difficult to hire people again.
As for supplies, the prices of anything purchased by Zhenhai Port have skyrocketed. The price of packhorses in Aden Port is already three times that of two years ago, and food such as rice, flour, and cooking oil are often in short supply and are bought up by the waiting Haihan merchants as soon as they hit the market.
Therefore, in the current market, it is difficult to obtain the materials and manpower needed for Zhenhai Port by purchasing bulk commodities, and the support that Fubo Port can provide is also limited. This is why Takahashi Minami wants to delegate authority to the garrison troops.
"You may take all necessary measures to replenish supplies and manpower... In short, the primary objective is to complete the mission; other aspects can be relaxed somewhat. But remember your identities: do not kill innocent people indiscriminately, and do not enrich yourselves; otherwise, you will be subject to military law!"
Takahashi Minami's words were still somewhat veiled, but the officers present already understood what she meant.
Since all other methods failed, the only option left was to resort to force to resolve the current problem. This wasn't Qian Tiandun's idea, but rather Gao Qiaonan's own decision. However, he was certain that even if Qian Tiandun knew about his actions, he wouldn't object. After all, someone had to do the dirty work, and behind the prestigious reputation of the Special Forces Division, there were bound to be some shady dealings.
Seizing manpower and resources through military operations is not a new task for special operations divisions.
The earliest example can be traced back to the Annamite Civil War. At that time, the unit was just the precursor to the special operations company. It had already repeatedly penetrated into the areas controlled by the Nguyen Dynasty in southern Annam to capture the manpower and supplies that Hai Han urgently needed.
After that, the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty became targets of similar operations on multiple occasions, and the special forces divisions gradually moved their bases northward, eventually leading to the Manchus in Liaodong also becoming targets of plunder.
As a result, the population and wealth that the Manchus had seized from the Ming Dynasty were then taken away by the Haihan, which greatly weakened the Manchus' war potential.
Since moving south in recent years, the special operations divisions have rarely used such methods anymore. After all, time is not as urgent as before, and the executive committee has not set any specific goals for the special operations divisions, so they can develop slowly and methodically.
Of course, there is another reason that no one will say out loud: the Indian Ocean region where the special forces division is currently located is far from the traditional Han cultural region. The language, ethnicity and lifestyle are completely different from those in East Asia. It is much more difficult for the local people to integrate into the Han culture than for those in East Asia. Even if they are just used as laborers, they will find it very difficult to use them effectively.
This made the old methods of appeasing people less effective. In the past, they would tell the captured people that as long as they served the Haihan for a few years, they would have the opportunity to become citizens. However, this special treatment was not very attractive to the natives of South Asia, the Middle East and East Africa, who did not speak the language and culture at all.
Only a few natives who have lived with the special forces division for a long time and have some understanding of the powerful Eastern empire behind the special forces division will understand what obtaining "Haihan citizenship" means.
However, Qian Tiandun's current plans for the Suez Canal project no longer allow Zhenhai Port to develop slowly according to natural laws; it is imperative to obtain more manpower and resources as soon as possible.
Takahashi Minami had something else he didn't say: he volunteered to use unconventional methods, which was actually a kind of rehearsal for the future Suez Canal project.
The construction of the Suez Canal will require tens of thousands of workers, and it is unlikely that normal recruitment methods will be sufficient to gather enough personnel in a short period of time. In that case, it may be necessary to resort to force to achieve the goal.
Capturing people is not difficult for special operations divisions, but using and managing local slave laborers requires relevant experience to achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Takahashi Minami believes that the number of slave laborers currently in Zhenhai Port is far from sufficient to accumulate and summarize the experience needed for the project. Many problems may only be exposed when a certain population base is reached. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a rehearsal in Zhenhai Port to verify whether there are still loopholes in the existing management methods and the possibility of improving the work efficiency of slave laborers.