Chapter 1142 Fighting for Copper Mines

Prior to this, Dengzhou Prefecture had not expressed any objection or hostility to Haihan's arrival. The prefect Chen Zhongsheng even expressed appreciation for Haihan's action in helping Fushan County eliminate the cancerous Wanjiajun gang and also acquiesced to Haihan.

The behavior of building a port and residence on Zhifu Island. In the absence of face-to-face contact, the local officials have such an attitude, which is considered very friendly. The Zhifu Island Command also believes that Chen Zhongsheng is a candidate that can be fought for, and plans to

I wanted to bring him some more practical benefits, but I didn't expect that the other party would suddenly do something like this, and his attitude suddenly became tougher.

Zhang Pucheng, the magistrate of Fushan County, naturally did not dare to disobey his superiors' orders, but he did not want to offend Haihan. After all, the adults in Dengzhou City had not seen the performance of Haihan's army with their own eyes, but he knew very well how powerful this group of people was.

In a word, I can't afford to offend. Zhang Pucheng sent this official document to Zhifu Island, and his meaning was very clear - this was not Zhang Pucheng's intention, but the intention of Dengzhou Prefecture. Even if you have any grievances, please don't take it out on me.

Come up.

In any case, the Fushan Copper Mine will definitely not be given away. One of the reasons why Haihan chose Zhifu Island as his base is to mine this copper mine nearby, and no one knew about this vein before. Now Haihan has

A place was found and ready to be mined. The local government wanted to come out to pick peaches at this time. How could Haihan be willing to let the mine go? Even Hao Wanqing, who had always been relatively steady, couldn't help but feel a little angry after hearing the news.

Above.

"Don't be impulsive, everyone. This piece of paper only expresses the government's attitude and does not have any actual binding force on us. We just keep doing what we need to do. If the Dengzhou government really wants to use violent means to solve this matter, we will

There is no need to take action first." Qian Tiandun remained calm enough at this time and did not get as angry as the others: "If those thousands of soldiers in Dengzhou City dare to come out to fight us, then I don't mind giving them.

They have learned a profound lesson! But before that, I think we should deal with it calmly and find out what happened first, which will cause a sudden change in the attitude of the Dengzhou government."

After hearing this, Wang Tom quickly calmed down from his anger just now: "Commander Qian is right, we can't mess up our original plan because of this matter. This Magistrate Chen suddenly changed his attitude. Maybe someone was obstructing it and deliberately

Make things happen to test our reaction."

"Stay unchanged in response to all changes. No matter what tricks they play, as long as they don't send troops, we don't have to pay attention to them." Qian Tiandun said solemnly: "Fushan County, we have the final say now! If they want to take back the copper mine, then

Just take the heads!"

Qian Tiandun said a few harsh words steadily, and everyone's mood calmed down a lot, and they began to seriously discuss countermeasures.

Hao Wanqing said: "Since Dengzhou Prefecture has issued such an official document, I believe that further information will be sent back within two or three days. If they want to send troops, it should not be hidden from the eyes of my men."

After Gong Shiqi led a team to Dengzhou City last time to inquire about intelligence, he left a few people to lurk in Dengzhou City, specifically responsible for collecting military and political intelligence. For an operation like an army expedition, a large number of supplies would be mobilized a few days beforehand.

Recruiting army civilians responsible for transporting baggage, with the mobilization ability and command level of the Dengzhou Ming Army, it should be impossible to hide it from the eyes and ears of Haihan stationed in the city. As long as the Dengzhou garrison has this movement, it will take at most two days.

News will come back, and this time difference is enough for Haihan to prepare for it.

Sun Changmi said: "Tian Yeyou, Chen Yixin and Morgan are still in the mining area. Do you want to send them some reinforcements?"

"There's no need to rush this. Gaoqiao Nan's troops are not far from where they are. After they finish dealing with the Wanjia Gang, they can go over to reinforce the mining area." Qian Tiandun already had a plan to deal with this: "

Gao Qiaonan led two companies, plus the troops in the mining area, almost a battalion, that is, there are no heavy weapons, but setting up a small-scale defense zone for self-protection should be enough. However, the supply line from Zhifu Island to the mining area

We need to establish it as soon as possible. Our troops stationed there plus the miners consume a lot of materials every day, and winter is coming soon, so the logistics supplies must keep up. The winter clothes and quilts shipped this time

, we also need to start transporting it as soon as possible."

At this time, Gao Qiaonan was in the mountainous area about 20 miles southwest of the Fushan Copper Mining Area. Although Gan Qiang and Pu Xueguang, the main leaders of the Wanjia Army's remnant party, had been captured before, the Wanjia Army was still widely distributed everywhere.

It still took his team several days to dig out the stronghold and dig out the bandit treasures buried outside.

Of course, the reward for this hard work was quite generous. Not only did Haihan get hundreds of free coolies, he eliminated the threats lurking in the mountains, and more importantly, he recovered the treasures buried by Wanjiajun in various places in the mountains.

Its total value was nearly 100,000 taels of silver. Due to the large amount, Gao Qiaonan was also worried that there would be extraneous matters, so he spent a day personally escorting the goods all the way to Jiahe, and only after putting them on the ship did he comply with the new regulations.

After receiving the order, he rushed to the mining area without stopping to meet Tian Yeyou and others.

During this period, the spies deployed by the Ministry of Security in Dengzhou City finally sent back further information. The official document issued by the Dengzhou Prefecture was indeed drafted by the prefect Chen Zhongsheng, and was not a trick used by others in his name. However, this

After the incident, it seems that there is still an inseparable relationship with the Dengzhou Ming Army.

According to the information obtained by the spies, the news that Haihan was prospecting for ore in Fushan County reached Dengzhou City. Someone secretly dug up the ore from near the mining area and sent it to the city for appraisal. It turned out that there was a leak in this matter.

, after spreading from east to west, it reached the ears of interested people.

Dengzhou originally had few valuable products. I heard that the recently discovered Haihan people discovered copper mines in Fushan County. Naturally, some people started to think that the mines buried in the local area should of course be owned by the local people.

How can we let a bunch of barbarians from the south take possession of something we have grown so well?

Of course, even if you have this idea, you must first consider whether you have the ability to go mining in Fushan County. Mining is not a small business, and the initial investment is very large. Not everyone can afford it, not to mention the Haihan people.

With money and power, it is not so easy to exclude people. If you want to use private power to fight against the Haihan people, the recently destroyed Wanjia Army is a fresh and warm lesson. If you think your strength is not as good as that of the local bully armed force, you don't have to

I went out to provoke Haihan.

The most important thing is to get the permission and support from the government. Otherwise, with just a piece of official paper, the mine will be nationalized in a matter of minutes, and no matter how much investment you make, it will be in vain.

There are many people in Dengzhou City who are greedy and ambitious, but not many people can meet these conditions at the same time, especially the condition of getting government support, which is impossible for most people to achieve.

However, there are exceptions to everything. Zheng Fan, the brother-in-law of the prefect Chen Zhongsheng, is a special case. This man is regarded as a wealthy businessman in the Denglai area. He served in the army in his early years and later left his job to engage in business. He used his connections in the military to

With Chen Zhongsheng's local prestige, he soon became rich and reached the peak of his life. Nowadays, almost all the grain and cloth business in Denglai area is monopolized by his trading firm.

It is said that after Zheng Fan heard the news about the Fushan Copper Mine, he went to his brother-in-law Chen Zhongsheng to discuss taking the copper mine from Haihan and putting it under his own name. The proceeds from the mining could be divided into three parts. Zheng Fan

, Chen Zhongsheng each has one share, and the remaining share is used as a tax to be paid to the state treasury. In this way, everyone gets what he deserves, and Chen Zhongsheng can also get a brilliant political achievement.

Of course, in order to achieve such a beneficial result for all parties, Haihan must first be eliminated. In the eyes of Chen Zhongsheng and Zheng Fan, there is nothing wrong with this method of handling. Who knows that Haihan is a foreigner from the south?

What about the barbarians?

At this time, the Dengzhou garrison also jumped out and expressed its support for Zheng Fan and was willing to provide necessary military assistance. Of course, the relevant expenses must be borne by Zheng Fan. In addition, the military required that the profits from copper mining in the future must be divided into

Four shares, and the military also wanted one share. After weighing the pros and cons, Chen Zhongsheng actually agreed to the military's conditions.

The spies of the Ministry of Security learned the relevant information through a low-level military officer they knew. The credibility is quite high. It can basically be confirmed that this decision was jointly made by Dengzhou civil and military officials, and it should not stop at a less binding document such as a written document.

Means. If Haihan refuses to give in, the possibility of Dengzhou garrison directly intervening in this matter will be very high.

"If the Dengzhou Ming Army wants to take action to seize the mines, they will probably do it recently. Otherwise, if there is a snow or two after winter, even if they want to come out to seize the territory, the weather will easily affect the progress of their actions." Hao Wanqing told Hao Wanqing.

The military issued a warning: "I recommend strengthening monitoring of the area west of Guxian Town as soon as possible and formulating an action plan to counter the opponent."

Qian Tiandun and Wang Tom also attached great importance to the warning of the Ministry of Security. For this reason, they temporarily postponed the planned operation of the navy and the Pidao Ming Army to jointly recover the Changshan Islands. Zhifu Island sent additional troops to the location of the Fushan Copper Mine.

A group of artillery and weapons equipment were sent to enhance the defense of the area. At the same time, Harugong was asked to move the cavalry battalion's defense area to the Linhai Plain area west of Guxian Town, specifically responsible for monitoring disturbances in the direction of Dengzhou.

At the end of October, the weather had turned cooler, and just when the Zhifu Island headquarters was doubting whether Dengzhou would take action before winter, further news finally came. The troops of Dengzhou garrison Guo Xingning had begun to gather to prepare for war, and the grain merchants

Zheng Fan recently provided five thousand kilograms of grain sponsorship to the ministry. The Ministry of Security believes that these two events are not a coincidence, and the target of his expedition is most likely the copper mine in Fushan County.

"I received an order from the command center to let you go back to the island to rest for a few days. After the troubles here are dealt with, you can come back to take charge of the work." Morgan informed Tian Yeyou of the current situation and the command center's response measures.

.

Tian Yeyou shook his head and said: "I don't think it's necessary. A battalion of the army is stationed here. What else is there to be afraid of? Even if the Ming army in Dengzhou City is deployed in full force, they may not be able to seize this mine, right?"

Morgan said: "That's what I said, but considering your personal safety..."

"Needless to say, if I go back to the island, I will have to stop work for at least four or five days. It is the time to rush for the construction period, how can I let go at this juncture." Tian Yeyou still insisted on his opinion: "You

When I called back to the headquarters, I said I couldn’t leave here for the time being.”

Morgan also knew that what Tian Yeyou said was true, and did not insist on persuading him to leave at the moment. The garrison area of ​​the mine was almost completed, but the construction of the miner's camp was still intensifying. If not in time

If it is completed before the severe winter arrives, some migrant workers will have to return to Zhifu Island to spend the winter, and the progress of the mine infrastructure project will be greatly affected. Tian Yeyou is currently serving as a supervisor on the construction site here. If he leaves, it will indeed

Bringing some construction sites to a standstill.

Four days later, the Haihan Cavalry discovered the Ming Army's vanguard thirty miles east of Dengzhou City. The other party's reconnaissance cavalry also noticed the presence of the Haihan Cavalry, but both sides were cautious and did not attack.

They did not choose to fight. After observing from a distance, they chose to withdraw their troops.

That day, the leading troops of the Ming Army marched to Jijia Town, sixty miles east of Dengzhou, and began to send out teams of cavalry to control the ten-mile radius around the station. Although Harugong was a little itchy, he considered the opponent's main force

He didn't show up at the back, and taking action at this time would probably alert others, so he continued to exercise restraint.

On the afternoon of the next day, this Ming army had already entered Fushan County. It was marching at a very fast pace. It seems that the general leading the army also wanted to minimize the time spent on the march and seize the Fushan Copper Mine in a quick battle.

However, it is a pity that the enemy he has to face is Haihan, who has never thought about giving up the copper mine, and has made preparations for the battle several days in advance.

In order to ensure that the operation was foolproof, the Zhifu Island headquarters asked two companies of the army to go around the rear of the Ming army by boat, and quietly landed on the coast near Guxian Town, so as to outflank the Ming army's retreat after the battle started. But at this time

The size of the incoming Ming army has been basically reconnoitred. It is led by General Guo Xingning, and consists of about 1,500 Ming troops, including major arms such as infantry, cavalry and artillery, and 7800 civilians accompanying the army who are responsible for logistics and baggage.

Although Haihan's troops deployed in this area were only about half of his opponents, they had already been prepared for the fight, so they did not panic. However, Zhang Pucheng, the magistrate of Fushan, noticed that Haihan's troops had been mobilized frequently recently, so he ordered them several days in advance.

The weather allowed the county to return to wartime martial law, and the opening time of the city gate was reduced to half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening each day.
Chapter completed!