Chapter 2227

This year, Haihan teamed up with Fujian to launch a cross-sea expedition against the Hirado clan. The main purpose was actually to wipe out the remaining Shibashiba forces hiding in the area.

No matter how hard the Hirado clan tried, they were just a powerful local in a corner of Japan. The Shiba Shimo Party, which had been lingering and causing trouble for Haihan, was what made Haihan so fearful that he had to carry out military operations in the area.

The real reason for the blow.

The grievances between the Shibazhi and the Haihan Kingdom and the Xu family in Fujian have been around for a long time and are impossible to resolve. However, the remaining members of the Shibazhi Party who were forced to leave Japan have never given up their intention to retaliate against Haihan.

A series of gun-related incidents have fully proved that Shibazhi tried to make a comeback in Hirado and colluded with anti-Haihan forces in various places to create trouble. Of course, Haihan could not just sit back and watch this unfavorable situation continue to develop.

This year, Haihan's conquest against Hirado eliminated Gao Hongfu, Lu Yuanlong, Wei Zhi, Wen Jianyi and other Shibazhi leaders who were hiding in the local area. The harvest was quite fruitful. However, the key figures among them were Tagawasuke and his adopted son Tagawa Shichi.

However, Zaemon escaped by chance, but this operation still left consequences.

And Tagawasuke's reappearance in Hirado will inevitably affect Zhoushan, the Haihan ruling area closest to Hirado. It is impossible for Shi Diwen to pretend to be deaf to such important news, but at present, in addition to sending personnel to the local area as soon as possible to collect more information

There is so much information, and it seems that there is no other method available for the time being.

As a local official, Shi Diwen has military and political power, but he does not have the power to independently decide to send troops when encountering such a situation. He must first report the situation to Sanya, and the Executive Committee and the Ministry of National Defense will jointly decide whether military means are needed.

to cope with it.

After the staff meeting in Zhoushan, Shi Diwen sent a telegram back to Sanya, detailing the information currently available and asking the Executive Committee for instructions on the next steps.

"Shi Diwen's focus is wrong!"

In Sanya Victory Fort, after reading the contents of the telegram sent by Shi Diwen, Tao Donglai said to Yan Chujie sitting opposite him: "There are 1,600 miles between Zhoushan and Hirado, and there are East China Sea Fleet and

If an infantry battalion is stationed for a long time, there is no need to worry about what trouble the Hirado gang can make! Is it possible that we have to launch another cross-sea expedition for the sake of Tagawasuke?"

Yan Chujie said: "In terms of military strength, the Hirado clan is indeed no longer worthy of our war. Lao Tao, what do you think we need to pay attention to at the moment?"

"The arsenal of the Hirado clan and the ordnance technology they possess." Tao Donglai said calmly: "This is what really threatens us, and we cannot let it spread."

The ordnance and shipbuilding technology mastered by the Hirado Domain came from the Shiba Shimo Party, and the technology for manufacturing weapons such as muskets and artillery came from the Spanish. Although the weapons manufactured locally are still obviously inferior to those of the Haihan

There is a performance gap, but the fact that it can mass-produce standard weapons is already a danger signal.

The reason why the Hirado clan has grown rapidly in recent years and even slowly expanded its influence to the mainland coast is that in addition to relying on the huge wealth obtained from the local trade environment, another very important reason is the Shiba Shiba belt

To the military and navigational technology of Hirado. These advanced technologies greatly improved the armed strength of the Hirado clan, and gave them the confidence to negotiate terms and cooperation with forces at home and abroad in Japan, and even gave them the ability to fight against Kaihan.

The illusion of fighting.

Of course, an illusion is an illusion after all. The consequence of provoking Kaihan was that the Hirado Domain's many years of operations were destroyed by the war and were almost completely wiped out by the Kaihan Expeditionary Force. Even if the Hirado Domain can repeat its good luck in previous years

, and it is still no match for the armed conquest from Haihan.

But if these technologies flow from the Hirado Domain to the hands of some more powerful hostile forces, the trouble that will result may not be so easy to solve.

The Eighteen Shiba Yu Party relied on the Hirado Domain just because the local area could provide them with an environment for a comeback. However, the situation of the Hirado Domain after suffering a military attack is already very bleak, and the Eighteen Shiba Yu Party's prospects of seeking revenge are also increasing.

The more slim it becomes, under such circumstances, there is indeed the possibility that the Eighteenth Party Committee will find another way out.

"Old Tao, what do you mean, we have to prevent Shibazhi from leaving Hirado to develop elsewhere?" Yan Chujie seemed to have understood Tao Donglai's thoughts.

Tao Donglai nodded and said, "Especially in the north!"

A raid on the Liaodong front line before the end of last year caused Haihan to lose a patrol team in an ambush by the Qing Army's musketeers. This incident attracted great attention from the military, and was announced by the Navy and Army at the beginning of this year.

The team went deep into enemy-occupied territory and eliminated the musketeers.

Later investigations revealed that the weapons and training for the musketeers belonging to the Qing army were provided by the Hirado Domain. This was one of the reasons that prompted the high-level officials of Kaihan to make up their minds to launch a cross-sea conquest against the Hirado Domain.

Moreover, after the Hirado War, judging from the weapons transaction records found at Tagawasuke's home, the number of weapons they sold to the Qing army was more than the amount of equipment needed to destroy the musketry team. This means that the Qing army may still have another weapon at any time.

Another musketry team was revealed, which caused the Liaodong front line to tighten the scope of the patrol team's activities after receiving this information, and took the initiative to maintain a safe distance from the actual control area of ​​​​the Qing army.

Considering that the Hirado clan and the Qing army had already established a secret cooperative relationship before, arms trading was probably just one of their cooperation projects. If Shibazhi wanted to find another backer, it would be very difficult for them to flee to the Qing Dynasty.

Said it might be a good way out.

Although Haihan had achieved complete control of the sea on the east coast of the Liaodong Peninsula, and would even send small groups of troops to land from time to time to attack and plunder areas controlled by the Qing army, it was necessary to completely block access to the Qing-controlled areas from the sea.

channel is still unlikely to be realized.

What's more, if you want to enter the Qing ruled area from Japan, you don't necessarily have to go through the Liaodong Peninsula. You can go north from the sea via the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, land near the northern border of Korea, and enter the Qing Dynasty through the mountains. Although this route

It is more troublesome to alternate between sea and land, but it will not be interfered by the Haihan Navy, and the safety is more guaranteed.

Yan Chujie reminded: "Old Tao, even if we deploy several times more naval power in the north, it is impossible to completely block the sea route from Japan to the Liaodong region. Moreover, with the current capabilities of the navy, it is impossible to let the entire fleet

Long-term patrols at sea."

Tao Donglai nodded and said: "Of course I understand this. If we cannot prevent the worst case scenario from happening, we must first be prepared to deal with this situation."

"You mean the Qing army will be equipped with a large number of firearms in the future?" Yan Chujie's expression began to become serious.

"There are some things that even we can't prevent from happening." Tao Donglai said: "Actually, I had a bad premonition before I couldn't find a workshop for producing muskets in Hirado. I think those Shibazhi People will no longer sit back and wait for death in Hirado, and will definitely find ways to continue to cause us trouble."

For Haihan, the most difficult enemy at present is the Qing army in Liaodong. Since the area occupied by Haihan in Liaodong is too far away from the mainland of Hainan, the scale of the troops deployed there has almost reached the upper limit of what supplies can support, and The navy with the greatest advantage can play a relatively limited role in the local area, so it is difficult to rely on the limited garrison in the Jinzhou area to achieve the strategy of Liaodong.

The current confrontation between the two sides near the Golden State Isthmus is a dynamic balance formed after many battles over the past few years. If either side wants to break this balance, it must significantly improve its strength.

If the Qing army, which has superior military strength, suddenly obtains a large number of advanced standard weapons in terms of weapons and equipment, then this balance may be broken, endangering the stability of the Jinzhou region.

Of course, there are two places near Liaodong, the Zhifu Island Base and the Datong River Base, which can ensure that there will be reinforcements for the Jinzhou War and a retreat, so there is no need to worry about the situation getting out of control in a short period of time.

But from a long-term perspective, as long as the Qing Dynasty obtains the manufacturing technology of advanced firearms, the balance of strength between the warring parties will inevitably change slowly, and the pressure on the Jinzhou garrison will also increase, which will affect the sea. It is definitely not a good thing for Han.

Yan Chujie was in charge of the Haihan Army and the Navy, so he could naturally imagine such consequences. He sighed and said: "You are right, even we, there are many things that we cannot do... Then if there are signs from Liaodong , we can only try to send more troops to Jinzhou to consolidate the defense line."

Tao Donglai said: "I think some preparations can be started now, such as notifying Jinzhou of relevant information, strengthening the fortifications and bunkers on Jinzhou's defense line, and dispatching more artillery units from the south to the area. The region... can take preventive measures before they happen, so there is no need to wait until something really happens to cause trouble."

"You are right, these preparations must be deployed as soon as possible." Yan Chujie agreed, but then asked another question: "Should we sound a wake-up call for Ming Dynasty?"

Tao Donglai thought for a moment, then nodded and said: "You arrange the time, we will meet with Ambassador Fei Cexian and reveal the general situation to him."

The Jinzhou Defense Line is currently the highest military base under Haihan's rule, but its significance is not only a symbol of the country's northern border, but also an important weight in maintaining the regional military balance. Haihan relies on this small The small area held back a considerable part of the Qing's main force, leaving them no time to attack the Ming Dynasty in the west and North Korea in the east by land.

If the Qing army were allowed to act without scruples, the troops they would have invested in attacking North Korea last year were estimated to be tens of thousands more elites. In that case, even if Haihan intervened, it would be more difficult to prevent the Qing army from moving south. .

The Ming Dynasty was not much better. The Qing army was knocking on the pass every year. The resistance the Ming Dynasty could offer was still relying on a small number of fortified city passes to defend, leaving large open areas for the Qing army to plunder at will. If the Qing army hadn't considered their retreat and the Haihan army might jump out at any time to cause trouble, they would have marched straight in and begun to occupy the Ming Dynasty city.

From the perspective of an ally, Tao Donglai believed that it was still necessary to give the Ming Dynasty a warning so that they could prepare in advance for possible war situations in the future. Of course, with the willful style of the Ming Dynasty, even if it was a reminder,

They may not listen to it, and even if they do, they may not be able to feel comfortable enough to take measures according to Haihan's suggestions.

Fei Cexian has been living quite well in the past six months. Although the arrival of the crown prince of Joseon last year made him feel inconvenienced for a while, the prince's appearance has been greatly reduced since he entered school. Fei Cexian felt inconvenienced in diplomatic situations.

It also became much less.

The North Koreans were also very smart and chose the place furthest away from the Ming embassy in the designated area for the embassy they built. This way, everyone would meet less often and avoid embarrassing situations as much as possible.

Fei Cexian's daily work is to read various news released by Haihan officials through newspapers and other channels, and then corroborate it with folk rumors, record major events in detail, and add his own interpretation to each

A memorial was written and sent back to the court once every half month.

As for interactions with ambassadors from other countries in the embassy area, Fei Cexian actually has a hard time, because most of the countries that have established embassies in Sanya have a similar attitude towards Haihan as North Korea, and regard it as their ally or trading partner.

, and this role has always been played by Ming Dynasty in the past two hundred years.

Although these countries still maintain awe of the Ming Dynasty, their diplomatic relations are obviously not as close as with Haihan. Fei Cexian feels uncomfortable whenever he hears envoys from various countries talking about the various trade agreements or military alliances signed with Haihan.

Comfortable, it seems that Ming Dynasty is like these small countries, establishing so-called commercial relations with Haihan for some petty profits, or reaching military cooperation with Haihan to seek asylum.

Although the Ming Dynasty acquiesced in the many areas that Haihan occupied by military means on its own coastline from south to north, in Fei Cexian's view, this was just because the Heavenly Kingdom did not care about the gains and losses of this small country. The internal and external troubles faced by the Ming Dynasty

It will be resolved eventually, and when the time comes to turn around and deal with Haihan, we will naturally slowly regain the lost land along the coast.

As for Qiongzhou Island, it is estimated that it will be a bit difficult to take it back by military means. After all, the Haihan people’s armed fleet is there. Even if Fei Cexian is military-illiterate, he knows that it is difficult to defeat it with the Ming Navy.

These sea monsters.

But as long as the trade route between the Ming Dynasty and Qiongzhou Island is cut off, Haihan's maritime trade will no longer be able to continue, and its national strength will inevitably be greatly damaged. If the Haihan people are willing to humble themselves and ask the Ming Dynasty to allow them to live temporarily on Qiongzhou Island,

Opening a few ports to allow them to do business does not mean that they cannot be negotiated.
Chapter completed!