Chapter 3018

In late January of 1657 in the Haihan calendar, Xingdao Military Port in the South China Sea.

Luo Jie, Tan Juren and Qian Tiandun were at the port to review the troops about to leave for the expedition.

The scale of this expedition was huge. In addition to the special operations division under Qian Tiandun, there were also the Eighth Lu Division from Annan, some members of the Second Detachment of the South China Sea Fleet, the Ninth Lu Division belonging to the Xingdao Region, and the Third Detachment of the South China Sea Fleet.

of the navy and army units.

This coalition, composed of multiple units, has a total strength of more than 8,000 people, employs more than 70 warships of various types, and has also requisitioned nearly a hundred civilian ships to serve as a logistics fleet.

It is no exaggeration to say that the strength of this coalition is enough to overwhelm the armed forces of any country in the Malacca Strait region. But who in the outside world could have imagined that Haihan mobilized troops in this way just to attack a non-existent opponent.

"Since the establishment of the Xingdao Region, there has never been such a large-scale military operation! To be able to see this scene, the more than 20 years of fighting in Xingdao are not in vain!"

Although Tan Juren is not a soldier and does not have to go into battle in person, he is the most excited among the three. Perhaps it is one of his long-term goals for the Xingdao Region to take military actions openly and seek external expansion like this.

.

Qian Tiandun responded with a smile: "Old Tan, this is just the beginning. Take good care of your body. You will have a lot of territory to take care of from now on!"

Roger did not speak, but raised his hand to give a military salute to the soldiers lined up. He was responded to by shouts like a mountain roar and a tsunami: "We must win! We must win! We must win!"

In terms of military strength alone, Xingdao has actually already had the conditions for external expansion. However, because the environment at home and abroad has not reached an ideal state, the Xingdao authorities have to postpone the expansion plan again and again.

It was not until Qian Tiandun convinced the executive committee to make the South China Sea region the main expansion direction of Haihan in the next few years that the Singdao authorities finally seemed to see a turning point.

Even so, in order to prepare for the war more fully, Xingdao still spent several more months. So much so that the Luzon Region, which had originally agreed to take simultaneous actions, had already come to an end in its southern expedition.

, Xingdao is just getting ready to take action.

But it’s not too late to have a good meal. Compared with the primitive islands captured by the Luzon Region, the first step of the Star Island is to connect the key trade routes between the two oceans. After being captured, profits can be generated almost immediately. In order to be safe

For Roger and Tan Juren's sake, it would be acceptable to wait a few more months.

Li Yuande's fleet has become an affiliated organization of the special warfare division, so he is also among the first batch of personnel to set off. However, he does not have a military status, so he has no part in the activities on the dock. He can only stay far away on the ship.

From a distance, I watched several senior officials review the troops that were about to go on the expedition.

When he heard the troops under review shouting the slogan "We must win", Li Yuande couldn't help but feel excited, and raised his arms and shouted several times.

Li Yuande has heard a lot about the reasons for this expedition recently from various channels, but he actually doesn't really believe the story about the attack on the Haihan merchant ship.

The group of young officials Li Yuande met in Xingdao were all very tight-lipped when it came to the pirate incident, and they all claimed not to know the inside story. However, such a unified statement aroused his suspicion.

It was only later that Roger announced the dispatch of troops to suppress the bandits and ordered the centaurs of the Xingdao garrison to be dispatched. Li Yuande finally realized that he was planning to use this incident to start a big fight.

After the review, all units began to board the ship and prepare to set off. Roger will also set off with the troops and direct the next operations together with Qian Tiandun.

According to the pre-plan, Roger, who was familiar with the environment of the Strait of Malacca, commanded the vanguard force, while Qian Tiandun was responsible for the main force serving as the backbone of the operation. Behind him was the Second Detachment of the South China Sea Fleet commanded by Mu Zhennan.

The fleet left the Sing Tao Naval Port in batches within a day, then sailed westward along the coast and entered the Strait of Malacca.

Most of the coast of Sumatra Island on the southwest side of the Strait of Malacca is a tidal flat, so there are no decent ports and cities, and there are even few fishing villages. Most of the areas are in a relatively primitive state, until the northern end of Sumatra Island, the population density is

It will slowly increase and towns where people live together will begin to appear.

The Malay Peninsula on the northeast side of the strait is much more lively. Due to the important geographical location of the strait, it has been a battleground for military strategists in recent centuries. Although there are also few large ports and cities,

All forces are sparing no effort to compete for control of these places.

For people living in this region, the peaceful days of recent years are just a short break in a long war. War is the norm in the Straits region.

Four hundred miles away from Star Island is Malacca City, the largest city in the strait.

This city has a history of only more than two hundred years. It was founded by Paramesura, a prince from Sumatra, and founded the Malacca Dynasty on the basis of the city, which was also known as the Kingdom of Malacca in the Ming Dynasty.

But as the city of Malacca gradually prospered, foreign enemies also appeared. First, Siam sent troops to attack Malacca twice, and then the more ferocious Portuguese and Dutch came. The Malacca dynasty only existed for a century.

Destroyed by Portuguese muskets and artillery.

Of course, the war in Malacca did not stop there. Johor, Aceh and other countries later joined the battle, and wars, large and small, continued into this century.

Although the Portuguese, with the help of Heihan, repelled the Dutch who wanted to invade this place, the price was to hold their noses and recognize Heihan's control of Star Island.

What makes the Portuguese even more uneasy is that the construction results they spent more than a century in Malacca City seem to be unable to compare with Haihan's achievements in just over 20 years in Sing Tao. Whether it is port conditions or trade scale,

, or military strength, the city of Malacca has been left behind by Sing Tao.

The former regional center is rapidly losing its original influence after being overtaken by the competitor Sing Tao. This is one of the reasons why the Malacca Strait has become peaceful in recent years. Launch a war to seize the city of Malacca.

The power of control seems to have become less and less attractive to the rulers of various countries.

Of course, the Portuguese are not willing to be easily deprived of their status as a regional trade center by latecomers, but they really have no effective way to deal with Star Island. They cannot directly launch a war like they did with the indigenous people.

The only thing they can do is to try their best to maintain the current status of Malacca City, maintain their influence in the Straits region, and prevent the Haihan family from becoming dominant.

However, the cooperation between the Sing Tao authorities and Aceh has become closer in the past two years, which has also made the Portuguese increasingly worried about the future prospects of Malacca City. Banda Aceh and Sing Tao are located at both ends of the strait.

To begin with, the city of Malacca sandwiched in the middle does not have much oil and water.
Chapter completed!