Chapter 752 A first exploration of Zhuoshui Creek

In past field survival trainings, although there were also training subjects for collective actions, they would never be equipped with such complete logistical equipment for setting up a camp. For this operation, not only were there enough marching tents for two companies, but they were also equipped with

A large number of multifunctional engineering shovels were issued for building simple defenses in the wild. In addition, among the equipment unloaded from the ship, there was even barbed wire that was enough to surround the seaside camp. Such strict defense measures were not used in the past.

It is generally only used during wartime or military exercises, and daily training rarely reaches this level.

Sun Zhen and other recruits dug trenches for two full hours under the light of the fire. And just as the veterans expected before setting off, the dinner content also became a single-content field army ration. Although the taste was actually quite good.

It's okay, and it doesn't matter if you eat one or two meals occasionally, but thinking about having to live on this thing for more than ten days in the future, it still makes people miss the food at the Penghu base.

While the new recruits were sweating profusely at the border of the camp, Qian Tiandun summoned the officers from the battalion headquarters and two companies, one old and one new, and began to deploy the next military training plan. Behind Qian Tiandun hung a map near Zhuoshui Creek.

The general terrain within 30 kilometers north and south of Zhuoshui Creek has been marked with contour lines. The officers are accustomed to the fact that the commander can bring out maps of unfamiliar areas every time, and do not think there is anything wrong with this.

Qian Tiandun explained: "The content of our training this time is mainly to find out the topography along the Zhuoshui River from west to east, as well as the situation of the people living there. What everyone needs to pay attention to is that the terrain drawn on this map

It is not completely accurate. Correcting the map through exploration is also one of the tasks of this operation. In addition, the people living here may be hostile to outsiders and even take some hostile actions. If we encounter someone who is unwilling to accept our goodwill,

Depending on the situation, each combat unit can defend itself or counterattack as appropriate."

"General, since it is possible to use force, why do you need to bring a company of new soldiers?" someone asked in confusion.

"Don't worry, even if there is a battle, the intensity of the battle will not be too great. It is just a good time to train the new recruits and let them know what their role will be in this army in the future." Qian Tiandun responded: "In addition, it is also a good time to inspect this batch.

The quality of the recruits has been trained for almost two months. They are like mules or horses, so we should be able to see some clues by now."

Although the special operations troops under Qian Tiandun also have the Army's standard ninety-day military training period, the training content is much more extensive than that of ordinary Army troops. And based on Qian Tiandun's experience in leading troops in recent years, after learning the most basic

After the combat skills subjects, the effect of practicing through combat is obviously much better than shouting and killing at empty targets in the camp all day long. Many people can be lively and vigorous on the training ground, but when it comes to the real battlefield

Becoming confused and at a loss. Some people are born warriors, while some people are not suitable for setting foot on the battlefield no matter how hard they train. What Qian Tiandun has to do is to survive the fittest during the training process and keep the most elite warriors.

In your own troops, let them continue to be tempered in large and small battles.

Some of the current batch of recruits being trained will be gradually eliminated in previous large-scale field trainings. The number of soldiers who can actually complete the recruit training period and stay to be incorporated into the special operations force is only about half of what they were when they joined the army. Of course, they are

The eliminated personnel will not be discharged immediately, but will be assigned to continue serving in other units.

According to the intelligence learned beforehand, it was basically unlikely that Westerners would settle in this area, and the armament and combat capabilities of the indigenous residents were very limited. Qian Tiandun believed that it was not enough to pose a great threat to the troops he led.

, so he brought a group of new soldiers with him in this military operation in an unknown area.

Qian Tiandun is scheduled to lead his troops all the way upstream along the south bank of Zhuoshui Creek to the border of the mountainous area to complete the exploration mission of the coastal plain along the Zhuoshui Creek. From the coastline to the scheduled end point, the straight-line distance

It's about eighty miles, which is about the same distance as the distance from Changhua Port on the west coast of Hainan Island to the inland Shilu Mining Area.

If there are no obstacles at this distance, the march can be completed in two days at most. Qian Tiandun set the operation time at ten to fifteen days because he also wanted to take this opportunity to thoroughly understand the situation of the Zhuoshui River Basin in order to provide

Provide reference for the next step of immigration and settlement.

The lower reaches of Zhuoshui River are alluvial plains with excellent soil quality, which are very suitable for cultivating large-area collective farms. Qian Tiandun believes that as long as two to three thousand immigrants immigrate, they can establish a foothold in this place. As for subsequent expansion, it can be slow.

Plan slowly and occupy the place first. With Haihan's colonial ability, a small city can be born out of thin air here in just a year or two.

In the early morning of the next day, although there was no usual wake-up call, and they had been on the boat for most of the day and worked as migrant workers for several hours the day before, the recruits still woke up one after another as soon as the time came. The two-month training period

They have developed a very accurate biological clock, and they will wake up from their sleep at this point every day to avoid being punished for not attending work in time. When they were at the Penghu base, there was a wake-up call every day, but during the field training, Qian Tian

Tun ordered the cancellation of the reveille and lights-out signals to avoid disturbing imaginary enemies who might be lurking nearby.

Breakfast was the same as the dinner the day before, dry pancakes with dried meat and pickles. Although it was not delicious, the portion was basically enough to fill the stomachs of the soldiers. Although there may not be a clean drinking water source in a real field battle, Qian Tian

In order to avoid non-combat attrition due to water source problems among the soldiers in this unfamiliar environment, Tun dug a reservoir near the river bank the day before and put in alum for clarification and purification overnight.

Sun Zhen queued up, fetched water with the bamboo kettle on his body, and then slung the kettle across his chest. The water queue next to him was the veterans of the first company, and all they brought were cowhide kettles. Compared with the recruits,

The equipment is much lighter - of course, the cost is also much higher.

Sun Zhen's platoon will follow the veterans out of camp for reconnaissance today. This is a dangerous but exciting job, because even for these veterans who have been in the army for several years, this is the first time they have set foot on the island of Taiwan. For everyone,

This is a new and unfamiliar environment.

The old and new companies each left a platoon to garrison the camp. The veterans were responsible for guarding and defending, while the new recruits continued to work as engineers, cutting off branches from the felled trees and turning them into logs, which were then used to build a wall outside the camp.

Wall. If this reconnaissance activity on the area along the Zhuoshui River goes well, then the temporary camp built on the seaside is very likely to be retained and people will be stationed to provide basic security for accepting immigrants in the future.

area. Building relatively solid fortifications on its periphery has become one of the tasks that the troops stationed in the camp must complete.

What makes Qian Tiandun regretful is that there is no dangerous terrain that can be used to deploy defense lines or large-scale fortifications, and the sea is basically completely undefendable. Even if fortifications such as fortifications are built, it will be very difficult.

It is difficult for people to feel more secure. Defense against wild beasts may be enough, but if it is a war, the defense power provided by a wooden wall with a height of only two meters is very limited. Of course, this will naturally provide a

Attacking the territory occupied by foreign devils on both sides of the north and south provides more reasons - how can I sleep peacefully if I don't kick them out?

At about eight o'clock in the morning, Qian Tiandun led his men through the thin morning fog and embarked on a journey of exploration into the unknown territory. The marching team was made up of veterans, while Sun Zhen's recruits were caught in the process.

In the middle, a protective state is formed intentionally or unintentionally.

Not far after setting off, the vanguard was the first to discover traces of human activity - a path in the woods that had obviously been repeatedly stepped on. In order to make sure that this was the work of man and not beasts, the veterans carefully examined the ground.

After some investigation, I quickly found several shoe prints on the trail.

"The footprints are very smooth, they should be cloth shoes." After Qian Tiandun arrived at the scene, he squatted down to check in person, and poked the soil with his finger: "It is already very dry. It hasn't rained on the beach in recent days, at least.

They are footprints left five to seven days ago. The footprints lead to the river, maybe they were left by fishing on the river."

"General, are these the locals you mentioned yesterday?" asked the subordinate next to him.

Qian Tiandun patted the soil on his hands, stood up and said, "The natives here are either barefoot or wear straw sandals. The ones who left these footprints are probably not locals, but outsiders like us. But

Don’t be nervous, I guess they are mostly Han Chinese who immigrated from Fujian.”

Before formulating this plan, Qian Tiandun also made various inquiries about the early immigration status of Taiwan Island and had some understanding of it. As early as 1621, the maritime merchant Yan Siqi landed at Bengang on the west coast of Taiwan Island and established a colony.

Set up camps and open up fields. The location of Bengang is about fifty or sixty miles south of the mouth of Zhuoshui River, which is the mouth of Beigang River. Yan Siqi established ten camps along the water veins of Beigang River, and

Immigrants were recruited from Fujian to colonize the area.

After Yan Siqi died of illness in 1625, Zheng Zhilong, who took over power, quickly reorganized the old team into Shibazhi and continued to introduce immigrants from Fujian to settle there. However, the war with Fujian officials became increasingly fierce, and in 1628 the Haihan-Israeli army

After the intervention of the Fujian War in the form of aid, the flow of immigrants from the mainland to Bengang gradually subsided. However, there are still thousands of Han people who have settled there, and the cultivated farmland can basically achieve self-sufficiency.

The indigenous people also often trade some agricultural and forestry products.

However, the hydrological conditions of Bengang can only build a wharf, but it is difficult to build a large port. Therefore, the Shibazhi still set up the maritime armed base in Penghu and used the colonial area here as the rear area. May 10

When Bazhi was defeated and evacuated from Penghu, Bengang also carried out a large-scale migration. Some immigrants followed Bazhi and evacuated to Miyako Island by boat, but there were still some immigrants who did not want to move around anymore and stayed in Bengang.

In the nearby village.

After Haihan occupied Penghu, he was busy with infrastructure construction and had not yet freed up his hands to clean up the area near Bengang. Considering that many of the people who settled there should be pirate families or people with interests, Qian Tiandun did not want to take the risk.

Entering this area, he chose the mouth of Zhuoshui River in the north as the landing point. But before arriving here, he was not very clear about the scope of activities of immigrants in the south. If there are really Han immigrants who moved from Bengang here, it can mean that the Han people here are

The relationship with the indigenous people is not as hostile as imagined.

"Expand the peripheral reconnaissance range to one mile, and report immediately if any situation is discovered!" Qian Tiandun issued a new order, expanding the reconnaissance range to the south. He believed that if there were villages where Han people settled here, they should not be far away from Zhuoshui.

The stream is too far.

This news soon spread to the ears of the new recruits, and everyone subconsciously clenched their muskets. Although they did not yet know whether the people living nearby were enemies or friends, the two months of training had made them

The first reaction is to be on guard.

Sun Zhen watched several veterans in camouflage uniforms quickly disappear in the forest. Not only did he admire the officers for coming up with such concealment methods, but he also admired them a lot. Not only were the soldiers responsible for reconnaissance dressed in clothes that made it easy to blend into the environment.

He wears a uniform with a circle of grass blades on his hat, and his face is colorfully painted with grease and grass mud. As long as he stands still in the woods, it is difficult to distinguish him from the surrounding environment.

The longer the training lasted, the more Sun Zhen felt that there were too many skills in this army that he had never known before. He originally thought that being a soldier meant practicing swords and guns and learning how to fight, but after joining the army, he learned much more.

At this point, every new training subject is like opening up a new world for him. He plans to find time to ask his company commander how to become such a secretive scout who comes and goes like the wind.

.

After the large army marched eastward along the Zhuoshui River for about six or seven miles, a scout came back and reported that they had discovered a village in front, with about forty or fifty households, and a wall of civil structures built around it.

Judging from the appearance of the houses, it should be a village where Han people live together.

"Find a few soldiers from Fujian and go shout first." Qian Tiandun immediately issued another order.

Although most of the soldiers and officers in this unit were of Annan descent, there were also people who were from Fuzhou and Guangzhou. Soon a soldier followed the scouts to the front.

The troops temporarily stopped marching and stayed in place waiting for the outcome of the negotiations ahead. Although the waiting time was not long, it was always tense for the recruits. Even Sun Zhen kept thinking, what if he waits a little longer?

What should I do if the general orders an attack on a village?
Chapter completed!