Chapter 843 Fanfare

When Xu Xinsu presided over the selection of clan members to go to Zhejiang, Xu Yuzhuo was actually among those listed. The two even received special training in the field of latent intelligence for a period of time. However, Xu Yuzhuo suddenly fell seriously ill before departure.

In the end, he was not included in the list of those who went to Zhejiang. However, this was also a blessing in disguise. After staying in Fujian, he gradually showed his military talents, and finally rose up the navy step by step based on his accumulated military exploits. If Xu Yuzhuo had also

After being sent to Zhejiang, he might be like Xu Ke now, just hiding his name and becoming a rich man in the countryside.

For Xu Ke, Xu Yuzhuo's current situation is indeed something to be envied. Who wouldn't want to have such a life, getting promoted and making a fortune, and honoring his ancestors? However, he also knows that his current status is far different from that of Xu Yuzhuo. Even if he returns to Fujian in the future and is protected by his family,

After entering the officialdom, it will be difficult to catch up with the progress of this distant cousin. Having said that, how much achievements Xu Ke can get after completing this matter depends to a certain extent on how Xu Yuzhuo reports it to his superiors, so

Now we need to build relationships that need to be forged, and we still need to flatter people that need to be flattered.

After the two exchanged a few words, Xu Yuzhuo introduced him and explained the identities of Qian Tiandun and Shi Diwen to Xu Ke. Xu Ke had already seen the Haihan Fleet at sea before landing. At this time, Xu Yuzhuo said very respectfully.

These two people were "generals". Xu Ke knew that they had extraordinary status, so he quickly stepped forward to bow and salute.

After everyone greeted them, they returned to the temporary marching tent on the shore and began to discuss business. The combat plan formulated by the coalition forces before the war was only a framework. The specific goals and implementation methods had to wait for the internal response from Zhejiang.

Only after more detailed information can be determined. The Xu family has two branches in Ningbo Prefecture, one official and one civilian. Another lurker is serving in the Ningbo Navy. Contact and travel are not so convenient, so Xu Ke is currently the only one.

Trusted intelligence sources.

Qian Tiandun was the first to speak: "We have also read the secret letter that Boss Xu sent back last time, and it is of great reference value. However, the amount of information that can be carried in writing is limited, so some questions still have to be consulted in person.

You can do it."

"I don't dare to ask for advice. I have my own responsibility and I should do my best. Whatever I know, I will report it truthfully. Please rest assured, General Qian." Xu Ke responded quickly.

Qian Tiandun nodded and said: "Boss Xu is one of our own, so I'll put it bluntly. The purpose of our coming to Zhejiang this time is to gain a foothold in the Zhoushan Islands. In view of the actual situation on the ground, we want to pass the peaceful

It is probably impossible to achieve the goal by means, and it is estimated that the necessary level of force will still be used, at least to clear away all potential threats in the area around the foothold."

Xu Ke nodded silently while thinking that the Zhoushan Islands span from south to north is less than 300 miles, and the east and west ends are even narrower. The sea area in the middle is densely distributed with more than a thousand small and large islands, no matter where Haihan finally settles.

Wherever it is, this "surrounding area" can forcibly include islands within a radius of two to three hundred miles. As for the Haihan people's cleanup methods, when he transferred to Beiyushan Island, he had already heard the sailors on the ship talking about the previous days.

After several anti-bandit operations in the waters of Wenzhou and Taizhou, this method will probably be copied to Ningbo. The pirates in the Zhoushan Islands did not know that disaster had come from the sky.

Sure enough, Qian Tiandun then said: "We have already seen the methods of Zhejiang pirates on the way here. They are a very dangerous group. In order to ensure the safety of the sea route between Zhejiang and Fujian in the future, we think it is necessary to

All unofficial armed forces in the country will be cleared out. We will definitely crack down on those who refuse to cooperate."

Xu Ke felt in his heart that the tone of General Haihan was frightening. If the sea area is thousands of miles away, it must be cleaned up. Things that the Ming Dynasty has not done for two or three hundred years can't be so easy. But when he looked at Xu Yuzhuo again, he

I noticed that my cousin looked like he was taking it for granted, and he didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with what Qian Tiandun said.

Xu Ke then thought about it. The Haihan people helped the army in Fujian to drive out the Eighteen Zhizhi, and they had a brilliant record. Xu Yuzhuo naturally followed their advice. However, although the Eighteenth Zhizhi was unparalleled in the Fujian area, it had to be moved to Zhejiang.

But they may not be able to protect them here. In the same way, Xu Ke still has reservations about whether the Haihan people can still display their combat skills in Fujian after arriving in Ningbo.

Then I heard Qian Tiandun continue: "Although the pirates here in Zhoushan are weak and do not pose a big threat to us, there are many islands in the East China Sea and the terrain is complex. It takes a lot of energy to defeat them one by one.

And time is also a big trouble. If we can gain control of the Zhoushan Islands in an easier way, that would be better. Boss Xu is familiar with the situation here. Can you give us some suggestions on how to move the islands off Ningbo as soon as possible?

These islands will be brought under our control."

The question raised by Qian Tiandun was a bit beyond Xu Ke's expectations. He originally thought that when he was called over, he would only be asked some specific questions, such as which local pirates were the strongest and who had interests in the Ningbo government.

Wait, I didn't expect that General Haihan would throw such a big question to himself.

Seeing that he frowned and didn't respond, Qian Tiandun comforted him: "Boss Xu, don't worry too much. We just want to hear what people like you who are familiar with the local situation think about it. We don't want to force you to do anything for us next."

decisions based on actions.”

Xu Ke then responded: "I am short-sighted. If I say something wrong, please don't blame me."

"It doesn't matter if you say so. These two generals are veterans who have been on the battlefield for a long time, so they will have some considerations." Xu Yuzhuo also encouraged him from the side.

Xu Ke thought that these two people looked like they were only in their early thirties, and the term "veteran" was a bit exaggerated. However, he only thought about this kind of complaint in his heart and would not express it. Then he heard Xu Ke say: "

Then let me first talk about the situation from Yushan Island to Xiangshan Port..."

From the Yushan Islands to the north to the north shore of Xiangshan Port, this section of the mainland coast is the defense area of ​​Changguo Guard. From south to north, it is the jurisdiction of Shipu Station, Juexi Station, and Qiancang Station. Although these guard stations have

They have given up patrolling the coastal defense, but the local garrison is not completely blind. As long as the Haihan fleet sails into the nearby sea area, it will inevitably be discovered by local fishing boats and merchant ships. Xu Ke believes that the fleet will want to sail from nearby areas by then.

You may encounter certain troubles when obtaining supplies from different areas.

Hearing this, Qian Tiandun interjected and asked: "I remember that in the secret letter sent back to Fujian by Boss Xu, he specifically mentioned that there is almost no piracy activity in the waters east and south of Chang Guowei. What is the reason for this?"

Xu Ke explained: "To the east of Changguowei, there are only Guanchuan'ao Island and Nanjiushan Island. They are too small and have no natural harbor, so they are not an ideal place for pirates to stay. Although there are many islands in the south and the area is large enough,

But it is too close to the mainland. The largest Nantian Island in the south is only five miles away from Shipu Station. Even if they know that the garrison will not do anything to them, no pirate would dare to set up their base so close to the guard station."

While listening to Xu Ke's words, Qian Tiandun and others began to check the terrain against the map. Shipu Port is located at the southernmost end of Changguowei, and Shipu Port is surrounded by a string of offshore islands. Hua'ao Island, Gaotang Island, and Nantian

Slightly larger islands such as Dongmen Island, Daxiayu Island, etc. are almost all concentrated in the area around Shipu Port. And the natural harbors south of Xiangshan Port are almost all concentrated in this area. Unless pirates burn out

Only with his brains can he do such a thing as running to the gate of the military station to open the mountain cabinet.

Shi Diwen looked at the map for a while, and suddenly came up with a sentence: "The location of Shipu Port is quite good."

Qian Tiandun seemed to understand what he meant, and nodded in agreement: "It's indeed good."

Xu Yuzhuo said: "Although the place is good, if we start here, wouldn't it be too showy?"

Xu Ke was startled, and then he realized that the two Haihan generals were actually planning to let this fleet enter Shipu Port. It was nothing more than an ordinary merchant fleet, and 70% of the armed fleet was sailing ships.

Carrying a varying number of artillery pieces, if they entered Shipu Port, the local garrison would probably misunderstand the intentions of the Haihan people, and an armed conflict would most likely occur.

Xu Ke quickly advised: "The Shipu Port is an important garrison of the Ming army. If you break in rashly, it will definitely cause misunderstandings. Please think twice!"

Xu Ke didn't know that Qian Tiandun and Shi Diwen had already had their thoughts on Shipu Port. Between Fujian and the target battlefield Zhoushan Islands, the fleet did not have a relatively reliable docking and supply point, even from Fujian.

Starting from Funing Prefecture, which is adjacent to Zhejiang, the supply route to Zhoushan is nearly 300 nautical miles long. Some combat supplies even have to be shipped from the Penghu base further south. For wartime supply lines, firstly, the route

The risk of being too long is greater. Secondly, there is no reasonably located wartime supply transfer port ahead. If all supplies and personnel handovers need to be carried out at sea, then the trouble in the process will be too great. Therefore, before departure

, they were already planning to choose a location close to the Zhoushan Islands with a relatively stable environment as the forward camp for this operation.

Taking into account the objective requirements of the Haihan Navy for supply locations, the potential risks in the surrounding environment, and the calculation of the combat voyage, this location is not so easy to determine. The intelligence obtained by the coalition forces before their departure revealed the main activities of the Zhoushan pirates

The area is north of Xiangshan Port in Ningbo, and Xu Ke's previous report mentioned that there are large groups of pirates stationed on Hengdao at the outlet of Xiangshan Port. The best area the coalition can choose should be south of Xiangshan Port.

Shipu Port is about thirty nautical miles away from Hengdao. For Haihan, it is a good choice because it can attack when entering and defend when retreating. The only problem is that the Ming Dynasty's guard army is stationed here.

It is impossible for the opponent to turn a blind eye to the arrival of the Han fleet. And it is impossible for the large number of armed warships to all disguise themselves as merchant ships and enter the port. Even if the Ming army is useless, it is not blind and will not turn a blind eye to the side of the Han warship.

The conspicuous gun window was ignored.

Qian Tiandun did not inform Xu Yuzhuo of this plan before, because he knew that Xu Yuzhuo was concerned about his own identity and would definitely have a conservative view on it. But as the fleet gradually approached the end point of Zhoushan Islands, the issue of choosing a stationing point

After all, it had to be resolved. Today, since the local people who knew the situation best were present, Qian Tiandun took the initiative to bring this matter up. Whether it was successful or not, at least we had to discuss it first.

Qian Tiandun asked: "Boss Xu, if this is feasible, let's break it down bit by bit. Do you have more accurate information about how many troops are stationed in Shipu and what the strength of the land and sea forces is?"

Xu Ke responded: "This Shipu Institute is a standard establishment with 1,000 households, with 1,120 soldiers on the roster, both land and water. There is a stone fortress in Shipu Port, with walls one foot and four feet high, and several artillery pieces. I have not seen it with my own eyes.

I have seen it, but it is said that they are all Franco machine guns bought from the Franco people in the early years. As for the firecrackers used by the soldiers, although the army has more equipment, they are not as sharp as your army."

The number of matchlock guns Haihan exported to the Ming Dynasty in the past few years has been as many as 20,000 to 30,000, and a small part of them have flowed to Zhejiang. Although the Heavenly Kingdom did not look favorably on overseas barbarians, this good thing

It’s a good thing. The performance of the Haihan musket is far better than the blunderbuss produced under the supervision of the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty. This is a fact that no one can deny. Moreover, many people know that the officers and soldiers in Fujian have already been equipped with the more advanced Haihan

The flintlock gun no longer needs to use an open flame to ignite the match when firing, and the speed of reloading ammunition is also much faster. The Shibazhi has been defeated repeatedly in recent years. A large part of the reason is that the weapons are not as good as the Ming army.

, every time they face off, they suffer a lot because of this disadvantage.

Xu Ke had also seen the Haihan flintlock gun bought by others at a high price in Ningbo. Indeed, in terms of power, range, and ease of loading, it was better than the firecrackers currently equipped by the Ming army. Moreover, it was said that the Haihan people only used two or three guns.

All the weapons of the Han Dynasty were exported, and the best and most advanced ones were kept for their own use. The Haihan militia came to Zhejiang in person, and it goes without saying that the weapons they used were far superior to the equipment of the Ming army.

As for the warships equipped by Shipu, Xu Kelian did not mention it. After seeing the size of the Haihan fleet with his own eyes, he did not think that the few naval warships in Shipu, which could only scare the fishermen, could do anything.

A chance to fight back.

Qian Tiandun continued: "There are more than 1,100 people registered, so the actual situation must be even less than this number?"

Xu Ke nodded and said: "At least one-third is missing. I know a hundred households in Shipu Institute. According to him, when the monthly payment is made, there are only six or seven hundred people actually present."

Qian Tiandun smiled and said: "Since this is the situation, even if we drive into Shipu Port with great fanfare, what can they do?"
Chapter completed!