Chapter 58: Defense or Offense?
The specific conditions for peace talks he proposed were:
The government can continue to appoint and remove officials in Hainan, and the Cross-Travel Group will not interfere in any way. [No pop-up novel website] All annual taxes are paid in full. At the same time, some benefits can be promised to the main officials in Guangdong - of course, on the premise that they take shares.
Ensure the convenience and safety of Chuanchuan Group’s commercial activities and population transportation in Guangdong.
In return, the Crossing Group will eliminate Liu Xiang for the Guangdong government.
"I'm not against this... request, but I think it's impossible for the other party to accept it." Jiang Shan expressed doubts about Si Kaide's request for peace talks. "Whether it's Wang Zunde or Li Fengjie, I'm afraid no one has the guts to do such a thing. There are many officials in Guangdong. , if someone impeaches me, this matter will definitely not be covered."
"We follow Zheng Zhilong as an example. Zheng Zhilong can invite peace talks, so why shouldn't we? The damage we caused to the Ming Dynasty is much smaller than Zheng Zhilong's on the surface. Zheng Zhilong also occupied Xiamen, but we didn't capture anywhere."
"Yes, when it comes to 'obeying the law', we have to be the first to count the maritime forces on the ground in Guangdong and Fujian." Someone laughed below.
"Don't interrupt casually." The hammer struck again.
"Kill Liu Xiang? I think everyone is a little confident." Chen Haiyang said, "Liu Xiang came to invade Lingao. The navy guarantees that he will never come back. If the other party does not start a sea battle with us, we will still have to destroy him quickly. It’s very difficult – our ships are mainly sail-based, and it’s not that easy to search and suppress his ships on the offshore surface.”
"Just hit him hard once and he will collapse. His followers might switch to us."
…
"I want to ask: What official title are you going to get after the peace talks?" Wen Desi asked slowly, "It won't be a Bopu inspection, right?"
The Senate burst into laughter. Based on the damage Zheng Zhilong caused to the Ming Dynasty, Zhao'an only earned the title of coastal defense guerrilla. The danger of traveling through the crowd is far less than him, and it is very possible to get the title of patrol inspector.
"We don't have to ask for any official position, as long as they acknowledge the fait accompli," Skade said.
"You can't just look at the good side of everything. What if the Guangdong side refuses to negotiate with us?" Wu De asked, "What will happen next?"
"Then attack Guangzhou and attack the city directly," Si Kaide said without hesitation. "We may not be able to occupy Guangzhou City for a long time, but it will not be a problem to capture Guangzhou. By then, all the officials in Guangzhou City will be in trouble. It's all over. Wang Zunde and others may not be so willing to die for the city."
"If you want peace talks, you have to give up the idea of directly threatening Guangzhou." Jiang Shan said, "If you plan to capture Guangzhou to threaten Wang Zunde, Wang Zunde and others may not necessarily think that we can capture Guangzhou. Back then, the British didn't attack Yuexiu Mountain to the city If there are rockets inside, Yishan may not be so obedient."
If the navy captures the Humen and Shajiao forts, and the Army captures Yuexiu Mountain, Wang Zunde and others may have no choice but to commit suicide and die for their country - it is impossible for him to hide such an unprecedented defeat from anyone. Not to mention the large and small officials in Guangzhou city, there are also officials in the inner court system such as royal guards and guard eunuchs. Whether everyone can work together to deceive the emperor is a matter of concern.
Although there were many doubts about whether the goal could be achieved, most of the elders still agreed to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty on the premise of occupying Hainan. A few more years of peace. Finally, the Senate passed the proposal on peace talks.
Subsequently, according to the motion of the elders: an orange alert was issued in the whole city. Relevant mobilization was carried out in civil affairs, industry, agriculture, civil affairs and other aspects, and each department immediately formulated relevant war plans.
Although some elders proposed that the Executive Committee be immediately reorganized into the Headquarters of the Headquarters, they were firmly opposed by a group of people led by Shan Liang, who believed that this battle could not rise to the level of national success and failure. Since the crossing group had already established many specialized Organizations should be handled by professional organizations.
"This Dingtian is at the level of a self-defense counterattack against Vietnam. A small-scale mobilization will be good. There is no need for the executive committee to become a headquarters."
Most of the elders agreed with his view. Many elders believed that the current executive committee had too much authority, and it would be even more powerful if they created a commander-in-chief. So Qian Shuiting proposed that since the position of Minister of Military Affairs has not yet been elected, the Senate can immediately appoint a "Minister of War" to take charge of war preparation and combat tasks. This position was temporary and would be eliminated at the end of the war.
The Senate finally voted to appoint He Ming, Chief of Staff of the Army, as Minister of War for a period of 9o days from now on, temporarily acting as the Chief of Military Affairs. Authorizes the Secretary of War to conduct general military and political mobilization of the Army during his term.
After the end of the term, the position of Minister of War automatically expires. If the war does not end before the expiration, the Senate can extend it for 9o days by voting in the assembly. Every subsequent extension had to be approved by the Senate.
"Isn't this Tike Dido?" Yu Eshui said.
"Minister of War for 90 days," Zhang Bolin said dissatisfiedly, "It's really boring to defend one's own people more than the enemy."
Aiwen sneered, stood up and left the venue, which was becoming noisy.
Fortunately he left, otherwise the next scene would have made Wei Aiwen furious.
At this time, Wu Nanhai submitted a bill that he and Zhan Wuya submitted together. The content of the bill was to require the 6th Navy to let them land on Hainan Island when fighting the Ming Army and then annihilate them in one fell swoop. And "take as many prisoners as possible."
So someone came up with the idea of defensive counterattack. Specifically, it is to allow the Ming army to calmly assemble after landing on the island, and then select preset positions for defense and conduct a battle.
This combat idea of waiting for work and defensive counterattack caters to many veterans - in their view, the Ming government's crusade army is a huge "labor transportation team". If this "labor transportation team" cannot land on Hainan Island, it will They retreated, and their attempt to capture tens of thousands of prisoners and make a fortune in one battle was over.
Considering the superior firepower and relative lack of combat experience of the New Army, everyone felt that this idea was very suitable for crossing the group.
"I think defensive counterattacks are extremely undesirable because some of the measures we took previously caused a considerable degree of ideological confusion." Just when the decision was about to be finalized, Ji Tuisi went to the speech table and shouted loudly: "First we must defend ourselves. To clear up the name, we can no longer continue to use the title of Australian - this will only cause greater confusion in the thinking of our military and people."
He roared loudly, accompanied by violent movements.
"I know that many elders are very satisfied with our current situation, and even think that this model is quite easy to use. However, this model has an extremely terrible sequelae, that is, the people who follow us lack a real loyal subject.
"To put it bluntly, our crossing group is now an illegal armed group with no name and no status. The army is now just a form between mercenaries and gangsters. It is not the army of a country with a righteous name.
"If we really complete the establishment of an independent country and obtain the rightful name, we can clarify the thoughts and allegiance of the indigenous soldiers of the Army. It can be called the rightful name, or it can be called a spiritual contract, or it can be called a power imprint. In short, we have this kind of thing now No. We have not denied the orthodox status of the Ming Dynasty for a long time - this is a serious problem. Not to mention, under which flag will the soldiers fight? We don't even have a formal flag when the army is about to go out. Without a military flag, wouldn’t this be a ridiculous thing?”
There was a commotion among the senators. This is indeed a problem.
"What will be the consequences of such an ambiguous state? That is, for the indigenous soldiers, they have to really fight against the imperial army. For the soldiers who were Ming people only a year or two ago at most, it is a rebellion. This The psychological pressure of confronting the imperial army is a joke to us, but it is very different to the indigenous soldiers."
The rebels were waiting to be surrounded and suppressed by the imperial army. This experience was different from the social experience that the soldiers had subtly cultivated for many years. It was actually a great test for the entire new army.
"We can't place our loyalty on soldiers truly understanding how powerful we are. I think technically defensive counterattack looks like a good idea but is actually a bad idea. The Ming Dynasty has accumulated more than 200 years of experience. Prestige and orthodoxy are not a joke
"Soldiers and workers are waiting for the imperial army to come over in intense preparations day after day, and their morale will only get worse as they wait. The natives will imagine how powerful and unstoppable the Ming army is, and they will scare themselves to death, and even deserters will appear. And those who are trying to make secret arrangements with the Ming army..."
"Isn't this just right? The wavering elements will be exposed and eliminated, leaving only the most determined fighters," Merlin said.
"What if this kind of psychological pressure causes most of the subordinate forces to waver? Should the law not be held accountable, or should they all be killed?"
Merlin said: "It depends on the performance. There are different levels of wavering. The one who jumps the most fiercely will definitely die the worst. The rest can be punished according to the corresponding level. We don't control too many manpower now, and the law It’s not a big problem to come and rebuke everyone.”
"What a waste. Every soldier in the Army has received at least six months of military training. In terms of military literacy, it is ranked first in this time and space. Not to mention that many people have mastered more advanced military skills. Those Among the wavering elements, there may be technical and military backbones that Lingao has worked hard to cultivate. It would be a pity to kill them. Moreover, they may not necessarily want to betray Lingao. It is purely because of the prestige of the Ming Dynasty, or maybe it is just in their hearts. A moment of weakness. What we have to do is give them confidence in the power of Lingao, let them believe that Lingao can protect them, and at the same time make them aware of the consequences of betrayal. They may be the most loyal subordinates in the future. " Ji Tuisi's final suggestion: We should mobilize immediately. The six naval forces should be dispatched together, bringing mortars and rockets. They should first push over Hainan Fucheng to build confidence, and then the army will rush to Guangdong. Capture Xiangshan County or Xin'an County, and then bargain with the Ming court - if not, then bombard Guangzhou.
At this time, Wu De made a request: "I agree with the combat mode of defensive counterattack in preset positions - the natives of our soft and hard power have already seen it. And they have invested a lot of money in the army. Political education, memory of suffering Sitian, military honor, high salary, modern military management system...all of these are implemented. It would be an exaggeration if the soldiers were so frightened that they could not move as soon as they heard that the Ming army was coming."
He paused for a moment: "As for the point you said that the Time Travel Group has a bad name at this stage, I completely agree. We do need a name. Li Zicheng also knows to inherit the title of King Chuang, and the bandits know that they need someone with a resounding name. It is indeed very bad for us to always use the name of Australians for our font size. Firstly, we are willing to be overseas, and we are easily labeled as "Chinese and foreigners"; secondly, the common people who follow us do not have a name, so we can't The object of Qing’s allegiance.”
"I also agree with the strategy of going abroad to defend the enemy." Someone seconded Ji Tuisi's proposal. "We must attack and attack proactively. This is Lingao's battle to found the country, and its significance is no less than that of the war to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea. We must win first and then fight. We must not only win the battle, but also win a great victory, so that we can promote our military power to the outside world and deter those who are still doubtful and have two minds among the indigenous people internally. Seeing is believing, seeing with your own eyes how our military industrial system can have such a huge impact The power will definitely increase internal cohesion.”
"I object to this, which would expand the scope of the war in disguise..."
The entire Senate suddenly fell into a big debate between "defense and counterattack" or "defense against enemies outside the country".
Even He Ming, who was famous for his most determined attitude of "obeying the Senate and the Executive Committee", now had an unhappy look on his face. He stood up and asked to speak.
Both foreign and defensive factions looked at him with hope, and the attitude of the newly minted War Secretary clearly determined which strategy would prevail.
"Since the Senate has granted me the power of Minister of War and formulated guiding principles for war," He Ming said word by word, "I will lead my colleagues to organize and implement the campaign within my scope of authority and guiding principles. On this I They have their own discretion. So I think it is inappropriate for the Senate to discuss how to adopt which combat mode. And such topics should not be included in the agenda of the meeting - at the same time, I also request that any proposals involving campaign tactics during the war There will be no discussion or resolution in the Senate."
This statement was a bit surprising, but some people nodded secretly:
If the Senate passes a decision on where to capture and captures in three days, and makes a request on how to use artillery in five days, the battle will be impossible to fight.
"...The ancients still had the concept of 'the general is outside, and the king's orders are not accepted'. Therefore, I ask the Senate not to interfere with my command power under any excuse during my term of office. Above."
"Good old He, this is awesome." Zhang Bolin patted his thigh excitedly, "There is no ambiguity at the critical moment."
"I agree with He Ming," Ma Qianxu said, "When it comes to war, everyone can't be Napoleon, otherwise there will be chaos."
"I think everyone's enthusiasm is understandable. But we are not professionals after all." Wen Desi had been silent at first, but now he expressed his position, "It is better to leave this kind of matter to professionals. As for the various suggestions everyone has raised, Regarding plans and strategies, I propose to open a special staff page on bb, where everyone can post their thoughts and suggestions. Let the military comrades make choices. This way we get the best of both worlds."
He Ming said: "I don't object to this, and I definitely don't object to brainstorming. But combat command must be highly unified: one person cannot have one idea, let alone issue a new policy or order every two days. In addition," he added, " Please publish all combat-related suggestions and plans on the bb, and you can also provide written documents, but no interviews are allowed - the General Staff will be very busy recently. I hope everyone understands."
After the meeting, the Executive Committee held an enlarged meeting on administrative work, attended by all the chiefs and deputy ministers of various departments, as well as the heads of the main business departments.
The first thing is to instruct the propaganda department to formulate the national flag of the crossing group and the 6th navy flag, including the official military song.
Military songs, some military songs from the old time and space have been used. Now it's nothing more than official. As for flags, it's a bit trickier - after all, it's not like military songs where you can create a "Military Song Collection".
"We don't have to do anything about the national flag for the time being. After all, we have to be prudent and design the military flag of the 6th Navy first. The army doesn't even have a flag, which is too shameful." Wen Desi said, "The military flag should be simple and not too complicated. , it is best to use pure colors. Our dyes mainly rely on natural dyes, and we cannot make colors that are too complicated."
Ding Ding suggested: "It's best to have an open call for this matter and let everyone vote."
"What about the name of the country? Since it has already been publicized to the outside world, it can be officially named the South Australia People's Government. If you feel it is not domineering enough - the South Australia Empire." Du Wen suggested.
"Wouldn't it be ridiculous to call ourselves an empire with just one county? It's not good, and it will only aggravate the differences between China and Yi."
"Then it's better to go to Australia and Song Dynasty. Aren't we always going to be the queen of Yashan?"
After some discussion, everyone felt that the name "Australian Song" is more ideal. It not only confirms the past title of "Australian" but also indicates the identity of the Chinese Miao people who crossed the group - it has been used in the past when compiling the origins of Australians. With this statement, you kill two birds with one stone.
The sign of descendants of the Song Dynasty is still very loud.
"As for the future, we can call it whatever we want. The Galactic Empire, the Galactic Republic, the Interstellar Federation, the Xinghan Empire,... whatever you want. For now, let's just use the name Australia Song Dynasty. Those corrupt people who use the name of the Song Dynasty can't attack us as barbarians. Yes - we are not only descendants of Chinese Miao people, but also descendants of Zhao and Song Dynasties, which is much more orthodox than Zhu Ming." Wu De said. a! ~!
