Section 73 Health Center
"The prisoner-of-war camps are all ready. I even conducted surprise training for a group of aunts who shaved their heads. [Read full text]" Yang He said enthusiastically. He spent the whole afternoon talking with Mei Wan about the location and construction of the prisoner of war camp. A date to start construction has now been agreed upon. However, the large number of supporting facilities in prisoner of war camps require the coordination of other departments. When it comes to capturing a large number of military prisoners next, everyone is very excited. Only Dongmen Chuiyu smiled and said nothing. He participated in several military affairs meetings. How to capture as many prisoners as possible was not so simple. After several war games, the possibility of a defeat is very high.
Once the 20,000 officers and soldiers are defeated, it will be troublesome to gather them and take them into prisoner of war camps. The Fubo army lacks cavalry, the most powerful unit in pursuit battles.
Eliminating Tang Yunwen's navy and occupying Baisha Water Village can certainly cut off the army's retreat from the mainland, but Hainan Island is a large place and has a lot of room for maneuver. The officers and soldiers can also retreat to Wenchang and other places. Broken soldiers can easily turn into small groups of bandits on the spot, causing great harm to the local area. The meeting decided that after defeating the enemy in the 6th battle, the remnants of the Ming army should be returned to Haikou Qianhusuo or Qiongshan County as intact as possible to catch turtles in a jar.
It was for this reason that he had people repeatedly rehearse the troops' siege skills these days. After a week of training, the coordination between the infantry and artillery workers has become quite proficient. This earthen city was actually built in a reduced scale according to the scale of Qianhusuo City in Haikou, but the height, thickness and fortification facilities of the city wall were basically one to one, and there was no shrinkage.
After dinner, Dongmen Chuiyu returned to the headquarters. In the evening, meetings of officers above the field barracks level will continue to be held.
He Ming convened this meeting because of pressure from the Executive Committee. Wu De, president of the Planning Institute, expressed concern at several coordination meetings: The military is now mobilized, but the economic situation cannot support such wartime operations for a long time. In addition, Cheng Dong, Ma Qianxu and others have asked what the specific combat plan is. He Ming knew that they all hoped that the battle would start as soon as possible. Some hoped to extend their rule to the entire Hainan as soon as possible, while others were worried that the economy of the Crossing Group could not bear such consumption. He knows that everyone has his own reasons, and he can speak loudly when he puts them on the table. Moreover, the entire Senate hopes to eliminate the enemy as soon as possible.
Although neither the Senate nor the Executive Committee has the right to interfere with the strategic and tactical decisions of the Minister of War according to law, the 9o-day deadline made He Ming feel very stressed. If he cannot achieve a decisive victory within three months, it will be difficult for him to survive when the Senate meets to discuss the renewal of the Minister of War.
He Ming knew that now only a decisive battle was the best option.
However, the members of the special reconnaissance team he dispatched to operate near Qianhu Station in Haikou and the information transferred from the Foreign Intelligence Bureau showed that no one from the Ming army has yet landed on Hainan Island. Only a few thousand troops were assembled in Guangzhou. As for whether they were preparing to cross the sea together as a whole army, or whether they would arrive in batches, the intelligence did not explain.
The Ming army has not yet been dispatched, which makes He Ming, who is accustomed to being a modern soldier, find it difficult to understand - for an island landing operation like Hainan Island, the first thing is to seize the opportunity and ensure the safety of the bridgehead on the island so that follow-up troops can and supplies can be continuously sent to the island.
He and his staff conducted many map exercises, and each imaginary combat operation of the Ming army began with a small force reinforcing Qianhu in Haikou. Based on the intelligence, the staff believed that based on the Ming army's maritime delivery capabilities and the speed of troop mobilization and assembly, the Ming army must use a small number of batches to ferry troops. The best port available in the northern part of Hainan Island is Shenying Port in Haikou.
But so far, the reconnaissance team has not found any signs of strengthening the Ming army in Baisha Water Village and Qianhusuo City in Haikou. This surprised him and put his plan in danger of falling through.
In order to start the war as soon as possible, he had to change his original cautious plan and decided to take some measures to stimulate the Guangdong government and force the enemy to send troops to Hainan Island as soon as possible.
He Ming was a junior officer and didn't have many twists and turns in his stomach. Now that everyone is required to make suggestions, there is no need to be secretive. He briefly stated the situation currently facing the field army:
"...The Executive Committee is in trouble. Our foundation is weak. We currently support more than 10,000 navy and more than 2,000 civilians and militiamen. We have to fight to the death. Let's brainstorm how we can put some pressure on the enemy. , let them land on the island in advance.”
The officers all agreed with his combat plan of putting pressure on the enemy and forcing them to enter the island in advance. Some people suggested besieging Chengmai, some suggested sending light troops to pretend to attack Qianhusuo City in Haikou, and others suggested sending out the navy to bombard the gateways to Guangzhou: Humen and Shajiao...
"I'll take the Fourth Battalion to besiege Chengmai." You Huohu, the commander of the Fourth Battalion, said. He was newly promoted to battalion commander and wanted to show off his skills. "I guarantee that the city will be captured in one day."
Dongmen Chuiyu finally said: "These methods are all good, but if we capture Chengmai County too early, it will cause too much noise. Now the Senate and the Executive Committee have different opinions on peace and war. We should not capture the county too early, and we must leave room for Wang Zunde." There is a leeway. In addition, the intelligence said that the government believes that we are not good at 6 battles. If we take Chengmai County at once, we will not only be good at 6 battles but also attack the city, and the enemy will not be so confident and bold. Fight with us."
Another officer said: "We want to besiege Chengmai and pretend that the situation in Hainan is urgent, but we also want the officers and soldiers to look down upon us. They think we are just dishonest."
"Everyone's opinions are very good." He Ming said, "We will take a multi-pronged approach."
At that moment, he ordered You Huhu to lead some troops to besiege Chengmai.
"You take an infantry company from the fourth battalion and mobilize 200 militiamen to go with you. Bring more gongs and drums and go to the city of Chengmai to feign an attack. Do a good job and let the magistrate of Chengmai County rush to call for help."
"Yes" You Laohu stood up and saluted, "I will definitely complete the mission." He continued: "Can you give me one or two cannons? We Kun thieves are famous for their sharp firearms. It would be different without cannons."
"Take two 12-pound mountain grenades with you." Ying Yu said, "They are light and easy to carry, and the effect of shelling the city wall with solid bullets is average."
"Okay, I'll go out early tomorrow morning and recruit some good gunners for me. I'll knock down the city towers in Chengmai County..."
"No, I can give you a few more cannons, but as for the gunners, you should bring the trainees from the training team. Bring more ammunition and let the trainees practice more."
Ying Yu knew that He Ming wanted the Ming army to underestimate his own combat capabilities, so he nodded immediately: "That's it."
"You went there with great fanfare and collected food from each village along the way. If there is anyone who refuses to obey, break it first." He Ming gave instructions face-to-face, "The three major disciplines and eight points of attention are the basic principles. You have to watch the militiamen. But if anyone wants to go against us, we’ll beat them to pieces. The landlords, old and wealthy clan leaders will kill a few more and let a few run away.”
"I understand." You Huhu's dark face turned red with excitement.
"Xiaoye."
Meng Yan stood up. After He Ming became the Minister of War and established a field army, Bei Wei assigned Ye Mengyan's unit directly to his subordinates.
"You lead a detachment to infiltrate Qianhu Station in Haikou and conduct raids and harassment operations." He Ming said, "Kill a few people in a big way and capture a few official prisoners."
"Understood." Ye Mengyan was very excited. He had already carried out several reconnaissance operations to Qiongshan. Being able to do something big this time greatly increased his interest.
"Xiao Wei" He Ming then named Wei Aiwen.
"have"
"The Senate and the Executive Committee are preparing to take over the various health centers in the county. I will leave this matter to you." He Ming said, "Not to mention the little combat power of the health centers, it is mainly a political battle. , the key is to win people’s hearts. You take charge. I’ll give you a company. You do it as soon as possible.”
"clear"
"You go back to Bairen first, and meet with Wu De and Ma Qianzhu first. Listen to their opinions on the matter." He Ming said, "In addition, you have to let go of a few leaders and let them rush to Qiongshan. Urgent."
Of course Wei Aiwen knew the intention. He said happily: "I understand that everything will be done within a week."
"The Guards Army has two camps on the edge of Li District, with hundreds of people. They are relatively good at fighting." He Ming said, "After taking over these two camps, don't demobilize them for the time being. Just arrest the officers who are angry with the people. The county will continue to provide food and salary as usual.”
He Ming was worried that if these two camps were cancelled, the people would take advantage of the situation to riot, so he asked to keep these two camps temporarily.
"I know." Wei Aiwen said with regret, "In fact, we can recruit Li and Miao soldiers..."
"We'll talk about this later. You need to settle the affairs of the guard station first."
Early the next morning, Wei Aiwen led an infantry company back to Bairen. The company commander of this company is Lin Fu. It turned out to be the villagers of Yanchang Village, the first batch of indigenous personnel to join the Sixth Army. He was the first indigenous company commander in the 6th Army. Wei Aiwen had just left the camp when he saw You Huhu holding a frontier army sword - You Huhu had always wanted to get such a domineering thing ever since he saw Wen Desi's private collection. During this expedition, he persuaded him to borrow the knife from Wen Desi. At this time, he was walking beside the queue with great power, leading the team that was preparing to besiege Chengmai.
More than three hundred militiamen had machetes stuck in their waists and spears in their hands. Some were pushing carts, and some were carrying bows and arrows and old-fashioned firecrackers. Three mountain howitzers were mixed in with the team, and each gun was dragged by seven or eight young men. If it weren't for the tight formation of the infantry company, it would look like a group of bandits.
"Xiao Wei" You Laohu saw him and put the big knife on his shoulder, "Are you going to carry out land reform again? This time you are a long-term worker who still needs to earn a living?"
"Are you planning to become bandits with this group of people?" Wei Aiwen said not to be outdone, "Can you use this knife? Don't just carry it all the way to Chengmai."
"This time I went to Chengmai to watch me chop off a few heads and use this knife to cut open meat." You Laohu said, "Otherwise, it will be useless to Lao Wen as a decoration."
Wei Aiwen led the team back to Bairen, and Wu De had already made various preparations in advance. The planning institute's home raiding team has been assembled, and militiamen have also been mobilized to bring vehicles to carry supplies.
The official name of the guard station in Lingao is the Hou Qianhu Station with five thousand households subordinate to the inner guard. There are two settlements. One is near Nanbao, which is the official Qianhusuo Castle, and the other is not far from Gaoshanling. Both places are fortified city buildings. Although they are old, due to the long-term threat of Li rebellion in the local area, the two camps have been repaired to a certain extent, with sufficient weapons and firearms. They are in better defensive condition than the guard posts in the mainland.
The time-traveling group had a clear grasp of the situation at the guard station early on. There are more than 100 military households in Qianhusuo City, with more than 500 men, women, old and children. There are only thirty or forty military households in another place.
Accepting that there was little resistance at the various guard posts and camps, the military households were not very strong to begin with, and had not been trained for a long time. They lived in poverty and had no fighting spirit. The Australians have been at Lingao for a long time, and everyone knows that they act kindly and fairly. Surrendering in time will not only save their lives, but also lead a better life than now. So Wei Aiwen and his men appeared under the walled city and surrendered immediately. People from the Planning Institute collected weapons, supplies and livestock from various places while counting the population. For the soldiers in the two Zhenli camps, Wei Aiwen only arrested all the officers, appointed a few prestigious soldiers to serve temporarily, and led the soldiers to continue to stay in the local garrison, waiting for reorganization.
However, a small-scale battle broke out in the city behind the inner guard. When the infantry company led by Wei Aiwen advanced to the wall of the city, Liu Qianhu from the rear post led a few soldiers to close the gate of the wall first, and then forced the entire village to defend the wall.
Wei Aiwen did not expect that the guard station would dare to resist. He immediately called an indigenous clerk from the Special Search Team of the Planning Institute who could speak military language to come forward and shout, asking them to open the door and surrender immediately.
Liu Qianhu shouted at the gate of the village: "You and I have never interfered with the water of the river or the well. I have never interfered with your business. You can't mess with me. This is the place where the imperial court controls the government. If you are trapped here, the village is If you raise the flag to rebel, the imperial court will send a large army to conquer..."
When Wei Aiwen heard this, he was furious and said to the shouter: "Tell the military households in the city to quickly capture the officials and open the gates of the stronghold to surrender. Otherwise, the stronghold will be destroyed and no chickens or dogs will be left alive."
There was a sudden commotion on the wall, and the military households were unwilling to fight - this was not a life-or-death war with the Li people. They usually know that Australians are not fond of killing and looting, and they treat their subordinates very leniently. Even if you don't necessarily enjoy living under them, it won't be worse than living under thousands of households.
"Who dares to move? Who dares to move?" Liu Qianhu shouted while waving his sword, and the soldiers behind him also shouted. Although he is only a small Qianhu, his family has been officials here for generations, and he has not given up his martial arts for the sake of Zhenli's relationship. His prestige was still there, and the military households were scolded by him with a straight face, and none of them dared to say a word.
Wei Aiwen couldn't help but get angry when he saw that there was no movement at the top of the city. There are special shooters in his company who can kill Liu Qianhu with one shot. But he secretly held hope in his heart, hoping that someone in the military household would take the initiative to resist, and it would be best to have an armed conflict. This will make it much easier to carry out political education in the future. Military households will also be completely disappointed with the government.
"Scream" Wei Aiwen's face turned livid, "Liu Qianhu has too much time to take care of himself, so tell the military households not to work hard for him and quickly rise up to resist him. What's the benefit of being a Qianhu household and an ordinary military household?"
There was a commotion on the wall of the village with shouts. The military households did not want to sacrifice their lives in the first place, but now under the instigation of Wei Aiwen and others, many people felt that it was not worth their lives to defend the village for the master, and This village cannot be defended no matter what.
When Liu Qianhu saw that the situation was not right, he scolded and threatened him, and shouted out as a last resort: "This is the place controlled by the imperial court. Those who dare not attack the thieves will defend the stronghold with all their strength. Those who do not make noise will be killed, and those who do will be rewarded with a piece of silver." two"
However, this reward could no longer win over people's hearts. Suddenly, someone dropped their swords and guns and ran towards the city. The soldiers who were already distraught suddenly dispersed, each one dropped their weapons and ran towards the city. run.
The soldiers immediately slashed with their swords and beheaded a military household who escaped. However, this was not only useless, but also aroused everyone's anger, and some people attacked and killed them. The soldiers around Qianhu were outnumbered and almost all were killed. Qianhu himself was protected by the remaining servants and fled down the city. The military households immediately started killing each other in the walled city. The usually domineering households, soldiers, servants, and stewards were also hunted down. The military households pulled out the enemy's family members and chopped off their heads one by one. The female relatives were pulled out, raped, and then killed. The city suddenly became a mess.
Wei Aiwen was very calm and in no rush to enter the village. He guessed that there was a riot in the walled city, and he just hoped that the riot would be bigger. The military households killed the court officials, and he had no choice but to follow them wholeheartedly. At this time, a group of military households had opened the gate of the village, lowered the suspension bridge and shouted: "Enter the city quickly, enter the city quickly"
Lin Fu pulled out his command knife and looked back at Wei Aiwen. Wei Aiwen nodded. He immediately shouted: "All companies, assault." He was the first to rush forward. Before the trumpeter could blow his trumpet, the whole company galloped behind him.
He led the infantry company into the city. Although it was his first time here, the intelligence department had already given him a clear structural diagram of the structure inside. Lin Fu had already assigned tasks to each platoon and class. As soon as the troops entered the city, they dispersed according to the predetermined plan and occupied all grain depots, stables and important places. On one side, a special person beat a gong to ask the military households to put down their weapons and wait for orders. Some military households became red-eyed and killed everyone who continued to chop.
Order in the walled city was quickly restored. Wei Aiwen then led other personnel into the city. Bodies can be seen from time to time under the corners of the streets. Wei Aiwen came to the martial arts performance hall in the center of the city. The disarmed military men were sitting on the ground waiting to be disembarked.
Lin Fulai reported that the entire city was under control and order had returned to normal. Several fires were also put out. a! ~!
