...No matter how you calculate it, our current fleet holdings are not enough.
"After the deduction in the picture, Thorpe said with some disappointment.
Everyone in the drill camp felt the same way.
On the broad map table, the glass plate covering the large-scale map of the East China Sea region has been filled with lanes and marks of various colors. Various small models are scattered throughout.
The female orderlies who were responsible for marking and pushing the models on the glass plate had retreated to the back and stood respectfully against the wall. In the past, the appearance, body shape and uniform style of female orderlies have always been topics that veteran officers were happy to discuss, but now no one has set their sights on them.
Not only were there veteran officers, but there were also representatives from several cooperating departments such as the Department of Colonial Trade and the Foreign Intelligence Department in the exercise room. They also had a look of embarrassment on their faces.
The complexity of motivated actions far exceeded each of their estimates. Although they have solved several prerequisites: stocking up on supplies, expanding ship capacity, recruiting and training sailors, and even expanding the quarantine camp, on the seemingly simple link of how to transport people back, it took only a moment of deduction. I feel there are many problems.
From Dengzhou to Lingao, the straight-line distance on the map is more than 1,500 nautical miles, and from Lingao to Zhapu, the straight-line distance is about 900 nautical miles.
A general sailing ship sailing at sea, taking into account the factors of sea current and wind direction, the average speed is about 2
~4 verses. That is to say, under ideal conditions, a ship can sail Gu Haili in 24 hours. It can be completed from Dengzhou to Lingao in 15 days, and a voyage can be completed in 30 days.
But in fact, sailboats cannot go in a straight line on the sea. In order to obtain favorable wind directions and ocean currents, they generally take more tortuous routes. Although no one has experience in sailing a full voyage on a sailboat, according to the Navy's estimate, a single voyage from Dengzhou to Lingao takes about 20 days. Considering that sailing in the era of sailing ships relied heavily on ocean currents and wind direction, it is not impossible that the round trip time would be doubled. Taking a broad view, it takes about 40 hours for a Harmony ship to go back and forth between Dengzhou and Lingao on each voyage.
Day 1 includes short breaks in Lingao and Dengzhou to recuperate and replenish supplies.
Sailing boats cannot sail all year round. When sailing along the coast of China, you have to consider avoiding the impact of typhoons in summer and autumn. The weather forecasting system of the Senate is very weak. Even if meteorological stations are set up in Dongsha, Xisha and other places, radio cannot achieve the level of weather forecast for sailing ships. Therefore, once you enter a typhoon phase, you have to stop sailing. This results in a year-round sailing season of no more than eight months. You can go back and forth 6 times a year.
To transport 100,000 people from Shandong to Hainan, assuming that each person requires 2 tons of displacement, that is, 200,000 people. If the transportation is to be completed within 8 months, there must be a transportation capacity of nearly 34,000 tons of displacement for each immigrant. . Counting the navy and sailors, as well as maintaining a certain fleet in Hainan, transshipment points along the way and Shandong, there must be a fleet with a displacement of more than 50,000 tons. In fact, this is an impossible plan for the Lingao shipbuilding industry. Even if there are 100,000 immigrants from Zhejiang, it will be difficult to complete it by directly transporting them to Hainan.
Even if Shi Jiantao can complete the planning institute's order for 24 h800 ships on time, the number of Harmony ships that can be "fully devoted" to motivational operations is less than 20,000 tons. Coupled with a patchwork of other ships, the maximum number can be increased to 30,000 tons.
To transport 100,000 people, it would take more than three years according to this standard. This is really a long time.
Although some people have suggested that slave trading ships from Africa to the Americas could carry one person per ton, the mortality rate of up to half on the ship was obviously not what the elders pursued.
Put a group of malnourished, frightened refugees onto a boat that is as crowded as a can and bump in the wind for more than 20 days. It is difficult to estimate how many people will survive when they reach Lingao.
After going through so much trouble to get people on board, of course they are not planning to dump their bodies on the sea. How to transport people back as healthy as possible is the first priority for the combat command.
Obviously, it is no longer possible to transport people directly back from Shandong or Zhejiang in one go. Then the only way is to set up stopping points along the way to temporarily "hoard" the population. First transport as many people as possible out of Dengzhou, and then transport them back batch by batch.
"According to the opinion of our health department, it is best for the refugees to be admitted to a certain level of purification and quarantine at or near the local area." Zhang Tumu, who came to the meeting on behalf of the health department, said, "Otherwise, there will be too many people and no air circulation. It is easy for various epidemics to break out in the cabin. The ship lacks the ability to effectively deal with it. Not only is the mortality rate during the voyage too high, but the health of the survivors transported to Lingao will also be greatly damaged."
"We have to find several transit points."...Chen Haiyang said, "It is best to set up a pre-purification camp at or near the local area, just like Guangzhou Station." "
Lingao needs manpower, especially those who speak northern dialects. But this does not mean that all these manpower must be brought back to Hainan immediately. The first step actually only requires these people to be sent out of the Ming Dynasty's control area. Then slowly transport these manpower to Hainan or other places where they are needed.
The advantage of setting up a decontamination camp nearby is that the number of people transported from Dengzhou can be greatly increased each time. If one person can be transported per tonnage during a 2-day sea voyage, if the voyage time is controlled within 7 days, there is no need to load too much water and food on the ship, and the number of people per tonnage can be increased to 4 or even 5 people.
Of course, this purification camp should not be set up on the mainland. Although the weapons and fortification technology possessed by the Crossing Group are enough to defeat any armed force on the mainland, the cost of building a large camp on the mainland that can accommodate tens of thousands of people to defend it from being attacked is too high. In addition, we must also consider that after gaining initial respite, refugees may flee because they are unwilling to leave their homes or fear being shipped overseas.
Therefore, this purification nose can only be located at sea, that is, on an outlying island.
Not only are the outlying islands safe and secure, neither the Ming army nor the pirates have the ability to conduct amphibious operations. The ambush army only needs a small number of garrison troops and naval patrol boats to protect the safety of the outlying islands. Outlying islands also limit the possibilities for refugees to attempt to escape.
Regarding the specific location of the outlying islands, some people suggested that it be in the Miaodao Islands, while others suggested that it be in the Changshan Islands or Liugong Island. Without exception, these islands are close to the Shandong Peninsula. They have certain water sources and can support the garrison of tens of thousands of people in a short period of time. Of course, food needs external support. Some people also proposed setting up a purification camp in the Lushun area and directly occupying the currently abandoned Jinzhou City. However, these locations were either close to the war zones of Houjin and Ming Dynasty and were easily disturbed by the Ming Navy; or they were too close to the mainland. The ice in the Bohai Sea at that time was much more severe than in the 21st century. Many small islands were connected to the mainland in winter. of. Therefore, many people proposed to capture Jeju Island as a transit center for Dengzhou.
Jeju Island is only 350 nautical miles away from Dengju, and a single voyage only takes 3 to 4 days. It is not a problem to fit five or six people into a Harmony ship.
At that time, North Korea's unification power on Jeju Island was not strong, and the population on the island was not large.
Jeju Island covers an area of 18,000 square kilometers and has a population of only 550,000 even in the 21st century. At that time, the island was used as a penal colony and horse ranch by the Lee Dynasty. The population on the island will not exceed 10,000 or 20,000 at most, and there are many official slaves among them who have no feelings for Lee's Joseon. It is not expected that they will encounter much strong resistance.
The island's defenses are weak. The elders have a very clear understanding of the military strength of Lee's Korea, and its armament status is bizarre. Fubo's army couldn't use much effort to capture Jeju Island. In addition, the strategic environment and weak military power faced by North Korea at the time made it impossible for them to regain Jeju Island once they lost it.
Warm currents pass through Jeju Island, resulting in a mild climate and abundant precipitation. Not only is the water source most needed for the purification camp not a problem, there are also abundant fish farms in the surrounding area to supplement food.
Occupying Jeju Island will not only provide a secure purification camp, but also thousands of official horses from the local North Korean horse farm. For the Senate, which has been short of horses for a long time, its value is no less than the tens of thousands of people transported from Dengzhou.
"...In the long run, occupying Jeju Island will give us a good base to intervene in the Liaodong War between the Ming and Qing Dynasties in the east, and to intervene in Japan in the west." Luo Feng, the general staff who advocated the occupation of Jeju Island, said, "With this, At that time, none of the maritime forces of the Ming Dynasty, Manchu Qing Dynasty, Li Dynasty, and Tokugawa attempted to threaten Jeju Island. We could ensure the safety of the island with a small number of garrison troops. It is not necessary to transport all the refugees from Dengju Island. Transport them back to Lingao, and some of them can be placed locally. In the future, the horses we buy from the mainland can also be kept on the island." "But what about the beech clothes? It is now the Little Ice Age, and the Bohai Sea is almost completely frozen. Without thick cotton clothes, I am afraid it will A large number of people were frozen to death. There was also food. Piling more than 100,000 people onto Jeju Island would be a huge logistical pressure," Thorpe said.
"Compared to Dengju and even places further south on the mainland, the temperature in Jeju Island is much higher. In the 20th century, the lowest temperature in winter here was above 0 and there was a warm current passing through. During the Lee Dynasty, citrus could be grown. It's necessary. I know that citrus cannot be grown north of the Huaihe River. I think the temperature at that time was not too low. An ordinary cotton-padded jacket can handle it. Besides, the ship does not transport people from Lingao to Shandong, and the empty tonnage can be used to transport food and clothing. and building materials. After the refugees arrive on the island, they can also carry out production and self-rescue activities on the spot. Even extensive planting can obtain a certain amount of food supplement."! .
