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The Foreign Intelligence Bureau has judged that the armed conflict between Liu Laoxiang and Zheng Zhilong is imminent, and it is only a matter of time before the two sides start a full-scale war. 【Read full text】
The reason for making such a judgment is that according to the historical trajectory of the old time and space, Zhu Cai Lao and Liu Xiang were defeated and eliminated after leaving their hometown in Guangdong to fight with Zheng Zhilong. During this period, there was also the blockade of Macau. These events combined explain Not by chance.
The Intelligence Bureau speculated that the real reason behind these events was the shrinking demand in Europe caused by the Thirty Years' War. Europeans spent their money on military expenditures, which generally resulted in less silver being exported to Asia in East-West trade. Businessmen began to look for imports of Japanese silver.
It is very likely that Liu and Zhu both went north to intervene in the Sino-Japanese-Dutch trade. Macau's financial importance to the Ming Dynasty declined. In the maritime melee along the coast in the late Ming Dynasty, the main battlefield was always along the coast of Fujian, not the traditional foreign trade port of Guangzhou.
Not long ago, the Ming court's order to block Macau was officially issued to Guangdong. The Foreign Intelligence Service kidnapped Gao Shunqin, which removed a major obstacle to returning to Guangzhou. However, the blockade of Macau still happened according to its usual behavior. It shows that history is still running on a normal track, but the addition of Chuanzhong has made the situation more complicated, and the situation faced by Liu Xiang Group is also more difficult.
The Liu Xiang Group decisively gave up its territory at the Pearl River Estuary and marched north. Its purpose was obviously not entirely to fear the Australian naval power, but more to compete for commercial trade. It is obviously not in line with commercial interests to continue to occupy the Pearl River Estuary, whose trade value has greatly declined, and to engage in a head-on decisive battle with the ferocious "Kun Bandits". After all, the Sino-Japanese-Dutch trade in Fujian is the biggest fattening factor.
After the Battle of the Pearl River Estuary, the Navy established the Hong Kong Detachment on Hong Kong Island. In addition to protecting the navigation safety in the Pearl River Estuary, another important purpose was to use this base as a base to suppress the activities of the Liu Laoxiang Group in Daya Bay, forcing it to be unable to go south.
During the first phase of the shipbuilding and maintenance plan, the Navy launched "Consolidation Operations around Hong Kong." Shi Zhiqi and Le Lin carried out a series of small-scale operations around Hong Kong to clean up small groups of local pirates and suppress local clans. Especially in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island, Saint Mary's Bay (the western part of Victoria Bay and the Tseung Kwan O area), key operations were carried out. The actual control line was advanced to the Sha Tin, Yantian, Mirs Bay and Clear Water Bay lines on the back of the Kowloon Peninsula. At the same time, maritime patrols were carried out The area expanded to Daya Bay and initially controlled the surrounding salt fields and rice-producing areas.
During the implementation of this consolidation operation, the Navy dispatched 2 8154-class cruisers, 4 squadrons of special agent boats, and a brigade of mine boats to station on Hong Kong Island to prepare for a decisive naval battle in Saint Mary's Bay or Daya Bay in the event of Liu Xiang's massive counterattack.
However, Liu Xiang did not mobilize, and there was no example of direct contact with the navy at all. In addition, the intelligence collected by intelligence personnel that its main force is not in Shanwei Chaozhou area shows that this seems to confirm the judgment of the Intelligence Bureau.
"Fifty people each squat on the ground! Move quickly!" A strong man wearing a colorful uniform with an almost square body roared. He was wearing a high-yield benny hat and had a thick neck, which made him appear stocky. A dozen soldiers, also wearing mí colorful uniforms and with hooded hair, were doing push-ups quickly on the bumpy deck.
"Move fast! Slow down like a bitch!" The one who kept shouting like a cannibal around the soldiers was Qian Shuixie, the leader of the Sanya detachment of the Special Reconnaissance Command. The Sanya detachment was the first to carry out sea training under the Special Reconnaissance Command and was also the detachment with the best results, so it was selected to participate in Operation Engine. The team first selected some people to participate in the Haitian's northward reconnaissance mission.
The main task of the special reconnaissance team is to escort the exploration team ashore for exploration and mapping work. When necessary, it will also conduct some armed reconnaissance operations such as harassment, ambush and assassination to test the alert status and combat capabilities of various hostile forces.
Li Ziping looked at the vz68 submachine gun that was always on Qian Shuixie's shoulder, and couldn't help but sigh that the Senate really spared no expense to the special investigation team. In terms of weapon configuration, the Special Reconnaissance Team has always been equipped with first-class equipment, using products from the old time and space.
The SKSD semi-automatic rifle with a 20-round magazine used in the past was not suitable for reconnaissance operations due to its long length. Since the acquisition of Lando's weapons, all of them have been removed and replaced with V176 submachine guns and MB77B assault rifles. Some soldiers are equipped with sighted rifles. The scope's bolt-action rifle is used as a sniper. Even according to the standards of the old time and space, it can be said to be armed to the teeth.
As a member of the Navy, Li Ziping is very interested in how the special reconnaissance team will play their role. He remembered the permission given to Navy colleagues to transfer to the Foreign Intelligence Service, and he had advocated that the Navy should have its own intelligence system and force reconnaissance teams.
"There's a firework signal on the island!" the lookout shouted.
"Pay attention to the enemy's situation." Li Ziping said, raising the telescope again.
The lookouts did not observe any hostile ships on the surface, but as they approached Nan'ao Island... more visible smoke trails emerged from the island. Obviously, the Ming army had noticed their arrival and started a full-scale alarm.
"Be alert." Li Ziping put down the telescope and ordered, "Right rudder 14 degrees, heading 29."
"Right rudder 14 degrees, heading 229" the helmsman repeated the command in tune.
The bow of the Haitian slowly tilted over, the sails fluttering... The blue morning star flag fluttered in the sea breeze... The Haitian sailed straight to Nan'ao Island under the command of Li Ziping, who was preparing to test Nan'ao Island How alert is the Ming army? How will it react? In addition, the prospectors of the remote exploration team also need to conduct a hydrogeographic survey around Nan'ao Island, especially to correct the maps.
"Drumming to prepare for war" The drumming of "prepare for war" immediately sounded on the Haitian Ship, indicating that the battle was imminent.
"Captain! You come to pilot the ship!" Li Ziping ordered. After Zhu Cai Lao was completely defeated, Ren Fu switched his allegiance to the Australians. After a period of education, he became a man of current affairs and joined the navy. He has been active in the Fujian-Guangdong Sea for a long time and is much more familiar with the topography and sea conditions near Nan'ao Island than they are.
"Understood!" Ren Fu responded loudly.
The Haitian, under the command of Ren Fu, gradually approached Nan'ao Island. This move obviously triggered a higher level of alert on the island. More smoke trails rose from Nan'ao Island and nearby islands. The Ming army's troops were likely to Mobilization is being carried out based on this signal.
He ordered: "Report the boiler pressure immediately!"
A messenger immediately opened the cover of the communication tube and loudly announced to the engine room, "The air pressure is normal!"
"Prepare to boost pressure!" he ordered. The biggest disadvantage of steam engine power is that the response of the power system is too slow. In order to be prepared to run away if there is a problem, start increasing the boiler pressure from now on.
Under the command of Ren Fu, the Haitian began to sail around the entire Nan'ao Island. The surveyors on board the ship observed the shape of the coast and explored the water depth and channels in the harbor. Ren Fu is familiar with the coasts, islands and reefs in this area. Although the sea was very rough, under the command of Ren Fu, the Haitian successfully sailed around the entire island.
During the entire exploration process, Li Ziping noticed that there were some people on the island probing the coast, but no large-scale armed personnel appeared. There were more ships near the Haitian, and there must be a number of Ming navy ships among them. They were obviously guarding themselves.
Judging from the other party's reaction, the Ming army was obviously very wary of them, but it was obvious that they were not prepared to make enemies of the Chuanchu people. Even the organized troops were not deployed. Li Ziping estimated that even if he wanted to land at this time, the opponent would probably hold on to the fortress. Everyone could see that one ship could not occupy the entire Nan'ao Island.
"What, what? A fight is about to begin." A man appeared on the deck, wearing a colorful uniform, a helmet, and a gun holster. It was Liu Zheng from the long-range exploration team. This time he led a surveying and mapping team to go north with the Haitian Ship, carrying out lanthanum mapping exploration missions along the way.
"Not yet." Li Ziping said, "It seems that the Ming army has no intention of starting a war with us, but just to prevent us from having any intentions.
"If Nan'ao Island is captured, it will be a very suitable transit point." Li Ziping said.
Liu Zheng is also very interested in the game of fighting as a soldier. When he first set sail, he felt a little seasick. He had never been on such a small ship. After this, he was always on the deck observing the environment around Nan'ao Island with great interest, and from time to time he also guided the naturalized student students in their exploration and mapping work.
"The agricultural development on this island is quite good, and the population will not be small." Liu Zheng said, "We might as well just occupy this island, and I estimate that we can get a population of more than 10,000."
In addition to serving as a transit point, there are 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and civilians on this island alone, which is much higher than the population density of Hainan Island. It is a very good source of labor and soldiers. The local Hakkas are known for their hard work and hard work, and historically the Shuiyong of the Hakkas in Shantou, Chaozhou, were famous for their bravery and prowess in battle. As long as they can effectively break down geographical barriers, they will be useful human resources under the Senate.
"It would be great if human resources could be developed on a rolling basis." Li Ziping thought: If he had enough troops, he could directly occupy Nan'ao Island and destroy Chen Ting's army. Then enough troops can be recruited from the manpower on the island to develop the next island. This is a common method used by warlords and grass-headed kings in troubled times: completely destroy towns and villages, force everyone to follow them, and soon snowball into a large number of armies. ! .
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