Chapter 127: Lüshun and Zhenjiang

“I’ll squeeze some more for you from this batch of immigrants.”

“What’s the use of just getting me porters? I need people who know technology and management!”

“This…” Yang Yun looked troubled. Skilled workers and managers were in short supply everywhere.

“Then I’ll think of a way. Let’s leave it at that. I’ll go back and make arrangements first and solve it for you as soon as possible. You should also work harder. Didn’t you want to be Zhang Jiacheng? This is just the beginning.”

“Get lost!”

Zhang Xingpei waved his hand, too lazy to joke with him. He hoped there would be no new tricks tonight. Damn it, the feeling of being interrupted by his apprentice’s shouting outside every time he was just getting interested with his secretary was really unbearable!

When they arrived at Maniao Station, a train had just arrived. Many of the passengers were casual laborers coming for the night shift, and they all looked to be in good spirits.

Yang Yun did not know that Dai Dehou was also rushing to the construction site under the urging of Mrs. Dai. Although he had had several bouts of diarrhea after returning home and was a little listless, his enthusiasm for work had not diminished. Life in Lingao was getting better day by day.

Although it was already March 1633 according to the Gregorian calendar, waves of cold still washed over them. In the first half of the 17th century, the frost-free period in Liaodong was so short that only dry rice crops could be barely grown. Winter began in October, and spring had not yet arrived in March.

On the sea, Xue Ziliang stood on the deck of the Haitian, wrapped his cotton coat tighter, and raised his binoculars to observe the distance. The mission of the Haitian this time was to survey the sea conditions from Shandong to Lüshun and the mouth of the Yalu River, including the weather and the freezing situation of the ports along the Bohai Sea.

The Engine Operation was largely over, and the Shandong side had entered the “aftermath” stage. The large-scale transfer of refugees had slowed down. The aftermath work itself also required considerable manpower. The three eastern prefectures were not originally poor; it was just that the Ming Dynasty’s maritime ban had artificially stifled the local economy. Now, after the rebellion, the three eastern prefectures, from top to bottom, were like they had been swept by a great flood. Whether it was the government, the gentry, or the local clans, they had all suffered devastating blows. Although it was a scene of devastation, it had become a new land of great promise. The Zhaoyuan area controlled by the Qimu Island detachment had already formed the prototype of a future Shandong base.

For the forward command of the Engine Operation, their mission was not over. Due to the long front lines in the Ming Dynasty, Japan, and Korea, the detachments that needed to be coordinated were also widely distributed.

There was indeed a need for a command headquarters that could oversee the overall situation and make timely responses and decisions. Therefore, the original Engine Operation forward command was reorganized into the Northeast Asia Expeditionary Force Command, stationed in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It was fully responsible for coordinating and commanding all detachments and work groups in the Northeast Asia region north of Taiwan Island.

The first task of the newly established Northeast Asia Expeditionary Force Command was to open up trade and intelligence channels to Liaodong and Korea.

Although a large population had been obtained from Shandong thanks to the Engine Operation, and the labor shortage had been greatly reduced, the urgency of obtaining population from Liaodong had been greatly reduced. However, the hundreds of thousands of people in the entire Dongjiang town were still an important asset that attracted the Yuanlao Senate.

In addition, another more important purpose was to establish a strategic layout in the entire East Asia from the perspective of sea power.

At present, the Yuanlao Senate’s positioning for Shandong, especially the Dengzhou area, is as a forward base for future continental campaigns in Northeast Asia. As for Jeju Island, since the campaigns against Japan and Korea are still in the next step, its strategic positioning is only as a transit springboard, in addition to providing some auxiliary functions such as shipbuilding and animal husbandry.

As part of the Northeast Asia continental campaign, the Yuanlao Senate had long set its sights on Lüshun and Zhenjiang Fortress. Lüshun Port is a very good anchorage for a military port, and the land terrain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. A very small force is sufficient to control it.

The Yuanlao Senate now effectively controls Dengzhou. By controlling Lüshun as well, it means controlling the entire Bohai Bay and gaining absolute convenience for trade and military maneuvering in the surrounding areas of the Bohai Sea. Not only can it more effectively control eastern Shandong, but it can also further threaten Tianjin and Beijing. Its ability to interfere with the central government of the Ming Dynasty will have a qualitative leap.

However, as a trading post, Lüshun is far from Fuzhou, which is under the direct control of the Manchu Qing, and the roads are poor. The Manchu Qing also lacks ships, so its value as a commercial port is limited. The most ideal commercial port is Zhenjiang Fortress, which faces Korea across the river.

In Zhenjiang Fortress, not only can they trade directly with the Later Jin, but they can also threaten the Li Dynasty regime in Korea. When necessary, they can also use this fortress to cut off the trade links between the Li Dynasty and the Manchu Qing at any time.

This would be a heavy blow to the Manchu Qing, which was extremely short of materials.

By controlling Lüshun and Zhenjiang Fortress, they could gradually establish intelligence links with the Manchu Qing. At present, the Yuanlao Senate is basically in the dark about the situation on the Manchu Qing side. Apart from digging through old papers in the Grand Library, the intelligence they obtained was all from merchants who went to Liaodong. In particular, through Li Luoyou’s channels, they could grasp intelligence with a delay of about half a year. This was not satisfactory for the Foreign Intelligence Bureau, which was very sensitive to timeliness.

Another thing is the Dongjiang Army. At present, the Dongjiang Army is isolated overseas, and its logistical supplies completely rely on sea transportation from Deng-Lai. After suppressing the rebellion, the Yuanlao Senate, by effectively controlling Dengzhou, has grasped the supply line to Dongjiang, which means that it is possible to actually control the Dongjiang armed forces in the future.

The current situation in Dongjiang Town is very poor. Although Kong Youde’s department did not defect to the Manchu Qing as in history, the decline of Dongjiang is irreversible. When Mao Wenlong was alive, Dongjiang did not pose a major threat to the Manchu Qing. After Mao Wenlong’s death, Dongjiang was engaged in internal strife and endless killing. Its internal strength had long been greatly damaged, and it was even less of a threat to the Manchu Qing.

According to historical data from the Grand Library, it would not take much effort for the Manchu Qing to remove this nail. They didn’t even need many troops. Not to mention the beggar-like predicament of the Dongjiang Army, even in terms of numbers, Lüshun only had a few hundred soldiers and a few hundred farming households.

The obstacle that prevented the Manchu Qing from pulling out the nail was not so much the Dongjiang army and people as the logistical pressure of a long-distance expedition on the desolate Liaodong Peninsula. There were no fortresses between Fuzhou, which was occupied by the Later Jin, and Lüshun. The army had nowhere to collect grain, and the road conditions were extremely poor. Therefore, the more ideal mode of maneuver was to use the navy, but the Later Jin was weak in the navy. The reason why Dongjiang was able to persist behind the Later Jin for so many years was closely related to their use of the sea as a barrier and ships as a means of maneuver.

Even if the Manchu Qing took Lüshun by land regardless of the cost, without a navy as a maritime support force, the Dongjiang Army, which was scattered on the islands of the Liaodong Sea, could organize sneak attacks at any time because they had ships, making defense very difficult.

In history, after the surrender of the Three Vassals, with the mobility of the navy brought by the surrendered army, the Manchu Qing immediately took Lüshun in 1633 and eliminated Dongjiang Town. Now, due to the interference of the Yuanlao Senate, the Three Vassals have been wiped out, and the Manchu Qing has no available naval force, so the attack on Lüshun has not yet begun.

However, this nail in their side is something that Huang Taiji will definitely pull out. Otherwise, he cannot feel at ease to enter the pass and plunder. For this primitive tribal regime built on robbery, not being able to rob means starving to death in the cold and bitter land of Liaodong.

The intelligence department predicts that although the Deng-Lai rebels failed to surrender to the Manchu Qing, after the rebels were eliminated, the various departments of the Dongjiang Army, which had already been deeply involved in the rebellion, would inevitably be in a state of panic. It is very likely that there will be a large-scale defection in the near future, and Huang Taiji will inevitably use this opportunity to solve the Dongjiang Town problem.

The Yuanlao Senate is unwilling to let these hundreds of thousands of people go to the Manchu Qing for free. Although Dongjiang Town did not have many highlights in the battle against the Manchu Qing, the military households and soldiers who persisted on these barren and cold islands were all people who had survived the most severe trials. Whether as laborers or soldiers, they were excellent raw materials.

Therefore, the main purpose of this reconnaissance is to understand the sea conditions of several important ports and landing points on the north shore of the Bohai Sea, including the freezing situation. In addition to reconnaissance of Lüshun and Zhenjiang Fortress at the mouth of the Yalu River, the Haitian will also conduct a comprehensive investigation of the garrisons, farming households, military strength, and people’s livelihood on the various islands of Dongjiang in the Liaodong Sea, as a data basis for future assessment of how to annex Dongjiang.

“It can still freeze in March. I think this is quite rare…” Xue Ziliang put down his binoculars. A cold wind blew, piercing through his cotton cold-proof suit and making him shiver. It was almost noon, but the thermometer on his watch showed that the deck temperature was below zero, and the sails and ropes on the ship were all frozen.

Mao Shisan was an ordinary military household child in Dongjiang Town. His home was in Zhenjiang Fortress. He was so hungry that he secretly ran to the seaside in the afternoon when the sun was a little warmer, hoping to dig out a few shells from under the ice-covered sand. At the very least, digging a few crabs or snails to fill his stomach would be good. He hadn’t had a proper meal for more than two months since winter began. Although this place was close to the Yalu River and he could occasionally catch some small fish and shrimp, all kinds of resources were very scarce. In particular, fishing in the Yalu River would sometimes lead to conflicts with the Koreans. The Dongjiang Army was not welcome on the Korean side anyway. The wild vegetables around his home had also been basically exhausted. Fortunately, there were vast forests not far inland, so at least it was not a problem to burn a fire for warmth. Otherwise, the situation in Dongjiang would not be much better than that of the refugees who went to Qimu Island.

A few days ago, he heard that the former Deputy General Li had led the old Dongjiang troops to rebel in Dengzhou, and all the Dongjiang troops were to cross the sea to join him. It was said that as long as they went, there would be enough food and silver. Many of the young men in the military households were very tempted. Many of them had boarded ships to the islands, waiting for an opportunity to go to Shandong. The local officials didn’t care either. Now in Dongjiang, it was every man for himself. God knows when the court’s grain and pay would arrive. It was also hard to say whether it would fall into their own hands when it arrived. At least with some people gone, there were fewer mouths to feed.