Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1896 Guangdong Mediation ([-])

With the sound of "Gululu", the huge iron anchor was sunk into the mud on the seabed, and the light cruiser "Famhaut" anchored steadily near the mouth of Rongjiang River in later generations.

"The steam power has been modified, shouldn't this anchor rope be changed?" Seeing the sailors still manipulating the winch, they panted and put down the heavy anchor, Lu Xiaozhong wanted to complain in his heart. The Heishui Shipyard, which was set up to help their ship with steam conversion for the first time, was mentally ill. They actually did not change their anchor chains to steam lifts on the grounds of lack of corresponding equipment. They must be changed next time.

And just when Captain Lu Xiaozhong complained about the Blackwater Shipyard, several small boats had already been put down from the "Famhaut" and the "Tian Gao Yi Lie", which had been moored later, and they rowed to the shore with dozens of sailors. .On the simple wharf on the shore, a middle-aged man wearing the robe of a military general of the Ming Dynasty had been waiting for a long time. He was the person sent by Li Yuanyin to meet them.

"Ah, the sailor of your army has finally arrived. The eldest son has asked me to wait here for a long time." Seeing the small boat of the people from the east coast slowly approaching the shore, the thousand households immediately jumped forward, He said with a smile while catching the cable thrown from the boat and fastening it to the stake.

And following his movements, a group of people who were originally standing behind him also dispersed suddenly, stepped forward to grab the cables, and pulled the small boats on the east coast to the side of the trestle bridge.The small boat was equipped with a lot of military supplies, including binoculars, artillery sighting equipment, ammunition weighing equipment, gun maintenance machinery, common tropical medicines, high-quality engineering shovels, steel bayonets, cowhide saddles, military water bottles, etc. There are a lot of types and a lot of them—well, the number is not too much for the time being, but there are more in the cabin at the back—enough to enrich Li Yuanyin's slightly empty arsenal.

Some of these materials were produced by the San Francisco in the Far East, and some were temporarily dispatched by the east bank troops in Denglai, Ningshao and other places, and all of them were given to Li Yuanyin so that he could arm his own army.In fact, don't underestimate these materials and equipment. It seems that there are no direct so-called "destructive weapons", but they can play a huge role on the battlefield.For example, those binoculars can make the commander's field of vision wider; artillery sighting and weighing equipment can increase the efficiency of artillery by several percent; if there is no gun maintenance equipment, the damaged gun will be damaged, and it cannot be restored after emergency repair. ; The role of bayonets and saddles is not much to say, they are consumables, and I dare not say too much at any time; high-quality engineering shovels and military water bottles are also indispensable, not to mention medicines, which are necessary for soldiers and horses before they move. Something to be prepared for.

Therefore, the materials transferred by the people from the east bank by boat were of great help to Li Yuanyin.If the follow-up supplies are sufficient, their combat power can be increased by several percent (of course this may be a bit exaggerated), and they can gain an advantage over Li Yuanhao's troops on the battlefield, thereby stabilizing their current territory.

Yes, you heard that right!After many days of lingering illness, Li Chengdong, Duke Hui of the Nanming Dynasty, finally swallowed his last breath in the second half of last year (1683) and kicked his legs back to the west.After his death, his son Li Yuanhao immediately inherited the title of Lord Huiguo with the support of a group of people, and because of "suspicion and fear", Li Yuanyin only appeared at the funeral ceremony for one day, and then rushed back to Chaozhou Prefecture where he was stationed overnight. , The whole army has been trained and armed, and it looks like it is preparing for a big battle.

However, it was not Li Yuanyin who first provoked the war, but Li Yuanhao who inherited the Duke of Huiguo.After all, this guy couldn't tolerate that cheap brother, and he didn't even want to give him the Chaozhou government, so he directly gathered [-] troops and attacked the Chaozhou government.

Li Yuanhao's decisive action surprised the Dong'an people.At that time, Major Tang Moyu, who was in charge of military affairs in the entire South China region, went to negotiate face-to-face with Rolle, the governor of the Dutch East India Company, because of some unfavorable incidents on the island of Taiwan that were unfavorable to the people on the east coast, so he failed to get the news in time.

When he finished negotiating with the Dutch and returned to Guangzhou Bay, the first round of Er Li's war had ended: Unexpectedly, Li Yuanhao, who had gathered a large number of troops to kill him, was unfavorable in the battle in Huizhou Prefecture, and even lost a lot of territory. Li Yuanyin's soldiers went deep into Huizhou Mansion.

However, Li Yuanhao has a big family and a big business after all. Having controlled the four prefectures of Guangzhou, Huizhou, Nanxiong, and Shaozhou, he quickly stabilized his position, and then relied on the core Lianzhou new army to fight steadily.By the time the people on the east coast had hoarded a large amount of supplies and personnel, and formally sent envoys to Guangzhou City to issue a stern warning to them, they had completely regained the lost ground in Huizhou, and then counterattacked into Chaozhou Prefecture, gaining the upper hand.

At this time, the people on the east bank also had to make two-handed preparations. While sending ships to Li Yuanyin to support war materials—almost all of them were sold at a low price, and he was allowed to buy them on credit—they began to gather troops on Haizhu Island, threatening the safety of Guangzhou City. .Faced with such a decisive action by the people from the east coast, although Li Yuanhao was shocked and angry, he had to treat it with caution. For this reason, he sent several groups of envoys to the fortress of Haizhu Island to meet with the temporary commander of the people from the east coast.Obviously, their negotiations failed. Li Yuanhao was unwilling to give up the opportunity to enter the Chaozhou government and completely defeat his cheap brother, and the East Bank did not allow Li Yuanyin to be defeated, so the talks between the two sides inevitably collapsed.

Afterwards, Li Yuanhao strengthened the guard in Guangzhou City, and at the same time continued to demand that the front line should not relax, and strive to solve the Chaozhou government as soon as possible.At this time, the army on the east bank, which had been resting on the front line of Australia and Xiangshan for a long time, also quickly mobilized.Because a peace agreement had been signed with the Qing government, many troops stationed in the Southern Exploration Team went south this time, the most famous of which was the Capital Children's Army and the more than 1400 officers and soldiers of the First Mixed Battalion.

The commander of the battalion is the famous Lieutenant Colonel Lan Fei. He once went to the United Provinces to fight with Yang Liang (this gentleman has been transferred to the commander of the South African Garrison) and others, and has rich experience.Immediately after hearing the news, they dispatched with the First Mixed Battalion, the Fifth Cavalry Regiment of the Zhejiang New Army, the right wing (two companies) of the Taiwan Marine Battalion, and some mercenaries recruited from Macau. There were more than 4500 people. In two days, the main force arrived in Shunde County.

Nearly a thousand cavalrymen from the Fifth Cavalry Regiment had already disarmed Li Jun's soldiers and horses in Shunde County in advance.There are more than [-] Li Jun soldiers who are ignorant of the changes in the situation. Coupled with the continuous infiltration of people from the east coast over the years, some officers have secretly communicated with them, so these people hardly made any effective resistance and were confused. The ground was disarmed, and then under the order of the officer, all returned to the camp to rest and cut off contact with the outside world.

After the main force arrived, they immediately took over Shunde County, and then broke down the gate of the county treasury, used the food in it as military supplies, and then used some of the treasury silver to recruit a group of masters, mules and horses in the county town to accompany the army. Set off to help transport supplies.The Dong'an people have been operating in Guangdong for many years, so naturally they don't have to worry about no one coming out to lead the way. In addition, they have money at their disposal, so this matter was done at once, and the army relieved their worries.

After taking down Shunde County without bloodshed, Lan Fei didn't stay at all, but went all the way to Foshan Town, which is very close at hand.Here, they encountered the first real resistance. Thousands of Li Jun soldiers fought back relying on the terrain and buildings, but they were soon bombarded by the cannons of the people on the east bank and the long-range volleys of Mini rifles. After that, they were defeated.It was difficult for the fleeing enemy to even escape. The Fifth Cavalry Regiment, a rare cavalry unit in the southern land, directly cut off their retreat, and then, under the support of some anti-Ge officers, quickly captured most of them, probably There are more than three thousand people.

The military operation went so smoothly, which surprised Lieutenant Colonel Lan Fei, who served as the commander in chief, and made him reassess the influence of the people on the east bank in Guangdong.In his view, such destructive actions are certainly due to Li Yuanhao's main force being transferred to the north and the place is empty, but there are so many leading parties and rebel officers and soldiers along the way. Does no one have the idea of ​​​​resistance?

After many years of operating in Guangdong, it seems that it has received miraculous results!This kind of foundation, I am afraid that if it is not directly ruled, there will be no big rebound!Or even if they don’t rule directly, they still let their agents rule Guangdong, but this condition can probably be further discussed, and the control over Guangdong should also be further strengthened—there may have been some cover-ups in the past, but now there is no need to do so, after all. The situation is completely different wow!

Of course, the above is just the illusion of Lieutenant Colonel Lan Fei.In fact, the smooth journey from Xiangshan to Foshan is naturally the reason why the Dongan people have focused on their operations for many years.However, if we drive further to Guangzhou City, it is impossible to have such a good thing in front of us, and the resistance of the enemy will definitely become fierce.Although the First Mixed Battalion is brave, there are only more than 1000 people after all, and how many nails can be driven by iron!Maybe with the cooperation of the defense team of Haizhu Island Commercial Station, we can break into Guangzhou City for fun, but the defense will definitely not be able to defend, and it is not enough to even catch the population, so it is better to go as soon as possible Stop dreaming!

The purpose of this attack has been stated in the plan formulated last year, which is to force Li Yuanhao to return to the army to protect himself, give up the attack on Chaozhou Prefecture, and restore peace to Guangdong.To put it bluntly, it is best for the two of you brothers to live in peace, and don't let outsiders take advantage of you.You know, this time, in order to hold down Shunguo Jiangxi Jiedu envoy Guo Shi'an from sending troops south, the people on the east bank also exerted a lot of influence, and even paid a big price.The big drama of the Guangdong Brothers fighting against the wall, it is better to end quickly, otherwise, it will definitely cause extra problems after a long time.

On March 1684, 3, the 6-step cavalry led by Lieutenant Colonel Lan Fei arrived in the suburbs of Guangzhou.At this time, Li Yuanhao, who was frightened and angry, sent people to the east bank camp to negotiate, but his tone was more humble, to the effect that he asked for a truce from the east bank; at the same time, the new Duke Hui also urgently transferred from the surrounding counties All the troops that could be mobilized were sent to aid Guangzhou City, and the Lianzhou New Army, which Shangyuan was fighting with Li Yuanyin's troops in Chaozhou Prefecture, naturally also received orders to rush back to help. The battle situation ahead changed again in just a few months. Straight people a little at a loss.

And since Li Yuanhao sent an envoy for peace, the people on the east coast would naturally not be exterminated, let alone they were unable to do so.Therefore, on March 3, Major Tang Moyu, who was in charge of the entire Guangzhou Bay affairs, sent someone to negotiate with Lan Fei, suspend the march of troops, and avoid further conflicts, and then negotiated with Li Yuanhao to raise conditions—because the No. Under the jurisdiction of Commander Lai Baoan, Lan Fei's military age and rank are both higher than Tang Moyu's, so he can only discuss with him.

Undoubtedly, Lieutenant Colonel Lan Fei didn't quite agree with Tang Moyu's opinion.He believes that at this time, more investment should be made to completely turn the Guangzhou government upside down, and at the same time mobilize all possible forces to buy and instigate the generals of Li Yuanhao's group, making their rear unstable, and then attack Li Yuanyin from inside and outside. It completely changed the sky in Guangdong.Even, if possible, the people from the east coast can also enter the city of Guangzhou and establish direct rule.

Although Major Tang Moyu respected his seniors, he still had some disagreements on this matter.He insisted that the Li family of Huiguo Gong had ruled Guangdong for 40 years, and had the righteous name of the courtiers of the Southern Ming Dynasty. The ruling foundation was still very solid, and it was impossible to completely overturn it in a short period of time.Therefore, the direct rule of Guangzhou is unlikely to be successful. On the contrary, it will plunge oneself into a huge quagmire, which is not worth it. It is more cost-effective to continue to rule through agents.

In addition, it is also extremely risky to support Li Yuanyin to let him sit on the position of Duke Hui.This firstly involves the power balance between Li Yuanhao and Li Yuanyin, and it is also related to the external situation.You know, according to the information collected a while ago, Fujian Zheng Jing recently sent a large amount of money, food and supplies to Zhangzhou Prefecture at the border of Guangdong and Fujian, and it is possible to send troops into Guangdong.And if it is related to the fact that he has been supporting Li Yuanyin verbally before, Zheng Jing, who is not guaranteed, will directly go into troubled waters to fish in troubled waters in the name of supporting Chaozhou government.And this is undoubtedly something that people on the east coast cannot tolerate, and it has always been something they have tried their best to avoid.

Tang Moyu believes that if he fully supports Li Yuanyin to fight back to Guangzhou City, let alone whether he can succeed, but a chaos that lasts for a long time is inevitable.This not only affects the commercial interests of people on the east coast, but also sharply increases the risk of interference from external forces, and the possibility of the situation getting out of control is very high.Therefore, out of various considerations, Major Tang Moyu finally decided to focus on stability, that is, to mediate the war between the two Lis, so that this civil strife can be eliminated as soon as possible, and no external forces have the opportunity to intervene.

(End of this chapter)