Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 399 Haidong (Part 1)

June 12, 1639, Yongming Fort (present-day Vladivostok).

As Zhang Dashan listened quietly to Zhao Ergu, the militia squad leader of Suianbao (now Zarubino), speaking in a thick Shandong accent, recounting how they captured several illegal "intruders" and the subsequent interrogation results, his expression grew unusually solemn.

"So, the so-called Jingdong Protectorate has already taken over the entire Hamgyong Province?" He immediately asked after the other party finished speaking.

“Well, that must be the case.” Zhao Ergu scratched his head and replied cautiously, “Through interrogation, the Korean spy who led the team said that a month ago, their general led his troops into Hamhung City, captured the Korean officials such as the observer, judge, and garrison commander, and then used their credentials to persuade all the other counties and towns to surrender.”

"Then... did the Jingdong Army suffer any losses when they attacked Xianxing City?"

"It seems... there weren't too many losses." Zhao Ergu thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "They brought a lot of cannons and fired a few shots at the city walls, and the Koreans surrendered. In the subsequent conquest of other counties and towns, they didn't experience any significant battles. Moreover, they also recruited several thousand Korean troops, which actually increased the strength of the Jingdong Army compared to before the war."

"Damn it, they even have artillery!" Zhang Dashan cursed under his breath.

“My lord…” Zhao Ergu stared at him blankly.

"Yes, you did a great job!" Zhang Dashan patted his thin shoulder. "Later, go to the military advisor to collect your reward. After resting here for a day, return to Suian Fort immediately!"

"Thank you, sir!" Zhao Ergu replied with a grin.

Sunlight streaming through the window illuminated the roughly drawn map of the Haidong region on the wall.

Zhang Dashan's finger slammed heavily on the location of "Xianxing City," instantly piercing the small dot and spreading a smudge on the map.

"Everyone, did you all understand?" He turned his head, looked around at everyone in the hall, and said in a voice as cold as iron, "That so-called General Jingdong is Kong Youde, who has wreaked havoc in Shandong. This son of a bitch now controls the entire Hamgyong Province and has thousands of troops in his hands! Now, this bastard has set his sights on our Haidong Colonial Area. How should we deal with him?"

"We need to quickly send this message back to Beiying Island (present-day Hokkaido) so that the two commissioners can be informed!" Zhou Xing'an, who was in charge of the land reclamation, said loudly.

"In addition, we also need to allocate manpower to reinforce and repair several forts and strongholds within our jurisdiction to prevent the bandits Kong from sending troops to attack!" Mao Chunping, the militia captain of the Haidong Colonization Area, said in a deep voice: "During the off-season for farming, we must organize all the able-bodied men to conduct military drills, and we must increase the intensity of them."

“We also need to mobilize the surrounding indigenous villages. We can use grain, ironware, wine, and even weapons as a means of exchange to recruit them into our military preparations,” Sun Rengui, who was in charge of indigenous tribal affairs, suggested. “Although each village has a small number of indigenous people, when they are all together, there are at least seven or eight hundred able-bodied men.”

"Moreover, they have been hunting in the mountains and forests since childhood, and each of them is a born warrior. With a little organization and training, they will definitely give the attacking Kong bandits a hard time!"

"Um..." Tian Xiaodong, the secretary of the colony, hesitated for a while before speaking, "Um, do you think that just because Kong sent spies to our Haidong colony, he will definitely attack us?"

"Sir, did Kong send spies just to catch a glimpse of us?" Mao Chunping asked, puzzled.

“Yes, Kong has taken over Hamgyong Province in Korea and his military power is at its peak. How could he just stand by and watch a powerful local force emerge on their flank and rear, posing a military threat to them at any time?” Zhang Dashan frowned.

"Please look..." Tian Xiaodong stood up, walked to the rough map of the East Sea Colonization, and drew a circle on the Hamgyong Province area. "Although Hamgyong Province is vast, the area is all mountainous and forested, the land is barren, and the location is relatively remote. It has long been regarded as a border wasteland by the Joseon Kingdom."

"This region was also the last area to be incorporated into North Korea's territory and has always been regarded as a place of exile. The North Korean government even implemented a so-called 'Northwest Imprisonment' policy to restrict local people from participating in politics and entering the central government."

"Under these circumstances, Hamgyong Province has long been neglected and poorly developed, resulting in extremely low agricultural output and a relatively low population. According to data from North Korea, the population of the region is around 30 to 40, most of whom are descendants of poor tenant farmers or exiles."

"By the way, in the mountainous jungles, there are still a large number of Donghai Jurchen tribes (such as the Udegai people) that have not been fully assimilated. They are similar to the Hezhe and Oroqen people in our Donghai colonization area. They have always been unruly and untamed."

"Not to mention that Kong has just seized Xianjing Road and has not yet won over the hearts of the people, even if he integrates the forces of all parties and establishes a foundation for his rule, how many soldiers can he support with the limited output of this place? Even if he supports several thousand or even nearly ten thousand troops, how much of that force can he use to attack us?"

“Even if Hamgyong Province’s economy is in decline and its output is limited, it’s not impossible to support an army of three to five thousand, or even seven or eight thousand people,” Zhou Xing’an said softly. “Looking at our Haidong Colonization Area, we have more than twenty fortified villages and over four thousand five hundred immigrants. Under extreme mobilization conditions, we can organize an armed force of more than a thousand people.” “And Hamgyong Province has an even larger population. Even if we estimate it to be around three hundred thousand, we could easily muster an army of at least ten thousand people, right?”

“Ten thousand men?” Tian Xiaodong laughed when he heard this number. “If it were the Qing invaders, relying on their tight Eight Banners system, they could indeed pull out ten thousand soldiers from a population of three hundred thousand, or even several times that number. But the Kong bandits might not have that ability. They have only just conquered Hamgyong Province. How could they establish such a tight and effective organization and mobilization capability in such a short time?”

“Even if Kong Ze can’t muster 10,000 men, he still has 4,000 to 5,000 troops at his disposal,” Mao Chunping said worriedly. “If he launches a large-scale attack, it will be a considerable threat to us.”

"Then how did he launch this large-scale attack?" Tian Xiaodong countered.

"Crossing over mountains..."

As soon as he said it, Mao Chunping realized something was wrong. How could thousands of troops possibly cross hundreds of kilometers of rugged mountains and invade the Haidong colonization area?
"Uh... or we could attack our coastal fortresses one by one by sailing ships."

"Does Kong have that many naval ships?"

"..." Mao Chunping paused for a moment, "It's wise to be lenient with the enemy. Even if the Kong bandits don't have that many ships, they can still cut down trees to build boats or rafts..."

As he spoke, his voice gradually lowered.

If a few small boats, sampans, or even rafts were used to pull thousands of troops on a long-distance raid on the Haidong colonization area, it would be tantamount to suicide.

It's important to understand that the Sea of ​​Japan (also known as the Whale Sea) is not as calm as the Yellow Sea. Not only can the strong winds and waves in autumn and winter cause small boats to capsize instantly, resulting in tragic consequences of shipwreck and loss of life, but even in the relatively calm spring and summer seasons, there are occasional short periods of strong winds and waves, making small boat navigation extremely risky.

Moreover, large-scale amphibious operations are extremely complex and high-risk military operations, facing numerous technical and tactical challenges.

It is necessary to grasp a lot of hydrological information such as tides, reefs, and shoals, as well as the rapid assembly of soldiers ashore, logistical support, and counterattacks from coastal defense forces.

With so many problems, if any one of them were to surface, it could turn the entire military operation into a massive disaster, leading to the annihilation of the entire army.

Xinhua has been involved in naval operations for over a decade, but to date, it has never conducted a landing operation involving a thousand personnel.

Several years ago, when the Spanish-American War broke out, the Xinhua Navy only used three or five ships, carrying hundreds of armed soldiers, to secretly land and attack the coastal port towns in Spanish America, which did not have many defenses.

Even the capture of Panama City was a joint operation involving two English pirate ships, and it was only through a combined land and sea attack, along with a nighttime infiltration, that they managed to take this important Spanish stronghold.

Could someone like Kong Youde really orchestrate a large-scale amphibious landing operation and launch a major offensive against the Haidong colony?
That's giving him way too much credit!
"So, it's unlikely that Kong will launch an attack on us in the short term?" Zhang Dashan breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Tian Xiaodong with admiration.

Scholars are just different.

Sitting upright in the central command tent, one can strategize and predict the enemy's movements from a thousand miles away!
“However, we cannot be complacent.” Tian Xiaodong said seriously, “The coastal forts need to build gun emplacements when necessary, and the defenses of the forts also need to be improved. Some crude wooden fences and barriers should be replaced with large timbers as much as possible, and even bricks and cement should be used to fill key parts.”

"In this way, when faced with potential external threats, we will have a certain degree of self-defense capabilities and will not be taken advantage of by the enemy."

“Do as the clerk says.” He suddenly grinned, revealing gleaming white teeth. “Let that scoundrel Kong Youde know that the fence of Haidong… is prickly!”

"My lord..." Suddenly, a guard hurriedly knocked on the door and entered. "My lord, an urgent report has arrived from Haixi Village (now Kamyan-Rypolov Town on the west bank of Lake Khanka).

"The Tartar scouts have reached... Beiqinhai (Lake Xingkai)!"
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(End of this chapter)