Volume 2: Soaring! The Overlord of the Region Chapter 302 Siam's Aggression
"Your subordinates are here to greet General Xiong."
"Hahaha, colleagues, please don't be polite. Xiong is here under the order of the Emperor and the Crown Prince. I will ask for your support in the future."
"I dare not. The commander-in-chief is too kind. I will definitely obey the commander-in-chief's orders."
In September 1616, Siam attacked Burma and defeated it.
In October, Zhu Youdong in Beijing received the news and began to make corresponding adjustments.
In November, the Siamese army entered Chenla and Johor, controlled Phnom Penh and Singapore, and began to build ports and fortresses in these two places.
At the end of January 1617, the initial expansion of Phnom Penh Port was completed. The Siamese army then entered the Mekong Delta, which was basically a no-man's land at that time, and annihilated 3,000 troops stationed there by the Nguyen family, the powerful ministers of Annan. Then they began to open up wasteland and cut down forests to build Saigon Port.
In February 1617, Zhu Youdong and his ministers decided on the national policy of "first south and then north" at the State Council meeting, and then made corresponding adjustments again.
On April 3, 1617, Xiong Tingbi arrived in Guangzhou and officially took office.
After a round of singing outside Guangzhou, the crowd escorted Xiong Tingbi to the urgently renovated Guangdong and Guangxi Governor's Office. After taking his seat according to his official position, Xiong Tingbi cleared his throat.
"Everyone, I think everyone is aware of the Emperor's order and the Crown Prince's instructions. Although I still find it unbelievable that a small country like Siam would dare to invade the Ming Dynasty. But since the Crown Prince's instructions have said so, we must prepare seriously. Here, has the general of Zhaoqing Town arrived?"
"General Yan Siqi is here."
"Well, Commander Yan, how many combat soldiers are there in Zhaoqing Town now?"
"Zhaoqing Town has 13,000 combat soldiers on the military register of the Ministry of War, and a total of 66,000 people including their families. I re-checked the situation after I took over the town a month ago. Zhaoqing Town actually has more than 9,700 combat soldiers, plus various auxiliary soldiers, craftsmen, family members, etc., a total of 48,000 people."
"Humph! It's just as I expected. If the Crown Prince hadn't repeatedly ordered that no one should be held accountable before the military households were re-investigated, I would have sent out swift cavalry to capture the general!"
After shouting this, Xiong Tingbi said to the officials below: "Everyone, the governor and governor-general are not permanent local official positions. Especially the governor-general, there will be no establishment if there is no military affairs. The court now wants me to be the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi, which means that Guangdong and Guangxi are likely to go to war! I know that since the Hongwu period, even the Japanese invasion during the Jiajing period rarely invaded Guangdong . This Guangzhou city has been peaceful for more than two hundred years. But now!" He slapped the table heavily: "Everyone must cheer up and work hard for the country! Once the war starts, I will enforce military law! If you are not careful, you will lose your head!"
"Your subordinates will follow Xiong's military instructions."
"Yeah." Stroking his beard, Xiong Tingbi asked Yan Siqi, " How many warships did you bring from the Changsha Shipyard?"
"Twenty Beizhili-class ships and sixty Jinling-class ships, with a total of 13,000 soldiers, gunners, sailors, etc. on board. In addition, there are more than 100 auxiliary ships and 5,200 logistical support personnel such as shipbuilding technicians, doctors, and chefs."
"Are there enough barracks in Zhaoqing Town? Is there enough food?"
"Please rest assured, I have already made all the arrangements."
"Okay, Commander Yan, you arrived more than a month earlier than me. What preparations has Zhaoqing Town made for war?"
"I have already established regular patrols around Hainan Island and the Pearl River Estuary. After the Zhaoqing soldiers were counted, they have been allowed to board the ships to train with the soldiers from the Chongming Sand Station. They are ready to receive new ships from the Changsha Shipyard at any time."
"So, Commander Yan, is there anything I need you to do?"
"Two points. First, I know that the Portuguese living in Macau can already complete the production of everything from bullets to guns in Macau. The army must quickly send people to negotiate with the local Portuguese. If Siam invades this time, they must at least remain neutral. Otherwise, we will send out the army to drive them into the sea first! Second, I suggest that the army mobilize civilians to land on Hainan Island and build a new port and fortress at the southern end of the island."
"Yes! For the first thing, let the newly appointed Jinyiwei Guangdong Qianhu Xu Xianchun do it. As for the second thing, is Li Fangbo available?"
"I am Li Ke, the governor of Guangdong, waiting for the command of the army."
"How about asking Li Fangbo to handle this matter? Before I came here, His Highness asked the Ministry of Revenue to allocate 3 million silver dollars. I will give you 200,000 first to get the scene ready."
"Yes, not long after Yan Shuai came to Zhaoqing, he made this suggestion to me. Some time ago, I have cooperated with Yan Shuai to complete the preparatory work such as site selection, recruitment, and material preparation. We can start work at any time."
"Good! Everyone, this is the right attitude to do things!" Nodding with satisfaction, Xiong Tingbi said to a thirty-year-old general under Yan Siqi on his right, "This general is the favorite of the crown prince, Liu Zhaosun, the former general of Kunming Town, and the newly appointed commander of Guangdong by the court. He came here with me this time and brought 15,000 elite troops. In the future, if there is a war between Guangdong and Guangxi, Yan will be the leader at sea. Liu will be the leader on land."
"I will obey your orders!"
"Okay, everyone. Now I will start giving orders."
"Please give your instructions to the troops."
“First, the Guangdong Military Commissioner immediately dispatched personnel to guide the soldiers from Kunming Town to move in.
Second, the Guangdong Governor immediately began the construction of a port fortress at the southern end of Hainan Island.
3. Guangzhou Daily should vigorously promote the relevant information. Of course, the tone should not be too high, so as not to cause unrest among the people. Just say that there are clowns provoking our Ming Dynasty, and our Guangdong troops should make corresponding preparations. If necessary, please cooperate with the people everywhere.
Fourth, when I came from Yunnan, I had already convened all my colleagues in Guangxi in Guilin for a discussion. Soldiers from all the garrisons in Guangxi have already begun to gather and will enter Guangdong if necessary. All the garrisons in Guangdong will also begin to gather and conduct a complete count of their actual forces.
You all know all the above.”
"Zhijun has made it clear, and we have no objection."
"Then let's get started! Cancel all the welcoming banquets, I don't like those things. From now on, as long as everyone works hard, I will report the truth to the emperor and the crown prince. If you keep doing nonsense all day long, I don't care about your background or who your master is. Knock it down~!"
…
Just as Xiong Tingbi arrived in Guangzhou and began to prepare for war. On April 3, 1617, outside Sanya Bay, Hainan Island.
At this time, there was only a slight breeze on the sea, and the blue sea gently swayed on the coast. The beach, the coast, the endless coconut trees, and all kinds of flying seabirds made Sanya Bay, which had not been effectively developed in this era, full of beauty like the Garden of Eden described in Western classics.
In the gentle waves, two Jinling-class battleships, one named Songjiang and the other Suzhou, were about four to five hundred meters apart from each other, both hoisting half sail, and were slowly moving together along the coastline of Sanya Bay on Hainan Island.
Although as scout ships, these two warships were at the forefront, but this situation made the soldiers on the ship unconsciously relax.
Suddenly, a sharp whistle sounded from the Suzhou's lookout!
"Zheng Yi Guan, what's wrong?!"
"Captain! A large number of masts have appeared about 10,000 meters southwest of our ship, at eight o'clock!"
"Ring the bells on all ships, raise the sails , and prepare for battle!"
"Yes, sir!"
After the order was given, the captain quickly raised his telescope to search the sea. Not long after, hundreds of huge masts appeared in his field of vision!
Later, the warships to which these masts belonged also crossed the sea level and appeared in the captain's eyes.
"Hiss~! Inform the Songjiang and ask them to withdraw first. We will get closer later."
After the crew on the ship strictly followed the captain's orders, it didn't take long for the distance between the two sides to be shortened to about three thousand meters.
Looking at the huge fleet with hundreds of towering ships, overlapping sails, and flags of Buddha, white elephant, two red, two white, and one blue, which were clearly visible on the sea, the captain of the Suzhou muttered silently: "Damn, at least 40 Beizhili-class ships and 100 Jinling-class ships! When did the damn Siamese have such a huge fleet?"
