Sun Zhen walked to the front podium in a daze, and saw that the front row of the small hall was full of high-ranking officials, and even Chen Yixin, who brought him to the meeting, could only sit in the back row, and he was even more panicked at the moment, not knowing what to say. However, Chen Yixin saw that he looked embarrassed, and opened his mouth to comfort: "Sun Zhen, just tell me about the local military situation you know." ”

Sun Zhen licked his lips and said: "My humble hometown is in Huang County, the capital of Dengzhou, and I was only a farmer before I fled south, and I have a limited understanding of the military situation. ”

The administrative establishment of Dengzhou began in the Tang Dynasty and was promoted to the government in the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. It is recorded in the "Ming Shilu" that "Shiedeng and Laizhou are both bordered by the sea, and they are the main roads between Goryeo and Japan. ”

Dengzhou Prefecture has jurisdiction over Penglai, Huangxian, Qixia, Zhaoyuan, Laiyang, Fushan, Wendeng seven counties plus one Ninghai Prefecture, and the government is located in Penglai. The local garrisons were mainly concentrated in Dengzhou Fucheng, Weihaiwei, Chengshanwei, Jinghaiwei, and Dasongwei. Originally, there were more than 20,000 troops stationed in Dengzhou, but after two years of war, most of the official institutions, including the military barracks and guards, had been destroyed, and there was probably no one of the remaining available troops in the local area.

When Sun Zhen left Dengzhou and began to flee, the Ming Dynasty had already mobilized troops and horses from Jinan, Qingzhou, Yanzhou and other places into the Denglai area to quell the rebellion, and after the war, probably a part of the army would be left to rebuild the local garrison system. However, considering the lack of food and clothing and the lack of taxes in the local area after the war, this kind of reconstruction work is probably not possible to complete in a short time.

As Sun Zhen himself said, his understanding of the local military situation in Dengzhou was only superficial and he didn't know much. The size of the garrisons of each guard station, who the commanders were, and the battle damage in the Denglai Rebellion, such as the more specific military information, Sun Zhen was basically ignorant. As for the local geography, although Sun Zhen is quite familiar, he has not yet mastered the advanced skill of drawing maps, so he cannot depict it on paper.

"Sergeant, you have participated in many military operations, you should know how much our army attaches importance to the port, so do you have any relevant news about the local port in Dengzhou?" Yan Chujie waited for Sun Zhen to tell him about what he knew.

Whether it was the invasion of the island of Taiwan or the Northern Expedition to Zhoushan, Haihan's preferred target was the main port there. Although Sun Zhen was just an ordinary soldier at that time, after experiencing several battles, he naturally had a certain understanding of the cross-sea combat tactics that Haihan was good at, and almost all the offensives launched by the Haihan army began with the occupation of local ports, and used it as an advance base to launch an attack on the target. This tactic requires that the ports occupied have certain conditions for ships to dock and communicate by land so that troops and heavy firepower can be deployed as quickly as possible by sea means. Ordinary natural harbors or fishing village wharves are still difficult to meet the needs of military operations.

Sun Zhen thought for a while before replying: "Chief, all the health offices in Dengzhou are located in the coastal areas, and Jinghaiwei, Chengshanwei, and Weihaiwei all have military seaports, but the largest one is Dengzhou Water City. Its city is bordered by the Bohai Sea in the north, crosses the mountain in the northwest, borders the river in the southeast, the city wall is three zhang and five feet high, the thickness is more than one, the city wall is equipped with artillery, and the outer layer of wall bricks is also re-laid in the Wanli years. ”

Dengzhou water city was used as a military base as early as the Song Dynasty, Ming Hongwu built the water city on the original basis, built the water gate in the north, set up the Zhenyang gate in the south, named Beiwei City. Qi Jiguang, the general of the anti-Japanese war during the Wanli period, and Yuan Keli, the governor of Denglai during the Apocalypse, have all trained sailors here to resist foreign invaders, and it is one of the most important military ports on the Jiaodong Peninsula.

However, this water city was not spared in the Denglai Rebellion, after the fall of Dengzhou City, Shandong General Zhang Keda held on to the water city for several days, and finally was broken through the city defense because of being outnumbered. Zhang Keda killed his wife and concubines, and then committed suicide in the Taiping Tower in the city, martyrdom. Except for a few ships stationed in Shuicheng, all of them were plundered by the rebels and became their main means of transportation for their later defection to the Northeast. Even if this water city is still there, it should only be an empty city now.

Although the objective conditions of this place pointed out by Sun Zhen are not bad, he did not take into account that its location is close to the capital of Dengzhou, if Haihan chooses to directly occupy the military base of the Ming army and garrison the local army, it is clear that it is the nature of a military invasion, and I am afraid it will be difficult to coexist peacefully with the local government. However, Haihan currently has no intention of expanding its territory and enclosing territory on a large scale, so offending the Ming court and local government and even triggering military conflicts is not the situation that the Executive Committee and the military want to see.

Of course, the Ministry of Defense will not identify or deny the alternative location because of the words of Sun Zhen's family, and the final decision may still be left to the advance team to do on-the-spot investigations in the local area.

When Sun Zhen returned to his position after answering the question, he found that the back of his palms were wet, although he thought that he was not afraid of heaven and earth, but he still couldn't avoid nervousness in front of these high-ranking officials. If it weren't for Chen Yixin's presence, he felt that he might not even be able to say a complete sentence.

The next person to give an explanation to the stage was Navy Commander Tom Wang, and just like the military operations carried out by the Haihan Army overseas in the past, the participation of the Navy is also indispensable in this plan.

"The Navy has drawn up a rough route with sailors who often travel to and from the northern route. Tom walked over to the map and began briefing the attendees on the Navy's readiness.

At present, the northernmost base of Haihan is Zhoushan Dinghai Port, from here to Haizhou, which borders Shandong and Jiangsu provinces, there is also a distance of more than 400 nautical miles, and the voyage to Dengzhou, especially the north of the Jiaodong Peninsula, is even farther, and the round-trip voyage is definitely more than 1,000 nautical miles. In this area, Haihan does not have its own controlled docking and supply points to use, so careful consideration is required in the formulation of routes, voyage arrangements, and the planning of landing reconnaissance operations to reduce operational risks.

Although there were some immigrants from the north in the Haihan army, there were not many people who were familiar with the sea routes, so it may be necessary to send some sailors who are familiar with the sea conditions in the north to join the operation. There were many discrepancies between the east coastline of the Ming Dynasty and the satellite maps in the hands of Haihan, so it was also necessary to take this opportunity to revise the map information at hand. Therefore, the route drawn up by the navy basically traveled along the coastline of Jiangsu and Shandong provinces, but in consideration of the unpredictable situation in the locality, no specific stopping point was determined in advance, and a decision should be made according to the actual situation during the operation.

"The Jiaodong Peninsula is an unknown area for us, and it is very important for our layout in the north in the next few years, so I will personally participate in this northward reconnaissance operation. After introducing the general situation of the route, Tom Wang announced a slightly surprising news.

The last time Tom Wang was personally involved in a military operation was in the second half of last year when he commanded the Battle of Miyakojima. After the elimination of Shibazhi in that battle, Wang Tom also stayed in Sanya for more than half a year, he was already an idle man, and the only foreign operation in the first half of 1634, and the unfamiliar area that he had not visited before, was very attractive to him.

In view of the difficulty and special nature of this task itself, there are not many generals who can be qualified by the military, but at present, Qian Tiandun and Shi Diwen are also stationed in Zhoushan.

Yan Chujie took the lead in questioning: "This task, Qian Tiandun and Shi Diwen can both be competent, right?

Wang Tom said: "Qian Tiandun is an army, and he is definitely not familiar with the business at sea, although Shi Diwen is a member of the navy, and he does have the ability to complete the task, but what is the local situation in Zhoushan, the Military Commission has never sent someone to the field to investigate, I will go on a trip, and I will also explain to the executive committee when the time comes." Besides, this plan requires coordination between the army and navy and other departments, and I don't need to send telegrams back to ask for instructions when I go to many things. ”

Although Tom Wang's words are a bit biased, they are also true. The Haihan Army captured Zhoushan in April and May last year, but neither the Executive Committee nor the military sent special personnel to inspect and inspect the local area, and all the information they learned came from telegrams or written reports. A year has passed in the blink of an eye, and it is reasonable for the base camp to send a high-level to inspect the work. As the commander of the Navy and the current second-in-command of the Ministry of National Defense, it is understandable that Tom Wang should accomplish this mission on behalf of the military and the Executive Committee. And this mission is not the sole responsibility of the military, with the high-level Wang Tom, many things will indeed be more convenient to coordinate.

Yan Chujie's question was not to try to stop Tom Wang, on the contrary, he raised the question first, just to let Tom Wang seize the opportunity and block the mouths of others. Therefore, after Tom Wang gave a simple explanation, Yan Chujie did not continue to ask questions, and acquiesced to Tom Wang's arrangement.

Because the target area is too far away from Sanya, and the local situation is not clear, the content of the current discussion is basically in a state of paper talk for the time being, and the real action plan will probably have to wait for Wang Tom to arrive in Zhoushan, and then discuss it with Qian Tiandun and others.

By the time the meeting was over, the fireworks had already ended, and the guests attending the dinner had largely dispersed, and the military had arranged for a boat to take them back to their homes on the west bank of Victory Harbor. After Sun Zhen came out and took a few breaths, he realized that he was about to have the opportunity to return to his hometown, and he was so excited that he almost wanted to open his throat and yell a few times. But he also knew that he should not lose his temper at this occasion, and almost all of his side were senior officers with higher ranks than himself, and if he was to lose face, it would not be a shame for himself, but the face of the special operations battalion.

"It looks like you can stay in Sanya for a few more days this time. Chen Yixin teased: "Commander Wang will have to wait at least a few days before he can leave, and he can enjoy it in Sanya during this time." ”

Sun Zhen shook his head and said: "Sanya is too expensive to spend money here, and the military salary for the humble post is still saved, and when I return to Dengzhou in the future, maybe it can come in handy." ”

Chen Yixin said: "Do you plan to visit relatives and friends after returning to Dengzhou?"

Sun Zhen nodded and said: "When I left Dengzhou, I was in a hurry, and I didn't have time to say goodbye to my relatives and friends, if I could find my family, I had to tell them after all." It is said that the area has become a scorched earth, and it will not be easy to live after the war, and although the lowly job does not have much savings, even if it is used to buy rice, it can always save a few people. ”

Chen Yixin said: "If you find your separated family, then arrange to immigrate to the south." You're already a sergeant, and the process of naturalizing your family is quick. ”

Sun Zhen smiled bitterly: "I hope so, I am afraid that I will return to Dengzhou, and I will not be able to find anyone." ”

Chen Yixin didn't know how to comfort him, so he had to pat him on the shoulder and said, "Jiren has his own natural appearance, don't think about it." When we arrive in Dengzhou in the future, everything will be known. ”

The military was not the only department that held a secret meeting during the celebration, and when the meeting ended, another meeting was being held in Fort Victory. There were far more department heads attending this meeting than the meeting at the naval base, and even He Xi from the Haihan Security Department hurried to attend this meeting after showing his face over there. In addition to him, Bai Kesi, Ning Qi, Gu Kai, Schneider, Yue Zhiyun, Ren Liang and others in the executive committee were also present, and the weight seemed to even exceed that of the military meeting.

"Early tomorrow morning, you all have your own arrangements for foreign affairs activities, so this meeting can only be arranged until this point in time. Tao Donglai saw that everyone had arrived, so he quickly cut to the chase: "Today's meeting is mainly to discuss the key projects that will be implemented in Taiwan next. The relevant information has been sent to you, and I believe you have read it in advance. This project requires the coordination of various departments in advance, so the Ministry of Industry took the lead and set up a special project team, and the project team will be responsible for the implementation of the subsequent operations. Lao Bai, can you say a few words?"

Bai Kesi took over and said: "The person in charge of this project team is myself, and I can cooperate with all departments during the implementation of the project." I believe that everyone can understand how important this project is to our future development, and I would like to emphasize two points, one is to obey the arrangement, and the other is to keep confidential. These two demands are not only for all of you, but also for all the technicians and workers involved in the project in the future. So let's start talking about the specific implementation plan. ”