Haihan's maritime armed forces became famous overnight in 1628, at the end of the first year of Chongzhen's reign, after a battle against Liu Xiang's pirate gang at the mouth of the Pearl River. In the following year or two, news came back from overseas one after another, saying that the Haihan sent troops across the sea to assist the Annan court to quell the civil strife, and even the Western people living in Haojingao were subjugated by the Haihan militia, and their combat power at sea was far superior to that of the Guangdong naval division.

However, despite the strong strength of Haihan, the coastal people do not have any sense of crisis, because the image of Haihan people in front of the public has always been relatively positive. Although the local government felt that it was inappropriate for the Haihan people to act like this, the people were in Yazhou, and it should be the Yazhou government that coordinated with the Haihan people. Therefore, the government here in Guangdong is happy to pretend to be deaf and dumb, after all, the Haihan people are rich and have people, and they also have the mysterious ability to predict curses, and even the former governor of Liangguang was inexplicably planted, and not everyone is willing to offend this big trouble.

The Haihan people have always had armed warships stationed at the mouth of the Pearl River, and this matter is known not only to the people, but also to the government, but no one intends to make a fuss about it. Of course, ordinary people can't do anything, although the Haihan people are very rich, but they are not easy to squeeze the fat sheep, if you want to get benefits from them, you either want to be a hired worker or a partner, it will not work to use your brains. Moreover, these warships did bring peace and stability to the waters of the Pearl River Estuary, and since the Haihan people settled here, even the scattered bandits and pirates have been wiped out.

Although Haihan's warships often carry out escort missions, they have never served the government, which is also a well-known thing, and the reason is very simple, Haihan's armed escort is a paid service, but no official ship will be happy to pay this money. As for saying that the government directly issued an administrative order, then I'm sorry, the Haihan militia has never listened to either the tune or the announcement, and only when they want to take action themselves, will they say hello to the government in advance. The meaning of Marik's words was to sue these alternate officials present, if Liu Qian hadn't come to the door to ask for this favor, Haihan probably wouldn't have bothered to participate in this effort.

Although the officials present felt that Mariko's words were a bit arrogant, but this was indeed the case, and they had just received the benefits from Mariko, so it was not easy to immediately pull down their faces and get angry.

Marik continued: "At present, the security situation on Qiongzhou Island has not been completely stabilized, and there are still remnants of pirates on the island. In order to ensure the personal safety of all of you, I recommend that after you arrive in Qiongzhou, cooperate with the various safety protection measures we have implemented locally to avoid accidents. ”

Someone responded: "What can be the accident, haven't the pirates all been beaten away by your militia?"

Mariko smiled: "Since it was an accident, it is an unpredictable thing, in short, safety is the first thing, and you adults don't want anything to happen during your tenure, right?"

Ma Like's words became even more explicit, and Liu Qian hurriedly stood up and said: "Director Ma's reminder is also for the safety of all the adults, thank you for Lord Wang and all the adults present!"

Liu Qian brought out Wang Zunde's sign, and it would be difficult for the people present to argue with Marik anymore, otherwise wouldn't it be a rebellion against the Governor?

Marik didn't continue to play stubbornly, but accepted it when he saw it, and followed Liu Qian's words and said: "Now Your Excellency has temporarily handed over several prefectures and counties in Qiongzhou Mansion to us for management, so we Haihan also have to bear some responsibility for the safety of your lords." As long as you can cooperate, everyone's life will be smoother. Okay, I won't say more nonsense, my lords board the ship and get ready to go! Our armed ships will join the fleet in Panyu County and escort them all the way to Qiongzhou. ”

The sailing boats that the officials take are basically rented from the market, of course, some of them are arranged by the related households, and the ship types are all traditional Canton boats, as for the size is uneven, from a small boat of 100 materials to a large ship of 400 materials, I think it is also related to the official rank and financial resources of these officials. There are also people who are familiar with each other, two or three families who share a boat to travel.

The luggage of the officials and the servants of the family had already been on board, so it did not take too long to board the ship. About half an hour later, the group of nine sailboats left the dock one after another, and Marik and Liu Qian stood on the pier, smiling and slowly waving goodbye to the people on board.

"Master Liu, this screening of alternate officials should have received a lot of benefits, right?" Maliko continued to wave his arms at the people on the deck, but his mouth was talking about completely irrelevant topics.

Liu Qian also replied with an unchanged face: "Director Ma's words are wronged, the criteria for selecting officials this time are all in accordance with your requirements, when it comes to benefits, how can you get more benefits from it?"

"We asked for the screening of alternate officials, also out of good intentions. If these people go to the local area and don't want to cooperate with us in governing the local area, it will affect the business. ”

Liu Qian glanced at Marik with a smile and said, "Director Ma, there is no need to go around and around when you and I talk to each other. What are your plans on Qiongzhou Island, that is your business, and you have no official position, so you are not interested in taking care of this idle matter. ”

"I just like Master Liu's temper that is so light-hearted. Mariko also laughed: "I just want to tell you something." The land over there in Zhennan Port has been used up, and we plan to requisition some more land from Hong Kong Island, what does Master Liu think?"

Liu Qian raised his eyebrows, and said in his heart that these Haihan people really can't be idle all day long, and the affairs of Qiongzhou Island have not been finished yet, so they are eyeing Hong Kong Island again. When the Haihan people wanted the land in Zhennangang, Liu Qian helped operate it, but when he listened to Maliko's tone, it was obviously not a small problem of wanting to ask for one or two hundred acres of land, so he didn't rush to express his position, just stared at Maliko with an inquiring gaze, waiting for him to continue.

Seeing this, Marico continued: "In that part of Hong Kong Island, there is no flat land in the south, and as soon as a few merchant inns are repaired, all the vacant land will be occupied. The intention of the Executive Committee is to take some more land from the north of the island and build a few wharves for ships in the direction of Fujian. ”

"Then how much land do you plan to get, and where is it?" Liu Qian could only ask about the situation first, after all, he could handle this kind of thing on his behalf, but he was not the one who made the decision in the end.

"Shau Kei Bay, the terrain of that place is barely enough, and the ships entering and leaving the harbor have a sheltered place. Marik said with a relaxed expression.

Liu Qian suddenly gasped, Haihan and his gang are really good at picking places, specifically pointing to the place where something is going to happen. That Shau Kei Bay is now the location of the water village of the Daming Sailor, if Haihan gets this place, what will the sailor stationed in the local area do?

Isn't it a big joke that the dignified officials and soldiers of the imperial court have made room for the local militias. If we don't move? With the hundreds of old, weak, sick and disabled boats stationed on Hong Kong Island, and a dozen or so boats that can only be used for fishing, can they stop the big ships equipped with artillery in the Haihan Dynasty?

Liu Qian thought of two outcomes in an instant, but no matter which one it was, it seemed to be unacceptable. He also knew that in his capacity as Mariko, he definitely didn't take this kind of thing as a joke, since he brought it up in front of himself, it must be that the Haihan Executive Committee had already made relevant decisions, just to see what means were used to implement it in the end.

"Shau Kei Wan...... Could this place be a little more sensitive?" Liu Qian thought about it, but still didn't dare to accept Maliko's request. It is a trivial matter for the Haihan people to occupy land, and they can occupy as many places as they want like Wanshan Island, but the place in Shau Kei Wan is a military important place guarding the gateway of the waterway between Hong Kong Island and the mainland, so that the Haihan people can occupy it, whether it is the military or the local government, it is difficult to explain to the above.

Marik probably expected Liu Qian's attitude a long time ago, and said with a smile: "Master Liu was still saying just now that you and I don't need to go around in circles to talk, why did you forget it so quickly?"

Liu Qian replied embarrassedly: "Director Ma, I know that your hands and eyes are all over the sky, and if you want to get that piece of land, you can get it no matter what." But I must be reminded that Shau Kei Bay is the place where my army is garrisoned, which is very different from the ordinary Borderland!"

"If it were Borderlands, I wouldn't have come specifically to ask for your opinion. Marik nodded and said, "I understand what you're worried about, in fact, this problem is easy to solve, but it depends on whether the local Ming army sailors are willing to cooperate with us." ”

Liu Qian responded: "I wish to hear the details." ”

"As far as we know, the naval division has only a few hundred troops, less than twenty warships, and the personal condition of the soldiers and the morale of the entire unit are very poor, not to mention any combat effectiveness. A few years ago, when Liu Xiang was showing off his might at the mouth of the Pearl River, this naval division unit had always shrunk into a shell and never came out. Marik paused at this, looked at Liu Qian and said very earnestly: "We also know that neither the imperial court nor the Guangdong government have the ability to change this status quo, but this is exactly what we can do. ”

"How can this be done?" Liu Qian shook his head repeatedly. Although he had not been to the local area to see it, he could also know a little about the situation of the naval division in Shauki Bay from the daily correspondence of the Governor's Palace, and a few years ago, the Guangdong General Army sent a report to the imperial court and the military department asking for money, wanting to purchase new ships and weapons and equipment, and rectify the pirate gangs along the coast of Guangdong. However, more than half of the imperial court's military investment was thrown into the bottomless pit of northern Xinjiang, and there was no extra money to maintain the maritime security of the south. After all, compared with the distant Lingnan, the barbarians outside the Guan, who come to knock almost every year, are much more terrifying, and no matter how hard the pirates in the south are tossed, can they still kill all the way to the capital?

However, in the report sent by the Guangdong General Army, the increase in military spending alone was as high as tens of thousands of taels of silver, so this application was shot without any suspense. Guangdong's sailors continued to use outdated equipment, and the combat effectiveness of this sailor stationed in Shauki Bay was similar to that of the Yazhou sailors that the traversers had encountered when they first arrived in Sanya. It's okay for such troops to scare and scare thieves, but like Liu Xiang, a big pirate who has become a climate, they can only choose to pretend to be a turtle to avoid its edge. Of course, after Liu Xiang left, the people who pressed on their heads became Haihan people, and after receiving Haihan's armed response from the initial temptation, the sailors and the gang repeated their old tricks, retracted to Shauki Bay and no longer dispatched.

Liu Qian knew that the Haihan people had a set of military training, but if they wanted to change the appearance of this naval division, they didn't just have to train the troops, they had to change ships and weapons, and the Haihan people obviously couldn't do it out of their own pockets, so he felt that Mariko's proposal lacked feasibility at all.

Mariko laughed: "As long as we want to do something, nothing is impossible." I know that you think that those sailors are hopeless, and no matter how much you practice, you can't practice it, but in fact, my opinion is the same as yours. Therefore, in order to change this situation, we can only solve it from the root cause -- replace all the unsuitable people and equipment, and replace them with the same sailors as our Haihan militia group. ”

"It's the same ...... as you," Liu Qian frowned and repeated Mariko's words, always feeling that something was wrong: "...... Just like you guys!"

Liu Qian suddenly raised his head and said, "You are ...... I'm going to send someone to replace them directly!"

"How ugly it is to replace!" Mariko said with a smile: "This is our money and efforts to help the Sailor replenish the troops and combat effectiveness." The imperial court saves time and worry, what's so bad?"

Liu Qian opened his mouth and was speechless for a while. He didn't expect the Haihan people to be so bold, it was not the idea of driving away the sailor at all, but to swallow the sailor and even the signboard into his stomach directly.

"You guys are so bold!" Liu Qian held back for a long time before he came out, he really didn't know how to better describe the rampant behavior of the Haihan people.

Mariko shook his head and said: "Master Liu, things are not as strict as you think, the Daming Water Master who has changed people is still the Da Ming Water Master, why should you continue to do it, and you won't work against the imperial court, what are you doing so nervous?"

"Having said that, how can you hide people's eyes and ears and hide from the world...... Liu Qian obviously disagrees with Mariko's statement.

"Yes. Marico interrupted Liu Qian's words: "It's not difficult to do this, it's nothing more than two words - silver." If you get all the links that should be done, this thing can be done. ”

Liu Qian can also be regarded as a person with a fast brain, and he understands what he means: "You guys...... I've already done this in Qiongzhou!"

Mariko looked at him with a smile. This kind of thing is not only done in Qiongzhou, but also in far more than one or two places. At the earliest, it was Yacheng, from the sailors to the guards, which were gradually replaced by the Haihan militia, and then this practice was popularized in southern Qiongnan, and now it has gradually begun to be implemented in the newly occupied areas of northern Qiongbei.