The nature of the matter of seizing the Natuna Islands with the Dutch is by no means a simple military operation, and at this stage, if you want to tear your face with the Dutch, Haihan's side is actually not sure of victory. After all, the Dutch also deployed a certain size of armed forces in the Far East, both warships and a considerable number of armed merchant ships, and their maritime strength should not be underestimated. Moreover, the fact that the Dutch have been able to seize Portugal's colonies in the Far East in recent decades also shows that these Nordic barbarians are not a fearful race, and they can win a place in the global maritime hegemony not just by luck. If we try to figure out the means of force to make the Dutch retreat, I am afraid that it will not be possible at this stage for the time being.

Considering that the current relationship with Daming is also in a delicate stage, and the follow-up handling of the occupied areas in northern Qiongbei still needs to consume a lot of energy, the Executive Committee may not be willing to add another strong opponent to itself at this time. If the military wanted to put forward the idea of taking action against the Natuna Islands at this time, it was very likely that it would be rejected by the Executive Committee, unless there was a way to avoid a full-scale conflict between the Dutch and the Haihans, such as the one proposed by Hao Wanqing on behalf of the Ministry of Security.

At present, almost all of the main forces of the militia navy and army are deployed in the newly occupied areas in the northern part of Hainan Island, and it is unlikely that they will be transferred out of the area in a short period of time. However, the number of troops stationed in various prefectures and counties in Qiongnan is already insufficient, and it is even more impossible to concentrate and mobilize any more, so it is basically impossible to transfer troops from Hainan Island south to seize the Natuna Islands. Of course, among the military's overstretched troop deployment, there is also an exception to the unit, that is, the Annan militia army, which had just completed its combat mission on Hainan Island a month ago and was withdrawn to the garrison for recuperation.

The "Liaoyuan Plan" for the purpose of occupying northern Qiongbei is basically a battle plan built around the Annan militia army, and in the process of the Haihan militia occupying Qiongbei, the protagonist has always been the Annan militia disguised as a pirate army. It was precisely because the Annan militia conquered the main prefecture and county towns in northern Qiongbei in the early battle, defeated the resistance of the Ming army, and destroyed the local government institutions, that the Haihan militia was able to take over these areas that originally belonged to the Ming Dynasty, including Fucheng, in the later intervention.

From the perspective of the masses who do not know the truth, the image of the Haihan militia in this farce is undoubtedly full of lofty attributes, and it has also accepted the so-called "temporary trusteeship" of the Haihan militia relatively obediently. So far, the results of this action plan have been very successful, and both the Executive Committee and the military have affirmed it.

If such an easy-to-use method is used only once, it will inevitably be a bit wasteful, and the Ministry of Security obviously intends to squeeze out all the value of this trick -- since it works on Hainan Island, it might as well take it to the south and use it again. Anyway, the South Seas are also a place of pirates, and it is not difficult to concoct a group of daring pirates.

Yan Chujie said solemnly: "Have you ever contacted Annan about this matter?"

"Of course not, this must be done by asking Mr. Yan to nod your head first. Hao Wanqing immediately denied Yan Chujie's suspicions: "Besides, Qian Tiandun does not have the authority to mobilize the local militia army to leave Annan, even if he wants to carry out a combat mission, it must be directly ordered by the Military Commission." ”

"In addition to the information you have provided before, we also need to know the specific defense deployment of the local port, the size of the garrison, the hydrological conditions of the port, and the situation of the local people. If necessary, there may also be personnel lurking in to guide us as we move. Yan Chujie's speed of determination was much faster than Hao Wanqing expected, but he also put forward a series of requirements for this: "How much information we can grasp before taking action is inversely proportional to the risk of action, I think you also understand this truth." ”

Hao Wanqing nodded and responded: "Of course I understand, these requirements of the military are very reasonable, and we will try our best to meet them." Our men have been lurked in the Natuna Islands, but there is no better solution to the means of transmitting information for the time being, and this matter also needs the assistance of your military, after all, your military has the right to deploy maritime liaison ships. ”

The so-called maritime liaison ship is actually a warship equipped with a radio station. However, at present, except for the two majestic flagships, there is no fixed radio configuration on other warships, and the radio will often follow wherever the naval commander goes. At present, the navy mainly uses flags, signal lights, and a small number of high-power walkie-talkies to achieve combat at sea. These tools were sufficient to maintain ship-to-ship communication in wartime, but the fleet had to rely on a limited number of radio stations to maintain communication with the base camp. In addition to security considerations, part of the reason why it is necessary to send a liaison ship carrying a radio station overseas is that only the military has this authority, and the Ministry of Security's intelligence station in Nanyang cannot deploy a radio station.

Now that Yan Chujie has moved his heart, Hao Wanqing's purpose of interviewing him has basically been achieved. As long as the general direction is agreed, there is no need for the two leaders to negotiate slowly and leave it to their subordinates.

On December 10, two days after the completion of the budget and final accounts meeting, when all departments were still anxiously reviewing the accounts of the unit, the executive committee held another emergency meeting. The scope of this emergency meeting was much smaller than the previous one, with only nine members of the Standing Committee, as well as special representatives of the military and the Ministry of Security. The content of the meeting was not conveyed to various departments after the meeting like an ordinary executive meeting, and all participants were required to temporarily seal their mouths and not leak the content of the meeting.

December 12, 1630, Annam Tushan Peninsula Camp.

Qian Tiandun held the secret telegram that had just been sent from the Sanya base camp in his hand, and his face was very solemn. He originally thought that after the end of the "Liaoyuan Plan" in Qiongbei, the militia army stationed in Annan would no longer have any action arrangements in the near future, but he did not expect that it would only be more than a month after returning to the Annan station, and the Executive Committee was ready to use this special force in Annan.

"This is really using us as actors!" Qian Tiandun read the content of the message repeatedly, and couldn't help but let out an exclamation.

The telegram demanded that Qian Tiandun gradually transfer the elite forces of the Annan garrison to the southern region in the near future and conduct targeted exercises to seize the island. In addition, the base camp has sent a reconnaissance fleet south from Sanya to the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea to carry out reconnaissance missions. On the way, the fleet will dock at Da Nang, which is under construction, and take the local commander Mushabai south to participate in the reconnaissance mission.

"Takahashi, what do you think the executive committee wants us to prepare to go south to fight the Dutch?" Qian Tiandun put down the telegram and asked Takahashinan, who was standing straight. At present, his two deputies, Mu Shabai and Feng Annan, are not in the local area, one went to Thang Long Province to negotiate with the Annam military about the list of officers for the next year's officer training, and the other is in Da Nang in the south to maintain local law and order, and will soon be transferred to carry out reconnaissance missions.

"Report to the chief, this is a good opportunity for our department to make war exploits again!" Takahashi Minami replied with a glance: "Please sir, please let me fight!"

"Now is not the pre-war mobilization meeting, so there is no need for such passionate feelings. Qian Tiandun waved his hand to stop Takahashi Nan's continued statement: "Just like the usual tactical deduction, I just want you to say, what do you think of this move of the executive committee?"

Gao Qiaonan's face relaxed slightly: "Our army's military base in Cam Ranh Bay has just begun to level the foundation, and the port and wharf have not yet landed, so it seems that it is a little early to launch an attack on the South China Sea at this time. I've seen the charts of the South Seas before, and the location of the Natuna Islands is too far away from Annam, and if you want to fight there, supply may become a very serious problem. ”

"The EC is really taking a risk. Qian Tiandun nodded and agreed with Takahashi's statement, and his evaluation was even more bold and explicit: "This is not very consistent with the conservative style of the Executive Committee, so I specially called back to confirm it once after receiving the telegram." Judging from this decision, the Executive Committee should be a little impatient, and I think the Military Commission and the Ministry of Security must have played a significant role in promoting this process. ”

Takahashi Minami remained silent and did not respond, let alone comment on the decision of the executive committee in front of his superiors, even if it was just to make a statement, it was not something that an officer of his level should do. Minami Takahashi, who was born as a samurai of the family, has a strong sense of hierarchy, and even though he has been a member of the militia for nearly three years, he still hasn't changed this habit.

Qian Tiandun sighed and said: "It's a pity that we still can't fight in this battle in a dignified manner, we still have to pretend to be pirates like last time." ”

Takahashi Nan couldn't keep his composure at this moment, and asked in surprise: "Why is this happening? Doesn't that area belong to the Dutch? And there is no direct trade between us and the Dutch, why don't the Executive Committee dare to offend them?"

"Because the Dutch are also very strong at sea, the Executive Committee does not want to bring themselves another strong opponent at this time. Qian Tiandun had to take a few minutes to give Takahashi Minami a brief science about the maritime status of the Netherlands in this era.

After hearing this, Takahashi's feelings were obviously lowered: "So our army can't start a war with the Dutch Navy for the time being?"

"It's not that it can't, it's that it's not necessary. Qian Tiandun shook his head and said: "We are now in an all-out war with the Dutch, whether we win or lose, it will not be of much practical benefit to us." Even if we beat them out of the South Seas, we don't have enough manpower to occupy the empty space they left behind. The Executive Committee wanted to attack the Natuna Islands, hoping to take them as a sea supply depot for future trips south against the Dutch. ”

While explaining to Takahashinan, Qian Tiandun also clarified the strategic intention of the executive committee by the way. As a high-ranking officer, he did not have any resistance to the combat orders issued by the Executive Committee, but even had a hint of excitement, after all, he chose to come to this time and space to lead troops to fight and enjoy the process of conquering the world. But this time, the Annan militia army was still unable to fight in its original form, which made Qian Tiandun feel a little unhappy.

The training intensity of the Annam militia army is higher than that of the militia in other regions, and the field combat capability can be called the first in the whole army, but except for the appearance in the Hue campaign, this unit has always been incognito, and there is no way to appear on the battlefield in its original form. The previous time he incarnated as a pirate to participate in the Qiongbei operation, although the Military Commission gave the Annan militia army a collective commendation order soon afterwards, but after all, it was not justified, and even the reason for the commendation could not be announced, which was a relatively aggrieved thing for Qian Tiandun and his soldiers.

Fortunately, the Executive Committee and the Military Commission have also given some compensation in other aspects, such as the combat rewards for the combatants this time, which is double the number promised before the war. Some of the personnel who have made military contributions in the course of the battle have even had the intention of retiring from the army and returning home after receiving rich rewards. If it weren't for the militia's rule on the length of service, this wave of discharges would have taken away at least hundreds of soldiers.

Qian Tiandun very much hoped to be able to fight in the name of the Annan Military Region in an upright manner, but this plan obviously has no chance of being realized in the near future. The telegram sent by the Executive Committee made it very clear that the troops attacking the Natuna Islands must fight as pirates and that no one should reveal his true identity during his mission, which was another test of the obedience and discipline of the Annan militia.

Qian Tiandun was not worried that his subordinates would disobey orders, and during the more than two years of service, these soldiers had been repeatedly tempered, and the four words "obey orders" had been deeply imprinted in the deepest part of their hearts. However, as the supreme commander of the Annan militia army, Qian Tiandun still hopes that one day he will be able to play the banner of the army on the battlefield.

Qian Tiandun took a pen and wrote a few lines on the paper, then folded it and handed it to Gao Qiao Nan: "Send this telegram to Da Nang." ”

"Yes!" Takahashi gave a military salute, then took the piece of paper and exited the office.

Qian Tiandun was on the Tu Son Peninsula, so it was definitely too late to participate in this reconnaissance operation, so the Military Commission also arranged for Mu Shabai, who was in Da Nang, to join in. There was nothing to question Mu Shabai's military qualities, but Qian Tiandun was a little worried about his understanding of the strategic intentions of the Executive Committee, so he specially told some important points in the telegram.

On December 15, the reconnaissance fleet from Sanya arrived at the Da Nang terminal. The fleet consisted of three traditional Chinese sailing boats, two "Explorer-class" warships, and two sailing catamarans that had not been dispatched for a long time. In addition to the Navy Commander Tom Wang personally leading the team, the army, navy, commerce and trade, shipping and other departments have sent competent personnel to participate in it.