Chapter 10: Vladivostok

This person is named Shi Mingfeng, aged 52 this year, and was recommended by Gao Jianguo. He was originally a comrade-in-arms with Gao Jianguo in the military and has been engaged in political work. After transitioning to civilian life, he served as the chairman of the labor union in a state-owned enterprise, and in his spare time, he often studies the history of the Ming and Qing dynasties

However, if we take the sea route to Vladivostok, it is not a short distance. The time spent on a round trip is considerable. Can our transportation capacity ensure the success of our immigration plan?

After Gao Jianguo finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Wang He, noticing the somewhat dull atmosphere, smiled and said: "Does anyone have any opinions to share? The choice of the base is extremely critical. Old Gao's words are indeed reasonable; Hainan and Taiwan do have certain geographical limitations. Let's brainstorm together and everyone should express their views. By the way, Old Gao, you must have your own thoughts as well."

Gao Jianguo stood up, took out a large map from the side, spread it on the living room floor, and with a swift motion of a baton, pointed to a specific location, saying to everyone: "I have thought about it for a long time, and I still believe that this place is the most suitable for establishing our first base according to our conditions"

After a lengthy discussion, there remains a significant divergence of opinions regarding the initial decision of the company to establish its base in either Taiwan or Hainan, despite both locations having their respective advantages

Before Gao Jianguo could respond, Shi Mingfeng beside him said: "In 1626, Huang Taiji ascended to the throne, but given the situation at that time, the Later Jin regime was facing a perilous predicament with enemies on all sides. To the east, there was the threat of Korea; to the west, the fierce Mongols skilled in cavalry; to the south, the Ming Dynasty's heavy military presence in Liaodong; and to the north, the strong minority tribes in the Heilongjiang and Ussuri River basins still subject to the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, the territory of Later Jin was small, its financial resources and materials were scarce, and it faced severe shortages in manpower and military recruits."

Guo Song, sitting nearby, had been browsing the internet for quite some time with his notebook. At this moment, he closed his computer and asked, "Vladivostok is indeed nice; its coal resources are quite abundant, but it seems there are no iron ore deposits there."

Song Tao, who was beside him, asked: "Vladivostok is an ice-free port, right? I heard that it cannot be accessed in winter."

Subsequently, everyone discussed for nearly a day, but they encountered disagreements regarding the choice of the base. Song Tao was the first to present his thoughts, suggesting the establishment of a base in Lushun; however, his proposal did not receive the approval of the group

Gao Jianguo had never expressed his own opinion. Seeing that everyone's views could not be unified for the time being, he finally spoke up to share his thoughts

Gao Jianguo smiled and said: "After we have established a foothold in Vladivostok, we can initially use the ships we are currently sending over to bring some Liaodong people here, carefully selecting about 1,800 young and strong individuals. We will train them in the form of a teaching team to become the backbone of the army, and then proceed with large-scale immigration. As for the long journey and the issue of maritime transport capacity, we can make it by choosing some islands as transit stations along the way, allowing them to acclimatize to long-distance sea transport before gradually bringing them back to Vladivostok in batches."

Another newly appointed director also expressed his opinion, this individual is named Li Shaokun, aged 42 this year, recommended by Song Tao. Li Shaokun is also a military transfer cadre, having previously served as a political commissar at a training base in the military. After transitioning to civilian life, he worked at a certain enterprise in his hometown, and has since divorced his wife, with custody of their son granted to her. He is currently unemployed and staying at home

Qiao Haipeng also remarked: "In a few years, during the rebellion of Kong Youde in Dengzhou, we could also carry out a large-scale migration there. At that time, we could block the maritime route that Kong Youde used to surrender to the Qing. It was these chaotic troops that later joined Huang Taiji, which allowed the Jurchen regime to establish a professional firearms unit."

Song Tao asked in confusion: "Old Gao, this is the rear area filled with people. Can Huang Taiji really rest assured and allow us to develop here peacefully?"

After he finished speaking, he looked at everyone with piercing eyes and said in a deep, solemn voice: "We are not going there to enjoy ourselves. If we only think about our wives, children, and the warmth of our homes, and just live our lives tending to our small plots of land, then we will be betraying our original intention."

Since everyone has shared their views, I will also express mine. Although the two locations proposed by everyone are both good, there is one point that has been overlooked. The prerequisite for our company in selecting a base must be to prepare for our future military struggles, so the geographical location of the base must also possess certain military value

The location pointed to by Gao Jianguo's baton is an unexpected place for everyone, which is Vladivostok in the Far East. It is situated at the junction of Russia, China, and North Korea, surrounded by the sea on three sides, and boasts excellent natural harbors. Most importantly, this area was a wilderness around the year 1626 during the Ming Dynasty

He looked up at everyone and then expressed his opinion

Moreover, at that time, the Later Jin focused its main efforts on the upper and middle reaches of the Heilongjiang River, including numerous tribes such as the Huerha and Suolun, which had not sincerely submitted. It was not until 1643, after three military campaigns starting in 1634, that these regions were truly pacified

Everyone gathered around, and upon seeing the location pointed out by Gao Jianguo with his baton, they were all taken aback. After the surprise, although no one spoke, they all seemed to be deep in thought and began to deliberate.

My opinion is that we should establish our base in Taiwan. The current Ming government has little influence over Taiwan. Historically, the Spanish and the Dutch easily occupied Keelung and Tamsui in Taiwan. Currently, the island is predominantly inhabited by indigenous people. We can easily operate our base there.

A middle-aged man in his fifties was the first to express his dissenting opinion

The area where Vladivostok is located falls within the sphere of influence of the Eastern Sea Jurchen Woji tribe. As early as during Nurhaci's time, there were 16 military campaigns against the Eastern Sea Jurchen, and the vicinity of Vladivostok had already been largely pacified. Most of the tribes that originally inhabited this area had been relocated southward by the Later Jin to the Hunhe River basin. Therefore, around 1628, the vicinity of Vladivostok was very desolate and sparsely populated

He picked up the baton again and pointed at the map on the ground twice, indicating that these two islands are the designated transit islands. As everyone followed his指, they discovered that the two islands were Jeju Island and Changshan Island near Dalian.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter

I believe that Taiwan is not the most ideal location. Firstly, the local resources in Taiwan cannot meet the future development needs of our company. Moreover, the surrounding environment of Taiwan is quite complex, with the Spanish, the Dutch, and countless pirates from the southeastern coast during the Ming Dynasty, all of whom have concentrated their power in this area. Additionally, the naval forces along the Fujian coast during the Ming Dynasty also pose a significant threat. Although it would not be a problem for our company to defeat them, creating a peaceful development environment would be challenging. Therefore, my suggestion is Hainan.

Gao Jianguo glanced at everyone and said solemnly: "We must eliminate the Manchu military group led by Hong Taiji in the Northeast before Wu Sangui invites the Qing Dynasty to enter the pass, to prevent them from causing chaos within the borders. Then we will establish our foothold in the Northeast, bringing in a large number of immigrants from within the borders to build our new world regime in the Northeast. When the time is ripe, we will then march into the pass."

Qiao Haipeng said with a smile: "It’s no problem, it’s just that from December to March of the following year, the water will freeze. We can still set sail relying on icebreakers, so this is not an issue"

Everyone listened to Guo Song's words and found them reasonable, and they all turned their attention to Gao Jianguo

Gao Jianguo also nodded and said: "If we choose Hainan or Taiwan, the best location to set foot on the mainland would be in the Fujian and Guangdong regions. Not only is the terrain there complex, but we also have to face the traditional landlord gentry forces dominated by clans in the Ming Dynasty, which inevitably increases our workload. However, the Northeast is different. My idea is to first establish a foothold in Vladivostok and create a stable base in the surrounding area. At this time, Yuan Chonghuan has just executed Mao Wenlong, and with Dongjiang Town and Pidao no longer receiving supplies from Dengzhou, the morale of the troops is in disarray. There are over one hundred thousand soldiers and civilians there, all of whom have faced the Manchus in battle, along with a large number of Han people from Liaodong, who are our initial targets for immigration. They all harbor deep-seated grievances against the Manchus, and it would certainly not be a problem to train a strong army with them as the main force."

I believe it is inappropriate to consider Lushun Port as a base, as Xiao Song may be thinking more from a military perspective. The reason I find Lushun unsuitable is that during the eight years from 1626 to 1633, the area around Lushun, including Liaonan, was the most intense battlefield between the Ming army and the Manchus. I acknowledge the high military value of Lushun, and I also believe that with our strength, we could easily seize and hold Lushun. However, if we establish our base in Lushun from the very beginning, it will inevitably attract the attention of both the Ming and Qing, which would be detrimental to our further development.

Gao Jianguo said with a smile: "When we initially established our base, as long as we had sufficient coal resources, it would meet our early development needs. Do not forget that across the sea, in North Hamgyong Province of Korea, there is a famous magnetite mine known as the Moshang Mine, which not only has astonishing reserves but is also a very easily exploitable open-pit iron mine. It is conveniently located along the Tumen River, and once we develop further, the first thing we will do is to take control of that area."

Wang glanced at the two islands on the map, nodded, and smiled, saying: "Both of these places are quite good. If we set the transit station on Jeju Island, even if our transport capacity is insufficient, we need not worry. We can let the immigrants stay there for a few years to cultivate the land. After all, we will eventually claim that place as our own."

Wang He nodded and said: "I have checked the information. Starting from 1628, Hong Taiji also launched three military campaigns against Lian Dan Khan in Mongolia, and in 1629, he even led troops into the pass for the first time, reaching the outskirts of Beijing. If we had established a base in Vladivostok after 1628, we would not have to worry about Hong Taiji directing his spearhead towards us for at least a few years."

Therefore, we can focus on establishing our influence in Vladivostok, as long as we do not cross the bottom line of the Later Jin authorities at that time. I believe that Hong Taiji will not change his strategic plans. We estimate that we will set foot in Vladivostok around 1628, and if we handle it properly, we will have a few years of peaceful development. A few years later, even if Hong Taiji does not move against us, we will have to seek trouble with him.

Gao Jianguo spoke with great momentum, and everyone was inspired by his words; however, Guo Song still furrowed his brow and raised his own question