1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1750
The reason why Fei Cexian was angry was because this opening poem was not written by the storyteller himself, but a farewell poem written by Emperor Shizong Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty when Mao Bowen, Minister of the Ministry of War, made an expedition to Annan.Although the poem was written 100 years ago, ordinary people may not know its background and meaning, but Fei Cexian is an official of the Ministry of Rites, so the storyteller's tricks can't be hidden from him.

Mr. Storyteller’s opening poem only read the first four sentences that are more appropriate to the theme. This poem actually has the last four sentences: The unicorn in the sky is originally a species, how can the ants in the cave escape.On the day of Taiping's return, I will untie my war robes with my husband.

Of course, the mention of the word "zhen" in the last four sentences is obviously inconsistent with Haihan's system, so it was omitted.However, using Emperor Ming's imperial poems to describe the expedition of the Haihan Army is nondescript and collaged at a small scale, and it is a humiliation to Ming Dynasty at a large scale. Fei Cexian can protest at the diplomatic level. Let Haihan officials investigate and deal with this misconduct.

But Fei Cexian is not new to Sanya, and he has a deeper understanding of some local folk conditions.For example, these storytellers who performed in teahouses and restaurants, the content of their performances has actually been reviewed by the Haihan Propaganda Department, which means that including this opening poem, they should have obtained official acquiescence.If Fei Cexian wanted to lodge a protest, he would probably be kicked back and forth between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Propaganda Department, and finally dragged to nothing.

Fortunately, the storyteller did not focus on this introductory poem to make other articles, and cut to the point after reading it.The foreign war that happened at the beginning of this year had a great impact on the South China Sea region. Haihan and Spain can be said to be the two most powerful countries in the South China Sea. However, in the two confrontations in the past few years, Haihan occupied got the upper hand.And this battle, which determined the title of the strong man in the South China Sea, naturally attracted the attention of other countries.

During the Battle of Manila, the progress of the battle ahead could only be reported to Sanya through the military's radio station, and then the military and the Propaganda Department screened some of the news and released it to the public through newspapers.Although the information is often just a few words, it almost makes the "Haihan Times" on the market out of stock every day, so that scalpers hoard goods and raise prices.Later, the voice of the people was too loud, and the propaganda department gradually released more news, and strengthened the newspaper reading activities among the people, which eased the people's thirst for victory news a little bit.

However, the official news is often similar to "on a certain day in a certain month, a certain unit of our army captured a certain stronghold in Manila City, captured and wiped out several enemies", or "the western army launched a counterattack on our position on a certain day but failed", Simple and rigid models such as "captured enemy commander XXX before the battle today".Of course, such news cannot satisfy the public's desire to know the frontline battle situation, so under the instruction of the Propaganda Department, folk creators will also write some stories based on the progress of the war, and interpret them through the mouth of the storyteller.

Of course, these unofficial propaganda channels are not so rigorous, and there are many exaggerations and even imaginary elements in them. However, Haihan’s propaganda department is not very strict in this aspect. As long as the content is positive and positive, most of them can pass smoothly. official review.As for whether there are official mandates in these various interpretations, it is not easy to say. From Fei Cexian's point of view, Haihan has always been strict in the monitoring of propaganda, and it should be necessary to add some official requirements.

After the Battle of Manila, the details of the battle process were gradually revealed, and the content of the folk storytellers' performances was gradually improved, and there was no need to rely on imagination as in the previous two months.Previously, the shopkeeper of the restaurant said that there was news from the military, but it was not necessarily bragging. After all, many troops who participated in the war had already returned to Sanya, and they would participate in the National Day military parade tomorrow.When these soldiers came back to meet relatives and friends, they would also talk about the battle in Manila to some extent. It is not surprising that some news from the front line leaked out.

The storyteller invited by the Cantonese restaurant is talking about the battle of the Haihan navy attacking Manila Port. Haihan officials have actually disclosed a lot about this battle process, but there is no such thing as a storyteller in the thousand-character article in the newspaper. The eloquent interpretation is very interesting, so the guests present are still very enthusiastic about it.

"Everyone, although the Spaniard has suffered two defeats under my Haihan army before, he is not a simple character. I think that Luzon Island was originally under the rule of the Ming Dynasty. When the Sanbao eunuch went to Nanyang, he used Emperor Yongle's The edict appointed the local Han leader Xu Chailao as the governor of Luzon. However, after the Spaniards arrived in Luzon, they took the area as their own. In terms of combat power, before our Haihan army took action, there was no country in the South China Sea that could Fight against it."

Su Keyi couldn't help snorting when he heard the storyteller deliberately touting Spain's combat power.Of course he knew that this was to pave the way for the Haihan Army's record in the future, but if it was said that no country could compete with it, the East India Company would not accept it. When the Dutch East India Company was established in 1601, its capital was already 44 times larger than that of the British East India Company established three months earlier.In the 30 years after its establishment, the Dutch East India Company returned to shareholders with an average annual return of 22%, which is much better than Spain's operating level in the Far East.

Of course, the economic contest was only part of the dispute between the two countries. The real conflict lay in the Dutch War of Independence that began in 1568 - and the Spanish Empire called it the Low Countries Rebellion.After many naval battles, the two countries signed a 1609-year armistice agreement in 12, but the war between the two countries restarted after the armistice agreement expired in 1621, and they are still at war until now. Overseas colonies in the Far East Nature has always been hostile.Therefore, regarding Haihan's attack on Manila, the Netherlands' attitude is happy to see it succeed, wishing for the Spaniards to suffer as much as possible.

Although the two sides didn't have many direct confrontations in the Far East, they both had a direct confrontation with Haihan. The Spaniard lost again and again, and now even Manila has been exported, while the Netherlands just lost the island of Ambuna. At least Dayuan Port on the west coast of Taiwan Island has been well preserved, while the stronghold built by the Spaniards in Taipei has long since become Jilong Port under the rule of Haihan.Which one is stronger or weaker is obvious to Su Keyi. How can the Spaniard dare to call himself the second in the South China Sea?

When Su Keyi was dissatisfied, the storyteller had already introduced the defense status of Manila Port. The coastal fortifications that the Spaniards had invested a lot of resources in were enough to make any enemy who invaded Manila Bay dreadful, even Haihan The Navy is no exception.

These introductions have aroused Fei Cexian's attention. If the coastal defense line can be built with strong fortifications and powerful artillery, then even those as strong as Haihan will have to avoid three points. This may be the key to defending Haihan in the future. A solution to launching an attack from the sea - of course, the premise is that Ming has a way to get enough large-caliber coastal defense guns.

However, the battle in Manila has long since ended, and Fei Cexian also knows that the Spaniard's defensive strategy did not play its due role in the end, so where the Spaniard's failure was lost is also a content that needs to be carefully understood for him. .

Of course, the Haihan army’s method of defeating the enemy does not seem to be complicated. It is to actively bypass the port fortifications that the Spaniards placed high hopes on, land at a place far from Manila, and choose another direction from the land to attack Manila. Go on the offensive.But this is easier said than done. It is not easy for any army to accurately judge the defensive deployment of the defenders and adjust their tactics accordingly, not to mention that Haihan is thousands of miles away from the mainland. It is not easy to collect intelligence when fighting in an unfamiliar environment outside the country, and it is even more difficult to arrange troops reasonably to achieve the level of knowing yourself and the enemy.

Of course, Mr. Storyteller didn’t know how far in advance Haihan’s intelligence work started before the war. He didn’t even know how Haihan got the Spanish city defense deployment information, so he chose the south of the city as the focus of attack.But it doesn't matter if there is no inside information, he has his own way to attract the audience's attention.

"The Western Thieves set up heavy defense traps in Manila Port, just waiting for my Haihan fleet to crash into it by itself. However, our Haihan Army has conquered all over the world and is invincible. Its combat experience is far superior to that of the Western Thieves. How can these ghostly tricks make our army Lied? Chief Admiral Wang sent his general, General Wu Sen, to the port of Manila to find out."

"Everyone, this general is not an ordinary person. He is a foreigner who was conquered by the chiefs in the early years in Hue, South Vietnam. It is said that the general is the reincarnation of the dragon in the South China Sea. He can stay in the water for seven days and seven nights. Knowing the wind and distinguishing the cloud, let the fleet avoid bad weather at sea. After General Wu joined our Haihan army, he made a lot of military exploits, so he was able to serve as the naval forward in the battle of Manila..."

Fei Cexian was secretly amused when he heard that, he had access to much more news than ordinary people, and happened to have checked Wu Sen's information in the municipal library, and knew that this old man was not a strange person reincarnated from a dragon. It's just that the navy generals of the small court of South Vietnam chose to change camps to serve Haihan after being captured. It's not as amazing as this storyteller boasted.Of course, the deduction of storytelling has a lot of exaggerated elements, everyone just listens to it, and no one will ask whether Wu Sen really has special powers.

Then I heard the storyteller continue to spit and say: "The ship driven by General Wu also has a lot of background. It is a warship specially built for him by Sanya Shipyard. It is called 'Black Shark'. This ship is not only fast at sea It is as fast as lightning, and the hull is covered with steel armor, so the whole body is so strong that ordinary artillery can't hurt it. The most powerful thing is that the ship is equipped with two powerful thunderbolt cannons, which can sink a ship with one shot! At this point, everyone will definitely ask, which is the navy's first-class combat power compared with the Black Shark and the Navy's Majestic-class battleship? Hehe, I have personally asked the Navy's military master about this matter. Stay and drink Sip some tea to moisten your throat, and then continue."

The storyteller stopped there, picked up the teacup and pretended to taste the tea, and at this moment someone came out with a tray and began to collect rewards from the table.Of course, the listeners here have already received a tea seat fee, so this reward is not a rigid consumption, and if you think you are happy to listen, you can pay for it.The more rewards from the audience, the more emotional the storyteller will perform.

Fei Cexian and Su Keyi were shopkeepers who took the initiative to keep customers, but they didn't take the tea seat fee before.Seeing that the tipper on the tray came over, Su Keyi took out the money ahead of him, and put a one-yuan Haihan coin into the tray, and the person quickly responded, "Thank you, sir, for the reward!"

Fei Cexian said: "It seems that Mr. Su is quite happy to hear it."

Su Keyi laughed dryly and said: "Although this person has a lot of nonsense, I also want to hear how he commented on the pros and cons of the Black Shark and Majestic-class warships."

Regarding the situation of "Black Shark", Su Keyi, who has been in Sanya for a longer time, knows much more than Fei Cexian.This battleship made its first appearance in the crossing military exercise in 1635, and it attracted the attention of all countries because of its terrible performance. Keep a low profile and continue to make sea trial adjustments in some secret sea areas.It was not until Haihan went to Manila this time that the warship finally officially joined the Haihan Navy under the name "Black Shark".

Regarding the record of the "Black Shark" in Manila, there are only a few words in the official report, that is, the number of enemy ships sunk and injured by this battleship during the battle.But if someone like Su Keyi puts his heart into counting the official results of the battle, he will find that the record of the "Black Shark" ship accounts for an astonishing proportion of the naval battle results.In Su Keyi's view, there are only two possibilities for such a result. Either the Spanish warships lined up to let the "Black Shark" bombard it to make it a record, or the combat efficiency of this warship is too high. It can be a small half of the fleet.

The answer obviously can only be the latter, so Su Keyi also really wants to know whether this new type of warship will replace the existing Majestic-class warship in the Haihan Navy.Since the storyteller claims to have comments from people in the military, it is certainly worth listening to.

After collecting a round of rewards, there were two or three yuan in bits and pieces in the tray. The storyteller saw that it was about the same time, put down the teacup and patted the wood to wake him up, and continued the previous topic and said: "Everyone, there is a junior here." My relatives worked in the navy, and this time I went to Manila to fight, and I just returned to Sanya two days ago. Some topics can’t be discussed publicly, so I don’t talk about them, lest the Propaganda Department come and pass them down to drink tea in the yamen. But some What can be said, I would like to share a little bit with you, and it is not in vain that you gave me a reward just now."

(End of this chapter)