1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 223 Trip to Vietnam ([-])

Zheng Zuo hesitated for so long, Tao Donglai had already figured in his heart that he might not agree, so he was not too surprised when he heard the answer.Tao Donglai nodded and said: "I think Mr. Zheng may think that if he agrees to our request, he will feel that the Heitu Port is out of An Nanguo's control, right?"

Zheng Zuo nodded and said: "The rest of the conditions can be negotiated, but your request about the black soil port... I will not obey."

Tao Donglai will not give up his original plan just because of his words. Occupying the Black Earth Port is a strategic plan for the development of the Crossing Group. For this reason, the Crossing Group will even go to war with the North Vietnamese regime-of course, in this situation Before that happens, the executive committee headed by Tao Donglai will try to find a peaceful solution to the problem.

"With regard to the status of Heitu Port, we can admit that its sovereignty belongs to your side. If necessary, you can send local officials to set up a government office there, and we can bear all the expenses." Tao Donglai offered to make a concession .As for sovereignty, in the end, whoever has the biggest fist has the final say, so Tao Donglai doesn't care about what hidden dangers will be left for future expansion if he speaks out now.

Now the crossing group's military strength is not enough, and it is not possible to directly plant a flag to declare the territory when it occupies a place. Even in the face of a relatively weak opponent like the North Vietnamese regime, it is still necessary to express its position more cautiously, so as not to bring unnecessary troubles to itself. troubles and even military conflicts.In a few more years, when the crossing group's soldiers and horses start to formally enclose the land, the executive committee will be able to openly draw all overseas colonization points like Heitu Port under the name of "since ancient times" under its own territory. Anyone who refuses to accept it will be beaten with muskets and cannons until he accepts it.

As for letting the North Vietnamese regime send officials to establish a government office in Black Earth Port, that is even more trivial.As for how to deal with local government meddling, there is already a successful example from the Yulin Inspection Department. Kouzi is just an idler, and the Traveling Group will not be so short of food.

Sure enough, when Zheng Zuo heard Tao Donglai's words, his complexion improved a little, but he still didn't let go: "However, I heard that the local area is rich in clean coal, and it has been trafficked out since the opening of the port. The local area belongs to me. Now, this kind of behavior should pay taxes to the government."

The kid can still climb up the vine!Tao Donglai found out that Zheng Zuo was not the second-generation official who knew nothing, and he had to work hard if he wanted to make him limping.

Tao Donglai thought for a while, and replied, "We are willing to rent the Heitu Port area from you by paying the rent. This way, you have both sovereignty and income, so you can have the best of both worlds."

Xie Chun and Qian Tiandun sitting next to them couldn't hold back their coughs. Tao Donglai gave Zheng Zuo this idea, isn't it the Vietnamese version of the concession in the seventeenth century?I pay the rent, the sovereignty belongs to you, and the governance belongs to me, but after renting out, it is difficult to take it back.

Zheng Zuo said in amazement: "Rent?"

"That's right, it's renting." Tao Donglai gave the two people next to him a hard look, warning them not to make too much drama.

"We can use ten Haihan cannons per year as rent to rent Heitu Port and the surrounding uninhabited land from you." Tao Donglai persuaded Zheng Zuo solemnly: "The place in Heitu Port is not very important to you. It has no real value, it is nothing more than coal buried underground. But I know that coal is also produced in the area north of Thang Long Province, so the coal from Heitu Port is not a necessity for you, so you might as well give that place to us Development, in exchange for the arms you need."

Zheng Zuo coughed dryly and said, "Can I ask first, what is the price of the artillery you are going to sell?"

"Now that we've talked about this, why don't you invite Mr. Zheng to see the real thing first! After seeing the real thing, Mr. Zheng will probably feel relieved." Tao Donglai stood up and offered an invitation to Zheng Zuo.As for the price, Tao Donglai was not in a hurry to report it to Zheng Zuo. He firmly believed that Zheng Zuo would be more accepting of the offer after seeing the cover-up of weapon shooting.

Zheng Zuo didn't put on any airs this time. He came to this place by boat from Shenglong Mansion, wasn't it just to see the guns of the Haihan people?It's just that he didn't expect beforehand that the content of this transaction is not simply to end with the payment of money and goods, but to involve territorial issues.He didn't think too much about the matter of Heitu Port before he came, he just thought that if necessary, he could just send an army there to take it back. Want to keep their interests in that port.

In fact, Zheng Zuo also believed that what Tao Donglai said was not unreasonable. Coal was not a scarce resource for North Vietnam. There were coal mines in Taiyuan and Luping north of Thang Long Mansion.Today, although there are still remnants of the Mo dynasty in the mountainous area to the north that have not been completely wiped out, there are also coal mines in Ruguan near Thang Long Mansion. The actual significance is not very big.What's more, it is said that it takes more than half a day to get there by sea boat from here, and it is very troublesome to transport coal out. In Zheng Zuo's opinion, it is far better to exchange coal for more practical benefits.

Of course, this is because Zheng Zuo didn't know how much coal was buried underground in Heitu Port. If he knew that the coal in that place was much more than the coal in the entire area ruled by the North Vietnamese regime combined, then things might not go as planned. Follow the idea designed by Tao Donglai.

However, Zheng Zuo was more cautious about Tao Donglai's proposal to use arms as an exchange of rent. Whether the arms of the Haihan people were usable could only be determined after he had seen them with his own eyes.As for the price, Zheng Zuo really doesn't care too much - the problem facing the North Vietnamese regime now is that there is no place to buy firearms, not the price of the supplier.

This time the military and police department made quite sufficient preparations for the weapon demonstration. They marked out an area on the peninsula to build a shooting range one day in advance. All the specifications were copied from the artillery training base in the base camp. Signs and earthen targets are all available. When Qian Tiandun came yesterday, he even brought over a dozen domestic pigs from Heitu Port.These pigs are not used to comfort the crew or entertain guests, but are used as targets, using bloody reality to prove the power of weapons to the other party.

Zheng Zuo was also quite curious when he saw a pigsty in the shooting range, and he suddenly realized it after Qian Tiandun's explanation.However, he still has doubts about whether the artillery can hit these live targets at a distance of more than half a mile. In his opinion, although the artillery is very powerful, its accuracy is really limited. Didn't the Han people fold the signboards themselves?

Tao Donglai is not worried about this problem. The cannons used for demonstration have been calibrated and tested repeatedly in Shengli Port. There are detailed shooting tables to ensure the accuracy of the impact point. After being transported here, they have undergone many times Calibration, and two test shots were fired yesterday afternoon. It can be said that the preparation work has been foolproof.

The shooting range observation point is set on a nearby gentle slope, just facing the gun positions and targets, from here you can clearly see the entire shooting process without a telescope.In the first stage of the test firing, six artillery pieces will be used to bombard the pigsty at the same time, striving to bring the greatest visual shock to the North Vietnamese representatives watching at the first time.

For this trip, the military and police department dispatched almost all the existing gunners, and this was barely able to realize the weapon demonstration plan.Qian Tiandun, who was in charge of the command, reminded the people present with a drawn-out whistle that the weapon demonstration had begun.The artillerymen of each artillery position trotted into the field in a column, and gathered at the artillery positions to stand by.

"Mr. Zheng, among the six cannons you see now, the four in the middle are of smaller caliber and are called [-]th Type A Cannons, and the two cannons at both ends are slightly larger in caliber and are called [-]th Type B Cannons. These two types of artillery use specially-made gun mounts and the rope-type firing devices exclusively developed by our Haihan, and each can be operated flexibly by only four people..." Tao Donglai seized the time and introduced to Zheng Zuo the use to demonstrate this The case of artillery.

The so-called Type A and Type B artillery are 6-pounders and 12-pounders respectively.However, this kind of code name based on the weight of the shell can only be used internally, and it is not easy to explain to customers what a "pound" is.As for the 18-pound and 24-pound guns with larger calibers, the Executive Committee will not sell them to the outside world at this stage for safety reasons.

Next, during Qian Tiandun's whistle command, the artillerymen loaded the ammunition strictly according to the operating procedures, and even pretended to aim.Qian Tiandun pulled out the saber on his waist and pointed it at the sky, and at the same time let out a short whistle, indicating that everything was ready.

Tao Donglai raised his hand here, Qian Tiandun glimpsed it out of the corner of his eye, and immediately swung his saber down. The gunners of the six guns pulled the ropes in their hands, and fired the shells almost at the same time. Zheng Zuo, who had been prepared for a long time, felt a little bit in his heart. If he hadn't been sitting on a chair, he might have really lost his legs and sat on the ground.

The six cannonballs jumped the distance between the gun position and the target almost instantly, tearing the small wooden pigsty and the pigs locked inside into pieces with their huge kinetic energy.The shocking feeling of this close-up viewing was so strong that Zheng Zuo sat paralyzed on the chair, unable to speak for a long while.

"Mr. Zheng, let's take a closer look." Tao Donglai extended an invitation to Zheng Zuo with a smile on his face.

Seeing the other party's pale face, Tao Donglai felt very satisfied. The current effect was achieved, and the meticulous preparation work before was completely worthwhile.The moment the shell hit the target just now, even Tao Donglai felt very shocked, let alone Zheng Zuo who had never seen such a scene.

When they got close, the visual shock became more intense. The shells tore all the unlucky pigs into pieces. Bloodstains and minced meat covered a large area within a radius of seven or eight feet, and even the air was full of blood. There was a bloody smell that couldn't go away.It is completely conceivable how much damage these artillery can cause if this is on the battlefield.

After Zheng Zuo took a few glances, he felt a little nauseous, and immediately signaled to Tao Donglai that he had seen enough.However, after the live targets were shot, the test firing demonstration of the artillery did not end there. After Zheng Zuo and Tao Donglai returned to their seats, the two most accurate artillery that had been prepared began to demonstrate shooting at fixed target positions at different distances. .

"Mr. Zheng can see the accuracy of our artillery when designing targets at different distances." Tao Donglai continued to introduce without losing the opportunity: "Our artillery produced by Haihan is equipped with precisely calibrated shooting tables and sighting tools. With these methods, even a layman can quickly become a sharp artillery on the battlefield. As long as our artillery is equipped, a small number of artillery units can easily kill ten times or even a hundred times the enemy during the battle! No one can Resist the bombardment of this kind of artillery fire, and no army can have the courage to continue fighting after being attacked like this! If you want to defeat the southern rebels on the frontal battlefield with dignity, the artillery will be One of your indispensable weapons!"

Zheng Zuo had to admit that the artillery displayed by the Haihan people was extremely sharp. After seeing these artillery easily destroy several earthen fortresses hundreds of feet away, Zheng Zuo believed that this weapon could not only be used in field battles ——When Master Wang goes south with this weapon, all the rebel cities will fall apart under the roar of shells!

purchase!This weapon must be bought!Zheng Zuo has already made up his mind about this, and he must try to persuade the Haihan people not to sell this powerful weapon to the rebels in the south at the same time—maybe we should really think about what the other party proposed earlier. Suggestions for renting artillery?

After finally waiting for the demonstration to end, Zheng Zuo asked impatiently, "I don't know how much the two types of artillery you demonstrated are worth?"

Tao Donglai had already taken his reassurance at this time, but he was not in a hurry at all, and said with a smile: "Mr. Zheng, don't worry, the price we quoted must be fair. In addition to artillery, we also have guns for sale. Mr. Zheng Why don't you take a look at the muskets produced by me, Haihan!"

Zheng Zuo had no choice but to suppress his urgency and wait for the Haihan people's musket demonstration.

Because of the use of matchlock guns in this musket demonstration, the array prepared by the Military and Police Department for this purpose is a standard three-stage attack.Sixty militiamen have received a week of special training in Port Victory for this purpose, and they will demonstrate this firearm tactic in three rows of 20 people.The target of the demonstration is the few remaining live pigs.

There are several kinds of firearms collected in Zheng Zuo’s home, including Franco-style matchlock guns from the West, original Lumi blunderbusses from the Middle East, and bird blunderbusses made by the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty. For fun, at most it is used when hunting in the mountains and forests. As for the tactics to use this sharp weapon on the battlefield, this is the first time Zheng Zuo has seen a demonstration.It's not because he has little knowledge, it's because the number of muskets in Vietnam is limited, and it's not enough to equip the army in an organized way. Naturally, there are no tactics at all.In his original thinking, this kind of weapon should be at the forefront of the army formation before the battle, just like an archer, who can kill as many as possible.As for melee combat, this kind of fire stick-like weapon should be avoided.

But the Haihan people's musketeer tactical demonstration really opened his eyes. Under the command of the officer's whistle, the three rows of musketeers completed the steps of loading, aiming, shooting, and changing positions very neatly, with a sense of rhythm and power. It was very obvious—after the three rows of musketeers completed a shot, the few pigs tied to the stump a hundred paces away had all fallen down.However, the musketeers still carried out a complete tactical demonstration of ten rapid fire according to the content of the previous drill.

After the demonstration, Tao Donglai once again invited Zheng Zuo to observe the shooting results up close.In addition to the few pigs that were beaten to pieces, a specially built earth wall behind it was also riddled with bullet holes. Tao Donglai pointed to the bullet holes on the earth wall and said to Zheng Zuo: "Mr. In terms of distance, the muskets we provide can easily penetrate ordinary armor. You can imagine how many soldiers on the other side can maintain the courage to move forward under such firepower. To train a qualified soldier, at least It takes more than half a year to train a musketeer who can shoot, and just pull a person with complete limbs and a normal mind. We can let him master the weapon in his hand within half a month. Use our Haihan produced The musket can help you save a lot of training investment, and the time it takes to form an army will be greatly shortened. I think Mr. Zheng should have already thought about whether this deal is worthwhile."

Zheng Zuo nodded again and again, holding a sample musket handed over by Tao Donglai in his hand, he really couldn't put it down.Even if he is not an expert, he can still see that the production level of this gun is not inferior to those in his own collection, and the demonstration just now has fully proved the power and reliability of this weapon.If there are any shortcomings to be picked on it, it is probably only the lack of close combat ability.

But Tao Donglai seemed to have seen through his thoughts, and gestured to Wang Tom who was next to him.Wang Tom nodded, walked to the musketeers lined up, and ordered loudly: "All of them! Put on the bayonets!"

The musketeers pulled out the bayonet sleeves from the scabbard on the side of their thighs, and it took only two or three seconds to install them on the barrels. Then the group of musketeers in front of Zheng Zuo immediately became capable of basic melee combat. of the spearmen.

"This... this..." Zheng Zuo really couldn't find a suitable adjective for the changes in front of him. Such a sharp long-range weapon also has the ability to fight at close range. Are the Haihan people going against the sky?
Tao Donglai said with a smile: "This accessory weapon is called a bayonet, and it can be used in conjunction with a musket. Of course, this accessory weapon requires additional pricing."

Zheng Zuo stared at the group of musketeers with their heads held high, as if he had already seen the scene of Master Wang stepping down Shunhua Mansion. As for the "extra pricing" Tao Dong said, he didn't even listen to a word go with your heart.

(End of this chapter)