1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 226 The Trip to Vietnam ([-])

At this time, the night was dark. Although Zheng Zuo was a young man, it took a lot of effort to talk for a long time. At this time, he could not hide the fatigue in his eyes. Seeing this, Tao Donglai suggested that the rest of the transaction details be left behind Let's discuss it tomorrow.The main content of the transaction between the two parties has been negotiated, and Zheng Zuo's spirit has also relaxed, so he agreed to Tao Donglai's proposal.

As soon as Zheng Zuo left, Qian Tiandun and the others stood up excitedly, shaking hands and congratulating each other.The negotiations have progressed to the present stage, and the results achieved have greatly exceeded their previous expectations, and the actual benefits these results will bring to the Traversing Group are not only reflected in economic benefits, but also for their own military power, The outward expansion of political influence, and even the control of the entire South China Sea region through the regime in the long-term plan have played an excellent role in promoting.

"Mr. Tao, I am really convinced by you!" Xie Chun sincerely expressed his admiration for Tao Donglai: "The negotiations from the beginning to the end of this afternoon have always been led by the little Vietnamese prince. Your nose is walking, you fool... oh, this negotiating skill is really amazing!"

Tao Donglai's face was also a little tired, but the excitement in his eyes could not be concealed: "We have won this city, and in the next few years, the safety factor in the direction of North Vietnam will be greatly improved. And the military industry With stable sources of income and immigration, we are finally on the track of steady development! But don’t be careless, the follow-up details still need to be handled properly. The trade relationship between us and the North Vietnamese Zheng’s is not a one-off deal, so Many issues must be dealt with carefully. In addition, everyone should not forget that the purpose of our arms trade with Vietnam, or other industrial product trade, is not just to make money. How to export our values ​​through trade channels, from the military Gradually control these areas economically and economically, so as to form enough influence politically, this is what we need to do with our hearts.”

"The troops sent by Mr. Zheng for training must also be the elite of North Vietnam. In this way, after five or ten years, a considerable number of officers in the North Vietnamese army will be trained by us. I, Qian Tiandun, can assure you that by the time of At that time, most of these people will be more inclined to our side politically." Qian Tiandun said confidently.

This is also true. When it comes to the level of military political work, there is no country in the world that can compare with the Traveling Group.In a purely agricultural country like North Vietnam, its army has no political work at all. There are only a few professional soldiers, and most of them are farmers and soldiers temporarily recruited during wartime. Their combat effectiveness and fighting will are quite poor, so when Ning Qi talked about The strength of the Vietnamese army is also quite disdainful at times, believing that its actual combat effectiveness poses extremely limited threats to the crossing group.

But this does not mean that Vietnam is a place where noodles can be pinched casually. The mountains are criss-crossed and the water system is densely covered. It is definitely a nightmare for the army's logistics.In this time and space that lacks developed transportation channels, any powerful army will have a headache for the way forward when it arrives here-the abysmal transportation conditions here are stronger opponents than farmers and soldiers.The impact of this disadvantage will be especially obvious for modern hot weapon units that rely heavily on heavy firepower weapons and logistical supplies.Tao Donglai did not agree to set up the future Vietnamese army training camp in the inland Hanoi area. In addition to those plans based on his own needs, the inconvenience of supplies caused by poor traffic conditions was also an important reason.

The North Vietnamese Zheng family wanted to improve the combat capabilities of their troops by replacing them with new weapons. In addition to paying a lot of money to the crossing group, the Zheng family had to hand over soldiers and officers to the crossing group for training.Although the training period of this kind will not be very long, at most it is about three months, but it is enough for the military and police department to do a lot of things.The first idea to be instilled in the trained North Vietnamese soldiers is that "the Hai Han army is invincible".Before the departure of this caravan, the relevant personnel of the base camp had already begun to write a special "Foreign Military Training Guide". Powerful, advanced in military technology and clever in tactics, thus forming a solid subconscious mind in their hearts, so as to eliminate the hostility and defensiveness of the North Vietnamese military against the treasury regime.

This kind of ideological indoctrination may not be effective quickly, but after years of continuous operation, those North Vietnamese soldiers who survived the battlefield will gradually realize how useful what they have learned from the traversers, so as to further Deepen their awe of Haihan's military power in their hearts.And when this sense of awe accumulates to a certain level, it can completely achieve the effect of "surrendering the enemy without fighting".

However, to achieve this goal, there is still a lot of concrete work to be done.For now, that is the problem of setting up the training camp of the Vietnamese army.As the leader of this plan, the crossing people need to plan the camp before the opponent's troops arrive, select the personnel who will serve as military advisers, and formulate corresponding training plans.Of course, the specific drudgery of building camps and training facilities would naturally have to wait for the trained soldiers of North Vietnam to do it, and military advisers would not do such rough work.

In addition, although Zheng Zuo had already agreed to the training plan, the specific costs - including the construction of the training camp, operating costs, and the remuneration of the military advisers - had to be calculated.As for the profit in the middle, it will be used to allocate to Qian Tiandun, allowing him to form a real field fighting force in the Heitu Port area.

Qian Tiandun did not carefully calculate how much it would cost to form this new army, but he had already prepared the list of weapons and supplies needed for the new army, and handed it to Tao Donglai respectfully with both hands. : "Mr. Tao, this is my list of military supplies, please have a look."

Tao Donglai took it over and took a closer look. The military supplies Qian Tiandun requested were actually not too much, a company of flintlock guns, a full set of military uniforms, individual equipment, and two small-caliber 3-pound field guns.

The reason why the 3-pound gun was chosen instead of the existing 6-pound gun as the heavy weapon of this unit, Qian Tiandun explained, is mainly because of the local terrain in Vietnam. Due to its size and loading capacity, large artillery is very inconvenient for outdoor activities. .For example, although the 6-pound gun is considered a small-caliber gun among the existing artillery, its dead weight is still more than 200 kilograms. With the whole set of mobile gun mounts, the actual weight is more than 300 kilograms. If there are no livestock such as mules and horses as traction If there is no power, the mobility of these artillery in the field will be very limited.

At present, mules and horses are strictly controlled strategic materials in Heitu Port, and all of them are used in the traction of rail coal trucks between the mining area and the port area.Because the number of mules and horses is not enough, there are still several coal trucks pulled by cattle. This situation may not be improved until next year when steam engine power starts to be gradually promoted.

The weight of the 3-pound gun is only slightly more than half that of the 6-pound gun, and it can quickly maneuver within a certain distance in the wild with only manpower.

After Tao Donglai listened to his explanation, he put away the material list, and continued to ask noncommittally, "Where do you plan to use as a training area after the establishment of this army?"

Qian Tiandun had already planned for this, and immediately took out his laptop and called up the map of the Halong Bay area.Wang Tom and Xie Chun also came over and listened to Qian Tiandun's explanation with great interest.

"According to what we know so far, in the waters east of Heitu Port, to the northeast coast of Guangxi, most of the areas are no-man's land, and there are no armed forces that can threaten Heitu Port. Considering actual combat If necessary, I plan to place the training area for the new troops in the area west of Black Earth Port, especially the unexploited mining area in the west. There are both coastal plains and mountains stretching for tens of miles. The terrain is complex and changeable, and there are endless The human area is very suitable for training this field combat force. Besides the training, we can also make some preparations for the future development of this area."

"Let me add." Tom Wang has actual inspection experience in this area, and he is the one who has the most say among the people present: "I think the fan-shaped bay in this area is very valuable for development. Because the condition of the harbor over there is more suitable for the requirements, but if we want to carry out comprehensive development of this area in the future, the value of this area in the west is actually higher. Except for a peninsula that can be used for coal mining, in this almost closed There is also a large area of ​​coastal tidal flats in the bay that can be used to build saltworks. Although it is not as large as Yinggehai, it is at least equivalent to several iron furnace ports."

Tao Donglai pondered for a while before saying: "This place can be determined as a training area for new troops, but there is no rush to develop it beforehand. Before we have enough military strength, we should not let the North Vietnam take too much precaution against us. At present, the black soil The coal output at the port can fully supply the production needs. What we lack now is not coal production capacity, but sea transportation capacity. After the deal is negotiated tomorrow, we can notify the headquarters, and the shipyards in Guangzhou and Qiongzhou will increase orders. In addition You also need to hire more crew and sailors. Heitu Port is within [-] nautical miles from Qinzhou and Lianzhou in Guangxi. If you have the opportunity, you can also send a caravan to Guangxi to explore the road. , See if you can hire people locally. It is said that the local sugar, textile, papermaking, ironware and other industries are relatively developed, how to conduct trade, you can think of a way yourself."

Xie Chun's eyes lit up and said, "Then can we sell the coal over there?"

"Yes! As long as you can sell it." Tao Donglai nodded.

But before Xie Chun and Qian Tiandun could be happy, Tao Donglai immediately added another shot: "However, I must remind you that coal is produced locally in Qinzhou. I am afraid that there will not be much price advantage if the goods are transported across the sea from Hong Kong to Hong Kong.”

Seeing that the mood of the two of them immediately dropped, Tao Donglai could only lament that these two guys are really not suitable for business, coughed dryly and reminded: "The so-called trade is to buy low and sell high. Think about it. There was something profitable in the past that was trafficked."

The two looked at each other and said in unison: "Food!"

The Red River Delta in North Vietnam mainly produces rice, and the serious land annexation in North Vietnam has led to a large amount of rice being concentrated in the hands of a very small number of powerful people, and poor people can only buy a small part of it. Just a cheap fortune with a limited shelf life.But North Vietnam's sea trade level is not enough to export these surplus rice, and the Transit Group can take advantage of this loophole to traffic the cheap rice produced here to Guangdong and Guangxi by sea.

Although many industries in the Qinzhou area are relatively developed, grain production is a huge weakness, and it has always been a food-deficient area in history.According to the records in the "Guangdong Yearbook", by the 40s, Qinzhou's average grain yield was only 80 kilograms per mu, unable to be self-sufficient, and needed to be supplied from other places. This situation was maintained until the 80s. fundamentally changed.In other words, the food shortage in Qinzhou is very large, and the Guangdong and Guangxi regions are not the main food producing areas. Therefore, the local food prices are very different from those in North Vietnam. The profit margin of the food trafficking business is still considerable.

However, what Tao Donglai can give them is only conceptual inspiration, and the current base camp cannot give them much help, especially in terms of transportation capacity.Most of the existing sea transportation capacity is devoted to the transportation of coal between the two places. Next, thousands of immigrants need to be transported by special sea ships every month. It is impossible to divide the transportation capacity under the current situation. Let the black earth port run the sea trade.If the Black Soil Port Management Committee really wants to start in this field, it can only try to solve the capacity problem by itself.

Several people discussed the future development of Heitu Port until late at night before going to rest.

The next morning, the two sides continued to negotiate on outstanding matters.However, because the negotiation on the first day has basically determined the general framework, the atmosphere of today's negotiation is more relaxed.Tao Donglai gave Zheng Zuo a lot of gifts as soon as he came up. In addition to the various spices mentioned on the first day, there are also various glass products, matches, soaps, sabers, etc. produced by the Transit Group, and there is even a gift. Special flintlock pistols—this is a gift produced in small batches by the military industry department in accordance with the requirements of the Executive Committee, and it is specially used to present to dignitaries during foreign affairs activities.Zheng Zuo, as the future ruler of Annan Kingdom, could afford this great gift.

Zheng Zuorao carried out the test firing with interest and was very satisfied with this gift.He thought that this kind of well-made hand gun was much more high-end than those clumsy matchlock guns—in Haihan's words that he had learned recently, this was called "forced style".And the gifts that Zheng Zuo received all reflect the "competitive style" emphasized by the Haihan people.

Due to the underdeveloped sea trade in Vietnam itself, the stock of glass products in Vietnam is very small. Based on the limited glassware that Zheng Zuo has seen in the past, he believes that they cannot be compared with these glass products presented by the Haihan people, especially The glass mirror that can clearly illuminate hair and the exquisitely conceived glass stationery are regarded as treasures by Zheng Zuo.Tao Donglai explained to him without losing the opportunity, claiming that these things are currently mainly sold to Daming, and have been widely praised by users in Guangzhou.

Zheng Zuo has never been to Daming, but he still knows Guangzhou, which is the largest and most prosperous city in southern China. According to people who have been to Guangzhou, that city is as big as several Shenglong Mansions. There are more ships coming and going than the entire Annan Kingdom combined. Countless merchants rush there from various countries to trade there every day. There are even more active merchants in the Guangzhou market than there are residents of Thang Long Mansion.In Zheng Zuo's mind, Guangzhou is a very prosperous metropolis, and these daily necessities that local people like are undoubtedly a "tall" lifestyle worth imitating.But even putting aside Guangzhou, Zheng Zuo believes that after these exquisitely crafted objects are transported back to Shenglong Mansion, they will also cause great repercussions among the country's elite.

Zheng Zuo fired the gun, washed his hands, looked in the mirror, and finally tried the matches. He had to lament the exquisite craftsmanship of the Haihan people, which was by no means comparable to his own domestic craftsmen.After the arms negotiations, Zheng Zuo already knew that the Haihan people would never introduce these production workshops into their own country, but the Haihan people would probably not object to spending money on these products—they never seemed to pay money. I can't get over it, and everything I do seems to be to make more money.

So under this harmonious and friendly atmosphere, the two sides reached a series of agreements on the trade of daily necessities.The firm under Zheng's name has obtained the exclusive agent qualification of the existing Haihan daily necessities in the area north of Hue, and equivalently, Haihan has also obtained the sole qualification certification of rice exporters in North Vietnam, so that both parties can Bartering at an agreed price saves the circulation of precious metals such as gold and silver during the transaction.

After the farewell lunch at noon that day, Zheng Zuo set off with some of his subordinates.He was eager to return to Thang Long Mansion and show his father the great results of this transaction.On the other hand, several people from the Vietnamese side stayed behind to discuss with the Traveling Group side the follow-up matters, mainly the details of setting up the new army training camp.

But so far, the most important task of Tao Donglai's trip has been completed, and there is nothing to do if he stays here.On the contrary, Qian Tiandun and others and the group of militiamen from the base camp still need to stay here for a few more days, and the next step can only be taken after the matter of the training camp has a clue.In the afternoon of the same day, Tao Donglai and others left the Tushan Peninsula on the "Flying Speed" sailboat, and went to Heitu Port, the second destination of this trip.

(End of this chapter)