1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2426
Haihan currently has three developing areas in Jilong, Miaoli, and Kaohsiung on Taiwan Island. If Penghu is included, there are actually four Haihan colonial areas in the Fujian Strait.However, only Penghu and Kaohsiung can be regarded as trading ports. Both Jilong and Miaoli are more focused on energy and mining development, and the environment is relatively closed.

The reason why Haihan invested heavily in the development of this area is that the vast coastal plain on the west coast of Taiwan Island can be used for large-scale agricultural development and accommodate a large number of people; Echoing each other from afar, at the same time controlling the key waterway connecting the north and south of the mainland in the Fujian Strait for a long time.

Judging from the various information obtained by Tao Donglai on this trip, Haihan's development progress in this area is far from meeting expectations, especially in areas that were relatively closed in the early stage like Miaoli, which have hardly been discussed in recent years. What progress has been made? The local social situation has formed a relatively large gap with Kaohsiung Port, which has vigorously introduced foreign funds and personnel.Even if the executive committee plans to immigrate a large number of immigrants from Shandong to the local area at this time, and invest resources to upgrade the local petrochemical industry, it is unlikely to catch up with the development speed of a seaside port like Kaohsiung.

However, this does not have much impact on Haihan's overall development. Even the technological upgrade of Miaoli's petrochemical industry is still just practice in Tao Dong's view.If Haihan really makes a major breakthrough in the refining and application of petroleum, then the reserves and production capacity of the local oil fields in Miaoli will definitely be far from meeting the long-term development needs of Haihan's industry. At that time, we will have to find another place to build a real petrochemical industry center.

Of course, with Haihan's current industrial level, Tao Donglai and most people in the Ministry of Industry believe that Miaoli can at least meet the needs of the next five to eight years, and may even be longer.The demand for new oil fields and large-scale petrochemical industry chains is not particularly urgent.Of course, Haihan will fully enter the era of internal combustion engines in a certain period of time in the future, but everyone understands that it may have to wait until the next generation is in charge.At least in the next few years, steam engines with mature technology, convenient maintenance and relatively low cost will be widely used.

After Tao Donglai left Miaoli, he did not detour to Jilong Port for inspection. He knew that the situation there was not much different from that in Miaoli. The gold mining area was also in the inland mountainous area. It is hundreds of times better than Miaoli, and the natural harbor is the main reason why the Spaniards fell in love with that place.It’s just that most of the chicken coops are in mountainous areas, which are not suitable for traditional agricultural development, so the resettlement capacity is relatively limited, and most of the immigrants who moved into the area are miners.

Recently, the executive committee has no special arrangements for Jilonggang, and Tao Donglai has limited time for this trip to the north, so he skipped the chicken coop directly, and will see if he can arrange a few days to visit Jilonggang when he returns. .

After leaving Miaoli, the fleet headed north all the way to Dinghai Port in Zhoushan, off the coast of Zhejiang, without stopping on the coast of Zhejiang.Now the Zhoushan Islands, together with the coastal harbors such as Xiangshan and Shilu in the south, have fallen into the hands of Haihan. There are no pirates in these areas.

Of course, there are also quite a few daring guardsmen among them, who have secretly joined Haihan's trading system long ago.They will even use the troops of the Ming army and dispatch a small number of warships to cover and smuggle all kinds of Haihan goods into the country and make profits from it.

In order to have enough manpower to engage in underground business, some military chiefs who used to earn money from empty pay even managed to re-recruit their staff. After all, the income from doing business with the Haihan people far exceeds what they used to be able to do. The military salary that was embezzled privately.

In such an environment, Haihan ships would not be intercepted and inspected when entering and leaving the coastal areas of Zhejiang, and the coastal guards would basically provide convenience, because it is impossible to say that there are private goods belonging to a thousand households on board.As for the appearance of Haihan warships in the coastal waters, everyone will consciously turn a blind eye to them. As long as they don't take the initiative to provoke them, Haihan people will generally not use force.

Tao Donglai's fleet arrived at Dinghai Port smoothly. Before he disembarked, the pier had already entered a state of blockade, so as to ensure that his whereabouts would not be leaked immediately.

Shi Diwen was already in place ahead of time, welcoming Tao Donglai on the pier.As a senior general who has been stationed overseas all the year round, Shi Diwen has rarely returned to Sanya in recent years, and even rarely met Tao Donglai. It is very clear that Tao Donglai's visit is not in his personal capacity, but on behalf of the Executive Committee, so he must also show due respect.

"President Tao, you've worked hard all the way!" Shi Diwen stepped forward quickly, and first raised his hand to salute Tao Donglai.

After Tao Donglai returned the gift, he stretched out his hand and shook Shi Diwen's hand: "That's because you people who have been stationed overseas all the year round are working harder!"

Shi Diwen knew that Tao Donglai's whereabouts were kept secret this time, so he didn't intend to stand on the pier and continue to chat slowly, so he signaled Tao Donglai to get in the carriage first.A moment later, the cavalry escorted Shi Diwen's special car out of the military port pier.

Among the many overseas colonies currently controlled by Haihan, Zhoushan can be regarded as a well-developed one. It is adjacent to the rich land of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Maritime merchants from many countries in Northeast Asia will come here to trade, and the annual cargo throughput is overseas. It is one of the best in the colonies, and the annual profits of Dinghai Port in Zhoushan turned over to the state treasury are no less than that of several large ports in Hainan Island.The amount of goods that Haihan imports to Daming through Dinghai Port is no less than that of the Pearl River Basin, and the products and raw materials of Daming purchased through here are also huge, occupying a non-negligible proportion in Haihan's business system.

Of course, in addition to trade, Zhoushan's role in the military cannot be ignored. Although the East China Sea Fleet has fought less in recent years, its deterrent power has increased with the expansion of the fleet year by year.According to the data reported by Shi Diwen, there are currently more than [-] people stationed in the Zhoushan area from both the navy and the army. The East China Sea Fleet has more than [-] combat ships of various sizes. The Zhoushan Shipyard is also the only overseas colony in the north of Hainan Island. It is a place where Haihan's most advanced majestic-class warship can be built and repaired.Zhang Tianxiang, the second son of master shipbuilder Zhang Tiangui, is now the director of Zhoushan Shipyard.

The reason why Zhoushan can receive such attention is because of its unique geographical location and surrounding environment. It is adjacent to the rich and prosperous Daming in the west, the Fujian Strait in the south, the Liaodong Peninsula and the Yellow Bohai Sea in the north, and it can attack North Korea, In Japan, Ryukyu and other places, it is very necessary to station a powerful naval fleet and have complete supporting facilities.

On the other hand, since Shi Diwen was sent to Zhoushan as the local governor in 1633, he has managed the colonial area almost by himself, and his performance has always satisfied the executive committee.The Executive Committee's trust in Shi Diwen was even higher than that of other senior generals who had led troops to fight overseas all the year round.For example, the expansion, mobilization, and deployment of the East China Sea Fleet are basically based on Shi Diwen's opinions.

"I stopped by Zhangzhou a few days ago and met Xu Xinsu." Tao Donglai started to talk about business in the car: "Xu Xinsu hopes to lease an island here in Zhoushan for a long-term trade transit. What do you think?"

Shi Diwen frowned slightly and said, "Which island does he plan to want?"

Tao Donglai responded, "Zhujiajian Island."

"Inappropriate." Shi Diwen shook his head and said, "Mr. Tao, that island is the fifth largest in the Zhoushan Archipelago, covering an area of ​​more than 70 square kilometers. Want such a big island? In my opinion, this matter is not that simple!"

Tao Donglai said: "Actually, this is not the only place Xu Xinsu mentions. He also hopes that our country will allow the Xu family to build towns in the Zhuoshui River valley in Taiwan to accommodate members of the Xu clan and other people with related interests."

Shi Diwen smiled and said: "Then his intentions are quite obvious. In the important land of Taiwan, he has begun to arrange a way out for his family... If one day he betrays Daming, in case Fujian's territory cannot be kept, at least it can be done." Withdraw to Taiwan."

Tao Donglai said: "My thoughts are similar to yours, but I think Xu Xinsu may not only want Fujian, but also has more plans."

Shi Diwen said: "How do you say that?"

"I think the purpose of Xu Xinsu's lease of Zhujiajian Island is to garrison troops. This place is only more than 200 miles away from the mouth of the Qiantang River and the mouth of the Yangtze River. In the event of a war, the two major river basins are within its attack range." Tao Donglai Although he is not a real military general, his military knowledge is not bad, so he immediately expressed his opinion.

"Mr. Tao, do you mean that if Xu Xinsu wants to stand on his own, then he probably won't be satisfied with taking Fujian, but will draw a boundary further north?" Shi Diwen had already thought of some possibilities in his heart. sex.

"There is nothing more suitable as a line of defense than a natural moat." Tao Donglai put it more clearly: "A few hundred miles upstream from the mouth of the Yangtze River is the city of Nanjing."

Shi Diwen frowned and said: "Even if Xu Xinsu's current military power can take down Nanjing, does he really need to betray Ming Dynasty? His current status is the emperor of Fujian, and we have been reminding him not to act rashly. He is just like this." Can't bear the loneliness?"

"Proclaiming king and emperor is too tempting. Even if he doesn't want to, don't his officials and relatives around him have such thoughts? It's hard to say!" Tao Donglai shook his head slowly and said: " Now that Xu Xinsu wants soldiers and money, he can afford to fight if he really wants to, but Daming definitely can't stand this kind of trouble!"

Shi Diwen was silent for a moment before he said: "In Xu Xinsu's situation, if Chongzhen crowned him king, maybe there will be peace for a few years. Anyway, Fujian has been out of control, so it's better to give Xu Xinsu some fame and benefits, and stabilize him first. Rebellion is."

Regarding the development trend of Xu Xinsu and his forces, it is actually difficult for Haihan to have an accurate prediction, because the rise of Xu Xinsu did not happen in the original history, it was purely because of Haihan's intervention in this time and space Fujian supported such a local force.Haihan can exert influence on it in various ways, but how Xu Xinsu will choose the future development direction is ultimately his own decision.

As Tao Donglai said, Xu Xinsu now controls Fujian's officialdom and military power internally, and has a strong backing like Haihan outside. With the support of the Han Dynasty, I am afraid that they will not easily intervene to quell the chaos. The external military pressure they need to face is actually very limited. In addition, Ming Dynasty is now suffering from internal and external troubles, and it is difficult to take into account the situation in the south. The hope of success is very high.

Of course, if Xu Xinsu really intends to do this, first of all he has to try his best to win Haihan's support. If it hits, there will be an embarrassment of declining combat effectiveness.

Of course, Haihan didn't want to see the situation in Daming get out of control, so he has been trying every means to make Xu Xinsu and his family give up their unreasonable idea of ​​establishing their own family, and wait for the right time to ask for some legitimate rewards from the court.What Shi Diwen said about "conferring the king" is a solution that Haihan thinks may solve Xu's development ambitions.

But the problem is that the Ming court may not be willing to compromise with Xu Xinsu. At least until it shows its true strength, it will probably still have illusions, thinking that the imperial power and the authority of the court are enough to suppress the ambitions of the local emperor of Fujian, but they don't know what Xu Xinsu controls. Its military power can already be regarded as unmatched by the Ming Dynasty, and it is even enough to compete with the Qing army in the north.The key point lies in Xu Xinsu's thought.

Tao Donglai shook his head slightly and said: "Now we may not even be able to persuade Xu Xinsu, so how can we make the Ming court bow down to him. And even if Daming really did this, we are not 100% sure whether we can completely eliminate this threat. "

Shi Diwen thought for a while and said: "Since Xu Xinsu didn't say it clearly, there is still a turning point for this matter. He wants to build a town on Taiwan Island, and that is not something that can be done in a year or a half."

Tao Donglai nodded and said, "Maybe he himself feels that the time is not ripe yet, and he doesn't have much confidence, so he arranges a retreat first. For us, there is still time to slowly resolve this problem."

Shi Diwen said: "But I don't quite understand one thing. If Xu Xinsu's purpose of renting Zhujiajian Island may be to station troops, why not simply find an island far away from Dinghai Port, so as to avoid our eyes and ears act."

Tao Donglai said: "This is what he did on purpose. He specially found a nearby place to show us, to show his integrity. If he went to a place like Shengsi Island to hide soldiers, and we found out, wouldn't it make him Are we overhearted? Besides, even if we hide farther away, can it be hidden from your eyes and ears?"

(End of this chapter)