1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 266 Military Aid Conditions
The effect of this military parade can be said to have far exceeded the expectations of the Executive Committee and the Military and Police Department. The morale boost of the militia soldiers is one aspect. It is really gratifying to have such fanatical support from the local people.Of course, this kind of reaction from the public is not just a pure group effect, but more comes from their deep-seated management of the executive committee and their sense of identity with the local social system, which fully proves that during the time since time travel The role played by various civil measures.

"The hearts of the people are available!" Even the oldest old man Yuan Ruoxiu was moved by the lively scene before, and he was still sighing after returning to the meeting room.

"The people's support for the militia is so high, it can reduce a lot of resistance to our plan to dispatch troops." Yan Chujie also smiled happily.As the leader of the military and police department, what he is most worried about is not the danger of fighting across the sea, but that this decision will be opposed by the local people.

"Now all we need is to wait for news from North Vietnam." Tao Donglai also agreed with Yan Chujie's opinion. Since there was no local public opinion pressure, the last obstacle to sending troops was the attitude of the North Vietnamese regime.

At this time, the sailboat that Gu Kai and Qian Tiandun were on was still dozens of nautical miles away from Tushan Peninsula.According to the original itinerary, we should have arrived at the destination at this time, but because of bad weather conditions on the way, we had to change the direct flight route to Tushan Peninsula, and stayed at Fushuizhou Island on the way for a day to avoid wind and rain.Fortunately, this small delay will not delay the business. When they set off, the base camp had already contacted the garrison on Fushuizhou Island through the radio, and asked Mu Xiabo and Feng Annan to contact the special envoy of the North Vietnamese side first, expressing the willingness of the Executive Committee. Decision to send troops to help North Vietnam defend against "Southern Rebels" attacks.

And the special envoy sent by North Vietnam to the Tushan training camp to transfer troops obviously did not have enough authority to deal with affairs. Hearing the news, he dared not make a rash decision, so he quickly sent someone to ride back to the Dragon Mansion to report that the Haihan people were willing to send troops Help, this is something the North Vietnamese regime never thought about before.

The journey to and fro was more than 200 kilometers, so Gu Kai and Qian Tiandun had just arrived at the wharf of Tushan Peninsula when the people from Zheng's side rushed over from Thang Long Mansion.The two sides almost arrived at the training camp one after the other, and began to negotiate on Haihan's dispatch of troops.

The representative sent by the Zheng family this time is still Zheng Zuo, who had dealt with Tao Donglai before, and his father, Qingdu Wang Zhengyi, is currently dispatching troops near the Shenglong Mansion, and is going to lead the team to the south in person. This is probably also directly related to the current unfavorable situation of North Vietnam on the battlefield.

Zheng Zuo seemed relatively calm, and greeted Qian Tiandun and the others in a calm manner.Apart from Zheng Zuo's meeting with Qian Tiandun once, it was the first time for Gu Kai, Mu Xiabo and Feng Annan to meet each other.Seeing that the leader surnamed Tao didn't come last time, Zheng Zuo felt a little relieved for some reason.

"Mr. Zheng, we have previously learned about the fighting situation of your army in the south through the envoy. However, we have reservations about your intention to transfer this group of people from the training camp to the front line to fight. Although these soldiers They have been equipped with the weapons we provided, but their training period has not been contacted. The actual combat effectiveness may not meet your expectations, and the effect of forcing them into the battlefield may not be good. In order to avoid some situations that we do not want to see In view of the situation, we have decided to send a certain number of military advisers to assist you in combating the rebels in the south." Gu Kai cut directly to the point as soon as he came up, expressing his intentions.

Zheng Zuo is not a fool, of course, he can think that the reason why the Haihan people offered to help is definitely not because of idleness, but because there must be some exchange terms to be negotiated with their side - just like the last time they bought arms from them, the result After talking about it, the Haihan people rented a large piece of land in the northern bay.Fortunately, the area over there is of no real value. If the Haihan people are willing to go there to dig coal, it is good enough. It seems that there is no real loss for Shenglong Mansion.As for immigration and other things, it is not a problem. It happens that there are a large number of idle people in Shenglong Mansion who don't know how to deal with them. If they don't want to evacuate, something will happen sooner or later.From this perspective, the immigration request put forward by the Haihan people actually solved a difficult problem facing the Thang Long Mansion.

But doing business is one thing, sending troops to help fight is another.Zheng Zuo asked cautiously: "Mr. Gu, what are your conditions?"

Gu Kai smiled and said: "There must be several conditions. After all, our soldiers have to come across the sea, which consumes a lot of money. You have to make compensation."

Zheng Zuo nodded and said: "If it's military expenses, then it's easy to say, we are willing to pay 2 taels of silver, please send troops to drive out the southern rebels."

Gu Kai coughed dryly: "2 taels... I'm afraid it's not enough."

Zheng Zuo was taken aback for a moment, and then asked: "I wonder how many troops you plan to send?"

"Less than a thousand people." Gu Kai also knew that the conditions to be raised next might make the other party feel a little uncomfortable, so he simply stated the number of dispatched troops a little vaguely.

"This... is just a team of a thousand people, and 2 taels of silver is not enough?" Zheng Zuo found it unbelievable: "Mr. Gu may not know that 2 taels of silver is enough to pull up an army of nearly [-] people when we fight in Annan Country." .”

"The quality of the army is different from that of the army." Qian Tiandun interjected: "Mr. Zheng, since you are willing to open this training camp and transfer soldiers and officers to learn advanced tactics from our side, it is already very capable. That explains the problem. The army of [-] people you mentioned is nothing more than tens of thousands of peasants in our eyes. Whether it is fighting skills or fighting will, it is still far from the requirements of a professional army. I can say bluntly, this Such troops are nothing more than chickens and dogs in front of our army."

Zheng Zuo blushed and said: "We can recruit [-] troops in one place in Shenglong Mansion. Even if the combat power is not high, we still have a lot of people..."

"Mr. Zheng, you also need to pay attention to feasibility in war. Even if you can temporarily recruit so many soldiers, do you have so many officers to command? Or should you break up all your existing troops and send them to command? Then how much combat power do you think your 10-man army can have?" Qian Tiandun unceremoniously pointed out the fallacy in Zheng Zuo's remarks: "Besides, 10 people only eat half a catty of rice a day. That's [-] catties of grain. In terms of combat needs, at least ten days and half a month's worth of military grain must be stored. I don't know if so much grain has to be transported from Thang Long Mansion to the war zone eight hundred miles away. How does Mr. Zheng plan to solve this transportation problem? Will he conscript tens of thousands of civilians to transport food?"

"You...you..." Zheng Zuo pointed at Qian Tiandun and wanted to continue to refute, but these combat theories are his own weaknesses, and he made many mistakes. If he continued, he might be caught by Qian Tiandun again. loophole.

"Okay, okay." Gu Kai jumped out and sang red face without losing the opportunity: "Lieutenant Qian didn't mean anything malicious, he just wanted to explain to you the disadvantages of temporarily recruiting soldiers from the civilian population. Mr. Zheng, recruiting soldiers from the civilian population is not only inefficient, but also The combat power is worrisome. Even if you forcefully get on the battlefield, it may not be able to turn the tide of the battle. On the contrary, it may consume a lot of supplies in vain. As for the negative impact this kind of conscription will have on the people, I think even if I don’t say it, Zheng Mister should also have a good idea."

Of course Zheng Zuo knew the disadvantages of temporary conscription from the people. These farmers and soldiers can still use them if they are going well. If they are not going well, there will be a large area of ​​deserters immediately.And because this kind of conscription is almost one-size-fits-all, all men of the right age are forced to join the army, and it is very easy to arouse civil uprisings among the people.But right now the war in the south is tight, and conscripting farmers and soldiers has almost become the last option for North Vietnam. Even if they know there are various disadvantages in it, they can only bite the bullet.

Zheng Zuo snorted, but did not express his attitude towards Gu Kai's statement.

Gu Kai is such a smart person, he thought that if you don’t defend yourself, you will be acquiescing, and immediately continued to persuade: "Although the army we sent is small, they are all elites, not to mention farmers and soldiers, it is your regular army. That strength is still far behind. Besides the military rations, other combat materials are prepared and transported by our own side, and you don’t need to arrange them all. Just imagine how much this [-]-mile transportation line can save you. The manpower, material and financial resources? The cost of sending troops from our side is definitely not cheap, but it is definitely expensive!"

Zheng Zuo pondered for a moment before asking again: "Then how do you calculate your military expenditure?"

There is a door!Gu Kai held back the joy in his heart, and pointed his fingers to Zheng Zuo to calculate: "The military expenses required by our troops are mainly divided into three parts. The first part is the cost of sea transportation. We will transport the personnel and materials of the combat troops across the sea. Come here, at least seven or eight large ships will be dispatched. During the war, these ships have to be on standby near the shore for maneuvering at any time. After the war, all the people and supplies have to be transported back, so the freight is not negligible Yes. By the way, if you really plan to send all the soldiers from the training camp to the front line, then we can send sea ships to transport them for you. The freight is calculated at the lowest cost, and it only takes two or three days to reach the warring area. Definitely much faster than an overland march."

"The second part is the garrison cost of our soldiers, including the material consumption and military pay of our soldiers during the garrison. This is a very reasonable cost, so I won't explain it further. The third part is the cost of participating in the war. If Our personnel directly participate in the battle, so combat rewards must be distributed to the combatants, and the ammunition consumed must also be included in this part of the cost. Of course, if our personnel are injured or killed during the battle, then the subsequent compensation costs It must also be included in the calculation." Gu Kai finished the calculation rules of general expenses in one breath, and then observed Zheng Zuo's face in order to adjust his next strategy.

Zheng Zuo twitched the corners of his lips, and asked with obvious displeasure: "Has Mr. Gu calculated the approximate number?"

Gu Kai nodded and replied: "If it is only stationed and does not directly participate in combat, the daily military expenditure of our army is about 5000 taels. Considering the good cooperative relationship between our two parties, this figure already includes shipping. Including the cost of the battle, there is no need to calculate the cost of sea freight during the battle. If you directly participate in the war, you must add the costs I just mentioned..."

Zheng Zuo couldn't help but gasp when he heard this—5000 taels a day!This is still the garrison fee. If you directly participate in the battle, it is not surprising that the opponent will immediately double this figure.Last time, Chief Tao, who had been smiling all the time, also put forward a lot of harsh conditions. The Haihan people are really in the same line in this respect!It seems that Lieutenant Qian introduced that Mr. Gu seems to be the cousin of Chief Tao?Wait, I seem to understand something...

Gu Kai saw that Zheng Zuo's face was ugly, so he comforted him again: "Mr. Zheng, don't think that 5000 taels a day is too expensive. Can you buy the peaceful attitude of the southern rebels with 5000 taels of silver? Can it be exchanged for victory on the battlefield? We It's not the first time I've done business, and the previous transactions were at least 10,000+ taels, right? Is there any place for me to brag about my products? Is there any action that damages integrity?"

Zheng Zuo shook his head and said, "That's not true. Your items are indeed worth the money. There has never been any embezzlement in the transaction, and we have done our best to train our soldiers. I know all of this."

"That's it!" Gu Kai continued to persuade: "We will not ask you to pay for a long time in advance. If you are willing, you can pay day by day. If you feel that our army is not worth it price, you can terminate this cooperation at any time. If you can’t buy a few thousand taels, you won’t suffer, and if you can’t buy a few thousand taels, you won’t be fooled. If you miss our proposal this time, where can you temporarily organize a team with combat effectiveness? The army came out to stabilize the overall situation?"

Zheng Zuo said in his heart that what you said sounds good, but in fact, you don't give people a way out. Paying money day by day, my Zheng family is not so stingy to that extent!If you really want to do this, how can you hold your head up in front of the Haihan people and negotiate conditions?
At that moment Zheng Zuo shook his head and said: "Mr. Gu's reasoning is indeed correct, but the price you mentioned is too high, I'm sorry I can't agree with it."

Gu Kai asked unwillingly: "What kind of price does Mr. Zheng think is reasonable?"

Zheng Zuo was silent for a long time this time, before he opened his mouth and said: "If you can reduce the previous price by half, then I can immediately agree to this matter."

"If the price is halved, the number of troops we send will also be halved." Qian Tiandun responded to Zheng Zuo without showing weakness: "Mr. Zheng probably forgot one thing, it is not We, but your side. If the South Vietnamese army can really push northward, how much actual loss will it have for us? We are just businessmen, and what can be sold to you can also be sold at that time To the new people in power. If you feel that continuing to fight will not turn the tide of the war, you might as well think about the way forward like us..."

"Enough!" Zheng Zuo's face turned red again, but this time it turned red more because of anger: "No matter what, Ruan Ni will never continue to advance north! Even if my Zheng family fights to the last soldier, I will never compromise with Ruan Ni!"

"Mr. Zheng, we admire your courage, but in addition to courage, what is needed in war must also have sufficient strength. In our opinion, the army currently under your control has lacked the ability to turn around The strength of the battle situation. Even if you bring all the Musketeers here to the battlefield, you may not be able to defeat your opponent. After all, judging from the current battle situation, the opponent's Musketeers formed an army much earlier than yours. It has never been used.”

"It's mostly those nasty Western priests who are behind the tricks!" Zheng Zuo never doubted that the Haihan people would sell the same weapons to the south. In his opinion, the most abominable ones should be those who sold muskets to the southern rebels. Westerners of the military—the area of ​​Hoi An has always had businessmen and missionaries from the West active, and there must be some outsiders who intend to interfere in the civil war in Annan.

Of course, when Zheng Zuo thought this way, he selectively forgot the negotiating opponent sitting across from him. If it is said to interfere in the civil war in Annan, the Haihan Group is the real "conspirator". The areas under Champa's control are designated as strategic targets for future occupation.This kind of foresight based on the accumulation of hundreds of years of history in the future is far inferior to those missionaries and businessmen who were active in South Vietnam, and those involved could not even imagine the real purpose of the Haihan people to participate in this matter.

In Zheng Zuo's view, Gu Kai's lion's big mouth is very much in line with the Haihan people's consistent business behavior - look at everything with the eyes of a businessman, and everything is calculated in money. This group of greedy Haihan people proposed this military aid plan The biggest purpose of the government should be to make a fortune from the Annan Civil War.For the Zheng family, although the Haihan people's offer was high, it was not unaffordable. In fact, the daily consumption of the tens of thousands of North Vietnamese troops stationed in the war zone was already not a small amount.

But no matter what, it is impossible for Zheng Zuo to agree to Gu Kai's offer right away, otherwise how can the two parties negotiate business in the future?Haihan said as much as he said, so where is the face of the Beiyue Zheng family going?Therefore, no matter how Gu Kai persuaded Zheng Zuo, he just bit the price issue and refused to let go.

After talking for an hour, Gu Kai took the initiative to ask for a break, Zheng Zuo also wanted to discuss with his staff, so he agreed.

After Zheng Zuo left the arena, Qian Tiandun said, "It seems that Zheng Zuo has no objection to our dispatch of troops. His worries should be mainly due to economic reasons."

"The issue of money is easy to talk about. After all, our real purpose is not just to obtain economic benefits from this war. When the time is right, we can just make a concession." Gu Kai is obviously very satisfied with the progress of the current negotiations: "Even if Let's take a step back, the money earned from sending troops this time is enough for your military and police department to enjoy!"

(End of this chapter)