1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 321
Compared with his peers who are still using relatively primitive naval warfare methods such as collision, fire attack, and gang jumping, Haihan is indeed in a leading position in many aspects such as weapon level, shipbuilding technology, and naval tactics, but these are just theories. advantage.In terms of surface warfare in the true sense, it was only during the expedition to Annan that the special warfare company that went deep into the upper reaches of the Zhengjiang River cooperated with the "Explorer" to fight once, but the opponent was even more scumbag than the Yazhou Water Village. The Annan navy, even if it wins, can't prove anything at all.

If the battlefield is changed to the vast sea, and the opponent is replaced by a pirate gang with rich experience in naval warfare, then probably no one will have blind confidence in victory.Primitive naval warfare tactics are not useless, and Chinese sailboats also have a chance of winning when fighting warships equipped with artillery.In the original history, when Zheng Chenggong conquered Taiwan more than 30 years later, he successfully sank and captured many Dutch warships and armed merchant ships during the battle with the Dutch.

Of course, Zheng Chenggong's victory was ultimately based on his superiority in military strength, and he forcibly gnawed away the Dutch's maritime armed forces.But compared to the dozens of warships that the East India Company sent to Zeelandia to participate in the battle at that time, the only warship that Haihan can really take advantage of today is the "Explorer". The No. [-] and No. [-] ships are also difficult to compete with the "Eighteen Zhi" with a navy of [-].Having said that, the Executive Committee has spent so much time and detours trying to support the Xu Xinsu Group in Fujian, why not let it carry the offensive of the "Eighteen Zhi" on the frontal battlefield in order to strive for the development of its own sea power time?

If you give up the naval battle and just serve as a defensive force to assist Xu Xinsu in defending the city, then there will not be too much risk, but the hidden dangers caused by the excessively long supply line are still unavoidable. It is an undesirable strategic plan.

After Yan Chujie quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind, he shook his head helplessly and rejected Dong Yanyun's proposal: "Boss Dong, this matter involves too many aspects, and it is not something I can make a decision on my own. If you insist , then I can propose to the executive committee on your behalf, but you should not have any hope for the result. Fujian is too far away, and our militia is not yet capable enough to carry out combat missions that far away."

Dong Yanyun couldn't hide the disappointment on his face: "Since that's the case, then I still have to ask General Yan to give you some good words in the executive committee! If things come to fruition, I will be very grateful!"

Yan Chujie waved his hand and said, "There is no need to thank you. Although we will not directly participate in the battle between you and 'Eighteen Zhi', we will still give you as much help as possible. As long as your big boss knows, We’re just on his side.”

Dong Yanyun repeatedly said yes, and couldn't stop thanking Yan Chujie.Although he could not borrow troops from the Haihan people, Dong Yanyun's trip was not in vain if he could get such a clear statement from the high-level personnel of the Haihan military.Whether the Haihan people are willing to borrow troops for help is not the key condition for the Xu Xinsu Group to determine victory or defeat. Compared with this, Dong Yanyun is more worried that the Haihan people will not only watch from the sidelines, but also take advantage of their opponents. Sell ​​weapons.Therefore, he came to Shengli Port this time, in addition to being responsible for negotiating cooperation and purchasing arms, and at the same time, he also had to check whether other Fujian counterparts came to Shengli Port, because it is very likely that the "Eighteen Zhi" is in Fujian. Placement of "sit merchants".Fortunately, so far, Dong Yanyun is the only representative of the Fujian merchants he knows. It can basically be concluded that there is no connection between the Haihan people and the "Eighteen Zhi".

If he really met a colleague from Fujian in Shengli Port, Dong Yanyun actually didn't have a good idea.It is impossible to do it on the territory of the Haihan people. The labor camp in Shengli Harbor is one of the famous "spots" here. Anyone who violates the rules of the Haihan people here will be thrown into the labor camp regardless of their identity. Dong Yanyun will not Dare to expect that this group of rich and powerful toubob will give him some special treatment.The only feasible way is to forcefully smash the opponent with silver, at worst, rent out the venue at a high price-the silver that was useless when I came to Shengli Port last time, it was all shipped over this time, anyway, I can’t buy guns now, so I bought eight thousand A musket would certainly suffice.

It’s just that Dong Yanyun still hasn’t figured out one thing. This group of Haihan people are said to be from an unknown continent thousands of miles overseas. After arriving in Qiongzhou, they have never dealt with Zheng Yiguan’s group. They have been to Guangzhou as far away as possible. Why did they take the initiative to participate in this war along the coast of Fujian, and their attitude was so firm, and they were on Xu Xinsu's side from the very beginning. Could it be that this group of people really wanted to educate and serve the court to suppress bandits?
If Dong Yanyun hadn't dealt with the Haihan people, he might have been skeptical when he heard such rumors. After all, the majesty of the Ming Dynasty is still there these days. It is not uncommon for some foreign nationals from overseas to want to contribute.But after he personally dealt with the Haihan people twice, he completely dispelled this idea—anyone may submit to Daming, but it will definitely not be this group of Haihan people.

These guys didn't pay attention to the various prohibitions of Ming Dynasty at all, and completely built Victory Port into a place outside the law.The Haihan people not only have their own armed forces, they even formulate local laws and regulations on their own, and the Great Ming Law is of no use here.As for the surviving Yulin inspection department here, it was not difficult for Dong Yanyun to see the tricks in it - Xu Xinsu did not do much in fujian like this kind of behavior in overhead places.Of course, now that Xu Xinsu has an official status, it's legal to pretend, and it must be illegal for these Haihan people to play this trick.

Dong Yanyun had no intention of submitting to Daming, nor did he intend to rebel. Dong Yanyun didn't understand why this group of people wanted to fight against the "Eighteen Zhi" who had no interest in them thousands of miles away.Let's just stick to it, and do it so sneakily, it seems that they don't want the "Eighteen Zhi" to know their existence too early.Dong Yanyun originally thought that the strategy of borrowing troops would be appreciated by the Haihan people, because it just fulfilled their desire to intervene in the Fujian battle, but unexpectedly, Yan Chujie did not agree to his proposal after deliberating for a long time, which made Dong Yanyun a little bit Little frustration.

But then Yan Chujie gave him a suggestion that sounded good: "The people you sent to Shengli Port this time are basically craftsmen who repair guns and artillery, but in fact, we think that what you need to learn more is to use firearms." We should select some grassroots officers with better qualities and send them here to receive our professional training. Although our weapon manufacturing technology will not be easily taught to the outside world, our combat skills can still be properly taught to close cooperation Partner... Boss Dong, do you know how many military students from North Vietnam have come this time?"

"I don't know, but General Yan please enlighten me!" Dong Yanyun replied very respectfully.

"20 people, all of them are young officers." Yan Chujie said proudly: "These officers will become the main force of the army after they return from our studies here, leading the army to attack the South Vietnamese rebels. And the army of An Nanguo, It is also expected to enter the age of firearms from now on. Although their weapon replacement is several decades behind that of Ming Dynasty, as long as they learn the tactics we teach, their combat effectiveness will soon catch up with Ming Dynasty."

"So that's how it is. Write a letter to tell the Patriarch as soon as possible after you go back next time, and select capable people to join the military academy in Shengli Harbor." Dong Yanyun understood that Yan Chujie's enrollment was only one aspect, and he mainly wanted to use this to further strengthen the relationship between the two parties. relation.Although the size of the troops directly under Xu Xinsu's command was not comparable to that of North Vietnam, ten or eight loyal and available talents must be selected.As for the admission fee and other questions, Dong Yanyun didn't intend to ask at all. Anyway, any old man can pay and will definitely pay, so it would seem petty to ask.

There are few customers, and the business is negotiated quickly. The recommendation meeting of the military industry department did not even take half of Ningqi's time, and it has come to an end. It matters a lot.And this situation of relying on capital will probably have to be maintained for a period of time, until the relevant departments feel that it is necessary to start replacing the next-generation weapons.

The military industry department has never stopped developing new weapons for a day. The reason for slowing down the update of weapons is that on the one hand, there are still many areas that need to be further improved and improved in the production process of weapons. The military hopes to get stable performance. , Products with relatively guaranteed quality rather than trial products that have been taken out of the laboratory in a hurry.On the other hand, the reason is more complicated. In addition to the large gap in the group's own weapons installation demand, the commercial department hopes to use the previous generation of products in exchange for as much sales revenue as possible. When the market purchasing power drops to After a certain level, upgrade the weapons, and then start selling the weapons replaced by the militia, in this way to maximize the profit of the arms trade-the generational sales strategy of the arms trade was designed, which is also exactly the For this purpose.

Given that North Vietnam currently has less than [-] firearms and orders for dozens of artillery pieces, both the military and commercial departments believe that there is still great potential to be tapped. .As for the sales volume in Fujian, it is estimated that it will be slightly smaller. After all, Xu Xinsu is only a military leader now. Even if his team is overstaffed, there is a limit, but there is still a lot of room for manipulation.Therefore, the relevant departments are not particularly anxious about the sale of arms. After all, there is no other place to buy this thing for the time being. Xu Xinsu probably is not willing to spend the same amount of money to buy inferior goods supervised by the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty. He can only wait patiently for the sea. Han shipped it here.

Several representatives walked out of the place where they were discussing matters, and Dong Yanyun lost his voice: "Then... what is that!"

Everyone turned their heads to look, and they all had different expressions. The North Vietnamese mission was similar to Dong Yanyun, with the look of seeing a ghost.However, Li Nai, the representative of "Furuifeng", was not surprised, and still waved the folding fan leisurely in his hand and said: "Everyone knows, this is a steam engine invented by the Haihan people! This thing uses clean coal to boil water. , water vapor pushes the connecting rod, the force is incomparable, and it can carry ten thousand catties. The white smoke that passes quickly is the water vapor after boiling!"

"Strength chicken? Coal? Boil water?" Although Dong Yanyun was well-informed, Monk Zhang Er was also confused after hearing Li Nai's explanation.As for the North Vietnamese mission, let alone the two uncles and nephews of Zheng Zuo and Zheng Ting, they didn't understand why.

Li Nai saw that these people were still in a state of confusion, and suddenly felt a sense of superiority in his intelligence, he cupped his hands to Yan Chujie and said, "I wonder if Mr. Yan can arrange for me to take a test ride on a steam locomotive?"

Yan Chujie smiled and said, "Of course there is no problem. If my guess is correct, the car should be carrying the Guangdong business group that came to Shengli Port for inspection this time."

Yan Chujie's guess was indeed correct. The shareholders of "Qiong Lianfa" were sitting in the carriages pulled by the steam locomotive, enjoying the thrill of speeding.Although the speed of the car was actually not fast, some people still held on to the window frame tremblingly, as if they were worried about being thrown out by the rumbling monster.Others showed excitement on their faces, stretching their heads out from the left for a while, and then looking from the right for a while, as if they wanted to repeatedly confirm that this big guy was not being led forward by a galloping horse or something else.

The only thing that makes everyone feel a little uncomfortable is that this so-called carriage has multiple windows, and none of them have been installed, so the soot mixed with water vapor directly fills the entire carriage, making the wealthy businessmen who are used to living a comfortable life feel uncomfortable. They are very embarrassed.However, in this novel environment, no one particularly cared about the choking soot.

The reason why this group of people appeared on the train was because one of the investment projects this time was an "intercity rail transit system".This is a new gadget that the shareholders here have never been exposed to, and the only shareholder who knows about it, Li Nai, the third young master of "Furuifeng", went to another promotion meeting, so everyone is very concerned about it. This has no concept.So in order to let the shareholders have a quick and intuitive understanding, Tao Donglai asked them to arrange for them to take the Shengligang-Tiandu line that has just opened to traffic for a few days.

"This thing is much smoother and faster than a sedan chair and carriage. It's really a magic weapon!" Zhan Gui, a sea merchant, took the lead and praised loudly.

"I just don't know the principle of this thing. It seems that the front of this car is made of fine iron. It must have several thousand catties. It can move so fast. Looking at the secret skills of Haihan craftsmen, I am still far behind!" Wang Qin, the representative of Huizhou Haifeng, couldn't help but sigh.

Merchant is a very practical creature, they quickly put away the novelty and began to consider the practical use of this thing.Needless to say the speed, although this car is not slower than a galloping horse, it is not too slow. It is much faster than ordinary carriages, ox carts, carts, sedan chairs and other means of transportation.And its biggest feature is its load capacity. According to the explanation of the Haihan people, this car can pull a carriage five times its own weight.This kind of load capacity is simply a treasure for transportation lines with large freight volumes. The goods that can be pulled by one car can be used as dozens of animal-drawn carts.

However, this kind of car also has some disadvantages, such as the need to burn a large amount of coal, the need to add water regularly, and the need to continuously add coal to boil water during the journey, and must move forward according to the track that has been laid, and the manufacture and laying of this track seems to be Neither is easy.In addition, the entire front of the key parts needs to be made of refined iron. In other words, although this kind of car looks good, its construction and operation costs are much higher than traditional tools. It is convenient but not seen. It's a good deal.

The plan given by Haihanfang is to build more civilian tracks in the future, to recover costs by charging ride and freight fees, and gradually realize profitability.Considering the construction period and initial investment of this project, as well as the population size and income status of the local people, the shareholders doubted whether the profit promised by Haihanfang was likely to be realized.If the charging standard is set high, there must be fewer people taking the car. If it is set low, then the time to recover the construction cost will become indefinitely.

While everyone raves about the performance of the car, financing it is another matter.In Shangyanshang, although things are good things, shareholders are not willing to invest money in such a project with an uncertain future.

The car sat halfway on the track, and then stopped and turned back to Shenglibao station. The executive committee did not intend to let these shareholders visit the production units in Tiandu Industrial Zone.After arriving at the station, there was hot water prepared by the staff, so that these wealthy businessmen who had been covered in soot with disfigured faces could wash themselves off first.

While they were still queuing up here to wash their faces, Yan Chujie arrived at the station with a few excited clients. Zheng's uncle and nephew were all from the military, and they were bold, so they went straight to the locomotive to observe carefully.

Their thoughts are much more than these businessmen - if this thing can be introduced to Annan, the time required to transfer troops from Shenglong Mansion to the front line by land will be shortened by at least several times!The only problem is that the route of the "Striving for Qi Chicken" seems to need to be specially paved. However, Annan, especially the Red River Delta in the north, is famous for its rich water system. I want to build this kind of stone as a base, and then lay it on top of it. Laying a road with railroad tracks with sleepers is not so easy.

"You two, you can't tell if you're famous just by looking at it, so let's go up and sit." Li Nai smiled and helped the Haihan people push the two uncles and nephews into the water.

So about 10 minutes later, the rumbling train brought back a group of people who were also smoked into black faces.Li Nai shook his fan and smiled lightly on the platform, deeply proud of his wit - he had already been on a small train pulling ore in the Tiandu Iron Mine last year, and his soot ash was even worse than these few people at that time More embarrassing.

(End of this chapter)