1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3211
Simao first joined the Haihan Army's military operations as a military observer, exactly one year before the Battle of Hirado.

That year, the Portuguese fleet sent troops together with the Haihan Army to attack the Port of Manila, which was still under the control of the Spanish at that time.Not long after the war ended, North Korea was attacked by the Qing army going south, and immediately asked Haihan for help.

So the United Fleet, which had just finished resting in Manila, went north to the Korean Peninsula and participated in the Korean War that summer.

During the battle with the Qing army, Haihan discovered that the Qing army had begun to install standard firearms of unknown origin, so he followed the vines all the way to find the manufacturer, which was located in the Hirado Domain in the westernmost part of Japan.

The grievances between Haihan and the Hirado Fan have a long history. The Hirado Fan not only sheltered Zheng Zhilong's descendants, but also collaborated with the Spaniards to manufacture firearms for the Manchu and other forces.

So after solving the troubles on the Korean Peninsula, Haihan sent troops to attack Hirado in the second year.Although almost 20 years have passed, Simao still has vivid memories of the situation at that time.

At that time, Haihan dispatched a large number of naval forces with the Northern Fleet and the East China Sea Fleet as the main force to completely block Hirado Island. Simao witnessed the Haihan army attacking Hirado Port in the Hirado Strait and razed Hirado Castle to the ground. the whole process.

So he can also understand why the Japanese are dissatisfied with Haihan's public mention of the Battle of Hirado.

After all, the Hirado clan is also nominally a territory of the Tokugawa shogunate. It is really a big humiliation for Haihan to knock on the door and ransack the house in such an unreasonable way.

Of course, what is even more tragic is that not only did the shogunate fail to recover this place, but was forced to sign the so-called "Hai-Japan Trade Treaty" by a fleet led by Wang Tom a few years later into Edo Bay. Many ports were opened, Haihan merchants were allowed to enter Japan to engage in trade activities, and Sasebo Bay was leased to Haihan for a long time at an extremely low price.

The fall of the Hirado Domain can be said to be the trigger for Japan to be forced to open the country. The envoys of the shogunate felt humiliated by this period of history, but it is understandable.But if they show this kind of dissatisfaction in front of the Haihan people, they will bring shame on themselves.

"These Japanese... It seems that they haven't learned the lesson of the past!" Thomas shook his head and said, "They may not realize that Haihan is stronger today than he was 20 years ago!"

Simao said: "I hope they can be more rampant, it is best to offend Haihan thoroughly, and then go through the process 20 years ago again."

Thomas responded knowingly: "You mean to ask Haihan to send troops to beat them again?"

Simao nodded and said: "Although Japan's strength is not very good, at least it can hold Hai Han back for a while."

If Haihan uses troops in the direction of the East China Sea, then the other directions will inevitably stop a little bit, and it may buy a little more time for Malacca.But with Japan's strength, how long can Haihan be held back even if war starts?

There are only a few diplomats like them who are depressed because of the international situation. For most countries in the East, it is not bad to keep their own peace during this period, and they are not qualified to participate in international politics, let alone other countries. exert influence.

About an hour after Portugal entered the venue, diplomatic envoys from other countries also arrived at the arms exhibition.

But fortunately, they don't need to wait in line for a long time like the Portuguese to enter. The official has temporarily opened the diplomatic channel and arranged for them to enter directly.

It is worth mentioning that the official originally considered missing the peak period of the first day of flow of people, and then invited envoys from various countries to visit, so there was no preparation for setting up a diplomatic channel at the beginning.It wasn't until the Portuguese came uninvited that the officials realized that these foreign envoys might not have the patience to wait for invitations, so the diplomatic channel was temporarily opened.

It's just that the Portuguese who came to line up early in the morning did not enjoy such special treatment.

After the Annan mission entered the venue, they went straight to a Majestic-class warship by the river—the object of the Japanese's strong dissatisfaction just now.

Although most of them have visited this kind of warship more than once, the "VIA" belonging to the East China Sea Fleet docked on the Qiantang River today is of great significance to Annan.

According to the results of yesterday's negotiations with Haihan's high-level officials, Haihan plans to resell the warship of the East China Sea Fleet to Annan. Maritime Armed Forces.

Annan has coveted the majestic-class warship that has long been the main flagship of the Haihan Navy, but Haihan has always refused to open the sale of this type of warship. Even if he has money, Annan has no place to buy it.

Although the Via of the East China Sea Fleet has been in service for a long time, not everyone is eligible to buy it. Only a few allies who attended the meeting yesterday got this opportunity, and they must compete for the only one through bidding Majestic class.

Among them, Annan has the strongest financial resources and the most urgent need for maritime armed forces, so he quickly defeated other competitors in the bidding and won this warship.

This was originally a warm-up for the arms sales activity, allowing major buyers to enter the state as soon as possible.And the actual situation is just as expected by Haihan, countries have shown a very high buying enthusiasm since the warm-up session.

Although the final purchase price is not low, it is definitely much cheaper than ordering a new boat.What's more, this ship is ready-made. You just need to pack it up and do some maintenance at the Zhoushan Shipyard, and then you can directly return to China for service. You don't have to wait for a long construction period like a new ship.

Today, when the Annan delegation came here to watch the exhibition, they also came to inspect the goods.Although Annan still plans to buy a lot of things in this year's military purchase, this battleship is definitely the most valuable item, and it must be carefully inspected inside and out.

The mission stood in front of the exhibition board with great interest and listened to the introduction of the military history of this meritorious warship by the Haihan officer.

Annan's special envoy Zheng Ting saw the gloomy Portuguese next to him, and he couldn't help showing off to them proudly: "You two also think this warship is very good, right? It will go to the South China Sea next."

Thomas asked in confusion: "This is a ship of the East China Sea Fleet, why is it going to the South China Sea?"

Zheng Ting said with a smile: "Because our country has already bought this warship, it will soon become a member of the Annan Navy!"

Thomas and Simao looked at each other, and they both saw shock in each other's eyes.

Haihan disposed of this old battleship to Annan, which may mean that Haihan will gradually release the arms sales of majestic-class warships.And once this type of main battleship starts to appear in the navies of other countries, the balance of maritime power in the entire East will inevitably face readjustment, which may not be a good thing for Portugal.

Like Annan, who completely imitated Haihan's army building model. He has been purchasing warships and weapons from Haihan for many years. The navy is not weak. No. [-] Haihan Navy.Even the maritime powers such as Portugal and the Netherlands will have to be afraid of them.

(End of this chapter)