1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 345 Arrival in Hoi An
Zhan Gui didn't expect Yan Chujie to tell the truth so bluntly, he was dumbfounded for a moment and didn't know how to deal with it.Although he is a maritime merchant who specializes in smuggling, and his courage and adventurous spirit are much stronger than most people in this era, but he still has some psychological resistance to participate in military operations such as marching and fighting.

In this era of smuggling business, even if it is found by the authorities, it is not a big deal. It is nothing more than paying more money to settle it. Even if the matter is too big, at most it is just confiscating property, and it will not hurt your own life. .However, marching and fighting is not a joke. If you are not careful, you will have to risk your life. Although Zhan Gui is a representative of the "Haihan faction", his ideological consciousness is far from lofty enough to be willing to sacrifice for the executive committee The point of life.

But Zhan Gui really didn't have the confidence to refuse the requests made by the big figures in front of him.It was only after entering the shareholders meeting of "Qiong Lianfa" that Zhan Gui really realized how big the plans of the Haihan executive committee were. Kick out the news of the shareholders meeting.

Zhan Gui thought for a while, and said tremblingly, "Then what should we do if we go to Hoi An Port and the members of the militia are found out?"

"You can rest assured that the people we plan to send this time are basically Annan immigrants, and there is no difference in words and deeds from the locals." Yan Chujie immediately assured him: "And they will protect you Your personal safety, let you come back safely."

This blocked the last excuse that Zhan Gui could think of. As for any means of pretending to be sick, he dared not use it—the Haihan people are extremely skilled in medicine, and he dared not take the risk of being exposed. This kind of lie.

"Then I don't know when to leave?" Seeing that he couldn't shirk, Zhan Gui gritted his teeth and agreed readily.

"Three days later. At that time, the Ministry of Commerce will issue you a separate batch of goods. This time, because of the special situation, you don't need to pay for the goods first. We will wait until you come back from Annan." Schneider's answer finally gave Zhan Gui a little bit Thankfully, at any rate, this trip will not be in vain.

During these three days, the relevant departments were not idle, organized a group of Annan militiamen and sailors, temporarily took over Zhan Gui's merchant ship, and sailed in and out of Shengli Port many times to familiarize themselves with the ship's performance as soon as possible.Fortunately, Zhan Gui's 300 material Cantonese-style merchant ship had only undergone hull maintenance last month, and there was nothing serious about it, but the speed was a bit slow, which made the sailors seconded from the navy a little uncomfortable.

"Boss Zhan, the people who are going to carry out the mission with you this time are all elites selected from our militia. Don't worry. In addition, we will take care of your family for you. Go boldly and don't worry about the future! "On the morning of his departure, Tao Donglai personally came to the pier to see off Zhan Gui who was about to leave.

Zhan Gui forced a smile on his face and said: "Mr. Tao is very polite, it is my honor to serve for the executive committee!"

"When you get there, do business when you need to, and go to visit relatives and friends when you need to. You don't need to participate in other things, so don't put too much pressure on them." Tao Donglai raised his hand to check the time, nodded and said: "Get on board and set off, I wish you a smooth journey!"

This Cantonese-style sailboat slowly sailed out of Victory Harbor and headed west along the coastline.Its destination is not going directly to the South Vietnam area, but to go to Yong'an Port behind the Hengshan River Defense Line first, and join Qian Tiandun who has recently arrived here.

Temporarily serving as the operational command on board is Gao Qiaonan, the naturalized trainee platoon leader who returned to Annan after finishing his advanced training ahead of schedule.He returned to Shengli Port with Qian Tiandun on the anniversary, and after receiving the Military Commission's military merit award, he stayed in Shengli Port to enter the officer training class and receive tactical training.During this period, he also went to Guangzhou with Tom Wang and participated in two battles at Lijiazhuang and Dangan Island.However, due to the relatively large gap in strength between these two battles, Gao Qiaonan hardly found any chance to make meritorious service.

According to the arrangement of the Shengli Port Military Academy, Gao Qiaonan’s refresher courses would have to last until July, but because of the expansion of the militia in Heitu Port, they asked the base camp in advance, hoping that Gao Qiaonan and several naturalized militia officers could Return to Heitu Port to lead troops to alleviate the shortage of grassroots officers in the local militia.So Takahashi Nan and others ended their advanced studies ahead of schedule, and boarded the sailing boat for special missions to Annan.

On June 27, Zhan Gui and his party arrived at Yong'an Port in North Vietnam.This place was originally just a rear base selected by the vanguard before the expedition in January. The combatants who came across the sea first arrived here for a rest before setting off for the battlefield in the south.At the end of the battle in early February, this place was just a temporary wharf with three trestles and a simple hut. However, in the military negotiations after the war, Thang Long Mansion, which could not pay the military expenses to Haihan, chose to use the Yongan Port area. The long-term concession was handed over to Haihan Fang for management to repay part of the debt.

So since then, the repair and expansion of Yong'an Port has not stopped.Although this area is not the key development area planned by the Executive Committee, more than 1000 Annan immigrants have been introduced in the area in the first half of the year, and port facilities, storage buildings and residential areas have been continuously expanded.Up to now, Yong'an Port has more than [-] permanent residents, most of whom are Annan people who have just become naturalized.

In addition to shipping, the economy here mainly relies on agricultural development.The rubber tree saplings transported from Shengli Harbor began to be planted one after another in several mountainous areas near the harbor. At present, the planting area has probably exceeded [-] mu, while the Ministry of Agriculture's planning area is no less than [-] mu. The fish industry has also become the main source of meat for the residents here.

It is worth mentioning that the fishing boats driven by the fishermen here all come from the newly established Heitu Port Shipyard this year.Although it has not been possible to build a large sailing ship with high technical content like the "Explorer Class", there is no technical problem in building some fishing boats and merchant ships with a displacement of less than [-] tons.As of June, the Heitu Port Shipyard has completed the construction and delivery of many small civilian ships, and its work efficiency has even been notified and commended by the Executive Committee.

Zhan Gui and his party waited for two days in Yong'an Port before Qian Tiandun arrived by boat.Because of coordinating the specific details of the July operation with the North Vietnamese military, Qian Tiandun had to stay in Tushan Peninsula for two more days.Qian Tiandun was 100% supportive of the base camp's initiative to continue the sabotage campaign in the rear of South Vietnam, and he knew very well that his special operations team would definitely be transferred again at that time to fight as a front-line force.And although he himself is the supreme commander of the Military Commission in the Annan area, most of the operations are led by the front line, and it is unlikely that he will stay in the North Vietnamese area to coordinate tactical arrangements with the North Vietnamese officers, so he must act well in advance. Detailed communication, so as not to miss major events due to insufficient information.

Zhan Gui had the honor to meet Qian Tiandun at a certain social reception at the Anniversary of Victory Port, and learned from Yan Chujie that the commander of this operation was this high-ranking member of the Haihan military—although he was not very clear about it. There is a big gap between the "captain", "lieutenant" and "second lieutenant" of the Haihan people, but the title of "the supreme commander of the Haihan militia stationed in the Annan area" is easy to understand.So when he learned that the ship from the north had arrived at the port, Zhan Gui hurried out of his residence and rushed to the pier to meet him.

"Boss Zhan, long time no see, how have you been?" Qian Tiandun recognized Zhan Gui immediately, and greeted him with a smile.

"It's okay, thanks to Captain Qian." Zhan Gui replied very humbly.He was very clear about his own safety in the next few days, but it was all in the hands of Captain Qian in front of him.

Qian Tiandun turned to the side and patted Gao Qiaonan on the shoulder: "After this vote is done, you, the trainee platoon leader, can become a regular."

"Thank you, sir, for cultivating!" Takahashi Nan puffed up his chest, and answered with a straight voice.

On July [-]st, merchant ships loaded with various cargoes departed from Yong'an Port and sailed towards South Vietnam.The main attack target of the combat plan formulated by the Military Commission was Hoi An Port, so the sailboat did not dock on the way, but went all the way south, passing through Dong Hoi, Guang Zhi, Hue and other places, and arrived at Da Nang in the evening of the next day location.This place is actually not far from Hoi An, and if you sail overnight, you can arrive there in the middle of the night, but Zhan Gui persuaded Qian Tiandun to stop and rest for the night, and then set off for Hoi An at dawn tomorrow.

Da Nang is backed by mountains, and the Son Tra Peninsula in the northeast serves as a harbor barrier. The horseshoe-shaped harbor has dangerous terrain, deep water and wide harbor, making it a good natural harbor.Later generations were also used by Vietnam as one of the main naval bases, which can dock 35-ton warships.About [-] kilometers southeast by land, is the destination of this trip, Hoi An.

The merchant ship that arrived in the dark did not attract too many people's attention, and the crew members who deliberately concealed their whereabouts did not even disembark the ship after landing, and set off when the sky was just dawning.Half a day later, the merchant ship arrived at Hoi An Port smoothly.

Hoi An Port is located along the estuary of the Thu Bon River. It used to be a territory of the Champa Kingdom and was called "Da Zhanhaikou" in ancient times.However, in recent years, Champa has gradually declined, and most of the land has been taken up by Annan in the north, and Hoi An is one of them.Although Annan is now divided into two parts, the North and the South, the Nguyen regime in the south is still crushing Champa and cannot stand up.

Before Qian Tiandun came here, he had learned about the situation in Hoi An through various channels, and he also knew that this was the marked Chinatown, where a large number of Chinese engaged in commercial activities settled here, but when he really saw all kinds of things inside and outside Hoi An, When I was in a Chinese-style building, I was still shocked by the strong Chinese atmosphere here.If it is not clear that this is Hoi An, many people may think that they have arrived in a Linhai county in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian.

On the riverside wharf, Qian Tiandun was not surprised to see two western-style sailboats docked on the shore. It is certain that the penetration of Western forces here was far earlier than that of the Crossing Group.

Not long after the ship landed, a local firm came to discuss a deal with Zhan Gui.Seeing this, Qian Tiandun said: "Boss Zhan, you are busy with your business, I will take someone ashore for a walk."

Zhan Gui warned: "The locals are proficient in Chinese, Brother Qian must be careful, don't let your word out and reveal your identity!"

Qian Tiandun smiled and said: "I understand this, don't worry." After finishing speaking, he asked Gao Qiaonan to recruit a squad of militiamen, and went ashore to wander around the city.

Zhan Gui's worries were not groundless. After the battle in January, the South Vietnamese side quickly learned that the biggest reason for the defeat was that the northern rebels had invited a mysterious mercenary army called the "Hai Han Militia" Fight across the sea.South Vietnam found out through various news channels that this mysterious army came from Qiongzhou Island of the Ming Dynasty, but it was not an officer and soldier of the Ming Dynasty but a militia group. This news caused an uproar in the Ruan court.

South Vietnam's own water power is too weak, and naturally it is impossible to organize a large-scale army to fight across the sea to recover this face, so they turned to the Portuguese who had trained troops and provided weapons for them, hoping that the Portuguese could send a fleet Attack the home of the Haihan militia and avenge the defeat on the Annan battlefield.On the other hand, South Vietnam also began to track down merchants from Ming Dynasty in the name of preventing spies from mixing in its ruled area, hoping to take some commercial revenge on the Haihan people who were said to be good at sea trade.

But soon the South Vietnamese court discovered that these two roads were dead ends.First of all, the Portuguese rejected their request for help, because judging from the various sources of information they obtained, this force calling themselves "Haihan people" is not a small-scale rural armed force, but has guns and cannons. , a monster with money and power - in that battle in January, the Haihan people have fully proved this point.

Although the Portuguese could indeed organize [-] or [-] armed merchant ships in East Asia, the fighting in the Annan area is completely different from the attack on the land of Ming Dynasty. It will offend the Ming court, and it is very likely that it will lose the Haojingao Concession, which was obtained so hard. Even if it wins the Haihan people, it will not be worth the candle.Of course, what the Portuguese said about Nguyen in South Vietnam was not so direct, and they responded more officially with excuses such as the need for further research and coordination.

When this matter dragged on until March, new news came from Macau, which was the result of the meeting with the leader of Haihan.What surprised the Portuguese was that the Haihan people were not as arrogant as the Ming people, and their style was very practical—from another point of view, they could also be called snobbish.The two sides did not reach a consensus on the conflict of positions on the Annan battlefield, but the attitude shown by the Haihan people has shown that they will not have any intention of making concessions on this battlefield.While expressing a tough attitude, the Haihan people also expressed their willingness to establish business relations with Portuguese businessmen and exchange what they need at a fair and reasonable price.At this time, the popularity of Haihan products in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions is no longer news. The Portuguese also know that this new force has a strong ability in the production of industrial products, and the other party also knows very well that the Portuguese The advantages in maritime trade between the East and the West, so the possibility of business cooperation between the two parties exists objectively.

This matter-of-fact attitude is completely different from that of Ming Dynasty. If the Portuguese want to trade with Ming Dynasty, they first have to recognize the status of Ming dynasty as a kingdom. The idiot who went to war with Ming Dynasty was completely banned from trading rights by the Ming court afterwards, and could only rely on a few smugglers to buy goods produced by Ming Dynasty.But the Haihan people don’t seem to have as many rules as the Ming court. They just finished the war a few months ago, and now they can sit down and talk about how to make money together. This kind of pragmatic spirit has even gained a lot from the Portuguese in Macau. Good impression.

Of course, the Portuguese on Annan's side are not so easy to coax. The big defeat in January caused many people to lose their pants completely.After finally spending money and raising funds to help the South Vietnamese court train a musketeer army with a scale of [-] people, they hoped that they could push down the northern army in one go and unify Annan, and then get more rewards from the Ruan court. Unexpectedly, the Haihan people Appearance makes this dream quickly shattered.This musketeer unit lost nearly half of its people on the battlefield. This is still a trivial matter. More importantly, the confidence established by the South Vietnamese military before this was completely destroyed by the appearance of the Haihan militia. This is the Portuguese The most intolerable thing.

The Portuguese in Macau were not harmed by actual interests, and could watch on without any pain, but the Portuguese in South Vietnam were in deep pain, and it was not so easy to get them to give up their hostility with Haihan.

However, the low-priced industrial products of Haihan began to appear in the market of Hoi An more and more, but it was something that the Portuguese could not stop at all.At first, they also asked Ruan to issue a law prohibiting the sale of Haihan products, but soon found that the loopholes in this regulation were too large and it was difficult to implement—except for a very small number of Haihan products, these merchants from Ming Dynasty sold In fact, there is no indication on the goods produced by Haihan.

For example, high-quality and low-priced refined salt, although everyone can guess that the salt came from the Haihan Salt Field on Qiongzhou Island, but the sea merchants who shipped the salt insisted that it was produced in the Daming Salt Field, and no one could prove it.And I dare not ban this thing casually, because the salt shortage situation in South Vietnam is not much better than that in North Vietnam - a large number of young and strong people have been conscripted into the army, and most of the salt farms are in a state of abandonment. If there are no these imported from overseas If the price of salt is low, I am afraid that the common people will rebel because they cannot eat salt until the day when the north is unified.

And exquisite things like glass mirrors and glass stationery also sell very well in South Vietnam.Since An Nanguo has imitated the system and lifestyle of the Central Plains Dynasty for hundreds of years, the dignitaries heard that this was a popular utensil in the Ming Dynasty, and they almost bought it without hesitation, and they didn't care where these things were. Produced.

(End of this chapter)