1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 351 After the war
As the midpoint of the voyage between the Strait of Malacca and Macau, China, the importance of the coastal ports of the Indochina Peninsula to the Portuguese is self-evident. In order to be able to establish a new colonial stronghold on the Indochina Peninsula, they have put in a lot of effort.

Who to choose as a partner on the Indochina Peninsula, the Portuguese also used their brains.The main forces on the east coast of the Indochina Peninsula are the Thang Long government in the north controlled by the Zheng family, the Hue government in the central south controlled by the Nguyen family, and the Champa Kingdom in the south.Champa has been suppressed by Annan in recent decades, and most of the land has been lost. Although the Champa is still actively participating in the war between Siam and the Malays, their strength is too weak However, the Portuguese had no interest in spending precious resources supporting such a declining dynasty.

Among the north and south of Annan, the Zheng family in the north, which occupies the precious grain-producing land of the Red River Delta, is undoubtedly stronger than the Ruan family in the south, but the only problem is that they do not have a suitable natural harbor on their territory, and they also have It is not on the traditional shipping route. On the contrary, there are several port cities in the area controlled by Nguyen in the south, and there is even a traditional trading port like Hoi An, which happens to be in the middle of the shipping route.Comparing the two sides, the Portuguese naturally chose the South Vietnamese court as their partner.

If the Portuguese want to gain more benefits in South Vietnam, they must first ensure that the South Vietnam regime will not be destroyed, so they sold a large amount of arms to South Vietnam and assisted in the training of new-style troops that use firearms—just like the crossing group in North Vietnam Do exactly the same.The Portuguese were optimistic that with their military assistance, South Vietnam would be able to wipe out the Zheng forces in the north in at most three to five years.

However, this point of view became a joke after the appearance of the Haihan people. Half a year ago, this mysterious force appeared on the Annan battlefield like a divine soldier, and with fierce artillery fire, the South Vietnamese troops that had already gained the upper hand were completely defeated. Fighting back, in more than ten days of fighting, the South Vietnamese side lost more than 2 people.And the new-style army that South Vietnam is proud of was also beaten into a mess. If it hadn't been retreated in time under the advice of the Portuguese officer, it might have been defeated by the Haihan people on the battlefield on the north bank of the river.

Although South Vietnam lost miserably in this battle, the Portuguese knew that North Vietnam was at the end of their battle and did not take down South Vietnam's strength in one go. After all, it may be difficult for South Vietnam to resist the combination of water and land attack.But fortunately, the Haihan people seemed to have no intention of fighting. After driving the South Vietnamese army back to the south of the Zhengjiang River, they did not go south to pursue them. This relieved the Ruan family and the Portuguese.Half a year passed, and there was no new war between the north and the south. A large number of Haihan goods began to appear in the South Vietnamese market. It seemed that everyone gradually forgot the threat of the Haihan people, and the Portuguese in South Vietnam gradually lost Motivation to exact revenge on the Haihan people.

However, at this time, the Haihan people who had disappeared for half a year unexpectedly came out again, and this time they directly killed the hinterland of South Vietnam, Hoi An City, the area where the Portuguese are most concentrated.It only took a little over half a day for the Haihan people to capture the defenseless Hoi An City, and then spent several days emptying the city, even tearing down the city walls when they left.

The Portuguese headed by Eduardo can actually understand what the Haihan people mean by doing this—Hoi An is the most important commercial city in South Vietnam, and destroying it is equivalent to destroying the cornucopia of South Vietnam. South Vietnam in Ancheng will hardly have enough financial resources to continue the situation of North-South confrontation.

And the purpose of the Haihan people is not limited to this. Eduardo also noticed that almost none of the local Annan businessmen and Western businessmen were spared. They were raided by the Haihan militia, but most of the Chinese businessmen avoided this catastrophe. As long as they can prove themselves With the birthplace of Ming Dynasty, almost all of them were not damaged in this disaster.The Haihan people seem to be defending the Ming people, but Eduardo understands that this is a ruthless move—the Chinese merchants are already the richest and most powerful force in Hoi An at this time, but other people are willing to look forward to it. Seeing them safe and sound?These Chinese businessmen have the same appearance and speak the same language as the foreign enemies who invaded the local area. After the war, it is almost certain that the local people will regard them as the accomplices of the Haihan people.If they want to live a more relaxed life in the future, they may have to consider leaving here as soon as possible.

After the Portuguese came to Hoi An, it was the Chinese businessmen who fought the most viciously and secretly.Compared with the Portuguese who came here after traveling halfway around the world, Chinese businessmen settled in Hoi An much earlier, almost controlling more than [-]% of the foreign trade in Hoi An.While the Portuguese wanted to compete for a larger market share, they could not offend the Chinese businessmen who could transport rare goods from Daming.But even the Portuguese who wanted to fight for the control of Hoi An did not want to completely drive the Chinese businessmen out of Hoi An, because the result of doing so would inevitably hurt the Portuguese's own interests.However, the Haihan militia did not have such scruples, and the Chinese businessmen's status in Hoi An was instantly dropped by a single trick.Although the Chinese businessmen did not lose their money, they lost the social foundation they took root here.

The chaos came faster than Eduardo expected. Less than an hour after the Haihan fleet left Hoi An Port, riots broke out in the ruined city of Hoi An.

Some local businessmen and people who suffered losses in this looting gathered together to discuss with the unscathed Chinese businessmen for an explanation.The verbal denunciation quickly got out of control and turned into a big fight.But the Haihan people may have expected such a situation long ago. Before leaving, they distributed a lot of knives, guns and sticks confiscated in the city to the local Chinese merchants, and the weapons in the city had long been confiscated by the Haihan militia, besieging the local Chinese merchants. The forces couldn't find weapons for a while, so they could only use bricks and stones in the ruins. Both sides suffered casualties in the fight.

The battle quickly expanded from one or two Chinese merchants who were attacked to the whole city. As a result, many Chinese merchant halls in the city became Chinese refuges. Thousands of Chinese merchants who settled in Hoi An had to live under such circumstances Huddle together to keep warm and resist the attacks of the local people.By the evening of the same day, the number of people killed in the fighting between different camps had risen to over a hundred. The withdrawal of the Hai Han militia did not bring peace to Hoi An, but instead triggered further serious violent conflicts.

The chaotic battle in the city continued on the second day, with more casualties than the first day. Many former business partners turned against each other during these two days, and there were even many cases where relatives broke up.The businessmen in Western countries hid outside the city more rationally. Most of them have realized that no matter who wins in the end, the Annans and Chinese in this area are already in conflict. Peaceful coexistence.And the prosperity of Hoi An City in the past is likely to be unable to be restored because of this new hatred.

In the early morning of the third day, several large Chinese chambers of commerce began to organize to break out of the city, braved the masonry attack and retreated to the river, and began to board boats to evacuate Hoi An city.As for where they can go now, there are probably only two paths, either return to Daming, or go to the territory of the Haihan people to make a living.

During the occupation of Hoi An by the Haihan militia, almost every Chinese merchant’s home was visited by Haihan military officers. In addition to persuading the Chinese merchants not to oppose the Haihan militia, they also left them with charts so that they could use them when necessary. When I left Hoi An, I went to Victory Port on Qiongzhou Island to settle down.Of course, it is best to evacuate here with the militia fleet, and you can get free escorts along the way.

But in the end, only a very small number of visionaries realized the changes in the situation in Hoi An, and chose to pack up their family property and evacuate Hoi An with the Haihan militia.Those who stayed behind with illusions experienced two days and two nights like hell. Most of them lost their family property and even their relatives in this riot, and they could not remember this hatred in the sea. On the head of the Han militia, after all, it was not Haihan who did the evil in the past two days, but the locals who were already red-eyed.

The Portuguese guildhall was not attacked by the local mob. Of course, this was not due to their superior majesty, but their property was also robbed by the Haihan people, and even the guildhall was demolished. Now There is no oily water at all.Except for the more than 2000 catties of food that the Haihan militia "mercifully" left behind when they withdrew, the Portuguese in Hoi An had nothing left. Even their boats on the pier were taken away by the Haihan people in the name of requisition.According to Eduardo's estimate, the direct economic loss of the Portuguese alone in this disaster has exceeded at least 20 taels of silver.If the entire city of Hoi An is to be included, it would be difficult for Eduardo to calculate how much the Haihan people made in this transaction.

But one thing is certain - the city of Hoi An, which has lost its huge wealth and Chinese merchants, will soon become a dead city.Not to mention that the South Vietnamese imperial court had no spare money to rebuild Hoi An City, even if it had, it would be difficult to restore the prosperity of Hoi An City in the past.

Eduardo also knew that the Macau Council was in contact with the Haihan people, but obviously this contact did not change the attitude of the Haihan people towards South Vietnam, and it may even be regarded as a sign of weakness by the Haihan people.Eduardo believes that after Hoi An was sacked this time, the various measures the Portuguese had taken locally, even including military aid to the South Vietnamese court, had become meaningless.But at the same time, he could also feel that the Haihan people didn't have the malice to kill them all. Except for the first few unlucky ghosts who wanted to die, the Haihan people didn't abuse or kill any Portuguese.

Of course, the most important thing is the direct statement of the Haihan officer. Eduardo remembers that the Portuguese-speaking officer said to himself before leaving that as long as the Portuguese stay out of the matter and stop interfering in Annan's domestic affairs, then everything is negotiable.But if he chooses to continue to support the South Vietnamese court, then Haihan cannot guarantee that he will not take certain necessary measures against the Portuguese in the future.

As for what kind of necessary means, Wang Tom did not say clearly, but Eduardo himself can guess a little bit.Since the Haihan people intend to completely cut off the South Vietnamese court's source of income, it is not enough to cut off the Chinese businessmen. They must find a way to get the Portuguese out of the game.Wang Tom's words are not only a warning, but also a reminder.Since the Haihan people have the ability to fight across the sea, the entire east coast of Annan can be regarded as their attack range, but South Vietnam can't come up with a decent sea defense force, unless the Portuguese send their own fleet to help them out. Otherwise, there will be no more sea trade port cities like Hoi An in South Vietnam in the future.

Will the Portuguese send their own fleet to deal with the Haihan people for the benefit of South Vietnam?The answer is of course no.Although Eduardo himself was robbed quite painfully in this disaster, he still believed that this was not enough reason to bring Portugal and Haihan into a state of war.Although it was known before that that the Haihan people had certain sea combat capabilities, and they successfully went deep into the upper reaches of the Zhengjiang River and the South Vietnamese coast several times in January, when Eduardo confirmed with his own eyes that the warships of the Haihan people and After the battle method, he thought it necessary to raise his side's understanding of Haihan's military strength by another level.

Although Eduardo had never seen Haihan's warships before, he was someone who had set foot on half of the world, and he could tell the combat potential of a fleet.The warships of the Haihan people are not the clumsy style of the Ming Dynasty. The appearance is simple and clear, similar to Western-style sails, but there are obvious differences in appearance. This kind of warship is not an ordinary civilian ship, or even a merchant ship. It was refitted, but it was actually a warship designed for sea combat.In other words, the Haihan people are not kidding around. This is not a private armed force of a non-governmental organization at all, but a real army!

The Portuguese had only a small military advisory group in the Annan area, which served the South Vietnamese court.But this team is resident in Hue Province in the north, and the far water cannot save the near fire-of course, even if they meet at the right time, Eduardo doesn't think they can fight the nearly [-]-strong Haihan militia on the frontal battlefield.As for the navy, there is no need to count on it. There is no Portuguese navy in the east of Manga, and there are only seven or eight armed merchant ships that regularly escort cargo ships on the Far East route of Macau-Hoi An- Manga-Goa. , and the armed merchant ships did not seem to have any advantage in dealing with the warships of the Haihan people.

Of course, the Portuguese who were able to colonize the world did not have warships in their hands, they were just a little farther away.At present, the naval force closest to Hoi An is stationed in Goa on the west coast of India-the voyage from there to Hoi An is more than 6000 nautical miles, and it takes about two months for warships to arrive. The loss of a group of merchants made his precious warship run so far to fight a naval battle with an unknown target and no certainty.

Even if the outcome is temporary, the military expenditure of sending warships to travel such a long distance is an extremely terrifying figure. The local Portuguese merchants in Hoi An were looted this time, and there was no way to raise money to send reinforcements in a short time.Taking ten thousand steps back, even if you can scrape together money to bribe the Governor of Goa to send troops, after all this, and the delays in various affairs in the middle, it will probably be half a year before the rescuers come here. By then, the Haihan people No one dares to guarantee the size of the Chinese navy's development and whether its own navy can beat them.

Eduardo is not purely a fool, he quickly made a corresponding decision.First, send envoys to Hue to report to the military advisory group, informing them of the disaster that happened in Hoi An, and then send ships from Hue to report to the strongholds of Macau and Manaca. Jia sent a boat to Goa to complete the relay—all the slightly larger boats in Hoi An Port that could go to sea were taken away by the Haihan people and Chinese businessmen. Now it is not easy to find a boat to cross the Thu Bon River, and it is difficult to report You can only go in a big circle.

The second is to organize the local Portuguese to temporarily avoid the riots in Hoi An City - after most of the Chinese businessmen withdrew, Hoi An City had completely lost social order, and people began to kill each other for the limited food and ownerless wealth in the city .Some of the stragglers who had previously escaped from Hoi An City and entered the northwest mountainous area returned to Hoi An City after the Haihan People's Regiment left. However, these people did not play a role in maintaining order. Instead, they quickly joined the riots and rushed to the front line.

When the matter developed to this point, all discerning people knew that the city of Hoi An was completely over.Even a diehard like Eduardo who once firmly supported the South Vietnamese court and persuaded other businessmen to provide military aid to South Vietnam has to change his mind and consider how to find another way out.It is not just a question of whether to choose another location to build a trade port, but also to consider whether to continue to support the South Vietnamese court and choose a path to continue working against the Haihan people.

The Hai Han people have made their attitude very clear. The conflict of interests between South Vietnam and Hai Han cannot be reconciled. The Hai Han people destroyed the first trading port like Hoi An, and the same thing will definitely happen again. Happen once again.If the South Vietnamese court did not have the ability to protect itself, then the end of building another trading port would probably be the same as here.What's more, after the news of Hoi An spread, there probably would not be any Chinese businessmen from Ming Dynasty to settle in South Vietnam.

It was not until five days after the Haihan people evacuated Hoi An that rescuers from Hue Prefecture in the north finally appeared.It's just that they came too late, and the city of Hoi An they saw was completely in ruins.This former trading port has experienced a series of violent baptisms such as bombardment, closure of the city, ransacking of the entire city, demolition of the city wall, riots, arson, robbery, etc. in the past ten days. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

(End of this chapter)