1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3636

Dong Shangyi's volunteering was exactly what Xu Yuzhuo wanted. Although Fujian had a good relationship with the two regions of Luzon and Sing Tao, the matter involved the long-term planning of the Xu family, so they still had to communicate well with the two regions, and it would be best if they could reach a long-term cooperation agreement that both parties could agree on.

Although Dong Shangyi was not a member of the Xu family, he was qualified enough to represent the Xu family. Even if the talks did not go smoothly and the two regions could not reach an agreement, there was still room for maneuver. If necessary, Xu Yuzhuo could come forward to negotiate in person.

However, Xu Yuzhuo did not forget to remind Dong Shangyi not to forget that there is another great god west of the Strait of Malacca who cannot be ignored.

Dong Shangyi understood and said, "We must pay a visit to the Special Warfare Division. I heard that the Xingdao District has reduced its investment west of the Strait of Malacca. Now it is relying on the Special Warfare Division to hold the situation alone. I believe General Qian also needs help from the country."

In Hai Han's military system, the Special Warfare Division was undoubtedly the strongest in the league, but Dong Shangyi had also been a general in the army, so he was well aware of the shortcomings of this expeditionary force. Without stable and sufficient logistical support, even the strongest troops would find it difficult to simply rely on fighting to support fighting and carry out long-term military operations overseas.

Phuket and Ceylon, where the special operations division is currently stationed, are extremely far away from the Hai Han mainland. In history, it seems that only the eunuch Zheng He more than 200 years ago had visited these places.

However, Zheng He's mission at the time was only to patrol and explore these areas, while the special operations division had to be stationed there for a long time and take on the responsibility of developing the local area. The logistical resources required were naturally incomparable.

Even though the special operations division now has the support of the Sing Tao region, replenishing personnel and supplies is by no means easy.

According to what Dong Shangyi knows, the only conditions that Xingdao can currently provide to the Special Operations Division’s base are basic living supplies and a small number of immigrants. As for key resources such as military equipment, troops, and maritime transport capacity, Xingdao, which is busy developing the New World in the south, is unable to take care of itself and cannot give more care to the Special Operations Division.

Fujian, which has been engaged in maritime trade for a long time, happens to have certain conditions in this regard. Dong Shangyi is sure that he can provide a lot of resources that will attract Qian Tiandun in exchange for Fujian's special rights and interests in the local area.

However, this level of cooperation requires too many conditions, and his personal ideas alone are far from enough. It can only be achieved through concerted efforts from all walks of life in Fujian.

Xu Jiaqi then asked, "If the Special Operations Division needs us to provide manpower, can we directly transfer personnel from the army?"

Xu Yuzhuo pondered and said, "It's not appropriate to directly transfer personnel. General Qian is not a person who can tolerate any sand in his eyes. If the special warfare division wants to recruit soldiers from Fujian, we will provide convenience. Don't let him think that we have any bad intentions!"

Xu Jiaqi's thoughts were seen through, so he chuckled twice and quickly agreed.

If the two sides cooperate, it is highly likely that the Special Operations Division will recruit soldiers from Fujian in the future. If personnel are transferred from the Fujian Army to join the Special Operations Division, it can certainly help the Xu family quickly establish a foundation in the local area. However, this little trick cannot be hidden from veteran Qian Tiandun. If the other party misunderstands it, it will affect the relationship between the two sides, which is really not worth the loss.

Xu Yuxing said: "The arrangements for Shangyi's visit need to be kept secret for the time being, so as to prevent the other side from smelling it and chasing after us!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuzhuo nodded in agreement and said, "Third brother is absolutely right. Everyone listen carefully. This matter can only be made public after Shangyi's visit has produced results." The "other side" that Xu Yuxing mentioned is naturally Taiwan on the other side of the strait.

For a long time, Taiwan has played the role of supervising and restricting Fujian from a close distance. Even when Fujian sent troops to Luzon to assist in the war in July, Taiwan also followed suit and sent a fleet led by Li Zhencheng to Luzon to assist in the war.

It is hard to say whether Taiwan's Li Dou would interfere if they learned about this overseas development plan, but he would definitely follow closely behind the Xu family and continue to compete with Fujian.

Xu Yuzhuo didn't want a stumbling block to appear before he could accomplish his mission. However, he also knew that there were spies on the other side of the strait in Fujian, and this matter could not be concealed for too long, so after today's meeting, Dong Shangyi had to leave as soon as possible.

The ideal situation for Fujian would be to reach an agreement on cooperation with these two regions before Taiwan reacts.

However, Xu Yuzhuo and others probably underestimated Li Dou's ability and information channels. The Executive Committee's move to loosen up Fujian was not a secret, and the relevant resolutions were also notified to various regions including Taiwan via telegrams.

The large-scale recruitment organized by the Fujian government in August made its ambitions even more obvious. Anyone who has been paying attention to Fujian for a long time would easily think that this is a move to vigorously develop maritime trade-related industries.

Although Li Dou could not immediately know Xu Yuzhuo's specific plan, he was able to deduce several directions in which Fujian might take action next. This was not a difficult problem for senior officials who understood Hai Han's national conditions.

However, he could not have expected that Xu Yuzhuo's ambition was far more than just sending troops to help Luzon fight, but to establish cooperation with the two major regions of Luzon and Xingdao on a higher level, so that the Xu family could break free from long-term constraints and develop new forces in those unrestricted areas overseas.

Before Li Dou responded to Fujian's movements, Dong Shangyi rushed to Manila, Luzon Island, to meet with Governor Qiu Yuan and Armed Forces Commander Xiao Liang.

When he arrived in Manila, the Luzon authorities were celebrating the victory over the Spaniards. The streets were filled with people and soldiers celebrating the victory, and the entire city of Manila was filled with a festive scene.

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After Dong Shangyi inquired, he learned that a victory parade had been held in Manila the day before his arrival. Many combat troops returning from the front line participated in the parade and then received a short vacation, allowing these soldiers who had fought in the south for several months to have time to enjoy the prosperity and peace of Manila.

However, Xu Kaiyuan, who participated in this military operation on behalf of Fujian, did not return to Manila and is said to be still temporarily stationed on the southern island of Sulawesi.

However, Li Zhencheng, who came to help in the war on behalf of Taiwan, has led his troops back to Manila, participated in yesterday's military parade, and received commendation from the Luzon Combat Command.

After hearing the news, Dong Shangyi quickly asked someone to buy a local official newspaper to check the recent war reports.

What made Dong Shangyi feel a little relieved was that the battle report on the Fujian Fleet in the newspaper was obviously longer than that on the Taiwan Fleet. It was believed that in terms of post-war commendations and rewards, Xu Kaiyuan would not be inferior to his competitors.