1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 590 Small Actions

Due to the long distance in Fujian, the base camp would be helpless in the event of an accident. For safety reasons, Haihan has not stationed traversers there.And the local information is only collected and summarized by the naturalized personnel, and sent back here regularly.At present, this kind of relatively backward means of information transmission is difficult to achieve the desired effect of the Ministry of Security. Therefore, in Wanshan Port, Zhennan Port and other places, it is just another matter to inquire about Fujian from businessmen who travel between Fuzhou and Guangxi. A simple and easy means of intelligence gathering.Moreover, this matter does not necessarily have to be done by people from the Ministry of Security. People like You Yihan often get some useful information from chatting with businessmen.

With Xu Xinsu's impressive achievements, he was promoted all the way to become the commander-in-chief of Fujian, while Zheng Zhilong was still just a big pirate leader. The development direction of the matter was completely different from the historical track, so Haihan could no longer deal with it according to the original history. Inferences about things that have not yet happened, and decision-making must rely more on the collection of intelligence information.

What is the focus of intelligence collection in the direction of Fujian?Of course, it was the protracted confrontation between Shibazhi and the Ming army.Out of vigilance against Shibazhi, Haihan took the initiative to provide military support to Fujian when his own strength was not strong enough at the beginning of the crossing, in order to allow it to not be invincible in the armed confrontation with Shibazhi. lose.And this kind of military assistance has indeed received very good results in the past few years. Xu Xinsu was not defeated by Zheng Zhilong as in the original history, and Zheng Zhilong also failed to defeat Xu Xinsu and accepted the recruitment to become a tyrant in Fujian. .

However, the purpose of Haihan supporting Xu Xinsu is not simply to help him get a university in Fujian, but to maintain a rivalry between the two along the coast of Fujian.In other words, Haihan doesn't want the battle between the two to end. Whether it's from a political perspective or from the perspective of arms sales, it is beneficial and harmless for Haihan to continue the fight between the two.

But if these two families stop fighting, then Haihan will pay attention to it.The Fujian side buys a large amount of arms from Haihan every year, and spends money for Haihan to train officers and technical arms for him. Now even warships have been conditionally opened to the Fujian side.But if there is no war, the effect of the truce will soon be fed back to the arms sales order, which will affect Haihan's income in the arms trade.

Of course, there is another possibility, that is, as usual, Xu Xinsu will continue to spend money to buy and buy, but this will also make Haihan feel worried-if Xu Xinsu's strength grows to a certain level, it may have a negative impact on Haihan. The mainland strategy to be implemented in the future will cause obstacles.

Different from the situation in which the Haihan army aided Annan, there was no Haihan militia garrison in the coastal areas of Fujian, and the Haihan navy had not even set foot in Fujian waters so far, so there was no influence there.In addition to providing military assistance, Haihan has no better means of controlling Fujian. This can be said to be one of the fundamental reasons why Haihan is not at ease about the situation in Fujian.

If something happened to Annan, the local garrison of the Haihan Militia would be able to block Annan's coastline in a short period of time and be able to make further responses.But if something happens in Fujian, Haihan can really only watch, and it is difficult to take effective actions in a short time.As for the news of the truce between the two warring parties in Fujian, Haihan had not received the news before that.

You Yihan's face changed because he noticed this detail, and immediately asked: "Boss Chen, what's the deal with the peace negotiation? Where did you get the news, can you tell me about it?"

Seeing You Yihan's serious question, Chen Lin quickly responded: "Speaking of which, the villain also learned the news by accident..."

Chen Lin arrived in Zhangzhou a few days ago, and when he went to the Shipping Department to handle the cargo entry procedures, he heard from others that Shibazhi had sent envoys to Zhongzuo City, Jiahe Island, off the coast of Zhangzhou, to negotiate a truce with Xu Xinsu.Although the authenticity of this news is yet to be verified, Chen Lin learned from the local area that Shibazhi had indeed not launched a raid on the coast of Fujian for nearly two months.

"The reason? Is it because Shibazhi can't fight anymore?" Of course You Yihan would not be satisfied with such a superficial description, he had to try to see if he could dig out the deeper reason.

"The reason... the villain really doesn't know." Chen Lin hastily confessed: "The villain just heard a few words from side channels, and the news may not be reliable. Don't blame Director You!"

"It's okay, just talk as much as you know. Sit down for a while, and I'll help you write up the situation statement. You can go to the Ministry of Commerce to complete the registration procedures." Although You Yihan was a little disappointed, he didn't because of it. The meaning of blaming Chen Lin, after all, the other party is not Haihan's intelligence personnel, nor is he obliged to collect such information for Haihan.

Chen Lin felt a little sorry, and while You Yihan was writing, he tried his best to recall what he had heard that day, and this thought really reminded him of something: "Director You, the villain remembered hearing a sentence at that time, but when After a few days, my memory is a bit vague, I am not sure if I heard it wrong, I don’t know if I should say it or not.”

You Yihan stopped writing and raised his head, "Say it."

Chen Lin responded: "My villain, I also heard from the person talking about this that day that the reason Shibazhi wanted to make peace was because of the red-haired people's intentions. Fujian has been fighting for several years, making it impossible for the red-haired people to buy goods from Fujian. , a little annoyed."

"So that's it." You Yihan nodded, and now things make sense.

The reason why the Dutch must establish a colonial stronghold near the Taiwan Strait is to maintain the trade route with Japan on the one hand, and to trade with Ming Dynasty on the other hand to purchase raw silk, tea, porcelain and other special products from Fujian. Ship back to Europe for profit.The successive years of fighting between Shibazhi and the Ming army in Fujian will definitely affect the local trade of the Dutch to a certain extent, and in turn affect their income.

In the original history, both Xu Xinsu and Zheng Zhilong were Dutch suppliers. For a long time, the raw silk export trade in Fujian was controlled by Xu Xinsu, and Zheng Zhilong wanted to kill Xu Xinsu. The purpose of taking his place is included.Zheng and Xu went to war for their own interests and survival, and the Dutch could not get any benefits from it. Instead, they had to bear the economic losses caused by the war, and they would naturally become natural peacemakers.

If it is said that Shibazhi negotiated peace with Xu Xinsu with the entrustment of the Dutch, then this matter is really possible. After all, for Xu Xinsu, being able to resume trade with the Dutch means at least 10 taels of silver every year. The trade volume, together with the military expenditure saved by the truce, makes a considerable profit for one year.Xu Xinsu is a businessman. For him, benefits that can be calculated in silver are far more important than political attitudes and the like. It is hard to guarantee that he will not negotiate a peace truce with Zheng Zhilong behind Hai Han's back.

Of course, You Yihan didn't dare to make a conclusion on this, after all, this was just news from Chen Lindao's hearsay, without any real evidence.Moreover, the Haihan agency stationed in Zhangzhou did not send back relevant information, so it is temporarily unable to confirm the authenticity of the information Chen Lin said.

After dismissing Chen Lin, You Yihan immediately got up and left the office, went to the confidential room in the third courtyard, turned on the radio, and sent a telegram to Guangzhou and the base camp with the news he had just learned.This matter is not within the scope of You Yihan's authority, and he has no right to directly intervene in how to deal with it. It is safer to hand it over to the security department that is in charge of this matter.

"The security department is not as reliable as me!" After sending the telegram, You Yihan couldn't help muttering. He was very proud of his carefulness, and at the same time despised the work efficiency of the security department.If Chen Lin, a lumber merchant, hadn't reported such important news by mistake, how long would it take to hear the news?

In fact, the Ministry of Security is not as useless as You Yihan thought. Only two hours after he sent this telegram, the channel belonging to the Ministry of Security also sent back information from Fujian, and the content was basically the same as what Chen Lin said. It can be confirmed by each other that at the request of the Dutch, Shibazhi sent people to visit Zhangzhou Zhongzuo city, and prepared to negotiate a ceasefire agreement with Xu Xinsu.

The Ministry of Security got the news in Fujian at about the same time as Chen Lin, and even sent the news a day earlier than Chen Lin, but Chen Lin went straight to Zhennan Port after returning from Fujian for the land acquisition of Hong Kong Island. However, the messenger from the ministry had to travel an extra section of water to send the news back to Guangzhou and hand it over to He Xi.After going back and forth, He Xi got the news a little later than You Yihan.

"It's really worrying!" He Xi took the two pieces of news about the situation in Fujian that he sent one after the other today, and couldn't help sighing: "If the war in Fujian is temporarily suspended, then the arsenal in Sanya will be partially suspended. !"

"The headquarters already knows the news, right? Presumably the people at the industrial entrance are making a speech at the meeting at this time, and they want to tighten the dog leash around Xu Xinsu's neck." Maiko, who was next to him, continued sarcastically.

"Shengli Port Shipyard only signed a contract with Xu Xinsu for four exploration-class warships two months ago, and Haihan Ordnance Industry has just lifted the export ban on 24-pound army guns. If Fujian ceases the war, the sales of these weapons will It will be affected!" He Xi also saw this very clearly: "If I were from the industrial area, I would make a fuss, and if I don't install tiles for three days, I really have to take care of it."

"If I were Xu Xinsu, I would continue to buy weapons. Anyway, it is always right to stock up more. Who knows when they will start fighting again?" Maliko replied.

He Xi nodded and said: "This is the most worrying thing. They keep fighting. At least we know that the ammunition sold is constantly being used up. We then have to worry about where these things go and what they are used for."

Maliko said: "But apart from military cooperation, we don't seem to have any other way to handle Xu Xinsu, right?"

He Xi responded: "The executive committee probably won't take drastic actions right away. Most likely, they will warn Xu Xinsu first, and if it doesn't work, they will consider other methods. Cutting off the military aid is killing a thousand enemies and harming oneself." Hundreds, it’s not cost-effective for us.”

Maliko continued: "You are right, but the Executive Committee certainly cannot sit back and watch the two sides negotiate a peace."

"The problem is not that he wants to make peace with Shibazhi. It's understandable for the sake of interests." He Xi said here, and then changed the subject: "But his mistake is that he didn't communicate with us in time and ask for our opinions. .Of course, it's possible he never meant to let us know about it."

In the cooperation agreement previously negotiated by the two parties, the mutual notification of major measures is also one of the contents of the agreement. However, it seems that the Fujian side did not try to inform Haihan that Shibazhi sent envoys to negotiate a peace.It would be fine if it was just an accidental mistake, but if Xu Xinsu made such an arrangement on purpose, then the severity of the problem would be different.

Maliko replied: "It's fine to keep it from us. The secrecy work is so poor that even a timber merchant knows about it. Does Xu Xinsu still expect to hide it from our eyes and ears?"

"Xu Xinsu is just a businessman. He is a military leader and a politician. It's a bit embarrassing for him." He Xi said: "He wants our military aid, and he wants to earn money from the Dutch. He wants to take advantage of both. Yes. It’s a pity that there are not so many good things in this world. He wants to do business with the Dutch on Taiwan Island, but what we think about is how to drive those Dutch people out of Taiwan Island in the future. Then it may become a stumbling block on our way forward!"

"In the final analysis, the stumbling block is still the Dutch." Maliko added: "Whether in the south or the north, they just happened to play the role of stumbling block. Even if we don't want to touch them for the time being, they are still making small moves to increase their presence."

The news that the Haihan Navy secretly went south to capture the Ambuna Islands a month ago has already been known to the Guangzhou Office.Travelers are well aware that Haihan and the Netherlands will sooner or later have armed conflicts in South Asia due to the competition for the main sea throat, and the situation in the north is similar. Haihan is also bound to win the key waterway between Fujian and Taiwan.Whether it is Shibazhi who settled in Penghu or the Dutch who established a colonial stronghold in Tainan, they will all be targeted for future elimination.

Of course, whether it is Batavia or Taiwan, the current Haihan Navy does not have enough strength to capture the local area, so it has never taken the initiative to provoke the Dutch.And the Dutch should also know from the side that this group of people on Qiongzhou Island is not weak, and they have not taken any hostile actions.But this time the Dutch want Shibazhi to negotiate peace with the Fujian government, but they have inadvertently touched Haihan's interests.

(End of this chapter)