1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 783 Kaohsiung's New Look
Haihan's sailing skills are one of the housekeeping skills, and naturally there are only a very small number of naturalized people who can fully gain the trust of Haihan people.A few years ago, Dong Yanyun also tried to send people to Haihan to study or buy this technology directly, but they were all rejected by the Haihan people without hesitation.

As for whether it is possible to obtain a sextant from some special channel, Dong Yanyun actually tried it secretly.But this thing is secretly manufactured in a military-owned workshop in Tiandushan District, inland Sanya. The craftsmen have to undergo strict inspections when they go to work. It is impossible to get the parts out.At that time, the people entrusted by Dong Yanyun sternly warned him not to think about it, because once he was discovered by the Haihan Security Department, all the personnel involved would be sentenced to the crime of espionage-this crime basically meant staying in the hard labor camp until died.

And there are really not many people like Yang Yun who are lucky enough to learn this skill.This is not only considering the loyalty of the relevant personnel to Haihan, but also because the use of the sextant involves knowledge of mathematics and physics. If there is no certain cultural foundation and relatively intelligent mind, even if the Haihan people are willing to teach, it may not be possible. learn well.Over the past few years, including the militia navy, there are less than a hundred navigators in Haihan who have mastered the technique of using sextants, which can be regarded as scarce talents.And its establishment is mainly concentrated in the military and the Ministry of Shipping. There are less than ten navigators affiliated to the Ministry of Commerce, and Yang Yun is one of them.

However, those who can stand alone in the Ministry of Commerce will naturally not be easily tricked by others with a few words. Yang Yun replied with a smile: "Mr. It is a great honor to learn skills and serve Haihan."

Dong Yanyun saw that Yang Yun was very tight-lipped and avoided talking about the sextant when he went around, so he resolutely gave up his plan to continue using it to talk to him, and instead talked about the development of Taiwan Island: "Looking at the course, it turns all the way to the southeast. Could it be that the location you have chosen is near Dayuan Port?"

Yang Yun nodded and said: "It's still south of Dayuan Port, the distance between the two places is not too far away. With the speed of the ship, it will take about two hours at most."

Dong Yanyun asked: "So the Dutch really watched you settle down and take root there?"

Dong Yanyun is really curious about how Haihan handles its relationship with Dayuan Port. In Xu Xinsu's and his opinion, for peace of mind, the Haihan people will definitely expel the Dutch first, and then land on Taiwan Island to open a port. With his consistent temperament, it is probably not possible to sit back and watch Haihan establish a stronghold next door to him.The potential conflict between the two is obvious, let alone whether there is a war or not, but it is really unreasonable to not even have a fight.He asked Qian Tiandun about this before, but the other party didn't respond directly to this question. If he didn't understand this matter, it would be hard to relieve his itch.

Of course, Yang Yun had already received the opportunity from his superiors, and he knew what he should say and what should not be said. In response to Dong Yanyun, he said: "Our Haihan has always adhered to the principle of peaceful coexistence, equality and mutual benefit. As long as the Dutch are willing to release Out of goodwill, we don't mean to kill them all. I know that Mr. Xu also did business with the Dutch in his early years. After all, they are a group of businessmen. As long as the terms can be negotiated, we Haihan can also do business with the Dutch."

Dong Yanyun really didn't like the Haihan people's way of speaking. At first glance, it seemed that they were all talking about scenes without saying anything, but after a careful taste, some key information was revealed in the words.Although this Yang Yun is a naturalized citizen, his tone of speech has learned a lot.

From this, Dong Yanyun was able to confirm at least two things. First, the two parties had reached a certain transaction condition in exchange for a peaceful situation on Taiwan Island; It seems that they took the initiative to express their kindness to Haihan.Of course, what Dong Yanyun didn't expect was that the Dutch didn't take the initiative to express their kindness, but had to give in because the Haihan fleet blocked their door.

But no matter what the actual situation is, it is clear that the current initiative is in the hands of Haihan. The garrison in Penghu alone is enough for a large member of Hong Kong to drink a pot. The Dutch certainly dare not take the initiative to jump out and provoke.The Haihan people can act as a sufficient deterrent to Dayuan Port without actually doing anything.Such a situation made Dong Yanyun not only envious, but also a little disappointed. He hoped that the dispute between the two sides would rise to the stage of war. Haihan would definitely seek logistical assistance from Fujian officials. There are better reasons to intervene in Taiwan affairs.

But now it seems that this kind of thinking is about to come to nothing. Not only did Haihan single-handedly deal with the Dutch, but he also set up a position to build a port on the island of Taiwan.And according to Yang Yun, this port is located in the south of Dayuan Port. After it is completed, it will echo with the north and south of Penghu Lake, and the waterways on both sides of Dayuan Port can be cut off at any time. You have to kneel down and call Dad.

"It is said that the natives on Taiwan Island are vicious by nature, can you think of a way to deal with it?" Dong Yanyun thought of another difficulty Haihan might face.But he regretted it immediately after he asked the question. With Haihan's style of doing things, since everyone has already gone to the island, could it be possible that he didn't make relevant preparations in advance?I all know that the natives on the island are not easy to get along with. Could it be that the all-knowing Haihan people don't know?

Sure enough, Yang Yun responded with a smile: "The chiefs have already made arrangements for this matter. The natives near Jiangang we landed have also negotiated the conditions for peaceful coexistence. I believe that after a year or two, they will become Haihans." supporters, just like the Li Miao mountain people on Hainan Island."

Haihan was able to tame the rebellious Li and Miao tribes on Hainan Island. Even the officials of the Ming Dynasty can only be convinced by this achievement.In the past few years, more and more Li and Miao youths have stepped out of the mountains and started to enter the social system created by Haihan.Outstanding figures like Fu Li and Huang Que have even entered the management team and wielded a certain amount of power.

Haihan's strategy for the Li and Miao tribes is not a secret. Anyone who has been to the big cities on Hainan Island has basically heard the story of Ning Qi and his work team going to Tiandu to discuss cooperation with the Li people. It was the model that Haihan later recruited and compiled the Li Miao cottage on the island.

But what Haihan can accomplish is difficult for others to copy.On the one hand, the Ming government has always regarded Li Miao as an inferior commoner, and they are not willing to spend energy and money to change the living conditions of these mountain people; Well, there is really no good way.Whether it is to provide jobs and education opportunities, or to allow them to learn advanced production skills that can earn money and support their families, the local government is not capable enough to achieve it.

It is even more difficult for ordinary wealthy businessmen to implement the same measures. Their credibility and organizational capabilities are still inferior to those of the government, and they cannot have a more accurate estimate of future profits like Haihan. Even if they have ideas, they may not have this idea. Go for it.

The aboriginal tribes on Taiwan Island are not as civilized as the Li and Miao tribes on Hainan Island. After all, the aboriginals here are a piece of loose sand with no national background, and most of the Li and Miao villages on Hainan Island accept Under the control of the Ming government, many people in charge of the village even have symbolic official positions.In comparison, it may be easier to tame the aborigines of Taiwan Island, because they are more likely to submit to the various "miracles" brought by the Haihan people.

At Dong Yanyun's request, Yang Yun took him to the stern of the ship to visit the common cabin where the crew lived, and it was indeed much more crowded than the high-class cabin he lived in.In a space about the size of a high-class cabin, there are two triple-layer beds, and the aisle in the middle is narrow enough to accommodate two people.There isn't even a place to sit in the cabin, so you have to stand up or lie flat when you come in.After Dong Yanyun saw it, he couldn't complain to Yang Yun that the cabin he lived in was too small.

Although the lunch is not rich, the meals are fresh and hot.There is a kitchen with a briquette stove on this ship. The fire is always on, and hot water and hot food are always available.Although the comfort on board is average, at least three meals can be served on time, and it is no problem to have a full stomach.

After lunch, the boat sailed to about ten nautical miles off Dayuan Port.Although the outline of the land in the distance could not be seen clearly because of the moisture in the sea, Dong Yanyun could intuitively judge where he was now.When Xu Xinsu was still working as an agent for the Dutch, he often came to Dayuan Port to do business.But after a few years, things changed. The Dutchman and Daming became enemies. His master gave up the Netherlands and switched to Haihan, and Haihan, the big backer, was indeed up to the challenge. He suppressed the Dutchman in Fujian without any temper.

When the new port under the leadership of Haihan is built, Dayuan Port, which originally attracted sea merchants from the southeast coast, will soon decline completely.Dayuan Port has no competitive advantage at all, regardless of its business strategy, commodity types, economic strength, or even the unrealized port scale among the Haihan population.Of course, in Dong Yanyun's view, there is the most important decisive factor, that is, "If you are not of my race, your heart must be different." Obviously, Haihan people, whose appearance is consistent with that of Ming people, and whose language and characters are generally similar, are more friendly.What's more, the business reputation of the Haihan people has been obvious to all in the past few years, and it is difficult for businessmen to find fault with this.In addition, the governments of Fuzhou and Guangxi provinces almost all sided with Haihan, and doing business with Haihan people could avoid many unnecessary troubles. Abandoning Dayuan Port would almost certainly become the inevitable choice for most Ming maritime merchants.

Of course, the Dutch in Dayuan Port will not starve to death in a short time. After all, they still have trade routes in Northeast Asia to earn certain profits.Although Japan has adopted a closed-door policy and interrupted all normal foreign trade channels, the Dutch still have their own way to continue smuggling with local lords in southwest Japan.

Since Japan has such a great treasure as the Iwami Silver Mountain, the actual value of silver in the Japanese trading system is relatively low. The main trade content of the Dutch in the local area is to sell goods for silver, and then use this cheap silver to buy North Korea and Ryukyu. , Daming and other commodities are shipped to South Asia for trading.This scissors difference also allowed the Dutch to make a lot of money in maritime trade in Northeast Asia.However, after Haihan gained a foothold in Taiwan, the first-mover advantage of the Dutch would probably be gradually weakened until they were overtaken by Haihan.

Dong Yanyun returned to her cabin, probably because she felt relaxed, and felt a little tired.He lay down on the bed and soon fell asleep.When he woke up, he saw from the porthole that the sky outside had darkened, so he hurriedly got up and tidied up, went out of the cabin and went to the deck to find Yang Yun: "Brother Yang, why haven't you arrived yet? Didn't you say that you were there before dark?" arrive?"

Yang Yun replied: "Just now, a fishing boat capsized at sea, and it took a while to stop the boat to save people. Don't worry, Mr. Dong, it's here."

As Yang Yun said, he raised his finger and pointed to the front of the bow. Dong Yanyun looked intently, and sure enough, there seemed to be dots of light on the sea level in the distance.He has been running on the sea for many years, so he can naturally imagine that there is a populated port in front of him.

"I heard General Qian and Director Li mention before that this port is called Kaohsiung Port?" Dong Yanyun asked.

Yang Yun nodded and replied, "That's right, the locals call this place Zhulin, and the Han people call it Dagou according to the pronunciation of the natives. Kaohsiung was named directly by the Executive Committee, probably because the name Dagou is considered indecent."

Of course, Yang Yun didn't know that the name of Kaohsiung actually came from the Japanese transliteration of the local place name, and the executive committee didn't give any explanation for it, but since it was the decision of the chiefs, it couldn't be wrong.

Dong Yanyun looked at the lights in the distance, and suddenly remembered something and asked, "I wonder which head of Kaohsiung Port is in charge here?"

Yang Yun responded: "The person in charge here is the head of the Ministry of Industry, An Xi'an."

"Ah! So it's Chief An, and we're old acquaintances!" Dong Yanyun felt relieved when he heard that an acquaintance was sitting here.Although Fujian doesn't buy much refined salt from Hainan, Dong Yanyun has met Anxi several times on various occasions, at least they can be regarded as nodding acquaintances.

Half an hour later, the distance from the shore was enough for Dong Yanyun to see the situation on the shore clearly.An extremely narrow strait appeared ahead. Dong Yanyun visually estimated that this channel is slightly wider than Sanya Port and slightly narrower than Shengli Port. There are small hills with a drop of about twenty or thirty feet on both sides of the channel. terrain.Among them, there is a simple lighthouse with bamboo and wood structure built on the hill to the south, with a brazier burning on the top, and the channel entrance to and from the port can be faintly distinguished in the night.

(End of this chapter)