1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 916 The Inside Story of Cooperation

While Li Maozai and others are gearing up to start a private shipyard in Jilonggang, Taiwan, Yan Chujie, who is thousands of miles away in Da Nang, Annan, is inspecting a local building together with Zheng Zuo, the eldest son of Qingdu Wang Zhengbing, who is actually in power in Annan. A shipyard jointly run by both parties.Annan's current emperor on stage is Li Shenzong, but this emperor is just a puppet in the hands of Zheng Bing.And Zheng Zuo's actual status in Annan is no different from that of the eldest prince.Although Yan Chujie and Zheng Zuo met under the banner of "joint military exercises", apart from military exercises, the two sides also have many other cooperation projects to discuss, including the construction results of some previous cooperation projects For acceptance, this shipyard in Da Nang is one of them.

As early as 1629, after the end of the Annan Civil War, Da Nang was assigned to Haihan by the Annan court as a "permanent concession". In fact, it became one of the overseas enclaves controlled by Haihan.As for the "concessions" of this nature, besides Da Nang, there are three seaports in Gui Nhon, Cam Ranh, and Vung Tau in the south of Annan, which are distributed along the coastline of the Indochina Peninsula from north to south.These four concession ports used to be under the rule of the South Vietnamese regime. Da Nang was not the largest construction site among them, but because it was actually occupied by Haihan for the first time, the development and construction progress and the completion of supporting facilities are also four. The tallest of the four ports, which also includes a large shipyard.

In the cooperation agreement between Haihan and the Annan court, Haihan also provides technology to assist Annan in developing the navy and maritime trade, and the shipyard is one of the necessary means to achieve these goals.About one-third of the construction funds for the Da Nang shipyard were provided by Annan. Therefore, after the completion of the shipyard, in addition to building warships for Annan's military, it also took on the mission of training shipbuilders for Annan.Annan will select a group of personnel every year to come here to learn shipbuilding technology while working.

Of course, Haihan's shipbuilding technology is not so simple that it can be copied. Many key technologies related to ship design and construction are only known to Annan shipbuilders who lack systematic knowledge. I can learn to build a ship step by step, but it is still difficult to design and build a Haihan-style warship from scratch.In addition, the manufacture of some key components on the ship, such as the manufacturing technology of the steering wheel transmission system, is a technical barrier that Haihan has kept secret.

Da Nang Shipyard has a total of ten berths, four of which are large berths that can be used to build thousand-ton ships. However, the military ships built here are only small and medium-sized warships provided for the Annan military. Warships will not be built here because of the differences in technical standards and export models.During the high-level visit of the two sides to the Da Nang shipyard this time, the No. 12 "expedition-class" warship built by the Da Nang shipyard for the Annan military was completed and launched.Although part of the outfitting project was not fully completed, Zheng Zuo was very happy to participate in the launching ceremony held by the shipyard for this purpose.

The captain, chief mate, and bosun who will be in charge of commanding the ship in the future have been selected half a year ago and sent by the Annan Ministry of War to Sanya to receive relevant training.The sailing knowledge, warship operation methods, naval warfare tactics, etc. that these officers have learned are all taught according to the standards of the Haihan Navy.The purpose of this is not only to ensure that Annan's military can smoothly install and put into use after receiving warships, but also to ensure that Annan's navy can seamlessly connect with its ally Haihan in wartime and join Haihan's combat system for coordinated operations.Over the past few years, Haihan has trained dozens of officers for the Annan Navy. More than [-]% of the officers currently serving in the front line of the Annan Navy have received training in the Haihan Military Academy.

Although all of these were carried out in the name of military assistance, in fact the relevant personnel training costs were still paid by the Annan court.In order to build a surface armed force capable of guarding Annan's long coastline, the Annan court has invested millions of taels of silver over the past few years.Of course, the effect of the huge investment is quite obvious. At present, Annan already has two small fleets using Haihan-style warships, which are stationed in the Tushan military port in the Beibu Gulf and Hue in the south.As for the coastline south of Hue, due to the limited strength of the Annan Navy, and Haihan has four ports in this area, Haihan, an ally, is basically responsible for coastal defense security.

This division of labor was once quite controversial in the Annan court. It is true that no country would hand over its borders to foreign troops to guard, even its own allies are really too awkward.But those who hold opposing views cannot come up with an effective solution, because the Annan Navy does not currently have enough troops and ships to deploy to the far south to take over the garrison function of the Haihan Navy.After the Haihan Navy was stationed at the southern port, the situation of local harassment by Western colonists has also been greatly improved. This is an effect that the Annan Navy cannot achieve.

Haihan doesn't have much fear of the division of labor in maritime defense. The difference in strength between the two maritime armies is too great. It cannot be changed by Haihan helping them build a few fleets.Moreover, Annan's army is extremely dependent on the armaments provided by Haihan. Without Haihan's support, it will be difficult for Annan's army to continue fighting for too long.To put it bluntly, how much combat power the Annan navy can have, its lifeline is still in the hands of Haihan. If Haihan does not support it, Annan will never be able to station a navy in the south.However, only those involved understand this truth, and those civil servants who only hang out in the court do not know these tricks at all.

And the "benefits" brought to Annan by this highly dependent military cooperation method are not only saving troops and military expenses. All the personnel in Annan's military, as long as they are related to military cooperation, have benefited from it. Even Zheng Zuo, who came here to inspect, is also a member of the list of vested interests.

It was Zheng Zuo who first contacted Haihan and Annan's official high-level officials, and Zheng Zuo participated in almost all subsequent agreements and cooperation matters.Since the time when Haihan intervened in Annan coincided with the civil war period, the official relationship between the two parties was basically based on military cooperation, and the huge profits from the procurement of armaments also made Haihan give Zheng Zuo the handlers and decision makers. Online "feedback" provides a lot of convenience.

When meeting a person of Zheng Zuo's level, it would be too low-end to give any gold, silver and treasure directly.Although Annan is poor, it is also a country with a vast territory, and Zheng Zuo will inherit the actual ruling power of this country in the future. If you give real money to someone like him, if you don't give it too little, people will not look at it at all. If you give it too much More will inevitably affect their own profits, so the benefits given by the business department should be more subtle and clever.

Zheng Zuo obtained the franchise rights of most Haihan products in Annan from the Ministry of Commerce. This alone, his annual income can reach one million.What he needs to do is to ensure that the military cooperation between the two parties and the huge military purchase orders that Annan places with Haihan every year will not be interrupted.Of course, the premise of reaching such a tacit agreement is also because Annan does have this need, and the only one who can help them is Haihan. A natural monopoly will inevitably bring huge profits. Take a part of it to give back to important figures in Annan's ruling class.

This kind of method is not obvious, and the rich and powerful in Annan can reap the benefits without worrying about being impeached in the court, and it can benefit for a long time. In the terminology of the Haihan people, this is called "sustainable development." .Of course, the ambitions of the Annan people will not stop here. This time Zheng Zuonan came down to meet Yan Chujie. In addition to leading troops to conduct military exercises, he also had other cooperation projects that he wanted to discuss with Haihan.

"General Yan, I don't know how well you have considered the suggestion that my father made to you last time?" After watching the launching ceremony of the warship, Zheng Zuo took the initiative to ask Yan Chujie about the matter.

Yan Chujie responded: "If I remember correctly, the little prince is talking about dealing with Champa, right?"

"That's exactly the matter." Zheng Zuo's eyes showed an unconcealable expectation: "I wonder if the executive committee has made a decision?"

Annan has always been at odds with Champa, which is located at the southernmost tip of the Indochina Peninsula, and had frequent wars with the south long before the civil war.Although in the past two or three years, under Haihan's mediation, peace has been temporarily achieved, but the Annan court has always been worried about this neighbor to the south.Moreover, Champa's territory is almost entirely fertile plains, much larger than the Red River Delta, the grain-producing area in northern Annan. Champa rice is also the most famous food crop among the countries in the South China Sea. Food is imported in large quantities from the local area.For Annan, who has a long and narrow terrain and many mountains, this wide grain-producing area is really an irresistible temptation.

However, similar to Annan's situation, Haihan also provided a certain degree of military assistance and weapons to Champa.Relying on the food-for-weapons agreement, the Champa army currently has basically the same weapons as Annan's. In particular, the high-end weapons are almost all Haihan products. The difference in strength between the two sides is mainly reflected in the number of troops.In the several small-scale conflicts between the two sides in recent years, the Champa side showed no obvious signs of suffering. The two sides fought each other and fought back and forth.If Annan wants to forcibly annex Champa by force, the price to be paid may be very heavy.

But the king of the Qing Dynasty, Zheng Yu, could not give up this plan completely. After all, any ruler would have the plan to expand the territory and pass on his fame to future generations. It is a feat that can be recorded in history.To the north of Annan is Daming, to the west is Siam, and to the east is the HN Island occupied by Haihan across the sea. These three are not easy to deal with, and the Champa Kingdom located in the south can be regarded as the only one in Annan that is strong enough. Got the target and hit it.

However, it will be difficult to achieve this goal if Annan alone relies on his own strength.Among other things, just the fact that the Haihan people opened up arms purchases to Champa was enough to make Annan's army pay a heavy price during the fight with the Champa army.Moreover, Annan's deployment of troops in the southern region is limited, and the troops that can be assembled may not be as large as Champa. If he takes the initiative to attack the door, it is very likely that Champa will be driven back in despair in the end.So after realizing this, Zheng Bing set his mind on Haihan. The force value of the SH Han militia army in the South China Sea is already well-deserved. Just like the blows suffered by the Ruan regime in South Vietnam at the beginning, wherever Haihan's soldiers pointed, they were invincible.Moreover, Haihan is the most southerly port of Vung Tau among the four ports in the south. Its location is near the border between Annan and Champa. If it can be used as an offensive springboard and supply center, it will undoubtedly greatly ease Annan's pressure during the offensive. Logistical pressure.Of course, the premise of these combat plans is that Haihan can follow Zheng Bing's proposal in the first half of the year and join forces to deal with Champa.Taking a step back, even if the Haihan people don't take action directly, as long as they can cut off the military aid and arms supply to Champa, Annan's confidence will at least increase a little bit.

But Yan Chujie's answer disappointed Zheng Zuo: "Champa is also one of Haihan's partners. From our standpoint, we cannot make such a treacherous decision. At the same time, we do not recommend that your country Champa is taking hostile action because it may affect the security of our food supply."

Yan Chujie's statement is of course just an official reason. Although Haihan imports a lot of grain from Champa every year, it is not enough to affect the security of food supply. The main purpose of this trade is to open the door of Champa's business. , and indirectly control its national defense by exporting arms to Champa in the form of barter.And a large part of the reason for supporting Champa is also to build a fence for Annan in the south to control it.

Although the two sides are now close allies, from a long-term perspective, the Executive Committee believes that there must be some restraints on Annan's control, and supporting Champa is one of them.Annan wants to attack Champa, Haihan will choose to be neutral on the surface, but will still support Champa in secret to resist.Of course, there is no need to say this kind of words directly, Zheng Zuo can understand it if he can understand it, and if he can't understand it, he can only ask for trouble.

Yan Chujie continued: "It has only been three or four years since the end of your civil war, and many areas in the country are still in a state of ruin. We suggest that Lord Qingdu should focus on the domestic economic construction so that the citizens Rest and recuperate a lot. Fighting such a thing is a waste of people and money, and there may not be a good return, so we need to be more cautious."

(End of this chapter)