1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 943 Trade Union
On December [-]th, Yan Chujie and Mu Xiabo also led their fleets to leave Xingdao and return to Ambuna Island and Annan Cam Ranh Port respectively.The time for the second meeting agreed with the Dutch is approaching, and Yan Chujie must go to Abunana Island to preside over the overall situation.But this time he doesn't need to continue to hold on in areas that he is not good at, because Schneider has sailed south from Sanya by boat a few days ago, and personally came to host this trade negotiation.

And Roger led hundreds of soldiers and logistics staff to stay in Xingdao temporarily. They will be the first batch of troops stationed here.Before the fleet left, they left a lot of supplies, enough for this group of people for half a year. However, the follow-up development will be rolled out soon. When Yan Chujie returns to Ambuna Island, the first batch will be dispatched there soon. Immigrants and laborers come to Sing Tao to implement infrastructure projects.

Just in case, the fleet also left two expedition-class warships and a supply ship here to ensure that the garrison can have the minimum sea armed and maneuvering capabilities.When the follow-up port project has progressed, the military will mobilize more combat ships to station here to ensure Haihan's control over the waterway in the Strait of Malacca.

Just two days after the United Fleet left, something happened on Xingdao's side.Several Johor fishing boats discovered this new stronghold that popped up out of nowhere while working nearby, and immediately went back to inform the government. The unknown Johor government thought that this might be an attempt by the Portuguese to establish a colony here again, and soon A group of people were sent to kill them from the sea.

Around the control of the Strait of Malacca, the war between Portugal and Johor has lasted from the last century to the present, and has been fought intermittently for decades.Because of the superiority of force on the Portuguese side, the victory was less and the loss was more. The country of Johor was pressed at the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula and could not hold its head up.In the early years of Johor, there were many people on Xingdao, but under repeated suppression by Portugal, this place was turned into a no-man's land.

Of course, it is not that Portugal has tried to station troops here to build a colony, but because the garrison is too small to resist the counterattack of the Johor Army, it has tried several times and ended in failure. On the contrary, it has lost a lot of manpower. .The two hostile parties were unable to take root on Xingdao because they had more than enough heart but not enough strength. Over time, this island with an area of ​​more than 700 square kilometers became a strategic buffer zone for both sides.

However, in this way, the Haihan people who took advantage of the situation left room for maneuver, and easily landed on the island without encountering any obstacles, and set up a temporary stronghold on the island.Johor, who didn't know the truth, found that there were human activities on the island. Naturally, they thought that the Portuguese had started to be restless again, and hurriedly sent troops to clean up the island, intending to drive them away while their opponents were not stable.

However, when they found that the flags on the two armed sailboats sailing out of the harbor to meet them were red and blue Haihan flags, they immediately hesitated.It is not a secret in the South China Sea that the Haihan people have powerful maritime armaments. Many businessmen from Johor have been to the ports under Haihan's rule and have seen their strength.Now facing Hai Han on the battlefield, which even the Portuguese and the Dutch could not defeat, this is indeed a big psychological test for the Johor Army.

When the Johore warships flinched, the two warships of Haihan had already fired their artillery, but the distance between the two sides was still far, and the firing of the Haihan warships was only for the purpose of warning.But this move misunderstood the opposing Johor Army. Its commander thought it was a sign that the Haihan Army was going to war. Considering that his own sailboat was not equipped with artillery, a long-range weapon with great lethality, the consequences of rushing up to the battle were very serious. It may be a one-sided situation, so the commander ordered to immediately turn around and evacuate from this sea area.

"Why did you run away before the fight started?" Roger watched the enemy's movement with binoculars on the deck, disdainful of the Johor Army's cowardly performance.

The appearance of the Johor army was expected by Haihan. After all, Xingdao is just across the water from Johor on the Malay Peninsula, and it used to be the territory of Johor. At the same time, Johor and Portugal have repeatedly competed. It is impossible for the other party to turn a blind eye to the new situation here, and it is reasonable to send troops to expel it.It’s just that the Johor army was probably scared of being bullied by the artillery prepared by the Portuguese armed sailboat before. Haihan only fired a few empty shells, and the opponent turned around and left. This reaction was a little too cowardly.

Roger didn't quite believe that this would scare the Johor army away. After all, they had been fighting the Portuguese for decades, and logically they had seen all the scenes, so they wouldn't withdraw because of two cannon shots.But Haihan has a limited number of naval ships stationed here, and Roger didn't dare to chase them out to find out. If the other party played some tricks such as diverting the tiger away from the mountain, and it was too late to build comprehensive coastal defenses, there was no coastline covered by the navy. But there is nothing that can prevent the other party from logging in.

Of course, the Johor Army didn't just retreat, they just didn't want to do something as stupid as an egg hitting a rock.In the past fights with the Portuguese, they suffered more than once or twice because of weapons and equipment in sea battles, and they have a very clear personal experience of the power of ship-borne artillery.Avoiding Haihan's edge does not mean that they give up trying to expel the Haihan people.

The commander of the Johor Army judged that the Haihan people had not been here for a long time, so it was unlikely that there would be a large number of troops stationed here. He ordered the fleet to retreat a certain distance, and after leaving the sight of the Haihan ships, they approached Xingdao Let the troops land and march on the coast to bypass the Haihan people's armed defense line at sea.

The distance between the east and west ends of Xingdao is less than 20 kilometers, and the widest point from north to south is only more than [-] kilometers. There is no obstacle to crossing this uninhabited island from land. It approached the station of the Haihan Army on the southern coast.

But it is a pity that the early warning sentinels deployed by the Haihan Army outside the camp noticed the movement of the Johor Army a few miles away. After receiving the news, Roger immediately ordered the entire army to enter a state of first-level combat readiness.As a result, the Johor army's plan to launch a surprise attack after dark became futile. When they approached the Haihan camp, they found that many fires had been lit in the wilderness outside the camp, and those who tried to approach would be killed within [-] meters. Nothing to hide.

But having reached this point, the commander of the Johor Army did not want to return without success again, so he sent a group of people to slowly sneak into the Haihan camp.However, when they were stopped by a barbed wire fence that traversed the perimeter of the camp, there was a sudden burst of gunfire in the camp, and several consecutive rounds of gunfire caused this group of Johor soldiers who had no warning to fall outside the barbed wire fence.

After defeating this round of the Johor Army's tentative camp, nothing happened that night. The Johor Army knew that the Haihan people were on guard in secret, so they were unwilling to give away their heads easily.After the sky brightened in the early morning, the Haihan camp sent people out to count the results of the battle, and killed [-] enemies in total.And from the costumes and weapons these people wore, Roger quickly confirmed their origins.

"It turns out that we didn't do anything at sea, but we came to land instead!" Roger looked at the dozens of corpses lined up on the ground, and considered how to deal with the armed conflict with Johor.

The weapons of these Johor soldiers are all cold weapons, and there is no armor on their bodies. The individual equipment is still relatively typical of the armed level of South Asian tribes.With the scale of Haihan's troops currently deployed in Xingdao, even if Johor sends 2000 people to attack this camp, the result will only be Haihan pressing the ground and rubbing against it.Roger didn't think that Johor had the courage to send a thousand-man army to Xingdao to make troubles when the situation was unclear, so he didn't have to worry about his camp being breached by the Johor army for the time being.But since the opponent's army is already lurking on the island, it is a hidden danger that needs to be solved after all.

At the same time, Yan Chujie was welcoming Schneider, who had just arrived here, on the pier of Ambuna Island.Schneider, who is in charge of Haihan's financial power, came south to Ambuna Island this time, and he made a special trip to discuss with all parties about the South China Sea Trade Alliance.In the future, this trade alliance initiated and established by Haihan may also expand to Northeast Asia and become a trade organization with influence throughout the Far East.

It stands to reason that the negotiation process of a regional trade organization like this should be held in a place like Sanya, but this time Haihan put the meeting place on Ambuna Island, which also has other deep meanings.

First, the current participants in this trade agreement are mainly concentrated in Southeast Asia except for the two provinces of Fujian and Guangxi in Ming Dynasty, and Haihan hopes to use this meeting to attract more Southeast Asian countries to join the trade alliance in the future. The location of the meeting in the South China Sea is also to show that Haihan attaches great importance to the partners in this region.

Second, Haihan already intends to build Ambuna Island into a gold-selling cave in the South China Sea, so it is natural to take this opportunity to promote it. absorb it.

"Roger didn't come back?" Schneider asked immediately after he landed on the island and found that only a senior official, Yan Chujie, appeared.

"Roger is in Xingdao, and he won't be back until next year." Yan Chujie knew what Schneider was worried about, and immediately explained: "Although Roger is not here, the people under him who are in charge of the island's operations are here. By the way, they can also provide you with the information you need to know."

Only then did Schneider relax a little. He came this time to make a final decision on the plan for Abuna Island. During this period, there will inevitably be one or two investment promotion meetings for investors. At that time, some specific data and information must be familiar with the local area. The person in charge of the situation can explain it on his behalf.Originally, Roger was the most suitable candidate, but now he is far away in Xingdao, and he can't come back during the meeting, so his subordinates can only do it for him.

"Which ones have arrived so far?" Schneider continued to ask.

"Zheng Zuo from Annan was the first to arrive. He followed us around the South China Sea, and came here directly when he came back." Yan Chujie explained: "Representatives from Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian government have also arrived, but they probably only Will observe meetings, will not speak publicly or sign documents."

Schneider nodded to express his understanding. The officials of Fuzhou and Guangxi did not represent Daming to join this trade organization, but only represented the locality. The local high-ranking officials sent only their staff to the meeting, and it was impossible to represent them in such a public place. Daming made a statement, and signing the document was even more ineffective.

"The people from Champa and Mataram should arrive in the next two days. In addition, Siam, Aceh, and Johor will send people to observe this meeting." Yan Chujie paused: "Speaking of Johor, Roger I sent a telegram this morning, saying that there was an armed conflict with the Johor Army in Sing Tao, and more than a dozen people were killed."

Schneider was not moved when he heard the news: "Conflicts are expected, anyway, we are not the ones who suffer. Don't worry, this kind of small conflict will not affect the big picture. The interests of the country are not A dozen human lives can be compared. As long as the people of Johor realize the benefits that this trade alliance can bring them, they will forget what happened in Sing Tao. Follow us or stand opposite us, they will see soon Clear the situation."

The trade alliance planned by Schneider is quite different from the chambers of commerce and investment companies in the past. The organization and operation methods with Han characteristics are integrated. In the future, member states will not only be members of the Haihan trading system, but also need to gradually integrate into the Haihan-led system in various aspects such as politics, military affairs, finance, and culture. . ,

Schneider called it "the integration process of the Far East in the seventeenth century." If the operation of this system is relatively successful in the future, then the establishment of a large-scale international alliance of political and economic integration covering the entire Far East can also be expected.If the traversers move fast enough, they may see this day come in their lifetime.

Although Schneider was born as a speculator, he also has his own political ambitions.In the time and space before time travel, Trump, who was also a businessman, could become the president of the United States. Schneider believed that in addition to his business talents, he could also make a difference in the political arena, even if he could not be the executive of Haihan. The chairman of the committee can at least leave a good reputation in history for himself to pass on to future generations.

Opponents like Johor or the Netherlands, Schneider doesn't even see them as stumbling blocks, but as small obstacles on the way forward.He firmly believes that he has mastered the general trend of history, no matter which country, it is impossible to violate the laws of social development, even the forces that are still fighting against Haihan are only temporarily moving against the trend, and sooner or later they will be defeated by Haihan Assimilated and annexed by the leading new social system.

(End of this chapter)