Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 517 Negotiations between Beihai Town and Ruan Fuying
Peter and his party stayed in Hoi An for five days. After meeting for the first time, Zheng Huaide went to Hoi An City the next day, while Peter and Le Van Yuet continued in-depth consultations on specific military issues.

In addition to hoping to get support in military operations, Guangnan also put forward a request for the purchase of weapons.

In the past few years, Guangnan has been buying arms and supplies from Siam or the French Indian colonies. Nguyen Phuc Anh's army is currently being trained by the French in Western style, so there is a great demand for steel, weapons and ammunition.

Of course, Deng Fei would not agree to sell weapons. It is fine to give an "84 Revolver" to Ruan Fuying as a personal gift. Don't even think about the rifle, and continue to use the French flintlock!
Nowadays, various forces in Southeast Asia are intertwined and intertwined, just like a big colander.The "Model 1790 Rifled Gun", which uses a cap and Mini bombs, is definitely a weapon that is ahead of two entire eras.If the French were to climb out of the technology tree ahead of time, it would be purely asking for trouble for Beihai Town itself.

When buying weapons failed, Peter decided to take the next best thing and proposed to borrow a sum of money to stabilize the economy in Jiading.

"Then how much do you want to borrow?" Zhao Xin specially brought 30 taels of silver ingots to prepare for this.

Li Wenyue said: "Master Deng, what do you think of 20 taels? If possible, I hope one-third of it will be paid with cash."

"Make money?" Deng Fei thought in his heart that he was going to melt it down to make cannons?Why not give copper ingots directly!Unexpectedly, when he mentioned his idea, Li Wenyue quickly explained that he didn't mean it that way, they really needed copper coins urgently, and the purpose was to stabilize prices.

"Master Deng does not know that Jiading has always been a land of fish and rice, but now the price of rice in the market is so high that ordinary people have to use silver to buy rice. The root cause is still insufficient money."

It is said that although Annan has copper mines, it is limited to mining and smelting technology, and the mintage has been very low.To put it bluntly, the cost of minting coins is higher than the value of the currency, and the more minted, the more loss.Therefore, since the 17th century, the copper coin trade between the island country and Daiqing has occupied the bulk of Annan's sea trade for a long time.

After the Xishan Uprising, successive wars led to a sharp increase in the demand for copper materials and currency. While the various regimes melted copper coins to make cannons, they also needed a large amount of copper coins to pay the army and collect civilians, resulting in a sharp rise in the price of coins.Today, the silver-to-copper ratio in the south of the Qing Dynasty is 57:35, while that of Annan is [-]:[-].

Because of the serious shortage of copper coins, the Xishan court minted a large number of zinc coins.Zinc coins were much cheaper to mint than copper coins, and the face value of zinc coins was more than twice the cost of minting.However, high profits will inevitably lead to a large amount of private money flooding the market, bad money drives out good money, and inflation is inevitable.Once the price rises, the sea trade will suffer the most.

Deng Fei is not Zhao Xin. His understanding of the monetary economy is very superficial, and he still stays at the level that he only needs money.However, he knew that with the industrial level of Beihai Town, it would be no problem to open a mold to make copper coins.

Since borrowing money is not a problem, the next step is to talk about what to take as collateral and how to repay the principal and interest.

Li Wenyue proposed to use Guangnan's specialty rice to pay back, Deng Fei thought what a joke!He immediately put forward a very tempting condition, raising the total loan amount to 50 taels, interest-free, and repayable in 20 years. The condition was to restore the border between the two parties in the Yunnan area to the traditional customary line of the Dagao River (Zhaijiang).

Peter and Li Wenyue didn't care at all, making Guangnan a strong army, rich and well-fed is the top priority.Although Yongzheng "rewarded" the territory of forty miles north of the Dazhihe River to the Houli Dynasty, but the cubs don't feel sorry for selling Yetian, let alone the northern territory is not yet an area that the Guangnan regime can control. When will it be taken back? It's hard to say!
When the two parties were almost done talking, Peter invited Deng Fei to meet Ruan Fuying in Jiading, so that the content of the negotiations between the two parties could be implemented on paper as soon as possible.

This matter can only be done by Deng Fei, and the others are all busy with their own affairs right now, and have no time to separate themselves.

Wang Yuanfang only showed his face on the first day when he was greeted, and then he took the special combat battalion to Dazhan Island for tropical jungle adaptation training. Right now, Hong Tao is leading a medical team to treat the Chinese on Datang Street in order to stabilize them. popular support and expand influence.

Since the Northern Navy occupied Hoi An, all officials of the Xishan Dynasty who had no time to escape were imprisoned.Considering the barriers to communication with the ancients, Jiang Fan and Zhong Huai took care of all the affairs in the city, allowing them to get over the addiction of the county magistrate.Thanks to the assistance of Ye Zhanrong and his son, the street order in Hoi An is assisted by the Chinese community of Mingxiang Society, and there has been no trouble so far.

In fact, because the Northern Navy canceled the head tax, fishing tax, and rice milling tax levied by the Xishan government, and only retained the land tax and customs duties, both Chinese and locals expressed great support for this "benevolent government". welcome.Compared with the tyrannical Xishan court, the people of Hoi An hope that the Beihai Navy can stay and continue to rule.

After some consideration, Deng Fei still pulled Jiang Fan on, and let Zhong Huai stay to manage Hoi An.

On the way to the south, the speed of the Thunder God and the smooth sailing made Peter, Li Wenyue and Zheng Huaide stunned.During the period, Deng Fei took them to visit the engine room. Although they could only stand at the door and could not go inside to take a closer look, the four people including He Xiwen were shocked by the dense pipelines and huge steam turbine inside. No end, call it "non-human things".

On January 1791, 1, the Raytheon carrying Peter and his party dragged He Xiwen's fleet to Qinchu Port in the southeast seaport of Jiading, which was still more than 10 miles away from Jiading City by water.Although He Xiwen's two ships had flags, the appearance of the Thunder God still caused great panic inside and outside the port.He Xiwen first sent people to contact the Guangnan navy stationed in the port, and then sent a fast boat to send Peter and Li Wenyue to Bagua City to report to Ruan Fuying.

Deng Fei commanded the ship to stop in the cockpit, and Jiang Fan had nothing to do, so he and Zheng Huaide, who stayed behind to accompany him, went to the deck to watch the scenery.At this time, the weather is clear, the wind is beautiful, and the inside and outside of the port are unobstructed.I saw that the interior of Qinchu Harbor is extremely wide, the water flow is stable, and there are mountains in the southeast as barriers, which completely isolate the wind and waves on the sea.However, in such a good port, there are only seven or eight small Guangzhou boats and dozens of small fishing boats, which looks very deserted.

Zheng Huaide pointed to the surrounding areas of Qinchu Port and introduced to Jiang Fan: "Mr. Ziping, I have [-] seaports in Jiading, including Qinchu, Bote, Meiqing, Tongzheng, and Xiaohaimen, but Qinchu Port has a deep and broad heart. There are eight winds at the time, all of which are stable and economical, and there are no hidden sands, reefs, raging waves and fierce winds, and it is the number one good port in Annan."

Jiang Fan said with a beard: "The mountains here are undulating, the river runs through, the two rivers are the natural moat, and the boats are strangled in Haikou. Some people think that in all military affairs, the danger of mountains and rivers is the first. You can be invincible only if you don't act as a manager if you have a criminal name and tax service."

"Congratulations, sir."

As a well-known local Chinese family in Jiading, Zheng Huaide's ancestors were in the family of officials in the Ming Dynasty. He studied poetry and books since he was a child, and his knowledge is considered top-notch among the Chinese in Annan.However, when he and Jiang Fan met for the first time, he was immediately impressed by the other party's knowledge, and then asked for advice from time to time along the way, directly serving him as a teacher.

Just kidding, Jiang Fan was born in a place of literary excellence in the south of the Yangtze River. He learned from Hui Dong, a master of Confucian classics, and has extensive knowledge. In history, he was the dean of Luoyang Lizheng Academy. Micro-words, criticize comments.And literati like Zheng Huaide, who are already top-notch in Annan, are not even ranked in the south of the Yangtze River.

Jiang Fan asked again: "How many Tang ships come here?"

"Tang boats come by the northeast wind in spring and return by the south wind in summer. If the autumn wind comes together, they can only spend the winter locally. As you can see, those boats are all from Siam."

After Zheng Huaide explained, he sighed softly: "Since the Xishan Rebellion, the official army and the Xishan bandits have fought several times in Fan'an Town, and the number of Tang boats has become increasingly rare. Last year, only one came, and this year, there are less than ten. "

Regardless of the difficult terrain around Jiading City, there are mountains as barriers in the east and dense rivers and lakes in the south, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack; It changed hands several times, leaving a good sea trade town and a land of fish and rice in dire straits.

"Master Ruan is young and promising, although there are ups and downs, but he is determined, and with the help of a talented brother like Zhishan, prosperity can be expected."

After learning of the arrival of the Thunder God, Guangnan King Ruan Fuying was overjoyed at first, but then he was poured cold water on his head by Peter's report.

"What?! They want the king to return the northern border of Dai Viet to the Da Wa River?! They also want to cede Dong Dang and Lang Son?!"

Even though Ruan Fuying is only living in a corner at present, in his mind, once Annan's reunification is completed, it will be a regime that can stand up to China in the north.

As a vassal state of the Central Plains Dynasty, Annan had a completely different mentality from other countries almost since the Northern Song Dynasty, which is specifically reflected in the "Huayi Viewpoint".

Whether it is the Li Dynasty or the island country, their "Huayi view" all began to consider themselves a small China after the fall of the Ming Dynasty.Even if the evil island country calls itself "Shenzhou" and regards itself as the spokesperson of East Asia, that is after the "[-]-[-] Sino-Japanese War".

The "Xining War" that took place in the second half of the eleventh century was a very important dividing point.Under the unequal national power, the army of the Northern Song Dynasty suffered heavy casualties, and the progress of the war was anxious, which made Annan more arrogant and raised the consciousness of the North and the South.

South and North are a corresponding word and are equivalent in rank.Because Annan completely copied Chinese culture and laws and regulations, and basically tied with the Northern Song Dynasty, he achieved his own strategic goal, and invisibly defined himself as a country on an equal footing with China.

In their view, Chinese civilization is two independent entities, one is the China of the North, and the other is the China of the South. The so-called "Southern Mountains and Southern Emperors' Residences are clearly defined in the Book of Heaven."

This approach of looking at the relationship between the two sides in the light of the Southern and Northern Dynasties in ancient China, in addition to satisfying the ever-increasing national self-esteem, also implies that Annan and China not only stand side by side but also belong to the same Chinese civilization.

May I ask which small vassal country around ancient China dared to say something like "harming Chinese citizens, asking teachers to ask them, and wanting to save each other" to interfere in the internal affairs of the suzerain?Except for the "Heroes of the Eighteen Provinces of Honest Advice" produced by the later island countries during the Sino-Japanese War.

After the orthodox Han Dynasty, the Southern Song Dynasty, fell, and Kublai Khan failed to crusade against the Chen Dynasty, Annan regarded himself as "China" and put himself on an equal footing with the Central Plains Dynasty.

This is why Ming Chengzu, after the crusade against Annan and the destruction of the Chen Dynasty, even though he organized households and set up guards, the local scholarly elite still refused to assimilate and encouraged the people to rebel.

It is precisely because this concept is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in Annan, so in the history of another time and space, Ruan Fuying tried to change the name of the country to "South Vietnam" after the restoration of the country. In his opinion, the Manchu Qing could no longer be called "China". You are "China".

Although he was dismissed by Jiaqing after seeing through his innocence, he was given the name "Vietnam" instead, but the Nguyen Dynasty did not use "Vietnam" in the country, but called itself "Great Vietnam", and later changed its name to "Da Nan". The desire to be on an equal footing with the northern suzerain is on paper.

After the reunification, Nguyen Phuc Anh chose Hue instead of Thang Long Province as the capital. In essence, he wanted to distance himself from the Qing Dynasty and use the "dividing the north and the south" to show the surrounding countries.And this kind of mentality will naturally make the relationship between the two countries gradually drift away, and eventually lead to the "Sino-French War" when the rulers and ministers of the Nguyen Dynasty actually secretly helped France, expressing their neutrality in a strange way!

Zuo Zongtang dragged the ponytail of the 73-year-old sick supervisor, and the 67-year-old Feng Zicai led the army to resist tenaciously at Zhennanguan, and the French were thrown away.Needless to say, the cowardice of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the lack of cooperation between the Ruan family and his ministers was also an important reason for the opening of the door to Southwest China!
It is precisely because of this that Zhao Xin, who has long seen this clearly, refuses to budge on the territorial issue.He just wants to take back Tong Deng and Lang Son, so that the Honghe Plain is safe and secure, and there is a sharp sword hanging over Annan's head.

The problem is that Ruan Phuc Anh is not stupid. The territory of the Dazhihe River, which borders Yunnan, is nothing more than that, but he is very aware of the importance of Tongdeng and Lang Son.However, after repeated consideration and weighing, Ruan Fuying finally gritted his teeth and agreed.

Right now the Northern Territory is not in his hands, and he doesn't know that it will be taken back in the Year of the Monkey. Even if he agrees now, he can find excuses and find a way to hold back in the future.

In fact, if Ruan Guangping's early death had not led to internal strife in the Xishan Dynasty, Ruan Fuying would have no chance of reunification.Historically, he promised to cede Con Dao and Hoi An to the French, but in the end they were rejected on the grounds that France did not actually send troops.

Moreover, the conditions offered by the Beihai Navy are too tempting.The 50 taels of silver and copper coins that Deng Fei agreed to borrow can greatly solve his current distressed financial situation; not to mention that the Beihai Navy will help him recover Binh Thun Mansion and even the city of Quiren.

"Did they say when to send troops?"

Li Wenyue replied: "Your Majesty, that Admiral Deng said that they have to wait for their supplies to be delivered to Hoi An, and it will take another month at most."

Ruan Fuying nodded and said, "A month? That's enough time."

Peter said: "Master Ruan. In addition to what was mentioned just now, the general named Deng Fei also wants to rent Ganling'ao as a supply point for transiting south."

Ruan Fuying was stunned for a moment, and said, "Ganling'ao? Where is Yongchang County?"

Li Wenyue at the side replied, "It's the bay 88 miles east of Yongchang."

Ruan Fuying, who was suspicious in his heart, asked someone to take a map to look at, and said in surprise: "This place is densely covered with hidden reefs, and only small boats can pass through it. What do they want here?"

In fact, Deng Fei wanted to borrow Con Lun Island at first, but on the way to the south, when the fleet passed by Nha Trang, which is the famous "Nha Trang" in later generations, Deng Fei, who had been here before, suddenly thought of it. a better place.

In another time and space, the famous Cam Ranh Bay was called Ganling'ao in ancient times, and now it's just an inconspicuous coastal defense stronghold under the rule of Ruan Wenyue of the Xishan Dynasty, with a small village nearby.

What?You said there are many reefs?Hehe, that's nothing to us!
So when he proposed to Peter to abandon Conlun Island and replace it with Ganlingao, Peter, who had already regarded Conlun Island as a French possession, was naturally very happy.As for Li Wenyue, he has no objection. It is more than 500 miles away from Jiading Waterway, and it is currently under the rule of Ruan Wenyue of Xishan Dynasty;

Li Wenyue said: "Based on my humble opinion, the Beihai people are very good at ingenuity and ingenuity. Maybe they have secret skills to develop it into a good port. That admiral Deng is willing to pay the king 5000 taels of silver for rent every year. The lease period is 50 years, and it can be delivered in advance. The minister thinks that I, Guangnan, still need to recuperate, train troops and build ships, and this money is really important."

Good guy!It's another 25 taels, and it's still the territory of the Xishan Dynasty. This Beihai Town has a lot of plans for Annan!
Ruan Fuying said in a deep voice: "That Admiral Deng didn't say what to do with Ganling'ao?"

Peter said: "Oh, he explained this to me. They want to use it as a transit point for north-south transportation in Beihai Town, and at the same time station a fleet. Apart from helping us, the main purpose is to deal with the Dutch and British in Java. people."

Ruan Fuying thought for a while and nodded in agreement.Dealing with the Western barbarians has nothing to do with him, but if Beihai Town can be built there, when the lease expires in the future, he will have another good port under his rule.

Two days later, to show his sincerity, Nguyen Phuc Anh took a boat and led his civil and military officials to meet him in Canchu Port in person.In order to show that his Guangnan navy is not bad, he also used the two western-style warships and used one of them as his own boat.

But when he came to Qinchu Port happily, he was immediately frightened by the huge body of Thor, and even the French officers and sailors on board were dumbfounded.Although they had heard He Xiwen and Peter's description before, the shock brought by witnessing it with their own eyes still refreshed their understanding of Beihai Town's strength.

Ruan Fuying immediately ordered his painters to draw and record, and even wrote a poem.

"The Thunder God of the North Sea kills whales, and Yan'an is still worried about raising soldiers. The flags are beautiful and the clouds are shadowed, and the drums are loud and loud. The sound of the ground. Thousands of armors shine on the frost, the tigers roar, and thousands of boats line up. Cranes and geese walk. My heart rests with the people and fights. Keep hoping for peace."

　I checked too much information, and it is extremely difficult to find. "Jiading Tongzhi", "Huangyue Yitong Yudizhi", and even the "Nanyang Journal" in the 50s have been turned over.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)