Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 216 Cutting Plan
Lin Hai returned to Wanhua on the 30th of the first lunar month, which was Wei Zhongxian's birthday. As soon as he came back, there were a lot of things waiting for him to deal with.

The Army Ministry reorganization plan submitted by Wu Guoyi and the Western Shipyard Construction Plan written by Pan Dajiang are both on his desk. The former is not under the control of the Civil Affairs Yuan, while the latter is something Lin Hai said he would personally intervene in, so he has to wait for him It can only be approved after coming back.

However, Lin Hai only briefly read the two documents on the day he came back. Before he had time to process them, he went to Keelung early the next morning. Because the Zhusin Ship trade had begun again in the new year, Ou Zuoji came to Keelung from Nagasaki.

This time, the lineup accompanying Ou Zuoji was even stronger. In addition to Sotaro Araki, there was also Yabei Hamada, the head of the Nagasaki Daikan Sueji Heizo, but this person had already set off for the eldest officer a few days ago.

Strictly speaking, Hamada Yabei's main purpose of going overseas this time was not trade. He came here for De Wette, the VOC's senior businessman and acting chief of staff.

The trade friction between Sue Heizo and the Dutch attracted more and more attention from the top officials of the shogunate. Some imperial family members who coveted the position of Nagasaki Acting Governor began to use the topic to make use of the situation, hoping to secretly hinder Heizo Sue so that they could unseat him and replace him.

Sue Heizo was very troubled by this. He himself relied on similar tricks to bring down the former Nagasaki Daikan Murayama Toyasu, and successfully pocketed this lucrative job that made countless people jealous. Now he doesn't want to become a target for others.

At this time, Ozoji sent him Salvador Diaz and told him that De Wet was a secret Catholic, and also explained to him Lin Hai's suggestion.

After careful consideration, Sueji Heizang decided to adopt it. He sent Hamada Yabei to kidnap De Wet, brought him back to Nagasaki, and then complained to the shogunate that the Dutch were evil Catholics.

This was the first time that Heizo Sueji publicly broke up with the Dutch. His first attack was a decisive blow, which shows that this person is a ruthless character who does not say many ruthless words.

Ou Zuoji is one of the few people who knows about the lotus cutting plan. Lin Hai specifically told him last year that he should come to Keelung with Sotaro Araki this year. If he is not there by then, please be sure to hold this person back. He comes back.

After hearing the receptionist's words, Araki Sotaro thought that the world was changing too fast. The Tang Dynasty people who appeared out of nowhere established their country here. I wonder what the king wanted to see him for?

Not to mention the fortress project on Sheliao Island, the warships parked in Keelung Port and the naval barracks on the other side that can accommodate thousands of sailors all indicate that a powerful emerging force is rising in the East Asian waters. rise.

In another time and space, Hamada Yabei kidnapped the next chief officer, Peter Nuiz, a year later in the first year of Chongzhen.

Of course, VOC can also choose another route, which is to go north along Borneo and the Philippine Islands, but in the middle lies their old enemy the Spanish. If they do not send a fleet with sufficient strength, it is equivalent to giving food to their old rivals.

Araki Sotaro was confused for a moment by Monk Zhang Er. He was well-informed and had heard that the Spaniards occupied the chicken coop and were later driven away by a group of Tang people.

He immediately realized that he could no longer treat Lin Hai as a fellow maritime merchant, so he knelt down and kowtowed to Lin Hai on the spot: "Foreign Minister Araki Sotaro comes to greet your Majesty!"

This move can be said to be a quick and easy way to cut through the mess, pinpointing the target of the second generation of the Tokugawa shogunate with great accuracy. What's more, in this time and space, this ultimate move is superimposed with the super buff that the commander is a Catholic. If he doesn't use it, it will not be the style of the last generation Heizou.

Sotaro Araki wanted to ask Ou Zuoji, but was not allowed. He was actually under house arrest, and he felt quite uneasy for a while.

Sueji Heizo had figured out the mentality of the Oisho. Tokugawa Hidetada, a son of a bitch, had a great reputation. As long as he escalated the matter to the level where everyone knew it, he would most likely protect the interests of his own people in the end.

This is the overall goal of the first phase of the plan to cut the lotus. The Hirado Merchant Shop mainly relies on the last Heizang to cut off the lotus. Lin Hai, the merchant shop in the Indochina Peninsula, can only do it himself. His first step was to make a long-sleeved dance. On Sotaro Araki.

Araki Sotaro is a very trouble-making person, which is one of the reasons why he has been able to get along well in the East Asian waters.

These business houses are all located in Indochina, and are either on the west side of the Malay Peninsula or east of the Strait of Malacca. Cutting them off one by one will be equivalent to removing all supply points between Batavia and Datang. VOC It will be almost as difficult for merchant ships to travel between the Asian headquarters and China and Japan in East Asia as it was when they first arrived in Asia.

As long as this strategic situation is achieved, Lin Hai judged that VOC is likely to give up its commercial territory in East Asia and turn its full efforts to operate the Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. After all, no one can send a fully armed fleet to do business every time. I'm afraid I'll lose even my underwear.

It wasn't until Lin Hai and Ou Zuoji came together that Araki Sotaro suddenly realized that this King of Jinhe was Ou Zuoji's sworn brother. What on earth did the two brothers want to do with this?
At the same time, Araki Sotaro was also very frightened. When he met Lin Hai here last year, there were only more than a thousand shabby houses in Jinbaoli Society and Dajilong Society. In just one year, something has happened here. Earth-shaking changes.

With Pingzang's action, Lin Hai's long-planned plan to cut the lotus has taken a substantial first step. The reason why it is called "Jianhe" is because at this time, VOC is a Dayi merchant compared to Huiyou Company, and Lin Hai wants to start from the outside like Zhou Renjian merchants did.

On the first day of February in the seventh year of the Apocalypse, Lin Hai came to Keelung from Tamsui. Araki Sotaro has been staying here for several days. The person responsible for receiving him told him that this is now the territory of Jinhe Kingdom. The king came to see him for something and asked him to wait here.

The first is the unarmed business houses, which are all established in Asian countries that are friendly to VOC. In addition to the Hirado business hall in Japan, the first thing Lin Hai wants to eliminate is the VOC business in Siam, Cambodia and the Malay Peninsula. A store in a small country.

This group of Tang people prohibited foreign merchant ships from entering the port, but they would not rob indiscriminately. Therefore, when Ou Zuoji said that he knew the Tang leader, Araki Sotaro followed him into Keelung Port.

This made both Lin Hai and Ou Zuoji confused. Lin Hai quickly stepped forward to help him, and turned back to ask Ou Zuoji, "What did he say?"

After listening to the translation, Lin Hai realized that he had made a big mistake, and he felt dumbfounded. He didn't expect that this little devil had given him a taste of the emperor's addiction in advance. Don't tell me, it's really cool.

"Brother Araki, you misunderstood. King Jinhe is the heroine, and I am just a special envoy sent by her..." Lin Hai continued seriously: "Brother Araki, please don't do this again, otherwise you will put Lin on the fire. Ah! Queen Jinhe has a very hot temper and is ready to whip people!"

Araki Sotaro was stunned for a long time before turning around, and then asked: "Lin Sang, aren't you a Qianhu from the Ming Kingdom? Why did you come to Jinhe Kingdom again? Her Majesty the Queen must have given Lin Sang Bu Less good?”

Um, well...does it count if you allow me to sleep on the dragon bed?

Lin Hai rubbed his nose and replied: "Brother Araki, I am still a Qianhu of the Ming Kingdom. I have no title or honor in the Jinhe Kingdom. I just have some personal relations with Her Majesty the Queen. Like you, I am essentially a maritime merchant. , as a maritime merchant, the more overseas friends the better, isn’t your brother the son-in-law of the Lord of Guangnan?”

Araki Sotaro's wife is the adopted daughter of the current Nguyen Lord of Annam, Nguyen Phuc Yuan, and Nguyen Phuc Yuan's second daughter, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Van, is the queen of the current Cambodian King Ji Zhetha II. The first target of Lin Hai's lotus shearing plan is VOC's Uzbekistan in Cambodia. This is the VOC shopping mall closest to the Ming Dynasty on the Eurasian continent.

Araki Sotaro was dubious about Lin Hai's words. He still highly doubted that the so-called Jinhe Kingdom was actually just a cover. The Queen of Jinhe was also a fictitious person. The de facto owner here was Lin Hai.

However, he also knew how to be confused. Since Lin Hai wanted to sing an opera, he would listen to it with relish. If he exposed it, it would be of no benefit to him.

Araki Sotaro then asked: "I wonder what Her Majesty the Queen's orders are? Please give me Lin Sang's instructions."

"That's right, the Queen of Jinhe wants to enrich the treasury through sea trade, and because the Lord of Guangnan has always valued sea trade, the Queen wants to do business with Guangnan. However, Jinhe has just been established and has no contacts with overseas countries, so I want to invite you. Brother, let me get a clue..."

Lin Hai said and added: "Of course the queen will not call people in vain. Japan is a big country, and it must disdain to do business with the Jinhe Kingdom. In this case, the queen is willing to let your brother change hands. Specifically, it is 30,000 yuan per year. Zhang Luskin, I’ll give it to you at 70% of the price of the deerskin.”

Araki Sotaro also has a good relationship with the Dutch. He is the only Zhuin ship owner who can fly the VOC flag on the ship. Sometimes the officials will sell him some deer skins.

With this relationship, Hamada Yabei will naturally not tell Araki Sotaro about his purpose of coming to Toban this time. At the same time, Lin Hai will not tell him that his goal is to eliminate the VOC Wudong Store. At present, he only needs to establish it through him. High-level relations with Guangnan and Cambodia are sufficient.

"Please report to Her Majesty the Queen. It is an honor for the Foreign Minister to serve Her Majesty! But whether the Lord of Guangnan will agree to trade with the Jinhe Kingdom is beyond the Foreign Minister's foreseeability. Please Lin Sang make this clear to the Queen. "

Araki Sotaro readily agreed. This matter was just a piece of cake for him. If this matter was completed, he could buy 30,000 discounted deer skins. Why not?
"Brother Araki, please rest assured that even if this matter fails, Her Majesty the Queen will not blame you." Lin Hai said and smiled, "But I believe that the Lord of Guangnan will definitely agree to this, because Her Majesty the Queen has prepared for Lord Ruan A generous gift.”

"Oh? I wonder what kind of treasure it is?" Sotaro Araki was also a little curious when he heard this. Lin Hai was also a knowledgeable person. Why did he dare to be so sure that he could impress the leader of a country.

It should be noted that Quang Nan is also a powerful country in Southeast Asia. It was with the help of King Annan Nguyen that Cambodian King Ji Zetha II repelled the Siamese invasion twice. Prior to this, Cambodia had been pinned to the ground by Siam for a long time. At the end of the last century, even the capital Luowei was conquered by others, and later the capital was moved to Wudong.

Ji Zheta II made Nguyen Phuc Yuen's daughter his queen. To a certain extent, he was eating soft rice. He even ceded some land in the Mekong Delta to Guangnan in exchange for his father-in-law sending troops.

"The treasure is not here now. Please ask Brother Araki to come with me to get it tomorrow." Lin Hai gave it up first, and then said, "Her Majesty the Queen also wants to do business with Cambodia. I heard that the king of that country is brother-in-law with me. I don't know. Can I talk to him?"

Araki Sotaro only married Ruan Fuyuan's adopted daughter. To say that he was the brother-in-law of the King of Cambodia was a bit flattering. I heard this powerful Japanese businessman say: "Compared to the king, I am more familiar with the crown prince of that country. I can do it at any time." Meet the Crown Prince himself.”

"That's great." Lin Hai was even more happy when he heard this. Ji Zheta II will burp this year, and then the prince Benha Tuo will succeed to the throne, but the power will fall to his uncle Ude In the hands of the prince.

Prince Ouday is a pro-Siamese faction in Cambodia, while Penha To is a pro-Quangnam faction like his father. The future history of Cambodia will be a history of blood and tears being rubbed by powerful neighbors on the left and right.

Both Siam and Quang Nam have several members of the Cambodian royal family, and both countries covet this piece of fat. The relationship between Siam and VOC is as good as honey, and Guangnan is very close to the Portuguese, so Lin Hai's idea is to unite with Guangnan to kill Prince Udea, so that Penha To can truly take control of Cambodia.

As long as this can be achieved, VOC Wudong Commercial Center can be shut down in minutes. Of course, after spending so much effort, Lin Hai was naturally not only doing it for a Wudong store, but also for the Mekong Delta, which Lord Annan Ruan coveted. Lin Hai also had other ideas.

It was a uniquely blessed land with flat fertile fields, crisscrossing rivers and canals, and excellent rain and heat conditions. It would have a population of 50 million in later generations! Even with the agricultural technology of this era, it is more than enough to feed more than five million people, which is equivalent to more than three Netherlands or Portugal.

What's more, the mouth of the Mekong River was originally cultivated by the Chinese into fertile land in another time and space. Ming Dynasty survivors such as Yang Yandi, Chen Shangchuan, and Ma Jiu brought Chinese diligence and wisdom to this land. Even if it is to pay tribute to these Chinese heroes who were ashamed to be soldiers, Lin Hai will turn this place into the capital of Yao, the soil of Shun, and the seal of Yu!

Benha To had a tragic ending in history. He was executed by his uncle, Prince Ude, after only three years as king. The reason was that Ben Ha To slept with Prince Ude's concubine. This princess was said to be Ben Ha To. Ha Tuo's childhood sweetheart was later married by his uncle, and he didn't know who cuckolded whom.

With such a tauren buff that makes a man silently cry and a woman cry, Lin Hai believed that Benha To would definitely be willing to accept external assistance to kill his uncle, even if it meant luring another bad wolf into his bedroom.

As for the Guangnan Kingdom, of course they cannot allow the pro-Siamese Prince Ude to take power. However, the Guangnan Kingdom itself is also facing strong military pressure from Lord Zheng of Beihe. If he wants Ruan Fuyuan to send troops, Lin Hai must show his strength. .

"Brother Araki, this is the letter of credence given by Her Majesty the Queen to Guangnan and Cambodia. Please help me submit it to the kings of the two countries. Since the Cambodian side needs the crown prince to deliver it, I will advise the queen to give the crown prince a gift. I just wonder what the crown prince’s preferences are?”

(End of this chapter)