The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 226 Xuanzhou Peninsula
February 2, Pu'an Port (today's Ensenada City, Baja California Peninsula).

The battleship "Nagiha" slowly sailed into the port. A clever dock worker steadily caught the cable thrown by the sailor and then tied it firmly to the bitt.

"What fun things are there on the ship?"

"Except for some wheat and wood, there are tea, spices, cane sugar, cotton cloth, as well as hardware tools and agricultural tools." Looking at the eager-eyed dock manager in front of him, the orderly officer of the Fuha, Colonel Renyong (lieutenant) Zhao Huiqing responded with a smile: "Old Liu, look at you like this, do you want something special?"

"Are there any drinks, cigarettes, coffee, cocoa? Are there any kinds of fruits and canned meats?"

"What, are you going to go to the indigenous tribes in the interior, or are you going to cross the Jinsha River and get it to the Spanish in Mexico?"

"Let's see who can afford the higher price, and sell it to whomever! Alas, in such a remote place, there is almost no valuable material output. If we don't think about finding some income, I'm afraid that even my family will be killed. I can’t even feed them.”

"Ah, don't cry poor here." Zhao Huiqing spat with a smile. Seeing that the two officers on the ship were about to walk down the gangway, they approached him and whispered: "At night, follow the old rules to lead people. Come to the ship to see the goods...Remember to bring enough money! Gold yuan coupons and Yinzhou silver coins are both acceptable."

Since the end of the Second Qixi War, apart from routine patrols on the Weiyi Islands and the west coast of Yinzhou, the Weiyi Squadron has basically had no decent military operations, and even small-scale operations such as combating pirates have been rare. Pitiful.

This was also the main reason why the Wei Squadron was weakened again and again.

Not to mention whether they can successfully pass through the Strait of Magellan controlled by the Qing State, even if they can enter the Pacific Ocean, they may not have the opportunity to capture a merchant ship in such a vast sea area. Even if you are lucky enough to intercept a merchant ship, if you look around, there are no temporary supplies or docked islands in the Pacific for you to rest.

So what is worth carrying in the barren Xuanzhou Peninsula?

Although the salary of Qi soldiers is among the first-class treatment among navies of other countries, compared with the growing salary level in China, it has long lost its competitiveness and superiority.

But how could Spain give up this key territory? !

When it arrived at Huining Island (now Vancouver Island) in Pengzhou, it shipped a large amount of coal and timber to Xuanzhou. Then he took some wheat and rice from Huaiyuan City to the Xuanzhou Peninsula (today's Baja California Peninsula) to deliver food to several local coastal settlements.

You know, Peruvian silver mines were first transported to Panama City on the Pacific coast by armed merchant ships, and then used packhorses and carts to cross the isthmus to Colon on the Caribbean coast. They were then loaded onto ships, stopped briefly in Cuba, and finally Join the large fleet of merchant ships, cross the Atlantic Ocean, and return to the Spanish mainland.

But what business can the Hawaiian Squadron do?

Salt and whale oil.

In the "Free Trade Agreement of the Americas" signed by Qi and Xi, the import and export tariffs "agreed" by both parties are only a pitiful 3%-5%, which is almost negligible for the lucrative maritime trade. Under this situation, both the Qi merchant ships and the Luzon and Wei merchant ships bearing the name of Qi were not rare in engaging in smuggling. They all sailed directly and openly into the ports on the Pacific coast of Spanish America, or passed through Qi Yin European territories were then re-exported to Spanish territories.

As for the west coast of America, since the two Zixi Wars, some larger towns and ports have been more or less equipped with a number of forts to prevent them from being easily landed and captured by the enemy again. Although it may not be able to defend against a large-scale military attack, it is still quite capable against a hundred and eighty pirates.

Without high sea-going allowances, or war allowances and maritime seizures, the salaries of officers and soldiers would not even be comparable to those in the local area who have just started working for two or three years.

We shouldn't waste the navy's precious military power in such "unoccupied" waters, and let a group of naval officers and soldiers lie idle on the beach of Weiyi Island and bask in the sun, right?
Not only has the number of ships and officers and men in the Wei Squadron been repeatedly reduced, but the daily maintenance costs of the fleet have also been reduced to the lowest level, leaving the officers and soldiers of the fleet with almost no "benefits".

If Qi occupied the Isthmus of Panama, how would our Kingdom of Spain be able to transport gold and silver!

As for investigating maritime smuggling, forget it, there is still nothing to do.

As a result, the Spanish ceded the Baja California Peninsula, which was larger in area but had almost no output, to the Qi people in exchange for the other party returning Panama City, which they had occupied for two years, to them.

When the warship sets off from Weiyi Island, it will help transport some cane sugar to the sugar factory on the island, or carry some fruits and canned fish to the cannery, and then transport it to the Yinzhou mainland.

That year, after the War of Spanish Succession, Qi and the West signed the Treaty of Madrid separately. Qi originally wanted to seize the Isthmus of Panama in order to control this strategic location connecting the northern and southern continents and the two oceans.

Not to mention, Qi State and Spain have also established a small joint fleet with six or seven professional warships that patrol the American coast from time to time, which makes those pirates even more discouraged.

In the vast Pacific Ocean, almost all the key islands that can be used as maritime supplies are claimed by Qi State, and the remaining sporadic islands are also divided between Luzon and Wei State. As a result, pirates who want to make a difference are reluctant to come over to do business.

However, relying on mountains and water, the Wei Squadron can still engage in some "side jobs" with its few warships to gain some benefits for the officers and soldiers under its command.

Although the Ryukyu Fleet and the Luzon Fleet have rarely experienced major maritime battles, their bases and patrol areas are the Nanyang region and the mainland coast with extremely busy shipping routes, whether they are providing escort services to merchant ships, inspecting smuggling, or even Helping the navy of the vassal country to guide and train can earn enough money and bring many benefits to the many naval officers and soldiers under his jurisdiction.

The Baja California Peninsula is located between the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean, bordering the Qi Xuanzhou territory. It extends for more than 1,200 kilometers from northwest to southeast, is 50 kilometers to 250 kilometers wide, and covers an area of ​​more than 100,000 square kilometers. The "thin arm" of the North American continent holds the northwest region of Mexico tightly in its "embrace."

The entire peninsula has mountains, winding coasts, few rivers, and a hot and arid climate. Except for the Indians who fled here, there are very few people of God. It is not a pity to leave them to the people of Qi.

Of course, some people worry that the Qi people may rely on this barren peninsula to threaten the security of the entire Mexico.

However, even if the Qi people did not occupy the Baja California Peninsula, couldn't they threaten Mexico?
With Spain's weak naval strength, how can we compete with the Qi people on the Pacific side!
During the two Qi-Xi wars, dozens of Qi warships entered uninhabited territory and arbitrarily attacked ports and towns on the Pacific coast of Spanish America. They even frequently selected weakly defended places to launch landing operations.

The people of Qi were not only powerful at sea, but their army was also very capable. Troops of hundreds or thousands of people could often defeat Spanish colonial armies in America that were several times their size.

It can be said that as long as the people of Qi are willing and gather tens of thousands of elite troops at great cost, they can sweep across the entire Mexico and turn this territory named New Spain into their New Hanzhou!
In this case, don't fight against the Qi people and throw the entire Baja California Peninsula and the territory west of the Colorado River to them, hoping to satisfy their greedy appetites.

I thought this place was remote and barren, with little value, and the Spaniards didn't care much about it.

Who knew that the people of Qi seemed to be born with the ability to turn decay into magic, and they soon dug out two "gold mines" from this barren peninsula.

One is the resources of whales swimming here.

Every year at the turn of spring and summer, a large number of gray whales, seals, and sea lions gather in the lagoon waters of the central peninsula. Many whaling ships from China come here to hunt whales, seals and other large marine animals migrating in the waters, and then cook them. Whale oil, skinning of seals, processing of whale meat, making of baleen products are then sold to all American territories and Mexico.

Secondly, it is the salt mineral resources in the central area of ​​the peninsula. The people of Qi State discovered an open-pit salt mine with abundant reserves there, so they immigrated to settle the area, built a salt castle (today's Guerrero Negro Town), and opened up a huge salt field, which could boil and refine dozens or hundreds of salts every day. Tons of high-quality salt, in addition to supplying hundreds of thousands of people in the entire Yinzhou territory and the Hawaiian Islands, are also continuously sold to the Spaniards in Mexico and Central and North America.

In this regard, the Spaniards were jealous and annoyed.

As early as decades ago, the entire California area was the territory of our Kingdom of Spain. However, except for the establishment of a few dozen missionary points, there was almost no action. There were no immigrants and no thought of exploration and development, leaving it to sleep. over there.

But he never thought that after the Qi people took over, they would either discover a huge amount of gold or a rich salt mine, and they would get this overwhelming wealth for nothing.

Could it be that the people of Qi are God's favorites?
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"No, they are not messengers sent from heaven. They are all demons and evil invaders."

In a valley more than 30 kilometers southeast of Fort Yongtai on the Xuanzhou Peninsula (now the capital of Baja California Sur, Mexico), "Coyote Head", the chief of the Guaicula tribe, held his son's blood-stained leather robe and howled in the sky.

The tribal warriors gathered around lowered their heads and mourned silently for their dead companions.

A few days ago, the Hanzhou people living by the sea gave the tribe several barrels of dried fish, two bags of salt, and three to five steel knives, asking them to launch a surprise attack on the Peta tribe deep in the desert and rescue two kidnapped people. of Hanzhou hostages.

Originally, the old chief wanted not to get involved in the conflict between the Peta tribe and the Hanzhou people, in order to avoid causing a big vendetta between the two tribes. Therefore, in the face of the Hanzhou people's request, they declined.

But who would have thought that the chief's son Kuana, who was known as brave and good at fighting, was greedy for gifts from the Hanzhou people. He was even more indignant at his father's shrinking and refusing to fight. So one night, he encouraged more than fifty people from the tribe to fight. Warriors, quietly left the tribal camp, went to the depths of the desert, and launched a surprise attack on the Peta tribe.

Then, this hasty attack suffered a complete failure. They met the shepherds of the Peta tribe on the way, and quickly ran back to the camp to inform them of the impending enemy attack.

The Peta tribe assembled more than two hundred warriors and launched a continuous counterattack and pursuit of the Guaicula warriors who came to raid. After a day and night of escape, only eleven people finally returned to the tribe. The chief's most beloved son was also stoned to death on the road. He only had a leather robe on his body and was hurriedly taken off by his companions.

The old chief's cry of lamentation, in addition to expressing his deepest hatred for the Peta tribe, also expressed endless resentment towards the Hanzhou people who had tempted the tribal warriors to launch an attack rashly.

Without the instigation of the Han people, none of this would have happened. Although many years ago, in order to compete for land and water sources, the two sides frequently had armed conflicts, constant disputes, and long-standing grievances. However, for the long-term development of the tribe, as the chief, "Coyote Head" has eased relations with the Peta tribe to a certain extent in the face of increasing pressure from the Hanzhou people.

But now it seems that the act of eliminating opposition is no longer possible. With so many tribal warriors dead, the hatred between the two tribes has deepened anyway.

It is inexplicable to say that since the Hanzhou people arrived more than ten years ago, with their sharp firearms and highly maneuverable horses, they quickly established their power in the area and occupied the most fertile areas. The coastal plain area drove all their Indian tribes into the inland desert areas.

Under this situation, the conflicts between tribes should actually be put aside, and all Indians need to be united to fight against the outside world and drive the Han people out of their homes first.

But how can we just let go of hundreds of thousands of years of tribal vendetta?

Throughout the region, conflicts between many tribes became more intense and frequent after the arrival of the Hanzhou people, and the battles became more bloody and tragic.

In order to obtain iron tools from the Han people, or to own a musket, or because of the wine and salt provided by the Han people, various tribes would be incited to start a fierce fight.

In fact, more than two hundred years ago, before Europeans came to the American continent, most of the Indians living in this vast land were a warrior society and practiced the law of the jungle. In order to compete for land and resources, they would often go to war with neighboring tribes, trying to eliminate each other as much as possible and obtain everything from the other side.

When the tribes of the Great Plains acquired horses, their way of life changed dramatically.

Spanish explorers in the 16th century brought horses to North America, and later the Spaniards who settled in northern Mexico also brought a large number of horses. Some of these horses ran away and wandered in the southwest.

Southern Plains tribes obtained horses not only from wild herds but also from raids on Spanish territory in Mexico. By the turn of the century, horses were available to tribes in the arid Southwest and Southern Plains, and soon to the Plains further north.

When the power of the Qi people expanded from Huaiyuan Bay (today's San Francisco Bay) to the south, the horses, cattle and sheep brought by the immigrants also flowed into the Xuanzhou Peninsula sporadically. After the Qi State officially ceded the peninsula, in order to provide a safe and stable security environment for the immigrants, the Xuanzhou Governor-General mobilized several rounds of rural soldiers to clear out and drive away the Indian tribes who refused to accept the king's rule.

The indigenous tribes, unwilling to lose their land and water sources, immediately launched a counterattack, frequently using the complex geographical environment to launch surprise attacks on the Qi people who were exploring or establishing settlements in the interior.

In this extremely asymmetric conflict, the indigenous Indian tribes on the peninsula suffered heavy losses and were either driven east of the Jinsha River or deep into the desert. However, the Qi people were limited in number and were unable to completely control the vast territory. of inland areas.

Inspired by the Xuanzhou gold mine and the Huining gold mine, many adventurers who wanted to gain great wealth ignored the danger, either in groups or alone, and explored the interior of the newly occupied territory, hoping to find gold. Mine and realize your dream of getting rich overnight.

When these people met the native Indians in the inland areas, except for a few who were very lucky and received friendly reception from the natives, most of them usually had fierce armed conflicts due to language barriers and their respective armed forces.

Under normal circumstances, explorers relied on the swift movements of horses to escape the pursuit of these primitive indigenous tribes who were still in the hunting and gathering stage.

But there are always unlucky ones who are plotted or raided by the increasingly clever indigenous people and fall into their hands.

Ten days ago, a five-member expedition team was attacked by the local Peta tribe in a mountainous area more than 40 kilometers southwest of Yongtai Fort. Two of them were unfortunately captured.

After escaping back to Yongtai Fort, the explorers reported the news to local officials, hoping to rescue their compatriots.

However, Yongtaibao colonial officials considered that the Peta tribe was far inland and their own strength was limited. There were only about 120 young immigrants. If they attacked rashly, if no one was rescued, their home would be stolen. , then the gain outweighs the loss.

Therefore, Yongtaibao decided to spend a small amount of money to bribe the nearby Guaicula people and ask them to dispatch tribal warriors to rescue the people.

However, they did not expect that this matter was not accomplished, and instead the Guaicula people lost many valuable tribal warriors, which made the Qi people in Yongtai Fort feel a little sorry.

Immediately, they sent twenty sharp steel knives and three muskets to the tribe.

Well, if you have a grudge to take revenge, if you have a grudge to retaliate, I have sent you something, go and destroy that ferocious Peta tribe.

(End of this chapter)