Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1307 Tianxiong Three Towns ([-])

April 1661, 12, sunny.

After the meeting with Van Riebeck in November ended unhappily, the military and political leaders of the Hezhong region headed by Jiao Tang and Xie Hansan remained unmoved, and continued to work in an orderly manner at their own pace.Considering the inconvenient connection between Baibo County and Hezhong County (the land distance between the two counties exceeds 11 kilometers), and the large-scale exploration of the vast area between the two counties has not yet been carried out, Jiao Tang decided to conduct another survey between the two counties. Set up some settlements to connect the west coast of South Africa and facilitate the supply of passing troops and personnel.

The population of the settlements is still transferred from Hezhong County, probably in the thousands. This will reduce the population of Hezhong County to about 3.5 people, basically restoring the size of a middle-to-upper county in the East Bank Republic, and the population density It has also been reduced to a reasonable level, and there is no need to worry about when the epidemic will strike again.

On December 12th, Jiao Tang formally ordered that Jingchuan Township be established near the later city of Fredendal; Zhenrong Township was established near the later city of Calvinia, more than 7 kilometers to the east—this is the southern part of the Great Cliff and the The major traffic arteries for the Great Karoo Plateau to enter and exit the western coast are relatively critical; Deshun Township was established near Kleinze City; Guyuan Township was established near Springbok City; Huaide Township was established near Kamiskron Township ; Establish Gaoping Township near the small town of Bitfontaine.

In the above six settlements, it is planned to relocate about [-] to [-] residents to settle here, focusing on agriculture, animal husbandry and water-saving agriculture along rivers (mostly seasonal rivers).Jiao Tang has already sent back the plans for the establishment of nine settlements and the future establishment of Tianxiong County and Jingyuan County in the name of the Hezhong District Administrative Office. The Executive Committee should hear back within six months. By then, Hezhong Under the jurisdiction of the Regional Administrative Office are Hezhong, Tianxiong, Jingyuan, and Baibo counties, [-] to [-] people, thousands of troops, and part of the subordinate Black Eight Banners. Its strength has undoubtedly surpassed the entire southern Africa.It can be said that as long as the people on the east coast do not make mistakes, but with the more than [-] people in South Africa, they can already ensure an absolute dominant position in South Africa, because neither the Netherlands nor the United Kingdom may be able to move a large number of people here in a short period of time— —The Netherlands is unwilling, and England is because its main immigration destination is set in North America.

While asking the executive committee to approve the establishment of Tianxiong County and Jingyuan County in South Africa, Major Xie Hansan, the commander of the South African Garrison Army, also requested that the mainland should transfer the independent First Cavalry Battalion to South Africa to form a round of battle with the South African Cavalry Battalion, which is currently resting. .Last month, the battalion spent more than [-] consecutive battles on the Little Karoo Plateau before returning. It killed and wounded more than [-] Xhosa black tribesmen (and killed some on the way back), and its own casualties were only a mere [-] (at the same time. lost more than [-] horses), and there were still nearly [-] horses when they returned to Tianxiong Town, the starting point, and the results were brilliant.

This also proves that in the dry grasslands of the Karoo Plateau, continuous use of elite cavalry to harass and attack enemy tribes is indeed an effective means of weakening the enemy's strength. The environment, the nomadic Xhosa black tribes usually live scattered in various places, and the population is not very large. It is easy to be wiped out by the sudden east coast cavalry, and it is difficult to pass on the news.This strategic disadvantage will eventually make the enemy shrink—such as concentrating on retreating to the later city of Oudtshoorn, which has fertile land and abundant water sources—to concentrate its forces against the constant harassment and attacks of the people on the east coast.

And this shows from another aspect that it is indeed a stroke of genius from a strategic point of view that the people from the east coast suddenly moved forward to occupy the Tianxiong County area with all their elite forces.If you think about it, if the Xhosa wanted to attack the east bank, they could gather people from various tribes on the large and small Karu Plateau without haste, and then drive cattle and sheep along the river for hundreds of miles. The desert area traveled to Tianxiong County to rest for a period of time, and took the opportunity to replenish supplies, and then calmly attacked the people on the east bank.

But now everything is different. Without Tianxiong County, a land with rich water and grass, the Xhosa blacks who came from afar and are extremely tired will not have any rest, and the attack will naturally be out of the question.What's even more frightening is that all the tribes they scattered on the large and small Karoo plateaus will all be exposed to the blades of the cavalry on the east bank at once, and will spend every day and night in fear from now on, unless they give up this It is really a painful choice for them, but they actually have no choice.

On December 1661, 12, the remaining 20 cavalry of the South African Cavalry Battalion led more than 150 supplementary soldiers—it was not difficult to be selected in the River Security Regiment. There are too many people who can ride horses in the Gein River— Arrive at Tianxiong Town which is under construction.At the same time, the South African Garrison Command also officially announced the promotion of Reynold as the acting battalion commander of the South African Cavalry Battalion, replacing the old officer who resigned due to illness, and taking control of this powerful force with a total strength of nearly 550 cavalry.

The newly appointed Reined was in high spirits, and the more than [-] cavalry under his command were also full of fighting spirit. They kept patrolling in Tianxiong County, searching for all suspicious targets and attacking them, which made the Dutch who wanted to make a deal with the Karma Kingdom extremely depressed. , there is nowhere to be found.Of course, even if the Dutch successfully entered the Little Karoo Plateau, there probably would not be any Xhosa blacks who would come to trade with them. They should have all been panicked by the cavalry on the east coast, and they would have fled if they died. There were no people at all. Will stay and trade with the Dutch, but this is not what the Dutch can know.

On December 12, the cavalry troops of the East Coasters even rushed to Fort Charles near the later city of Swellendam. Under the nervous gaze of hundreds of British colonists here, they circled far away and then headed south After marching in the direction of Proteum Town under the East India Company for a while, Shi Shiran turned his horse and returned to Tianxiong Town. anxiety.

On December 12th, the third day after Christmas, Governor Van Riebeck, under the escort of his entourage, rode to the city of Brieux on horseback, and had a discussion with Sir Montague, the British colonial governor— —Although the relationship between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands is not good in Europe, the attitude of their overseas colonies is still quite flexible, and this is also the norm in Europe at this time. Don’t be too much about the examples where the locals fight to the death, but the colonies live in peace and trade frequently. more, and vice versa.

Although the population of the British in South Africa is not as large as that of the Netherlands, the spirit of this country from top to bottom is not comparable to that of the Dutch businessmen who are calculating petty profits all day long.In short, at the critical moment, these British people dare to risk their lives, but the Dutch may not be able to. This is the gap.But no matter what, the two sides have temporarily come together under the common pressure of the people on the east coast at this time, and it is inevitable to form a military alliance of mutual protection nature.

"Sir, although your country and ours have some differences in interests in the East Indies and India, this does not prevent us from facing a common serious situation. The people on the east coast have already seized the opportunity in South Africa, haven't they?" In the city of Brieuc, wearing satin clothes, Van Riebeck said frankly: "I think South Africa must have a high status on your country's nautical chart, right? Before the ship from London arrives in India, if you can Stopping in South Africa is extremely necessary for the health of the sailors and the safety of navigation. This is an important node and must not be lost, otherwise our route will be completely exposed to the naval guns of the people on the east coast , like the poor Portuguese."

At this time, the news of the annihilation of the Portuguese Mozambique Squadron has spread throughout Europe. Everyone knows that Portugal, a dilapidated settlement, has suffered a disgraceful defeat. Captured or sunk, the loss was extremely heavy.And some naval officers of countries such as Britain, the Netherlands, France, and Spain also saw a huge threat from it, that is, the possibility of threatening the world of Christ to trade in the Far East—think about it, how many years it took the world of Christ to Only then did they explore a route to the east, but now this route is in danger of being monopolized by the pagans on the east coast, how can they bear it?To break the monopoly threat of the people on the east coast, it is necessary to establish and maintain a certain military presence in South Africa. The colonies here may not make much money, but they must exist, and It is best to have certain ship repair and supply capabilities, which can berth for the large fleet coming from the mainland, and this is obviously the basis for the Dutch and British to sit together and talk about things.

The British are also very sympathetic to the difficulties of the always friendly Portuguese Kingdom, especially when their Princess Catarina is discussing marriage with His Majesty Charles II, the United Kingdom and Portugal have formed an ally with the same interests It's not impossible, so they have a very bad impression of the people on the east coast, not to mention that they have had large-scale conflicts before.

Moreover, in order to retaliate against people from the east coast intercepting and killing smuggling ships from various countries in the Caribbean Sea (which has aroused public outrage), the British have resolutely carried out private plundering operations on the east coast for the past two years. The pirates on the merchant ships on the east coast all opened their eyes and closed their eyes - of course, if they robbed the ships of other European countries, they would still be hanged. The fact that the pirates were publicly executed by the London courts—and never pursued, speaks volumes.

Even, Sir Montagu heard vaguely that several remote small fishing villages near Bristol have become a paradise for pirates to sell their stolen goods. , Soap, whale products, mechanical parts, refined flour, pepper, medicine, military supplies and other materials are sold here at low prices, which is very fat for some powerful businessmen who walk on the edge of gray.It is reported that in the past two years, the total value of the East Coast goods sold through Bristol has exceeded [-] pounds. Even some big businessmen as far away as London have heard of this, which is really amazing.

However, the pirates and dealers are happy, but other merchants in England are expected to cry in the future.Because this kind of news cannot be concealed, once the people on the east coast know about this kind of pirate incident, they will definitely increase their efforts to crack down on British smuggling merchant ships (although they have been doing this all the time). Merchant ships may suffer, and many merchants may go bankrupt because of it, but this is beyond Sir Montagu's control.

"Indian trade is crucial, and the safety of navigation in the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean is also crucial." Sir Montagu said immediately after listening. His French is very good, and it can be seen that he has studied it for many years: "The South African colony It is also an important stronghold that cannot be abandoned for England. The East India Company of our country also pays great attention to this place, and provides certain financial subsidies every year to help the government collect immigrants, open up farmland, and build fortresses. Your Excellency the Governor’s comments on the two colonies of Cape Town and South Africa I am deeply worried about the future. Although my soldiers are high-spirited and experienced, and although they are determined to guard their homes and properties, their numbers are too small to compete with the pagans on the east coast. So, Mr. Van Riebeck, what is your company's view on this matter, and has it taken any measures?"

"It is impossible for the company to immigrate here without restrictions. Our business scope is too large and we need people everywhere. It is impossible to only focus on Cape Town. Therefore, I need to reach an agreement with you, sir-don't worry, this is also The Seventeen Gentlemen in Amsterdam have basically agreed to what my predecessor, Governor Heimer de Young, has been promoting during his tenure—that is, once my company’s Cape Town colony is attacked by anyone in any form, please immediately Give military aid and go to war against our common enemy; correspondingly, if your South African colony is attacked by any enemy, then we will also send troops from Cape Town to support your righteous defense of the homeland, how about it? After going around for a long time, Van Riebeek, who came on behalf of the Dutch East India Company, finally threw out his trump card, that is, the two neighboring colonies formed a close military alliance to jointly deal with the pressure from the people on the east coast.

After frowning and thinking for a while, Sir Montagu nodded lightly, but he also said that this matter still needs the approval of London to count.However, before that, the two sides started some trade cooperation with each other, especially when Tianxiong County was occupied by people from the east coast, and the Karma Kingdom could only get in touch with Cape Town through the British South African colony.

"By the way, the French have been squeezed out by the people on the east coast and the natives in Xinhuaxia Island recently. I heard that their government is now turning their attention to South Africa, and they may also intend to set up colonies along the coast. You can pay attention to this. " At the end, Sir Montague seemed to suddenly recall, and said to Van Riebeck.

(End of this chapter)