Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1331 Promoting Peace by Fighting ([-])

On February 1663, 2, in Dongfang Port, drums and trumpets sounded in unison, and a large-scale naval fleet, led by Lieutenant Commander Han Dezhi, who returned to China in rotation, was slowly leaving the pier and heading south to Yancheng Port. go.

Their fleet has two "August 1.8" class battleships, four steam engine sailing ships belonging to the Ministry of Communications, two water supply ships, two ammunition supply ships, a repair ship, and a coal ship , a troop carrier, a medical ship, and if you count the three-deck battleship "East Coaster" that made its debut, a total of fourteen ships have a gross tonnage of [-] tons, carrying a full battalion of troops. The strength of the army and a large amount of supplies (in addition to some exiled prisoners) can cause huge waves wherever they go. After all, the strength of this fleet is too strong.

On February 2, the entire fleet arrived at the Hailing Port Naval Base. After some replenishment—by the way, some technical personnel and supplies were unloaded—the fleet left the dock and sailed slowly to the southeast waters. Amidst the cheers of more than a dozen fishing boats nearby, they caught the westerly wind and sailed resolutely to the east, with the goal of Great Circle Harbor in South Africa.

On March 3, after evading a storm on the way, the blown-out fleet sailed into Dayuan Harbor in embarrassment, and then carried out emergency repairs and supplies.This famous harbor is now undergoing large-scale infrastructure construction. More than 12 black laborers (including black Eight Banners and slaves) are digging a canal leading to the Berg River to divert the relatively abundant water there. Part of the river water is diverted to the agricultural area behind Dayuan Harbor to support the development of vegetable planting, orchards and other agriculture here, and provide convenience for the supply of naval and civilian ships. This is a large project that will benefit thousands of years. Ten kilometers, powered by steam pumps, is a key project in the Hezhong area.

More than 1400 officers and soldiers of the Seventh Mixed Battalion also took the opportunity to disembark for a rest.This new mixed battalion formed with the former No. [-] Brigade of the Southern Railway Guard Team as the core will collectively go to the Far East to change defenses. The battalion commander is Liao Xiaoyao; Major Zhang Xudong, the commander, returned to the mainland to garrison after filling up the vacancies in the Far East.

The army of eight mixed battalions is already the maximum establishment that the executive committee can give. It is estimated that after the war, some battalion leaders will reduce their numbers and become low-level battalions. Otherwise, the military expenditure will be huge. The government cannot afford financial support.And not only the army, but some warships of the navy are either temporarily transferred to Air Canada for payment, or temporarily sealed up, otherwise the cost will be too great and the burden will be too heavy.If you think about it, you will know that the annual military expenditure of the navy and the two armies is more than 250 million yuan, which accounts for almost [-] to [-]% of the fiscal expenditure. This ratio is too high and must be adjusted.However, the Joint Staff Headquarters, which represents the interests of the military, should not give in easily. The two sides always have to go back and forth several times before each takes a step back and compromises with each other.

On March 1663, 3, the fleet arrived at Xinhua Bay safely and anchored in the pier.In the meantime, they also stayed in the newly established Yicheng area for a short period of time. While unloading some of the goods, they also left about 29 immigrants (mostly Tupi Indians in the Brazilian occupied area) people) and a small number of criminal exiled prisoners to support local development, and make it another important bridgehead for people from the east coast on the west coast of the Indian Ocean as soon as possible.

After accepting local capital as a shareholder, Xinhua Shipyard has now strengthened its technical strength, updated a batch of equipment, and expanded the scale of the shipyard. Overall, it is much stronger than ten years ago, so the maintenance of ships is much better than before. Much sooner.The arrival of the local fleet naturally alarmed Ma Wanpeng, who is the captain of the New China Pioneering Team. It is said that after the war, Ma, who will return to China to join the Executive Committee, received the main officials of the fleet in his official office: Navy Major Han Dezhi, and Captain Yang Liang, who is in charge of the army command, is a man who has just returned from a European escort.

Ma Wanpeng's official office is a bit cramped and dark. There is no way to do it. This is the earliest batch of buildings in Xinhua Port. It was definitely the best at the time. But with the development of the city, the number of gorgeous buildings is increasing. The heavy buildings with mixed masonry structure in the middle are becoming more and more outdated—humidity and darkness are the main feelings. It is no wonder that Captain Ma likes to run to the Daqing Basin when he has nothing to do. The government offices and private houses there are new Repaired, although the sun is harsh, it is still more comfortable than here in Xinhua Port.

"You said you are going to visit India this time? To attack the Portuguese's will to fight?" Ma Wanpeng, who had just heard the news, still hadn't realized it. Well, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean are all at war, and China, India, Africa, Europe, and the Americas are fighting all over. Although the scale is not very large, it sounds very tall, even for people like Ma Wanpeng who have no sense of war. A little fascinated.

"To be precise, I sent the 4th Mixed Battalion to the Far East to change defenses. By the way, I would like to announce important matters concerning the administrative division of the Blackwater Pioneering Team and the adjustment of the leaders. Therefore, such a big scene was dispatched, and it may also be the last voyage in my military career. Well, after all, I'm not young anymore." Han Dezhi, who already had a lot of gray hair, knew that after this trip, he would retire with the rank of lieutenant colonel in the navy, and he would take care of his life from now on and never bother the military again. (Of course, this is impossible to some extent), so he especially wanted to complete this last mission, only to hear him continue: "The meaning of the Joint Staff Headquarters is to let us go through the Indian Ocean route." Malacca goes to Heishui in the Far East. After all, after April, the North Indian Ocean is mainly dominated by southwest winds, and the ocean currents have also become clockwise circulation. It is very convenient and fast to go from East Africa to Southeast Asia, and the speed is also very fast. It takes about 20 days, compared to Australia. It is much faster to take a detour there. And since it is going to the Far East through the northern Indian Ocean, it is not appropriate not to go to India to beat the Portuguese, so we have such an expedition. You see, even the "Eastern Man" All three-deck battleships have arrived, and the army has also brought a mixed battalion. This shows how determined we are. After all, a big guy like the "East Coaster" is actually not suitable for oceangoing sailing. It is heavy and expensive to maintain. It's big too, hehe."

In fact, it is inevitable to form a mixed fleet to escort the army and the officials who read the order of the Executive Committee to the Far East and India.Because the war with the Portuguese has been going on for the fourth year, people on the east coast have fought in many places, but Portuguese India has never visited, although the commercial trade of Portuguese India with Goa as the core has shrunk a lot in recent years Great - because of the fierce competition from the Dutch East India Company - but the emaciated camels were bigger than horses, and the Portuguese officials did not make much money (the tariffs in Goa had dropped to hundreds of thousands of cruzados per year by this time, so that Lisbon has to provide financial subsidies), it does not mean that those businessmen did not earn money, everyone knows how corrupt officials in Portuguese India are, bypassing customs to do business is a necessary skill, so Goa, etc. There are still a large number of wealthy Portuguese merchants, Mestico merchants (mixed descendants of Portuguese and Indians) and even Indian merchants.

What's more, only one-third of Goa's trade volume is trade to Europe, and the remaining two-thirds are trade within Asia, so most of the wealth is actually accumulated locally.Faced with such a situation, whether it is the relatively conservative executive committee members or the relatively radical joint staff headquarters, they all feel that they can try to beat the towns in Portuguese India, especially Goa, even if they cannot be occupied, they can still scare them. To scare the Portuguese and mobilize their determination and will to continue fighting.

"Is the Seventh Mixed Battalion sure to conquer an important town like Goa?" Ma Wanpeng asked a little excitedly.

"It should be said that there is such a possibility, but it is very low." The person who answered this time was Captain Yang Liang, who was temporarily acting as the commander of the Seventh Mixed Battalion. Responsible for all land combat matters along the way of this expedition, so this will only hear him say: "Goa is still well built, with a large population (maybe more than 1600 people, and the data of the people on the east coast shows that there were 7.5 people in [-]. There are [-] people), there are forts, military camps with perennial training, fortresses, and institutions such as royal hospitals and churches. The local Indians are also naturalized very well, and the troops also have combat experience. It is very difficult for us to fight , There is almost no possibility of winning, unless we are willing to pay heavy casualties and try our best to maim the seventh mixed battalion, but I think Liao Xiaoyao and Commander Liao will take me for a knife."

Ma Wanpeng was slightly disappointed when he heard the words. In fact, he still very much hoped to see the people on the east bank conquer Goa, and then before the power of the Mughal Dynasty fully extended to this area, they would replace the power of the Portuguese to rule the place, creating a fait accompli. Then through various means to obtain the permission of Aurangzeb, the ruler of the Mughal dynasty, so as to permanently retain a stronghold in India-a stronghold of the East Coast Republic of China.Of course, he also knew that it would be difficult and there was little hope, but he still had some thoughts in his heart. After all, the involvement of people from the east coast in the Indian market is also a great benefit to the development of Xinhua Island. It is reported that the successor is Huang Yi, who was in charge of the foreign trade of Heishui, a former junior high school student who traveled through time, and he is in the prime of life), but his feelings for Xinhua Island are sincere, and he always hopes that the jewel in the crown of the east coast It can develop faster and better, and the people's living standards will also be improved.

"However, an important city like Goa cannot be taken down, and it should not be very difficult to capture a medium-sized city like Diu. It's just that the time is not good enough to deal with the aftermath. Keep it." Captain Yang Liang changed the subject after talking about the previous paragraph, and said: "Places like Daman and Diu have few people, and the business is not as prosperous as it is in A, but it is still a lot of money if you search it. It is less able to subsidize the fare for this voyage, hehe, to make the books look better. Of course, the more important thing is to attack the Portuguese's will to fight, shake their determination, and make them return to the negotiating table as soon as possible. Well, far It also means to promote national prestige, boast of force, and shock the Portuguese, British, Dutch, and even Aurangzeb. Think about it, this is the first time a powerful warship with 108 guns has appeared On the Indian Ocean, this kind of naked bravado is more effective than any diplomatic skills. If any force wants to offend us, it must carefully consider our country’s strong force in the Indian Ocean. This is actually very beneficial to our business expansion. .”

Ma Wanpeng nodded slowly when he heard the words, but he finally said: "I still regret that our country has not joined the Indian trade. I will remember this and try to find a way to change this situation in the future."

The fleet of the people from the East Coast finally rested in Xinhua Port for many days, and waited until the southerly wind on the sea gradually picked up and the trade wind belt moved northward before setting off for India.Of course, before that, they will also take a detour to Persia. Just like the "August [-]th" class battleship went to Bandar Abbas for a "friendly visit", the three-deck battleship "East Coaster" will also go to Abbas It is believed that this will be very effective in promoting the trade of the East Coast Republic of China in Persia.Didn’t you see that after the “August [-]th” class battleship went away, in the past few years, the quota for purchasing raw silk by the people on the east coast was increased several times by the Persians. Squeezing out more than half of Taiwan's sucrose already explains the problem-business has always been backed by cannons, especially in places like India and Persia.

On May 1663, 5, the huge fleet from the east coast sailed off the island of Hormuz (it stopped briefly in Muscat for half a day), which once aroused great tension among the Persians. They even thought of the Portuguese After occupying the island and Bandar Abbas with a large ship, the people ruled the area for many years, so they were so nervous that they fired warning shots.However, after the people from the east bank sent envoys to go ashore to communicate, the officers and soldiers guarding the island tremblingly stated that they would allow the people from the east coast to send a small boat ashore, and at the same time looked at the mighty and huge battleship "East Coast People" with increasing awe.

After the envoys from the east bank landed, accompanied by the person in charge of the Abbas trading station, they had a discussion with the local Persian officials.The two sides mentioned the growing trade volume between the two countries, as well as the friendly relations accumulated over the years (the East Bank has been selling weapons to Persia over the years to support their border friction with the Mughal Dynasty and the Ottoman Empire), and for a while The guests and the host had a good time—of course, it cannot be ignored that the envoys from the east bank gave a large amount of gifts and gold and silver to the Persian officials—the officials in charge of business in the east bank took the opportunity to propose to go to Isfahan to meet their supreme ruler, Abbas The officials agreed after consideration. So far, the biggest goal of the people on the east coast has been achieved, and the naval fleet can set off for India to perform missions.

(End of this chapter)