Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 667

On the morning of July 1793, 7, that is, the third day after Luo Fangbai and the others arrived in Bacheng, a large transport fleet consisting of the Thor and ten motor sailing ships arrived in Bacheng.Near noon, the servant soldiers who landed one after another lined up in battalion units, and their destination was the "Shuimenbao" barracks in the south of Bacheng.

Watergate Castle is the former "Noordwijk Castle" of the Dutch.After receiving the news that the British launched a war against local governance, the military control committee urgently arranged for migrant workers to convert the surrounding fortifications into a large military camp; The official name of the city became "Coconut City".

Luo Fangbai, Wu Yuansheng, Jiang Wu and others who came after hearing the news stood in the crowd of onlookers by the side of the road. Although these soldiers in blue clothes were not tall, they all had ruddy complexions, especially when they were walking in a tight queue. The slogans were neat and uniform, and they were all shocked; compared with the "Lanheying" Zhuangyong dressed up in the Qing army's green battalion, they were simply scumbags.

Speaking of which, to turn these timid and cowardly island country farmers into qualified soldiers, the Beihai Navy Training Base has put in a lot of effort, and the training period for new recruits is set at six months.In addition to mastering the use of weapons, most of the time is spent on strengthening discipline and queues.The reason why these people are willing to serve as soldiers in Beihai Town is that apart from having enough to eat and a high salary, another important reason is that they can be naturalized after making meritorious service, and become a Han in Beihai Town that even the samurai masters dare not bully.

When Ding Guofeng, who was wearing the rank of Lieutenant General, and several staff officers sailed into the pier in a pilot boat, he saw Zhao Xin who came to greet him at a glance, and when he walked off the trestle bridge, he stepped forward with a laugh and put his arms around Zhao Xin's shoulders. : "Good guy, it's only been a month since I've been here, and everyone is tanned, it seems that I have been sunbathing a lot!"

"Don't laugh at me, you will be the same in a few days. Is everything okay at home?"

"Okay! What's wrong? Your son dared to climb the tree, and he climbed seven or eight meters faster than a cat. When I heard about it and rushed over, your wife and a group of people were crying anxiously under the tree. "

"Boys, how can you not be naughty." Zhao Newsyan laughed out loud.

They got into the carriage and returned to the military control committee. When they came to Zhao Xin's office, Ding Guofeng picked up Duofu who was lying on the sofa, and slapped him hard a few times.

Duofu yelled twice in dissatisfaction, and after finally breaking free from the opponent's clutches, Chiliu jumped onto the window sill, staring at Ding Guofeng vigilantly.The expression on his face was clearly "humble human, get out!"

While Ah Miao was out serving tea, Ding Guofeng poked Zhao Xin and asked in a low voice, "When will you invite me to a wedding wine?"

"Drink fart!"

Seeing Zhao Xin give him a white look, Ding Guofeng laughed maliciously.This guy is in his late forties, and he and Xue Wu already have a pair of children, but he is narrow-minded by nature and likes to talk strange things.As for his wife Xue Wu, she has been a student with Director Liu for several years, and became the director of the Nursing Department of Fuldan City Hospital last year.

The two chatted for a while, and after A Miao brought the tea out, they started talking about business.

"I asked you to come to Paza Yalai to take charge of the defense against the British, and teach the British a lesson by the way."

After Zhao Xin finished speaking, he took out a one-meter-long paper roll from the bookshelf and spread it out on the table. Ding Guofeng took a closer look and found that it was a full map of India, which clearly marked the various forces in the current South Asian subcontinent, and used Areas are marked in different colors; in addition, mountains, rivers, roads, towns, etc. are all displayed on it, and the richness of various details is breathtaking.

"Hey, where did you find this?"

"This is a map made by the Royal Geographical Society in 1792 based on the situation after the Third Anglo-Myanmar War in 1800. It is basically consistent with the current situation in India. Look at these three areas," Zhao Xin pointed with his finger On the map, the three areas in the south of the Kingdom of Mysore are marked with a red border, explaining: "This is the land that Mysore ceded after the Treaty of Seringapatan. The one on the left and the two below are allocated to British East India Company."

"Where is our territory?"

Zhao Xin moved his finger to a blue frame area the size of a small fingertip on the lower right of the map, and said, "Here!"

Ding Guofeng took the magnifying glass and looked at it carefully for a long time before he said in surprise, "Just a tiny bit?"

"Yes. So we have to go through this war to get the local administration of Tranquiba in the north and Negapatan in the south."

"Both of these are British territories?"

"No, Tranquiba belongs to the Danes. Negapatan was ceded to the British by the Dutch 12 years ago, and it is currently under the administration of the Governor General of Madras."

"The Danes are coming to play?"

Zhao Xin asked with a smile: "Do you think they are important?"

Ding Guofeng twitched his lips when he heard the words, with a look of "forget it".Well, the fate of Denmark in the Indian colony was decided in the dismissive expressions of the two.

Since the words on the map are all in English, Ding Guofeng asked again: "Who owns the yellow area to the west of the local governance?"

"The Maratha Union. It is composed of many states, and the closest to us is Thanjavur."

"Do you want to play with it?"

"I'm going to tell you about this." Zhao Xin took a document bag from the bookshelf, took out two pages from it and handed it to Ding Guofeng, "The current sultan of the Kingdom of Thanjavur is called Ama Singh. The younger brother of the former Sultan. His throne was usurped from his nephew Bonsler. And this hapless nephew will soon be protected by the British and sent to Madras. According to history, the British will Help him regain the throne, but by then, they will completely become vassals of the East India Company."

Ding Guofeng looked up at Zhao Xin and said, "Are you trying to win over Ama Singh?"

"Yes, but we can't take the initiative. As long as they see that our force is stronger than the British, they will naturally send people to contact us. You only need to express your support for Ama Singh's rule, and at the same time reconcile them and Tipu Sultan tension between the

Zhao Xin talked a lot with Ding Guofeng, and they just took a few bites for their lunch.He spent more than two hours telling the other party about opium in Bangladesh, the British and the French, the Dutch on the island of Ceylon, the Maratha Union and the Nizams in the Deccan region, etc. question.Although Ding Guofeng was dizzy, he already had a general understanding of India's current situation.

When it came to the end, Zhao Xinyu said earnestly: "Guofeng, you have to keep in mind that the problems in the South Asian subcontinent can never be resolved through a decisive battle. In addition to military victories, economic, diplomatic, political and intelligence It takes a lot of investment. To engage in colonial economic plunder, you will get nothing but hatred, and you will also carry a big burden. Our goal is to weaken the expansion of the British and maintain the independence of South India situation, especially to support the Kingdom of Mysore, to prevent them from being annexed by the British and the Marathas."

Ding Guofeng pondered for a moment before smiling and said: "I understand. As long as we have enough territory in India, the main purpose is to add obstacles to the British."

Zhao Xin slightly lowered his head and said: "On behalf of the Northern Navy Command, I am announcing that during the period of military operations, Guo Xuexian's Second Squadron will be under your command, and you will be the one to decide on local military and political affairs in India. The formal appointment will be made later. The book will be sent to you."

"Yes!" Ding Guofeng paid a military salute to Zhao Xin, and said with satisfaction, "We're also addicted to being a governor."

If the lunch is okay, the dinner will naturally be rich.So Ding Guofeng saw on the dining table more than three catties of steamed lobster with minced garlic; boiled apricot yellow translucent, soft and smooth yellow gum wings; , In addition, there are yellowfin tuna, grouper, and salt and pepper shrimp with long arms. Ding Guofeng ate it happily.

Although Beihai Town is also a seaport city, the aquatic products there are very different from those in Southeast Asia. Salmon, Far East salmon, cod, sea cucumber, abalone, crab and various plump shellfish are often eaten.As for the very famous king crab in later generations. Well, the correct term is "Kamchatka pseudo-stone crab". This thing has not been served on the dining table in Beihai Town because it hides on the bottom of the sea at a depth of 800 meters.

Zhao Xin is a foodie himself, and he has high requirements for cooking. In Beihai Town, two cooks from Yangzhou who have followed him for many years are in charge. After coming to Bacheng, the food is in charge of A Miao, and he never pretends to be someone else. .This time, in order to entertain Ding Guofeng, he specially borrowed two chefs from Quanzhou from Huang Mianshe's family, and asked A Miao to train them a bit, and only then did he prepare a table of modern dishes.

It is said that the arrival of five thousand servants made the market in Bacheng suddenly prosperous.No matter if it is fishermen, vegetable farmers, or food growers, all of them are smiling. The logistics personnel of the military control committee have almost wiped out all the stores in the city. In addition, they have ordered goods for five days from fishermen and vegetable farmers. How much do you want.

After drinking and eating, Ding Guofeng drank the oolong tea made by A Miao contentedly, rubbed his stomach and said to Zhao Xin: "Have you heard? Some people in the committee are very dissatisfied with you for allowing Manqing to live until now. Said You let go of the great mountains and rivers in the customs, and went to Southeast Asia to stir up wind and rain, which is pure nonsense and nonsense."

Zhao Xin smiled and said: "Old Yu told me in the telegram. Those guys know nothing!"

In fact, what Ding Guofeng said was quite pleasant. At present, some people in Beihai Town crossed people said that Zhao Xin was a survivor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty or even a survivor of the island country. Otherwise, he would not be so kind to the farmers of the island country and let Qianlong go. Continue to sit on the throne.

He took a sip of tea, was silent for a moment, and said slowly, "Guofeng, do you know the boundaries of modern sovereign states, and when was it finalized?"

Ding Guofeng thought for a while and asked, "The middle of the nineteenth century?"

Zhao Xin shook his head and said: "As far as Europe is concerned, the final formation of a nation-state in the modern sense is generally believed to be the "Westphalia Peace Treaty" signed by European countries in 1648; It took 20 years to finalize it. The territory that is manageable and controllable is yours, and those beyond your reach are just some people's obsessive imagination."

"Yeah. You know, I went to Eastern Siberia after the spring, and it was so far away! It would be terrible to think about it without the telegraph and the roads and waterways built by the prisoners of war."

"No. What I mean is that there are still seven years before the nineteenth century, and these seven years are the last years in which the territory of a sovereign state is determined and will continue to future generations."

"You mean to say?"

"Yes. As long as we can manage the land we occupy now, as long as there are no accidents, everyone will have to admit that it belongs to China's territory in the future."

Ding Guofeng's eyes lit up when he heard the words, he slapped his thigh and said, "Damn it! Then what are you waiting for, quickly occupy the western half of the North American continent!"

"Don't worry." Zhao Xin got up and paced in the room, and said slowly: "The North American continent is different from other places. You have to use your fists to talk to the population. When things happen in Southeast Asia, the troops will go south and enter the customs. The manpower will go naturally.”

"Guofeng, let's be frank and honest, I know you can't figure it out, why do you think I should let Manqing go to Gurkha, right?"

Ding Guofeng smiled and said nothing.In fact, Zhao Xin has always been aware of all kinds of criticisms in the public, but because his prestige in Beihai Town is too high, and he is the boss who pays the salary, so they are all discussed in private, and no one dares to put it on the table.

In fact, Zhao Xin has been planning a big game since the "Battle of Usoliye", and it is only today that he has initially completed the layout.

He connived the Manchu Qing to take Gurkha, not all for the British East India Company, and the fertile land of southern Tibet was also one of the goals.If according to some people's thinking, the Northern Navy landed from the Bohai Bay and went straight to Beijing, causing the Manchu Qing to fall in an instant, not to mention the south and northwest of the Yangtze River, Tibet, which is beyond its reach, would definitely fall into chaos.

At that time, no one can guarantee whether the upper class in Tibet will collude with the British.However, if the Beihai Navy wants to enter the plateau, take and hold that piece of land, it will not take a few years. You must know that the Beihai Navy is more dependent on logistics than all the troops in this time and space.So after thinking about it, Zhao Xin had no choice but to resort to the strategy of "driving tigers and swallowing wolves" to let the Manchus continue to survive, go to the southwest to guard the border for themselves, and force them to develop southern Tibet and compete with the Indians for territory.

"Guofeng, you know that in our history, the battle in 62 was obviously won, but why did we withdraw it?"

"I remember saying it was because of logistics."

"Just look at the Manchu Qing's attack on Gurkha this time. It is too difficult to supply logistics. If it is just to declare its existence and let the troops go on a long-distance expedition, they will not be able to defend it. The news from the intelligence agency said that Fu The first thing Kang An did when he arrived in Tibet was to collect military rations. The Qing government built three grain roads and confiscated tens of thousands of people, but the food that could be transported up was still not enough. If we hadn’t helped them with two batches of compressed biscuits and canned food, Fu Kang'an will run out of food when he finishes fighting Mount Jiaergula."

"So serious? But as long as southern Tibet is captured, Tibet will have the ability to be self-sufficient in food."

"How can it be so simple. After the land is won, you have to send troops to cultivate it? The terrain of Nyainqentanglha Mountain is too complicated, with many mountains, heavy snow in winter, and heavy rain in summer. The window period of each year is only two months in autumn. Fukang’an’s memorial to Qianlong stated that the climate in Tibet was suddenly cold, and the mountains were closed by ice and snow all the year round after September. Nielam is covered by heavy snow for five months every year, and people and animals cannot pass through. There is nothing to advance, and nothing to retreat.”

Ding Guofeng nodded helplessly and said, "Yes. Even at our time, the road to Tibet was not easy to repair."

"There is no way to get rid of the miasma, and there is no way to ask for panacea. Ten steps and five steps are groaning." Zhao Xin walked to the window, looked at the tropical scenery outside, and said without looking back: "This time, Fu Kang'an brought three thousand Sauron soldiers. Into Tibet, do you know how many survived in the end? Three hundred!"

Ding Guofeng said in amazement: "The loss is so big?"

"We obtained the original text of the memorials he and Lin gave to Qianlong from the intelligence station in the capital, including the battle on Jiaergula Mountain. Every battle was roundabout and roundabout, feinting from the front, outflanking from the side, all relying on Sauron Bing and Jinchuan native soldiers were brave and fearless. Manchu Qing dared to take human life seriously for the face of the emperor and the kingdom of heaven. Who would dare to use it like this if it were our own troops?

The lessons of the war in [-] are very telling. No matter how advanced the weapons are, no matter how brave the soldiers are, they cannot change the geographical conditions of Shannan.The Qing army won victory with human lives, and we would have to use human lives to heap it!The [-]-square-kilometer south of Tibet is very good, but the problems in Tibet are not external, but we must let Manqing clean up the internal troubles for us.

Guys who always say 'whatever it takes' are, in my opinion, a bunch of idiots who have no regard for other people's lives.Whoever dares to say such things publicly, I will personally send him to southern Tibet to stand guard with a gun! "

(End of this chapter)