Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1898 Guangdong Mediation ([-])

On March 1684, 3, several ships belonging to the Bank of Taiwan suddenly sailed into the vicinity of the mouth of the Minjiang River.A Fujian sailor warship that was cruising here—the "Yaksa" class armed transport ship, a version without a steam propulsion system—immediately leaned over and carefully asked them why they came.

Although the total of six ships in front of them (two "Star" class light cruisers and four "Yaksa" class armed transport ships) made them feel a little uneasy, but the history of the Fujian Navy over the years gave them great confidence and resolutely went to I asked before - even after years of so-called "regularized construction", the Fujian Navy still has not abandoned its family heirloom, that is, a large number of small boat teams.

Most of these small boats are common ship types in the coastal waters of China. They are small in tonnage and numerous in number.At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Zheng Zhilong organized these small boats that were fishermen, sea merchants, or pirates, and once traversed the South China Sea, he rarely encountered opponents.Even the Dutch East India Company, which was in full swing, was unwilling to fight against it in the shallow waters off the coast of Fujian (somewhat similar to the fact that British ships did not dare to fight Dutch boats in shallow waters in the Anglo-Dutch naval battle), which shows its strength.

With this huge fleet, Zheng Zhilong defeated his competitor Liu Xiang and monopolized the trade in the South China Sea. Whether it is the Dutch or the British, if they don't want to completely offend the Zheng Group and cause them to fail to get the goods, they should honestly give it to them. They are cheaper to pay taxes.Undoubtedly, this monopoly of trade in turn greatly nourished the Zheng Group, making its power even stronger, and even extended from the sea to the land, becoming the de facto tyrant in Fujian.

The first time the Fujian navy suffered a serious setback was when Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Qing Dynasty.After he went to Beijing, his sailors had no leader. The pirates and fishermen who raised him on weekdays dispersed a lot because no one paid them. In addition, many people were dissatisfied with his surrender. Therefore, Fujian, which originally gathered together The navy suddenly scattered everywhere, and no longer scaled up.This can be seen from his son Zheng Chenggong's return to Fujian to recruit the old ministry. Not many people came to join him, far less than the scale of the heyday.Of course, this was due to Zheng Chenggong's lack of financial resources at that time, and it was also related to the fact that many people retired and dispersed.

Fortunately, Zheng Chenggong has worked hard for many years, coupled with the halo bonus brought to him by the Anti-Qing flag, the strength of the Fujian Navy has gradually recovered, but it is also different from the beginning.Among them, the biggest difference is that the number has decreased a lot. That is to say, the huge number of fishing boats and cargo ships with messy models in Zheng Zhilong's time were all eliminated from the navy team, and the Zheng Group no longer gave them rewards or subsidies, and the military and civilians were separated. Executed very resolutely.

These ships were replaced by professional warships imitated by Zheng Chenggong's shipyard in Mawei (it seems that the gradual separation of professional warships and armed merchant ships is the general trend no matter in the East or the West).To be honest, the technology of these warships is not very advanced, but it can be seen that they have tried hard to absorb the technical characteristics of many western sailing ships. comparable.The only disadvantage is that the cost of raising ships and soldiers is relatively high. After all, this is a regular army. It needs training and payment on weekdays. Some of the sailors on the small boats make a living by fishing and transporting goods. Only when they are recruited will they be given some rewards. The maintenance costs of the two are completely different.

Of course, Zheng also knew that his shipbuilding skills were limited. Chinese-style ships had flat bottoms, shallow draft, and inconvenient operation, which was not conducive to deep-sea navigation. Therefore, Zheng Chenggong and his father and son have been working hard to find Western technicians for many years. They built ships and absorbed their shipbuilding ideas. Some of these people came from the two East India companies, and some came from Macau City during the East-Portuguese War.

In addition, the Zheng family also imported a number of "Yaksa" class armed transport ships from the people on the east coast through several rare opportunities.This classic ship designed by Heishui Shipyard is very suitable for the sea conditions in the Far East. It also has a fast speed. It can be used as a warship or a merchant ship. It is said that the progress is not bad.

It can be seen from this that the strength of the Fujian Navy is actually not weak, and it can continue to replenish, which is very vigilant.The Southern Security Command once carefully evaluated the combat effectiveness of the Fujian Navy based on the information at hand, and finally concluded that its overall strength may be higher than the Okhotsk Sea Squadron of the East Coast People's Third Fleet, because of its large number of ships, sailors The number is more than ten times that of the people on the east coast.However, the naval staff officers of the Security Command also believe that if the two armies fight with live ammunition, the Fujian Navy, which has superior strength on paper, should not be able to gain the upper hand, and will suffer huge losses in the confrontation with the East Coast Navy Squadron. .

The main reason is that the performance of the ships on the east coast is relatively good: the ships are fast, have fierce firepower, have steam power bonuses, the level of personnel training is also high, and the adaptability of the ships is also good. If they fight, as long as the ships on the east coast do not fall into Fujian Surrounded by the navy, it is still possible to win the naval battle by relying on the outstanding performance of the ship.

Of course, the two sides have not yet reached the step of fighting each other, and there is not even a sign of this.The top officials of both sides are not lunatics. Zheng Jing knows that the fleet of the people on the east coast can easily cut off their trade routes to Japan. In the trading system, both sides are somewhat wary, and they dare not and will not tear their faces.

It is also based on this background that when the ships of the East Coast People suddenly appeared in the waters off the Minjiang River, the Fujian Navy warship that was cruising calmly changed its course and went forward to intercept and inspect .Because the Fujian sailors on the ship knew very well that what the people on the east coast brought was not war, but something else.However, in view of the high sensitivity of the estuary of the Minjiang River, they politely led these ships on the east coast to anchor near Langqi Island. The Fujian Navy built a fort on this island, with a total of [-] ships. The rest of the cannons are all new-style cannons imported from the Goa Cannon Factory in India, and are used to block the waterway at the mouth of the Minjiang River and protect the safety of the capital Fuzhou City.

Han Jin, the senior manager of the Bank of Taiwan who led the team, expressed his understanding and went to the island to rest calmly. He accepted the other party and asked him to send him to Fujian to see Zheng Jing, the king of Yanping County.

The contents of the letter are not very complicated, and there are only three core contents: [-]. Advise Zheng Jing not to go to the muddy waters of Guangdong, and rein in the troops before sending troops to the precipice, and return to the camp; Colonial investment, for which the Bank of Taiwan can give certain assistance, such as the supply of medicines and the teaching of health and epidemic prevention knowledge, etc.; [-]. Invite Fujian to join the "Southern Common Market" plan that the people on the east coast will soon launch. The two provinces are integrated into a common market, and the foreign trade is unified, and the imported goods are unified to increase the bargaining power. At the same time, the goods of the two provinces can be freely circulated and the local economy can be prosperous.

To be honest, submitting these conditions in the past also means asking for directions.Tang Moyu once communicated with Shao Shuguang, and felt that the second item should be relatively easy to achieve. The Fujian Zheng family has always been interested in colonizing Taiwan Island, but limited by the harsh natural environment on the island, they have not been able to achieve good results. .And if the people on the east coast are willing to provide a large amount of medicine for this purpose and help them establish a correct health and epidemic prevention system, they should not hesitate to increase their investment in the colonization of Taiwan Island.As for the unease that the Dutch East India Company might create, who cares?People from the east bank and the Zheng family joined forces. Could it be possible that the East India Company dared to fight a war for this?

Inviting Fujian to join the so-called "Southern Common Market" was actually an act of throwing stones and asking for directions from the people on the east coast, and I didn't have much hope that the other party would agree.In this plan, the common market of Fujian and Guangdong will have two customs responsible for import and export trade, that is, Guangzhou and Xiamen. Among them, the Guangzhou Shipping Department has basically fallen into the hands of the people on the east coast, and the Xiamen Shipping Department will be controlled by the Eastern Customs in the future. If you take into account the advantages accumulated by the Bank of Taiwan in foreign trade over the years, Zheng Jing may not be willing to engage in this market, because it will not benefit him much, but it will benefit the people of the East Coast. He is not stupid enough to be willing to make wedding dresses for others.

As for the first item, hey, it all depends on how Mrs. Zheng chooses.Anyway, the wishes of the people on the east coast have been sent. If you are willing to strike in time, then we support you in expanding your interests in Taiwan Island. Even if you launch a war against the Dutch to occupy the entire island in the future, we will provide necessary assistance. .In addition, there is another advantage of not getting involved in the war in Chaozhou Prefecture, that is, the people on the east coast can sell some ordnance or ships to Fujian to strengthen their naval and army strength. Of course, this is after they formally signed a non-aggression treaty with Li Yuanyin Only then will there be good things.

In short, the people on the east bank are also fighting to mediate the war in Guangdong.Not only did they brazenly dispatch a large army all the way to Foshan, across the river from Guangzhou, but they also threatened and lured Zheng Jing, the king of Yanping County, so that he would not intervene in the battle for the title of Guangdong Erli.Of course, we must not forget the influence exerted by the government of the Southern Exploration Team on Dashun Jiangxi Jiedu envoy Guo Shian, otherwise, do you think Shunguo would not have sent troops from Ganzhou to attack Shaozhou?These are hard things to say.

Therefore, the people on the east coast have paid too much for this war. If they can't achieve their goals, it will be difficult to accept.Now, they have settled Jiangxi - at least in a short period of time - and they have also successfully shaken the will of the new Huiguo Duke Li Yuanhao to fight, making him realize that if the people on the east coast are willing, they can make him unstable in Guangzhou Great person in town.Now, Zheng Jing is the last one to persuade!If he agrees to give up the opportunity to enter Chaozhou, then everyone will be happy, and the people on the east bank will form a closer relationship with them to jointly put pressure on the Dutch East India Company; and if Zheng Jing disagrees and insists on entering Chaozhou , then the East Bank has no choice but to help Li Yuanyin strengthen his armaments and fight a defensive battle with Zheng.In addition, the King Lu regime in southern Zhejiang has been enjoying the protection of the people on the east coast for so many years, and it is time to make some contributions: it should not be a big problem to send tens of thousands of people to the south to attack the Jianning and Funing mansions under the rule of Zheng Jing. .

On March 1684, 3, the news of Fuzhou, which was close at hand, did not come, but the news of Guangzhou and Chaozhou came one after another. It turned out that Li Chengdong's two sons, Li Yuanhao, the Duke of Huiguo, and Li Yuanyin, the general soldier of Chaozhou, had officially stopped their troops. In the battle, and under the witness of the East Coast people, they quickly divided their respective strength ranges.Li Yuanhao was a little upset about this, but there was nothing he could do about it, because he couldn't bear the harsh situation of being attacked by the enemy, not to mention that the people on the east bank promised to give him a batch of cheap weapons for the Lianzhou new army as compensation.The English and Portuguese military officer advisory groups have also been retained, which is really not a thank you.

The Guangzhou Shipping Department was handed over to the East Coast people as they wished, and all the large and small organizations were moved to Haizhu Island and managed by the East Coast people.Li Yuanhao also won a little concession from the people on the east coast here, that is, the customs revenue will be settled with him once a month, and the cash settlement will no longer exist in the bank of Taiwan. Trade, although this so-called guarantee is complete nonsense.

After all, Xiangshan County was not handed over to the people from the East Bank, because Li Yuanhao wanted to save face.However, there is no communication on the surface, but it is almost the same in private. People from the east bank have already planned to take over the county government and integrate it with Macau. The free circulation of people, goods and currency between the two places should be beneficial to both There are benefits.

After escaping the catastrophe, Li Yuanyin, the general soldier of Chaozhou, was very grateful to the people on the east coast, and he planned to let the forces from the east coast fully enter the jurisdiction.Chaozhou's import and export trade is also entrusted to the Bank of Taiwan. The formulation of various local economic policies will also refer to the opinions of the consultants on the east bank. He even agreed to a group of officials from Ningshao to some key departments of Chaozhou Prefecture. Served as deputy and second in command, helping his small independent kingdom to modernize more quickly to improve its own strength.

There is no doubt that Li Yuanyin has completely surrendered, because he knows that Chaozhou Prefecture, which is sandwiched between Li Yuanhao and Zheng Jing, two hungry wolves, if he can't find a thick thigh to hug him, he is afraid that he will die soon. To be eaten clean.And the East Coast side also appreciates his knowledge and interest. It is reported that Lieutenant Colonel Lan Fei will soon lead his troops to Chaozhou to help them dispel the coveting of outsiders, which shows the close relationship between the two parties.

Fujian has been operating in Chaozhou Prefecture for many years, and the news is very well-informed. Therefore, after the dust settled in Guangdong and Li Yuanyin quickly defected, no matter whether they are willing to admit it or not, the matter of going south to seize Chaozhou Prefecture has become more difficult. Facing the joint resistance of Li Yuanyin's 1684 experienced officers and soldiers and the world-famous Blue Clothes Army, the outcome is hard to predict.Therefore, on April 4, 5, Han Jin, who had been waiting in Langqi Island for a long time, finally received Zheng Jing's handwritten letter from Feng Xifan, the special envoy of Fuzhou, and a war that might break out disappeared invisible.At the same time, this also means that the Zheng Group, which went south, has been abandoned, and the focus of expansion has temporarily shifted to Taiwan Island. This undoubtedly means that the relationship between the people on the east coast and the Dutch East India Company has entered a delicate period. Especially when they are also expanding their influence again and again in Northwest India at the same time.

(End of this chapter)