Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2386 Morocco ([-])

On June 1699, 6, at the Sperm Whale Hotel in Ceuta Port, Cai Zhenguo, the special envoy of the East Coast Republic of China to Europe, had just finished his breakfast when the secretary made a pot of high-quality green tea and handed him the latest information along with the desk.

The original owner of the Sperm Whale Hotel was a Spaniard, but after Ceuta Port was actually controlled by the East Coasters, the hotel changed hands and was bought by a local businessman from the East Coast at an astonishingly low price Six hundred yuan, I don't know how many thrilling stories happened behind the scenes.

Because of the war, too many people flooded into the small port of Ceuta, including military procurement personnel, people from the intelligence community, businessmen of all kinds, and diplomats who are planning how to contact the Moroccan government. In short, there are so many, and the few decent hotel rooms in the port of Ceuta are booked out.

Cai Zhenguo arrived under such a background.They set off from the port of Cadiz, Spain on an ordinary merchant ship, went all the way south along the coastline, then diagonally crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, and finally docked at the port of Ceuta.It should be said that he took some risks in this behavior, because the Mediterranean Moorish pirates who were dispersed by the Italian navy a while ago still appeared in this sea area from time to time. Their ship was full of dried fruits, cured meat, and seafood purchased from Spain. The labor supplies, such as cheese, wine, etc., have a deep draft, and they are high-value looting targets at first glance. It is indeed a bit risky to drive to Ceuta in such a grandiose manner. For this reason, the naval officials accompanying Cai set off strongly attack.

But the problem is that it is unrealistic for the navy to specially equip a warship for Cai Zhenguo to use, and the cost is too high. The same is true for renting Portuguese or Italian warships (with personnel and weapons).All in all, either you, Mr. Cai, reduce the number of times you travel abroad, or you can persuade the Ottoman Empire to put pressure on the pirates in Algiers and Tunisia and let them go home quickly.Cai Zhenguo prefers the second method, but he does not intend to use the Ottoman Empire. Istanbul’s influence on North African warlords has been declining over the years. We have some kind of friendship.As for whether these friendships work or not, you have to try to know.

"The Sperm Whale Hotel is okay, the decoration is quite elegant, but the room is a bit small." After drinking a sip of tea, Cai Zhenguo looked at the room and said with a smile.

"Special envoy, the area of ​​Ceuta is too small, and only a hotel of this size can be built. If it covers an area of ​​several hundred square kilometers, it will not be so." The secretary handed a document to Cai Zhenguo respectfully, and said: "I don't know what the Spaniards thought at the time. They obviously won the war, but they didn't expand the land."

"They are petty, and think that a small town is enough for them to live in. In fact, there are not only Spaniards, but their Portuguese neighbors are also similarly virtuous. Macau, Diu, Mozambique Island, which one is not the size of a booger, but they still live It seems that they have never thought about expanding the city area. It is difficult to explain it. In short, it is a matter of layout. They only think about doing business, not colonization. In this regard, the British, French People are more courageous than them, and this may be one of the reasons for the success of these two countries."

"Special envoy, your wish will come true soon, and the problem of insufficient area in Ceuta Port will be completely solved." The secretary gestured to the document and smiled, "It was just delivered in the middle of the night yesterday."

"Hehe, the army's battle report seems to be good news." Cai Zhenguo opened the army report calmly, glanced at it hastily, then sat up straight, read it carefully twice, and finally sighed, Said: "It made those warriors proud again. Yes, they played well, better than they played in the Southern Netherlands. At the meeting in Maastricht, not to mention playing mediocrely, at least they didn't make anything. Fame, on the contrary, helped the Hague government get some notoriety for its black-handed taxation. The Sixth Mixed Regiment smashed the main force of the enemy this time, killing and wounding three to 4000 people. It is really incredible. Hey, someone told me before He is a mediocre general in all aspects, he can only follow the scriptures, and is a little insufficient to adapt to the situation. Now it seems that he has achieved a better record than those more famous regiment leaders and detachment leaders. It seems that the rumors are not enough Believe me."

The secretary didn't speak.As a caring person who has spent time researching information related to the army and navy, his evaluation is actually the same as those professionals. He thinks that even if Bai Chuanping can't be called mediocre, he fights too rigidly, well-behaved, and lacks intelligence. These are the truth.However, under the cover of the strong strength of the East Coast Army, an officer like him who has no personal characteristics but strictly enforces the Army Code of Practice can be regarded as making the best use of his talents and is more applicable.Anyway, the East Coast Army is well-trained, has high morale, is well-equipped, and has strong firepower. It is enough to fight according to the drills.

"Send a reward to the army. As their nominal boss, I can't be indifferent." Cai Zhenguo said: "By the way, bring me the map to see. Where are they planning to fight?"

As if by magic, the secretary took out a map from his briefcase, spread it out and put it on the table, then pointed to one of the dots marked "Meknes", and said: "The heart of the Army They plan to fight all the way to Meknes, which is the capital of the Moroccans, and force them to sign an alliance under the city."

"Such a boldness?" Cai Zhenguo was a little surprised: "From the port of Ceuta to Meknes, the distance is close to [-] kilometers. The further south, the more plains and fewer mountains, the more effective the enemy's cavalry will be. The pressure we are facing is increasing. Moreover, can we maintain such a long supply line? The Berber cavalry has always had a reputation for being brave and good at fighting. With them harassing the supply line in the rear, Bai Chuanping wants the whole army Are you out of ammunition and food?"

"No, I don't think Head Bai is so stupid." Cai Zhenguo quickly denied this idea, only after he thought for a while, he said slowly: "I reckon, they said that probably to their own face. Gold, and the other thing is to take money out of my pocket as a matter of course, these grandsons! It is too risky to hit Meknes, even with the help of Italians and Portuguese, it is a bit dangerous, and I don’t want to take this risk. What? The Sixth Mixed Regiment is the backbone of the Eagle's Nest Fortress, if too many people are lost in Morocco, how can they stop the French's ambitions?"

"Special envoy, if you don't make a gesture of attacking the city of Meknes, I'm afraid the Moroccans won't give in so easily. It may be difficult to realize your request for land north of 35 degrees 30 minutes north latitude." Secretary reminded.

According to Cai Zhenguo's pre-war thinking, after the Sixth Mixed Regiment entered Morocco, it would choose the opportunity to fight several big battles.The purpose is to annihilate the enemy's vital forces, create a strong momentum, and lay a good foundation for the East Bank government to obtain more land in northern Morocco.The current Ceuta Port is too small in size, and it has no foundation to become a large port and military fortress.However, the geographical location here is extremely important. It is a place that military strategists must contend for, and it is a place that any country that aspires to world hegemony will try to take it.

As long as the people on the east coast take Tangier and Ceuta, and then occupy Gibraltar, the natural port of the Kingdom of Spain on the other side of the strait, then this golden waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean will be completely controlled by the people on the east coast.Think about it, what a benefit, what an influence!Leaving aside the civil servants like Cai Zhenguo, Shan Haijun covets these two places so much that he will seize them soon!

So there are actually two steps here.The first step is to find a way to expand the depth of the inland hinterland of Ceuta Port, and take down the already semi-abandoned Port of Tangier. The two have become an important fortress to defend the southern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar.It was also Cai Zhenguo's thoughtful idea to force the Moroccans to cede the land north of 35°30' north latitude.Because of this, the inland hinterland of the two ports of Tangier and Ceuta will have more than [-] square kilometers. In the future, two counties will be set up on the left and one on the right, with a mountain range in the middle as the boundary, which is almost just right.

These two counties, if possible, should try their best to attract people from the east coast to settle here, and it is best to eventually form a scale of more than 10 people.In Cai Zhenguo’s view, [-] people from the East Coast have settled in the counties of Tangier and Ceuta, and the main ethnic group has changed. It will be extremely difficult for the Moroccans to regain these places in the future, which is crucial to the interests of the East Coast Republic. important.

The second step is actually somewhat similar to the first step, which is to control the land along the coast of the Bay of Gibraltar. It is best to expand the area to more than 20 square kilometers, and move tens of thousands of people to settle in the next [-] years. It has become a stronghold of iron barrels for people on the east coast.

Based on this kind of thinking, we can understand Cai Zhenguo's thinking now, that is, he prefers that the army can win the battle, and the more pain the Moroccans suffer, the better.But at the same time, he was also particularly worried that the East Coast Army with the Sixth Mixed Regiment as the main body would encounter setbacks, such as going deep into the enemy's territory for [-] kilometers to besiege its capital, and exposing the long logistics supply line to the windy Berbers. Under the scimitar of the Err cavalry, causing the overall collapse.

Therefore, he actually had the idea of ​​accepting it as soon as it was good.Anyway, half of the Army's military training goals have been achieved. The Sixth Mixed Regiment destroyed thousands of enemy troops in one battle, and then quickly advanced south. This aggressive appearance is enough to give most of the recruits a psychological advantage. .Now it is okay to make an attacking posture to the south, but the pace should be slowed down, and attention should be paid to echoing the Italians on both wings.If possible, it is best for both sides to go hand in hand, so that the army will be safe for a while.

"How about this, you immediately send someone to the Sixth Mixed Regiment to find Commander Bai, find out what he really thinks, and tell him about my concerns. Forget it, this matter is more important, it is better for you to go there yourself Spectrum." Cai Zhenguo stood up and took two steps, then suddenly said: "Also, send a few people with suitable identities to Algiers, find local officials, ask them to help act as middlemen, contact Morocco, and test them out. It’s impossible to fight a war forever, and it will all come back to the negotiating table in the end. There are only two things, let’s do it as soon as possible.”

"Okay, I'll do it right away." The secretary also stood up and said.

(End of this chapter)