Chapter 2087
Chapter 2087
Chapter 2087
If someone had told them before that that local powers like the Hirado clan in Japan might become a strong contender for regional maritime supremacy, they would probably think that this must be a joke.After all, to achieve this kind of goal, you must have a strong maritime force, and the establishment of an armed fleet is a very expensive project for any country. Even if it is as strong as Haihan, it can only promote the expansion of the naval establishment step by step. It took ten years to establish maritime supremacy along the coast of the East Asian continent.
A local power like the Hirado Domain would theoretically be relatively limited in terms of economic scale and military technology. Before conducting field investigations, the Haihan military would certainly not take the initiative to regard it as a competitor.However, the emergence of the variable Eighteen Zhiyu Party gave the Hirado clan more development capital, overseas trade channels, shipbuilding technology, military technology, and professionals in various positions... These Hirado clan did not have originally. Conditions, probably only the Eighteen Zhiyu Party can manage to provide them.
But no matter who is the leader behind this matter, it is impossible for Haihan to sit back and watch this armed fleet develop and take shape. make the same selection.
"There are things to do in the next few months!" Tom Wang joked: "After this game, it's time to switch defenses!"
At present, the naval forces stationed at the Datongjiang base were all mobilized from various places in the south last May, and it will be a full year in a month or two. The probability will be transferred back to the south, and there is basically no war in the south now, and these troops will not have many opportunities to perform combat missions by then.
Qian Tiandun replied: "It is possible to fight, but we must control the scale. If it becomes a national war, it will actually be of no benefit to us."
The Haihan executive committee has never had much interest in the Japanese archipelago. Not only is it isolated overseas, but also the terrain is mountainous, and there are not many valuable mineral resources for development. Haihan prefers to concentrate limited resources on the mainland coastline Do business nearby for better returns.If it wasn't for the Hirado Clan's side of the investigation, Haihan wouldn't have paid much attention to Japan's development.
Tom Wang expressed his agreement with Qian Tiandun's opinion: "Even if we want to fight, it is aimed at the armed fleet of the Hirado Domain. There is no need to provoke the Tokugawa Shogunate."
Fighting against local forces and fighting against the country are two completely different concepts. Although Japan is not considered a powerful country, there is no need to actively provoke it.
"Let's send a telegram to ask for Sanya's opinion first. The executive committee has to make a decision before we can start preparing for the battle." Qian Tiandun's words put an end to the meeting.Although they are all convinced that the executive committee will also choose to use force to solve the hidden dangers of the Hirado Domain, war is a major event, and decisions must be made in accordance with rules and procedures.
At this time, the reconnaissance fleet led by Yuan Zhi was heading south from Hirado Port to Nagasaki.The widest part of the strait between Hirado Island and Kyushu Island is only more than ten miles, and you can basically have a panoramic view of the coasts on both sides from the deck.Yuan Zhi noticed that there are many natural harbors on the west coast of Kyushu Island, but Japan obviously lacks the idea of developing and utilizing them, and almost all of them are in a state of desertion.
Among them, Sasebo Bay, which is specially marked on the chart, is also a stop that Yuan Zhi must visit during this trip.When Chen Yixin led a team to perform reconnaissance missions near the coast of Japan, he listed Sasebo Bay as the only strategic target worthy of attention in western Japan.This means that if Haihan wants to choose to establish a military base or a trading port in Japan, the area where Sasebo Bay is located will be the first choice, and its strategic value is much higher than that of trading ports such as Nagasaki and Hirado.
In addition to the natural conditions of a good natural port in Sasebo Bay, the undeveloped environment here is also one of the main reasons why Chen Yixin was optimistic about this place. If it has been commercially developed for a long time like Hirado Nagasaki, then the sea It will be much more difficult for Han to take it for himself.
It was the first time for Yuan Zhi to come to Sasebo Bay. When the fleet sailed into the entrance of the bay, he understood why this place was favored by the high-level military.
The entrance of the bay is less than one mile wide, and there are high points on the peninsula surrounded by the north and south sides where fortifications such as forts can be built. After entering the bay, the sight suddenly becomes clear. There is no resistance in this cross-shaped bay. All kinds of large ships pass through the land, and there are quite a lot of land that can be used to build port terminals.At the southern end of the cross-shaped harbor, there is another inland bay, Omura Bay, which is more than ten times the size of Sasebo Bay. It is not difficult to hide ten thousand warships in this place.
After Yuan Zhi joined the army, he traveled all over the world and traveled to many places, but as far as the natural harbor with such superior conditions is concerned, the only one he knows that is comparable to it is the Jinlan Port in An Nanguo.
However, Cam Ranh Bay was the return of Haihan for sending troops to help the Annan Zheng family win the civil war. It was leased to Haihan semi-permanently for use, and such an operation method may be difficult to reuse in Japan.Although Japan's national strength may not be stronger than Annan, but it has also had the experience of fighting against the Yuan and Ming superpowers before, and it will not be afraid of a powerful enemy. The area was handed over.
Of course, if Haihan is really determined to occupy this place, even if a war breaks out, it will be difficult to stop Haihan from acting.It's just that Sasebo Bay is a little far away from the main trading ports on the mainland, and Japan is implementing a closed-door policy, so it is obviously inappropriate to use it as a trading port for development.And unless Haihan has long-term plans for the Japanese archipelago, there is actually no practical significance in stationing troops here. Therefore, although the natural conditions of Sasebo Bay are very superior, it is somewhat tasteless to Haihan.
The purpose of Yuan Zhi's visit to Sasebo Bay is of course not to plant a flag here to enclose the land, but to confirm that this place has not yet been developed by the Japanese government on a large scale, so that in case when the military feels it is necessary to take this place , it will not be a lot of trouble.The results of the investigation are actually not much different from the last time Chen Yixin came. There are only a few scattered small fishing villages in Sasebo Bay. Any sign of massive construction work on the port.
This also made Yuan Zhi heave a sigh of relief. The reconnaissance of Sasebo Bay was the easiest task in this trip, and it was successfully completed without any effort, and there was no time wasted here, and the subsequent tasks could be started immediately.
Nagasaki, another destination of their trip, was sailing a hundred miles south from Sasebo Bay. After the Portuguese arrived in Nagasaki in 1570, they quickly promoted the trade atmosphere here. Later, Dutch and Chinese merchants also came to Nagasaki for trade, making it one of Japan's most important foreign trade ports at the beginning of this century.The shogunate took a fancy to the huge profits that this place obtained from trade every year, so it canceled its local autonomy treatment and listed it as an area directly ruled by the shogunate. In this way, the tax revenue brought by Nagasaki's prosperous transnational trade will be You can directly enter the treasury of the shogunate.
However, due to the Notre Dame incident that broke out in Nagasaki in 1610, which greatly affected the relationship between Japan and Portugal, since 1616, the shogunate began to restrict the ports that merchant ships from Europe could call at.By 1635, the shogunate stipulated that the Portuguese could only complete trade projects in Nagasaki Port, and set Dejima near Nagasaki Port as the Portuguese settlement, and they were not allowed to leave Dejima to enter Nagasaki for activities.
In fact, at this stage, there are very few Portuguese who are still doing business in Nagasaki. As far as the field of transnational trade is concerned, the Nagasaki Port controlled by the Shogunate and the Hirado Port under the Herado Clan actually exist. At present, foreign businessmen engaged in cross-border trade in Nagasaki are mainly from China and the Netherlands, and their trade scale is not as good as that of Hirado Port in the north.
Of course, the shogunate also has its unique advantages. For example, it can issue administrative orders to allow foreign businessmen to go to Nagasaki to complete transactions. The Hirado clan has basically no resistance to this.However, Yuan Zhi believed that if the armed fleet of the Hirado clan became popular after another two or three years, it would be difficult for the shogunate to compete with the strong ships and guns of the Hirado clan by relying on these small tricks.
It was obviously inconvenient for the reconnaissance fleet to sail directly into Nagasaki Port, so the method in Hirado Port was adopted again. After dark, they found a secluded coast near the Nagasaki Port area and sent Amakusa Shiro ashore.
After Amakusa Shiro successfully sneaked into Nagasaki, he went to Dejima to visit the Portuguese business house early the next morning.The cooperative relationship between Haihan and Portugal is relatively solid, and Amakusa Shiro doesn't have to worry about being betrayed by the Portuguese during his sudden visit.
After Amakusa Shiro saw Garcia, the person in charge of the store, he took the initiative to reveal his identity to him.This Garcia can be regarded as somewhat knowledgeable, and he was not surprised by Amakusa Shiro's behavior of dressing up as a local and claiming to be a Haihan.He has lived in Nagasaki for a long time and can speak simple Japanese, so there is no big obstacle in communicating with Amakusa Shiro.
But he still asked very cautiously: "Then how do you prove that you are a Haihan citizen?"
"Serve the Executive Committee!" Amakusa Shiro raised his hand in a very standard military salute, and said a slogan that is most common in Haihan Kingdom.Anyone who has been to Haihan Kingdom should know the symbolic meaning of this slogan.
"Serving the Executive Committee." Garcia repeated his words to show respect, and then asked: "So how can I help Your Excellency?"
Garcia has been to Haihan before, and he can understand the slogan spoken by the other party in standard Haihan dialect. He was washed by this sentence every day in Sanya, and he knew whether it was authentic or not. It is not so easy to fake of.And this is also the first time he heard someone speak Hai Han dialect in Nagasaki, so he has no doubts about Amakusa Shiro's identity.
"I want to know all kinds of news about Nagasaki, the more detailed the better." Amakusa Shiro gave a very vague range.He originally prepared other information to prove his identity, such as the name of the Portuguese ambassador to Haihan, etc., but it seems that it is unnecessary now.
Garcia said with a look of embarrassment: "Your Excellency may not be very clear about the situation here. The scope of our Portuguese public activities is limited to this island, and the external information we can get in touch with is actually very little. I'm afraid I can't give it to Your Excellency." How much help."
"Then... let's talk about trade." Amakusa Shiro also knew that what the other party said was the truth, so he could only settle for the next best thing.
Garcia thought for a while and said: "The transaction tax collected by the shogunate in Nagasaki is [-]% higher than that of Hirado Port. This is a very harsh condition for foreign businessmen, but we have no choice. The shogunate requires us to The transaction can only be completed in Nagasaki. In the past two years, our trade volume in Japan has dropped by nearly half, and if this continues, it is estimated that we will have to bid farewell to this country in two or three years.”
Amakusa Shiro asked: "According to what you said, the shogunate's suppression of the Hirado clan has actually become public. How did the Hirado clan respond?"
"Reaction?" Garcia said with some disdain: "The Matsuura family are all cowards. They dare not react to the unfair orders made by the shogunate. I think if the shogunate asks them all to kill themselves, these cowards will eventually follow suit. ! But Matsuura’s retainers are still a bit bloody, I heard that Tagawa is very dissatisfied with this, and has been asking Matsuura to write a letter of disobedience.”
"Tagawa?" Amakusa Shiro thought that he had already been in contact, and continued to ask: "Do you have any news about Tagawa?"
Garcia said: "I heard that in the past few years, many Han people from Ming Dynasty joined the Tianchuan clan, and these people are very capable people. They helped the Tianchuan clan expand business routes overseas, train armed personnel, Xing to build a shipyard... It seems that nothing can trouble them. If I hadn't heard something later, I would almost think that these people are actually you Haihan people in disguise."
"What did you hear?"
"I heard...these people used to be Zheng Zhilong's subordinates, and the reason they took refuge in the Tian Chuan clan was because Zheng Zhilong had another son who was raised by the Tian Chuan family. The Hirado Clan is making a comeback." Garcia paused and added: "The last sentence is just my personal opinion, you don't have to take it seriously."
At this moment, Amakusa Shiro was shocked. If Zheng Zhilong still had a son alive, it would indeed be of special significance to the Eighteen Zhiyu Party.He couldn't help but think again of the Tian Chuan boy surrounded by guards he saw in Hirado Port the day before yesterday. Could it be that that man is Zheng Zhilong's son?
(End of this chapter)
If someone had told them before that that local powers like the Hirado clan in Japan might become a strong contender for regional maritime supremacy, they would probably think that this must be a joke.After all, to achieve this kind of goal, you must have a strong maritime force, and the establishment of an armed fleet is a very expensive project for any country. Even if it is as strong as Haihan, it can only promote the expansion of the naval establishment step by step. It took ten years to establish maritime supremacy along the coast of the East Asian continent.
A local power like the Hirado Domain would theoretically be relatively limited in terms of economic scale and military technology. Before conducting field investigations, the Haihan military would certainly not take the initiative to regard it as a competitor.However, the emergence of the variable Eighteen Zhiyu Party gave the Hirado clan more development capital, overseas trade channels, shipbuilding technology, military technology, and professionals in various positions... These Hirado clan did not have originally. Conditions, probably only the Eighteen Zhiyu Party can manage to provide them.
But no matter who is the leader behind this matter, it is impossible for Haihan to sit back and watch this armed fleet develop and take shape. make the same selection.
"There are things to do in the next few months!" Tom Wang joked: "After this game, it's time to switch defenses!"
At present, the naval forces stationed at the Datongjiang base were all mobilized from various places in the south last May, and it will be a full year in a month or two. The probability will be transferred back to the south, and there is basically no war in the south now, and these troops will not have many opportunities to perform combat missions by then.
Qian Tiandun replied: "It is possible to fight, but we must control the scale. If it becomes a national war, it will actually be of no benefit to us."
The Haihan executive committee has never had much interest in the Japanese archipelago. Not only is it isolated overseas, but also the terrain is mountainous, and there are not many valuable mineral resources for development. Haihan prefers to concentrate limited resources on the mainland coastline Do business nearby for better returns.If it wasn't for the Hirado Clan's side of the investigation, Haihan wouldn't have paid much attention to Japan's development.
Tom Wang expressed his agreement with Qian Tiandun's opinion: "Even if we want to fight, it is aimed at the armed fleet of the Hirado Domain. There is no need to provoke the Tokugawa Shogunate."
Fighting against local forces and fighting against the country are two completely different concepts. Although Japan is not considered a powerful country, there is no need to actively provoke it.
"Let's send a telegram to ask for Sanya's opinion first. The executive committee has to make a decision before we can start preparing for the battle." Qian Tiandun's words put an end to the meeting.Although they are all convinced that the executive committee will also choose to use force to solve the hidden dangers of the Hirado Domain, war is a major event, and decisions must be made in accordance with rules and procedures.
At this time, the reconnaissance fleet led by Yuan Zhi was heading south from Hirado Port to Nagasaki.The widest part of the strait between Hirado Island and Kyushu Island is only more than ten miles, and you can basically have a panoramic view of the coasts on both sides from the deck.Yuan Zhi noticed that there are many natural harbors on the west coast of Kyushu Island, but Japan obviously lacks the idea of developing and utilizing them, and almost all of them are in a state of desertion.
Among them, Sasebo Bay, which is specially marked on the chart, is also a stop that Yuan Zhi must visit during this trip.When Chen Yixin led a team to perform reconnaissance missions near the coast of Japan, he listed Sasebo Bay as the only strategic target worthy of attention in western Japan.This means that if Haihan wants to choose to establish a military base or a trading port in Japan, the area where Sasebo Bay is located will be the first choice, and its strategic value is much higher than that of trading ports such as Nagasaki and Hirado.
In addition to the natural conditions of a good natural port in Sasebo Bay, the undeveloped environment here is also one of the main reasons why Chen Yixin was optimistic about this place. If it has been commercially developed for a long time like Hirado Nagasaki, then the sea It will be much more difficult for Han to take it for himself.
It was the first time for Yuan Zhi to come to Sasebo Bay. When the fleet sailed into the entrance of the bay, he understood why this place was favored by the high-level military.
The entrance of the bay is less than one mile wide, and there are high points on the peninsula surrounded by the north and south sides where fortifications such as forts can be built. After entering the bay, the sight suddenly becomes clear. There is no resistance in this cross-shaped bay. All kinds of large ships pass through the land, and there are quite a lot of land that can be used to build port terminals.At the southern end of the cross-shaped harbor, there is another inland bay, Omura Bay, which is more than ten times the size of Sasebo Bay. It is not difficult to hide ten thousand warships in this place.
After Yuan Zhi joined the army, he traveled all over the world and traveled to many places, but as far as the natural harbor with such superior conditions is concerned, the only one he knows that is comparable to it is the Jinlan Port in An Nanguo.
However, Cam Ranh Bay was the return of Haihan for sending troops to help the Annan Zheng family win the civil war. It was leased to Haihan semi-permanently for use, and such an operation method may be difficult to reuse in Japan.Although Japan's national strength may not be stronger than Annan, but it has also had the experience of fighting against the Yuan and Ming superpowers before, and it will not be afraid of a powerful enemy. The area was handed over.
Of course, if Haihan is really determined to occupy this place, even if a war breaks out, it will be difficult to stop Haihan from acting.It's just that Sasebo Bay is a little far away from the main trading ports on the mainland, and Japan is implementing a closed-door policy, so it is obviously inappropriate to use it as a trading port for development.And unless Haihan has long-term plans for the Japanese archipelago, there is actually no practical significance in stationing troops here. Therefore, although the natural conditions of Sasebo Bay are very superior, it is somewhat tasteless to Haihan.
The purpose of Yuan Zhi's visit to Sasebo Bay is of course not to plant a flag here to enclose the land, but to confirm that this place has not yet been developed by the Japanese government on a large scale, so that in case when the military feels it is necessary to take this place , it will not be a lot of trouble.The results of the investigation are actually not much different from the last time Chen Yixin came. There are only a few scattered small fishing villages in Sasebo Bay. Any sign of massive construction work on the port.
This also made Yuan Zhi heave a sigh of relief. The reconnaissance of Sasebo Bay was the easiest task in this trip, and it was successfully completed without any effort, and there was no time wasted here, and the subsequent tasks could be started immediately.
Nagasaki, another destination of their trip, was sailing a hundred miles south from Sasebo Bay. After the Portuguese arrived in Nagasaki in 1570, they quickly promoted the trade atmosphere here. Later, Dutch and Chinese merchants also came to Nagasaki for trade, making it one of Japan's most important foreign trade ports at the beginning of this century.The shogunate took a fancy to the huge profits that this place obtained from trade every year, so it canceled its local autonomy treatment and listed it as an area directly ruled by the shogunate. In this way, the tax revenue brought by Nagasaki's prosperous transnational trade will be You can directly enter the treasury of the shogunate.
However, due to the Notre Dame incident that broke out in Nagasaki in 1610, which greatly affected the relationship between Japan and Portugal, since 1616, the shogunate began to restrict the ports that merchant ships from Europe could call at.By 1635, the shogunate stipulated that the Portuguese could only complete trade projects in Nagasaki Port, and set Dejima near Nagasaki Port as the Portuguese settlement, and they were not allowed to leave Dejima to enter Nagasaki for activities.
In fact, at this stage, there are very few Portuguese who are still doing business in Nagasaki. As far as the field of transnational trade is concerned, the Nagasaki Port controlled by the Shogunate and the Hirado Port under the Herado Clan actually exist. At present, foreign businessmen engaged in cross-border trade in Nagasaki are mainly from China and the Netherlands, and their trade scale is not as good as that of Hirado Port in the north.
Of course, the shogunate also has its unique advantages. For example, it can issue administrative orders to allow foreign businessmen to go to Nagasaki to complete transactions. The Hirado clan has basically no resistance to this.However, Yuan Zhi believed that if the armed fleet of the Hirado clan became popular after another two or three years, it would be difficult for the shogunate to compete with the strong ships and guns of the Hirado clan by relying on these small tricks.
It was obviously inconvenient for the reconnaissance fleet to sail directly into Nagasaki Port, so the method in Hirado Port was adopted again. After dark, they found a secluded coast near the Nagasaki Port area and sent Amakusa Shiro ashore.
After Amakusa Shiro successfully sneaked into Nagasaki, he went to Dejima to visit the Portuguese business house early the next morning.The cooperative relationship between Haihan and Portugal is relatively solid, and Amakusa Shiro doesn't have to worry about being betrayed by the Portuguese during his sudden visit.
After Amakusa Shiro saw Garcia, the person in charge of the store, he took the initiative to reveal his identity to him.This Garcia can be regarded as somewhat knowledgeable, and he was not surprised by Amakusa Shiro's behavior of dressing up as a local and claiming to be a Haihan.He has lived in Nagasaki for a long time and can speak simple Japanese, so there is no big obstacle in communicating with Amakusa Shiro.
But he still asked very cautiously: "Then how do you prove that you are a Haihan citizen?"
"Serve the Executive Committee!" Amakusa Shiro raised his hand in a very standard military salute, and said a slogan that is most common in Haihan Kingdom.Anyone who has been to Haihan Kingdom should know the symbolic meaning of this slogan.
"Serving the Executive Committee." Garcia repeated his words to show respect, and then asked: "So how can I help Your Excellency?"
Garcia has been to Haihan before, and he can understand the slogan spoken by the other party in standard Haihan dialect. He was washed by this sentence every day in Sanya, and he knew whether it was authentic or not. It is not so easy to fake of.And this is also the first time he heard someone speak Hai Han dialect in Nagasaki, so he has no doubts about Amakusa Shiro's identity.
"I want to know all kinds of news about Nagasaki, the more detailed the better." Amakusa Shiro gave a very vague range.He originally prepared other information to prove his identity, such as the name of the Portuguese ambassador to Haihan, etc., but it seems that it is unnecessary now.
Garcia said with a look of embarrassment: "Your Excellency may not be very clear about the situation here. The scope of our Portuguese public activities is limited to this island, and the external information we can get in touch with is actually very little. I'm afraid I can't give it to Your Excellency." How much help."
"Then... let's talk about trade." Amakusa Shiro also knew that what the other party said was the truth, so he could only settle for the next best thing.
Garcia thought for a while and said: "The transaction tax collected by the shogunate in Nagasaki is [-]% higher than that of Hirado Port. This is a very harsh condition for foreign businessmen, but we have no choice. The shogunate requires us to The transaction can only be completed in Nagasaki. In the past two years, our trade volume in Japan has dropped by nearly half, and if this continues, it is estimated that we will have to bid farewell to this country in two or three years.”
Amakusa Shiro asked: "According to what you said, the shogunate's suppression of the Hirado clan has actually become public. How did the Hirado clan respond?"
"Reaction?" Garcia said with some disdain: "The Matsuura family are all cowards. They dare not react to the unfair orders made by the shogunate. I think if the shogunate asks them all to kill themselves, these cowards will eventually follow suit. ! But Matsuura’s retainers are still a bit bloody, I heard that Tagawa is very dissatisfied with this, and has been asking Matsuura to write a letter of disobedience.”
"Tagawa?" Amakusa Shiro thought that he had already been in contact, and continued to ask: "Do you have any news about Tagawa?"
Garcia said: "I heard that in the past few years, many Han people from Ming Dynasty joined the Tianchuan clan, and these people are very capable people. They helped the Tianchuan clan expand business routes overseas, train armed personnel, Xing to build a shipyard... It seems that nothing can trouble them. If I hadn't heard something later, I would almost think that these people are actually you Haihan people in disguise."
"What did you hear?"
"I heard...these people used to be Zheng Zhilong's subordinates, and the reason they took refuge in the Tian Chuan clan was because Zheng Zhilong had another son who was raised by the Tian Chuan family. The Hirado Clan is making a comeback." Garcia paused and added: "The last sentence is just my personal opinion, you don't have to take it seriously."
At this moment, Amakusa Shiro was shocked. If Zheng Zhilong still had a son alive, it would indeed be of special significance to the Eighteen Zhiyu Party.He couldn't help but think again of the Tian Chuan boy surrounded by guards he saw in Hirado Port the day before yesterday. Could it be that that man is Zheng Zhilong's son?
(End of this chapter)