Chapter 3481
Chapter 3481
Chapter 3481
The special forces stayed in Colombo for another three days, on the one hand to prevent the Dutch from coming back, and on the other hand to strike while the iron was hot and "count the results of the battle."
When Conceicao came to Hambantota for help, he agreed to many of the conditions proposed by Takahashi Minami. Now it is time to settle the accounts.
Hai Han dispatched more than 2,000 troops this time, and engaged in a small-scale battle with the Dutch. According to the agreement between the two parties, all expenses from the start of the journey to the return of the troops to the camp would be borne by the Portuguese.
At the main request of the Governor of Ceylon, Takahashi Minami will leave two companies and continue to be stationed in Colombo for one month. The consumption of these troops will be borne entirely by the Portuguese, and settlement must be made in advance.
Gao Qiaonan knew that if he left with his troops, the Portuguese would make excuses for him if he wanted to settle the bill. It would be troublesome to collect the money.
Therefore, Takahashi Nan’s attitude was very clear, which was not to give the Portuguese any chance to play tricks and to demand that the other party pay immediately. Only after the bill was settled would the Hai Han army withdraw from Colombo.
The Governor of Ceylon had a pleasant conversation with Takahashi Minami the day before and was still thinking about what excuse he could use to pay less money. Unexpectedly, when he woke up, the other party came with a dark face to demand the debt.
The Governor of Ceylon had no doubt that if he refused to pay, Takahashi Minami would immediately turn hostile, the reinforcements stationed outside the city would immediately turn into enemy troops, and the city of Colombo would probably not be able to withstand the second round of attacks that would follow.
Takahashi Minami did not leave any room for bargaining, and the Governor of Ceylon had no choice but to give money.
Fortunately, Colombo was not conquered by the Dutch, and the large amount of money stored in the Governor's Mansion was enough to pay for Hai Han's military expenses. But even so, the Governor felt very painful when he saw boxes of silver coins being moved out of the cellar and loaded onto trucks.
This rescue operation of just a few days cost the Ceylon colony two years of tax revenue. Adding the expenses and losses during the war with the Dutch, it can be said that the recent years have been in vain.
The governor could only comfort himself that at least he had saved Colombo and did not lose this most important source of income. If this place was really taken away by the Dutch, he would probably not be able to continue as governor and would have to return home to accept punishment.
In addition, the Colombo authorities have to organize 3,000 workers to go to Hambantota to work for the Hai Han people, with a tentative working period of half a year.
The bad news is that the reconstruction and restoration work of Colombo City will inevitably be affected by this, but the good news is that the travel expenses of these workers will be borne entirely by Hai Han.
But what really worried the Governor of Ceylon was how many of these people would be able to return to his rule after they went to Hambantota?
He knew that Hai Han had a strong ability to absorb population. If these people got better living conditions in Hambantota, they would probably never return.
The only thing to be thankful for is that Hai Han is unlikely to conduct identity checks on these workers one by one. He can take this opportunity to arrange for spies to infiltrate and carry out long-term surveillance of Hambantota.
Three days later, when Gaoqiao Nan led his troops to leave the port of Colombo, the Governor of Ceylon did not come out to see them off. He must have been a little angry about being ripped off by Hai Han. However, Gaoqiao Nan did not care what the Portuguese would think. This time he brought back more than 30 boxes of silver coins and the first batch of more than 1,000 laborers, which was a fruitful result.
Among the various forces on the island, the indigenous Kingdom of Kandy and Portugal have both recognized Hai Han's rights and interests in Ceylon. The Dutch suffered a big loss this time, but the gap in strength between the two sides is obvious, and the possibility of the other side taking retaliatory measures is not high. They will probably still negotiate with Hai Han's top leaders through diplomatic channels.
Even if the Dutch reported the matter to the Executive Committee, they probably wouldn't get any advantage. Entering the Indian Ocean was one of the long-term development strategies set by the Executive Committee. In the process of implementation, it was a natural move for the Executive Committee to remove the stumbling blocks ahead.
If you don't want to get beaten, don't play the role of a stumbling block next time.
After Takahashi Minami led his troops to the battle, many construction sites in Hambantota were in a semi-shutdown state until the troops returned and then resumed work one after another.
The more than 1,000 workers brought back were immediately assigned to various construction sites to serve as the new force after the resumption of work.
Most of these laborers were Indians from the Goa colony. Most of them had witnessed the power of the Hai Han army in Colombo, so they did not dare to be too lazy.
And the situation that the Governor of Ceylon was worried about is also happening. After arriving in Hambantota, Takahashi Minami announced to them that in addition to the normal labor income while working here, those who perform well among them can apply for long-term residence in Hambantota and even apply for Hai Han citizenship.
Although many people's understanding of Hai Han may be limited to the Hai Han army in front of them, these people basically have a consensus, that is, Hai Han's strength is above Portugal and the Netherlands. If there is a chance to rely on such a powerful country, it will certainly be much better than being exploited by the Portuguese.
Gao Qiaonan had actually anticipated the Portuguese spies planted among the laborers, but he didn't care too much about it. After all, this kind of intelligence gathering method was not only used by the Portuguese, but also by Hai Han.
In places like Colombo, the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Security Department will send intelligence personnel to the local area under various cover identities, and the number of personnel may be even greater than that sent by the Portuguese to Hambantota.
However, the progress of the Security Department is obviously much slower than that of the Military Intelligence Bureau. Currently, the branch office established by Li Dechang in Phuket has only a dozen people, and only a few of them can independently complete overseas intelligence missions. Obviously, it is not enough to cover the city of Colombo.
Among the two companies that Takahashi Minami left in Colombo, there were personnel from the Military Intelligence Bureau. They could openly collect information about Colombo’s city defense and garrison in the name of assisting in defense. These were advantages that the intelligence personnel of the Security Department did not have.
Takahashi Minami's progress in Ceylon was reported in the newspapers about half a month later. This was also a deliberate move by the Ministry of National Defense to strengthen the publicity of military achievements made overseas.
Although the public was eager to talk about the special warfare division's achievements, the impact of this incident on public opinion was very limited. The reason was that Ceylon was located 5,000 to 6,000 miles west of Xingdao. This place was too far away for ordinary people to feel the difficulty of the troops fighting there.
But in any case, the construction of the Hambantota Port has been seen as adding another overseas territory, and the empire's territory is constantly expanding westwards, which is certainly something that all citizens should be proud of.