Chapter 223 Trip to Vietnam (6)
Zheng Zha had been hesitating for such a long time. Tao Donglai had already known in his heart that he might not agree immediately, so he was not too surprised when he heard the answer. Tao Donglai nodded and said: "I think Mr. Zheng may think that if he agrees to our request, it will feel like the Black Tu Port is out of the control of Annan Kingdom, right?"
Zheng Zha nodded and said: "The rest of the conditions are negotiable, but your request regarding the black earth port... I'm sorry that it's hard for me to comply."
Tao Donglai would not give up his original plan just because of his words. Occupying the Black Earth Port was a strategic plan for the development of the Crossing Group. For this reason, the Crossing Group would even go to war with the North Vietnamese regime - of course, in this situation Before this happens, the executive committee headed by Tao Donglai will try its best to find a peaceful solution to the problem.
"As for the status of Heitu Port, we can recognize that its sovereignty belongs to you. If necessary, you can send local officials to set up a governance office there, and the cost can be borne by us." Tao Donglai offered to make concessions . When it comes to sovereignty, whoever has the bigger fist has the final say, so Tao Donglai doesn't worry about what hidden dangers his words will leave for future expansion.
The current military strength of the Crossing Group is insufficient, and it is impossible to directly plant a flag to declare territorial ownership before occupying a place. Even in the face of a relatively weak opponent such as the North Vietnamese regime, it still needs to be more cautious in expressing its stance to avoid unnecessary consequences for itself. troubles and even military conflicts. In a few years, when the Cross-Travel Group becomes stronger and begins to formally enclose territory, the Executive Committee will be able to openly bring all overseas colonization sites like Black Earth Port under its own territory in the name of "since ancient times." If anyone refuses to obey, he will be beaten with muskets and cannons until he obeys.
As for asking the North Vietnamese regime to send officials to establish a governance center in Black Tu Port, that is even more trivial. As for how to deal with local government interference, there are already successful examples from the Yulin Inspection Department. Black Tu Port can completely follow suit. Black Tu Port can accept as many people as the North Vietnamese regime sends, and it is nothing more than how many people it can support. I'm just an idle person, and I won't be short of rice and food if I travel through the group.
Sure enough, Zheng Zha's face became a little brighter after hearing what Tao Donglai said, but he still refused to let go: "But I heard that the local area is rich in clean coal, and it has been continuously trafficked to the outside world since the opening of the port. The local area belongs to our Annan government." This kind of behavior should be paid to the government.”
The boy can still climb up the ladder! Tao Donglai discovered that this Zheng Zha was not a second-generation official who didn't understand anything. If he wanted to fool him into lameness, he would have to work hard.
Tao Donglai thought for a while and responded: "We are willing to rent the Black Tu Port area from you in the form of payment of rent. In this way, you will have both sovereignty and income, and you will have the best of both worlds."
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Xie Chun and Qian Tiandun, who were sitting next to them, couldn't hold back their coughs. Tao Donglai gave Zheng Zha this idea. Isn't it the Vietnamese version of the concession in the seventeenth century? I pay the rent, the sovereignty belongs to you, and the governance rights belong to me. But after renting it out, it will be difficult to take it back.
Zheng Zha said in astonishment: "Rent?"
"That's right, it's for rent." Tao Donglai glared at the two people next to him and warned them not to make a show of themselves.
"We can use ten Haihan artillery pieces per year as rent to rent the uninhabited land in and around Heitu Port from you." Tao Donglai persuaded Zheng Zao seriously: "The place in Heitu Port is not suitable for you. It has no actual value, it is nothing more than coal buried underground. But I know that coal is also produced in the area north of Thang Long Province, so the coal from Black Tu Port is not a necessity for you. It is better to leave that place to us. Develop it in exchange for the arms you need.”
Zheng Zha coughed dryly and said: "Can I ask first, how much is the price of the artillery you are planning to sell?"
"Now that we've talked about it, let's ask Mr. Zheng to see the real thing first! Mr. Zheng will probably feel more at ease once he sees the real thing." Tao Donglai stood up and took the initiative to invite Zheng Zha. As for the price, Tao Donglai was not in a hurry to report it to Zheng Zha. He firmly believed that Zheng Zha would be more accepting of the price after seeing the weapon target cover.
Zheng Zha didn't put on any airs this time. He came here by boat from Shenglong Mansion just to see the guns and artillery of the Haihan people? But he had not thought beforehand that the transaction was not simply about money and goods, but actually involved territorial issues. He didn't think too much about the Black Earth Port before he came. He just thought that when necessary, he could just send an army to take it back. He never thought that the Haihan people would actually put forward so many twists and turns of conditions. Want to protect their interests in that port.
In fact, Zheng Zha also believed that what Tao Donglai said was reasonable. Coal was not a scarce resource for North Vietnam. There were coal mines in Taiyuan and Luping north of Thang Long. Although there are still remnants of the Mo dynasty in the mountainous area to the north that have not been completely wiped out, coal mines are also produced in Ruguan near Thang Long Province. Even if the Black Tu Port can be taken back now, there will be one more place to produce coal. For North Vietnam The actual significance is not very great. What's more, it is said that it takes a long time to take a sea ship from here to get to that place. It is also very troublesome to transport the coal. In Zheng Zha's opinion, it is far better to exchange the coal for more practical benefits.
Of course, this is because Zheng Zha didn't know how much coal was buried underground in Black Tu Port. If he knew that the coal there was much more than the coal in the entire area controlled by the current North Vietnamese regime combined, then things might not go as planned. Followed the idea designed by Tao Donglai.
But Zheng Zha was more cautious about Tao Donglai's offer of arms in exchange for rent. He had to see it with his own eyes to determine whether the Haihan people's arms were usable. As for the price, Zheng Zha really doesn't care much - the problem facing the current North Vietnamese regime is that there is no place to buy firearms, not the price of the supplier.
The preparations made by the Military and Police Department for the weapons demonstration this time can be said to be quite sufficient. An area was designated to build a shooting range on the peninsula one day in advance. All the specifications were copied according to the artillery training base of the base camp, including the turrets, explosion-proof trenches, and distances. Signs and earthen targets are all available. When Qian Tiandun came yesterday, he even specially brought more than ten domestic pigs from Heitu Port for feeding. These pigs are not used to comfort the crew or entertain guests, but are used as targets, using bloody reality to prove the power of the weapons to the other party.
Zheng Zha was also quite surprised when he saw a pig pen in the shooting range. He suddenly realized it after Qian Tiandun's explanation. However, he still had doubts about whether the artillery could hit these live targets at a distance of more than half a mile. In his opinion, although the power of the artillery was great, its accuracy was very limited. If several consecutive shots failed to hit, the sea would be destroyed. Didn’t the Han people fold their own signs?
Tao Donglai is not worried about this problem. Several of the guns used for demonstration have been calibrated and tested repeatedly when they were in Victory Port. They have detailed shooting charts to ensure the accuracy of the bullet impact point. After being transported here, they have been calibrated and tested many times. Calibration, and test-fired two rounds yesterday afternoon. It can be said that the preparations have been foolproof.
The shooting range observation point is located on a nearby gentle slope, just opposite the gun position and target. From here, you can clearly see the entire shooting process without a telescope. In the first stage of the test firing, six artillery pieces will be used to bombard the pig pen at the same time, striving to bring the greatest visual shock to the watching North Vietnamese representatives in the first place.
On this trip, the Military and Police Department sent out almost all existing gunners, and this was barely able to realize the weapons demonstration plan. Qian Tiandun, who was in charge of the command, used a long whistle to remind those present that the weapons demonstration had begun. Artillerymen from various gun positions trotted in in columns and gathered at the gun positions to stand by.
"Mr. Zheng, among the six cannons you see now, the four in the middle are smaller in caliber and are named Type 27-A artillery. The two cannons at both ends are slightly larger in caliber and are named Type 27-B artillery. These two kinds of artillery use specially-made gun mounts and a pull-rope ignition device exclusively developed by Haihan. Each gun can be flexibly operated by only four people..." Tao Donglai seized the time and introduced to Zheng Zha the method used to demonstrate this. The situation of artillery. The so-called Type A and Type B artillery are respectively the 6-pounder gun and the 12-pounder gun. However, this code name based on the weight of the shell can only be used internally, and it is not easy to explain to customers what a "pound" is to the outside world. As for the larger caliber 18-pound and 24-pound artillery pieces, the Executive Committee will not sell them to the outside world at this stage due to safety concerns.
Next, under Qian Tiandun's whistle command, the artillerymen loaded their ammunition in strict accordance with the operating procedures, and even pretended to take aim. Qian Tiandun pulled out the saber on his waist and pointed it at the sky, and at the same time made a short whistle to indicate that everything was ready.
Tao Donglai raised his hand. Qian Tiandun saw it from the corner of his eye and immediately waved his saber down. The gunner of the six-gun pulled the rope in his hand and fired the shell almost at the same time. This loud bang was still Zheng Zha, who had been prepared for it, felt a thump in his heart. If he hadn't been sitting on a chair, he might have fallen to the ground with his legs weak.
The six shells flew across the distance between the gun emplacement and the target almost instantly, using huge kinetic energy to tear the small wooden pigsty and the several pigs inside into pieces. The shock of watching this up close was so strong that Zheng Zha slumped in his chair and was speechless for a long time.
"Mr. Zheng, let's go take a closer look." Tao Donglai invited Zheng Zha with a smile.
Seeing the other party's pale face, Tao Donglai felt very satisfied. The current results were achieved, and all the meticulous preparations he had done before were completely worth it. The moment the cannonball hit the target, even Tao Donglai himself felt very shocked, let alone Zheng Zha who had never seen such a scene.
After getting closer, the visual shock became more intense. The shells tore all the unlucky pigs into pieces. Bloodstains and minced meat covered a large area within a radius of seven to eight feet, and even the air was filled with There is a smell of blood that cannot be dissipated. It is completely conceivable how much damage these artillery can cause if this is on the battlefield.
Zheng Zha took a few glances and felt a little nauseous, so he quickly signaled to Tao Donglai that he had seen enough. However, after shooting the live target, the test firing demonstration of the artillery did not end there. After Zheng Zha and Tao Donglai returned to their seats, the two most accurate artillery pieces that had been prepared began to demonstrate firing at fixed targets at different distances. .
"Mr. Zheng, you can take a look at the accuracy of our artillery when targeting targets at different distances." Tao Donglai lost no time in continuing to introduce: "Our artillery produced by Haihan are all equipped with accurately calibrated shooting tables and sighting tools. With these means, even a layman can quickly become a sharp artilleryman on the battlefield. As long as he is equipped with our artillery, he can easily kill ten times or even a hundred times the number of enemies with a small number of artillery units during the battle! No unit can resist this kind of artillery bombardment and still have the courage to continue fighting after being attacked like this! If you want to defeat the southern rebels in an upright manner on the frontal battlefield, artillery will be your best choice. One of your indispensable weapons!”
Zheng Zha had to admit that the artillery displayed by the Haihan people was extremely sharp. After seeing with his own eyes that these artillery easily destroyed several earthen fortresses a hundred feet away, Zheng Zha believed that this kind of weapon could not only be used in field battles. ——When Master Wang goes south with this kind of weapon, all the rebel cities will collapse under the roar of cannonballs!
purchase! This weapon must be bought! Zheng Zha has already made up his mind about this, and he must also try to persuade the Haihan people not to sell this powerful weapon to the rebels in the south at the same time - maybe he should really consider the other party's previous proposal. Advice on using artillery as a rental?
After finally waiting for the demonstration to end, Zheng Zha asked impatiently: "I wonder how much the two types of artillery you demonstrated cost?"
Tao Donglai had already taken reassurance at this time, but he was not anxious at all. He said with a smile: "Mr. Zheng, don't worry, the price we quoted must be fair. In addition to artillery, we also have muskets for sale, Mr. Zheng Let’s take another look at the musket produced by Haihan!”
Zheng Zha had no choice but to suppress his eagerness and wait to see the Haihan people's musket demonstration.
Because this musket demonstration used matchlock guns, the array prepared by the Military and Police Department was a standard three-stage attack. Sixty militiamen have received special training for this purpose in Port Victory for a week. They will demonstrate this musket tactic in three rows of twenty men. The target of the demonstration was the remaining live pigs.
Zheng Zhuo has a collection of several types of muskets in his home, including the Franco-style matchlocks from the West, the original Rumi guns from the Middle East, and the bird guns made by the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty. However, these collections are just For the sake of entertainment, at most it can be used when hunting in the mountains and forests. As for the tactics of using this sharp weapon on the battlefield, this is the first time Zheng Zha has seen a demonstration. This is not because he has limited knowledge. It is because the number of muskets in Vietnam is limited and is not enough to equip the army on an organized basis. Naturally, there is no strategy at all. In his original idea, this kind of weapon should be placed at the front of the military formation before the battle, just like an archer, shooting as many as it can kill. As for close combat, there is no need for weapons like fire sticks.
But the Haihan people's musket tactics demonstration really opened his eyes. Under the command of the officer's whistle, three rows of musketeers completed the steps of loading, aiming, shooting, and changing positions very neatly. It was full of rhythm and powerful. It was very obvious - after the three rows of musketeers completed a shot, the pigs tied to the tree stumps a hundred steps away had all fallen. However, the musketeers still carried out a complete tactical demonstration of ten rapid fires according to the content of the previous drill.
After the demonstration, Tao Donglai once again invited Zheng Zha to observe the shooting results closely. In addition to several pigs that were beaten to pieces, a specially built earth wall behind them was also riddled with bullet marks. Tao Donglai pointed to the bullet marks on the earth wall and said to Zheng Zha: "Mr. Zheng, during the demonstration just now, In terms of distance, the muskets we provide can easily penetrate ordinary iron armor. You can imagine how many soldiers on the other side can maintain the courage to move forward under such fire. It takes at least one qualified soldier to train. It takes more than half a year to train a musketeer who can shoot, and we can make him master the weapons produced by our Haihan within half a month. Muskets can help you save a lot of investment in training, and the time it takes to form an army will be greatly shortened. I think Mr. Zheng has already thought clearly about whether this deal is worthwhile."
Zheng Zhao nodded repeatedly when he heard this. He was holding a sample musket handed over by Tao Donglai in his hand. He really couldn't put it down. Even if he is not an expert, he can see that the production level of this gun is not inferior to his own collection, and the demonstration just now has fully proved the power and reliability of this weapon. If there were any shortcomings to be found, it would probably be its lack of melee capabilities.
But Tao Donglai seemed to have read through his thoughts and made a gesture to Wang Tom next to him. Tom Wang nodded, walked to the lined up musketeers, and ordered loudly: "All of them! Fix bayonets!"
The musketeers pulled out the sleeve bayonet from the scabbard on the side of their thighs, and installed it on the barrel in only two or three seconds. Then the group of musketeers in front of Zheng Zha immediately became those with basic melee capabilities. of short spearmen.
"This...this..." Zheng Zha really couldn't find a suitable adjective for the changes in front of him. Such a sharp long-range weapon also has the ability to fight at close range. Are the Haihan people going to defy heaven?
Tao Donglai said with a smile: "This accessory weapon is called a bayonet and can be used with a musket. Of course, this accessory weapon requires additional pricing."
Zheng Zha stared at the group of musketeers with their heads held high, as if they had already seen the scene when Master Wang conquered Hue Mansion. As for the "extra pricing" Tao Dong said, he didn't even listen to a word. Go to your heart.
(End of chapter)