Chapter 450 Yu Yao’s reasons
After He Xi finished reading the official document, Malike signed it and asked Yu Yao to take it to his inventory. This matter was originally led by the military, and the Guangdong Office only assisted. The military team will be responsible for the specific recruitment measures, and the funds are specially allocated, so Malik only needs to sign and file.
However, Yu Yao did not leave immediately after getting the signed documents. Seeing that he still had something to say, Maliko took the initiative to ask him if he had anything else to say.
Yu Yao hesitated for a moment before speaking: "I had a discussion with Xiao Liang two days ago. We thought that if we want to expand our actual control area eastward at the Pearl River Estuary, this arms deal with the Ming Dynasty is actually It’s an opportunity that can be taken advantage of.”
Malico is also a shrewd man. He immediately understood what he meant when he heard this: "You mean to exchange arms for land?"
Yu Yao nodded and said: "That's pretty much what it means. As for the operation method, you can flexibly control it, whether it is as rent, land purchase payment, or cooperative development. In short, occupy the place in a legal name first. As long as it is used as rent, land purchase payment, or cooperative development. Having occupied the space, it is not up to us to decide what to do with it in the future.”
This approach mentioned by Yu Yao is actually not new. Haihan used a similar method when he established a coastal stronghold in Annan. The rent of the Heitu Port Concession was simply paid to the Annan court in the form of Haihan artillery. In order to obtain long-term and stable military assistance from Haihan, the Annan court had to swallow its humiliation and hand over some harbors with superior natural conditions on the coastline to Haihan in the form of concessions. The land that had been handed over was probably There is no possibility of returning to Annan's name. It seems that this kind of routine can also be used logically in other areas that need Haihan military assistance, such as the Ming Empire, which is currently preparing to attack.
Maliko responded: "You can think of this idea, and there should be smart people in the headquarters staff department who can think of it. After all, this method has been successful in Annan, but it is not mentioned in the official document of the base camp, which means it must still be There are some problems that cannot be solved at this stage.”
"I don't think so." Yu Yao shook his head and retorted: "The base camp did not propose this method, probably because they did not understand the current situation in the Pearl River Estuary and Hong Kong Island. When they exchanged weapons for concession rights in Annan, It was also a method first proposed by the Black Earth Port Management Committee. In the final analysis, the parties involved have more say in the arms transaction with the Ming Dynasty. The Executive Committee and the Military Commission are the decision-makers. There is nothing to say about this, but this matter is completely. It can be led by our General Office in Guangdong. After all, we are the ones who know the current situation best in Ming Dynasty, not the group of people squatting on Hainan Island... I'm sorry, my tone was a bit extreme."
Yu Yao realized that his words were a bit out of line, calmed down a little, and then said: "The Executive Committee wants to reach a military cooperation relationship with Ming Dynasty, economic considerations should only come second, and political needs are the real needs. Purpose. Exchange arms for political status in the eyes of the Ming Dynasty, or exchange for some more practical conditions. These are the directions we can try. How can we know whether we can do it or not?"
Malico and He Xi looked at each other. They had been working together for more than two years and had a good working understanding. They could basically understand each other's intentions after exchanging glances. I have to say that both of them were a little moved by Yu Yao's thoughts.
If after various efforts, the Ming court can appreciate the various types of arms provided by Shanghai and Han, and is willing to pay some economic or political conditions in order to obtain these military assistance, then the arms-for-land exchange mentioned by Yu Yao Possibility does exist objectively.
Of course, even if such a plan is made, words such as "military use" and "naval base" will definitely be avoided during the actual negotiations, and the land use direction will definitely be commercial ports and warehouses. , docks and other civilian ways. As long as the land is obtained, it will be up to Haihan to decide what to do with it.
"Have you and Xiao Liang been to Hong Kong Island several times? How is the situation there now?" He Xi asked.
As soon as Yu Yao heard He Xi's question, he felt confident and immediately responded: "Wait for me for a minute, I'll be right back."
As soon as Yu Yao left, Maliko turned to He Xi and asked, "What do you think?"
"Listen to his opinion first, but I think we can give it a try. If this happens, the Guangdong Office will be upgraded to the Guangdong branch soon!" He Xi also looked eager to try.
After a while, Yu Yao hurried back with his laptop: "I can't explain clearly, so I brought up the map, which is more intuitive."
"The last time we went to Hong Kong Island was last month. Based on our continuous observation and intelligence collection for more than a year, we have a relatively good understanding of the situation on Hong Kong Island, especially the situation of the troops stationed on the island." Yu Yao While explaining, he pulled up a satellite map of the Pearl River Estuary waters on his computer, and then zoomed in on the Hong Kong Island: "Currently, the troops stationed by the Ming Army on Hong Kong Island are affiliated with the Nanhai Guard, with less than 500 troops and about ten ships. , only six of them can be used for combat. Their station is located in Shau Kei Wan on the north side of Hong Kong Island, which is also the choke point for controlling the Lei Yue Mun Waterway. The place they chose is still very delicate."
It can be clearly seen from the map that Lei Yue Mun Waterway is the narrowest channel between Hong Kong Island and the mainland, and the Ming Dynasty army is stationed in Shau Kei Wan next to Lei Yue Mun, which indeed controls the entry and exit of the Pearl River from Fujian. The best location for the mouth water channel. Of course, whether it can really be controlled is another matter. At least judging from the situation one or two years ago, it is only about four nautical miles east from Lei Yue Mun. After leaving the Buddhist temple gate in another strait, Liu Xiang's pirate group has the final say at sea, and the Ming army's control range is really limited.
Yu Yao pointed to the map and continued to explain: "There are not many residents on Hong Kong Island. According to official statistics, there are less than three thousand. Most of them live in the coastal plain area in the north of the island, and they are engaged in agriculture and forestry industries such as fishing and logging. Means of livelihood, because there are many ships passing by, the income level of local residents is pretty good. The natural disasters in various parts of Guangdong in the past two years have not affected this area. The social environment is much calmer than in other areas of Guangdong. .”
Maliko interjected: "There are Ming troops stationed on the island, so it is unlikely that they will voluntarily withdraw from this area. After all, the Ming Dynasty is not Annan. It is unrealistic for us to replace such a large island with dozens of artillery. "Director Ma is right." Yu Yao did not refute Malik's view, but nodded and said: "Besides, the location of this island is too critical. Controlling it is almost equivalent to controlling the seaport of South China. The Ming Dynasty Court said Even if those people are cowards, they will not give up this place easily.”
"Then what are your plans?" Maliko asked.
"We can achieve control of this area in stages without eating it in one bite." Yu Yao continued to point at the map and explained: "The good thing about Hong Kong Island is that it is big enough. We can temporarily settle for the second best and ask the Ming Dynasty Claiming territory on the south side of the island ”
Maliko and He Xi followed his direction and looked towards the south side of the island. There is indeed a very unique natural harbor here. Tai Shue Wan, Sham Wan and Aberdeen Bay between Ap Lei Chau and Hong Kong Island were very prosperous ports in the time and space before the time travel, with hundreds of ships docked here all year round. There is also a plain area near the coast where a large number of facilities can be built and a certain number of people can be settled.
Ap Lei Chau, which protects this string of harbors, is like a barrier that can shield these harbors from wind and rain while providing excellent military defense conditions. The terrain here is very similar to that of Black Earth Port. There are also islands outside the harbor. Only a small number of coastal defense guns are built on the islands to completely control the shipping routes in and out of the harbor.
Another geographical condition that cannot be ignored is that the northern and southern parts of Hong Kong Island are completely separated by the mountains in the middle and do not interfere with each other. This geographical condition allows Haihan, who is trying to establish a stronghold in the south, ample space to display his power, while at the same time getting rid of Ming Dynasty's surveillance.
Although the livable area on the south side of Hong Kong Island is far inferior to that on the north side, this is not a big problem for Haihan, which currently has a limited actual population control. Even if there is excess population, the preferred resettlement location will be Hainan Island rather than the Pearl River Estuary. The executive committee's first choice for selecting overseas strongholds is not based on how many people can be resettled there, but first on the geographical location, environment and difficulty of military defense. Although Haihan's Haihan stronghold has only fought one defensive battle like Lijiazhuang since time travel, this does not prevent the military from still considering defense as one of the first choices for selecting locations for overseas strongholds.
This is not because the military is too cautious, but out of helplessness. In the final analysis, the Haihan Militia has limited troops and cannot deploy sufficient armed forces in every stronghold, so it has to rely on local The natural environment was used to build some fortifications that allowed a small number of armed men to defend themselves based on the terrain. This pattern began with Black Earth Port and continued throughout all overseas strongholds and colonies to date. When the military team of the General Office of the People's Republic of China inspected the topography of Hong Kong Island and selected the site, they also took this factor into consideration.
Yu Yao explained: "We don't need to take over the entire Hong Kong Island. As long as we can get the Ming Dynasty government to agree to set up business stores and build docks in the southern part of Hong Kong Island, our goal will be achieved. This area is enough to station a complete army all year round. Combat fleet, plus one battalion of army troops, this force configuration is basically enough to handle various emergencies in our coastal areas of Guangdong. Now that the Military Commission has delegated the authority to recruit troops, we can completely follow the model of Heitu Port. , establish a military training base on Hong Kong Island and form an independent battalion for the Guangdong Theater.”
"A fleet plus an army battalion?" Maliko couldn't help but shook his head: "Yu Yao, you are planning to upgrade the military team of the Guangzhou Garrison Office to the Guangdong Military Region!"
"Upgrading to the Guangdong Military Region is also beneficial to the development of the Office in Guangdong." Yu Yao was pointed out by Maliko, but he did not deny it: "The main function of the Office in Guangdong now is only to manage economy, trade and immigration. In terms of politics and military, it can The effect is still too small. Although our development phalanx is to open the way for money, we must maintain a sufficient sense of oppression when necessary. There are still many people outside who only regard us as businessmen and lack a sense of respect for us. , I think we should find ways to change this situation. After all, it is no longer two years ago. What we have to do now is to protect our own interests, expand and control a larger territory, and no longer need to be so low-key and pretend to be sheep. ”
"It seems that you have been pretending to be very hard in the past two years!" He Xi joked: "But it has only been about a year since Wanshan Port was put into use. If we have to move so soon, the construction costs there have not been recovered yet. ”
"Wanshan Island does not need to be abandoned. It can continue to be used as a military stronghold. The location there is still very good." Yu Yao once again pointed to the map on the computer screen: "From the south of Hong Kong Island to Wanshan Port, the distance on the sea is only More than thirty nautical miles, even a traditional Chinese sailboat can reach it in one day. In this way, by connecting the east and west, we can completely control the waters of the Pearl River Estuary.”
"You're really good at calculating!" Maliko continued: "Then have these ideas of yours been compiled into written materials?"
When Yu Yao heard this, he immediately nodded and said: "I have compiled a copy. If necessary, I will improve the content as soon as possible."
"Then take some time to prepare. Since you are going to do it, you have to say hello to the base camp first." Maliko's words finalized the basic direction, and asked Yu Yao to come up with a written plan first, and then issue it in the name of the General Office Back at base camp, the executive committee will discuss and decide whether to implement it.
"Without further delay, I'll do it right now." Yu Yao was so excited that he closed his notebook and tucked it under his arm, and hurried out.
"According to what he just said, how feasible do you think this is?" Malik asked He Xi after Yu Yao's footsteps disappeared outside the door.
"I am relatively optimistic. If you apply for a residence in Ming Dynasty on the grounds of building a commercial warehouse and wharf, it is not difficult. Didn't the Portuguese apply for a place nearby?" He Xi's face looked very relaxed: "No matter what In any aspect, the strength of the Portuguese is not comparable to ours, and now we have a very harmonious relationship with the Guangdong government, so the possibility of this matter happening is very high.”
(End of chapter)