Chapter 599 The debate between war and peace
The "United Trading Company" that Shi Diwen refers to, of course, refers to the Dutch East India Company, which was founded in 1602 with the purpose of monopolizing Eastern trade and carrying out colonial plunder. During the nearly two hundred years of operation of the East India Company, a total of 1,772 ships were sent overseas, and about one million Europeans came to Asia through the ships of the East India Company. Although this company is a commercial organization in name, it has actually always had many national functions, such as organizing its own mercenaries, issuing currency, signing formal treaties with other countries, establishing overseas colonies and implementing rule, etc.
Of course, the East India Company's ability to enjoy so many privileges is not without cost. 18% of the company's profits must be handed over to the country as dividends every year in exchange for the government's support in various overseas policies and trade methods.
The East India Company won more than just economic benefits for the Dutch Republic in the Far East. After Cohen became the governor of the company in 1619, he began to advocate the use of force to open up borders and successfully established a national trade system. In the Ming and Ming Dynasties, Trade was organized between Korea, Japan, Ryukyu, Annan and other countries. However, rival Portugal, which originally occupied a large number of colonies in the Far East, was gradually losing territory under the constant pressure of the East India Company. At its peak in the 17th century, the East India Company had more than 50,000 employees, dozens of warships, and tens of thousands of armed mercenaries. It indeed had the strength to launch wars and destroy some small countries.
In terms of the current strength comparison, the East India Company is still ahead of Haihan for the time being, but Haihan's development speed is far faster than its opponents, and the areas it controls are relatively more concentrated, making it easier to gain strength advantages in local areas. If it were not for the various logistical problems that the labor expedition would bring and the subsequent actual control methods, Haihan would actually have enough strength to take over the Relanja City stronghold built by the East India Company in the southern part of Taiwan Island.
But in order to deal with the Dutch, the Haihan Executive Committee believes that the unstable factor of Shibazhi must be dealt with first. The threat these pirates could pose to Haihan was far greater than the limited number of Dutch on Taiwan Island. Shi Diwen used the Dutch to promote Haihan's military power. The real purpose was to give Xu Yuzhuo more confidence and convince him that Haihan had enough strength and determination to help the Fujian military eliminate Shibazhi.
The Fujian Xu family had already joined the board of directors of "Qiong Lianfa" very early, so Xu Yuzhuo immediately understood Shi Diwen's very vivid metaphor: "So the red-haired... Dutch people stationed on Dajuan Island, they also Are they the armed guards of this company?”
"That's right." Shi Diwen nodded and said, "But even if they are just private armed forces, their strength has far exceeded that of the Ming army. The Dutch conquered many places in Southeast Asia, all relying on this armed force. Of course, compared with our Haihan militia, they are still far behind.”
Shi Diwen was not worried that his boasts would be leaked by Xu Yuzhuo. Although the Xu family had business dealings with the Dutch in the past, they should know very well who could really help the Xu family grow in strength. The Dutch are not like Heihan, selling large quantities of standard weapons, and they also train officers and teach combat tactics. Of course, the most important thing is that the trade volume between Fujian and Haihan has far exceeded the record with the Netherlands. Haihan has become the Xu family’s largest trading partner. It is unlikely that the Xu family will do anything to hook up with the Dutch again. Betray Haihan.
Xu Yuzhuo asked: "If Haihan takes over Da Yuan Island in the future, how will the sea route north of Fujian be owned?"
Regarding this issue, the Executive Committee has already had corresponding instructions. Shi Diwen replied: "We will not impose any restrictions on this, but the premise is that both of us are still in a state of cooperation."
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Shi Diwen actually only said half of what he said, but it did not prevent Xu Yuzhuo from understanding the spirit of it - if the two parties continue to cooperate, then everyone can do maritime trade business in Northeast Asia, but if the cooperative relationship is terminated, then I'm sorry, in the future I won’t take you to play with me.
As for what kind of situation may lead to the termination of the cooperation between the two parties, Shi Diwen has already expressed his attitude before, and there is no need to repeat it at this time.
Shi Diwen was working on Xu Yuzhuo in Zhongzuo City, and Ning Qi was not idle in Zhangzhou City. The reception banquet that Xu Xinsu prepared for Ning Qi and others in Zhangzhou City was held at her own house, and the guests invited were not many, and almost all of them were people related to the Xu family's interests. After Xu Xinsu introduced the guests, she specially said to Ning Qi: "We are all here today. If Mr. Ning has anything to say, you can speak freely."
After Ning Qi talked with Xu Xinsu on the way to Zhangzhou, he believed that although the other party was willing to cease the war, it did not seem to be entirely out of his original intention. Part of the reason was the external environmental pressure brought about by successive years of war. If Xu Xinsu can be helped to alleviate these pressures, it is not impossible for Fujian to continue to use troops against Shibazhi. The guests on this occasion today are all core members of Xu Xinsu's interest group. The ideas of these people will probably affect the future trend of the war in Fujian. How to inject enough blood into these people and incite them to continue the war has become Ning Qi's most important issue at the moment. Important task.
After drinking for three rounds, Ning Qi put down his chopsticks and started talking about business: "Sir Xu, although it is my first time to come to Zhangzhou and I have not been in the city for a long time, I have a very good impression of the place. Everywhere I go is in order. , the people are also polite, it is indeed a good place with prosperous culture and education, and abundant food and clothing. ”
Ning Qi's praise is indeed flattering to Xu Xinsu. Although his position is military attache, in fact, most of Zhangzhou's government affairs are directly in charge of or indirectly controlled by him. If the local government is good, he is indeed responsible for it. Xu Xinsu’s contribution lies in it. Of course, Xu Xinsu couldn't boast in front of Ning Qi, so she said a few words of humility, and other sensible people next to her stood up and praised Xu Xinsu's virtues.
After Ning Qi listened patiently, he continued to express his opinion: "The current situation in Zhangzhou is naturally due to Mr. Xu and everyone here. However, please allow me to say a few words that are a bit inappropriate. Although the current situation in Zhangzhou is good, But the foreign troubles have not yet been resolved, so it is a little early to think that we can live a peaceful life now.”
Xu Xinsu did not respond immediately, but silently twisted her beard and said nothing. Someone during the dinner said: "The foreign troubles Mr. Ning mentioned are nothing more than the pirates in Penghu, right? These thieves have been defeated for several years, and now they no longer dare to come to Zhangzhou to cause trouble."
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Ning Qi responded: "You said it was just the current situation in Zhangzhou, but the situation outside Zhangzhou does not seem to be like this. As far as I know, this group of pirates has blocked the route to the northeast from Zhangzhou to threaten the Ming army's peace talks... …”
"Mr. Ning, the word "blackmail" is a bit inappropriate." The person who just answered the conversation simply stopped the conversation before Ning Qi finished speaking: "The peace talks are a two-sided matter. If it is only beneficial to the pirates and not to the Ming army, If it is useless, then the peace talks will be impossible. Furthermore, the Ming Dynasty has always had the upper hand in the war. How can the losing side threaten the winner? "
While listening, Ning Qi quickly recalled Xu Xinsu's introduction to this person in his mind. After he finished speaking, he responded with a smile: "If I remember correctly, this is Mr. Chen from Qinglian Academy who is speaking, right?"
"Chen Qinglian, Mr. Ning, please give me some advice!" The man sat down and raised his hand to Ning Qi. Ning Qi also returned the gift, and then continued: "What Mr. Chen said is not unreasonable, but the interests must be divided into long-term and short-term interests. If you only focus on the immediate short-term interests, you may make wrong decisions and lose long-term interests." . As for your second point, I am also very curious, why did the Ming army, which had the upper hand, choose to stop the war and negotiate with the bandits who could not defeat them? "
Chen Qinglian probably didn't expect Ning Qi to kick the ball back immediately. He hesitated for a few seconds before responding: "Zhangquan and Quanzhou have been fighting for years, and the people have suffered a lot because of it. After the truce, the people's lives can be restored." Calm, isn’t that good? ”
"Okay, it's certainly a good thing to make people's lives more stable, but the question is why keep tigers as a problem instead of just getting rid of these bandits?" Ning Qi continued to ask.
Chen Qinglian said: "Wars waste people and money, and there are countless casualties on the battlefield. If peace can be exchanged for peace, what is wrong?"
"I understand the truth, but why not eliminate these bandits?" Ning Qi's tone began to become aggressive: "Mr. Chen also said just now that the Ming army has the upper hand in the battle, so why should we let go of these passive ones? Bandits? Is it to give them some time to rest and recover for a year and a half before attacking the Ming Dynasty's city?"
"Of course not..."
"Since it's not the case, then what's the need for a truce?" Ning Qi didn't wait for the other party to finish his weak argument, and interrupted him: "I also want to ask Mr. Chen, how long is the truce planned to be limited to three days? Months, five months or one year? Even if the two sides reach a truce agreement, will it have any binding force on the bandits? Or do you plan to go to Penghu in person and explain to them what benevolence and righteousness are? Is it about credibility? ”
"Mr. Ning is right. What's the point of talking to these bandits? When we are ready, we will go straight to Penghu's home base and give them a big hit!" Of course there are peacemakers and warlords, and there is still a warlord faction at the table. existence, someone immediately spoke up to support Ning Qi.
"Our navy is too weak to fight, how can we send troops to Penghu?" Someone retorted at that moment.
"Am I, the Ming Dynasty King, afraid of these water bandits and pirates? Why don't we go there!"
"The Shibazhi fleet has dozens of times more ships than the navy. How can we fight a war on the sea? Forcing the navy to dispatch is not an act of sending a sheep into a tiger's mouth?"
"Just now, Chen Qingnian, who advocates peace talks, also said that our Ming army has the upper hand. When did he become the lamb you said?"
"That's enough!" Seeing that more and more people were joining the argument and the scene was becoming increasingly chaotic, Xu Xinsu finally couldn't help but speak out to stop the disorderly argument: "Mr. Ning hasn't finished speaking yet, you guys are rushing to speak out. What the hell? Shut up!”
Xu Xinsu's weight could indeed overwhelm the situation. As soon as he opened his mouth to scold, everyone present immediately shut up. Xu Xinsu then apologized to Ning Qi and said: "Mr. Ning, most of my subordinates are rough people and don't understand etiquette. Please don't take offense!"
"It's okay. The lights won't turn on and the reasoning won't be clear. Everyone is willing to discuss it. This is actually a good thing." Ning Qi behaved very generously and was not angry because of the chaos just now: "As for whether it is war or peace, everyone here is willing to discuss it." You may all have your own positions and ideas. What I say here only represents Haihan's attitude and is not meant to be imposed on you. If you think it makes sense, then listen to it. If you think it doesn't make sense, think about it. If you want to debate with me, I welcome it, but please speak in an orderly manner and don’t rush to talk.”
After saying these words, Ning Qi saw that everyone present was focusing their eyes on him, and then he continued: "Regarding the war in Fujian, our Haihan attitude..."
Ning Qi deliberately prolonged his tone when he said this. After everyone's appetites were whetted, he said: ...As long as the Fujian military is willing to continue to suppress bandits, then we will continue to provide military assistance and will gradually open up. A portion of the sale of high-end weapons. For example, the ‘exploration-class’ warship that visited Zhangzhou this time and its supporting combat equipment. I think you have already seen this new type of warship on the dock. It is no exaggeration to say that the combat performance of this type of warship is much better than the previous 'exploration class'. It can deal with at least four ships at the same time at sea. An old armed sailing ship of the same tonnage. Didn't someone just say that Shibazhi has many ships? They have many ships, but our ships have strong firepower. In front of the 'exploration-class' warships, the old and dilapidated ships of Shibazhi can only become living targets for beating..."
Ning Qi smoothly inserted advertising content into this topic. This was also one of his missions in Zhangzhou this time - to promote various new weapons and equipment for Haihan Ordnance Industry, including "exploration-level" weapons and equipment. The boat is inside.
The hybrid sailboat has been in service for a year, and its outstanding performance and operational stability have been recognized by the military and the executive committee. In the future development of the navy, hybrid warships will gradually become standard equipment. , and the purely sail-powered warships built in the early stages will gradually take a back seat, or be transformed into supply ships, offshore patrol ships, or simply sold to other armed forces, not only to recover the cost, but also to make a fortune. Although this process of elimination and replacement will take a long time to be realized, the military can’t wait to include the second and final generation of purely sail-powered warships, the "Expedition Class", on the list for sale.
(End of chapter)