Chapter 764 Coercion
"For the sake of the safety of our industries and personnel in the Penghu area, and in order to completely prevent the remnants of the pirate gang Shibazhi from continuing to do evil in the Fujian Strait, our fleet will conduct irregular military training and maritime patrols in the waters near Penghu. We The training and patrols are not targeted at other people, including the East India Company, nor will they interfere with the normal operations of Taimu Port. I hope you will not worry too much about this. This time passing by Taimu Port is just an ordinary maritime cruise. .”
Philip was dumbfounded by Qian Tiandun's "report". He really didn't expect that the Haihan people would use such a high-sounding reason to interpret the naked military threat in front of them as a reasonable action. Nearly ten Haihan warships were lined up on the sea about two nautical miles away from Damuan Port. They looked eager to try. Qian Tiandun actually called them "passing by" in an understatement. This really refreshed Philip's three views. View.
"Dear Sir, I wonder how long it will take for your fleet to completely 'pass' the local port?" Of course Philip did not dare to rebuke Qian Tiandun in the current environment, so he could only swallow his anger and use tactful words. tone to ask.
Qian Tiandun smiled and said: "This is our military secret and cannot be disclosed. In fact, our maritime patrol is also beneficial to the security of Damuan Port, isn't it? With the Haihan fleet here to protect us, there will be no pirates It has appeared in the surrounding waters, which is also a good thing for maritime merchants who come to Taiyuan Port for trade.”
Philip thought to himself that your fleet is lying outside Taiyuan Port. Everyone thinks that this is a posture to start a war. The maritime merchants who have heard the news are afraid that they will not come to Taiyuan Port again in the next few months. This kind of behavior is malicious. Harassment, no need to talk about protection! As for pirates, since Shibazhi withdrew from the strait, there have been no large groups of pirates in the hundreds of nautical miles around. And how dare sporadic pirates dare to go wild on the Dutch territory? Even if the Dutch can't do it at sea Han militia, but it is more than enough to deal with pirates in the Far East.
But regarding the true nature of the matter, Philip knew that even if he reluctantly argued with the other party, it would be useless. After all, the other party came with the purpose of coercing Dang Yuangang into submission. If he could retreat by just being reasonable, then he would still be building Relan here. Why build a fort? Although Philip was unwilling, he could only respond in a low voice: "Actually, I have already reported the terms of the last negotiation with you to Lord Hans. However, at this time, we need to coordinate the opinions of all parties, so we still need to make a decision. Some time.”
Philip's statement finally hit the mark. Qian Tiandun asked: "I believe what you said, and I also believe that the East India Company is indeed sincere in reaching the previously negotiated deal with us. However, everyone's time is precious. If It would be great if you could give me an answer as soon as possible. I think for such a big matter... one day should be enough, right?”
The twist in Qian Tiandun's last sentence almost made Philip fall to the ground. He originally thought that he could at least get a ten-and-a-half-month consideration period from the Haihan people, so that the Damuan Port would still have time to consider how to deal with the Haihan people. The transaction conditions proposed by the Han party. But it was obvious that the Haihan people were not that patient at all. They were not even willing to wait for a reply. Instead, they chose to bring their fleet directly to the door to ask for a reply. The method was simple and crude, which made Da Yuangang immediately confused and didn't know how to resist.
"One day is indeed too hasty. Can you please delay for a few days?" Philip was also very anxious, but as he talked, he only found that his situation became more and more passive, so that he could not use a tougher attitude to talk to Hai. The Han people communicated.
Qian Tiandun coughed dryly and said: "However, our army did not arrange a multi-day itinerary for this patrol, so we did not bring much supplies. If you can provide supplies, then I can wait here longer. One day. Remember, just one more day.”
Philip cursed, you should have gone back to Penghu if you didn't bring enough supplies. If you don't go back to such a close place and insist on supplying at Taiyuan Port, isn't this a clear plan to rip off people?
However, he still had a smile on his face: "This is easy to say. After I go back next time, I will have someone send a batch of supplies to your fleet. As for the time limit, I hope you will Fang Duoduo be more tolerant.”
After finally getting the other party to let go, Philip didn't want to stay on the Haihan warship for a second anymore. He hurriedly said goodbye and disembarked, and returned to the harbor in a small boat rowed by the sailors.
Of course, Qian Tiandun did not really expect that he could immediately coerce the Dutch into submission if he came to the city. If the pressure was too tight, the Dutch would have no way out and they might eventually choose to use force to resolve their differences. At present, the Penghu base has just been put into operation, and Qian Tiandun also I don’t want to start a war with the Dutch at this time. Now that the other party had taken another step back, he stepped down and took advantage of the ladder handed over by Philip to take advantage of the situation. Anyway, half of the purpose of this trip is indeed to conduct actual combat training at sea. Going to Damuan Port to scare the Dutch is just a casual behavior. It is enough to achieve the effect. It is not really urgent. Things will be done at this time and a half.
"These Haihan people... are simply... bastards..." After listening to the report brought back by Philip, Hans was so angry that he couldn't even speak smoothly. I remember that Zheng Zhilong had tens of thousands of people at the beginning, but every time he came to visit him in Damuan Port, he always accompanied him carefully, lest he offend himself. He had never thought that these Haihan people would stare so hard. If it weren't for the fact that the current Damuan Port did not have enough weapons, he would really have the urge to directly order a war.
Of course, at least this temporary negotiation was not fruitless. At least we knew the true purpose of the Haihan fleet coming here and their withdrawal conditions. Hans was not a fool, and he could naturally understand from Philip's account that Haihan's side also did not intend to start a war, otherwise they would not have put forward conditions.
It took Hans a full five minutes to restore himself to a calm state, and then he began to issue orders: "Philip, I grant you temporary authority to immediately organize a batch of supplies in the castle and deliver them to the Haihan people to keep them away from the port. A little!”
Philip gingerly took out a piece of paper: "This is the list of supplies Haihan requested..."
Hans took it and looked at it. The list had been re-marked by a translator. To be honest, the supplies Haihan requested were not too excessive. They were basically food, but they all required the freshest ones - for example, the meat had to be live poultry, not slaughtered ones. However, this requirement is not difficult to understand. Obviously the Haihan people are afraid that someone will poison the food, and live livestock will minimize the risk. Hans took a general look and found that the city could basically handle it, so he decisively handed it back to Philip: "Get it done as soon as possible, and don't make any more mistakes!" "If I take on this kind of job again, I'll chop off my hands!" Phillip muttered and left the temporary headquarters, secretly regretting why he had listened to Hans's instigation and took over the negotiation job. Now, instead of reaping any benefits, he was in trouble. Hans blamed all the problems that arose in the negotiations on Philip. If he was not careful, he might become the scapegoat. Forget about negotiating, after all, it only requires words, but he also needs to handle the organization of supplies, and Philip is not happy. He feels like he has become a servant doing miscellaneous errands.
Philip took a team of soldiers sent to him by Hans to rummage through the castle. It took more than two hours to finally collect the supplies requested by the Haihan people before dark, and then quickly shipped them out of the port and handed them over to the Haihan people. On hand.
"Please move your fleet back further to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings." When Philip saw Qian Tiandun again, his tone became increasingly weak: "Sir Hans has promised to complete the transaction within two days. To make a final decision on the matter, you can send an envoy to Damuan Port to negotiate the details.”
"Okay, since you can give a clear timetable, I won't push you anymore." Qian Tiandun waited for his men to inspect the goods before he responded unhurriedly: "Then we will see you in two days. ”
To be honest, Qian Tiandun was a little worried about letting the fleet spend the night outside Damuan Port. He originally planned to withdraw to a slightly farther place after nightfall. Since the Dutch are so cooperative now, Qian Tiandun will take advantage of the situation to save face. The free time in the meantime was just enough to continue heading south to inspect other planned targets.
In addition to the Damuan Port currently occupied by the Dutch, in the southern part of Taiwan Island, there is actually another port with better natural conditions, which is the later Kaohsiung Port. However, the name of this place at this time was not Kaohsiung, but "Bamboo Forest" named by the indigenous Makadao people. Its pronunciation is similar to the pronunciation of "Dago" in the Hokkien language, so the Han people called the place "Dago". , the natural port is also called Dagou Port. As for the fact that it was later renamed Kaohsiung during the Japanese occupation, it was because the pronunciation of "Kaohsiung" in Japanese happened to be similar to the Hokkien word "beating the dog".
The real development of Dagou Port started after Zheng Chenggong occupied Taiwan. For a long period of time, it was mainly used as a fishing port. Until the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing government was forced to fight with Britain and France because of its defeat in the Second Opium War. China signed the "Tianjin Treaty" and designated Dagou Port as one of the four open trading ports in Taiwan. The other three are Jilong, Huwei (Taiwan), and Anping (Danyuan). Only then did Dagou Port transform from a fishing port to a commercial port, and Dagou Customs was established in 1864.
At present, this place is still an unclaimed land - the indigenous residents will naturally not be included in the calculation. Qian Tiandun believes that if Taiwan Island is to be developed as a whole in the future, this port is also one of the areas that Haihan must win. The distance from Taiyuan Port to Taiyuan Port is only over 20 nautical miles, and it only takes half a day. It makes no sense not to walk around once you are here.
Although he knew that the Dutch were unlikely to take any more provocative actions at this juncture, Qian Tiandun still carefully left both reconnaissance boats in the waters near Taiyuan Port and continued to carry out surveillance operations. He was not afraid that the Dutch fleet would suddenly come out to bite his tail, but he was worried that if the Dutch took the risk and went directly to Penghu to launch a surprise attack, it would be very troublesome. This time, almost all the ships capable of fighting were deployed. There was no coastal defense force to rely on in Penghu. Qian Tiandun had to be careful when he was away from home to prevent his opponents from raiding his nest.
That night, the Fourth Fleet sailed south for about ten nautical miles before lowering the sails and anchoring near the coast. Early the next morning, the fleet continued south and soon reached its destination.
The fleet slowed down about a mile from the coast and moved slowly along the coast. Qian Tiandun stood on the deck and carefully observed the coastal terrain. At the same time, he checked the satellite map data he had on hand to find out the differences between the actual terrain and the map so that he could correct the data.
Although the Haihan military has very detailed satellite maps available, hundreds of years of natural changes will still cause differences in the terrain. For example, the actual topography of Damuan Port that we visited before was very different from the map in Qian Tiandun's hand. The coastline outside Damuan Port is still a series of sandbars. Even the Fort of Relanja was built on a sandbar that was not directly connected to the land. In later generations, these places were all connected to the land due to soil siltation. It seems that the Haihan Fleet has indeed blocked the main waterway in and out of Taiyuan Port, but in fact there are several waterways in the harbor that can allow small boats with shallow drafts to bypass the Haihan Fleet's blockade and leave the port. There is absolutely no way to grasp these details without seeing them in person.
However, the situation at Dagou Port is obviously much better than that at Damuan Port. According to preliminary survey results at sea, there is not much difference between the terrain here and that of later generations, and this situation is more in line with historical facts. In its original history, Tai Yuan Port gradually lost its status as Taiwan's number one port due to severe siltation, while Kaohsiung Port later became the largest port in Taiwan, and even ranked third in the world in terms of container throughput. second only to Hong Kong and Singapore.
In Qian Tiandun's view, this long and narrow harbor is not only suitable as a commercial port for cargo handling, but also has a large anchorage area in the harbor waters and a large area of mountains and forests nearby. It is completely possible to build a large shipyard here - and later generations Kaohsiung Port does have a large-scale shipyard and dock, and it is also the center of the shipbuilding industry on the entire island of Taiwan.
Of course, if the Haihan people occupied this place to develop the shipbuilding industry, the Dutch people nearby would probably feel very unhappy. Although there is a small shipyard in Taiyuan Port, the tonnage of the ships it can build is less than 100 tons, which is not enough to compete with the nearby Haihan Shipbuilding Industry. And if Haihan can build another large shipyard 700 nautical miles away from Sanya, it will be self-evident to help expand the maritime control area.
(End of chapter)