Chapter 765 Dog Fighting Port
Qian Tiandun's idea was of course more for the military's plans. In addition to the Shengli Port Shipyard in Sanya, the shipyards currently under the Haihan Shipping Department also have shipyards in Heitu Port and Danzhou, but their construction capabilities are far less than those of the headquarters. In addition, there are already shipyards under construction on Hong Kong Island and Cam Ranh Bay. However, the location of these shipyards is a bit far away for the military, which is bent on expanding its maritime sphere of influence east to north. In the future, it is impossible for the Haihan Fleet to be deployed in the Fujian Strait and the waters north of it all to return to Sanya. To repair and maintain, it is a very necessary measure to build a high-end shipyard on the west coast of Taiwan Island.
Of course, with the current capabilities of the Penghu base, it is impossible to establish sub-bases in Zhuoshui River and Dagou at the same time, so the final result is probably that we can only choose one of them as the first step to set foot on Taiwan Island. Zhuoshui River is closer to Penghu, making it more convenient to transport personnel and supplies or armed guards. There are fertile alluvial plains near the sea, making agricultural development easy. However, the disadvantage is that there are no natural ports with good conditions, and the flat terrain is basically undefensible.
Dagou has a natural port with excellent conditions, the terrain is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it can build a large shipyard, which is very suitable for the development needs of the military. But the shortcomings here are also very obvious. It is separated from Penghu by Damuan Port. Before the Dutch are dealt with, there will still be certain security risks.
However, things have changed at this time, and it is unlikely that the Dutch in Taiyuan Port will be as unscrupulous as they were in previous years. They have lost Shibazhi, a useful thug, and he was completely defeated by Haihan in the battle. The Batavia headquarters, the only one they can rely on, is not only thousands of miles away, but has also been in trouble recently and has been unable to protect itself. Maybe too much support is given to Taipei. Qian Tiandun believed that if Haihan could establish a colony in Dagou before other forces, he could form a threat to Damuan Port with Penghu from the south to the north, so that the Dutch would not dare to act rashly. As for preventing Haihan from settling here, Qian Tiandun believed that if the Dutch really had this ability, they would probably not be interested in sending people to negotiate terms.
However, compared with the simple colonization of Zhuoshui River, the development and construction of Dagou Port is obviously much more troublesome and complicated. The construction of a shipyard is not just about building a few docks and carpentry workshops. Supporting industries must also be built simultaneously. The new colony does not have a relatively complete industrial base like Sanya, so there will be more difficulties.
Although Qian Tiandun preferred to choose the Dagou area as Haihan's first foothold when entering Taiwan, he still had to investigate the situation in this area as much as possible before doing so. Compare the information and find the most suitable place to stay.
According to the map, the harbor here has two access channels from the north and the south. Qian Tiandun chose to enter the harbor from the northern channel. The mouth of this gorge is only a hundred meters wide, but the water channel is more than ten meters deep, which is enough to accommodate large ships to pass smoothly. There are hills on both sides of the gorge. This terrain is very suitable for building lighthouses and shore defenses.
After entering the harbor, you can see that the coastline here is relatively straight, which will save a lot of trouble in the future construction of wharf berths. The port area extends for more than ten kilometers in the north-south direction. The terminal lines developed and constructed in later generations exceed 20 kilometers. There are more than 30 deep-water terminals alone. There are more than 100 terminals operating in the entire port area. Its scale can be imagined. Know. Although it is impossible to build a port of this scale in this era, there is obviously plenty of room for development.
In the afternoon of the same day, the fleet arrived at the southern entrance of the harbor, and the bay area here was the location of Taiwan's largest shipbuilding base in later generations. Judging from natural conditions alone, the harbor here was more suitable for construction than the location of the Victory Port Shipyard. The large shipyard also strengthened Qian Tiandun's determination to make this place his first choice.
The southern estuary is about twice as wide as the northern estuary, and the terrain is relatively flat, without the natural dangers of hills on both sides of the northern estuary. However, for such a narrow bay, Qian Tiandun believed that defense was not difficult, and ordinary coastal defense batteries were enough to deal with enemies from the sea.
That night, the fleet docked locally to rest. After Qian Tiandun had dinner, he began to draft an inspection report to be submitted to the Military Commission.
"...The voyage from Dagou Port to Magong Port in Penghu is 80 nautical miles, to Zhangzhou Zhongzuo is 100 nautical miles, and to Hong Kong is 340 nautical miles. It can be used as Haihan's main base for development on Taiwan Island. In addition, Dagou Port to Manila, Luzon Island The distance to the Bay is about one-third closer than that of Sanya. If there is an enemy with the Spaniards in the future, Dagou Port can also be used as one of the departure points for the fleet..."
Qian Tiandun mainly considered the local development value from a military perspective. If Penghu can effectively control the waterway of the Fujian Strait, then Kaohsiung's location can radiate the two main waterways of the Fujian Strait and the Bashi Channel at the same time. This is not only It blocked the main channel for the Dutch to travel to Northeast Asia, and at the same time even the Spaniards were strangled by the throat.
The main base of the Spanish in the Far East is the city of Manila on the east coast of Manila Bay on Luzon Island, and the waterway between it and Jilong Port in the north of Taiwan Island and even the countries in Northeast Asia must pass between Taiwan Island and Luzon Island. between bus straits. Although the strategic position of the Bashi Strait is not prominent in the current era due to restrictions on maritime trade and warfare, Haihan has always attached great importance to the control of key areas of the waterway, even if this area may not appear until several years later The same goes for developing strategic value. Although the Bashi Strait is open and not easy to actually control, it is still included in the military's list. The area north of the Bashi Channel that is most suitable for development into a large port in recent times is undoubtedly the Dagou Port area where the Fourth Fleet is currently based.
If we only consider the natural conditions, the environment here is almost impeccable, but there is one thing that Qian Tiandun cannot ignore, and that is the local indigenous people. The indigenous tribes here are much more prosperous than those over the Zhuoshui River. The indigenous tribes called Makadao currently occupy an absolute dominant position here, with a population of more than a thousand. Fortunately, the troops who went ashore to explore the road today found several families of Han fishermen in Dagou Port. According to them, the nearby indigenous people are relatively peaceful and are not too hostile to outsiders. These Han fishermen usually do the same. They exchanged their catches for deerskin, venison and other wild game from the natives.
Of course, the attitude towards fishermen is not the same as the attitude towards powerful outsiders like Haihan. Anyone who sees the Haihan militia with live ammunition will become wary, so can they maintain basic relations with the local indigenous people? , we still have to look at the subsequent contact effects.
The next day, several Han fishermen who had collected money the day before brought representatives from a nearby indigenous tribe called the Ajia community to meet with Qian Tiandun. These fishermen also acted as translators, passing messages between the two sides.
Three men came from the tribe. They wore deerskin aprons around their waists and straw sandals. Two of them were bare-chested. One of them was wearing a jacket made of blue and white cloth. It was obvious that he had a higher status. This cloth was probably also local. Han immigrants resold them. The man in the coat looked about forty years old, while the two men behind him were obviously much younger. One of them was holding two deer legs, while the other was holding a clay pot. Neither of them carried weapons. .
Two young indigenous men presented the gift first, and the fisherman next to them explained: "This is the specialty of Ajia Society, rice wine and meat bamboo shoots."
Qian Tiandun was also prepared. After ordering the guards to accept the gifts, he also took out the gifts in return - two military daggers made in Sanya, twenty kilograms of refined salt, and a set of glass tableware in a brocade box. The indigenous representatives were obviously very satisfied with these gifts. It could be seen from their excited expressions without the need for language communication.
"We are businessmen from the southern sea. Our ethnic group is called Haihan. We hope to build a dock here and settle down. We will respect your local way of life and help you live a better life." Qian. Tian Dun said this and pointed at the guards around him: "Like them, you have clothes to wear, you can eat well, and you can go to further places to gain knowledge. If you have any requirements, you can also ask us." "Your sailboat is bigger and longer than the red-haired people who have been here before, and your gifts are also the most sincere among the visitors. But if you want to live here, you still need to do more." The leader The indigenous man did not immediately agree to Qian Tiandun's proposal, but he did not make his words too serious either.
"We can provide money, food, job opportunities and necessary protection to the Ajia Society. If you are willing, you can also become our business partners in the future, and you can obtain better living conditions through cooperation." Qian Tiandun immediately More specific conditions were imposed on it. If he could live in peace with the local indigenous people, Qian Tiandun would not be stingy with these basic exchange conditions.
After several years of operation, the Ministry of Civil Affairs has already developed a complete set of plans for dealing with indigenous residents in various places, which naturally includes standard operating procedures for how to exchange various conditions for the trust and obedience of indigenous residents and assimilate them step by step. It is precisely with these accumulated experiences through practical operations that Haihan was able to integrate most of the Limiao and Miao tribes on Hainan Island in just a few years, allowing them to gradually integrate into Haihan society in a more obedient manner. in the system.
"The Ajia people only accept transactions and will not become slaves!" The indigenous representative remained vigilant enough and shook his head to express his objection to Qian Tiandun's statement.
"Of course." Qian Tiandun immediately revised his statement after listening to the translation: "We will conduct transactions in a way that is acceptable to the Ajia people. But before that, we will move some immigrants and build a dock here. and towns.”
"This will affect the lives of our Agashe people!" The indigenous representatives clearly expressed their opposition this time.
"But it will also bring you a better life and more good things that you can enjoy." Qian Tiandun continued to persuade: "For example, cloth for making clothes, such as fine wine that you have never tasted."
"Fine wine? Do you also make wine?" This topic attracted the attention of the indigenous representatives.
Qian Tiandun, a man like him, immediately realized that this was an opportunity to break the barriers, and immediately ordered people to take the wine out of the boat. Naturally, the military is not allowed to drink alcohol casually while performing tasks. The few stocks on the ship are just in case. If necessary, it can also be used as medical alcohol for traumatic disinfection. Of course, it is also one of the expected uses to deal with the natives who drink good wine.
The Makadao people who live in the Dagou area prefer wine, and they mostly brew rice wine from locally grown grains. However, the taste of the rice wine they brewed using local methods is naturally not comparable to Haihan’s more mature brewing technology. The rum named "Sanya Special Brew" has long been sold throughout the South China Sea and has become one of the flagship products of Haihan's foreign trade. Of course, these indigenous people who have not seen the world cannot resist its power.
The indigenous representative's eyes were straightened when he saw something. He had never seen a bottle made of glass. The pair of glass bowls just installed in the brocade box amazed him. He didn't expect that the other party actually had one. Something more advanced.
When Qian Tiandun saw the expressions on the three people's faces, he naturally understood. He immediately opened the bottle cap and poured it into the three prepared cups, signaling to the natives to enjoy it. These natives were honest and simple, and they didn't worry at all about whether there would be anything weird in the wine. They picked it up, smelled it, and swallowed it in one gulp.
"This must be a treasure given to us by Alizu!" After drinking this small glass of wine, the indigenous representative expressed heartfelt admiration. And the "Alizu" he mentioned is the patron saint believed by the Makadao people.
Looking at the other person's eyes still focused on the wine bottle, Qian Tiandun said with understanding: "This bottle of wine is given to you as a gift."
The cost of a mass-produced bottle of "Sanya Special Brew" is not high, and it can sell for a high price in the market. At least half of the credit must be recorded on the glass bottle packaging. After all, no other peers in this era will use such expensive products. Materials used as drinkware. But for the people of Agashe, this kind of fine wine contained in "crystal" is undoubtedly the only treasure they have seen in this life.
"Being able to brew such fine wine and generously gift it to strangers in crystals, I believe you are good people as kind as the Agashe people." The indigenous representative said seriously: "I will give you Bring the goodwill back to Ajia Society, but your request still needs to be decided by Auntie Kuai.”
"Who is Auntie?" Qian Tiandun asked after listening to the translation.
"He is the witch in the club, responsible for rituals, rituals, divination and other matters." The fisherman who acted as an interpreter quickly explained.
(End of chapter)