Chapter 828 Arms Trade and Foreign Policy
As Haihan's most advanced and most powerful main battleship at present, the "Dignity-class" plays the mainstay role in any of Haihan's existing fleets. However, due to the long construction period of this large warship and the pioneering use of steam propulsion systems, daily operation and maintenance have high logistics requirements. Not every stronghold of Haihan can deploy the "Dignity Class" Battleship.
In the military zone of Magong Port in Penghu, a special dock has been built in advance for the arrival of this ship. Different from the docks where other warships dock, the dock here is specially equipped with a large delivery device to quickly replenish fuel and fresh water for the warship, and can fill the ship's fresh water and coal-fired compartments within two hours. At the same time, six mechanics are specially equipped here. Their task is to repair and maintain the steam power system on the ship when the ship is not at sea.
Due to the huge differences in culture and knowledge between time-travelers and naturalized citizens, it was extremely difficult to train these mechanics in this era. It can be said that all of them are treasures of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Shipping. Qian Tiandun also specially specialized for this purpose. A shift of personnel was assigned to be responsible for their daily safety.
The arrival of this main battleship also symbolizes that Haihan's naval forces stationed in Penghu-Taiwan have finally formed a complete fleet organization. If this ship can arrive more than half a month in advance, it will be in time to make its debut in the Battle of Taipei. The powerful ship-borne artillery will also make it easier for the Haihan Army to attack Sheliao Island in Jilong Port.
After completing the formation of the fleet, the Military Commission also specially transferred a general to take command. It was Shi Diwen who had been on an envoy to Fujian in 1631. At that time, Shi Diwen, as the military attaché of the mission, accompanied Ning Qi to Zhangzhou to meet with Xu Xinsu and other senior Fujian officials. As a result, Shibazhi instigated an assassination operation in the city. Although no members of the mission were harmed, Shi Diwen still made full use of this opportunity. In the name of revenge, he led the mission fleet to attack Nanri Island under the control of Shibazhi, and conquered the island that troubled Fujian in one fell swoop. The Ming army's long-term cancer stronghold.
Nearly two months after Shi Diwen won the first battle of Haihan in Fujian, Qian Tiandun, who received the transfer order, left Annan and took the special operations battalion to Fujian to take over the command of the local garrison. To be serious, Shi Diwen could barely be considered Qian Tiandun's predecessor for the position of commander of Haihan's troops in Fujian.
After Shi Diwen left Fujian, he served as the commander of the Second Fleet in the navy, and also participated in the Haihan military operation to attack Penghu in 1632. He was considered one of the few senior generals in the Haihan army who was familiar with the situation in Fujian. one. This time the Fujian fleet was established, and when the Military Commission was considering candidates for the commander of the new fleet, it was natural that Shi Diwen, who was familiar with the situation, was listed as the first choice.
Shi Diwen himself is also willing to accept this transfer. Haihan's current development strategy is to expand from the sea to the north and south. The Ambrosia Islands in the south is controlled by Roger, and there is a possibility of war breaking out in the near future. Very little sex. The only place where there is a chance of meritorious service is in the north. After the chain layout is formed along the southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty, the difficulty of moving north is much less than the South China Sea area that lacks strategic support points. As an enterprising soldier, Shi Diwen naturally hopes to be able to Take this opportunity to make many military exploits.
This is not the first time that Shi Diwen and Qian Tiandun have fought side by side. As early as the Annan Civil War, the two have had many experiences of cooperating on missions, and they can be regarded as old partners. After the two met, they naturally felt a bit sad. After going around in circles, they never expected to become partners again in Fujian. Compared with the previous cooperation in Annan, the current Haihan Army can be said to have replaced a shotgun with a cannon. The troops are stronger and the horses are stronger, allowing commanders like them to have more room to play.
On the same day, Qian Tiandun held a banquet to welcome Shi Diwen, who had come from afar, and the heads of various departments stationed in Penghu were also present to accompany him. However, except for Qian Tiandun, everyone else is a naturalized civilian cadre, so some things are not convenient to discuss at the wine table. After the banquet, Qian Tiandun invited Shi Diwen to his study and asked Luo Wudan to brew a pot of the high-quality Anxi Tieguanyin sent by the Xu family, and then they started talking about business.
"Takahashi Nan was able to achieve such results in Taipei this time. To be honest, did you sit in the back and command remotely?" Shi Diwen asked sharply as soon as he sat down.
This military operation commanded by Gao Qiaonan can be regarded as the first large-scale battle in which the Haihan Army was independently commanded by a naturalized officer. Although many people before the war had doubts about Qian Tiandun's bold arrangement, Takahashi Minami's performance in commanding operations has indeed effectively shattered various rumors that were unfavorable to the military. Even military insiders like Shi Diwen still have some doubts about Takahashi Minami's performance. . However, Gao Qiaonan was still staying in Jilong Port to preside over local affairs at this time, and Shi Diwen could not find him to confirm his doubts in person.
Qian Tiandun smiled and shook his head and said: "I know you guys can't trust Gao Qiaonan, but don't forget how Gao Qiaonan rose up step by step. With his current ability, he can command such a large scale The battle is more than enough. Even if there are any small mistakes in the command process, our advantages in weapons and equipment will be enough to make up for it. Of course, the battle plan was formulated by Takahashi Minami and I, and I have done all the issues that can be considered in advance. We had prepared a response plan, but we didn’t expect that the Spanish resistance was much lower than we expected. Both strongholds forced the other party to surrender without spending much effort.”
Shi Diwen asked: "That's it for the Tamsui River side. I've also heard that the Spaniards are not doing well there, but they have been building a city in Jilong Port for several years. Whether it is military strength or fortifications, There is no shortage of them. Logically speaking, they would not choose to surrender so quickly. Are the Spaniards really so greedy for life? ”
"It was not entirely because they were greedy for life and afraid of death that they surrendered." Qian Tiandun explained: "Gao Qiaonan interrogated some prisoners of war after the war. The main reason why the Jilong Port defenders chose to surrender was the ammunition and combat supplies in the city. The reserves are so insufficient that they cannot fight on their own. ”
This answer was beyond Shi Diwen's expectations, and he couldn't help but complain: "The Spanish are so stupid! If we had known that we had taken Penghu last year, we would have taken over Taiwan in one go. We didn't have to wait more than half a year."
Qian Tiandun said: "According to the news from the front, the Spanish city defenses are actually quite good. There are more than twenty artillery deployed on the city wall, and there are also a lot of armed personnel in the city who can participate in the battle. However, the city The defenders have probably lived in peace for too long and have no awareness of resisting foreign enemies. The officers secretly sold a lot of weapons and ammunition, and they were overwhelmed by our siege artillery and were unable to fight back. In addition, they were at the mouth of Tamsui River before. The battle has left some Spanish people with lingering fears, and their will to resist is not very strong. "That's really a big deal for Gao Qiaonan!" After hearing this, Shi Diwen was basically relieved of his doubts. .
Qian Tiandun did not deny this: "Takahashi Nan is indeed a blessed general. Most of the response plans we made before the war were not used at all, and we successfully captured Taipei. However, during his command, The details are still remarkable, and the results are not purely based on luck.”
"Of course." Shi Diwen is not an outsider, and he doesn't really think that Takahashi Minami can achieve such a record just by luck. You must know that Minami Takahashi is a regular attendee at the annual anniversary awards ceremony. His military exploits are definitely among the best among naturalized officers. His promotion to his current position is all due to his own service on the battlefield. It was achieved through hard work, and the top brass of the military held a positive attitude towards this. Otherwise, with his background as a prisoner of war, how could Takahashi Nan be promoted to the position of battalion commander in just a few years, and still gain enough trust to independently command the ace troops of the Haihan Militia in overseas battles.
The battle on Taiwan Island did not consume too much energy and resources from the military, so Shi Diwen simply asked a few questions and then took the initiative to change the topic to other things: "President Yan talked to me before I left. In other words, the Executive Committee still hopes to establish a relationship with the Zhejiang government before taking action on the Zhoushan Islands. This can obtain some supplies nearby and relieve the pressure on logistical supplies. In addition, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Commerce also hope to use the military. Contact us to open up the arms market in Zhejiang. As you know, the Executive Committee has always attached great importance to this matter.”
The arms trade has always been a key item for Haihan's export profits. The early export of arms to Annan not only brought back a large amount of capital and labor for Haihan, but more importantly, it opened up the Annan market for Haihan, allowing Haihan to Get another stable source of income outside of Ming Dynasty. The subsequent arms trade with the governments of Guangdong and Fujian provinces allowed Haihan to receive a lot of special treatment in the coastal areas of these two provinces, which completely exceeded his status as a maritime merchant.
A considerable part of the revenue from the military industry sector has been classified as military expenditure. Therefore, the military has always fully supported the arms trade, and will also try its best to help promote Haihan's weapons and equipment during contacts with friendly forces. Of course, any soldier who has witnessed Haihan's military power with his own eyes will find it difficult to resist the temptation of these advanced equipment. Even if Haihan has a purchase restriction policy for some of the weapons and equipment, and the ones that can be purchased are expensive, local officials will still flock to them.
However, in the past two years, as Haihan has gradually controlled several major sea passages in Guangdong, and the coastal areas have become calmer, the Ming army is no longer as eager to update weapons and equipment as when the province was in chaos in the first few years, and the government purchased weapons The number is also plummeting. If Haihan hadn't given high enough kickbacks to its handlers, the Guangdong government might have completely cut the arms purchase contract from the fiscal budget.
The situation in Fujian was slightly better. After all, Xu Xinsu was wealthy and unlike the Guangdong government, it did not need to rely on military expenditures allocated by the court. Even though Fujian's coastal areas have become safer, he still makes purchases every year, treating military purchases as a means to win over Haihan and maintain the cooperative relationship between the two parties.
But for Haihan Military Industry, the number of arms export orders in the past two years has stagnated, with no significant growth in either quantity or total price. This is not good news worth celebrating. There are only two ways to break this deadlock. One is to liberalize the sale of high-end weapons, and the other is to open up new markets.
It is obviously not advisable for Haihan to liberalize the sales of high-end weapons. There must be an insurmountable performance gap between the weapons sold for export and the weapons installed at home. This is a strategy determined at the beginning of time travel to ensure that large quantities of weapons are sold. The weapon will not cause backlash on Haihan himself. Even so, Haihan has always carefully controlled the quantity of heavy weapons such as artillery and warships, and has also implemented strict export controls on ammunition, spare parts and other supplies. If it is said that the sale of high-end weapons must be liberalized for the sake of economic interests, the members of the executive committee will probably not be so confused. After all, armaments are one of Haihan's important capital assets, and the treasures that are taken care of cannot be taken lightly in any case. into the hands of outsiders.
As for opening up new markets, in fact, relevant departments have never stopped making various attempts. In Nanyang, in addition to the big buyer Annan, the Champa Kingdom at the southern tip of the Indochina Peninsula is also a medium-sized customer. Although it is not as rich as Xu Xinsu, there are still six-digit sales in a year. In addition, Portugal also took advantage of its colonial possessions in various parts of Southeast Asia to assist Haihan in selling military weapons to some local governments in Southeast Asia.
The country of Matalan, which had a big fight with the Dutch last year, is one of Haihan's current customers. After fully realizing the gap in strength between his own army and the Dutch armed forces, the leader of the country of Matalan immediately spent a lot of money to purchase Heavy weapons, and the Portuguese, who had sold muskets and artillery to them, visited Matalan at the right time and recommended to them the weapons produced by Haihan. Of course, the Portuguese only acted as a broker in the middle, and the leader was still Haihan.
Currently, due to the lack of suitable strategic support points in the South China Sea, Haihan can only stop at the Ambon Islands for the time being. However, Haihan has not given up his efforts to intervene in the changes in the situation in the Nanyang region. Using indigenous regimes such as the Matalan Kingdom to delay the development of Western colonists is also one of the strategies currently adopted by Haihan. Supporting a local force to fight against Haihan's competitors is something Haihan is already familiar with, and has achieved excellent results in Fujian. Nanyang only needs to copy this method, but Fujian The official government became the Matalan Kingdom, and the role of Shibazhi was replaced by Western colonists led by the Netherlands.
This chapter should be Chapter 828. Since the chapter name cannot be changed after publication, it is hereby noted
(End of chapter)