Chapter 936 Sunda Strait
For Zhang Yun, the strategic position of the Sunda Strait is not of great significance. He is more interested in the diversity of organisms living in this sea channel connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans. As for Java Island and Sumatra Island, which are located between the two oceans, the special species bred in such an island environment are also an important research content during his trip south. Although these research projects did not play a big role in Haihan's expansion of territory, the executive committee still gave Zhang Yun's department great support, allowing him to visit these places on a warship - in terms of treatment. Said that he is no worse than Darwin. Darwin founded the theory of evolution after five years of expedition around the world with the British warship HMS Beagle and collecting a large amount of first-hand information.
However, Zhang Yun could only arrange his inspection plan according to the fleet's itinerary. For example, there was no arrangement to land on the volcanic island in the strait in the fleet's itinerary. This made Zhang Yun, who wanted to see the active volcano crater, a little disappointed.
On November 12, while Yan Chujie and Van Diemen were arguing endlessly on the island, Zhang Yun's fleet crossed the Sunda Strait and arrived at the coast of Sumatra Island.
The fleet arrived at a small fishing port called Bakau. This destination was guided by a guide sent by the Matalan people. The southeastern end of Sumatra Island is the territory of the Matalan country. There were guides to coordinate on their behalf, and the fleet started from the local area. The difficulty of obtaining supplies has been greatly reduced.
However, the indigenous people here are not good at farming, and the supplies the fleet can get here are mainly seafood, poultry, fruits and vegetables. When Zhang Yun saw these dark-skinned indigenous people who were ignorant of the world, he couldn't help but think of the crossing group in Port Victory. When they first landed, the residents of the local fishing village looked at the group of outsiders on the beach with such fearful and curious eyes.
Of course, this small fishing port does not have a natural harbor, and its conditions cannot be compared with the Victory Port that was decided after repeated selections by the organizing committee at that time. However, Roger was surprised to find that there was a small-scale salt drying farm nearby. The production method used was very similar to the official salt farm in Danzhou. After asking the locals, Roger learned that this salt drying field was also organized and built by the Han people who went to Nanyang in the early years. In addition to the local indigenous people's own use, part of the sea salt produced was also sold to Bandarnan, the largest town nearby. The list can be regarded as a major income for this small place in Bakau.
Roger inquired further and found out several local people who could speak Chinese, all of whom were of Han descent. However, these people have been reproducing in the local area for several generations, and their bloodline has long been impure. Apart from being able to speak a few words of Chinese that is not very fluent, they are almost the same as the local aborigines. Roger tried to show these people the books printed by Haihan himself, but no one could recognize the Chinese characters on them. He asked them about their ancestral place of origin, but could not get a clear answer.
"What a pity!" Roger put away the books and sighed with regret: "It is such a pity that the inheritance of Chinese culture was not preserved!"
Zhang Yun was quite surprised by Roger's reaction: "I didn't see that you actually admired Chinese culture so much, but these people do not have much opportunity to receive education in such a remote place, so it is reasonable for them to be illiterate."< br>
Roger glanced at Zhang Yun, shook his head and said, "It's none of my business whether they can read or not!"
Zhang Yun said in astonishment: "Then what are you regretting?"
"As long as we can connect these Han descendants with Haihan and prove that they are relatives of the same race and clan as us, can't we settle here?" Roger explained: "Since ancient times, you have always used these four words. Do you understand what it means? ”
Although Zhang Yun is dedicated to studying, he is not the kind of nerd who is ignorant of what is happening outside the window. He naturally knows how useful these four words "since ancient times" are in the field of diplomacy and international relations. It is easy to find the roots of Haihan as it develops to the north. After all, most of these people are from China. They grew up under the influence of Han culture. Their language and values are in line with the current Ming Dynasty. They have to forcefully establish some connections. It’s not difficult to get a foothold in exchange. But if you want to go south and occupy some overseas enclaves, but don't want to do it as simply, crudely and without any technical content as the Western colonists did, then you have to make good use of this "since ancient times" power.
When Haihan seized the Ambuna Islands from the Dutch, he used this as a reason, believing that the area had been settled by Han people in ancient times and should belong to the territory of the Han people. Since it was once the territory of the Han people, it is natural that the property must be returned to its original owner and returned to the rule of the Han people. Of course, no one has delved into this issue whether the Han people who rule this place now refer to the Ming Dynasty or the Haihan people. He has a good reputation as a teacher and can explain the reasons for launching a war in a majestic manner both internally and externally. However, the Dutch could not figure out these relationships, and the Ming Dynasty was not interested in meddling in such nosy matters. The Haihan people who had taken advantage would naturally not take the initiative to explain anything.
Later, when Haihan settled in Taiwan and drove away the Spanish, he also used similar reasons. There is no doubt that this is a good reason that has been tried and tested. As long as the banner of "since ancient times" is used, corresponding military actions will be taken. Although the proportion of Han people in the Haihan Army is only about 60 to 70%, this will not affect the participants' understanding of the purpose of the operation. Their absolute trust and obedience to the Executive Committee will drive these soldiers to carry out the commander's orders without hesitation. Order.
Zhang Yun wanted to understand the mystery and couldn't help but smile: "Actually, Westerners don't care about the reasons for taking action as much as we do. The entire history of Europe is one of constant conquest and division. In order to occupy more places, any excuse may become The reason for the war. Greece and Troy fought for ten years over a beautiful woman. Louis VII of France was abandoned because he shaved his beard, and his wife was passed on to King Henry II of England. Later, it even triggered a protracted war between Britain and France. Are these reasons for starting a war ridiculous enough? In fact, to put it bluntly, they are just excuses to start a war to conquer other countries. As long as you want to fight, there is no reason. "
Roger muttered: "Only we are civilized enough to consider these trivial matters so carefully. If it were a country like the Netherlands and Portugal, we would have just robbed it."
Zhang Yun nodded in response: "That's actually true. When these European colonists came to the Far East, they were robbing them all the way. Not only did they steal money and land, but they also didn't let people go. You see, they sold The slaves on Ampur Island were people of all colors and races from the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. The plantation on the island is simply an ethnographic museum.”
During the Age of Discovery, European colonists basically used predatory methods to develop Asia, Africa and Latin America. Early contacts were mainly robbing, and they would only try to establish trade relations when encountering large countries that could not be defeated. This method helped the colonists quickly accumulate wealth and expand their business scale in the early stages. If Haihan had not appeared in this time and space, disrupting the original historical development trajectory, the Far East would have been basically affected by the epidemic in the next three centuries. dominated by Western colonists.
Haihan's current expansion model is somewhat based on the practices of his Western counterparts. However, compared with these foreign devils who come from thousands of miles away, Haihan has a unique advantage in race. The majority of this team is composed of Han people in the Far East. The difficulty of settling in was much smaller than that of Europeans, and at this time, the power of the Celestial Kingdom was still there. The countries surrounding the Ming Dynasty were more sympathetic to the influence of the Han people, and there would not be as many barriers as when the European colonists came to the local area.
The joint fleet stayed at the Bakau fishing port for a day for a short rest, and then set off to continue sailing westward along the coastline. After half a day's journey, the fleet arrived at Bandar Lampung, the largest port town in the Sunda Strait region. Bandar Lampung means "floating port" in the local dialect. This place is the first stop when entering Sumatra from Java Island. It is only 40 nautical miles away from the narrowest point of the Sunda Strait. Even the maritime armed forces are not strong. The country of Ma Dalan also deployed a fleet here. However, the combat effectiveness of this fleet was obviously very worrying. It was not until the combined fleet sailed into the sight of the shore that the warships docked on the shore finally responded. The officers hurriedly concentrated their manpower and wanted the warships to move as quickly as possible. Drive away from the coast.
Fortunately, the United Fleet also anticipated the possible chaos, so they prepared a horse-blue flag to hang on the bow of the ship in advance. After a period of chaos in the port, someone finally discovered that this fleet was flying under its own banner and did not enter the port rashly. The port quickly sent a small boat over to inquire, and found out that this was a joint fleet composed of Haihan, Champa, and Annam. They had received the endorsement of senior officials of the country and allowed them to dock at the port of Matalan for supplies.
After a false alarm, the fleet successfully sailed into the port and docked. Relying on the written materials provided by Apondu, the fleet was allowed to resupply here and conduct a three-day goodwill visit.
Although Banda Lampung is known as the first port in southern Sumatra, the scale of this port is actually relatively limited. According to Mu Xiabai, it is similar to the Hoi An Port in Annan before it was destroyed. Due to the war between Mataram and the East India Company, there were no sailing ships from Western countries here. However, there were many merchant ships from the Middle East buying locally produced spices and selling cotton cloth and other handicrafts.
Although these Persian merchants did not like to open up colonies everywhere like Western colonists, their scope of activities in the Far East was not much worse than that of Western maritime powers such as the Netherlands. As long as there is a slightly larger trading port in the Far East, it is not difficult to see these Persian merchants wearing turbans and robes, even the ports under the control of Haihan are no exception. In terms of their ability to do business alone, these Arab businessmen are not inferior to Haihan.
Although there was hardly any living space for wild animals here, Zhang Yun still took his two apprentices to the market, intending to see the local customs and gain some knowledge. But this trip was really not in vain. Not long after they arrived at the market, they discovered something good.
Zhang Yun saw a group of people pointing and talking around a corner, and then squeezed into the crowd to watch the excitement. Unexpectedly, there was a large iron cage inside, and there was a tiger lying in the cage.
"Sumatran tiger!" Zhang Yun yelled out immediately, but the people around him didn't understand his language and didn't know what he was yelling about.
The Sumatran tiger is the smallest group of tigers. Its body length including the tail is only about two meters and its weight is about 120 kilograms. Female tigers are even smaller. Coupled with its dark orange fur and dense stripes, it is easily distinguished from other tiger species.
Zhang Yun quickly seized the time to teach his two apprentices about the Sumatran tiger: "...This kind of tiger is the same animal as the tiger on the mainland. However, more than 10,000 years ago, rising sea levels caused the Sumatran area to be separated from the mainland. Isolated, the ancestors of this tiger were left on this island. Remember, this is the only tiger that survives on the island. ”
The businessman next to him quickly noticed Zhang Yun's presence, because in addition to two neatly dressed teenagers, he was also followed by about a dozen young and strong men. These people were guarding him, and they looked like high-ranking officials. The style of a nobleman. The businessman quickly came over and had a chat. The Han translator hired from the dock explained to Zhang Yun: "Mr. Zhang, he wants to ask you if you are interested in buying this tiger."
Zhang Yun was also curious and said smoothly: "Then ask him how much he is willing to sell it for."
The merchant was not vague and immediately quoted a price, which was almost equivalent to one hundred taels of silver. Zhang Yun thought that the price was not very expensive, but if he spent money to buy a tiger back, it might not be difficult to explain to Roger. Every inch of space on this ship is at a premium, and a special place has to be set aside for this tiger. In addition, it is not easy to buy the meat this thing eats every day. Looking at the listless look of the tiger in the cage, Zhang Yun guessed that the businessman hadn't fed it much since he caught it.
"Tell him it's too expensive, forget it." Zhang Yun waved his hand to indicate no.
Seeing his refusal, the businessman thought that his bid might be too high, so he decisively lowered it a little. Zhang Yun originally just planned to take a look, and had no intention of buying the tiger. At the moment, he didn't respond and just continued to tell his two apprentices about Sumatran tigers.
The businessman probably thought that since this guy was neither counter-offering nor leaving, there should be a turning point, so he also used his last resort and asked someone to bring out a bamboo basket. Not to mention Zhang Yun, even his two disciples' attention was attracted. The bamboo basket actually contained two one-foot-long tiger cubs, shaking their heads in a very cute way.
"Master, he said that as long as he buys this tigress, he will give these two cubs as gifts." The translator said a transaction condition that made Zhang Yun very excited.
(End of chapter)