Chapter 944 Resource Integration
At the end of 1633, Amborna Island in the Far East became the focus of attention of various forces in the South China Sea. Prior to this, Haihan sent invitations to surrounding countries, inviting their officials to send people to participate in the conference held on Amborna Island at this time. South China Sea Trade Alliance talks.
As a non-governmental force that has not yet established a country, Haihan took the lead in organizing various countries to participate in this plan. It is a bit ridiculous to think about it, but if measured in terms of hard power, it is reasonable. Regardless of human, material and financial resources, Haihan can now be regarded as a rising star in the South China Sea region, and is even the one that some countries are vying to embrace. If any other party came forward to organize this matter, I am afraid that they would not have the appeal that Haihan has.
The most prominent among the guests was probably the current Governor-General of the Dutch East India Company, Van Diemen. Other countries or organizations sent representatives to participate in this meeting, but only the boss of the East India Company personally participated. Of course, this is also related to the current difficult situation of the East India Company. They are still in a state of war with the most powerful country in South Asia, Mataram. If they offend Haihan, who is even more difficult to offend, during this period, then the East India Company will The living space in the Far East is bound to be further compressed. Moreover, the country of Matalan also sent a commissioner to participate in the meeting this time. If Matalan and Haihan colluded, the consequences would be unimaginable. In addition to obtaining the best conditions for joining the East India Company during this trip, Van Diemen also tried his best to prevent the terrible situation of Ma Dalan and Haihan joining forces to deal with him.
In addition, Van Diemen also needs to personally confirm that the "South China Sea Multinational Trade Alliance" that Yan Chujie boasted to him in previous negotiations is not a mirror image, but a large-scale international trade organization that is about to take shape. If this trade alliance can really operate as Yan Chujie said, then the East India Company really needs to seriously consider the necessity of joining it and the consequences of being excluded from this trade alliance.
This was Van Diemen's first time to set foot in the area under the rule of Haihan. In the past, he always felt that the adjectives such as strong, wealthy, and stable described by others were exaggerated. But this time when he came to Port Ambona, he finally felt that they were exaggerated. It is an intuitive experience. He had visited this place twice in his early years, but when he visited here again, he found that this place was completely different from what he remembered. During the two years that Haihan occupied this place, Ambuna Port has completely changed its appearance and become something else.
As the rumors say, Haihan's dock is actually made of that kind of "cement" that is expensive and hard to buy. The ground is very flat, not at all like the muddy and muddy port in Batavia. Rubbish. The wharf berth has a dedicated freight channel. The tracks laid on the ground allow the wagons filled with cargo to quickly enter and leave the port area under the pull of animal power. Coupled with the tall booms on the wharf, the efficiency of cargo loading and unloading is extremely high. He also noticed that the guide signs on the pier were in both Chinese and Spanish. This was the first time he had seen this in the Far East. It also showed that there must be a lot of European businessmen coming and going here on weekdays.
The size of Ambuna Port is not large, but even though it is small, it is well-equipped. Haihan’s various equipment and various management systems for port operations have also been applied to this small port in the South China Sea. Van Diemen is an expert who has been engaged in maritime trade for many years. He has been to countless docks and ports. He can see a lot from the layout and operation of this port. It didn't take him long to determine one thing. Han's ability to rise through maritime trade in just a few years was not due to luck. Such a level of port operation is definitely the result of long-term accumulation and continuous improvement.
In the past, the Port of Ambrosia, which was controlled by the Dutch, had no terminal facilities except for a few trestles at the port pier. Compared with the port operated by Haihan, it can only be described as crude. Ask yourself, Van Diemen would also think that the Port of Ambrosia under Haihan would be more attractive to merchant ships and civilian ships passing through this area,
In Van Diemen's view, some measures and port equipment are not unique to Haihan, but the cost of large-scale application is too high, and it is unlikely that ordinary ports will be as extravagant as Haihan. For example, the freight rails laid on the pier, Batavia Port actually have similar settings, but they are usually wooden rails or at most covered with iron sheets on the outer layer, but the rails in the Port of Ambrosia are not such cheap equipment. . Van Diemen has confirmed that these tracks are all made of genuine rolled steel, and their cost is far beyond that of wooden tracks. Moreover, there are neither iron mines nor iron smelting plants on the island. Presumably, these tracks were all made in Sanya, shipped across the sea, and then installed locally. Haihan people are so willing to invest in port infrastructure. It is no wonder that businessmen who have visited Haihan Port praise its operational efficiency and port environment.
This is just a small supply port in the South China Sea. Sanya, the capital of Haihan, is known as the first trading port in the South China Sea, and its construction level is even more advanced. Looking back at the Batavia Port that the East India Company spent more than ten years building, Van Diemen felt a sour feeling in his heart. So many Dutch people came to the Far East one after another and spent countless efforts over the past ten years. Wealth, the result is not as good as a group of nouveau riche falling from the sky. It had only been six or seven years since the Haihan people landed in Sanya, but the territory they controlled and their construction achievements had far exceeded that of the East India Company. This was really a helpless tragedy for the Dutch.
"Welcome to Amborna Island, Mr. Van Diemen!" Haihan also paid enough attention to Van Diemen's arrival. Yan Chujie personally came to the port to greet him, and also arranged a specially made high-end carriage as a gift. means of transport.
The special feature of this special carriage is that all the parts outside the carriage are finished products brought over during the journey. Its comfort is far beyond the comparison of carriages of this era. However, there are only a few such carriages in total. In the control areas outside Sanya, there are only one in Guangzhou and Ambuna Island. Moreover, the one on Ambuna Island was specially transported by ship when Schneider went south. I came here just to show off.
The main reason why it is so rare is that there are too few spare parts, and it is difficult to replace the tire bearings after they are worn. Haihan's existing industrial capabilities are limited, and the quality of the spare parts that can be produced is far behind. Only on relatively important occasions would such high-end carriages be dispatched.
In the days following Van Diemen's arrival at Ambrosia, representatives from other parties also arrived. The last person to arrive here was Ajith Shah, the representative from Johor. He arrived the day before the meeting, almost beating the clock. The reason why he was almost late was also very subtle, because Haihan "invaded" the territory of Johor a few days ago and had an armed conflict with the Johor army. The Johor Army suffered many casualties during the conflict, which made the Sultan of Johor very dissatisfied. Originally, the State of Johor was invited to observe this meeting, but after this incident, the Sultan of Johor was ready to cancel the arrangement of sending people to the meeting. It was only after the persuasion of the ministers that the Johor representatives who came to the meeting were given the opportunity. Added a task of raising troops to prosecute.
After meeting Yan Chujie, Ajisa immediately conveyed to him the dissatisfaction of the Sultan of Johor and asked Haihan to immediately evacuate from the local occupied area and compensate Johor for the losses it had suffered due to the armed conflict.
After Yan Chujie listened quietly to Ajisha's accusations and demands, he calmly asked: "I just have a question, is there any evidence for your country's claim to have sovereignty over the area? As far as we know, that island It’s just an uninhabited island.”
Of course, Yan Chujie was very aware of the recent situation on Star Island, and he also expected that Johor would not tolerate it and would probably take the opportunity to attend the meeting on Ampurna Island to attack Haihan. However, Johor is a disadvantaged group in the Malacca area. Most of the time, it is suppressed by Aceh and the Portuguese. Even if they come to investigate, there is no means of retaliation that can pose a substantial threat to Haihan. Since the people of Johor believed that this dispute was an issue of territorial sovereignty, Yan Chujie decided to use this to counter the other party's argument.
Ajisha retorted: "That island once had our citizens living on it in the past, and there are many relics left by them to prove it!"
"You yourself said that it was just in the past. There are no citizens of your country living on the island now. Can it be regarded as the territory of your country as long as it is a place where your citizens have lived?" Yan Chujie smiled and said, "This theory can be used casually. It doesn't make sense anywhere, right?" Ajisha was also straight-tempered and did not notice the trap left by Yan Chujie, and immediately retorted: "The place where our citizens live is of course our country. Is there any dispute about this?"
"According to this theory, Mr. Ajisha came to Ambona Island to attend a meeting this time. After staying here for ten days and a half, Ambona Island will also become your country's territory?" Yan Chujie asked with a smile: " Isn’t this ridiculous? ”
Ajisha said angrily: "In our country's historical records, there are also relevant records that can prove that this place is our country!"
Yan Chujie shook his head and said: "What you are talking about is not recognized by other countries. How can it be used as evidence? Will the countries closest to Johor recognize your territorial claims?"
Ajisa was choked by Yan Chujie's rhetorical question. Of course, Johor's own written records contain information about Star Island, but it is impossible to get recognition from neighboring countries. The country closest to Johor is Aceh and the Portuguese on the island of Sumatra, and these two countries are unrelenting enemies with Johor, and it is impossible for them to side with Johor. As for other countries such as Mataram and Siam, it is obvious that they are just watching the excitement and don't take it too seriously, and they are unlikely to offend Haihan for the sake of Johor.
Yan Chujie didn't wait for Ajisha to think about how to deal with it, and then continued: "If according to Lord Ajisha's theory, if a citizen lives there for a period of time, it will be regarded as taking this area as his own, then those who have recently settled on this island will But they are all Haihan people. According to your theory, this place should also belong to Haihan.”
Ajisa said angrily: "You are sophistry! You are invading Johor!"
Yan Chujie shook his head and said: "You are wrong again. You can't prove that it is Johor's territory, so how can you talk about invasion?"
Ajisa said: "We Johor people will never bow to anyone on the battlefield! Maybe you should carefully consider what you just said!"
Yan Chujie smiled and said: "That's a coincidence. We Haihan people happen to have the same habit. If your country wants to go to war, we will accompany you to the end. But I want to remind your country that once a war starts, we Haihan people probably won't. We will stop there like the Portuguese did, and we would rather solve the problem once and for all than engage in small-scale armed conflicts back and forth.”
"You are threatening us!" Ajisha was so angry that the flesh on his cheeks trembled.
"If you think so, I don't want to make any more excuses." After Yan Chujie said his harsh words, he changed the subject and gave the other party a step down: "But I suggest that Mr. Ajisha can take advantage of this time to come to Ambona Island. Opportunity, first listen to the opinions of the participating parties on our formation of this trade alliance, and think carefully about whether to join us to gain more benefits, or to go against us and become the public enemy of each country.”
"You are too alarmist! How can the territorial dispute between you and me make our country a public enemy!" Ajisha did not quite believe Yan Chujie's warning.
Yan Chujie smiled and said: "That's because you haven't realized what this alliance means yet. After two days, you understand the secret and your mind will definitely change."
"...What does this alliance mean? Do you think it is just a trade organization that allows countries to unify tariffs so that merchants can do business more fairly? No, it's not just that. The trade function is just one of them. We I hope this alliance can bring tangible benefits to all member countries. Only practical benefits can make this multinational organization stable and able to operate in the long term," Schneider said enthusiastically, looking at the participants present. "The essence of this alliance is the integration of resources to provide the fastest and most effective business services to all members. How we do this, please see here."
Schneider snapped his fingers, and someone immediately removed the signboard behind him, revealing the content on the next layer: "Please see, what we have to do is to formulate unified trade standards, not just tariffs. It also includes shipping methods, settlement methods, etc. Anyone who has done business with Haihan has probably experienced the various conveniences Haihan provides in trade, right? What we need to do now is to extend this operating mechanism to More countries will speed up the efficiency of the movement of goods and money in the international trade system, allowing everyone to make more money. ”
(End of chapter)