Chapter 1120 The gap between reality
"As soon as the grain delivered to you is transferred, we will return to Dengzhou immediately." Wang Tom invited Shen Zhixiang to take a seat, and then asked the guards to serve tea.
Shen Zhixiang thanked Tom Wang and asked casually: "I wonder how many days it will take your fleet to sail from here to Dengzhou?"
On the one hand, he asked this question because he wanted to know the actual speed of the Haihan ship. On the other hand, he also wanted to see if the other party really came from Dengzhou. This voyage cannot be faked. If the other party has not planned this route, then probably I can't answer it.
Wang Tom responded: "Based on the mileage of the Ming Dynasty, the distance from Pi Island to Dengzhou Zhifu Bay is about 700 miles. If everything goes well, we can get there in one and a half days."
The straight-line distance from Phi Island to Dengzhou is about 200 nautical miles. If it is a flagship with full power, it can actually be reached in less than a day. However, considering that there are many ships in the fleet that are purely sail-powered, they will definitely not be able to keep up with the full speed. For the advancing flagship, the fleet's overall speed will be slower, so Wang Tom's estimated time is relatively loose. However, judging by the level of the Ming Dynasty Navy, a boat that can reach Zhifu Bay from Pi Island in one and a half days is already considered a first-rate speedboat.
Shen Zhixiang asked another question that he was very concerned about: "Master Wang, I heard that your army recently had a fight with the Dengzhou Navy who defected from Liaodong?"
Wang Tom nodded and responded: "Not only did we fight, but we also captured more than forty prisoners. If General Shen is interested, I will ask Xie Li to take you to see him later."
Shen Zhixiang said: "That's good work! I have a few old friends in the Dengzhou Navy who disappeared during the Denglai Rebellion. I have been looking for opportunities to find out their whereabouts, but I am unable to contact the old headquarters of the Dengzhou Navy. ”
Wang Tom has traveled all over the country in the past few years and has accumulated a lot of experience in dealing with Ming officials of this era. Naturally, he can hear the implication of Shen Zhixiang - you should not just find a few people to pretend to be prisoners of war in the Dengzhou Navy. I am in the Navy If there are people I know in the old ministry, I will know the truth if I ask them when the time comes.
Tom Wang did not tell the truth at the moment, and said calmly: "We went to Jinzhou Bay a few days ago and found that the old troops of the Dengzhou Navy were concentrated there, and maybe General Xiao Shen's friends were also there. After we settle down in Shandong, we will slowly free up our hands and feet to deal with the Jinzhou side. By then, we hope that the officers and soldiers from Dongjiang Town will also send troops to regain Liaodong. "
Shen Zhixiang said a few polite words, but in his heart he didn't quite believe what Tom Wang said. After the Dengzhou Navy defected to Liaodong, it had several encounters with the Dongjiang Town Navy. Judging from the results, Dongjiang Town suffered slightly, but the Dengzhou Navy was still stronger. Shen Zhixiang believes that although the Haihan fleet seems to be somewhat powerful, fighting a war does not only depend on weapons and equipment, but more importantly, the fighting will and military literacy of the people participating in and commanding the battle. The Dengzhou navy is the elite of the Ming Dynasty in the north. Their strength is not a vegetarian. If they fight, they will suffer losses. Haihan, a foreign country from the south, has no reason to sacrifice his life for the Ming Dynasty and take the initiative to follow in Liaodong. Gold battle?
As for the agreement to send troops together and fight together, Shen Zhixiang believed that this was just the other party's polite words. If we really send troops together, how will the military expenses be calculated? Where do food supplies come from? If Port Arthur is recaptured by then, who gets the credit? Whose territory is it? It is easy to say, but to implement it, you have to face many practical problems, and Shen Zhixiang does not think that the other party has the ability and willingness to solve these problems. These are problems that the Ming court did not bother to solve. Why should Haihan rush to take the lead? In Shen Zhixiang's view, this has no practical benefits for Haihan.
Shen Zhixiang did not place any hope on Haihan to send troops, but he remembered the naval cannon he had just seen on the deck, and asked tactfully: "When I boarded the ship just now, I saw the cannon on the ship. It seemed to be quite powerful. It was made by your country." The art of cannon is very good! I wonder if he and Fo Langji are from the same school?”
Wang Tom smiled and said: "In recent years, more than half of the artillery sold by the Folangji people to the north of the Ming Dynasty were made by us. It's just that according to their requirements, our name is not engraved on the cannon."
When Sun Yuanhua, the governor of Denglai, was in office a few years ago, he established a new firearms unit in Tengzhou. He also tried to establish relations with Macau through Portuguese missionaries, purchased weapons from the Portuguese, and hired a group of Western instructors to teach the soldiers Artillery tactics. At that time, the Portuguese had already reached a cooperative relationship with Haihan, and part of the arms purchased from Haihan also flowed to the north of the Ming Dynasty. However, there were no inscriptions on the cannon bodies, and the Ming army did not know the true origin of these cannons.
Of course Haihan was aware of these practices of the Portuguese, but at that time, his maritime activities were limited and he did not have such arms sales channels, so this kind of transaction could only be completed by Portuguese agents. Part of these artillery sold to the north of the Ming Dynasty in the early years was equipped with the Denglai garrison, and a small part flowed into the jurisdiction of Dongjiang Town by sea. However, after the Denglai Rebellion, more than half of these artillery were taken away by the rebels and sent to Hou Jin's hands, and thus became one of Hou Jin's weapons to suppress the Ming Dynasty on the battlefield.
For Haihan, the artillery lost to Houjin had no direct impact, and the money from selling the artillery had already been pocketed. However, for Daming, the losses here and outside were huge, and the expenses The weapons purchased with heavy sums of money became cheaper than the opponents within a few years. The strength of the enemy and ourselves in some areas immediately reversed, and they were retreating steadily on the Liaodong battlefield. The Ming army in Dongjiang Town wanted to purchase similar weapons and equipment for the counterattack in Liaodong, but there was no such channel. Therefore, after Shen Zhixiang saw the guns on the Haihan battleship, he immediately wanted to inquire.
As soon as Shen Zhixiang heard Wang Tom's answer, he immediately asked: "Master Wang, can you sell a few artillery pieces to Dongjiang Town?"
Wang Tom said: "Then can Dongjiang Town come up with enough cash to settle the settlement?"
"This..." Shen Zhixiang couldn't help showing a look of embarrassment on his face. The current situation in Dongjiang Town was already very embarrassing. There was basically no revenue on the island, and he could only rely on occasional relief from the Ming Dynasty and North Korea to survive. Although Governor Shen Shikui still has some money in his hands, it is special funds reserved for emergencies. If he takes them out in advance and uses them elsewhere, he is afraid that he will not have any military expenses for the counterattack in Liaodong in the future.
However, the opportunity was rare. Shen Zhixiang gritted his teeth and decided to inquire about the price first. If the Haihan people showed kindness and offered a less scary price, everyone could slowly discuss it.
"Sir Wang, money is not an issue, I just don't know the price of the artillery produced in your country?" Of course, Shen Zhixiang couldn't show his timidity at this time, so he still asked with dignity.
Seeing that he was asking seriously, Wang Tom suppressed his smile and replied: "Does General Shen want to buy something for land use or for use on board the ship?"
"For land use." Shen Zhixiang thought that with the existing ships in Dongjiang Town, even if they were equipped with marine artillery like Haihan, it would have no practical significance. Just look at the size of the cannon, and he knew that his own hull structure could not withstand such a situation. The recoil of this kind of artillery fire may shatter your own ship before it can sink your opponent in a battle.
Wang Tom took out a large book from under his desk, opened it, put it in front of Shen Zhixiang, and explained to him: "This is the country's arms export information. This page is about artillery. General Shen can see what kind of ”
Shen Zhixiang leaned over and took a few glances, and suddenly he felt uneasy. This information is a picture album. Each type of artillery has a three-inch square drawing, which clearly depicts the front and side views of the artillery. Next to it is a text description, including the range of the artillery, the size of the gun body, the weight of the shell, and the caliber of the barrel. , related accessories, firing methods, artillery life, number of gun operators, etc. There are detailed data. On this page alone, there are introductions to ten different types of artillery, which made Shen Zhixiang's eyes dazzle.
Of course, what caught his eye the most was the artillery quotation marked at the end of the information. The most expensive single gun costs more than 5,000 taels of silver, while the cheapest small-caliber cannon costs 600 taels of silver each. It is also noted at the back that the price includes projectiles, special propellant bags, and waterproof fire tubes, a total of 20 taels. hair. "Master Wang, this price... is a bit too high. Even if it was supervised by the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty, it is not so expensive!" Shen Zhixiang was secretly stunned when he saw it, and immediately questioned Wang Tom.
Wang Tom asked calmly: "Was the price of the Fo Lang machine gun purchased by the Ming army cheaper than this? As far as I know, Mr. Sun Yuanhua was not picky about the price at that time."
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Shen Zhixiang's face turned red, but he had forgotten about this incident. The Haihan export-type artillery purchased by the Ming army from the Portuguese was indeed more expensive. However, at that time, the imperial court supported Sun Yuanhua's military reform pilot in Dengzhou and provided great support in terms of military budget. I accepted that it was more expensive, and besides, there was no other choice at the time. There is indeed a clear gap in performance between the artillery manufactured by the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty and this imported "Western artillery".
Wang Tom had just said before that these artillery pieces were made by Haihan, so the secrets in the process could not be hidden from Haihan. Shen Zhixiang wanted to bargain directly, but he ran into a minor setback.
Shen Zhixiang could only argue forcefully: "Master Sun, the situation was a little different at that time, and it is completely different from today."
Wang Tom smiled and said: "Whether it is range, accuracy, firing frequency, service life, or maintenance difficulty, as long as General Xiao Shen can find an equivalent weapon that is better than our artillery, then I will sell it to you at half the price." ”
Wang Tom has extremely high confidence in the quality of his exported arms. The performance of these weapons has been continuously improved in wars over the years. Although they are only export models, their overall performance has definitely exceeded the artillery manufactured by the Ming Dynasty. It is precisely because of this that Haihan Ordnance dared to set a high price for sale.
How can Shen Zhixiang find better artillery? If he has that ability, there is no need to inquire here. Judging from the paper data alone, the performance of the Haihan artillery is probably far better than that of the Ming Dynasty's self-cast artillery. This is also consistent with the conclusion drawn from the actual combat in Dongjiang Town in recent years, that is, the high-priced imported artillery is indeed better than the Ming Dynasty's self-cast artillery. Self-produced artillery is better in terms of performance. You get what you pay for, and there is a reason why Haihan artillery is so expensive.
Seeing that he couldn't get over it, Shen Zhixiang could only say tactfully: "To be honest, I'm afraid that the price you quoted will be difficult for my governor to accept."
Wang Tom said: "If it is temporarily inconvenient for you, we actually have other settlement methods, which should make it easier for you to accept."
Shen Zhixiang responded quickly: "I would like to hear the details!"
Tom Wang raised two fingers and said: "It's very simple. There are only two ways, either barter or buy from us in the form of a loan."
Shen Zhixiang frowned and said: "It's just that Pi Island has no products, how can we barter?"
"Then the second method is good." Wang Tom said: "We will lend you money, but this money is earmarked and can only be used to purchase arms and equipment from us."
"That means we owe it on credit." Shen Zhixiang immediately understood what Tom Wang meant. Haihan said it was a loan, but in fact it was only in name. The money returned to Haihan's pocket without ever passing through the hands of Mingjun in Dongjiang Town. It was no different from a credit account. Of course, since it is a formal transaction, this IOU must be written.
Tom Wang nodded and said: "There's nothing wrong with saying it's a credit, but there are conditions to this credit. You have to take something as collateral."
At this time, Shen Zhixiang had been unknowingly brought into Wang Tom's rhythm. Hearing this, he didn't think there was anything wrong and continued to ask: "What do you want as collateral?"
"Of course it needs valuable things, such as real estate, land and the like." Wang Tom calmly induced: "We in Shandong also agree, but forget it on Pi Dao, it has no value to us. .”
Shen Zhixiang thought about it, shook his head and said: "Most of the real estate land in Dongjiang Town is located in various states and counties in Liaodong. I'm afraid it will be difficult to take it back for a while. Even if we are willing to mortgage it, Mr. Wang will not take it back."
Wang Tom felt very sincere when he heard what he said, and he immediately proposed a solution: "Based on the current situation in Dongjiang Town, it is probably true that there is no ready-made real estate. I think otherwise, we can use Dongjiang Town to The Ming army in the town borrowed money from us as collateral. What does General Xiao Shen think? ”
"With the Ming army as collateral? How can this living person be used as collateral?" Shen Zhixiang asked in confusion after hearing this.
"Of course living people can be mortgaged." Wang Tom saw that the other party had begun to take the bait, so he continued to persuade: "You serve the Ming Dynasty, will the court give you military pay as a reward?"
Shen Zhixiang nodded subconsciously to acknowledge this statement.
Wang Tom then asked: "Then we, Haihan, will pay for your employment, and the military salary during your service period will be used to repay the loan for purchasing weapons. What do you think?"
(End of chapter)