Chapter 1228 The mastermind behind the scenes
For Haihan, every country in the South China Sea is a trade partner that can be fought for, including Portugal and the Netherlands, which have had war experiences with Haihan. However, the establishment of trade relations does not mean that countries have entered into peace. For example, the country of Johor has had wars with Portugal, Sumatra, Aceh, Siam and other countries. Its predecessor, the country of Malacca, was occupied by the Portuguese. Destroy it. This kind of deep hatred cannot be resolved by making a few transactions.
The Star Island that Haihan currently occupies was once the territory of the Malacca Kingdom. Later, after Portugal razed this place to the ground, the Johor Kingdom, which inherited the legacy of the Malacca Kingdom, used it as a territory between the Malacca Kingdom and the Portuguese territory. buffer zone. But they didn't expect that a Haihan suddenly came out and took over this place. The Kingdom of Johor would naturally be deeply dissatisfied with this, but they also knew that Portugal was defeated by Haihan. They couldn't even defeat Portugal, so they started a war with Haihan. The chance of winning was even slimmer, so they kept silent and strictly guarded the Strait of Johor, prohibiting people from going to the territory of the Hai Han people.
"Johor... shouldn't be our opponent, right?" Although Tan Juren doesn't know much about the military strength of various countries in Southeast Asia, but considering that Johor was beaten to pieces by the Portuguese, its strength should not be much stronger.
"If we want to fight on a frontal battlefield, this battalion under my command is enough to carry the entire country's strength!" Roger was very confident in his own strength and said eloquently: "The Johor army still uses a relatively primitive fighting method. , the weapons are basically cold weapons, there are no warships available, and the threats they can create for us are also very limited.”
"In this case, what is there to be nervous about? If Johor had not known its own weight, it would probably have taken action against us long ago, right?" Tan Juren asked in confusion. Johor's military strength is far inferior to that of Haihan. Starting a war rashly is just asking for trouble. The military commanders of both sides should be very aware of this, so they can maintain the current embarrassing state of peace. ,
"On its own, Johor will definitely not dare to provoke us. The problem now is that there may be someone behind the scenes pushing Johor to be the leader." Roger gave an example: "For example, give them some benefits and some military aspects. ”
"Who is so brave?" Tan Juren said in surprise: "Is there anyone here in the South China Sea who dares to jump like this?"
Roger asked: "Who do you think it will be?"
The first thing that came to Tan Juren's mind was naturally the rivals Portugal and the Netherlands. These two old maritime powers had great influence in the Far East. Before Haihan appeared, they had even opened up the maritime trade channels in Northeast Asia and extended their tentacles to the Ming Dynasty. and Japan. If Haihan's sudden rise had not interrupted the process of history, the situation of these two countries would definitely be much better now. Although they currently maintain a peaceful relationship with Haihan, this peace is based more on the fact that Haihan's military strength is steadily stronger than theirs. It is a peace achieved entirely through fighting. To say this, Westerners don't care about what happened in the past, but Tan Juren is determined not to believe it.
The two countries are watching Haihan encroaching on their control areas in the South China Sea bit by bit. No one will be willing to be squeezed out by competitors like this. It is reasonable for them to want to do something secretly. It seems that it is a safer approach to recommend another country to come out as cannon fodder and cause some trouble for Haihan as the mastermind behind the scenes. The most important thing is that these two countries have the ability to produce guns and artillery. They have obvious advantages over local countries that are still in the cold weapon era. It is estimated that no country can withstand such a temptation if they provide military assistance. .
But Tan Juren then thought again. Portugal and Johor had an irresolvable feud to destroy the country. The two countries could be said to be mortal enemies. The possibility of cooperation in this matter was too slim, so there was only one suspect left.
"Are they Dutch?" Tan Juren said angrily: "I have known for a long time that these red-haired ghost dogs cannot change their habit of eating shit. When the United Fleet went south two years ago, we should have taken advantage of the situation to destroy Batavia and completely drive the Dutch out of the South China Sea!"
To his surprise, Roger shook his head and said: "It's not the Dutch. On the contrary, the relevant information we got was proactively provided by the Dutch."
"The Dutch are providing us with intelligence?" This turn was a bit sharp, and it took Tan Juren a while to react: "That means the one who is doing evil in the dark also has a conflict of interest with the Dutch? It can't be the Portuguese, right? Johor I have a grudge against them!”
"It's not Portugal." Roger immediately denied the guess, and then gave an unexpected answer from Tan Ju: "The British. According to the information given by the Dutch, they are secretly encouraging Johor to cause trouble for us. It’s British.”
"Why did the British come to this muddy water?" Tan Juren was really surprised when he heard the news.
In fact, the British East India Company was established two years earlier than the Dutch East India Company. On the last day of 1600, Queen Elizabeth I of England granted the company a royal charter, giving it trading privileges in India and the Far East. However, the British did not gain any first-mover advantage, because the Dutch already had a certain influence in the East India region before they established the company, so the British failed to establish a lasting stronghold there in the early stage. It was not until 1608 that the British East India Company established its first trading post at Surat on the west coast of India.
However, this progress was far behind the development speed of competitors. During this period, the British failed to pose a substantial threat to the spice business of the Netherlands and Portugal in Southeast Asia. It was not until 1612 that the British defeated the Portuguese in an armed conflict, thus gaining the favor of Jahangir, the Mughal Emperor who ruled the Indian Peninsula at that time, and thus began their period of rapid development.
By the 1720s, Britain began to import large quantities of white cotton cloth from India to replace the British's heavy and difficult-to-wash cashmere fabrics. However, for the spice market in Nanyang, it was difficult for the British to bypass the monopoly of Portugal and the Netherlands and establish a long-term stronghold there. The Dutch executed ten English traders in the Spice Islands in 1623 and eventually excluded the British East India Company from the lucrative spice trade.
The British could only be regarded as a weak group in the Far East colonial team during this period. Portugal, the Netherlands, and Spain, which was firmly entrenched in the Philippine Islands, could not do it. In particular, Portugal and the Netherlands respectively control the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Sunda, two chokepoints from the Indian Ocean to and from the South China Sea, making it difficult for British merchant ships to safely pass through the Far East. Sometimes they even have to change their identities and pretend to be from other countries. Merchant ships can muddle through.
However, this is not the worst situation. The newly emerged Haihan Kingdom in recent years is obviously also very interested in the South China Sea region. What is even worse is that they actually have strong strength commensurate with their ambitions. They are old colonial powers. Portugal, the Netherlands and Spain all fell into its hands. For the British, this is undoubtedly an old problem and a new one. With the emergence of such a powerful player, it will be even more difficult for them to obtain resources in the South China Sea. After listening to Roger's detailed explanation of the current situation, Tan Juren finally realized that the British did have the motive to do such a thing. After all, they had not encountered trouble with Haihan yet, and they were far from afraid of Haihan. Not as good as Portugal and the Netherlands, pioneers who have suffered huge losses. It is not impossible for the British to take the risk and challenge Haihan.
"But does this kind of adventure have any practical benefits for them? Even if it can create some trouble for us, it doesn't mean that they can take our place in the Far East. The British can't understand this, right? ? "Despite this, there is still something that Tan Juren cannot understand. Are the British estimates of the consequences a little too optimistic?
"The reason is very simple." Roger said solemnly: "Because the British are also eyeing our place. They dream of getting a place in the Strait of Malacca, and they may even have secretly negotiated terms with Johor. Replacement We, the British, probably don’t have such big ambitions, but if we can squeeze us out of Star Island, this goal is still very practical for them.”
Hearing this reason, Tan Juren suddenly felt enlightened. Perhaps what the British want is not to replace Haihan's status and influence in the South China Sea, but to become a support point that can allow him to travel smoothly between the two oceans.
Most of the Strait of Malacca was divided between Siam, Johor, Portugal, Aceh, Sumatra and other countries. Only the exit of the southeastern corner of the Strait had such an open area. However, perhaps because they were worried about the reaction of surrounding hostile forces, the British took action. After all, he was still a step slower, allowing Haihan to take the lead.
It has been more than a year since Haihan entered this place, but the attitude of neighboring countries towards Haihan seems to be that they have acquiesced in the ownership of this place. Of course, the British will be very unwilling to accept this situation, and will inevitably give birth to "I You can have sex with me" and other lucky ideas.
The British did not have enough ability to carry out a war of annihilation against the countries in this region, and they could not defeat the Portuguese who had been established here for a long time. Looking at it all the way, Haihan, who had just arrived, seemed relatively weak. Although Heihan's record in the past few years is amazing, it is only a matter of rumors, and the British do not have much real feeling about it. What's more, the population of Haihan stationed on Xingdao is really small. The total number of troops and civilians is less than 2,000. This is much less than the areas controlled by other forces, and it seems possible to expel Haihan from this area by force.
Perhaps out of careful consideration, or perhaps not intending to offend Haihan, a powerful opponent, the British chose to act as the mastermind behind the scenes, instigating other countries to step forward and serve as cannon fodder. It would be best to drive away Haihan. Even if it fails, the British will only lose some economic investment. Although the British East India Company was not as wealthy as the Dutch East India Company for the time being, it could still afford this investment.
Tan Juren quickly figured out the British intentions on his own. This is not difficult for a time traveler who is familiar with the general historical process and international situation. What is lacking is only evidence to prove these ideas.
"Then what information did the Dutch give us?" Tan Juren asked curiously. The claims that the British were secretly causing trouble all came from Dutch intelligence, but if the evidence provided by the Dutch was not credible in his opinion, then Roger's concerns lacked sufficient basis.
Roger responded: "They claimed that the British sold at least three batches of arms to Johor from the second half of last year to the beginning of this year, including an unknown number of matchlocks and artillery, as well as armor and cold weapons. Johor purchased these arms The purpose is probably to use it against us.”
"Claim? There should be more reliable evidence, right?" Tan Juren keenly caught the words in Roger's words: "Even if it is difficult to collect witnesses and physical evidence for these secret arms transactions, if the British intervene in this matter, There are always other signs, right?”
Roger nodded and said: "Since the beginning of this year, the number of British ships docking at Star Island for replenishment has been at least three times more than before. I don't think their purpose of choosing this place for replenishment is simple."
"The British ship... just passed through the Strait of Malacca so blatantly?" Tan Juren asked in shock: "Aren't they worried about being intercepted by the Portuguese?"
Roger shook his head and said: "No, these British ships are not East India Company ships, but private merchant ships that have obtained special permission from the British royal family, that is, gangs. They often fly under the banner of other countries at night. Entering and exiting the Strait of Malacca, in order not to arouse the vigilance of the Portuguese, the appearance of these galenic ships in Western countries is similar. If they are farther apart on the sea, it is impossible to tell which country they are from. However, the strong accent of the British sailors. Don’t try to hide it from my ears. Moreover, some of these sailors are obviously not very interested in this place. I think they are secretly inspecting the port conditions and military deployment here.”
"Since you feel something is wrong, why don't you refuse to allow British sailing ships to dock in the port?" Tan Juren asked curiously.
"Refuse? I don't think it's necessary!" Roger said with a smile on his lips: "If the British think that they can defeat us on the battlefield just by looking at the port here, then I will really laugh out loud. To be honest, I hope they can despise us and jump out earlier. These foreign devils will not stop if we don’t give them a good beating!”
Tan Juren was shocked. Roger said this as if he was waiting for work, waiting for the British to finish their tricks before starting the war.
(End of chapter)