Chapter 1257 Solution
Letting the Haihan warship accompany and escort this is probably a treatment that merchant ships from various countries in the South China Sea dream of. After all, the Haihan Navy is known as the most powerful force in the South China Sea. It has never been defeated in naval battles in the past, even these maritime powers from Europe. Very afraid of it. When they first formulated the plan to attack Star Island, in order to avoid a sea battle with Haihan, the British did not attack Starport directly. Instead, they chose the offensive route of crossing the Johor Strait and landing across Star Island. This shows the deterrent power of the Haihan fleet. powerful.
If such a powerful maritime force can serve as escort, then there will naturally be no need to worry about the safety of navigation in the South China Sea. But this kind of high-level service will obviously not be provided to foreign ships for free. Roger has made it very clear that the related costs will be relatively high. Moreover, warship escorts do not provide on-demand services if you have money. The ship schedule must be arranged according to the deployment of the Haihan military. If you are unlucky, you will have to wait several months for warships to be mobilized across defense zones. . This solution is stable enough, but the efficiency is extremely low and cannot be said to be an ideal solution.
Hogg was originally from the military, and he was relatively clear about the pros and cons of this plan. After thinking about it for a while, he already figured out the key points, and then continued to ask without comment: "General Naluo said another way. What’s the easy way?”
Roger responded: "Abandon your original identity in the South China Sea, fly the flag of our country on board, and only dock at ports owned by our country, and we will also notify other countries of this. This plan is simple to implement, has a relatively low cost, and a relatively short time schedule." Freedom, you can think about it. By the way, I remember that you have done similar things before, so you should be familiar with this method.”
A ship flying the flag of another country is technically called a flag of convenience ship, which is a move made to facilitate international trade. This measure can be traced back to the 16th century. In order to trade in the West Indies under Spanish control, British shipowners often sailed on the sea under the Spanish flag. This practice is not uncommon in the Far East. In order to successfully enter the South China Sea and trade with local indigenous people, British merchant ships would occasionally fly Portuguese or Dutch flags on board to get through. If it weren't for the huge difference in appearance from the Haihan sailboat, it would be difficult to fool discerning people just by flying the flag. It is estimated that the British would have already started flying the Haihan flag on the ship.
However, what the British did before was not approved by the country concerned and was purely a sneaky little move. Roger obviously wanted to formalize and institutionalize this undesirable practice and incorporate it into Haihan's management. among. Of course, this will definitely not be a free solution. Roger has already mentioned the standard of "relatively low cost", but after dealing with him several times, Hogg has realized that Haihan people have poor standards for measuring money. Too much. The lower price he said may only be compared to the previous plan, and does not mean that Haihan will only charge a nominal fee.
If you follow what Roger said, you will be much safer than if you do it secretly. After all, Haihan promised to inform other countries about the matter, and then he will have trouble with the British ships flying Haihan's double-color flag in the South China Sea. Just don’t give Haihan face. However, the disadvantages of this plan are also obvious. The routes and destinations of British ships in the region will be greatly restricted, and they will be subject to stricter supervision. This is for the East India Company, which is bent on opening up a situation in the South China Sea. That's not good news.
Hogg did not ignore the risks that Roger had mentioned before, so he asked him about it again. Roger responded solemnly: "When you fly the flag of Haihan, you not only enjoy the right to protect Haihan, but also have responsibilities. We will stipulate that ships flying the Haihan flag must set aside a certain proportion of space on board. For transporting our designated materials and personnel, we must obey the temporary call-up of the Haihan government when necessary. Of course, if it is an official call-up, we will give the ship owner certain financial compensation.”
As Hogg listened, he thought to himself that only by recruiting the entire ship would he be compensated, which meant that he would not be paid for the cabins he usually commandeered. This Haihan kept saying he didn't care about money, but in practice he was doing something else. This is completely true. What a double standard!
Flying the Haihan flag on the ship is undoubtedly a very practical solution to solve the maritime security problems that plague the British East India Company, and the cost will indeed be much lower than warship escort. However, this plan has two very obvious drawbacks. First, British merchant ships will be placed under strict supervision and will not have much freedom of movement in the South China Sea and other sea areas controlled by Haihan; second, there will be dangers at any time. They may be requisitioned by Haihan officials for an uncertain period of time. This will be a business risk that ship owners cannot ignore. If Haihan requisitions these sailing ships to accompany the army during wartime, it will be great fun.
Hogg sighed and said: "Your Majesty General, with all due respect, these conditions... are really a bit harsh, and there will be many specific difficulties in their implementation. I think it may take the company's senior management a long time to discuss and examine these plans. , and may not be passed.”
The expression on Roger's face did not change: "I can understand the concerns of the East India Company. If it is unwilling to cooperate with our country in the end, there is nothing we can do about it. But I must remind you that if the relationship between the two countries If it is not improved, the current state of hostilities will continue, and you and your men will continue to serve as prisoners of war on this island. If your company does not pay ransom and compensation, British ships will also enter the South China Sea in the future. Listed as a target for hunting by the Haihan Navy.”
Having said this, Roger pointed to Ricardo and Philip who were not far away and said: "You have also seen that the Portuguese and Dutch are eager to get rid of you. If they know what we are talking about now, they will definitely Perhaps your company's executives have something in common with them in trying to prevent such an agreement."
Roger's words are somewhat ironic. The UK and these two countries are competitors, but in such a critical decision-making, it is possible to make a choice that makes the opponent comfortable. This cannot but be said to be a very subtle decision. situation. But Hogg is not confused. He knows that the reasons why competitors are wary of cooperating with Haihan are not the same as the concerns of company executives about cooperation.
What Portugal and the Netherlands want to prevent is the entry of British ships into the South China Sea. As for whether the British obtained the access permit from Haihan or elsewhere, that is not the focus of the conflict. They will desperately oppose the cooperation between Britain and Haihan, just because they are afraid of Haihan. If Britain cooperates with other countries, such as Johor, then Portugal and the Netherlands will definitely not jump out to oppose it. They will be even more It may be waiting for a suitable opportunity to include Johor as a target of attack in order to seek greater benefits.
The East India Company's executives may be concerned that cooperation with Haihan will greatly damage the company's own interests, thus turning the move into the South China Sea and Northeast Asia into a burden that drags down the company's development. Although Haihan can provide effective shelter for British ships entering the South China Sea, if the price to pay for this is too high, it may not be worth the gain.
In addition, Hogg has always had a question in his heart, and finally couldn't help but ask it to Roger: "With all due respect, I am just a prisoner now, why do you want to repeatedly instill this information into me? Even if I have some ideas, I can't influence the decisions of the company's senior people thousands of miles away. There's no point in spending your time doing this." Roger sneered slightly and said unhurriedly: "Mr. Hogg, although we. We only started dealing with you recently, but in fact, we don’t know anything about your personal information. According to the information we know, your cousin John Hogg is one of the major shareholders of the East India Company and is in the company. The board of directors has a very strong influence. If he can express his opinion, maybe things will develop in a different direction. ”
Hogg couldn't hide the surprise on his face. He thought he had hidden this family relationship very well. Several subordinates who knew about it had already said hello to him, but the Haihan people still found out the inside story. For a while, it was difficult for him to tell whether someone had betrayed him or whether the Haihan people had other intelligence channels. But in any case, this is not a good thing for him. After the Haihan people learn this information, they can naturally use his identity to blackmail his cousin John Hogg, and even influence the East India Company's decision-making.
Hogg was worried about this, so he never mentioned his family background. Unexpectedly, he was still wrong. And looking back on the process of dealing with Roger, it seems that the other party did not just learn this information. It seems that all the cover-up work done before was in vain.
In fact, it was still the Dutch who provided Heihan with this key information. After Roger learned about the background of the British military officer, he decided to try to capture him alive and use him as a bridge to communicate with the top leaders of the East India Company. Of course, this is not a simple matter. Roger must slowly understand Hogg's attitude and thoughts in the process, and then act accordingly. However, he calculated it with intention but not with intention. In addition, the situation of the two sides after the war was so different that it would be difficult for Hogg to even think about this ship.
At this time, Hogg also realized that Haihan Shishi had proposed such a high compensation and ransom earlier. He must have known for a long time that his identity would make the East India Company compromise, so he was so confident. But in his current situation, it seemed that he couldn't make any useful struggle. If he didn't want to live a miserable life in the following days, he had to continue to follow Roger's wishes.
"Tomorrow a Persian merchant ship will set sail from the Star Port to the East India Company's stronghold in the Mughal Kingdom. I hope that they can bring your personal letter with them when they set off. If the East India Company can receive this letter It would be best if you make a wise choice as soon as possible after writing the letter." After Roger finished speaking, he raised his hand and patted Hogg's shoulder gently, then turned and left without saying anything more. He left no options for Hogg. After showing the cards in his hand, the other party's only option was to obey.
"Do you two have any comments about our prisoner of war camp?" After Roger returned to Ricardo and Philip, he immediately rescued Tan Juren, who was almost at a loss for words, from the awkward chat in stammering English.
Philip said first: "I am really happy to see the results achieved by Haihan's army. The intelligence I provided to the general has come in handy. I hope there will be more opportunities for cooperation like this in the future. I am also very happy." Happy to serve the country of Haihan ”
After hearing his expression of merit, Ricardo realized that it was no coincidence that the Dutch appeared on Star Island at this juncture. Moreover, neither Roger nor Tan Juren refuted or defended it, and it seemed that they acquiesced in the other's statement. If the Dutch were involved in the battle Heihan fought at Star Island, it would be much more difficult for Portugal to get a share of the pie.
However, as Portugal's special envoy, Ricardo would not admit defeat, and immediately continued: "The most important factor in winning this battle is of course General Roger's command. Some people should not make trouble for themselves. Well. Next, to deal with Johor and the British, it is most appropriate for our country to cooperate with Haihan to send troops. We only need three days to prepare. I think this time is probably not enough for Mr. Philip to bring the news back to Batavia. It’s so fast, so you don’t have to worry about the next thing.”
Philip was not willing to show weakness, and immediately continued with his eyes wide open: "The Kingdom of Johor is going to send troops to attack Star Island. You are very close to Johor, but you didn't even notice the slightest news beforehand. How dare you ask to send troops together with Haihan? Do you think the Haihan Army is too powerful and you need to act as a hindrance?”
The two envoys used their own skills and started to quarrel in front of Roger and Tan Juren. They mocked without politeness, as if I was the official designated partner of Haihan. However, the English the two of them used to communicate was not their native language, and their vocabulary was relatively limited. Later, when the argument got heated, they each cursed in their native languages, but this kind of playing the piano against each other obviously had no effect on stimulating their opponents.
Roger was secretly amused. These foreigners had gone to great lengths to allow Haihan to continue sending troops. It's just that Roger had already planned this matter, so he would not be easily instigated by them. Such a quarrel would only expose his shortcomings and show that their diplomatic professionalism was insufficient.
"You two, you don't have to argue so much. Let me be fair!" Seeing that the two of them had started talking to themselves, Roger saw that there was no point in continuing the argument, so he immediately stood up and ended the dispute. debate.
(End of chapter)