Chapter 1752 Two Views
In fact, the outside world has never been able to understand the direction and target selection of Haihan’s external expansion over the years. After all, with the level of force Haihan possesses, he can use Hainan Island as his rear base, and then send troops to expand to the mainland. I believe that neither Annan nor the Ming Dynasty will be able to stop it militarily, and they sit on the island , you can advance, you can attack, you can retreat, you can defend. The sea is also a defensive moat.
However, what Haihan chose was a leapfrog expansion using the ocean as the stage. The chosen destinations were either islands or natural ports on the mainland coastline, and he did not expand his ruling area deep inland. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the cost of building and maintaining a navy is obviously much higher than that of an army, and the speed of forming an army is also much slower.
There was clearly a direction that seemed more reasonable, but Haihan chose a development path that seemed more difficult. Many Ming officials, including Fei Cexian, couldn't understand why Haihan's senior officials made such a decision. Therefore, on how Haihan officials would treat the issue of insufficient naval funding and personnel, his views are completely opposite to Su Keyi, who grew up under the influence of Dutch customs and culture.
Although Su Keyi is Han Chinese, he grew up in a society ruled by the Dutch since he was a child, and naturally has a deeper understanding of marine civilization. The Netherlands' global maritime expansion process since the last century is actually very similar to the history of Haihan's rise. It was also a leapfrog development. It chose some key areas to establish colonial ports to connect Dutch merchant ships' global trade routes. Whether it is maritime trade or shipbuilding, the Netherlands ranks first in the world in this era.
If you compare the scale of shipbuilding alone, the Netherlands can even leave Heihan unceremoniously behind. There are hundreds of shipyards in the capital Amsterdam alone, and hundreds of ships can be built across the country at the same time. Such a huge shipbuilding scale brings relatively low construction costs. The cost of Dutch merchant ships is at least three points lower than that of the United Kingdom across the strait, so many European countries will also order ships from the Netherlands.
In the current era, the tonnage of Dutch merchant ships accounts for almost three-quarters of the total tonnage of European merchant ships. Most of the wood and fish from Northern Europe, the grain and furs from Eastern Europe, the spices, silk, porcelain, etc. from the Far East are made of Dutch merchant ships transhipment sales worldwide. As an international trade center, the Port of Amsterdam has more than 2,000 merchant ships berthed all year round, and countless wealth and products from all over the world are gathered and traded locally. In comparison, the current scale of operations in Sanya is still significantly inferior. Several levels.
The Dutch East India Company also planned to follow the Amsterdam model in its operations in the Far East, trying to build Batavia into a trade center in the region. If it weren't for the sudden emergence of Heihan, the Netherlands' development in the Far East would have been much smoother than it is now. In terms of international trade, the only country east of the Strait of Malacca that could compete with Batavia was Manila under Spanish rule.
Because of this, Su Keyi is better able to understand the development path planned by Haihan. However, on a similar development trajectory, Haihan did better than the East India Company. The East India Company spent nearly 10 years in Batavia. The results of twenty years of construction are far inferior to what Haihan achieved in less than ten years. Su Keyi always felt a bit sour in his heart when he thought about this matter. He even thought that the East India Company should have given priority to seizing Hainan Island ten years ago, instead of going to Fujian and starting a conflict with the Ming Dynasty in a war that was impossible to win. Too much time and resources were wasted.
Continental civilization and maritime civilization inevitably have very different views on the international situation, so when the two began to discuss the information they had just learned from the storyteller, they soon came to disagree.
"If this matter was done by Haihan officials, in my opinion, it is probably because the navy is dissatisfied with the current treatment, so it ordered people to spread the word among the people to build momentum, and then use this as an excuse to ask the executive committee to allocate funds for the expansion of the navy." Fei Cexian took the lead in stating his conjecture: "The Navy has made great contributions in the Battle of Manila this time. If it is further promoted by public opinion, it is very likely that the Executive Committee will give it additional rewards."
Su Keyi shook his head slightly after hearing this and said: "What Mr. Fei said does make sense at first glance, but if you think about it carefully, Haihan has relied heavily on the navy during its external expansion. In the past few years, it has almost been asking people to give people. Money gives money, when have you ever heard of a naval admiral complaining? Moreover, the people in the navy are war mad from top to bottom. As long as there are wars to fight, they are very satisfied. How many times do you think the navy commander Wang Tom can earn in a year? I’ve been in Sanya for a month, so I don’t have time to figure out how to play politics.”
Fei Cexian said: "What does Mr. Su mean?"
"I feel that the official method may be true, but it may not be the intention of the navy." Su Keyi analyzed: "Haihan has always attached great importance to the development of the navy, but to continuously expand the strength of the navy, the military expenditure required is naturally huge. Not everyone in the executive committee agrees with the development path of supporting war with war. If we spread the word among the people first and create an aggrieved image for the navy, and then allocate funds for shipbuilding later, there may be less resistance. "< br>
Fei Cexian frowned and said: "How can it be so complicated? According to Mr. Su, Haihan's internal conflicts cannot be resolved in Victory Fort, and external forces must be used to promote it?"
"What I'm saying is just a guess, Mr. Fei, don't take it too seriously." Su Keyi didn't want to argue with Fei Cexian on this issue. It was a rare opportunity for him to have a face-to-face communication with Fei Cexian. We should find ways to seize the opportunity to seek common ground while reserving differences, and find more common topics on which we agree, instead of fighting over issues that have no real impact.
Su Keyi took the initiative to change the subject and said: "However, the Black Shark has been hidden for two years before this, and the Sanya Shipyard has not built another warship of the same model in the future. In addition to the issue of shipbuilding funds, I have thought of something else. A possibility.”
"I would like to hear the details." Fei Cexian responded quickly.
"This kind of ship...may have some major flaws in construction technology or actual use, so Haihan spent a long time adjusting it in order to build it after its flaws are made up. Follow-up battleships of the same class." Su Keyi paused and added: "Of course, it is even more impossible to announce this reason."
Fei Cexian thought it made sense when he heard it, and immediately joked: "If Mr. Su really guessed it, then Haihan officials would release the news saying that there were insufficient funds and insufficient personnel. Wouldn't they be covering up the real reason?"
"The Haihan people have always had a lot of clever ideas. It's hard to say that they will really do this." Su Keyi said helplessly: "This kind of new warship is obviously performing very well, but there has been no increase in construction. Sooner or later, someone will be suspicious. Rather than letting outsiders Just guessing, it’s better for the official to take the initiative to spread some rumors to confuse the public.”
Fei Cexian said: "Master Su is right. From this point of view, the reasons mentioned by the storyteller earlier do seem to be deliberately released to mislead external public opinion."
At this time, the waiter knocked on the door and came in to start serving the food. The two of them stopped talking with a tacit understanding. After the waiter put down the food and wine and went out, the two continued to communicate. In fact, after all, the two of them suspected that there was something wrong with the storyteller's source of information. However, their identities were sensitive and they could not go to the storyteller to verify whether his sources were true, so they could only make blind guesses behind closed doors and based on their own speculations. The results of this speculation are somewhat credible, and they themselves may not take it too seriously. They just take this opportunity to express the injustice that has accumulated in their hearts today.
Fei Cexian took the initiative to pick up the jug and poured a glass for Su Keyi, saying, "We are all busy with official duties on weekdays and rarely have the opportunity to move around. Today is a break from the busy schedule. It is really rare that I can finally sit down and chat with Mr. Su. Ah!”
Su Keyi quickly raised his glass and responded: "Master Fei, you are so polite. In fact, I have always planned to visit Master Fei. I just thought that the Ming Embassy has not yet been completed. I wanted to wait until the embassy is completed before I can formally visit Master Fei."
The two exchanged a few polite words and toasted tacitly. In fact, Fei Cexian has been in Sanya for several months. If he really wanted to meet, he should have made an appointment long ago. It's just that the two countries had old grudges more than ten years ago and have never established formal diplomatic relations. Naturally, they will not take the initiative to deal with each other. If they hadn't happened to suffer at the hands of the Haihan people today and happened to meet nearby, it would have been impossible for them to sit down to eat and drink together alone.
Of course, Su Keyi had more thoughts in this. For the Dutch East India Company, the superficial peace with Haihan was really a last resort, or it was because of its own lack of strength that it was no match for Haihan in a fight. But if there is an opportunity to stumble Haihan, the East India Company will not be polite. The current situation of the Ming Dynasty is somewhat similar to that of the East India Company, especially the Ming envoy, who Su Keyi thinks is very suitable to win over.
Although the relationship between the two countries is not good, if they can unite with the Ming Dynasty to deal with Haihan, Su Keyi feels that he can put aside the past disputes and solve the current problems first - such as how to curb Haihan's terrifying development momentum.
However, Su Keyi is not the kind of person who speaks and acts carelessly. Moreover, he has very little contact with Fei Cexian and does not know much about the Ming Dynasty official's temperament and habits, so he always pays careful attention to the other party's attitude during the conversation. If something is wrong, change the subject immediately. Fei Cexian didn't seem to realize Su Keyi's cautious ingratiation. He basically talked about whatever he thought of without deliberately avoiding the topic.
The two soon started talking about Haihan's future development direction from the previous topic, which is something that their respective camps are very concerned about.
Fei Cexian said: "I have recently received instructions from the imperial court to pay close attention to the next movements of the Haihan Army. It should be noted that their big enemy in the South China Sea has gone, and now all their military forces can be transferred to the north. It will be extremely important for our country. A big threat.”
"Master Fei, there is actually no need to worry too much. In my humble opinion, Haihan is indeed not very interested in invading the Ming Dynasty. At least for a period of time in the future, they will continue their previous practice and only occupy some islands close to the mainland, or key areas." ports in the region, rather than aggressively developing inland areas.”
Su Keyi knew much more about the situation in the South China Sea than Fei Cexian, and he immediately spoke eloquently: "Besides, even if they captured the Spanish-ruled city of Manila, it does not mean that the South China Sea has become peaceful. Those who dare to be angry about it do not dare to speak out. There are many countries, but they just don't have the right opportunity to launch it. The Haihan people themselves know this. They currently have a fleet deployed in Sanya, Camlan and Xingdao. They are not worried about not being able to control the situation in the South China Sea. The fleet that Wang Tom brought back from Manila has been stationed in Victory Port and is not in a hurry to go north. It may be that he wants to use this to promote his force to the countries in the South China Sea. "
Of course, Su Keyi would not say which countries in the South China Sea were still hostile to Haihan, but he believed that Fei Cexian would understand what he wanted to express implicitly.
"The Haihan people show off their power, claim to be the overlord of the South China Sea, and attack other countries wantonly. This is domineering, but it is not a royal way, and it will not last long." Fei Cexian commented a few words first, and then changed the subject: "I think your country must be so domineering towards the Haihan people. Are you already dissatisfied with your behavior?”
Su Keyi did not expect Fei Cexian to ask such a direct question, so he immediately said haha: "Haihan intends to monopolize many trade projects in the South China Sea, which naturally conflicts with our country's interests. But fortunately, both sides are relatively sensible, and it can still be passed at present. Negotiate to resolve differences of opinion.”
Fei Cexian said: "The conflict between your country and Haihan is just business, but our country and Haihan are territorial disputes that are difficult to resolve. I believe Mr. Su also knows that the land where Haihan Kingdom is based is our territory. Now They even occupied land in many places in our country. While Haihan State stated that it would maintain peaceful exchanges with our country, it also sent troops to occupy important coastal areas of our country. How can we trust them even if the Haihan Executive Committee once claimed that it would not invade? Da Ming, but let me ask you, Da Ming, can you rest assured?”
Su Keyi said: "Master Fei, if you understand the development strategy of the Haihan people, you won't worry about this matter. What they want is to control the import and export trade of various countries, rather than how much land they actually occupy. Besides, the Ming Dynasty has a vast territory, and they Even if they all go out, how much land can they occupy?”
Fei Cexian said: "Having said that, we still have to guard against the wolfish ambitions of the Haihan people. Look, the city of Manila is thousands of miles away from Sanya. How did Haihan ever let it go?"
Seeing that Fei Cexian's attitude was resolute and unwavering, Su Keyi felt that he had almost tested it, so he took the initiative to ask: "Have Master Fei ever considered trying to limit Haihan's development momentum? For example, find more people overseas. Allies with similar interests join forces..."
(End of chapter)