Chapter 1885 Maritime Trade
An Daoshi and others have personally witnessed the strength of Haihan Army in previous wars. It can be said that they embarked on this study abroad trip with admiration for the strong, but as for what they can learn in Haihan They actually have no idea how many things and how high they can grow to in the future. However, the Fujian Ming Army is undoubtedly an excellent reference object. Considering the years of formation, equipment level, combat experience and other conditions, the Fujian Ming Army is almost the upper limit for imitating the Haihan Army.
Unlike Li Bo, who was a layman watching the excitement, An Daoshi had already seen clearly during the exercise just now that the strength of the Fujian Ming Army was indeed far superior to that of his own army. Regardless of the level of equipment, the Ming army showed uniform tactical movements during the exercise, and the maintenance of battle formations during the march and retreat was definitely not something that the current North Korean army could achieve. These details may seem inconspicuous, but they at least reflect the training level of a unit. When such a unit steps onto the battlefield, these tactical details will help them exert stronger combat effectiveness.
Of course, compared to these aspects that can be improved through study and training, Andao Shi is actually more envious of the advanced weapons and equipment of the Fujian Ming Army. Although the weapons are all provided by Haihan, the equipment of the Fujian Ming Army is superior to the North Korean Army in terms of performance. The resulting combat effectiveness gap is difficult to make up for through training.
The root cause of this gap is, to put it bluntly, economic reasons. With the current economic situation in North Korea, it is difficult to build a strong army with real money like Fujian. We can only learn from the training and management experience of the Fujian Ming Army first, so that we may be able to build a strong army in the future. Take fewer detours.
Li Bo listened to Xu Yuzhuo's story about the battle experience of the Fujian Ming Army. Although he didn't know how exaggerated the other party was, he probably didn't dare to make fun of the Haihan Army, not to mention that there were officials from Haihan among the people present. If all are true, then the actual combat effectiveness of the Fujian Ming Army cannot be underestimated. At least judging from its previous performance in being able to deal with the Qing Army on its own on the Korean battlefield, its combat effectiveness is indeed not exaggerated.
After talking about military affairs, the next step was naturally to talk about the maritime trade that Fujian was proud of. The speaker was changed from Xu Yuzhuo to Dong Yanyun, Xu Xinsu's number one aide.
Zhangzhou, Quanzhou and Fuzhou in Fujian are all extremely prosperous traditional sea trade ports. Quanzhou is the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road. Although it was affected to a certain extent by the maritime ban policy during the two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, the coastal areas of Fujian The foreign trade volume of the Ming Dynasty still ranks first in the Ming Dynasty. Xu Xinsu was originally a maritime businessman. After he took charge of Fujian's coastal defense, he opened the door to maritime trade. Fujian's shipping and shipbuilding industries have gained great room for development. In just a few years, they have reached reached the highest point in history.
Fujian's current largest trading partner is Haihan, and it is integrating with Haihan's shipping and trade standards in more and more details to provide maximum convenience for this kind of cross-border trade. For example, the branches of Haihan Bank operating in major trading ports in Fujian, the jointly agreed fixed routes and shipping schedules, and the increasing number of standard-size containers used in shipping are all designed to eliminate various aspects of bilateral trade. kind of trouble.
Dong Yanyun admitted that the current situation in Fujian is largely due to the developed local maritime trade. Transnational trade not only brought huge profits to the Fujian authorities, but also gave them a powerful armed force whose combat effectiveness was second only to the Haihan Army.
Then Dong Yanyun talked about the trade relations between Fujian and North Korea. Although the two places were separated by a sea and the voyage was three thousand miles, Dong Yanyun believed that Fujian was North Korea's first choice trading port for establishing trade routes with the Ming Dynasty.
"The prince should also know that Shandong and Liaodong are both in the post-war recovery period, and most of the ports established by Haihan there are for military use and are not suitable as trading ports. As for Jiangsu and Zhejiang, although there is Zhoushan Dinghai Port as a trade distribution center, the local The government's attitude towards cross-border trade is not stable. Even if some officials are willing to cooperate, it is often just for personal gain. The channels for goods to enter and exit the Ming Dynasty are not smooth. But it is different in Fujian. All trading ports obey Mr. Xu. Whether it is transaction taxes or cargo loading and unloading fees, there are unified standards everywhere, and the government will provide institutional protection to foreign businessmen. ”
Li Pu recalled his experience of visiting the Zhangzhou Outer City Trade Zone the day before. What he saw was indeed what Dong Yanyun said. The market was prosperous and well-organized, and it was seventy or eighty percent similar to the situation at Dinghai Port. However, whether Fujian really outperforms Jiangsu and Zhejiang as a trade destination, Li Bo feels that this still needs to be verified. After all, he only has a superficial understanding of the trade situation between the two places, and does not know the role of the local government in it. What exactly is the role of .
Moreover, Li Bo has a point of view in his mind. He believes that the people who really control the cross-border trade situation between these two places are probably the Haihan people. I remember that when he was in Zhoushan, Li Bo saw an article about the scale of trade along the coast of the Ming Dynasty in a certain issue of Haihan Times. However, at the time, he did not realize the practical significance of the data listed in such an article, but it should be of great significance to it. The problem I encountered now is of great reference value. I will have to find that article and read it carefully when I have the opportunity in the future.
But one thing is undoubted, that is, the level of security that the Fujian authorities can provide to foreign merchants and fleets is certainly not comparable to that of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. After all, Fujian has a naval force that is known as the best in the Ming Dynasty. Its water armed forces are far superior to those of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Coast Guards. Merchant ships entering and leaving Fujian's offshore basically do not need to worry about safety issues - the last group of pirates operating in this sea area probably have to It goes back three or four years.
It is difficult for the local garrison troops in Jiangsu and Zhejiang to provide the same conditions. Due to the lack of powerful armed ships, maritime security can only be maintained mainly by the Haihan East China Sea Fleet. Comparing these two, it is natural that the navigation safety in Fujian is more guaranteed.
Dong Yanyun quickly listed Fujian's advantages in maritime trade one by one. It is a traditional trading port. Now it has official support, safety is guaranteed, and various supporting facilities are complete. The only shortcoming is just It's just that the voyage from North Korea is farther than Jiangsu and Zhejiang. But this shortcoming is only relative, because if you look at it from another perspective, the voyage from Fujian to Haihan is shorter, and the corresponding freight for transactions with Haihan will be lower.
The reason why they spend so much time introducing Fujian's trade advantages to the North Korean mission is naturally self-evident, that is, they hope that North Korea will use Fujian as a major trade destination in the future. Although North Korea's current international trade scale is not large, Fujian believes that since both Hai and Han are optimistic about North Korea, it shows that its development potential is huge and it is worth wooing North Koreans in advance.
After these years of cooperation, Xu Xinsu has great faith in the vision and judgment of the Haihan people. Of course, the work she is doing now is actually a side dish. The real main course is the previous troops sent to aid North Korea to help it retreat from the enemy. It is difficult for the North Koreans to directly express this kind of kindness. In return, and in accordance with the wishes of Fujian, reaching in-depth cooperation in economic and trade seems to be one of the few ways North Korea can repay. Li Bo also knew this very well. Before going abroad, his father told him that if he had the opportunity to meet Xu Xinsu, he should convey his country's gratitude. Of course, just verbal gratitude is definitely not enough, so since Fujian wants to further consolidate the trade relationship between the two places, Li Bo feels that it is understandable to meet the needs of the other party.
However, out of caution, he did not express his position immediately. He only said that he would note down the key points explained by Dong Yanyun, report back to the country, and persuade his father to accept Fujian's suggestions in the field of maritime trade.
This level of response already made Xu Xinsu very satisfied. He had not expected the Joseon Crown Prince to make any decision on behalf of his country at the moment. It was already quite good to be able to intentionally promote this matter.
In order to express her gratitude to the crown prince of Joseon, Xu Xinsu immediately presented Li Bo with a handmade flintlock gun. This thing is more appropriately described as a handicraft than a weapon. The handle and body of the gun are both engraved with fine cloud patterns. But it is not just a handicraft. As long as it is loaded with ammunition, its power is enough to kill someone within twenty steps. This was originally a personal belonging of Xu Xinsu. Giving it to Li Bo as a gift has a strong political meaning.
Li Bo didn't have anything to give Xu Xinsu in return, so he took off the self-defense dagger from his waist as a return gift. This dagger cannot be said to be particularly valuable. It was one of the artifacts given to him by Li Bo when he made him the crown prince. It was usually kept in a box and Li Bo only wore it as an accessory on a few formal occasions. .
Xu Xinsu was very happy after hearing Li Bo's introduction to the origin of the dagger. She believed that this temporary exchange of gifts symbolized that the mutual trust between North Korea and Fujian had reached a new level. Even though she expressed her gratitude to North Korean students studying in the country in her own name, Donate a thousand taels of silver to show support and encouragement.
This amount of money is not much for Xu Xinsu, but for the North Korean mission, which is already strapped for funds to study abroad, it is no longer a small amount. After Li Bo declined a few words, he still thanked Xu Xinsu for his kindness, and his impression of Fujian increased a bit. When I was a guest in Zhoushan earlier, the local government did not give out gifts and money like this. The comparison between the two parties was very clear. Li Pu secretly thought to himself that when he wrote a report to his father in the future, he should have a few nice words for the Fujian native emperor.
After staying in Zhangzhou for four days, the North Korean mission set off again, but their next stop was not the south, but Magong Port in Penghu, which is on the Taiwan Island side of the Fujian Strait and faces Zhangzhou. This is the visiting place that Haihan has arranged long ago, and Li Bo will definitely have to follow it. The Fujian Navy once again assumed the escort mission, escorting the North Korean fleet from Zhangzhou to Magong Port, four hundred miles away.
Penghu was once occupied by the pirate gang Shibazhi before the arrival of Haihan. Haihan's army drove Shibazhi out of the place in the Battle of Penghu in 1632 and unceremoniously took the island as his own. . Later, they successfully entered Taiwan with the help of Penghu as a springboard. They first built Kaohsiung Port in the south, and then attacked the two ports of Tamsui and Jilong at the northern end of Taiwan Island, driving the Spanish out of this area.
Currently in charge of Penghu is the military general Yu Yao. After he was transferred from the Guangdong Office to Penghu in 1633, he never moved again. However, although the office location has not been moved, Yu Yao's position has actually been rising steadily in the past few years. The area under his jurisdiction is far more than the Penghu Islands. The entire Fujian Strait and waters, including Jilong Port and Kaohsiung Port, are considered his jurisdiction.
After the pirates in this sea area were cleared, the main target of defense was actually the Western colonists. However, the Dutch have kept a relatively low profile in recent years and have not used Taimuang Port under their rule to cause trouble. After the Spaniards were expelled from Manila Bay this year, they have fled further south, which is basically the case. The possibility of returning to Taiwan Island in the short term has been lost. Therefore, at present, Penghu's defense pressure is minimal, and there is basically no need to worry about large groups of hostile armed forces entering this sea area.
In fact, every time Haihan carried out large-scale military operations in the northeast, troops had to be mobilized from the south. Penghu was the target of deployment every time because its defense tasks were not heavy and it was close to the allies' base camp. During last year's Liaodong Spring Offensive, the Haihan Army deployed a large number of troops to fight on the front line of the Jinzhou Isthmus. Most of the troops in the Penghu Defense Area were also removed, leaving only one battalion of the army and less than ten combat ships in the entire defense area.
One battalion may sound like a lot, but there are several places in the Penghu defense area that must be defended: the Jinguashi gold mine near Jilong Port, the Chushuangkeng oil production area in Miaoli, and the slave plantation near Kaohsiung Port in the south. Each of these places was divided into one company, leaving only one infantry company in Magong Port.
Yu Yao is very optimistic about this. The security situation in the Fujian Strait and Taiwan Island is generally improving. As long as the belligerent native tribes on Taiwan Island don't cause trouble, there will be no pressure if the garrison is smaller. What's more, there are militia organizations in various population centers. If necessary, at least one additional infantry battalion can be mobilized as a temporary force, which is enough to deal with small-scale armed conflicts.
As for the sea, to be honest, Yu Yao did not think that there were still forces in this sea area that dared to take action against Haihan. The only outsider, the Dutch, had been cautious in recent years, lest they give Haihan an excuse to expel them from Damuan Port. The Navy and the Fujian Navy form mixed fleets from time to time to patrol inside and outside the strait, which will also have a certain deterrent effect on the young people.
(End of chapter)