Chapter 2087
If someone had told them before that local forces like the Hirado Domain of Japan might become strong contenders for regional maritime dominance, they would probably think this was a joke. After all, to achieve this goal, one must have a strong maritime armament, and building an armed fleet is a very expensive project for any country. Even a country as powerful as Haihan can only promote the expansion of its naval establishment step by step. It took ten years to establish maritime hegemony along the coast of East Asia.
Local forces like the Hirado Domain will theoretically be relatively limited in terms of economic scale and military technology. Before on-site investigation, the Kaihan military will certainly not actively regard them as competitors. However, the emergence of the variable of the Eighteen Shiba Yu Party gave the Hirado Domain more development capital, overseas trade channels, shipbuilding technology, military technology, professionals in various positions... These things the Hirado Domain did not originally have. Probably only the Eighteenth Party Committee could manage to provide the conditions.
But no matter who is the leader behind this matter, Haihan cannot sit back and watch this armed fleet develop and take shape. This is not only the attitude of the military, but also the executive committee will definitely do it after learning about the progress of the investigation here. Make the same choice.
"There are a lot of things to do in the next few months!" Wang Tom joked: "After this game, I just changed defense!"
The naval forces currently stationed at the Datong River base were all mobilized from various parts of the south in May last year. It will be a year or two in one or two months. At that time, the garrison will gradually begin to change defenses and be stationed in other places. There is a probability that they will be transferred back to the south, and there is basically no war in the south now. By then, these troops will not have many opportunities to perform combat missions.
Qian Tiandun responded: "Fighting can be fought, but the scale must be controlled. If it turns into a national war, it will actually be of no benefit to us."
The Haihan Executive Committee has never had much interest in the Japanese archipelago. Not only is it isolated overseas, the terrain is mountainous, and there are not many valuable mineral resources for development. Haihan prefers to concentrate limited resources on the mainland coastline. Operate nearby to get better returns. If this investigation hadn't led to the Hirado clan, Haihan wouldn't even have paid much attention to the development of Japan.
Wang Tom agreed with Qian Tiandun's view: "Even if there is a fight, it will be against the armed fleet of the Hirado clan. There is no need to provoke the Tokugawa shogunate."
Fighting against local forces and fighting against the country are two completely different concepts. Although Japan is not a powerful country, there is no need to take the initiative to provoke them.
"Let's send a telegram to seek Sanya's opinion first. We still have to make a decision from the executive committee before we can start preparing for war." Qian Tiandun's words brought an end to the meeting. Although they are all convinced that the Executive Committee will also choose to use force to solve the hidden dangers of the Hirado Domain, war is a major event and decisions must be made in accordance with rules and procedures.
At this time, the reconnaissance fleet led by Yuan Zhi was on its way south from Hirado Port to Nagasaki. The widest point of the strait between Hirado Island and Kyushu Island is only more than ten miles. From the deck, you can basically have an unobstructed view of the coasts on both sides. Yuan Zhi noticed that there are many natural harbors on the west coast of Kyushu Island, but Japan obviously lacks the idea of developing and utilizing them, and almost all of them are in a state of neglect.
Among them, Sasebo Bay, which is specially marked on the chart, is also a stop that Yuan Zhi must visit during his trip. When Chen Yixin led his team to perform a reconnaissance mission near the coast of Japan, he listed Sasebo Bay as the only strategic target worthy of attention in western Japan. This means that if Haihan chooses to establish a military base or trading port in Japan, the area where Sasebo Bay is located will be the first choice, and its strategic value is much higher than trading ports such as Nagasaki and Hirado.
In addition to the natural port conditions of Sasebo Bay itself, the undeveloped environment here is also one of the main reasons why Chen Yixin was optimistic about this place in the first place. If it has experienced commercial development for a long time like Hirado Nagasaki, then the sea will It will be much more difficult for Han to take it as his own.
This was the first time Yuan Zhi came to Sasebo Bay. When the fleet sailed into the entrance of the bay, he understood why this place was favored by senior military officials.
The entrance to the bay is less than one mile wide, and there are high points on the peninsulas surrounding the north and south sides where fortifications such as forts can be built. After entering the bay, the view suddenly becomes clear. There is no resistance in this cross-shaped bay. Various types of large ships pass through the area, and there is also quite a lot of land that can be used to build port terminals. At the southern end of the cross-shaped harbor, there is another inland bay, Omura Bay, which is more than ten times larger than Sasebo Bay. It is not difficult to hide tens of thousands of warships in this place.
After joining the army, Yuan Zhi traveled all over the country and visited many places, but for a natural harbor with such superior conditions, the only one he knew of that could rival it was Jinlan Port in Annan Kingdom.
However, Cam Ranh Bay was the reward for Haihan's sending troops to help the Annan Zheng family win the civil war. It was semi-permanently assigned to Haihan on a lease basis. It is probably difficult to repeat this operation method in Japan. Although Japan's national power is not necessarily stronger than that of Annan, it has had the experience of fighting against the two superpowers of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties before, and is not afraid of powerful enemies. It is probably difficult for Haihan to frighten it with its own power and defeat this enemy. The region was surrendered.
Of course, if Haihan is really determined to occupy this place, it will be difficult to stop Haihan even if a war breaks out. It's just that Sasebo Bay is a little far away from the main trading ports on the mainland, and Japan is enforcing a national isolation order, so it is obviously inappropriate to use it as a trading port for development. Unless Haihan has long-term plans for the Japanese archipelago, garrisoning troops here does not have much practical significance. Therefore, although the natural conditions of Sasebo Bay are very superior, it is somewhat useless for Haihan.
The purpose of Yuan Zhi's visit to Sasebo Bay is of course not to plant a flag to enclose the land here, but to confirm that this place has not been developed on a large scale by Japanese officials, so that if the military feels the need to take over this place at any time , so you won’t waste a lot of trouble. The results of the inspection were actually not much different from the last time Chen Yixin came. There were only a few scattered small fishing villages in Sasebo Bay. The fishing boats on the sea were much smaller than Haihan's two reconnaissance ships, and no fishing boats were found. Any sign of extensive construction work to build the port.
This also made Yuan Zhi breathe a sigh of relief. The reconnaissance of Sasebo Bay was the easiest task in this trip. It was successfully completed without any effort. Moreover, there was no time wasted here and he could immediately start the subsequent tasks.
Sailing a hundred miles south from Sasebo Bay, they reached Nagasaki, another destination on their trip. After the Portuguese arrived in Nagasaki in 1570, they quickly promoted the trade atmosphere here. Later, Dutch and Chinese merchants also came to Nagasaki for trade, making it one of Japan's most important foreign trade ports at the beginning of this century. The shogunate took a fancy to the huge profits this place gained from trade every year, so it canceled its local autonomy and listed it as an area directly ruled by the shogunate. In this way, the tax revenue generated by Nagasaki's prosperous cross-border trade could be reduced. You can directly enter the treasury of the shogunate.
However, due to the Notre Dame incident that broke out in Nagasaki in 1610, which greatly affected the relationship between Japan and Portugal, starting in 1616, the shogunate began to restrict the ports that merchant ships from Europe could dock. By 1635, the shogunate stipulated that the Portuguese could only complete trade projects in Nagasaki Port, and set Dejima near Nagasaki Port as a settlement for the Portuguese, and they were not allowed to leave Dejima and enter Nagasaki for activities. In fact, at this stage, there are very few Portuguese people still doing business in Nagasaki. As far as the field of cross-border trade is concerned, the Port of Nagasaki controlled by the shogunate and the Port of Hirado under the rule of the Hirado Domain actually exist. There is a competitive relationship, and the foreign businessmen currently engaged in cross-border trade in Nagasaki are mainly from China and the Netherlands, and their trade scale is not as good as that of Hirado Port in the north.
Of course, the shogunate also had its unique advantages. For example, it could issue administrative orders to allow foreign businessmen to go to Nagasaki to complete transactions. The Hirado clan basically had no resistance to this. But Yuan Zhi believed that if the armed fleet of the Hirado Domain became popular in two or three years, it would be difficult for the shogunate to compete with the powerful ships and artillery of the Hirado Domain with these small actions.
It was obviously inconvenient for the reconnaissance fleet to sail directly into Nagasaki Port, so they once again adopted the approach of Hirado Port, and after dark found a secluded coast near Nagasaki Port to send Amakusa Shiro ashore.
After Amakusa Shiro successfully sneaked into Nagasaki, he went to Dejima to visit the Portuguese merchant house early the next morning. The cooperative relationship between Haihan and Portugal is relatively strong, and Amakusa Shiro does not have to worry about being betrayed by the Portuguese during his sudden visit.
After Amakusa Shiro met Garcia, the person in charge of the business store, he took the initiative to reveal his identity to him. Garcia had some knowledge and was not surprised by Shiro Amakusa's behavior of dressing up as a local and claiming to be a Haihan. He has lived in Nagasaki for a long time and can speak simple Japanese, so there is not much difficulty in communicating with Amakusa Shiro.
However, he still asked cautiously: "Then how do you prove that you are a Haihan citizen?"
"Serve the Executive Committee!" Amakusa Shiro raised his hand in a very standard military salute, and said a slogan that is most common in Haihan Kingdom. Anyone who has been to Haihan Kingdom should know the symbolic meaning of this slogan.
"Serve the Executive Committee." Garcia repeated his words to show respect, and then asked: "So how can I help you?"
Garcia had been to Haihan before, and he could understand the slogan spoken in standard Haihan dialect. He had heard this slogan every day in Sanya, and he could tell if it was authentic after hearing it. This is not so easy to fake. of. Moreover, this was also the first time he heard someone speaking Haihan dialect in Nagasaki, so he was convinced of Amakusa Shiro's identity.
"I want to know all kinds of news about Nagasaki, the more detailed the better." Amakusa Shiro gave a very vague scope. He originally prepared other information to prove his identity, such as the name of the Portuguese ambassador to Haihan, etc., but it seems that it is no longer needed now.
Garcia looked embarrassed and said: "Your Excellency may not be aware of the situation here. The scope of our Portuguese public activities is limited to this island, and the external information we have access to is very little. I'm afraid I can't give it to you. How much help.”
"Then... let's talk about trade." Amakusa Shiro also knew that the other party was telling the truth, so he could only settle for the next best thing.
Garcia thought for a while and said: "The transaction tax levied by the shogunate in Nagasaki is 20% higher than that in Hirado Port. This is a very harsh condition for foreign businessmen, but we have no choice. The shogunate requires us The transaction can only be completed in Nagasaki. Our trade volume in Japan has dropped by nearly half in the past two years. If this continues, we may have to say goodbye to this country completely in two or three years."
Amakusa Shiro asked: "According to what you said, the shogunate's suppression of the Hirado Domain has actually become public. What is the reaction from the Hirado Domain?"
"Reaction?" Garcia said with some disdain: "The Matsuura family are all cowards. They dare not react in any way to the unfair orders issued by the shogunate. I think if the shogunate asks them all to commit suicide, these cowards will eventually do it." ! However, the retainers of the Matsuura clan are still somewhat bloody. I heard that the Tagawa clan was very dissatisfied with this and kept asking the Matsuura clan to submit a letter of disobedience. "
"Tagawa clan?" Amakusa Shiro thought that he had already made contact, so he continued to ask: "Do you have any news that you can tell me about Tagawa clan?"
Garcia said: "I heard that many Han people from the Ming Dynasty took refuge under the Tagawa clan in the past few years, and these people are very capable people. They helped the Tagawa clan expand business routes overseas and train armed personnel. Xingjian Shipyard... Nothing seems to be able to trouble them. If I hadn't heard something later, I would almost think that these people are actually you Haihan people in disguise."
"What did you hear?"
"I heard... these people were once subordinates of Zheng Zhilong, and the reason why they took refuge with the Tagawa family is because Zheng Zhilong also has a son who was raised by the Tagawa family. They may hope to use the reputation of Zheng Zhilong and Shibazhi to gain a foothold in the Tagawa family. The Hirado clan has made a comeback." Garcia paused and added: "This last sentence is just my personal opinion, you don't need to take it seriously."
Amakusa Shiro was shocked at this time. If Zheng Zhilong still had a son alive, it would indeed be of special significance to the remaining members of the Eighteen Zhizhi Party. He couldn't help but think again of the Tagawa boy surrounded by guards he saw at Hirado Port the day before yesterday. Could it be that that man was Zheng Zhilong's son?
(End of chapter)