Chapter 2708
After listening to Tao Hongfang's explanation, Zhu Zian realized that his previous idea was too simple. Haihan's purpose in intervening in this matter was not just to regard it as an exchange condition for delimiting the exclusive economic zone in Busan, but to annex the special commercial entity of Ma Fan in the trade field through commercial means.
This matter is difficult to say, it seems that it only took a few days to basically complete it. But it is not easy to say it is easy. It still requires the right time, place and people.
The North Korean official's initiative to ask for help, the armed fleet that coincides with the meeting, a group of young officials who dare to think and act, and the influence they have gained in this region through long-term management. These factors are all indispensable and can be transformed through negotiations. Only after the pressure was put on Tsushima, the final result was achieved.
However, the actual impact this will have on the trade situation in this region may take several years to slowly become apparent. Even the young officials on the ship who are personally involved in it are hard to imagine at this time. The future situation. Therefore, they did not feel much joy at making a great achievement at this time. They only felt that this was just a temporary task to be done, and their attention had been transferred to the next destination.
The next destination was more attractive to most of them than the previous stops. Sasebo Bay, located more than two hundred miles south of Tsushima Island, is currently Haihan's only colonial area in the Japanese archipelago, and it also functions as a military base. Of course, this is also true in reverse. Haihan stationed in Sasebo Bay initially for the purpose of building a military base, and later gradually increased the scale of colonization in the area.
Haihan has a long history of interest in Sasebo Bay. As early as 1633, when Chen Yixin led a team north to inspect the western part of the Japanese archipelago and the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, he made a field trip to Sasebo Bay. Haihan had long wanted to occupy this deep-water port, which was wide inside and narrow outside, with a natural barrier. However, at that time, Haihan's development focus was on the northern coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty, and he had no time to set up a base in Japan. He could only use it to build a base in Japan. First, the Ministry of National Defense will list candidate locations for building overseas military bases.
After entering the 1740s, as Haihan gradually controlled the coastline of the East Asian continent, trade and cultural exchanges with Japan also increased. The Executive Committee believed that it was necessary to establish a military base on the Japanese archipelago to ensure Haihan's interests in this area, so Sasebo Bay finally got the opportunity to use it.
Under the command of then-Navy Commander Tom Wang, Haihan spent several years establishing a military base in Sasebo Bay. Currently, the troops stationed in the area are mainly affiliated with Haihan's East China Sea Fleet.
As an active officer of the Kaihan East Sea Fleet, Shi Chengwu naturally knew Sasebo Bay far better than others, so on the way from Tsushima Island to Sasebo Bay, he explained the local situation to everyone.
"Except Anguo and I, everyone here should be going to Sasebo Bay for the first time. But I think everyone has done more or less relevant homework before setting off from Zhoushan and has a certain understanding of the local situation. Regarding Sasebo Bay, you may wish to tell me what else you want to know, and I will explain it.”
After Shi Chengwu finished speaking, he looked around at the crowd and saw that Zhu Zian was eager to try, so he pointed at him and said, "Then let Zian ask questions first!"
Zhu Zian asked: "Master Shi, when Haihan sent troops to Sasebo Bay, what was Japan's reaction to this?"
Ishige Takedo: "In the early years, our country used troops against the Goto Islands and Hirado Domain near Sasebo Bay several times, and Japan had long acquiesced to our military presence in this area. Moreover, Sasebo Bay was sparsely populated at that time, with only a few small fishing villages. Therefore, we did not encounter any resistance when we sent troops to station. By the time the Japanese reacted, we had already settled there. If they wanted to drive us away, they would have to launch a war and win us, but the Japanese obviously did not want to make things worse. Develop in that direction." Wang Anguo added: "Japan's largest foreign trade port, Nagasaki, is not far south of Sasebo Bay. Once a war breaks out, Nagasaki will likely have to close the port, which will harm the interests of many people. Therefore, using military means to solve the problem is not the first choice for the Japanese.”
Zhu Zian asked: "What is the difference between Nagasaki Port and Tsushima?"
Shi Chengwu explained: "Almost all the businesses handled by Tsushima are trade activities between North Korea and Japan. This is why the trade treaty they signed before has no binding force on our merchants. The Port of Nagasaki is directly managed by the Japanese shogunate. , the trade targets are many countries including my country, and there are many domestic and foreign stakeholders involved.”
Zhu Zian nodded thoughtfully and said: "So stationing troops near Nagasaki Port is actually equivalent to controlling the port and the stakeholders behind it in disguise. Even if the Japanese want to expel the Haihan Army from this area, They will also dare not take action because they are afraid of the impact on Nagasaki Port.”
Shicheng Takeda: "You are basically right, but not entirely. The Japanese do not dare to fall out with us. Apart from Nagasaki Port, the main reason is that the gap in military strength between the two countries is obvious enough. They know their own strength There is a big gap, and there is no hope of gaining an advantage on the battlefield, so we can only give up this unrealistic idea.”
Zhu Zian was thinking in his mind that Sasebo Bay is located at the western end of the Japanese archipelago. Geographically, it is a strategic location for maritime traffic. It is especially important than Tsushima Island, which is sandwiched between North Korea and Japan. When Haihan stationed troops in Liaodong, Shandong, and controlled the north and south sides of the Bohai Bay, the Ming Dynasty's feelings at that time were probably similar to those of the Japanese, like a thorn in the back but unable to remove it.
As they spoke, the fleet had already arrived in the waters near Iki Island. This island is also under the jurisdiction of Tsushima Domain. Its area is much smaller than Tsushima Island, but there are more natural harbors on the island.
At this time, standing on the bow of the ship and looking around, one could already vaguely see the shadow of the islands under the jurisdiction of the Hirado Domain on the southern sea. Of course, the Hirado Domain at this time was no longer what it was under the rule of the Tagawa clan. Hirado Castle was completely burned to the ground by Kaihan, and the treasure trove of Hirado Port was lost. The local area no longer had enough funding sources to support reconstruction, so it could only return It has reached a state where fishing and agriculture are the means of survival.
The once-famous Hirado Navy has no signs of rebuilding, because Hirado Island is too close to Sasebo Bay. If a second maritime armed force appears in this area, it will not only be a sham, but also a provocative sea force. The Han Dynasty is too suspicious.
(End of chapter)