Chapter 2710
Judging from what we see in front of us, it is hard to imagine that this place was very busy more than ten years ago. Many foreign merchant ships come in and out of this place every day. There are many shops near the port, and the market gathers goods from all over the world. It can be called Japan's premier trading port. But after a war, the former prosperity did not leave many traces here, and now it is just an unremarkable fishing port.
Bai Letong asked: "Have the Japanese never thought of restoring the trade function of this place?"
Ishige Takedo: "The Hirado clan also tried to rebuild after the war, but all parties did not want to see this place restored to its former glory and were unwilling to express support. Therefore, even though the war has passed so many years, there is nothing major here. Change. If you look up, the ruins on the high slope next to the port are the Hirado Castle that was burned down. "
Haihan and Joseon definitely don't want to see Hirado resurrected, even if the Tagawa clan has been completely overthrown and someone else is in charge of the Hirado clan. At this time, Japan's Tokugawa shogunate was vigorously supporting the Nagasaki Port, which was directly under its own control, hoping to replace the trading functions of the Hirado Domain. Even if it was not taken advantage of, how could it support the plan to rebuild Hirado Port.
The Hirado clan, which received no support from the outside world, and lost cross-border trade, its main source of income, would naturally find it difficult to make a comeback. Hirado Castle, which was destroyed by the war, has still not been rebuilt. The Hirado clan later even moved its seat to Matsuura, dozens of miles east, and gave up its plan to rebuild Hirado Port.
The dilapidated castle still standing on the high ground next to the harbor is a testimony to the rise and fall of Hirado Port. It always reminds ships passing here who is the most powerful person in this area.
After sailing through the narrowest section of the Hirado Strait, about sixty miles further south, you have arrived at Sasebo Bay.
The two peninsulas extend from the north and south sides respectively, forming a pincer shape. The channel in the middle is less than two miles wide. This kind of terrain also reminds Tao Hongfang and others of their hometown of Victory Port.
Conspicuous coastal defense fortifications were built on both the northern and southern peninsulas to guard the only channel in and out of the harbor during wartime. However, given the strength of the East China Sea Fleet, no one would have the courage to break through here. Fireworks signals have been released from the watchtowers high on the peninsula to notify the bases in the harbor of the arrival of the fleet.
After driving through this narrow channel, our eyes suddenly opened up. From an overhead perspective, Sasebo Bay is a nearly cross-shaped bay. The west side is the entrance channel, the east coast is mostly mountainous cliffs, and the south side is the strait leading to Omura Bay. Only the northern side of the bay is relatively flat, and the military Bases and ports are concentrated here.
Since this bay is almost at an angle of 90 degrees to the open sea, no matter how strong the wind and waves are in the open sea, it is almost impossible to affect the port and pier here. It is indeed a God-given place. Moreover, there are as many as ten square kilometers of coastal valley plains near the coast. There is enough space for development whether it is to reclaim farmland or build urban areas. Compared with the small Hirado Port, there is indeed a difference between heaven and earth.
Except for Shi Chengwu and Wang Anguo, everyone in the mission came here for the first time, so they couldn't help but find it strange. Compared with the Haihan military base they had visited before, the establishment time here is relatively short, and the scale of port construction is indeed not comparable to that of large ports like Zhoushan Dinghai Port. However, seen from the sea, all the facilities that a standard Haihan Port should have are all available, and the construction level is no less than that of domestic ports.
Similar to Zhoushan Port, in addition to the military base, there is also a civilian dock specifically for merchant ships and fishing boats to dock, so many civilian ships can also be seen coming in and out of the harbor. The port dispatched a guide ship to guide ships of the fleet to dock in sequence. From a distance, you can see that many people have gathered on the port pier to welcome the arrival of this fleet.
After the Zhoushan docked, local military and political officials were waiting for everyone on the dock. The leader was an old man in his fifties wearing a military uniform. The badge on his shoulder indicated that he was a major general. This is also the highest-ranking officer Haihan has met overseas since the mission's departure.
After disembarking, the officials led by Shi Chengwu lined up to salute the major general. This person is the current commander of the Sasebo base, Major General Amakusa Shiro.
When the military decided to build a military base in Sasebo, it originally wanted to select a senior general with weight and qualifications to take charge here. However, several senior officials in Northeast Asia at the time were unwilling to take up this position for various reasons.
At that time, Chen Yixin was in charge of large areas along the coasts of North China and Liaodong, as well as half of the Korean Peninsula. The area under his jurisdiction covered thousands of miles. How could he give up the territory he had operated for many years for a small Sasebo base?
Shi Diwen has also been operating in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas for many years, and the wealth of the area under his jurisdiction is one of the best in the world. Not to mention Sasebo Bay, even the entire Japanese archipelago is just a remote area for him. Naturally, he is not willing to leave the big and small to manage this. place.
At that time, Wang Tom had already begun planning a plan to cross the Pacific eastward. He had no intention of staying, and naturally he was not very interested in Sasebo Bay. Qian Tiandun believed that the situation in Liaodong, the Korean Peninsula, and the Japanese archipelago had been basically stable, and it was no longer necessary for his troops to stay in Northeast Asia. He had already reported to the Executive Committee and requested that he lead his troops south to go to a place with more room for development. The great south continues to expand its territory.
However, these senior generals did not give up completely. After some discussions, it was finally decided that Wang Tom would be in charge of the preliminary development work. The Donghai Region and the Northern Region would be responsible for providing local logistics support. After the completion of the project, the Donghai Region would send troops to station and take over. Local defense. Qian Tiandun recommended his Japanese generals to serve as base commanders.
Originally, the Ministry of National Defense preferred Takahashi Minami. After all, he is of Japanese descent and has great military exploits. Regardless of his qualifications and ability, he can take on this important task. But Takahashi Nan's loyalty to Qian Tiandun was well known. Even though he knew that a high-ranking official was waiting for him in Sasebo, he still chose to follow Qian Tiandun to continue the war. He also took the initiative to write a letter to the Executive Committee and the Ministry of National Defense to clarify his intention, and he just refused. This appointment.
After much selection, the job finally fell to Amakusa Shiro. As a Japanese officer who joined the army at the same time as Takahashi Minami, he also served under Qian Tiandun. In fact, his qualifications and abilities were not bad, and he was also a sea officer. A leader among Chinese and Japanese military officers. In addition, there is another objective reason. Amakusa Shiro's hometown is on the Shimabara Peninsula, more than 200 miles south of Sasebo, and he is relatively familiar with the situation in the surrounding area. With him as the commander of the base, it will be easier to handle the relationship with Japan. .
(End of chapter)