Chapter 2738
Strictly speaking, the reason why the shogunate was so eager to purchase the new warships built by Kaihan was not because it was influenced by the Kaihan fleet that sailed into Edo Bay.
When the Kaihan East Sea Fleet attacked Hirado Port more than ten years ago, the crushing victory had already proved the power of the Kaihan Navy. Later, Wang Tom personally led the fleet into Edo Bay and forced the shogunate to sign a trade treaty. At that time, the senior officials of the shogunate also witnessed the strength of the Kaihan fleet with their own eyes.
However, the disparity in strength between the two sides was so great that in the next ten years or so, the shogunate had no idea of a showdown with Haihan at sea, and there was no motivation to upgrade its maritime armed forces. Anyway, it is impossible to defeat the Haihan navy, and apart from Haihan, it seems that no other country can threaten Japan, so just let it go, which can save a lot of military expenses.
During this period, although there was news that North Korea was building an armed fleet with military aid from Haihan, the North Koreans were only active in the Tsushima Strait and the East China Sea, and the only things they could affect were "remote" areas such as Hirado and Fukuoka. For the shogunate, It's not painful or itchy, just pretend not to know.
However, this time the Haihan delegation came to visit, there were actually several warships of the Korean Navy in the accompanying armed fleet, and they sailed into Edo Bay in such a swaggering manner, which indeed caused a lot of irritation to the shogunate.
When the Haihan Fleet came to Edo before, North Korean military attachés also sneaked into the Haihan Navy as military observers, but this time the situation was different. The North Korean warships were anchored in Edo Bay. If you continue to pretend to be deaf and mute, I am afraid that the prestige and dominance of the shogunate will also be shaken.
You must know that only half a century ago, the army commanded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi also captured the Korean capital Seoul. Although it was later driven back by the coalition forces of North Korea and Ming Dynasty, it at least proved that Japan's military strength was far superior to North Korea. However, just a few decades later, the Korean armed warships sailed into Edo Bay, only a few dozen miles away from Edo Castle where the shogunate was located. Although the Koreans did not enter Edo Castle, this situation was enough to make the top officials of the shogunate furious.
This is not only a face-to-face humiliation, but also a huge military threat. This means that the North Korean navy already has the ability to attack Edo directly from the sea. At this time, the navy under the shogunate may not even have the ability to defend Edo Bay, let alone threaten the North Korean mainland.
In just a few decades, the offensive and defensive situation changed, which was an unacceptable fact for the shogunate. If we continue to be deaf and dumb to the development speed of our neighboring countries, maybe the next time the Koreans come to Edo Bay, they will no longer be following the Haihan people.
Among the Korean navy entering Edo Bay this time, there was an expedition-class warship. Its tonnage far exceeded all the warships under the shogunate, and it was equipped with multiple artillery. This may be the reason why the shogunate decided to do it all at once. one.
This prompted the shogunate to hastily request the purchase of arms in the final stage of negotiations, and specifically included the purchase plan for four expedition-class warships in order to quickly enhance its military strength with the help of arms purchases. Although this will cost a lot of money, there is currently no other solution that can provide immediate results.
The top officials of the shogunate were even mentally prepared to welcome the Haihan people's lion's opening. However, the first obstacle that stopped them was not the high price of arms, but the long delivery period. When they heard that they would have to wait two years to receive the first ship, the senior shogunate officials, including the young general, took a deep breath. The deposit and everything else are secondary, but if we need to wait for such a long delivery period, how many more years will we have to wait before we can form an army and form combat effectiveness? And what level will the North Korean navy develop to in three to five years?
After a low-spirited discussion with his cronies, Tokugawa Ietsuna asked the mission whether it was possible to significantly shorten the delivery period, even by adding money. There is no doubt that they regard the reply from the Haihan Mission as a means to raise the price. If they don't have to wait so long, it is acceptable to spend a little more money.
"I will open the sky and make it clear. If your country wants to buy new ships, it can only wait, because all the shipyards in our country that can build expedition-class warships are already full of orders. Whether it is for our navy or for friendship The warships built by the country have construction contracts written in black and white. It is impossible to delay delivery. If your country is willing to increase the price, it will only speed up the construction within the construction period after the start of construction, but the delivery speed will not be much faster. , it would be great if it can be delivered two or three months ahead of schedule, but the cost your country will pay for this may be 50% higher than the original price.”
Shi Chengwu frankly explained the situation to Tokugawa Ietsuna. He was not worried that the other party would cancel the order due to the long delivery period, because apart from Haihan, no one else could build a warship of the same level. . Even North Korea, which received shipbuilding technology transfer from Haihan, can only build smaller exploration-class warships on its own. Several exploration-class warships currently in service were all purchased from Haihan.
Since the shogunate has shown an eagerness to purchase arms, Shi Chengwu believes that they should guide the other party in a timely manner to order equipment that is more "suitable" for their actual situation.
Sure enough, as soon as the shogunate heard that the cost of speeding up the construction period was so high, they immediately backed down. Although they are willing to spend money for this, they are not big dogs who don't care about money. Shi Chengwu's response is that the price/performance ratio is obviously too low and it is not worth paying half the extra money for it.
But it was impossible for the shogunate to give up its plan to buy a ship. Tokugawa Ietsuna immediately asked Ishiro Takeshi if there were other solutions.
This is what Shi Chengwu was waiting for, and he immediately changed direction: "With all due respect, even if your country buys an expedition-class warship, with your country's current equipment and training level, I'm afraid it will be difficult to control it in a short time." A large warship. My suggestion is to buy a smaller exploration-class warship. You can buy eight of them at the same price, and the operation is easier. The most important thing is that your navy can build combat power faster after receiving it. What’s more, the delivery period is shorter. If you don’t object to using old ships, they can be delivered one year later. They will be delivered for our own use and the price will be cheaper.”
The exploration-class tonnage is more than half smaller than the expedition-class, the construction process is simpler, the construction period is shorter, and most importantly, the technical requirements for the shipyard are lower. Under Haihan's rule, there are more than ten shipyards capable of building exploration-class warships, and it may even take less than a year to complete the delivery of eight ships.
Of course, it would be best if the shogunate could be persuaded to purchase old ships that had been retired by the navy.
(End of chapter)