Chapter 2895
Haihan sent troops to capture the Manila area in 1637. There were still a large number of Spanish immigrants who had not had time to evacuate. Haihan implemented long-term military control over the area after the war, so not many Spaniards were able to leave the area on their own. According to statistics from the Manila authorities, more than 2,000 Spanish immigrants continued to live there after the war.
To this end, the official has also established a special agency called the "Hispanic Personnel Administration", referred to as the Hispanic Personnel Administration, to be responsible for managing these Hispanic personnel who have settled in Manila. The first director of this bureau was Colonel Francis, the city defense commander of Manila before the war.
Although the colonel was just a puppet used by Haihan to stabilize public sentiment, this institution did play its due management role. Starting from the third year after the end of the war, people of Hispanic origin have successively gone through the procedures through the Western Management Bureau and applied for Haihan nationality.
These Spanish people who successfully obtain Haihan nationality not only enjoy Haihan national treatment themselves, but also their descendants will automatically obtain Haihan nationality as long as they are born in Haihan territory.
So far, almost all of the Spanish naturalized people registered in Haihan are from the Manila area, and the number is close to 2,000. Among the local bureaucracy, there are now many civil and military officials of Spanish origin.
So to be serious, the Manila authorities should be no strangers to how to govern the former Spanish colonies, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they have rich practical experience. Qian Tiandun did not think that Xiao Liang had not thought of this method at all. It was more likely that he wanted to use this to bargain and gain more favorable conditions for himself.
Of course, Qian Tiandun would not take the initiative to expose Xiao Liang in front of everyone. No matter what the other party's purpose is, since the problem is raised, he must come up with a feasible solution in order to be convincing.
The action plan designed by Qian Tiandun indeed took into account the governance of the occupied areas. In his opinion, after occupying the Spanish colonies, as long as those dangerous elements with sensitive identities and unreliable positions are cleared out, the remaining Spanish personnel will actually be easy to manage, and the difficulty will only lie in the differences in language and culture. But since the Manila authorities have many naturalized Hispanics available, this is not a problem.
Yan Chujie probably couldn't stand Xiao Liang's deliberate pretense, and interjected: "Manila has so many officials of Spanish origin, isn't it just to come in handy when dealing with Spain one day? As long as these people are loyal, isn't it? There is no problem, I think it’s time to let them play their role.”
After Yan Chujie spoke, Xiao Liang naturally found it hard to continue acting. He coughed dryly and said, "But I still have a question. Suppose we occupy more Spanish colonies overseas in the future and appoint Spanish troops from Manila." If we ask Chinese officials to manage these areas, does that mean that these areas will be managed by Manila in the future?”
When Qian Tiandun heard this, he thought that this is what you really want to bargain for.
Although everyone was summoned in the name of joint action this time, these local officials obviously had their own little plans. Especially for the distribution of interests after the war, a rough framework must be negotiated before taking action, otherwise an old man like Xiao Liang will definitely miss the rabbit.
In terms of geographical location, the area currently being discussed is indeed relatively close to Manila. Of course, post-war management of occupied areas should also be assigned to Manila nearby. However, Xiao Liang obviously wanted to have reassurance, so he specifically included the Hispanic personnel. When management issues are brought up for discussion, this is to remind others not to reach into their own pot to fish out the meat.
Roger also understood Xiao Liang's purpose, and snorted coldly: "Of course it is your Manila who has the final say on the Philippine Islands. But southward across the Celebes Sea, apart from the Spanish territory, if there is another If a new colony is established, the governance will have to be discussed separately. ”
Upon seeing this, Feng Annan also expressed his position: "The focus of Annan's garrison has always been in the Indochina Peninsula. I personally don't have much interest in the Philippine Islands." Xiao Liang remained silent after hearing this, but his eyes silently turned to Qian Tiandun.
Qian Tiandun knew that if he didn't express his position, he probably wouldn't be able to completely reassure the other party, so he had to say at that moment: "My interest is not in the east, and I don't plan to have special warfare divisions stationed in Southeast Asia for a long time in the future. After the waterway in the Indian Ocean is opened, , I will continue to develop westward.”
Among all the people, Roger was the only one who recognized the plan the least, and only promised not to enter the Philippine Islands, the default sphere of influence of the Manila government. However, Xiao Liang did not express any objection, and smiled and thanked everyone, even if it was deemed that the agreement was valid.
A verbal agreement like this seems to lack effective constraints, but the people who concluded the agreement are generals with heavy troops, and the weight of their words is there, and no one dares to violate it easily.
Now that Xiao Liang made this move, everyone stopped hiding it and gradually laid out the conditions for dividing the sphere of influence they requested.
Feng Annan requested that all colonial areas established in the Indochina Peninsula in the future be placed under the name of Annan Garrison. This range can be described as huge, spanning the South China Sea and the Bay of Bengal, with six or seven countries in the area. Even measured by the territory of the Ming Dynasty, it is close to half of the country.
The Malay Peninsula, which extends from Indochina and forms the Strait of Malacca with Sumatra, is also among Feng Annan's requirements. It seems that he also wants to get a share of the Strait of Malacca, a key waterway connecting the East and West.
The Philippine Islands that Xiao Liang requested just now pale in comparison. Xiao Liang looked at the map of the South China Sea hanging on the wall and immediately regretted his decision. He should have been bolder and asked for more places.
However, Roger unceremoniously vetoed the content about the Strait of Malacca: "Old Feng, if you want the Indochina Peninsula, you can. I believe no one here will compete with you for this status. But the Strait of Malacca, I advise you to still Stop interfering, it’s good to have me in charge all these years, don’t make the simple situation too complicated!”
Feng Annan said: "In a place as big as the Strait of Malacca, you are in charge of this end of the South China Sea and I am in charge of the other end of the Indian Ocean. If both parties do not interfere with each other, isn't that the end of the world?"
Roger was unwilling to agree, but shook his head repeatedly, indicating that there was no room for negotiation on the matter.
Qian Tiandun couldn't help but frown secretly when he saw this. He didn't expect that these generals in Nanhai seemed to be in harmony, but in fact they were deeply separated, and they were all unwilling to suffer. It seems that getting these people to cooperate sincerely in external expansion is not as easy as I thought in advance.
(End of chapter)