Chapter 3471
Gao Qiaonan has followed Qian Tiandun for many years, and is no longer the warrior he was before who could only fight on the battlefield. His understanding and application of military means were also deeply influenced by Qian Tiandun, and he would no longer use victory on the battlefield as the only criterion for measuring the success of military operations.
To subjugate an enemy without fighting is the highest level of using military means.
The purpose of the special operations division's march to Ceylon Island was to establish a colonial stronghold and port here as a springboard for Haihan to continue its westward expansion. If necessary, they would even go to war with Western colonial countries such as Portugal and the Netherlands.
But war is not an end, but a means to an end. If things can be done without fighting, then there is no need to use force.
Now that the Special Warfare Division wants to establish a foothold in the Indian Ocean, the cost of infrastructure projects just to occupy these islands is quite huge, and has even far exceeded the military expenditure allocated by the country to the Special Warfare Division. These islands will not bring much economic benefits to the special warfare division in the short term. The development projects are basically done by Qian Tiandun himself with his own money. As his confidant, Gao Qiaonan certainly knows that he needs to save money at the moment. Province.
If we can avoid fighting one less battle at this stage, we may be able to save money on building a port here in Hambantota. Even if it is a small-scale battle, it can at least save the cost of building a few warships.
The current situation in Ceylon Island allows Gao Qiaonan to see some kind of shortcut - perhaps the special operations division can make all parties recognize Haihan's interests in Ceylon Island without actually taking action.
The Portuguese's initiative to ask for help provided an opportunity for the special operations division to intervene. However, Takahashi Minami will not agree so easily. If he doesn't take the opportunity to manipulate the other party at this juncture, when will he wait?
Therefore, in the face of Conceicao's request for help, Takahashi Minami resorted to official rhetoric, saying that he had no right to make the decision, and that Portugal needed to submit a formal application through diplomatic channels, and only after approval by the Executive Committee could it take action.
Theoretically speaking, there is nothing wrong with Takahashi Minami's statement. This is the formal process for handling this matter. It is reasonable, legal and in the interests of the special warfare division.
But the problem is that the Portuguese don't have that much time to complete this process.
They felt it was too late to even rescue Goa, let alone such a troublesome diplomatic process?
Even if he immediately set off for Sanya, and was able to meet with the Executive Committee immediately after arriving, persuade the senior officials of Haihan to support him, and immediately notify the Ceylon garrison via telegram to send troops to assist, it would still take almost a month.
After all, the sea voyage from Ceylon to Sanya is thousands of miles away, and the Portuguese cannot just fly directly to Sanya.
By the time the Haihan Executive Committee is settled and Takahashi South is dispatched, not only will the day lily be cold, but the garrison in Colombo will also be cold.
Naturally, Consicario would not be persuaded to quit so easily, and he seemed to have a certain understanding of the authority of the special warfare division. He immediately asked Takahashi Minami if there were other compromise methods that could save the tedious process in the middle. Obtain Executive Committee approval as soon as possible.
Takahashi Minami’s old behavior: “This is a matter according to the rules. There is no shortcut. Unless...this matter involves our country’s interests in Ceylon, then our ministry can handle it on a special basis and submit it directly to the Executive Committee.” If you apply through action, you don’t have to go through diplomatic channels.”
Of course, Consicario could hear the pitfalls in Takahashi Minami's words, but at this time, the overall situation had to be the top priority, so he could only bite the bullet and ask how to implement the so-called "special handling".
Seeing that the other party handed over the words so cooperatively, Takahashi Nan stopped hiding it and revealed his true purpose: "If your country is willing to recognize that our country has the right to immigrate, trade and garrison troops on the Island of Ceylon, I can Try to persuade the Executive Committee to let our ministry mediate the dispute between your country and the Netherlands.”
"Just mediation?" Consicario was not very satisfied with Takahashi Minami's statement.
If Portugal recognizes several of the rights claimed by Takahashi Nan, it means that in the future, it will have to accept the reality that Haihan has a foothold in Ceylon, and this will inevitably affect Portugal's local interests. The exchange condition that Haihan was willing to pay for this was only to "mediate the dispute", not to send troops to help the war as Conceicao had previously proposed.
At least in the literal sense, the attitudes represented by these two are very different. It seems difficult to say whether this mediation can be effective quickly.
Under such circumstances, if you agree to the conditions requested by Haihan, you may end up failing to get the Dutch to retreat, and at the same time being taken advantage of by Haihan.
When Takahashi Minami saw that Consicario did not relent, he was not in a hurry to continue persuading him. Anyway, it's not Haihan who is anxious now. He has plenty of time to slowly deal with the other party.
He calmly explained to the other party that the so-called "mediation" actually meant informing the Dutch to cease the war immediately. If the Dutch refuse to listen and refuse to cooperate, then Heihan will take further action.
Conceicao asked doubtfully: "So you will still send troops, but you will not join the war immediately. Is this correct to understand?"
Takahashi Nando: "Your understanding is correct. If they did not feel enough pressure, the Dutch would not take the initiative to cease the war."
Consiccao continued to ask: "Then, general, if I agree to your conditions, when will the troops be dispatched at the earliest?"
Takahashi Minami asked: "Can you make a decision on behalf of your country?"
Conceicao solemnly said: "I was appointed by the current Governor of Ceylon, Antonio de Amaral de Menezes. The commitment I made can represent the Kingdom of Portugal and the distinguished King Alfonso VI. Your Majesty.”
Takahashi South Road: "Is it okay to sign a written agreement?"
Seeing that things were promising, Consicao naturally patted his chest to ensure that he had such qualifications and authority.
Takahashi Nan expected that he would not dare to speak nonsense about such a big matter. Dangjie said that as long as a written agreement was signed, he would immediately ask for instructions to send troops.
So both parties signed a written agreement immediately after the meeting.
In the agreement, the Portuguese side agreed to several conditions proposed by Gao Qiaonan and recognized Haihan's interests in Ceylon. As an ally, Haihan will also try his best to safeguard Portugal's interests in Ceylon.
Takahashi Nan immediately sent a telegram to Phuket to inform him of the situation and ask for instructions on the next step.
Qian Tiandun was overjoyed after receiving the telegram and immediately forwarded the telegram to Sanya to explain the situation.
However, the purpose of sending the telegram was just to report, and he did not need to wait for a reply from the Executive Committee. For the special operations division's overseas military operations, Qian Tiandun made his own decisions based on the situation, without waiting for instructions from the executive committee.
Of course, if a loophole is discovered because of this, Qian Tiandun, as the commander, will also have to bear the corresponding responsibility.
Qian Tiandun immediately issued instructions to Gao Qiaonan to wait for the opportunity and deal with it as appropriate, but try to avoid unnecessary fighting.