Chapter 220 Trip to Vietnam (3)

If a strategic support point can be built at the location of the Tushan Peninsula, then the entire coastal area of ​​the Red River Delta can be effectively monitored. And the distance from here to the Black Earth Port is only about 40 nautical miles. Once something happens,

Black Earth Port also had enough time to provide support. Of course, the biggest difficulty in building a stronghold here is not the funds or materials, but the personnel.

The current resident population of Black Earth Port has exceeded 3,000, but the military and police strength is less than a hundred. If this manpower is only used as a defender of social order, it is enough, but if it is to be used as a military defense force or even as a vanguard of external expansion,

The team, so few people are really not enough. Moreover, the limited manpower has been divided into four parts, stationed in the mining area, residential area, port area and the floating water between Heitu Port and Hainan Island.

Zhoudao Supply Depot. It is obviously an unrealistic idea to draw manpower from this center to garrison the Tushan Peninsula.

Of course, there is a secret backup plan within the Military and Police Department, which is Qian Tiandun's proposal to have Heitu Port raise its own funds and personnel to form and train a combat force with mountain and jungle operations as its main combat areas.

.In this way, some manpower can be transferred from Kurotsucho Port to establish a long-term base on Doshan Peninsula.

This plan is not a problem in terms of personnel. There is a steady stream of immigrants arriving at Black Earth Port to slowly select. Even if you select only one in a hundred, you can select some good seedlings. The main difficulty is still in funds and ordnance. When Black Earth Port was first opened,

All investments come from the base camp. Both funds and ordnance are heavily dependent on the supply of the base camp. Without the support of the base camp, it will definitely not be realized. If this plan is reported directly to the executive committee, I am afraid it will be criticized by the opposition, so

Although the Black Earth Port has been open for two months, this plan has been put on hold waiting for the right opportunity.

Tao Donglai and others climbed up the hill at the southeastern end of the Tushan Peninsula. From here, you can have a bird's-eye view of the coast and sea within dozens of miles. You can clearly see Cat Ba Island, which is ten miles away across the sea, without using a telescope.

, and the estuaries of several rivers within Haiphong City are also within sight, making it indeed an excellent monitoring location.

"What a great place!" Tao Donglai couldn't help but sigh: "Occupying this place is equivalent to occupying the seaport in northeastern Vietnam!"

"Although this place is not big, one or two thousand people can be stationed if necessary. It is within a day's sail from Heitu Port and Fushuizhou Island. If military intervention in Vietnam is needed in the future, this place is really excellent.

A supporting point." Wang Tom added. It was his opinion that made the Military and Police Department notice the geographical importance of the Tushan Peninsula.

"The most important thing is that there are no threatening forces nearby." Xie Chun also joined the discussion: "We have repeatedly explored the sea area from Heitu Port to Thanh Hoa along the coastline several times, and no pirates were found.

Traces of the Vietnamese garrison closest to the Tushan Peninsula are already hundreds of miles away and are unlikely to pose a threat here. We only need to transport a few hundred laborers from the Black Earth Port and spend half a month repairing the barracks, docks and

With basic defense facilities and a small number of troops stationed, this place can be considered captured."

Tao Donglai glanced sideways at Xie Chun and asked with a smile: "Have you and Qian Tiandun already colluded?"

Xie Chun did not deny this: "We have indeed discussed it. It would be a pity to give up this place. Even if we have to pay some price, we should take it down! Even if we don't have enough soldiers now, we can move first.

Some people came to settle, just like we did on Fu Shuizhou Island, building supply depots first and then considering building military strongholds."

Tao Donglai nodded and said noncommittally: "The idea is good, but the strategic position of this place is much higher than that of Fushuizhou Island. I'm afraid it won't work without garrisoning troops."

"Whether we can garrison troops depends on Mr. Tao's performance in the executive committee." Xie Chun stared at Tao Donglai eagerly.

Tao Donglai smiled and said, "Don't worry, let's wait until we finish negotiating the business with the Vietnamese this time."

The reason why the fleet docked at Do Son Peninsula was because the Black Tu Port Management Committee had made an appointment with the other party to meet here. The other party hoped that the crossing group could send people directly to Hanoi to meet, but considering safety issues, in the end

The meeting place was set at the Tushan Peninsula. However, due to the inconvenience of communication in this era, the two parties only agreed on a rough meeting time in advance, and Tao Donglai and others arrived here two days earlier than the agreed time.

In order to comfort the crew and accompanying militiamen, a traditional seafood barbecue banquet was held on the shore that night. Beibu Gulf is a tropical and subtropical inland sea, and the natural conditions are very suitable for the rapid growth and reproduction of various marine life. It was also a famous fishing ground in later generations.

Marine biological resources are very rich. The crew just fished a few nets in the bay and pulled up a lot of good things.

After a hearty meal, Xie Chun rubbed his belly and said, "The most satisfying thing after time travel is that I can finally eat all-you-can-eat seafood for free!"

Tom Wang smiled and said: "No wonder you want to join the navy. It turns out you have this foodie mentality!"

Xie Chun waved his hand and said: "If it was just for food, I would have joined the catering group long ago. Brother, I got a second-level chef certificate back then."

"You are really versatile!" While talking, Tao Donglai also entered the tent where they lived: "We arrived a day or two early and have nothing to do. How about going to sea tomorrow and wandering around?

I want to visit Cat Ba Island.”

"Then we have to leave early. We only have about half a day." Wang Tom answered: "Just now, a telegram was sent from Heitu Port. Qian Tiandun will come in person tomorrow."

"He has to come, he was the one responsible for this deal." Xie Chun responded.

There are no people from the foreign trade port in the staffing of Black Earth Port. Therefore, after the Black Earth Port Management Committee initially proposed the goal of achieving economic independence as soon as possible through foreign trade means, the work of developing foreign trade could only be entrusted to the shipping and military police departments.

——Only people from these two departments have direct contact with Vietnam.

Qian Tiandun, who has the goal of expanding the military, is very enthusiastic about self-raising funds, and Xie Chun, who is in charge of shipping affairs, is also a military fan. The two hit it off. As for this method of opening up foreign trade channels, although both of them are

A layman, but after the two cobblers got together, they still came up with a stupid idea.

Qian Tiandun first obtained information about the existing residents of Heitu Port from the civil affairs department, found out those few literate immigrants, and began to interview them one by one. Qian Tiandun believed that in a purely agricultural country like Vietnam, people who can study can

Literate people definitely have a relatively good family environment, and of course they have more knowledge and social connections than ordinary people.

Qian Tiandun's purpose was very simple, that is, he wanted to find people among the immigrants who could get in touch with the Vietnamese side. However, this method, which was like a blind cat catching a mouse, actually paid off. They actually found people among the immigrants.

Find a guy who is said to be a distant relative of a powerful person.

This immigrant named Zheng Lin is said to be related to King Zheng Song of Ping'an. He was separated from his family while fleeing north. He later fled to Thanh Hoa with other refugees, and then was inexplicably taken on a boat to Black To Port. After arriving here

Because he was still somewhat educated, he was assigned to the coal mine to count the miners' work results. Except for the heavy coal ash, it was still a relatively easy position.

However, Qian Tiandun and Xie Chun were not familiar with Vietnamese history, and they did not know who the Ping An King Zheng Song was. Not only did they not know, but no one in the entire Black Earth Port knew about it, so in the end they could only

Request help from base camp via telegraph.

Later, a long telegram sent from the base camp solved their doubts. The background of this King of Ping An, Zheng Song, was not small. Zheng Song’s father, Zheng Jian, was a powerful minister of the Later Li Dynasty. He was once named a "capital general, controlling various countries.

He was in charge of all the camps in the water, and was in charge of Pingzhang's military and state affairs at home and abroad. He was also the grand master and the Duke of Liang. He also represented the Li Dynasty that ruled the south many times in the 16th century and led troops to the northern expedition to the Mo Dynasty. After Zheng Jian died of illness in 1570, his second son

Zheng Song quickly took his place and continued the Northern Expedition. In 1591, he finally captured Thang Long Palace and annihilated the two emperors of the Mo Dynasty. As a result, Zheng Song was sold to the "King of Ping An" by Hou Li Shizong in 1599.

of title.

However, the domestic political situation in Vietnam has always been chaotic. After the success of the Northern Expedition of the Later Le Dynasty, this chaotic situation did not change. Soon Zheng Song became the actual person in power of the Later Le Dynasty, and forced the death of Le Jinzhong and supported the establishment of the

The puppet queen Le Shen Tong became the emperor, and this was one of the triggers that formed the current military confrontation between the north and the south. After that, the Nguyen family, which had separatized the south, announced that it had severed all relations with the Zheng family and did not recognize that it was under the control of the Zheng family.

The Hou Li regime was followed by the Civil War starting in the summer of 1627.

However, before this new round of the North-South War began, Ping An King Zheng Song had already died in the internal strife of the Zheng family in 1623. Zheng Song's current successor is his eldest son Zheng Jie, who was titled King of Qingdu.

At that time, the Nguyen family in the south had controlled most of Guangnan, Hue and Champa. It had become an independent kingdom and had posed a great threat to the Zheng family in the north. Therefore, Zheng Zhi launched the war in 1627.

launched an attack on the Ruan clan in the south.

As for the immigrant named Zheng Lin who Qian Tiandun and others found in Black Tu Port, in terms of kinship, he and Zheng Zhi, who is currently in power in northern Vietnam, are distant uncles and nephews. Although they are a bit far apart, they are still

Or relatives.

As long as they are relatives, they can establish relationships with North Vietnamese dignitaries. This is exactly the kind of connections that Black Earth Port needs. Qian Tiandun immediately brought up this Zheng Lin, sent him to the coast near Haiphong, and sent more than a dozen

A naturalized citizen escorted him all the way back to Hanoi. Qian Tiandun's purpose of doing this was very simple, that is, he hoped to convey his trade wishes to the Vietnamese dignitaries in the north through Zheng Lin. The Black Earth Port was not worried about not receiving a reply from the other party.

, because the trade item they proposed was salt that the current North Vietnamese regime could not refuse.

Sure enough, the fleet sent to escort Zheng Lin did not wait at the seaside for too long. Five days later, the envoy sent from Hanoi arrived here by boat. After seeing the refined salt samples provided by Heitu Port, the other party quickly reached an agreement.

A trade agreement stipulates the transaction price, time and place of delivery.

Behind this North Vietnamese business group, it is said that Zheng Zha, the son of King Zheng Zha of the Qing Dynasty, participated in the operation. This Zheng Zha was not an unknown person. In history, he succeeded Zheng Zha in 1654 and became the Zheng family regime.

The next generation of people in power, and at the request of Emperor Kangxi during the San Francisco Rebellion of the Qing Dynasty, he joined forces with the Qing Dynasty army to fight against Wu Sangui.

However, Zheng Zha, who is only 21 years old, is currently only a second-generation official and is not yet able to interfere in Vietnam's domestic political situation. However, for a privileged class like Zheng Zha, taking advantage of the opportunity of the North-South War to make some money from the national crisis is not a problem.

It is an easy thing to do. With Zheng Zha's protection, the first two salt transactions were successfully completed. After that, Qian Tiandun expressed the sale of weapons to the other party through the established news channels.

Especially the desire for firearms.

The arms trade and the smuggling of salt are two completely different concepts. The other party is obviously very cautious about this. After several meetings and back-and-forth messages, the time and place of the meeting between the two parties were determined. Only then did Black Earth Port feed back the news.

He arrived at the base camp and hoped that the base camp would send high-level officials to attend the meeting, because it was said that a powerful figure from the other side would also attend, most likely the future ruler of North Vietnam, Zheng Zha.

If this deal can be negotiated, it will greatly advance the time for Vietnam to enter the era of hot weapons. In the original history, it was not until 1642 when Zheng Jie attacked the Nguyen family that the North Vietnamese army used Dutch weapons on the battlefield for the first time.

The artillery provided by others was used as a means of attack. The artillery that the Crossing Group can now provide to the North Vietnamese regime has surpassed its competitors 15 years later in terms of performance.

After breakfast the next morning, Tao Donglai and others boarded the "Speed", which was operated by Wang Tom himself and left the Tushan Peninsula. Regarding the establishment of a strategic support point on the Tushan Peninsula, Tao Donglai

I agree in principle. However, hearing is believing and seeing is believing. You still have to see the surrounding geographical conditions with your own eyes, so Tao Donglai had to seize this little time and take a boat out to sea to inspect the surrounding environment.

The "Speed" first went south and took a circle along the coastline, then turned back and headed north, and drove along the river estuary to the center of Haiphong in later generations, and checked out the small fishing village there. But that small fishing village had long been gone.

The houses are empty, and most of the villagers have moved to Heitu Port to settle down.

Next, the "Speed" made a large circle along the periphery of Cat Ba Island and took a rough look at this island, which covers an area of ​​more than 100 square kilometers and is the largest in the entire Halong Bay. This island is mostly undulating.

The proportion of hills and flat land that can be used for agricultural reclamation is very small, but there are many rare tree species on the island, and the scenery is also very beautiful. This trip is more accurately said to be a sightseeing tour than an inspection tour.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the "Speed" completed its inspection trip and returned to the Tushan Peninsula. An hour later, the sailboat sailing from Black Earth Port also appeared in sight.

Qian Tiandun stepped off the gangplank and first saluted Tao Donglai as a military salute. Tao Donglai returned the salute and then shook hands with him and said with a smile: "You've tanned a lot!"

"I can't help it. Now I stay outdoors every day, and I can't live in vain." Qian Tiandun responded with a wry smile.

Tao Donglai caught a glimpse of Takahashi Minami standing upright behind him, and praised him by the way: "I heard that Corporal Takahashi performed very well here in Kurotsuchang Port!"

Hearing this, Gao Qiaonan raised his chin a lot and responded loudly: "This is all the trust of the Executive Committee and Lieutenant Qian!"

Tao Donglai smiled, reached out and patted Qian Tiandun on the shoulder and said, "Good training!"

After a brief exchange of greetings, several responsible persons entered the tent set up on the shore and began to discuss the next work. Tomorrow is the agreed time to meet with the other party, and there are still many transaction details that need to be discussed and determined by everyone.

From Tao Dong's point of view, business negotiations are actually another kind of military march. Only by mastering as much information as possible in advance and knowing yourself and the enemy can you make more accurate judgments. Therefore, after sitting down, he went straight to the point and asked Qian Tian
To be continued...