Chapter 223 Trip to Vietnam (6)

Zheng Zha had been hesitating for such a long time. Tao Donglai had already known in his mind that he might not agree immediately, so he was not too surprised when he heard the answer. Tao Donglai nodded and said: "I think Zheng

Sir, maybe you think that if you agree to our request, it will feel like the Black Earth Port is out of the control of Annan Kingdom, right?"

Zheng Zha nodded and said: "The rest of the conditions are negotiable, but your request regarding the black earth port... I'm sorry that I can't comply with it."

Tao Donglai would not give up his original plan just because of his words. Occupying the Black Earth Port was a strategic plan for the development of the Crossing Group. For this reason, the Crossing Group would even go to war with the North Vietnamese regime - of course, in this situation

Before this happens, the executive committee headed by Tao Donglai will try its best to find a peaceful solution to the problem.

"As for the status of Heitu Port, we can recognize that its sovereignty belongs to you. If necessary, you can send local officials to set up a governance office there, and the cost can be borne by us." Tao Donglai took the initiative to make a concession.

When it comes to sovereignty, whoever has the bigger fist has the final say, so Tao Donglai doesn't worry about what hidden dangers his words will leave for future expansion.

The current military strength of the Crossing Group is insufficient, and it is impossible to directly plant a flag to declare territorial ownership before occupying a place. Even in the face of a relatively weak opponent such as the North Vietnamese regime, it still needs to be more cautious in expressing its stance to avoid unnecessary consequences for itself.

troubles or even military conflicts. In a few years, when the crossing group has strong troops and begins to formally enclose the territory, the Executive Committee can openly and openly allocate all overseas colonization sites like Black Earth Port in the name of "since ancient times"

Draw them under your own territory, and if anyone refuses to obey, use muskets and cannons to beat them until they obey.

As for letting the North Vietnamese regime send officials to establish a governance center in Black Tu Port, that is even more trivial. As for how to deal with local government interference, there are already successful examples from the Yulin Inspection Department, and Black Tu Port can also follow the example.

Heitu Port will accept as many people as the North Vietnamese regime sends, which is nothing more than raising a few idle people, and the crossing group will not be short of rice.

Sure enough, Zheng Zha's face became a little brighter after hearing what Tao Donglai said, but he still refused to let go: "But I heard that the local area is rich in clean coal, and it has been continuously trafficked to the outside world since the opening of the port. This area belongs to our Annan government."

Under such circumstances, such behavior should be paid taxes to the government."

The boy can still climb up the ladder! Tao Donglai discovered that this Zheng Zha was not a second-generation official who didn't understand anything. If he wanted to fool him into lameness, he would have to work hard.

Tao Donglai thought for a while and responded: "We are willing to rent the Black Tu Port area from you by paying rent. In this way, you will have both sovereignty and income, so you will have the best of both worlds."

Xie Chun and Qian Tiandun, who were sitting next to them, couldn't help coughing. Tao Donglai gave Zheng Zha this idea. Isn't it the Vietnamese version of the concession in the 17th century? I pay the rent, and the sovereignty and governance belong to you.

Me, it’s just that after renting it out, it’s difficult to take it back.

Zheng Zha said in astonishment: "Rent?"

"That's right, it's for rent." Tao Donglai glared at the two people next to him and warned them not to make a show of themselves.

"We can use ten Haihan artillery pieces per year as rent to rent the uninhabited land in and around Heitu Port from you." Tao Donglai persuaded Zheng Zao seriously: "The place in Heitu Port is not of interest to you.

It has no actual value, it’s nothing more than coal buried underground. But I know that coal is also produced in the area north of Thang Long Province, so the coal from Black Tu Port is not a necessity for you, so you might as well leave that place to us.

Develop it and use it in exchange for the arms you need."

Zheng Zha coughed dryly and said: "Can I ask first, how much is the price of the artillery you are planning to sell?"

"Now that we've talked about it, let's ask Mr. Zheng to see the real thing first! Mr. Zheng will probably feel more at ease once he sees the real thing." Tao Donglai stood up and took the initiative to invite Zheng Zha.

As for the price, Tao Donglai was not in a hurry to report it to Zheng Zao. He firmly believed that Zheng Zao would be more accepting of the price after seeing the weapon target cover.

Zheng Zha didn't have any airs this time. He came here by boat from Shenglong Mansion just to see the guns and artillery of the Haihan people. But he didn't think beforehand that the content of this transaction was not simple.

It ended when the money and goods were settled, but it actually got involved in territorial issues. He didn't think too much about the Black Earth Port before coming. He just thought that when necessary, he could just send an army to take it back. He didn't

I thought that the Haihan people actually proposed so many twists and turns in order to protect their interests in that port.

In fact, Zheng Zha also thinks that what Tao Donglai said is not unreasonable. Coal is not a scarce resource for North Vietnam. There are coal mines in Taiyuan and Luping, north of Thang Long Province. Although there are still Mo's coal mines in the mountainous areas in the north,

The remnants of the dynasty have not been completely wiped out, but there are coal mines in Ruguan near Thang Long. Even if the Black Tu Port can be taken back now, there will be an extra place for coal production, which is not of great practical significance to North Vietnam. Not to mention that

It is said that the place has to be taken by sea ship for a long time from here, and transporting coal out is also a very troublesome matter. In Zheng Zha's opinion, it is far better to exchange the coal for more practical benefits.

Of course, this is because Zheng Zha didn't know how much coal was buried underground in Black Tu Port. If he knew that the coal there was much more than the coal in the entire area under the current North Vietnamese regime combined, then things might not have gone as planned.

Followed the idea designed by Tao Donglai.

But Zheng Zha was more cautious about Tao Donglai's offer of arms in exchange for rent. He had to see it with his own eyes to determine whether the Haihan people's arms were usable. As for the price, Zheng Zha really didn't care too much.

——The problem facing the North Vietnamese regime now is that there is no place to buy firearms, not the price of the supplier.

The preparations made by the Military and Police Department for the weapons demonstration this time can be said to be quite sufficient. An area was designated to build a shooting range on the peninsula one day in advance. All the specifications were copied according to the artillery training base of the base camp, including turrets, explosion-proof trenches, and distances.

Signs and earthen targets are all available. When Qian Tiandun came yesterday, he even brought more than ten domestic pigs from Heitu Port. These pigs are not used to comfort the crew or entertain guests.

Use it as a target and use bloody reality to prove the power of the weapon to the opponent.

Zheng Zha was also quite surprised when he saw a pig pen in the shooting range. He suddenly realized it after Qian Tiandun's explanation. However, he still had doubts about whether the artillery could hit these living targets at a distance of more than half a mile.

He suspected that although the power of artillery was great, its accuracy was very limited. If several consecutive shots missed, wouldn't the Haihan people lose their reputation?

Tao Donglai is not worried about this problem. Several of the guns used for demonstration have been calibrated and tested repeatedly when they were in Victory Port. They have detailed shooting tables to ensure the accuracy of the bullet impact point. After being transported here, they have been calibrated and tested many times.

Calibration, and test-fired two rounds yesterday afternoon. It can be said that the preparations have been foolproof.

The shooting range observation point is set on a nearby gentle slope, just opposite the gun emplacement and target. From here, you can clearly see the entire shooting process without a telescope. In the first stage of the test firing, six artillery will be used to bombard at the same time.

Pig Pen strives to bring the greatest visual shock to the North Vietnamese representatives who are watching at the first moment.

On this trip, the Military and Police Department sent out almost all existing gunners, and this was barely able to realize the weapons demonstration plan. Qian Tiandun, who was in charge of the command, used a long whistle to remind those present that the weapons demonstration had begun.

.The artillerymen from each gun position trotted in in columns and gathered at the gun positions to stand by.

"Mr. Zheng, among the six cannons you see now, the four in the middle are smaller in caliber and are called Type 27 A artillery. The two cannons at both ends are slightly larger in caliber and are called Type 27 B artillery.

These two kinds of artillery use specially-made gun mounts and a pull-rope ignition device exclusively developed by Haihan. Each gun can be flexibly operated by only four people..." Tao Donglai seized the time and introduced to Zheng Zha the method used to demonstrate this.

The situation of artillery.

The so-called Type A and Type B artillery are 6-pound guns and 12-pound guns respectively. However, this code name based on the weight of the shell can only be used internally. It is not easy to explain to customers what a "pound" is. And the caliber

For safety reasons, the Executive Committee will not sell the larger 18-pounder and 24-pounder guns to the outside world at this stage.

Next, under Qian Tiandun's whistle command, the artillerymen loaded ammunition in strict accordance with the operating procedures, and even pretended to take aim. Qian Tiandun pulled out the saber on his waist and pointed it diagonally at the sky, and at the same time made a short whistle.

, indicating that everything is ready.

Tao Donglai raised his hand. Qian Tiandun saw it from the corner of his eye and immediately swung his saber down. The gunner of the six-gun pulled the rope in his hand and fired the shell almost at the same time. This loud bang was still

Zheng Zha, who had been prepared for a long time, felt a thump in his heart. If he hadn't been sitting on a chair, he might have fallen to the ground with his legs weak.

The six shells flew across the distance from the gun position to the target almost instantly, using huge kinetic energy to tear the small wooden pigsty and the several pigs inside into pieces. This close range

The shock of watching it was so strong that Zheng Zha slumped down on his chair and was speechless for a long time.

"Mr. Zheng, let's go and take a closer look." Tao Donglai invited Zheng Zha with a smile.

Seeing the opponent's pale face, Tao Donglai felt very satisfied. The meticulous preparations he had done before were completely worth it to achieve the current results. Even Tao Donglai himself felt very happy when the cannonball hit the target.

Shocking, let alone Zheng Zha who had never seen such a scene.

After getting closer, the visual shock became more intense. The shells tore all the unlucky pigs into pieces. Blood and minced meat covered a large area within a radius of seven to eight feet, and even the air was filled with

There is a smell of blood that cannot be dissipated. You can completely imagine how much damage these artillery can cause if this is on the battlefield.

Zheng Zha looked at it for a few times and felt a little nauseous. He quickly signaled to Tao Donglai that he had seen enough. However, the live target shooting was over, but the test firing demonstration of the artillery did not end there. He waited for Zheng Zha and Tao Donglai to return to their seats.

After being mounted, the two most accurate artillery pieces began to demonstrate firing at fixed targets at different distances.

"Mr. Zheng, you can take a look at the accuracy of our artillery when targeting targets at different distances." Tao Donglai lost no time in continuing to introduce: "Our artillery produced by Haihan are all equipped with accurately calibrated shooting tables and sighting tools.

With these means, even a layman can quickly become a sharp artilleryman on the battlefield. As long as he is equipped with our artillery, he can easily kill ten times or even a hundred times the number of enemies with a small number of artillery units during the battle! No one can

No unit can resist this kind of artillery bombardment and still have the courage to continue fighting after being attacked like this! If you want to defeat the southern rebels with dignity on the frontal battlefield, artillery will be

One of your indispensable weapons!"

Zheng Zha had to admit that the artillery displayed by the Haihan people was extremely sharp. After seeing with his own eyes that these artillery easily destroyed several earthen fortresses a hundred feet away, Zheng Zha believed that this kind of weapon could not only be used in field battles.

——When Master Wang goes south with this kind of weapon, all the rebel cities will collapse under the roar of cannonballs!

Buy! This weapon must be bought! Zheng Zha has already made up his mind about this, and he must also try to convince the Haihan people not to sell this powerful weapon to the rebels in the south at the same time - maybe it is true

Should we seriously consider the other party’s previous suggestion of using artillery as rent?

After finally waiting for the demonstration to end, Zheng Zha asked impatiently: "I wonder how much the two types of artillery you demonstrated cost?"

Tao Donglai had already taken reassurance at this time, but he was not anxious at all. He said with a smile: "Mr. Zheng, don't worry, the price we quoted must be fair. In addition to artillery, we also have muskets for sale, Mr. Zheng

You might as well take another look at the musket produced by Haihan!"

Zheng Zha had no choice but to suppress his eagerness and wait to see the Haihan people's musket demonstration.

Because matchlocks were used for this musket demonstration, the array prepared by the Military and Police Department was a standard three-stage attack. Sixty militiamen had received a week of special training in Port Victory for this purpose.

This musket tactic will be demonstrated in three rows of twenty people. The targets for the demonstration will be the remaining live pigs.

Zheng Zhuo has a collection of several types of muskets in his home, including the French matchlocks from the West, the original Rumi guns from the Middle East, and the bird guns made by the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty. However, these collections are just

For the sake of entertainment, at most it can be used when hunting in the mountains and forests. As for the tactics of using this sharp weapon on the battlefield, this is the first time Zheng Zha has seen a demonstration. This is not his fault.

His knowledge is shallow. The number of muskets in Vietnam is actually limited, which is not enough to equip the army in an organized manner. Naturally, there can be no tactics at all. In his original idea, this kind of weapon should be used before fighting.

At the front of the military formation, just like the archers, they can shoot as many as they can. As for close combat, there is no need for weapons like fire sticks.

But the Haihan people's musket tactics demonstration really opened his eyes. Under the command of the officer's whistle, three rows of musketeers completed the steps of loading, aiming, shooting, and exchanging positions very neatly. It was full of rhythm and powerful.

It was very obvious - after the three rows of musketeers completed a shot, the pigs tied to the tree stumps a hundred steps away had all fallen. However, the musketeers still carried out the drill completely according to the content of the previous drill.

A ten-round rapid fire tactical demonstration was conducted.

After the demonstration, Tao Donglai once again invited Zheng Zha to observe the shooting results. In addition to several pigs that were beaten to pieces, a specially built earth wall behind them was also riddled with bullet marks. Tao Donglai
To be continued...