Chapter 2242

Regarding the military operations against the Qing Dynasty, what Schneider said is basically the truth. North Korea does have plans to counterattack the Qing Dynasty to avenge it, but considering the actual situation, this plan will not be put into action in the near future.

After last year's war, the North Koreans have a relatively clear understanding of their own military strength. They know that the gap between them and their opponents is too great to be able to fight on a frontal battlefield. Moreover, last year's war destroyed nearly half of North Korea's territory.

Being involved in the war, many towns in the north were turned into ruins, and the national strength was greatly affected. So far, large areas are still in the state of post-war reconstruction. The materials and funds used to maintain the operation of the country are very tight, and it is basically impossible to survive in the country.

Launch a large-scale foreign war in a short period of time.

According to normal planning, North Korea must at least wait until the new army is formed and accumulates certain practical experience through small-scale armed operations before considering revenge against the Qing Dynasty. Of course, the most important point is that such an action must first win

Without Haihan's full support, otherwise North Korea's own military power alone, even with the new army, would still be difficult to challenge the Qing Dynasty.

The one who is really willing to launch a military attack on the Manchus in the near future is actually not North Korea, but Haihan.

After learning that the military technology of the Hirado clan might flow into the Qing Dynasty, Haihan had already thought of taking a preemptive strike. However, this possibility and the subsequent impact have not yet been confirmed.

Although Haihan's military strength is significantly higher than that of its opponent, if it wants to initiate a large-scale war in the Liaodong region, relying solely on the strength of the local garrison will still be insufficient, so it must find a way to supplement the combat troops.

Deploying troops from the south to reinforce Liaodong was a method commonly used by Haihan in the past when the situation on the Jinzhou defense line was tense. However, if the combat method is active attack rather than passive defense, then relying on the deployment of one's own troops may still be far from meeting the needs of the operation.

After all, when it comes to taking the offensive, the Haihan Army's battlefield is no longer a defense line only a few miles wide. It is just the peninsula area of ​​Liaodong, which is slightly smaller than Hainan Island. It is necessary to clear and defend such a large area.

The difficulty will be even higher than defeating the Qing army.

The opinion of the Ministry of National Defense is that it is necessary to introduce allied forces into such a big move. However, the allied forces that have a certain combat effectiveness and can cooperate with the Haihan Army actually have a small range of choices. There are only three left and right.

Just four houses.

As for whether these allies are willing to send troops to help, the Executive Committee and the military are not completely sure about this, because this kind of action is difficult to say is profitable, and if one is not careful, it will fall into the quagmire of a long-term war. And Haihan

The size of the troops that allies and allies can deploy to Liaodong will not be too large, and their ability to withstand casualties will be relatively limited. If the risks of a war far outweigh the benefits, then even allies may not be willing to send troops. This is a very real problem.

.

Therefore, when the time comes, senior officials from Haihan will test the attitude of these allies and offer some benefits to see if the other party has the idea of ​​cooperating in sending troops. If the benefits offered can interest the other party, then it can be

The military will follow up and conduct further negotiations.

But now it seems that the Portuguese are obviously not so impulsive. Even Thomas is not a military professional, but he has already keenly realized that Schneider's proposal is not a simple task, and he declined it politely.

When Thomas saw that Schneider did not show any displeasure because of his attitude, he relaxed a little and continued: "Actually, I have never quite understood why your country must be an enemy of the Qing Dynasty thousands of miles away. I know

That country has almost no maritime armed forces. If you want to threaten your country, you must first penetrate the entire Ming Dynasty from south to north, and this is obviously impossible..."

"...What I want to say is that there is absolutely no need for your country to invest so many troops and resources in the ice and snow in the far north. The output there simply cannot offset the expenses you have incurred. If you must invest in the far north,

The north has been operating a port for a long time, and I think North Korea may be a better choice. At least you won't have to worry about the Qing army launching a surprise attack on your defense lines one night."

Schneider just listened with a smile and did not immediately explain. As for Haihan's deployment in the Liaodong region, he personally did not particularly agree with the executive committee's resolution, but it was a collective decision after all.

As a member of Haihan, you must also abide by the rules of the game.

Thomas is right about one thing. Haihan's investment in the Liaodong region is far greater than the income gained from the local area. From an economic point of view, this is definitely a bloody business. Counting from the launch of the Jinzhou Campaign,

Haihan has invested astronomical amounts of money in Liaodong over the years. If it is just to maintain a trading port that also functions as a military base, then Shandong Zhifu Port and North Korea's Datong River Base will be better choices. In the Liaodong region,

, there are no trading partners for Haihan at all, only enemies who will never stop fighting.

Of course, Schneider also understands that the decision of the Executive Committee cannot simply be measured by economic benefits. Part of the Executive Committee's approach is the obsession of the senior officials as Han Chinese to change the historical trend of this period, and the other part is out of the long-term.

Strategic considerations, controlling the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea areas, maintaining military pressure on the Manchus, and in exchange for Ming's compromise and North Korea's surrender, played an important role in Haihan's development in East Asia.

However, Schneider could not explain these factors clearly to the Portuguese. After all, with the Portuguese's understanding of the world, it was difficult to understand Haihan's forward thinking and strategic planning. Moreover, Schneider vaguely felt that Thomas had told him in detail

The various advantages and disadvantages of the Liaodong strategy may have other purposes. He also wanted to hear more about what the other party intended to express.

Then Thomas continued: "... Your country has a strong military, but it should be used in more suitable places. Use these invincible troops to gain more economic benefits for your country."

"Where do you think a more suitable place is?" Schneider heard this and promptly cooperated with the other party to ask the question so that he could continue to expand the topic.

Thomas said: "South China Sea! Why don't you transfer your country's troops back to the South China Sea? We can work together to clean up the native tribes on Borneo, the Philippine Islands, Sumatra Island and Java Island, and carve up those vast and fertile lands without worrying about it.

There will be powerful enemies jumping out to fight us!"

"Mr. Thomas, I must remind you that there are more than just our two countries in the South China Sea." After hearing what the other party said, Schneider roughly understood what he was thinking, but he did not think that this proposal was very credible.

Operability.

"Of course, there are many countries in the South China Sea, as well as your country's allies, the Annan Kingdom and the Champa Kingdom. They can also participate, and we can negotiate a reasonable distribution method so that all participants can benefit from it!

"Thomas, however, slightly misunderstood Schneider's meaning, thinking that the other party was reminding him not to forget Haihan's allies in the South China Sea.

Schneider shook his head slightly and said: "Your Excellency probably has never thought about how many people we have to move to occupy so much land. Borneo alone is almost as big as twenty Hainan Islands, and we don't have that many

It doesn’t make much sense for our country to fill these places with a small population and create a few small colonial towns.”

"As long as we conquer the local area, we can use the local natives as slaves. We don't need to immigrate too many people, as long as we can ensure effective control over the place." Thomas didn't agree with Schneider.

Agree.

Portugal has colonies all over the world and has rich practical experience in how to conquer and rule the local indigenous people. However, Portugal itself is only a small country in southern Europe with a population of only one million. It is impossible to export a large number of people to the outside world. In most cases, it only

Colonial development and construction can be carried out through the rule and enslavement of indigenous people.

However, there are obvious differences between Haihan's overseas colonial model and Portugal's approach. Haihan's population is mainly Han, and the development and construction of colonies also follow the traditions of farming nations. The first is to open up wasteland and cultivate agricultural land.

Laying a solid foundation for immigrants to settle in the local area. The Southeast Asian natives, who are lazy by nature and have poor cultural understanding, are not ideal candidates for Haihan to rule.

"There is a big difference between our country and your country on how to run colonies. What is suitable for your country may not be suitable for our country." Schneider smiled and refuted the solution given by Thomas.

Thomas immediately responded: "I'm sorry, I don't mean to dictate to your country. This is just a small suggestion based on our country's experience. I think your country will definitely find a better way to achieve this."

Rule over these areas."

Schneider said: "Mr. Thomas, let's be honest. Your purpose is actually to further suppress the scope of activities of your competitors in the South China Sea, right?"

Thomas's expression did not change at all: "If it can have such an effect, then of course I will be happy to see it."

Although Thomas refused to admit it, Schneider believed that the real purpose of the other party's suggestion to Haihan to use troops in the South China Sea was to take advantage of the situation to suppress competitors, such as the Netherlands and Spain. If these countries try to resist during this process, it is very likely that

It will lead to a military attack by Haihan, and Portugal will also be the direct beneficiary.

Of course, there may be another reason that Thomas will never mention, that is, Haihan may be crowned the real king of the South China Sea, but it may also cause him to fall into trouble because of his attacks in the South China Sea.

In the long-term state of war, the national strength will be weakened to a certain extent, which is also a good result for Portugal.

Schneider shrugged and said: "This is a thankless task for our country. We do not intend to take the initiative to go to war with any country unless necessary."

"Perhaps several other adults on the executive committee will have different ideas." Thomas still refused to give up his idea.

Schneider shook his head and said: "I can assure you that between the two opponents of the Nanhai natives and the Qing Dynasty, the Executive Committee will definitely choose the latter without hesitation. Although I cannot give you a clear explanation, please

I believe that every decision made by the executive committee has sufficient reasons. We have a very clear understanding of who to choose as our opponent and will not change it easily."

Thomas could hear the resolute attitude reflected in Schneider's answer. He also knew that it would be useless to say more in this situation, so he had no choice but to respond: "I respect the decision made by your country's executive committee. But maybe at some point in the future

Over time, the Executive Committee's views on the international situation will also change. If your country wants to take the measures I just proposed in the South China Sea, then don't forget to call us."

"Of course, if we have any large-scale military operations, we will notify our allies in advance. Please rest assured about this." Schneider responded calmly.

Although the military alliance established by Haihan seems to be beautiful and has fought many beautiful battles under Haihan's leadership over the years, each force as a member also has its own interests and demands. Schneider is also in charge of foreign affairs.

The senior executive committee officials are naturally aware of this.

Although the Portuguese assessed the situation very early and chose to cooperate with Haihan, as a colonial power in this era, they probably would not be able to completely obey Haihan's words easily, and would definitely prioritize their own country's interests.

Whenever there is an opportunity, the Portuguese will use the military alliance formed by Haihan to suppress their Western competitors. For example, when they conquered Manila last year, Portugal's performance was quite active.

For opponents that have nothing to do with them, Portugal will obviously be much less enthusiastic. Last year, when they supported North Korea in resisting the Qing Dynasty, the Portuguese obviously chose to send troops with Haihan because of their trade rights after the war. This year, Haihan organized

During the expedition to Hirado, Japan, the Portuguese were worried that their interests in Japan would be damaged, so they did not involve combat troops at all. They only sent a small number of personnel to Japan as military observers with the coalition forces. Their mission was to ensure that local Portuguese merchants

and overseas Chinese will not be accidentally injured by the Haihan army in the war.

In the Liaodong area mentioned by Schneider earlier, Portugal has no direct interests there, but it needs to invest a lot of manpower, material and financial resources to go to war, and bear the risk of casualties. For the shrewd Portuguese, these objective circumstances are obviously necessary.

conditions to be considered.

The Portuguese will not participate in a business that is unprofitable or even risky to lose money. And Thomas's proposal is more like a condition of exchange - I can send troops to help you clean up the Qing Dynasty, but then you also have to have a stronghold in the South China Sea.

Just what you said will do.

It's just that such an exchange condition didn't feel necessary to bargain for the time being in Schneider's opinion, so he didn't relent in front of Thomas in the end.
Chapter completed!