Chapter 2894

"The area south of the Philippine Islands is not easy to clean up. There are many islands there and the sea conditions are complicated. Moreover, the Spanish and the Dutch have been operating there for many years and will not sit back and watch us enter the area. They may not dare to confront us head-on, but they may

Take advantage of the local environment to create some trouble for our actions."

Xiao Liang paused, and then said a fact that made everyone feel helpless: "Even in parts of the southern part of the Philippine Islands, there are still Spanish activities. If you want to completely eliminate them in that environment, it may be more difficult than

Old Qian, the situation is much more difficult than you expected."

Qian Tiandun frowned and said, "I remember that you started cleaning up the southern part of the Philippine Islands more than ten years ago, right? How come the progress is so slow?"

Xiao Liang smiled bitterly and said: "You are right. In 1937, the Military Intelligence Bureau had already sent spies to lurk in Cebu Port controlled by the Spanish, intending to find an opportunity to take over that place."

"From a comparison of strength, it will not be too difficult for us to defeat Cebu Port. The local defense strength is far inferior to that of Manila City. But it is more than 1,500 miles away from Manila. After we defeat it, we must maintain

We must invest a lot of resources in local governance. If the purpose is just to expel the Spaniards, then as soon as we withdraw, they will come back."

"Based on the situation at that time, we were unable to divide our troops to establish a new colony, and we had to prioritize ensuring the safety of the Manila area. We later sent troops to Cebu several times, but each time the other party only offered symbolic resistance and took the initiative to retreat into the interior.

Lushan District, wait until we leave before returning to the city."

"The area of ​​Cebu Island is one-eighth of that of Hainan Island. Near Cebu City is a mountainous area that stretches for dozens of miles. We are simply unable to carry out large-scale cleanup operations there, and the property seized is far from what we spent on the expedition."

Expenditure. The Spaniards have also begun to disperse their layout and no longer concentrate on development in one place, making our actions more difficult. All we can do is destroy Cebu Port and Cebu City, but in the final analysis, it is still difficult to expel the Spaniards

Southern Philippine Islands.”

When Xiao Liang said this, he spread his hands and said helplessly: "You can look at the area of ​​the southern part of the Philippine Islands. It is enough to cover a province, but there are thousands of islands there, including one as big as Cebu Island.

Double digits. Even if we increase the number of troops invested several times, it will be difficult to say that this area has been completely wiped out."

Feng Annan said: "Then what you mean is that we can't realize Lao Qian's plan?"

Xiao Liang shook his head and said: "That's not true. Lao Qian's plan is still feasible, but some detailed adjustments need to be made based on the local conditions."

Qian Tiandun responded: "Old Xiao, come and listen."

Xiao Liangdao: "First of all, it is difficult to achieve a quick victory in this area. We must be mentally prepared. The relevant military operations may last for many years, and our generation may not be able to see the day when the goal is truly achieved.

.”

Seeing that no one expressed any objection, Xiao Liang continued: "From the geographical distribution point of view, the Philippine Islands can be divided into three parts: northern, central and southern parts. The northern part is the Luzon Island area that we have achieved complete control of. The central part includes Suzhou.

The Visayan Islands, including Muda Island, are composed of seven large islands and hundreds of small islands. Although this area is included in our sphere of influence, due to various reasons, we have not achieved direct rule here, so there is still Spain

Traces of human activity.”

"As for the south, it is Mindanao. This island is as big as three Hainan Islands, and the Spanish still maintain many colonies in the south of the island. If we send troops from Manila, the voyage to the Spanish colony in Mindanao will be as long as following me across the South China Sea to Cam Ranh Port.

It’s not much different. If the purpose of our sending troops is just to wipe out and not establish local rule, the result may be similar to the attack on Cebu in the early years.”

“My suggestion is that we first establish strongholds and ports in the central Visayas, and then consider marching south. As for Kalimantan and Sulawesi further south, let’s wait until we control Mindanao!

"

Roger was already impatient and couldn't help but interjected: "Old Xiao, according to your plan, we have a steady and steady approach, but will the pace be too slow? If we advance so slowly, I will give you another twenty years.

, and it may not be possible to push it to the north coast of Australia that Lao Qian said!”

Xiao Liang said disapprovingly: "Does it cost nothing to fight? Does it cost nothing to build a city? Does it cost nothing to resettle immigrants? As long as you start to do it, everything will cost money! Even if those places are occupied, it will be difficult to survive.

Immediate return on income. Even if all the funds raised by war bonds are invested in the Philippines, it may not be enough! In the end, it is not up to the local government to put money in. I don’t have the conditions of your Star Island. I can make a lot of money by guarding the strait.

, don’t worry about spending money!”

Qian Tiandun finally understood. Xiao Liang's attitude tended to be conservative, hoping to steadily advance southward and achieve an economic balance. However, in this case, the progress of the action would inevitably be slow, and it would be impossible to meet the requirements of his plan.

If we really follow his wishes, it may be like what Roger said, and the Haihan army will still be circling in the Philippine Islands twenty years later.

Qian Tiandun stopped the argument between the two men with guns and sticks with a dry cough: "Of course it will not be easy to advance in the direction of the Philippine Islands, but I don't think it is as difficult as Lao Xiao said. Because we don't have to build the same thing locally as in China.

According to the ruling environment, we should do what the Spaniards did, and it would be enough to achieve colonial rule."

Xiao Liangdao: "But I want to remind you that the Spaniards have been operating in the southern Philippines much earlier than Manila. No matter how strong our infrastructure capabilities are, it will take a long time to build and operate colonial settlements. I am afraid that it is unlikely to reach this level in three to five years."

The same impact.”

Qian Tiandun shook his head and said: "Old Xiao, why are you going back the more you live? In the past, there were insufficient troops, and it was really not easy to clear such a large area. But the current situation is that we have enough troops to mobilize, so why bother?

We also need to build a colonial settlement by ourselves. We will just do it again as we learned how Manila came to be."

Xiao Liang frowned and said: "You mean to send troops to occupy the Spanish colonial points and then directly take them as your own? What about the population? It will take a lot of time and money to immigrate tens of thousands of people from the country."

Qian Tiandun said: "We will occupy the place first. Immigration can come slowly. Don't expel the local Spaniards. All the ordinary people will be detained as laborers and troops will be stationed to maintain local security. As long as they are given a stable living environment, they will be

It doesn’t really make much difference who rules. You can live a better life if you follow us. They can be loyal to the Kingdom of Spain, and of course they can choose to be loyal to us. How the Spaniards who stayed in Manila were governed before, just copy it."
Chapter completed!