Chapter 720 Changes in the South China Sea

However, Roger's plan may not be realized in the near future. Compared with the current demand gap for officers in the Haihan Militia, the gap between the supply and demand of agricultural technicians in various overseas territories is even more obvious.

The core members of the Haihan Ministry of Agriculture are composed of agricultural expert Yuan Ruoxiu and his family. In recent years, as the old couple has grown older, their physical condition has become increasingly aging. They rarely leave Sanya and spend most of their time in Victory Fort.

He showed up at important meetings and helped the younger generations formulate and review plans for some large-scale agricultural reclamation projects. Currently, the leading roles in the Ministry of Agriculture are Yuan Ruoxiu's only son Yuan Qiuye and his apprentice Gao Huan. Yuan Ruoxiu's professional field is cash crops, but he did not inherit his father's business.

It was not Yuan Qiuye who specialized in poultry and livestock, but his apprentice Gao Huan.

In the five years since time travel, Gao Huan has naturally accepted many naturalized apprentices and passed on his knowledge of cash crops. However, a mere few dozen apprentices are not enough to cover the agricultural development needs of Hainan Island.

Hainan Island has a land area of ​​more than 30,000 square kilometers. According to rough calculation, each of his senior agricultural technicians is responsible for an area of ​​several hundred square kilometers.

Of course, this calculation method is not accurate. There are not that many areas on Hainan Island that can be developed as agricultural land, and more than half of the agricultural land is grain farmland. The land area used to grow cash crops is actually relatively limited.

Haihan started to make his fortune in Sanya after crossing over, and the commercial crop planting areas he developed were basically concentrated in the southern coastal areas and the mountainous areas of central and southern China. Gao Huan and his group of apprentice technicians were more diligent, but they could barely manage

It covers cash crop plantations in parts of Qiongnan and Qiongzhong.

However, with the continuous expansion of Haihan's sphere of influence, especially overseas territories, in recent years, cash crop plantations have gradually become an important project for generating income in overseas territories. Even areas like Hong Kong Island, where re-export trade is the main business project, are also trying to

It is necessary to start the construction of mountain plantation parks in the island's Victoria Peak, Cameron Hills, Xiao Ma Shan, Jardine's Lookout and other areas.

Currently, the planned plantations on a small island in Hong Kong alone include more than 20 varieties of cash crops. Among them, oil crops include oil palm, cashew nuts, etc.; spice crops include lemongrass, pepper, basil, and vetiver.

etc.; fiber crops include abaca, cassia, ramie, Javanese kapok, etc.; beverage crops include coffee, cocoa, tea tree; medicinal materials include Amomum villosum, Morinda citrifolia, areca nut, Panax notoginseng, etc.; the most varieties of fruits include banana, lychee,

Pineapple, mango, avocado, longan, pumpkin, guava, etc.

Of course, these crops are not necessarily suitable for planting in the natural environment of Hong Kong Island. The first batch of these commercial crops planted still have a certain experimental nature. If the planting effect is not satisfactory, other crops may be replaced in a few years.

The Haihan Territory, which is based on several coastal ports in southern Annan, generally follows the same approach, except that the list includes rubber trees, coconut trees and some unique crop varieties in tropical areas.

Compared with the Ambrosia Islands, which are isolated in the sea, whether it is Hong Kong or Annan, the labor demand generated by large-scale plantation development can be more easily solved by relying on the mainland, while the Ampur Islands have to purchase slaves in large quantities.

To alleviate the local labor shortage. In the short term, the cost of developing plantations in the Ambrosia Islands will undoubtedly be higher than that in the mainland. If Roger wants the Ministry of Agriculture to take special care of the plantations in the Ambrosia Islands, then probably

We can only pay higher wages to hire agricultural technicians and move south.

However, this application process is not a simple point-to-point operation from Ambon Island to the Ministry of Agriculture. In fact, due to the scarcity of agricultural technicians and the agricultural technology knowledge they possess, in this era, only a very small number of people can access it.

It is a black technology, so relevant applications and transfers must be approved by the Ministry of Security before they can be submitted to the Executive Committee for approval.

Fortunately, although the Ambuna Islands are small and remote, there is Li Dagui, a former field worker of the Ministry of Security, working as a cadre on the island, so there is a link between the Ambuna Port Management Committee and the Haihan Security Department.

Unofficial communication channel. With Li Dagui's mediation, the Ministry of Security quietly approved the application for the Ambrosia Islands.

The Ambrosia Islands now have garrisons, industries, and a continuously increasing population. If there is anything else that worries Roger, it is probably the Dutch in the south. Although the two sides had reached an armistice at the end of last year

Agreement, but it is just a truce. Since the Netherlands has suffered more than one defeat on the battlefield last year, the relationship between the two sides is far from harmonious. The main precautions for the troops stationed by Haihan on Ambrosia Island are

The target is still the Dutch in Batavia.

Although Batavia is more than 600 nautical miles away from the Ambrosia Islands, the Tammelan Islands, the closest maritime stronghold of the Dutch, is actually less than 200 nautical miles south of the Ambrosia Islands. It only takes two or three days to calculate.

It’s just a voyage.

This place was still occupied by the island natives when the Indian fleet from the Middle East attacked Port Ambuna last year. However, after the Dutch suffered a defeat in the Battle of Port Ambuna, they quickly realized the importance of losing the Ambuna Islands.

Seriousness. During the armistice agreement negotiated between the Dutch and Haihan last year, the East India Company once again sent out an armed fleet to attack and seize control of the Tamerlan Islands. The Dutch's purpose was to compare the distance to the Ambuna Islands.

An advanced base was set up nearby to monitor the movements of Ambona Port on the one hand, and to prepare for the next counterattack on the other.

However, the Dutch's move did not have much practical effect, because they soon learned that the control of the Ambrosia Islands had changed hands, and the mysterious pirates who defeated them were expelled from the local area by the Haihan Militia.

Compared with the rootless pirates, the Haihan militia with outstanding achievements in the South China Sea in recent years is obviously more difficult to deal with. Based on the situation of the East India Company at the time, it would definitely be an extremely unwise choice to start a full-scale war with Haihan. In the end, the Dutch could only

The mute eats Coptis chinensis, acknowledging Haihan's control over the Ambunas Islands.

The change of sovereignty of the Temeilan Islands has not been hidden from Haihan's eyes. At the end of last year, a Daming maritime merchant took the initiative to inform Haihan of this change. However, compared with the nervousness of the Dutch, the people who took over the Ambunas Islands in the second half of last year

Roger didn't care that much about the Dutch on the Tamerlan Islands. This is because compared to the Ambunas Islands in the north and Bangka Island and Belitung Island in the south, the conditions in the Tamelaan Islands are really not the same.

It is a suitable place for development and construction.

Although the Temeran Islands are composed of seventeen islands, the only one that barely meets the standards for harbor construction is the natural harbor on the main island of Temeran. However, there are a large number of shallow coral reefs in this harbor, which is not

It is suitable for construction as a large commercial port or military port, barely at the level of a fishing port. Secondly, the island is too small, there are no valuable products on the island, and there is no natural environment suitable for development into food farming land. There are no Dutch immigrants voluntarily coming.

There are no conditions for settling in a place like this, let alone garrisoning troops. Therefore, although he knew that the Dutch had taken control of the Tamailan Islands, Roger was not particularly worried about this place. If the situation required, he would be ready at any time.

You can take the troops stationed on the island south and kill all the small number of Dutch stationed there.

What Roger is really worried about is that after the Dutch have calmed down in Southeast Asia, they will reorganize their maritime armed forces to seize the Ambrosia Islands. Although Roger is not afraid of war, this does not mean that he will be willing to fight with them on their own territory.

The enemy fought against each other - even if there was to be a fight in the future, he hoped that the battlefield would be on the Dutch territory in the south, rather than on the Ambrosia Islands, a place where he had put a lot of effort.

Since Roger took over the Port of Ambuna in August last year, except for the period when he went to Fujian to participate in the war, he has been busy with various local construction and development affairs almost every day. Moreover, the Ambuna Islands are due to their geographical location and natural environment.

It is quite special and is subject to many restrictions in terms of development. For example, applying for a senior agricultural technician to be stationed on the island must be approved by the Ministry of Security. This causes Roger to have to devote more energy to coordinating relationships with all aspects. If in the future

The Ambrosia Islands were to be used as a battlefield in the sea-Dutch conflict, which was definitely unacceptable from Roger's point of view.

Haihan's current policy is to introduce a large number of immigrants from the outside world, and the main source must be the war-torn Ming Dynasty. Haihan sent troops to attack Penghu in advance, part of the purpose is to open up the waterway from the South China Sea to the north as soon as possible, and absorb immigrants from the northern part of the Ming Dynasty

Refugees from war-torn areas. In the foreseeable next two or three years, Haihan's main expansion direction will probably be on the northern continent, and will no longer actively provoke disputes and start wars in the South China Sea. At most, it will be

The military has gradually increased the number of troops stationed on Amborna Island so that more troops can adapt to the combat environment in tropical maritime areas.

The Dutch's stronghold on the island of Taiwan can monitor Haihan's movements nearby. If the Dutch realize that Haihan's strategic focus is shifting to the Ming Dynasty and there are signs of intervening in the Ming Dynasty's civil war, they may make another move to recapture An'er.

Once the war breaks out again, all Roger's administrative measures in Port Ambrosia will turn into bubbles. Even if the Dutch can be defeated here, the industry on the island will be greatly affected. This is why

A sight that Roger didn't want to see.

However, this worry completely disappeared on the morning of July 4th - a merchant ship returning to Ming Dynasty from Batavia brought a piece of news that left Roger stunned for half a minute.

Peterson Cohen, the current governor of the Dutch East India Company and the controller of Batavia City, died of illness half a month ago. Of course, due to the butterfly effect caused by traveling through time and space, the time of his death changed.

It has been delayed by a full two years and nine months than the original date of September 21, 1629 in history, which is already considered quite lucky.

However, Cohen's death was not the main reason that surprised Roger. After all, this event had been expected by Haihan, but he just didn't know when it would happen. The key to the problem was that Governor Cohen's death was very sudden, which caused Dong

There are some problems in the selection of successors by Indian companies.

Although the headquarters of the East India Company is located in Batavia, almost all of its management shareholders are in the Netherlands. This resulted in the period between Cohen's death and the shareholders receiving the news to discuss the appointment of the next governor through the board of directors.

Batavia will be in a power vacuum to a certain extent.

Although the city of Batavia also has a council composed of representatives of various shareholders, the council does not have the power to directly appoint or remove officials of the governor's level, and the seat left after Cohen's death can only be obtained if it can be obtained.

Who among the people would not be moved at all?

Of course, there were a few preferred successors before Cohen's death, such as Jacques Spikes and Hendrik Brouwer, who were once his right-hand men. However, these two guys unfortunately lost their jobs at last year's Ann Arbor.

Although Spikes escaped with his life, it was obvious that the defeated general was no longer suitable to become the governor of the East India Company - if he had won the battle, he might still have this possibility. But unlucky

Broward was killed by the Haihan militia in the rebellion and was immediately eliminated. These two military attachés who successively served as governors of Batavia in the original history lost their way to life inexplicably because of the appearance of Haihan.

The pinnacle opportunity.

In addition to these two people, there is another candidate who was entrusted by Cohen with important tasks and conducted many years of maritime exploration in the Far East. Van Diemen's contribution to the Maluku Islands earned him

After receiving the appointment letter of admiral from the Parliament of the Netherlands, in terms of status, strength, and achievements, Van Diemen is indeed the most suitable candidate to take over the position of governor. Of course, in the original history, he was indeed a member of the East India Company.

The ninth governor.

However, due to various reasons in this time and space, the timing of his taking over has been very different from the original historical trajectory. At this juncture, there are many people who intend to compete with him for the throne of governor. There are at least four people in the Batavia Council.

, all announced that they would compete for the position of governor. Although Van Diemen held military power in his hands, he did not dare to easily use this power to suppress several other competitors, because these people all represented the major shareholders of the company.

, and these big shots are not something he, a commoner from the countryside of Kullenberg, can afford to offend.

But Van Diemen will not give up this opportunity easily, because in his opinion, the other competitors are just civilized officials who only talk and talk in the castle. These people do not know how to deal with the natives of Southeast Asia.

I also don’t understand what attitude the Ming Empire in the north has towards the East India Company. If the company is handed over to such people, it will be over sooner or later.
Chapter completed!