Chapter 925 Heading South to Borneo

Roger personally trained this unit because its strength is just above the company level and below the battalion level. It is not suitable to be organized at the company or battalion level, so the temporary organization currently obtained is the "South China Sea Special Warfare Group"

Such a slightly nondescript name. However, Roger doesn't care much about the name. He now wants to get this unit out of Ambra Island to perform some real combat missions as soon as possible. Roger thinks that the people under his command are

The training level has actually surpassed that of ordinary militia troops, but the shortcoming of experience is indeed too obvious, and only by participating in actual combat can it be slowly made up for.

That night, Roger held a grand celebration banquet to reward his men. At the wine table, he couldn't hold himself back and began to ask Yan Chujie about the next action plan: "Mr. Yan, this trip to Ambona Island brought the establishment of two entire fleets. It should be

It’s not just cruising in the South China Sea, but there are other big moves, right?”

Yan Chujie put down his wine glass and nodded in response: "The South China Sea is too far away from the base camp. We have to pave the road one by one. It has been two years since we paved the road to Ambona Island. It is time to continue to extend our control area southward.

Got it!"

"Okay!" Roger was eager to hear the news. Although he had expected it beforehand, after hearing the verification from Yan Chujie, he still couldn't restrain his excitement. He had been in Nanhai for such a long time.

, has been waiting for the executive committee to adjust its strategy. Although the waiting time seems to him to be a bit long, it is not in vain.

Yan Chujie continued: "We plan to control at least one of the two straits of Malacca and Sunda in the South China Sea within one or two years. However, Malacca is still in the hands of the Portuguese, and it is not easy for us to grab it directly, so it is determined

The target is still the Sunda Strait."

"Are we going to attack Batavia?" Roger asked tentatively.

"Whether we should completely break up with the Dutch or not, the executive committee has not decided yet." Yan Chujie said with a solemn look on his face: "Our current navigation capabilities are not enough to open up routes in the Indian Ocean, and the western section of the East-West trade is still

We need ocean-going ships from countries like Portugal, the Netherlands, and Spain to bear the burden. It is not surprising that if we completely break up with them, it may hinder our plan to open up Western trade routes."

The situation mentioned by Yan Chujie does exist. If Haihan wants to use all his strength to attack Batavia, the possibility of taking it is very high, but the problems that may arise in the future must also be considered.

.At present, the commercial and trade system between European countries and the Far East is basically monopolized by a few major maritime countries, of which the Netherlands accounts for nearly half. The name of the sea coachman is not for nothing.

According to historical records, the tonnage of the merchant ships owned by the Netherlands accounted for three-quarters of the total tonnage of European merchant ships during this period, with as many as 15,000 merchant ships. Spices from Southeast Asia, cotton textiles from India, silk, porcelain, tea from China, etc.

Most of them were transported thousands of miles to Europe by Dutch merchant ships. It was not until the Netherlands was defeated in the six-year Franco-Dutch War in the late 17th century that their dominant position in global maritime trade was gradually replaced by the subsequent European powers.

.

If Haihan goes to full-scale war with the Netherlands, it will inevitably affect the east-west trade pattern of this era. Of course, countries like Portugal that compete with the Netherlands on a global scale will definitely be happy to see the results. Only when the Netherlands loses power in the Far East will they

If there is a chance to replace it, Haihan's dependence on it in sea trade will also increase. From Portugal's perspective, of course, it is hoped that the two companies will fight as hard as possible.

From Haihan's perspective, finding a port suitable for long-term development is more important than eliminating current competitors. The executive committee has held many discussions on this, and most opinions are that Batavia and

These two places in Malacca are not suitable for long-term operation as regional trade centers. The terrain conditions have limited their development prospects. In this era, the construction capacity cannot complete large-scale projects such as reclamation and port construction. Haihan is looking for overseas bases.

At times, natural harbors are often given priority to reduce investment in the harbor construction process.

If there were no other options for a place like Amborna Island, Haihan would probably not regard it as an important stronghold in the South China Sea to build. However, Amborna Island has limited congenital conditions, making it difficult to build a large seaport that can deploy a fleet.

, so as Haihan continues to expand southward, it will have higher requirements for geographical conditions when looking for its next foothold. Otherwise, the fleet as far away as Cam Ranh Bay will be difficult to provide timely military support to the new stronghold in the South China Sea.

.

This time, Yan Chujie personally led the fleet south to conduct a relatively comprehensive cruise in the South China Sea, hoping to find a suitable place to settle south of Amborna Island.

After listening carefully to Yan Chujie's story, Roger asked a more sensitive question: "Do the Portuguese know our plans?"

Yan Chujie said: "The Portuguese have an office in Sanya. Such a large-scale naval fleet trip will definitely not be hidden from their eyes. So we informed them of the situation in advance to prevent these foreign devils from misunderstanding."

Roger said: "Unless we go to war with the Dutch, the Portuguese will probably not be happy to see us open a new port in the South China Sea."

"You are right. Their consul in Sanya, Thomas, has already lodged a protest with the Executive Committee, believing that our actions will affect their rights and interests in the South China Sea."

"How did Tao always reply to the Portuguese?" Roger asked with interest.

"Mr. Tao was very tough and beat Thomas back with just one sentence - whoever has the bigger fist has the right." After Yan Chujie finished speaking, he couldn't help laughing.

Roger was stunned at first, and then started to laugh. With Haihan's current strength, he could indeed hold his head high and say no to the foreign devils. To put it more seriously, the status of the Portuguese in the Far East has actually been matched by Haihan's support for them.

The intensity is closely related. Portugal's current import and export trade with the Ming Dynasty can only be carried out under the permission and protection of Haihan. There is no capital to dictate to Haihan. Although Tao Donglai's words are extremely rude, they are correct.

This is the tough attitude that the Haihan military hopes to see.

Although Haihan and Portugal have formed a cooperative partnership, both parties have their own small calculations. The Portuguese want to use Haihan's force to suppress competitors in the Far East and expand their own trade routes, and Haihan

It is also expected that Portugal can take on more freight tasks for east-west trade, so that it can deal with the Spanish and the Dutch. However, Portugal currently lacks such strength. After all, even their country is still under the rule of Spain.

Without gaining independence, the Far East, especially the areas west of Malacca, have been struggling in recent years. If they had not embraced Haihan, they might not even be able to keep the few existing control areas.

However, Portugal's opposition was not ineffective at all. They knew more about the situation in the South China Sea than Haihan. Without the support of this intelligence source, Haihan would have to spend more time on preparations.

Roger took advantage of his drunkenness and said, "I've drunk a little too much now. I won't be able to remember the specific action plan if you tell me. I only have one request. This cruise also brings my people out to see the world."

Yan Chujie readily agreed. He also wanted to see how this unit performed after leaving the training ground. Moreover, Haihan's patrol exercise in the South China Sea included many landing and reconnaissance tasks, and it was indeed necessary to have a unit that was more adaptable to the local area.

The army of the environment moves along with the fleet.

Also coming to Ampurna Island with the Haihan fleet were Annan's young prince Zheng Zha and Champa general Fan Ji. They also visited today's troop assessment as military observers. As for the performance of this new Haihan army, they only

He was both envious and envious because his new army, which had not yet set foot on the battlefield, was already more powerful than his own regular army. This gap simply made it impossible to think of resistance. The only thing worth celebrating was the Haihan army.

The training items are also similar to those practiced by our own army. If we put more effort into our daily training, there should still be a chance to shorten the gap.

The military assistance Haihan gave them also included the training plan for the troops. Haihan did not hide too much in this regard. The technical and tactical gap between the two sides was actually more reflected in the quality of the commanders, not just

Differences in individual abilities of individual soldiers. In the Haihan Militia, starting from the junior officers at the squad leader level, they are all veterans with actual combat experience. Those who can be promoted to company and platoon commanders are also promoted based on their military merits, and most of them are in military schools.

Having received further training, their professional abilities are far beyond those of grassroots commanders in the military such as Annan and Champa. Although these two countries also select officers to go to Sanya for further training every year, there are not many grassroots officers, and almost all have various connections.

If you go out and gild your household so that you can use your resume to get promoted and make a fortune when you come back, it will have very limited effect on improving the overall strength of the army.

Because of this, truly insightful people particularly value the opportunity to conduct military exercises with the Haihan Militia Army, even if such exercises require spending huge sums of money and taking risks to mobilize elite troops to unknown lands thousands of miles away.

, but also strive for this opportunity that only comes once a year.

Starting from the day when the Combined Fleet arrived at the Port of Ambrosia, military control was implemented at the port, and only civilian and merchant ships could enter or exit to ensure that the whereabouts of the Combined Fleet would not be leaked in a short period of time. Although this arrangement would make some businessmen dissatisfied.

, but they also know that the rules of the Haihan people are extremely strict. If they break these rules, they will never want to do business with the Haihan people again in the future. Fortunately, the living facilities on the island are much more complete than before. Here,

It wouldn’t be too sad to live there for a while, it’s like being forced to take a break for a while.

The fleet stayed at the Port of Ambrosia for four days. During this period, Yan Chujie and others took the time to inspect various works on the island, while the soldiers and sailors took the opportunity to rest. On October 16, the combined fleet sailed out one after another

Arrive at Ambona Port and head southeast.

The first destination of the combined fleet is Borneo, which is only more than a hundred nautical miles away from Ampurna Island. The third largest island in the world is also known as Bo Ni, Bo Li, etc. in Chinese historical records. Narration about this island

It was first seen in the book "Topographic Guide" written by Ptolemy in 150 AD. Civilization already existed here as early as two to three centuries BC. The earliest record of navigation between China and Borneo appeared in the fifth century AD.

According to "Book of Liang" written in the 19th century, the current state power in Borneo is called Sukadana, and its ruler is loyal to the Mataram Kingdom on Java Island. It was the kingdom that swept through the Dutch colonies last year and almost captured Batavia.

The country to which that great army belongs.

However, Haihan is not very interested in Borneo at present. Firstly, because this large island lacks a natural harbor and the development cost is high; secondly, because its location is relatively far from the two key waterways that Haihan values, there is no need to look far away.

Establish a stronghold in Borneo; thirdly, we are also wary of the Sukadana Kingdom on the island. After all, the Matalan Kingdom behind it is considered a first-class power in South Asia. Although its military force is definitely not as powerful as the Haihan Militia, it is

This kind of country can easily mobilize tens of thousands of indigenous troops to go to war, and it is not a small trouble to be an enemy of it.

The cruise route set by the navy is to go all the way south along the west coastline of Borneo into the Java Sea. Depending on the situation, it will be decided whether to cross the sea between Borneo and Java Island and go to the north coast of Java Island to find out.

There are more than 20 islands of various sizes in the sea area from Ambuna Island to Borneo, including Subi Island. However, these places have been repeatedly cleared by the Ambuna Island garrison many times in the past two years and are considered relatively safe areas.

.The fleet maintained a relaxed atmosphere, and it took a day and a half to sail to the coast of Borneo.

The fleet used a small boat to send a group of people ashore near the coast. The purpose of their landing was not to detect the enemy situation here, but to collect samples of local flora and fauna. These samples will be made into specimens during the cruise and will be collected later.

Returned to the research institution in Sanya for collection.

According to Ningqi's report to the Executive Committee, there are ten species of primates, 350 species of birds, 150 species of reptiles, and 15,000 species of plants living in Borneo. There is no reason to miss such a good place for natural science observation.

Today's research results will be valuable knowledge for future generations. Although Yan Chujie believes that this type of research will not help Haihan expand his territory, since this is a special task assigned by the executive committee, he will still

It was carried out without compromise. It was just that it took two to three days for the staff to collect specimens, which made Yan Chujie a little unbearable.

The most confused people are Zheng Zha and Fan Ji. They don't know why the combined fleet wants to stay on this desolate and inhabited coast. Judging from the natural conditions, it is not suitable for establishing a port. The nearest local town is at least 100 kilometers away from this place.

There are still two hundred miles, and the Haihan people should not find this place even if they want to conduct trade with the locals.
Chapter completed!