Chapter 665: Conversation about the situation in South Asia
On the morning of July 13, 1793, which was the third day after Luo Fangbai and the others arrived in Bacheng, a large transport fleet consisting of the Thor and ten sailing ships arrived in Bacheng. Near noon, the servant troops landed one after another.
The soldiers lined up in battalion units, and their destination was the "Watergate Castle" military camp south of Bacheng.
Watergate Castle was the former "Noordwijk Castle" of the Dutch. After receiving the news that the British were waging war on local governance, the Military Control Commission urgently arranged for migrant workers to transform the surrounding fortifications into a large military camp; at the same time, Zhao Xin
The military control council was asked to change all the unpronounceable place names given by the Dutch, so the official name of Bacheng became "Coconut City".
After hearing the news, Luo Fangbai, Wu Yuansheng, Jiang Wu and others stood among the crowd watching on the roadside. Although these soldiers in blue were not tall, they all had rosy faces, especially when they were walking in a tight queue.
They were all in uniform order and chanting uniformly, and they were deeply shocked; compared with the heroic "Lanhe Camp" dressed in the green battalions of the Qing army under his command, they were just a bunch of scum.
Speaking of which, to turn these timid and cowardly island country farmers into qualified soldiers, the North Navy training base has made great efforts. The training cycle for recruits is set to six months. In addition to mastering the use of weapons
, most of the time is spent on strengthening discipline and queues. The reason why these people are willing to serve as soldiers in Beihai Town is that in addition to being well fed and well paid, another important reason is that they can be naturalized and become a company warrior master after meritorious service.
The Han people in Beihai Town did not dare to be bullied.
When Ding Guofeng, who was wearing the rank of lieutenant general, and several staff officers took a pilot boat and sailed into the pier, they saw Zhao Xin who came to greet him at a glance. When he stepped off the trestle, he laughed and stepped forward to hug Zhao Xin's shoulders and said
: “Hey guys, it’s only been a month since I’ve been here, and I’m already tanned. It seems like I’ve been doing a lot of sunbathing!”
"Don't laugh at me. You will be the same in a few days. Is everything okay at home?"
"Okay! What's wrong? Your son dared to climb a tree. He climbed seven or eight meters high and was faster than a cat. When I rushed over after hearing about it, your wife and a group of people were anxiously crying under the tree.
"
"Boys, how can you not be naughty?" Zhao Xinyan laughed loudly.
Several people got on the carriage and returned to the Military Control Commission and came to Zhao Xin's office. Ding Guofeng picked up Duofu who was lying on the sofa and jerked him off a few times.
Duofu screamed twice in dissatisfaction. After finally breaking free from the opponent's clutches, Chi Liu jumped onto the window sill and stared at Ding Guofeng warily. The expression on his face was clearly "humble human being, get out!"
While A Miao went out to serve tea, Ding Guofeng poked Zhao Xin and asked in a low voice: "When will you treat me to a wedding banquet?"
"Drink fart!"
Seeing Zhao Xin roll his eyes at him, Ding Guofeng laughed maliciously. This guy is in his forties and already has a son and daughter with Xue Wu, but he is narrow-minded and loves to say weird things. As for his wife Xue Wu
, worked as a student with Director Liu Da for several years, and last year became the director of the nursing department of Fuldan City Hospital.
The two chatted for a while, and after A Miao brought the tea and went out, they started talking about business.
"I asked you to come here to take charge of the defense war against the British in Pazayarai, and to teach the British a lesson."
After Zhao Xin said this, he took out a one-meter-long paper roll from the bookshelf and spread it out on the table. Ding Guofeng took a closer look and saw that it turned out to be a map of India, with the current forces of the South Asian subcontinent clearly marked on it, and the
Different colors mark the areas; and in addition, mountains, rivers, roads, towns, etc. are all displayed on it. The richness of various details is breathtaking.
"My dear, where did you find this?"
"This is a map produced by the Royal Geographical Society in 1800 based on the situation after the third Anglo-Major War in 1792. It is basically consistent with the current situation in India. Look at these three areas," Zhao Xin pointed with his hand.
The three areas outlined with red borders in the southern part of the Kingdom of Mysore on the map explain: "This is the land ceded by Mysore after the Treaty of Seringapatan. The area on the left and the two areas below are both allocated to
British East India Company."
"Where is our territory?"
Zhao Xin moved his finger to the blue border area the size of a little fingertip on the lower right side of the map and said: "Here!"
Ding Guofeng took the magnifying glass and looked at it carefully for a long time before saying in surprise: "Just a little bit?"
"Yes. So we have to go through this war to get Tranquiba and Negapatan in the south where we are governed locally."
"Are these two areas British territory?"
"No, Tranquiba belongs to the Danes. Negapatan was ceded to the British by the Dutch 12 years ago and is currently under the administration of the Viceroyalty of Madras."
"The Danes will also intervene?"
Zhao Xinxiao asked: "Do you think they are important?"
Ding Guofeng curled his lips when he heard this, with a look of "forget it". Well, the fate of Denmark's colony in India was decided by the disdainful expressions of the two.
Since the words on the map were all in English, Ding Guofeng asked again: "Whose is this yellow area to the west of local governance?"
"The Maratha Union is composed of many princely states, and the one closest to us is Thanjavur."
"Would you like to mess with it?"
"I was just about to tell you this." Zhao Xin took a document bag from the bookshelf, took out two pages of paper and handed it to Ding Guofeng: "The current Sultan of the Kingdom of Thanjavur is called Amar Singh.
The younger brother of the former Sultan. His throne was usurped from his nephew Bhonsle. This unlucky nephew will soon be protected by the British and sent to Madras. According to history, the British will
Help him regain the throne, but by then, they will completely become vassals of the East India Company."
Ding Guofeng looked up at Zhao Xindao: "Are you trying to win over Amar Singh?"
"Yes, but we cannot take the initiative. As long as they see that our force is stronger than the British, they will naturally send people to contact them. Then you only need to express support for Amar Singh's rule and at the same time reconcile them with Tipu Sultan
The tension between..."
Zhao Xin talked a lot with Ding Guofeng, and they both had a casual lunch. He spent more than two hours telling each other about opium in Bangladesh, the British and French, and the island of Ceylon.
The Dutch, the Maratha League and the Nizams in the Deccan region were among many other issues. Although Ding Guofeng was dizzy after hearing this, he already had a general understanding of the current situation in India.
At the end, Zhao Xinyu said earnestly: "Guofeng, you must keep in mind that the problems in the South Asian subcontinent can never be solved through a decisive battle. In addition to military victory, economic, diplomatic, political and intelligence
It requires a lot of investment. To engage in colonial economic plunder is to get nothing but hatred, and it will also bring a huge burden. Our goal is to weaken the expansion of the British and maintain the independence of South India.
situation, especially to support the Kingdom of Mysore to prevent them from being annexed by the British and Marathas."
Ding Guofeng pondered for a moment and then said with a smile: "I understand. Our territory in India is enough. The main purpose is to create trouble for the British."
Zhao Xin nodded slightly and said: "On behalf of the Northern Navy Command, I now announce that during the military operation, Guo Xuexian's Second Squadron will be under your command, and local military and political affairs in India will be decided by you. The formal appointment will be made later.
The book will be sent to you."
"Yes!" Ding Guofeng saluted Zhao Xin with a military salute and said with satisfaction: "We can also live the governor's addiction."
Lunch was just fine, so dinner had to be sumptuous. So Ding Guofeng saw more than three kilograms of steamed garlic lobster on the dining table; yellow gum wings that had been boiled to apricot yellow and translucent, soft and glutinous; and steamed golden lobster that was springy and soft.
Silk blood swallow; plump steamed coconut crab, yellowfin tuna, grouper, and arm-long salt-and-pepper shrimp, which Ding Guofeng exclaimed with joy.
Although Beihai Town is also a seaport city, the aquatic products there are very different from those in Southeast Asia. Salmon, Far Eastern salmon, cod, sea cucumbers, abalone, crabs and various plump shellfish are often eaten. As for later generations, it is very famous.
The king crab...well, the correct term is "Kamchatka stone crab". Because this thing hides on the seabed 800 meters deep, it has not yet been served on the dining table in Beihai Town.
Zhao Xin himself is a foodie, and he has high requirements for cooking. In Beihai Town, he was in charge of two Yangzhou chefs who had followed him for many years. After coming to Bacheng, A Miao was in charge of the food, and he never relied on others.
In order to entertain Ding Guofeng this time, he specially borrowed two Quanzhou chefs from Huang Mianshe's family, and asked A Miao to train them, and then they prepared a table with a dazzling array of modern dishes.
It is said that the arrival of five thousand servants made the market in Bacheng suddenly prosperous. Whether it was fishermen, vegetable farmers, or grain growers, they were all happy. The logistics personnel of the Military Control Commission almost wiped out the stocks of various shops in the city, except for
In addition, I have placed orders with fishermen and vegetable farmers for five days, as much as I need.
After drinking and eating, Ding Guofeng drank the oolong tea prepared by A Miao contentedly. He rubbed his belly and said to Zhao Xin, "Have you heard? Some people in the committee are very dissatisfied with you for allowing Man Qing to linger till now."
You left the great mountains and rivers in Guan Guan without occupying it, and went to Southeast Asia to stir up troubles. You are just messing around without doing your job properly."
Zhao Xin smiled and said: "Lao Yu told me all in the telegram. Those guys don't know anything!"
In fact, what Ding Guofeng said is quite nice. Currently, among the Chuanchuan people in Beihai Town, some people still say that Zhao Xin is a survivor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty or even a survivor of the island country. Otherwise, he would not be so kind to the farmers of the island country and indulge Qianlong at the same time.
Continue to sit on the throne.
He took a sip of tea, was silent for a moment, and said slowly: "Guofeng, do you know when the boundaries of modern sovereign states were finally finalized?"
Ding Guofeng thought for a moment and said, "Mid-19th century?"
Zhao Xin shook his head and said: "As far as Europe is concerned, the final formation of the nation-state in the modern sense is generally believed to be the Treaty of Westphalia signed by European countries in 1648; and our Chinese territory is actually this
It took twenty years to finally determine it. The territory you can control is yours, and those that are beyond your reach are just some people's imagination."
"Yes. You know, I went to Eastern Siberia after the Spring Festival. It's really far away! If there were no telegraphs and roads built by prisoners of war and dredged waterways, it would be scary to think about it."
"No. What I mean is that there are still seven years before the nineteenth century, and these seven years are the last few years when the territory of a sovereign country is determined and extended to future generations."
"What do you mean?"
"Yes. As long as the land we occupy now can be managed and no accidents occur, everyone will have to admit that it belongs to China in the future."
Ding Guofeng's eyes lit up when he heard this, he slapped his thigh and said, "Damn! What are you waiting for? Hurry up and occupy the western half of the North American continent!"
"Don't worry." Zhao Xin stood up and walked around the room, saying slowly: "The North American continent is different from other places. You have to use your fists to talk to the people. When things get better in Southeast Asia and the troops go south to enter the customs, there will be
Once the manpower is available, it will take care of itself."
"Guofeng, let's be honest. I know you don't understand why I want to let Manqing go to Gurkha, right?"
Ding Guofeng smiled and said nothing. In fact, Zhao Xin has always known about the various criticisms within the Chuangzhong, but because his prestige in Beihai Town is too high and he is the boss who pays salaries, they are all discussed in private, and no one dares to put them into words.
Desktop speaking.
In fact, Zhao Xin has been planning a big game since the "Battle of Usoliya", and the layout has only been initially completed today.
His connivance with the Qing Dynasty in taking Gorkha was not all for the British East India Company. The fertile southern Tibet was also one of the targets. If, as some people think, the Northern Navy landed from the Bohai Bay and went straight to Beijing, allowing the Manchu and Qing Dynasties to
If it collapses in an instant, not to mention the south and northwest of the Yangtze River, Tibet, which is out of reach, will definitely fall into chaos.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! By then, no one can guarantee whether the top figures in Tibet will collude with the British. And if the Northern Navy wants to march into the plateau, capture and hold it
It would take several years to build a piece of land. You must know that the Beihai Navy relies more on logistics than all the troops in this time and space. So Zhao Xinsi thought about it and had to resort to the strategy of "driving the tiger and swallowing the wolf" to allow the Manchu Qing Dynasty to continue to survive.
Go to the southwest to guard the border for yourself, forcing them to develop southern Tibet and compete with the Indians for territory.
"Guofeng, you know in our history, we clearly won the battle in 1962, but why did we withdraw again?"
"I remember saying it was because of logistics."
"Just look at the Qing Dynasty's attack on Gurkha. Logistics and supplies are too difficult. If the troops are sent on a long expedition just to declare their existence, they will not be able to defend it. The intelligence agency reported back from the capital that Fu
The first thing Kang An did after arriving in Tibet was to collect military rations from everywhere. The Qing government built three grain roads and requisitioned tens of thousands of people, but the food shipped up was still not enough. If we hadn't assisted them with two batches of compressed biscuits and cans, Fu would have been
Kang'an will run out of food when he finishes attacking the Jiargula Mountains."
"So serious? But as long as we capture southern Tibet, Tibet will be able to be self-sufficient in food."
"It can't be that simple. Once the place is taken, you have to send troops to cultivate it, right? The terrain of Nyenchen Tanglha Mountain is too complex, with many mountains and mountains. The mountain is covered with heavy snow in winter and heavy rains in summer. The window period every year is only two months in autumn.
Fukang'an's memorial to Qianlong said that the climate in Tibet has suddenly cooled, and the mountains are closed by ice and snow after September for all year round. Nyalam is covered by heavy snow for five months every year, making it impossible for humans and animals to pass through. Once trapped, it is
There is no way forward and no way to retreat."
Ding Guofeng nodded helplessly and said: "That's right. Even at that time, the road into Tibet was not easy to repair."
"There is no way to remove the miasma, and I am begging for the elixir, and I am struggling to groan every ten steps." Zhao Xin walked to the window, looked at the tropical scenery outside, and said without looking back: "Fukangan brought three thousand Sauron soldiers this time.
After entering Tibet, do you know how many people survived in the end? Three hundred!"
Ding Guofeng said in shock: "The loss is so big?"
"We got the original text of the memorial he and He Lin gave to Qianlong at the intelligence station in the capital, including the battle on Mount Jiarkula. Every battle was roundabout and roundabout, with frontal feints and side flanks, all relying on Sauron.
The soldiers and Jinchuan native soldiers were not afraid of death. The Manchus and Qing Dynasties dared to take human lives as a matter of course for the sake of the emperor and the country. If it were our own troops, who would dare to use them like this?
The lessons of the war in 1962 are very clear. No matter how advanced the weapons are and how brave the soldiers are, they cannot change the geographical conditions of Shannan. The Qing army won the victory with human lives, but it would have cost us the same! Ninety thousand
The square kilometers of southern Tibet are great, but the problem in Tibet is that the major troubles are internal but not external. We must let the Manchus and the Qing Dynasty eliminate the internal troubles for us.
Those guys who always say 'at any cost', in my opinion, are a group of idiots who have no regard for other people's lives. Whoever dares to say such things publicly again, I will personally send him to southern Tibet to carry a gun and stand guard!"