Chapter 711 wants technology, not cleverness [Ask for a monthly pass!] 】

（07

[Today's third shift is delivered]

"John? Weddell? ”

Zhang Zhun felt as if he had a slight impression of this name.

After trying to recall, Zhang Zhun remembered. This Weddell was the first British captain to arrive in China. At that time, Britain was also ambitious, bent on seeking more benefits from all over the world. When other Western powers came to East Asia, the British followed. Saviara's father, John? Weddell, with the support of the British royal family, came to Canton with a fleet of four warships and asked for trade with the Ming Kingdom.

It is a pity that the Portuguese in Macau, believing that the British had violated their interests. From the first day of the appearance of the British, they strongly demanded that the Ming government not associate with the British. Zhang Jingxin, the governor of Liangguang, was forced to ban British warships from entering the port under pressure from the Portuguese. The Humen Fort also confronted the British warships.

Eventually, the Portuguese brought in their own warships and forced the British to retreat. The British, who could not gain a foothold in East Asia, had to find a small island to live on and live as pirates again. They make a living by raiding merchant ships from other countries. Since they did not complete their mission, they all felt that they did not have the face to go back to England.

"This is the slander of the Portuguese saying that we are here to rob their business, the Ming country is so big, so many goods, so many ports, can they Portuguese occupy them all? We just want to do business properly. ”

Saviara said with a screeching voice.

Slander?

Is it really slanderous?

Zhang Zhun sneered slightly in his heart, but he remained silent on the surface.

The British came to East Asia, of course, for huge trade profits. Spices, porcelain, silk, tea, etc. from East Asia have always been the bulk of the maritime trade between China and the West, and the British are of course very jealous. To say that Weddell wants to do business properly, it may be true. Because, the profit of these goods is already quite high, not much worse than being a pirate, and there is no risk of piracy, everyone is willing to do it.

It is a pity that the British came a step too late. The markets of East Asia have been occupied by Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, France, etc., and there is no place for them here. Without a good base, they certainly can't do legitimate business. This base is not something that can be used as a place to park ships, and it must meet certain commercial trade conditions. To put it simply, it has to be a commercial trading port.

At that time, almost all the ports of interest were basically occupied by other powers. It is very difficult to use force to seize a stronghold. Because Weddell has only four warships, the largest displacement is only about 100 tons, and the number of armed sailors is less than 1,300 people. It is not easy for such a small number of people and such a small number of ships to seize a port and erect the flag of the British.

For example, the Portuguese, who drove away the British, were relatively powerful in East Asia. Malacca was the stronghold of the Portuguese, with tens of thousands of Portuguese troops stationed. In the port of Manila in the Philippines, thousands of Portuguese soldiers were also stationed. In Macao, the Ming Kingdom, there were also several hundred Portuguese soldiers. The Portuguese also had a lot of warships in East Asia, and there were at least ten or so large warships with a displacement of more than a thousand tons. This is something that Weddell's British fleet simply cannot compare.

Other Spaniards, French, etc., were also British at that time, and they could not be shaken for the time being. Weddell had no choice but to turn to piracy, making a living by stealthily plundering merchant ships from other countries. Actually, it's not a change of career, he turned out to be a pirate. Most of the people who were able to come to the East Asian seas from Britain were pirates and were very adventurous.

At that time, the sea routes, especially the long-distance sea routes, were still very dangerous, and the scurvy alone did not know how many sailors' lives had to be scrapped. If it weren't for the outlaws, with a great thirst for wealth, they wouldn't have come all the way to East Asia. Of course, many people have made a fortune, and many have died unexpectedly. It's all about gambling with your life. If it succeeds, it will soar and flourish, and the house will be full of gold and silver, and if it fails, it will be thrown into the sea and disappear forever.

Zhang Zhun stared at Seviala indifferently, and said bluntly: "How many merchant ships have you, or your father, ransacked the Dutch?" ”

Saviara refused to answer.

Zhang Zhun said slowly: "You'd better answer honestly." The Dutch are waiting to negotiate with us, and I don't mind handing you all over to the Dutch. I'm sure the Dutch will also give me a good price. Would you rather answer my questions honestly, or would you rather be handed over by me to the Dutch? ”

Saiviala's face changed, and she had to grit her teeth and whisper: "Ship"

Zhang Zhunhu asked suspiciously: "Only one?" ”

Saviara affirmed: "There is indeed only one"

Seeing Zhang Zhun's suspicious gaze, Saiviala felt a little weak-hearted. The young man in front of him knew not only Charles I, but also Cromwell, and the Dutch, and the ghost knew where he got the news, and the ghost knew if he knew more news. After a slight pause, Saviara had to continue, "Including the Oak Heart. ”

Zhang Zhun said slowly: "Is this ship special? ”

Saviara said slowly: "It is a large merchant ship of the Dutch, with a displacement of more than two thousand three hundred tons. On board there was an important figure in the Dutchman Toinin Company, a brigadier general, who was killed by my father. ”

Zhang Zhun looked deep and asked suspiciously, "You killed a Brigadier General of the Dutch?" ”

Saiviala said a little helplessly: "At the beginning, we didn't know. We were also dazed at the time, and we didn't recognize the merchant ship as Oakheart. He didn't wear a uniform and was shot to death by us. We also don't understand why he left quietly, not even a warship to escort. We speculate that it may have been the Dutchman's Toinin Company, and there was a little internal problem that caused the brigadier to leave quietly. ”

"However, all this has nothing to do with us. We don't care about the internal affairs of the Dutch. He had a lot of goods on board, worth at least 300,000 pounds. But we didn't dare to ask for it, so we all poured it into the sea. The Heart of Oak was also scuttled by us, all the way to the bottom of the sea. We thought the Dutch wouldn't know, but then the Dutch did. ”

Zhang Zhun nodded thoughtfully.

This Saviara's father was really an outlaw, and he dared to kill a Dutchman's brigadier general. It is common for pirates to loot merchant ships and kill people and steal goods. However, the killing of a brigadier general of the regular army is of a completely different nature. This kind of behavior is basically tantamount to a silent declaration of war. If the Dutch could swallow this breath, their title of sea supremacy would be a bit shaky.

Therefore, it is conceivable that what followed, Saviara and his father, must have been desperately pursued by Dutch warships. It is no wonder that these two Dutch warships have been chasing here from the South Seas. He must have accepted the death order of the top management of the Dutch East India Company, and in any case, these British people must be completely eliminated.

Sure enough, Saviara said bitterly: "We have been hunted by the Dutch, from the South Seas to Formosa, from Formosa to Ryukyu, from Ryukyu to Japan, and from Japan to here. My father...... There are many others who are already with the sea. ”

Zhang Zhun's gaze sank slightly. In this way, the Dutch counterattack was still very violent, and Saviara's father, as well as the other sailors, had been wiped out by the Dutch. It can be seen that the combat effectiveness of the Dutch is still very strong. No wonder Saviara asked for her help. At this time, the only one who could provide her with shelter was the huge Ming Empire.

Yes, Saviara had to come up to land, and only by temporarily leaving the sea could she avoid the Dutch. Otherwise, although the sea of East Asia is large, she really has nowhere to escape. Compared to the Portuguese, the Dutch were indeed much more powerful. Their ability to control the sea is also much stronger than that of the Portuguese.

Zhang Zhun didn't want to ask who was right and who was wrong among the Western powers, and the things between them were always the same dirty. Zhang Zhun only cares about what benefits he can get from this matter. Obviously, he will not get much benefit from the Dutch, because the Dutch at this time are at the peak of their strength, and they will not take themselves seriously at all. Even if you put your hot ass on it, the Dutch won't pay attention to it.

As Saviara said before, the wisdom of the Dutch is evident in their unique pot-bellied boats. They designed the deck of the cargo ship to be very small, and the cargo hold to be very large, because most of the ports in the world at that time were taxed according to the size of the deck, as a result, this trick of the Dutch greatly reduced the freight rate, so that they got a lot of business, and thus earned a lot of business.

However, the design of the Dutch, after all, was too clever to maintain their long-term supremacy. The nickname of the sea coachman, although it has the meaning of admiring the Dutch for their intelligence and hard work, is also a mockery of the Dutch who can only rely on their cleverness to earn a little hard-earned money, and in other places, they are useless. In fact, too, the glory of the Dutch, in less than a hundred years, declined.

Of course, the Dutch at this moment are still very strong, and no one can see any signs of their decline. With the continuous strengthening of national strength, the Dutch maritime supremacy was gradually formed. Its claws gradually extended to the surface of the East Asian seas. While the Dutch came all the way east, they set up a large number of strongholds in the coastal areas. From as far away as Persia, Bengal, Malacca, Siam (Xiuo, Thailand), all the way to Guangdong in the Ming Kingdom, and finally Formosa (Taiwan) and Japan.

In the thirtieth year of Wanli (1602 AD), the Dutch consolidated the scattered colonial companies and established the headquarters of the East India Company in Jakarta. This Toyin company, which is a bit like a semi-independent country, can issue its own currency, has its own army, and can wage war freely. In short, as long as you can bring profits to the Netherlands, you can do anything.

In various parts of the South Seas, the Dutch Toindo Company has established a large number of bases. In each stronghold, there were an average of 25,000 Dutchmen, of whom at least 10,000 were sailors. They were the main force that made up the coachmen of the sea. The number of the army is also more than 1,000 people. Throughout Asia, the power of the Dutch is very strong.

At that time, the Dutch East India Company was definitely the richest company in the world in history, with a total of more than 150 large merchant ships with a displacement of more than 1,000 tons, and at least 40 large warships with a displacement of more than 1,000 tons. There are countless other small and medium-sized merchant ships and warships. On the route between the South Seas and the Atlantic, one of the three merchant ships must have flown the Dutch flag.

The most conservative estimate is that the entire Dutch East India company, with more than 50,000 employees and 10,000 private armies, has a 40% return on the company's investment. Nothing beats a 40 percent return on investment, except for opium trafficking. Later, the British East India Company, despite all its efforts, could not surpass the glory of the Dutch.

When it comes to the Dutch, it is impossible not to mention Taiwan. Because the reason why the red-haired ghosts at that time, that is, the Dutch, and the Ming people were most familiar with was that there were repeated disputes over the Taiwan issue. Since the Apocalypse, the Ming Kingdom and the Dutch have had many conflicts over the Taiwan issue. Eventually, however, the Dutch built a stronghold in southern Taiwan.

The purpose of the Dutch occupation of Taiwan was to establish a trading hub with China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, and to monopolize trade between Manila (a Spanish colony) and China. The main export trade included sugar, deerskin, venison, antlers, rattan, and rice, and the transshipment trade included metals and medicinal materials from the Netherlands, spices, pepper, amber, linen, cotton, opium, tin, and lead from Batavia, and silk fabrics, pottery, and gold from China.

Taking deerskin as an example, in just four years from 1634 to 1638, the number of deerskin exported from Taiwan to Japan increased from 110,000 to 150,000. By 1658, Taiwan's sugar exports were sufficient to supply Japan and Persia, and Batavia was added to the exports.

The Dutch Toindo Company has about 35 bases in Asia, and the profit of the Japanese base is the second largest in Taiwan. However, the company's profits in these places are mainly distributed to Dutch shareholders, rather than given back to local people or used for local construction.

Even for a behemoth like the Ming Kingdom, the maritime power of the Dutch East India Company is still formidable. Obviously, for Zhang Zhun, the Dutch are also a behemoth. More than 40 large warships with a displacement of more than 1,000 tons, what kind of concept is this, I have not seen it with my own eyes, it is really difficult to imagine. It's as if for the Koreans, the Great White Fleet, consisting of twelve saber-tooth ships, is enough to deter them.

Zheng Chenggong's ability to successfully recover Taiwan had a lot to do with the international situation at that time. Because of the continuous war between Britain and the Netherlands, and the continuous defeat of the Netherlands, the warships and personnel of the Dutch East India Company had to be transferred back to Europe to participate in the war, and their strength was greatly weakened. For this reason, the Dutch had to give up many overseas colonies, including Taiwan.

Otherwise, with the peak strength of the Dutch East India Company, even if Zheng Chenggong successfully recovers Taiwan, the Dutch will make a comeback. Zheng Chenggong's fleet did not have warships with a displacement of more than 1,000 tons, and it was no wonder that it could hold up in the face of the crazy counterattack of the Dutch fleet.

Zhang Zhun glanced at Saiviala and said meaningfully: "The Dutch will not let you go, but you killed one of their brigadier generals."

Saiviala understood what Zhang Zhun meant, and hurriedly said, "As long as you can get rid of the Dutch, we will repay you." ”

Zhang Zhun said indifferently: "How to repay?" ”

Saviara said calmly, "What do you want?" ”

Zhang Zhun thought for a moment and said slowly: "Cannon's technology, do you understand?" ”

Saviara immediately said, "Brigadier General, you just said what we are good at. If you want to say anything else, we British may not be as good as the cunning Dutch petty traders, but when it comes to the casting of cannons, we British are definitely in the first place. Don't look at the Dutch as powerful, they just relied on a little cunning to win huge profits. Their cannons are not as powerful as ours at all. ”

In order to prove his assertion, Saviara quickly said: "You see, my father's battleship has a displacement of only 100 tons, and only twenty-four twelve-pounder guns, and the Oak Heart has more than ten ten-pounder guns, but their combat effectiveness is not as good as ours. Less than two hours into the battle, we managed to climb the deck of the Oak Heart. ”

Zhang Zhun nodded and said slowly: "You swear to the Virgin Mary that you will tell us everything you know." If you break your oath, you will never be able to go back to England. ”

He believed Saviara's claim. The British at that time, in terms of machinery, especially in cannon casting, were indeed ahead. In order to compete for the position of supremacy at sea, the British did spare no effort to enhance the power of their artillery and spare no effort to study the combat methods of naval warfare. The Dutch were also defeated in the end, under heavy British fire and a linear queue.

There is no benefit to an alliance with the Dutch, but an alliance with the British gives access to certain advanced technologies. In particular, the casting technology of cannons is what Zhang Zhun needs most at the moment. Sun Qinkai, on his side, has not been able to successfully develop a more powerful artillery. Zhang Zhun believes that as long as he makes breakthroughs in some bottlenecks, he will definitely have enough strength to fight the Dutch in the future. As Saviara said, the Dutch were indeed a little clever, and they were too far behind the British in terms of technological invention. Defeat is inevitable.

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