In the 16th and 17th centuries, Vietnam was experiencing a transition from unification to division.

The Li Dynasty, which was free from the direct rule of the Ming Dynasty in the early 15th century, was usurped by the Mo Dynasty in the 1520s; The Zheng and Nguyen clans, on the other hand, took the restoration of the Lê dynasty as a call to seize real power in power.

The fall of the Mo Dynasty at the end of the 16th century also became the war of Zheng Ruan II; The two major political groups occupied North and South Vietnam, North Trung and South Nguyen, and the continuous war lasted for about half a century.

In fact, both forces had sent caravans to Taiwan and traded with the Han and Tang groups, especially after it was rumored that the Han and Tang groups had wiped out the Dutch in one fell swoop.

They trade for a very purposeful purpose, and they all want military help.

There is a reason why these two companies can change the traditional culture of the Ming Continent, which suppressed business and valued agriculture in the past.

Both the Zheng and Ruan families were forced by the war.

In 1627, the first major war broke out between the two families. The Trung army fought with the Nguyen clan for four months without victory. As a result of the war, Vietnam was strongly divided into north and south, with the Trung clan controlling most of the north and the Nguyen clan dividing most of the south; The dividing line between the two sides is on the Truong River in Quang Binh Province, which is very close to the 17th parallel in the geographical sense.

Compared to the Zheng regime, which ruled a much more densely populated territory, the Nguyen clan, which was originally weaker, began to have some advantages.

First of all, they are on the defensive.

Second, the Nguyen benefited from their contacts with the Europeans, especially the Portuguese, and were able to acquire more advanced European armaments and hire European military experts for the defense of the city.

Thirdly, the geography was in their favor: large organized armies were suitable only for the plains, which were scarce in Vietnam: the mountains were almost squeezed into the sea.

After the first offensives, Nguyen established two main lines of forts, stretched across the flat land between the mountains and the sea. The city wall was erected near Dong Hai city in the north of Hue.

In order to fight against these walls, the Zheng clan recruited 100,000 soldiers, 500 war elephants and 500 warships. The first assault on the Nguyen Thi city wall defenses was ineffective, and the attack continued for several years.

Around 1635, the Trung clan followed Nguyen's lead and turned to the Europeans for military assistance. Zheng Jie recruited the Dutch to build artillery and ships for his Imperial Forest Army, and once again attacked Nguyen's fortifications.

With the help of Dutch artillery, the Zheng army broke through the first wall, but failed in attacking the second line of defense.

At sea, despite the aid of Dutch ships, the Trung army was defeated by Nguyen's fleet and Portuguese ships.

Zheng planned another offensive in 1648. However, in the Battle of Chang De, his Imperial Forest Army was severely defeated by the Nguyen clan. The newly enthroned Li Zhenzong Weiyu died around this time, perhaps due to this defeat. This finally opened the door for Nguyen to launch an offensive.

In that world, Nguyen would launch their own first invasion of North Vietnam in 1653.

However, Taiwan's Hantang clique believes that this historical point in time is a bit too late and does not suit its own interests, and that the war must break out in advance, and that it will be beneficial to the layout only if both sides are in pain.

The Hantang Group needed the Quang Ninh open-pit coal mine in Zheng's sphere of influence.

The coal belt of Quang Ninh Province starts from the east tide in the west, and then extends to the northeast along Halong Bay in a semi-arc shape to the south, with a total length of 150 kilometers, a coal seam thickness of 20-28 meters, an area of 220 square kilometers, and a reserve of about 3 billion tons, which is one of the best quality anthracite coal in the world, with a high calorific value, all of which are above 20 megajoules/kg, with a small ash content of 7% and a sulfur content of less than 1%.

The Han Tang group also needed tin ore and high-quality peat from the Nguyen sphere of influence, as well as rice.

Therefore, the Hantang Group must have a balanced policy in its trade with both sides: first support the Nguyen forces, then support the Zheng forces, and then support the two sides in the third step.

In this plane, the two hostile sides of Vietnam would not know that there was a pair of black hands that would control the course of their development.

Hoi An Port, or Hoi An of the world, was the main trading center of South Vietnam in the early 17th century, consisting mainly of Japanese and Ming settlements.

Ming merchants predominate here, operating a dozen merchant ships that arrive here every year from Japan, Canton, Siam, Cambodia, Manila and Batavia.

The afternoon of this day was another ordinary afternoon.

The fleet of the Han Tang Group appeared in the sea off the wharf of Hoi An Port, which was not as silted up as the world in this time and space, and the port was very open.

This time, the trade with the Nguyen forces was chosen here first, because there were relatively few people here, and there was as little possibility as possible of some news being exposed, which was still agreed upon by the negotiators on both sides when they were in the city of Geranza.

Captain Sun Yu checked his APID, looked at the plan, and found that his tasks were very few here, and the model minister and the commercial department of the intelligence and security department of the Hantang Group had already arranged their work, and he also played a role as an escort.

That's right, that's right, we are a dignified and upright maritime security brigade, who will go with you to engage in some conspiracy tricks and business transactions.

In fact, the management of the docks and management of Hoi An Port has always been carried out by Ming people.

The Nguyen province has a special management department for the management of ship affairs in various places, that is, the "ship department". Among them, there are one member of the ship, one member of the Zhiship, two members of the book, the ship, the record ship, and two guards, six people in the house, thirty Lingshi, fifty Quanrui soldiers, seventy soldiers in the four teams, and seven generals.

In fact, since the Ming people had a tradition of "being easily accessible to the ruler on all occasions", most of the work of the ship to manage the ship's affairs, foreign trade, and aliens was carried out by the Ming people who lived in the palace, so it can be said that the foreign trade of the Nguyen forces was "almost entirely in the hands of the Ming people".

At this time, the ship that managed the Hoi An Port wharf was Lin Ren, who had lived here for more than 20 years.

When he learned that there was a report that the fleet of the Han and Tang groups had come here, he understood why Ruan Shan, an important minister of the Ruan family, would come here in person.

Half a month ago, Ruan Shan suddenly came to Hoi An Port with a group of people.

As a local manager, Lin Ren was taken aback, this must be something big, or he can be notified by someone to do it.

Lin Ren was enthusiastic about hospitality and didn't inquire about the reason.

Nguyen Son stayed at the best shops in the area, and did not interact with them, but sent people to the port every day to wait.

The flag of Taiwan's Hantang Group is now very famous in Southeast Asia, not only because it is conspicuous, but also because the items carried by the merchant ships flying this flag are excellent, special and easy to sell.

The fact that so many merchant ships came this time was really beyond Lin Ren's expectations.

When he was about to send someone to board the ship to inquire, Ruan Shan appeared with someone.

He told Sù Lin Ren that this time, he didn't have to take care of a single qiē, which meant that now his work was completely replaced by Ruan Shan.

Lin Ren immediately shut up and didn't dare to ask more. Although he is now the administrator of this Hoi An, as long as Ruan Shan says a word, he can not be immediately, after all, he is an emigrator from the Ming Dynasty.

The fleet of the Hantang Group, including the merchant ships of the Portuguese, were moored at the dock on the shore, and everyone disembarked one after another through the guò gangplank.

The old sea wolf looked at this qiē with a smile on his face, but he was extremely puzzled in his heart.

Hoi An Port, how many times has he been here.

Although it is managed by the Ming people, the captain must first plan the goods in the ship, one by one, and register them, and they must first be submitted to the Ruan lord for purchase, and they are not allowed to hide.

If there is any concealment, once it is discovered, all the goods will be put into the official, and the person will be punished according to the laws of the country.

After the government purchases, the surplus is allowed to be shipped elsewhere for sale.

Even if a merchant ship drifts in due to the wind, and begs for the repair, it is only allowed to berth at Hanmen and Sanjulao. After the ship is repaired, it is ordered to go to sea, and it is not allowed to stay for a long time, so as not to cause trouble.

But this time it was strange, there was no crew carrying the soldiers to inquire, and there were no idlers in the entire wharf, only an official wearing a Ruan official uniform led a group of people, and there were more than a dozen ox carts behind.

Captain Sun Yu and everyone watched from a distance on the dock, and at this time, another Ming merchant led a few hands to meet the official, and he couldn't hear what they said, but it seemed that the two sides were talking amiably and had a harmonious attitude.

Captain Wang Cheng said: "Captain, are we also running a naval intelligence department, this example of the minister's intelligence and security department is doing a decent job." We have really become seeders, but the harvest is someone else's. ”

Captain Sun Yu said: "It's reported, Minister Wu Jianqiang doesn't approve it, saying that it is enough to borrow the source of the situation of the merchant station now, and the role of the institution coincides——"

Captain Wang Cheng said: "That can be the same, we are the navy!" The navy of the age of wooden ships was also a navy! ”

"Don't call it, now without our Haian Brigade, can their trading station system be established? Besides, what secrets are there in this era, so they can be regarded as strict secrecy. ”

"Ah, aren't there two Portuguese merchant ships?"

"What are you afraid of? It was almost a year later, and it was too late for anything, and they couldn't see what it was. ”

At this time, the Ming Shang who had gone to discuss something with the Ruan officials came over, and he bowed his hand to Captain Sun Yu and said, "I am now the stationmaster of the Hoi An Commercial Station, surnamed Song, and this is the example minister asked me to wait until the shore and hand it over to you." ”

After speaking, he took out a letter from his arms.

Captain Sun Yu took it and saw that it was the same as arranged in advance, so he signed.

He called over his second mate and said, "You take the stationmaster of Song, Shanghai An, No. 1, to unload the four cargo boxes with the prefix A, B, C, and D, and then unload the two cargo boxes with the prefix A and B with the wooden handle." Wang, you still have four marching cannons there—"

After speaking, he handed the document to Captain Wang Cheng.

Captain Wang Cheng took a look at it, also signed, and said: "This arms business is not small, I don't know what they have caught?" ”

"We're just busy training at sea, who has the leisure to care about their business. Anyway, as long as we are strong, we can say anything. The Hantang Group needs us the most now, and it feels so fucking good. ”

The cargo box was quickly transported to the dock shore by the guò boom, and the group, under the command of Station Chief Song, slowly moved the cargo box onto the ox cart and pulled it away together.

When they disappeared into the dock together, the dock seemed to come alive all at once, and many people seemed to emerge from the ground.

The supply personnel of the various merchant ships tried to find a way to resupply the supplies, and many transactions began.

The old sea wolf smiled and looked at Captain Sun Yu who was chatting with Captain Wang Cheng in the distance, he only then straightened his waist, and he saw that the original menacing soldiers were a little timid when they looked at him again.

Although he didn't know why, he knew that it must have something to do with the Hantang Group.

While negotiating trade in the city of Geranza, the Nguyen forces and the Han and Tang cliques agreed to a secret arms purchase contract.

The Hantang group provided them with excellent armaments, and they first exchanged rice, land for land, and minerals.

Especially when the Hantang Group Military Factory demonstrated the weapons they were going to sell, the contract was quickly signed.

The musket gun is a flintlock type. With the improvement of the quality of spring steel of Hantang Group, the V-shaped spring finally exceeded the mark of 500 consecutive opening and closing, and the flint is specially used for layered flint, which is mostly symbiotic with phosphorus and manganese-containing clay layers, which is made by grinding, and it is easier to produce sparks when hitting, so that the success rate of shooting has reached eighty.

Wooden handles, grenades. Cast iron shells, black fire, medicine, hair pulling.

Two-pounder marching guns. Cast steel casting.

Captain Sun Yu said: "This is all processed by the Mingren factory, and I am afraid that the quality is not up to par." ”

Captain Wang Cheng said: "Don't we believe that as long as we are better than this generation? Enough. ”

"That's right, don't look at this small amount for the first time, it can be regarded as opening a new era."

"The big head is still to come."

PS: Yesterday, guozhiyin book friends rewarded this book and suddenly became the third alliance master, which is extremely rare in Zongheng Chinese network, thank you. The first leader of this article is a scholar of Melochi, who has accumulated it; The second is myself, due to technical requirements.

Thanks to the support of old friends yezhongye, drunken and disorderly sex, laser310, Xiling Wang, cmd19764, archoneyes, and welcome the arrival of new friends Gujianshan and 2537. Thank you to the friends who supported this book in various ways to live.