Cutting 1719

Chapter 545

With the determination of the responsible cabinet system and the emergence of party politics, the big guys have gradually set their sights on the responsible cabinet five years later, which has actually delayed the growing political conflicts in the court invisibly, and let everyone The gaze is refocused on external things.

In April of the fifth year of innovation, Ningchu reached bilateral trade and commercial treaties with the UK, France and Sweden respectively, in which the scope of trade and the amount of low-tax goods between the two parties were specified in detail, and a series of official cooperations were also reached. Of course Behind these treaties, it represents the endless trade interests of the East and the West.

At the same time, Ning Yu also reached an implicit agreement with the British ambassador Pierre, the French ambassador Alfred and the Swedish ambassador Eriksson on the issue of the Netherlands, that is, Ning Chu is responsible for completely defeating the Netherlands. The forces in Southeast Asia, and promised to give them free navigation rights, and the rest of the countries will recognize that Southeast Asia belongs to Ningchu's sphere of influence.

Generally speaking, for the western powers, once they recognize the other party's sphere of influence, they will not come to fight for the interests here under normal circumstances, but for the British, French, and Swedish countries, they have nothing to do Entering Southeast Asia under Ning Chu's nose, it's better to go along with the flow and sell a favor.

In the words of the British ambassador Pierre, "The eastern state of Chu has become a behemoth. What we have to do is not to offend it, but to choose to cooperate more with it."

Ning Yu didn't care so much about Pierre's so-called flattery. In fact, after the negotiation was over, he took the ministers and headed for Shanghai, but this time he didn't want to take the ferry from Shanghai to the capital. , but to review the Fuhan Army Navy Fleet in Shanghai.

Now the main fleet of the Fuhan Army stationed in Shanghai has completed the relevant training tasks after accepting the commissioning of six main sail warships, and has returned to Shanghai port for rest. After this rest, the Fuhan The main fleet of the army will launch an attack on the Dutch East India Company navy stationed in Malacca to complete this strategic mission.

And this attack on Malacca will also be the prelude to Ning Chu's official intervention in the Nanyang war. At that time, not only will the Dutch's influence in Nanyang be eliminated, but also the local indigenous forces will be completely defeated, so that Nanyang will be included in Ningchu. in the layout.

On April [-]th, the fifth year of the Great Chu Revolution, the Shanghai pier was heavily guarded. Countless Fuhan soldiers stood on the pier and watched everything around them vigilantly. With the sound of a loud horn, dozens of sailing warships were signaling Under the guidance of the flag, they gradually sailed out of the port, and these warships were so huge that they all looked very majestic.

On the deck of the battleship at this time, officers and sailors of the Fuhan Army Navy were already standing. They were dressed in neat white military uniforms, with military caps on their heads, with confident smiles on their faces. Most of them They were originally from the Cao Gang and Lvying Navy, but after joining the Fuhan Army, they became the first batch of students of the Da Chu Naval Military Academy, and also became the main force of the Ning Chu Navy.

When the battleship sailed out of the port, there were many officials in red robes standing on the shore. They surrounded the emperor Ning Yu, looking at everything in front of them with a very satisfied look, and Ning Yu pointed out loudly. The light of the sun shines on the sea, which looks very bright - this scene was quickly painted by the court painter, and became a masterpiece handed down to future generations.

With a smile on his face, Ning Yu looked at the Dean of Education of the Dachu Naval Military Academy, Jose Duvisa, and said with emotion: "Jose, the reason why I wanted to keep you all here at the beginning was because of today's situation. In one scene, the seeds we have worked so hard to cultivate have sprouted."

Jose Duvisa was a Portuguese naval officer invited by Ernst from the West at the beginning. He was proficient in naval tactics in the sailing era and had a very good strategic vision. Therefore, after Ning Yu had a chat with him, he was asked to He directly became the Dean of Education of Dachu Naval Military Academy, responsible for the education work of the whole school. As for the dean himself, of course Ning Yu himself was in charge.

Jose DuVisa looked at the battleship in front of him, with a slight smugness on his face, and said: "Since your majesty chose to trust, then I will naturally give you a result. Today's Ningchu Navy, although It's not very strong, but it's hard to find a real opponent in the sea of ​​Asia."

Ning Yu was silent for a while, and said: "If the western maritime powers send a fleet to Asia, can our navy stop it?"

"Your Majesty, the real age of the Great Chu Navy is only less than one year old. It is not a funny joke to want to catch up with the western maritime powers at once." Jose Duvisa touched his nose with a very serious expression on his face. sincere.

Ning Yu looked helpless. He knew that in the era of sailing warships, it was not so easy to order dumplings. It was even more unrealistic to catch up with the sea powers such as Britain, France and the Netherlands. However, he did not have secret weapons. If the steam ironclad ship can be developed as soon as possible, it will be able to achieve beautiful overtaking.

It's just that the steam engine has just begun to be put into practical use, and it will take a long time to further improve its technical problems. If the steam engine does not make great progress, the steam ironclad ship is just an illusory thing, and it is difficult to truly become a real thing. A military weapon to rely on.

Therefore, if you want to expand your naval strength, you can only choose mature and reliable sailing warships. Professional warships, especially those of the third-tier battleship and above, are very strict in the selection of wood, and it is not easy to manufacture them. Manufactured, so even for big countries, it is very difficult to build in large quantities.

In this era, warships usually need to choose wood such as elm, fir, pine, or oak, and they cannot be used directly after being cut down. It also needs to meet the requirements of strong corrosion resistance, toughness, and blister resistance. After felling the wood, it needs to be left for several years to fully dry before it can be used.

Of course, there are really national leaders who directly use the wet wood that has just been cut down to build warships. The representative of them is France during the Napoleon period. More than 100 battleships were built with wet wood in just a few years, but only with After 20 years, three-quarters of these warships were soaked in sea water, almost becoming a big laughing stock in the history of the world navy.

Therefore, according to the normal construction time, it usually needs to be dried for one year after the timber is felled, and after the hull frame is built, it needs to be covered and continued to ventilate and dehumidify for several months before subsequent assembly work can be carried out, that is, the entire shipbuilding time It takes more than two years or even longer.

Although it took less than a year for Ning Chu to build the six third-class sailing warships, the wood had already been prepared in advance, and this time was not counted, so that the six warships could be successfully built within one year .

"Boom--"

In Ning Yu's complicated thoughts, the artillery on the naval battleship of the Fuhan Army officially conducted a test firing. The roaring sound of the guns stirred up on the sea surface, and thick white smoke immediately filled the sea surface. Everyone looked excitedly. Looking at the dense fleet in front of him, he quickly felt the charm brought by the giant ship's cannon.
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Admiral Qiu Ze, who was dressed in neat military uniform, led more than a dozen senior naval officers, and gave a solemn military salute to Ning Yu, with a bit of solemnity in his expression.

"Your Majesty, at the end of this battle, the general will do his best, without fear of sacrifice, to win Nanyang for my Great Chu!"

A huge naval flag of the Fuhan Army swept across the sky, flying in the air like a flame, making the soldiers of the Fuhan Army under the flag look more determined.

"Thousands of sails race to conquer the blue waves, and the long tassels are in hand to bind the dragon!"

Ning Yu recited this poem aloud, and his eyes also moved among the crowd, "Today, I will be waiting in the city of Nanjing to celebrate your victory!"

Borneo, as a hot land in Nanyang, has a long-term relationship with China. As early as the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there was an eminent monk Fa Xian who obtained Buddhism from India. On his way back to China, he passed Nanyang. At that time, the Chinese people's initial understanding of Borneo.

After thousands of years of development, many Chinese people took sea boats to Borneo to survive for various reasons. Therefore, in this land, there are not only a large number of indigenous chiefs, but also many Chinese living here. They maintain the true colors of the Chinese, speak the language of the Chinese, and have the same living customs as the Chinese.

When Ning Qianqiu led his entourage along the west bank of Borneo and disembarked from the confluence point of the Kapuas River and the Lanta River, a crowded, dirty and messy scene appeared in front of him. Thousands of shacks, large and small, stand in the forest. Of course, there are also some houses made of bricks and stones, but the number is very small.

Among these dilapidated and messy buildings, there is a traditional Chinese-style courtyard. Although it is not as exquisite as the Jiangnan water town, it is very different in this foreign country, and it is even a bit jaw-dropping. It is obvious that the traditional Chinese courtyard is built here. Chinese courtyards are not so easy.

When Ning Qianqiu walked to the shore wearing a coarse shirt, he saw two people waiting here. They were short and dark-faced. They first glanced at Ning Qianqiu's head, then smiled and said: "The one who came here before Han people all wear braids on the back of their heads, but now that we don’t see braids, it makes people a little unaccustomed to it.”

"It's okay, they are all Chinese children, and they don't need to wear braids long ago."

One of them smiled, "Yes, yes, they are all children of Huaxia, please come here, my lord."

While talking, the two led Ning Qianqiu and his party through the densely packed huts, heading towards the central Chinese-style courtyard. Ning Qianqiu looked up and saw those people living in the huts. Some of them are Han Chinese, and there are also a small number of local aborigines. All of them have a little color on their faces.

After some simple conversations on the way, Ning Qianqiu finally understood that these two people were from the Wu family, a local Han family in Borneo, one was Wu Asheng and the other was Wu Abing.

The Wu family were originally Ming Zheng survivors. After the Zheng family surrendered to the Qing court, they were unwilling to be insulted by shaving their braids, so they chose to abscond to Borneo, gathered a large number of Han people, and became a force in Borneo.

Ning Qianqiu came to Borneo on this trip with the intention of wooing them so that they could be used by Ning Chu and lay the foundation for the future situation in Borneo. Of course, the more information about Borneo, the better.

"My lord, since a few years ago, more and more Han Chinese fled to Borneo. They just didn't cut off their braids. Later, when they went to the countryside to change customs, most of them also cut off their braids."

As Wu Asheng led the way, he pointed to the shacks around and explained. He said with a little emotion: "At the beginning, they were untouchables who could not survive in Taiwan. Later, many people came by boat from Zhejiang and Fujian. Coming here after going through untold hardships is nothing more than seeking a way to survive."

Ning Qianqiu nodded slightly. Of course he understood the reason. Speaking of which, it was the impact of the unification war that made many landless farmers choose to flee directly to Borneo. What they asked for was nothing but A sense of tranquility and peace, so many people immigrated here under the harsh environment at that time.

Compared to the talkative Wu Asheng, Wu Abing seemed much more silent. He always stood in front and led the way, leading Ning Qianqiu and others into the courtyard. A medium-sized strong man came out of the courtyard, and he walked quickly. Arriving in front of Ning Qianqiu, he bowed deeply to salute.

"Report to Lord Ning, the grassroots are far away, please don't blame me." Although the strong man said so, his face was somewhat guarded and his expression was very dignified.

Ning Qianqiu didn't care about the attitude of the strong man, but said with his hands behind his back: "Are you all the survivors of King Yanping?"

"Exactly."

"Since they are all survivors of Ming Zheng, why do they hide in the mountains and are willing to be ordinary people?"

There was a wry smile on the face of the strong man, "At the beginning, the king of Yanping hadn't recovered his great achievements, so what great things can we do with people like us? We simply fled to this place in the South Seas, and lived a good life."

Ning Qianqiu smiled slightly, but then shook his head, "You are all real men, if it is a few years in the morning, it is better to let you join my Fuhan Army and realize my great cause of Fuhan, but now the Qing Dynasty has been completely expelled, but it is not a problem. There is no need for your efforts."

"That's fine, as long as my Han Dynasty is rejuvenated, my ancestors and ancestors will rest in the ground." The strong man finally sighed leisurely, but he remembered the entrustment of his father and ancestors back then, and he couldn't help feeling a little eclipsed in his heart.

Among the group of people with lofty ideals back then, there was no shortage of people who hoped that Wang Shi would be able to set the Central Plains in the north one day, but as time passed, they could not see this day after all.

Ning Qianqiu said in a deep voice: "Today, my Great Chu will come to Nanyang again. Are you willing to help me turn Nanyang into my heavenly home?"

(End of this chapter)