Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 1484 Who Is Helping Hale
The Tokugawa shogunate has cut off the supply of sulfur from Japan, and can only rely on a small amount of supply from northern Taiwan.However, the business of buying and processing sulfur from the local aborigines in Tamsui has always been handled by Chinese businessmen, and the Spaniards think it is very economically uneconomical.Moreover, since the Australians established a trade fortress in the southern part of Taiwan Island, they also began to purchase sulfur aggressively. Chinese businessmen were quickly attracted by Kaohsiung, which had a much better trading reputation and could provide more trade goods.This makes the Spaniard's acquisition situation go from bad to worse.

Although the governor of Salamanca has sent a messenger to order the colonial troops stationed in Keelung and Danshui to seize the sulfur producing areas by force and control the sulfur trade.For this reason, reinforcements and a large number of new guns and ammunition were shipped.But far away water is difficult to satisfy near thirst, so Hale can only try to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. The former tried to use charcoal to calcinate pyrite to produce sulfur. Except No. black powder, the other black gunpowders all use the sulfur-free formula of nitrate charcoal.

"Allocate all the No. [-] gunpowder in the inventory to load the fuze and the artillery tube. You must ensure the supply of artillery equipment. You have heard what I said to His Highness the Marquis," Hale continued to give instructions to the sailor valet: " Suspend the supply of gunpowder until new mixing cartridges are in place and operational."

"But so many rifles have been made. The Spaniards would—"

"Marcos, you need to continue to strengthen your professional studies. First of all, according to my standards, it is only a musket, not a rifle. Second, it is not our manufacture. The arquebus was slightly modified, the bolt was changed, and the barrel was rebored. Captain Pilar pestered me to design a new cavalry pistol for him. But those are just insignificant gadgets, and they cannot change the situation of the war. They are nothing compared to the cannon, which is the real god of war."

Coming out of the gunpowder workshop, Marcos tried to persuade his benefactor to visit the starch factory again.

"I was there yesterday," said Hale, looking dismissive. "I don't see any need to go again today."

"The Chinese were either unable to work at all, or they were deliberately stealing raw materials. I think the former is more likely. They ruined all the corn in stock and created piles of garbage that could only be used as fertilizer. As a result, We only made so little starch, and it’s too little to feed mice. Now they’re starting to ruin our sweet potatoes—”

"Come on, I know those Hokkios used to make kudzu. What, never heard of kudzu? Marcos, you're a poor man who hasn't even tasted Japanese confectionery. I mean: they used to make kudzu. Their livelihood includes producing starch from sweet potatoes to pretend to be arrowroot. The work I assigned to them is their profession. Of course, my guidance and your supervision are indispensable. Here is another good news for you "Hale showed a pretended mysterious smile, "I found a new source of supply, which came from a place you never expected. The ready-made high-quality starch is enough for me to make dynamite that can blow up an entire city.

"Yes, sir." Marcos swallowed.He came from the 21st century, and he had no sense of mystery about what the Japanese did, but the sense of fanaticism burning in this person made him feel scared from time to time.

"Also, your fiancée asked me yesterday, when will you go to see her?" Marcos hesitated, "I feel that she misses you very much..." He took out a handkerchief made of Chinese silk "This is the letter she asked me to forward to you."

"I don't have time." Halle frowned, not picking up the handkerchief bag—his hands were black.

"But, sir—"

Hale knew what his assistant was trying to say: "Fiancee" couldn't be ignored.

The Spaniard is going to stuff the illegitimate daughter of the nobleman on his bed. He has no need for her from the spirit to the body, but the "fiancée" is of noble birth, which not only symbolizes that she is accepted by the Spanish gentry in the Philippines and regarded as "himself" The symbol of "people" also represents the recognition of the nobles of New Spain and even the peninsula. It is really inappropriate to ignore it too much.

"Well, my dear Marcos, no matter what time or place it is, girls are always sentimental, and we have plenty to do, what does she want to see me for? Should I go downstairs in her boudoir and play the mandolin for her? How can I have this time." He thought for a while, "Come to my office tomorrow morning, and I will prepare a reply letter."

"Okay, sir. I suggest you have another small present."

"Marcos, you are so right. You must have Spanish blood in your veins."

"Willing to serve you!"

"Don't talk about girls, are you ready for everything I've arranged for you?"

"It's all ready."

"Are you sure no one will know?"

"I promise. I will take your students and servants myself. They are the most reliable."

The so-called students and servants of Hale are a group of people he personally selected and trained.There are Japanese, Chinese, local aborigines, and mixed races.They formed Hale's "inner circle."

Hale nodded.The Spanish dignitaries in the Philippines had a morbid sense of crisis, feeling that the Chinese, the Dutch, and the British were trying to seize their colonies.Although the reputation of the person he was going to meet tomorrow was no longer what it used to be, if the Spaniards knew that he had come to Manila quietly, it would definitely arouse endless suspicion, and the cooperation between himself and the other party would be completely ruined.

"It seems that we have underestimated this Japanese kid too much. Single-handedly, he can pull up a group of people. When we didn't pay attention, he actually made such a scene in the Philippines."

The confidential conference room of the Foreign Intelligence Service was modeled after the State Administration of Political Science and Security. The windows were all on the wall close to the ceiling, and they were all closed at the moment.The temperature in the room was sweaty, but the department representatives who had come to the joint meeting were all silently flipping through folders, reading recent intelligence clips on Manila.Even if someone made a comment or made a joke, they quickly fell silent because no one responded, and the atmosphere in the room seemed to be approaching freezing point.

"This material cannot be trusted," Wang Ruixiang snapped the folder shut and threw it on the table in front of him.

"Among other things, the numbers don't match up. How many products can be produced by the so-called factories in Little Japan in a month, and the monthly output figures of shells, fuzes, and gunpowder have appeared several times before and after, and no two are the same. "＼
"Yes, because the numbers all have their own sources. Some were reported verbally by Hale to Spanish officials, some were obtained from the records of the colonial government's receipt and allocation of arms, and some were estimated based on the report of raw materials consumed by the Manila factory. In the notes after the report They are all listed. The accuracy is worth discussing, but it cannot be simply denied.” Jiang Shan said.Life in the office all day made his face thinner, with sunken eye sockets, and his eyes became sharper and more aggressive. "Comparing these figures, there is no doubt that the output that Hale boasted about to the Spaniards is very watery. But even if the water is squeezed out According to the standards of the 17th century, the output of this semi-mechanized military factory has surpassed those of European manual factories. We must pay attention to it, after all, the Philippines is much closer to us than Europe.”

"Production is not the most important issue," someone expressed their opinion: "If Hale makes all spherical solid bullets for Spain, it doesn't matter even if he produces thousands of rounds a month, but since this kid can pull the rifles for smoothbore guns, can he It is definitely another thing to make explosive bombs with trigger fuzes, and to build submarines, in short, to bring a qualitative leap in the level of armament of the white skins."

"Leap? If you're exhausted, it's just a few jumps." Wang Ruixiang sneered: "I don't believe that this kid can make any modern weapons and ammunition with his bare hands. He doesn't even have the necessary instruments. It's impossible. There is no cone gauge and Angle gauge, how does he process a qualified conical projectile? There is no thermometer and hygrometer to measure and control temperature and humidity, how can he synthesize thunder mercury, so that he is not afraid of blowing himself to death?"

"He's got it all. Or, Hale can get it all."

"From where? Who will supply him with precision instruments?"

"Spanish or Europeans. Of course, there are us." Wu Mu's tone was very calm, but it immediately attracted the attention of everyone present, which contained curiosity, amazement, and perhaps a little fear.

Wu Mu had obviously already made preparations, and pulled out a few sheets of paper from the file bag in a leisurely manner: "The Political Security Bureau and the Navy have recently jointly dug up a criminal gang hiding inside a Southeast Asian company and targeting the property of the Senate. According to the preliminary interrogation results , the gang organizers were all members who belonged to the old gangsters of Zhucai and later surrendered to us, and many naturalized civilian cadres were involved in the case. At first, it was thought that the main crime of this gang was to steal and sell Nanyang-style rifles, pistols, Typewriters, flash caps, ammunition, etc. It was later discovered that various instruments and tools were also their targets, including magnetic compasses, thermometers, dry-humidity meters, barometers, sextants, nautical slide rules and drawing tools, and even screwdrivers. Don't let it go. These stolen materials are generally written off from the equipment registration form in the name of being damaged or lost by storms, pirate attacks, or stolen by locals at the port. The buyers of weapons include pirates, and there are also dynasties in some Southeast Asian countries Officials. As for the instruments, the interested customers are basically European businessmen and captains. Coincidentally, the records show that during the two berths in Manila Port, the merchant ships Meifu, Lishun and Tunan belonging to the Southeast Asian Company were unfortunately patronized by thieves , have lost their nautical instruments, is this just a coincidence?"

(End of this chapter)