New Shun 1730

Gibraltar.

The siege of Gibraltar had been over for some time when the trade ambassadors who had participated in the Bahamas meeting arrived.

When he arrived, two cruisers and several French privateers also happened to return from outside, dragging a captured British warship.

The sailors who came ashore were waiting in line to distribute the spoils.

Li Huan and other senior navy officials did not participate in the celebration or distribution, but directly met with the trade ambassador who returned from the Bahamas.

However, before the trade ambassador asked, Li Huan and others were still happy to talk about the ships that had just entered the port.

Moreover, he used some comments that actually humiliated France and could cause a diplomatic turmoil if spread.

"You see, there are some brave men among French captains. This François Tourot, although he is only a small captain, is more courageous than many French navy."

Since he is from Shaanxi, in his words, this is not the other. Those who have eggs are testicles.

Although Dashun actually understands the French Navy's strategy very well, and has always believed that the French Navy's strategy is correct.

Since there are many threats on land, it is understandable that the navy should be cowardly, conserve its own strength as much as possible, and use tactics derived from strategy such as running to catch the wind if it can fight.

However, logic is logic. When there are no outsiders in the dark, it is inevitable to make some jokes, saying that the French navy is too cowardly and that the naval generals are all sissies.

Not knowing what was going on, the trade ambassador asked, "What did this man do?"

"A few days ago, he said that if he led eight hundred troops and one cruiser, he would be confident of bypassing the main force of the British navy and taking a secret waterway to surprise Ireland. Unexpectedly, he actually did it. He led the troops in Carrickfergus After landing for ten consecutive days, the Irish defenders were worried that they would "attack the east and attack the west" and that we and other main forces would make a surprise attack on Dublin, so they remained cowered and did not dare to move. "

"Now that he has returned with great force, this time the British fleet will probably be even more dispersed and patrolled. This is exactly how to treat others in their own way. In the past, Pitt used this method to harass the French coast, which actually forced the French navy to The troops were divided and patrolled, and they were besieged by various forces; now the reverse is true, and the British are helpless. "

The trade ambassador knew that if he only brought seven to eight hundred soldiers to land in Ireland, Li Huan and others would definitely not be so happy. He made a quick guess and said hurriedly: "May I ask your highness, but the method of attacking the heart has worked?"

Li Han smiled brightly and nodded: "It works, it works very well. When Duke Xingguo was in the Netherlands in the past, he liked to write articles to stir up emotions. Duke Xingguo left many characters behind, and it would be difficult for them to write serious articles. But if you write Some short compositions to stir up emotions are really top-notch masters.”

"We captured some Irish prisoners and spread the essays everywhere. Although many Irish people came to greet them with pots of food and milk, they were enough to dissatisfy the Irish soldiers."

Writing such short compositions and inciting dissatisfaction, Liu Yu actually cultivated many talents when he was in the Netherlands. These people are in this business, getting paid to do things.

Now if we use it again, as long as we give money and a little guidance, although it is not better than millions of soldiers, it is enough to make Britain miserable.

Incitement is nine percent true and one percent false.

This time, the bold French captain led his troops in a sneak attack, and the battle was not fierce. When he came back, he encountered two British warships and captured one of them. There was basically no fighting on land.

Dashun mainly used one thing to incite, which was Washington's previous defeat in North America, the Battle of Monongahela.

The main force was the 44th and 48th Infantry Regiments composed of the Irish. They were severely defeated by the French and Indians, and almost the entire army was wiped out.

The reason for the defeat is also very simple. The tactics are rigid. The command is to fight in front lines. They follow the tactics of the European plains and fight the Indians in the forest.

It was stolen from the flank of the forest by the Indians. After a wave of indiscriminate firing, the Indians suppressed the British army with their muskets and directly destroyed the British flank.

The British general Braddock was beheaded by Indians with an axe. The lieutenant general and the North American militia commanded Washington to run away.

The problem is not serious, but the general is incompetent and the tactics are rigid.

But the key is that the 44th and 48th Infantry Regiments are composed of Irish. This gives conspiracy theories a lot of room to write about.

The British did not trust the Irish, and the Irish were discriminated against in the military. This did not happen in a day or two. Internal conflicts are already huge.

The previous "Irish Wool Act" directly strangled Ireland's handicrafts and textile manufacturing industries, and the contradictions deepened.

Before the war began, it was revealed that "a large number of secretly Irish Catholics had joined the army", which led to a purge of the Irish regiments.

In this way, write something provocative, not too simple.

This is similar to the situation in North America: revolution is not created by revolutionaries, but is the social foundation forced out by the ruling class.

The unfair treatment received by Ireland made the destruction of the 44th and 48th Regiments "a premeditated conspiracy to use the Indians to eliminate the Irish."

After landing, the people here in Dashun did nothing else. The whole process was "making announcements to appease the people" and "speaking about righteousness." He also educated the captured Irish militia and released them all before leaving.

The funniest thing is that several captured Irish officers told the people in Dashun directly and privately that they were secret Jacobites and had been hiding among the British army in order to one day lead the French to bring orthodoxy. When they return, they will turn their guns around.

Before Dashun and the French side left, they left a slogan for the Irish.

"Either free trade or armed uprising."

Its spread was so fast and widespread that it was like wildfire igniting a prairie fire.

Incidentally, he also wrote a "Letter to the Irish Soldiers".

The general idea is that if China and France attack Ireland, they are here to rescue them. They list all the evils caused by Britain treating them as colonies, prohibiting them from developing the textile industry, and forcing them to import high-priced goods from Britain.

If they don't come, then Britain will definitely increase conscription in Ireland in order to protect itself. At that time, the Irish people who join the army should unite, contact, form associations and parties, and take advantage of the opportunity that Britain needs you to serve as soldiers, and tell the British that if they do not give you national treatment and do not give you free trade, then you will have to uprising.

This kind of thing, especially the private liaisons and secret meetings and associations in the military, will not work if you talk about it.

But Dashun originally didn't want to be clever, but wanted to tell the matter and force Britain to be unable to take action.

As a result, Ireland was completely in chaos. The British side was even more panicked.

Although Ireland is not England, this adventure of the French shipowners, combined with the news that Gibraltar has been captured, will inevitably cause greater chaos in the UK - not only the mutual suspicion between Ireland and England, but also the British financial market. Completely finished.

Landing in Ireland will have a huge impact on the financial market.

During the last Jacobite Revolt, Sephardic Jews, in order to "demonstrate their loyalty", purchased national debt and stabilized London's bond market.

After the results were used up, the British backhandedly sold this group of people. They agreed to give them naturalization law, but then canceled it.

There were no Jews to come to the rescue this time, and the Jews were even preparing to retaliate this time. There is so much fun in the London financial market today, and people commit suicide every day.

After hearing this, the trade ambassador couldn't help but praise: "The ancients said: The way to use troops is to attack the heart first, and attack the city next. The heart battle is the top, and the military battle is the bottom. Taking advantage of the natural dangers of Gibraltar to be defeated, it also has the power of landing in Ireland. , the British people’s minds will be confused.”

"Ireland is in chaos and Scotland is the foundation of Jacobiteism. Now the only thing missing from the UK is North America."

"Sun Tzu said: If you can, show your inability; if you use it, show it you don't use it; if you are close, show you how far it is; if you are far, show you how close you are."

"Although our army does not want to take Ireland, or really incite the rebellion of the thirteen states, it is true that it is used to show that it is not used. If you want to use the thirteen states as a bargaining chip, you must pretend to incite the rebellion of the thirteen states. "

"My official is about to say this: This time I went to the Bahamas to meet with wealthy businessmen, and I made an appointment to meet in Philadelphia to discuss important matters. However, if His Highness can send someone to lead the light troops to a sudden attack, make three chapters and enforce military discipline, and then meet with those If you are a wealthy businessman and a country gentry, this can be accomplished."

"Now the main force of the British army is in the north, and the French army is in danger. However, our army has naval superiority. It can move vertically and horizontally and transport troops far better than the British army can move by land. Why not imitate the method of attacking Japan in the past, land in Philadelphia, and attract British troops to return for reinforcements? Then go north by sea to help the French regain Louisbourg? "

Li Hao laughed loudly when he heard this and said: "The General Staff has this intention, and it coincides with it. However, based on what you have seen and heard in the Bahamas, is there any problem with food supply?"

The trade ambassador smiled and said: "Your Highness, let's put it this way. As long as you spend free money, you can get as much food as you want. They will rush to sell it to us, as long as we pay cash. Not to mention food, it is beef and mutton. The price of rum is also much lower than elsewhere.”

"Before returning, I also sent people to follow the smugglers to check their coast. There was no defense."

Li Han nodded, then suddenly sighed and said: "What a waste of natural resources. If only there were places with distinct seasons, pleasant climate, and open plains in the heavens and on earth, instead of places like Nanyang, where the miasma is hot and where malaria mosquitoes are common... ugh !”

The trade ambassador smiled and said: "There are gains and losses. Your Highness doesn't have to think so. At least it's not too late. If this western region is determined with 120,000 yuan, it will cost the imperial court to subsidize one hundred taels of travel expenses per person." , spend 30 to 50 million taels to cultivate farmland and gather villages and towns, and within ten years, there will be one million households."

Li Han said, "I'm not just lamenting this matter and saying it's a waste of natural resources. I'm just lamenting that if this dynasty faced such a situation, it would never be as embarrassed as the British. Why do we need strict navigation regulations for the cloth, gold and iron we produce? Tube?"

The trade ambassador smiled and agreed, but said mentally: "That's not necessarily the case. I talked about free trade in the Bahamas, and people asked me, I heard that the tea produced in Fujian is not allowed to go to the sea from Fuzhou, but has to go to Songsu. This How is it different from the "Enumerated Commodities Act"? If we only talk about trade, it is simple. As far as the court is concerned, it does not want more customs tax. If everyone can go to sea, smuggling is so extensive that it may not even be able to support the navy. rise?"

"Not to mention the fear of depriving the people of food and leaving small farmers without jobs. Except for the Northeast and Southeast Asia, the rest of the world has set up banknote inspections just like the salt tax."

"Today's events may not end well in the future. At that time, merchants and factory owners from all over Songsu will follow the same example, but they want the domestic market, but they want to ban the provincial banknotes, and they want to move the goods straight up the river, impacting the pattern of men farming and women weaving. , but so what?”