The supply of sulfur from Japan has been cut off due to the Tokugawa shogunate's seclusion, and we can only rely on a small amount of supply from northern Taiwan. However, the business of purchasing and processing sulfur from the local aboriginal people in Tamsui has always been handled by Chinese businessmen, which the Spaniards considered economically uneconomical. Moreover, since the Australians established a trade fortress in the southern part of Taiwan Island, they also began to purchase sulfur on a large scale. Chinese businessmen were quickly attracted to 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 had sent a messenger, ordering the colonial troops stationed in Keelung and Tamsui to seize the sulfur producing areas by force and control the sulfur trade. To this end, reinforcements and a large number of new guns and ammunition were shipped. But water from far away can't relieve thirst, so Hale can only try to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. The former is to use charcoal to calcine pyrite to make sulfur. Except for the No. 1 black powder, all other black powders adopt the sulfur-free formula of nitrate eight carbon two.
"Allocate all the No. 1 gunpowder in stock to load fuses and artillery tubes. We 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 sailors and attendants: " The supply of gunpowder to firearms is suspended until new 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 just a musket and cannot be counted as a rifle. Second, it is not made by us. We are just treating the old ones that the Spaniards dug out of the armory. The matchlock gun 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 were just insignificant gadgets and could not change the situation of the war. weights, they are nothing compared to cannons. Cannons are the true god of war.”
Walking out of the gunpowder production workshop, Marcos tried to persuade his benefactor to inspect the starch factory again.
"I went there yesterday," Hale looked dismissive. "I don't see the need to go again today."
"The Chinese either don't know how to work at all, or they are deliberately stealing raw materials. I think the former is more likely. They ruined all the corn in stock and made piles of garbage that can only be used as fertilizer. The result The little starch they just made is too little to feed the mice. Now they are ruining our sweet potatoes again——"
"Come on, I know those fuguos used to make arrowroot. What. Never heard of arrowroot? Marcos, you are a poor man who has never even eaten Japanese fruit. I mean: they used to do it Their business involves making starch from sweet potatoes to pass it off as arrowroot starch. The work I assigned them is a good job for them. Of course, my guidance and your supervision are indispensable. Here is some good news for you. ." Hale showed a mysterious smile. "I discovered new sources of supply, coming from places you would never expect. The ready-made high-quality starch is enough for me to make a ** that will blow up an entire city.
"Yes, sir." Marcos swallowed. He comes from the 21st century and has no mystery about what the Japanese do, but the burning fanaticism in this person always scares him.
"Also, your fiancée asked me yesterday about when you would go to see her." Marcos hesitated, "I feel that she misses you very much..." He took out a Chinese silk handkerchief package letters. "She asked me to pass this on to you."
"I don't have time." Hale frowned and did not take the handkerchief - his hands were black.
"But, sir -"
Hale knew what his assistant was trying to say: "The fiancée" couldn't be ignored.
The Spaniard was going to stuff the illegitimate daughter of an aristocrat into his bed. He had no need for her mentally or physically. However, the noble birth of his "fiancée" not only symbolized that he was accepted by the Spanish gentry in the Philippines and was regarded as " The symbol of "one of our own" also represents the recognition of the nobility of New Spain and the peninsula to themselves. It is indeed not appropriate to be too indifferent.
"Well, my dear Marcos, no matter what time and space it is, women are always sentimental. We have a lot of things to do. Why does she want to see me? Does she want me to go downstairs to 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 prepare another small gift."
"Marcos, you are so right. You must have Spanish blood flowing in your veins."
"Ready to serve you!"
"Stop talking about women's affairs. Are you ready for the things I arranged for you?"
"Everything is ready."
"You made sure no one knew?"
"I promise. I will take your students and servants with me personally. They are all 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-race people. They formed Hale's "inner circle."
Hale nodded. Spanish dignitaries in the Philippines had a morbid sense of crisis, always feeling that the Chinese, Dutch and 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 inevitably arouse endless suspicion, and his cooperation with the other party would be completely ruined.
"It seems that we underestimated this Japanese guy too much. He can pull up a group of people single-handedly, and he actually made it so lively in the Philippines when we weren't paying attention."
The confidential conference room of the Foreign Intelligence Service was modeled after that of the General Administration of Political Security. The windows were all open on the wall near the ceiling, and they were all closed at the moment. The temperature in the room made people sweat, but the representatives from various departments who came to the joint meeting were silently flipping through folders and reading recent intelligence clips about 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 close to freezing point.
"I can't believe this material," Wang Ruixiang closed the folder with a snap and threw it on the table in front of him.
"If nothing else, the numbers don't match up. How many products can Little Japan's so-called factories produce in a month? There are several figures on the monthly output of shells, fuses, and gunpowder, but 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 from the colonial government's records of receiving and allocating arms, and some were estimated based on reports on raw material consumption in Manila factories. In the notes after the report They are all listed. The accuracy is worth discussing, but it cannot be simply denied." Jiangshan said. Living in the office all day has made his face thin and his eye sockets are sunken, making his eyes look sharper and more aggressive. "Comparing these numbers, there is no doubt that the output that Hale boasted about the Spaniards is very good. But even if the water is squeezed out, , by the standards of the 17th century, the output of this semi-mechanized military factory has exceeded those of manual workshops in Europe. It must attract our attention, after all, the Philippines is much closer to us than Europe."
"Production is not the most important issue," someone expressed his opinion: "If Hale makes spherical solid bullets for Spain, it doesn't matter even if he produces several thousand rounds per month, but since this guy can rifling smoothbore cannons, he can We have built explosive bombs with trigger fuses, and we have also built submarines. In short, it has brought a qualitative leap to the armament level of the white-skinned people, and that is definitely another matter."
"Leap? He jumped twice until he died." Wang Ruixiang sneered: "I don't believe 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 are no conical gauges and Angle gauge, how can he process a qualified conical projectile? Without a thermometer and hygrometer to measure and control temperature and humidity, how can he synthesize mercury fulminate without fear of blowing himself up?"
"He has them all. Or rather, Hale can get them all."
"Where to get it? Who will provide him with precision instruments?"
"The Spaniards or Europeans. Of course, there are also us." Wu Mu's tone was very calm, but it immediately attracted the attention of everyone present. It contained curiosity, surprise, and maybe a little fear.
Wumu had obviously made preparations, and he took out a few pieces of paper from the dossier bag: "The Political Security Bureau and the Navy recently teamed up to uncover a criminal gang hidden within Southeast Asian companies that targeted the Senate's property. According to the preliminary interrogation results , the organizers of the gang were all members who had belonged to the old Zhucai gang and later surrendered to us, and there were also many naturalized civilian cadres involved in the case. At first, it was thought that the main crime of this gang was to steal Nanyang-style rifles, pistols, and Typewriters, flash caps, ammunition, etc. Later, it was discovered that various instruments and tools were also their targets, including magnetic compasses, thermometers, psychrometers, barometers, sextants, navigation slide rules and drawing tools, and even screwdrivers. Don't let it go. These stolen materials are usually written off from the equipment registration list on the grounds that they were damaged or lost by wind and waves, pirate attacks, or were stolen by locals at the port. The buyers of weapons include pirates and dynasties of some Southeast Asian countries. Officials. As for the instruments, the interested customers are basically European businessmen and captains. Coincidentally, records show that the Meifu, Lishun and Tunan merchant ships owned by the Southeast Asia Company were all unfortunately visited by thieves during the two berths in Manila Port. , have lost their navigation instruments, is this just a coincidence?" (To be continued...)
