Mid-December 1790, Annan, Jiading, Guangnan Province.
Two years ago, Ruan Phuc Anh took advantage of the fact that the Xishan Dynasty was busy fighting the Qing army and led his army to capture Jiading. After that, he used 30,000 people to build this red fortress with a circumference of two kilometers according to the design provided by French engineers. This castle also has a name in the history of Annan, Bagua City.
Don’t think too hard. The Ping An Castle is actually a polygonal star-shaped fortress. It has nothing to do with Bagua, but it is so named because it has eight gates. If you look down from the air, the entire castle looks like a huge turtle lying on the west bank of the Chaigun River.
In a palace in the center of the newly completed Ping'an Castle, the 28-year-old King Ruan Fuying of Guangnan and several of his important ministers were listening to He Xiwen's report.
When Nguyen Phuc Anh and others learned from He Xiwen that the Northern Navy had captured the Imperial City of Hue in just half a day, the palace suddenly became silent and a pindrop could be heard.
Whether it was the Thor that roamed the sea, the cannons that struck dozens of miles away, or even the rapid fire guns in the hands of the North Navy, everything was beyond the understanding of Ruan Phuc Anh and his ministers, and it was even beyond the imagination of those French officers. understand. If the news of the fall of the Imperial City of Hue had not arrived in Jiading at about the same time as He Xiwen, these people would have thought that He Xiwen was telling lies.
However, a moment later, Ruan Fuying's confidant, Beicheng soldier Cao Dengchenchang stood up and bowed and said: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Now I have a strong support in Guangnan!"
General Le Van Yuet, who was a eunuch, said: "This is the fate of the Nguyen family in Xishan! The king should send people to Hoi An quickly, contact Bei Hai, and jointly send troops to the Northern Expedition."
Olivier de Pimanuel, a Frenchman in charge of training infantry and artillery, bowed and said: "Lord Ruan, I think such reinforcements must be obtained."
General Qi Wuxing also stood up and said in a deep voice: "I think that if Beihai Town can cooperate from the sea and use giant cannons to cover it, I can lead 5,000 people to seize Pingshun Mansion again."
Binh Thuan Mansion is only more than 300 miles away from Jiading. In April this year, Nguyen Phuc Anh sent Le Van Yuan to lead 5,000 people to attack Binh Thuan Mansion. With the help of the French to train the Western-style army, Binh Thuan was easily conquered. However, due to discord among the generals, the Xishan Army took the opportunity to counterattack and took it back.
It is said that the reason why the Ruan family in Guangnan has been fruitless in the Northern Expedition for many years is first of all because of the monsoon. The time that water and land can cooperate to fight is only a few months. Once the time is up, if they cannot win, they have to retreat; secondly, they have no money. The most obvious one is The shrinkage of Chinese merchant trade brought about a significant reduction in tax revenue. The areas that produce agarwood, ivory, pepper and other goods are all located in central Annan, which is under the control of the Xishan Dynasty.
The Jiading area, known as the "Land of Grain, Rice, Fish and Salt," has been a place of repeated competition between the new Ruan and the old Ruan for many years. The originally prosperous economy was almost abandoned due to the ravages of war. Nguyen Phuc Anh has been encouraging farming and mulberry farming in recent years and implementing the policy of “incorporating troops into farming”. Most of the rice produced is used for military expenditures in exchange for weapons.
According to the historical trajectory of another time and space, Nguyen Phuc Anh will continue to work hard in farming. It will be three years before Binh Thuan can be recaptured, and Hue City can be captured after eleven years.
Facing the excitement of his men, Ruan Fuying was shocked but remained calm. You must know that he has shouldered the important task of fighting against the Xishan Dynasty since he was fifteen years old. More than ten years of fighting and living under the shelter of others have made him almost middle-aged mentally. If he had been encouraged by others at every turn, he would have died long ago without a burial place.
At this moment, what he is thinking more about is what impact the emergence of Beihai Town will have on him politically and diplomatically, and how he can deal with it with ease and use it to my advantage.
Compared to the sudden appearance of Beihai Town, Ruan Phuc Anh actually trusted the French more. After all, he had known Peter for more than ten years, and the missionary was running around for his own restoration of the country, which led to the current situation.
There is no free lunch in the world, and Ruan Fuying never believed that the North Korean Navy would help him at all costs just to avenge the Chinese. Like the Siamese and the French, all foreign aid comes at a price. For example, the Min family, which has guarded Ha Tien for generations, has always been controlled by Siam; another example is the French aid, which came at the cost of ceding Conlun Island and Hoi An.
"Du Ying has made great contributions to this king this time! I will reward him heavily!" Ruan Fuying stood up with a smile and helped He Xiwen, who was kneeling on one knee, up. Then he said to the eunuch on the side: "I have given you my order to reward He Xiwen, the captain of the patrolling sea, two hundred coins, one million rice, and thirty pieces of silk."
"I bow down to thank you for your kindness!" He Xiwen pretended to kneel down and thank him. He said in his heart that this little thing is not as good as 1% of what I earned in Hue. Lord Ruan is really poor.
His return to Jiading this time was actually Deng Fei's instruction. Deng Fei learned that the navy trained by the French in Guangnan was far from adequate, and Ruan Fuying had to rely on He Xiwen's men to dispatch the navy. If He Xiwen turns his back on Quang Nam now and openly joins the North Korean Navy, the issue of the handover of Dong Dang and Lang Son may increase in variables later.
At this time, the French missionary Peter, who was standing to the left of Nguyen Phuc Anh, bowed slightly and said: "Lord Nguyen, if you allow me, can I go to Hoi An on your behalf to talk about cooperation with people in Beihai Town?"
Peter is now Nguyen Phuc Anh's advisor, the crown prince's teacher, and has overall diplomatic power. When the missionary returned to France to ask for help, he famously said, "I will alone provoke change in Indochina!" In fact, that's what he did.
Nguyen Phuc Anh paced back and forth for a few steps with his hands behind his back, and suddenly said: "Lei Van Yue, He Xiwen, and Zheng Chao proposed that I, the king, order the three of you to immediately go to Hoi An with Priest Peter to contact the Northern Navy to discuss the attack on Ruan Ni in Xishan Mountain. "
"I accept the decree."
After Nguyen Phuc Anh announced his resignation from the court, the missionary Peter walked out while frowning and thinking: "Bachai Town? I must have heard the name, but where is it?"
The news that Hoi An was occupied by the North Navy made him very uneasy. You must know that it will be ceded to France in the future. If the North Navy takes over and refuses to leave, it will be in trouble.
Well, because of the emergence of Beihai Town - to be precise, because of the emergence of Zhao Xin, the development process of many people and things in East Asia in this time and space has been messed up, and will expand to the entire East Asia in the near future. Europe and America.
Remember Count La Perouse? The leader of the French expedition appointed by Louis XVI had visited Beihai Town two years ago and witnessed the first electric light in Beihai Town.
It is said that when Count Laperous left Beihai Town, Deng Fei said too much when seeing him off, which also led to a major change in the fate of him and the crew.
Deng Fei's original words were: "Earl, I think your government's financial crisis is not that simple. If your king ignores the requirements of the third estate and the nobility and clergy continue to retain tax exemption privileges, then a nationwide crisis will The turmoil is just around the corner. The downtrodden commoners and the Third Estate will take crazy revenge on the nobles. What will happen to your family if you continue this journey?"
During the time in Beihai Town, Count Laperouse had many conversations with Deng Fei, and Deng Fei knew a lot about the history before the French Revolution. Many of his "personal insights" surprised him and made him very happy. Agree.
So Count Laperouse thought more and more on the way south, and the more he felt it made sense, so he did not go to Samoa, where he was supposed to die, but went to Pondicherry, the governor-general of the French Indian colony, to inquire about the news. Not surprisingly, he found nothing.
Originally, not to mention that the French Revolution hadn't started yet, even if it had started, it would only take a few months for it to spread from Europe to Asia.
Coincidentally, he met Peter there who was recruiting officers and preparing weapons for Nguyen Phuc Anh. The two mentioned Beihai Town in their chat.
Although Peter was interested in hiring Count La Perouse to go to Annan, he still shouldered the mission of the king. So when the Count's fleet left India and continued to Batavia, Peter, who was already busy and exhausted, headed to the North Sea. The anecdotes about the town were forgotten.
Although the northeast wind blows on the sea in Annan in winter, as long as there is no naval battle, sea ships can still move, just slower. More than ten days later, Peter and his party finally arrived in Hoi An at the end of the Gregorian calendar. The first thing that caught their eyes was the Thor anchored in the southwest of Da Cham Island.
"My God!" Except for He Xiwen and his men, everyone else on the boat had their eyes dropped to the ground. Even the two warships Peter brought back from India were incomparable to the Thor.
Last year, Peter got two battleships from the local governor Conway, one was a frigate and the other was a third-level battleship. Peter used the funds raised to equip the two ships with cannons and ammunition, and recruited sailors and deserters from the local government before sailing the two ships back to Jiading.
This was the first time in Annan's history that he had obtained a Western-style warship. Nguyen Phuc Anh, who was overjoyed, named the two ships "Dragon" and "Phoenix" respectively, and began to build his naval force.
After He Xiwen's serious contact, the next morning, Peter and his entourage boarded the gangway of the Thor as cautiously as Grandma Liu entered the Grand View Garden.
As soon as they boarded the ship, the surging and passionate "March of Steel Torrent" immediately resounded all around on the deck, and the fifty soldiers of the North Marine Corps Battalion wearing white military uniforms and standing straight in two rows looked even more murderous.
Such a formation immediately overwhelmed the Guangnan envoys, including He Xiwen. Everyone said they didn't see a band playing. Where did this sound come from?
In fact, if He Xiwen hadn't said hello in advance, the situation would have been even more embarrassing, because what was more awkward than the music was actually the clothes of both parties.
Everyone, look at me and I look at you, we all think the other person’s outfit is really weird!
The Beihai navy wears large-brimmed hats, with separate tops and trousers, and neither round collars nor cross collars, but a row of shiny buttons. He wore light-colored combat boots on his feet, which were also hidden in his trouser legs. Let's say they dress like Europeans. At least Europeans' trousers don't touch the tops of their feet. It can be said that he looks like a Han Chinese. ． ． ． ． ． Zheng Huaide searched his mind and felt that he had never been dressed like this in any ancient book.
In the eyes of Deng Fei and Wang Yuanfang, Li Wenyue, He Xiwen, and Zheng Huaide and their entourage were all dressed in ancient official uniforms, which seemed out of place in the environment of the Thor, like a group of opera singers. You must know that the official uniforms of Guangnan at this time still followed the dress system of the Later Le Dynasty. Those fancy things like costumes were only available after the establishment of the Later Nguyen Dynasty.
For example, Li Wenyue and Zheng Huaide are all dressed in black gauze hats, round-neck Qingji suits, patchwork on the chest, and black boots. Basically, they are not much different from the clothes made in the Ming Dynasty. As for the attendants, they all wore flat-top hats and wore round-neck Qingji suits. The only difference is that these people's hair is spread down behind their heads and not covered with a net scarf.
The most eye-catching among these Guangnan officials is Peter, who has a big nose and green eyes. This man is wearing a black priest's robe and a silver cross hanging on his chest.
"He Duying, this, is this the Beihai Navy?"
He Xiwen, who came back to his senses, also saw Deng Fei and Wang Yuanfang at this time. He hurriedly led everyone forward to help introduce them.
"Everyone, this is Lord Deng, the naval commander of the Northern Navy, and this is Commander-in-Chief Wang."
Just as Peter was about to say hello, he heard Mr. Deng stretch out his right hand to him and say in fluent French: "bonjour, chermonsieurlepère."
"Ah, you actually speak French?!" Peter was surprised and stretched out his hand to shake the other person's hand gently. Then he suddenly thought of something and said in a voiceless voice: "I remembered that Count La Perouse mentioned it to me. He once visited a magical city in the far northern continent, where there was a gentleman named Fei Deng who could speak fluent French!"
"Wrong priest, my name is Deng Fei."
"Sorry, I must have remembered it wrong." Peter shook his head, then coughed slightly and said: "General Deng, my name is Pierre Joseph Georges Pinieux, from the Foreign Office in Paris. The Missionary Society now serves Lord Nguyen of Quang Nam Kingdom, and everyone calls me Peter.”
"Peter?" Deng Fei immediately realized that this name should be the transliteration of Portuguese. You must know that the word "pierre" is "pedro" in Portuguese.
This meant that they could shake hands with Peter, but not others, so Deng Fei and Wang Yuanfang resumed the hand-over-hand gesture. When I arrived at Zheng Huaide, I heard this man speaking in Fuzhou dialect: "I am Zheng Zhishan, and I am currently recruiting for the Criminal Department of the Guangnan Prince's Palace."
Wang Yuanfang, who had spent many years in Fujian in another time and space, said in surprise: "Are you from Fuzhou?"
"Zheng's ancestral home is Changle, Fujian."
Zheng Huaide, also known as Zhishan, his ancestors crossed the sea to Annan after the Qing army entered the Pass because they did not want to submit to the Manchus. The reason why Ruan Fuying asked this 25-year-old young official to come was because Zheng Huaide was a "Mingxiang native" and he was also a rare survivor of the "Jiading Massacre".
Historically, after the establishment of the Nguyen Dynasty, Zheng Huaide became the co-organizer of the University, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Minister of the Ministry of War. The "Jiading Tongzhi" which records the "Jiading Massacre" is his work.
Didn't Beihai Town's "Quest for Ruan Xiwen" say that he wanted to avenge the Chinese who died in Jiading? Nguyen Phuc Anh sent a survivor over to build relations, and by the way, as a Minh Huong native, he could find out the situation in Hoi An.
After the two sides sat down across the long table, Peter got straight to the point: "Two generals, as the plenipotentiary representatives of Lord Ruan, I would like to know why you came all the way to fight against the Ruan family in Xishan? La Perouse The earl once told me that your territory is on the northern border of the Qing Dynasty."
Deng Fei smiled and said: "Mr. Peter, as a good friend of the earl, I will tell you the truth. This time we went south, we made a special trip to fight against the Xishan Dynasty. "
After saying that, Jiang Fan on the side began to list many evidences that the Xishan Dynasty recruited pirates from South China and plundered the coast of Guangdong. As for the revenge for the Chinese in Jiading mentioned in the appeal, that was only known after arriving.
Although Peter and Li Wenyue were not familiar with Chinese, He Xiwen and Zheng Huaide helped translate, and the communication between the two parties was smooth.
After hearing this, Zheng Huaide became very excited. He immediately stood up, bowed his head to the ground, expressed his gratitude to Deng Fei and Deng Fei for their righteous deeds, and told the story of his experience in front of everyone's surprised eyes.
Deng Fei, Wang Yuanfang and Jiang Fan didn't expect to meet a survivor. Thinking of the tragic scene at that time, they couldn't help but sigh.
At this point in the conversation, Peter had confirmed that the Northern Navy was not hostile to Quang Nam, so he asked: "Lord Nguyen hopes that the Northern Navy can help us attack Binh Thuan. Do you have any conditions?"
When the drama came, Jiang Fan immediately proposed signing a treaty on the condition of Dong Deng and Lang Son in northern Annam. In addition, there was also the issue of leasing Kunlun Island as a supply base for the Beihai Town fleet going south.
After hearing this, Peter nodded expressionlessly and said, "We need to go back and report this matter to Lord Ruan. Can we agree that he should make the decision?"
"In addition, we request that a stone monument be erected in Jiaqing to commemorate the tens of thousands of Chinese who died eight years ago." As soon as Li Wenyue said this, he just returned it. Zheng Huaide's eyes widened, his nose opened and closed, and his breathing became rapid. stand up.
