If the broom cannot reach it, the dust cannot be removed. If you want the British to bow their heads, you have to see the truth on the battlefield.
At present, the strength of the Northern Navy's servant army in India has reached 8,000 people, which is three regiments. Two of the regiments were stationed in the southern part of the British Madras District, facing tit for tat with tens of thousands of British troops. There is also a battalion in Cuddalore in the south of the local administration, which is also a French colony, and the anchorage of the Northern Navy's South Asia Fleet is located there.
Regarding the British army, Ding Guofeng's strategy was to remain immovable until the enemy was immovable. As long as tens of thousands of British troops are contained, it will be enough to ensure that they cannot devote their troops to the melee between the three major Deccan regimes.
Although the French Governor-General Leclerc has returned to the throne of Governor-General, he is only a bare commander, and this guy belongs to the Royalist Returning Regiment and has no support from Europe for the time being. As part of the agreement between Zhao Xin and Mrs. Elizabeth, in January this year, Beihai Town provided Leclerc with a loan of 500,000 Spanish silver coins through the Bacheng Military Control Commission to fund his recruitment activities.
Leclerc had visited Ding Guofeng three times in Pazayaray in the past few months, trying to persuade him to launch an attack on the British army, and then force Madras to surrender through a naval blockade, and then the two families would divide the British colony.
He thinks so because he has a historical complex. During the "War of the Austrian Succession", the French briefly occupied Madras, and after the signing of the "Peace of Aachen" it was returned to the British.
The problem is that Ding Guofeng doesn't want to bleed for the French, not even the blood of the servants. A servant soldier needs six months of continuous training from entering the military camp to going into combat, and it takes eight months for lower-level officers. During this period, the personnel cost, time cost, and equipment cost are very high. Especially for these guys from peasant backgrounds to master formation combat and bayonet fighting, the Northern Navy Training Department was worried.
Furthermore, Beihai Town has no interest in occupying large colonies in India. It would be enough to have a medium-sized stronghold here to give Chinese businessmen a rest and serve as a transit point for transoceanic trade. The location had been chosen long ago, and it was Tranquiba, the stronghold of the Danes to the south.
According to Zhao Xin, if Leclerc had the power to transfer Louisiana to us, then it wouldn't hurt to give him a beating, but it's a pity that he doesn't have the right. Forget about him, even Louis Charles has no right to transfer it at present. The first thing he has to do is to get it back from Spain.
So the French should just go to sleep. They are just a sidekick in this war.
On the third day after Dundas left, a huge transport team consisting of 5,000 Tamil natives and more than 3,000 oxen and horses, carrying a large amount of gunpowder and weapons manufactured in Beihai Town, was surrounded by a battalion of servants. Escorted by a thousand French mercenaries, they set off towards Bingram in the west. Prince Ali, Tipu Sultan's son, will be there with a large number of people to meet him and then transport the supplies back to the capital.
Now that Mysore has recaptured the Salem area ceded to the British, coupled with the secret agreement between Ding Guofeng and the Sultan of Thanjavur, the material transportation line from local governance to the Kingdom of Mysore has been completely unblocked.
On the same day, five large transport ships belonging to the South Asia Fleet of the North Korean Navy lifted anchor and raised sail from the port of Fort St. David south of the local jurisdiction. They carried a large amount of food and were escorted by three thousand-ton frigates towards the west of the South Asian continent. Heading towards the coastal port of Jalalabad.
Still at the beginning of this year, Zhao Xin ordered the transfer of five Junk ships previously captured and repaired from the Dutch to the South Asia Fleet, and also transferred two motor-sail gunboats from Zheng Wenxian's First Squadron. This greatly increased the strength of the South Asia Fleet and became the maritime hegemon in the western Bay of Bengal.
In one month, the rainy season in South Asia will arrive. At this time of year, no war can be fought and we can only wait until November. Therefore, Ding Guofeng had to rush to deliver something to Tipu before the rainy season. Otherwise, when the floods flooded, all land transportation would be interrupted. At sea, since the Kingdom of Mysore had no navy at all and was unable to cope with the British naval blockade in Mumbai, Ding Guofeng could only send out land and water together to provide support thousands of miles away.
Since most of the troops had to guard the British, Ding Guofeng had no time to take care of Tranquiba, who was determined to be the target. After he came to govern the area, he learned from the French that the Danes had built a large fortress, Dansburg, in Tranquiba. Relying on a lot of intelligence collected from French businessmen, Ding Guofeng concluded that in order to completely occupy the place, at least one regiment of troops would be needed.
So for now, he can only wait patiently. When the rainy season comes and everyone calms down and everyone goes back to their homes, he will be free to take care of the Danes.
As the territory becomes larger, there are more things to do. When the gourd is pressed, the gourd floats up. The west side temporarily stopped, and another trouble occurred in Kinmen on the other side of the ocean.
In mid-May 1794, Zhao Xin, who had just disembarked in Khabarovsk and was about to inspect the steel plant, received a telegram from Lu Qi. When three thousand Spanish troops invaded, he promised to annihilate the invading enemies and teach them a heavy lesson.
The reason why Lu Qi dared to say this was because the number of overseas troops currently stationed in the Kinmen area has exceeded 1,200, and the force is considered to be quite strong. In addition, when Zhao Xin went to pick him up before the Spring Festival, he also brought a large amount of ammunition and living supplies. As long as you don't waste your time, it's easy to defeat your opponent.
He proposed in the telegram that since the goal of this operation was not only to defeat the Spanish army, but also to capture the Central Valley in the east, he requested that at least two thousand to three thousand more immigrants be sent to Kinmen.
Zhao Xin discussed it with Chen Qingsong, who was accompanying him, and the other party expressed that it was very difficult. Nowadays, the civil administration has devoted most of its energy to the agricultural development of the Nenjiang Plain. Currently, immigrants from Jiaodong will be sent to Heilongjiang City and Morgan for resettlement, leaving no room for excess people. But this kind of thing naturally can't trouble Boss Zhao. By the time the inspection is over, he already has an idea.
A few days later, half of the members of the "Committee of 29" held their monthly meeting in Fuldan City. At the meeting, Zhao Xin came up with a plan, proposing to recruit Koreans to immigrate to Kinmen in the south bank of the lower reaches of the Tumen River. After discussion with the congregation, an agreement was finally reached, but the number of people and the ratio of personnel were adjusted appropriately. That is to say, the first batch will be shipped to 300 households first, and the number of people will be controlled between 1,000 and 1,500; if the effect is good after half a year, 500 households will be sent there.
It is said that although the south bank area of the lower reaches of the Tumen River has been obtained, Beihai Town has also carried a big burden. The reason is that the five northern towns under the rule of the Li Dynasty were too poor and basically had nothing. The presence of Qing troops in recent years has caused constant complaints from local officials and people.
After the Beihai Navy moved in, they discovered that ordinary local people lived on Qumai (a wild Chinese medicine) as their daily food. Many people did not even have any decent clothes and could only wear clothes made of dog skin to keep out the cold in winter. Although the Manchus and Qing Dynasties conducted mutual trade every year in Qingyuan and Huining, because the Li Dynasty only allowed designated merchants to participate and did not allow people to trade, ordinary people did not enjoy the benefits of mutual trade at all, but were squeezed.
Originally, due to the war, many people from the Li Dynasty on the south bank of the Tumen River fled to Funing County; in some villages, not to mention people, not even chickens or dogs could be seen. However, just over a month later, when the intelligence bureau's secret agents began to spread the news that the North Navy was sending relief in Qingyuanfu and Wencheng, many families who really couldn't survive sneaked back one after another, and there were even many fishermen in troubled waters. Guy.
The Li Dynasty was angry and annoyed about this, but the local officials of Funing County were secretly happy that the pressure on the refugees was reduced.
However, these people didn't know until they arrived at the place that the Beihai Navy's relief was not a one-time provision of food, but a food card, and they could only get three days' worth of food at a time; and all recipients of relief had to check the Li Chao government's Register in the Yellow Book and issue a temporary ID card with a photo.
As a result, those who come from Funing County, Xishuiluo, Jingcheng and other places to make a living face a choice, should they stay and settle in the local area, or should they run away with three days of rations?
The post roads leading to various places have been set up with checkpoints by the Northern Navy. Entry is easy and exit is strict. Basically, once you come back, you can't leave again. If you want to run away, you have to go into the mountains, but even if you walk in the mountains, when you get back, the rations will be eaten up on the way.
As more and more people from the Li Dynasty stayed on the south bank of the Tumen River, how to resettle them next became a problem that Beihai Town had to solve. When spring plowing began, the problem of insufficient manpower and land became more and more prominent; there was not much arable land suitable for planting on the south bank of the Tumen River, and coupled with the poor soil and low yields, it was not enough to feed so many people. In the past, Zhao Xin's idea was to send some people to Eastern Siberia. Now, let's develop the New World.
When Lu Qi received the telegram from Beihai Town, his first reaction was, holy shit! The co-authorship committee treated his place as a trash can and sent everything they didn’t want to Kinmen. The reason why he complained was that the current population structure of Kinmen can be described as a hodgepodge of east, west, north and south.
Here are the teaching company of the Northern Navy, intern trainees from the military academy, members of the Kuye Island security team and their families, Hakkas from Jiaying from Borneo, surrendered soldiers from the Manchu Eight Banners and Han Eight Banners and their families, and there is also the Green Camp Prisoners, former White Lotus cultists, former bandits, Miwok Indians, and even escaped black slaves. If there were another group of Koreans, it would really be a "gathering of heroes, a meeting of carrots."
Beginning in February 1794, as news of the discovery of the Coloma gold mine spread back to Beihai Town, Zhao Xin decided to increase population transportation to Kinmen. Except for the miners supported by Borneo, there was really no one in the civil affairs department. In the end, they had to draw another 2,000 people from the people who had served in Ezo and Kuye Island, and then sent them all over by the Thunder.
Although Lu Qi felt "sad and angry", he still reluctantly accepted the reality.
This telegram signed by Zhao Xin made it very clear that the new immigrants in the customs must first meet the agricultural development strategy of the Nenjiang Plain, and at the same time, they must also transport personnel to the oil exploration project on Kuye Island. We must know that food security is the top priority. The reason why Beihai Town dares to spread food widely to feed so many people depends on large-scale agricultural mechanization investment and sufficient oil supply. Once oil cannot keep up and food production is reduced, although it will not be a "boom", a large amount of money will have to be wasted to buy food.
"Everything you said is right and reasonable!" Lu Qi cursed Zhao Xin in his heart, casually handed the telegram to the staff for archiving, and then turned his attention to the war with the Spanish.
The fact that Kinmen was able to learn about the Spanish army's attack was actually due to the news brought by the two black slaves.
In the eighteenth century, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, like the United States, still widely practiced slavery. Historically, it was not completely abolished until Mexico became independent in 1825. In addition to Indians, these slaves also included a large number of black Africans. From the early 16th century to the mid-17th century, more than 80,000 black people were transported to Mexico. Since then, the number of black people has exceeded 500,000.
Black slaves are widely distributed in coastal plantations in Mexico, and some work in the army. They are the private property of soldiers and officers, and their status is worse than that of Indians. Due to overwork, hunger, disease and inhuman treatment, slaves escaped and rebelled from time to time, but most cases were suppressed mercilessly.
The same was true for the two black slaves. Because they couldn't stand their hunger, they went to the kitchen at night and ate a few pieces of bread. However, they were discovered by the sentry. The next day, each of them was hung up and given twenty lashes. After that, the two became more and more angry and decided to escape; going south would be a trap, so they went east into the Santa Clara Mountains. Unexpectedly, the two idiots got lost in the mountains. When they were discovered by soldiers from the overseas corps who went hunting in the mountains, they only had half their lives left.
When he learned that three thousand Spanish troops were coming to attack him, Lucci's heart was beating wildly. This is different from bullying a stronghold with only a few dozen defenders. The Spaniards took it seriously.
Fortunately, the officers of the Overseas Corps were all battle-hardened backbones of the Northern Navy. Although they did not know much about the strength of the Spanish army, they thought it would not be any better than Tsarist Russia, so they quickly formulated a plan to "lure the enemy deep" plan of.
That is, through small-scale resistance step by step, they abandoned San Jose Guadalupe and Santa Clara de Assis, retreated northward in large strides, and lured the main enemy force to the hilly area south of the Golden Gate Fortress for a decisive battle. At the same time, the narrow terrain of the Kinmen Peninsula was used to ambush a battalion of troops in the San Bruno Mountains. When the opportunity came, they would outflank the enemy's flanks and cut off their retreat.
As the war drew closer, the atmosphere in the Golden Gate Fortress became tense. In order to ease their uneasy mood, many female dependents of the overseas corps went to the unfinished Taoist temple to burn incense and pray. Among those who burned incense and worshiped the gods, there were actually several Indian men and women wearing animal skins.
Speaking of this Taoist temple is also very interesting. Among the immigrants sent at the beginning of the year, there was an old Taoist priest named Ma Benchu. Lu Qi thought it was quite magical when he looked at the roster. Unexpectedly, when he asked the Taoist priest, he found out that this person was captured by Zhao Xin and others from Guangdong.
Well, Ma Benchu was the Taoist priest Sun Shiyi, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, invited from Sanyuan Palace seven years ago to use the "Yinmen Formation" to break the Thunder God's cannon. Unexpectedly, not to mention the failure of the method, he himself, Vice General Sun, Li Dagang and others were captured by Zhao Xin and others and sent to Ezo to dig coal.
Although Ma Benchu failed in "subduing the demon", he was indeed a descendant of the Longmen Sect of Luofu Mountain. Not long after arriving at the Ezochi Coal Mine, he stood out with his proficiency in medical skills and herbal medicine, and was assigned to be a doctor at the medical clinic on the coal mine. Although this person looked like he had white beard and hair, they were actually dyed to create a persona. His real age is only forty-five years old.
Life in the coal mines is hard. Although Beihai Town treats people well in terms of food and clothing, the days without spiritual sustenance can really drive people crazy. So a year later, Ma Benchu took the opportunity to ask the caretaker if he could build a Taoist temple here.
The guard asked what deity you plan to offer to the gods? Ma Benchu said that Pindao wanted to worship Lord Doumu Yuan. This god is the mother of all the stars in the sky. She has three eyes, four heads, and eight arms. She is transformed from the innate Yin Qi of Yuanshi Tianzun. She always acts kindly and saves people from suffering, just like Guanyin Bodhisattva in Buddhism.
After Zhao Xin learned about it, he looked up "Doumu" and thought it was not a big deal, so he agreed.
With the completion of the small and crude Taoist temple, the coal-mining convicts also had spiritual sustenance. Not only did they have fewer fights, but many White Lotus believers later also changed their beliefs. In this way, Taoist Master Ma spent six full years in the mining area while guarding the Taoist temple and treating patients, during which he also recruited more than a dozen disciples. If the civil affairs had not allowed him to issue an ultimatum, he might have been able to establish a sect in Ezo.
In view of Ma Benchu's contribution to stabilizing the mental state of the hard laborers, the Civil Affairs Bureau ended his sentence three years ago and sent him to the Beihai Town Central Hospital for a period of time to study medicine with Hong Tao, Wu Xianhou, Wang Xichen and others. After some discussion, I gained a lot.
At the end of last year, Taoist Master Ma heard that he was recruiting people to go to Kinmen, so he signed up with his two apprentices without even thinking about it. When he was in Beihai Town Central Hospital, he was deceived by Hong Tao, saying that the other side of the sea was the "Fusang in the east of the East China Sea" mentioned in the "Book of Mountains and Seas". He felt that he was not yet sixty this year and was in good health, so it was a worthwhile trip to take a look.
After Lu Qi had a chat with Taoist Ma, he began to think about using China's native religious beliefs to compete with Spanish missionaries, and also to cure diseases and save people, so as to win over more Indians. Ma Benchu also had this intention, so he just did it.
Only three months later, seven rough houses exuding the smell of cement inside and outside were completed in the southeast of the Golden Gate Fortress. Although the courtyard and interior and exterior decoration of the temple have not yet taken shape, several statues of gods carved from wood and clay have been hurriedly put on the altar.
The Jade Emperor, Doumu Yuanjun, Cihang Zhenren, and Guan Sheng Emperor are naturally indispensable. However, in one of the side halls, there are also two unknown statues of gods with their heads covered with red silk, which look mysterious. Pretty.
On the day when the statues were unveiled, when Taoist Master Ma took off the red silk, Lu Qi looked up and down at the two kind-faced guys with five long beards, wearing Taoist robes, and wearing wolf and eagle crowns on their heads. After a long while, he curiously asked Ma Benchu: "What kind of god is this?"
"Infinite Heavenly Lord."
Ma Benchu shook his fly whisk and said with an air of immortality: "Don't you want me to recruit Indian believers? These two statues are the Eagle God and the Wolf God, and they were created for them."
Lu Qi laughed heartily and said in his heart, "I am convinced." He gave a thumbs up to Ma Laodao and said, "I really belong to you!"
Ma Benchu stroked his long beard with his hands, his expression unchanged, and thought to himself that this was nothing. If King Zhao hadn't refused to let him have a statue, he would have even wanted to build a special hall for him!
Jalalabad is now Mangaluru. Having said so much about the grievances between Mysore and the British, in fact, the source of the early disputes also originated from there. In 1763, Tipu's father Hyder Ali conquered Mangaluru and it was not until 1767 that Mangaluru came under his administration. From 1767 to 1783, Mangaluru was ruled by the British East India Company. In 1783, Tipu Sultan took it back from the British and changed its name.
(End of chapter)
