Author: Zero Romance

Chapter 3212

The arms trade was no stranger to the Portuguese, who once accounted for the bulk of trade in the Far East.

The Portuguese's trade activities in the East did not go smoothly at the beginning. During the Zhengde and Jiajing years of the Ming Dynasty, they had constant friction with the Ming Dynasty, and many armed conflicts broke out along the coast of Guangdong.

It was not until the Wanli and Tianqi years that the Portuguese discovered that sending arms to the Ming Dynasty could win the favor of the other party, and the relationship between the two parties began to ease. By the Chongzhen period, in addition to supplying weapons to the Ming Dynasty, the Portuguese also packed up officers.

Artillery and cannon-casting technicians were sent over to help the Ming Dynasty form a Western-style firearms force.

For a long time, the Ming Dynasty, Annan, and Japan were all the main customers of Portugal in the arms trade in the East.

But since the rise of Haihan in the South China Sea, he quickly entered the arms market, and Portugal was quickly squeezed out of that business.

There is no other reason. Whether the port can produce or have weapons, it is difficult for Portugal to compete with Haihan, which has mastered more advanced military technology.

Even in terms of sales channels, the Portuguese who entered that market first were quickly left behind by Haihan due to language and cultural disadvantages.

For a long period of time, the arms sold by Haihan to Western countries were basically based on land weapons such as matchlocks, flintlock guns, and city defense guns. This may not temporarily threaten Portugal's maritime capabilities.

Safety in.

The only buyers who can purchase armed warships from Haihan are Fujian Xu family, Annan and a few other forces that have received special permission. The warships they can purchase are not enough to challenge Portugal's armed ships in the east.

Team.

But if Haihan relaxes restrictions and starts selling large warships like the Majestic class to some countries, it means that Portugal's influence in the East may have to drop another level.

Seeing the Annan delegation arrogantly boarding the VIA, both Simon and Thomas looked gloomy.

Thomas was the first to break the silence: "What do I think the Haihan people did for that purpose?"

Simang responded: "Perhaps because they are preparing to mobilize large-scale troops to the north to attack the Ming Dynasty, they need a reliable armed force to maintain maritime order in the South China Sea. Do they think the Annan fleet is qualified for that task?"

Thomas said: "But it would be more appropriate if that matter could be left to them."

Ximang said: "That just proves his previous point. The attitude of Haihancuo and the others is slowly changing."

Portugal's naval armed force in the South China Sea is second only to Hainan, and is much better than Annan. Moreover, there are supply ports in many places in the South China Sea where the fleet can dock, which is a condition that Annan does not have.

However, Haihan's behavior obviously reflects Portugal's lack of trust and even his intention to support Annan to replace Portugal's position in the region.

The two fell into silence again. It was fine that the arms business was snatched away by Haihan. After all, his skills were inferior to others, but Haihan even asked to arm the vassal country to replace Portugal, which was unacceptable to them.

If there is still no response to this, then if we take a step east, will countries like Annan be able to ride on their own head?

After a moment, Thomas said: "Is it time for him to talk to the Haihan people about the international situation?"

Simang also expressed his affirmation: "It's time to talk to them. If I continue to go east like that, maybe we won't be able to resolve the differences through talks."

The depression of the Portuguese will obviously not be the keynote of that arms show. The thousands of people who flocked to the exhibition will be the protagonist tomorrow.

Many people have not really realized until this moment that Ming's continuous defeat in recent years is not due to the so-called bad luck, but the gap in strength between Ming and Haihan is really too big.

The so-called warships deployed by the Ming Army in the Qiantang River in the past were simply small sampans compared with the ships displayed by the Haihan Navy.

Most of the older locals still remember the fire outside Hangzhou more than 20 years ago that burned down Haihan's property, which led to the Haihan fleet coming to the east of Hangzhou and blocking the Qiantang River. It was different from that time.

In comparison, Ruming's Haihan fleet is obviously more powerful, and even a "giant ship" like the Zhoushan has appeared.

Of course, the biggest difference is that at that time, the Haihan Army was not regarded as an "enemy army" by the locals, but at this moment, that powerful army has become its own family, and the entire Hangzhou area is protected by it.

The soldiers who were responsible for receiving explanations at the exhibition were all specially selected and were not from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Many of them were from Hangzhou.

When the people hear the soldiers explaining the weapons, equipment and recruitment rules in local dialects, they will naturally feel more cordial.

The publicity effect of the arms exhibition was immediate. There was a long queue of young people who inquired about joining the army at the scene. Some scholars even started to ask if there were any positions suitable for them in the army.

At this time, the exhibition area of ​​the North American region was already crowded with people. The two thousand leaflets printed in advance were distributed before noon. Wang Anbang had to be present in person and respond to inquiries from several people at the same time.

Only then did Wang Anbang understand why before setting off, his father had kept him in a general knowledge class for several days, which covered the geography, products, humanities, etc. of North America.

I'm so excited about the preparation work, I will be asked all kinds of weird questions at this time.

Farmers will come and ask what crops are suitable for planting in the local area, what is the climate like, and whether grain can be grown twice a year; carpenters will ask what tree species are available in the area, which ones are suitable for building houses, and which ones can be used as firewood; businessmen will ask

What are the special local products, what are the material needs, and what are the costs of transoceanic transportation?

Different walks of life have different concerns, which makes it much more complicated than simply conscription.

Although Wang Anbang's mouth was dry when he talked, his heart was very full. He knew that the more people who came to consult, it meant that there were many people who were interested in North America.

Many of them asked if they were out of curiosity, or even if they wanted to come and watch an East Spanish prisoner of war up close, but there should also be many who had really thought about moving to North America. And whether they could do what they wanted to do,

Let those people put their ideas into action.

The conditions provided by the North American region to immigrants and recruits are the most favorable among all overseas regions, which has really attracted a lot of people. On the first afternoon after the launch, nearly a hundred people signed a copper bond on the spot.

, decided to immigrate to North America.

Taking advantage of the lack of crowds at noon, Wang Anbang ordered people to go to the city to find craftsmen, and then quickly made two large display boards and wrote his recruitment information in large characters on the slogans to facilitate public inquiries.
Chapter completed!