Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 937: Sneak Attack on Luzon Island

At the Palace of Versailles, a group of quasi allies retreated, and the Japanese government still insisted on fulfilling the agreement. Napoleon IV was so touched that he improved its diplomatic relations with Japan unprecedentedly.

Substantive rewards are also indispensable. The French government now needs to set an example and let everyone know that it is good to cooperate with them in order to attract more collaborators and reverse political passiveness.

Because of the war, France is not rich now, but the dead camel is bigger than the horse. Even plucking a feather is a huge profit for the Japanese government.

Besides, besides money, there is another thing called technology in this world.Even in this age of lax technological blockade, it is also difficult for Asian countries to introduce advanced technologies.

Not to mention the difficulty of communication, even if someone sells technology, you have to be able to identify the authenticity and you also need a bulging wallet.

If you look at the industrial development history of the Meiji Restoration, you will find that this is also a history of Japanese government trickery.Many of the imported technology and equipment will face unsuitability when they arrive in Japan.

Perhaps it was because the earlier period suffered a lot of deceit, that the later generations of Japanese were able to rely on themselves, catch up, and smooth the gap between the two sides.

It is rare to get on the line with the European powers, and the Japanese will naturally not give up this good opportunity.The Japanese minister in Paris, Ichiro Honda, who does not know the domestic plan, is now enthusiastic about the exchange of contracts with the French.

The cover is impressively "France's Technical Assistance Treaty with Japan". The treaty contains thousands of various civilian and military technologies, including almost all the bad technologies in the world.

In theory, as long as the Japanese introduce and digest these technologies, they can be promoted to third-rate industrial countries, and the process of industrialization can be shortened by at least ten years.

As for the more advanced technologies, they are not qualified to peep into a country that has not yet completed industrialization.Even if the basic industries are not up to standard, many advanced technologies cannot be used even if they are obtained.

It is a pity that the reality is cruel. Most of this treaty, which seems vital to Japan, cannot be implemented.

The French are not philanthropists. The so-called technical assistance was established after the Japanese government declared war on Austria.The specific amount depends on the performance of the Japanese army on the battlefield.

...

The sea is blue, the sky is vast, and the red sun only shows half of his face, and it wipes a piece of sunset, like a colorful veil, and even the sea water is dyed golden yellow.

The sky gradually dimmed, and with the roar of ships, the already silent dock became noisy again.

A group of laborers in ragged clothes stood up one after another, looking into the distance, their eyes full of expectation.

The work on the dock is not easy to do, not to mention the hard work, and it is not stable.Even in the prosperous Luzon Island, there is no guarantee that there will be work every day.

When busy, there may be hundreds of merchant ships transiting here a day, and there is endless work to do.In free time, it may not open for ten and a half months.

As a result of the war, the trade routes in the Southeast Asia were also depressed.Merchant ships running solo gangs no longer dare to go out to sea easily.

France and Austria played pirate tactics in the South Seas, and now they have developed to the point where they have made mistakes and have not let go.

When you encounter a real pirate, the big deal is to rob you of money, and the chance of surviving is still not low; when you encounter such a pseudo-pirate, it is usually done with people and boats.

In the face of two big hooligans, no one can do anything but to let the pirates back their hands.

Nowadays, those who can do trade in the South Seas are all large fleets working together. Usually, a certain neutral navy must be invited to send warships to escort them before they can pass safely.

In this context, the prosperous Luzon Island in the past has also depressed. There are fewer ships in the past, and the workers on the dock naturally have a hard time.

From the clothing point of view, it can be roughly judged that these workers are of the most mixed race, the Chinese are the next, the Japanese are the next, and a small number of whites.

This is also in line with the situation in Luzon. The Spaniards ruled here for hundreds of years. Civilization is still only passed on in the city, and most of the local indigenous people are in the tribal era.

Since it is a tribe, you don't need to expect them to come out and find work.Anyway, wild plants and fruits are enough to fill your stomach, so there is no need to work hard.

There are circles everywhere, and the small dock is no exception.Also at the bottom of society, they are divided into three, six or nine grades. You can tell by looking at the clothes.

This is Spain's territory, and the white status is naturally the highest.The same goes for living on the dock, but most of them are in the management, and very few do hard work.

The rest of the positions are similar. When you live more, you can be friends, and when you live less, you can compete.In order to make a living, there are no conflicts between various groups in private.

The prosperity of Luzon is built on the port. The Spaniards did not intend to develop the local economy, and naturally there were not many jobs.

Compared to entering mines and plantations, although life on the wharf is unstable, the income is higher.

Those who can stand here are the victors in the struggle.So they must not only support themselves, but also support the gang leaders behind them.

The distance is getting closer, and the hull is faintly visible.A middle-aged man sighed: "Don't look, this is the Japanese warship without us."

The most important thing to discuss life on the dock is vision.What kind of business needs to be grabbed, what kind of business can be accepted, must make accurate judgments.

For example, now, Japanese warships are coming, and there is basically no business.Even if it is docked for supplies, priority Japanese workers will be used.

The same applies to merchant ships. Asians are all disadvantaged groups when they go to sea to discuss life these days, and they must be grouped to survive.Clans, fellow villagers, and gangs are all indispensable.

The eager young man returned to his place and replied helplessly: "I know Uncle Liu. We haven't received a few deals this month, and we have to pay profit to the gang.

I don't know when this day is the head.If this continues, we are going to drink northwest wind."

The crowd sat on the ground in twos and threes, and someone took out a big cigarette and started smoking, vomiting the smoke to paralyze his nerves, in order to escape the sorrow of reality.

Seeing this scene, the middle-aged man frowned and said impatiently: "Deng Mazi, put away your big cigarettes. When do you still smoke this stuff, if you can't save money, you can spend some money later. what."

After speaking, the middle-aged man kicked over.These days, most of the dock workers are bachelors. One person is full and the whole family is not hungry. The work is hard and tired. It is very common to smoke.

Although Spain is also a signatory to the international anti-smoking regulations, it was more due to the pressure of public opinion, or to give Austria a face, and it was not really implemented.

Now there are only a few European countries that have completed the anti-smoking campaign in the true sense, and it is only Austria that has carried out the anti-smoking campaign in the colonies.

The Vienna Government’s Unlimited Accountability Act, regardless of time and place, will be pulled out to shoot when a drug offender is caught, so that opium dealers all over the world are timid to stop the spread of opium.

That's right, it just stopped the spread of drugs.The secret drug trade still exists, but the government has cracked it too hard, and drug trafficking in Austria has become the most dangerous profession in the world.

The middle-aged man was originally one of them, but after he had a family, he wanted to support his family and forcibly gave up his addiction.

Because of the perseverance to quit smoking and his maturity in his work, the middle-aged man was favored by a fellow of the gang and became the little boss on the dock.

In a sense, middle-aged men are also beneficiaries of the Austrian anti-smoking campaign.

Since the establishment of Lanfang Province, it has become the center of the gathering of Nanyang Chinese.After all, there are too few safe places these days. Every once in a while, the colonists will set off an anti-China movement to harvest wealth.

Lanfang Province, under the banner of Austria, does not have to worry about threats from foreign enemies; internally, it also implements provincial autonomy. Under the influence of Austria, it also plays the rule of law.

Regardless of the law, at least there are rules of the game, so there is no need to worry about security.

With a safe investment environment, Chinese capital who lacks a sense of security naturally swarmed in, directly driving the economic development of Lanfang Province.

Up to now, the large Chinese families in Nanyang have basically moved their nests to Borneo.

Although it is an autonomous province, the Chinese have a natural awe of imperial power.The emperor ordered a smoking ban, and the self-government had no guts to say no.

Coupled with the promotion of people of insight and the Austrian navy’s attack on the smoke-carrying ships, the import of opium was restricted, and the anti-smoking campaign in Lanfang Province has also been completed well.

The opium sellers were shot, and the opium inhaled was forced into a drug rehabilitation center.Regardless of their status or status, they passively quit smoking, and naturally the gang leader is also indispensable.

After all, Hongmen, the largest gang in Nanyang, is essentially controlled by several big families.The upper echelons quit smoking, and the lower gang members are naturally affected.

Moreover, the anti-smoking campaign is not just a ban on smoking, it is also accompanied by a lot of publicity.By now, everyone has become accustomed to despising smoking, just as everyone resents drug use in later generations.

It's hard to persuade the damn ghost. Seeing that his words were treated as wind in his ears, the middle-aged man frowned, turned around and came out of sight.

"Don't follow him, he will go on like this, and sooner or later he will go to the streets. As for the issue of profit, I will communicate with the gang. Everyone is from the same town. The gang will not let you starve to death."

The Hongmen of this year is not only a mere gang organization, but also the gathering place of the township party. Most Hongmen in various places have no compulsory binding force to each other, but bear a common brand.

This gives him different attributes. While collecting protection fees, he also assumes the responsibility of social assistance, such as helping compatriots who have just come to Nanyang to settle down and find work.

...

Warships are different from merchant ships, and they must negotiate in advance if they want to dock.There is no doubt that this Japanese fleet is an uninvited guest.

Communication is also useless. Although the Banya Empire has fallen, and the Japanese have not been taken into consideration, it is impossible to agree to lend a port to them for transit.

Even Britain and France will not be able to come forward. The situation on the European battlefield is becoming more and more obvious. It is enough to save face without slamming the French. How can it be on the side of France?

Seeing that the negotiations were delayed and without results, the fleet commander Yuheng Ito coldly ordered: "Give the prepared gifts to the Spaniards and tell them that we are just docking to buy some supplies. It will not be delayed for long. Before dark Will leave without causing him trouble.

Inform the army to be ready, take immediate action once it reaches the shore, and hit the enemy by surprise."

It is impossible to leave before dark.Ito Yuhiro specially selected this time, as long as he reached the shore, he would have to drag it until dark.

The Spaniards have been operating on Luzon Island for a long time. Although the shore artillery on the island is old, the power still cannot be underestimated.If it were a strong attack, the Japanese army would have to pay a heavy price.

As for Spain's Philippine fleet, a group of eliminated sailing warships, and two old-fashioned iron-clad ships, Yutoh Ito is still not concerned.

Japan's wealth is limited, and this war must be resolved quickly.The core of the Philippines is in Luzon. As long as you win this place, the rest will be easy to handle.

Money can make ghosts push away, let alone stop for supplies for a short time?

This time the Japanese government went south under the name of encircling and suppressing pirates and went to Austria on the open. The Spanish did not realize the danger at all. Even subconsciously, they never thought that the Japanese could pose a threat to them.

Although the Japanese fleet in front of them is too large, they still take it for granted that the Japanese dare not challenge Spain.It can only be said that the days of peace have been too long, making them lose their sense of crisis.

On the island, Japanese ronin in twos and threes began to gather in the tavern.This is not the first time, drinking a glass at night seems to be a Japanese habit.

If someone pays attention, they will find that these people are different in the weekdays, all of them are like chicken blood, and their eyes are full of murderousness.

...

"Some of us have been here for more than ten years, and some have just arrived last month. We have only one purpose for coming here, which is to help the empire seize Southeast Asia and drive away the white invaders.

Today the opportunity is finally here, our fleet is outside, and the general offensive will be launched at night.Our task is to preemptively take down the Government House and Municipal Building before the battle begins, and disrupt the enemy's command system.

Time is running out, now we start to distribute weapons..."