Chapter 231: Champa
Finally, Ping Qiusheng did not forget to take a few close-ups of Cam Ranh Bay with his 500D.
“It’s a pity I don’t have a wide-angle lens, I’ll have to stitch them together when I get back,” Ping Qiusheng said, catching his breath. He also took the opportunity to secretly take several photos of Zhao Xue from the long-range exploration team in her swimsuit. To facilitate her activities on the small boat, she had worn a swimsuit on the dinghy.
Zhao Xue was not particularly beautiful, and the one-piece swimsuit she wore was not at all sexy. But she was one of the few modern women among the Elders, tall and with a figure that met the Elders’ aesthetic standards. To the Elders who were used to seeing small, thin maids every day, she was nothing short of a peerless beauty.
Looking through the long-distance lens at Zhao Xue’s two strong, wheat-colored thighs as she leaned over the side of the boat to measure the water depth and temperature, Ping Qiusheng couldn’t help but feel a certain physiological reaction. He couldn’t help but sigh softly. Zhao Xue had already been seduced by the conveniently located Bai Guoshi. However, he didn’t feel too much regret. After all, there were many restrictions and taboos on marriage between Elders, and it would be very disappointing to end up with an unpleasant outcome like Liu San’s.
Cam Ranh Bay had a large bauxite deposit about 50 kilometers to the west, and the exploration team had some hope of finding small-scale bauxite deposits along the coast of Cam Ranh Bay. Aluminum was a very useful light metal, not only of great use in industry, but the financial department also hoped to use it to make subsidiary coins—although Lin’gao’s electricity level was still a long way from supporting industrial-scale aluminum smelting.
However, the exploration team apparently did not make any noteworthy resource discoveries, so Zhao Xue had been spending her days in a swimsuit on the beach of Cam Ranh Bay, causing Elder Ping’s adrenaline to secrete in large quantities.
Ping Qiusheng’s own maid was plain-looking, and after solving the problem of “having one,” she no longer aroused much sexual interest in him. He hadn’t even brought her on the ship this time. Although he thought about the position of Governor of Japan every day, he also knew that the Japanese women of this era were not much to look at, no matter how noble their birth.
He often discussed the slave issue with Quark on the ship—of course, Elder Ping was not interested in Quark’s “goods.” The appearance of the Malay race did not conform to his aesthetic standards. He was more interested in what Quark had seen at the slave market in Basra: female slaves of all skin colors and nationalities gathered there, waiting to be sold. Every time he heard about it, his blood boiled, and he tossed and turned at night, unable to sleep.
That clueless Quark should immediately go and get a batch for the Council of Elders! Although Ping Qiusheng had hinted several times that these female slaves would have a good market in Lin’gao, he was surprised that Quark was completely oblivious, always bringing up the quality comparison between Southeast Asian slaves and black slaves.
After resting in Nha Trang for two days, the fleet set off for the next stop. At this point, Quark’s fleet should have been safe, but with his keen sense of business opportunity, he decided to temporarily follow the Australian fleet to Siam—perhaps there would be more opportunities to make a fortune.
Ping Qiusheng was organizing the information from the past few days on the ship. Although Nha Trang had been occupied by the Nguyá»…n of the Later LĂŞ dynasty, many traces of the Champa kingdom remained. The stone towers everywhere were proof: Champa was deeply influenced by Indian culture, Brahmanism was once very popular, and there was also a caste system.
In terms of ruling power, the Nguyễn’s control over this area was relatively loose. There were not many fortresses, and there were almost no signs of military activity. From the local residents, he learned that the Nguyễn officials and army only levied grain and goods here, and occasionally conscripted able-bodied men. Other than that, there was not much other activity.
Ping Qiusheng discovered that there were also some Chinese immigrant villages here. The territory under the Nguyễn’s control was limited, and the population was even smaller. They also had to deal with the expenses of large-scale military operations, so they attracted a large number of Chinese immigrants to reclaim the land in the new south and pay taxes. As an encouragement, the Nguyễn also granted various titles and ranks to the leaders of the Chinese immigrant groups.
Apparently, it would not be difficult to establish a solid base in this generation after the Southeast Asia campaign began. A small fortress similar to Yulin Fort would be enough, without the need for a particularly strong one. With Nha Trang’s geographical advantages, a large amount of rice could be obtained here.
This area widely cultivated the so-called Champa rice. Champa rice was drought-resistant and had a short growing period, taking only about 50 days from sowing to harvest. It had been introduced to Guangdong and Fujian during the Song and Song dynasties and was a “divine artifact” for transmigrators before the Song dynasty. As the place of origin, with sufficient light and heat, the yield was obviously higher. It would be a shame to let the monkeys have this grain for free. Taking Nha Trang and Cam Ranh Bay early would allow them to continuously absorb the grain resources of central and southern Vietnam, especially the Mekong River Delta, Ping Qiusheng thought.
However, in the long run, the resource value of Nha Trang was not very great. Besides being able to obtain rice, there were no other special resources here. Perhaps after completing the entire East Asian layout, this place would return to its traditional positioning: an Elder resort plus a naval base. Of course, before taking Malacca, it would also be a good transit trade port for the Australians and Southeast Asia.
The fleet sailed past the coastline of Champa. Champa, a country with a long history that had once established fifteen dynasties after rebelling against the Han and was once a famous power on the Indochinese Peninsula, had now been reduced to a small state on the verge of extinction. To the north were the Lê and Nguyễn, and to the west were the Khmer. If it weren’t for the constant internal and external troubles of these two countries, it would have been annexed and divided long ago.
On the way, they landed several times, and the special reconnaissance team conducted reconnaissance. They found that it was a bit of a stretch to call this place a “country.” There were only some villages and ragged people—their thatched huts had no daily necessities, not even basic coarse porcelain. They used pottery and wooden utensils, and some used large shells. Rich or poor, the only recreational product was betel nut, which almost everyone chewed.
Within the scope of the special reconnaissance team’s reconnaissance, they did not find any place that could be called a “city,” only some larger earthen forts. They were heavily guarded, as if constantly on guard against the Nguyễn’s invasion.
However, in some harbors by the sea, the ruins of past ports could still be seen. The ruins of some ports were quite large, indicating that there had once been prosperous cities.
As a country that was once an important transit station on the Maritime Silk Road and had a prosperous trade, to have fallen to such a state was truly surprising to Ping Qiusheng.
In Ping Qiusheng’s view, the situation of the Champa kingdom was a case of “shooting oneself in the foot.” Originally, the Nguyễn’s relationship with Champa was peaceful, and they even tried to win over Champa through marriage alliances. After all, maintaining military pressure on both the north and south was not a good situation for the Nguyễn. But at this time, the Champa kingdom had a rush of blood to the head. Perhaps encouraged by the battles between Burma and the Portuguese, or perhaps due to religious beliefs, they sent troops to aid the Johor Sultanate in attacking Malacca when they could barely take care of themselves. The Nguyễn had an alliance with the Portuguese at that time and relied on their warships to fight against the Trịnh lord. Without the Portuguese naval support, it would be difficult for the south to resist the Trịnh. So, they turned around and launched an attack on Champa, both to eliminate the threat and to expand their territory.
It seemed that the situation in Champa had great potential. Ping Qiusheng realized that with the complex and intertwined relationships between the Trịnh, the Nguyễn, and Champa, with just a little resource, he could intervene and reap huge benefits.
After another two days of sailing, the route had turned to the southwest. On the morning of the third day, at dawn, a large, trumpet-shaped strait entrance appeared before the fleet. Along the estuary of this alluvial delta were islands of various sizes. This was the estuary of Saigon, the future Ho Chi Minh City.
However, this place was now within the sphere of influence of Cambodia. Although it was known as Saigon by the common people, the Khmer who occupied this place called it Prey Nokor, meaning “king’s forest,” and it was the territory of the viceroy of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The specific location was probably in the area of present-day Cholon in Ho Chi Minh City.
With the chaos of the North-South war, a large number of Vietnamese and Cham refugees came here to seek refuge and settle down. In addition, there were already a large number of Chinese living and doing business here, so on the surface, it seemed quite prosperous. However, the Kingdom of Cambodia itself was on the verge of collapse, with pressure from Siam to the west.
Not long ago, after the mysterious “death in battle” of the Japanese official and merchant Yamada Nagamasa in Siam, conspiracy theories spread in this area. Suspecting that the Siamese ruler was about to turn against the Japanese, a large number of Japanese immigrants who had previously engaged in business and work in Siam also fled to Cambodia for refuge, and many went to Saigon. This place had become a refugee camp for Southeast Asia.
The arrival of the large fleet—compared to the Dutch and Portuguese fleets here, Quark’s two ships plus the Southeast Asia Company’s two ships were already quite a large scale—gave the local residents another opportunity to see something new. Ships flying the flag of the Southeast Asia Company had never been here before.
The Khmer had no maritime power here, and Saigon was almost a free port. The harbor’s hydrographic conditions were very good, and many foreign merchant ships would stop here for trade and supplies. However, it was now summer, and with the threat of typhoons, only a few Chinese merchant ships sailing along the coastline were in port. There were no European ships.
The fleet anchored at a sandbar in the middle of the estuary and set up camp. After completing the necessary negotiations, they were led by a guide familiar with the area towards Prey Nokor city. The party heading to the city included Ping Qiusheng, Quark, and others, as well as a squad of marines as guards, carrying gifts for the local ruler.
The natural conditions of the port here were quite good. According to his memory of the old world, with a little modification, it would be no problem to accommodate ships of 20,000 tons.
Along the way, before reaching the city, they saw many shacks, probably belonging to refugees from the north. Some people, seeing the well-dressed group, probably wanted to beg for some food or money, but seeing the serious faces of the group and the unknown matchlocks on their backs, they did not dare to approach.
Ping Qiusheng saw that although these people were ragged, their complexions were still okay. It seemed they could still get some food and would not have to flee elsewhere for famine. The richness of the Mekong Delta was indeed extraordinary, but it was a pity that it was being wasted by these people.