Chapter 1106 Tang belongs to the Indian state of Gohe
This battle between the Tang Dynasty Western Company fleet and the pirates, among the many battles between the Tang Dynasty Western Company fleet, was just a small-scale battle against the pirate invasion. This small-scale battle has occurred in the past few years.
It has happened countless times over the years.
Generally speaking, this kind of small-scale battle, let alone in the entire Datang Dynasty, even in the Datang Western Company fleet, is nothing. It will not be a big fan at all. At most, it is just a document.
, so that when future generations dig into the history of the Tang Dynasty and the history of the Western Company fleet, they can see that there was such a battle against pirates.
You must know that Datang Western Company is not an ordinary company, and the company fleet is not an ordinary merchant fleet, but an armed fleet.
Although the Tang Dynasty Western Company did not have a history of many years, it had a lot of medium and large-scale battles. In the early years, there were the Luzon Suppression Campaign, the Luzon Anti-Pirate Campaign, the Bandan Campaign, etc.
In the past two years, we have also fought a naval battle in the Bay of Bengal with Indian natives on the eastern coast of India, and a naval battle in Ceylon with pirates led by the Portuguese. These two naval battles were large-scale naval battles involving dozens of ships.
However, the Battle of the Andaman Sea was such a small-scale battle, with not even a single casualty on our side, but the details of the battle were recorded in detail, and then reported to the company's top management one after another.
Why?
It was because of this battle that no one in the company's fleet was killed or injured. Just with the help of naval guns, the three incoming pirate ships were repelled and one of them was severely damaged.
At that time, if they were not afraid of long nights and long dreams, Tong Shangchao and the others could even capture the pirate ship with its mast broken!
However, although the other two pirate ships temporarily retreated at that time, they did not retreat too far. If they stopped to capture the enemy ship, they might be caught off guard, so Tong Shangchao gave up the idea of capturing the enemy ship.
.
You must know that his fleet was fully loaded with cargo at that time. Although there were only three merchant ships and one frigate, aside from the price of the ships themselves, the total value of the silk, porcelain, spices and other goods carried on them exceeded
Five hundred thousand taels of silver.
This is a real treasure ship, but there is no room for mistakes, so he made a prompt decision and retreated at the same time while the pirates retreated slightly. After nightfall, Tong Shangchao was still worried that the pirates would catch up, so he changed the course twice in a row and left.
The more remote routes are the only way to get rid of the pirates' tracking.
The reason why such a battle was uploaded to the highest level, and even to the navy, was because of two points. One was that when Tong Shangchao was commanding the battle, facing the pursuing enemy troops, he boldly
Carry out a large-angle turn and win the "T", thus giving full play to our most powerful advantage: broadside firepower!
The other one is the first actual combat application of grenades at sea!
Although it is said that Datang Western Company was not the first to equip the grenades. The navy had been equipped with grenades for more than half a year, but the navy would not easily fight the Portuguese, and the pirates in Southeast Asian waters have now seen the Datang Navy.
If the ships run away, there will be opportunities for the Tang Navy to get close and bombard them.
Therefore, the first actual combat of grenades at sea was conducted by the Atlantic Ocean Company first!
Therefore, this battle also has great reference value for him!
But this is all a follow-up matter. The current Tong Shangqingshan did not expect that this small-scale battle he fought would have such a big impact. After he led the fleet to get rid of the pirates' tracking, he continued towards the Indian coast!
After leaving the waters of Amanda, he felt a lot more relieved. Next, his fleet would sail in the vast depths of the Indian Ocean. Unless there was some miracle, he would basically not encounter any pirates, let alone pirates.
Pirates are basically untouchable even by other ships.
In the depths of the ocean far away from the coastline, it is unlikely to encounter other ships, because most of the ships these days sail close to the coastline and will not easily reach the depths of the ocean. Even if they go to the depths of the ocean
Here, the chance of encountering each other is also very, very small.
Of course, sailing in the deep ocean is even more dangerous. Once you encounter a storm or other accident, there is no other rescue force except self-rescue, and there are no supply points.
Otherwise, people these days would not choose to sail along the coastline.
But there is no way. Nowadays, the coastline from the western sea of Malacca to Myanmar and the eastern coast of India is safe on the surface, but in fact it is more dangerous because there are Portuguese and chaotic pirates there.
More importantly, the Datang Western Company had no foothold in this area. Although it opened a small supply port in Myanmar in the early years, it was invaded by the Portuguese. Even the local indigenous people were held hostage by the Portuguese.
They came to attack and struggled for a period of time. Considering that it was very expensive to maintain this supply port and the route was dangerous, Datang Western Company simply gave up on this small supply port.
Start changing course, crossing the Indian Ocean directly from the Andaman Sea to the eastern coast of India.
However, Tong Shangchao also knew that his fleet could only enjoy the tranquility of such a small route. Once it reached the eastern coastline of India, danger would follow.
Because in the past two years, the Datang Western Company has been competing with the Portuguese for maritime control of the eastern coastline of India, and they have been fighting each other in this sea area.
Not only did the Portuguese deploy a large number of warships and pirate ships here, but the Datang Western Company was not to be outdone. A large number of capital ships patrolled this area for a long time, disguised as pirate ships, and attacked the passing Portuguese.
ship.
Of course, this kind of battle cannot be put on the table. Both sides are pretending to be pirates to carry out attacks. Today you rob me, and tomorrow I will rob you. They rob each other. To be honest, it is just the same. No one can
No one is better off than anyone else!
If it is put on the table, it will be tantamount to completely breaking up the relationship and cutting off trade, which will cause greater losses to both parties.
But this seemingly trivial attack is actually very dangerous for each other's merchant ships!
Otherwise, Datang Western Company would not organize a fleet and arrange warships to escort every merchant ship coming to India.
This situation has even affected ships from other countries. There is no way, the pirates who are red-eyed sometimes will not care whether you are a ship of the Datang Western Company or a Portuguese ship. When they see a ship, they will
Pounce on it.
It’s all robbery anyway, and whoever robs is not robbery!
Therefore, in order to avoid risks, many merchant ships began to bypass this dangerous sea area. From the Island of Ceylon, they began to directly cross the Indian Ocean to the Andaman Sea.
However, other ships can avoid it, but the fleet of Datang Western Company cannot avoid it, because on the eastern coast of India, there is the most important trading market and the most important stronghold of Datang Western Company in Gohe State of Tang Dynasty, India.
Although the original intention of the Tang Western Company was to conduct European trade, today's European trade routes are too dangerous, and almost the entire route is controlled by the Portuguese. Even if the Tang Western Company and the Spanish reached an agreement
With a cooperation agreement, each other can use each other's supply ports to barely maintain the operation of shipping routes, but in reality they are only conducting small-scale trade secretly, and cannot conduct large-scale trade at all.
So currently, the main market of Datang Western Company is concentrated in India, and to be more precise, it is the eastern coast of India, because before that, Datang Western Company relied on warships and guns to successfully convince the local people
The indigenous prince opened the port and directly sold a piece of coastal area to the Tang Western Company for 5,000 taels of silver.
This area is located in an island area that the locals call the estuary of the Godavari River. It faces the sea in the south, the Godavari River in the north, and the two tributaries of the Godavari River estuary in the east and west.
In other words, this place is surrounded by rivers on three sides and the sea on one side. When the Tang Dynasty Western Company first came here to trade with the Indians, it chose this still wilderness as its foothold.
Traded with the Indians and called it the Go River Delta, also known as the Go River State.
Although this place was just a wilderness at the beginning, Datang Western Company still paid a lot of money to obtain this place!
Because at the beginning, the Tang Dynasty Western Company only came here to park warships for trade, and the local indigenous people did not think anything of it. However, as the Tang Dynasty Western Company gradually built ports and a large number of buildings here, it also gradually dispatched left-behind troops.
and refused the jurisdiction of the local indigenous people, the indigenous people were not happy.
At this time, India was still in the midst of a melee. Although there was a Mughal Empire in the north, it had just emerged, and its territorial power was only limited to the northwest and parts of the north. The vast central and southern regions of India were still in various
Under the rule of the indigenous Indian princes, these indigenous Indian princes are basically independent.
This situation was naturally caused by the collapse of the Delhi Sultanate's empire. Many indigenous Indian princes who originally submitted to the empire became independent one after another and went their own way.
However, even during the Delhi Sultanate Empire, they were unable to actually control southern India. This area has always been the private land of the local indigenous princes.
Naturally, the local and indigenous princes did not want the Tang Western Company to occupy their land and refused to leave, and war naturally followed.
Naturally, the Datang Western Company would not give up the colony that it had finally occupied in the Go River Delta, so in the ninth year of Xuanping, it gathered the main force of the company's fleet and conducted a battle with the local indigenous fleet at the estuary of the Godavari River.
They fought a big battle and successfully defeated them.
More than a thousand marines were also mobilized, and they marched hundreds of kilometers into the interior of India, captured several indigenous cities, annihilated thousands of enemies, and finally forced the local princes to sign the Treaty of Go River.
Well, the Portuguese will definitely not recognize this treaty!