Chapter 996

In the Palace of Versailles, a group of potential allies retreated, but the Government of Japan still insisted on fulfilling the agreement. Napoleon Iv was so moved that he upgraded diplomatic relations with Japan for the first time.

Substantial rewards were also indispensable. The Government of France now needed to set an example to let everyone know that it was good to cooperate with them, so as to attract more partners and reverse the political passivity.

Because of the war, France was not rich now, but a dead camel was bigger than a horse. Even if they pulled a hair, it would be a rich profit for the Government of Japan.

Moreover, in this world, in addition to money, there was also something called technology. Even in this era where technology was not strictly blocked, it was still difficult for Asian countries to introduce advanced technology.

Not to mention the difficulty of communication, even if someone sold technology, you also needed to be able to distinguish the authenticity, and you also needed a full wallet.

Looking at the industrial development history of the Meiji Restoration, you would find that this was also a history of the Government of Japan being cheated. Many of the imported technology and equipment would not be able to adapt to the climate in Japan.

Perhaps it was because they suffered a lot in the early stage that the Japanese became self-reliant and worked hard to catch up, closing the gap between the two sides.

It was rare to get in touch with the European powers, and the Japanese would naturally not give up this good opportunity. Ichiro Honda, the Japanese Minister in Paris, did not know the domestic plan, and was in high spirits at the moment to exchange the agreement with the French.

The cover was impressively "France Technical Assistance Treaty with Japan." The treaty included thousands of civil and military technologies, and almost all the common technologies in the world were included.

In theory, as long as the Japanese introduced and digested these technologies, they could be promoted to a third-rate industrial country, and the industrialization process could be shortened by at least ten years.

As for more advanced technologies, they were not qualified to peek at them as a country that had not completed industrialization. If the basic industry was not up to standard, many advanced technologies could not be used even if they got their hands on them.

Unfortunately, the reality was cruel. This treaty, which seemed to be very important to Japan, could not be implemented.

The French were not philanthropists. The so-called technical assistance was established after the Government of Japan declared war on Austria. The specific amount would depend on the performance of the Japanese army on the battlefield.

…

The sea was blue, the sky was vast, and the red sun only showed half of its face. It was like a colorful veil, and even the sea was dyed golden.

The sky gradually darkened. As the roar of the ship sounded, the quiet dock once again became noisy.

A group of ragged laborers stood up at the moment and looked into the distance, their eyes were full of expectations.

The work on the dock was not easy, not only hard, but also unstable. Even the prosperous Luzon Island could not guarantee that there would be work every day.

When it was busy, there might be hundreds of merchant ships transiting here in a day. There was endless work to be done. When it was idle, there might not be a job for ten days or even half months.

Because of the war, the trade of the southeast of Southeast was Far. Merchant ships that traveled alone no longer dared to go out to sea.

France and Austria had started to play pirate tactics in Southeast Asia. Now, it had developed to the point where they would kill the wrong person and not let them go.

If they met a real pirate, the worst that could happen was robbery, and the chance of survival was not low. If they met a fake pirate, they would usually die together with the ship.

In a situation where there was no evidence, facing two big gangsters, no one could do anything but let the pirates be the scapegoat.

Now, those who could do trade in the southeast were all large fleets. Usually, they had to invite a neutral country's navy to send warships to escort them safely.

Under this background, the prosperous Luzon Island was also depressed. There were fewer ships passing by, and the workers on the dock naturally had a hard time.

From the clothes, it could be roughly judged that most of these workers were mixed race, followed by Chinese, Japanese, and a small number of white people.

This was also in line with the situation of Luzon Island. The Spanish ruled here for hundreds of years, and civilization was still passed on only in the cities. Most of the local natives were in the tribal era.

Since it was a tribe, there was no need to expect them to come out to find work. Anyway, wild plants and fruits were enough to fill everyone's stomach. There was no need to work hard at all.

There were circles everywhere, and the small dock was no exception. The same at the bottom of society, also divided into three, six or nine classes, one could tell by looking at the clothes.

This was Spanish territory, and the white people naturally had the highest status. They also made a living on the dock, but most of them were in management, and there were very few who did manual labor.

The rest of the status was similar. When they lived more, they could be friends, and when they lived less, they were competitors. In order to make a living, there was no lack of conflicts between the various groups.

The prosperity of Luzon Island was built on the port. The Spanish didn't pay attention to developing the local economy, so there were naturally not many jobs.

Compared to working in mines and plantations, making a living on the dock was less stable, but the income was higher.

Those who were able to stand here were the victors of the struggle. So not only did they have to support themselves, but they also had to support the gang leaders behind them.

As the distance got closer, the hull could be vaguely seen. A middle-aged man sighed. "Don't look, this is a Japanese warship, there's no work for us."

The most important thing to make a living on the dock was foresight. What business to fight for, what business to take, they had to make accurate judgments.

For example, now that it was a Japanese warship, there was basically no business. Even if they stopped for supplies, they would use Japanese labor first.

The same applied to merchant ships. In this day and age, Asians were a vulnerable group when they went to sea to make a living. They had to stick together to survive. Clans, fellow countrymen, and gangs couldn't be missing.

The eager young man retreated and replied helplessly, "Got it, Uncle Liu. We haven't received many business this month, and we still have to pay interest to the gang.

He did not know when such days would come to an end. If this goes on, we'll have nothing to eat. "

Everyone sat on the ground in twos and threes. Some people took out big cigarettes and smoked, inhaling and exhaling smoke to numb their nerves, so as to escape from the worries of reality.

Seeing this scene, the middle-aged man frowned and said impatiently, "Pockmark Deng, put away your big cigarette. Why are you still smoking this thing at this time? If you don't save your money, let's see what you can eat later. "

After saying that, the middle-aged man kicked him. These days, most of the dock workers were single. They had to eat their fill, and the work was hard and tiring. It was very common for them to smoke.

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

Now, only a few European countries had completed the anti-smoking campaign in the real sense, and Austria was the only one to carry out the anti-smoking campaign in the colonies.

The Government of Vienna's Unlimited Prosecution Act, regardless of time and place, would drag drug offenders out for target practice. This deterred opium dealers all over the world and curbed the spread of opium.

That's right, it only curbed the spread of drugs. The secret drug trade still existed, but the government's crackdown was too severe. Drug trafficking in Austria had become the most dangerous profession in the world.

Originally, the middle-aged man was also one of them. However, after having a family, he had to support his family, so he resisted the urge to quit smoking.

Because of his perseverance to quit smoking, coupled with his maturity and steadiness, the middle-aged man was favored by a fellow member of the gang and became a small leader on the dock.

In a sense, the middle-aged man was also a beneficiary of Austria's anti-smoking campaign.

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

Lanfang Province was under the banner of Austria to the outside world, so there was no need to worry about the threat of foreign enemies; internally, it was a provincial autonomy. Under the influence of Austria, it also played with the rule of law.

No matter what the law was, at least there were rules of the game, so there was no need to worry about security.

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

Until now, the big Chinese families in the Nanyang area had basically moved their nest to the Borneo Island.

Although it was an autonomous province, the Chinese had a natural reverence for the imperial power. The emperor ordered a ban on smoking, and the autonomous government did not dare to say no.

Coupled with the promotion of insightful people, as well as the Austrian Navy's crackdown on opium ships, limiting the import of opium, the anti-smoking campaign in Lanfang Province was also completed well.

Opium sellers were shot, and opium smokers were forced to go to rehab. Regardless of their identity, they were forced to quit smoking. Naturally, the leaders of the gangs were among them.

After all, the largest gang in Nanyang, the Hong Sect, was essentially controlled by a few big families. Since the upper class quit smoking, the members of the gangs were naturally affected.

Moreover, the anti-smoking campaign was not just about banning smoking, it was also accompanied by a lot of publicity. By now, everyone was used to despising smoking, just like how people in later generations disliked drug use.

It was hard to persuade a damned ghost with good words. Seeing that his words were ignored, the middle-aged man frowned and turned around. What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve.

"Don't learn from him. If he continues like this, sooner or later, he will be dead on the street. As for the problem of interest, I will communicate with the gang. We are all from the same hometown, and the gang will not let you starve to death. "

These days, the Hong Sect was not just a simple gang organization, but also a gathering place for the villagers. Most of the Hong Sect in various places did not have any binding force with each other, they just had a common name.

This gave him different attributes. While collecting protection fees, he also took on the responsibility of social assistance, such as helping compatriots who just came to Nanyang settle down, find a job, and so on.

…

Warships were different from merchant ships. If they wanted to dock, they must negotiate in advance. Without a doubt, this Japanese fleet was an uninvited guest.

Communication was useless. Although the Salted Duck Empire had declined, they did not take the Japanese seriously. It was impossible for them to agree to lend the port to them as a transit station.

Even if Britain and France came forward, it would not work. The situation on the European battlefield was becoming more and more obvious. It was already giving them face not to hit the French when they were down. How could they stand on the side of France?

Seeing that the negotiation was not fruitful, the fleet commander Ito Yuheng ordered coldly, "Give the prepared gifts to the Spanish. Tell them that we are only docking to buy some supplies. It won't take long and we will leave before dark. We won't cause them any trouble.

Inform the army to get ready. Once we reach the shore, we will take action immediately and catch the enemy off guard. "

It was impossible to leave before dark. Ito Yuheng had specially chosen this time. As long as they reached the shore, they would drag it until dark.

The Spanish had been operating in Luzon for a long time. Although the shore cannons on the island were old, their power was not to be underestimated. If they really attacked, the Japanese Army was bound to pay a heavy price.

As for Spain's Philippine Fleet, it was just a group of obsolete sailing warships and two old ironclad warships. Ito Yūhen did not care about them at all.

Japan's resources were limited. This war had to be ended quickly. The core of the Philippine Fleet was in Luzon. As long as they took it, the rest would be easy.

Money could make the devil turn millstones, not to mention a short stop for supplies.

This time, the Government of Japan went south in the name of encircling the pirates. On the surface, they were going to Austria. The Spanish were not aware of the danger at all. In fact, subconsciously, they never thought that the Japanese could pose a threat to them.

Although the size of the Japanese fleet in front of them was a little excessive, they still took it for granted that the Japanese would not dare to challenge the Spanish. It could only be said that the days of peace had been too long, causing them to lose their sense of crisis.

On the island, Japanese ronin began to gather in the tavern in twos and threes. This was not the first time. Drinking at night seemed to be a habit of the Japanese.

If someone paid attention, they would find that these people were different from usual. All of them seemed to be on steroids, and their eyes were full of murderous intent.

…

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

Today, the opportunity has finally come. Our fleet is outside, and we will launch an all-out attack tonight. Our mission is to seize the governor's office and the municipal building before the battle starts, and disrupt the enemy's command system.

There's not much time left. Start distributing the weapons now … "