The dark clouds were thick, the golden light broke through the barriers, and the thick clouds in the sky had completely blocked out the sunlight. Although it was 3 p.m. in terms of time, the surrounding seas, including Oyuan Island, were now covered by a black cloud before the storm, and only the occasional light splitting from above the clouds would tell people that it was not night.

The fleet of the Dutch East India Company, flying the red, white and blue VOC flag, was already stationed in the sea off the coast of Dayuan, 2 kilometers away from the fairway.

"These exiled nobles have dug up the waterways?" After retracting the telescope, Hans Putmans, who was tall and resolute-looking, stood on the bow of the Middleburg and said in surprise: "This matter was not mentioned in detail in the last report, otherwise I think my flagship would have been the Levatten." ”

"These people have a lot of strange skills, Your Excellency." Johannes van der Hagen, an old friend of the Crowd, said respectfully beside him at this time: "Perhaps in the eyes of Maugelle, this is not the most important thing, after all, there are too many miracles mentioned in the report. ”

These questions should be answered soon...... I've seen the communication boat out of the course, and Mr. Mauzer will be on it, right? ”

"It must be so, Your Excellency."

......

What the Dutch fleet is doing is starting five months ago.

When the Slotten, led by Peter Nuiz, returned to Batavia five months ago, the whole of Batavia was in shock.

Governor Jane Pieterszon Cohen, then Governor of Batavia, after inspecting the goods, reading the letters, and listening to the reports of Nuiz and the Walk Four, immediately convened a city council and informed all the Batavian high-ranking officials of the incident.

After the meeting, Nouz and several people, including Van der Hagen, suddenly became stars in Batavia. For Governor Cohen publicly presented letters and personal gifts written to him by the "Grand Governor" at the meeting: friendly business promises and pearl jewelry that was incomparably beautiful.

All doubts vanished in front of the raw silk and porcelain that had been brought out of the Sloten cabin. For a week, the stars shuttled between various drinking parties every day, constantly describing every detail of the crossing force to the big shots. In addition, every time they take out those pearl necklaces that have been treated by later generations, they will receive endless amazement and appreciation.

No one cared about the loss of soldiers and merchants. The United Provincial Republic was now in its golden age, and thanks to this, the Dutch East India Company was the world's first truly "borderless" trading company. These merchants, who could do business with their enemies at any time, and betrayed their homeland by the way, did not care about that human life, let alone the merchant house, which was not even a castle.

That's what Governor Cohen himself meant: trade with that mysterious force.

Cohen, the greatest founder, hero, executioner, genocidaire, and unsympathetic to the natives of the East India Company in South Asia, found for the first time the best of both worlds for the Javanese on the list of goods he brought back from Noiz.

Batavia in 1628 was not having an easy time.

During the second term of Governor Cohen, in 1628 and 1629, the most powerful Sultanate of Mataran on the island of Java besieged Batavia twice. In fact, not long after Nuiz and his return to Batavia, news of the nation's massing of warriors began to spread throughout the city.

The Sultanate of Mataran was the most powerful indigenous kingdom in the Java archipelago in the first half of the 16th and 17th centuries, and is now ruled by Sultan Mas Langsan. Historically, the sultan unified almost all of Java and extended his influence to Palembang in Sumatra and Mazen and Suqadana in Kalimantan.

From this year (1628), Sultan Langsan, who believed that the country had reached its peak, began to order the gathering of warriors to prepare to pull out the only nail on the island of Java: the city of Batavia, the stronghold of the Dutch.

The siege was brutal, and over the course of several months the two sides engaged in a series of low-intensity attacks and defenses around the walls, in which the natives were killed by gunfire and the Dutch, and the Dutch were not well-fed: many of them died of disease and various collateral injuries as a result of the siege.

Governor Cohen is the best example of this. At this moment, he did not know that he would die next year in the second siege of the native kingdom - dysentery. The people in the besieged city did not have access to clean water, and even the 43-year-old governor died of dysentery.

Therefore, Governor Cohen, who had already foreseen the inevitability of war with the natives, could be said to have drowsy and met a pillow after seeing the letter of intent to purchase the natives from the cross-generation.

The focus of the superior is different from that of others. What Cohen cared about was the large amount of military money that Batavia spent every year to drive and slaughter the natives. Now, if there is a channel that can turn the natives into money, then there is no doubt that in the future, the losses of war with the natives will be minimized, and even profitable - the example of the black people is there, and everyone can see it.

In addition, due to the unique appetite of the mysterious force of the Great Chief, the slave trade made up for the share of the other side that did not need much spice...... No matter how you look at it, the list of businesses that Nuiz and they brought back is very much in line with the current business situation in Batavia.

So Governor Cohen was satisfied.

So, half a month after Noiz arrived in Hong Kong, he led five trading ships north to the coast of Bengal and India. The princely princes of Bengal had saltpeter in their hands, and India had all kinds of furs and cotton, which were in much need of the great man.

By the time Nouz returned to Batavia again, it was April 1628.

Five trading ships brought in loads of saltpeter, leather and cotton. At this time, the two-and-a-half-month-long siege of Batavia had just come to an end: the kingdom of Mataran had just withdrawn its troops, and everything was developing in a good direction.

Then, the bad news came.

......

A speedboat expelled by the Japanese shogunate brought with it all the employees of the Dutch merchant house in Japan, as well as documents ordered by the shogun to end the Japanese-Dutch trade. After figuring out what had happened in a fit of rage, Mr. Pedinuiz was immediately identified by the Batavian Council as the culprit behind the incident......

Of course, Nuiz is not wronged.

The pile of bad things between Japan and the Netherlands has already been introduced before, so I won't repeat it here. In short, Mr. Nouz did not deal with the conflict between the company and the Japanese during his years as a senior officer...... Not only did it not handle it well, but it also intensified the hostility between the two sides, so he had to carry the pot.

So Mr. Nuiz was cold.

As a result, the post of commander and diplomatic representative of the fleet to the Grand Commander was also far away from Mr. Nouz.

History seems to have returned to its original trajectory here: Hans Putmans, who was supposed to be the head of the Grand Merchant House the following year, took over the position of Mr. Nouz again in this plane, a year ahead of schedule.

Hans Putmans is a native of Middleburg, the Netherlands. Historically, after this monarch succeeded Nuyiz in office, he went around to conquer the indigenous people of Taiwan, developed trade with the Ming Dynasty, and launched the Battle of Liuluo Bay. Among the previous governors of Taiwan, Hans Putmans is undoubtedly the most outstanding one.

So at the beginning of May 1628, under the leadership of Hans Putmans, who had been the chairman of the Batavian Council, a fleet of 15 Dutch ships, large and small, set sail from Bacheng to Dayuan Island with their goods.

However, after the fleet took one and a half months to reach the sea off the coast of Dayuan, it did not drop anchor, but put on a formation that could maneuver at any time, waiting for the arrival of the messenger.

Then the scene at the beginning of this chapter appeared: as Putmans wished, Maur, a low-ranking merchant stationed in the company, immediately arrived on the Middelburg in a dinghy.

However, when Mauzer met Putmans, he was stunned by the first question he was asked: "If we start a war now, will the fleet have a chance to recapture everything on the island?" ”

Mauzer's eyes widened after hearing Putmans' thoughts, and then he waved his hands and said in surprise: "Oh my God, this must be an idea that a madman can come up with!" Your Excellency, allow me to tell you bluntly: there is no chance of attacking the island in front of you! ”

"Salesman, do you think we don't have enough strength?" Putmans stared at Maugel tightly at the moment: "We have 15 ships, and on my flagship there are 125 crew members and 251 soldiers, and the entire fleet has more than 1,000 soldiers, and we also have heavy artillery...... Isn't that enough? ”

"Not enough, not at all!" Mauzer blushed at the moment: "The soldiers on the island have long-range muskets and 1-pounder guns, and they also have fast schooners that can travel without sails, God, didn't you see those two ships before you came here?" ”

"I don't think those two ships are too threatening, they are too few in number and too low in tonnage." Putmans couldn't help but glance out of the cabin at this time—the two destroyers that had crossed the crowd were cruising off the coast at the moment, and had not entered the harbor.

"As for the rifles and the 1-pounder ......" Putmans curled his beard slightly, "the fleet has 20 24-pounder guns, and I think that's enough to suppress those strange weapons." ”

Mao Zheer was completely speechless at this time, and now he could only hold the table with his hands, and asked in frustration: "Is it Governor Cohen's order to attack Dayuan Island?" I thought the fleet was here to trade. ”

"There was cargo on board, and there were shells. As for Governor Cohen...... I am now carrying out the order of my lord: confirm the cooperation qualifications of my trading partners. ”

"Okay, I think I get it." Mao Zheer raised his head and asked, "What do you need me to do?" ”

"Tell me the detailed troop configuration on the island, and then go back and tell those Ming nobles that I need to see one of them."

"Yes, Your Excellency."