"Your Excellency the Governor, Mr. Wei Aoki, the Consul of the Ming Kingdom, is waiting for you in the meeting room, and he hopes that the Governor's Palace can lift the order of martial law...... Do you want to see him, Governor? ”

No sooner had Governor Matt Solko emerged from the carriage than one of his secretaries came running up to him and told him of the visit of the Ming envoy.

"I knew he was coming, what a trouble!" Matt Solko muttered.

To tell the truth, he was very envious of his predecessors' freewheeling in dealing with the issue of overseas Chinese. At that time, Batavia did not have so many powerful Ming trading houses, nor did it have a permanent Ming mission. Therefore, the Chinese businessmen can only endure the bullying, and at most it is a petition with no effect.

For the governor of Batavia, even the richest Chinese merchants were just fat pigs to be slaughtered. Those who are willing to cooperate will be given the name of "Jiabidan" and let them use China to control China. Those who refuse to cooperate, hehe......

But times have changed!

First of all, the powerful trading houses from the Ming dynasty could not be taken lightly - because many of the businesses of the Dutch East India Company had to cooperate with them, otherwise the company's profits would fall sharply......

Secondly, the Confucian School jointly established by this group of powerful business houses is also very handy! Although these schools are named after the Confucian classics, their curricula are very diverse, emphasizing Yunwen and Yunwu, as well as Confucianism and business. Students are not only studying the Confucian Classics, but also arithmetic, business, law, and martial arts! Among them, martial arts is not to practice fists and feet, but to practice muskets! At first, I practiced arquebus, but later I changed to a flintlock pistol!

Driven by these Confucian schools, almost everyone of the second generation of Chinese businessmen who now settle in Batavia has a gun!

And as troublesome as this group of second-generation Chinese businessmen who everyone has guns, is Wei Qingmu, the Ming consul in Batavia, who is full of smiles.

This guy is a fourth-generation Chinese businessman, and when his family settled on the island of Java, the Dutch East India Company had not yet been established!

In the beginning, his great-grandfather and grandfather ran a business in Banten and became wealthy businessmen. Later, the Dutch established a colony in Batavia and worked hard to attract investment, so they recruited Wei Qingmu's grandfather, Wei Bao. This Wei Bao, together with another Chinese merchant leader, Su Minggang, became the two Chinese Kapitan in Batavia.

After Su Minggang's death, Wei Bao's son, Wei Qingmu's father, Wei Ding, became the leader of Chinese merchants in Batavia.

However, Wei Qingmu, who was born in this Chinese merchant family that was pro-Dutch for two generations, entered the diplomatic system of the Ming court because he studied in the Batavia Confucian School and the Nanjing University Hall (such an experience was of course deliberately arranged), and finally became the agent of the Ming court in Batavia.

Through this Consul Wei, the Ming court and the local Chinese businessmen in Batavia were connected - only on the line, because Zhu Cihong would never have too many unrealistic expectations for the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Daily, let alone provide too much military, diplomatic and political support to the overseas Chinese in Batavia at one time.

Because Zhu Cihong knew very well that these overseas Chinese who had left their homeland to make a living on Java Island not only did not have much strength, but also did not have the ability and mental preparation to control the powerful forces. Even if they were given enough flintlock pistols and cannons, they would not be colonizers, and they would not be able to drive out the Dutch.

Therefore, Emperor Zhu's policy towards the overseas Chinese in Batavia was to provide limited help, and at the same time export Neo-Confucianism and cultivate new overseas Chinese with a certain fighting spirit.

And in this process, whether it is the embassy in Batavia, or those powerful Ming firms, or the teachers of the Confucian School, all convey the message that the Ming has no intention of Batavia and Java...... Moreover, the Netherlands is a good friend of the Ming Dynasty!

Don't think that this moderate line would make Governor Matsolko comfortable, on the contrary, the governor of the Dutch East Indies preferred the Chinese to take the line of fierce confrontation, because only then could he fight back with great fanfare.

The cunning Chinese Emperor, however, slowly but surely increased his power throughout the South Seas, while trying to maintain friendship with the Dutch and enable the Dutch East India Company to reap the profits of trade with China.

Even if the East India Company continued to make various small moves, and even openly promoted the establishment of the Malacca Alliance, which opposed the Celestial Empire, Emperor Zhu did not mean to be provoked at all...... Of course, Emperor Zhu, who was not provoked, was only unusually friendly to the Dutch, and did not slow down the pace of going south!

This seemingly contradictory policy put Governor Matsolko in a dilemma, wanting to fight against the Ming Dynasty in the south, but he had no way to give up the huge profits, and in the end he could only keep vacillating between the two routes of confrontation and cooperation.

In the face of such a behemoth as the Celestial Empire, the whole of the Netherlands is going all out, and they may not have a chance of winning, let alone an East India Company that sways from side to side?

Therefore, Governor Matsolko was very much looking forward to Wei Qingmu being able to bring him the news of the break...... Of course, he also knew that it was impossible!

Wei Aoki, who is only twenty-five years old this year, was quietly waiting for Matt Solko in the small living room of the Governor's Palace, and the young consul's heart was actually the same as Matt Solko, looking forward to a complete break.

Although a complete break would cause the Webster family's business in Batavia to suffer heavy losses, his family had long been prepared!

Large sums of money had been remitted to Canton through the East India Company's banks, and the old and weak of the clan had moved to Banten. The mansions in the Chinese region have long been converted into fortresses, and if there is a real confrontation, the Chinese in Batavia will be able to hold out for a long time with the mansions, embassies and other fortified merchant houses.

And the sultans of Banten and Mataram have long wanted to defect to the Celestial Empire, and they will definitely come to their aid in time......

However, the text of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ming Dynasty just sent clearly informed: For the island of Java, the Ming Dynasty only has benevolence and righteousness, no ambition!

......

Only benevolence and righteousness, no ambition?

I don't believe it!

After listening to Wei Aoki's representations in Dutch and the assurances of the Ming court, Matsolko really couldn't laugh or cry.

"Your Excellency the Governor," Wei Qingmu had already put on a sincere smile, "Daming's position on Java Island is continuous and firm, we have not, we do not have, and will not have any territorial claims to Java Island in the future. And, we recognize the suzerainty of the Dutch Republic on the island of Java! ”

"But your aggression in the Strait of Malacca region has threatened Dutch interests in Java and the Spice Islands!" "If you do not stop this aggression, the Dutch Republic and the East India Company will take further action!" ”

"No, no, no...... That's not aggression," Wei Qingmu said, "and the Ming only want to restore the inherent order of the Strait of Malacca - the Sultanate of Malacca is a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, and the Sultan of Malacca is still the concubine of the Ming Dynasty...... The Celestial Empire has an obligation to protect its vassals! ”

The Sultan of Malacca did not marry a princess of the Ming Dynasty, but there has always been a legend in the Strait of Malacca that the Sultan married a princess of the Ming Dynasty - it is estimated that the Sultan wanted to elevate his status in this way. After all, in the early stage of the Ming Dynasty's strength, even the distant Strait of Malacca was shrouded by the power of the Great Ming!

And this legend and the status of the Ming vassal of the Sultanate of Malacca gave the Great Tomorrow an excuse to go south.

Wei Qingmu said: "And our Celestial Empire has never wanted to monopolize the Strait of Malacca, and the privileges of the Netherlands and Britain in the Strait of Malacca will always be respected. If you two want to get a foothold in the strait, you can also negotiate...... Daming is very willing to share the benefits of this golden waterway with the Netherlands and the United Kingdom!

In addition, Daming is willing to guarantee all your privileges on the island of Java and the Spice Islands! Because Daming is a true friend of the Dutch Republic! ”