Matt Solko's request for a "gentleman vs. gentleman" was completely unexpected by Wei Aoki, and it was also beyond his authorization.

This is not a joke! Matt Solko was the governor of the East India Company, and his proposal for "Gentleman vs. Gentleman" was actually a war of appointments.

It's an old, almost forgotten rule of war – two sides agree on a time and place, and fight a big battle to decide the winner or loser.

But Wei Aoki was only a consul under the Ming Ministry of Foreign Affairs, how could he respond to Matsolko's request for a war?

Therefore, after receiving the guarantee that Matsolko would lift martial law, Wei Qingmu took Matsolko with the war letter proposed by the Dutch East India Company, and left Batavia on a clipper ship of the "Yiguandang" trading house and sailed to the port of Macao, which was more than 6,000 miles away.

The port of Macau has now "returned ahead of schedule" and is now an autonomous commercial city under the Guangzhou Prefecture. The Ming Dynasty's General Secretary also set up a post station in Macao, and after Wei Qingmu arrived in Macao, he was able to express Matsolko's war book to the Laoshan Palace in Yingtianfu through the post station of the General Administration.

Just five days after Wei Qingmu left the port of Batavia, a new bombardment gunboat from Europe, the USS "United Provincial Council", slowly approached the dock of the port of Batavia.

After the Battle of Kagoshima Bay six years ago, the Ming Dynasty, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, three countries with relatively strong financial and shipbuilding capabilities, all started the upgrade plan of the navy's capital ships as soon as possible.

The new bombardment gunboats obtained by the Ming Navy were the "Yingtianfu"-class bombardment battleships with a load of about 800 tons, the British Navy obtained the "Huguogong"-class bombardment battleships with a load of about 1,000 tons, and the Dutch Navy obtained the "United Provincial Council" class bombardment battleships with a load of about 950 tons.

Arriving in Batavia in early November 1663 was the lead ship of the "Provincial Council" class battleship, the "Provincial Council". Accompanying this brand-new battleship to Batavia was the commander of the Dutch East India Fleet, Cornelis. Fan. Rear Admiral Tropp and envoy of the Board of Directors of the East India Company, Bruce. Fan. Dimen.

It should be noted that the so-called Dutch East India Fleet is actually a marginal concept, which can be interpreted both as the East India Company fleet and as the East India Fleet of the Dutch Republic...... The reason for such a name is that the Dutch Speaker of the Parliament. Witte believes that the Dutch Republic needs to maintain a "flexible deterrent" in the East.

"Flexible deterrence?"

Inside the fortress of Batavia, Governor Matt Solko finished watching Bruce. Fan. Dimon brought De. Werther's handwritten letter, his brows already twisted into a ball.

"Bruce, can you explain, what is flexible deterrence?" Matt Solko asked.

Bruce. Fan. Dimen smiled and said, "It can not only deter the Celestial Empire, but also negotiate peace with the Celestial Empire at any time and conclude a favorable treaty...... Be as advantageous as possible! ”

"This ......"

A burly man with a dignified rectangular face and gray hair hanging from his shoulders. Fan. Rear Admiral Tropp took over the topic and said to Matt Solko: "Governor, the situation in Europe is very unfavorable...... Philip of Spain was already seriously ill and in worrying health. Louis XIV of France, on the other hand, was aggressive, building a large new army that would most likely attack the Spanish Netherlands after the death of Philip IV. And the British Charlie. Cromwell was a cautious and conservative man, and seemed unwilling to participate in the struggle for hegemony on the European continent, let alone discuss with us the question of containing France! ”

"Sounds really scary...... "Matt Solko's face was a little ugly, "Looks like we need the Orange family again!" ”

"John!" Major General Trop whispered, "Don't mention them...... William III of the House of Orange is only 14 years old this year, what can we expect? ”

This is really going to be a big disaster!

William III, the "hero of the protector" who saved the Netherlands in the Franco-Dutch War, is now only 14 years old...... On the French side, there are now many stars, Prince Condé, Viscount Tyrrenne, Durenne, François. Morality. Craigky, and a soon-to-be-emerging Vaubana!

How could a teenager defeat so many bulls?

"What then?" Matt Solko said, "Who else can resist the French but the Orange family?" If one day they really annex the Spanish Netherlands! ”

"The Speaker won't let that happen, so...... We must put an end to the strife in the East as soon as possible, and then concentrate on dealing with the difficult situation in Europe! ”

"End the ...... as soon as possible," Matt Solko frowned, as if lost in thought.

"Is it hard?" Bruce. Fan. Di Men himself is Dongfang Tong, "That Ming Emperor must have great ambitions, right?" ”

"He wants to rule the Straits of Malacca!" "The Ming consul in Batavia just brought me the Ming Emperor's request a few days ago...... He could leave Java and the Spice Islands out for a while, but he refused to let go of the Malacca Peninsula and Sumatra. ”

Dimon shook his head: "If the Ming Dynasty takes the Malacca Peninsula and Sumatra, the lifeline of the East India Company will be pinched in the hands of the Chinese!" ”

Major General Troppe said: "The Speaker of the Council has anticipated the difficult situation, which is why I have been asked to lead the Interprovincial Assembly to Batavia...... This is a 950-ton bombardment battleship! Equipped with a 40-pound cannon, the destructive power is amazing! Later will be the arrival of the Dutch Provincial Council and the Sealand Provincial Council, both of which are 950-ton bombardment gunboats, just like the United Provincial Assembly!

These three bombardment gunboats joining the East India Fleet should be able to scare the Chinese, right? ”

Matt Solko shook his head: "They also have bombardment gunboats...... It is also a large ship with a load of more than 800 tons! And more than one! ”

At present, the shipbuilding technology of the Ming Dynasty is still inferior to that of Britain and the Netherlands, and the tonnage, firepower, and speed of the Ying Tianfu are not as good as the "Protector Gong" class and the "United Provincial Council" level.

However, the scale of the Ming shipbuilding industry is larger than that of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and the financial resources of the Ming court are also stronger, so the number of "Ying Tianfu" class construction is more than that of the "Protector Gong" class and the "United Provincial Council" class combined.

Moreover, it is impossible for the capital ships of the Netherlands and Britain to wander around the Pacific Ocean, and their main battlefield is still in Europe.

"We also have a lot of medium and light warships and armed merchant ships," Mr. Troppe said, "and if they can be refitted, they can also be used to bombard gunboats......

"I don't have to modify it." Matsolko suddenly interrupted Rear Admiral Trop, "Because I have already sent a war letter to the Ming Emperor's navy, and it is agreed that a decisive battle will be held next autumn!" ”

"Next fall...... It's still too late! Trop thought for a moment, "How about the shipyard here in Batavia?" Can 100 ships be renovated? ”

"No, don't change it." Matt Solko shook his head.

"Don't change? So how can we beat the Chinese? Major General Trop asked rhetorically.

"We don't have a decisive battle at sea with them!" "Because there's no chance of winning!" ”

"Then you still have an appointment to fight?" Bruce. Fan. Dimon asked.

"It must be ......," said Matt Solko, "it's a ploy!" ”

"Scheme?" Trop asked, "What scheme?" ”

Matt Solko smiled and said, "A ploy to draw Chinese's attention to the sea...... If they think that we will have a decisive battle at sea east of Malacca, then they will definitely send ships from all over the place to concentrate in the ports around Jinou, and at the same time suspend the offensive on land.

And we can take the opportunity to take action on land and in the Indian Ocean on the Malacca Peninsula! ”

"Take action in the Indian Ocean?" Bruce. Fan. "What kind of action to take?" ”

"Of course, it is an action that can delay or break the momentum of the Ming army's southward movement!"

"How?"

"Bruce," Matt Solko looked at Bruce. Dimon, "Looks like I'm going to have to work hard for you again...... I'd like to ask you for a trip to Salian! Salian, Myanmar! ”