In late September, all the trees on Sado Island, except for the bamboo forest, have begun to lose their leaves, indicating that winter on Sado Island is approaching. Although it is the largest outlying island outside of the Japanese archipelago, the population of the island has always been small, and it was used as a place for exiling criminals until gold and silver mines were discovered.

The Z-shaped island of Sado is divided into three major areas by two mountain ranges, the Osado Mountains in the north and the Kosado Mountains in the south, and the Kuninaka Plain, which is suitable for farming. The Osado Mountains are steep, and the northern coast is a scenic spot with mountains approaching the coast, with cliffs and countless rocks stretching for about 100 miles. The Kosado Mountains are relatively gentle hills, with the highest peak being only 650 meters above sea level.

There are many rivers in the plains of the country, and the land is fertile, and the islanders can only grow rice to meet the needs of the island's miners. On both sides of the plain, there is Mano Bay in the west and Ryotsu Bay in the east, and both have ports where you can land. Although the port conditions in the east are better, because the port in the west is closer to the Kanayama area, the port has become the most important port for the island's transportation of gold and silver.

Because of this, the Aikawa area, near Kogi Port, became the most prosperous town on the island, and the miners and the Dutch lived in Aikawa Town. To the northeast of the town, the Dutch had built themselves a small fortress to serve as a quarters for the employees of the Dutch East India Company.

The merchants who traded on the island lived with the Japanese in the area. From the living environment of the two parties, it can also be seen what the relationship between the three parties is.

The end of September was also the time when the last trading ships on Sado Island began to trade, and a Ming-class warship from Daming also arrived at Kogi Port on time, ready to transport the gold and silver mined on Sado Island this year. The year before last, Sado Island produced 260 kilograms of gold and 33 tons of silver; Last year, when the Four Seas Trading Company installed steam pumps and ventilators for the Dutch, Sado Island produced 440 kilograms of gold and 41 tons of silver. This year, the Daming Overseas Trade Bank is still looking forward to the gold and silver production of Sado Island.

But when the representatives of the Overseas Trade Bank arrived on Sado Island, they were ready to meet with the Dutch governor of Sado Island, Fan. While Drion was handing over the gold and silver, the Dutchman told the representative of the Daming Trade Bank that there were some changes to be made to this year's gold and silver delivery.

Fan. Drion claims that the value of Ming banknotes is depreciating, so starting this year, Sado Island's gold and silver will have to be denominated in silver dollars. In addition, he claimed that Batavia also needed gold as a reserve, so that the amount of gold sold annually would not exceed 150 kilograms in the future, and that the Ming Dynasty should allow the Dutch East India Company to mine its own coal on Sakhalin to supply Sado for its coal needs.

Zhang Anping, a representative of Daming Overseas Trade Bank, stood in Fan. At Drion's desk, he was furious as he watched the Dutchman spitting on him while eating a seafood feast.

"Fan. Mr. Derien, are these demands you just said your own thoughts, or are they Batavia's opinions? I need to remind you that you are breaking the agreement between the Ming and Batavia, and you are responsible for this? ”

Fan. Derian dropped the oyster shell from his hand, then ripped off the napkin tied around his neck and wiped his hands and the corners of his mouth, then dropped the napkin on the side table and said, "Hey, short man, I think you really should know whose territory you are standing on right now." Don't think that you can build a few ships to show off your power in front of the company, you Orientals may be able to do a good job digging canals, building houses or building furniture, but if you want to steer the ships at sea to challenge the glorious East India Company, you are not qualified.

You, like the Japanese, are a bunch of dwarf monkeys that have not fully evolved. Like the Japanese women of these islands, you should take a wooden basin to pick up abalone, kelp, and oysters on the beach, instead of going to the sea to die. The ocean, that's where we Europeans play..."

"What a madman who doesn't know whether to live or die." Zhang Anping said a word of Mandarin with a pale face.

Fan. Derian stared at him and said, "What were you talking about?" ”

Zhang Anping didn't wait for the interpreter around him to speak, and said in Dutch: "Fan. Mr. Derien, what you have just said, I will convey to His Majesty the Emperor word for word. I have to warn you that you are starting a war. ”

"Smack." Fan. Derian immediately slapped the table and stood up, turning all the dishes on the table in front of him, but he didn't pay any attention to the mess in front of him, but viciously scolded Zhang Anping, who turned around and wanted to leave: "Do you want to threaten the company with war?" ”

With Van . With Drion's scolding, the Dutch guards guarding the door broke into the room and stopped Zhang Anping, Zhang Anping glanced at the two guards with contempt, and then turned half of his body and asked backwards: "Do you want to start a war with Da Ming immediately?" ”

Looking at the other party's calm gaze, Fan. Drien suddenly felt a sense of weakness, and he suddenly realized that the countrymen in front of him seemed to be very different from the people of Batavia. The people of Batavia did not dare to make eye contact with him, and if he made the slightest act of arrogance and unreasonableness, the other party would back down and give in.

Putmans explained that his task was to test the other party, not to provoke them outright. His performance just now seemed to be a bit excessive, and the Chinese people in front of him did not accept him at all, but threatened war at every turn, which obviously deviated from the script he envisioned.

But Fan. Drien also reacted at this time, if Zhang Anping was really allowed to leave at this moment, then the charge of war between the two sides would fall on him. He didn't expect the company to keep himself. Natz had offended the Japanese shogunate, and the company almost wanted him to go to Edo on his own to take the blame, not to mention the more powerful countries of Japan.

"Grab the two of them, put them in a dungeon, give them a private room, and don't let anyone come near him." Fan. Drion pointed to Zhang Anping and the translator and ordered the guards.

Zhang Anping was really enraged at this time, he kept struggling and shouting: "Barbarian and faithless, you will be punished..."

As Zhang Anping's shouting went away, Fan. Drion's deputy hurriedly ran in and asked him for instructions: "The countryman still has 4 retinues outside the fort, should they be arrested too?" ”

Fan. Dryan said a little angrily: "Of course you have to catch it, no, no, not for the time being." You sent someone to tell them that I had a good conversation with Zhang Anle, and that I had prepared a banquet for the ship's crew, and asked them to go back and inform the crew. Prepare the guards to arrest them when they enter the fort, and then go to the harbor to seize the ships.

Then I sent someone to Yokohama to inform Mr. Putmans that the Chinese were not satisfied with our conditions, and that Zhang Anle wanted to attack me even more, and that I had to seize these countrymen and their ships for the sake of the safety of Sado Island. Next, it was time for him to negotiate with the countrymen. ”

Fan. Drion's deputy didn't expect his division to be so bold, and he asked a little unresponsive for a while: "But if the negotiation is over, won't the truth be exposed if these countrymen are put back?" ”

Fan. Drion said disapprehantly: "If the negotiation is successful, it means that Da Ming does not have the courage to challenge the company's sea power, so it doesn't matter what the truth is." We can also say that it is these people who are trying to shirk their responsibilities and slander us. If the negotiation is not successful, the company will start a war with Daming, who cares who provoked the war? ”

Fan. Drion's plan was perfect, but the news of his attempt to lure Akito into the fort and arrest him was leaked by the Japanese women who worked in the fort. Although the Dutch built this fortress for themselves, they clearly did not intend to live an ascetic life on the island, so they recruited many women from the island of Japan and the local area to serve their lives.

And many of these subordinates were spies sent by the Osaka and Edo shogunates. Although Japan was forced to lease Sado Island to the Dutch, this does not mean that the Japanese really accepted this fact. The Dutch brought in slave labor from Southeast Asia and drove the Japanese miners on the island to work longer hours without increasing their wages, which greatly angered the island's inhabitants.

Therefore, when the Japanese maiden in the fort heard Zhang Anping's cursing, someone made an excuse to leave the fort and reported to the shogunate spies in the streets of Aikawa. Both the spies of the Osaka Shogunate and the Edo Shogunate chose to report to the captain of the warship of the Ming Kingdom in the port.

After Li Guorui, the captain of the Mingwu, received the report from the Japanese, he looked at the forts on the north and south sides of Xiaomu Harbor, and did not hesitate to order to lift anchor and leave the port, without any intention of going ashore to rescue Zhang Anping. When Fan. When Drion got the news and rushed to the port, the Mingwu had already withdrawn from the battery's range.

Looking at the national warship that was pulling sails to the west and leaving, Fan. Derien could only order his men to take a ship to the port of Niigata in the southeast, and then rush to Yokohama by land to inform Putmans. He could only hope that his report would reach Putmans first, and if Putmans protested to his countrymen first, then maybe he would be able to fish in troubled waters.

While the Mingwu was advancing towards the Korean Strait in full force, five Chinese warships and five British warships were conducting a naval exercise in the Yellow Sea between Yantai and Lushun. This 15-day military exercise benefited the immature naval officers of the Ming Dynasty a great deal.

The rich experience that the British had learned from pirate tactics, coupled with the fleet grouping tactics that were popular in Europe at this time, made the Ming naval officers, who had been blindfolded and groping for the combat methods of the naval fleet, finally see a little way, and this also made the command of the Ming fleet finally look a little decent in the last three days of the exercise.

In this exercise, the British did not gain nothing, and the way the warships used fixed signal flags to communicate and command, which was greatly appreciated by the British. Although British warships have begun to use some simple flags for sea communication, they do not attach as much importance to this communication method as the Chinese people, and the fixed signal flag is compiled into a fixed flag language as the primary way of sea communication.

Captain Weddell felt that he could learn from his countrymen about the signal flag, thereby enhancing the warship's communication in wartime. But for Robert. Blake said he had finally found the key to how to command the warships to attack in formation.

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