Chen Shouxu entered the South China Sea from the Sulu Sea and rode the southerly wind all the way north, far avoiding the coastline of the Philippines. Munda and his shipowners used to make frequent trips to Taiwan, but the constant loss of the coastline as they do now still make them fearful. The observance was half an inducement, half a coercion, and forced them to follow the fleet.

The reconnaissance and early warning forces of the Spaniards in Manila could only cover the near sea routes, and nothing was known about the movements of the Jincheng fleet. Order's luck was good, and it seemed that God forbid, he didn't encounter any storms on his way north.

Monda finds Chen Shouxu. After crossing the Sulu Sea, he moved to the Nanhai to facilitate communication between the two sides.

"My lord, I suggest that the nearshore route be taken from now on." Munda has never personally experienced the voyage of the open sea, but often hears the story of Westerners crossing tens of thousands of miles on the vast sea, and this time he has a small experience with Chen Shouxu.

Orderly: "Is there any need?" I'm going to turn offshore now, and I'll miss at least a day. ”

"Ahem," Munda coughed, "the lord of the country may not know how powerful the Taiwan Strait is. Both the Dutch and the Francois consider the Taiwan Strait to be their most difficult navigation area in Asia. The wind and waves are strong, and accidents are frequent. ”

Orderly: "What kind of accident is it, typhoon?" ”

Munda: "It's not a typhoon, it's going to be over no matter where you encounter it." It is a normal high wind, which will often blow the ship off the course, causing it to run aground or run aground. The year before last, a ship departed from Zhangzhou and wanted to return to Dayuan Port, but was blown to Batavia by a gust of wind. ”

Mengda's words made Chen Shouxu stunned, and the difference between the senior and Batavia was thousands of miles.

Knowing that he didn't believe it, Munda explained, "The ship was loaded with Chinese raw silk, silk, cane sugar, and gold, and was supposed to be shipped to Dacheng. As a result, the north wind was too strong, and the ship was blown far away from the south, and the captain saw that the captain could not go back, so he simply went to Batavia. ”

Order: "Is the north wind so terrifying here?" ”

Munda: "The north wind can blow the Dutch warships to the point where they are missing." Speaking of which, the north wind destroyed many more Dutch ships than typhoons. The south wind is not much better, not to mention that we are in a state of sailing, even if the ships are anchored in the harbor, they cannot be held in place by three large iron anchors when the wind is strong. Dutch battleships often lost two or three anchors in one night, and the record I remember the most was when the wind broke five anchor cables in one day. ”

Orderly: "The anchor cable is blown off, isn't the ship finished?" ”

Munda: "Yes, it often happens here in Taiwan that when you wake up from sleep, the ship in the harbor doesn't know where it is blown away. It's not just that, if the wind is stronger, the Dutch themselves often miss the port of Dayuan, and they can't get in by the wind. ”

Shou Xuan understood, he had always respected the opinions of experts. The fleet turned to starboard with the rudder, approached the Kenting Peninsula, and headed north along the western coastline of Taiwan Island. Chen Shouxu held the telescope in his hand, and for four years, the Kenting Peninsula was the first piece of Chinese land he saw.

Indeed, as Munda said, after the fleet entered the Taiwan Strait, it was obvious that the wind and waves had become faster, and the battleship appropriately collected some sails, reduced its speed, and a day later, arrived at the northernmost military stronghold of the Dutch in Asia.

Great, the city of Geranza.

The Nanhai fired a 7-gun salute at Geranza, and Geranza also responded with 7 shots.

Chen Shouxu and Maiden opened their binoculars, and a string of sandbars stretched across their eyes, and there were several islands to the north of the sandbar. On Dutch documents at this time, the official name of the island was Formosa. Occasionally, it will be directly called Taiwan, Taiwan originally referred to Dayuan Bay, that is, near Tainan in later generations, and Taiwan will also be used to refer to the whole island at this time.

Meng Da pointed to the sandbar and introduced to Chen Shouxu, "That is Dayuan Island, which was originally a kun body, two kun bodies, until the seven kun bodies, a total of seven islands, and now the sediment has accumulated and has been connected. Between Dayuan Island and the main island of Taiwan is the inland sea of the Taijiang River. ”

Oyuan Island is a long and narrow island from north to south, and between several castles and towns, there are lush forests. The coconut palms sway gently in the wind, and the scenery is beautiful. No wonder the Portuguese named it the Island of Beauty.

Located at the northern end of Dayuan Island, the Rebarge Fort completely controls the main channel into the Taijiang Inland Sea. The southern tip of Dayuan Island has been connected with the main island of Taiwan, and the low tide can be crossed.

Munda has traveled back and forth to Taiwan many times, and took the initiative to introduce Shou Xuan and Maiden, "When the city was first built, it was called Orangeburg, and it was named after the prince. Fifteen years ago, the company's board of directors changed the name of Zeeland Province to Zeeland Castle, and the Chinese character is generally written as Gelancha. ”

Chen Shouxu stared at the Fort of Relanza for a while, and Monda explained on the side: "The terrain of Fort Geranza is relatively high in Dayuan, the fort is three stories high, and the main fort has a total of four convex forts and four half-moon forts. Each fort has 12 cannons, and the half-moon fort has 3 cannons. Facing the corner city by the sea, there are two Horn Forts, each with 4 long guns. In addition, there are 6 long cannons at the Water Gate and the fortress by the sea. ”

Outside the city of Geranza was a residential area, later known as Anping City, where the Chinese upper class lived.

Chen Shouxu estimated the firepower of the city, "Mobilize an army of 10,000 people and besiege the city for a year, and I don't know if I can take Relanza." ”

Maiden didn't speak, but after a few sneers at this point, he said, "I don't think so." Although the Fort of Geranza can also be called a large fortress in Asia, it has strong firepower and sufficient reserves. But the city has fatal flaws. ”

Munda was a little frightened by Maiden's words, "What do you mean, sir?" ”

Maiden pointed to the high ground south of Fort Geranza and asked Munda, "What is the name of the fort on that high ground?" ”

"Utrecht Castle, sir."

Maiden turned to Chen Shouxu and said, "Admiral, the Dutch have spent 12 years repairing the Geransha to a height of 3 floors, with 6 Jianjiao Forts and 4 Half-Moon Forts, but if they really want to attack from land, they don't need to attack the main body of Geranza Castle at all. As long as you take Utrecht Fort, set up more than 24-pound siege guns on the high ground, and fight at the castle from a high position, Geranza is finished. ”

Chen Shouxu also pointed his telescope at the southern highlands, "In addition to Geranza and Utrecht, how many fortresses do the Dutch have in Taiwan?" ”

Munda: "Facing the inland sea across the Taiwan River from Dayuan, there is another Pu Min Sha City on the main island of Taiwan, which is also known as Chikan Tower. In addition, in the northern harbor, the Dutch also built Forrichenenburg. Xiaogang is the northernmost port in the Taijiang Inland Sea, and Hermes-Epitek is also commonly known as Beigang. There is also a Sicao Sea Fort on the northern line of the tail island to the north of Dayuan, which is used to control the Luermen channel. ”

Chen Shouxu took out the map, "In addition to the main channel between Dayuan Island and the tail island of the northern line, as well as the Luermen channel you just mentioned, how many other channels enter the inner sea of the Taijiang River from the open sea?" ”

Munda shook his head, "My lord, there were originally more than 10 large and small waterways that could enter the Taijiang Inland Sea, just like I just said, after many years of sediment accumulation, when the ** position, the sampan may be able to pass, and it is impossible for a slightly larger ship to pass." Even on the side of the Luermen channel, at the highest tide level, the risk of a fortune ship of more than 8 zhang sailing into it is also extremely high. ”

Chen Shouxu: "Okay, that means that we can only enter the port through the main channel under the guns of Gelanza." ”

Munda still shook his head, "My lord, your ship can't enter the harbor at all. ”

Shou Xuan scolded secretly, "Why? ”

Munda: "My lord, the water depth of the inland sea of the Taijiang River is about 5 to 10 zhang (1.7 meters per lotus zhang), which can accommodate large ships to sail. However, the main channel in front of me is the Shuowang tide, which is only 15 feet deep, and the normal water depth is only 10 to 12 feet. Your boat is not to be entered. ”

Maiden was dumbfounded, "What do you mean that the Dutch can only rely on ships with a draft of 12 feet to trade in Dayuan Harbor?" ”

Munda said, "Yes, yes. The Dutch will not have more than 200 Rusts (Dutch weight unit, less than 2 tons) in the port of Dayuan, and only the Tempest in your fleet can sail into Dayuan Harbor. ”

Shou Xuan said, "What did the Dutch choose to break the port, in addition to the shallow water, is there anything wrong here?" ”

Munda: "Yes. Dayuan Port can avoid the northeast wind, but not the southwest wind. As you know, most of the typhoons come from the south. ”

Shou Xuan was speechless at the eyes of the Dutch, "You can't hide from a typhoon, it's going to kill people." ”

Munda: "That's right. The Dutch ships were often blown off anchor cables by the south wind, crushing over the cliffs over there. ”

Chen Shouxu's current position is not visible to the cliff, and the direction of Munda should be the main island of Taiwan in the inland sea of the Taijiang River.

Maiden said: "Taiwan is the main supply station of the Batavia-Nagasaki route, and the voyage of more than 3,000 nautical miles, will you lose money by boat?" ”

Munda: "None of the big ships that run to Japan will enter Dayuan Port, they will anchor outside the water gate of Fort Geranza facing the Taiwan Strait, load up and leave. ”

Maiden: "How did the Dutch choose such a poor port to build their city, and what if their big ships were to take shelter from the wind?" ”

Munda: "They would go to the Pescador Islands to take refuge from the storm, that is, Penghu in the Ming Dynasty, in fact, the Dutch wanted to set up a city in Penghu at the earliest. The water over there is deep, so you can avoid the wind from all sides, and it is closer to the Celestial Empire. However, Penghu was regarded by the imperial court as the mainland of the Celestial Empire, and the Dutch were never allowed to openly occupy it. The two sides fought a battle in Penghu, and then retreated to Taiwan under the mediation of Li Dan of China's Kapitan ......"

Chen Shouxu: "Since Penghu has been recovered by the imperial court, why can the Dutch still go now?" ”

Munda: "The lord of the kingdom is right. However, in these matters, the imperial court generally fooled the emperor together. When the battle was over, the soldiers withdrew, and the city was already deserted. The Dutch can dock at Penghu at will. ”

The Nanhai anchored outside the gate of Geransha, and Shou ordered to change longboats with Maiden and Munda.

Shou Xuan asked, "You just talked about Li Dan and Beigang, isn't this Beigang the base of Li Dan and Zheng Zhilong?" How the Dutch would have a castle. ”

Meng Da was surprised, "Where did the lord of the country hear that Beigang is the base of Li Dan and Yiguan?" The entire Taijiang Inland Sea is the territory of the Dutch. ”

The order is a little strange, "Didn't Li Dan and Zheng Zhilong immigrate tens of thousands of people to Beigang?" ”

Munda: "There are immigrants. That was after the Dutch occupied Taiwan, and they recruited Hermes-Epitek to plant sugar cane in Taiwan, which was what Li Dan and Zheng Zhilong were doing at that time. But to say that Beigang is the base of Li Dan or Yiguan, it is absolutely impossible. ”

Shou Zhi felt a little subverted, "You mean that there were no Chinese immigrants in Taiwan before the Dutch?" ”

Munda: "Maybe there are hundreds of Fujian businessmen who have some industry here, and immigrants don't have them at all. The inland sea of the Taijiang River is a good fishing ground, and more than 100 Fujian fishing boats come to Taiwan every year to fish. The Dutch began to set up a city in Dayuan also took a fancy to the fishing grounds, and if the port conditions were concerned, the port of Dagou in the south was much better. But Hermes-Epitek's fishing activities in the Taijiang River were able to bring the first immigrants to the Dayuan. ”

Maiden nodded, "The radiation range of the Taijiang Inland Sea is also relatively large, which is convenient for the Dutch to collect materials on the shore. ”

Shou Xuan felt that Moonda's words were a bit informative: "I'm a little confused, you mean that Zheng Zhilong started working as a pirate for the Dutch? ”

Meng Da sneered: "After Li Dan's death, Zheng Zhilong suddenly rose from a mere translator to the biggest pirate in the southeast, of course he has some skills, but it is more the role of the Dutch. In Zheng Zhilong's initial stage, the Dutch sent him more than 20 warships, opened the Taijiang Inland Sea to Zheng Zhilong, allowed him to enter and leave at will, and constantly supplied Zheng Zhilong with arms. Let his power quickly overwhelm the others. ”

Maiden: "What are the Dutch doing this for? ”

Munda: "Forced the imperial court to allow the Dutch to trade more freely in Fujian. ”

Shou Order: "But I heard that at that time, Zheng Zhilong blockaded the entire coastal area of Fujian, which interrupted trade. ”

Munda: "This is the treacherous part of the Taiwan Strait. For the Dutch, the Taiwan Strait is full of open enemies and disguised friends, whose identities often change. Before Zheng Zhilong's blockade of trade in the Taiwan Strait, the company could only trade with China through Xu Xinsu, an agent of Fujian officials, making the officials very passive. But even so, supporting Zheng Zhilong was not Batavia's decision. It was Martinas, Taiwan's first chief executive. Song Ke and the second chief executive, Gerald . Frederick. Morality. The two of them did it privately. The company never knew about this, and even sent 11 warships deep into Zhangzhou Bay to cooperate with the imperial court to fight piracy, but when the fleet arrived, Zheng Zhilong had already killed Xu Xinsu and became an official of the imperial court. ”

Maiden was very clear about the ** behavior of the Dutch East India Company, "Zheng Zhilong gave Song Ke and De. How many benefits does Waite have? ”

Munda shook her head and said, "After many years, only God knows the exact amount." Batavia's exact grasp is that Zheng Zhilong gave him 9 junk ships worth about 20,000 taels of silver before De Wett left office. DeWett sold the goods in Japan without permission, and there was no record in Geranza's accounts. ”

Combined with the information obtained before, Chen Shouxu can be regarded as roughly understanding. De Wett was originally a high-ranking businessman in Taiwan, Song Ke's deputy, and after Song Ke was blown into the sea by the wind and drowned, De Wett succeeded him as the governor. These two people are in the same vein in their support policies for Zheng Zhilong. The pirates who supported Zheng Zhilong to come to power and unify the Taiwan Strait, and then invaded the coastal areas of Fujian, swelling the faces of Fujian officials.

By the time the third governor Natz took over as De Wet, Taiwan's affairs could not be covered. Fortunately, Zheng Zhilong killed Xu Xinsu before the large fleet sent by Batavia to destroy him, replacing Xu as the maritime trade agent of Fujian officials.

Zheng Zhilong fooled the Dutch, and free trade blew the sky. The Dutch also took advantage of the situation to ally Zheng Zhilong and help him eliminate Li Kuiqi, Zhong Bin and Liu Xiang, but the Dutch were engaged in it and found that Zheng Zhilong was getting more and more powerful, and they were even more restricted in business than before, so they regretted it and formed an alliance with Liu Xiang again. Things got to this point, and the offshore balance hand played by the Dutch in the Taiwan Strait completely failed, and Zheng Zhi's dragon tail was too big to fall. By the fourth term of the Administrator, Putmans had asked Batavia to resolutely adopt military strikes against Cheng Zhilong. The Dutch ended up in person, but they lost face in the Battle of Liuluo Bay, and they could no longer shake Zheng Zhilong's power.

Chen Shouxu said: "Zheng Zhilong never does things absolutely, which is worth learning from. He won the naval battle, but offered the Dutch more goods than before. ”

Maiden had studied the Battle of Liuluo Bay, and he said to Chen Shouxu: "The Battle of Liuluo Bay is a typical example of what you said, the Dutch won almost all of the naval battles. But they had nothing to do with Zheng Zhilong's power on the mainland, and they lost the first battle and lost all their achievements. There is no hope of fighting a war of attrition with the mainland with sea ships. ”

In the 17th century, the ships were not strong enough, and the British have now come to a clear realization that the victory or loss in the Asian naval battle is temporary, and the land is decisive.

Note: The 20,000 silver worth of silver that Zheng Zhilong bribed De Wett was from the report on East India affairs submitted by Van Diemen's predecessor, Hendrik Brouwer, to the 17 gentlemen on December 1, 1632, in The Dutchman in Formosa.