Guided by the staff, Maiden entered the interview room of the residence. The Dutch poured him a cup of tea. Today's Europeans are not yet in the habit of drinking tea, and Maiden only came into contact with this drink after arriving in Asia under the influence of Chen Shouxu. According to Chen Shouxu, drinking tea is good for the body, what resistance can be enhanced, and it is good for preventing infectious diseases.

Hearing that it could cure diseases, the Europeans in Jincheng learned from Chen Shouxu and began to drink tea. The consul had led the way of the fleet on several occasions in terms of food, and there was a blind trust in him in this regard.

Maiden was uncomfortable at first, but now he has gradually fallen in love with the drink.

Maiden sipped tea as he recalled the information the company had collected about the head office.

In the years since Van Diemen took office, the Dutch have consolidated their control of the Spice Islands through two wars; a compromise with the Sultan of Makassar to make concessions; fought against the Portuguese in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), pressing forward step by step; Fulfilled the East India Company's decades-long long-cherished wish and conquered Malacca; Against the backdrop of Japan's expulsion of almost all foreigners, the highly profitable trade between Japan and the Netherlands was preserved.

On the cultural front, he supported Tasman's expeditions to the south, built the Batavia City Hall, founded a Latin school, and even used the company's finances to set up an orphanage.

Van Dimen was a strong leader, as evidenced by the direct trade channels he had banned from companies in Surat, Coromantle, and elsewhere from trading with the Netherlands. In his concept, the company can only have one center in Asia, and that is Batavia. With the exception of Batavia, direct transactions with the Netherlands are not allowed anywhere. It is conceivable that Van Dimen's strong reform will offend many domestic bigwigs. It is nothing to offend foreign enemies, and daring to offend domestic magnates is courage.

Dealing with such people, going around in circles is not enough, you have to use some more direct methods.

Maiden had a brief lunch at the residence, and it was not until the afternoon that Van Diemen returned to the castle. He rode into the city gates, followed by a group of cuirassiers and a group of infantry. He was flanked by six guards, dressed in red and yellow uniforms. The soldiers of Batavia Castle marched in front of the governor's residence, and Van Dimen stopped to inspect the postures and movements of the infantry.

If the East India Company's navy made a strong impression on Maiden, their army looked ordinary to Maiden, a veteran who survived the Thirty Years' War. Of course, in today's Asia, this level of army is enough for the time being.

Maiden patiently waited for the Dutch to show him all the packages he had been shown, until Van Dimen formally summoned him.

Meet Anthony. Fan. After Dimon himself, Maiden had to admit that God did sometimes favor certain people in the world. Fan Dimen wore a black round hat and a tight-fitting black uniform with a large collar, and he looked very capable. The two beards on his lips were neatly combed, and although the traces of time had climbed up his forehead, the high bridge of his nose and slightly thin face still gave him a handsome appearance.

Faced with the man who was described as "a statesman, a soldier, an admiral and a businessman", the most powerful man in the whole of the East Indies, Maiden exercised impeccable German aristocratic etiquette.

"Your Excellency, on behalf of the Senate of our country, I present your credentials."

The attendant handed over the credentials in Maiden's possession to Van Diemen.

"Sir, please be seated." Fan Dimen took the credentials and looked at them carefully.

In its letter of state, the Senate of Kaneshiro frankly stated the origin of the fleet, the process of founding the country, and the goals of the near future. It's like driving a boat in a narrow river, and in order to avoid traffic accidents, sometimes, it's important to not only judge the purpose of the boat coming from the opposite side, but also let the boat on the other side know what you want to do.

The first Dutch chief in the East Indies, Peter Anderson. Bosch once said, "Trade in the Moluccas, Ambon and Banda should belong to the company, and no other country in the world should be allowed to interfere with it." ”

The Senate of Kinjo had no intention of getting involved in the spice islands and the Indian cotton cloth transit business.

Fan Dimen just nodded after reading the national letter. Maiden didn't see any change in expression on his face.

Sugar was Maiden's stepping stone to Van Dien's door, and Batavia would welcome any trade that would reduce the cost of sugar. The Senate of Jincheng promised to reduce the price of sugar in Leizhou by 3% in the future. Van Dimen was really interested, but not to the point of excitement. With the current strength of Batavia, it is not difficult to fulfill the task targets set by Amsterdam, and it is even more than enough. If it weren't for the lack of capital, they would have been able to buy 7 million pounds of sugar.

Sugar just creates a good atmosphere for discussing issues, and it is important to exchange opinions with the Dutch on the geopolitical situation around the South China Sea.

Unlike the European powers that divided the world in later generations. At this time, the Dutch East India Company was mainly expanding for the purpose of trading and making money. The Board's profit constraints on Batavia have shaped the company's principles for strategic choices in Asia. That was to stare at the Portuguese to the death, and from time to time knock the Spaniards in Manila to defend control of the Spice Islands.

On this basis, the Dutch practiced the "offshore balancer" method in the East Indies, and it was not necessary that they would not end up in person.

At the top of the list for the Dutch to settle were the Indo-Portuguese vice-king of Goa, the Philippine governor of Manila, and Makassar, who smuggled spices on a large scale and often threatened the Dutch vassal Sultanate of Denadi.

the second is Mataran, which has besieged Batavia and controlled the rice trade on the island of Java; There are the Far East headquarters of the British East India Company, the Persian Merchant House, and the Banten of the Indian Commercial Pavilion.

If all of the above are cleaned up, then the next in line is probably Nikolai, who controlled Sino-Japanese trade and Sino-Dutch trade. One official, Zheng Zhilong. In the two naval battles of Leo Lok Wan and Hoi An in Quang Nam, the Dutch lost to the Chinese and the Vietnamese respectively, but they were two pillars of shame that made Batavia lose face.

It's just that although the Dutch are strong, it is impossible to face so many enemies at the same time. They still have to make money, and they can't go to war everywhere like stunned youths. In some cases, the Dutch hoped to make monopoly profits by fighting wars in order to offset these costs later. But as they became more involved in the East Indies War, the Dutch were burdened. When their allies were threatened by enemy invasions or internal usurpers, the Dutch paid high sums of military aid. This delayed the realization of their expectations of super-profits from the war.

Van Dimen said to Maiden slowly, "Is your China very bold in governance? He said that we had made the mistake of overestimating the control of the many Moro sultans of the East Indies over their vassals and subjects. He also said that these barbaric indigenous nations were often subject to a change of monarchy in such a way that subsequent heirs did not consider him obligated to fulfill their covenants with the company. ”

Maiden stood up and said with some apologies, "Your Excellency, you know that we are pirates. He didn't understand European diplomatic rhetoric, and I advised him not to include it. But he insisted that only by clearly pointing out the problem is the attitude to solve the problem. ”

Fan Dimen also came up from the grassroots level, and he did not have the innate sense of superiority of the hereditary aristocracy, he was a very realistic person.

"Your rulers are right. We've really had some issues like this in the past. ”

"Your Excellency, we are willing to help your company reduce the occurrence of problems, and in Sulu, we have proven that we can do that. Our country has adopted the same republican unity as yours, and the Senate will guarantee the long-term implementation of the policy. ”

Van Dimen knew that the strength of the pirates in front of him was not bad, and the size of their fleet had already been reported to him in detail by the Administrator of Malacca.

Van Dimen: "Thank you for your help to the Sultan of Sulu. "The Moro people in the Sulu Islands and Mindanao are the northern barrier of the Spice Islands, and with the Moro people, the Spaniards cannot let go south to invade the Spice Islands, and the existence of the Sulu State is beneficial to the company.

"I think the Sultan of Sulu has paid you a fair amount. So you have to do a little more to win the friendship of the company. For example, Sukkadana. ”

Maiden: "Your Excellency means that you want us to get rid of Mataran's port of Suqadana in Borneo?" ”

Van Dimen: "Yes. But you have to tell your ruler that the East India Company has nothing to do with your actions, and will not pay you a penny for the attack on Sukkadana. If you take Suqadana, you will not be able to maintain a garrison there. ”

Maiden gritted his teeth, trade can make money in the long run, but the effect will not be visible in the near future. Chen Shouxu also confessed that he was willing to fight a battle or two if the Dutch needed it.

"Your Excellency, there is no problem with this. But we need some arms support, and preferably some soldiers. ”

Because the voyage back to Europe from the East Indies was so arduous, many soldiers who served the Dutch did not return to Europe after being discharged, but chose to live in Asia.

Fan. Dimon was noncommittal to Maiden's request.

"You say in your credentials that you can provide a stable trade route for goods from China."

Maiden: "Yes. There are many powerful businessmen in China who can do that. ”

Fan. Dimmen: "In the long term, we welcome more and cheaper goods into the East India market, but it's not enough, we have some short-term goals to address. ”

The Dutch could only do their best to secure an advantage in the spice and cotton trade, not yet a complete monopoly. Sugar, rice, tea, and porcelain simply relied on the market behavior of merchants.

Maiden: "What else does Your Excellency need us to do?" ”

Fan. Dimon raised his glass and gave Maiden a deep look, "Formosa." ”

It's a place name Maiden hasn't heard of, and it seems to be in Portuguese, "Beautiful Island?" Your Excellency, where is this island? ”

"Close to a large island in China, the company has an important city in the south of the island, and the Spaniards occupy the northern part of the island. I want you to get rid of these West Bank. ”

Playing the Spaniards is a familiar way, Maiden's favorite, and he happily agreed, "As long as we are within our ability, it is not a problem to beat the Spaniards." ”

Fan. Dimon: "I appreciate your confidence, Mr. Maiden. Go back and tell you that the government, whether it's sugar or other Chinese goods, the company welcomes you to join the ensemble of Southeast Asian trade. My clerk will talk to you about the rest, and you can leave, Mr. Maiden. ”

Maiden took his leave. Van Diemen explained the general principles, and the East India Company's merchant who sent him to negotiate did not dwell too much, and his main demands were three points:

1. The Golden City shall not cross the Strait of Malacca to the west except with the authorization of the Dutch East India Company;

2. Do not go to Nagasaki to trade with Japan;

3. Chinese goods obtained from trading in Formosa could only be sold to the Dutch East India Company.

For the second and third points, Maiden gave up after unsuccessful efforts, and for the first point, Maiden thought about it a little, and the text written on the draft emphasized the sea route. The Dutch merchant looked at it briefly and didn't care, and this was considered a treaty.

What Maiden wanted to fight for was to get more arms, weapons and soldiers from Batavia. Dimon did not say anything about this just now, and naturally there will be no text in the agreement. When Maiden made a request, the Dutch merchant said that the arms were not a problem and that Maiden could get them now, but that they had to be kept secret. Nor can soldiers be recruited directly in Batavia by the Jincheng side, and it may be a way to transit through the Chinese.

Maiden knew that his trip was authorized by the Senate with carte blanche of all powers. Three days later, both sides expressed no opinion on the final text, and the United East India Company-Jincheng Maritime Trade Framework Agreement was signed.

The agreement is in Dutch, Chinese and Latin, and each party holds one copy for keeping.

It was a purely commercial agreement, with no military or political clauses involved. Due to their alliance with Johor, the Dutch did not recognize the Golden Castle side as a state power in the agreement. This made Maiden a little regretful. Chen Shouxu said that the foundation of the country is to rely on artillery, as long as you save enough cannons, it doesn't matter what the Dutch think.

Although it was not a fair deal for Kinjo, Maiden felt that he had done his best, and he was ready to resign if he was held accountable by the Senate when he returned home.

On the evening of the day the agreement was signed, the Dutch loaded the disassembled barrels and gun carriages onto the Adventure, which had been emptied of the holds, in the name of scrap. All in one, 18 9-and-a-half-pounder snake cannons. Maiden didn't ask for cannonballs, and the cannonballs were already self-made. There were not so many guns in the hold, so Robert carefully wrapped the barrels of several of them and threw them into the bilge to act as ballast.

Now, he has one last thing left in Batavia, contact Ebel. Jensison. Tasman. Tasman had told Chen Shouxu that he would return to Batavia in June this year after completing his trade mission with the Spice Islands, which is the closest time to count.

Tasman's home was in the Dutch settlement south of the castle, and in addition to the promised navigational information, Maiden had to deliver a letter from Chen Shouxu. Maiden read the letter, and in addition to welcoming Tasman to Jincheng at any time, Chen Shouxu also hoped that during next year's expedition to Australia, Tasman would agree to accept the crew sent by Jincheng.

This could be a difficult matter, and any record of an expedition on a new route would be top secret to the United East India Company. It might be easy again. There were many local sailors on board the Dutch company, and if Jincheng found some Chinese sailors with suitable backgrounds, it was also possible to get on board in their own name. In the letter, Chen swore that he would not reveal the secrets of the voyage to the Dutch enemies, and that he would provide a large amount of sponsorship for the Tasman expedition and for him personally, so as to help him complete the voyage.