That night, Chen Shouxu rested all night in the small official hall at the bow of the junk ship. There is not much space, and the two of them are slightly smaller. The beauty in the cabin was sleepy, Chen Shouxu got up early, and continued to visit the Chinese ship after eating early, completing the halfway point of the investigation last night.

Unlike Galen's spliced masts, the masts of Chinese ships are made of a large piece of wood, and next to each side of the mast are camphor wood brackets, which are used to fix the masts. Under the rising sun, Chen Shouxu saw a celestial concubine flag fluttering on the ship's main mast.

The first piece of horizontal wood under the bow lion is called the bucket cover, which seems to be made of camphor wood. Downward is the rabbit ears and the pallet board. Each of the bow sides has a rocking oar, which appears to be a power steering tool to match the rudder.

On each side of the outboard bulwarks hung a row of shields made of wood and bamboo. Underneath the shield is a longitudinal support structure for the ship's outboard loinboards, similar to Galen's. It is made of half a log split in half of cedar wood.

There are three horizontal winches on the deck and one more in the tail.

Chen Shouxu walked to the stern, he was most interested in the ship's elevator, in order to increase the rudder effect, the rudder was completely lowered to a depth beyond the ship's draft. In this way, in some shallow offshore waters, the rudder is raised to prevent the rudder blades from rubbing the bottom. In the bow of the ship, a part called a deer belly is fixed, with two holes. Two rudder cords were pulled from the bow bucket cover and pulled through the deer's belly, and pulled from the bottom of the ship to tie the rudder blades. If you encounter a shoal, loosen the rudder cord and the rudder will swing on its own. The resistance of this rudder to wind and waves is very poor, especially when the wind is at opposite angles to the current, and it is not uncommon for wind and waves to destroy the rudder. So every Chinese ship will take up valuable cabin space and carry spare rudders. If the spare rudder is also destroyed, it is basically a rhythm of waiting for death. This rudder structure is the choice of offshore optimization, Chen Shouxu feels that the biggest problem of China's ship type is not suitable for ocean voyages, hard sails and soft sails are actually not a matter of principle, at most the speed is slower. This rudder was the lifeblood of the Ming Dynasty ships.

Chen Shouxu went down the stairs to the cabin, he frowned and didn't go in. The Chinese ship in front of you is obviously not a cargo ship, only a small cargo hold. Below deck is the crew's quarters, except for the cabin below the deck of the stern officer's hall whose height is acceptable, the rest of the cabins are too low, and the height is only 1.5 meters. The personnel on the ship had to bend down and bow their heads when they wanted to enter, and Chen Shouxu estimated that it would be very tiring to go in at his height.

Chen Shouxu stood at the door, inspecting the structure of the Chinese ship. The hull has no ribs, and the use of bulkheads and trapezoidal beams to support the transverse structure also results in a small ship with 14 compartments. A significant part of the crew were slaves, who lived in the worst cabins.

After Chen Shouxu finished inspecting the junk ship, Tasman got up, and looked like this, still in a half-asleep state. Although Tasman felt that it was too late for Chen Shouxu to be at odds, he still had to rush back to Batavia to recover his life. Tasman said that after completing the task of resupplying Sulu with arms, he will next load Indian cotton cloth in Batavia and sail to the Moluccasas in time for the final ship in February. In the Sultanate of Denadi, the Dutch called the Ternate place. Tasman's ship docked at Ambon Island to buy cloves from Indian cotton. Then head south, arrive at Banda, and use the leftover Indian cotton cloth to buy nutmeg. If there was not enough cotton cloth in India, the ship's merchant would issue a commercial acceptance of the United East India Company to the local plantation owner, in exchange for a few pieces of paper for those precious spices. As the East India Company continued to expand, Batavia gradually established its financial hegemony.

After the ship was loaded with spices, it returned to Batavia. After the break, Tasman will load up arms supplies and head to Galle, Ceylon, in June. Galle was a Dutch fortress in Ceylon, facing off against the Portuguese-held Colombo. Galle is also an important trading hub for the famous Sri Lankan cinnamon. After loading the cinnamon, Tasman said he also didn't know he would be going to Negbertinam in Coromantel this year. Or go to Hooghly and Chapra in Bengal, depending on where he is ordered by the East India Council in June.

If you go to Coromantle, you will load the hard currency Indian cotton cloth that can be used as silver, and if you go to Bengal, you will load saltpeter and Bengali silk. Saltpeter is an important munition, and silk can also be used as hard currency.

Because he was carrying munitions to Ceylon, he did not carry nutmeg and pepper. If spices were to be transported, then Ceylon would have to sail to Surat and even Persia. India and Persia also had a great demand for spices.

After returning to Batavia with Indian cotton, Bengali silk and saltpeter, his work for the year was almost complete.

Tasman introduced his mission for this year, and Chen Shouxu saw that the Dutch in the entire trade chain had to pay almost no silver except for a little start-up capital.

In addition to the Persia-Surat-Ceylon-Aceh-Batavia-Spice Islands route, which is most important to the company, there are several other routes that Tasman may also go to:

Batavia – Geranza – Nagasaki on the island of Otogen;

Thunderclap;

Pattani-Ayutthaya-Chenla-Hoi An route;

The Dutch East India Company lends to Nikolai at an annual rate of 2.5% per month. Official, this interest rate is already very low in Asia. An official took a loan from the Dutch and his own funds to buy tea, silk and porcelain and shipped them to Dayuan Port. Nikolai. Originally from Macau, Yiguan was known as Jasper, spoke Portuguese and Dutch, and now controls the coastal waters of China's Fujian province. The Dutch were unable to exclave the Sultanates from India in Sumatra and Malays, and in East Asia they were unable to exclude the Sultanates from shipping to Japan. The profitability of Dayuangang's trade is very suspicious, although they have indeed made a profit in the past two years and have contributed a lot to the company, but most of the time, Dayuan is in a state of loss. This was due to the high military pressure on the Grand Staff, who had to maintain a garrison of more than 1,000 troops and other employees as a port that was not as important in trade. The standing army is second only to Batavia and twice as large as Nagpatnam. However, Otoshi was an important supply depot on the Nagasaki route, and Batavia could not easily give up.

There is nothing else in Perak but tin.

Siam had deerskin and rice, and because of the blockade of the Banten Sultanate and the hostile attitude of the Sultanate of Matalan, Batavia was short of staple foods, and Siam's rice was also important to Batavia. Deerskin, on the other hand, is a highly demanded commodity in Japan.

The importance of the route has now declined, and in the days of Japanese seals, Japanese merchants would bring silver to buy Indian cotton cloth in Hoi An, Siam and Pattanii. After Japan closed the country, this flow of silver was cut off, and the Dutch had to go to Nagasaki to trade on their own. The Dutch and the British, two friends who loved and killed each other, established the Pattani Merchant House almost at the same time, and then removed it almost at the same time. The Europeans withdrew, the Japanese stopped coming, and the Chinese merchants had an advantage in Pattani.

Unlike in the East Indies, the Ayutthaya dynasty in Siam and the Nguyen regime in Quang Nam were two great powers, and the Dutch put away their imperialist face on this route and restored their merchant nature.

Between the Ayutthaya Dynasty and the Quang Nam Kingdom, there was also a Zhenla Kingdom. It belongs to the kind of existence that is pressed to the ground by the powerful countries of the east and west. But even a real wax can drive a few boatloads of Spanish adventurers into the Mekong to feed the fish.

As a port, Batavia's conditions are not so good. But Batavia has no outstanding shortcomings, he is navigable all year round, and there is always the right wind direction for Batavia to set sail. As a result, it soon became the commercial center of Asia.

The tragedy is the case with Goa, which is located on the environmentally friendly islands of the Mandubi and Zuali rivers, and the port of Goa is on the inner side of the island, with constant voyages from the sea. From a military point of view, Goa is a defensible city, but from a commercial point of view, the annual rainy season, the direction of the wind and the tide, the Goa is in a state of disconnection. This is one of the reasons why after the construction of Batavia, the commerce of the Portuguese was quickly overtaken.

Although the information obtained from Tasman is not classified, the upper echelons of Southeast Asia are largely aware of it. Chen Shouxu still felt that he hated to meet Tasman late, and both of them had a feeling of unfinished business.

Before saying goodbye, Tasman left Chen Shouxu's address in Batavia and welcomed him to his home.

Chen Shouxu said that there may not be time this year, and he will definitely go if he has the opportunity.

After a brief lunch, Tasman returned to the Bali and sailed back to Batavia. Lindenberg returned to the mercenary camp on the island.

Only Chinese are now left on board.

Lin Tongwen: "Brother Chen, let's talk." The Sultan told me that you have a big business that you want to work with me. I'd love to know what that is? ”

Chen Shouxu smiled, "That's exactly how it should be." ”

The two walked into the recleaned official hall, and Lin Tongwen had already made two cups of tea.

Chen Shouxu closed the door smoothly.

"Please." "Please."

Chen Shouxu looked at the small teacup and was distracted, the tea itself and the porcelain cup are goods that may bring rolling wealth. Only now, these two things are not as important as silk, cotton, sugar, and spices.

Lin Tongwen sat there elegantly, slowly drinking tea, looking calm.

Chen Shouxu didn't know the subtlety of the ancients, he asked directly: "I don't know where Brother Lin's ancestral home is, how did he go to settle in Beitani?" ”

Lin Tongwen was obviously stunned for a moment, and then smiled, "Lin's ancestral home is Chenghai County, Chaozhou, and I was born in Pattani. Brother Chen's way of speaking is very similar to that of the Dutch, who has lived with foreigners for many years. ”

Chen Shouxu knew that Lin Tongwen was saying that he didn't understand the etiquette of the ancients, and he didn't care. However, the Chinese language of the Hokkien dialect was really difficult to understand, so he still changed it to Dutch, "Brother Lin is so young, and his status in the Sultan's court is very high, and he really has a big family business, I admire it." ”

Lin Tongwen shook his head, "Lin is just a blessing from the ancestors." ”

Chen Shouxu: "I take the liberty to ask, I don't know who Ling Zu is?" ”

Lin Tongwen was a little proud, "The ancestor of the family, Lin Daoqian." ”

Chen Shouxu didn't know who Lin Daoqian was, but he could make Lin Tongwen so proud, and he should be a great figure in this way.

"Brother Lin, I don't like to go around in circles. I think the Sulu people should have told you about me. ”

Lin Tongwen: "Alimoud has introduced me to one or two. ”

Chen Shouxu: "Brother Lin, what I want to do is a sky-high business." I would like to invite Brother Lin to my ship and observe my fleet. ”

Lin Tongwen: "That's exactly what I mean. ”

Chen Shouxu wrote down a note and handed it to Lin Tongwen, "Brother Lin, I won't change ships." Please send someone to hand this over to my captain, Thomas Melo. ”

Lin Tongwen took a look at it, and it was about the captain of the Excellence to meet in Hong Kong and return to the fleet. He nodded, and called a servant out to deliver the letter.

In a hurry, he didn't wait for the messenger to return to the ship, and he boarded the Excellence directly over there.

Lin Tongwen's boat used a winch to lift the rudder, tensioned the rudder, lowered the rudder, and the winch raised the mainsail. The boatman sticks out the rocking oar from the bow to help the boat start.

Lin Tongwen's ship is not big, but there are many crew members. At the same tonnage, it is definitely more than European ships. Outside the harbor, when the Excellence sails out, the Excellence will lead the way.

Chen Shouxu felt that the Junk boat was running well, the wind direction was relatively smooth, and the sail surface of the ship was like a butterfly's wings spread like two wings, which was considered to be full of wind. Although I don't know the exact speed, it doesn't feel too slow, and there is always a speed of three or four knots. Of course, this was a cut short of the Excellence, which did not have full sails and did its best to keep the speed consistent.

Lin Tongwen sighed: "It's still Brother Chen's boat that is fast." ”

Chen Shouxu: "Brother Lin's boat runs very steadily. ”

The initial stability is really good, but with this kind of small-angle sidetail wind, the lateral displacement of the boat is still too large, and the handling is not good.

Chen Shouxu: "Brother Lin's ship doesn't seem to be a cargo ship for trade?" ”

Lin Tongwen: "It's just my personal boat. Merchant ships have to use big ships, and my merchant ships in Pattani are 10 zhang long. I chose this as a boat because of the right size, easy to enter the port, and the wind performance is okay. ”

Ships are also relatively new, and merchants don't occupy a large trading ship to use as a means of transportation, which is too wasteful.

During the chat, Chen Shouxu found that Lin Tongwen was no stranger to naval warfare. Although he had no experience in naval warfare except for a few encounters with Southeast Asian pirates, he was well aware of the history of naval warfare in the region. Chen Shouxu asked Lin Tongwen for advice.

Originally, the sultanates of Southeast Asia also had some large ships, some of which were taller than the Clark galleon. But these large ships were all sent to the bottom of the sea in the battle against the Portuguese and Dutch. Those ships look big, and they are simply vulnerable as warships. In the 17th century, the Sultan of Johor once sent 35 large ships of more than 500 tons to attack Malacca, but they were completely annihilated by several Portuguese Clark ships.

The military pressure brought by the Europeans has led to the rapid development of military science and technology in the indigenous countries of Southeast Asia. They quickly knocked out large merchant ships and began to equip them with European-style armaments.

In 1579, the Spanish captured Brunei and captured 179 artillery pieces.

Aceh established military ties with Ottoman Turkey very early, and Sultan Suleiman and Selim II sent troops and gunsmiths several times to support Aceh in its war with the Portuguese. According to Dutch estimates, Aceh now has about 1,000 large and small cannons, of which 700 are bronze. One of the most famous pieces of artillery is called "A Piece of Pepper", and legend has it that the Ottoman Sultan Selim II helped Aceh forge this Turkish heavy cannon and received only one piece of pepper in return.

The Mataram Sultanate cast a super-heavy cannon, and the name was even more formidable, called "Sweeping the World." ”

Johor had an estimated 600 artillery pieces at this time, and during the brief alliance against the Portuguese, Aceh also supported some heavy artillery to pass through.

Makassar's strength is no worse than Johor's. The Sultan of Makassar was an ally of the Portuguese, and the Portuguese relied on Makassar to smuggle spices to them.

Most of these guns were light guns, and there were some, but not many, heavy guns. For example, in the Sultanate of Makassar, there is now a 32-pounder cannon called "Makassar Descendants", 11 12-pounder guns, 34 2~3-pounder guns, and more than 200 other light guns.

Lin Tongwen: "Some of these cannons were sold by us to those who returned. ”

Chen Shouxu: "Brother Lin is still in the arms business? ”

Lin Tongwen: "After Jiazu led more than 2,000 subordinates to Peking University, the first thing he ran was the cannon casting business. Today we have a cannon casting workshop in Siam and a cannon casting workshop in Pattani. ”

As soon as Lin Tongwen said this, Chen Shouxu became more curious about his grandfather Lin Daoqian.

Lin Tongwen pointed to the Excellence, "It's just that we can't build those cannons on Brother Chen's battleship, most of them are Franc machines and the like." Sometimes our production capacity can't meet the demand, I will also go to Foshan to order. ”

Chen Shouxu: "Foshan Town, Guangdong? Does the imperial court allow arms to be exported? ”

Lin Tongwen had a smiling expression on his face, "Of course we have our own way. In addition to Makassar, which has the support of the Portuguese, Johor has the support of the Dutch, who have some new artillery. Most of the other guns that returned home were old cannons, which looked mighty, but they were actually useless. Our guns are still selling very well. ”

Lin Tongwen continued: "Although most of the weapons returned to China are good, their soldiers are not good, and they rely on mercenaries and slaves to fight. ”

Chen Shouxu: "Brother Lin thinks which local countries are stronger? ”

Lin Tongwen: "Back to China, the Acehnese people are more capable of fighting. There are many people in Mataran, and Banten is rich. However, the strongest local power is still in Donghu and Quang Nam. They all have an army trained by tens of thousands of Europeans, they have very good gun factories in the country, and the army is equipped with very sophisticated muskets. Especially in Quang Nam, they had an elite musketeer army of 4,000 with good salaries and strict discipline. Quang Nam also has a navy of 10,000 men, which is the strongest native navy in the South Seas. Although Siam was able to barely compete with Donghu and Quang Nam, it was because of the large number of people, not the strength of the army. They also relied on mercenaries, formerly Japanese, and now Persian and Indian Huihui. ”

Chen Shouxu knew that Southeast Asia was not easy to mix, and he was mentally prepared for this, so he asked about the ship, "Where was Brother Lin's ship built?" ”

Lin Tongwen: "It's in the big day." Malay dare not say anything else, there are a lot of good wood. My family has a small shipyard in Pattani, and many domestic businessmen will come to me to order ships. ”

Lin Tongwen: "But we won't build Western plywood ships, and the Bago people in the lower Burma area will be in the Bago Association." They had a good relationship with the British. I'm in contact with them right now, hoping to get a master or two who can build plywood boats. ”

It is known that there are many good woods in Southeast Asia, and since many large ships have been built in history, there is no shortage of shipwrights. Those sultans, who were frightened by the Europeans at sea, began to learn early on, and would also take advantage of the contradictions between the Europeans to recruit craftsmen.

Aceh was able to build Mediterranean galleys for a long time, and from Sulawesi to Burma, there were shipwrights who could build European boats. Makassar would have built a galleon decades ago; Banten's naval shipyard is in the port of Lassen, which houses a lot of Turkish shipwrights; The Madura people on the island of Java were able to build large galleys with double decks.

Of course, these large galleys could only defend the offshore to a certain extent, and it was still the end of Galen when they met them. The Dutch, in Southeast Asia, had 70 Galen ships, as well as numerous dhows. Most of them were armed merchant ships, but with the allies they were able to unite, the Netherlands had a fleet that could only secure the right of passage to the open sea. If necessary, Batavia can also wage a war of annihilation.

In fact, Galen is not so difficult to build, and the Japanese have made a Galen themselves. If the junk ship can improve the rudder, it is a very good merchant ship, but it is not qualified as a warship.

Chen Shouxu: "Brother Lin is so ambitious, you really want to build Galen, and I will provide a ship for your shipwright's reference at that time." “