Merchants who dare to go deep into dangerous seas in times of war are naturally not idle in terms of courage and strength.

Chen Shouxu and the Sultan of Sulu agreed in principle. There is no hurry to know the Sultan's fellow Lin family, and Chen Shouxu still needs to know more.

In the evening, the local host prepared a feast for the guests. The Sultan himself did not participate, and it was the Chinese mentioned earlier who organized the reception. In Southeast Asia, whether it is the various sultanates or the colonies of European powers, the Chinese have a very important role in economic exchanges. Later, during the war, the Dutch demanded that some small countries in Aceh, Johor and the Malay Peninsula should not trade directly with the Chinese, and that they must be transited by the United East India Company. At that time, these countries had been embarrassed by the Dutch or the little brother provoked by the Dutch on the battlefield, and it was said that they were an alliance under the city. But in this situation, they all withstood the pressure of the Dutch. In the end, the Netherlands was forced to allow Aceh, Johor and other four countries to trade directly with Chinese merchants.

Such a result could not have been achieved without the joint promotion of Nanyang Chinese businessmen behind it.

Chen Shouxu was not surprised that there would be a big Chinese merchant in Sulu, and after retrieving his gun, he returned to the Excellence and explained some things to Thomas Melo.

In the evening, someone came to invite. Under the guidance of the comers, Chen Shouxu walked a long way before he arrived at the place of the banquet. It is also a harbor, smaller than the harbor where the Excellence is moored, and there are two ships moored in the harbor. The two ships are not big, one is the Dutch Yahat that Chen Shouxu is very familiar with, and there are only more than ten guns on both sides. The other is the Junk ship as the Europeans call it, which is the Chinese ship. A pair of longs are depicted on the two sides of the bow, Chen Mu measured the length of the hull of the ship is 17 meters, the beam bow is 4 meters wide, the keel is warped by 1.3 meters, the tail is warped by 1 meter, the ship has three masts, and the height of the mainmast is close to the length of the hull.

There was no pier pier in the harbor, so Chen Shouxu took the rowing boat on the shore and then transferred to the junk boat. This was the first time he had a close encounter with a Chinese ship, and he couldn't help but take a closer look. The junk floats outboard, with a hull 2.5 meters wide near the waterline and a slightly wider bow deck of less than 3 meters. Climb on deck. Chen Shouxu roughly estimated that the ship's owner's mast was set in the middle of the hull at the front position, about four or six compartments, just like the sloop Slupp, the mainmast is usually in the front of the ship, which is usually conducive to headwind navigation. The ship's headmast was only half the height of the mainmast, and the stern mast was even shorter.

All the sails had been lowered, and the bottom was a wooden frame that extended from both sides and served as a fixed support. Chen Shouxu stepped forward and touched the material, all of which were contemptuous. Between the foremast and mainmast is a winch, which is used to lift the sail truss.

The deck of the ship is arranged longitudinally, and like the warped gangway, the deck is not horizontal. In the curvature of the bow and stern, there is an official hall at each end of the ship, and the stern official hall occupies a quarter of the length of the deck. After the official hall is the stern of the ship, and the junk ships mostly use elevators, and there is space for rudder blades and spare rudders in the stern. There was a toilet next to the bow of the ship, which was supposed to be for the upper echelons of the ship.

In Chen Shouxu's eyes, the three major types of the so-called junk boats, the bird boat, the lucky ship, and the Guangzhou ship, are all similar in shape. In fact, the shape is not much different, the bird boat is slightly changed is a lucky boat, and there are many references to each other, as an outsider, it is difficult for him to distinguish it.

There were also weapons on board, although they were covered with canvas, but Chen Shouxu still recognized at a glance that they were four-door rear-mounted Franc machines. This kind of weak firepower is estimated to be a small broken ship in Southeast Asia. Thomas Mello's Excellence all said he could play three or four without pressure.

The owner of the ship was standing at the door of the official hall, dressed in white, but dressed like an ancient.

The owner of the ship greeted Chen Shouxu with a smile, and opened his mouth with a strong Hokkien accent, but fortunately, Chen Shouxu could still understand the greeting.

The master gave a salute first, "Lin Tongwen, I have been waiting for the captain here for a long time." ”

Chen Shouxu also returned the salute, said sorry words in his mouth, and followed the master into the official hall.

There were already two Europeans sitting inside.

Lin Tongwen: "Let me introduce to Captain Chen, Herman. Lindenberg, artillery captain, from ......"

Lindenberg snorted, "Former East India Company artillery captain, from Riga, Livland. ”

Livland is on the coast of the Baltic Sea, the domain of the former Knights of the Holy Sword. Another German who served as a soldier for the Dutch, and most of the white soldiers in this company were Germans of all kinds.

Lin Tongwen smiled to himself, "Yes, Mr. Lindenberg did not return to Europe after the expiration of his service in the company, and now he is leading an artillery unit to serve under the Sultan. ”

Lin Tongwen is fluent in Dutch, and he is no stranger to the situation in Europe.

"Ebel. Jensison. Tasman, captain of the United East India Company's warship Bali. ”

"Chen Shouxu, captain of the Changshui."

When the two heard each other's names, they were stunned.

Tasman asked, "Your Excellency is the Chinese captain in the Caribbean?" ”

"Yes."

Although it is far away, what Chen Shouxu did in the Caribbean for so long can indeed be transmitted to the East Indies. The names of those legendary pirate captains will be spread to the world by the sailors of the merchant ships, in the whispers of the tavern.

Lin Tongwen beckoned everyone to sit down and beckoned the servants to start serving.

Presumably to take care of two Europeans, dinner was served on a separate meal system. The menu is sturdy in both Chinese and Western styles, with bread, salted pork knuckles, cheese and steak, as well as a variety of fresh seafood and stir-fried vegetables. The tableware prepares at the same time, too

Chen Shouxu's eyes lit up, the sailing food in the past few years had really eaten him badly. It's just that I can't see it on weekdays, but I can't bear it anymore when I see Chinese food this time. picked up the dishes and chopsticks and launched a charge at the seafood, in terms of seafood, they are all the same ingredients, and the things made by the chefs on the Changshui can only be called pig food compared to those on Lin Tongwen's boat.

After taking a few bites, I realized that there might be something wrong in front of the living. But he was relieved when he raised his head, Lin Tongwen was nothing, the two ghosts ate worse than him, and they were very skilled with chopsticks.

After filling his stomach slightly, Lin Tongwen clapped his hands. Outside, four thinly dressed girls walked in.

"Everyone, there is meat and vegetables, but it is a disappointment to not have a beautiful woman to accompany the wine. These four are the girls I bought from Siam not long ago. Lin Tongwen raised his glass, "Everyone, the meeting of the rivers and lakes is fate, so I drank this glass of wine first." ”

Several people raised their wine glasses one after another and drank them all. It is Chinese liquor, Chen Shouxu feels okay, and the two ghosts don't know if they can drink it.

Lin Tongwen expressed regret, "The ancestors of these girls are all nobles of Siam. Their family fell in the middle of the Siamese family road and lived in Pattani, and I bought it back when I saw that it was pitiful. Time is in a hurry, and the family hasn't been trained yet. Originally, I was going to let them dance for a while, but now I can't do it. ”

Four women had just sat down beside the man, filling empty wine glasses.

Lindenberg's hand had already reached over, and they all said that it didn't matter if he didn't dance, Brother Lin was really a good brother.

Lin Tongwen changed to Chinese and said to Chen Shouxu, "Brother Chen's side, his father is a Piye. He was the most noble-born of the four. ”

Chen Shouxu expressed his gratitude to Lin Tongwen and saluted with a full cup.

In fact, he didn't understand what Lin Tongwen was saying at all. Hokkien is already difficult to understand, and he doesn't know what Phiya is. Lin Tongwen speaks Dutch, he can basically understand it, and he sounds really big when he speaks Chinese.

There were women and wine, and the atmosphere was quickly drunk. Men, just talk about those few topics. Militaristic bragging, how much money does world trade make, and then seven times a night at night.

Lindenberg and Lin Tongwen were chuckling and exchanging the experience of the maiden.

Tasman picked up his glass and walked over to Chen. Chen Shouxu also stood up.

"Captain Orderly, I heard you have bypassed Cape Horn in South America. I have a few questions for you. ”

Chen Shouxu didn't even dare to say anything.

"I have consulted several of my country's predecessors before, and they all said that from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, don't take the Strait of Magellan, and if you take the Strait of Magellan, you will have to rush the wind frequently, the crew will be tired and half dead, and the anchors, anchor cables and sail lines on the ship will definitely be damaged. Then don't take the Le Maire Strait either, but try to sail as far south as possible, around the Staten Land, all the way south to the 60th parallel, where you may encounter a south-easterly wind.

"Captain Tasman, I have great respect for your country's explorers, and I have learned a lot from their experience on this voyage." Tasman's question also aroused Chen Shouxu's interest in discussion. He moved the plate in front of him to the side, dipped his fingers in some wine, and sketched a general topographical map on the table, "In my own situation, if we arrive at the Le Maire Strait, if the ship is on the west side of the strait, and the wind direction is acceptable, and the tide is suitable, then we should go through the Le Maire Strait." I didn't sail that far south of Staten Island, and I don't think it was necessary to sail all the way to 60 degrees south latitude before turning west. Because our course should be west, not south. ”

Tasman: "But it's hard to go west, the wind is almost always blowing from the west. ”

Chen Shouxu: "So we can only keep rushing to change direction." But there are also many times when I have a west-northerly wind, and I can take advantage of the wind window to sail far west. ”

Tasman: "What kind of weather are you experiencing. ”

Chen Shouxu: "I missed the best sailing season, and most of the time the weather was gloomy. Westerly winds bring frequent hail and snow. ”

Tasman sighed, "It was a hard journey. ”

Chen Shouxu smiled: "Sailors can't always expect the route ahead to be smooth sailing. ”

Tasman: "Well spoken, Captain Orderly, I have a presumptuous request. I wonder if I'll be lucky enough to get your sailing information? I also want to venture into the Drake Passage. ”

Chen Shouxu blinked his eyes twice, this request is indeed a bit abrupt, the two have just met. But he quickly agreed, "No problem." However, my information is still being sorted out, and it is not finished. Wait until I......'m done sorting it out," Chen Shouxu glanced at Lin Tongwen, "I can ask someone to take it to Batavia and give it to you." ”

Tasman: "Thank you, Captain Orderly. Actually, I just came back from Japan, and our Fan. The year before last, I was sent to explore the golden island of northern Japan, and I found two large islands and the mouth of a large river in the north. But nothing was found. ”

Chen Shouxu: "What is the island called?" ”

Tasman: "There are already Japanese people on the island to the south, and they call it Ezo. The other, I believe no one from the civilized world has ever arrived there before. There are only a few primitive and savage Tatars on the island. There are also a number of small archipelagos between the two islands. Captain Orderly, if you are interested, I will also send you a copy of my sailing information. ”

Chen Shouxu was so interested. Ezo is Hokkaido, and Sakhalin is further north. In the middle are the Kuril Islands, the Great River, and undoubtedly the Heilongjiang River.

Now Chen Shouxu is more and more sure who the person in front of him is.

This will drink in a small circle, Lin Tongwen and Lindenberg call each other brothers there, and Chen Shouxu and Tasman are constantly clinking glasses here.

"Captain Orderly......" Tasman, already a little drunk, "I envy you for being free to sail the seas. I, on the other hand, was tied to the damned trade of the East India Company. ”

"Captain Tasman, no one is completely free...... You should also be thankful that you have a powerful company behind you that can provide you with good ships and good sailors for your long voyages. Chen Shouxu was also slightly drunk, "And I, I have to earn all this by myself." ”

"You know what, Captain Orderly." Tasman was really drunk, "I have applied to Van Diemen to go to the main seat, and next year I will explore the southern continent......"

Yes. Ebel. Jensison. Tasman, another navigator who has carved a mark on human history. The discoverer of New Zealand and Tasmania, the island of Tasmania is named after him.

The Dutch were already making frequent visits to the west coast of Australia by this time. But they don't know how big Australia is. In a simple philosophical perspective of opposition, Europe is south of Africa, North America is opposite South America, but in the Pacific, there should also be a continent in the south of Asia. In his Cosmology, Ptolemy mapped the continent from Ethiopia to the east. Bartholomew. After rounding the Cape of Good Hope, Díaz and Vacos da Gama found that Ethiopia was also bordered by the sea to the east, and the western boundary of the southern continent continued to extend eastward. After the Portuguese penetrated deep into the East Indies, the northern boundary of the southern continent was not connected to Asia.

The Spaniards sailed west from Lima Callao and, sadly, the ship they sent was made of wet wood, and they passed through the Polynesian islands until the Solomon Islands, where they fell on the doorstep of Australia.

It was all until a few Dutch merchant ships, missing the window of time to turn to the northwest Sunda Strait, were blown by the westerly wind all the way to the west coast of Australia. The southern continent has finally revealed its corner.

The Dutch have seen a coast on the southern continent, and all Tasman has to do is circle this continent!

Chen Shouxu touched a luxury cup with Tasman, "Captain Tasman, I wish you all the best and draw a map of the Southern Continent!" ”

When Tasman had dried up the wine, Chen Shouxu took advantage of the strength of the wine and said, "Tasman, to be honest. I don't think it's been a rare occurrence for Dutch companies to venture out on new routes like this. You have always done what you are sure of. ”

The United East India Company was sometimes disgusted with the exploration of new shipping routes. Le Maire and Staten were arrested by the East India Company as soon as they discovered the route between the Le Maire Strait and Cape Horn and arrived in Batavia. The East India Company, fearing that the new route would affect their existing profits, sued Le Maire in Amsterdam. But Isaac Sr. was a successful businessman with a lot of experience in litigation, and the public was always inclined to the heroic explorer. This disgusting behavior of the East India Company was sprayed at home.

Tasman listened to Chen Shouxu's words and nodded frequently, "You're right, Captain Shouxu. In my country, this is not an easy task. Me and my senior navigator, Frans. Fishair, that's really the best navigator in the world. I'll be sure to introduce you to you when I have the chance. Me and my navigator, we're doing a perfect plan of exploration. I'm now in the head seat, Anthony. Lord Van Diemen, unlike those mediocre officials, he is very bold. Very much in favor of my plan. ”

Anthony. Van Diemen. The current head office of the United Dutch East India Company. In this era, Batavia's rulers were often referred to as generals, not governors.

If you say let. Pete Eitz. Cohen was the founder of the Batavian Throne, and Van Dimen was the founder of an East Indian Empire. The crook-turned-man was once asked to be fired by Amsterdam, and Cohen was under tremendous pressure to promote Van Diemen and propose him as his heir. Van Dieman transformed the United East India Company from a commercial corporation focused solely on trade profits into a behemoth pursuing the twin goals of trade and empire. Anthony. Van Diemen's name weighs heavily on the head of all of Southeast and South Asia like a mountain......

At the beginning of his colonial career, the Netherlands welcomed two strong men in a short period of time, laying a foundation for 300 years.

Chen Shouxu: "When do you plan to leave?" ”

Tasman: "It's going to be next year at the earliest, and I'm going to spend a year preparing. Now the company is fighting two wars with Portugal at the same time, Malacca and Ceylon, and I have to wait for at least one of them to be over before I can start preparations. ”

The two talked and drank a lot of wine, and Tasman was already very drunk.

Chen Shouxu hesitated for a long time, should he tell Tasman that Carpentaria is not connected to New Guinea? Anyway, Chen Shouxu has decided to sponsor Tasman's voyage. Perhaps history has been changed, and he can find out for himself.