Tamsui Commercial Building.

Boggs, the commercial representative of Taipei Province, and Weathering, senior merchant of the United East India Company of the Netherlands.

This was the era when mercantilism was prevalent. Trade with Taipei brought huge profits to Geranza and a huge personal fortune for the past three East India Company leaders in Tainan.

The Tamsui Merchant House's position in the company has risen, and the resident officer, Weatherine, has quickly risen as a rising star. François, the former prefect of Géranza. Caron entered the committee, and it was logical to promote him to senior clerk. In this process, Taipei Mansion also helped him a little.

At this time, Witherine was in high spirits.

Boggs didn't care about any of this, and the state of business negotiations made him want to fight.

"Mr. Weatherling, have your offers changed? The price you offered last time was 5 riyals per quintal of brown sugar that we couldn't accept, and God, I doubt you're crazy. ”

Witherine: "Dear Mr. Boggs, my friend. It saddens me that you say that, 5 riyals have already increased by 40% in the last year's price base. ”

Boggs shook his head like a rattle, "No, no, Mr. Senior Merchant." Last year was last year, and this year the situation is completely different. The Tatars occupied Fujian, and they may have to occupy Guangdong next. The war has caused a sharp decline in China's sugarcane production, and you and I can see that. Now fools know that the price of cane sugar is going to skyrocket. ”

Weatherling: "Mr. Boggs, this company has made an assessment of the ongoing war in Chinese mainland, and the conclusion may be very different from yours. ”

Boggs: "What do you mean?" ”

Witherine shrugged, "We think that the military power of the Tatars is beyond the resistance of the Chinese, and that they will soon be able to complete the conquest and reorganize the production of all kinds of trade goods, and the price increase is only temporary." ”

Boggs raised an eyebrow, "How much do you know about the Tatars?" ”

Witherine smiled and took a sip of her tea, "Not really, although we're working on it. But we know our old adversary very well, dear Nikolai. One official. ”

Boggs was patient, "Tell me about it. ”

"These should have been the company's secrets," Witherine put down her teacup, "but as an old friend for many years, I can kindly remind you a few words. Nikolai represents the interests of China's Fujian, Zhejiang and maritime merchants, and you and I both know that his roots are in the mainland. And his source is now under the feet of the Tatars, and according to our analysis of his personality, and the information we have obtained from all quarters, our dear Nikolai may find a new master for himself. ”

"Just like he abandoned you back then, he abandoned the current Chinese emperor. You're right, dear Weatherine, but your information is still too rough. Boggs stretched out a finger and waved it in the air, "Nikolai has concentrated all the land forces he can still control in Anhai, and the warships are also there." There were 500 ships, and oh my God, that's a lot. ”

Weatherine: "Nikolai has controlled the Fujian trade for many years, and we know his strength very well. ”

Boggs: "But your assessment is still a mess of error. ”

Witherine only thought that Boggs was saying big things, "Mr. Boggs, you still don't recognize reality. Tell me, if such a large fleet falls to the Tatars, combined with the already superior cavalry and artillery of the Tatars, what will your Chinese friends use to resist? ”

Boggs shook his head, "I'm not a soldier and don't understand war. But I know that China is an ancient country with a history of thousands of years, and there must be some reasons why she has persevered until now. ”

"God, Boggs, when have you become so sentimental. War depends on two things, blood and money. The emperor of China now has neither of these things, he has no money, and he has brave soldiers. ”

"Well, Witherine, let's not talk about feelings. Since you are my friend, I can also reveal a little bit of information that you don't have. Boggs bowed his head and drank his tea.

"Say it quickly."

Boggs was not in a hurry, and slowly took a few sips of tea before saying: "You know the relationship between our consul and the Ming Dynasty officials, he has close personal contacts with several generals under Nikolai. ”

Weatherine nodded, he was convinced by the orderly experience.

"According to Chinese ethics, if Nikolai can abandon his emperor, then his generals have no obligation to be loyal to him."

Weatherine looked surprised, "What did you say?" ”

"The consul said that the feudal monarch of my feudal lord is not my feudal monarch, and that system will not work in China. The emperor of China was not only a political and military leader, but also a divine color. On the one hand, the Chinese are very practical and must compare money and baht, on the other hand, they have a strange attachment to certain things. For example, the appeal of the divine color I just mentioned. ”

Witherine: "I don't understand. ”

"Actually, I don't understand. All you have to know is that if Nikolai rebels, he will also be mutiny by his generals. ”

"Is your information accurate?"

"Nikolai is just the leader of a maritime alliance, and he can't control everyone. We are sure that Teontij is still loyal to his monarch, and he recently led a fleet north from Tongshan to pick up a Chinese prince in Zhejiang. We are not sure about Zizia's attitude, but at least he will not support Nikolai's betrayal. ”

Withering was shocked, "God, Teontij and Zizia are Nikolai's main pillars of force. ”

Boggs: "That's right, Mr. Weatherling. What would have been the consequences if Nikolai had ceased to exist, and in the absence of unified leadership, tens of thousands of unrestrained troops had become pirates, launching a widespread invasion of thousands of miles of coastline? ”

Witherine gritted her teeth and said, "That will be even more terrifying than the pirate alliance formed by Nikolai, Augustine (Li Guozhu), Quitsicq (Li Kuiqi), and JanClau (Liu Xiang)." ”

"Yes, this time there are many more regular troops among them, and they have the legal authorization given by the Emperor of China."

"The pirate invasion of that year was that we sent a fleet to support Nikolai to eliminate his main competitor and stabilize the order in the Taiwan Strait. This.. God, I have to report this to the company. ”

Boggs leaned back in his chair easily, "So, Mr. Weatherling, what's your offer for cane sugar?" ”

"For 7 riyals per quintal of brown sugar, I want 100,000 quintals."

White sugar is 24 riyals per quintal, and rock sugar is 35 riyals, which is double that of the beginning of the year.

"You don't need to ask Chief Owatt for advice?"

Peter. Antonis. Owatt is the current Administrator of Geranza.

"No, I have my permission."

In fact, the market price of the small transaction has reached 6.7 riyals, and Weatherine, as a senior businessman, has full authority from Tainan in this price range.

"Deal," Boggs snapped his fingers, "Mr. Weatherling, you should know best that the people we work with have never suffered a loss. If I were you, I would hoard a portion of sucrose. Prices will only be higher next year. If it weren't for the fact that we needed to cash out some of the goods, we wouldn't have sold that much. ”

"Thank you for your honesty," said Weatherling, "and it is beyond my purview to stock up, Japan and Batavia are in great need of this cane sugar." ”

"That's okay, we now have a reliable source of sucrose. After more than ten years of hard work, Tainan's sugar output has reached 15,000 quintals, and we are ten times that of yours. ”

"It doesn't matter who grows the sugarcane, as long as you can make money, I welcome you to provide more sugar."

"It's a pleasure to work with."

"It's a pleasure to work with."

Before leaving the door, Boggs remembered something, "Witherine, you said you were trying to understand what was going on with the Tatars?" ”

"I don't know exactly what happened, but I heard that a Tatar man named Shang Kexi asked us to hire gunners."

"Did you say yes?"

"As far as I know, no. However, Batavia and the Spice Islands have many retired corporate soldiers who settle down, and corporations are open to them becoming mercenaries in their personal capacity. ”

"I see."

The squire opened the carriage door for Boggs, and Boggs sat inside, waving out the window, "Goodbye, Mr. Senior Merchant." ”

"Goodbye."

It was a lightweight, four-wheeled carriage that could only accommodate two people. The horses in Taipei, which were crossed from Jeju horses and Jinjiang horses, are still on the small side, and the two horses pull the carriage that is not too big. The carriage was an open-top structure to save weight. The leather canopy was retractable, and to enhance its protection from rain, it was coated with a layer of rubber as suggested by several Indian soldiers.

Although there is still a lot to be done about this carriage, at present, it is the most advanced means of transportation in Taipei. Only members of the Council are allowed to ride.

The sugar business made a net profit of 80,000 taels of silver. Boggs was in a good mood, leaning back comfortably in his seat and looking out the window. Compared to the well-developed places, Taipei is still very simple, but this ever-changing vitality is really enjoyable.

The Dutch were making tentative contact with the Tatars, which was no small find. It is necessary to form a memorandum in today's negotiations and report to the consuls and the council.

……

Defend the order and redeploy Taipei's defense.

On the Army side, the four second-class companies that came with the ships on the mainland defended part of the fortification, and these conscripts will continue their unfinished training courses locally.

3 volunteer companies, 3 first-class companies from Taipei, and a field artillery company, attached to the engineer health service unit, a total of 800 people were handed over to the command of Carl Langemann to form the Langemann detachment.

Simulated siege, Langemann's detachment conducted targeted joint exercises. Increase the degree of tacit understanding between the local reinforcements and the Taipei battalion, so that the commander is familiar with the soldiers under command.

The remaining 2 first-class companies in Taipei were commanded by Filhoff and became the core part of the army of the northbound detachment. After receiving reinforcements, Taipei's garrison force is now sufficient, and Taipei Prefecture has requisitioned a garrison composed of the former Ming army and Xiao Yuan's battalion throughout the island.

Yilan Xiaoyuan Battalion sent 300 troops, and Taichung Wang Yunlun sent 200 troops. Hualien's Shen Tongming Department originally had more than 1,300 people, and Shen Tingyang had transferred 600 earlier. In the past year, more than 200 people have died due to the epidemic, water and soil and the war against Fanshe, so this time we will not be transferred. With field artillery, the army dispatched a total of 700 people.

After the naval rendezvous, Taipei had 4 warships, 5 frigates, and 8 notification ships, including the Nanhai, Rafael, Keelung, and Melville. and three old ships belonging to Sanya Company: Storm, Adventure and Excellence.

Due to the need for major repairs on the South Sea, the Raphael had to prepare for the next mission for some time. The three old ships should be spared, and they will also be moored in the port for maintenance for the time being.

Allem temporarily takes the Keelung as the flagship, 2 frigates, and 4 notification ships, and stays in Taipei. With the increase in immigration, Taipei became a place of covetion for pirates. There are also quite a few immigrants who try to bypass Taipei Province and communicate with the mainland, which is unacceptable. In addition to organizing ground garrison patrols, it is also necessary to keep notification ships and paddle boats cruising in the coastal waters when weather permits.

The Navy's northbound detachment includes three frigates, Yuexiu, Baiyun, and Tamsui, and four notification ships, Qinjiang, Zhenjiang, Jianjiang, and Tanjiang, with the flagship Melville.

Orderly boarded the deck of the USS Melville.

Captain Jacques. Rossili saluted Orderly, "Your Excellency, it's an honor to be your flagship once again. ”

Shou Orderly patted him on the shoulder, "I'm also excited to sail with you. ”

The Melville fired its cannon at Fort Peace, and eight battleships and 80 of the most capable transports set sail.

The fleet first headed west to the mainland. Although it has entered the northerly season, the wind is still far from the cold wave. With the help of offshore and onshore winds between the continent and the sea, supplemented by windward tempering, the fleet staggered north. Fortunately, the transport ship is not fully loaded, and the burden is lighter.

Due to the interception of the Spanish fleet, the original time plan was broken, and the guard was forced to rest in Taipei for nearly a month, which missed the suitable wind period. With a voyage of more than 400 nautical miles, it took the fleet a month to reach Daishan Island. During this period, he was forced to sail into the offshore islands of Wenzhou, Taizhou and other places many times to wait for the wind.

Among the new immigrants to Taipei this year, many of them were military households from eastern Zhejiang, who were familiar with the shipping lanes, monsoons, and ocean currents along the coast of Fujian and Zhejiang, and provided the fleet with navigation for water pilotage. And the northbound detachment was composed of Taipei's best ships and the most skilled sailors, which was able to reach the Zhoushan Islands smoothly.

Over the past year or so, in addition to the main island of Zhoushan, Daishan Island, Daqushan Island, and Sijiao Mountain have undergone relatively obvious changes compared with last year. The forts and bare mountains in front of him showed that the Ming army was still relatively fast in repairing the earth.

The fleet anchored at the port of Gaoting in the south of Daishan Island. The bay is surrounded by an anchorage about 120 meters wide and 1 kilometer long. The main island of Daishan is sheltered from the north wind and is relatively safe.

Gaoting Port is the relatively most complete port in Daishan, this is Shen Tingyang's territory, stationed Shen Tongming and Zhang Pengfei, plus the army he recruited this year, Daishan Island now has more than 2,000 defenders. After the collapse of the Fujian and Zhejiang fronts, many Ming troops were routed and stranded at sea. These small units have lost their formation, supplies and territory. They floated on the sea with their families, and officials like Shen Tingyang could easily attract them to defect by providing food camps.

Of course, Shou Xian spent such a big price to come to Zhoushan, of course, he didn't come to visit his relatives, his first purpose was to repay the money.

Last year, in order to raise grain, he ran all over the coast of Zhejiang in an orderly manner and borrowed money everywhere. The generals in the southeast, Huang Binqing, the general soldier of Zhoushan, He Junyao, the general soldier of Wenzhou, Wang Zhiren, the general soldier of Dinghai, Yang Wencong, the governor of Zhoushan, Liu Kongzhao, and Zhang Pengyi, Zhu Dadian, He Junyao, and Jiang Ruolai, who were far away in Jinhua and Quzhou, all borrowed some money. The most of them was Yang Wencong, who provided 50,000 taels.

It is easy for the living to pay back the money one by one, but many creditors are dead and can only be repaid to their descendants.

Zhang Pengyi's younger brother Zhang Pengfei and two nephews.

Zhu Dadian's eldest grandson, Jin Yiwei commanded Tongzhi Zhu Yu to go to Fujing with his grandfather's blood letter for help before Jinhua was besieged, and he was not in the city. Zhu Dadian's young son was also rescued by the generals.

and Jiang Ruolai's second son, Jiang Chuan, also broke through from Jinhua.

Because Shen Tingyang was generous and most neutral among the many military forces on the sea, these Ming generals who lost most of their strength were attached to Daishan Island.

Shou Xiang looked at it, and the Ming troops in Wenzhou, Taizhou, Ningbo and other places were close to the sea, and most of them had time to get on the ship and evacuate. Heavy losses were the defenders of Jinhua and Quzhou. The two places were borrowed through Yang Wencong's channels in an orderly manner, and the balance of debts was not very large. Zhu Dadian's 5,000 taels is the largest part.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am sorry for what happened to your family. Rest assured, I have a debt to pay. ”