Episode 56 Diplomatic Scam

There was no welcoming ceremony on the dock, not even a Ming Dynasty official to greet them.

Feinberg was taken into a Chinese hotel and settled. He had a feeling that the Ming side was not very concerned about this negotiation. From the captain of the Navy on the destroyer to the junior officers of the Army who came to pick him up, everyone's attitude was very cold.

However, considering that these people were all young officers, and they were all easily controlled by emotions, after witnessing the massacre in Batavia, it was inevitable that they would turn a cold eye on themselves, a Dutch official.

"Then rest then, Mr. Feinberg," said the junior officer, nodding, "and we will pick you up at eight o'clock tomorrow morning and go to the Governor's Palace to negotiate." ”

Bang, the door to the room shut.

Feinberg looked at the smashed window glass, mosquitoes flying in and out, the room was stuffy, and his heart was even more depressed. I had vomited up all the food I had eaten at noon on the ship, and now I was hungry.

Alas, I am a negotiation envoy of a country, and when I come here, let alone a welcome dinner, I don't even care about a dinner. He shook his head, put on his hat and went out, thinking of finding a place to eat below.

The restaurant of the hotel downstairs is full, and there is no vacant seat. Feinberg called a waiter and ordered dinner to be brought to the room above. The waiter was a Chinese, looked him up and down, shook his head very coldly, and said:

"Dutch? I'm sorry, we don't have this service, so if you want to eat, you can wait here for a vacant seat. ”

Feinberg was so furious that he almost had a seizure on the spot, but the waiter had already gone to the house, and the hall was full of noise and shouting, and no one paid attention to him. Feinberg was in a terrible mood and strode out to find another restaurant.

Three restaurants were found along the street, two were full, and one made it clear that it would not accept Dutch, and put a sign directly at the door: Dutch and natives are not allowed to enter.

He didn't expect that the anti-Dutch sentiment in Batavia had reached such an extent that even the usual Chinese restaurants would not accept the Dutch and locals. That means they're going to lose nearly half of their customers. These Chinese, who have always been able to make money, are willing to endure nearly half of the losses in order to vent their emotions?

In addition, he didn't understand that the business of these restaurants was so good just after the war. However, I saw that there were many Ming soldiers in the two full restaurants, as if the Ming army had enlarged the holiday today, and the soldiers had come out to go shopping.

However, this area is still a Chinese area, restaurants, shops, etc., all the business is Chinese. It's not easy to find an upscale restaurant that caters to Dutch people. Fortunately, I met a Dutch major, who seemed to have surrendered, and was allowed to wander around Batavia. Following his instructions, Feinberg walked to the end of the street and already saw the beach in Batavia Bay before finding a fourth restaurant. The restaurant looks luxurious, with two large black cars parked in front of the door. As a rule of thumb, in the colonies, slightly more upscale establishments are generally very clean.

Ascending the steps, two Chinese waiters in luxurious uniforms respectfully opened the door for him, and at the same time said in Dutch:

"Good evening, sir, and welcome."

Feinberg suddenly felt comfortable in his heart at this time, nodded very gentlemanly, and went in with his head held high.

But it's ...... Every table inside was full. A Chinese waiter hurriedly greeted him and smiled in Dutch:

"Sir, there is a seat upstairs, and you can see the sea."

Feinberg's heart that had just been lifted was put down again. He nodded and smiled, and followed the waiter to the second floor. The environment on the second floor is more elegant than the first floor, and there are really few people, and they seem to be well-dressed Westerners, probably Dutch.

The waiter led him to a table by the window and sat down. Feinberg ordered in a cheerful mood.

Sure enough, you can see the sea here. It is clearly an upscale leisure area in Batavia, completely undisturbed by anti-Chinese riots and wars, and still quiet and elegant. Downstairs is a street, and on the other side of the street is directly the beach, and then there is the water that constantly washes up the beach. Outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows, mercury lamps and neon lights illuminate the coastal scene, and many well-dressed people, both European and Chinese, come in pairs and enjoy the tropical seaside evenings with their wives or female companions.

When the food that Feinberg asked for was delivered, he was in a good mood, all the original unhappiness dissipated, and he gave the waiter a tip, and observed the few guests in the restaurant on the second floor as he ate.

There is a Westerner couple, and two single Westerners, and on a table in front of them, there is a small Chinese couple, very happy, drinking frequently while enjoying the sea view outside the window.

The young man had his back to him, and the young lady was facing him. The two of them lowered their voices and chatted with a grin, and from time to time their voices would become louder, and then the lad would remind:

"Qiuyu, be quiet! Beware of being heard! ”

The young girl would giggle and laugh:

"They don't understand ...... anyway"

"Be careful to be recognized......"

“…… It's okay...... Hee-hee, it's so exciting......"

Feinberg smiled and ate, envious of the carefree young couple. They are young, they look rich, and they have such a good time...... They are still at an age where they can enjoy life to the fullest, and most importantly, they don't have to carry heavy responsibilities on their shoulders...... Unlike himself, tomorrow he will have to engage in a humiliating negotiation for the sake of national interests......

The little couple in front of them suddenly said a few words:

"Xiaoqiang, it's so beautiful here, I really can't bear to leave here......"

"So today I'm going to take you to see the sea one last time...... Tomorrow I will finish the negotiations, and I will probably leave the East Indies in the next two days...... When you arrive in Germany, the scenery is even more beautiful, and you will be reluctant to leave......"

"Hee-hee, you're really...... I just love the tropical sea and the sandy beaches......"

"Yes, yes, you naval officers are naturally fascinated by the sea, I know ......"

……

These words, every sentence, were captured by Feinberg in his ears and hit his heart. Feinberg almost held his breath to listen, but the next few words were lowered and he could no longer hear clearly.

The little girl called the young man "Xiaoqiang", and the young man seemed to call the little girl "Qiuqiu"! And the young man also said that "tomorrow after the negotiations, he will leave the East Indies, and then he will go to Germany"! And said that the little girl was a naval officer!

Feinberg began to guess who was sitting at the table in front of him. He lowered his head quietly, but his eyes glanced at it, and secretly looked at the young couple at the front table.

The man's back was to him, and he couldn't see his face clearly. But the woman was facing her. Although the lighting in the restaurant is dim, you can still see the appearance clearly.

That seems to be one of the two wives of Xiang Xiaoqiang, the commander of the Ming People's Guard: Qiu Yu!

When Feinberg was an ambassador in Nanjing, he often saw Xiang Xiaoqiang in the newspaper and Qiu Qiu. He had seen both of them in public twice! There will be absolutely no mistake, it is Xiang Xiaoqiang's wife!

The young man with his back to himself is undoubtedly Xiang Xiaoqiang!

I can't imagine that the opponent with whom I will negotiate tomorrow, the young ruler of Batavia, now sneaks out of the Governor's Palace with his little wife and goes to eat in a small restaurant by the sea!

But come to think of it, as a young couple, what is the surprise of doing such a thing? Besides, this must be because he may have to leave soon after the negotiation tomorrow, and Xiang Xiaoqiang's wife is reluctant to come here and wants to come out to play. Xiang Xiaoqiang's character is the kind of person who does it on a whim, and it is entirely possible to sneak out to play with his wife. These days he is either staying in the German consulate or in the governor's palace, and he has not come out much, and he must be suffocated. …… The two luxury cars downstairs should be theirs.

Feinberg was thrilled, and as a career diplomat, he immediately understood how precious this God-given opportunity was. He immediately slowed down his meal, grinding slowly, while holding his breath, carefully capturing every word to Xiaoqiang, hoping that he would mention the topic of negotiations. Even a half-sentence will go a long way in tomorrow's negotiations.

However, the young couple obviously just came out to play, although they relied on others to understand Chinese, and their voices were relatively loud, but they talked about some ups and downs, and there was nothing to do with negotiations.

Feinberg was patient. He made up his mind that Xiang Xiaoqiang and his wife would not leave, and he would never leave, so he would listen to the end here. At the same time, try to lower your head as much as possible to prevent Xiang Xiaoqiang's wife from remembering her face.

Qiu Yu was messing with Xiang Xiaoqiang, and he always muttered and laughed:

"Xiaoqiang, I really can't leave Batavia Island...... Shall we not leave? Hehe, tell Your Majesty, let's not return Batavia Island to the Netherlands, let Your Majesty make you a 'Marquis of Batavia', and we'll settle our home here, okay......"

Feinberg couldn't help but laugh when he heard this: This little girl is really daring to joke...... Ordinary wives and husbands are coquettish, they all ask for jewelry and furs, but she directly wants Batavia...... looked at how Xiaoqiang reprimanded her.

Qiu Yun said "reluctant to go" over and over again, Xiang Xiaoqiang was probably a little annoyed by her, and said:

"You really can't bear Batavia?"

"Hmm."

Then he looked around at Xiaoqiang, and Feinberg quickly lowered his head to eat. Xiang Xiaoqiang turned his head and glanced at Feinberg more, then turned back to Qiu Yu and said in a low voice:

"Don't worry, we probably won't hand over Batavia's ......"

Qiu Yu exclaimed: "Really? Why? ”

"I'll tell you......" Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled slightly and said in a low voice, "Daming originally wanted Pazia Island plus 180 million Mingyang indemnity, and later the cabinet considered that Pazia Island did not have as many good ports as Batavia Island, and it was not easy to build a naval base, so now I plan to ask for Batavia Island, plus the oil and rubber rights and interests of Pazia Island, and 180 million Mingyang indemnity......"

"Ahh Qiu Yu exclaimed, "I really want Batavia Island!" Then the Netherlands will definitely not give it! ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang hurriedly said, "Shh...... Be quiet...... There must be spies here, they will be heard, and tomorrow the negotiations will be passive! Let me tell you, if you say it directly, the Netherlands will definitely not accept it...... So we negotiate tomorrow, and the offer will be higher, and at the same time demand the islands of Batavia and Pazia, plus 180 million Mingyang indemnity...... The Netherlands certainly couldn't accept it, and their expectations were lowered so that we could talk...... In the course of our negotiations, we can drop little by little, and finally come down to not Pazia Island, but only Batavia Island and 180 million Ming Yang indemnity. In this way, the Dutch will feel that they have picked up a great bargain, and they will at least keep the island of Pazia...... It's much easier for them to accept it......"

"Oh...... I see," Qiu Yu said as if he didn't understand, "It's like we buy clothes and bargain, and he will ask for forty Mingyang for clothes worth ten Ming Yang...... In this way, the buyer cuts half of it, and there are still 20 Mingyang, and the seller makes a net profit of 10 Mingyang, and the buyer will feel that he has taken a great advantage and is very comfortable......"

"yes, you're smart, that's it."

Qiu Yu said ignorantly:

"What if the Netherlands won't even give us the island of Batavia?"

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled evilly:

"Well, that's great. That's what I, and my brothers, wanted. ”

"Huh?"

"The secret telegram sent by His Majesty has already stated, this is the final bottom line, if the Netherlands agrees, we will stop, if it does not agree, we will continue to fight, and we will take the islands of Pazia and Batavia at the same time, and if the war goes well, we may also take Borneo...... However, the northern part of Borneo is part of British Malaya, and the British may be uneasy if we land on the island...... But then we'll talk about it.

"Hehe, Qiuqiu, when the time comes, we will take Batavia, Pazia, Borneo, and then Sulawesi, and the entire East Indies will almost be completely under the Ming Dynasty...... What a great feat this is! The commander of this war in the South Seas must still be me, your husband...... I led the People's Guard to make great achievements, and after taking the East Indies, I was almost enough to be a marquis, right? Even if you can't be a marquis, it's certain that you will be a count......

"Qiuyun, think about it, I am so young, I have climbed to such a high position, and if I climb up, it is unlikely in the short term, and I can only rise to the knighthood. You'll be a Marquise then! …… Not to mention, it's really possible that the fiefdom is in Nanyangli! It is certainly unrealistic for the Marquis of Java, but it is still very realistic to seal the Marquis of Surabaya and the Marquis of Bandung. When the time comes, we'll come to the fiefdom once a year to play like this, and every time it's like this......"

"Okay, okay," Qiu Yu lowered her voice excitedly, "That's it, hehe...... Oh, I really hope that tomorrow the Dutch representative will be more stubborn, and it is better not to agree to us on any conditions, so that we can go to war, and you can be made a marquis or an earl......"

"Okay, okay," Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled, "You little girl, how can it be as simple as you think...... Besides, people in the Netherlands are not so stupid, and now people understand that they are not qualified to bargain, how can they be as rigid as you say...... We want to fight, and they won't give us excuses...... However, I can try to be as tough as I can tomorrow...... I tried to off the Dutch delegate as much as I could, and it was better to throw up my sleeves and leave, so that we would have an excuse to fight...... If he is so smart that he can accept our bottom line, then there is no way...... Yo, it's almost nine o'clock, we have to go back, and we have to negotiate tomorrow......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang then called the waiter, paid the bill, left with Qiuqiu, and went downstairs.

Feinberg sat in his seat dumbfounded, cold, and on this tropical night, it was as if he had fallen into an ice hole.

…… Finished...... The bottom line of the Ming Dynasty, I know it...... So high...... Batavia, can't be saved......

Feinberg sat for a few minutes before he almost staggered to his feet on the table and paid to leave. …… It is necessary to send a secret telegram to the country as soon as possible to inform the foreign minister and the prime minister, and the bottom line of the Ming Dynasty is known...... Now all the efforts can no longer be put into keeping the East Indies intact. Now it is necessary to try to preserve Batavia, at all costs.