Schneider met with the delegates of various countries one by one for private consultations, and the content of the discussion was very specific. Pen Fun Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 infoFor countries that are skeptical, Schneider must also analyze the draft implementation of the trade union in the context of its specific situation, and envision how the trade union environment and international relations will be used for its benefit in the future. After all, it is impossible for other countries to be ahead of the times in almost every field like Haihan, and how to adapt measures to local conditions, learn from each other's strengths, and develop international trade according to the actual situation in their own countries, Schneider has to help take the pulse and come up with ideas, which is really not an easy task.

In particular, there are countries such as Johor and the Netherlands, which are not on the same path as Haihan, and it is even more difficult to persuade them to join the trade alliance. For example, the representative of Johor, Ajisha, directly pointed out that Haihan must respond to the illegal invasion of Johor territory, which means that even if he cannot get back the territory of Sing Tao, then Haihan will have to compensate Johor from other aspects.

The Dutch, on the other hand, were more difficult to overcome than other countries, and as the maritime trading powers of the era, the Dutch had accumulated more experience in international trade than the countries of the Far East. Schneider's speech may be able to fool other participants more easily, but the situation of the Netherlands and Haihan is very similar, both are based on maritime trade, and they not only understand and practice Schneider's set of things, but they have not studied the relevant theories as deeply as Haihan. Fan Dimen's understanding of Haihan's plan was far better than that of the other participants, so he also knew better what it was that needed to be negotiated with Haihan.

The current situation of the Dutch East India Company in the Far East can be described as "very difficult", not only have the colonies and shipping routes expanded to Northeast Asia in recent years been taken away or suppressed by the Haihan, but even its basic position in South Asia is about to be lost. A Matalan country has already made Batavia almost fall, and if you add Haihan, who is already ready to move, the consequences are really unimaginable. The Haihan did not even need to land for a battle, as long as they sent a fleet to cover the rear of the Matara Blue Army at sea, it was enough to cut off the hope of the Dutch to hold Batavia.

However, Van Dimen also realized that Haihan did not seem to intend to expel the East India Company directly from the Far East, but left a way out, as for the purpose of the Haihan people to do this, Fan Dimen after collecting various information these days, he also roughly guessed seventy or eighty percent - the Haihan people want to keep the Maritime Silk Road between the Far East and Europe unimpeded, but the Portuguese have limited capacity, obviously unable to undertake 100% of the transportation tasks, so the Haihan people will need the East India Company to join this game.

As a maritime power that thinks highly of itself, Fan Dimen is also very unwilling to fall to this step today, but whenever there is a chance to turn the tables, he will try his best. However, the negotiation with the Haihan people was very delicate, and it was indeed a very difficult task for the disadvantaged East India Company to not only adhere to its own principles, but also try to get the Haihan to make concessions on the existing conditions.

On the seventh day of the talks, Schneider and Van Dimen finally entered the stage of face-to-face individual consultations. Although Schneider doesn't speak Dutch, Van Diemen spent some time in England in his early years and speaks English fluently, so both sides can even save the trouble of translating and talk directly in English, without worrying about misinterpretations in the translation process.

"I would like to remind you that the Trade Alliance must retain the East India Company's right to trade directly with the nations, otherwise it will not be of much practical significance for us to join the Alliance. Van Diemen showed a very tough attitude, and immediately put forward his own conditions: "In addition, the existing colonies of the East India Company must be secured, and we will retain the right to continue to open new colonies!"

After listening patiently to his request, Schneider replied unhurriedly: "I think your company has misunderstood the solution proposed by us, what we want is not to restrict your trade rights, but to improve the operational efficiency of the entire trade alliance through resource optimization." Your area of expertise is the route between the Far East and Europe, and we want your company to concentrate as much of its limited capacity as possible on this route, rather than wasting time running back and forth around the Far East, using a lot of resources and making only a small profit. ”

Schneider's statement was much more tactful than when Yan Chujie negotiated in Batavia, when Yan Chujie did not link Haihan's demands with the plan of the trade alliance, and directly threw out the restrictions on the East India Company in a strong tone. Of course, Yan Chujie's approach was not because he lacked consideration, but it was precisely because he took into account the subsequent talks and consultations that he consciously raised the conditions to leave room for bargaining with the Dutch.

Van Dimen listened but did not feel that the other party had made concessions in attitude, and Schneider only explained Haihan's intention to put forward the conditions, but did not show any intention of making changes. So Van Dimen once again emphasized: "How to arrange our maritime capacity is our internal affair, and even if we decide to join the South China Sea Trade Alliance, we will not allow outsiders to interfere in our internal affairs." ”

Schneider's heart was quite hard, he really toasted and didn't eat and drink, and immediately responded: "Then let me be blunt, if your company is unwilling to accept the arrangements made by the trade alliance, then we are not ready to absorb your company into the alliance." In addition, we cannot guarantee the safety of your company in the Far East, especially in the coastal areas of Daming. ”

Schneider's words fell on Van Dimen's ears and were not only blunt, but simply a naked threat. The East India Company is now a dehaired phoenix that is not as good as a chicken, and the colonies outside Batavia basically do not have much ability to protect themselves, especially in Taiwan's Dayuan Port, which is far away in the Daming Sea, is basically a piece of meat on the side of Haihan's mouth, when to eat it, and what posture to eat, it basically depends on Haihan's mood. If the port of Dayuan is lost, then the Northeast Asian trade route that the East India Company has painstakingly operated for many years will also completely collapse, and the region north of the equator will not even have a decent foothold.

If someone else put forward such an arrogant statement, then Fan Dimen may have fought back, but in the face of the Haihan people who have already controlled the Taiwan Strait, he is really not angry, so he can only forcibly pull away from the topic and say: "The colony we have established in the Far East is entirely for the purpose of development and construction, and it is not intended to be used for military purposes, and you should not use civilian commercial facilities as a condition for threatening our submission!"

As soon as Schneider heard this, he knew that this guy had softened, and immediately pursued after the victory: "Since it is not for military purposes, then you might as well include the local area in the defense zone of the Haihan Navy, and hand over all external defense to our side." Of course, there should not be too many Dutch immigrants settled there, otherwise it will be difficult for us to protect them, so it is better to set a population ceiling. In my opinion, it is enough to keep the people in charge of business negotiations, and it is just a waste of resources for the rest to settle there. ”

When Van Dimen heard Schneider's original request, he knew that he was with Yan Chujie all the way after all, and he couldn't wait to force the East India Company to the edge of the cliff, so that after the East India Company's use value was squeezed out, he could kick it down at any time. But for Schneider's almost ridiculous statement, he really doesn't have enough confidence to refute it, the armed forces on the side of Dayuangang are only enough for a basic level of self-defense, if Haihan really wants to use force to capture the local area, it will probably fall at the end of last year and the beginning of this year.

If you want to talk to the Haihan people, you have to come up with some dry goods, Fan Dimen gritted his teeth and said: "Then it is better to make an exchange, let us retain the colony of Dayuangang, and the power to set up a merchant house further north, and we can open the right of abode in the area near the Sunda Strait to you." ”

Schneider smiled and said, "It seems that we don't need your cooperation to enter the Sunda Strait now, right?"

"I know you have local charts and have been on the ground, but don't forget that there are French and British people west of the Sunda Strait, and I can tell you where the strongholds of these two countries are located near the Sunda Strait," Van Dimen said. ”

Schneider did not expect Van Dymen to decisively betray the Dutch allies in Europe at such a time, and he couldn't help but have a new understanding of Van Diemen's determination. Of course, he also knew that although these countries were allies in Europe, they were rivals in the Far East, and it was reasonable for them to call each other brothers and sisters in front of them and engage in conspiracy behind their backs. Although Haihan is not particularly worried about the potential threat posed by these countries, it can save a lot of trouble if he can gather useful information in advance.

However, Schneider's real concern is not how much practical value the information given by Van Dimen is, but the attitude he shows means that the Dutch do not want to fight the Haihan to the end, as long as the conditions are right, they will probably still make certain concessions in order to join the South China Sea Trade Alliance, which is the situation Schneider wants to see.

As for whether to keep the colonies north of the equator for the Dutch and the extent to which the East India Company's movement in Northeast Asia was restricted in the future, these were all items that could be negotiated slowly, and Haihan did not really want to create a naval iron barrel formation to completely shut out the Dutch. Both Haihan and the Netherlands are practical business entities, and as long as they join the trade alliance, many things can be negotiated on the basis of common interests.

"There is no rush in the Sunda Strait for the time being, but we will open a port on Belitung Island and Bangka Island, this request is no problem, right?" Schneider also took the initiative to show favor and took a step back, but this step was not a response from Van Diemen's performance, but a plan that Haihan had planned for a long time.

There is no natural harbor near the Sunda Strait for Haihan to build a large-scale integrated seaport, and Gashahan does not plan to drive the Netherlands out of this area at present, so after a few months of field visits, Haihan's construction plan will only advance south to the Bangka-Belitung line for the time being, rather than directly to the western tip of Java Island or the southern tip of Sumatra Island to establish a colony. The tin mines on Bangka and Belitung islands are far more useful to Haihan than to build a colony near the Sunda Strait, after all, the development of mineral inputs is not large, the output is fast, and the cycle of recovering development costs is much faster than the establishment of ordinary colonies, which is more cost-effective from an economic point of view.

Of course, the reason for this decision was also influenced by Sing Tao. Prior to this cruise in the South China Sea, although Haihan also intended to make a move near the Strait of Malacca, he lacked a grasp of the actual situation on the ground, so he did not make a decision. However, after comparing the situation in the Strait of Malacca and the Sunda Strait, both the military and the Executive Committee undisputed the choice of Sing Dao, at the eastern entrance and exit of the Strait of Malacca, as the next development target. With Haihan's current capacity and development plan, it is unlikely that a large project will be rolled out in both Sing Tao and the Sunda Strait at the same time, so the control of the Sunda Strait will be postponed.

Van Dimen did not know that Haehan had information about the mineral deposits on Bangka and Belitung islands, and he was quite surprised by Schneider's retreat. In his mind, the two islands didn't seem to have much of a good thing other than pepper. In addition, there was no natural harbor in the area, so Van Dimen did not have to worry too much about the Haihan people stationing an armed fleet there, so he did not oppose Schneider's proposal at the moment. However, after Haihan mined tin ore on a large scale in the local area, the news finally reached Batavia, and Van Dimen knew that this move of the Haihan people had already been calculated, but it was too late to regret it.

Negotiations are always accompanied by concessions and compromises, even if they are as powerful as Haihan, after all, the purpose of this business alliance is to bring more countries into the alliance, not to squeeze out one country. Even adversaries such as Haihan and the Netherlands, who have had several armed conflicts, as long as they realize that the two sides have common interests that can be exploited, will immediately return to their businessman nature and win more benefits for themselves through talks.

Van Dimen found that his negotiation with Schneider was also very difficult, this kind of difficulty was different from Yan Chujie's tough attitude, but a kind of shrewdness that he had never seen, feeling that all his conditions and requirements were in the other party's calculations, and when he calculated one step or two by himself, Schneider may have already calculated five or six steps, causing himself to be restrained step by step. It seems that he has obtained Haihan's concession and taken a little advantage, but the situation still seems to be under the control of the other party, and the so-called concession is just a little sweetness deliberately thrown by the other party. (To be continued.) )