Chapter 191: The Dutchman's Persona in Australia (I)

As early as 1632, the Dutch in the Batavia colony on the island of Java had begun to organize a fleet of ships to explore the location of Australia. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

-- In the autumn of 1631, the four major groups of crossers from North America, South America, Australia, and Hainan Island coincidentally sent more than 300 ocean-going sailing ships to Batavia, which frightened the Dutch East India Company on the island of Java into almost a nervous breakdown.

After the departure of this unprecedented fleet in the East Asian seas, the Dutch East India Company, which was shocked and learned of the Australian information, immediately began to organize a sailing expedition as fast as possible, preparing to investigate the location of this mysterious land of Australia, and seek opportunities for trade and profit.

Next, the first Dutch expedition ship to explore Australia set off anchor from Batavia in January of the following year, and after a fifteen-day voyage, it crossed the Timor Sea in a southeasterly direction and arrived near the port of Darwin in northern Australia, where the Australian continent was discovered for the first time.

But the problem was that the Dutch expedition ship mistakenly sailed east along the northern coast of Australia. I didn't expect that the first colonial stronghold of the "Australians", "Central South City", was actually in the Jinwan area (later Port Derby) in the southwest behind them......

As a result, the Dutch ship first headed east, through the Torres Strait between the island of New Guinea and Australia, and then turned south on the warm current of East Australia, surveying the east coast of Australia, which had not yet been set foot by the traverser, from north to south, and finally discovering New Zealand. However, it was getting farther and farther away from the traverser, and all they saw along the way were unexplored wild lands, which disappointed and exhausted the Dutch expedition members.

After leaving New Zealand, the Dutch expedition ship entered the westerly winds and was blown eastward across the Pacific Ocean by the prevailing westerly winds, heading to the ports of the Spanish South American colonies to obtain supplies, thus missing out on the crosser stronghold on the west coast of Australia.

At the same time, the Dutch East India Company had been keeping an eye on the Chinese merchant ships passing through Batavia, trying to follow them in search of Australia. However, before 1634, the various republics of the Huameng and the Australian headquarters under construction relied entirely on the [free door] to communicate with each other, and there was no sea route from the republics to Australia at all. Even between the republics, because of the [free door] that can transfer transportation personnel and materials, the flow of merchant ships has decreased a lot. As a result, the Dutch East India Company did a completely useless job, and waited for a whole year and a half in Batavia, without encountering a single Chinese merchant ship bound for Australia.

In the second half of 1633, in Anthony? Fan? At Admiral Diemen's insistence, the Dutch East India Company in Batavia finally sent a second expedition ship to explore Australia. The second Dutch expedition ship was lucky enough to reach the waters of Jinwan and encountered fishing boats from Zhongnan City. At this point, the Dutch East India Company finally found the location of the Australian traverser and established initial contact.

On how to deal with Dutch visitors who came to Australia unexpectedly, the Chinese Union held a special meeting. Some suggested that the uninvited Dutch should be detained to prevent Australian secrets from leaking out. But most people felt that Australia's location did not need to be hidden from the Dutch, and in fact such a large piece of land could not be hidden. And as the supreme power that will conquer the earth in the future, the time-travelers should be more confident in their own strength, from the Roman Empire to the British Empire to the United States, the country of hope for mankind, which one is closed to the country and refuses visitors?

As a result, after inspecting Zhongnan City, the "border stronghold of the Austro-Song Empire", the second Dutch expedition ship finally returned to Batavia with two kangaroos as souvenirs and a bunch of privately purchased "Australian goods", causing a huge sensation.

At the same time, the Dutch expedition ship, which had been ordered to investigate Australia, finally completed its circle around the earth and returned to Batavia from the west. But the problem is that after comparing the two reports submitted by the two expeditions, the East India Company in Batavia was confused: although the investigation understood the specific location of Australia, it became more and more unclear about the reality of the Australians.

The strength that the Australians showed before is obviously so strong, why is the entire east coast of Australia a wilderness?

When you meet someone better than yourself, you ask to do business; When you encounter someone weaker than yourself, you will directly grab it, which is the maritime ethics of the Age of Discovery. And in order to find out whether the opponent is strong or weak, and avoid kicking the iron plate and breaking the teeth, it is necessary to conduct careful reconnaissance.

According to common sense, the Australians, who were able to assemble 300 armed ocean-going ships in the East Asian seas at one time, could not be regarded as weak no matter how they looked at it. However, according to the reports of the conflict between the two expedition fleets, the parties of the Dutch East India Company felt a certain subtle unreality.

So, in the spring of 1634, a third Dutch expedition to Australia began preparations in Batavia, planning to go to the legendary "capital of the Australian Song Empire". Adventurous Anthony? Fan? Admiral Dimen, who also personally served as expedition leader and diplomatic envoy.

(At that time, the admirals of European countries were very limited, and at that time, the Dutch East India Company had about 20 ships stationed in Batavia, and it was still mainly armed merchant ships, and it would be good to have two or three professional warships.) Some small countries dare to be marshal with only one or two ships. ）

I have to say, Anthony? Fan? Admiral Dimmen's expedition ship "Magdeburg" caught up with a good time, and just as it was approaching the waters of Australia, it encountered a steam-armored warship carrying Japanese envoys to the headquarters of the Chinese League in Australia to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new capital -- although the traversers did not like the emperors of ancient China who liked to lose money and make money, they did not hesitate to pay a huge price and pay a rich reward, and they also wanted to make a big scene of all nations coming to court. But if there are some foreign guests at an important celebration, it will be a more face-saving thing after all.

Therefore, on this steam-armored battleship, in addition to the envoys of the Maori family, the overlord of the Japanese Kansai region, there is also Fang Yizhi, the envoy of the Yonghe Emperor of the Ming Dynasty in Shanghai, and Shang Qiu, the prince of the Ryukyus who has been "naturalized" by the whole country in Australia and the Song Dynasty, etc., plus a bunch of "chieftain representatives" who don't know which cottage they dug up. Now on the way, they met the Dutch expedition ship "Magdeburg", so they simply let them go to the capital to participate in the celebration.

And then, Anthony? Fan? As soon as Admiral Dimen came ashore in the city, he was rushed into the quarantine camp by the receptionists, pinching his nose......

-- In those days, Europeans did not pay much attention to the cleanliness of their bodies, and even nobles had to rely on perfume to cover up the odor on their bodies, but now they have not bathed in the scorching tropical sea for more than a month, so you can imagine what kind of smell the admiral and his men will exude.

Captain Li Huamei already felt that it stinked when she docked, and these Dutchmen smelled even more so on their bodies, but they felt good about themselves......

Therefore, in order to prevent the plague as soon as the headquarters of the Chinese League in Australia is completed, the guests from the Netherlands should be quarantined first!

Two full weeks later, it wasn't until the morning of the arrival of Li Huamei's Hangzhou that the Dutch were released in despair.

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“…… The 14-day quarantine period is over, and the sick person has been admitted and treated, I wish you a happy journey and welcome to Australia. ”

With the above-mentioned official stiff Dutch, the large iron gate of the quarantine camp clicked open. Anthony, who has been emaciated a lot lately? Fan? Admiral Dimmen and a large group of Dutch sailors under his command immediately poured out of the large open iron gate, and rushed forward a full hundred meters without looking back, carrying their luggage, and then slowed down, stood still, and laid down the heavy suitcase, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking back at the concentration camp where he had been for two weeks, and looking at the two guards at the door with loaded guns and red armbands on their right upper armbands, Anthony? Fan? Admiral Dimen let out a long sigh and said to his men, "...... In God's name, we have finally come out. ”

“…… Yes, my lord. The sailors clearly hated the quarantine camp and gritted their teeth and said: "...... We finally came out of that hellish place. ”

-- As soon as the "Magdeburg" landed on the shore, the relevant departments of the Huameng threw all these Dutch visitors into quarantine camps and put them in quarantine. In the admiral's eyes, there was first a group of people carrying water pipes and spraying water at them like ducks. Then he threw a pungent smell of disinfectant at them - God knows what it was made of, it smelled so bad that the admiral even smelled a pungent smell of sulfur.

Next, the Australian doctor gave them a physical examination, and immediately found a bunch of various disease numbers, from dysentery to yellow fever, and they had to be thrown into the infectious disease hospital. The rest of the people were also forced to take a bath from morning till night, until they rubbed off a few layers of skin from these sloppy ghosts.

What's more, in order to fully achieve the epidemic prevention effect of killing germs, the shampoo and soap provided by the Australian quarantine camp for free to the Dutch are not general road goods sold to the outside world, but special products and sanitary products with strong sterilization effects. Of course, limited by today's production technology, as well as for the sake of cost control, these cheap fungicidal products will always use some toxic natural plants, and then inevitably there will be certain side effects. In particular, oleander is effective in killing lice and fleas...... After all, the sailors were so dirty that they were like mobile garbage heaps and germs, and in order to prevent the outbreak of plague in Australia, they had to use strong medicine for serious illness.

So, after using some kind of special shampoo with oleander, Anthony? Fan? Admiral Dimen doesn't even feel the presence of his head and hands! His scalp and hands were severely paralyzed, and then he was slightly swollen. But even so, he wasn't the most miserable, because some unlucky guy accidentally let the shampoo run into his mouth, and then he almost made that guy almost see God!

Fortunately, those Australians found it early and rescued him as soon as possible. But that simple and crude way to rescue ...... Admiral Dimon, who was watching at the time, even thought that it would be more comfortable for this guy to go directly to God: in order to save him, the Australians stuffed a tube directly into his mouth, put a funnel on him, and then kept pouring soapy water into the funnel until his stomach suddenly bulged. Then remove the tube and make the guy vomit non-stop. At first, there were some food scraps that came out, and then all that came out was soapy water, but it was repeated so many times that the unlucky guy almost went crazy.

But even after such cruel and rough treatment, it was only barely able to save the life of the unlucky man, and until now, the guy is still lying in the hospital room with a sigh. It is said that it will take at least half a month to recuperate before the residual toxins in his body will be completely metabolized.

It can be seen that this special shampoo provided to them by Australians for bathing is so terrible and toxic!

To this, Anthony? Fan? Admiral Diemen said that he did not understand that since this shampoo is so toxic and dangerous to use, and the Australians don't seem to want their lives, why should they be forced to use it?

(Because the best shampoos are mild and safe, they are only available in quarantine camps as a highly toxic bargain.) ）

Is it really just to get rid of the little bugs that hide in their hair, as the Australians say?

Oh! What the hell! These Australians are so good at making a fuss! You know, according to the admiral's knowledge, even in the hair of the kings and noblewomen of Europe, there are a lot of lice and fleas, let alone ordinary people. But everyone is still alive and well, and I haven't seen anyone's life from these little bugs. How did you get here, but the Australians look like they are facing a great enemy?

In short, during these two weeks in the quarantine camp, Anthony? Fan? The thing that impressed Admiral Dimen the most was bathing, bathing, bathing, bathing incessantly, and bathing endlessly. After these two weeks, the admiral found that he had probably taken more baths than he had in the last half of his life combined! So many endless baths to wash down, poor Anthony? Fan? Dimon felt as if he had become a snake, and had just been forcibly shed a layer of skin. If he continued to wash it, he thought that he would definitely be washed out of the bones by those Australians!

In fact, in the last days of the quarantine camp, Anthony? Fan? Admiral Dimen prayed to God every time he bathed, begging him to have mercy on his old man and not to let the terrible plague find him...... Although after each wash, the body does smell refreshed.

-- In this year, Europeans still continued the erroneous medical concept of the Black Death, believing that bathing would lead to plague (in fact, because taking a hot bath and blowing cold wind would make it easy to catch a cold, but in that tragic era, even a common cold could kill people), so they regarded bathing as a flood beast. Unless you get a doctor's advice, or if you are really uncomfortable, you don't dare to take a shower. Even the relatively "hygienic" Dutch would be able to take a shower once every six months. If it is in the most unhygienic France, there are also many guys who have not bathed for decades......

And even more so that Anthony? Fan? Dimon was very angry that the Australians seemed to have a serious lack of hierarchy and had not thought of giving special treatment to the superior in the quarantine camps. He was a noble admiral, and he wanted to mingle with those lowly poor ghost sailors, and strip naked and be honest with each other in the bathhouse...... This is just terrible! God knows how many there are?!! During this period, he noticed more than once that someone was staring at him with obscene eyes, and if he hadn't been afraid of his identity as the leader of the expedition, he would probably have someone whistling teasingly!

In addition to bathing constantly, there are people in the quarantine camp who teach them the rules in Dutch, what not to defecate in the open, not to throw garbage in the open, to walk on the right, to queue up when encountering things, and so on. All kinds of red tape are really nerve-wracking...... But it's all over.

Like any responsible old sailor, after leaving the quarantine camp, Anthony? Fan? The first thing Admiral Dimen was concerned about was what was going on with their expedition ship Magdeburg. So a group of people went straight to the docks, and then, Anthony? Fan? Admiral Dimon learned from the crew who stayed behind that their expedition ship had also been carefully disinfected by the Australians from the inside out.

“…… Oh, my lord, you would never have imagined it. The Australians, dressed in strange clothes with glass shards around their eyes, looked a bit like monks, but with large iron buckets hanging from their backs, they kept spraying foul-smelling potions on every corner of the ship......"

The first mate who stayed on the ship danced and gestured to the situation at that time, "...... The smell of the potion made us dizzy at the smell of it, and we didn't dare to sleep in the cabin for three whole days, except in the hammocks on the deck...... In addition, they drove us into the pool with spears to bathe......"

“…… No way, sir, we can only be as patient as we can in this matter...... It's pretty much the same with the Australians I've seen in the past, they love cleanliness so much. It's like there's ...... What does that word come about? Well, cleanliness! Yes, they are like having a habit of cleanliness. ”

The special consultant hired by the Australian local expedition in Batavia has been to Lingao Port on Hainan Island several times and has dealt with the Australians there. His Excellency Derlantron sighed, reached out and patted the first officer's shoulder, and said comfortingly.

“…… Cleanliness? Ha, cleanliness, yes, that's a wonderful word. All right, old John, you first take the lads to find a place to settle down, and drink a few bottles of rum, which have really suffocated them these past days! ”

Anthony? Fan? Admiral Dimen clapped his hands and instructed one of the officers beside him, while turning to look at Fan. Translon, "...... The Australians in the quarantine camp seem to have said that there is a hotel for seafarers next to the pier, right? ”

“…… Yes, it's the tallest red brick building across the street, and I've already seen its signboard! ”

Fan. Transtron pointed to a six-story building not far ahead. Fan? Admiral Dimen replied, "...... In Australia's capital, this seems to be the only hotel that allows foreigners to entertain at the moment...... However, General, you are a diplomatic envoy, and according to the rules, you can stay in the state guesthouse for free, and your luggage has already been delivered when you dock at the dock. Are you planning to stay at the State Guesthouse now? ”

“…… No, it's still too early, so let's take a look around the city first! The Dutch admiral looked up at the rising sun in the sky, and at the shadowy mass of buildings in the distance, and made his decision...... Mr. Advisor, please come with me too, you are the only one here who is most familiar with the customs of the Australians, lest we accidentally cause any trouble here......"

“…… Yes, General, your will is my mission......" The big iron bucket kept spraying foul-smelling potions on every corner of the ship......

The first mate who stayed on the ship danced and gestured to the situation at that time, "...... The smell of the potion made us dizzy at the smell of it, and we didn't dare to sleep in the cabin for three whole days, except in the hammocks on the deck...... In addition, they drove us into the pool with spears to bathe......"

“…… No way, sir, we can only be as patient as we can in this matter...... It's pretty much the same with the Australians I've seen in the past, they love cleanliness so much. It's like there's ...... What does that word come about? Well, cleanliness! Yes, they are like having a habit of cleanliness. ”

The special consultant hired by the Australian local expedition in Batavia has been to Lingao Port on Hainan Island several times and has dealt with the Australians there. His Excellency Derlantron sighed, reached out and patted the first officer's shoulder, and said comfortingly.

“…… Cleanliness? Ha, cleanliness, yes, that's a wonderful word. All right, old John, you first take the lads to find a place to settle down, and drink a few bottles of rum, which have really suffocated them these past days! ”

Anthony? Fan? Admiral Dimen clapped his hands and instructed one of the officers beside him, while turning to look at Fan. Translon, "...... The Australians in the quarantine camp seem to have said that there is a hotel for seafarers next to the pier, right? ”

“…… Yes, it's the tallest red brick building across the street, and I've already seen its signboard! ”

Fan. Transtron pointed to a six-story building not far ahead. Fan? Admiral Dimen replied, "...... In Australia's capital, this seems to be the only hotel that allows foreigners to entertain at the moment...... However, General, you are a diplomatic envoy, and according to the rules, you can stay in the state guesthouse for free, and your luggage has already been delivered when you dock at the dock. Are you planning to stay at the State Guesthouse now? ”

“…… No, it's still too early, so let's take a look around the city first! The Dutch admiral looked up at the rising sun in the sky, and at the shadowy mass of buildings in the distance, and made his decision...... Mr. Advisor, please come with me too, you are the only one here who is most familiar with the customs of the Australians, lest we accidentally cause any trouble here......"

“…… Yes, General, your will is my mission......"