On the Lingding Ocean near the Ho O Peninsula, three Galen galleons with a deadweight of no more than 3,500 tons were moored at this time, flying the tricolor VOC flag of the Dutch East India Company, the cross cross bar flag of the British East India Company, and the red fork flag of Spain.

It's really a rare scene for the Dutch, British, and Spanish ships to be so harmoniously together, but this is the coast of China, and the Europeans can't run amok in the waters of this area for the time being, so it's still necessary to huddle together to keep warm.

That's why the Dutch, British, and Spanish ships organized a group to watch jokes on the sea near Hao Ao - most of them came to see the jokes of the Qing Dynasty, and St. Paul's Castle was a fortress that the Portuguese had been running for decades!

At that time, the Dutch wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of most of the Portuguese strong men in St. Paul's Castle to go to Guangzhou to carry out a sneak attack, but they were still defeated by a small number of Portuguese defenders and armed citizens, with a strong fortress.

And lost twice in a row! The second time, I wanted to fight well, but I lost again!

The Dutch lost confidence at St. Paul's Castle, so although they occupied all the Portuguese forts in Malacca, they had no idea of attacking St. Paul's Forts in Hoo for decades.

And they themselves built several strong fortresses in Java, Malacca, Ceylon and other places, among which the Batavia Fortress on the island of Java was the number one stronghold!

However, the Batavia fortress is still a little worse than the St. Paul's fort, after all, the St. Paul's fort has to face large countries such as the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, and Batavia has to deal with some Javanese natives.

The Spaniards did not fight the fortress of St. Paul, but they gnawed at the Dutch fortress in the lowlands of Europe for decades, and the good Spanish world empire was devoured and bankrupt.

However, they have a lot of skills in building forts themselves, and in Manila, the Philippines, they built a "never-finished" Fort Santiago - the construction began in 1571, and the first phase of the project was completed fifteen years later, and then it was continuously increased and reinforced, anyway, every time the governor changed, he had to add a few more projects to the big project of Fort Santiago. So they also know that the fortress of St. Paul is very strong. It's all prefix "holy", and it must not be far behind.

As for the English, they are not yet old imperialists, they are still the new ones in the imperialist sequence, they have no stronghold east of the Strait of Malacca, but they have already built more than 20 merchant houses in India, and they have built Fort St. George in Madras, and they are planning to build a fort in Mumbai, which has just been acquired.

In short, the fortress is one of the three magic weapons of the European colonizers to conquer backward countries, just like strong ships and sharp guns.

If the fortress is not "protected", it can be taken down by a backward and civilized army like the Qing army casually, then how can the European colonists colonize? You can't have an army of 8,000 troops everywhere, right? The cost is not up to heaven?

Colonization is most afraid of losing money!

And now the European fortresses are almost all over the world, which just shows the power of the fortress!

The Dutch East India Company, the English East India Company, and the Philippine Governor's Office of New Spain, who wanted to profit from the imminent outbreak of the "Qing-Wu War", heard that the Portuguese Governor's Office of Hao Ao was involved in the "Qing-Wu War", and that the Castle of St. Paul might be attacked by the Qing army.

When they found out that the governor of Liangguang in the Qing Dynasty had actually led an army of tens of thousands to besiege St. Paul's Fortress, they immediately realized that their opportunity had come!

In order to seize the opportunity as soon as possible, the Dutch East India Company's merchant hall in Japan, Taipan Hermann. Linker, John of the East India Company of England and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Island. Chappell, as well as Lawrence, the envoy of the Philippine Viceroyalty in New Spain. Morality. Vantis couldn't wait for a month, and waited at sea for half a month, still not finding out that the Qing army had launched an attack on St. Paul's Castle, so he agreed to board the Haoao Peninsula in a small boat.

In their opinion, the reason why the Qing army delayed the attack should be that they felt that the fortress of St. Paul was too strong to attack, and they were ready to switch to the method of long siege. However, the reserves in the castle of St. Paul are extremely rich, and there is a wall very close to the sea, unless it is helped by real maritime powers such as the Netherlands, England, and Spain, it is difficult to completely blockade it.

In addition, on the Xiangdao and Kowloon Peninsulas, which are across the Lingding Ocean from the Haoao Peninsula, there are also Wu Sangui's forces. If the governor of Liangguang in the Qing Dynasty refused the help of the Dutch, England, and Spanish friends, then the three of them might have to help Wu Sangui!

If the main force of the Qing army could not attack Haoao for a long time, and Wu Sanwei and Aobai on Xiangdao and the Kowloon Peninsula became bigger with the help of the Netherlands, England, and Spain, then the situation of the Qing army in Guangdong would be very bad!

However, these three Western colonists, who had already planned to slaughter the Qing Dynasty with a sword, went to the Haoao Peninsula to find that the Qing army led by the Governor of Liangguang had a good organization and order no less than that of any European army, and that a "trench siege battle" that the three great colonists who had mastered the advanced military knowledge of the West could not understand was in full swing.

In the past half month, tens of thousands of Qing officers and soldiers who are not afraid of hard work have used shovels, wooden stakes and sacks to build a series of fortifications that stretch from the vicinity of Mong-Ha Hill to the vicinity of the walls of the Ho O Fortress -- these fortifications include several zigzag trenches, a wide trench that seems to be arc-shaped and located directly north, northwest, and northeast of St. Paul's Castle, as well as many artillery fortifications and musket firing fortifications behind the arc-shaped trenches, which should be made of sacks filled with earth.

They were even more shocked when they were led by Yao Qisheng, the master of the Liangguang Governor, and Dai Zi, a Latin-speaking official, to a makeshift command post made of mud-filled sacks on Mong-Ha Mountain, and from there they looked down on the battlefield.

They found that twenty or thirty "cannon pits" had been dug inside the wide trench that surrounded the north, northwest, and northeast directions of St. Paul's Castle, and in each of them was a large-caliber mortar!

These mortars are already very close to the castle. If you fire now, you should be able to blast the flowering shells directly into the inside of the fortress, right?

The area of St. Paul's fortress is not large, and it has been bombarded by so many mortars at close range, so there is no safe place inside the castle, right?

Groups of Qing officers and soldiers were carrying baskets of ammunition to those "artillery pits", and the shelling seemed to be about to begin!

At the thought of the Portuguese, who was immediately bombarded, Herman. Klenk, John. Chappell and Lawrence. Morality. Vantis was a little worried about the fate of the poor Portuguese, who, after all, were also white Europeans who believed in God!

"Boom Boom"

The Portuguese on the St. Paul's fortress also seemed to be in a hurry, and began to bombard the Qing army below with the twelve-pounder cannon mounted on the St. Paul's fort.

However, these shells seemed to be "blind", and all of them flew over the trenches of the Qing army, and not a single one of them fell into the trenches or the artillery pits, but one or two shells hit the artillery forts that were behind the artillery craters and were made of sacks filled with earth. But when the shells hit the "dirt bags", it seemed to have no effect! At most, it is to penetrate it, and then hit a few dirt bags, and there will be no more.

It seems that this is not the first time that the Qing army has been disturbed by this kind of "tickling" shelling, so they did not panic at all, and continued to deliver ammunition into the artillery crater in front of them unhurriedly.

The Qing troops on standby in the trenches, in the artillery pits, and behind the artillery bunkers, as well as the small number of cavalry lined up on the north side of Wangxia Mountain, also behaved very calmly.

The Qing army on the entire battlefield behaved as if it were a real elite!

Just when the three colonists were re-evaluating the combat effectiveness of the Qing army in their hearts, the guards guarding this temporary former enemy command post suddenly opened their throats and shouted: "The principal has arrived!" ”

Headmaster?

The three colonists all knew a little bit of Chinese, but they really couldn't remember what kind of official the "headmaster" was? So they looked towards the entrance of the command post, and saw a tall officer with a blue crown on his hat and a very young officer walking in surrounded by a group of soldiers.

It turns out that the principal is a fourth-grade official, and it's not a big deal!

Because they didn't see the governor of Liangguang, they only saw a "four-grade principal", and the three colonists were a little disappointed. At this time, Dai Zi said to them in Latin: "Principal Wang is the son of the Governor of Liangguang, and he can represent Governor Wang." ”

Oh, the son of the governor. Then this "principal" is still a bit big.

So Herman. Klenk, John. Chappell and Lawrence. Morality. Vantis bowed to Wang Zhongxiao together, and then introduced himself one by one in Latin.

Wang Zhongxiao didn't understand Latin, but fortunately, Dai Zi could act as a translator by his side. After Dai Zi finished translating, Wang Zhongxiao smiled and said to the three of them: "You guys are early, and I haven't captured St. Paul's City yet!" But you can see for yourself how I took this fortress! ”

Dai Zi translated this into Latin.

"Mr. Headmaster, I think you know what the fortress's defenses look like, right?" Dutchman Herman. Clark had fought in the Battle of Resharan many years ago – a stain on his life (he had escaped), and now he couldn't help but splash a small plate of cold water when he heard a Chinese boast that Haikou was going to take a Westerner's fortress lightly.

After listening to Dai Zi's translation, Wang Zhongxiao smiled and said, "Yes, I know what's going on with the fortress?" And I know how to take it. If you want to make peace or help in any way, then you don't have to, the battle of St. Paul's Castle will soon be over. If you're here for trade, I can talk to you, because I'm currently in charge of the Qing Cantonese Customs Road. ”

The three colonists don't know what to say?

The siege of St. Paul has not yet begun, but the Qing army besieging the city seems to be a bit powerful.

All three of them were silent for a while, and then there was John of the East India Company of England in the Metropolitan Affairs Commissioner. Chappell spoke, an Englishman who did not look gentlemanly at all, with a somewhat messy blond hair and a tousled beard, and said to Wang Zhongxiao in rusty Latin: "I am the envoy of the British East India Company to China. I hope that from you I can obtain the right to conduct free trade on the coast of Guangdong! Free trade can bring prosperity to all, which is good for both of us.

In addition, I would like to obtain a relatively large piece of land from you for the establishment of the British East India Company's trading house. and enforce English law in the area of the merchant house, which is different from the Law of the Qing Dynasty. It would be even more ideal if you could lease us a desert island on the coast for us to set up a commercial house. If you can say yes, we at the East India Company will give you a great reward! ”

Listening to Chappell's straightforward demands for free trade and the establishment of concessions, Herman. Clark and Lawrence. Morality. Vantis was not polite, and made similar requests.

In fact, the establishment of "merchant houses" similar to concessions for trade, and the practice of "foreign self-government" at the same time were not necessarily a colonial act, and many countries did so. For example, the Koreans set aside a piece of land in Busan for the Japanese to establish "Wakan" for trade.

The Japanese, on the other hand, built a "Dejima" in Nagasaki Bay for the Dutch East India Company to build a trading hall. Of course, the Dutch East India Company also made a vassal to the shogunate in order to obtain this "Dejima". However, for the softer Dutch, it is not a problem to be called a vassal. As long as the Qing Dynasty could lease an island to the East India Company, the company could also claim to be a vassal.

The Spaniard's waist pole is harder! The current Spain still holds the dignity of a world empire, and its territory is larger than that of the Qing Dynasty, so it is impossible for the Philippine Governor-General's Office to go to the Qing Emperor as a vassal.

"You want to rent a piece of land to build a merchant house, right?" Wang Zhongxiao smiled and said, "It's not impossible, you want extraterritoriality, I can also agree!" However, whether it is trade or diplomacy, it is necessary to pay attention to reciprocity and fairness. If you want to lease land in Guangdong to build a commercial pavilion, then I also want to lease land in Amsterdam, London and Acapulco to establish a Chinese commercial pavilion and enjoy the same extraterritoriality! ”

When he translated these words into Latin, the three colonists were stunned.

They never imagined that this Qing Dynasty principal and Guangdong Customs Dao would actually want to establish a "Qing Concession" in London, Amsterdam and the New World.

"But, no merchant of you can reach London!"

"Yes, your seafaring skills are too backward to make it to Amsterdam!"

"You can't get to the New World!"

Wang Zhongxiao knew for a long time that the three colonists would not agree to his reasonable demands, but his purpose was not really to establish any concessions in Europe and the Americas.

Therefore, after Dai Zi translated the objections of the three colonists into Chinese, he pretended to think for a while, and then said: "In this way, I can take a step, and I will not ask for the establishment of a merchant house in Europe and the New World." I want to set up commercial offices in Java, Malacca, and Luzon, and considering that the status of Java, Malacca, and Luzon cannot be compared with that of London, Amsterdam, and Acapulco, the land I rent in Java, Malacca, and Luzon must be larger than the land you rent in Canton!

If you rent me a piece of land, I'll rent you an island, right? ”

Wang Zhongxiao's request was actually made to the Dutch, because the British had no stronghold in Malacca, Java, and Luzon. The Spaniards would not agree to lease a piece of land or an affiliated island of Luzon to the Qing Dynasty.

But the Dutch may agree!

Because once Wang Zhongxiao conquered Haoao, then the Europeans would not have any trading base along the coast of China, and if Wang Zhongxiao was willing to rent a piece of land to the Netherlands to establish a trading house, then the Dutch would be able to occupy a very advantageous position in the future foreign trade between China and the West.

And the Dutch paid for the island in order to get this concession. You can snatch one from someone else!

Anyway, the Dutch have a lot of influence in the Java Island and the Strait of Malacca, but they actually control a small territory. There aren't many people in that area, so they can't occupy much land, and it doesn't seem impossible to set aside an island for the Qing Dynasty.

For Wang Zhongxiao, the value of a Dutchman's acknowledgement of China's foothold in Malacca cannot be overestimated!

With this island, the Chinese people in the entire South Seas have the backbone! If the European colonizers want to exclude China again, they have to weigh it carefully, after all, their troops in the South Seas region are tens of thousands, and they are mainly based on the natives.

And the land he leased to the Dutch was actually a matter of extraterritoriality, didn't it mean that it would be taken back? Even if the Dutch build a fortress on top, Wang Zhongxiao will not be unable to defeat it.

Of course, the deal of "exchanging concessions for islands" was too big for a single East India Company daipan in Japan to negotiate, and it was estimated that the Dutch East India Company's governor in Batavia would have to make the decision, and if not, he would have to ask the seventeen-member committee in Amsterdam for instructions. However, considering that the Franco-Dutch war is about to begin, it is likely that the Dutch, who are difficult to protect their homeland, will approve the deal

At this time, Wang Zhongxiao's Jingwutang joined the army, Wang Lei Yong, walked into the command post quickly, hugged his fist, and reported loudly: "Principal, all the cupola cannons are ready!" ”

"Good!" Wang Zhongxiao nodded, "All the cupola cannons, test firing three shots. Target, Castle of St. Paul! ”

"Yes!" Wang Leiyong replied loudly, and then turned around and went out to convey the military order.

Wang Zhongxiao turned to the three "international friends" and said, "Three. Please watch the battle with this officer! Maybe it won't be long before we'll be in St. Paul's City! ”

(End of chapter)