Chapter 662 The Dutch Problem

An armed force of a thousand people, more than a thousand immigrants, and a large amount of materials and equipment, this is the lineup that is about to go to the Ambrosia Islands from the Sanya base camp. In order to ensure that the personnel and materials are delivered to the place at one time,

The Ministry of Shipping needs to mobilize more than thirty transport ships under its command to undertake this task, and this is a scale rarely seen among the ocean-going fleets dispatched by the Ministry of Shipping since the Annan Civil War.

However, this is not all the force that the Executive Committee plans to put into the local area. In addition to the army and immigration, the navy will also increase its investment in local maritime defense. The warships stationed in the Ambrosia Islands will be added to the original two "

On the basis of the "Exploration Class", four more warships of the same class will be added to ensure that when the local area is attacked from the sea, it will not have to retreat inland for passive defense. After the local port terminal reconstruction and expansion project is completed, the Military Commission will have

One or two larger "exploration-class" warships may also be deployed.

As for the "Majesty-class" warships used as flagships in various fleets, the requirements for port conditions and comprehensive supply and maintenance capabilities are much higher. Ampurna Island is limited by objective conditions, and it is difficult to meet the requirements of the navy.

According to the standards, the military can only deploy it to the Cam Ranh Bay military base in Annan, and then need to send it to the South China Sea to perform combat missions during the war.

In mid-August, news finally came from Fujian that the negotiations between the local government and the East India Company had broken down. As the Executive Committee had predicted, the Dutch refused any form of compensation or commitment, and their attitude remained very tough. Although this

This may not be good news for the Fujian officials who do not want to continue the war, but it is exactly the result that the Haihan side wants to obtain. Calculating the time, the ship from Dayuan to Batavia to report the news has probably already set off.

Within a few days, Haihan also entrusted the James Shipping Company, which had trading relationships with the East India Company, to bring a stern diplomatic letter to Batavia and deliver it to the top brass of the East India Company.

Five days after the departure of Zhan's fleet, a huge fleet led by Roger also set sail simultaneously from the Victory Port Military Terminal and the Immigration Terminal in Sanya. The two fleets will meet off the coast of Sanya and then conduct a simple

The maritime fleet then headed south together, heading for the Ambon Islands. Because the fleet was so large, it had to stop at Annan coastal ports for supplies at least twice on the way. Calculating, it would take about twenty days of sailing to reach the Ambon Islands.

Prior to this, the Mushabai and Annan militia troops stationed there still had to rely on themselves to organize defense.

Fortunately, at this time, the East India Company headquarters in Batavia was caught in a fierce dispute of opinion, and the reason was that the military operations organized by the company suffered continuous setbacks abroad.

In late June, a fleet originally sent out to search for and rescue a missing merchant ship ran into its owner in the Natuna Islands, and an armed conflict broke out. The fleet, commanded by senior officers Spikes and Brouwer, initially

The battle went relatively smoothly. They carried out a landing operation despite the opponent's artillery fire and successfully broke through the opponent's coastal defense line. Just when they thought they could successfully wipe out this group of pirates of unknown origin and recapture Natuna Island

At that moment, the situation in the following battle took a turn for the worse, which was shocking.

The Dutch army, which had gained an advantage in the amphibious landing operation, was defeated by its opponents in a positional battle to siege the island town. Brower himself also died in the battle to raid the town, which later led to

One of the main reasons for the defeat of the Dutch army. The fleet that finally fled the local area was no longer able to launch a second round of attacks, and could only divide into two groups at sea. One group was led by Van Longen, and still headed north to Taiyuan Port. The other group was led by Si

The defeated soldiers gathered by Pax returned to Batavia along the same route and reported the battle to the company.

Since entering the Far East, the East India Company's armed fleets have ended in victory in most conflicts. This is also the fundamental reason why the colonies under the company's jurisdiction have been able to expand rapidly in just over ten years. Even during the Apocalypse years,

Penghu was defeated by the Ming army because the strength gap between the two sides was too great. After resisting for half a year, they almost ran out of ammunition and food before they had to choose to retreat. However, a well-organized and well-trained army with senior officers

The armed forces under his command were actually defeated by a group of pirates who appeared out of nowhere on Natuna Island, and the result could be described as a disastrous defeat. This made the vast majority of the board of directors find it really unacceptable.

In Spikes's description, this group of pirates is described as a "well-trained army". The number of guns they are equipped with even exceeds that of the armed fleet, and judging from the condition of the fortifications they built on the island, these guys

It's not that I plan to rob and then leave, but that I plan to stay there for a long time.

Such a description also caused an uproar in the board of directors. After the East India Company captured the island a few years ago, no outside force had ever had any idea of ​​​​the local area. Even the Portuguese, who had never been so confrontational, did not take it.

The Natuna Islands are the target of competition. This is not because the Portuguese cannot conquer this place. In fact, the local defense force is not very strong and can barely protect itself from pirate harassment. The real reason is the port conditions of this place.

It is limited, even if it is captured, large-scale development and construction cannot be carried out, and there is no natural danger to defend, so the strategic value is relatively limited.

However, this group of pirates of unknown origin did not seem to have such a consciousness. Not only did they quietly capture the local ports and towns, but they also carried out large-scale projects. From Spikes' point of view, the local

The fortifications require at least thousands of laborers and take more than a month to build, and this amount of work is the objective reason why the local area has not had decent fortifications for many years.

It has to be said that Spikes's inference still has a certain factual basis, and it is relatively consistent with the time when Dutch merchant ships began to disappear on this waterway. The credibility is quite high. But what the company executives cannot accept is that the representative

The company's most powerful armed fleet was actually defeated by a group of pirates in battle, and there seemed to be quite a few holes in Spikes's description of the battle.

For example, Spikes claimed that the equipment level of this group of pirates was quite high, even better than his own. However, as far as the East India Company knew, there was no pirate group in the Far East with such a level of armed force. Even the coast of the Ming Dynasty

The Shiba Zhi, which is known as the number one in the Far East, only has more people on board. The level of weapons and equipment alone is far inferior to the armed forces of the East India Company. As for the pirate armed forces in South Asia, they are far inferior to the Shiba Zhi.

, it is often a group of ragged pirates who dare to go to sea to rob with a pile of junk. If South Asian pirates, who generally have low strength, are capable of defeating the armed forces of the East India Company, the company executives are determined not to believe it.

Of course, Spikes later added another important piece of information, that is, he believed that this group of pirates should be the same group that attacked Qiongzhou Island in the Ming Dynasty last year, that is, an armed force formed by the remnants of Annan's previous dynasty. Among these people

Many of them were soldiers before changing careers. Their military quality is far beyond that of ordinary pirates, and they also have certain channels to obtain a large number of standard weapons. After this group was expelled from Qiongzhou Island by the coalition forces of Haihan and Ming Dynasty last year, they probably chose to go south.

They were looking for another place to stay, and unfortunately the Natuna Islands fell into their plan.

As for the weapons they possess, it can be easily explained based on this inference. As we all know, the Portuguese and the Haihan people entrenched on Qiongzhou Island are both famous arms dealers, and the weapons they recently sold to Annan and Daming are not

A small amount, and it makes sense that part of it would flow into the hands of pirates - maybe they sold it directly to pirates. After all, this kind of thing is not new. A considerable part of the standard weapons in Shibazhi's hands are made of

Provided by the East India Company.

However, this inference only comes from Spikes' personal thoughts, and there is no substantial evidence to prove its authenticity. The soldiers did not even capture a prisoner from the island to obtain a confession. Therefore, the company's board of directors has

Some people are still doubtful about this statement, but what they don't know is that Spikes accidentally made an inference that is infinitely close to the truth.

A considerable number of the members of the local armed forces led by Mu Xiabai had indeed participated in Operation Prairie Fire the previous year, and at that time they acted as pirates from Annan. It is worth mentioning that this

After this experience of playing pirates was summarized after the war, when it was applied to the Ambrosia Islands again, the acting skills of the combatants were generally improved. At that time, the first batch of captured Dutchmen on the island were almost useless.

People have wondered whether this group of pirates who suddenly appeared have other unknown true identities.

Even if this combat capability can be reasonably explained, Spikes still cannot explain to the board of directors why the pirates chose a place like the Natuna Islands isolated in the South China Sea as a long-term base. You must know that the local area does not even have food.

Self-production, to a certain extent, depends on transporting supplies from outside. The East India Company can maintain this supply point because its fleets ply this route all year round. On the one hand, it transports food and living supplies to the island from outside.

, on the other hand, replenish fresh water, fruits and vegetables locally.

The island has always maintained a population of three to four thousand people, precisely because the island's self-production level and external supply capacity are limited and cannot support a larger population to settle for a long time. If this group of pirates really want to choose

As their base, Natuna Island is bound to face the same problem - unless they have the ability to carry out large-scale remote supply, or to open up a large amount of farmland on the island to grow food crops. But if they are determined to organize large-scale

If they farm to make a living, why should these people become pirates?

Another thing that Spikes can't explain is that based on the situation he said, the pirate force that occupied the local area is at least about five to eight hundred people. With so many people and materials coming across the sea, where is their fleet?

?If it was hidden on the coast of a nearby island, why didn't it launch an attack from the sea during the Dutch fleet's docking operation?

Spikes could only guess that this fleet might have just gone out to sea to catch new prey, but this explanation brought up a new problem: if the pirates who stayed on the island to look after the pirates while the main force went out to plunder,

They are all so powerful, so how much fighting power will this pirate force have? This is obviously too mysterious. The people on the board of directors are not willing to believe that an unknown pirate can have such a powerful strength. If even the pirates can operate a

With such an army, what has the East India Company been doing all these years?

Even Governor Cohen, who has always had great trust in Spikes, could no longer turn a blind eye to the flaws and contradictions in his description under such circumstances. When Governor Cohen righteously questioned whether Spikes existed

When he lied about the military situation, Spikes could only cry out that he was wronged, and at the same time claimed that someone could testify for him - Van Longen took his remaining merchant ships north to Taiyuan Port, and when he came back, the board of directors could ask him

, see if the situation described matches your description.

However, according to the itinerary, Van Longen will probably have to wait until the end of August or early September to return to Batavia, and this will only happen if the road goes smoothly. After repeated discussions, the board of directors decided not to impose punitive measures on Spikes for the time being, but in view of his description

There was so much suspicion that Governor Cohen placed him under house arrest until Van Loongen returned to Batavia and confirmed that his story was true.

Although it was not clear what was going on in the Natuna Islands in the end, this defeat still attracted great attention from the East India Company's board of directors. There is a very important piece of information in Spikes' description, that is, the company had previously disappeared.

Several sailing ships actually appeared in the local harbor - of course, even the people and cargo on the ship had disappeared without a trace, leaving only an empty shell with the rudder removed and unable to sail. It was obvious that the previous disappearances

The sailboats are all the work of this group of people, but there is no need to search the world for their whereabouts.

A few sailing ships is not a big deal, but pirates have begun to threaten the safety of the South China Sea waterways, and their strength cannot be underestimated, which has to attract the attention of the board of directors. There is no doubt that this cancer must be eliminated as soon as possible, otherwise

In the future, the company's maritime trade in Northeast Asia will also be greatly affected. But how to start has become a problem that everyone is arguing about.

Some people think that they should wait for Van Longen to come back and confirm that Spikes' statement is true before formulating a corresponding battle plan, while others think that they must take action as soon as possible, otherwise it will be more difficult to eradicate the pirates on the island once they have taken root.
Chapter completed!