Mountain rain is about to come and the wind fills the building. The people of this country are independent and dangerous. They are not afraid of the strong wind.
Matt Solko, the governor of Batavia, was such an expert. Even if the surrounding area was ablaze, he could still stand still by the fire and quietly sip tea. You fight your battle, I was sipping my tea, and the sky fell, and there was a tall man holding it up, so what are you afraid of?
Tasting tea is too boring for one person. At least two people are required to chat while tasting tea. Therefore, His Excellency Matsolko found another expert, the company's governor in Ceylon, Van Gogh. Yes.
Gao En is indeed a tall man. First of all, he is very tall. Secondly, he has a deep mind that ordinary people cannot understand.
Matsolco considers himself a wise man and knows the characters of the company's major governors well. The Moluccan governor Diman is decisive, brave and good at fighting, but he is a bit cruel and kills too many people; the Brazilian governor Count Maurice, He was an enlightened gentleman and was very kind to the local indigenous people. Unfortunately, he was too weak and could not control the situation. As a result, the company lost to the Portuguese and lost the colony that had been occupied for more than 20 years; Governor of the Cape of Good Hope Van Der Steele He is definitely a capable person. Under his governance, the company's rule in the Cape Colony has been increasingly consolidated, and its area of control has also continued to expand??
Only Van Gowan and Matt Solko couldn't see through it.
It doesn't matter if you can't see through it, as long as you can make money for the company. As the company's first governor in Ceylon, Van Gowan's ability to make money is unquestionable.
After the occupation of Ceylon, frictions and conflicts between the Company and the Highland Kingdom continued. The Highland Kingdom even formed a united front against the Company with Britain and Portugal, including sending envoys to each other, jointly establishing a cinnamon processing plant, and suggesting that the British build a castle in Trincomalee, etc. Etc. The governor was able to withstand the pressure and maintain peace with the Highland Kingdom. He held a celebration in Colombo to celebrate the accession of King Vimala Dharmasurya II to the throne; he opened the occupied port for the Highland Kingdom to use at sea; When the king sent correspondence, he even signed it with the words "His Majesty's Servant".
All this achieved good results. The king allowed the Dutch to buy cinnamon at will, and he was able to turn his attention to the spice trade and obtain commercial interests. Under his governance, the social life of the Ceylon colony was in order, and East India The company can safely engage in the spice business. The profits handed over to the company by Ceylon are getting higher and higher, becoming a goose that can lay golden eggs. The seventeen gentlemen on the board of directors praised this. In order to protect the company's economic interests , he also repaired the forts left by the Portuguese and pointed the muzzles at other colonists who intended to attack from the sea.
Matt Solko couldn't see through this man. Call him a pacifist. He captured Ceylon for the company. Call him warlike. After occupying Ceylon, he did not fight and lived in peace with the local indigenous people. Call him a warlike person. Call him tough, he could call himself a "slave" to the indigenous king and even kneel on his knees; call him weak. He also actively consolidated the defense of the colony, repaired forts, expanded ports, and purchased warships.
But one thing is certain. The starting point of this person's work is to make profits. As long as he can make money for the company, the rest are insignificant details in his eyes.
Matt Solko believed that this was exactly the talent the company needed, so he secretly recommended him to seventeen gentlemen to take over his position in the future.
This talented man came to Batavia not to drink tea, but to report on his work. This year, the net profit of the Ceylon Colony reached a new height, which made the seventeen gentlemen extremely satisfied. However, Matt Solko heard
He said that Britain and Portugal had reached a secret agreement to carve up Ceylon. He was very worried and asked him to come to the headquarters to report on his work and learn about the situation.
Of course, as a senior person, it would be embarrassing to talk about business in the office, so I still chatted while drinking tea, which seemed relaxed and comfortable.
"Dear Gowan, I heard that Britain, Portugal and the indigenous kingdom have reached an agreement to carve up Ceylon. Do you need the company to do anything?" Matsolko looked at him nervously, fearing that he would ask for help from him.
There were already wars all over the ship, and Batavia's army could only send to the most important place, Manlaga, but there were no reinforcements for him.
"Your Excellency, if I say that reinforcements are needed, can Batavia still send troops?"
Van Gowan smiled jokingly, "You don't have to worry about Ceylon at all. Nine years ago, when King Charles II of England married Princess Catherine of Portugal, and Portugal gave Bombay to the King of England as a dowry, the two countries did have concerns about Ceylon.
Secret Agreement: Britain and Portugal will divide Ceylon equally, Colombo will belong to the Portuguese, Gore will belong to the British, and the cinnamon trade privileges will also be equally divided between the two sides. However, I think there is no need to worry too much. The reason why Portugal wooed Britain is that it is afraid of Spanish annexation. Their first priority
The enemy is always Spain, not the company; as for Britain, after the fire of London four years ago and the failure of the war with our country at sea, it currently does not have the ability to conduct a cross-sea expedition."
Matt Solko breathed a sigh of relief, "In that case, my friend, keep Ceylon well. Under the current situation, this will be your greatest contribution to the company!"
"No, Your Excellency, the biggest contribution should be to transfer the main force of the army stationed in Ceylon to Mankaka, which is the lifeblood of the company. It would be better to lose twenty Ceylons than to lose one Mankaka. As for Ceylon
"It's enough to leave three hundred people for me," Gao En said firmly.
Matsolko was shocked. Instead of asking for reinforcements, Gowan suggested dispatching the Ceylon garrison to rescue Manlaga, which was completely beyond his expectation.
"My friend, please believe that the company will never forget your great contribution to the company." In excitement, he didn't care about drinking tea and held Gao En's hand tightly.
After finally calming down, he asked again: "We need a brave and determined commander who can help us win the war. Do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"
Gowan smiled slightly and said: "Your Excellency, I recommend to you Colonel Koprol John Sa. During his garrison in Ceylon, he showed an iron will and strict discipline, and he will definitely win the war for us." "Very good, this Colonel Coproll is exactly the person we need!"
Matsolko laughed and sipped tea with Gao En again. His mood at this time was completely different from before.
??
Colonel Coprell John Sar led 70 ships and 6,000 soldiers drawn from various places and set out. The scale of this army was rare in the history of the East India Company. The Manlaga Strait was the lifeline of the company, who could If he wants to seize it, Batavia will fight anyone to the death.
On the day of the army's expedition, the streets of Batavia were deserted. Dutch women, whether they were noble ladies or common women, held flowers in their hands to bid farewell to their heroes.
In the corner of the city, on the roof of a private house, a "flying slave" suddenly flew out.
Fei Nu sent a letter to Nanjing. In the Qianqing Palace, an old man who thought he was the first emperor in the world howled like an old wolf: "Okay! The red-haired ghost has fallen into my trap, and the Nanyang strategy can be implemented!" ”