Chapter 216 Sweeping the South Seas: The Bankruptcy of the Dutch East India Company
Batavia is preparing for war in full swing.
An "Invincible Fleet" was also dispatched from the mainland.
He vowed to fight to the death with the Xujiazhuang naval fleet and never accept the fate of being swept away.
The above intelligence information.
Intelligence officer Du Wenqiang quickly sent a wireless telegram to the city of Manila, including a very clear report on the general military deployment of the Dutch.
That's right.
Batavia was a colony captured by the Dutch East India Company in 1619. At the beginning, it was just a wasteland with a sparse population, lack of food supply, and no wood to build ships and houses. The surrounding area was desolate swampland and flooded during the rainy season.
The city was plagued by disasters, and tigers, wild boars, rhinos, etc. often appeared. The managers of the Dutch East India Company spent several years building the city and captured many savages to build the city, but the results were extremely slow.
Later, the first governor-general, James Peterson Kuhn, found that the Han people were extremely reliable and hard-working, and could do any construction work quickly and well, so he tried his best to recruit a large number of Han workers, and even some Han workers
, simply coaxed and kidnapped from the Ming Dynasty - with the hard work of countless Han workers, in just fifteen years, Batavia began to take shape and became a quite prosperous city.
The first governor of Batavia spoke highly of this: "Without the participation of Han laborers, Batavia's prosperity would never be possible. Moreover, they are diligent, peace-loving, and cowardly in nature, making them trustworthy and reliable partners."
, our prosperity may be inseparable from them, of course, provided that their excellent qualities will never change."
Comments on this.
Intelligence officer Du Wenqiang wanted to say, I'm sorry, being peace-loving and cowardly are not good qualities of us Han people, at least not the qualities of Xujiazhuang people. This is a prejudice and stereotype, and a malicious misunderstanding.
Because his purpose of sneaking into Batavia City was to defeat and destroy them, not for peace.
There are tens of thousands of Han workers in this city, making them a group that is hard to ignore.
Therefore, Du Wenqiang and his three subordinates have also been communicating with each other these days, forming cliques, getting along with many low-level workers, and asking many questions that are shocking to the workers.
"You are the builders of this city. The surrounding farmland and sugar cane fields were also reclaimed by you, but they are not your assets. Have you ever imagined that the houses you built belong to you, and the fields you reclaimed also belong to you.
Is it your own scene?" Du Wenqiang asked.
"No, how dare you think about it."
"We just work and get paid, how can these things belong to us?"
“I’ve thought about it occasionally, but it’s not realistic at all.”
"It's impossible. The consequences of thinking wildly will be death. We just have to work honestly."
Du Wenqiang said: "People still have to have dreams. If there is such an opportunity in front of you, once you succeed, you will become the owners of these houses and fields, but there is a 30% risk of losing your life. Are you willing to fight for it?"
"That's 70% sure. I think I can take a gamble." The worker said.
"I also think I can give it a try. Once I succeed, I will be rich."
"Yes, this place is much better than the Ming Dynasty. Things can grow in the ground all year round. It's hard to starve to death. With a little effort, you can make a fortune."
"I'm also willing to fight hard."
Except for a few workers who did not express their opinions, most workers expressed their willingness to take a gamble.
"Well, as long as everyone has this ambition, no matter what they do, they can succeed, and even those things that they dare not think of can be successful."
Du Wenqiang nodded repeatedly, feeling very amused.
Just when he was about to further woo him, two strong men suddenly came up behind him, held his arms on the left and the right, restricted his freedom, and said in his ear: "You have been fanning me in the past few days.
Laborer, what do you want? Master Kapitansu, please come over and be our guest, please don’t be disrespectful."
"Boss!"
Three of Du Wenqiang's subordinates rushed out of the crowd and even pulled out alloy daggers, preparing to use force to save people.
"No need to come over, go back immediately!"
Du Wen stopped them by shouting, and kept gesturing with his eyes, asking them to go back and send a telegram quickly. The three subordinates understood his eyes and had no choice but to retreat, turn around and disappear.
"Is this a close friend of the first Governor Kuhn, Lord Kapitan Sumingang? I just want to go meet him, please lead the way without locking my arms."
Du Wenqiang shook his hands vigorously, broke free from the restraints of the two strong men, and strode forward with his head held high without any fear.
As for the name of Kapitan Sumingang, Du Wenqiang had long heard of it, but he didn't know why this Sumingang would focus on a little person like him.
As for the so-called Kapitan, it is a management system specially designed by the Dutch in order to "use the Han to control the Han". It allows Kapitan to manage the Han people and give them the rights to do business, reclamation, contracting projects, etc. The Dutch only need to control the Kapitan
Simply levying a Bidan tax not only greatly strengthened the control of Han labor, but also saved the cost of governance. As for the candidates for Kapitan, they were generally appointed by the governor himself, or they could be elected by Han elders.
The businessman Soo Minggang, because he was a close friend of the first governor, gained his trust, so he served as Kapitan for more than ten years. Even though the first governor Kun had died of illness, he still won the trust of the Dutch.
But in Du Wenqiang's eyes, this was just an old dog loyal to the Dutch. He had never had any expectations for this kind of people, but instead he was targeted by them. This shows that dogs have a very keen sense of smell.
…
Kapitan Province.
Entering this magnificent building, the Western-style architectural style is mixed with some Jiangnan garden elements.
Du Wenqiang had to admit that the owner of this mansion should be very accomplished in architectural aesthetics. He had integrated two different architectural styles from the East and the West in a natural and harmonious way.
"No matter how beautiful it is, it's just a doghouse after all."
He shook his head and sighed, and when he heard the two big men behind him, the muscles in the corners of their eyes twitched, and they had the urge to hit them.
soon.
In the lobby on the first floor of the main villa.
Du Wenqiang met Kapitan Suming Kong, an elegant elder who was nearly sixty years old. He had a kind smile and gave people a feeling of being approachable and like a spring breeze. Although he was dressed in brocade, he was only noble and not tacky.
Moreover, Du Wenqiang also received courtesy from the other party. One time, the servants handed him hot tea, and the next time he gave him snacks and fruits. He also expressed his apology and his attitude was very sincere.
"Okay, Mr. Su, let's be honest. Why did you invite me here this time?" Du Wenqiang crossed his legs and asked straight to the point.
"Papa~"
Su Minggang clapped his hands, and a servant brought a tray covered with red silk cloth, handed it to Du Wenqiang, and then opened the red cloth. It was full of white silver coins. Su Minggang smiled and said: "Nephew Du Xian
, It’s a small thing, please accept it, there are also merchant ships heading to Quanzhou, which can take my nephew back to the Ming Dynasty and end his working career here. Nephew Du, the temple here is small and cannot accommodate a big Buddha like you.”
"Hahaha~"
Du Wenqiang raised his head and laughed, shaking his head repeatedly and said: "Mr. Su, you have really wasted your life for so many years. The Han people in Manila have been slaughtered several times, and you still harbor illusions and work as dogs for the Western Yi people? You
Do you really think this money is really that easy to make? When you Han people have fattened up, it’s time for the Dutch’s knives to be sharpened. They are robbers and thieves to begin with. Will they be satisfied with collecting taxes slowly? What a dog!
The road is impassable. You must be a wolf, a tiger, or a dragon! Only after crushing the robber's throat can you live freely and freely. So no matter how much money you give, I, the wolf, will not leave.
This temple, I’m determined to live in!”
"Nephew Du Xian, I understand all your principles."
Su Minggang said with a wry smile: "But we Han people have no one to rely on overseas, and the court does not make decisions for us. Moreover, the Dutch have guns and cannons, but we are scattered and can only cooperate with them. In addition, the Dutch East India Company
In essence, even businessmen are talking about making money through harmony. They are not as cruel as the Spanish. By cooperating with the Dutch, we, the Han people, have a lot of room for survival... Nephew Du Xian, you are really biased, so you should take the money and go back to the Ming Dynasty.
, if you keep going on like this, the Han people in this southern land may not even have a chance to survive."
"Businessmen? How did the Dutch get the land under our feet? Did they buy it or rob it? If you can't win, you are a merchant, if you win, you are a robber. This is the nature of the Dutch. If you have illusions, you will only
Not even a bit is left alive! Mr. Su, please stop trying to persuade me. You are the one who should have woken up long ago. Moreover, I am not fighting alone this time. All the Han people in Nanyang will unite this time.
It is no longer a mess, there will be someone who will lead them to drive away the bandits and be the master of the country. If Mr. Su is wise, join us and stop being a dog to the foreign barbarians!"
Du Wenqiang said unceremoniously.
"Sir, this man is extremely rebellious and is looking for death. If we don't hand him over to the Dutch, we will know that the sky is high and the earth is high." At this time, a man who looked like a butler came out of the back hall and had to express his opinion.
.
"Haha, hand it over! Just hand me over to the Dutch. If anything happens to me, everyone in your Su family will have to pay for it!" Du Wenqiang showed no fear.
"Sir, if you don't kill this man, it will cause disaster!" The butler's face was filled with murderous intent.
"Don't be rude!"
Su Minggang looked ugly and felt exhausted. He also had the idea of handing Du Wenqiang to the Dutch. But when he heard his threat, he didn't think it was a big lie. He could only wave his hands and said: "Take him down and stay in the woodshed for now."
After staying for a few days, if he figures it out, I can offer him a thousand silver dollars at any time and send him back to Ming Dynasty immediately."
The only option is to use hard tactics to see if it can weaken his fighting spirit.
…
Three days.
Du Wenqiang lived in the woodshed for three days at a time.
Until the evening of December 23, a shocking explosion came from the northern port, and the sound of cannons resounded for nearly a night. All the way to the sea in the port, a red fire lit up half the sky, and nearly a hundred people inside The ships either sank to the bottom of the sea or turned into ashes.
In the port.
After falling into the water, stand on a floating plank.
Count Van Galen, who was defeated like a drowned rat, murmured: "Defeated, my invincible fleet was defeated so easily. I didn't even see the appearance of the sailless clipper, and it became a What a huge joke.”
The other side.
After Xu Jiajun's 3,000-strong Marine Corps successfully landed and quickly defeated the 2,000 Dutch troops and more than 4,000 mercenaries who came to block it, Batavia Governor Anthony Van Diemen had no choice but to order the white flag to be raised. Declare surrender and stop making unnecessary resistance.
Looking at the fire in the northern port and the marines lining up to enter the city, Governor Anthony still couldn't help but murmured: "We have failed and the losses are so huge. The Dutch East India Company is probably going to go bankrupt this time!"
…
The morning of the 24th.
Kapitan Province.
Knowing that the situation had drastically changed, Su Minggang opened the door of the firewood shed in person, saw Du Wenqiang who was looking good, and immediately took his hand cordially and said: "My dear nephew, I was wrong last time, and you were the right person. , I will let you out now."
Then he asked his servants to bring a box, opened it in front of him and said: "Here are five thousand silver dollars. I am going to apologize to my nephew for his shock. I hope my nephew will accept it with a smile!"
"By the way, this is our little girl Su Ho, she is eighteen years old."
Su Minggang pulled another young and beautiful girl, but with a face full of reluctance, to Du Wenqiang, pushed her into his arms, and said: "I will marry Du Haohan as his wife, and the two families will become friends of Qin and Jin from now on." !”
"Dad, didn't you say you wanted to marry me to Costa, the governor's son? Why do you want me to marry this reckless man?" Su Ho said with a look of disgust.
Snap!
Su Minggang slapped his daughter so hard that the corners of her mouth bleeded, and he roared at her: "What a reckless person, this is a hero and a good man! You took advantage of him by being his concubine, and you dare to talk back to him." Disobedient?"
Then, in front of Du Wenqiang, he kept apologizing, saying that the little girl was not sensible and had not been disciplined well, etc., and hoped that he would not mind... and completely ignored his daughter Su Ho's crying.
Du Wenqiang had a funny look on his face. Looking at Su Minggang's arrogant appearance, he realized that an old dog was an old dog, and his ability to wag his tail was simply amazing. This chapter has been completed!