"Is this the information you got from that woman?" In an official residence in Batavia, the Governor of the Dutch East India Company, De Carpentier, looked at the report in his hand and looked at the respectful Spanish in front of him.
the veteran asked.
A man of medium height stood in front of the fireplace. He had a arrogant and ferocious expression, sharp eyes, a broad forehead, a mustache on both sides of his mouth, and a short mustache under his lips, which made his originally thin face look longer. His skin had been exposed to the sun for many years.
Under the East Indian sun, it turned into an unhealthy bronze color. Although he was only in his early forties, his hair was already graying - East India was not a hospitable place.
This person is the Governor of the Dutch East India Company in Batavia: De Carpentier. As the successor of Yang Peter Cohen, the founder of the East India Company in Southeast Asia, he is also an outstanding East India Company
The governor-general in Batavia had all the characteristics of a senior East India Company executive: shrewd, ruthless, calculating and persevering.
"Yes, sir," said Savanchi Gonzalez, "it cost four thousand guilders in total."
"It's quite a lot." The Governor blurted out with a businessman's reaction. Gonzalez felt scornful in his heart - although he was just a so-called "country squire" in the countryside of Castile, he had the so-called "Spanish Lord"
"type of character. It is incompatible with the Dutch people's "small shopkeeper" thinking.
De Carpentier looked carefully at the bound booklet in his hand. On it were written the answers to the 125 questions he asked in a beautiful cursive calligraphy of a graceful woman. Some of the answers were very simple, with only a few answers.
A few words, and some wrote dozens of pages in one breath.
He rang the bell on the table, and his secretary came in.
"Translate this pamphlet into German," said the Governor, "quickly."
"I'll read it all night and deliver it to you tomorrow morning." The secretary bowed and left.
The Dutch governor could not read Portuguese. He could only wait for his men to translate the booklet and then read it carefully. But the "Spanish" in front of him had been in Macau for several months, so he should have collected it from the local area.
Little useful news.
"Well, since you are from Macau, you should have heard a lot about these Australians. It is said that it is a trading point they often visit."
"Yes, my lord."
"Tell me about your experience." De Carpentier picked up a wine glass from the tray on the table, filled it with a rare local Portuguese wine and handed it to him.
"Thank you, sir." Savanchi Gonzalez gratefully took the glass and took a sip. To be honest, this wine is not very good - more than a year of rough seas and the average weather here.
Temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius make wine too acidic. But for people who have not been able to drink wine for a long time, this glass of wine is like nectar.
"I heard many stories about Australians in Macau and saw their products..."
"Start from the beginning and tell me what you think of that Portuguese woman."
"She is very beautiful!" Savanchi Gonzalez laughed, "and very hot. A bit like a Creole woman. She is very smart and very cunning. God testifies, there must be a little devil hidden in her body.
!”
"It is said that she is very influential in Macau?"
"Yes," said Savanchi Gonzalez. "It is said that she was ruthless, and people who were against her often died inexplicably or disappeared without a trace. She made a lot of wealth from the sea, so
There are also many powerful people in the upper echelons.”
The Governor nodded. He also learned this from the Macau intelligence network: Lisya has a strong influence in the Macau Municipal Council through bribery. She is generous and does not ask for much, so she is welcomed by the municipal councilors.
Investor.
"Although she seemed to me to be a reclusive person, she never appeared in public. Many people had heard of her but had never seen her. Very few people even knew where she lived."
"How did you meet her?"
"In the tavern, and then someone took me there and put a blindfold on me."
"She is very careful," the governor said to himself. It seems that Li Siya has many enemies. Macau is not a very big place, so it is not easy to hide.
"Tell me about the Australians."
Savanchi Gonzalez recounted various experiences he had seen since arriving in Macau, especially the various "Australian goods" sold in Macau: large quantities of rum and Chinese spirits, and various papers:
Everything from the best writing paper to toilet paper; all kinds of sweets, the most popular white sugar, rock sugar and fruit-flavored candies...
De Carpentier listened very carefully - even though the Spanish soldier in front of him spoke confusingly and lacked organization, it was the most authentic first-hand information. Combined with the information provided by Li Siya, it was enough for Bada to
The Virginia authorities have determined their policy towards Australians
The appearance of the Australians did not attract the attention of the Dutch at first - Guangzhou, China's largest trade port at that time, was occupied by the Portuguese. After the East India Company's attempt to open a trade port in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou failed, the trade window with China was transferred to Taiwan.
Damuan Port. In other words, their main trading partners are Fujian merchants, not Guangdong. Not to mention Hainan Island, an island in the western part of Guangdong. A group of overseas immigrants occupy a remote island in China.
It took almost half a year for this news to reach Batavia, and no one took it seriously. It was not until Leizhou began selling high-quality sugar in large quantities that the "Australians" really came into the East India Company's sight for the first time.
Sugar is one of the most profitable goods shipped by the East India Company from China. The East India Company not only transports sugar from China to Europe for resale, but also transports it to the coast of the Persian Gulf for sale. It is the most important product besides spices.
Trade products. Now a large number of high-quality sugar products appear in the markets of Guangzhou, Macao and Vietnam, which of course attracts their attention. The report sent back by the businessmen stationed in Taiwan said: According to the Chinese businessmen who shipped white sugar,
The sugar was shipped from Leizhou and Lingao - and it was reported that the business in Lingao has been developing rapidly recently, and import and export trade are very prosperous.
The Batavia businessmen immediately spread out the map to look for the place "Lingao". The Dutch were relieved when they found that this place was far away from their main trading port. Then, they obtained the information from Liu Xiang, their ally on the Chinese coast.
More news was obtained: including a group of overseas immigrants who claimed to be Australians in Lingao, who claimed to be descendants of the royal family of the previous dynasty, etc. The most critical news was that the Australians had very strong military equipment and were powerful enough to be independent.
Paul. They defeated the attacks of the Spaniards and various pirates one after another. This made the businessmen nervous-it meant that the Australians were about to form a new force in Lingao.
Although the Dutch did not take any action, their eyes were always on Lingao. The Dutch East India Company was most concerned firstly to monopolize the spice trade from the East Indies to the Middle East and Europe, and secondly to try its best to expand and ensure its influence on Japan and Japan.
Advantageous position in trade with China. They are most concerned about whether the sudden appearance of the Australians and their export of goods in large quantities will affect the current situation.
Generally speaking, Australians are not active in overseas trade. Although they import and export a lot, it is obvious that their main trading partner is Daming, followed by Beiqi. Most of the products that are ultimately sold outside China
It is sold in Macao and part of it is traded in Guangzhou. The East India Company's commercial network in Southeast Asia has never reported that so-called Australian merchant ships have arrived at these ports - although Australian goods are continuously entering these ports. Obviously, there is a lack of Australians.
The ability to sail long distances at sea makes businessmen feel at ease: as long as they can monopolize shipping, they also have a monopoly on the profits of trade.
In particular, Lingao's products are very competitive. In addition to wine and sugar products, glass products and paper also have great potential. The former has defeated the sales of Venetian products in the Far East. Lingao's cheap glass products and mirrors
A flood of products poured into Southeast Asia and India. Venetian products, from the most expensive large glass mirrors to cheap perforated glass beads, were completely defeated. So much so that the Council specially wrote a letter back to Europe, asking to stop purchasing all Venetian products and use Lingao products instead.
. Even businessmen found that even if the expensive freight is included, the cost of purchasing glass mirrors from Guangzhou and selling them in Europe is still lower than that of glass mirrors produced in Venice - especially for some large-scale products, the cost difference is particularly obvious. As for
The wholesale price of paper was so low that they were surprised...
From this point of view, the Australians in Lingao are business partners who can cooperate rather than enemies - what the Dutch fear most is the forces with strong maritime power, and they will spare no effort to eliminate or squeeze out opponents with maritime power and monopolize the transportation of goods.
The route was their consistent purpose in the East Indies and East Asia.
Lingao does not fit this point. Although many sources pointed out that the Australians had a navy, including an iron ship as huge as a castle, no one had ever seen this iron ship move. So De Carpentier
I think this is either a rumor, or the ship has lost its navigation ability and is nothing to be afraid of.
This is an issue that the Governor is very concerned about. As a coachman on the sea, he is very aware of the potential threat of a super giant ship. Once the ship can sail, it will not only be a huge maritime threat, but also the cargo that the large volume can carry
It is also a number beyond human imagination.
"...About that big iron ship, it does exist." Savanchi Gonzalez said, "Many businessmen and sailors who have been to Lingao say it is indeed true. There is a man named Aragones.
I’ve been to Bo Pu. Li Siya also said it was true.”