Chapter 628 The Dutch Plan
Van Longen has been working in the East India Company for more than ten years. He has won the trust of the governor. He has been traveling between Java and Northeast Asian countries for a long time. He is familiar with the sea conditions along the way. It is indeed a good idea for him to serve as the commander of this search and rescue fleet. Couldn't be more appropriate.
The search and rescue fleet consisted of Van Longen's own seven armed merchant ships as the main body, plus two armed troop carriers affiliated to the East India Company. Originally, Van Longen did not plan to organize additional troops outside of his own fleet, but Governor Cohen believed that it was necessary to send a certain number of soldiers to assist in this operation, because the real cause of the disappearance of his own ships could not be determined. If there was really a mastermind behind the scenes, Intercepting and killing Dutch merchant ships at sea, then having enough troops may give Van Longen more confidence in responding.
A fleet of nine sailboats and nearly a thousand people would be like just wandering around the sea if they were not lucky enough to find the missing ship. The cost of such a fleet going to sea was not a small amount. In order to prevent all this expenditure from being wasted, the East India Company still asked Van Longen's merchant ships to undertake a certain number of transportation tasks.
The fleet will carry a batch of spices, tin, sumac, and other tropical products produced locally in Java, as well as some native products from Persia, India and Ceylon. These goods will be transported to Taiyuan Port, where they will be distributed by local merchants to Ming Dynasty, North Korea, Ryukyu, Japan and other countries by sea. This fleet can transport a batch of goods purchased from the above-mentioned countries locally and then return to Batavia via the original route. After such a trip, excluding the cost of search and rescue operations, the fleet can still make a certain profit, and the captain and crew will not complain too much about this trip.
"No one in the Far East will try to rob such a fleet. The Governor need not worry about our safety. We will definitely return to Batavia intact in two months." Looking at Lai Ge Governor Cohen, who was seeing him off by himself, didn't look very good-looking. Van Longen could only say a few words to comfort him.
In fact, the voyage from Batavia to Damuan Port is more than 2,000 nautical miles, and it takes more than half a month for the fleet to reach its destination with smooth winds and smooth currents. No one can guarantee what will happen during this long journey. What kind of unexpected situation. The seven armed merchant ships under Van Longen's name are all equipped with varying numbers of artillery. The largest ship, the "Netherlander", is equipped with twelve 12-pound side guns and two 24-pound bow guns. The firepower has already been It is comparable to an ordinary warship. The two armed troop carriers are each equipped with eight artillery pieces, and the total number of artillery pieces in the entire fleet exceeds seventy. An artillery battle at sea will not frighten any opponent.
But even though the combat capability of this fleet is not weak, Van Longen is not arrogant enough to think that what he is leading is an invincible fleet. Because he had also heard of the gunboats built by the Haihan people on Qiongzhou Island. The smallest type was also equipped with ten cannons. Based on such warships, it defeated the Eighteen-year-old force several times his own at the Pearl River Estuary. Chi fleet.
Van Longen had had direct contact with Shiba Zhi and had a general understanding of the armed level of this group of pirates. Although he also didn't take Shibazhi seriously, if Fan Longgen was asked to deal with the siege of these pirates, he might not be sure of victory or escape. And it is said that starting from the second half of last year, the Haihan fleet has taken over the defense of the waters around Qiongzhou Island. This at least shows that the strength of the Haihan fleet is far superior to that of the Ming Navy.
Van Longen would rather encounter the Portuguese or Spanish at sea than encounter an opponent like the Haihan fleet in this search and rescue mission, because the first two opponents are fairly well-known, while the Haihan fleet seems to be lurking in the shadows. Like the killers, they cannot see their true strength clearly.
Governor Cohen's response was a violent cough. Although he is only forty-four years old and is far from old, his health has been deteriorating in recent years and it is actually difficult to maintain normal working conditions. . If it weren't for the two Chinese doctors in Batavia who kept giving him prescriptions to nurse him back to health, he would have died long ago. Today I came to Batavia Port to see off Van Longen's fleet. He had also been feeling unwell and sat on a chair carried by two native attendants without getting up.
In fact, Peterson Cohen died on September 21, 1629 in the original history, but after the Haihan people came to this time and space, many things changed unconsciously. The two Chinese doctors who treated him actually worked with Ma Yu for a period of time at the Immigration Transfer Center in Lijiazhuang, Guangzhou before coming to Batavia, and they also learned some advanced medical knowledge. Wrong accepted someone else's employment and came to Batavia to make a living. However, they could only diagnose the general cause of Cohen's disease. There was no way to cure his chronic lung disease. The only thing they could do was to use some soothing medicine to regulate his body so that his condition could worsen more slowly. .
"Mr. Van Longen, any force that threatens the East India Company must be eradicated and cannot be tolerated!" Cohen finally calmed down and then lectured: "Whether it is the Portuguese or the Spanish, as long as they want to fight against If our ship takes action, then fight back hard! There is no need to be afraid of a war, we are the most powerful force in the Far East!”
Van Longen thought to himself that this is just an armed merchant ship, not the Dutch navy, and self-defense is just fine. Do you really expect me to fight them desperately? However, he promised very well: "Don't worry, Lord Governor, if it is really the damn Spaniards who attack us, then I will definitely let them see the terrifying power of the Netherlands!"
Cohen coughed a few more times, and then said: "Considering your military skills, I sent my most capable Mr. Spikes and Mr. Brouwer to assist you in completing this mission. If there is an armed conflict, they will Will direct the soldiers to destroy the enemy. If you are in doubt, please consult with them.”
"I am honored to operate with two outstanding commanders." Van Longen bowed slightly to the two officers standing next to Cohen. Although they were not official officers of the Dutch Republic, they were merely commanders appointed within the East India Company, and their subordinates were only armed personnel organized by the company itself, but in the colonies of the East India Company, they were genuine government troops.
These two officers are not unknown. Jacques Spikes, who was born in 1585, once served as a representative of the East India Company and lived in Korea and Japan in Northeast Asia for a long time. He came to the East India Company in Van Loungen. By that time, Spikes had already been in the Far East for ten years. Hendrick Brower, who was born in 1581, also spent some time in Japan. He joined the East India Company as a sailor as early as 1606, and his qualifications were earlier than Spikes.
In the original history, these two officers also served as governors of the East India Company. After Cohen resigned in 1629, he was succeeded by Jacques Spikes, and Hendrick Brouwer took over from Spikes in 1632 as the eighth governor. However, in this time and space, the arrival of the Haihan people inadvertently extended the lifespan of Governor Cohen, so they were not able to ascend to power according to the original time in history.
"But if you let these two go to sea with me, what will happen to the local defense?" Van Longen is no stranger to the identities of these two officers. They are both senior officers of the Batavia garrison. Two people are mobilized at a time. , will indeed have a certain impact on Batavia's local defense.
"That's not a problem." Cohen waved his hand gently and said, "Mr. Van Diemen has returned from Delnate." "Presumably our Lord Diemen must have brought back quite a harvest, right?" Van Longen still said. This was the first time I heard the news and I quickly asked.
"Yes, that place is said to be rich in cloves and cardamom, as well as tin mines. They are all good things." Speaking of this, Cohen's sick face also showed a bit of pride: "It was really great when I sent him to explore the east. A wise decision.”
"My lord has always been so wise." Van Longen flattered him unabashedly.
Anthony van Diemen was born in Kullenberg, Netherlands in 1593. He was a less successful merchant in his early years. After joining the East India Company in 1618, he was stationed in Batavia and changed his career to a navy. Last year, Cohen appointed him as the commander of the expedition fleet to lead a fleet eastward to explore the waters east of Java Island and south of Luzon, and to attack and expel the established power of the Portuguese in this area.
Dernate is located in the Maluku Islands, about 1,500 nautical miles east of Batavia, and needs to pass through the Java Sea, Flores Sea, Banda Sea and Maluku Sea on the way. Although the voyage is far away, the local spices and tin mines are well worth developing. Of course, the most important thing is that such a good place cannot be quietly occupied by the Portuguese who take advantage of every opportunity.
More importantly than capturing Dernate, Van Diemen drew a large number of accurate nautical charts for the East India Company, which provided great help for the company to continue exploring unknown waters eastward and southward. In the original history, after taking office, Van Diemen, as the ninth governor of the East India Company, sent a large number of expeditions to the east of Java. There were indeed many places in New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji and the northern coast of Australia. Named after him. After his death in 1645, the East India Company ordered that the extreme western point of New Zealand Island and an island on the east coast of Tasmania be named after his wife to commemorate his contribution to the company.
"In view of Mr. Van Diemen's outstanding contributions, I have issued an application submitted to the Republic's Parliament to appoint him as the admiral of the Far East!" Cohen coughed a few times, and then said: "If you satisfactorily agree this time, Complete the task, and I will recommend you to take up the seat vacated by Mr. Van Diemen after his promotion.”
In the original history, Van Diemen was indeed appointed admiral in 1631, but it was not Cohen who signed the document for him, but his successor Spikes. But due to a strange combination of circumstances, Van Diemen was lucky enough not to miss his opportunity for promotion.
"I will live up to the high expectations of the Governor!" Van Longen suppressed his inner joy and bowed deeply to Cohen to express his gratitude.
Although he can be regarded as Cohen's subordinate, his actual position in the East India Company is not high, and it is far less than Spikes, Brouwer, Van Diemen and others. And if Van Longen wants to continue to climb up, then obtaining a senior military position is a shortcut. After all, in the promotion assessment conditions of the East India Company, commanders who have held military positions and have experience in leading troops are always better than pure commanders. Businessmen are more likely to gain the favor of the governor and the board of directors. What Van Longen lacked was an opportunity to make a contribution.
"I've given you the opportunity, Mr. Van Longen. It's up to you whether you can seize the opportunity." Cohen covered his mouth with a handkerchief and finished his final instructions while coughing.
"May the Lord bless you for your speedy recovery!" Van Longen took off his hat and strode towards his boat. After some advice from Cohen, he no longer regards this mission as a dispensable errand, but as a great opportunity for his promotion.
"Set sail!"
Following Van Longen's order, the nine sailboats unmoored, lifted anchors, raised sails, and slowly sailed away from the dock. Hundreds of local people waved their arms on the shore to bid farewell to their loved ones. The sailors on the ship also lay on the side of the ship and said goodbye to their relatives loudly. Van Longen did not stop this move. In this era, every time sailors go to sea, they don't know whether they will come back safely. Every farewell to their loved ones is likely to be their last.
Van Longen roughly has a list of places on this more than 2,000-mile route that may encounter natural disasters and where pirates or rival armed ships may appear. Since this trip north is to find out the truth behind the disappearance of the Dutch merchant ship, we can only slow down and explore every suspicious area on the way. Doing so will definitely lengthen the voyage. The original voyage of more than 20 days is likely to be extended by one-third. Van Longen conservatively estimates that the trip will be successful if it can reach Taiyuan Port within 40 days.
The first stop of the fleet was Belitung Island, 200 nautical miles north of Batavia. This large island with an area of nearly 5,000 square kilometers had too many coral reefs around it and was not rich in products. The East India Company did not use it as a The main colonial target was to settle more than two hundred immigrants in the harbor on the south side of the island, which was considered a means of control here. It was not until 200 years later that the Dutch discovered tin ore veins on the island, but that was a story later.
(End of chapter)