Chapter 666: Step on the door
First defeat the opponent on the battlefield, and then make various demands for war compensation from the opponent in terms of money, land, political conditions, etc. This is what every powerful country will do in the stage of foreign expansion. The East India Company's own expansion process in the Far East People often do this kind of thing. But this time the situation is different from the past. The East India Company is no longer the victor who takes the initiative, but has become the target of blackmail and blackmail after defeat. This bold and unscrupulous opponent has only emerged in recent years. Haihan emerged from the South China Sea region.
Fortunately, Hans Putmans, who was in power in Damuan Port, did not make the same mistake again and again in his attitude towards Haihan. During the negotiations, he rejected all the war compensation demands made by the Ming envoy on behalf of Haihan, and tried his best to protect the East Indies. The company's remaining dignity, and his own career future - if he was foolish enough to accept the conditions proposed by Haihan, then the removal document signed by Governor Cohen would probably be on its way to Taipei Port by this time.
Although the Haihan people's threat had no actual effect, Cohen had truly felt the deep hostility displayed by this method. The Haihan people never took the initiative to send envoys to Batavia to contact the East India Company, and the two sides did not establish any direct trade relations. Cohen once thought that this was because the Haihan people felt that they were not strong enough, so they used this low-key attitude to avoid It attracted the attention of the behemoth East India Company, but this guess seems to be only partially correct. They may have had such a plan in the past few years, but as their wings grew, they were probably no longer content to squat on Qiongzhou Island. Become a group of low-key businessmen.
Although there were various rumors that Haihan sent troops to Annan to assist in countering the rebellion as early as two or three years ago, no one realized what this really meant. Looking back at this time, people with a discerning eye will find that this How difficult is it to send troops to join the war across borders? Haihan is now able to organize a fleet to expedition to Fujian. This is not an ability that suddenly descends from the sky, but a true manifestation of their war strength. In addition, the Haihan fleet on the expedition to Fujian also has the entire Fujian as their rear supply camp, while the poor Dutch fleet can only rely on Damuan Port, which has only been opened for a few years and has a population of only tens of thousands. Small towns are required to maintain operations, which further widens the power gap between the two sides.
After hearing Cohen describe his views on the current situation and Haihan's strength one by one, the company executives present finally realized that what they were facing this time was not the indigenous tribes on the Southeast Asian islands, but the and Like the East India Company, it started from maritime trade, had an independent armed and financial system, and was a group of people full of ambitions for external expansion. The scary thing about Haihan is that they not only have ambitions, but also have the strength to match it. Their performance in trade and armed forces is not weaker than that of the East India Company, coupled with the huge population of the Ming Empire Based on the foundation and commodity sales market, their development speed will only be faster than those who attended the meeting imagined.
"I think this armed conflict in Fujian is just a prelude, a warning given to us by the Haihan people, with the intention of telling us not to interfere in Fujian affairs, but I don't think they will really stop there. When they can stretch out their hands When we go further, we will have more conflicts of interest." Cohen ended his speech in as calm a tone as possible: "Gentlemen, I don't know when the real war will break out. , but I suggest that we should pay attention to it from now on and make relevant preparations.”
"What about the Natuna Islands?" someone asked immediately. The focus of debate during this period has been the Natuna Islands, but Cohen's speech today seems to have consciously shifted everyone's focus from the Natuna Islands to the Haihan people.
"Natuna Island is still the first target we need to solve now." Cohen re-examined his opinion: "If we can't even guarantee the safety of the route to the north, then how can we send a fleet to the north to fight the Haihan people? If one day we really have to go to Sanya to attack the home base of the Haihan people, then an advanced base in the South China Sea is also a necessary configuration. We must first recapture the Natuna Islands before we can consider our next move."
Cohen's eyes turned to Anthony van Diemen, who was sitting on the left, one of the candidates he had high hopes for as his successor. Originally there were also Jacques Spikes and Hendrik Brauwer on this list, but due to their disgraceful performance on Natuna Island last time, Brauer even lost his life on the island. Naturally, the importance of these two people in Cohen's mind has been greatly reduced. Although Spikes returned to Batavia alive, the company will definitely not use him again in the near future, not to mention that he is still burdened with some crimes that have not been cleared in time.
"Mr. Van Diemen, although the letter of appointment from Amsterdam may not be sent until next year, I have decided to grant you the authority of the admiral in advance and be fully responsible for the operational preparations and combat command to recapture the Natuna Islands. Are you willing to accept this? Appointment?" Cohen asked slowly.
Van Diemen immediately stood up, straightened his back and responded: "I am honored to have the trust of the Governor, and I will do my best to complete the mission!"
Cohen nodded slightly and said: "Does anyone object to my appointment?"
He announced the appointment first, and only then asked for everyone's opinions. Obviously he didn't want to hear any objections. Everyone present at the meeting also expressed their congratulations to Van Diemen in a sensible manner, and promised that they would try their best to cooperate with his preparations and not hinder the company's battle plan.
As for Damuan Port, Cohen said that in addition to urging the local area to continue to intensify the construction of city fortifications, he also warned Hans to restrain himself and not to get involved in the armed conflict between the Ming Dynasty and Shibazhi again, so as not to give the eager Haihan people more trouble. You can take advantage of this opportunity. As for Hans's request in the letter for Batavia to send armed ships and personnel to strengthen the defense strength of Taiyuan Port, it was directly ignored by Cohen-if the matter on Natuna Island is not resolved first, how can one dare to safely send troops to Damen Port? Are you going to send someone to send a boat over there?
There is another thing that Cohen has not forgotten, that is, helping Spikes clear his name. Thanks to Van Longen's return, the Battle of Natuna Island finally had the testimony of a second commander, and this was the strongest evidence to confirm whether what Spikes said was true. The company's board of directors convened a two-day hearing and conducted a detailed cross-examination of Van Longen to confirm that what he said was exactly the same as what Spikes said.
At this time, as a captain who had been sailing at sea for a long time, Van Longen's logbook came in handy. In this diary, Van Longen described in detail the entire process of fighting with the armed forces on Natuna Island at that time, and this became a powerful evidence to save Spikes from crimes such as fear of war, command negligence, and battlefield escape. .
But even if he was cleared of these unfounded charges, Spikes still couldn't get the chance to be reactivated immediately. Even if he is not guilty of those crimes, the fiasco on Natuna Island is still an indisputable fact. Brouwer, one of the two military chiefs, had already died on the battlefield and could not be held accountable. He could only bear the blame. As for Van Longen, his identity is only the commander of the merchant fleet. It is not easy to participate in military operations, and no one will hold him responsible for his command.
After Van Diemen took over the position of commander of the East India Company's maritime arm, he began to prepare for the attack on Natuna Island. In view of the previous failure experience, the East India Company must make more complete preparations than before if it wants to regain the Natuna Islands. The troops dispatched last time were obviously not enough to shake the defensive positions deployed by the opponent on the island. Considering that all the opponent's ships were nowhere to be seen, it is possible that the ones stationed on the island were not the main force, so when they go out again, they must Taking into account the possibility of running into the opponent's main force, the small amount of troops dispatched last time is obviously not safe enough. Van Diemen made an estimate based on the previous battle, and believed that at least three thousand troops would be needed to ensure that he could suppress his opponent with firepower and take the initiative in the battle on the island. However, it would be difficult to mobilize as many troops as he needed. Military strength was no easy task for the East India Company.
The East India Company has nearly 10,000 armed personnel in the entire Far East. This is definitely a very deterrent number. However, these personnel are dispersed in dozens of the company's colonies and cannot be quickly gathered in a short period of time. The root cause of this shortcoming is that the colonies are too scattered and there is no way to deploy troops concentratedly. Similar to before the fall of Natuna Island, there were a group of armed personnel and trained indigenous soldiers on the island, but it is obvious that this symbolic defense Strength is not enough to stop the opponent's attack.
The area around Batavia is a key defense area for the East India Company. More than 3,000 armed personnel are stationed in Batavia City alone. However, it is obviously not scientific to send all these soldiers out to fight, so it must be Soldiers had to be drawn from various places to gather the strength needed for this dispatch. The time and transportation required for this kind of mobilization, as well as the intermediate coordination process, are a huge trouble in this era.
As Governor Cohen expected, a week after Van Longen returned to Batavia with the news of the defeat of Damuan Port, a certain maritime merchant who often traveled between the Ming Dynasty and Batavia also brought the news of the Haihan people. Diplomatic correspondence.
The letter was marked as being personally signed by Governor Peterson Cohen and signed to the Hayhan Executive Committee. After receiving the letter, the port officials immediately sent it to the city and handed it over to the Governor's Palace.
After confirming the source of the letter, Cohen personally opened it and checked the contents. Some of his bad premonitions became reality after reading the letter. Soon Cohen ordered a temporary meeting of the board of directors and showed the directors this diplomatic letter from the Haihan executive committee.
"Gentlemen, the Haihan people have made two demands to us in this letter." Cohen raised the letter paper with his hand and signaled to the people present: "The first condition is to promise them that they will not take any more measures in the Fujian Strait. Any form of military action, no cooperation in any field with the Shibazhi, and no behavior against the Ming Dynasty.”
"These are obviously three conditions!" A director immediately muttered with dissatisfaction.
"Although it is very harsh, I suggest you listen to the next point before commenting." Cohen glanced at the person who interrupted him. The person immediately sat upright and returned his eyes to the table in front of him, as if he wanted to see the table. Flowers come.
"The second condition they put forward is..." Cohen paused, adjusted his breathing, and then continued: "They learned that the pirates who attacked Qiongzhou Island last year have now fled to the Ambunas Islands in the South China Sea, which is our The so-called Natuna Islands were entrenched, so they decided to attack this island and destroy the pirates on the island as revenge for the pirates who sacked Qiongzhou Island last year..."
At this point, Cohen stopped again, looked around at everyone present, and then said: "Gentlemen, here's the point! The Haihan people require us not to support local pirates in any form, and not to send military personnel to the area in the near future. land, otherwise they will regard us as a pirate alliance and reserve the right to go to war with us.”
"What! These arrogant guys!" "Are they giving us orders?" "The Haihan people want to attack the Natuna Islands? These guys have stretched their hands too far!"
As soon as Cohen finished speaking, there was a loud noise in the conference room. No matter how dull people are, they have already realized the sinister intentions of the Haihan people's second request - these people have already set their sights on the Natuna Islands, and are trying to use such a shameless Way to take away local ownership rights from the East India Company!
Of course, the current ownership of this place is not in the hands of the East India Company, but belongs to a group of pirates of unknown origin. However, this status quo does not prevent the directors from still treating the Natuna Islands as the company's property and being furious at the Haihan people's shameless demands.
Cohen's expression was very calm. He raised the letter in his hand and said again: "Be quiet, I haven't finished speaking yet..."
After everyone calmed down, Cohen continued: "The Haihan people gave a clear restriction period in this letter, which starts in August and ends at the end of the year. During these four months, all goods bearing the imprint of the East India Company will Any armed sailing ship approaching the island will be regarded as unfriendly and may be attacked depending on the situation. Gentlemen, the soles of the Haihan people have stepped on our faces!"
< br>
(End of chapter)