Chapter 724 Collecting Intelligence
Although Cheng Dapeng is not affiliated with the Ministry of Commerce, he comes from a merchant family and is no stranger to business in the mall. This is the main reason why his superiors assigned him the identity of a businessman as a cover. His own areas of expertise and main focus are also focused on the collection and organization of economic intelligence. This makes him feel at ease when interacting with people like Su Keyi, and he can complete the tasks assigned by his superiors almost effortlessly.
On this basis, he has also experienced a situation that most intelligence personnel have not encountered, that is, war. At present, many people in the city are very uneasy about the upcoming war, but for a person like him who has experienced the pain of genocide, the current war situation facing Batavia City is not that terrible. Although the Madalan people are warlike, they are not all barbarians. They attacked Batavia just to covet the wealth here. Even if they conquered it, the possibility of massacre of the city is very low. After all, the ruler of Madalan wanted It is a cornucopia that can continuously generate wealth, rather than the ruins of a dead city that loses value once acquired.
Therefore, Cheng Dapeng was not too worried about his personal safety, but wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to extract as much valuable information as possible from the Chinese comprador. Now that Su Keyi came to visit on his own initiative, it saved him a lot of time.
Cheng Dapeng first asked his servants to make a pot of tea and poured it for Su Keyi himself: "This is the tea sent from Fujian by my family last month. Brother Su might as well taste it. This is the rock produced by Jiulong Nest in Wuyi Mountain." In the past, no one knew that tea grew in remote mountains, but the Haihan people asked for the tea leaves from that place by name, and directly paid for the land. The Haihan people were always known for being good at enjoying things. It's definitely not bad. Later, a small amount of this tea leaked out and people tried it on the market. It turned out to be a good thing. However, there is so little produced every year, and 90% of it is bought by Haihan people, and it is not usually seen in the market. "
Su Keyi responded: "Wuyi Mountain's tea is famous, and I've heard of it a little bit, but when Boss Cheng mentioned this place name, this is the first time I've heard of it."
Cheng Dapeng said: "Wuyi Mountain has thirty-six peaks and ninety-nine rocks. There are teas in the rocks. In the Song and Yuan dynasties, there were varieties selected as tribute tea. Such as Bai Daixiang, Su Xinlan, Bu Jian Tian, Jin Suo Shi, Zui. Begonia, ferns, melon seeds, etc., but this kind of tea only became famous after the Haihan people arrived in Fujian.”
Su Keyi picked up the tea cup and saw that the color of the tea was dark brown and fresh, clear and gorgeous, the bottom of the leaves was soft and bright, the edges of the leaves were vermilion, and the center of the leaves was light green with yellow. The fragrance was overflowing, and he couldn't help but take a sip. The tea was sweet in the mouth. Smooth, he immediately praised: "It is indeed a good tea, but Wuyi Mountain is the place where tea is produced. This kind of good product should have been discovered long ago. How could it be cheaper for an outsider like Haihan?"
Cheng Dapeng explained: "It is said that the tea-making method used by the Haihan people is different from the method mastered by the locals, and the quality of the finished products is also very different. When I went to Sanya to do business, I heard that the Haihan people It has been said that they have to make this tea through more than ten processes such as sun-drying, drying, shaking, shaking, pounding, frying, kneading, initial baking, winnowing, picking, reheating, sifting, stacking, and blending. The process is very complicated. , can we produce finished products of this quality.”
Su Keyi sighed: "Haihan people are good at craftsmanship. I didn't expect that they are so good at making tea... I wonder what the name of this tea is?"
Cheng Dapeng said: "The Haihan people named this tea Dahongpao."
"Dahongpao? This name is quite unique." Although Su Keyi didn't know what it meant, he didn't think about it further.
After Haihan's trade tentacles extended into the Fujian market, the Ministry of Agriculture issued a report to introduce tea trees from Wuyi Mountain, so the Executive Committee naturally made arrangements to introduce the best varieties of tea trees to Hainan Island for trial planting. However, after asking around, no one knew about the most famous Dahongpao in later generations. Later, after checking the classics, it turned out that Dahongpao was slowly noticed by tea drinkers in the world in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and it would probably take a few more years before it was actually named. years later. Haihan naturally would not let go of this resource, so he immediately spent money to buy the land in Jiulong Nest in Wuyi Mountain, and then sent people to operate it locally. With Haihan's level of commercial hype and the quality of this high-end tea itself, it naturally quickly became famous in the tea market.
The production capacity of this kind of tea is very limited. It is true that Cheng Dapeng said it is not available on the market. Except for a few that are used as gifts to local related households in Fujian, the rest are used to make Haihan's internal special welfare. . Originally, this thing could only be enjoyed by time-travelers, but in order to create the identity and background of the eldest young master of an aristocratic family for Cheng Dapeng, the Ministry of Security still found ways to take some from the limited quota and send it to Batavia.
This thing may not be of much use in Cheng Dapeng's work, but it will become part of Cheng Dapeng's status symbol together with various other carefully created details. It is precisely with many such details that people like Su Keyi are convinced that Cheng Dapeng is indeed a businessman from a wealthy family.
Of course, Su Keyi would also notice from Cheng Dapeng's intentional or unintentional words that his family maintains a good relationship with the Haihan people, otherwise he would not see things here from time to time that are not seen in the market. Haihan goods.
"I heard that the Haihan people are accustomed to keep the best things for themselves and only sell second-rate and third-rate goods. Today's Dahongpao has verified this statement." After Su Keyi took another sip, He continued to comment: "Since last year, merchants have brought Sanya high mountain tea from Qiongzhou to Batavia for sale. I have tasted it before, but it is still far from the Dahongpao. However, the foreign adults in the council are I like it so much that I bought a lot and plan to ship it back to China to sell it at a high price.”
Cheng Dapeng said: "Most of Sanya's high mountain teas are tea species introduced from Wuyi Mountain. If the feng shui is changed, the quality will naturally be different. However, these Westerners are rough people and they probably can't taste the difference. ”
Su Keyi's status was sensitive and he did not answer his question at the moment. He smiled and changed the topic: "Boss Cheng is a person who enjoys things. But now that Batavia is besieged by the Nanyang barbarian army, it will be difficult to feel comfortable in the near future."< br>
Cheng Dapeng immediately asked: "In addition to controlling food, do you know if the council has any other countermeasures?"
Su Keyi said: "Of course there is. Starting tonight, the whole city will implement a curfew. Do not go out and walk around after nightfall, lest you be arrested as a spy by the patrol team in the city. In addition, every year in the city All men over the age of sixteen are required to sign up in each district and wait for the unified dispatch of the council. "
Cheng Dapeng asked deliberately: "What about a weak scholar like me who can't carry it on his shoulders or lift it in his hands?"
Su Keyi smiled and said: "This is just recruiting civilians. Boss Cheng is naturally not included in this, so you can rest assured." Cheng Dapeng cupped his hands and said: "Brother Su will take care of it! But with this army besieging the city, what will happen to the council? A plan to retreat from the enemy? ”
"Retreat the enemy? It's good if you can defend the city without losing anything." Su Keyi explained: "There are less than 3,000 Dutch soldiers in the city, plus more than 4,000 auxiliary troops, the total force is less than 8,000. I heard that outside the city The number of horses against the Blue Army has exceeded 40,000, and the fleet will continue to send people to land. With such a strength difference, what will the council use to repel the enemy? "
Cheng Dapeng pretended to be surprised and said: "It turns out that the situation is already so tight... Then who is commanding the city defense right now?"
"It's Lord Admiral Van Diemen." Su Keyi had no intention of concealing anything and immediately replied: "Although this Lord rarely appears in Batavia, it is said that he was promoted to general because of his previous experience. In the past few years, I have suppressed many Nanyang indigenous tribes in the Molucca Sea in the east. I have risen through the ranks simply by relying on my military exploits. I must be able to command battles for my own strength."
The "Molucca Sea" mentioned by Su Keyi is what Haihan called the Maluku Sea according to the custom of later generations. This island located in the western Pacific Ocean is rich in various tropical cash crops, and has always been one of the key areas monitored by the East India Company in Southeast Asia. Van Diemen has been operating in the Maluku Sea and the adjacent Banda Sea, Sailan Sea, and Halmahera Sea in the past few years. While suppressing the resistance activities of the island's indigenous people, he also drove away British and Portuguese merchant ships and colonists. He indeed made considerable contributions to the East India Company's monopoly on the resources in this area. The then Governor-General Cohen was also well aware of Van Diemen's deeds, so he recommended Van Diemen to the Dutch Parliament for the position of Admiral of the Far East Navy.
Among the military generals currently staying in Batavia, Van Diemen has the highest position and prestige, and he also has no shortage of practical experience. Therefore, although the council still had some friction with him over the selection of the governor's successor, under the pressure of the army, it had to temporarily choose to compromise and give him the highest local military command.
Seeing that Su Keyi had let down his guard, Cheng Dapeng began to slowly reveal military information. He also continued to talk: "It turns out that there are only seven or eight thousand armed men. For Lord Fan, fighting this battle may be difficult. It’s not easy anymore.”
"That's right. It's hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice. With just such a small force, it will be gone after all the fighting. Lord Fan gave up the defense outside the city and retreated to the city to set up defenses. It was because of this." Su Keyi couldn't help but sigh: "What if? The troops are strong, and attacking the blue army while they are on the way will definitely dampen their spirit. What a pity!”
Although Su Keyi doesn't know how to fight, he understands the basic principles of offense and defense. For a port city like Batavia, if the enemy wanted to attack, they would have to carry out a landing battle. This was originally an excellent natural defense line, but Batavia did not dare to deploy its main force between the port and the port due to its limited military strength. In a head-on battle, the enemy could only completely abandon this line of defense that could have caused a lot of damage to the enemy. In order to prevent the weapons on the coastal defense forts from falling into the enemy's army and being used in the siege, Van Diemen even ordered the destruction of two large-caliber heavy guns that were too heavy to be moved back to the city in a short time.
Cheng Dapeng said: "If this horse defeats the Blue Army and does not attack the city, I am afraid that the food in the city will not be able to last for three months!"
"It doesn't matter, they will definitely launch an attack!" Su Keyi explained: "The Malta Blue Army comes from all over Southeast Asia, and if so many tens of thousands of people are mobilized to fight in Batavia, there will be unavoidable consequences. Difficulties arise. First, there are supply difficulties. All the combat needs of these tens of thousands of people have to be transported by sea, which is no easy task. In the past few years, they sent troops to attack, but in the end they retreated due to insufficient supplies. With so many troops leaving their original bases, it will inevitably create a void in the country. As time goes by, the risk of domestic trouble will increase. From what I can see, this horse attack the blue army will definitely take advantage of this. He must have the momentum to launch a siege as soon as possible, so as not to drag on the war for too long and bring down his own family first.”
Cheng Dapeng nodded and replied: "Brother Su Shi is right. I just don't know how the local city defense is. Can it withstand the fierce attack of several times the enemy's force?"
Su Keyi said: "There is no need to worry too much about this. Batavia renovates its city fortifications every year. Although the city was only built ten years ago, the fortifications have been added three or four times. The city wall facing the sea is thick. More than two feet, artillery fire is difficult to penetrate. There are forts every five feet on the city wall, and there are hiding holes every hundred feet under the city wall. In wartime, thousands of musketeers can be deployed to the city head to assist in defense. If the army dares to attack the city wall, it will look good.”
Cheng Dapeng secretly remembered this information in his mind. Places like the city wall were always heavily guarded. As a foreign merchant like him, he would definitely not be able to go up there for on-the-spot inspection. The information Su Keyi leaked in the chat can already be regarded as very valuable military intelligence.
Cheng Dapeng asked again: "I wonder how these defenders in the city compare to the Haihan militia, which claims to have never had a defeat since the founding of the army? If they have the combat power of the Haihan militia, it will not be a big problem to defend the city."
Su Keyi shook his head and said: "This... I'm afraid there is still a gap. I went to Sanya last year. Although it was just a glimpse, I felt that the Haihan Militia was indeed well-deserved. Its equipment and training level were far superior to the army in this city. When I first arrived in Sanya, I lived in a military camp. The Haihan militia had to go out for training every day at dawn. Just imagine that they were preparing for war every day, and they naturally performed well on the battlefield. Although these armies in this city also have daily training, they practice every five days or every ten days. Most of the auxiliary troops are recruited temporarily when the war breaks out. How can this be compared?"
Cheng Dapeng pretended to be surprised and said: "If the two armies met on the battlefield, wouldn't the Dutch be defeated in one battle?"
Su Keyi sighed: "Before last year's negotiations, the Dutch had already suffered a major defeat in the Fujian waters. Just because of face, the news did not spread in Batavia. The officer Fan Dewei who went to Sanya with me to negotiate with Haihan Gen is the commander of that defeated battle.”
(End of chapter)