Chapter 725 A rare opportunity
Of course Cheng Dapeng also knew the result of last year's negotiation, but the information he knew was compiled and sent from the base camp. Su Keyi was certainly not as clear about the process as someone who had experienced it, so he asked curiously: "What about this?" Mr. Van der Wegen, what do you think of the Haihan Militia?”
Even a close ally like Xu Xinsu would never reveal his true thoughts in front of Haihan executives easily. As for rivals like the Netherlands, which had fought against Haihan, it was even harder to find out what their commanders thought of the Haihan militia. Cheng Dapeng accidentally stumbled upon such an opportunity, so naturally he would not let it go easily.
Su Keyi was in a lively conversation, and when Cheng Dapeng asked about him, he did not doubt his presence. He immediately replied casually: "He believes that the strength of the Haihan Militia can compete with the armies of powerful countries on the European continent. In both Southeast Asia and the Far East, It is rare to find an opponent. Fortunately, the Haihan Militia has limited troops and is currently difficult to deploy in a larger area. However, if it is allowed to develop, it may really threaten the rights and interests of the East India Company in three to five years. The ambition was huge, and there would definitely be friction or even conflict with the East India Company due to trade competition in various places. However, the company's strongholds outside Batavia often only had a few hundred soldiers stationed there. If it really took action, it would probably suffer a lot. ”
Cheng Dapeng thought it would take three to five years. If the Executive Committee really wanted to start a war with the East India Company, it could cut off the route between Batavia and Northeast Asia at any time. The East India Company's strongholds in Taiwan Port in Taiwan, Shuri Castle in Ryukyu, and Hirado Port in Japan were all places that could be taken down by force at any time in the eyes of the Haihan militia. The reason why we are not taking action now is because even if we defeat the East India Company and seize these places, there will not be enough military resources to deploy defensive forces. Rather than engage in a meaningless war, the Executive Committee hopes to seize the time to further strengthen its own strength. Otherwise, if Su Keyi and two Dutchmen go north to Sanya, how can they achieve peace for the defeated East India Company.
Cheng Dapeng continued to ask calmly: "Since this Mr. Fan has suffered a setback at the hands of the Haihan Militia, I'm afraid it will be difficult for the council to trust his words again!"
"Who says it isn't?" Su Keyi put down the tea cup and sighed: "This Mr. Fan is also a young man. He doesn't use any indirection in his words or deeds. He just said it to the council when he came back. If it hadn't been for Cohen at that time Your Excellency, I'm afraid that if you protect him, your military position will be wiped out by the council."
"Then Mr. Fan is still leading the troops in the city?" Cheng Dapeng asked tentatively.
Su Keyi shook his head and said: "We can't win the war, and we can't negotiate. Mr. Cohen gave him two opportunities to perform, but he failed both times. The council has a lot of resentment against him. How can he stay? The former A few months later, he was sent to Danyuan Port to lead troops for his uncle. But he was lucky. If he really stayed, he would be like you and me, stuck here and unable to get out. It’s a blessing in disguise!”
Cheng Dapeng thought to himself that it was the same reason why I was trapped here. If the army outside the city hadn't pressed down on the border, there would never have been a chance to talk about such a sensitive topic. At that moment, Cheng Dapeng continued to ask: "If Ma Dalan's army refuses to retreat this time, or if it really breaks through the city defense, does General Van Diemen, who is leading the army, have any other ways to deal with it?"
Su Keyi said: "If Boss Cheng is really worried, it is better to leave the city from the south gate immediately before the enemy's siege is completed. However, the situation outside the city has fallen into chaos. If Boss Cheng takes refuge out of the city, it may not be safer than in the city. ”
The Ma Da Blue Army attacked from the northern sea this time, and landed some troops on the east and west sides in advance, forming a vague three-sided siege of Batavia City. Now the vanguard is only three or four miles away from the city of Batavia, and only the inland area south of the city is temporarily outside the scope of its activities. However, there are only tens of thousands of acres of plantations stretching for miles in the south of the city, and there is no place to escape the war. A hundred miles to the south are the Sala volcano and the Gede volcano, which are separated from the east and west. There are no human settlements nearby. It would be difficult for ordinary people to survive for a long time if they fled to such a place.
Cheng Dapeng quickly explained: "That's not what I meant. Brother Su Shi, please don't misunderstand me. I'm just worried that if the Dutch are unable to defeat them, they will abandon the city. Then they will be cutters and slaves, and I will be a fish and meat. Wouldn't it be dangerous?"
Su Keyi said: "What Boss Cheng said is not unreasonable, but you and I are not soldiers. We cannot go into battle to kill the enemy, and we are not qualified to dictate how the Dutch use their troops. We can only be spectators."
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Cheng Dapeng said: "You can't see what the fighting situation is like, so you can only listen to the news at home."
Su Keyi heard the meaning in his words and couldn't help asking: "Does Boss Cheng still want to watch the battle?"
Cheng Dapeng nodded and responded: "To be honest, Brother Su, I am indeed a little curious and want to go up to the top of the city to have a look during the war."
Su Keyi stared at Cheng Dapeng for a long time without saying anything, as if to judge whether his statement was true or false. Just when Cheng Dapeng himself began to feel uneasy, Su Keyi said: "If Boss Cheng really wants to do this, I can help. But this is an extraordinary period, and Boss Cheng may need to spend money." One or two.”
Cheng Dapeng suppressed the ecstasy in his heart and responded quickly: "Of course I won't let Brother Su Shi's work go in vain at this time. I will definitely give you a thank you gift."
Su Keyi waved his hand and said: "Boss Cheng has misunderstood. The expense is not on my side, and there is no need to prepare any thank you gifts. What I mean is that Boss Cheng can use the name of condolences to come to the top of the city to watch the battle. If you can do it yourself The cost of preparing the relief supplies will not be too much, a few hundred thousand taels of silver will probably be enough. I will introduce you to the Dutch then, and I think there won’t be any problem.”
Cheng Dapeng quickly raised his hands and said: "Brother Su Shi is kind and righteous! Regardless of whether the matter succeeds or not, I would like to thank you in advance."
Su Keyi returned the courtesy: "You're welcome! In fact, Boss Cheng has already registered with the council. If you apply for condolences on your own, you will probably be allowed." When Cheng Dapeng heard this, he knew that Su Keyi had misunderstood this matter. . He probably thought that Cheng Dapeng's real purpose was to establish a presence with the Dutch in the name of condolences, but he was worried that bypassing the Su family would make him unhappy, so he deliberately took this matter to himself. come forward for help. After all, Cheng Dapeng's Mihang had business dealings with the Council. If he offered condolences to the Council on his own, it would indeed be very likely to be approved.
Of course Cheng Dapeng would not explain it to him, so he made a mistake and said: "If Brother Su Shi hadn't introduced him, how would I have had the opportunity to show off in front of the adults in the council? By the way, when Brother Su Shi left later, I would have This Dahongpao will also take some back to give Mr. Su and the elders in the family a taste. If you like it, you can ask someone to buy some back next time when there is a ship to Fujian. "
Cheng Dapeng was such a good person, Su Keyi was naturally willing to accept his flattery and thanked him immediately. Seeing that it was almost noon, Cheng Dapeng ordered his servants to prepare a lunch for Su Keyi. This day's counting lasted until the sun went down, and then the servants responsible for counting the food presented the counted list.
Su Keyi looked at it, then handed it to Cheng Dapeng to look at, and asked: "Boss Cheng, see if there is any discrepancy in this number?"
Cheng Dapeng looked at the numbers and found that they were consistent with the grain inventory recorded by his family. He nodded and said, "The numbers are true and there is no discrepancy."
Su Keyi conveniently took the brush on Cheng Dapeng's desk, lightly dipped it in some ink, and crossed out the last few digits of the number: "This small change does not need to be included. Boss Cheng can allocate and use it by himself."< br>
With this move, Su Keyi saved Cheng Dapeng tens of thousands of kilograms of grain, which was considered a big favor. Cheng Dapeng quickly thanked him. Although he would also pay for the grain that was requisitioned and controlled by the council, it was unclear how much the council would pay in the end. With Su Keyi's change, Dacheng Rice Bank would undoubtedly reduce the possibility of losses. possible.
"Boss Cheng will hurry up and handle the condolence mentioned earlier. If the war reaches a stalemate after a few more days, the condolence will not be of much significance." Su Keyi stood up and said goodbye: "After you are ready, I’ll send someone to inform you and I’ll arrange a suitable time for you. Come here today!”
Cheng Dapeng sent Su Keyi away with great gratitude, and then ordered the business to close. He called a few capable men to the backyard, informed them of today's harvest, and asked everyone to start buying relief supplies tomorrow so that this could be realized as soon as possible. plan.
Cheng Dapeng was actually not sure how much military intelligence this kind of consolation activity could elicit, but since such an opportunity presented itself, he would certainly not let it go. As for the need to spend some money for this, as long as useful information can be obtained, these expenses are not a big problem at all. After all, the Ministry of Security spent not only 100,000 but also 80,000 yuan to place the intelligence team he led in Batavia. So much money is spent like water, isn't it just to collect valuable intelligence at a critical moment one day?
On July 9, the leading troops of the Malta Blue Army arrived at the gates of Batavia. After a short rest, they lined up to launch an offensive. However, this attack was obviously just a test. About 1,500 Matalan infantrymen carefully marched to about 300 meters below the city, and were stopped by artillery fire on the city wall.
The defenders took the initiative to open fire, causing the Ma Da Blue Army to stop advancing. Since the vanguard lacked the heavy weapons to retaliate against the city wall, only a small number of archers in the Ma Da Blue Army launched meaningless counterattacks against the city wall. After leaving more than twenty corpses behind, the vanguard of the Ma Da Blue Army retreated angrily, and the defenders won the first battle with zero casualties.
Van Diemen, who was supervising the battle at the top of the city, immediately asked the messenger to inform the council of the good news and report the victory to the residents of the city. Although they did not know the specific battle situation, upon hearing the news that the defenders had "severely inflicted heavy losses" on the incoming enemy, the residents of the city expressed their joy at the victory with cheers.
However, the first victory did not make Van Diemen really feel relaxed. In this battle, the city defense artillery fired sixteen shots to kill more than twenty enemies, and the cost-effectiveness ratio was astonishingly low. Although there were reasons such as the enemy's scattered formation, long distance, and the fact that the gunners had not yet entered combat mode, Van Diemen was still not satisfied with the result. If calculated based on this kill rate, it would be almost impossible to rely on artillery superiority to kill tens of thousands of troops outside the city. What's more, the Ma Da Blue Army outside the city is not without heavy weapons for long-range strikes, but they have not yet been transported to the front line to participate in the battle.
That night, the Mata Blue Army camped about two kilometers outside the north city gate. At the same time, the Mata Blue Army camp was also observed on the east and west walls of the city in the distance outside the city. Although the defenders did not suffer any losses in this day's battle, Van Diemen was indeed not happy at all. Before dusk, he suggested to the council that while it was still dark and the enemy's camp was not yet stable, two teams of cavalry in the city could go out and charge for a while. Even if they could not kill many enemies, they could at least delay the progress of their camp.
However, the council rejected Van Diemen's bold and risky operational proposal on the grounds that city defense security was the priority. There are only about 300 cavalry in Batavia. The council believes that using this kind of force to attack the opponent's camp may seriously injure one's vitality if one is not careful. It is better to stay on the city defense and fight steadily.
Although the council's decision was somewhat conservative, there was nothing wrong with it. After all, even Van Diemen himself could not guarantee that a cavalry attack would achieve results. As the only mobile force in the city, it is indeed a very risky act to throw them all into the battlefield in the first encounter. If anyone would agree with Van Diemen's suggestion, it would probably be the late Governor Cohen, who was known for his fierce fighting methods.
But the Dutch's conservatism did not lead to a peaceful night. At midnight that day, the Malta Blues organized people to go under the city wall and cause trouble. It was a pity that these people were discovered by the defenders on the city wall when they were swimming across the moat. Even though hundreds of torches were being thrown down from the top of the city, the musketeers on the top of the city used the firelight to attack the enemies below the city. . After a burst of gunfire, the night attack troops of the Ma Da Blue Army saw that they could not succeed, so they silently retreated into the night.
As soon as it got dark the next morning, Van Diemen sent people outside the city to count the results of the night. In the end, only the bodies of four enemy soldiers were found, which can be said to be better than nothing. However, climbing tools such as hooks and ropes were unearthed from these corpses. If they really climbed onto the city wall at night, it was hard to say how much trouble they would cause. The defenders used horses to carry the corpses back to the city, and hung them in the square in front of the council for public display to demonstrate the military force of the defenders and calm the hearts of the people in the city.
(End of chapter)