Chapter 741 Handover Completed
Due to the historical problems of Ambuna Port, Dutch ships are not only subject to many restrictions when docking here, but the price of obtaining supplies is also much higher than other places in Southeast Asia. Although the Dutch also have a small supply point in the Tammelan Islands, more than 300 kilometers south of Port Ampena, what they can provide there is extremely limited. To put it harshly, except for salty fresh water and Some wild fruits and nothing else to put in your stomach.
Of course, the Port of Ambuna in the past was not much better. Except for a tavern selling low-quality fruit wine on the island that could temporarily relieve the sailors' alcohol addiction, it was lackluster in other aspects. The Dutch only operate this place as a supply station in the South China Sea, and have no plans to invest resources in vigorous development. Anyway, the pampered high-ranking officials all live in Batavia, and no one cares about how the lowly sailors feel.
But now Port Ambuna is different. Since the Haihan people took over here last year, the island has undergone considerable changes. There is no need to go into details about the construction of the port. Today, the terminal of the Port of Ambuna is three times the size of the past, and the efficiency of port operations has also been improved a lot. What makes the crews coming and going here even more gratified is that there are more and more types of supplies available here. The Haihan people even built several breeding farms on the island, transporting various poultry and livestock from the mainland and raising them on the island. Used as a meat supply. In addition, the number of vegetables and fruits on the island has also increased from two or three types in the past, which were sometimes cut off due to seasonal issues, to more than a dozen kinds now. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be purchased at the port through the port center at any time.
The sailors' favorite alcoholic beverage has also been upgraded. Here you can actually buy the authentic "Sanya Special Brew" produced in Qiongzhou Island. Of course, the price is really expensive, it is two dollars more expensive than the one in Batavia. become. However, sailors who are addicted to alcohol during the voyage will not care about these details. Being able to enjoy good wine and food is the most important. After all, this is the only place in the South China Sea where you can enjoy relatively high-quality service.
At present, there are only a few business inns on the island that can temporarily serve as hotels, but a large hotel is already under construction. This hotel is led by the Haihan Ministry of Commerce and invested by the "South China Sea Trade Chamber of Commerce" composed of businessmen from many countries. After that, better accommodation and dining conditions will be provided to travelers temporarily staying here. Of course, the price of services will probably be a little more expensive than in mainland cities. But it is definitely worth it for consumers, after all, there is no other one in the entire Nanhai.
In addition to these, merchants coming and going here can also obtain the latest trade information from the trading hall of the port center, such as the recent cotton textile prices in Batavia, the purchase price of rice in Champa, and the spices in Borneo. Quotes and so on. This economic information does not come from hearsay by businessmen or sailors after drinking too much, but is all provided by members of the "South China Sea Trade Chamber of Commerce", and they are all certified and reliable information. Merchants can use this information to explore business opportunities they can seize and transport goods to the most profitable places for transactions.
For merchants whose voyages often require them to cross the entire South China Sea, the business intelligence they can obtain here is particularly valuable. If you can obtain valuable information, you can not only save yourself time traveling on the sea, but also reduce trade risks and increase trade profits. The fact that the information service provided by Port Ambana is completely free makes it even more difficult to refuse.
Some people may not understand Haihan’s free measures, but in fact Haihan’s approach will not bring economic losses. Instead, it will because it has mastered a large amount of trade information, has strong maritime transportation capacity, and has the ability to transmit information. With technological advantages in means, it can better participate in or even intervene in the prices and processes of some bulk trades. The port center often comes forward to purchase certain goods shipped from Southeast Asia, and these purchase objects are often the most profitable commodities. Of course, as for whom these commodities are purchased and where they are sold, Haihan will not announce them in the trading hall.
Because the various services provided here are not available elsewhere, most merchants from various countries will choose the Ambrosia Islands as a must-stop stop during their voyages across the South China Sea. Even the Dutch, who have always had a grudge against Haihan, will temporarily put aside the past conflicts for practical interests, grit their teeth and accept the blackmail of the Haihan people and stop here for one or two days.
However, this time the Dutch enjoyed special preferential treatment because they brought along the "lucky star" Cheng Dapeng. About an hour after Cheng Dapeng came forward to negotiate with the Haihan people, the port management center notified the Dutch fleet that they would receive a one-time discount on the supplies they purchased at the Port of Ambrosia. Cheng Dapeng's family was given preferential treatment only because he was one of the senior members of the "South China Sea Trade Chamber of Commerce". When the news spread, several Dutch captains were very happy, which meant that they could save a lot of public funds for this supply. In addition to buying wine for the crew, they could also add a lot of money to their own pockets. Less gray income.
But Cheng Dapeng did not return to the dock soon. It is said that he ran into an old acquaintance in the port center and was dragged to a banquet in the evening. This, of course, makes the Dutch captains very envious. Because of their nationality, their freedom of movement in this port is extremely severely restricted. They cannot leave the port at all and can only purchase everything they need through the port center. Although you can buy all the goods and services the island can provide as long as you are willing to spend money, it is not a comfortable thing to be restricted in the activity area. The captains originally wanted to thank Cheng Dapeng in person, but now it seems that they can only complete this plan in a toast at dinner.
Cheng Dapeng now had enough time to report to Roger, and the information he provided also opened Roger's eyes. The Haihan military originally believed that the Dutch would have a greater chance of victory. After all, they had the right location and the right people, and they had more advanced weapons and equipment as support. However, the Matalan people fought across the sea, whether it was troop mobilization or logistical supplies. There are many problems. When these two families fight, the Dutch have at least a 70% winning rate. Even if they can't drive the Malta Blues out of Batavia Port, they can still drag the opponent's logistics to death.
However, the actual battle situation there undoubtedly exceeded the pre-war calculations of the Haihan military. Not only did the Malayan people not suffer any disadvantages on the scene, but in the middle and late stages of the war, they were defeated and the Dutch were retreating and unable to resist. Of course, a large part of the reason for this is that the Malatan people have a huge advantage in military strength, but they also have to admit that their combat methods and effects are very amazing, and the Dutch are obviously not fully prepared for this, and they are almost The tragedy of being successfully copied by an opponent was staged.
Fortunately, Cohen had already arranged a super risky strategy before his death, and fortunately, it was executed almost perfectly during this war. The sudden appearance of the Dutch fleet saved Batavia and the East India Company at the last moment, making the Matalan people reluctant to evacuate this battlefield that had failed three times. No one is sure whether the Malta Blues will come back, but there is no doubt that the losses they suffered this time far exceeded the previous two Dutch-Malaysian wars, and at least in the short term they were unable to attack Batavia again.
As for the damage caused by the war to the city of Batavia, we can also get a rough idea from Cheng Dapeng's narrative. Although there are no specific statistics, the damage caused probably cannot be fully recovered in a short time. Judging from the outcome of the war, it was in line with the expected goal of the Executive Committee, that is, both parties involved in the war would suffer losses.
Although Haihan currently does not have enough strength to extend its tentacles to Sumatra and Java, the damage after the collision of these two forces will also leave more time and space for Haihan to develop. When Haihan goes south in the future, the external pressure and competition he will face will be smaller because of this. Cheng Dapeng did not return to the dock until midnight that day, so the crew members who were already drunk would naturally not have any suspicion about his whereabouts. Early the next morning, after replenishing fresh water, the Dutch fleet set sail and continued sailing north. Cheng Dapeng will continue to implement his mission and play his current role well.
Cheng Dapeng himself may not have realized that his performance during the Batavia War can be called a legend in the history of Haihan intelligence. Later, Roger reported these contents that were not mentioned in previous reports to the headquarters. After that, it immediately attracted the attention of the Executive Committee and the Ministry of Security. This is not only because the war intelligence he collected has a high reference value, but more importantly, he has begun to contact the senior personnel of the East India Company and gained their trust. For the Haihan Security Department, this can be regarded as a major breakthrough in Nanyang intelligence affairs.
The Ministry of Security has arranged two independent intelligence forces in Batavia, one overt and one undercover. Among them, Cheng Dapeng's force is considered overt, focusing on shopping malls and officialdom, while the other force lurking among the people has not yet been established. Reports have been sent back, but it is currently unclear whether it is still operating. In the short term, Cheng Dapeng and the Dacheng Rice Store he runs will be the Ministry of Security's only window and information channel in Nanyang, and the reliance on his line will also increase greatly.
Allowing Cheng Dapeng to establish a relationship with the middle and upper-level personnel of the East India Company was one of the long-term goals of the Ministry of Security. However, he did not expect that Cheng Dapeng could take advantage of such an opportunity as the outbreak of the war and get it. Dutch trust. Cheng Dapeng received a special protection order issued by the East India Company Council before the war was over, and asked him to help raise food immediately after the war. This fully demonstrated the importance and trust the Dutch placed in him. . If this opportunity is used properly, Cheng Dapeng may have more channels to obtain first-hand intelligence materials in the future.
Although Cheng Dapeng himself cannot return to Sanya for the time being to receive face-to-face commendations from the heads of the executive committee, there is no doubt that his commendation order will be issued soon together with the administrative order for promotion - maybe Cheng Dapeng will take over When he returns from the city, he will receive his prize at the Port of Ambrosia.
Although I don’t know what kind of reward the Executive Committee will give to Cheng Dapeng, there is no doubt that Cheng Dapeng’s future career will definitely accelerate as a result. At present, the Nanyang Affairs Office of the Ministry of Security is personally in charge of Hao Wanqing. However, as Haihan's territory expands, Hao Wanqing, who has limited energy, will sooner or later hand over the burden to the people below to share it. He is familiar with the Nanyang environment and has made great achievements in his position. Cheng Dapeng, who has excellent academic performance, will obviously be an excellent candidate.
Of course, before that, Cheng Dapeng will probably be recalled to Sanya for a period of training and study. After all, although he currently has rich front-line work experience, his experience in action planning and personnel management in a certain area may not be able to support a higher position. In addition, the executive committee attaches great importance to the ideological and political work of these expatriates. Like Cheng Dapeng, who has been in a pampered environment for a long time, his mentality will inevitably change little by little. In order to maintain his loyalty, necessary brainwashing methods must be implemented periodically.
The only thing Roger was worried about was whether Cheng Dapeng's Dutch fleet would run into his colleague's Malta Blue fleet on the way. In that case, the two sides would probably have a fight at sea, and The risk is certainly uncontrollable.
However, Roger's worries did not come true. Five days after the Dutch fleet left the port of Ambuna, the Madalan fleet appeared in the waters near Ambuna.
Roger is already prepared for this horse-and-blue fleet. If this fleet recklessly returns to Batavia, it will undoubtedly become a prisoner of the Dutch, and Cheng Dapeng's colleagues may be implicated, which will affect Cheng Dapeng's reputation in the hearts of the Dutch. Credibility. Therefore, Roger planned to intercept the fleet at Ambuna Port. At the very least, he wanted to keep the people from the security department to avoid being dragged into the water by the Matalan people.
The Matalan fleet had docked at Ambona Port when it headed north, so the three accompanying them had also met Roger and others. It was not difficult to find them among the crew. The main trouble lies in how to keep these three people and try to avoid unnecessary conflicts with the Ma Talan people.
Li Dagui gave Roger a simple and rude idea - to directly take advantage of the black people and swallow up the horse and the blue man's business together with the people and the ship. Haihan and Madalan have not formally established diplomatic relations, and have not even established direct commercial relations, so there is nothing to avoid. Ambuna Port is Haihan's territory. It takes only a few minutes to capture this fleet, but it can't be said to be very troublesome.
(End of chapter)