Chapter 763: Extreme Pressure
Fort Geranje, or its later completion is more appropriately called the City of Geranje. In its original history, this stronghold was considered a rare fortified city among the Dutch colonies in the Far East. When Zheng Chenggong sent troops to attack the city of Relanja in 1661, even though he had ten times the strength, he still had no good way to take advantage of this solid fortress, which was divided into three levels: upper, middle and lower. He could only adopt the simplest and most primitive method. It took nearly a year of siege tactics, coupled with the heavy artillery provided by the Portuguese and the assistance of the Dutch traitors, to finally capture this stronghold.
Before turning against Zheng Chenggong in the original history, the Dutch still had nearly twenty years to complete this project. During this period, they even had enough energy to build another bastion stronghold, Prominja City, on the nearby coast. It is known as Chikan Tower in later generations. But in this time and space, neither Zheng Chenggong nor his opponent the Dutchman Frederick Coyett, due to the appearance of Haihan as an uninvited guest, basically no longer have the opportunity to command this war that will be passed down to future generations.
However, at this time, Fort Geranzia had only completed a little more than one-third of the overall design project. The construction of the city defense fortifications on the bottom floor was basically completed, but the upper two floors of the bastion, which played a more critical role in defensive warfare, had just begun. Construction started soon. With the previous construction efficiency, it probably wouldn't be completed in three to five to seven years. And will the Haihan people have the patience to give them enough time to slowly complete this big project? The answer is obviously no.
The Dutch are no strangers to the achievements of the Hai Han people in siege warfare. When the Hai Han people captured Hoi An, Hue and other cities in Annam three years ago, there were also a small number of Dutch merchants in those warring areas who brought the war situation back to the East. Indian company. A fortified city like Hue cannot hold off the Hai Han militia for too long, so how can we expect Fort Relancha, which is currently in its rough stage, to perform well in the war?
As for the local maritime armed forces, the Dutch are even less confident. After the Haihan militia led by Qian Tiandun defeated the Dutch armed fleet in the waters near Nanri Island in July last year, only about two-thirds of the armed fleet in Damuan Port was left with only about two-thirds of the ships and personnel. The successive defeats of the Shibazhi also greatly affected the trade income of Taiyuan Port, so that the local area could not come up with enough funds to reorganize the armed fleet. If it weren't for such an embarrassing situation, Hans wouldn't have to worry about trying to appease Haihan's neighbors who were about to quell their thirst by offering immigrants.
"Order the guards to close the castle gate. No one is allowed to leave the city without my warrant!" Hans ordered angrily: "Assemble the reserve team! Send people to our southern port and ask them to be ready to send ships to Badawi at any time. Call the police!”
Although Hans also knew that sending a ship to Batavia to call the police was useless, this was still a precautionary step that he had to take as a senior officer. Batavia is still in a semi-paralyzed state after surviving this summer's war. The armed fleet defending the local area does not dare to leave Nanyang easily at this time. Otherwise, if the Malatan people risk their lives and make another surprise attack, they will There was no way to save Batavia. Compared with the city of Batavia, it is self-evident which one is more important.
Taking a step back, even if Batavia still has the remaining strength, they are still willing to send reinforcements to Taiyuan Port. In terms of the efficiency of fleet expeditions in this era, if reinforcements are organized from Batavia and rushed to Taiyuan Port, at least It was also a few months later. However, the voyage from the Penghu Islands to Taiyuan Port is only one day at most. If the Haihan people are willing, they can launch ten offensives from the sea every month while waiting for reinforcements at Taiyuan Port, or they can block the entry and exit of Taiyuan Port with armed force for a long time. channel. I'm afraid that before Batavia's reinforcements arrive, the local economy and defense will collapse.
"Bring me my armor!" Hans knew that the current situation no longer allowed him to sit in the office and give orders. If he didn't go out quickly to show off, rumors might spread in the castle that he had led the escape. . But before going out to command the army, Hans did not forget another thing: "Find Philip immediately and bring him to see me! I want to know what this bastard talked about with the Haihan people in Penghu!"
< br>
Phillip went to Penghu with the heavy responsibility of fighting for peace for Taiyuan Port. He talked for a few days before returning. Unexpectedly, Philip just arrived, and the next day the Haihan fleet had already arrived at the gate of Taiyuan Port. Hans' first reaction was naturally that the report that Philip came back was untrue. Even if he did not collude with Haihan to betray the company, he at least had something to hide from himself. Otherwise, how could the Haihan people show up without warning? Under such circumstances, carry out such a surprise attack?
In fact, Philip's mood at the moment was similar to Hans. When he heard the news that the Haihan fleet had arrived outside the port of Damian, his heart felt like ten thousand grass and mud horses galloping past - he had just agreed to negotiate two days ago. To resolve the current differences of opinion between the two parties, before he left Penghu, the other party also promised to wait for the Dutch side's reply. However, not long after that, they came directly to the door with guns and cannons. Do these Haihan people still talk about trustworthiness? What about resolving differences through negotiation?
But before Philip could find out any further information, Hans' people had already arrived. The soldiers who came to his home this time were not as polite as the last time they invited him out of the mountain. They directly took his arm and dragged him out: "Master Hans needs you to explain some issues to him face to face."
< br>
If Philip hadn't had a good enough mental quality, someone else might have thought that he was going to be dragged out and hanged. Fortunately, he also knew that the progress of his current negotiations with Haihan was in his own hands. As long as the war hadn't started yet, there was still room for maneuver.
Five minutes later, Philip saw Hans in a rage at the temporary headquarters in front of the city gate.
"You came just in time! Tell me, what's going on? Didn't you bring us the good news of peace? Why did the Haihan fleet come to the door so quickly?" Hans became angry when he saw Philip's face. He didn't hit any of them, but he bombarded him with questions.
Philip could only respond with an innocent face: "Master Hans, I did have a good talk with the Haihan people before, and they also said that they would not take force in the near future... This is probably a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding? In the past three months, you have been the only one who has negotiated with the Haihan people as an envoy. Is there any misunderstanding?" Hans didn't quite believe what Philip said. He always felt that this chubby businessman was hiding something from him. place.
Philip indeed lacked the foundation to defend himself on this issue. After the Haihan people occupied Penghu in May, Damuan Port had no direct contact with the Haihan people. It only occasionally passed through some Ming or Ryukyu maritime merchants. information. The tacit understanding between the two parties basically follows the armistice agreement signed at the end of last year. There is no new progress or major changes. Naturally, the East India Company will not take the initiative to change the situation. It wasn't until recently when Haihan sent troops to land on Taiwan Island that the Taiyuan Port panicked and hurriedly sent Philip to negotiate with the Haihan people.
But Philip was the only person in charge who went to negotiate. As to what exactly he had discussed with the Haihan people, Hans could only listen to Philip's report and had no way to verify it with the Haihan people. And Philip had no circumstantial evidence, and it seemed that he could not prove his innocence by relying on self-evidence alone. If he wanted to clear himself, he would have to risk it again.
"Master Hans, if you allow me, I would like to go and interview the Haihan people again immediately, right now!" The only way Philip could think of to prove his innocence was to go to the Haihan people again. Although he also knew that if the Haihan people were really determined to start a war, then even if he went, he would probably be regarded as a victim of the flag sacrifice, but if he did not do this, he would not be able to clear himself in the eyes of Hans The image of a "traitor". Hans was about to agree, but then he shook his head and said, "Wouldn't it be just right if you went directly to join the Haihan people after leaving the port?"
Philip couldn't laugh or cry and said: "My property and family are all in Fort Relande. If you are not worried, please send someone to row a boat to take me out of the port. If I choose to surrender to the enemy, then please do whatever you want with my property and family." Go! ”
Since Philip made such a heavy bet, Hans had to choose to believe him, and immediately sent a team of people to take him out of the city to the dock to take a boat.
“A ship is coming out of Taiyuan Port!”
About an hour later, the sailor in charge of the lookout on the mast reported his discovery to the deck. After getting the news, Qian Tiandun immediately came to the bow of the ship and used a telescope to observe the small sampan sailing out of Damuan Port. Such a small boat less than five meters in length was obviously not out to fight the Haihan fleet, and the "voc" flag representing the East India Company hanging on it already indicated its identity.
"Bring their people to see me when the ship arrives." Qian Tiandun ordered concisely. He knew very well the purpose of the Dutch sending a small boat out at this time, and he brought the Fourth Fleet to show off his force. He also needed such a channel to convey the news and express his purpose to the rulers of Taiyuan Port.
Philip had not met Qian Tiandun during the negotiations a few days ago, but he also knew that Penghu was under a military control system, and the local decision-maker was the senior military officer of Haihan - most likely the Qian in front of him. Officer Haihan. And being able to command such a fleet should be one of the best in Penghu. Based on this judgment, Philip immediately said the words he had just thought of on the way after meeting.
"Dear Sir, we Dutch believe that communication requires both parties to be honest. I just reached a verbal agreement with your Mr. Li in Penghu two days ago. He also assured me that Haihan will not take the initiative. Take forceful action against Damuan Port." Philip's tone suddenly increased: "But what do I see now? A heavily armed Haihan fleet blockaded Damuan Port without any warning. This is what happened. This is an act of banditry, and I want to protest against it on behalf of the East India Company!”
After listening to the translation, Qian Tiandun responded unhurriedly: "First of all, I want to correct one of your statements. We are not taking any force action against Taiyuan Port, let alone blocking Taiyuan Port. I want to ask your attention. Look, the distance between our fleet and Taiyuan Port is not as close as you said, at least it is still outside the artillery range of both sides. In addition, we have not shown any signs of attack on Taiyuan Port or the ships entering and leaving Taiyuan Port. The hostility, you can see, we didn’t even remove the artillery jackets.”
Philip secretly took a look at the gun positions on both sides of the deck. Sure enough, the deck guns in sight were all covered with waterproof gun jackets, and they didn't look like they were about to start firing. Of course, it is unknown whether the conditions on the lower gun deck are the same. As Qian Tiandun said, the Haihan fleet did not get too close to the harbor when it arrived at Danyuan Port, but kept cruising for a distance beyond the coastline. It does seem a bit reluctant to say that the Haihan fleet blocked the port. After all, Haihan's ships did not block the waterway in and out of the port, nor did they use force against any target.
"Then what's the purpose of your fleet coming here? You can't come here specifically to fish, right?" Phillip's idea of wording was resolved by Qian Tiandun in just a few words, and he was a little annoyed.
"This is a very ordinary daily sea training for us, we just happened to be near Damuan Port." Qian Tiandun said with a smile: "I believe your country's navy will also conduct similar training. This is not unusual, is it? ?”
Forced coincidence! Philip was not a fool, so he would not be "just right" as Qian Tiandun said. Military operations would be planned in advance. How could there be such a "just right" arrangement? Moreover, the timing was too coincidental. He had just returned from Penghu, and the Haihan fleet arrived right after him. Wasn't this an intentional demonstration to Taiyuan Port?
"Dear Sir, whether it is for naval training needs or for other purposes, this kind of action without prior notification is very easy to cause misunderstandings. I suggest that you start from now on. Try to put an end to this kind of behavior, so as not to affect the armistice agreement between us and the contents of the previous negotiations that have not been completed." Although Philip was furious, he still tried to maintain restraint and bargained with Qian Tiandun as calmly as possible.
"It would be a pity if you misunderstood our normal military training for other purposes." Qian Tiandun nodded and said: "I agree with your statement, and it is indeed necessary to inform you. But since it is still There is no major misunderstanding, so it is probably time to report.”
"Huh?" Phillip smelled a hint of ominous flavor in Qian Tiandun's tone.
(End of chapter)