Chapter 930 Take action personally
"The Haihan people will not attack Batavia, at least not in the near future." Su Keyi immediately gave him reassurance after seeing Van Diemen. Before he came here, he had already learned about the appearance of the Haihan fleet in the nearby waters, and he also knew the purpose of Van Diemen's invitation to come over for discussion, so he gave Van Diemen a direct answer in the affirmative. .
Although this was indeed the answer Van Diemen wanted to hear, he still cautiously asked Su Keyi to explain it, because he could then use this to persuade the company's board of directors to prevent those guys from jumping out and gesticulating.
"The reason is very simple. After Haihan defeated the Spaniards in the first half of the year, he continued to go north and occupied some islands in the Ming Dynasty sea area, including the area where the famous Shuangyu Port is located. In addition, they also launched a campaign two months ago After killing Zheng Yiguan, it is said that Zheng Yiguan was not allowed to escape from their encirclement this time." Su Keyi concluded: "Haihan's expansion rate is very fast this year, so fast that they don't even have enough. They have to use their energy to manage the newly acquired territory. As for the South China Sea, I think they have more than enough energy. Even if they have the ability to seize some territory here, they cannot spare it for development and operation. ”
After hearing this explanation, Van Diemen felt less relaxed. According to Su Keyi, it was not that the Haihan people did not covet the South China Sea, but because they had taken too big a step towards the north this year, it was difficult to move north and south for a while. A two-pronged approach in both directions. Given time, they can free up their hands, and it’s hard to say who has the final say in the South China Sea.
"Then in your opinion, what is the real purpose of the Haihan people sending their fleet to Batavia?" Van Diemen asked.
"Go south to explore the road, prepare for future operations in the South China Sea, and show off your power to us." Su Keyi replied without thinking: "It is said that the Haihan Army holds large-scale military exercises every year. They conduct military exercises in Annan and The several military bases built on Ambona Island should be put to use after calculating the time. The subordinates thought that the fleet's trip south was an overseas exercise arranged by the Haihan Army, and they would inspect the southern seaport bases by the way. When it comes to attacking Batavia, my subordinates don't believe it. They think that Ampurna Island is two thousand miles away from Batavia, and there is no supply port in the middle. No matter how powerful the Haihan fleet is, it will be difficult to fight at sea for a long time. You always have to turn back.”
"These low-character nouveau riche!" While cursing, Van Diemen could not hide his jealousy of Haihan's financial resources. Sending a huge fleet to cruise thousands of miles of sea territory should be a move that only a large maritime country like the Netherlands can implement. However, the East India Company suffered heavy losses due to the war last year. Now even the funds for building port and coastal defenses are saved from the teeth, and there is no extra financial resources for military training. The batch of new soldiers recruited in Batavia after the war last year have not been issued enough military uniforms and weapons so far. Most of them are even using the military uniforms shipped from the country when the East India Company settled here in 1619. Spears, how can these weapons compete with the Haihan army, which is fully equipped with firearms?
As for the fleet, the gap is really not small. The East India Company's armed fleet was defeated by the Haihan Navy in several previous sea battles. After learning from the pain, of course, I also thought about building a larger tonnage and more artillery. Large warships to compete with opponents, however, the shipyards in the Far East simply cannot build the large warships that the East India Company wants, and the mainland is fighting the Spanish in full swing on the European battlefield. All shipyards are currently working on War services did not take into account the needs of the Far East. Several shipyards that had received shipbuilding orders from the East India Company before this also postponed ship delivery to two years later due to the war.
Van Diemen has already learned from the intelligence collected that Haihan currently has at least three to four large and well-organized fleets, and it only took them five or six years to reach this point from scratch. One side is developing rapidly, while the other side is stagnating. It is difficult for Van Diemen to imagine how wide the gap between the two sides will be in the next two years. The Haihan people were now able to bring a fleet to the gate of the East India Company's base camp to show off their power, and Van Diemen seemed to have no other way to deal with it except ordering his sailboats to leave the harbor quickly to avoid danger. For the Dutch, who regard themselves as a maritime power and sea coachman, this is really a very sad thing.
"If the Haihan people just want to show off their force, why do they still ask for talks? What do you think they want to talk to us about?" Van Diemen tried to calm down his emotions before continuing to ask Su Keyi.
Su Keyi thought for a while before replying: "The Han people have an idiom called 'Alliance under the City', which means an armistice treaty that the defeated country was forced to sign under the threat of enemy troops pressing down on the border. Maybe the Haihan people want to use force to coerce us and agree to their Some of the conditions proposed.”
"We Dutch will not accept any threats." Van Diemen shook his head repeatedly: "No one can coerce the Dutch. We would rather choose war than be coerced by others! If they really come with such an idea, then they will definitely Returned disappointed.”
Su Keyi said: "Mr. Governor, my subordinates are just guessing. This may not be the case. However, since the Haihan people took the initiative to have talks, I thought I could get in touch with them. Although the Haihan people sometimes act unreasonably, they are still very trustworthy. Okay, since they have stated that they want to communicate through talks, it is unlikely that they will try any other tricks. It would be best if they could ask them in person about their intention to go south.”
Van Diemen glanced at Su Keyi, nodded and said: "There are not many people in Batavia who have dealt with Haihan. I will need your help when the time comes."
Su Keyi understood the idea, stood up and responded with his hands in his hands: "Don't worry, Lord Governor, my subordinates will try their best to deal with it and keep Batavia safe."
Van Diemen said: "When the time and place are determined, you can come with me."
Su Keyi was startled. He originally thought that Van Diemen would probably send Van Longen or Van der Wegen, who had also dealt with Haihan, to partner with him, but he never thought that Van Diemen actually planned to take action himself. Although Su Keyi knew that there was no risk in negotiating with Haihan, he was still quite disappointed that Van Diemen had such courage.
However, he did not object to Van Diemen's arrangement. After all, both Van der Wegen and Van Longen were working under Van Diemen, and they did not have the power to make decisions on many matters. Van Diemen himself would be better able to participate in this meeting. Keep it in perspective, and at the same time, you can get a closer look at the strength of the Haihan fleet. The only thing Su Keyi felt was a little inappropriate was not the security issue during the talks, but the fact that Van Diemen personally went to the talks with the Haihan people, which left less room for maneuver. If the two sides disagreed and couldn't reach an agreement, it would be easy to The words are dead. Involving the top decision-maker personally in the process is not an optimal option for negotiations.
It was not until November 10, after several rounds of back-and-forth negotiations, that the two sides finally agreed on the location and time for the talks. Two days later, both sides sent ships to transport the participants to a small sandbar about five nautical miles away from the coastline of Batavia Port. According to the agreement, both parties only sent one ship of similar tonnage, and the number of people landing on the island was controlled within ten to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
The East India Company was led by Van Diemen himself, with Su Keyi present as his deputy and translator. On the Haihan side, Yan Chujie and Roger attended together. Roger, who has lived abroad for many years, can also act as an interpreter when necessary. After the two parties met and exchanged a few words, Van Diemen quickly got to the point: "The northwest waters of Java Island have always been the sphere of influence of the East India Company. You have sent a large number of armed ships into this sensitive sea area this time. I hope that you can Get a reasonable explanation.”
Yan Chujie said: "We believe that Batavia is only a controlled area occupied by the East India Company, not your country's territory. As for the maritime territory, it was only unilaterally demarcated by your side without consultation with any party. It has not been recognized by anyone. The sea area here should be a free navigation area. Mr. Governor’s accusation against us has no basis and is unreasonable.”
Van Diemen retorted: "Then if we send an armed fleet to the waters near Sanya Port, can you have such a tolerant idea?"
Yan Chujie said with a straight face: "I do not recommend that you make such an irrational attempt. Out of the need to protect the territory and the people, our fleet will definitely expel the maritime armed forces that threaten the security of Sanya Port."
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Van Diemen sneered: "Then you have double standards?"
Yan Chujie also smiled and said: "Do you have the same standards for doing things internally and externally? As a senior official, Mr. Governor will not make such common sense mistakes. Who has the final say at sea? Isn't it through force?" To distinguish?”
"You..." Van Diemen took a deep breath and forced his anger back into his stomach. Although he didn't want to admit it, the "principles" Yan Chujie mentioned were indeed the prevailing rules of this era.
In this age of great navigation, the continuous opening of new sea routes, the massive increase in trade exchanges, and the rise of colonialism can be summed up in two words: conquest and plunder. Portugal and Spain were the pioneers in launching colonial plunder, but rising stars such as the Netherlands, Britain, and France are using their powerful military and economic power to compete for the interests that originally belonged to Portugal and Spain around the world.
The Netherlands has many competitors in the Far East, not just Portugal and Spain who came here first. When fourteen Dutch companies merged to form the Dutch East India Company in 1602, the British East India Company had been operating for two years. After that, the French also established the French East India Company in 1604 and invested in competition in the Far East. Naturally, there is no healthy competition between these companies belonging to different countries. They often rely on force to differentiate themselves and squeeze competitors out of their control areas.
As a latecomer, the Netherlands was able to establish colonial strongholds in Persia, Bangladesh, Sumatra, Java, Siam, Taiwan and other places. It did not rely on reasoning with others, but relied on weapons and soldiers to conquer the country bit by bit. . Every expansion of dong Indian companies means the defeat of competitors. In the past, some people pointed their noses at Van Diemen and called him an intruder, but Van Diemen's response was to send troops to clear out the opponent's territory, kill all the resisters, and sell the remaining survivors as slaves to Elsewhere - maybe some slaves flowed from the market into the hands of the Haihan people. It's hard to say.
Even when the Malta Blue Army attacked Batavia last year, Van Diemen did not feel as slighted as he is now. At least the Malta Blue Army paid enough attention to the East India Company and invested more than ten times its troops. On the battlefield. The Haihan people obviously didn't bother to make such a big move to prove their strength. After all, they had never lost in the past confrontations with the East India Company, and even had an obvious advantage. This gave Yan Chujie enough confidence to use a condescending tone. Humiliate Van Diemen.
If you can't win on the battlefield, everything you say is useless. As a general who has led troops, Van Diemen naturally understands this reality. So he decisively stopped the idea of arguing with Yan Chujie, because he knew that even if he continued to argue, the consequences would only be self-humiliation. The Haihan people can sit here and negotiate with themselves with confidence because they have a huge fleet as a backing on the sea not far away, and there seems to be nothing behind Van Diemen except a city that is waiting to be renovated. relied on.
Van Diemen could only keep reminding himself that the purpose of meeting the Haihan people this time was for peace rather than a fight for territory. The East India Company had been exhausted in last year's war, and its strength had not yet been restored. It simply did not have enough manpower, material and financial resources to fight another war. If Haihan intends to start a war, then they must use this meeting to dispel their intention. Even if it encounters deliberate provocation by the other party, the East India Company must try its best to avoid conflict with the other party and not let Haihan Han found an excuse to start a war.
"General Yan, let's get the topic back to the right direction." Van Diemen tried his best to say in a calm tone: "I think you sent a fleet all the way to Batavia. It should not just come here." Just take a look around?”
Yan Chujie smiled and responded calmly: "As for the reason why our fleet will appear here, we have informed you two days ago when we sent envoys to the port to contact you, but it seems that Mr. Governor still doesn't believe it. What we say!”
(End of chapter)