"Is this the information you got from that woman?" In an official residence in Batavia, the Governor of the Dutch East India Company, De Carpentier, looked at the report in his hand and looked at the respectful Spanish in front of him. the veteran asked. [No pop-up novel website]
A man of medium height stood in front of the fireplace. This man has an arrogant and ferocious look, sharp eyes, a broad forehead, two mustaches around his mouth, and a short mustache under his lips, which makes his originally thin face look longer. Years of exposure to the East Indian sun had given her skin an unhealthy tan. Although he was only in his early forties, his head was already gray—East India was not a hospitable place.
This person is the Governor of the Dutch East India Company in Batavia: De Carpentier. As the successor of Yang Peter Cohen, the founder of the East India Company in Southeast Asia, he was also an outstanding governor of the East India Company in Batavia, with all the characteristics of a senior executive of the East India Company: Shrewd and ruthless. Calculative and perseverant.
"Yes, sir," said Savanchi Gonzalez, "it cost four thousand guilders in total."
"It's quite a lot." The Governor blurted out with a businessman's reaction. Gonzalez felt contempt in his heart - although he was just a so-called "country squire" from the countryside of Castile, he had a so-called "Spanish lord"-like character. It is incompatible with the Dutch "small shopkeeper" mentality.
De Carpentier looked carefully at the bound booklet in his hand. The answers to the 125 questions he asked were written on it in a beautiful cursive calligraphy of a graceful woman. Some answers are very simple, with only a few words, while others fill dozens of pages at a time.
He rang the bell on the table and his secretary came in.
"Translate this pamphlet. In German," said the Governor. "Quickly."
"I'll read it all night. I'll deliver it to you tomorrow morning." The secretary bowed and left.
The Dutch governor could not read Portuguese. He could only wait for his men to translate the pamphlet and then read it carefully. But the "Spanish Bank" in front of me has been in Macau for several months and should have collected a lot of useful information from the local area.
"Well, since you are from Macau, you should have heard a lot about these Australians. It is said that it is a trading point they frequent."
"Yes, my lord."
"Tell me about your experience." De Carpentier picked up a wine glass from the tray on the table, filled it with a rare local Portuguese wine and handed it to him.
"Thank you, sir." Savanchi Gonzalez gratefully took the glass and took a long sip. To be honest, this wine is not good to drink - more than a year of rough seas and the average temperature here of over 30 degrees Celsius have made the wine too sour. But for those who have not been able to drink wine for a long time, this glass of wine is like nectar.
"I heard many stories about Australians in Macau and saw their products..."
"Start from the beginning and tell me what you think of that Portuguese woman."
"She is beautiful," Savanchi Gonzalez laughed, "and very hot. A bit like a Creole woman. She is very smart and cunning. God is my witness, there must be a little devil hidden in her body."
"It is said that she is very influential in Macau?"
"Yes." said Savanchi Gonzalez. "It is said that she was ruthless, and those who were against her often died inexplicably or disappeared without a trace. She made a lot of wealth from the sea, so There are also many powerful people in the upper echelons.”
The Governor nodded. He also learned this from Macau's intelligence network: Li Siya had a strong influence in the Macau Municipal Council through bribery. She was generous without asking for much, and was a welcome donor to the city councilors.
"Although she seemed to me to be a reclusive person, she never appeared in public and many people had heard of her but never seen her. Few even knew where she lived."
"How did you meet her?"
"In the tavern, and then someone took me there - and put a blindfold on me."
"She is very careful," the Governor said to himself. It seems that Li Siya has many enemies. Macau is not a very big place, so it is not easy to hide.
"Tell me about the Australians."
Savanchi Gonzalez recounted all the things he saw and heard after arriving in Macau, especially the various "Australian goods" sold in Macau: large amounts of rum and Chinese spirits, and various papers: Everything from the best writing paper to toilet paper; all kinds of sweets, the most popular white sugar, rock sugar and fruit-flavored candies...
De Carpentier listened very carefully - although the Spanish soldier in front of him spoke confusingly and lacked organization, it was the most authentic first-hand information. Combined with the intelligence provided by Li Siya, it is enough for the Batavia authorities to determine their policy towards the Australians.
The appearance of the Australians did not attract the attention of the Dutch at first - Guangzhou, China's largest trade port at that time, was occupied by the Portuguese. After the East India Company's attempt to open a trade port in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou failed, the trade window with China was transferred to Taiwan. Taiyuan Port. In other words, their main trading partners were merchants in Fujian, not in Guangdong. Not to mention Hainan Island, an island in the western part of Guangdong. A group of overseas immigrants occupied a remote island in China. It took almost half a year for the news to reach Batavia, but no one took it seriously. It wasn't until Leizhou began selling high-quality sugar in large quantities that the "Australians" really came into the East India Company's sight for the first time.
Sugar is one of the most profitable goods shipped by the East India Company from China. The East India Company not only transports Chinese sugar shipments to Europe for resale, but also transports them to the coast of the Persian Gulf for sale. It is the most important product besides spices. Trade products. There are now a large number of high-quality sugar products appearing in the markets of Guangzhou, Macau and Vietnam, which has certainly attracted their attention. The businessmen stationed in Taiwan reported back: According to the Chinese businessmen who shipped the sugar, the sugar was shipped from Leizhou and Lingao - and reported that the business exhibition in Lingao has been very fast recently, and import and export trade Very prosperous.
The Batavia businessmen immediately spread out their maps to look for the place "Lingao". The Dutch were relieved when they found that this place was far away from their main trading port. Then, they got more news from Liu Xiang, their ally on the coast of China: including a group of overseas immigrants who claimed to be Australians in Lingao, who claimed to be royal descendants of the previous dynasty, etc. The most critical news is that the Australians are very armed and strong enough to protect themselves. They defeated the Spanish and various pirate attacks one after another. This makes businessmen nervous - it means that Australians are about to form a new force in Lingao.
Although the Dutch took no action, their eyes were always on Lingao. The Dutch East India Company was most concerned about firstly monopolizing the spice trade from the East Indies to the Middle East and Europe, and secondly, trying to expand and ensure its dominant position in trade with Japan and China. They are most concerned about whether the sudden appearance of Australians and their move to export goods in large quantities will affect the current situation.
Overall, Australians are not active in overseas trade. Although they imported and exported heavily, it was clear that their main trading partner was the Ming Dynasty. Next is Beiqi. Those products that are ultimately sold outside China are mostly sold in Macau and some are traded in Guangzhou. The East India Company's commercial network in Southeast Asia has never reported that so-called Australian merchant ships have arrived at these ports - although Australian goods are continuously entering these ports. Obviously, Australians lack the ability to travel long distances at sea. This makes businessmen feel at ease: as long as they can monopolize shipping, they also have a monopoly on the profits of trade.
In particular, Lingao's products are highly competitive. In addition to wine and confectionery, glass products and paper also had great potential, with the former already beating the sales of Venetian goods in the Far East. Low-cost glass products and mirrors from Lingao flooded into Southeast Asia and India. Venetian products, from the most expensive large glass mirrors to cheap perforated glass beads. So much so that the Council specially wrote a letter back to Europe, demanding that it stop purchasing all Venetian products and use Lingao products instead. Even businessmen have discovered that even if the expensive shipping costs are taken into account, the cost of glass mirrors purchased from Guangzhou and sold in Europe is still lower than that of glass mirrors produced in Venice - especially for some large-format products, the cost difference is particularly obvious. As for the wholesale price of paper, it was so low that they were surprised. .
From this point of view, the Australians in Lingao are business partners who can cooperate rather than enemies - what the Dutch fear most is the forces with strong maritime power, and they will spare no effort to eliminate or squeeze out opponents with maritime power and monopolize the transportation of goods. The route was their consistent purpose in the East Indies and East Asia.
Lingao does not fit this point. Although many sources indicate that the Australians had a navy, including a huge iron ship as large as a castle, no one has ever seen this iron ship moving. Therefore, De Carpentier believed that this was either a rumor, or that the large ship had lost its navigation ability and was nothing to be afraid of.
This is an issue that the Governor is very concerned about. As a sea coachman, he is very aware of the potential threat of a super giant ship. Once this ship can sail, it will not only be a huge maritime threat, but the large volume of cargo it can carry is also a number that is beyond human imagination.
"...About that big iron ship, it does exist." Savanchi Gonzalez said, "Many businessmen and sailors who have been to Lingao say it is indeed true. There is a man named Aragones. I've been to Bo Pu. Li Siya also said it was true." ..
