Chapter 65
Discussions went on and on, although some suggested that it would be better to send a naturalized citizen, or hire an influential native from Macau or even Batavia to act as consul - hiring foreigners to act as consuls was a common practice in the 17th century. [Read the latest chapter] But Skade felt that it was a waste to give up a great opportunity to directly observe and influence Batavia.
"Diplomats are the best spies." Jiang Shan said seriously to the veterans of the Intelligence Bureau in the office building of the Intelligence Bureau. "It would be a pity to give up this opportunity!"
"I'm willing to go if there's no suitable candidate," someone in the conference room said.
This man is in his thirties, with a bearded face and a pair of bright black eyes. With her hair in a bun, she looks both elegant and chivalrous. Wearing a green pleat. At a glance, he could tell that he was a veteran intelligence agent who was sent to receive training from the mainland in Department B of the Intelligence Bureau's training class.
"I understand English, German, French and Latin, and I can read Spanish - but I can't understand it," he said. "If I can speak German, there won't be much of a barrier to communicating with the Dutch."
"Old Zhao, you shouldn't go. We will soon go to Zhejiang to recruit people, and then we will transfer the mainland's population on a large scale. The layout of the two rivers is very important." Jiang Shan immediately denied, "If we go out now, it will take at least three or four It will take months to effectively settle down, and it will take at least half a year to open up the situation. If you go to Batavia, all the previous training will be in vain. "
The main work of the Intelligence Bureau in the second half of 1631 was to acquire and transfer people on a large scale from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui. The station opened in Hangzhou would be an important deployment point of the Intelligence Bureau system in the southeast. Jiangshan certainly did not want his overall plan to be disrupted.
In the end, volunteers were recruited from Caijinkou to Batavia in accordance with the recruitment principle. Fortunately, the consul had an open status and did not need any cover training.
The person who volunteered to serve as consul in Batavia was a veteran named Xue Ruowang, who was a certified public accountant and certified tax agent. In Caijinkou, we specialize in the construction of fiscal and taxation systems. I felt bored with the system construction and finance and taxation work, so I wanted to go out and see if there were other more exciting jobs to do. Xue Ruowang didn't know German or Spanish, but he was proficient in English, French and classical Latin, and he could still work in Batavia with difficulty. Fortunately, there were many people in Caijin's mouth, and Cheng Dong said he could let them go.
"The scale of Dutch financial operations was very high in the 17th century. We might be able to find some opportunities by placing someone familiar with finance in Batavia." Skade was very happy to hear that someone was willing to go, "In addition, We can also introduce some modern international trade systems into the import and export trade between us and the Dutch. Or simply open a bank in Batavia..." Skade became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke.
"We'll discuss this matter later," Jiang Shan said. "Let Lao Xue stay in Batavia first."
So the final decision was made to be the consul in Batavia, Xue Ruowang, which made the elder who had been immersed in ledgers and figures overjoyed.
"After I arrive in Batavia, I will try my best to open a Batavia branch as soon as possible..." he said with excitement.
"To be honest, I'm worried about your future." Yan Ming, the president of Delong Bank, said with a melancholy face at Caijinkou's farewell banquet. "You have to be careful about that damn place. Don't make trouble." Tropical disease, even if you send a doctor immediately to save you, it will be too late..."
These words immediately made Xue Ruowang's energy recede. Although everyone had received as many vaccines as possible before traveling, including some vaccines that would only be received when traveling abroad to Africa and Southeast Asia, many vaccines are not effective for life after one immunization, and some of them are almost expired. . Although the work of developing vaccines in biological laboratories has made great progress, there is still a long way to go before we can return to the immunity level of the 21st century.
"It's okay. If the Dutch can stay, so can I." Xue Ruowang pretended to be heroic, "Besides, there are a lot of Chinese people there. I'll be careful and I'll be fine."
Before leaving, Xue Ruowang got a "life-saving box".
"This is prepared for you by the organization." Skade pointed to this exquisitely crafted small box with a rattan buffer layer on the outside, iron stamping on the inside, and animal skin lining to prevent moisture.
The box is very small and comes with a special carrying strap, so it can be easily carried on your back and you can escape when necessary.
The box contains medicines specially distributed by the Ministry of Health for the local situation in Batavia. There are anti-malaria products, snake medicine, antibiotics, and other emergency medicines and wilderness survival equipment. Finally, there are 5o Portuguese gold coins.
"I hope you don't get a chance to use this," Skade said.
"I think so."
As usual, Xue Ruowang will bring his life secretary with him. Xue Ruowang once hoped to get a Dutch woman in Batavia, but people from the Department of Colonization and Trade thought this was unlikely. The Dutch rarely transported European women to the local area, and even a few women were other people's wives.
After Xue Ruowang's life secretary decided to go to Batavia, he received confidential training in the confidential class of the General Political Security Administration, learning passwords and radio usage. Through the radio station, the Colonial and Trade Department can effectively understand the business and political conditions of Batavia.
Excerpts from Leib Trini's correspondence with Venetian friends.
Dear friends:
I am very happy to write to you. Since arriving in the Far East, all kinds of novel experiences have been flooding my mind. It is a great honor for me to share these experiences with you. Being able to go to Lingao was an eye-opener for me.
As an attaché of the company, I was able to go to Lingao, a city so-called established by Australians on Hainan Island, and after obtaining a formal trade agreement, we were allowed to move freely to observe this city established by a nation we had never known.
As you must know, as a painter, I have a keen interest in observing things. Whether on the sea to the Far East, in Batavia or various places in the East Indies, as long as I see the scenery with my own eyes, I will try to keep them in my notebook. At Lingao, I certainly had the same interest, not to mention that this was also one of the reasons why the company sent me as an attaché.
…
Mr. Gonzalez, a Spaniard, and I left the business building in the evening. The gatekeeper of the commercial building did not restrict our access, but only reminded us not to leave the Dongmen City area at night with a sign written in various languages. In order to ensure that we could return to the business building, he also gave us a small cardboard card with some kind of writing on it-it seemed to me that it was Chinese characters-as long as we handed the piece of paper to pedestrians on the road. I was able to be led back to the store smoothly.
There is no difference between Dongmen City at night and during the day. The street lamps along the streets emit bright light from behind their glass shades. The cable is illuminated very brightly, making it easy to find a button even if it falls off on the road. Streetlights not only exist on the main streets, but you can also see traces of them even when entering the branch roads and alleys - but they are not as dense and bright.
Obviously, on such a dark night, Dongmen City's security is better than any other city. The light drives away the gangsters' best cover for their crimes - darkness.
Mr. Gonzalez and I wandered the streets until midnight. Even when there were few people on the streets, we still felt very safe. Not only did we feel this way, but those shops that stayed open until late at night should feel the same way.
Out of curiosity, Mr. Gonzalez and I went deep into those remote alleys. It really surprised me: the streets in Dongmen City, whether they are streets or alleys, are very neat and clean - this is really a miracle. There was no trace of garbage or excrement anywhere. Every inch of the road is paved with slate, gravel, bricks, or black solid sand, so no sewage remains on the road. It is not difficult to understand why Australians have a strict quarantine system for any foreigner entering their territory. It is indeed difficult for an epidemic to break out in such a clean and hygienic city.
In order to ensure hygiene, they set up garbage collection rattan baskets in many places, and all garbage is collected in them. Public toilets are also set up everywhere in the streets and alleys. Of course, these two points alone are not enough to ensure hygiene. You must also know that many nobles and prominent figures defecate or even defecate under the stairs of their own and other people's palaces without any care - even though there are toilets in the palace. I can only think that under Australian rule, the moral standards of local people have been greatly improved.
We were originally going to find a pub to drink, but the various exotic customs on the streets of Dongmen City attracted us. From time to time we enter the shops along the street to observe the products. The shopkeepers and waiters seemed not surprised by the Europeans, whom they seemed to see all the time. Later we learned that there were Europeans among Australians. Of course, how these Europeans became Australians is unknown.
There are a variety of products sold in the shops, and almost all the Chinese products we commonly see in East Asia can be seen here. The price is not very expensive either. There is a large supply of fruit locally, and there are even shops specializing in selling fruits and fruit products. Especially there are a lot of mì preserves. Apparently they had no shortage of sugar supplies.
Australians are unique in the production of various snacks. It is rare for you to see such a wide variety of snacks sold in one store elsewhere. We entered a store that specializes in selling candy, and the shelves were lined with glass-made snacks. The finished jar is filled with all kinds of colorful candy cubes. Even my pen cannot repeat the color and shape of these candy bars in a short time. They exude a variety of sweet and tangy aromas, which are simply intoxicating. Roa.
