At night, the Chinatown in the northwest of Malacca City was lit with torches. Groups of Javanese and Württemberg soldiers drove the Chinese out of their homes and ordered them to go to the castle. The Chinese families didn't understand what was going on, and they were all scared to death.
The crimes committed by the Dutch in Batavia fifty years ago had a great impact on the Chinese people throughout Southeast Asia. Many people here in Malacca escaped back then. However, faced with the black muzzles and sharp swords in the hands of the soldiers, most people did not dare to resist.
Because Zeng Youliang's family was a big businessman and his father made Kapitan, the Dutch were much more polite and even asked Cai Shizhang, who was accompanying him, to go in and explain. Unexpectedly, after Cai Shizhang finished explaining the cause and effect, young Zeng Youliang cursed angrily.
"You treacherous mother! The Dutch are trying to use us as a shield! The gunboats of the Northern Navy have hit their heads, but they still dare to bully us Chinese!"
No matter how scolded you are, people always have to bow their heads under the roof. No one would think of giving it a go unless absolutely necessary. However, Zeng Youliang was still more cautious. When he took his family out, he already had a flintlock musket hidden in the bag on his shoulder.
Late at night, near Pulau Udan Island, 18.4 kilometers southeast of Malacca City, three warships of the Northern Navy's Nanyang Second Squadron were anchored here.
The moonlight shines on the dark sea, reflecting the sparkling waves. On the decks of each ship, sailors on night watch used small searchlights on the side of the ship to keep an eye on the surrounding ocean. Otherwise, this place is too close to the city of Malacca. No one knows whether the Dutch will jump over the wall in a hurry and launch a sneak attack at night.
In the captain's cabin of Beihai 2, Guo Xuexian was having a meeting with several people to discuss tomorrow's battle plan. Because Zhao Xin suddenly changed his plan, the Second Squadron led by Guo Xuexian only stayed in Temasek for three days. They left in a hurry before they had time to discuss the leasing of Temasek with Temenggong in Muar.
"Is the time of high tide okay?"
"At the right moment of the morning. Don't worry, sir. I have to make seven or eight trips to this sea route every year, so I am very familiar with the sea conditions."
The person who replied was a shopkeeper assigned by Gu Lihuan to Temasek to be in charge of the cooling oil business. This man’s surname was Chen and he was also from Zhangzhou.
"Okay, then it's settled. The fleet will weigh anchor and set off at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning. If the Dutch don't surrender by that time, we will blow up the three drawbridges connecting the castle, the city and the suburbs, and then bombard the turrets of the castle and kill them. His teeth were knocked out.”
"What if the Dutch hold on and don't surrender?"
"We don't have time to argue with them, so King Zhao gave us one day. Before sunset, the flag of the Northern Navy must be planted on the Malacca Castle!"
"Will they threaten the Chinese in the city?"
Guo Xuexian showed a trace of disdain on his lips and said contemptuously: "If they dare to use Chinese as hostages, I will massacre all the Dutch in the city!"
The murderous words were spoken by Guo Xuexian without any care, which immediately frightened shopkeeper Chen who was standing aside and shuddered.
In another history, due to the Dutch surrender to France, the British sent troops to surround the city of Malacca in 1795. At that time, Abraham Cupelus was also struggling, delaying from August to December before surrendering the city. It is precisely in view of this that Zhao Xin told Guo Xuexian in the previous telegram that the Dutch must not be allowed to delay and the battle would be resolved quickly.
The reason why he was so anxious to capture the city of Malacca was because the British had launched an offensive against local governance.
It is said that when Zhao Xin and the others left Paris at the end of November last year, the French National Convention had already declared war on Britain and the Netherlands. However, due to the speed of communication in this era, the news of Britain's declaration of war had to be transmitted through the consulate in Alexandria, Egypt.
After six long months, on June 11, 1793, the official notification finally arrived in Madras; nine days later, the Governor's Palace in Calcutta also received the news.
Cornwallis, the Governor of the British East India Company and Admiral of the Indian Navy, had been prepared for a long time. He immediately issued instructions for operations against the French Indian colonies. Later, he took the frigate "Minerva" to Trincomalee, Dutch Ceylon, hoping to learn about the progress of the Java War. Accompanying them are three "East India-class" fourth-class frigates, namely the Triton, the Wally and the Royal Charlotte.
Cornwallis waited for two days in Trincomalee. At that time, the Northern Navy's ground counterattack had not yet launched, and Zheng Wenxian's fleet had just moved south. After learning that the huge iron ship of the Northern Navy was forced to park in Bacheng Port without any movement, Cornwallis, who felt a little relieved, ordered the fleet to go to the local area for management and put it under a naval blockade.
At the same time, the troops led by Colonel John Braithwaite, acting commander of Madras, also set off. This time the British used the Royal Artillery, the 19th Dragoon Regiment, and the 36th, 52nd, 71st, 72nd, 73rd, and 74th Infantry Regiments, with a total strength of more than 10,000.
Cornwallis's plan was for the ground forces to first seize Valenno to the southwest of the local government and Ariancuban to the south, cut off the support of the garrison and the hinterland of the city, and then through ground encirclement and sea blockade, finally force the defenseless troops inside and outside. The French surrendered.
If the British want to do this, Pazayarai in the south of Beihai Town's local governance will definitely be involved in the war, and they will not be able to escape.
On the other side, the French are not fools. After learning that the British in Madras were dispatched, they immediately mobilized the entire city. However, the number of troops was really insufficient. There were only 650 French soldiers, and the local soldiers together were only over a thousand. The new appointment Governor Clermont sent people to ask for help from the Northern Navy in Pazayaray to the south.
The problem is that Pazayarai's Northern Navy only has a total of 200 people, and the Mysore soldiers trained by them have just begun to get on track with their training after passing the early language exchange barrier. Let these guys support local governance. In addition to riding horses and wielding swords, the most they can do is shoot a few big rockets.
After receiving the telegram from Pazayaray, Zhao Xin sent a company to support local governance in order to comply with the agreement between the two parties. In order to quickly transport Bacheng's servant troops to India to fight against the British, he then sent a report to Guo Xuexian, asking him to capture the city of Malacca as soon as possible and keep an eye on the British in Penang. As for the shortage of troops on Java Island, he had to recruit troops among the local Chinese first. In addition, he sent a report to Wang Yuanfang and quickly mobilized another 5,000 servants to go south and asked Ding Guofeng to come and help.
As soon as the telegram from "Prince Zhao" arrived, the Northern Navy staff and logistics department were immediately busy. Thanks to Wang Yuanfang, who was looking after the house and was very strict with the training, the second batch of servants consisting of 5,000 Sendai road construction workers had already completed recruit training. Now there is no need to go to the Citrus Ao base for tropical adaptation training. Let’s go directly to Bacheng to adapt!
Zhao Xin was busy mobilizing troops and generals, and the British were not idle either. For Cornwallis, there are currently too many people at the table in the South Asian subcontinent who want a share of the pie. If the EIC has to face Beihai Town directly, it must stabilize the Qing Empire that occupies Gorkha in the north. He does not want to Enemy from both sides.
So when he returned to Madras with a captured French merchant ship for supplies, he asked Major William Kirk Patrick, who was negotiating with the Qing Dynasty in Yangbu, to sign an agreement with the Qing Empire as soon as possible to stabilize the situation. The situation in northern West Bengal.
However, to his surprise, the messenger carrying the order had just set out for one day when he met Major Kirkpatrick who was eager to express his gratitude and signed an agreement with the Qing court!
I wipe it! Cornwallis was surprised when he learned. When he saw the dusty Major Patrick on the ship, he said eagerly: "William, in the report I received a month ago, you also stated that the empire's attitude was tough and that it might have to make appropriate concessions. But in the blink of an eye, the agreement was reached I just signed it, what happened?”
"Your Excellency, I am about to report the whole process to you in detail. This incident is really dramatic. I am convinced that God is blessing our British Empire."
"Of course God bless us. Well, don't be pretentious, I don't have much time."
"That's what happened"
It is said that from the end of August last year, Major Patrick was first ordered to go to Patna, north of Calcutta, to try to mediate the war between the Qing Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. However, by the end of September, as the Qing army won a decisive victory in the "Battle of Palangu", then The city of Yangpu was destroyed and the Gorkhas were destroyed. The so-called "mediation" of the East India Company was completely redundant.
However, Patrick's trip also had the mission of determining the boundaries and trade between Gorkha and West Bengal. Although the owner has changed, this issue must continue to be discussed. So he went to Yangbu with gifts, met with Fu Kang'an, the Manchu general of Fuyuan, and negotiated with He Lin, the Minister of Affairs in Tibet, and Cheng De, the Admiral of Sichuan. Fukang'an only met with the British mission once, and then returned to Tibet to preside over the "Regulations on the Cleanup in Tibet".
He Lin only talked to Patrick twice, and then she brought Bahadur Shah, the captured uncle of the Gurkha King, back to the capital to present him as a prisoner. His attitude was extremely tough, demanding that the EIC must hand over the fifteen-year-old prince Rana Bahadur Shah, the successor of the Shah Kingdom, and live or die. He even told Kirkpatrick that if the EIC was not given, the Qing army would send troops to West Bengal and go to Patna to arrest people directly. For the Manchus, this was just like the treatment of Amursana and Huojizhan, which could not leave the Gorkhas with any hope of restoring their country.
Well, if Bahadur is handed over to Dai Qing, there is a high probability that Qianlong will make him into a kabala bowl. Of course, Major Patrick certainly didn't understand this; he only knew one thing, if the mighty British Empire couldn't even save a Gurkha prince, it would really become a joke, and don't stay in India in the future.
In addition, He Lin also sternly warned Patrick, ordering Britain not to interfere in the affairs of Tibet and Bulukba (Bhutan). From now on, all matters related to Tibet and the surrounding vassal countries must be handled through the Qing court's mission to Kuo. Erkha's minister of affairs. You must know that in the past, the Manchu and Qing Dynasties were far away and beyond reach. Now that the center of gravity has shifted westward, they naturally regard the two vassal states of Brukba and Zhemengxiong as extremely important.
It is said that since the beginning of the 18th century, Brukba has been at war with the Koch Bihar state in the south. In 1772, the Maharaja of Koch Bihar, who was surrounded by the British, asked the EIC for help, and the British immediately sent troops to invade Brookeba.
The problem is that Lukba is a vassal of Tibet, and will directly consult the Qing minister in Tibet and the Dalai Lama on major issues. It was from this time on that EIC began to think about reaching out to Tibet. When the British army launched an attack, King Debu of Brukba asked the Sixth Panchen Lama for help. In 1774, the Panchen sent an envoy carrying gifts to Hastings, the first EIC governor, to negotiate peace.
After receiving this letter, Hastings thought it was a good opportunity to enter Tibet. On the one hand, he signed a "peace treaty" with Brukba, took the initiative to make a truce, and returned the occupied land. On the other hand, in the name of repaying the Panchen Lama, he sent his confidant George Bogle to enter Tibet under the guise of "trade" and meet the Panchen Lama privately.
In his conversation with the Panchen, this Bogle used the method he had used to deal with the princes of the Indian states to induce the Panchen to have some kind of direct relationship with the East India Company. However, the Sixth Panchen saw through the other party's intentions at a glance. He made it clear that Tibet was a place under the rule of the Qing Emperor, and that he himself was just a lama who regarded the cause of peace as his duty, and thereafter banned Bogle from entering. Lhasa.
When Patrick heard the other party mentioning this matter, he secretly thought something was wrong. He quickly explained that this was all done by the former Governor Hastings. Now he has been impeached for corruption and was removed from the post of Governor and returned to China. The current Governor Kang Wallis had no intention of meddling in Tibet.
After meeting with He Lin, Patrick was disheartened. Unexpectedly, only a month later, the negotiating partner changed again, and the new Minister of Affairs in Gurkha, He Ning, arrived.
This person has nothing to do with the Heshen brothers. He is the Eldet clan, a native of Mongolia's Xianghuang Banner, and a Jinshi in the 36th year of Qianlong's reign. He Ning is good at writing and writing, and has written many poems since entering Tibet. However, this guy is mediocre in government affairs. To put it bluntly, he is careless in employing people. Because of this problem, he experienced ups and downs in the officialdom several times, and was demoted each time due to oversight.
Just like his predecessor's attitude, He Ning came up with an attitude of being indifferent. Patrick thought to himself that he was covered in mud this time! He was shocked by the fierceness and ferocity of the Qing army in destroying the Gurkhas. Twenty-five years ago, the British also sent an expeditionary force to attack the Gurkhas, but they returned with a huge defeat.
In addition, what the British are most afraid of is that if the two sides are at loggerheads, the Qing Empire will condone the Hindus under its rule to cause trouble in the Hindu areas of West Bengal. The people of Gorkha today believe in Hinduism.
Later, due to Christmas for Westerners, Spring Festival for Chinese, and members of the mission returning to Bangladesh due to illness and acclimatization, the two sides went back and forth for half a year. In April 1793, Sichuan Admiral Chengde received instructions from Fukang'an and ordered three thousand Qing troops in Yangbu to march to the border and assume a southward posture. The situation on both sides became increasingly tense.
Just when Major Patrick could not withstand the aggressiveness of the Manchus and wrote to Cornwallis intending to compromise, an accident occurred.
A Gurkha businessman traveling between Yangbu and Patna found him and confessed that he knew one of He Ning's personal followers. The businessman expressed his willingness to mediate and provide help in order to protect Prince Bahadur.
Patrick was not sure, so he gave the businessman 600 Spanish silver coins based on the idea of hitting the fish first or not. Unexpectedly, more than ten days later, the businessman actually got the job done and brought back a lot of important information. Only then did Patrick realize that the Qing Empire was bluffing.
It turned out that the Sauron soldiers brought by Fukang'an had suffered heavy casualties in previous battles across the Himalayas, and they were even more exhausted after they captured Yangbu. There were only more than 300 soldiers left out of the 2,000 soldiers. As for those ferocious-looking Jinchuan Tibetan soldiers who have been fighting abroad for a long time, they are all looking forward to returning home and have no intention of fighting anymore. The remaining ones are the Sichuan Army, but these people are not accustomed to the acclimatization, and some people fall ill every day. Before Chengde deployed thousands of troops on the border, it was purely a show of force to scare people.
For such important information, of course Patrick had to try it. If the news was true, it would be tantamount to winning. So when he later met with He Ning, he said that if the Qing army wanted to send troops to Patna and invade the territory of West Bengal, then the EIC, as the suzerain, would also send heavy troops north to declare war on the Qing Empire and help Bahadur reset.
As soon as these words came out, He Ning and Cheng De's expressions changed instantly, and then returned to normal, but Patrick knew that he had made the right bet!
The sudden change in the British attitude surprised He Ning. He believed that Chengde's Sichuan army had revealed a flaw, allowing the British to see it. Cheng De was already angry because his subordinates fell ill one after another. He would not take the blame. The two closed the door and had a big fight.
In order to destroy the Gurkhas this time, despite the "friendly support" of Zhao Xin, the Manchu Qing Dynasty still invested four million taels of silver; except for the purchase of huge amounts of military supplies in the snowy area, most of the other money was invested In terms of logistics and transportation. In order to open up the three main post roads into Tibet, namely Sichuan-Tibet, Yunnan-Tibet and Qinghai-Tibet, the Qing government added military stations, set up grain stations and sent troops to guard them along the way, which cost a huge amount of money. If we really want to go to war with the British, let alone military expenses, just dispatching troops and transporting food would be enough to drink a pot.
The British had their trump card, but for officials like the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, they could not lose the battle if they lost, and face was more important than anything else. He Ning and Cheng De quarreled, but neither of them dared to plead guilty. The two finally sat together to discuss and decided to send someone back to Beijing to deal with Heshen to help fool him in front of Qianlong, and then signed an agreement with Patrick and stamped it with a big seal.
On the surface, the Manchus and the Qing Dynasty will continue to demand Bahadur, but the British side does not have to hand over Bahadur, but this matter cannot be publicized. In addition, He Ning promised on behalf of the Manchus that they would not encourage Gurkha Hindus to go to the south to cause trouble. If the British caught them, they would kill or cut them into pieces at will.
After listening to Major Patrick's story, Cornwallis laughed with satisfaction. He did not expect that the matter would be resolved in this way. After laughing for a while, he said to Patrick with a serious face: "Very good! Major Patrick, as a reward for successfully completing the mission, I have decided to promote you to lieutenant colonel!"
In real history, that is, starting from the invasion of Bhutan in 1772, the British successively sent many spies to collect intelligence on all aspects of Tibet, until they launched a war of aggression against Tibet a hundred years later and forced the Qing government to sign the " Tibetan-Indian Treaty.
(End of chapter)
