As a nominal colleague and de facto friend, Janssen is very clear about Bolger's ambitions and goals. When there are no strong enemies around Formosa Island, doing so is understandable and in line with the head office. Interests.
It's just that Batavia regards the chief minister as a hen that can lay golden eggs. He just wants to obtain a steady stream of golden eggs, rather than fattening this "hen" first. In other words, the headquarters' investment in senior executives is limited.
Within this acceptable range of financial expenditure, every chief executive must maximize the benefits that the East India Company can obtain. If he cannot satisfy the Batavia Council, he will be removed. .
The headquarters invested only a thousand troops in senior officers, and only ten warships, plus at most thirty or fifty armed merchant ships. Whether it was a land battle or a naval battle, they would not have an absolute advantage against Zheng Yiguan or the Spanish.
It may be possible to conquer the rebellious Big Belly Kingdom with the only force at hand, but it would be extremely difficult to go one step further and directly swallow the entire Formosa and completely turn the island into a Dutch territory.
Jansen advocates using force to solve any problem. Although this method is somewhat simple and direct, it is undeniable that force is the most convenient and efficient way, especially when the troops under his jurisdiction are all elite.
On the other hand, Jansen is also extremely shrewd and cautious in the use of troops. He knows that his own troops are small and he must not invest his limited troops in a battle with no certainty or chance of victory.
Therefore, he did not like Zheng Yiguan, the domineering and renegade former pirate leader, but he also opposed a war with him. Although he said that one Dutch soldier could defeat ten Zheng soldiers, he never did so in actual practice.
Jansen neither wanted to have an armed conflict with Zheng Yiguan, nor did he want to actively provoke the Spaniards in the north of the island. The targets of him and the two infantry battalions under his command were only the indigenous people on the island and the Ming people coming from across the strait.
"As you wish, I still need two thousand indigenous soldiers, plus our original one thousand elites, to defeat or even destroy the Dadu Kingdom. Before that, my commander, you'd better set up a A military budget is used for military expenditures against the Dadu Kingdom, including recruiting indigenous soldiers, purchasing weapons and ammunition, allocating salaries, and providing logistical support. If there is not enough military expenditure, we will not be able to use force against the Dadu Kingdom!"
Even if force is used against the most powerful Dadu Kingdom on Formosa Island, in order to protect the safety of the generals, Jansen cannot send out all the defenders. At most, half of the troops will be deployed. This small amount of troops will never be able to shake the enemy. Basic.
"Can't we order the village communities that are loyal to us to mobilize troops? Just like four years ago, we sent less than 500 troops to conquer Madou Society, but Xingang Society had 2,000 native soldiers who came to help. In the end, we easily Three thousand households were razed to the ground! By analogy, organizing tens of thousands of indigenous soldiers in this way is not a problem at all, and we do not need to bear military expenses ourselves!"
Bolger didn't want to feed two thousand lazy soldiers. In his opinion, raising ten soldiers was worse than raising one Dutch soldier. Those soldiers were simply cheap consumables and not worth investing in them at all.
After that battle, the four stronger village communities, Xingang Society, Madou Society, Xiaolong Society, and Mojialiuwan Society, have accepted their own rule and become loyal supporters of the officials.
If we want to attack the Dadu Kingdom, these four village communities plus dozens of large and small village communities around Taijiang will send troops to assist in the battle according to their orders. It will be no problem to recruit tens of thousands of free soldiers. .
"What I need are native soldiers that I can directly command, not servant soldiers who can only fight with the wind. I want to train them according to the standards of the Dutch army, so that they are much more powerful than those soldiers from the indigenous society." You know, if we are in a fierce battle with the Dadu Kingdom, and Zheng Yiguan suddenly launches a sneak attack on our base, it will mean a complete failure, I mean we will no longer have a foothold in this area! Think about it! To defend the Castle of Relanja, the garrison must reach a thousand men!”
As a senior officer who has officially served in the Dutch army and received systematic military training, Janssen has rich knowledge and experience in both offense and defense. Otherwise, he would not be assigned by the Batavia headquarters to guard one side. .
He believes that his side should always be wary of Zheng Yiguan, a guy who has no intention of abiding by the agreement reached by both parties. For Zheng Yiguan, if someone offers a higher price, he can lead his pirate group and invade.
Although the Castle of Geranze is very strong, it must be stationed with enough troops. Without enough soldiers, it cannot be defended.
"This castle is indestructible. It is built exactly according to our local bastion style. Even if Zheng Yiguan comes, it is impossible to do this. Vincent, don't worry too much!"
Bolger simply did not believe that Zheng Yiguan would be so bold as to lead an army to invade, nor did he believe that his army could conquer the Castle of Geranze in a short time. As long as the Dutch army quickly returned reinforcements after receiving the news, it would be enough to repel the attack. Offending the enemy.
"John, you also know that the fatal weakness of this castle is not the castle itself, but the Utrecht Fort on the top of the mountain behind us! It is a small fortress and not very strong, which makes my soldiers simply not enough Hold there long enough. As long as the enemy captures it quickly, we can establish an artillery position on the top of the mountain and carry out all-weather and non-stop bombardment of the castle where we are. John, if I don't sleep all the time, I can only guarantee that my soldiers You can just stay here for a week!"
The biggest difference between this bastion and the local bastions is not the appearance and structure of the castle, but the nearby geographical features.
The mainland is all plains, there are no mountains, and the Castle of Geranje is built at the foot of a mountain.
As long as the enemy can attack the top of the mountain, the defensive advantage of the Castle of Geranze will be gone.
Perhaps because the inner city has a rammed earth base, it can take advantage of the height to temporarily protect itself for a while.
However, the outer city has no foundation at all, and enemy artillery can bombard it at will from the top of the mountain.
The most terrifying thing is that the distance between Geranze Castle and Utrecht Castle is only a few hundred meters!
Once Utrecht Castle misses, it will be fatal to the defenders in Geranze Castle!
"...Vincent, you said that one of your soldiers can be worth ten! Moreover, the artillery in the castle will support the Utrecht Fort on the top of the mountain! There will be an extremely powerful storm here almost every month, Zheng Yiguan The army cannot besiege us for a long time! Besides, we can also mobilize the surrounding indigenous villages to provide support, and we will not fail at all!"
In addition to the limited force, Berg believed that his side had every advantage, not to mention that Zheng Yiguan could not risk the annihilation of his entire army and continue to besiege the castle of Geranze in stormy weather.
That kind of storm can even destroy houses. People and livestock are exposed outdoors, and there is only one way to die. This is an experience gained from actual situations. Bolger definitely does not believe that Zheng Yiguan would do this.
"John, I only have a thousand soldiers. One to ten is equivalent to ten thousand Zheng Army soldiers. If Zheng Yiguan brings 20,000 soldiers, then we have no other choice but to hold on. Don't count on those indigenous villagers Now, when we are all in trouble, they will not help us at all. They are eager to escape from our control! That’s why I said that I will train two thousand soldiers on my own and take orders directly from me to ensure that we can fight against the enemy. When the Big Belly Kingdom uses troops, it will not fail here."
Jansen believed that Zheng Yiguan's strength was comparable to that of the East India Company, while Da Yuan was only equivalent to a branch company, and his strength was far from being able to compete with Zheng Yiguan.
Those indigenous villages that ostensibly belong to one's side may launch rebellion at any time based on the deterioration of the war situation, and it is not impossible to turn to Zheng Yiguan, so preparations must be made in advance.
Civilian officials like Bolger always combine their goals with fantasies based on wishful thinking, and are often divorced from the reality. If this continues for a long time, it will be a very dangerous thing.
Storms do happen from time to time and are extremely powerful, but if Zheng Yiguan's army captures the Castle of Geranze between two storms, then what's the use of Berger pinning his hopes on storms for defense?
"...Okay, I will seriously consider this suggestion!"
Although the two people have different positions, their starting point is roughly the same, which is to ensure the safety of the Castle of Geranze and the town of Damuan at all costs.
Bolger also understood that what Jansen said was not nonsense, but a situation that was very likely to happen, so he took a step back and accepted it.
"John, this is not out of my selfish motives. The indigenous troops are not part of the headquarters' establishment. Even if I go back to report on my duties, I cannot take them away!"
Seeing that the other party had compromised, Yang Sen also gave an explanation and wisely did not continue to dwell on this topic. It would do no good to make everyone unhappy.
"Yeah! I understand, Vincent, dinner is ready, let's say something pleasant!"
From the platform on the top of the castle, looking at the gradually setting fiery red sunset and the sea-sky boundary that is mostly reflected in red, it always makes people feel that this scenery is full of poetry and painting.
Enjoying the sea breeze and tasting delicious food is even more refreshing. Dinner is an essential thing every day.
Attending the dinner were Fleet Commander Captain Schulsbeck and Deputy Commander Major Thomas Hendricks, as well as Jansen's deputy and Deputy Commander Major Brian Barber, as well as their respective spouses.
The relationship between Colonel Baker and Jansen was very bad because the latter once drank too much and secretly mocked the former as just a commander with ten battleships, implying that his fleet was a big joke and not enough to defend the world. safety of the surrounding waters.
After these words reached Baker's ears, the fleet commander retorted that Jansen actually owned three castles, but one was almost buried in the sand, one was often flooded, and the other was mini-sized.
This is not over yet, Yang Sen said that the Da Yuan fleet was so weak that it could not even defeat the pirates, which meant that they would be easily annihilated by Zheng Yiguan's fleet.
Baker said that Jansen's troops could only fight the natives on the plains and did not even dare to enter the mountainous areas. They would be scared to wet their pants in the mountains at night, just like a group of panting female soldiers...
Bolger disliked Baker's comments about the Castle of Geranze very much. This was almost a disguised insult to the previous chief executive and the Batavia headquarters.
However, due to the other party's status, he was unwilling to antagonize him, and whenever a dinner was held, he and Deputy Commander Hendricks would be specially invited.
Bolger can't guarantee that everyone who works with him likes him, nor can he make himself like every colleague, but he can at least make everyone eat better and reduce unnecessary troubles.
Formosa is rich in products. On the table are freshly caught and cooked prawns, one as big as an adult's forearm, conches as big as a palm, as well as scallops and crabs.
Today's main dish is a nearly seventy-pound tuna. The whole fish is placed on the table and is being cooled by crushed ice. Its bright white and streamlined appearance makes it particularly eye-catching and even more mouth-watering.
The vegetables are tomatoes, pickles, and cabbage salad, the staple food is bread, and the drink is red wine. There are also fruits such as bananas, mangoes, lychees, durians, and grapes for appetizers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, on a personal note, before we begin to enjoy this sumptuous table of food, let us pray together!"
This is a necessary step before going under the knife, and cannot be missed even once, otherwise it will be very impious. Moreover, Bolger also needs to use this opportunity to observe the expressions of the guests to figure out their thoughts.
"...In my hometown, I'm afraid not many people can enjoy so many delicacies!"
After finishing the matter, Major Babel directly expressed his feelings. If he had not been assigned as a senior officer by the headquarters, even if he had become a mid-level officer, he would still be far from being able to eat the best seafood every day.
The most common seafood in the Netherlands is herring, but compared to tuna, the taste of herring is simply not worth mentioning. After being dipped in condiments, the texture of tuna meat is even more extraordinary. I want to eat it every day.
“Fishing is a pleasure, and tasting it is even more so, especially such a plump and big fish!”
Major Hendricks was not as aggressive as his superiors on both sides, nor did he intend to antagonize Babel. The fleet and the army had a complementary relationship.
Without the assistance of the fleet, the castle of Geranze would be besieged by the enemy.
Without the Castle of Geranje, the Dutch Empire would cease to exist...
"Everyone, a friend is looking for me. Please allow me to excuse myself for a while. I'll be back soon!"
The servant whispered a few words in Bolger's ear, and the chief officer had to leave the table, hoping that before returning, the two "roosters" would not get into a drunken quarrel.
"I'm sorry, sir, to disturb your enjoyment of your meal!"
When he saw the senior official, Kecu immediately took off his hat and paid tribute, hoping that the other party would not be angry.
"It's okay, Philip, is there anything important?"
It’s not that Bolger doesn’t care about trivial matters. On the contrary, he knows all the shipowners and captains who are resident here. If they come to him directly, the matter must be extraordinary.
"I'm afraid it's not pleasant news! Sir, this is a letter written by Zheng Yiguan to you. My ship was intercepted by him in Penghu, and I saw with my own eyes that he led a large fleet. Planning to attack the boss. If you don’t believe what I say, I swear!”
Keku continued briefly, hoping that the other party would understand the general meaning and make a quick decision.
"..."
Hearing this guy's words, Bolger was a little stunned. He didn't believe that Zheng Yiguan would suddenly attack the senior officials. It was as accurate as confirmation of the content of his conversation with Jansen just now.
When he saw the specific content inside, Bolger's face became increasingly gloomy, the corners of his mouth began to tighten, and a stern look flashed in his eyes...
