When the morning of July 20th, the seventh year of the Ming Dynasty arrived, a scene that made people laugh or cry appeared in the long, narrow and curved strait between Temasek Island and Johor.
There are seven European third-class battleships - all majestic sailing battleships, with a total of nearly 500 cannons. Originally, they were enough to destroy several countries in Southeast Asia! Now they are being dragged by fourteen galleys of 200 to 300 tons with ropes and slowly escaping into the depths of the strait... It is fourteen small Western boats rowing hard, pulling seven of them as spectacular as a city wall. The battleship is slowly moving into the strait. As if trying to hide from something terrible!
At the same time, at the western entrance of the Johor Strait, there were still eight burnt-to-wreck warships originally belonging to the Dutch East India Company, floating lifelessly along the current.
On the heights on both sides of the west entrance of the Johor Strait, there are twelve 12-pound guns firing one after another, seeming to tell the Ming warships cruising outside the Strait: "You must not come over, we Western imperialists are Super fierce!”
Outside the Strait of Johor, two fleets each consisting of five river-sea galleys, ten tugboats and forty or fifty Malayan clippers were cruising outside the east and west mouth of the strait, looking to destroy the empire. The posture of communist warships blocking the Strait of Johor.
"Aren't you English, French, Portuguese and Swedes ashamed? You have abandoned your allies - the brave Dutch Crusaders! They are all defenders of Western civilization and European interests. The most outstanding fighters under the banner of God...May God bless these holy and noble martyrs!"
In the officer's lounge of the sailing battleship Britannia, the man who was making impassioned speeches against the senior officials of the East India Trading Companies of Britain, France, Portugal and Switzerland and a British baron and major general was none other than John, the Governor of the Dutch East India Company. S. Campos.
This big Dutch profiteer who looked green just yesterday afternoon, with his beard and hair trimmed very neatly, now has an unshaven look, with a face full of grief and anger, and red eyes, as if he has been wronged a lot.
The British Churchill and Child, as well as Jean Reno of the French East India Company, Charles Vasa of the Swedish East India Company, Perez, the commander of the Portuguese Goa Fleet, and others all had sympathetic expressions on their faces. The look in Campos's eyes was full of apologies... I'm so embarrassed. They promised to defend freedom of navigation with the Dutch. But when the ships of the evil Ming Empire pounced on them last night, they all gave up. No one was willing to bring their own warships to defend the interests of the Netherlands.
This is so inappropriate and so shameful... Not only did they not stand up to the ship, they also let their galleys drag the third-class battleship deeper into the strait to avoid it, and then watched helplessly as the Dutch Three third-level battleships and ten galleys were destroyed by Ming Empire ships!
Of course, this is not the worst thing to do. The most inappropriate thing is that these people are still planning to happily carve up the Dutch market after the Dutch East India Company collapses... The Ming Emperor's "Celestial Sanctions Order" said that the Dutch East India will be sanctioned Company, does not sanction England, France, Sweden, Portugal.
So when the governors and admirals of the four countries of Britain, France, Switzerland, and Portugal found that it was impossible for them to defeat the Ming Dynasty's maritime power with absolute numerical superiority in the Malacca Strait, which was calm most of the time, they immediately chose... For the time being, let’s kneel down and make money, and then consider how to oppose Ming Dynasty after making enough money.
It's just that this money... it's so shameful to make it real!
"Baron!" Campos looked with red eyes at Baron John Churchill, who kept shouting and killing, but resolutely gave up when the situation came to an end. "How do you think we should show the unity of the Western world to the Ming Empire next?" ?”
John Churchill looked embarrassed. He didn't understand naval warfare... so he didn't expect that the Eight-Nation United Armada would fight so cowardly in the Strait of Malacca. The Dutch, who are best at sneak attacks on anchorages, actually allowed the Ming Dynasty Navy to steal the anchorage, and the anchorage was stolen even though they were fully vigilant! No, it wasn’t “stealing”, but it was using strength to storm the anchorage!
They didn't even arrive with the battleships, so they relied on a bunch of speedboats to fire rockets and beat the Dutch's three third-class ships and twelve speedboats into submission.
This is a rule based on strength!
Therefore, Ming Dynasty has the final say on the rules of the Strait of Malacca from now on.
"Now, it seems that the rule that high sugar is better than low sugar also applies to the navy!" John Churchill frowned and said, "Before India can produce large amounts of white sugar, we'd better avoid escalating the war."
"What?" Although Campos had long given up hope on the profiteers of the British East India Company, the French East India Company, and the Swedish East India Company, he did not expect John, who had always emphasized that he could sacrifice economic interests in order to defeat the Ming Dynasty. .Churchill is also scared!
"Baron," Campos looked at John Churchill, who had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and looked dignified. "Didn't you say before that you would spend every last penny in your pocket in order to stop the Ming Empire?"
"Yes," John Churchill nodded, "In order to stop the Ming Empire, the entire Western world should do its best! But we must also pay attention to strategy... Last night's naval battle showed that in our navy, we have Until we have enough sugar and gunpowder, it is not possible for us to have a head-on confrontation with the Ming Empire. So we need to maintain a relationship that is both confrontation and contact, and at the same time seek long-term coexistence."
"What do you mean?" Campos looked at John Churchill.
"First of all, we must fight resolutely where we should fight!" John Churchill said, "For example, we must fight the Ming Empire most resolutely in Batavia and Malacca!"
That is to say, the Dutch will fight against it! Krampus is so angry! The Dutch East India Company will not only lose money this time, but also have to die in large numbers... You, Baron Churchill, are too dark, right?
“Secondly,” Black-hearted Baron Churchill went on to say, “In view of the Ming Empire’s advantage in the Straits of Malacca, we must still maintain contact with the Ming Empire at present... maintain the current situation with extremely limited economic benefits, no matter Upgrade it. Therefore, the British East India Company, the French East India Company, the Swedish East India Company and the Portuguese Governor-General of Goa should maintain trade with the Ming Empire. Of course, while maintaining trade with the Ming Empire, we should also Actively develop the sugar and cotton industries in the Indian colonies so that they can completely replace the products of the Ming Empire. At the same time, we should also strive to obtain the secrets of high-quality porcelain, perfume and garlic medicine, and strive to end our dependence on the Ming Empire as soon as possible."
Damn us Dutch, you Englishmen are so rich... Campos was even more angry, he found that he might have fallen into the trap of the British!
The black-hearted and cunning Baron Churchill continued: "Since we cannot defeat the Ming Empire in Malacca, long-term coexistence is probably inevitable... Of course, long-term coexistence does not mean that we have to give up military confrontation and trade. War does not mean that we give up the policy of containing and attacking the Ming Empire, nor does it mean that we give up the ultimate goal of dismantling this ancient, stubborn, anti-Christ evil empire.
Although countries in the Western world will play different roles in the process of containing and attacking the Ming Empire, our ultimate goal is the same, which is to weaken the Ming Empire as much as possible in the process of confrontation, contact, and coexistence, and maintain a distant The future will prompt its collapse! "
But the Dutch East India Company would definitely collapse before the Ming Empire collapsed!
Campos fully understood what John Churchill was thinking...The Netherlands and the Dutch East India Company were the "price" in "defeating the Ming Empire at all costs"!
Moreover, the Dutch East India Company seemed to have no other way out except sacrifice.
Because the Dutch East India Company is now the main target of the Ming Empire, it seems that the only way to go is to sacrifice...
Campos took a deep breath, nodded and said: "I understand... So Baron, how can we get out of trouble now?"
John Churchill glanced at Child, who smiled and said: "Baron, Mr. Campos, I can serve as an envoy to negotiate with them... As a great beneficiary of East-West trade, the Ming Empire We will not give up free trade. Emperor Zhu’s so-called sanctions against the Dutch East India Company are just to beat us.”
John Churchill nodded and said with a smile: "Very good, then I'll trouble you to take a trip."
Sir Child stood up, nodded heavily to Churchill, then turned to leave.
"Wait." Campos also stood up, "Sir, let me leave with you... I will take the company employees and mercenaries who swam to the shore of Johor to return to Malacca City to organize a garrison. .”
...
A small Malay fishing village on the west coast of the Johor Strait now has a Dutch tricolor flag erected and has become a gathering point for Dutch sailors who escaped last night's naval battle.
Two remaining Dutch East India Company galleys were parked on the pier of the fishing village, and Governor Campos was getting down from one of the galleys dejectedly. There were several senior staff of the East India Company standing on the pier, including Marco Gurlitt, the chief executive of the merchant house on Bintan Island, and John Tropp, the captain of the wrecked Dutch Flying Fish.
Both of them looked very depressed. When they saw Governor Campos disembarking from the boat, they immediately joined him. Marco Gullit asked: "Mr. Governor, what should we do?"
John Tropp said with tears: "Governor, we are defeated..."
Krampus looked around, then whispered, "All captains and chief squadrons follow me."
After saying that, he quickly walked towards a nearby thatched house that looked taller. Gurlitt, Tropp, several other company executives and captains all followed immediately, and a group of people entered. cottage.
There was no furniture in the hut, so a group of people had to sit on the floor. Soon, several indigenous servants brought water in porcelain bowls. Campos, who felt a little parched, took a sip of water, and then asked: " Do any of you know Ma Mo I?"
"I know."
"Governor, I also know Ma Mo I."
Both Gurlitt and Tropp said they knew the Sultan of Johor.
Gurlit said: "Governor, when I was the Taipan on Bintan Island, I often went to the Sultan's palace."
Tropp also said: "Governor, I once served as an advisor in the Sultan's court."
"Then...can you speak Chinese?"
"Yes." Gullit nodded.
"I can speak a little bit." Tropp can also speak Chinese... As a captain of the East India Company, he has been dealing with Chinese pirates and maritime merchants all year round, so he doesn't know how to speak Chinese.
"Then you go to the royal city of Johor." Campos said, "The imperial envoy of the Ming Empire should be there!"
Tropp was stunned, "Governor, are we going to see the envoys of the Ming Empire?"
Gullit already understood what Campos meant and asked: "Governor, do you mean that we want to negotiate peace with the Ming Empire?"
Campos nodded: "Yes! Now we must find a peaceful way to resolve the crisis...otherwise the company will collapse within a year!"
The Dutch East India Company was, after all, a joint-stock "robber company" with the purpose of profit... Although it was engaged in the business of murder and arson, it was ultimately the company's business of making money. If there is no money to be made, the company's shareholders will not support the company's continued existence.
And without the company, Krampus will lose everything he has now...power, wealth, honor, and even freedom!
Could there be some remarkable people among the shareholders of the Dutch East India Company, who lost all their capital? Will Krampus end well?
In fact, he followed Churchill to confront Ming Dynasty, and the purpose was to gain leverage in negotiations with Ming Dynasty.
Now that we have lost the battle and have no bargaining chips, we have no choice but to kneel down and beg for mercy from the Great Tomorrow... We are making money, not shabby! As a profiteer, not being able to make money is the greatest shame!
"Then the British and French positions..." John Tropp looked at Campos.
Campos snorted coldly: "Britain and France are not on the Chinese sanctions order...so they are ready to abandon us and do business with the Chinese!" He gritted his teeth, "These shameful profiteers want to They want to sacrifice the interests of our Dutch East India Company to please the Ming Dynasty, and they also want to carve up our market in order to seek monopoly profits. This is what the Dutch, who have always upheld the spirit of free trade, are firmly opposed to!"
"Governor, then we..." Gullit frowned, "What can we trade with?"
Campos gritted his teeth and said: "They will need us. We can become their agents in Europe. Chinese silk, porcelain, perfume and brightly colored cotton can only be sold at high prices in Europe! In addition... ..We can also sell out the small kingdom of Lord Annan Zheng!”
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