1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 664 Dialogue with the Governor
Cohen believed that Hans' biggest mistake was that he did not fully understand and scout the opponent's situation before the battle, so he ordered to send a fleet to the coast of Fujian to help Shibazhi.Although he claimed in the letter that his original intention was not to directly participate in the war, but hoped that the appearance of the Dutch armed sailing ships would deter opponents from acting rashly, so as to allow enough time and space for Shibazhi to attack Nanri Island, but His starting point seemed to Hans to be a hasty decision. He wanted to catch big fish without getting his shoes wet. He thought he was a hunter, but he didn't know that he was the real prey in the eyes of his opponent.

Van der Wegen told the story of the Nanri Island naval battle that day. Cohen listened intently, interrupting his description from time to time to ask some very detailed questions, such as the number of artillery on the Haihan sailing ship, its unique sailing system, and their Fleet formations maintained during naval battles, etc.Cohen's questions were so detailed that Van der Wegen didn't dare to fabricate a surprise attack to shirk his responsibility as he had imagined beforehand, so he could only explain everything honestly.

After Van der Wegen finished speaking, Cohen leaned on the chair and closed his eyes in silence for a long time, as if he had fallen asleep.When Van der Wegen was getting impatient, Cohen suddenly said, "So the fact is that the Haihan people defeated the six ships you led with four ships?"

Van der Wegen's face blushed, and he quickly argued: "My lord, Haihan actually has ten warships participating in the battle, and there are also dozens of ships from the Great Ming Navy in the periphery to support..."

Van der Wegen didn't know that two of these ten ships belonged to the Daming Navy, but his defense was not accepted by Cohen.Before he could finish speaking, Cohen shook his head and said, "If Haihan's warships swarm up, I think your chance of escape will be greatly reduced. I remember you mentioned that after you ordered the evacuation of the battlefield, Haihan The warship did not continue to pursue your ship?"

"Yes, after they drove us away from the battlefield, they did not continue to pursue us. I think this is because the Haihan people intended to wipe out the members of the Shibazhi on the island, so they chose a more important target." Van der Wegen explained : "The trend of the subsequent battle is indeed the same. The Haihan people blocked the only port of Nanri Island with their fleet. Shibazhi did not go well in the subsequent battle to seize the island. When they evacuated, they paid a very painful price in the process of breaking through. , Zheng Zhihu, a senior leader of Shibazhi, also died on the spot. This man was the younger brother of Zheng Zhilong, the leader of Shibazhi. He had a very high status in this gang. Heavy blow."

"You mean they let go of the pursuit because they hoped to catch a more important target, that senior leader of Shibazhi?" Cohen shook his head lightly and said, "Based on the situation at the time, they could completely kill you." Two ships, and block the port. As you mentioned just now, the Ming army still has dozens of ships supporting the periphery. They can completely let the Ming army do the job of blocking the port, and then concentrate their forces to kill you and your men. But they didn't, why?"

"Maybe... maybe they just made a wrong decision before the battle?" Van der Wegen had actually vaguely thought of another possibility, but he didn't want to say that, because he felt it was a shame.

"No, they just need to let some people die and let us realize their attitude." Cohen's voice was low and ruthless: "Mr. Van der Wegen, you are just the one they released to report."

"But... what is their purpose for doing this?" Van der Wegen was so excited that his ears and neck were already red. He was not afraid of dying in battle, but the decision to leave the battlefield was right at that time. He was grateful for his timely withdrawal, but now Cohen's statement made him feel more like a poor worm.

"Maybe this is just a warning, and it's also a demonstration." Cohen gently motioned Van der Wegen to sit down, and continued slowly: "They made a claim for war compensation from Dayuan Port after the war. Testing our bottom line is far from their real purpose. I think these Haihan people... are trying to find trouble for us."

"Trouble us?" Van der Wegen was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head and said, "They are just emerging forces that have only emerged a few years ago. How could they take the initiative to oppose our East India Company?"

"But they are already doing this, aren't they?" Cohen took a deep breath and said, "According to our intelligence, the Haihan people have gradually controlled the coast of Guangdong, especially the waters of the Pearl River Estuary, where they They have built ports, forts, and huge immigrant camps, and have actually controlled the waterways in these areas. Judging from their recent actions, it is likely that they want to extend their tentacles into Fujian. If they want to achieve this goal, they must The local stumbling blocks must be resolved first. The Fujian government has already regarded it as an ally, and the only thing standing in their way is Shibazhi.”

"In the past few years, the Haihan people have done a very good job of infiltrating Fujian, far better than your uncle and his predecessor." Cohen gave a very unkind evaluation: "The object you failed to win , has already been won over by the Haihan people. If the Fujian government hadn’t chosen to cooperate with the Haihan people, they would not have appeared on the local battlefield to participate in the military action against Shibazhi. The attitude has always been to support us, Shibazhi. Naturally, they became their opponents."

"But if we are forced to join the war, they may not have any good results!" After all, Van der Wegen is young and energetic, and will not feel disheartened by such a humiliating defeat. Cohen's words aroused even more He expressed his reluctance: "Our East India Company is far superior to these Haihan people in terms of financial resources and military strength. I am sure that we will be able to defeat them on the battlefield!"

"Young people, self-confidence is a good thing, but you must also see the reality clearly." Cohen said unhurriedly: "If it is a war near Batavia, I am more than [-]% sure that I can defeat them. But this success The probability of the battle will gradually decline with the increase of the distance. If it is a battle in Fujian, I am sorry to say that judging from the combat situation you described, our chance of winning may be only [-]%, maybe less than [-]%. "

About [-]% of the armed forces of the East India Company were concentrated near Batavia. It is no exaggeration to say that even if the army of any kingdom in the Far East came to attack here, the Dutch would be sure to deal with it.But it is one thing to fight a war at your own doorstep, and it is another thing to go overseas. The transfer of personnel, the transportation of supplies, and the transmission of information, any delay in any link may affect the battle situation. Flaws will multiply the negative effects in overseas battles, not to mention that the opponent is Haihan who is not weak.

"Mr. Van der Wegen, please answer me, how much time did you spend on pre-war preparations after you decided to send troops? Including formulating combat plans, preparing supplies, and mobilizing troops." Cohen asked.

"About ten days, Lord Governor." Van der Wegen didn't understand what he meant, but he still replied respectfully.

"I think you must have personally participated in this process, right?" Seeing Van der Wegen nodding repeatedly, Cohen continued to ask: "So if you want to organize a military expedition to Sanya, what are you going to do? What do you think? Can you defeat your opponent?"

"Sanya?" Van der Wegen looked embarrassed: "It will take more than ten days to sail from Dayuan Port to Sanya, and I heard that the military port built by Haihan in the local area has very complete coastal defenses. There are dozens of anti-aircraft guns, and an armed fleet stationed in the port for a long time. If we only rely on the existing ships and troops in Dayuan Port, it may not be enough..."

"But the Haihan people sent their fleet, crossed the long voyage to Fujian, and defeated your fleet. Mr. Van der Wegen, this is the gap in strength. When you can't hurt your opponent, your opponent can freely Shake your fist and hit you."

Van der Wegen argued unconvinced: "The conditions in Dayuan Port are very limited, maybe it can't be done, but if Batavia..."

"Batavia is also difficult to do." Cohen shook his head and said, "The flight distance from Batavia to Sanya is two and a half times that of Dayuangang to Sanya. What does it mean? It means that we are going out You must bring supplies for at least two months, a huge fleet needs supplies for two months, do you know how many there are?"

"I... can probably imagine it..." Van der Wegen blushed again. Among the operations he commanded, this battle on Nanri Island was already the one with the largest number of ships and people involved.As for the size of a fleet needed to attack the Haihan people's lair, and how to coordinate the command and supply of such a fleet, this is indeed beyond what he can infer based on past experience.

"Mr. Van der Wegen, we are not afraid of fighting, but we must consider the consequences and impact of participating in the war, and at the same time, we must measure whether our ability can complete the combat objectives." Cohen raised his arms lightly and said: "Please help me to the balcony .”

Van der Wegen quickly got up and walked to Cohen, helped him up vigorously, and then slowly walked to the balcony on the side of the living room.

The Governor's Mansion is built on a gentle slope on the west side of the port. From here, you can see the busy scene of the port in the sunset. There is an endless stream of sailboats entering and leaving the port. The wind still faintly hears the sailors shouting slogans and pulling the sails. the sound of.

Cohen looked at the port in the distance and said: "When I came here 12 years ago, Batavia was just a small pier built by local aborigines, and our large merchant ships couldn't even dock directly. But look at it now Batavia, I think every employee in the company will be proud of it!"

"Yes, my lord. I am also proud of this prosperous port. This is all achieved under your wise command." Van der Wegen flattered without losing the opportunity.Of course, what he said is indeed true. The East India Company was established in 1602. It was not until 1619 when Cohen became the governor and established the company's headquarters in Batavia that it really entered a period of rapid development.After more than ten years of construction, Batavia has also become the most prosperous port city in Southeast Asia, and as an important gateway connecting the two oceans, it has already firmly established its position as a maritime trade hub between the East and the West.

"But recently I talked with some businessmen who have been to Sanya. The prosperity of that place has far exceeded our imagination. Some people even think that the local urban construction is better than Batavia." Cohen said With a gloomy face, he said: "Perhaps such a statement is exaggerated, but it has only been a few years since the Haihan people arrived in Sanya? They only took a third of our time to manage a new city on Qiongzhou Island." , and at the same time continue to expand externally. I heard that they have a very strong influence in Annan and Guangdong, and have the intention to continue to expand to other places. Mr. Van der Wegen, if they set their sights on the south in the future, Then the only thing that might stand in the way of their development is us, the East India Company."

"I will never allow such a situation to happen!" Van der Wegen put his fists on his chest and said emotionally: "My lord governor, I will swear to the death to defend the interests of the company!"

"You are a good young man, but your military ability needs further training." Cohen stretched out his hand and patted the tall young man in front of him on the shoulder: "You stay in Batavia temporarily, maybe after the company Your potency will be needed."

"I'm happy to serve the board of directors!" Van der Wegen responded immediately, and secretly heaved a sigh of relief.Seeing that Cohen's tone is so kind, it is obvious that he will not pursue the responsibility for Fujian's defeat in the war.

Sure enough, Cohen went on to say: "For the matter in Fujian, even if you didn't choose to send troops at that time, I think the Haihan people will use other methods to trouble you sooner or later. It is only a matter of time before the armed conflict occurs, and it may not be too late to expose it now." It's late. If your uncle isn't so old-fashioned, I think he should start strengthening the city defense construction of Dayuan Port now."

Van der Wegen replied: "Your wise governor, just as you imagined, when I left Dayuan Port, Uncle Hans had temporarily recruited a thousand laborers to speed up the construction of the city wall of Zeelandia. According to According to his calculation, we hope to advance the completion time of the first phase of the project from next year to before the end of this year. After the completion of this project, the defensive capabilities of Zeelandia City will be significantly improved. Attack, we can also achieve self-protection within a certain period of time.”

"I hope so. I'm a little tired, you step back first." Cohen waved his hand, indicating that Van der Wegen could leave.

(End of this chapter)