1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 725 A Rare Opportunity

Of course, Cheng Dapeng also knew the result of last year's negotiation, but the information he knew was sorted out and sent by the base camp. He certainly did not know the process as well as Su Keyi, who had experienced it, so he asked curiously: "Then what is the result?" Mr. Van der Wegen, what do you think of the Haihan militia?"

Even a close ally like Xu Xinsu would never easily confide his true thoughts in front of Haihan's senior management.It is even more difficult to inquire about the opinion of the commander of an opponent like the Netherlands who once fought Haihan.Cheng Dapeng bumped into such an opportunity by accident, so naturally he would not let it go easily.

Su Keyi was very interested in talking, and Cheng Dapeng didn't doubt him when asked, so he replied casually: "He thinks that the strength of the Haihan militia can compete with the army of powerful countries on the continent of Europe. It is a rare opponent. Fortunately, the Haihan militia has limited strength and it is difficult to deploy in a larger area at present, but if it is allowed to develop, I am afraid that it will really threaten the rights and interests of the East India Company in three to five years. Haihan people The ambition is quite high, and there will be friction and even conflicts with the East India Company due to commercial competition in various places. However, the company's strongholds outside Batavia often have only a few hundred soldiers stationed. "

Cheng Dapeng wondered why it would take three to five years. If the executive committee really wanted to start a war with the East India Company, it could cut off the air route between Batavia and Northeast Asia at any time.The East India Company's strongholds in Taiwan's Dayuan Port, Ryukyu Shuri Castle, and Japan's Hirado Port are all places that can be taken by force at any time in the eyes of the Haihan militia.Not doing it now is just because even if the East India Company is defeated and seized these places, there are not enough military resources to deploy defensive forces.Rather than engage in unnecessary wars, the Executive Committee hoped to seize the time to further strengthen its own strength, otherwise Su Keyi and two Dutchmen went north to Sanya, how could they seek peace for the defeated East India Company.

Cheng Dapeng continued to ask calmly: "Since this Master Fan has stumbled under the hands of the Haihan militia, I'm afraid his rhetoric will be difficult to gain trust in the discussion!"

"Who says it's not." Su Keyi put down his teacup, sighed and said, "This Fan Ye is also young, and he doesn't take turns when he speaks and does things. He just talked so bluntly with the meeting when he came back. If it wasn't for Cohen at that time My lord protects him, I'm afraid that the military position will be scooped up by the council to the end."

"Then this Lord Fan is still leading the army in the city?" Cheng Dapeng asked tentatively.

Su Keyi shook his head and said: "We can't win the war, and we can't negotiate. Mr. Cohen gave him two chances to show off, but he failed both times. The meeting will have a lot of resentment against him, so how can he stay? A few months later, he was sent to Dayuan Port to lead troops for his uncle. But he was also lucky. If he really stayed, he would have to be like you and me, trapped here and unable to get out. This is also considered How can you know that it is not a blessing if you lose your horse!"

Cheng Dapeng thought to himself that it was the same reason why I was trapped here. If it weren't for the overwhelming army outside the city, how would I have the opportunity to talk about such a sensitive topic.At that moment, Cheng Dapeng continued to ask: "If the Ma Dalan army does not retreat this time, or if it really breaks through the city defenses, can General Fan Dimen, who is leading the troops, have any other ways to deal with it?"

Su Keyi said: "If Boss Cheng is really worried, why not take advantage of the enemy's siege and immediately leave the city through the south gate. However, the situation outside the city is already in chaos, if Boss Cheng goes out of the city to take refuge, it may not be safer than inside the city. "

The Mata blue army attacked from the northern sea this time, and landed part of the army on the east and west sides ahead of time, forming a faint siege of Batavia city on three sides.Now the vanguard is only three or four miles away from the city of Batavia, and only the inland area to the south of the city is temporarily outside its range of activities.However, there are only tens of thousands of acres of plantations in the south of the city, and there is no place to escape the war.A hundred miles to the south are the Sara Volcano and the Gede Volcano, which are separated from the east and west, and there are no people in the vicinity.Ordinary people flee to such a place, and it is difficult to survive for a long time.

Cheng Dapeng quickly explained: "I don't mean that, brother Su Shi, don't misunderstand. I'm just worried that if the Dutch see that they are incapable of fighting, they will abandon the city. At that time, people will be swordsmen and I will be fish. Wouldn't it be dangerous?"

Su Keyi said: "Boss Cheng's words are not unreasonable, but you and I are not soldiers, we cannot fight the enemy, and we are not qualified to dictate to the Dutch how to use their troops, so we can only be spectators."

Cheng Dapeng said: "What is the situation of the battle, you can't see it, so you can only listen to the news at home."

Su Keyi heard the taste in the words, and couldn't help asking: "Could it be that Boss Cheng still wants to watch the battle?"

Cheng Dapeng nodded and said: "To be honest, Brother Su Shi, I am indeed a little curious and want to go to the city to have a look during the war."

Su Keyi stared at Cheng Dapeng for a long while without responding, as if he wanted to judge whether his statement was true or false.Just when Cheng Dapeng himself began to feel uneasy, Su Keyi said: "If Boss Cheng really has this intention, I can help you. It's just that this is an extraordinary period, and Boss Cheng may need to spend money." One or two."

Cheng Dapeng held back the ecstasy in his heart, and quickly responded: "Of course I won't let Brother Su Shi be busy at this time, I will definitely thank you."

Su Keyi waved his hand and said: "Boss Cheng misunderstood, the cost is not on my side, and there is no need to prepare any thank you gifts. What I mean is that Boss Cheng can use the name of condolences to watch the battle on the top of the city. If you do it yourself The cost of preparing consolation materials will not be too much, a few hundred thousand taels of silver is estimated to be enough. Then I will introduce you to the Dutch, I think there should be no problem."

Cheng Dapeng hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Brother Su Shi is kind! Regardless of whether the matter is successful or not, I thank you in advance."

Su Keyi returned the courtesy and said: "You're welcome! In fact, Boss Cheng has already registered with the council. If you apply for condolences yourself, you will most likely be allowed."

When Cheng Dapeng heard it, he knew that Su Keyi had misunderstood this matter.He probably thought that Cheng Dapeng's real purpose was to use the name of condolences to connect with the Dutch to gain a sense of existence, but he was worried that bypassing the Su family would make him unhappy, so he deliberately took this matter as his own face to ask for help.After all, Cheng Dapeng's rice line had business dealings with the council, so if he offered his condolences to the council, it would indeed be very likely to be approved.

Of course Cheng Dapeng would not explain it to him, so he said wrongly: "If it wasn't for Brother Su Shi's introduction, how could I have the opportunity to perform in front of the adults in the council. By the way, when Brother Su Shi leaves later, I will put I also brought back some of the Dahongpao, so that old man Su and the elders in the family could taste something new. If you like it, next time when you have a boat to Fujian, ask someone to buy some back."

With Cheng Dapeng being such a good person, Su Keyi was naturally willing to accept his flattery, so he thanked him immediately.Seeing that the time was approaching noon, Cheng Dapeng ordered his servants to prepare a luncheon for Su Keyi.The counting of this day continued until the sun went down, and the servants responsible for counting the grains presented the counted list.

Su Keyi looked at it, then handed it to Cheng Dapeng, and asked, "Boss Cheng, see if there is any discrepancy between the numbers?"

Cheng Dapeng looked at the figures and found that they were consistent with the grain stocks recorded by his family. He immediately nodded and said, "The figures are true and there is no discrepancy."

Su Keyi took the writing brush on Cheng Dapeng's desk, lightly dipped it in some ink, and crossed out the last few digits of the number: "You don't need to count this fraction, Boss Cheng can use it on his own."

Su Keyi's stroke saved Cheng Dapeng tens of thousands of catties of grain, and it was considered a big favor from him.Cheng Dapeng quickly thanked him. Although the food expropriated and controlled by the council will also be paid for, it is unknown how much the council will be able to pay in the end. With Su Keyi's flexibility, Dacheng Rice Company will undoubtedly reduce the risk of losses. possible.

"Boss Cheng hastened to deal with the condolences I mentioned earlier. If the war ends in a stalemate after a few more days, the meaning of the condolences will not be great." Su Keyi got up and said goodbye: "After your side is ready, Then send someone to inform, and I will arrange a suitable time for you. Come here today!"

Cheng Dapeng sent Su Keyi away with great gratitude, and then ordered to close the business, recruited a few able-bodied men to the backyard, told them today's harvest, and asked everyone to start buying relief supplies tomorrow, so that this can be realized as soon as possible plan.

In fact, Cheng Dapeng didn't know exactly how much military intelligence this kind of condolence activity could get, but since such an opportunity came up, he certainly wouldn't let it go.As for the need to spend some money for this, as long as useful information can be obtained, these expenses are not a big problem at all.After all, the Ministry of Security spent anywhere from [-] to [-] in order to install the intelligence team he led in Batavia.So much money is being spent like water, isn't it just to collect valuable intelligence at a critical moment one day?
On July 7, the vanguard of the Mata blue army arrived at the city of Batavia, and after a short rest, they lined up and launched an offensive.However, this attack was obviously only tentative in nature. About 9 Matalan infantry marched cautiously to about 300 meters below the city, but were stopped by artillery fire on the city wall.

The defenders fired on their own initiative to stop the Mata blue army from continuing to advance. Since the vanguard lacked heavy weapons capable of retaliating against the city wall, only a small number of archers in the Mata blue army carried out meaningless projectile counterattacks against the city wall.After dropping more than 20 corpses, the vanguard of the Mata blue army retreated angrily, and the defenders won the first match with zero casualties.

Van Diemen, who was supervising the battle at the top of the city, immediately asked the messengers to inform the council of the good news and report the victory to the residents in the city.Although they don't know the specific situation of the battle, the residents of the city cheered to express their joy for the victory when they heard the news that the defenders "wounded" the incoming enemy.

However, the first victory did not make Van Diemen really feel at ease. In this match, the city fire artillery fired 20 shots and killed more than [-] enemies. The cost-effectiveness ratio was astonishingly low.Although there are also reasons such as the scattered formation of the enemy army, the long distance, and the fact that the gunners have not yet entered the combat state, Van Diemen is still not very satisfied with the results of the battle.If calculated according to such a killing rate, it is almost impossible to rely on the advantage of artillery fire to kill the tens of thousands of troops outside the city.What's more, it's not that the Mata blue army outside the city is not equipped with heavy weapons for long-range strikes, it's just that they haven't arrived at the front line to participate in the battle yet.

That night, the Mata blue army camped about two kilometers outside the north city gate. At the same time, the Mata blue army camps appeared in the distance outside the city on the east and west walls.Although the defenders did not suffer any losses in this day's battle, Van Diemen was indeed not happy at all.Before dusk, he suggested to the council to let the two teams of cavalry in the city go out and charge for a while while the sky was still dark and the opponent's camp was not stable. Even if they couldn't kill many enemies, at least they could delay their camping progress.

However, the council rejected Van Diemen's bold and somewhat risky combat proposal on the grounds that the security of the city defense was the priority.The cavalry in Batavia city is only about [-] cavalry, and the council thinks that if you are not careful to attack the opponent's camp with this kind of force, you may lose your vitality, and it is better to base yourself on the city defense and fight steadily.

Although the council's decision was somewhat conservative, there was nothing wrong with it. After all, even Van Diemen himself couldn't guarantee that the cavalry would definitely win the battle if they attacked.And as the only mobile unit in the city, it is indeed a very risky behavior to put all of them into the battlefield in the first fight.If anyone would agree with Van Diemen's proposal, it would probably only be Governor Cohen, who has passed away and was known for his fierce fighting methods.

But the Dutch's conservatism did not bring about a peaceful night. At midnight that day, the Mata Blues organized people to make trouble under the city wall.It's a pity that these people were discovered by the defenders on the city wall when they were swimming across the moat. Even if hundreds of torches were thrown from the top of the city, the Musketeers on the top of the city used the firelight to attack the enemies below the city. .After a burst of gunfire, the night attack troops of the Mata Blue Army retreated silently into the night, seeing that they could not succeed.

The next morning, just after dawn, Van Diemen sent people outside the city to count the results of the night's battle. In the end, only four enemy corpses were found, which can be said to be better than nothing.However, hooks and other climbing tools were found from these corpses. If they really touched the city wall in the dark, it would be hard to say how much trouble would be caused.The defenders used horses to carry these bodies back to the city, and hung them up in the square in front of the meeting for public display to demonstrate the force of the defenders and stabilize the hearts of the people in the city.

(End of this chapter)