1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 165 Population and Arms Trading

"Your Excellency, I need to report a serious matter to you." Colonel Rorscheit, commander of the Spanish Far East Fleet in the Philippines, came to the Governor's Palace and said seriously.

"What happened? Is there a problem with the planning of the expedition fleet?" Governor Luis Das Marina asked.

"Uh, that's not the problem. It's another important matter." Colonel Rorscheidt said, "It's the news from the Dutch."

On December 28, the Spanish battleship "Saint Lawrence" returned to Manila with some damage.Captain Anthony Goldstein immediately handed over the charts they had drawn along the way to the Fleet Command, and professional chart officers conducted research, comparison, and refinement.Finally, a week later, the chart line was determined.

Immediately, the Far East Fleet and the Army Stationed in Manila began to discuss and study how to attack the hideout of this group of pirates - Hanzhou.According to the confession of the sailors captured in the early stage, the opponent has a total of 3000 to [-] soldiers and civilians.It is conservatively estimated that there are three to five hundred armed pirates on the "island".Of course, they may also arm the civilians on the "island" when they are attacked.

Then, based on the assessment of the combat effectiveness of the local natives, the Spaniards believed that they should be able to win the battle with about two hundred musketeers and about five or six hundred native servants.

As for the pirates' armed merchant ships, the Spanish navy was extremely disdainful.They planned to send only four or five Spanish galleons, supplemented by several merchant ships conscripted temporarily, which would surely sink or capture their ships.Suppose, their ships are all on that "island".

What may bother the Spaniards a little is the dozen or so cannons that the pirates have placed on the docks.

However, it doesn't matter, the pier can't land, we can choose another beachhead suitable for landing nearby, or attack those damned pirates.

"The Dutch?... What's going on with them?" Governor Luis Dasmarina asked suspiciously.Those damned rebels will sooner or later be reconquered by our great Spanish kingdom.

"Recently, Dutch ships have frequently traveled to and from Borneo. It is reported that they transported a large amount of supplies and personnel, and placed them in several colonial points there. And..." Colonel Rorscheidt looked up into the eyes of the governor, "Moreover, some of their armed merchant ships have crossed our Philippine border. Recently, they even appeared near Palawan Island."

"Huh?" Governor Luis Dasmarina was a little startled, "Are the Dutch planning to attack us?"

The hoarding of personnel and supplies to Borneo, and the frequent visits of ships to investigate nearby, this is completely the prelude to an armed attack!
"I think it's possible." Colonel Rohrscheid nodded and said, "I think we should be prepared."

"The rebels of the Netherlands!" Governor Luis das Marina stood up angrily and walked up and down the house, feeling offended, offended by the great Spanish kingdom.A group of merchants from the Netherlands dared to attack the colonies of the Kingdom of Spain.

"Temporarily cancel the expedition plan. Start preparing for the war and prepare for the arrival of those rebels!" Governor Luis Dasmarina categorically ordered: "We must teach those despicable Dutch businessmen a lesson!"

"Of order, Your Excellency the Governor!" Colonel Rolscheit said loudly: "Do you need to recall those soldiers and native servants on Sulu Island?"

In order to completely wipe out the remaining resistance forces of the Sulu Kingdom, the Spaniards stationed hundreds of musketeers and more than 1000 native servants on several islands of the Sulu Kingdom.

"Bring them all back!" Governor Luis Dasmarina said viciously, "If those Dutch dare to come, we will wipe them all out!"

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Batavia, Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Hu Wenjin and several Chinese businessmen were sitting in a private room of a guild hall, drinking tea and chatting comfortably, talking about business information in Daming and Nanyang.

"Old Ma, is there any news about the deal you mentioned last time?" Hu Wenjin lowered his head and asked a thin Chinese businessman beside him.

"I asked for you." Ma Huaiyu said with a smile, "There are indeed thousands of captives in Malacca's native states. Moreover, a large part of them are Baba and Nyonya."

Baba, Nyonya, that is, men and women of Chinese descent in the Malay Peninsula. From the 15th century to the 17th century, around the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people living in the southeast coastal areas took advantage of the monsoon wind to sail to Southeast Asian countries for business and trade exchanges. Some of them stayed in Malacca, Indonesia, Myanmar and other places, and communicated with local people Malay aborigines intermarry and give birth to offspring. Their descendants are called "Baba Nyonya", males are called Baba, and females are called Nyonya.

"Forget Baba, how many Nyonya are there?" Hu Wenjin pondered, Hanzhou Ming people are mostly men, and women are few, so it is more important to get more women.

"About eight or nine hundred." Ma Huaiyu said with a smile, "Wouldn't it be better to get more men to work?"

Ma Huaiyu knew that this Ming man named Hu Wenjin was a pirate from Ming Dynasty who occupied a large island south of Batavia with some force.Moreover, I heard that they have a relatively close relationship with the Dutch, so they are friends that can be made.

"We don't want men for the time being. What's the price for those women?" Seeing Master Cao pulling people from Daming one by one, and the majority are still men.So, we in Hanzhou don't care about men for the time being.Now they are trying their best to find wives for more and more bachelors in Hanzhou!

"Go to Malacca to pick up the goods, thirty dong; they will send it to you, fifty dong."

Hu Wenjin calculated in his mind that it would cost about six taels of silver to pick up the "goods", and nearly ten taels of silver to deliver the "goods" to Batavia.

"Can you still bargain?" Hu Wenjin asked.

"If you have muskets and swords, you can also exchange them." Ma Huaiyu said with a smile.

Oh, that is no bargaining.

"What kind of replacement?"

"I remember you once showed me a few steel knives, right?" Ma Huaiyu said with a smile: "Five knives for one Nyonya. If it's a musket, one for two Nyonya."

The reason why there are so many musketeers exchanged by women is not how expensive it is, but because Western colonists deliberately reduced the import of firearms to various countries in Southeast Asia at that time to avoid backlash against them.Therefore, in various countries in Southeast Asia, muskets or artillery are the weapons they most want.

Hu Wenjin thought about it, Hanzhou can now produce his own muskets, and it is said that the performance is not bad.Although the output is a little low, about twenty sticks per month, you can always take out some old-fashioned matchlock guns in exchange for women.Steel knife, then there is no problem.More than 2000 can be made casually in a month, that is more than 400 women.

"Okay, it's a deal. Let the local king of Malacca get me the women, and I want them all. But, it's a deal, we don't want those dark and thin ugly women!" Hu Wenjin smiled. Patted Ma Huaiyu on the shoulder and said.

"What are you paying for?"

"The muskets are not enough, the knives are enough, neither is enough, I will pay the money!" Hu Wenjin said boldly.A few months ago, when Cao Xiong came back from Jishui Bay in Aceh, he threw dozens of boxes of silver coins from various countries, and the total amount was 10,000+ dong.Don't say you have a thousand women, even if there are more, I can eat it.

"Old Hu, you have a good relationship with the Dutch. Can you get artillery?" Ma Huaiyu asked Hu Wenjin quietly after finishing the human transaction.

"Cannon? Who are you buying for?" Hu Wenjin asked.

"Kingdom of Malacca, ... and Aceh."

When Hu Wenjin heard it, he almost spit out the tea in his mouth.Damn it, we just attacked the Kingdom of Aceh with the Dutch, and in a blink of an eye, someone was entrusted by it to buy artillery from him!

"People can pay a high price. The more powerful the artillery, the higher the price." Ma Huaiyu took a sip of the teacup slowly.

Hu Wenjin looked at Ma Huaiyu steadily, and learned from some sources that this guy seemed to be inextricably related to a certain True God country in the west, and the Aceh Kingdom also believed in True God.

"I can't answer you now. . . . We've got very little artillery from the Dutch."

"Old Hu, your words may not be completely true." Ma Huaiyu said with a half-smile, "Just say that the two large western ships you bought probably had quite a few cannons on them."

"That's a naval gun."

"Take it down and put it on the land, it will be a heavy artillery for defending the city."

"The Dutch don't allow us to buy naval guns to others."

"Cannons, in the process of use, there will always be damage."

"I want to go back and ask my family's commander in chief." Hu Wenjin didn't know whether to agree or refuse.Simply drag it on first, and see what the rules are between Master Cao and Hanzhou.

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"Cannon!" Qi Tian smacked his lips, "Buy it! Why don't you buy it?"

After Hu Wenjin heard the news from Batavia about the exchange of arms for women and the sale of artillery, Qi Tian agreed without hesitation.Since ancient times, arms seem to be the most profitable business.At present, with Hanzhou's size, he is still unable to go out and compete with the Dutch for territory.So why not make it harder for the Dutch?

Moreover, the cannons sold are all under 12 pounds, and the arming of the opponent's warships is a little bit worse, so try to arm their cities and ports as much as possible.

(End of this chapter)