1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 618 Declaring War
December 1649, 1, Batavia.

Rear Admiral Grigoris Kopet, commander of the Batavia Navy, brought a few officers to the Governor's Mansion in a hurry, with a dignified expression and a somewhat...excited expression.

"Our fleet blockading Makassar shelled the merchant ships of the Hanzhou people?" Governor Cornelis van der Lin looked at Major General Kopet in surprise.

"Yes." Major General Kopet said: "According to the news from the fleet, a merchant ship from Hanzhou tried to enter Makassar and was intercepted by our warship. At that time, they suspected that the merchant ship from Hanzhou was carrying a large number of weapons. , ready to be transported to the Portuguese in Makassar. Immediately, they asked to inspect the Hanzhou people’s ships, but they were refused.”

"Then, our fleet shelled the merchant ships brought by the Hanzhou people?"

"No." Rear Admiral Kopet shook his head and said: "The fleet has maintained restraint to a certain extent. They ordered the Hanzhou merchant ships to return and not enter Makassar. But..."

"Hanzhou people want to force their way in?"

"Yes. . . . Then, our warships fired warning shots. The Hanzhou Merchant Ship . . . fired back."

"Didn't they just have one merchant ship? ... How dare they fight back?"

"However, they did fight back." Rear Admiral Kopet said with a wry smile: "Our fleet wounded it, and the other party took advantage of the opportunity to escape. I think the Hanzhou people will definitely launch a severe protest against us for this. "

"Protest?" Governor Delin was stunned for a moment, "...Will this directly trigger a war?"

Major General Kopet nodded and said softly: "This possibility is not ruled out. In addition, we also found that the number of immigrant ships from Hanzhou calling at Batavia this year is much less than before."

"This shows what?"

"This shows that Hanzhou seems to have predicted conflicts and even wars with us, so it reduced the immigration boats passing through Batavia and turned to the so-called eastern route... Of course, it is also possible They have established a transit base nearby that we don't know about, so they don't have to stop in Batavia to rest."

"No matter what the situation is, it has already shown that we and Hanzhou are infinitely close to the brink of war." Governor Delin said solemnly: "If there is a war, what is your navy's plan?"

"First, blockade the Sunda Strait and Timor Island, intercept and attack Hanzhou merchant ships. In addition, organize an expeditionary force to attack the western and southwestern strongholds of Hanzhou." Major General Kopet said: "In addition, order Ceylon and Armed merchant ships off India seize Han Chau's stronghold in Cochin, India."

"Why not blockade the Jianye Port in Hanzhou? It is their political and economic center. If Jianye Port is cut off from the outside world, all parts of Hanzhou and overseas territories will lose the most important supplies and support."

"Your Excellency, the blockade of Jianye Port will cost too much. Because the warships of Hanzhou will be repaired soon after being damaged, and they will go back to battle again. And our Kubang stronghold closest to Jianye Port , does not have the ability to repair ships."

"It is said that ten years ago, our East India Company could blockade Jianye Port at will, and their weak fleet had to hide everywhere. Unexpectedly, ten years later, the navy of Hanzhou could defend their capital and break our blockade .”

"So, after the outbreak of the war, our navy will rely on its strong numerical advantages to frequently attack their merchant ships in the East Indies, Hanzhou and other places, weakening Hanzhou's sea power as much as possible, and completely gaining our control over the entire region. Sea control!" Rear Admiral Kopet said solemnly.

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January 1, Hanzhou, Jianye City.

Qi Tian looked at his head of the bodyguard, with an uncontrollable excitement on his face, and said angrily: "Look at you, I thought it was our warship that attacked the Dutch merchant ship!"

"Your Majesty, the Dutch were indeed the first to attack our merchant ships in Makassar." Shi Guanghan, the head of the guard, replied respectfully.

"Want to go to the battlefield?"

"Chen... I want to go!"

"This time our main decisive battle with the Netherlands is at sea." Qi Tian pondered for a moment, then said: "However, this time we might as well take the entire Timor Island, and then there may be a few land battles. Go to Zhenhai (now Dili, East Timor)."

"Thank you, my lord!" Shi Guanghan said with joy.

"Go and inform the military department and the cabinet to hold a special military-civilian-government joint meeting at the Chongzheng Hall of the Royal Palace at two o'clock in the afternoon." Qi Tian ordered.

Seeing Shi Guanghan leading a few guards out, Qi Tian calmly returned to the small courtyard, and then saw Bai Zhijun with a strange expression on his face.

"Is there going to be a war?"

"Well, there is going to be a war."

"Your Majesty, you should return to the palace immediately."

"The meeting is scheduled for the afternoon."

"..." Bai Zhijun bit her lower lip, "If people know that the war is coming, but the king is here, I may be... criticized."

"Ten years ago, we fought a battle with the Dutch." Qi Tian sat on a chair and said leisurely: "At that time, we had no choice but to fight. Now, ten years have passed, although our strength It is still not enough to annex and dominate the whole of Nanyang, but it is not enough to be bullied and suppressed by foreigners. This time, in order to defeat the Dutch, we have prepared for a year, and we have done everything that should be done. At this moment, why bother Make a tense and cautious move?"

"..." Bai Zhijun bit his lower lip and sighed slightly in his heart. As the master of Hanzhou and the king of Qi, you naturally don't worry about being criticized.But I am a weak woman, who shows off people with vocal music and graceful dance, and comes from a lowly background, but you stay here, and you will definitely be called a king of lust and charm the world.

"After defeating the He people, I will accept you." Qi Tian said calmly.

"Ah?" Hearing this, Bai Zhijun was ashamed, anxious, and slightly flustered.

"Originally we were innocent, just discussing some vocal songs, but in the eyes of many people, I am afraid that you have been regarded as my forbidden private property." Qi Tian shook his head and said: "In this era, since you have been burdened with this If you think about it, you will not be able to find a lover again. So, I will accept you, okay?"

Regarding Qi Tian's inquiry, how would Bai Zhijun answer this question.He just lowered his head, but his heart was at a loss.

"queen……"

"This is also her suggestion." Qi Tian said with some embarrassment.Although the words are a bit shameless, but there is a faint pride in his heart.

"...Slaves, but the king is the master."

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"As of December last year, the total population of Hanzhou, Timor Island, and Weiyuan Island totaled more than 31, of which the population born in the mainland and overseas territories reached more than 4.... Immigration in March After the work is over, it is preliminarily estimated that more than [-] new immigrants will be added this year. In this way, including the birth population, there may be a net increase of [-] by the end of the year..."

"The total output of all kinds of grain is nearly 15 tons per year. In addition to meeting the needs of the local and overseas territories, there is still an annual balance of [-] to [-] tons for war preparation storage... In addition, based on the current comprehensive grain storage, It can guarantee the consumption demand of the national market for eight to ten months..."

"Horses, cows, sheep, donkeys, mules and other large animals, there are more than 13 heads (only), more than [-] pigs, and more than [-] chickens, ducks, geese and other poultry..."

"The steel output exceeded [-] tons last year, of which the steel output reached more than [-] tons. As the Linhai Iron and Steel Plant enters normal production, it is expected that its steel output will exceed that of the Heishan Iron and Steel Plant this year..."

"Coal and auxiliary products, with an annual output of 18 tons..."

"The output of cotton textiles such as cotton cloth and linen wool has reached [-] pieces..."

"The production of white sugar is close to [-] tons..."

"Currently, there are a total of 85 medium and large transport ships (more than [-] tons, including professional warships) in our country, with a capacity of nearly [-] tons..."

"After more than ten years of development, the scale of Jianye Shipyard and Weiyuan Shipyard has increased year by year, and now six to eight large and medium-sized merchant ships (warships) over 400 tons can be built every year..."

"..."

At the joint meeting, Prime Minister Pan Qifeng first briefly reported the current development of Qi State to the officials present, then closed the report and said with a smile: "Compared to ten years ago, the development of our Qi State is all the same. It has reached a new level, and its comprehensive strength has also improved by leaps and bounds compared with that time. Judging from our current strength, even if we fail to win quickly in the early stage and fight a war of attrition with the Dutch, the one who wins the final victory will be It will be our Daqi Kingdom!"

Upon hearing this, the officials present all had knowing smiles on their faces.Ten years ago, we were able to draw with the Dutch with tens of thousands of people and a dozen ships.Today, our strength is twice that of the past, how can we not win the Dutch East India Company?

"Can we attack the Dutch before the end of February?" Qi Tian asked.

"Return to the king, there are currently four professional warships stationed in Jianye Port for combat, and five armed merchant ships are undergoing maintenance at the shipyard." Cui Shaochuan, head of the Strategy Department of the Staff Department, said: There are still five warships and armed merchant ships between Buna Island (now Natuna Island, Indonesia) and Timor Island. There are already six warships and armed merchant ships on the eastern front in Weiyuan City Gather and stand by. It is estimated that before the end of February, we will be able to gather more than [-] combat ships in Weiyuan Port, enough to launch the first wave of attacks on the Spice Islands."

"After the declaration of war, according to your staff deduction, what will the Dutch do?"

"According to our several rounds of deduction, the Dutch will immediately send ships to block the Sunda Strait to intercept and attack the immigrant ships and merchant ships we pass here. If the Dutch have prepared for war in advance, they may send The fleet attacked Zhenhai, Jiansheng (now Persikama City, West Timor Island, Indonesia), Xinxiang, Baokao and Tutuala in the Kingdom of Wehali, and blocked the above areas in due course. As the war progressed, the Dutch quickly It is possible to form an expeditionary fleet to attack various ports and settlements in the west and south-west of Hanzhou."

"In addition, the Dutch will also block the Strait of Malacca, and use the combined sea power of Ceylon and India to attack Anfeng Fort (now Cochin City in southwest India) under the control of the Indian Trading Company."

"They won't come to Jianye Port, or go to the east of Hanzhou?"

"There are more than ten forts around Jianye Port, and with a population of more than [-] around Jianye Mansion, thousands or even tens of thousands of armed local soldiers can be easily mobilized. Even if the Dutch concentrate all their sea power and mercenaries, they may not be able to capture Jianye Mansion." Yegang." Cui Shaochuan said: "As for the eastern part of Hanzhou, there is a certain probability that they will be attacked by the Dutch. But the opponent needs to cross such a long distance, which may put a certain pressure on their logistics. Moreover, there will be certain risks. , was blocked by our naval fleet in Weiyuan Island and the northern waters of Hanzhou."

"So, after the war breaks out, how will it affect our overseas trade?"

"Return to the king." Luan Jinxing, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce replied: "Because we have predicted the outbreak of war, we have already prepared most of the manufactured industrial products, such as steel, cotton (wool) textiles, and sugar, in advance. , porcelain, whale oil, soap, military industry, etc., are stored in Gouji Island and Weiyuan Island, etc., and can be compared with Palembang, Jambi, Aceh and Sulu and Zhengjia in Luzon on Sumatra Island. Local forces can continue to carry out trade exchanges without restriction, and can also trade with Ryukyu, Taiwan, Daming, Annan and other regions through the eastern route to ensure the export of goods.”

"If the initial stage of the war fails to severely damage the maritime power of the Dutch East India Company, but instead enters into a stalemate and consumption process, it will affect trade activities in the second half of this year. Unless, we abandon the annual immigration and use the navy fleet to implement armed escort Otherwise, the goods produced by various domestic factories and mines will form a backlog of inventory."

Qi Tian looked at Qi Dajiang.

"Your Majesty, the battlefield is unpredictable. No matter how perfect our plan is and how carefully we arrange it, we will encounter various problems." Qi Dajiang considered his words, "Our navy cannot guarantee In the early days of the war, the Dutch sea power can be severely damaged. Ambon is only the most important place for the Dutch to export spices, and it is not a place where the opponent must save. If the opponent takes advantage of our main fleet to arrive in Ambon, they will instead concentrate their ships to attack us There is also a certain possibility in the mainland of Hanzhou. After all, the other party knows that we have more than ten professional warships, as well as large battleships, and they will definitely have scruples about local decisive battles."

"If our main fleet appears near Batavia, will they dispatch the fleet to fight us?" Qi Tian asked.

"..." Qi Dajiang looked at Qi Tian in surprise, "If we had a decisive battle in front of the Dutchman's house, we might not be able to escape unscathed."

Fighting against the Dutch in Ambon, he was injured, so at least he could retreat to Xuanwu, and he could return in three to five days.But if the situation in Batavia is unfavorable, they can only run to Gouji Island.If the opponent has another fleet guarding the Sunda Strait, the loss may be even greater.

Qi Tian was silent for a while, but he was trying his best to recall the process of the first war between Britain and Holland in his mind.I still remember that at that time, the Dutch were obviously superior to the British in terms of sea power and combat skills, but they were beaten up by the British because of their strategic and tactical failures.

The Dutch merchants, in order to maintain maritime trade and foreign economic ties, adopted a strategy of escorting merchant ships with several fleets, and forcibly passed through the Strait of Dover.

The British, on the other hand, abandoned their temporary overseas trade and adopted the tactics of concentrating a powerful fleet and intercepting all Dutch ships passing through the strait to ensure their absolute dominance of the sea.As a result, in several naval battles, they were always able to defeat the Dutch escort fleet with local advantages, and took advantage of the situation to plunder many Dutch merchant ships, controlling the English Channel, and almost paralyzing the Dutch economy that relied on trade for survival.In the end, peace talks had to be held with Great Britain.

So, will the Dutch East India Company abandon its temporary trade activities and concentrate its main maritime fleet to fight a decisive battle with Qi?
"Let's implement the original combat plan first." Qi Tian said decisively: "Declare war on the Dutch East India Company. In this war, we vow to break their monopoly and control over the Nanyang region and establish our Qi's dominant position in this region! "

(End of this chapter)