Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 656 Joining forces with the Netherlands (fifth watch)

The Strait of Malacca is a long strait between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra Island. It was originally under the control of the Sultanate of Malacca. However, more than 100 years ago, the Indian Governor of Franz led sailors and soldiers to capture the city of Malacca. Turn it into the bridgehead and base camp of Frangji Kingdom in Nanyang.

Malacca guards the exchanges between the East and the West. If you want to bypass the Strait of Malacca and take other routes, you will face more complicated situations such as complicated waterways and pirates. Therefore, the vision of Frangji is very vicious, and he saw it early. The place was also occupied here early, so that the Netherlands and other Western countries coveted it.

Governor Frangji received a letter from Cohen, Governor of the East India Company, and immediately summoned some important senior officials in Malacca.

"This is the letter from Cohen, the governor of the East India Company. I believe you have read it. What do you think?" Mascaro, the governor of Franz, looked around at the crowd.

A big businessman in Frangji said hesitantly: "Could this be a trap set by the Dutch to annex our Malacca? After all, they have been coveting our Malacca for a long time. If they want to use the convening of Batavia The opportunity of the conference to wipe out all those who competed with them in the Spice Islands?"

"Even if they didn't mean to take the opportunity to frame us, they want us to go to Batavia for a meeting instead of in Malacca. They want us to recognize their supremacy and really think that we are the masters of East India." Another Fran The machine dealer knocked on the table, and seemed extremely dissatisfied with the Dutch.

The reason why these Frangji businessmen are very dissatisfied with the Dutch is also very simple, because during the rise of the Netherlands, they focused their energy on the Spice Islands and robbed many of the original overlord Frangji. As a result of the colonies, only a few small colonies such as Malacca remained in Frangji in East India.In the process of fighting for the colonies, the conflicts between the two sides resulted in the death of a large number of soldiers and merchants. Every few years, conflicts would break out, and many merchant ships were looted.

"Even if the Dutch have had trouble with us before, what they describe in their letter this time is what is really happening - the Orientals are doing everything they can to expand their power. Do you remember that we were in Macao Set up a colony? Six years ago, I was the governor of Macau. I was surrounded by an oriental fleet and was forced to lead all the soldiers to leave Macau. Lu said to everyone.

"The colony we established in Macau was taken back by the Orientals a few years ago. It was originally their land. Is it normal for them to take it back? They have always regarded other places as barbarians except their own land. Land, I still find it hard to believe that they will be interested in the Spice Islands. Apart from spices, there is really nothing good here, so they will take a fancy to it?" The Frangji businessman still expressed doubts about this.

"It was the East that didn't like to expand the Nanyang region, but now the East is ruled by a military group called the Kyushu Army. They made their fortunes with the army and have a strong desire to expand. This is not what it used to be." Ma Shijialu Said, "Once they really want to enter Nanyang, they will have an absolute advantage due to their geographical location adjacent to the East Asian continent. If we continue to fight internally, it will only let the Kyushu Army take advantage of it. You really want to let a Will the Eastern Empire, which is a hundred times larger than the Netherlands, rule the Spice Islands and completely monopolize the trade in the East?"

The Dutch businessmen present looked at me and I looked at you, and they all felt that if the Spice Islands were really ruled by the new Eastern Empire, their fate would be really uncertain.

"I will lead three warships to Batavia to discuss the alliance with the Dutch. When the time comes, you guys will go with me, and the rest will stay in Malacca and take care of our fortress. Does anyone have any comments? ?” Ma Shijialu once again glanced at the Frangji executive who was struggling in his heart.

They were debating whether to form an alliance with their former sworn enemies, the Netherlands, against the emerging Kyushu Army, or to stand by and do nothing.

"What are you still thinking about? At least the Dutch have the same culture as us, while the East has their own culture. If we follow their trade rules in the future, it will be difficult for us to play around." Mascarlu hammered hard He hammered the table and was extremely dissatisfied with this group of people who held old grudges and ignored the increasingly powerful Eastern Fleet.

The others seemed to feel the governor's anger, so they all raised their hands: "We agree to form an alliance with the Netherlands, but how to form an alliance, we will wait until the Batavia conference is held."

Under the tough attitude of Governor Mascarlo, the Frangji people in Malacca reluctantly agreed to participate in the Batavia Conference held by the Dutch.

In the city of Manila on Luzon Island, the Spaniards also received letters from the Netherlands, and they were equally entangled with the Franzians.

Now the relationship among Francois, the Netherlands, and Spain in Europe is extremely complicated.To put it simply, Spain and Francois form the Iberian Union, and the Spaniards are the boss on the surface.The Federation of the Netherlands is theoretically a territory of Spain, but because of the commercial development and strength of the Netherlands, it wants to break away from Spain's control.

This made the governor of Manila established by Spain extremely entangled.Now Spain in Europe is at war with the Netherlands, and will not split the Federation of the Netherlands, but if people from the two countries on the colonial side form an alliance...

"Cohen's letter came at the right time. United countries to deal with the Kyushu Army. I had this idea for a long time. It's just that the king is still fighting with the Dutch in Europe. If we join forces with the Dutch with great fanfare, I don't know. What will the domestic public opinion be like?" Manila Governor Acuña held the letter from Cohen in his hand, frowning.

"But if we don't think of a way to deal with the Kyushu Army, I'm afraid they don't have to attack, and the Chinese businessmen under our Manila rule will rebel. They have long been dissatisfied with our taxes in Manila, and they didn't dare to criticize us before, but they I heard that the Ming Dynasty was replaced by the Kyushu Army, and I also heard that after our strongholds in the northeast and west of Yizhou were captured by the Kyushu Army, we became more arrogant, thinking that the Kyushu Army was behind them, and now there are more troubles." The only thing that is different from the city of Malacca Similarly, Acuña's subordinates all advocated joining forces with the Dutch to weaken the influence of Chinese merchants in Nanyang.

"Yes, there are too many Chinese businessmen in Manila. There are 2 people, more than our garrison. If the Kyushu Army intervenes in Nanyang, they will respond to the Kyushu Army as soon as possible. So this Batavia Conference I I really have to go!" Acuña still prefers to form an alliance.

(End of this chapter)