The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

On the 19th day of the first month of the first year of the Weiyao era, in the morning.

On the docks outside Fort Zeelandia, the salty sea breeze carried an air of despair.

More than a thousand Dutch soldiers belonging to the Dutch East India Company stood empty-handed in a fairly orderly formation on the open square of the dock.

A large number of guns and weapons were piled up into silent hills in front of them.

As the Governor-General of Taiwan, Kui Yi stood at the front of the procession, accompanied by several adjutants.

He wore a long coat made of luxurious materials and with a good tailoring. The delicate silver buttons on the dark blue wool coat were fastened meticulously.

Below, he was wearing a brand new pair of riding breeches, leather shoes, and white stockings.

His head was held high, his chin raised as high as possible, trying to maintain his last shred of dignity.

Her reddish hair, hidden under the tricorn hat, was neatly combed.

But the dejected soldiers behind him and the terrified adjutants beside him had already shattered this facade of dignity.

They are losers.

This is the truth.

On the morning of the eighteenth day of the first lunar month.

Van der Berg brought back the ultimatum issued by Cao Dingjiao.

The arguments, quarrels, and commotion continued until dusk on the eighteenth day of the first lunar month.

With the news of the fall of Chihkan City, all the conflicts came to a complete end.

The Dutchmen inside Fort Zeelandia abandoned their last shred of unrealistic fantasies.

Chihkan City fell in less than half a day.

The more than four hundred soldiers who defended the city were all slaughtered after the city fell, without causing any trouble at all.

When most of them were at the dock and saw the fleet that blotted out the sky on the sea, all the arguments came to an abrupt end, and fear filled everyone's hearts.

They were not afraid of the Fujian ships that had been sailing in the Eastern Ocean all along.

But they were afraid of the ten giant ships equipped with fifty cannons, which were like sea fortresses.

The dense cannon muzzles resembled the gaze of death, and the sails billowing in the wind looked like towering city walls.

There was no further debate.

Shortly after the sun had set, the Dutch envoys once again stepped out of Fort Zeelandia.

This time, they brought with them a letter of surrender.

The surrender ceremony was scheduled for the early morning of the following day.

That is at this moment.

He looked down at his hands, which were trembling slightly.

He had handed over the defense of the docks, and the soldiers of the Eastern Empire, all dressed in red uniforms, had taken complete control of the docks' defenses.

The landing force numbered over five thousand men.

Kui Yi's throat was parched, and he had almost lost control of his emotions.

He saw the facts reported to him by the mission he had sent.

These soldiers from the East, who called themselves the Great Chen Empire, carried firearms far more advanced than their own, and even a large number of cannons.

Compared to the sailors of Zheng's fleet, they were many times more capable and skilled.

Those cold, icy gazes pierced him, making his fear grow ever heavier.

But at the same time, Kuiichi was also relieved.

He made the right judgment and chose to surrender instead of waging a war that was doomed to failure and losing everything he had.

"Oh, God……"

Kui muttered to himself.

A single fleet carries tens of thousands of elite soldiers.

If these soldiers were stationed in Europe, they would be enough to destroy a small country, or even dictate the course of a battle.

Their country's army, compared to the soldiers of these Eastern empires, was hardly different from that of beggars.

Perhaps only the elite troops of the Kingdom of Spain could barely keep up with the soldiers of these Eastern empires.

Just last year, the Battle of Rocroi broke out.

The combined forces of the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Spain numbered only about 50,000.

Their company has a total force of less than 8,000 people in the Far East.

Each colony needed to station troops to suppress the local natives.

Each time the company undertakes an expedition, such as to Java or Ceylon, it can only mobilize a force of less than two thousand people.

If the army of the Eastern Empire were all as elite as the army before us.

So, whatever they want to do, probably no one in this world can stop them.

"This will be a disaster..."

Kuiyi was filled with fear, and he muttered to himself.

The Eastern Empire, which had been gradually weakening due to the threat from the Tatars and internal turmoil, was now undoubtedly reviving.

As described.

In the Eastern Empire, a noble imperial duke seized power, quelled internal strife, and completely eliminated the threat from the Tatars in the north.

The name of the Eastern Empire was thus changed from the original Great Ming to Great Chen.

That duke of the empire eventually became the new emperor of the Eastern Empire.

Of all the messages Van der Berg brought, there was one he remembered very clearly.

"You can remember this name."

"Because, before long, this name will spread throughout the world with the sea breeze and sails."

This message, seemingly insignificant, was merely a casual boast.

However, what Kuiyi heard from this message was...

A new empire rose from the ruins, its internal affairs were at peace, and there was no longer any threat from the north.

Now, the Eastern Empire has turned its back on itself, and its gaze is no longer fixed on the northern grasslands.

Instead, it was cast southwards, onto the vast ocean.

This was undoubtedly a huge disaster for their company and for the Netherlands.

Kuiyi looked at the numerous ships moored on the dock and gazed up at the magnificent giant ships that resembled sea fortresses.

Such warships are probably still being launched continuously.

The wealth and power possessed by the Eastern Empire are beyond doubt.

Kuiyi is very clear about this.

Three years ago, they learned that the Ming Empire had fought a major battle with the Tatars in the north.

Both sides deployed a total of over 300,000 troops and hundreds of artillery pieces to exchange fire along a long front and fight across a vast territory.

Meanwhile, the Ming Empire still had a large number of troops fighting against rebels within its borders.

The total number of troops in the Ming Dynasty was a terrifying figure; they had more than a million soldiers.

The number of troops in one country even exceeds that of the entire Europe.

Today, this empire boasts a massive fleet.

Although a considerable portion of their fleet still consists of warships dating back decades.

However, those ten new sailing battleships, each carrying as many as fifty cannons, signified that this vast empire was no longer destined to remain silent.

Kui Yi felt heavy-hearted. He clenched his teeth and tried his best to remain calm.

His gaze was fixed on the giant ship that was slowly docking.

The giant ship was painted entirely in red, and the wave-breaking bow resembled a gilded dragon.

Kuiyi recognized the dragon image; it was a symbol of Eastern imperial power, an emblem that only the emperors of Eastern empires could use.

On the towering flagship, countless soldiers in crimson uniforms, hands on their swords, looked down at him with cold, iron-like expressions. As the flagship docked, the heavy tolling of bells slowly rang out.

As the bugle sounded, large troop of soldiers escorted a general dressed in a red robe and wearing an iron crown as he slowly approached.

Tall banners and fluttering red flags lined the streets.

Accompanied by countless flashes of cold light constantly leaping.

After the soldiers who had cleared the way finally stopped and then separated, Kui-i finally met the general who had come to accept their surrender.

A soldier in a cloak and belt stepped forward and walked to the front of the formation, giving a loud command.

"Rong Zhi, Admiral of the South China Sea, Earl of Penghu, of the Great Chen Empire!"

The interpreter was also translating loudly.

Kui Yi's legs trembled. He closed his eyes, lowered his head, bent his knees, and slowly knelt down on the ground.

Kneeling down alongside Coyett were his adjutants, nobles, and thousands of Dutch East India Company soldiers.

This was an order they had received beforehand.

The empire would never accept their surrender if they did not obey the order to kneel.

Making a choice between life and death is not difficult.

They also kneel in Europe.

They have been arrogant and refused to kneel before officials from many countries, simply because they considered themselves superior.

When the Portuguese in the Hao River knelt before Ming Dynasty officials, they did not hesitate for a moment.

Cao Dingjiao, dressed in a robe with a qilin design, slowly swept his gaze over the kneeling Dutchmen.

His emotions didn't fluctuate much.

In his view, the Dutch, with only a thousand or so soldiers, were extremely weak.

Such a victory was practically within reach.

The Battle of Penghu, which dealt a heavy blow to the Dutch East India Company more than a decade earlier, was merely a local war in a province or region when the Ming Dynasty was in turmoil at the time.

It didn't even attract much attention from the central government.

Cao Dingjiao moved forward steadily, until he was about two steps away from the kneeling Kui Yi.

The guards beside him carried the chair step by step and finally placed it behind Cao Dingjiao.

Cao Dingjiao lightly flicked his sleeves, slowly sat down, and looked down at Kui Yi.

"Keep your head up."

Cao Dingjiao's voice was calm and devoid of any emotion.

The translator was also translating at a leisurely pace.

Kui Yi's body trembled slightly, he straightened up a little, and raised his head.

Looking up, Kui Yi met Cao Dingjiao's sharp eyes. Kui Yi's gaze darted away, instinctively avoiding them.

He was filled with fear and dared only stare at the ground.

He knew that this count of the empire could easily decide his life or death.

“I have heard that your country is called the Netherlands, in the far west.”

Cao Dingjiao's gaze was calm as he asked indifferently.

The interpreter beside him translated his words at lightning speed.

Kui bowed slightly and answered.

"Your Excellency's erudition is truly remarkable, and our country is indeed..."

However, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Cao Dingjiao.

Cao Dingjiao saw the interpreter's head; he had gotten the answer he wanted.

“I know that your country is called the Netherlands, and I know that your company is called the East India Company, which belongs to your country.”

“You have come from afar, crossing the border.”

"The land you occupy belongs to the southeastern archipelago of my Great Chen Empire."

During the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He made seven voyages to the Western Ocean, which established the tributary system.

All the countries in Southeast Asia submitted to the military might of the Ming Dynasty.

However, the Ming Dynasty did not have a universally accepted name for the entire Malay Archipelago.

The Southeast Islands were the name chosen by Chen Wang, and the later term "Malay Islands" was not used.

In fact, using the name from later generations could better represent this region.

However, Chen Wang had already decided to take over the entire Southeast Asia, so naturally he would not use this foreign term for naming it.

"More than two hundred years ago, the various countries in the Southeast Islands were already our vassals."

“You have taken advantage of our country’s internal strife and external threats to attack our subjects, seize their lands, and kill their people.”

Cao Dingjiao's eyes sharpened, and his tone became stern.

"This is a provocation against the empire and an insult to our emperor."

"By the end of this year, I want your forces to withdraw from the empire's maritime borders and return to India."

As the interpreter continued translating, Kui Yi's forehead became increasingly covered in cold sweat.

His body trembled, and his face was pale.

He sensed the undisguised threat in those words.

"Your Excellency, Earl..."

Kuiyi raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead, trying his best to suppress the fear in his heart.

"I am merely the Governor-General of Taiwan; I have no authority to make such a decision..."

"I know."

Cao Dingjiao looked down at Kui Yi and said coldly.

"Just take this order back to Batavia, back to your country."

"But you need to understand one thing."

Cao Dingjiao raised his head, no longer looking at Kui Yi, but looking towards Fort Zeelandia in the distance.

"I tell you clearly, our country has ended its internal strife and eliminated the foreign invaders. We are going to return to the sea."

"Under my command, there are more than 40,000 sailors, more than 700 warships, and 15,000 land troops accompanying the ships."

"How many warships and how many soldiers do you have on the eastern seas?"

Cao Dingjiao looked disdainful and sneered.

"I believe you have already seen the gunboats currently anchored in your port."

"Our country has three large-scale shipyards, and next January, we will build three more shipyards of the same size."

"In the first month of next year, our fleet will be replenished with seventeen more of these warships."

"In the first month of the year after next, our fleet will be replenished with another fifty such warships."

"Three giant ships, each carrying a hundred cannons, are already on the agenda. They will be incorporated into the Imperial Navy in two years."

Cao Dingjiao spoke in a calm tone.

But to Kuiyi, it sounded like a thunderclap.

"Our emperor is incredibly benevolent."

"You will always have a choice."

"You have the choice to submit and offer your loyalty."

"If you choose to submit, then you will surely have a place as subjects under heaven."

"of course."

"You can also choose another path."

"Unhesitatingly marching towards the abyss of destruction." (End of Chapter)