Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1726 Make a move

Although Colombo is the ruling center of the Dutch East India Company on the island of Ceylon, it is far from enough in terms of city size. The population is only over 1, including many Dutch officials, businessmen, mercenaries and dependents.

The local economy is dominated by planting, of which food planting is not worth mentioning, because it can't be sold at any price, and it has never been valued by the Dutch.What the Dutch East India Company valued were actually special commodities such as pepper, cinnamon, white wax, and ivory, just like what they valued in the East Indies.

Because the Dutch only controlled a circle of land along the coast (of course, they have not encircled all of them), and they connected Galle, Colombo, Jaffna and other military towns as the core. According to their estimates, the population of the area is only about 50. of the native kings also lived in the hinterland.

In order to alleviate the shortage of labor force in plantations, the Dutch have been vigorously introducing Tamils ​​from the Indian mainland across the sea to work in recent years.But even so, barren rice fields still abound near the wharf where Morley Eel and Burt are. He even saw a few wild elephants cruising in the distance with sharp eyes, but he was speechless.

How poor is the development ability of this Dutchman!I heard that it has been occupied for [-] or [-] years, and even the down payment near Colombo is still like this. One can imagine what the scene is like in other places.These guys really only know how to do business, and they only care about doing business. They are not good operators. It is unlucky for Ceylon Island to fall into their hands. They did not get any modern civilization or any advancement brought by the colonists. It is really unfortunate that there is only the daily demand for pepper, cinnamon, pewter, ivory, precious stones, etc., without any agricultural or industrial technology.

"... General Burt, may I ask if your country plans to reopen Galle Port to supply and repair our ships? This is very important and the main purpose of our trip. I ask your company to give us a reasonable answer as soon as possible. , not only the Galle port, but also the Malacca port. Can Chinese merchant ships be used in the future, when can they be used, and what conditions are required? Of course, if your company has no intention of opening the above-mentioned ports, then I think there is no need for us to continue negotiating Go down." After the two sat down, they chatted a few words at first, and then Morie eel asked a straightforward question.

Morley Eel's words were a bit offensive, and Balthazar Burt was also a decisive person in normal times, so it stands to reason that he should have raged and reprimanded him long ago.But he is somewhat rational after all, because the military deployment of the East Coast people in South Africa and Xinhua Island has put great pressure on the Dutch East India Company, and it can even be said to be a shackle on the neck. That is the reminder.Think about it, the people on the east coast brazenly sent troops to take down the Dutch South African colony before, and the East India Company swallowed this breath after seeking support from the United Provincial Government, and did not dare to fight the people on the east coast. They just blindly engage in some small actions that are not on the stage, and it can be seen from this that they are serious and inward!

To put it bluntly, the essence of the East India Company is just a group of merchants. Merchants will naturally calculate the gains and losses. Going to war may not be able to recapture Cape Town, but it may greatly affect the East India trade, which is unacceptable to them. So they have endured so far and have not retaliated back—well, maybe it is not true to say that they have no revenge at all. They still increased their trade and technical assistance with the Qing Dynasty, and at the same time cut off the grain export trade with Ningbo (see this It seems only temporary, because no one will have trouble with money for a long time), and finally closed the ports of Malacca and Galle, and did not allow ships on the east coast to replenish, repair and shelter from wind and waves.

Now the purpose of Morie Eel's coming to question the teacher is actually to want the Dutch to reopen these two ports to immigration ships from the east coast (currently about 7-8 ships need to take this route every year).Otherwise, many plans will be messed up, and the number of immigrants from New China, Yicheng and other places will also decrease, which is unacceptable to the people on the east coast.

"General Mo, do you mean that the opening of the above two ports is the basis for the negotiations, otherwise nothing can go on?" Burt asked after a short silence.

"You can say that." Morie eel replied bluntly.

"Based on my more than 40 years of life experience, in all negotiations of an international nature, one party always proposes and the other responds, and it is unusual and unreasonable to simply accept one party's proposal as the only basis for negotiation. "At this time, Balthazar Burt also became a little angry, and was a little annoyed by Morley's aggressiveness, so his tone also had a hint of sarcasm, and he continued: "Of course we respect the previous agreement with your country. It is agreed that ships from your country are allowed to pass through Malacca and Galle for supply, maintenance and trade. However, considering the series of security troubles caused by foreign ships and the epidemic, we have temporarily closed these two ports. Today, they Not only ships from your country are prohibited from entering, but also ships from any third country are not allowed to enter, so we have not deliberately targeted anyone."

"Public security troubles? Pandemic troubles? So when does your company plan to reopen these two ports?" Morley Eel was not moved by the other party's ridiculous excuses, but pointed to the core issue.

"I can't answer your question about Malacca, but as the supreme officer of Ceylon Island, I can tell you clearly that unless some things are restored to their original state, it will probably be difficult to open in the short term." Bert looked at Mo Lie Eel hinted in a rather arrogant and beating tone.

However, the expression on Morie Eel's face did not show the slightest anger, and he even wanted to laugh in his heart, laughing that these Dutch people are probably used to bullying the natives, and he felt that he was very powerful, and he dared to use this to his death Don't you know that as long as the Second Fleet moves near South Africa, their merchant ships traveling between Amsterdam and Batavia will face a lot of threats?

"General Burt, with all due respect, your contemptuous tone does nothing to solve anything, it often only makes things worse. In fact, the English and the Portuguese have approached us recently, asking for cooperation with us. Our country has joined forces to deal with your country's influence in India, Ceylon, and the East Indies, but our government has rejected them in consideration of the good relations with the United Provinces and your country. But what things in this world are eternal? No, no, in fact, the British once promised one-third of the cinnamon trade in Ceylon to our government, and now maybe it is time to consider the rationality of this proposal, anyway, the British and Portuguese have always been willing to join us Be open." At this time, Mo Lieel spoke more and more bluntly, with a strong sense of threat, which made Balthazar Burt's face even more ugly, and it seemed that he had poked him in a sore spot.

In fact, the British and Portuguese have indeed been coveting Ceylon very much.Especially the Portuguese, the interests of Ceylon were originally monopolized by them, but the native kingdom on the island attracted the Dutch in order to get rid of their control (now it seems that the wolves have been driven away and come in again Tiger), so they hated the Dutch very much, and they have been urging the English to attack Ceylon together to regain their lost interests.

However, the British may feel that it is inappropriate to completely turn against the East India Company, so they have never agreed to the Portuguese's suggestion, even if the conditions they gave were extremely generous-after the Dutch were driven away, Britain and Portugal shared the island of Ceylon, Colombo It belonged to the Portuguese, Galle Fort belonged to the British, and the cinnamon trade was divided equally between the two sides-but the British finally established a small trading post in Trincomalee in the northeast of the island as a trading base, which made the entire Ceylon The Dutch who drew the island into the map of their own rule looked very eye-catching, but they couldn't get rid of it for a while because of the three-way alliance between Britain, Portugal, and the Kingdom of Jaffna. The trend will destroy it and take it as its own.

But if, as Moreel said just now, the people on the east coast once intervened in the situation on Ceylon Island, the Dutch East India Company, which originally had a great upper hand and was sure to push the British and Portuguese into the sea in the next period of time , I am afraid that we will face an unpredictable variable.Think about it, the people on the east coast have a large number of manpower and a large number of warships on Xinhua Island. Once they are fully mobilized, the Portuguese and the English will definitely be overjoyed, and then they will increase investment in Ceylon Island and start a comprehensive war with the Dutch. To contend, the situation will be complicated, which is not in the interests of the East India Company.

Therefore, what Morley Eel said was actually a naked threat, and it was a threat that Balthazar Burt could not avoid, so the expression on his face began to change drastically.He was not sure whether the people on the east coast were just verbally threatening, or whether they really wanted to intervene in the situation on Ceylon Island. If it was the former, then things still needed to be discussed. But it's not good, and Batavia needs to evaluate it quickly.

Burt had no doubts that with the integrity of the English and Portuguese, they would definitely be able to carve up the island of Ceylon with the east coast.After all, if the three parties work together, they may not be able to compete with the Dutch East India Company. Once they succeed, everyone will share the fruit. Trincomalee and Jaffna will belong to the United Kingdom, Colombo will belong to Portugal, and Galle Fort will belong to the east coast. Isn't the trade in pepper, cinnamon, pewter, ivory, and gemstones on the island beautiful?

The more Balthazar Burt thought about it, the more he felt it was possible, and the more he felt that the people on the east coast had a reason to do so—because it was obviously much more convenient to control a port on Ceylon Island by himself than relying on others—so he gradually began to feel a little nervous. The calmness on his face also dissipated a lot.He raised his head and looked into Morley Eel's eyes, but he didn't find anything special. He looked very "sincere", "sincere" enough to tell you that's what I think, and I will probably do it!

This cognition made Burt even more nervous, and he began to quickly calculate in his heart: Judging from the various information he has so far, the business focus of the people on the east coast should still be in the western Indian Ocean, that is, to focus on the operation of Xinhua Island, South Africa and Swaziland. The West Coast, this can be seen from their daily actions.Moreover, the power they have at hand should not be enough to allow them to extend their claws to the East Indian Ocean. That would be too exaggerated, and the foundation is not stable. If the development fails, the loss will be great.

However, just as what Morieel said just now, if the Dutch East India Company insists on not opening the port of Malacca and Galle Fort to the passing ships on the east coast, then it is difficult to guarantee that they will not jump the wall in a hurry and join hands with the British and Portuguese. Lan Island, and take personal control of a fort or port.

Therefore, to dispel the idea of ​​people from the east coast going east, the crux is still the issue of opening the port!Thinking of this, Balthazar Burt suddenly felt like cursing his mother. Who the hell was it that the nonsense guy came up with the bad idea in the ears of Governor Van Goins, not allowing Malacca and Galle to receive merchant ships from the east coast?Now that I think about it, I was simply pushing the East India Company into the pit of fire!Is that guy a British spy?

At this time, Balthazar Burt didn't care about any face-saving issues. After talking softly with his confidants, Burt turned his head and said to Morlie that the matter of officially opening the port is more important. He was unable to make such a decision, so he still had to communicate with Batavia, and Governor Vangoens made the final decision.

In addition, Burt also said that it may take some time to ask for instructions, which often lasts for several months.Therefore, during this period, he can consider issuing temporary licenses or charters to some ships on the east coast, allowing them to resupply and repair at Galle Fort twice a year, but it is best not to stay for more than one month at a time.As for whether the port of Malacca will be handled in the same way, I am sorry that he does not have the power to govern there, so he can only express his helplessness.

Moreel agreed with Burt's reason for asking his superiors for instructions, but he also emphasized that he and his fleet had no intention of staying in Colombo Port for too long.If the Dutch East India Company fails to give him a formal reply within half a year and meet his requirements, then he will leave Ceylon and return to the Western Indian Ocean.At that time, things may develop in an uncontrollable direction. More eel emphasized that maybe "an expedition" will start from Xinhua Port, arrive in Goa or Trincomalee, and then on the island of Ceylon" "Use your own hands" to build a supply terminal. I believe this is not what the Dutch East India Company wants to see.

The words are as sharp as ever, and now we have to see how Batavia's Governor Van Goins responds.

(End of this chapter)