Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1286 Storm in the South China Sea
Just as Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth also expressed their agreement with the British and Portuguese ministers' proposal to punish the Dutch Kingdom as necessary and expel the Dutch from the Far East, the Spanish minister, Baron Antonio, suddenly felt a sense of shared sorrow.

Although he was unaware of the existence of this idiom, at this moment it truly reflected his mind.

These four countries have a clear stance and are so supportive of the Ming Empire, simply because they covet the vacuum left by the expulsion of the Dutch from the Far East. Britain wants to move eastward and establish a foothold in the Far East. Portugal wants revenge for the loss of Malacca, while Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth want to take advantage of the situation. These scoundrels talk a good game, but they're all scheming and have their own agendas; none of them are good people.

Although the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Spain have always been rivals and their relationship is not good, they have even fought several wars over the struggle for colonies.

However, the Kingdom of Spain, as one of the major powers in Europe, was well aware that once the Dutch were driven out of the Far East by a united front, although Spain would become the dominant power in the Far East colonies in Southeast Asia, this would not be a good thing for Spain.

If the two powers are evenly matched, their mutual checks and balances will certainly create conflict, but they also provide a basis for cooperation. Furthermore, the influence of other countries, such as Portugal, in the Far East ensures regional stability.

If the Dutch were expelled, Spain would become the strongest power in the Far East besides the Ming Dynasty. However, this would also make Spain a target of criticism. In the future, the Ming Empire or other countries might set their sights on Spain after dealing with the Dutch, thus putting Spain in an awkward position.

In recent years, Spain not only established diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty, but also changed its usual practices during its rule in Manila, significantly improving many policies towards the Han Chinese. Its aim was to ease relations with the Ming Dynasty and avoid direct conflict.

It's important to understand that the Ming Dynasty of today is not the same as it was before. With its growing strength and favorable foreign policies, its power is undeniable. If one were to anger the Ming Dynasty over such trivial matters, even with Spain's long-standing presence in Manila and its formidable navy, it would still be difficult to defeat it.

Moreover, war is not the best policy. Spain's goal in the Far East is to acquire wealth through trade, and it has never had the slightest intention of going to war with the Ming Dynasty in recent years.

But the Spanish minister, Baron Antonio, did not expect the Dutch to do such a thing. Moreover, they did it and then exposed their true colors. They not only directly encountered the Ming Dynasty navy but were ultimately defeated and captured. It is unknown what those bastards in the Dutch East India Company were thinking. Could it be that their brains are full of excrement?

Deep down, Baron Antonio wanted to minimize the damage and let the matter drop. Even if the Dutch paid a price, handed over a few people to take the blame, and then found a reason, such as claiming that they acted on their own initiative for personal reasons, they hoped to gain the forgiveness of the Ming Empire.

Even if it means executing a few people and paying some compensation, as long as the Dutch influence in the Far East can be maintained, that's fine. In this way, the balance of power in the Far East can still be maintained. The Dutch will not withdraw from the Far East, and the British, Swedes, and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth will not be able to enter. Even the Portuguese can only maintain the current situation, which is most advantageous for Spain.

Unfortunately, the current situation is that all the envoys from countries other than the Kingdom of Spain have clearly stated their support for the Ming Dynasty's military punishment of the Dutch, aiming to expel them from the Far East. Under these circumstances, if Baron Antonio were to raise a different opinion, or even suggest letting the Dutch go, not only would other countries oppose it, but the Ming Empire itself might also suspect that the Dutch were doing this with the tacit approval and covert assistance of the Spanish, which could backfire badly.

"Your Excellency, what is your country's stance?" Seeing Baron Antonio frowning in thought, Zhang Xijun couldn't help but ask this question directly.

Baron Antonio, regaining his composure, forced a smile and said, "The actions of the Kingdom of the Netherlands are truly shocking. As a devout believer in God, I personally strongly oppose such despicable behavior and agree with the views of the ministers..."

“However…” He suddenly stopped there, then continued, “As envoy, although I can represent the Kingdom of Spain, I cannot fully represent His Majesty the King. Such an important matter is beyond my personal authority. The Kingdom of Spain is different from other countries; affairs in the Far East not only require the King's approval but also the consent of the East India Company's senior management. At present, I can only submit this message as soon as possible so that the East India Company's senior management can communicate with their country and then give your country a clear answer.”

"So, you can't make a decision?" Zhang Xijun asked calmly.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, as I just said, I personally sympathize with your country and believe that the actions of the Kingdom of the Netherlands are unjust and contrary to the will of God. However, procedurally, I still need His Majesty the King's authorization. But I can assure you that until I receive a clear answer, the Kingdom of Spain will take a tacit approach, in other words, remain neutral, and I ask for your understanding."

"This... will do." Zhang Xijun nodded with a smile. From the other party's reply, he understood the Kingdom of Spain's attitude. Since they wanted to stand by and do nothing, there was no need to force them. In any case, the other four countries had expressed their support for the Ming Dynasty, which was enough. One more Spain wouldn't make a difference, and one less wouldn't make a difference either. Ultimately, strength comes from within. As long as Spain didn't help the Netherlands, with the Ming Dynasty's strength and the attitudes of the other countries, today's objective had already been achieved.

Immediately, Zhang Xijun formally announced to the foreign envoys that the Ming Dynasty would absolutely not allow such a heinous incident to occur and that the Dutch would be punished for their actions. The Ming Dynasty would make a final decision in the coming days, and would not rule out using force to attack Batavia, thus waging war against the Dutch forces in the Far East.

Furthermore, Zhang Xijun, in his capacity as the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty's Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry), expressed his hope that all nations would honor their promises made today, stand on the side of justice, and join forces to severely punish the Kingdom of Holland, which had committed such a crime. He stated that if nations could send warships to cooperate with the Ming Dynasty in combat, then after the Dutch were expelled, the Ming Dynasty would appropriately grant them trade facilitation and preferential treatment, including preferential treatment in the distribution of spoils of war.

These words greatly excited the ministers of various countries. Didn't this mean that the Ming Empire tacitly approved the direct participation of various countries in dividing up the original Dutch sphere of influence in the Far East? The benefits to these countries were self-evident, and it was something everyone had been dreaming of.

Only Baron Antonio, the Spanish envoy, sighed inwardly, lamenting the devastating retaliation the Netherlands was about to face, and feeling anxious about the impending changes in the Far East. But he had no control over these matters; given his status, he had already accomplished quite a bit. He could only pray that the Dutch would be more capable and could withstand the first wave of attacks from the Ming Dynasty. If they could manage to hold off the Ming, it would be much more advantageous for Spain's future plans in the Far East.

After seeing off the foreign envoys, Zhang Xijun wrote a detailed report on his meetings with them that day and then sent it to the palace.

Zhu Shenzhui was quite satisfied with Zhang Xijun's memorial. As the prime minister, Zhang Xijun had done a good job in diplomacy. Moreover, through this incident, he not only put a warning on the foreign envoys but also confirmed the nature of the matter and won over the countries to serve the Ming Dynasty, preparing to launch a war against the Netherlands.

As for Spain's ulterior motives, Zhu Shenzhui saw them clearly. It was nothing more than a matter of the complex relationships and interests among various countries. As long as Spain was sensible enough not to help the Netherlands, whether the other side stood by or did something else was irrelevant.

A few days later, the Dutch prisoners escorted north from Southeast Asia arrived in the capital. Zhu Shenzhui then announced the matter in front of his ministers and handed the prisoners over to the cabinet and the three judicial departments for a thorough investigation of their crimes and punishment according to the law.

When officials learned that the Dutch had been so audacious as to commit such acts in the South China Sea, both civil and military officials were in uproar. Many hot-blooded young officials even expressed their indignation in court, arguing that the tiny Dutch nation dared to impersonate pirates and intercept Ming merchant ships, and that they must be severely punished.

Some have even brought up the Han Dynasty's principle of "punishing even those far away," arguing that if the Dutch aren't taught a lesson, they'll only become more emboldened in the future. Furthermore, the Dutch have always harbored ambitions towards the Ming Dynasty, with precedents for their actions, such as the naval battle in Fujian during the Tianqi era and their later occupation of Xiaoliuqiu during the Ming's internal turmoil.

Previously, the Ming Dynasty was magnanimous and did not hold a grudge, merely sending troops to expel the other side. But now, the other side has not only failed to repent but has also done such a thing. How can this be tolerated?
For Chinese people, face is the most important thing; face can represent everything. Now the Dutch are openly slapping the Ming Dynasty in the face. Do they still care about face?

For a time, the calls for war and slaughter in the court overwhelmed everything. How could the mighty Celestial Empire endure such humiliation? Emperor Zhu Shenzhui, going with the flow, sent Zhang Xijun to inform the European countries of their attitude towards the incident. When he learned that the countries also agreed to take military action against the Netherlands, expel the Dutch, and severely punish the culprits, the calls for war against the Netherlands grew even louder.

Thus, Zhu Shenzhui publicly announced that the Ming Dynasty was declaring war on the Netherlands because of this incident. He prepared to mobilize a portion of the Nanyang and Beiyang navies, and also draw some warships from the ocean fleet to form a large-scale joint fleet to sail south and directly attack Batavia, the Netherlands' stronghold in the Far East, to annihilate the Dutch military forces in the Far East in one fell swoop, capture the culprit, and expel their forces.

After the decree was issued, the cabinet began to act accordingly, and the General Staff Office, the Ministry of War, and the Navy also quickly began preparations.

To ensure unified command, Zhu Shenzhui specifically appointed Zheng Hongkui as the commander-in-chief of the fleet, making him the supreme commander of the ocean-going navy. He mobilized 74 warships of various sizes, plus 19 warships and armed merchant ships from Britain, Portugal, Sweden, Poland, and the Kingdom of Lithuania, for a total of 93 warships, which assembled in the Guangzhou area in the southeast. The great battle was about to break out.

(End of this chapter)