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

Chapter 1291 Who else would you rather me?
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.

Before the others could react, Reinius sneered, "Things have come to this point, and it's not as simple as just dismissing me as governor. If it were just a matter of sacrificing me to resolve this, then you wouldn't need to dismiss me. Personally, I would even be willing to resign from my post as governor, including personally going to the Ming Dynasty to ask His Majesty the Emperor for forgiveness."

"But think about it carefully, will this really work? According to intelligence, this time it's not just the Ming Empire that will wage war against us, but also Britain, Portugal, Sweden, Poland and Lithuania. In addition, the Kingdom of Spain has surprisingly adopted a neutral stance. I think you all have the wisdom to see what's behind this attitude."

"Since its establishment, the company has almost monopolized more than 40 percent of the world's trade. In the Far East, through years of operation, the company has become the largest trading party in the Far East. It has even seized several important colonies from Portugal and other countries by launching wars, including the Strait of Malacca, which is located in a vital sea route."

"Under these circumstances, the company's growth will inevitably attract the hostility of competitors, especially the Kingdom of Portugal. Portugal has been dreaming of regaining its lost colonies for years, but it is afraid of the company's strength and is powerless to do so. In addition, the British also have plans to enter the Far East, and after the Ming Dynasty established diplomatic relations with Sweden and the Kingdom of Poland-Lithuania, these two countries also began to get involved in Far East trade, which also poses a threat to the company."

"Besides these, there's also the Ming Dynasty itself," Reinice said gravely. "The Ming Empire's national strength has recovered extremely rapidly in recent years, further demonstrating its urgency to expand overseas. According to the company's intelligence, the Ming Empire has even sent two princes to the New World to establish colonies in order to compete with European countries for space there. Since they've already reached out to the New World, how could the Ming possibly let go of the South China Sea, which is so close at hand? Judging from the Ming's current expansionist policies, they will definitely target the South China Sea in the future. This is not speculation but a real possibility. And who else is the most powerful in the South China Sea besides us? If I were the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, I would have to deal with Batavia to control the South China Sea, so as to open up the sea routes between East and West and gain the initiative at sea."

"From these perspectives, whatever we do will make us a target for war by the Ming Dynasty in the future. Starting a war now is just a convenient excuse. Even without this, the Ming Dynasty would still attack us. In addition, several other countries are eager to recover or enter the Far East, and they can't wait for this war to break out. Because if we fail, our colonies in the Far East will become their spoils of war, and they can divide them up. Not only will the Ming Dynasty achieve its goals, but these other countries will also benefit from it."

When Reinius said this, several directors showed shocked expressions. Some seemed to want to refute something, but reason told them that Reinius's view was correct. As senior executives and directors of the company, they were not fools. Some situations were obvious, but they were just covered by a piece of paper, which could be easily exposed with a little effort.

"Hasn't the Kingdom of Spain not intervened? Perhaps we can gain their support?" Director Otto couldn't help but ask.

Reinice smiled and was about to explain when General Capelen, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "The Spanish have a deeper meaning in doing this."

"General, what do you mean...?"

General Capelen sighed, “Spain maintains neutrality on the surface, but its intentions are sinister. You must know that in the Far East, besides us, Spain is the strongest. If Spain wanted to help us, it could have opposed us or even joined us to resist the Ming Empire. But they did not do that; they merely adopted neutrality. This is problematic.”

"In my opinion, Spain is doing this for two reasons: first, they don't want to offend the Ming Dynasty; second, they intend to use this war to weaken us through the Ming. If we are defeated and withdraw from the Far East, then Spain will become the strongest European country in the Far East, which would be extremely beneficial for Spain to control the Far East. Moreover, if this war results in a draw, Spain, having preserved its strength, will become the most powerful naval force in the Far East, regardless of who wins or loses, and could even threaten the Ming Empire. If I were Spanish, I would make the same choice. Furthermore, Manila deliberately passed on the news of the Ming Empire's military intervention to us, probably with the same intention. The Spanish are not saints; for so many years they have been competing with us for colonies all over the world. Have they changed their ways now? That's impossible!"

"This..." General Capelen's words left the board members speechless. Based on their understanding of the Spanish, it was indeed the case. Moreover, the Netherlands had always been Spain's most powerful rival. The two sides had even fought each other for colonies, and the Netherlands directly replaced the Kingdom of Portugal, which had once signed an agreement with Spain to divide the world, as the maritime hegemon.

It can be said that with the rise of the Netherlands, Spain's most glorious era had passed, which was intolerable for the Kingdom of Spain. Given the opportunity to unite with the Ming Dynasty and other countries in the Far East to defeat the Netherlands, how could Spain let it pass? However, the Spanish were cunning, deliberately avoiding direct involvement in the war and even secretly sending them intelligence, simply hoping to profit from the conflict.

Reinius nodded and said, “What you say, General, is also my view. Therefore, the reasons for the war are secondary; the real cause of the war is fundamental. Gentlemen of the board, if you think that simply removing me from my post as governor and sending envoys will quell this war, you are sorely mistaken. Because doing so is utterly ineffective.” “Furthermore, if you remove me from my post, you will need to appoint a new governor. In peacetime, this would be fine, but the problem is that war is imminent. Under these circumstances, who do you think is capable of serving as governor? And who can lead the company to victory in this war?”

The group exchanged bewildered glances, unable to answer for a moment. Reinius was right; changing a governor was no easy task. The Dutch East India Company was a vast and powerful entity, with a board of directors of seventeen members. Apart from the three directors permanently stationed in Batavia, the rest were based in the Netherlands. Furthermore, the company employed fifty thousand people and had ten thousand mercenaries. Such a massive corporation was highly interconnected; changing the governor would inevitably have far-reaching consequences. And while the three directors traditionally had the power to dismiss or temporarily appoint a governor in emergencies, the question remained: if Reinius were dismissed, who would succeed him?
Normally, countless people would covet this position, because becoming governor is equivalent to entering the upper echelons of a company. In Batavia and the Far East, it's akin to being a king, wielding immense power. But now, war is imminent, and taking over this post means facing the mess of war with the Ming Dynasty. No one is confident in this battle; victory would be fine, but what if they lose? In such a time, becoming governor would only make one a scapegoat.
Reinius's words reminded everyone that, given the current situation, it was indeed not the time to replace the governor. Even though Reinius bore primary responsibility for the matter, they had no choice but to swallow their pride and bear it. Removing him would leave no one to take over, meaning the next battle would be a guaranteed loss. On the other hand, keeping the governor in office and letting Reinius fight the remaining battle would be ideal if they won, but if they lost, it would be Reinius's fault, and he would bear full responsibility, which would also be an explanation to the board.

"Gentlemen, considering the bigger picture, I personally suggest we wait until this battle is over before considering other issues," General Capelen said as the three directors hesitated.

The three exchanged glances subconsciously and nodded silently. It seemed that this was the only option for now.

"Your Excellency, how confident are you in this battle?" Director Jacob inquired. Now that the decision had been made not to dismiss Reines, the most important thing was the upcoming war. To appease Reines, Director Jacob not only addressed him as "Your Excellency" again, but even used the formal "you" instead of the previous "you".

"War is unpredictable. This war is not easy to fight. According to current intelligence, the Ming Empire, along with Britain, Portugal, and other countries, has gathered 93 warships in Guangzhou. It is uncertain whether more warships and troops will join in the future. With Batavia's current military strength, it will be difficult to stop the enemy's attack."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned extremely grim. Before the other party could retaliate, Reinice continued, "The most important thing right now is to recall as many warships as possible from the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, while simultaneously requesting aid from within the country. If the country can send a large fleet to support us, the outcome will be uncertain. In addition, I suggest conscripting all armed warships in the Far East to cooperate with the company's fleet in preparing for war and strengthening the defenses of Batavia. As long as we can maneuver at sea and strive to avoid defeat, then with the strength of Batavia's defenses and army, we might have a chance to win this war."

“General, what do you think?” Director Otto pondered for a moment, then looked at General Capelen, who was the commander of Batavia. In terms of status, he was equivalent to Reinice. One was the governor, which was like a CEO, while the other was in charge of the military. Both the army and the fleet of Batavia were under his control.

Besides, the war will ultimately be fought by General Cappellen. Are they, including the board members and Reines, going to take matters into their own hands? They understand that professional matters should be handled by professionals.

“I agree with that!” General Capelen said without hesitation. “The Governor’s point of view is correct. The most important thing now is to gather troops as soon as possible, seek help from the mainland, and prepare for war. There is no other choice.”

“But mobilizing troops might be possible, but asking for reinforcements from the mainland…?” Director Otto hesitated.

From Batavia to the mainland, and then for the mainland to send a fleet, it would take at least a year. Is that enough time? General Capelen said seriously, "As long as we can delay the war until reinforcements arrive, that's fine. The sooner the reinforcements arrive, the better our chances of winning. As it stands, we have no other choice unless the Spanish can help us. But gentlemen, do you think the Spanish will do that?"

After saying that, he shrugged and gave a wry smile, leaving everyone speechless.

(End of this chapter)