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

Chapter 1301 Gathering
Batavia.

In the council chamber, Governor Reinice, Directors Jacob, James, Otto, and General Capelen, who had just returned from Sulumay, sat around the conference table. The atmosphere was somber and tense.

No one expected that the fleet that had been painstakingly assembled would be almost completely annihilated in Sulumay. With the destruction of this fleet, the Dutch East India Company is now facing an unprecedented crisis. If not handled properly, the entire East India Company will collapse completely.

"Gentlemen!" Although his face was extremely grim, as governor, Reinice still forced himself to speak: "The situation is very serious. Our fleet suffered a despicable and shameless sneak attack from the Ming Empire in Sulumay. Because of this, we have now lost the initiative and it is impossible for us to intercept or even defeat the Ming Empire's navy at sea. Under these circumstances, I think we should do something, for the kingdom, for the company, and for ourselves..."

"What can we do? Your Excellency the Governor, what do you think we can do now?" Director James looked coldly at Reines. He was filled with regret. If he had known this would happen, he should have exercised his power as a director to dismiss Reines from his post directly, instead of being fooled by Reines's words and giving up the idea.

The situation is now extremely dire. With the fleet that had been painstakingly assembled suffering a devastating blow at Sulumayi, more than a hundred warships (armed merchant ships) were annihilated (or captured), and thousands of soldiers went missing. It is unknown how many of them fell into the hands of the Ming Dynasty. It can be said that the Dutch East India Company's strength in the Far East has been greatly diminished. Now, their combined military strength in the Far East, including their headquarters in Batavia, is less than one-fifth of what it was originally.

The army is in a better position, with several thousand troops still stationed in Batavia. In addition, there are some troops stationed in Malacca and other surrounding areas. Besides the dozen or so warships and navy that General Capelin has left, the total strength is barely close to 10,000. However, the key issue is the serious consequences caused by the destruction of the fleet. As a maritime power, without a strong fleet, it is easy to imagine what will happen next.

"Your Excellency, you are responsible for this incident!" Director Otto rebuked without reservation. "Your actions led to the outbreak of this war, and your flawed decisions further exacerbated the situation! If the Ming Empire's navy... no! It's not 'if,' but 'it will definitely' attack Batavia next. Once Batavia falls, all the company's efforts of the past fifty years will be in vain. If the company loses the entire Far East, as Governor, you should understand the consequences!"

Reinius felt a bitter taste in his mouth. How could he not know what the consequences would be? Director Otto was right. After the fleet was almost completely wiped out in Sulumay, the situation was beyond saving. He never expected the situation to become so serious.

His original plan was to use his fleet to maneuver against the Ming Empire's navy at sea, repelling their attack and even potentially winning the war. As long as he could hold onto his territory in the Far East and inflict losses on the Ming fleet, he would have leverage to negotiate with the Ming, which was crucial.

As governor, Reinius was certainly not a good-for-nothing. He knew very well that it was almost impossible to contend with the powerful Ming Empire in the Far East with just the company's strength. After all, the Ming Empire was too big and too strong. Its population and war potential were beyond Batavia's ability to compete with. Even with domestic support, reinforcements sent from the Amsterdam headquarters, and even the deployment of the kingdom's fleet and army, it would still be very difficult to completely defeat the Ming Empire.

Therefore, from the very beginning, Reinius never intended to win through war, but rather to use his fleet and army to gain leverage in negotiations and create conditions for peace talks. He knew that immediately engaging in negotiations with the Ming Dynasty would not be acceptable to them; only by using force to promote dialogue could negotiations be possible.

War is a continuation of politics. Negotiations will not yield results without victory on the battlefield, and the other side is likely to underestimate you or even take advantage of you. Therefore, Reinice believed that this war was necessary. He needed to inflict pain on the Ming Empire first, so that it would not dare to underestimate him. Only when he was absolutely certain of winning the war could peace talks be possible.

From a strategic perspective, Reinius's choice was not wrong, and his plan was quite comprehensive. He first hid the assembled main fleet, luring the Ming navy to attack Batavia. Once the war in Batavia officially broke out, Reinius was quite confident that he could hold out for a period of time, thanks to Batavia's strong city defenses and his army.

The longer they hold out, the more time they can create opportunities for General Capelen's fleet to launch a surprise attack on the Ming fleet from the sea at the right moment. As long as the timing is right, even if they cannot win the naval battle, they should be able to severely damage the enemy.

When that time comes, the balance of power in the war will tilt in our favor. If the battle goes smoothly and we even capture some of the Ming Dynasty's warships, officers, and soldiers, then we will have more bargaining chips at our disposal.

Then, we can take the initiative to extend an olive branch and request peace talks with the Ming Dynasty. If we cannot win the war, it is quite possible that the Ming Dynasty will negotiate with us. When that time comes, we can offer some benefits and give the Ming Dynasty a way out, and then the war will end in a different way.

In this way, not only was Batavia saved, but the company's interests would not suffer too much loss, and the future diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Ming Dynasty could be considered gradually.

This was Reinius's plan, but he never expected that his seemingly perfect plan would have such a fatal flaw. Because of the Madura people, the Ming Dynasty knew the whereabouts of his fleet, and the enemy even used the despicable tactic of fire attack to launch a surprise attack on the port where the fleet was stationed. As a result, except for five warships, including General Capelen's flagship, the entire fleet was lost in World War I.

Sulumayi's crushing defeat completely thwarted Governor Reinnis's plans, and he lost most of his chips in one fell swoop. He is now backed into a corner and has few options left.

Just as Reinius was about to say something, there was a knock on the door. Everyone looked toward the closed door, their faces showing displeasure.

"Come in!" Reinice said, suppressing his anger.

The door was pushed open from the outside, and Colonel Cohen appeared before everyone. "Colonel! Can't you see we're in a meeting?" Director Jacob asked rudely.

"I'm very sorry, gentlemen, but I think the meeting should be paused for a while..." Colonel Cohen said with a helpless expression.

Everyone was taken aback, somewhat confused by his meaning.

Colonel Cohen pointed to the window and said, "Gentlemen, a large group of people have arrived outside, demanding an immediate meeting with senior management to explain the situation and resolve the issues..."

"People? Who?"

“The nobles of Batavia…merchants…women…and the elderly and children…” Colonel Cohen said helplessly, swallowing unconsciously as he spoke.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, but Governor Reinice reacted instantly and immediately got up and walked towards the window. When he reached the window and looked outside, just as Colonel Cohen had said, the entire governor's mansion was packed with people, completely blocked off.

You can tell from their clothes that these people come from all walks of life.

There were nobles, merchants, and mostly commoners, including many elderly people and children. They all shared the same identity: they were all citizens of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, not the native inhabitants of Batavia.

Because they were inside the council chamber with the windows tightly closed, and because the council chamber was located at the back of the governor's mansion, they were completely unaware of what was happening outside until Colonel Cohen arrived and learned of the major incident.

Upon seeing this scene, not only Reinice, but everyone else felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

Why did these people come? What was their purpose? Reinius and the others knew very well that they had come because of the fleet's disastrous defeat at Sulumay.

Because the Ming Empire launched a surprise attack on the East India Company's fleet in Sulumayi, resulting in a disastrous defeat, only five warships escaped. The current situation of the remaining hundreds of warships and thousands of men remains unknown. The news of General Capelen's return to Batavia port could not be concealed, and given the wrecked state of their ships and the disheveled appearance of their crew, it was clear they had suffered a defeat.

Upon returning to Batavia, General Capelen rushed to the governor's mansion to report on the battle. Other directors, upon learning the news, also arrived at the governor's mansion and, at his request, came to the council chamber to discuss the matter.

Before they could reach a conclusion, trouble broke out outside. News of Sulumay's crushing defeat spread like wildfire from the docks, reaching all of Batavia in a very short time.

Upon hearing this news, everyone was in an uproar. After all, this time the Dutch East India Company had not only assembled all its warships in the Far East, but also conscripted armed merchant ships, captains, and sailors from the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Far East.

The former was understandable, since it was the East India Company's own armed force, but the latter was completely different. These armed merchant ships belonged to Dutch nobles and merchants; they were their private property and were only added to the fleet because of the East India Company's requisitioning.

The captain and sailors on board were not soldiers; they were just ordinary people. Moreover, many of their relatives and friends were in Batavia. As the news spread, how could these people sit still? They were not only worried about their own ship, but also about the safety of the people on board.

One pass ten, ten pass a hundred.

These people quickly gathered and rushed to the Governor's Mansion from all directions, demanding an explanation from the East India Company.

(End of this chapter)