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

Chapter 1302 Gambler
Faced with this situation, not only did Reinice look extremely grim, but the others were in no better shape.

They all understood that this matter had to be quelled immediately, and Batavia must not be allowed to descend into chaos. The situation was already dire; if Batavia descended into internal strife because of this, the East India Company's foothold in Batavia would be shaken even without a Ming army invasion.

Moreover, right now it's just the actions of nobles, merchants, and commoners. Once the military gets involved, things will get much more serious.

"Gentlemen, it seems our meeting will have to be postponed. This matter must be resolved as soon as possible," Reinice said gravely to the board members, pointing out the window.

The three directors were speechless, understanding the urgency of the situation. Now was no time for further accountability; the most important thing was to appease the people, otherwise, if Batavia descended into chaos, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Straightening his clothes, Reinice turned to walk towards the door. At this moment, General Capelen stepped forward and followed closely behind, saying, "Your Excellency, I will go with you; it is my duty and obligation."

Reinius paused slightly, glanced back at the general behind him, and nodded without saying a word. Then the two of them left the council chamber one after the other, and Colonel Cohen hurriedly followed. After they were all gone, only Jacob and the other two directors remained in the council chamber.

None of the three spoke, their expressions solemn as they looked out at the dense crowd outside the governor's mansion.

After a long while, they looked away and exchanged a glance.

“Friends, I think it’s time to prepare for contingencies,” Director Jacob said in a low voice.

Director Otto nodded silently, took out his pipe, lit it, and took a deep drag. Amidst the billowing smoke, he said helplessly, "The situation has clearly spiraled out of control. As directors, we should shoulder our due responsibilities and, before the Ming Empire attacks, contact and negotiate with them as soon as possible to prevent Batavia from being engulfed in war and to protect the company's interests in the Far East."

“I agree!” Director Jacob expressed his approval without hesitation.

Director James pondered for a moment and said, "This matter needs to be kept secret, and we may even need to use our authority if necessary. Besides, there's the military..."

“I’ll handle things with the military. I think General Capelen is a wise man, and he will make the right choice for the company.”

“And Colonel Cohen? Don’t forget that he controls the governor’s mansion’s guards, and he’s also the city’s defense commander in Batavia,” Director Otto countered.

Director James said, “Our colonel is getting too close to the governor, and the root of this incident is the governor, but the one who carried it out is Colonel Cohen. In my opinion, Colonel Cohen should take responsibility for his actions; that is the duty of a soldier.”

“That’s right!” Director Jacob nodded. “We absolutely cannot send the entire company to hell because of the mistakes of a few people! Colonel Cohen should indeed fulfill his duties. As for who should replace him, I personally think Major Falknir is very suitable. His character is beyond reproach, and his loyalty to the company is impeccable.”

Having said that, he glanced at the two beside him, seeking their opinions. James and Otto thought for a moment and both nodded slightly, indicating their agreement with Director Jacob's view. Thus, in a short time, the three directors reached a private consensus, a decision made behind Governor Reinice's back, without the knowledge of Reinice, Cappellen, or even Cohen.

As governor, Reinius had no choice but to meet with the people outside. When he appeared before them, the crowd gathered outside the governor's mansion instantly erupted in uproar, with each person excitedly vying to question him. Had it not been for the governor's guards' intervention, the crowd would have rushed in, their angry spittle almost landing on Reinius's face.

Reinius was in a terrible predicament, but he still tried his best to appease everyone. After all, he was eloquent, and his status as governor still carried some weight. In order to prevent the situation from escalating and to keep everyone calm, Reinius even made some promises in front of everyone. He promised that the East India Company would never abandon any Dutchman, whether he was a nobleman, a merchant, or a commoner, and that the East India Company would do its best to rescue the prisoners and bring them back safely.

Even for those who died in battle or went missing, the East India Company would provide proper compensation and resettlement. He assured everyone this in his capacity as Governor of the East India Company, making this promise in public.

Despite their concerns for the safety of their friends, family, and relatives, everyone ultimately chose to trust Reinice's promise after his repeated assurances and General Cappellen's guarantee of honor.

After all, the East India Company's achievements over its more than fifty years of existence were undeniable, and only Reince could resolve the current situation. Were they really going to drag Reince out and beat him to death? If the Governor were gone, they would lose all hope, let alone the chance to ransom their captured relatives. After efforts to calm everyone down and persuade them to gradually leave, this ordeal was finally barely over.

At this moment, Reinius knew he had reached the most critical moment of his life. He did not intend to do as he had promised. Instead, he gave a brief explanation to General Capelen and then instructed Colonel Kahn to appease the Batavian army as well, to keep the army stable, so as to prevent a similar incident from happening.

As for peace talks, Reinius knew very well that they were useless before, and even less useful now. If he were the supreme commander of the Ming Empire, he would never negotiate with him at this time. Who would easily let go of their opponent when they held the initiative?

Even if negotiations eventually come to fruition, a proper battle must be fought first, especially to hold Batavia. The longer the war drags on, the more advantageous it will be for us, a fact that Reines is well aware of. Although Reines isn't very confident that Batavia can be held against the powerful Ming Dynasty, it is, after all, a viable option.

Reinius was now like a gambler at the table, having lost most of his chips in one go, and instead of cutting his losses, he was trying to turn things around with his last remaining chips. He knew perfectly well that while the former was possible, the chances were extremely slim, and even if successful, it wouldn't be good for him. Because of the fleet's crushing defeat, his position as governor was already precarious. If he suffered further heavy losses in negotiations, he would not only lose his position and honor, but also his life, bringing shame upon his entire family.

Only the latter offered a glimmer of hope, so Reinice had no choice but to take another gamble. Even if he lost, it would only be the worst possible outcome, which wouldn't be much better for him in his current state.

But Reinice never expected that while he was making these preparations, the three directors were secretly plotting and making a completely different choice from him.

Your position determines your perspective; where you sit determines how you think. This is the difference between the three directors and Reinice.

Although Reinice was the governor, he was more concerned with his own interests, while the three directors were concerned with the company's interests and the East India Company itself.

As a company director and a successful businessman, Jacob would never act impulsively. Their focus now is on minimizing losses, not dragging the company further into an unknown quagmire. Since General Capelen's fleet is finished, continuing the battle is pointless; it not only offers no chance of recovery but will likely cause the company even greater losses.

Moreover, the reason this incident has turned out this way is, frankly, due to the fault of Governor Reines, who instructed Colonel Cohen to impersonate pirates and attack Ming Dynasty merchant ships. From this perspective, it was not a company decision, much less a choice made by them as directors.

Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. Since the problem lies with Reinice, then he should bear the responsibility and consequences! Whatever conditions the Ming Dynasty demands, we should agree to them as much as possible within the limits of what is permissible. Even if it means sacrificing Governor Reinice and Colonel Cohen as casualties to the Ming Dynasty, what does it matter?

As long as the company's interests in the Far East can be preserved, even giving up some of its colonies is worthwhile. Once driven out of the Far East and losing all its territory, the East India Company will have no chance of continuing to exist, and the directors will suffer unpredictable and serious consequences.

Therefore, the three directors had completely different ideas from Reinice, and they also knew that this operation must never be known to Reinice.

Reinius, now like a gambler who's lost everything, has lost all reason and is unlikely to be persuaded to do such a thing at the cost of his own life. To maintain secrecy and ensure the plan's success, while Reinius was busy appeasing and stabilizing Batavia and preparing for the upcoming war, the three directors also began their own operations. Soon, a merchant ship quietly left Batavia under the cover of night, heading east towards Sulumay. A few days later, it arrived near Sulumay, but before it could even enter the strait, it was intercepted by the Ming Dynasty fleet.

Zheng Hongkui's combined Ming fleet was still in Sulumayi. Although the Ming Dynasty won the battle decisively, there were still many things to do after the war. As the supreme commander of the fleet, Zheng Hongkui could not simply pack up and leave.

The captured warships (armed merchant ships), personnel, and even the captured Surumays require a lot of follow-up work. Just the allocation and integration of these warships (armed merchant ships) and stabilization of the city, including assisting Madura in preventing a possible counterattack from Mataram, all need to be arranged.

The Dutch chose this location because of its excellent geographical position and conditions. As long as the defenses at both ends of the strait were in place, the fleet in the port would be absolutely safe. Moreover, the Ming fleet had come from afar and had only resupplyed once in Madura since leaving Annam. Now that they had defeated the main Dutch fleet, the next step was to face the major battle to attack Batavia.

In this situation, the fleet needed a suitable port as a forward base, and Sulumay was the most suitable. Therefore, Zheng Hongkui decided to first settle the work arrangements in Sulumay, and then let the fleet rest before attacking Batavia.

(End of this chapter)