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

Chapter 1304 Conditions
Zheng Hongkui's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood Wang Fuzhi's meaning.

Indeed, Wang Fuzhi was right. The Dutch infighting and even internal strife were both a good thing and a troublesome matter for the Ming Dynasty.

They are now pretending not to know, and on the surface they have indicated that there is a possibility of peace talks. But in reality, although peace talks may force the Dutch to pay a certain price, it would defeat the ultimate purpose of this military expedition.

Zheng Hongkui was a general personally appointed by the emperor, and Wang Fuzhi was a member of the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry). They were not ordinary officials who accompanied the fleet south to coordinate the allied forces and conduct diplomacy. They were even received by the emperor before the expedition. In addition, their experience as envoys to Europe made them understand the true purpose of this war.

The Ming Dynasty's decision to attack the Dutch stemmed from several factors. Firstly, the Dutch had previously intercepted Ming merchant ships. Secondly, the two previous wars between the Dutch and the Ming Dynasty were also contributing factors. However, beyond these, the existence of the Dutch East India Company was a more significant issue. Combined with the Ming Dynasty's changing national policies, these factors led to the outbreak of this war.

Since the Song King and Yong King were granted fiefdoms in the New World, the national policy of the Ming Dynasty has changed. Recently, the Ming Dynasty adjusted its overseas fiefdom policy due to the granting of fiefdoms to vassal kings, breaking the original restrictions on vassal kings.

This matter had a significant impact. Ordinary people might not be aware of it, but officials of Zheng Hongkui and Wang Fuzhi were very clear about it. They had even heard that many princes and members of the imperial family had petitioned His Majesty to voluntarily grant fiefdoms to foreign lords. Judging from this situation, granting fiefdoms to foreign lords would become a common practice in the future. Wang Fuzhi, well-versed in history, naturally understood the Zhou emperors' practice of granting fiefdoms to various lords and was well aware of the long-term consequences of adopting such a policy.

To be honest, Wang Fuzhi greatly admired His Majesty the Emperor's remarkable foresight. The policy of supporting the princes and the imperial family, which had plagued the Ming Dynasty for nearly three hundred years, had always been a headache for the emperors of the Ming Dynasty. But now, this problem had been completely solved by His Majesty in this way.

By opening up access to lower-ranking members of the imperial clan and adopting a policy of granting fiefdoms to higher-ranking members, the problem of the imperial clan could be solved. Moreover, this approach could be used to expand overseas and compete with European countries for world territory. Such expansion methods were far more appropriate than direct intervention by the Ming Dynasty.

Although the Ming Dynasty's national strength has recovered after more than ten years of recuperation, the climate during the Little Ice Age has improved considerably, and through foreign trade and a series of domestic policies, the economy and people's livelihoods are better than ever before, with national income increasing year by year, completely shaking off the situation of having neither money nor food during the Chongzhen era.

Even so, if the Ming Dynasty were to directly compete with European countries for overseas resources, even at the cost of waging war, the pressure it would face would be enormous.

This was not merely a matter of money and resources, but also concerned the stability of the Ming Dynasty. Although the civil service had been suppressed by the emperor in recent years, their influence in the court remained. Coupled with the example of the Wanli Emperor's three major campaigns that had emptied the national treasury, and the subsequent disastrous defeat at the Battle of Sarhu, the Ming court and the public were extremely cautious about foreign expansion. If the emperor were to directly expand the territory, it would inevitably provoke strong opposition from both the court and the public. In their words, "militarism" was not a blessing for the country, and thus, there would be no shortage of resistance.

Therefore, the emperor has now adopted the strategy of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass," which on the surface is to imitate the Zhou Dynasty by enfeoffing members of the royal family overseas, but in reality, it is taking the path of external expansion.

This approach not only silenced the civil officials but also achieved the goal of expansion. It's important to understand that overseas territories were not originally Ming territory; they were granted to members of the imperial family. Furthermore, the rules had changed. While these grants granted considerable power to members of the imperial family, the Ming Dynasty itself was not responsible for their safety overseas, much less use state power to support them. At most, they would receive some initial conveniences, assistance with immigration, and supplies. Future development would depend entirely on these vassal kings themselves.

In this way, granting fiefdoms to foreign nobles would not provoke opposition and might even garner the approval of most people. Especially for the civil service, the issue of the imperial clan had always been a concern. In their words, the state was spending so much money annually to support so many members of the imperial clan, and this enormous expenditure was already harming the national interest. Furthermore, the presence of a large number of imperial clan members, especially the regional princes, was a destabilizing factor. If these imperial clan members were all sent far away to fend for themselves overseas, even at some cost, providing them with some conveniences would be worthwhile.

However, Wang Fuzhi saw things differently; he clearly understood the emperor's true intentions. Using this policy would not only resolve internal conflicts but also allow the Ming Dynasty to achieve substantial outward expansion. Even if the princes and nobles granted fiefdoms outside the capital possessed considerable independence, they were still ultimately members of the Ming imperial family, and their territories, including kingdoms, were essentially fiefdoms and vassal states of the Ming Dynasty.

In this respect, it is somewhat similar to the expansion method of the Dutch East India Company. A vassal king appointed by the Ming Dynasty is equivalent to the Ming Dynasty establishing a company overseas. The company's overseas expansion is entirely independent and autonomous, but the company itself still belongs to the country. Moreover, as the number of vassal kings appointed increases, the Ming Dynasty can continue to expand overseas in this way, seize territory from European countries and gain benefits. Isn't this the best of both worlds?

For this very reason, the main purpose of the Ming Dynasty's military expedition to the South China Sea this time was to strike at the Dutch East India Company's base in the Far East, to wrest control of the South China Sea from them, and to restore the Ming Dynasty's influence over neighboring countries during the Yongle era.

Furthermore, Wang Fuzhi believed that the emperor's actions also stemmed from his intention to grant fiefdoms in the South China Sea. If his guess was correct, once the Dutch were driven out, the territories they left behind would not only be divided among the other countries that had joined the military campaign, but most of them would also be directly granted by the emperor as overseas fiefdoms to members of the imperial family and their princes.

Therefore, from this perspective, even if the Dutch took the initiative to negotiate with the Ming Dynasty, or even paid a certain price to resolve this war, the Emperor would absolutely not agree. Because from the moment the troops were dispatched, the fate of the Dutch East India Company was sealed. The Ming Dynasty had to expel the Dutch from the Far East. Only by expelling the Dutch could the Ming Dynasty take back these territories that originally belonged to the Dutch and implement the distribution of fiefdoms.

If the sole purpose were to intimidate and subdue the Dutch, the Ming Dynasty would not have needed to launch such a large-scale and decisive war. The essence of the matter is entirely different, a fact that Wang Fuzhi understood perfectly, and even Zheng Hongkui was well aware of. The Batavian envoy did not stay in Sulumay for long; just a few days later, he left the port with the three prisoners handed over to him by the Ming Dynasty, heading back towards Batavia.

These three prisoners represent the Ming Dynasty's "sincerity," signifying its willingness to negotiate. However, the key question remains: how exactly will the negotiations proceed, and what conditions will the Ming Dynasty accept? Since this was merely initial contact, no specific details have been discussed. However, the Ming Dynasty has outlined its bottom line: in addition to punishing those responsible for previous actions against the Ming, the Dutch must provide the Ming with compensation.

In addition to monetary compensation, the compensation also requires territorial reparations. Furthermore, given the fact that the Netherlands has already taken control of several countries in the South China Sea, the Ming Dynasty, as the suzerain state, must also provide an explanation to these countries. We hope the Netherlands will provide a response.

As for other matters, those need to be discussed gradually. First, the Dutch should demonstrate their sincerity and offer acceptable terms, and then both sides can communicate. However, the Ming Dynasty also informed its envoy that it could not wait too long. The daily cost of resting and repairing the Ming fleet was astronomical. If Batavia truly wanted to negotiate, it must quickly present its sincerity and a plan. If the Ming Dynasty did not receive a response within a certain period, it would proceed with its planned military intervention in Batavia, letting war decide everything.

The envoy quickly returned to Batavia and met with the three directors on the same day he arrived, bringing with him a reply from the Ming Dynasty.

After carefully inquiring about many details and reading the letter from the Ming Dynasty, the three directors dismissed the envoy and then discussed the matter behind closed doors.

"Negotiations are fine, appropriate compensation is acceptable, and even handing over the person who started this war to the other side is also acceptable, but the company's fundamental interests must not be harmed!" Director James stated first.

"Sir, what are you referring to as fundamental interests?" Director Otto countered.

“Of course, it’s the colonies occupied by the company!” Director James said without hesitation. “If we don’t have these colonies, what’s the difference between this peace talk and defeat?”

“James, what difference is there between us now and defeat?” Director Jacob retorted. “The main force of the fleet is gone, and our naval power in the Far East has been completely crushed by the Ming Empire. Can we really hold onto so many colonies with just our army?”

“But if we hand over the colonies, it would mean a complete defeat for us!” Director James said, somewhat agitated. “If that’s the case, what’s the difference between that and a real defeat? Is this the outcome we’ve been supporting peace talks for?”

“No! Of course there’s a difference!” Director Otto said solemnly, “Giving up a portion of the colonies as a sign of sincerity is better than losing all the colonies in the Far East, isn’t it? If we are completely defeated, then we will have no choice but to withdraw from the Far East entirely, and all our efforts over the past fifty years will come to an end. At that time, the entire company will face collapse, and we directors will have nothing left!”

“His Excellency Otto is right, and that’s what I think too,” Director Jacob nodded. “You are already aware of the Ming Dynasty’s attitude. They will absolutely not accept peace talks without paying some price. And the so-called price is not only people and property, but also the cession of colonies. In addition, please note a key issue: this war launched by the Ming Empire is not just a war on the Ming side, but also involves the Portuguese, British, Swedes, and even Poles. They are part of the allied forces, and I think everyone understands what they want.”

Upon hearing this, Director James fell silent. Director Jacob was right; the enemy's combined fleet included not only the Ming Dynasty but also four other European countries. These countries were not to be trifled with. Among them, Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were Central European nations. Although they had no territorial disputes with the Netherlands, as powerful European powers, their land forces were far superior to those of the small Kingdom of Holland.

Moreover, in recent years, Sweden, in particular, has been thriving and has become a regional power in the making. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is currently at war with Tsarist Russia, and the back-and-forth fighting demonstrates the formidable strength of both sides.

Furthermore, after Cromwell's death and Charles II's return to England and ascension to the throne, the country gradually returned to order. In addition, Charles II's experience of studying in the Ming Dynasty brought England and the Ming Dynasty closer together.

As for Portugal, it goes without saying that the East India Company seized much of its territory in the South China Sea from Portugal. Now that Portugal has a chance to reclaim its territory, how could it possibly give it up easily? If it doesn't bleed a lot this time, the other side will definitely not let it go, and in that case, peace talks will be impossible.

(End of this chapter)