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

Chapter 1308 Deadlock
The council chamber was quiet, with only the occasional puff of James's pipe breaking the silence. The other two directors patiently awaited further news.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, several gunshots suddenly rang out from not far away. Although the sound was not loud, it was like a thunderclap in the ears of the three directors.

The three of them immediately got up and ran to the window, looking out, but they couldn't see anything in the distance.

"Where did the gunshot just now come from?"

"It seems to be in this direction..." Director Otto pointed to the left.

“The military camp? No! The military camp isn’t this close!” Director James denied as soon as he opened his mouth. The military camp was about five miles away from here. If the gunfire was from the military camp, it wouldn’t have reached here at all.

The three exchanged glances, each gleaning a guess from the other's eyes.

The sound of gunfire signified that Governor Reinice had officially taken action; otherwise, such a situation would never have occurred in Batavia without the invasion of a foreign enemy.

Moreover, the gunshots weren't just one, but several, and they continued to ring out intermittently. If I'm not mistaken, their men encountered Reinice's men, and the two sides exchanged fire.

Indeed, this was the case. When Reinice realized that the three directors had secretly negotiated with the Ming Dynasty without his knowledge and exchanged negotiating terms, especially since they had put him on the negotiating table as a bargaining chip, he was both shocked and terrified.

He never imagined that, under these circumstances, he, the governor, would be abandoned by the other side and sold off as a bargaining chip. If the peace talks succeeded, he would be dismissed from his post by the three directors and then taken into custody and sent to the Ming Dynasty. He could only imagine what awaited him then.

Once he understood all this, Reinice's anger was palpable. He knew that if he didn't do something, the outcome would be extremely dire. To protect himself, Reinice had no way out. He knew he had to act immediately; if he was too slow and the three directors got there first, everything would be over.

As the governor of the East India Company, Reinius was the highest-ranking official in Batavia. However, the problem lay in the fact that the three directors represented the company's board of directors and had the power to remove him from his post. Once the removal was completed and the executive order took effect, Reinius's position as governor would cease to exist, and he would be no different from a lamb to the slaughter.

Therefore, Reinice had to immediately use his power to retaliate and subdue the three directors before they could react. Controlling them would prevent the worst-case scenario from occurring. Reinice couldn't care less about the consequences; he had no time to consider what would happen next. He needed to solve the immediate problem first. Besides, Reinice was an extremely decisive and ruthless person. Even if doing this was tantamount to betraying the company, so what? As long as he was alive and Batavia was under his control, there was still a chance to salvage the situation.

As for the three directors, it would be best if they could be controlled; if they really couldn't be controlled, eliminating them wouldn't be out of the question. Once they were dead, Batavia would be completely under its control, and since it was wartime, this matter could be attributed to the Ming Dynasty, and then a report could be submitted directly to headquarters.

Thus, Governor Reinius and the three directors launched their operations almost simultaneously, each side preparing to strike first. However, unexpectedly, shortly after the operation began, their men clashed on the road leading from Batavia to the Governor's residence and the board's headquarters. Upon discovering each other, neither hesitated and decisively attacked, intending to eliminate the other first. As a result, the two guards, both belonging to the East India Company, clashed.

The two sides were roughly equal in number, and their equipment and combat capabilities were similar. They were originally elite guards, but due to their different positions, they ended up fighting each other.

In the ensuing chaos, muskets fired wildly, each taking down a few enemies before the two guards drew their weapons and engaged in hand-to-hand combat, resulting in a fierce and evenly matched battle. Major Falknir, leading the Board of Directors Guard, was exceptionally skilled and commanded his troops effectively, quickly gaining the upper hand. However, just as he was about to defeat the "enemy," another group suddenly appeared from the east. When Major Falknir saw that the leader was none other than Colonel Cohen, his heart sank.

"Major Falknir! I, as a colonel, order you! Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately!"

"Colonel Cohen! According to the Board's resolution, the Board has relieved you of your military command. I am now in charge of the Batavia army. I order you to surrender immediately!" The two sides were locked in a fierce standoff, neither willing to yield. Seeing that verbal communication was ineffective, they could only settle the matter with their own forces. The two sides continued their fierce fighting, and as Colonel Cohen's forces outnumbered Major Falknir's side, which had initially held the upper hand, gradually began to falter. Realizing the situation was dire, Major Falknir knew he could no longer break through Colonel Cohen's blockade to reach the Governor's Mansion and complete his mission. If he didn't flee soon, not only would he fail to complete his mission, but he and his entire force would perish.

Helpless, Major Falknir gritted his teeth and led his men to break through the encirclement, carving a bloody path and rushing back the way they came. Colonel Cohen, seeing Major Falknir retreat, decisively pursued him, heading towards the board's headquarters.

He ran back in one breath, and when he returned to where he came from, Major Falknir looked quite disheveled. The three directors, who had heard the news, hurriedly asked what had happened. Major Falknir explained the situation, telling them that their plan to go to the governor's mansion had failed. Because they were blocked halfway by Colonel Cohen and his men, they were unable to reach their destination. Now the situation was very serious. Colonel Cohen's men were about to catch up, and the other side was moving faster than them. If things went wrong, the military camp might already be under the control of the other side. If that happened, the entire military force of Batavia would fall into the hands of the governor's mansion, and they would be no match for them.

Upon hearing this news, the three directors were stunned, as if struck by lightning. What did the failure of the plan mean? The three directors knew very well that once the entire military force of Batavia was under the control of the Governor's Office, even if they were directors of the company, they would not be able to contend with Governor Reinice.

"This is betrayal! No! It's rebellion! Rebellion!" Director Otto shouted, his expression extremely agitated.

Director James's hands trembled so badly he could barely hold his pipe, and his face was deathly pale. Director Jacob, the calmest of the three, decisively ordered Major Falknir to immediately set up defenses at the board's headquarters, determined not to let Colonel Cohen's men break in under any circumstances.

They still have their guards, and the board's headquarters are very well-built, comparable in size to the governor's mansion. As long as they can hold off the enemy here, they probably won't be able to break in for a while, and the longer it drags on, the more advantageous it will be for them.

After all, they truly represented the East India Company. Although Reinice was the governor, his position was appointed by the board of directors. Now, Reinice had directly used the army to attack the three directors, which was tantamount to rebellion. Moreover, they had just held an extraordinary board meeting and decided to remove Reinice from his position as governor. Procedurally, Reinice was no longer the governor.

As long as we can hold them off and prevent their plans from succeeding, there is hope. Batavia's army is the East India Company's army. Even if Reinice temporarily controls the army, once the news of the board's decision to remove Reinice from his post gets out, more and more people will side with the board. At that point, the offensive and defensive positions will be reversed, and there will be a chance to turn the tide.

But this is contingent on holding this place. If they can't hold it and Colonel Cohen's men break in, then everything will be over. Since Reines dared to do this, it means that the governor is prepared for a fight to the death, even to physically kill the three of them, and then attribute their deaths to the war with the Ming Dynasty.

Director Jacob instantly understood this. He knew he had to save himself, and he also pinned his hopes on the neutral General Cappellen. Although General Cappellen had previously stated he would not take sides, he was still the East India Company's highest military commander in the Far East. If Reines killed the three of them outright, that would be one thing, but if he couldn't do it immediately, then as time went on, General Cappellen's attitude would definitely change. If he tilted in their favor, the situation would be completely different.

Upon hearing this, Director Jacob immediately ordered the guards to prepare for defense, mobilizing all the manpower in the camp, including the guards, totaling more than 260 people. Even Director Jacob himself donned his armor, with a sword at his waist and a musket in his hand, shouting loudly, and used furniture and other items to block the gate tightly, relying on the building to resist.

Although Governor Reinnis and Colonel Cohen had the upper hand, their launch was rather hasty because they had not yet fully taken control of the camp. For this reason, they were unable to stop the Board of Directors' guards on the way, and Major Falknir managed to escape back.

When the pursuit reached the board's headquarters, Major Falknir's retreating men and the guards there had already joined forces and were preparing to garrison the area. Because the board held a geographical advantage, and their combined forces were no smaller than Colonel Cohen's, Colonel Cohen's initial charge failed. Instead of breaking through the defenses, he suffered several casualties and was forced to retreat, sealing off the exits of the headquarters and ordering reinforcements while simultaneously inquiring about the situation at the military camp.

The civil war in Batavia broke out suddenly under these circumstances. The gunshots and fighting that rang out in the city terrified the residents of Batavia. Many people even thought that the Ming fleet had attacked and that Batavia was about to fall.

The panicked crowds scrambled to escape, further exacerbating the chaos in Batavia. Adding to the turmoil, news from the military camp was alarming: conflicting orders from the Governor's Office and the Board of Directors left the commanders bewildered and unsure whose commands to follow. The Governor's Office couldn't completely control the camp in the short term, and Colonel Cohen could only manage to mobilize a force through his trusted subordinates, combining it with his own troops to continue the siege of the Board of Directors' headquarters.

On the other side, the board's headquarters, although outnumbered, had the advantage of its location and the cover of its buildings. In addition, the headquarters had no shortage of firearms, including gunpowder. For a time, the two sides fought fiercely and were evenly matched. Colonel Cohen's several attacks failed to break through the enemy's defenses, and the battle reached a stalemate.

(End of this chapter)