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

Chapter 1316 Cao Wenzhao

The day after Zheng Hongkui captured Batavia, various factions in Batavia expressed their desire to meet with Zheng Hongkui and proposed to cooperate with the Ming Dynasty to rebuild order in Batavia.

Zheng Hongkui was unwilling to accept this situation. As the commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty, he was very clear about his main task this time. To conquer Batavia, expel the Dutch, and control these territories in the future was to prepare for the Ming Dynasty's external expansion and even direct administration.

If, like the Dutch did before, the Ming Dynasty were to cooperate with these forces and jointly govern them, it would be extremely disadvantageous for the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, Zheng Hongkui, as a former pirate leader, had considerable contact with the indigenous people of Southeast Asia, including the Chinese living there, and was well aware that these people were not to be trifled with.

In other words, these guys are driven by self-interest and have never respected any ruler or father; they are solely driven by profit. All they need is privilege in this land. According to their previous cooperation with the Dutch, they acknowledged the Dutch rule here, but behind this premise, they themselves had to control the grassroots and extend their reach everywhere in order to obtain privileges and practical benefits.

The Dutch, being outsiders, were helpless in this situation and could only grit their teeth and accept the reality. However, the Dutch were no saints either. For years, they cooperated with these forces while secretly instigating conflicts between them, using one faction to suppress another. Whenever the natives were powerful, they supported the Chinese to suppress them. When the Chinese began to rise to prominence, they exploited the greed of the natives to massacre them.

As for the Church, it goes without saying. The Netherlands is a Catholic country, and the Church wields significant influence in Europe. The government and the Church have a history of both cooperation and conflict. Coupled with institutions like the Batavian Chamber of Commerce, this shaped the political landscape of Batavia and even the East India Company in the Far East. Now that this structure has been disrupted, and Zheng Hongkui is unwilling to govern in the same way the Dutch had initially done with these forces, it naturally provoked their discontent.

Having failed to meet Zheng Hongkui several times, and with the Ming army taking a series of measures against Batavia, these forces felt that the Ming Dynasty and the Dutch East India Company had different ideas. For their own interests, these people immediately colluded in secret and began to cause trouble in Batavia.

Although Batavia did not experience any major incidents due to the strict military control and tight security, the severity of the situation and the difficulty in implementing government orders were obvious. This led Zheng Hongkui to focus more of his energy on Batavia, and he even dared not transfer the army stationed there.

For this reason, Zheng Hongkui is currently unable to concentrate his forces to attack and take over the other Dutch colonies in the Far East. Moreover, if similar situations to those in Batavia were to occur there after taking over these territories, it would seriously damage the interests of the Ming Dynasty in the South China Sea.

After carefully reading the report, Wang Jinwu couldn't help but frown.

"Your Majesty, this matter is indeed thorny. If it is not handled properly, even if we take Batavia, our Great Ming will not be able to control the surrounding areas, let alone implement the enfeoffment there."

Zhu Shenzhui nodded silently. Wang Jinwu was right; this was indeed a thorny issue. Moreover, this issue was closely related to the political attitude of the Ming Dynasty itself, and it also involved Zhu Shenzhui's subsequent plans in the South China Sea.

The Ming Dynasty was a centralized state, which was completely different from the Western European countries. It can be said that after Qin Shi Huang unified the world, the centralized system began to be established, and for nearly two thousand years, China has maintained this political structure for most of the time. Even in times of war and division, all countries held this attitude and aimed to achieve unification.

Since it was a centralized government, the Ming Dynasty's system absolutely forbade any other forces from sharing actual power with the central government. It was also impossible for a parliament to be formed around nobles and merchants, as was the case in European countries, thus rendering the king powerless. As for the Church, the Ming Dynasty's monarchy was divinely ordained, and the emperor was the Son of Heaven—a significant difference from Western European countries. This meant that the Ming Dynasty could not adopt the policies of Western European countries and allow such a situation to occur.

Even though the Ming Dynasty now implements the policy of enfeoffing foreign states, from the perspective of enfeoffment, it is actually a continuation of centralized power. The so-called fiefdoms are still vassal states of the Ming Dynasty, and centralized power is still implemented within the fiefdoms, only with slight variations.

However, the Dutch, along with other European countries, were different. Firstly, they did not rule and develop their overseas colonies as part of their homeland. For European countries, colonies were merely a source of wealth, and the people who originally lived in the colonies were not considered their citizens.

The key to acquiring colonies was obtaining resources and wealth from them, a consideration from a commercial perspective. Under this premise, European countries adopted a policy of plunder towards their colonies, never patiently managing them or even intending to treat them as their own territory.

Therefore, as long as the colonies are kept under one's control, and one can obtain benefits from them, even at the cost of some sacrifices, and even involve the locals and other forces, it is a very worthwhile deal compared to investing a lot of manpower and resources in their management.

This is how the Dutch established their rule in Batavia. In other words, the Dutch approached the issue with a business mentality, coupled with the different political philosophies between Europe and the Ming Dynasty, which led to this situation.

However, the Ming Dynasty was different. Any territory it conquered was naturally considered its own territory. For example, before the founding of the Ming Dynasty, regions like Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan were largely semi-independent, especially Yunnan, which was home to kingdoms like the Nanzhao Kingdom. After the Ming Dynasty acquired these territories, although it adopted a system of both appointed officials and local chieftains, it continuously migrated people to Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan over two centuries, gradually changing the local conditions and effectively managing the region. It even used the Mu family to govern Yunnan and assimilate the local population. After so many years of effort, these areas had effectively become provinces of the Ming Dynasty. Except for the temporary retention of some local chieftains, preventing the complete replacement of local chieftains with appointed officials, they were essentially no different from other places.

The same was true for Annam initially, but the Ming Dynasty later abandoned it for various reasons. As for the other Pacification Commissioner regions, these were also reluctant choices made considering the local conditions. However, the concepts of unification and centralized power were deeply rooted in the Ming Dynasty's political system, and this is beyond question.

"If we slow down local policies and only ensure stability, the Dutch approach is acceptable, or even the previous example of the Pacification Commissioner's Office could be used. Moreover, the court has now decided on the external enfeoffment, so we can follow the example of the Pacification Commissioner's Office. In this way, Your Majesty can directly enfeoff the people and appoint members of the imperial clan as Pacification Commissioners, and achieving the goal will not be difficult."

Wang Jinwu said this, but then changed the subject and said, "But if we do this, I am worried that the imperial family members are not up to the task. The situation in Southeast Asia is different from that in the New World. The New World is a blank canvas that is easy to draw on, but the situation in Southeast Asia is complicated. Once the enfeoffment is unstable, or even if there is an internal rebellion, the situation will be out of control."

"Furthermore, I believe that this would contradict Your Majesty's original plan and is not a long-term solution. If things change in the future, it will be difficult to control either the local imperial clans or the local population. However, if the court were to intervene in the same way that the Mu family guarded Yunnan in the past, the investment would be too large and the time required would be too long, which I'm afraid our Great Ming Dynasty cannot afford."

"So, in your opinion, what should be done?" Zhu Shenzhui asked directly.

“Extraordinary measures are needed for extraordinary events!” Wang Jinwu sneered. “The so-called thunderous measures should be accompanied by a compassionate heart. The barbaric lands of the South Seas have no sense of awe, whether they are local natives or Chinese. We should educate them with the grace of the king and conquer them with force. A two-pronged approach will surely subdue them! Our Great Ming is not just the Netherlands. How can our Celestial Empire be coerced by them? Those who submit to the king's rule can be accepted. If they harbor ill intentions and have other plans, then naturally we need not be polite!”

“I recommend a man to lead troops to Batavia. Once he goes, these matters will be minor. As long as Batavia is secured, Zheng Hongkui’s troops will be freed up to deal with the subsequent battles. As for the others, they are not worth worrying about and will be dealt with by Your Majesty.”

"who?"

“General Cao Wenzhao of the Golden Guard!” Wang Jinwu said with a smile, “Cao Wenzhao was known back then for being as cunning as a fox and as ferocious as a tiger. In recent years, apart from the battle of Liaodong, Cao Wenzhao has been working in the General Staff Office. He has told me many times that staying in the capital has made him feel weak in the knees. If there is any war, he wants me to put in a good word for him so that he can get some fresh air.”

"I believe that Cao Wenzhao is the most suitable person to go to Batavia. With his abilities, those demons and monsters are nothing to fear. Your Majesty can appoint him as the governor of Batavia to temporarily govern the area, and send some officials to assist him. I think Cao Wenzhao will definitely give Your Majesty a pleasant surprise."

"Cao Wenzhao...?"

Zhu Shenzhui thought about it carefully, and Wang Jinwu's recommendation of Cao Wenzhao was indeed a good choice. Cao Wenzhao was of sufficient rank, experienced, and a skilled and courageous general. If it weren't for concerns about the military families in Liaodong, and if Cao Wenzhao and his nephew Cao Bianjiao had been kept in the General Staff Office all these years, Cao Wenzhao's abilities would definitely not be a problem.

Moreover, the current situation in Southeast Asia truly requires someone as ruthless and cunning as Cao Wenzhao to oversee things. Although Zheng Hongkui is also capable, as the supreme commander of the Combined Fleet, Zheng Hongkui's primary responsibility is combat, not holding a command position in Batavia. Given the complex situation in Batavia and the surrounding region, using Cao Wenzhao is indeed a better choice.

"Then let Cao Wenzhao go there temporarily and assume the position of governor-general. Let's see how he performs. If he succeeds, I will reward him. If he fails, he can forget about leading troops again. You go and talk to him about this, what do you say?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I guarantee that Cao Wenzhao will agree," Wang Jinwu said with a smile. He then added, "However, Cao Wenzhao is a bloodthirsty man. Perhaps someone will impeach him afterward. Your Majesty should be prepared for this."

"That's alright," Zhu Shenzhui said casually. "Even though Batavia is currently in the hands of my Great Ming, it is still a land beyond the reach of civilization. As long as Cao Wenzhao doesn't act recklessly there, I can naturally protect him!"

(End of this chapter)