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

Chapter 1318 The New Governor
Cao Wenzhao couldn't help but burst into laughter, his expression full of smugness.

Although he felt a little jealous, Cao Bianjiao was happy for Cao Wenzhao's appointment to a post outside the capital, especially since Cao Wenzhao was his uncle.

"Congratulations, Uncle! Congratulations!" Cao Bianjiao said to Cao Wenzhao with a smile. "His Majesty values ​​you so highly, Uncle. Your future is bright! When we go to Southeast Asia, you will certainly make the most of your talents and serve the court!"

“Of course!” Cao Wenzhao nodded with a smile, then raised his hand and patted Cao Bianjiao’s shoulder: “You don’t need to be hypocritical. Since His Majesty can use me, he will surely use you in the future. Let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart today. Although we are both from military families in Liaodong, we are different from the Wu and Zu families. Speaking of which, my Cao family is from Datong, Shanxi. You should know His Majesty’s background. In addition, we have had very little contact with them in recent years except for official business. His Majesty has sharp eyes and sees this clearly. Otherwise, even with Grand Secretary Wang’s recommendation, I would not have been able to become the governor.”

"Nephew, I have learned a lot..." Cao Wenzhao's words really struck a chord with Cao Bianjiao. It would be impossible for Cao Bianjiao not to have any thoughts about it. After all, he had been idle for several years. Apart from going to the General Council Office to sit in the office every day, he basically had nothing to do. In addition, he was twenty years younger than Cao Wenzhao. In his prime, how could he stay idle?

He knew his nephew well, and to be honest, Cao Bianjiao was the best among the second generation of the Cao family. His abilities were not only no less than his own, but even slightly better than Cao Wenzhao's. Moreover, Cao Bianjiao had won the first merit in the battle of Liaodong, and now his title was even higher than Cao Wenzhao's, that of a third-class marquis.

"Once the official decree is issued, I will go to the palace to see His Majesty. I will then assess the situation and, if possible, speak on your behalf before His Majesty..."

"No need!" Before Cao Wenzhao could finish speaking, Cao Bianjiao raised his hand to stop him: "Uncle, it is more prudent to follow His Majesty's wishes in matters of state. If His Majesty does not ask about our affairs, Uncle, you need not mention them. Once you mention them, it will displease His Majesty, which would be undesirable. Uncle has waited a long time for this opportunity, so you must not ruin things because of carelessness."

"Very well..." Cao Wenzhao thought for a moment and nodded. Cao Bianjiao was right. Even if this matter were brought up, the emperor might not approve. What if the emperor was unhappy and withdrew his order? Wouldn't that make things worse? It was a pity. He originally thought it would be best if Cao Bianjiao could go to Batavia with him. With the two of them working together, the barbarians would be no match for them.

Putting aside what they had just discussed, Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao chatted about his appointment in Batavia. According to Wang Jinwu, he was going to serve as governor-general. While Cao Wenzhao was skilled in warfare, this was his first time serving as governor-general. Moreover, Batavia was located in Southeast Asia, not on the Ming Dynasty's mainland. Cao Wenzhao was unsure how to handle the role, so he called Cao Bianjiao over not only to share their joy but also to seek advice from his nephew.

Both uncle and nephew served in the General Council and were familiar with the Ming Dynasty's war situation in the South China Sea. Intelligence and war updates sent from Zheng Hongkui were delivered to the palace and simultaneously to the General Council.

Although the intelligence from the General Staff Office only concerned military matters, glossing over other aspects, the General Staff Office was still very well-informed about the situation, especially since the news of the Ming Dynasty's allied fleet's capture of Batavia had just arrived today, and the Cao family uncle and nephew were already aware of it.

Both Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao had some premonitions about why a governor was to be appointed in Batavia and why Cao Wenzhao was to go there, but whether the reality would be as they expected, and what they would do there, were things they needed to consider beforehand. Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao discussed this for the entire night, and when they were really engrossed in their conversation, Cao Wenzhao even took out a map of Southeast Asia, spread it out, and pointed to the location of Batavia, speaking with a slightly excited tone.

Cao Bianjiao devised a plan for Cao Wenzhao, and the discussion didn't end until the early hours of the morning. Afterwards, Cao Wenzhao lay in bed but couldn't close his eyes for a long time, his heart filled with excitement and anticipation. He finally managed to doze off for a while when suddenly a voice came from outside, saying that someone from the palace had come with an imperial decree, ordering Cao Wenzhao to enter the palace immediately.

Upon receiving the imperial decree, Cao Wenzhao washed and changed his clothes, then hurriedly entered the palace. When he arrived at the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Zhu Shenzhui was already waiting for him.

Cao Wenzhao stayed in the Qianqing Palace for more than an hour before coming out. Compared to his slight trepidation before entering the palace, Cao Wenzhao was more confident when he left, walking with a brisk pace and full of spirit.

The next day, the imperial court officially issued an imperial edict appointing General Cao Wenzhao as the governor of Batavia. After receiving the edict, Cao Wenzhao did not stay in the capital for long. He quickly left the capital with his personal guards, first going directly to Shandong from the capital region, and then taking a boat south from Shandong. Half a month later, his boat arrived in Batavia and set foot on Batavia's land.

When Cao Wenzhao arrived in Batavia, Zheng Hongkui and Wang Fuzhi, who had received advance notice, were already at the dock to greet him. The court's appointment of Cao Wenzhao as the governor of Batavia was somewhat unexpected for Zheng Hongkui. He had originally thought that the court would send someone else, such as an official like Li Xin or Lu Xiangshan, but who would have thought it would be Cao Wenzhao.

Cao Wenzhao was a man of high rank and status, but the problem was that he was a complete military man. Although he had served in the General Staff Office for many years, he had never held any military or political position in any region except for commanding troops in battle.

Even if Cao Wenzhao had served as a local commander, the problem was that since joining the army, he had been constantly deployed to the border regions and Liaodong, and had virtually no experience in local administration. It was truly unexpected that the emperor would suddenly choose such a person to serve as the governor of Batavia.

However, now that a candidate has been chosen, whether it's Cao Wenzhao or someone else, it's a good thing for Zheng Hongkui. To be honest, Zheng Hongkui originally thought that the war in the South China Sea would end quickly after Batavia was captured. After all, the main force of the Dutch East India Company's fleet was annihilated first, all the garrison in Batavia were captured, and even Jacob, one of the three directors of the East India Company in the Far East, fell into his hands. The other two directors had died in the internal strife, the governor of Batavia, Reines, committed suicide, and the supreme military commander, General Capelen, was taken prisoner. The East India Company's headquarters in the Far East was wiped out in one fell swoop.

In this situation, the Dutch East India Company's colonies in the Far East could theoretically be settled with a single decree. Although the other colonies, having lost their headquarters, still had garrison troops and officials, their fate was already sealed.

Unexpectedly, when Zheng Hongkui tried to force Jacob, the director, and General Capelen to order all East India Company colonies to surrender to the Ming Dynasty and admit defeat, they refused.

General Capelen stated that since the fleet's defeat, he had only been a nominal military commander. Furthermore, his neutrality during the previous internal strife in Batavia led to Batavia's surprise attack and fall to the Ming Dynasty. He considered himself a sinner in this matter and therefore unqualified to continue serving as the supreme military commander. Consequently, he believed he was not qualified to ask the armies of other colonies to lay down their arms and surrender to the Ming army, nor was he willing to do so.

As for Director Jacob, needless to say, as the only one of the three directors who survived, he now harbors a deep-seated hatred for the Ming Dynasty. He believes that the Ming's sudden invasion and occupation of Batavia during the internal strife violated the foundation of the initial peace negotiations. Such behavior is shameless and a betrayal of mutual trust. As a prisoner, he will absolutely not admit defeat for this, let alone use the board of directors to force the colonies to surrender.

If the Ming Dynasty is willing to negotiate, it must first withdraw from Batavia and regain control of the region before resuming peace talks. This demonstrates due sincerity and is a gesture of goodwill. It is not the current approach of taking advantage of a weakness to seize Batavia by force and then forcing it to admit defeat. This is not only an insult to itself but also a provocation to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the East India Company.

Under these circumstances, both Director Jacob and General Capelen rejected the Ming army's demands, and even Zheng Hongkui's threats and inducements were ineffective. Zheng Hongkui and Wang Fuzhi had not anticipated this situation and were left with no choice but to rely on the Ming army to gradually resolve the problems in the other colonies by force. However, this necessitated the deployment of military force and continued warfare.

Although capturing Batavia seemed relatively easy, without the internal strife and the presence of spies beforehand, Zheng Hongkui would have faced considerable difficulty in taking the territory with his own forces. Furthermore, while the other East India Company colonies had smaller troop numbers, their fortifications were exceptionally strong, and their advantageous terrain made a direct assault by the Ming army far from easy.

Furthermore, although Batavia appears to have restored order on the surface, there are actually undercurrents of unrest, not only within the city of Batavia but also in the surrounding areas.

The complex relationships between the Europeans (Dutch), the local indigenous people, and the Chinese living there, along with the influence of the church, caused Zheng Hongkui a lot of trouble. Although Zheng Hongkui tried to solve this problem, he couldn't find a good solution. In desperation, he could only continue to implement military rule by force. However, this meant that the Ming army had to focus a large part of its energy on stabilizing Batavia, and could not mobilize all its forces to deal with other colonies one by one, especially the Malacca region.

Now that Cao Wenzhao has arrived, whether or not it is appropriate for him to serve as governor, at least he can pull Zheng Hongkui out of the quagmire of Batavia, freeing him up to deal with the upcoming military operations against other colonies, which is a good thing for him.

(End of this chapter)