The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 282 Never Lose to King Mo

Dongwanlu, Liu Family Manor, Sanxingtang Main Hall.

Mo Zibu didn't know why the Dutch East India Company wanted to commit suicide in West Borneo, because they clearly didn't have much territory there.

But General William Ottoen knew that West Borneo was actually a matter of life and death for the Dutch East India Company.

Well, maybe this is not accurate. It should be said that if the Xingtang Palace took control of West Borneo, the Dutch East India Company would be doomed.

The source of all this can be traced back to the decline of the Dutch Republic.

In the era of the Sea Coachman, the Dutch were the darlings of the era, and they were active everywhere from Europe to America to Asia.

Everyone was making a lot of money, and that was the most glorious time for the Dutch.
The Dutch East India Company was established at that time and became the darling of the Amsterdam capital market with its extremely astonishing rate of return.

However, with the rise of Britain and France, the French used the Franco-Dutch War to brutally attack the United Provinces on land.

The British fought three Anglo-Dutch wars at sea, with a record of one defeat and two wins, which completely defeated the Dutch.

With the decline of the United Provinces, the Dutch East India Company, which originally had diversified income and strong economic and military strength, also lost its former glory.

More importantly, senior executives of local companies and middle and senior management of companies that controlled the situation in Batavia generally lost confidence in their companies.

In this situation, in order to maintain high returns and stabilize the company's stock price, the Dutch East India Company placed all its bets on spices as a single option.

At the same time, the Dutch East India Company was expanding colonies, enlarging plantations, building forts and ensuring trade security.

The clever Chinese successfully cultivated spices, mainly pepper, in Borneo, also known as Kalimantan Island, and the quality was better than those grown by the Dutch in Java and other places.

Okay, okay! That's how you play it, right? You're using farming to steal my home, right?

By now, Borneo's spice production was close to more than 30% of that of Dutch-controlled Batavia.

In other words, if the Dutch did not take control of the spice cultivation in Borneo, their current monopoly on the spice trade would immediately disappear.

But at the same time, there are more than 40 Chinese underworld colonization companies in Borneo, especially West Borneo, employing more than 100,000 young men.

Their Tiandihui-style underworld, formed by clan kinship, is much more organized than the indigenous people who rely on blindly misinterpreting the Islamic teachings and integrating primitive beliefs.

These Tang people will dare to fight you if you give them a knife or a musket.

The number of these people is increasing by four to five thousand men every year, which makes them much more difficult to deal with than the indigenous sultans.

If they really resorted to force and used force to resolve the issue, they might end up dragging the Dutch into the quagmire of war.

So the Dutch wisely adopted the methods of intimidation by force, sowing discord and playing one faction against another, and then gave some benefits depending on the situation, and barely stabilized the situation in West Borneo.

Historically, it was around this time that the Dutch began to focus almost all their energy on engaging with the Chinese in West Borneo.

It lasted for more than a hundred years and eventually brought down the three Chinese regimes: the Lan Fang Company, the Dagang Company and the Dai Yan Kingdom.

And in this time and space, the situation is even worse because they have a more terrifying opponent.

All the Batavian high-ranking officials knew that as long as Mozibu's Xingtang Palace controlled West Borneo, he would almost certainly cooperate with the French to sell spices to Europe.

In this case, the Dutch East India Company would be doomed.

Therefore, the meeting between Brigadier General William Ottoen and Liu Sanbo Liu Qianxiang was quite pleasant because the Dutch did not have much choice.

General William Ottoen made a solemn promise on behalf of Governor Petrus of Batavia.

As long as Liu Qianxiang agreed to take the lead in uniting the mine owners in Borneo, drive out Luo Fangbai sent by Mo Zibu, take complete control of Pontianak, allow the Dutch East India Company's representative office to return to Pontianak, and station a guard of no more than 300 people.

Then the Dutch East India Company was willing to provide Sanxingtang with 2,000 flintlock muskets, three cannons, and corresponding ammunition.

This is enough for Sanxingtang to arm a reinforced infantry regiment, and it can also send more than fifty military instructors to train the young men of Sanxingtang, turning them from gangster thugs into real troops.

At the same time, the Dutch Army will also directly send an infantry regiment, about 600 white infantrymen and 1,500 indigenous soldiers to West Borneo.

The warships of the Dutch East India Company would also provide protection for the mouth of the Kun River.

Most importantly, they are willing to increase the purchase price of rice by 20 percent and the price of spices such as pepper by 8 percent.

You know, when the Dutch were able to roughly control the market in West Borneo, they kept the purchase price of spices quite low, but now it has increased by nearly 10%.

As for the Liu family's rice, in this damn place called Nanyang, grain is produced everywhere. Apart from the Dutch who stubbornly planted cash crops on Java Island for economic benefits, there are not many places that are short of food.

Therefore, most of the Liu family's grain was sold to the Dutch. This 20% increase in the purchase price was a huge profit increase for them.

After hearing these conditions, Liu Qianxiang, who was originally somewhat hesitant, immediately began to tend to cooperate with the Dutch.

Not only him, but also other leaders of Sanxingtang who were originally prejudiced against the Dutch red-haired devils and believed that cooperating with them would invite wolves into the house, began to change their positions.

Seeing the expressions of these Chinese people, Brigadier General William Otton released his final big move.

“General Liu, in addition to us, His Majesty Sultan Bangal is also willing to provide no less than a thousand soldiers.

The three Dayak tribes of Otu, Iban and Yaju will also participate, and the three local kings can mobilize more than 6,000 warriors.

They are the best jungle traversers and scouts. With them, no one can easily pass through the rainforest between Singkawang and Dongwanlu."

At that time, Borneo was still in its early stages of development. It can be said that the entire island was basically jungle except for the mines and plantations developed by the Chinese.

This is also one of the things Liu Qianxiang relies on. As long as the Dutch fleet can protect the mouth of the Kunjiang River and prevent Xingtang's fleet from landing here, they can only go ashore through Sankouyang and then have to pass through the rainforest to reach Dongwanlu.

"Father, don't hesitate any longer. We can mobilize 4,000 men, General William can mobilize 2,000 men, there are also 1,000 Bangalores, 6,000 Dayaks, and the mine owners who follow you can mobilize at least 3,000 men."

After listing them, Liu Yaozong immediately acted like a mathematician. "That's a full 16,000 troops! If we bring in some miners, we can make up 20,000."

Mo Zibu's Xing Tang army came from afar, without the advantage of time and place. Without twice as many troops as mine, they also lack the support of the people.

Does he have an army of 40,000?
No! So we must win, Dad, don’t hesitate, do it! "

Mr. Liu San has only a superficial understanding of books, and he is good at calculating numbers.

"Let's do it, Hall Master. Let's fight them. When we unify West Borneo, we can also establish a Xingming Palace, a Xinghan Palace, or something like that." "Yes, our ancestors all moved south after Jiashen. Why should Mo Zibu be the only one to be king?"

The atmosphere became tense. Those who were a little afraid yesterday and called Mo Zibu the King of Benevolence, at least the leaders of the Sanxingtang under Prince Mo, both big and small, have started to call Mo Zibu by name.

Liu Qianxiang was also a mathematician. He calculated silently in his mind two or three times, and then suddenly slapped his thigh.

"My son is right. Mo Wu can only send a few thousand men to West Borneo. That teacher Luo Fangbai has at most two thousand men. If five of us fight him to death, he's doomed!"

Well, looking at the high morale and excited red-faced leaders of Sanxingtang, someone in the corner curled his lips.

Damn it, do you think the outcome of a war is determined by counting heads?
. . . .

Java, Batavia.

Clerk Holdyke's face was gloomy as he walked quickly into his home.

But as soon as he arrived in the backyard, he immediately saw the person he least wanted to see.

This was a thin Tang man who looked like a servant. His public identity was a shop assistant who delivered fresh fish and vegetables to their family.

But in fact, this person is a spy from the Xingtang Palace and a devil who is most capable of misleading people.

"Secretary, it seems your persuasion has failed. Governor Petrus has chosen to take the risk, right?"

Holdyk's face turned even darker. Instead of answering the question, he stared at the guy fiercely.

"Mr. Shi, if you continue to be so bold, you will definitely be discovered, and then you will be dead."

Ah Er chuckled, a crazy look in his eyes, "Ever since you Dutch killed 35 members of my family 30 years ago, every day I live is a gift from God.

Death will only allow me to reunite with my family sooner.

As for you, Mr. Secretary, if I were exposed, you would surely die. The way you red-haired devils deal with traitors is hardly civilized."

Secretary Holdyk couldn't help but shudder. This was not only uncivilized, it was no different from a cannibal tribe.

"I wasn't born thirty years ago, and my father was just a businessman, not a soldier. Those things have nothing to do with me!"

Holdyk explained angrily, "Even if Governor Petrus decides to take the risk, it doesn't mean you will win. His Majesty the King's strength is not enough to support him in defeating all opponents in the South China Sea."

“That’s OK because we can lose, even five times, 10 times.

Because King Xing Tang has five million people available in the South China Sea, and the number is growing by 100,000 every year.

"And you, Mr. Secretary, are there thirty thousand Dutch in Batavia? The whole of the United Provinces seems to have only two or three million people."

Ah Er laughed wildly, "You can win, but it's better to win all the time, because if you lose once, you will go straight to hell.

No, you will hardly even go to hell, because behind King Xing Tang is King Louis of France, who has been coveting the spice trade for a long time."

Shi Yaer did not bother to worry about who was guilty and who was not, but directly stabbed Holdyk's lungs.

"Lord, please bless me!" Secretary Holdyk was immediately defeated, because this was the reason why the Dutch East India Company could not fight against King Xing Tang.

There were only about 7,000 Dutch people in the entire South China Sea, while King Xing Tang had 100,000 Tang people crossing from the mainland every year.

So King Xing Tang can lose ten times and still be in trouble, but the Dutch will go to hell if they lose just once.

"Tell us everything you know. Don't die on a ship destined to sink."

Ah Er whispered in Secretary Holdyke's ear like a bewitching demon, "Holdyke, you are not someone who is willing to sacrifice everything for the United Provinces Republic.

Because you actually made the right choice, you just backed down temporarily.

But now, the opportunity has been given to you again. As long as you show your loyalty, you can become the vice minister of the Fuxing Company, and in the future you can even become a member of parliament, minister or noble of King Xingtang.

Think of your gentle wife and two lovely daughters, how kind and beautiful they are.

But if you make the wrong choice, their only fate in the future will be to be thrown into prison to rot, or to be sold to a brothel to become the lowest kind of prostitute.

But if you make the right choice, in the future they will eat the most delicious food, wear the most gorgeous clothes, and become envied and respected ladies in big cities such as Ha Tien, Gia Dinh, Hoi An, Hue, and Thonburi.

Your daughter will marry a young and handsome nobleman, or a talented and promising official.

Your grandson will continue to become the most powerful person in this land, and that is a life of wealth and prosperity that many people dare not even dream of.

And all of this depends on the choices you make today.

Tell me, do you want them to become the filthiest whores, the entertainment of wild sailors, or do you want them to become noble ladies.

Tell me, now, tell me your choice!"

"Stop talking, stop talking."

The long-term and enormous mental pressure caused Holdyk to collapse, and the last trace of loyalty to his motherland in his soul finally disappeared.

After several months of torture at the hands of Shia II and the stupidity of Governor Petrus, Holdyke's dream of having the best of both worlds was completely shattered.

“Petrus is a stupid bastard, how dare he start a fight!

Why turn a negotiable matter into the beginning of the end? Why?

After crying loudly, Secretary Holdyk collapsed on the ground. When he thought of the scene described by Shi Yaer, he shuddered.

“Make your choice, while you still have some value. You know that King Xing Tang is generous.

Moreover, we were born in the South China Sea, so there is no need for us to return to Europe and live under the strange gazes of our so-called compatriots."

Secretary Holdyk looked in horror towards the direction of the sound, only to see Major Marco, dressed in civilian clothes, suddenly appear behind him.

In his hand, he held a standard Chinese scimitar.

(End of this chapter)