PS: Continue to ask for a monthly pass.

In the sixth year of Chongzhen, Mr. Van Basten, as the negotiator extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the East India Company, once again came to Hue to meet the Shouhan and negotiate the cessation of hostilities.

To be honest, Mr. Basten is not in a hurry! The Manraka waterway was closed to the Dutch East India Company, but the plywood boats flying his personal flag were able to travel freely, as long as the full amount of taxes was paid.

So, in view of this situation, the longer the confrontation between the two sides continues, the closer Mr. Basten is to destroy the East India Company and establish a business empire of his own.

Looking at the dense array of artillery on the head of Hue City, on the horse surface, and on the forts, and then thinking about the fleets on the sea that were conducting exercises, with the bursts of white smoke rising from a roar and the smell of gunpowder wafting with the sea breeze, Edwin, a senior employee of the company who came with him? Fan? Morality? Mr. Sa couldn't help but exclaim, "I seem to see the artillery of the whole of Europe here!" ”

"Ocean!"

Mr. Basten mocked Edwin in his heart, but as everyone knows, the original intention of this sentence was to mock them from the West, similar to the old hat and the turtle.

However, this time it was not so easy to ask to see Shouhan.

First, he was carefully searched by the soldiers of the Guards Battalion, and even the authorization certificate of the carte nipotentiary negotiator issued by the East India Company for Basten and others was rudely opened and read.

finally met Shouhan himself, but was teased by Shouhan with a smile. "Basten. What are you going to steal from me this time? ”

After hearing this, Basten's heart sank suddenly, it's over! It seems that he found out that the drawings were missing! But after all, it is the old rivers and lakes that have gone through strong winds and waves, and his heart is worried, but his face has not changed at all.

"This time, the board of directors of the company authorized me to carry out full authority to stop military operations with the South China Army and fully resume normal trade activities."

"This?! It's not like you can fight if you want to, and you can talk about it if you want! Shouhan snorted from his nose and glanced at the plenipotentiary of the East India Company with disdain.

"I used to think there was a war. Nothing good for either side. Our sages said, 'Soldiers, ominous weapons!' Use it as a last resort. 'I'm going to put an end to this kind of thing that doesn't do anyone any good.' But, you damn East India Company. but they took my kindness for weakness. You want to blackmail me a little. All right! I have closed the Manraka waterway and forbade your ships to pass through the Manraka waterway, let's see who is afraid! There's no more of you Dutch. There are also Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, and some people do business with us! ”

"No!" Listening to the general's whispered series of thunderbolt-like reprimands, Edwin let out a wail in his heart! If the Dutch ships were not allowed to pass through the Guò Manraka waterway, then the Dutch market in Europe would be quickly squeezed by the British, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, especially those under the banner of the Portuguese Restoration Army, who would devour the European market and wealth like sharks at sea.

Basten also exclaimed, "No! You can't do that, Your Excellency! Last time, it was some confused, short-sighted guys in our company who offended you because of their behavior, and I apologize to you here. I also hope that you will accept our request for peace for the sake of my friendship with you. ”

"Less! If you can't beat it, if you defeat it, you're here to make peace! Don't say what peace demands don't ask for! ”

In Edwin's eyes, Shouhan's behavior was undoubtedly that of a rude and impudent monarch of the East, no different from those of the Arab sultans and the Mongol great khans, but there was nothing he could do.

Who let you beat it?

This group of European gentlemen in beautiful robes is like that, you reason with them, and he plays hooligan with you. After you pick up the bricks and swing your kitchen knife and greet the wolves with your shotgun, they grin and ask you to be a gentleman.

Looking at the faces of the two negotiators in front of him with a burst of red and white, and finally fixed to a blue-gray expression, Shouhan felt a burst of relief in his heart, "If I don't give you some color, I don't know that the pot is made of iron, and I don't know that Ma Wangye has three eyes!" ”

"Two representatives, I don't know what requirements and conditions your company has for sending two representatives to seek peace this time? Since we are here to seek peace, we must have some sincerity. ”

An Tianhong, who has negotiated with various forces and groups many times, has been very experienced in talking about the key points of the two.

"Is it to cede land, is it to compensate our army for all the salaries and military supplies consumed in this operation, or is it something else?"

"In that year, the army of the king of Ayutthaya clashed with the troops of the southern expedition of our southern central army, and in order to punish this offensive behavior against the prestige of our army, our army raised troops to surround Ayutthaya, and the king of Ayutthaya finally ceded the land in southern Siam to my lord, and it was to compensate for military expenses, and to allow all kinds of goods in my southern and central countries to be exempt from tax in Siam, and to choose the daughter and relatives of the royal family, and the lord ordered the withdrawal of the army. Don't know what you can do? Is there a daughter of your king to be my lord? ”

An Tianhong's words, with guns and sticks, were good at damaging the Dutch people.

"You!" After dealing with the Nanzhong Army for the first time, Edwin couldn't help but think that the Nanzhong Army in front of him was no different from those sultans, kings and other figures, so he felt contemptuous and contemptuous in his heart, and was about to reprimand An Tianhong for his presumptuousness and rudeness.

"Does this gentleman have something to say?" An Tianhong saw Edwin's face full of resentment and anger, so he grabbed the conversation before he could speak.

Edwin didn't speak, just snorted and looked at the ceiling.

"My general once said that when the strength of the two sides is equal, diplomacy is strength, and when the strength of the two sides is very different, strength is diplomacy. If your company thinks that our proposal is a little inappropriate, please ask the two envoys to go back and put in order the military horses and ships to fight again. We won't have to fight a lawsuit here, everyone has seen it clearly. I can also go to Batavia to receive the paperwork from the two of you! ”

Alas! Where is the slightest hint of ceasefire negotiations in An Tianhong's words? It's clear that you want to continue to fight! And the information revealed in and out of the words is that the South Chinese Army wants to capture Batavia. Completely uproot the Dutch in Asia, the leading stronghold, and accept the surrender of the East India Company under the city of Batavia!

"Nope! Absolutely not! ”

He almost shouted out his thoughts in his native dialect!

He glanced at Basten, who was sitting beside him with some resentment, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, if I had established a friendship with this group of Orientals like this guy, I would not have to fear the destruction of the Dutch East India Company's power in Asia, as long as my ship could go back with the goods needed by Europe. Now I can only watch people make a fortune.

"Gentlemen, you are the plenipotentiary of the East India Company, and Mr. An Tianhong is the chief of the Ministry of Rites of our South China Army, and he is fully responsible for this matter. Just make peace with him! I'm still in business! ”

After speaking. Shouhan waved his hand, and a personal soldier came in to take Basten and Edwin out, leaving An Tianhong alone in the study to listen to Shouhan's instructions.

"Rainbow, just one word. Clean them up hard. But don't make them jump over the wall. ”

"Understood! Slaughter the sheep! ”

"Mr. Ann! I have to give you a reminder that a friend should make. Although we were defeated in the naval battles off the coast of Fujian and Guangdong, we still have at least a few thousand ships in the seas of Asia! The ships you have defeated. It's just a drop in the bucket! It's just a gold coin in Solomon's treasure! ”

In the guild hall, Edwin was angry with some threats and show-offs, venting his inner dissatisfaction to An Tianhong.

"Really?! Then our sailors will be more troublesome, and they will need to capture or sink these ships one by one. This Mr. Edwin, if you come to negotiate peace, you must have an attitude of seeking peace, and such a bluff is useless. If your so-called thousands of ships were useful, I am afraid that they would not have come here to sit here and negotiate with me, but I would have gone to your Batavia to seek peace with you! ”

An Tianhong's words were like a sharp steel needle, which suddenly pierced Edwin's false and intimidating balloon. He sat down in his chair with his head bowed and looked pitifully at Mr. van Basten, the representative of the negotiations.

From the bottom of his heart, Mr. Van Basten enjoyed the fact that the South Chinese Army had blocked the Straits of Manchuria, closed this vital waterway to the fleet of the Dutch East India Company, and at the same time directed the Portuguese Restoration Army, or simply the South Chinese Army, to play the role of pirates and rob the Dutch merchants, while he, Mr. Basten, was not affected by this in the slightest. He could even make a fortune with it.

Mr. Basten is hoping that this state of affairs can continue. However, in order to maintain his friendship with the South China Army, he must give the South China Army a suitable result. Alas! On the one hand, there are mountains of gold coins in front of him, and on the other hand, there is a road of friendship that can lead to mountains of gold, he is really too entangled!

Tangled and tangled, things have to be decided as much as possible, otherwise, the South China Army and the East India Company will throw him into the waves of the South China Sea! Let the sharks devour it, in that case, no amount of money will be blessed!

"On behalf of the East India Company, I would like to express my condolences to the soldiers of your army who were killed and wounded in this battle. We will compensate your army for the loss of ships, quartermasters, and military expenses in this battle. ”

As soon as the opening is opened, the rest of the things will be easy to do. It's like a woman who goes to the sea, after receiving the first customer, she doesn't care about the second time, the second hundredth time.

"At the same time, we will make appropriate concessions to express our apologies."

Seeing that An Tianhong's face became a little soothed, Edwin had a bottom in his heart, "It turns out that I still want to give benefits!" Real money! ”

"Since your company has shown a little sincerity, then I will talk about the terms of our army's peace talks on behalf of my general."

Some of the conditions proposed by An Tianhong seemed simple and ordinary, while others involved the interests of all the owners of the East India Company.

"First, from the date of the signing of the peace treaty, all trade carried out by your company in Africa, the area east of the Ceylon line, including Ceylon, must be settled in the currency issued by our army. this condition. If anyone is willing to join, for example, the Portuguese Restoration Army in India, and those who are the kings, that are also included. ”

"Second, the ships of your company operating in the area east of Ceylon, each ship, need to pay 2,000 yuan per year as a license silver, and our army will register the ships that pay this fee, issue flags and licenses, and in the future, if the sailors find that there is no flag or do not match the registration information, it will be regarded as a pirate ship sunk."

"Third. Your company is in the Java Islands east of the Manraka Strait. Originally, it was my Ming territory and must be returned unconditionally. In view of the fact that your company imports a large amount of spices produced on the island, after the signing of the treaty, we will supply your company as usual. It's just that the price will be increased accordingly. ”

"Fourth. Your company's vessels travel to and from the Straits of Manchuria. It is necessary to truthfully declare customs in accordance with the tax rate set by our army, report the type of goods transported and pay customs duties, otherwise. Our army does not protect it. ”

Historically, the term "East Indies" was a loose territorial concept, which applied to the Java Islands of the Dutch East India Company, to the Malay Archipelago (of which the Philippines is part of the archipelago), and to Southeast Asia and India.

Our poor Dutch East India Company, since its appearance on the islands of Java in 1596, the twenty-fourth year of Wanli, has worked tirelessly to quickly establish a number of trading ports along the coast of the region, and to set up its headquarters in the city of Batavia. The city of Batavia was seized by the Dutch in 1619, the year after the Shouhan crossing. With the city of Batavia as the center, the Dutch rapidly expanded into the surrounding area, and from the 1670s onwards, the Dutch East India Company began to assert control over the Muslim kingdoms of Java.

How can the Dutch swallow the fruits of decades of struggle in one gulp of the peace treaty of the South China Army?!

"Mr. An, no! Lord An, although the first, second, and fourth articles of the four basic treaties you mentioned are very harsh, in line with the principle of an early cessation of hostile military operations, the company still accepts them bitterly. However, what is said in Article 3 is categorically unacceptable! ”

"The achinams, sand kernels, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, spices, cumin, wood, angelica, sannai, ginger, dried ginger are produced here...... It is the most important type of goods that we export to Europe, and once the Java Islands are occupied by your army, our source of goods will inevitably be affected! It is a matter of life and death for the Dutch East India Company and whether the treaty we have signed will be enforced. I also ask Lord An to think about it! ”

Basten's tone was menacing, but more pleading. No way, the profits of spices are just too big! To illustrate, the price of a pound of cinnamon oil is equivalent to six years' wages for a junior officer. That's why the red-haired gentlemen salivated over the spice paradise of the Java archipelago, and in order to obtain crops such as spices and coffee, the Dutch forced the natives to cut down other trees and grow only a single variety of spices, which were then purchased with necessities such as salt and rice. The huge profits from this are far greater than the benefits of drug trafficking!

Let's ask, who can let go of such a cash hen that produces golden eggs with a continuous source of energy?

"My lord! In order to show our sincerity in the peace talks, we are willing to cede another piece of land belonging to the Netherlands to your army as a sign of our apologies! ”

Basten motioned for the clerk who accompanied him to fetch the map and unfold it on the table. On a huge map, point with your furry finger to a huge island in the southwest direction.

"This is New Holland. It is a dependency of our United Provinces. The land area is much larger than that of the Java Islands, which is dozens of times larger. In order to show the sincerity of peace, the company is willing to cede this land and its affiliated islands to your army! ”

The continent that Basten is talking about is the Australian continent we are familiar with. In 1606, the ships of the Spanish navigator Luis Vaez de Torres sailed through the strait located between Australia and the island of New Guinea (Irian Island); In the same year, the Dutchman William? Janes's Duyfken set foot in Australia and was the first recorded actual landing of outsiders in Australia, naming it "New Holland".

According to the so-called first-come-first-served principle of Western gentlemen, this continent seems to belong to the Netherlands, but An Tianhong seems to be far less interested in this continent than the spices of Java.

"According to the business information we have, the cloves you bought in Maluku can be sold for more than three guilders per pound when they are shipped to your Dutch hometown, and when converted, you can get ten times the windfall profit after deducting the transportation costs. It is said that at the most ruthless time, a pound can be sold for 25 times the profit. Such a good deal, no one seems to be willing to give up! ”

An Tianhong simply tore open the skin of the painting, exposing the truth to the sun and air in blood, and hearing such a number of jù couldn't help but make Basten and Edwin's painful hearts twitch.

"You're right! If you lose this good deal, I'm afraid you won't have the ability to enforce this treaty! Wouldn't this text, which had taken you and me so much painstaking efforts, become a piece of waste paper? ”

Listening to An Tianhong's tone, it seemed that the requirements for the Java Islands were not so strong, and the people of the East India Company couldn't help but be overjoyed, and couldn't help nodding yes.

"But," An Tianhong said, throwing their fervent hopes into the icy waters of the North Sea. "The will of my lord is unchangeable." (To be continued......)