"Ensign, what's your name?" Lai Qichen and others, who were deeply ambushed and surrounded by enemies on all sides, already knew that they could not do anything at this time, and they could not escape if they wanted to, so Lai Qichen, who still maintained a certain appearance, after thinking about it carefully, sent a signal to the Dutch warships outside the coastline to let them break out, and then turned his gaze back to this second lieutenant who had put forward profound insights twice in a row.

"Your Excellency, I only came from Rotterdam to Java last year, and then I was sent to your command by Governor Cohen. J. Van Sel. The young ensign, in the face of the questioning of Lai Qichen, the largest commander of the fleet today, was still neither humble nor arrogant, and did not have the slightest excitement after his suggestion was heard.

However, in such an environment, the suggestion of this named Luke was listened to and carried out, which meant that their group of more than 400 Dutchmen who had landed on the island would soon become prisoners of the enemy.

"While I agree with your analysis of the fleet, I don't agree with your decision to surrender en masse." Lai Qichen's eyes were full of praise and appreciation when he looked at Luke, but then the words he confided were afraid that most of the people present couldn't help but feel cold: "I can serve as the commander of this expeditionary fleet, in addition to relying on my own efforts and strength, behind me, there is also the noble reputation and prestige that our family has worked hard for fifty years since the establishment of the Dutch Confederation, so I can die in battle, but I must not surrender, and my family cannot have such a shame!" ”

"Your Excellency, it is easy to take death, as long as the short gun in your hand is loaded with bullets and you shoot yourself in the head, it will be a hundred; It is not difficult to die a heroic battle, as long as you persist, I believe that most of the captains and commanders present are willing to die with you. Hearing Lai's words, Luke was not surprised, because the expeditionary fleet has fallen to the current state for most of the past six months, and many times it is also because Lai, the commander, is stubborn and arbitrary. Based on his observation of this fleet commander these days, it must be false to say that this commander is incapable, otherwise people will not sit in this position, even if his family background is the day after tomorrow, in the Jawa colony far away from the emperor of the mountain, Cohen and these feudal officials don't care how big your background is, they care more about the ability to accept it.

But Lai Qichen has a big problem, because he lives in the military all the year round, Lai Qichen has a little more killing spirit that is rare for other nobles, but in fact, he lacks the endurance that can bend and stretch among the nobles.

"However, what I want to say is that it doesn't matter if you die alone, but your decision will not only harm our group, but may also affect the safety of our Dutch Federation."

"Hey, I said Luke, you are a kid, the more you talk about it, the more outrageous it becomes, Your Excellency is so brave and does not hesitate to die, how can it become a sin in your mouth!" Although everyone expected Luke to be able to persuade Lai Qichen to surrender, but at this time, Luke's words were too heavy, and someone had to stand up and scold him.

"Let him speak!" Lai Qichen's originally appreciative eyes were retracted, and he turned to look at Luke coldly, if he couldn't come up with a credible reason, Lai Qichen, who was feeling aggrieved and uncomfortable, didn't mind pulling a big head to open the way before he died.

Luke faced Lai Qichen with no fear, and said the opinion that he had prepared a long time ago: "Presumably, Your Excellency should know very well how much price and energy I, Your Excellency the Governor of Jawwa, have paid to prepare this huge number of soldiers and sailors, and most of the soldiers and sailors are composed of my own Dutch people, right?" Just one question made Lai Qichen's whole face a lot worse.

"Not to mention that in order to raise this fleet, our East India Company has mobilized several armed merchant ships for our use, which makes their own transportation extremely risky. We will only speak of the group of compatriots who are standing before you now, look at them, and think of the heavy responsibility they took on when they came under your command, and do you dare to let them die in vain? ”

"The history of our Dutch founding is only a few decades, and compared with other European powers, our Dutch population is too small, which has always been an important factor limiting the development of our national strength, especially the outstanding talents like the governors present who are willing to come thousands of miles to the Far East to serve the motherland, which is even more scarce."

"If all of us are buried in this foreign land, then I would like to ask your Excellency to consider for Governor Cohen how to deal with the Armada of the Spaniards in Luzon, who are close at hand, and how to guard against the blockade of potential adversaries such as the Portuguese and the British."

A sentence that was more profound than a sentence into the hearts of the people, like a heavy mountain axe, slashed at Lai Qichen's heart that had already been decided, so that he could no longer give orders to defend so resolutely.

"But how can you guarantee that these pirates will treat us well after we surrender, instead of slashing us to death?" When Lai Qichen asked this sentence, it already meant that his heart was shaken by Luke's words.

"That's why we just suggested that Your Excellency order our fleet to break through, and since the fight with Hongtang's group of pirates, we have certainly made the fatal mistake of underestimating the enemy's carelessness, but we have also profoundly realized in actual combat that the naval warfare methods of this ancient oriental country are outdated, and the speed and defense of warships are much weaker than those of our European countries."

"And in contact with several other pirates who took refuge in him, I also discovered that this group of pirates named Hongtang was not so much a pirate as a group of merchants seeking maritime trade like our East India Company. It's just that the difference between us and them is that our East India Company is jointly run by all the people of our country, so it is much stronger than this group of small seafarers in a corner of the world, both in size and strength. ”

"Now that we know the true identity of the other party, then relying on the only opportunity we have now, and it is also the handle that poses the heaviest threat to the other party, I am very sure that we will ensure the safety of all of us!"

After listening to Luke's eloquent talk, Lai Qichen's already wavering mind could no longer hold on, and finally under the eyes of everyone's expectation, he issued the order that made everyone both expected and gloomy: "Pass my order, raise the white flag and surrender!" ”

(End of chapter)