More than 10 Britons sat cross-legged on the clean-cleaned teak floors, discreetly discussing something. The house they are in is the most common stilt building in Pattani.

The stilt building is divided into two floors, with several thick wooden pillars as pillars, and the lower floor is not fenced, and only the upper floor is the place to live.

In tropical areas such as Pattani, this style of stilted building is the most suitable style of housing to live in, and the lower face can avoid the infestation of wild animals, insects and ants, as well as the impact of floods in the rainy season. The rooms on the upper floors are dry and ventilated, allowing people to rest comfortably.

Every Englishman has a fruit bowl piled high with bananas, papayas, and coconuts in front of them for them to enjoy at any time. But today these Englishmen obviously have little appetite, and basically no one touches the fruit in front of them.

“… Since the establishment of Batavia by the Dutch, the traditional trading ports of Malacca and Pattani have begun to decline. Now the Dutch are still in contact with the Kingdom of Johor, wanting to completely take Malacca from the Portuguese and blockade the Straits of Malacca.

The city of Malacca was the most important point of the route between India and China, and if it was occupied by the Dutch, it would be equivalent to the rupture of the trade route between India and China.

In my judgment, the reason the Dutch did this was to isolate us from the Indian Ocean with other seafaring traders from Europe. The Dutch themselves monopolized the entire Spice Islands, China and Japan's trade routes.

The Spaniards had a route to Manila, while the Dutch had a route through Batavia that went straight back to Europe. Once the Dutch cut off the Straits of Malacca, it was the Portuguese and us British who suffered the most.

If we are unable to stop the Dutch from taking Malacca, then I think it would be appropriate for us to report to the company and abandon the trade routes in Southeast Asia and East Asia and concentrate on the Indo-European routes. Pockman advised his colleagues.

As soon as his words fell, a merchant who was wearing only a shirt because of the hot weather suddenly said impatiently: "I am against Mr. Pockman's proposal, we have spent so much energy in Pattani, if we give up like this, it will not be so easy to come back."

If we keep going, maybe there will be a turnaround. Ladies and gentlemen, according to what I have heard, the old King of Siam is no longer in good health, and may die within half a year.

The King of Siam has more than one son, and if we can provoke civil strife in this country, we may be able to turn the vicinity of Pattani into a complete colony. In that case, we may not be able to use Pattani as a base to deal with the Dutch. ”

"Mr. Alex is right, and I am willing to support his claim." Several businessmen spoke out in support.

"Are you faint, our number in Pattani is less than 200, even if you include the sailors on the ship, it is less than 1,000 people, but Pattani alone has tens of thousands of residents. And the city of Ayutthaya, the capital of Siam, accounts for one-tenth of the country's population, and I would like to ask you how we can intervene in the war of succession in this country. Another, more cautious businessman, immediately objected.

Seeing that his colleagues were about to fall into endless quarrels again, a middle-aged businessman sitting opposite Pokman suddenly spoke: "Ladies and gentlemen, whether it is to give up Pattani and return to India, or to intervene in the battle for the succession of the next King of Siam, it is not an urgent matter now.

Isn't it important to decide how to respond to the demands of the Chinese who occupy Ambuna Island? ”

This businessman, who still wears neatly and neatly dressed even in the hot days of Pattani, is called Andre. Unlike most of the businessmen here, he was a respected squire from the Bristol Ban area.

It is said that the gentleman was once a witness to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the enthronement of His Majesty James I, and was once received by George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.

Although he had not been in Pattani for a long time, he was already firmly under the head of the merchant hall, Pockman. Many businessmen felt that it was only a matter of time before Andre replaced Pockman as the head of the Pattanii Merchant House.

However, the current head of the merchant hall, Bockman, does not agree with the opinions of these merchants, so he has been quite-for-tat with Andre these days.

Sure enough, as soon as Andrei finished speaking, Bokman said disapprovingly: "Mr. Andrei, do you really think that those Chinese who occupy Ambuna Island can represent the Chinese emperor?"

When I arrived here 10 years ago, I always wanted to open the door to trade with the Chinese, but nothing progressed. Chinese officials have always been strangely wary of overseas trade, preferring to allow their merchants to smuggle goods and lose tariffs in vain rather than give foreigners a chance at fair trade.

According to the Chinese officials, China was rich in its bounty and lacked nothing, and there was no need for normal and reasonable trade with foreigners except to reward the vassal states with tribute.

In my opinion, the Chinese who occupied the island of Ambuna are more like pirate gangs borrowing the name of official China. Deal with them, Mr. Andrey, what you need is a God-given favor. So that you will not be treated as a fat sheep by those pirates. ”

Andrei's face suddenly became a little unbearable, although there were slight beads of sweat on his forehead, but he didn't have the slightest idea of wiping it, but raised his eyebrows and said, "Mr. Pockman, your past experience doesn't mean anything. If we had to follow experience to do things, then Sir Drake would not be able to accomplish the feat of circumnavigating the Earth.

I've been to Ambuna Island myself and met what you call Chinese pirates. You see, they didn't eat me, and they made me stand alive in front of you, which shows that they are not as cold-blooded as you guessed.

The attitude of Chinese officials does not mean much, I have heard from the chiefs of the Chinese that China has now replaced an emperor who is very interested in overseas trade.

As long as we can obtain permission from the emperor on behalf of the company to trade in Chinese ports, neither the Dutch nor the Portuguese will be able to stop us from gaining a foothold in these seas.

If what these Chinese say is true, we will reap incalculable benefits. If these Chinese are lying, what do we have to lose as long as we are vigilant? With only three British ships, we can defeat the Chinese on Ambuna Island.

The only question now is in what capacity we should go to the Emperor of China. For the company, for ourselves, to obtain the greatest benefits. ”

Andrei's words immediately caused the businessmen to think, they felt that Andre was indeed good, as long as they did not stay in place and resist, those junk boats used by the Chinese could not pose a threat to their ships. The ships of the Chinese were not only small, but also not fast.

Pokman looked at the faces of his colleagues around him, and immediately swallowed back the words that he wanted to mock. For these adventurous merchants, being able to open China's trading ports was equivalent to gaining access to one of the most important sources of goods in East Asia.

Compared with cotton cloth from India and spices from Southeast Asia, the goods produced in China are very varied and inexpensive, and are in demand by people all over the world.

Only by opening the door to China can they learn from the Portuguese and the Dutch, establish a small triangular trade route in China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, and let themselves take root here.

Although those Chinese may be bluffing, as long as there is a glimmer of opportunity, these colleagues of his will not give up. After all, now that they have withdrawn to India, they can only fight for others, and it is difficult to have a good thing to take charge of themselves and monopolize the routes.

Pokman suddenly remembered something, and then said calmly: "If Mr. André really wants to try, what more suitable status is than the representative of the King of England."

You are sending an envoy to China in the name of the king, and I think that those Chinese, even if they are pirates, will at least be concerned about the consequences of acting recklessly. ”

Andrei suddenly said with some unhappiness: "It is not a gentleman's work to deceive a noble majesty. ”

Bockman immediately replied, "If this majesty is a heretic, then God will not blame you. Moreover, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth has twice sent people to China to present their credentials, hoping to establish trade links between the two countries. Your actions are not deception, but you have not received the king's written credentials. ”

"This time, I think Mr. Pokman is right. It would be a waste of time if we were to go back to England first to consult the king or the top of the company. It's better to make a letter of state first, find out what the Chinese emperor thinks, and then go back and report it, right? Another businessman hurriedly said supportively.

After some further discussion, Andrei, who was not very resolute in his will, raised his hand and surrendered and said: "Then who of us here will make a letter written by His Majesty the King?" I would like to state that I must not interfere in the production of this national letter, this is my final bottom line. ”

Bokman said nonchalantly, "I do know that there is a liar who forged documents here. After a while, I will go to him and discuss how to forge this credential.

However, it takes 10 days to travel from here to Guangzhou, and then to the north along the coastline to reach the capital of China, at least about 40 days.

I hope you, Mr. Andrey, pack up your ship as soon as possible and get ready for sailing. After the credentials are completed, you will take a boat to Ambuna Island to negotiate with the Chinese and go to China as soon as possible. In that case, when you return, you may be able to bring the reply of the Chinese Emperor back to England..."