Peternats didn't dare to dwell on this issue for a moment, so he quickly said a few words and moved the topic to something else.

When the atmosphere in the room eased up, Lu Jiude pretended to ask casually: "These days, I have talked with several businessmen who have passed through Taiwan and returned to Japan, and according to them, near the chicken coop in the north of Taiwan Island, I have seen some traces of Westerners, do these people have anything to do with your company?" ”

"No, those are Spaniards, and have nothing to do with the East India Company." Peternats immediately drew a line of limbo with the Spaniards.

While he was preparing to describe in detail the brutality of the Spaniards in the colonies, and to completely destroy the image of these rivals who tried to compete with the glorious East India Company for the right to export Chinese goods, Lu Jiude stopped mentioning the issue.

It was as if he had just gossiped a little bit, which made Peternat's heart tickle like a little mouse, and he was very eager to turn the conversation back to the Spaniards.

Lu Jiude suddenly yawned, and then he said: "I haven't rested much these days to complete His Majesty's orders, so I'll be lazy today and go to rest first."

Mr. Peter, if you have any questions, please communicate with the Inspector Xu. ”

After Lu Jiude finished speaking, he got up and left, without giving Peternats time, and asked him what he had just mentioned about the Spaniards.

After Lu Jiude left, Xu Xinsu couldn't help but say, "Mr. Peter, if there is nothing to do, we might as well talk about it tomorrow." ”

Peter Natz hesitated for a moment and then said, "Mr. Xu, I would like to ask you how the Ming Kingdom will treat the Spaniards who invaded the northern part of Taiwan Island?" ”

Xu Xinsu thought for a while before he said hesitantly: "It's not good to say." Lord Lu believed that these Spaniards, like the Dutch East India Company, had come to do business with my Ming dynasty.

Although they invaded the territory of my Ming Dynasty, as long as they were treated the same as the Dutch East India Company, presumably these Spaniards would not harass my Ming people. ”

Peternatz immediately objected loudly: "No, those Spaniards are not like us Dutch, they are a bunch of robbers and thieves. Wherever they passed, there was little left but pain, pestilence, and death.

We Dutch came to the East for fair trade, but the Spaniards came to plunder the lands and wealth of the East. I implore you to report to the emperor of your country, expose the true colors of these robbers and thieves, and then drive them out of Taiwan. ”

Xu Xinsu looked up at him and said, "Actually, I have also heard about the rumors about the Spaniards that Mr. Peter said. But I am afraid that before the failure of the peace talks, the emperor will not choose war, such a drastic means. ”

After freeing himself from the struggle between the company and the shogunate, Peter Natz quickly turned his mind to his job.

After the signing of the trade agreement with the Ming Kingdom, the Taiwan Merchant House became a bridgehead for the company to trade with China. Goods from China will flow to Dayuan, and then from Dayuan to Japan, Southeast Asia or China.

The Taiwan Merchant House, which has always been unable to make ends meet, will undoubtedly become the glorious East India Company, the second Batavia. In Peternats' dreams, honor and money will roll in him.

However, if a Spanish stronghold in the north of Taiwan had appeared with which the Ming had befriended, it would undoubtedly be a theft of gold coins that were about to be put into his Peternats pocket, or rather, the wealth that should have belonged to the Dutch East India Company.

Peternats clearly could not tolerate such a thing, and neither would the governor of Batavia.

What's more, the purpose of the Dutch East India Company's establishment of the Taiwan Commercial Pavilion in Dayuan was to cut off the trade route from China to Manila. As the head of the Taiwan Merchant House, Peter Natz is well aware of this purpose.

Now the Spaniards, in turn, were establishing a foothold in northern Taiwan, threatening the East India Company's trade routes with Japan, in addition to finding a trading port closer to Chinese mainland.

Even Peternats, who was of average ability, knew very well that Spain's actions were undoubtedly declaring war on the Dutch East India Company.

But the governor of Batavia, Yan Petersunkun, was now working on monopolizing the trade of the Spice Islands.

For the Dutch East India Company, spices such as cloves, nutmeg and pepper from Southeast Asia were the company's top targets.

The Dutch East India Company finally monopolized the nutmeg trade in the Banda Islands through the bloody massacre of the natives of the Banda Islands and the naval strikes against the British, Portuguese, and * merchants.

The Dutch East India Company, which controlled the production of nutmeg, was not satisfied, and then turned to the more valuable cloves, which were harvested once a year and harvested once every four years, which were obviously more valuable than nutmeg, which could be harvested three times a year.

The production area of cloves is mainly in the Elk Plus Islands, and most of this archipelago is under the control of the Kingdom of Deatra, especially the important production of cloves, Ambon Island, which belongs to the Kingdom of Deatra.

The inhabitants of Ambon, Sidu*, did not recognize the Dutch East India Company's monopoly on the island's clove trade, and used spice smuggling to counter the Dutch's monopoly of the trade by force.

Between Batavia and the Elkka Islands was the Kingdom of Goa, a port of Makassar under the control of this kingdom, which was considered by the Dutch to be the center of the illegal spice trade. The most active in Makassar are the Portuguese.

Although the Dutch East India Company had 97 ships in Southeast Asia, most of them were unarmed merchant ships.

As the East India Company's stronghold in Southeast Asia, Batavia was a fortress surrounded by swamps, with almost as many mercenaries and adventurers from Europe as the Dutch.

Due to disorderly diets, unclean hygiene practices, and the hot and humid climate of Southeast Asia, only about half of the European settlers survived a year in Batavia.

This high mortality rate has never exceeded 2,000 in Batavia. As a result, the Dutch East India Company's colonial expansion in Southeast Asia was plagued by a shortage of manpower.

While Governor Yan Petersun Kun was nervously raiding the Spice Islands, it was hard to imagine that he would send a fleet to his aid to drive off the Spaniards who were occupying northern Taiwan.

Looking at Peternats' pondering, but not knowing to ask for help from himself, Xu Xinsu couldn't help but feel a little impatient in his heart, if it wasn't for the emperor's order to not allow himself to take the initiative to invite the Dutch to attack the Spaniards, he would have woken up this stupid Dutchman a long time ago.

Xu Xinsu decided to force Peternats, and he said impatiently: "It seems that Mr. Peter doesn't have any good ideas, so let's end it today." Maybe the Spaniards will wake up and stop stealing and stealing chickens and dogs, and then it is better to trade with them than to go to war. ”

Peter Natz was awakened by Xu Xinsu's words, and he subconsciously said what was in his heart: "No, Mr. Xu, Daming and the Spaniards reached a trade agreement, which is not good for us at all. ”

Xu Xinsu paused, and he unconsciously repeated: "We? ”

Peter Natz finally put aside the rhetoric of justice and morality, and he said simply: "The trade agreement between the Ming and the glorious East India Company is a good thing for both the Ming and the East India Company.

But what does this agreement have to do with everyone else? After all, apart from the Ming Emperor and the directors of the East India Company, weren't the traders who really benefited?

On the side of the East India Company, I was naturally the natural representative of the Ming trade with the Ming Kingdom. But on the side of Mingguo, why can't it be you, Mr. Xu? After all, you've been trading with us for so many years.

But if the Ming and the Spaniards made a deal, can you be sure that the Spaniards' trade agent in the Ming will be you? ”

Xu Xinsu pretended to ponder for a while, and then said hesitantly: "The Spaniards just need trade, will they still share the goods sent by whom?" ”

Peternats was a little speechless, but he immediately said with a heart: "If you can destroy the peace between the Ming and the Spaniards, then as long as I am still the director of the Taiwan Commercial Pavilion, I will always collect the goods in your name at the highest price." And I promise to owe you a debt that you may not need in the future. ”

Xu Xinsu looked at Peternat, who seemed sincere, and finally said with a smile: "After signing the trade agreement with the Ming Kingdom, I believe that Mr. Peter, you will definitely become a big man in the future East India Company, and I am very happy for you to owe me this favor." So how do you intend to destroy the peace between the Ming and the Spaniards? ”

"The best way is to please prevent Lord Lu from reporting this to the Emperor, as long as His Majesty the Emperor does not know about the existence of the Spaniards, there is no need to do anything.

If not, let Lord Lu tell the Emperor of the brutal and shameless things that the Spaniards had done in the colonies, especially since they had slaughtered His Majesty's people in Manila. Peter Natz changed his words while observing Xu Xinsu's expression.

Xu Xinsu shook his head and said: "My Ming Dynasty has always had a tradition of making people change their ways, just like the East India Company attacked Macao, southern Fujian, and Penghu Islands, and His Majesty is still willing to sign a trade agreement with you."

If the Spaniards are willing to repent of their actions, I think Your Majesty will give them a chance to trade, and I don't think your approach will be effective. ”

Looking at Peternats' dejected appearance, Xu Xinsu said meaningfully: "This time I went to Beijing, Your Majesty rewarded me with an official position as a patrol envoy in the East China Sea, and the responsibility of this official position is to clear out the bandits in the waters north of Taiwan. ”