The conditions offered in the summer south were impressive, and Van Bommel couldn't deny that he was a little tempted. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 info worked for the East India Company for a decent pay, and since it was also available in the Ming Kingdom, and the pay was even better, why not?

Just when he was a little shaken, Xia Nan added another weight: "If you can help persuade my sailors to serve in my Qiongzhou battalion, I can pay an additional payment, calculated according to one year's salary; If you can help me defeat Zheng Yiguan, this reward can be doubled! ”

Van Bommel's expression became richer, he reached out and pressed his forehead, and his palm took the opportunity to cover his eyebrows and eyes, covering his happy expression a little, so as not to make Xia Nan look down on him, but he was shouting in his heart: God, this is equivalent to three times the annual salary, and it is higher than the highest salary standard that the Batavian side can give, and you can earn the income that you can only get in the previous three or even four years in one year! To give up this opportunity is to be a fool of TM.

After the conditions were prescribed, Xia Nan observed the expressions of the two for a long time. Judging by Van Bommel's expression, he was completely tempted and promised that it was only a matter of time; Putmans, on the other hand, was like constipation, with a tangled face, as if he was experiencing an inner struggle.

Van Bommel didn't think long before he made up his mind. He said to Xia Nan solemnly: "From today on, you will be my new boss. I can help you convince the hundreds of captured soldiers that they are also able to participate in the battle. But I have a condition that you have to pay your salary on time as promised, and that within three days I will see a deposit equivalent to one-fifth of my annual salary. ”

"No problem." Summer Nan was glad to be able to subdue the veteran captain.

Compared with William, who was young and vigorous and was born as a sailor, Van Bommel was the captain of a Dutch warship, and he had far more experience in commanding operations than William, and he had dealt directly with Zheng Zhilong many times, so he must have a lot of experience in dealing with the Zheng family. Although William is better at drawing like a blank sheet of paper, and has a stronger ability to accept and absorb new types of warships and naval guns and new combat methods, it is a very ideal choice to use Van Bommel's experience to make up for William's shortcomings in too few high-intensity actual battles.

"Ten years of the army, a hundred years of the navy", the Qiongzhou battalion army and navy walk on two legs, and the characteristics of its modern army determine that both the army and the navy are unique in the entire 17th century, and there is no ready-made model to refer to. At the time of expanding the navy, more support from foreign aid from maritime powers can shorten the time it takes to become an army and save many detours.

Putmans struggled for a while, but still rejected Summer's offer: "I'm sorry, although your terms are very good, but I am not ready to agree. ”

Speaking of remuneration, Putmans was more concerned about the 100,000 lils in the city of Geranza, a small treasury he had saved by using his power to carry smuggled goods while trading. If the position of the chief executive cannot be kept, it is more relaxed and comfortable to return to China with this money to enjoy happiness than to continue to change the boss and become a mercenary?

For Putmans's refusal, although Xia Nan was mentally prepared, he still didn't expect him to refuse so quickly.

But Xia Nan is not going to try to persuade him, and an officer like Van Bommel who fights on the front line is more practical than a foreign bureaucrat who sits in an office and gives orders. He said generously: "If Mr. Putmans has made up his mind, I will not force it." ”

Unexpectedly, compared to his subordinates who were forced to kill prisoners, this general was much easier to talk to, and Putmans didn't expect that the other party would let him go easily, he couldn't believe it: "Really? So can I leave at any time? ”

"Of course." Xia Nan said, "However, you have to bring me a message to Batavia: after Zheng Yiguan and I have decided the victory, if I win, the East India Company must close the Dayuan Merchant House, abandon the city of Geranza, and return to Batavia completely." ”

Putmans asked incredulously, "Are you sure you're going to do this?" Completely abandoning the trade of the Ming Kingdom, especially goods such as raw silk, tea, and porcelain, is an extremely heavy blow to the company, which will touch the bottom of the council, and they will go to war with you at all costs. ”

"You listen to me first." Xia Nan explained, "I don't plan to make too many enemies either. The East India Company, though abandoning its stronghold, could trade directly with us - ships from Batavia could dock at the port of Bosuke to load and unload their cargo. ”

Putmans spread his hands: "But the goods in demand are in the hands of a sea merchant like Zheng Yiguan, how many goods can you sell to us?" ”

"Therefore, the premise for me to withdraw the East India Company from Chinese waters is that I defeat Zheng Yiguan." Xia Nan said unhurriedly, "You don't need to wait too long, maybe three months later will be the day of the showdown between the Qiongzhou camp and the Zheng family." ”

"Three months?" Putmans and Van Bommel looked at each other, they did not understand how this deadline was calculated.

Xia Nan didn't plan to explain the origin of this stalk to the two of them too much, so he smiled and didn't say anything more.

Three days later, Zheng Zhiguan came to Lingao again to visit Xia Nan, and after a "warm" greeting, he euphemistically put forward a request for the early delivery of 100 artillery pieces.

"It's not that I'm unwilling to deliver the goods ahead of schedule, it's that casting this cannon is really time-consuming: it takes a month just to shape the clay mold and dry it thoroughly, and it takes another month to polish the inner and outer walls of the inner chamber after removing the clay mold, and with the time of ironmaking, it would be good to be able to deliver it in three months." Summer Nansha explained matter-of-factly.

If Lin Weiye was present, he would definitely laugh off his big teeth, this is simply a frenzied fool - the Qiongzhou battalion casting cannon has always used iron molds instead of clay molds, so there is no need to polish burrs like clay mold casting cannons, and the high-efficiency ironmaking mode leads to negligible time consumption in the process of material output - it is completely bullying a layman like the Zheng family.

Zheng Zhiguan will be skeptical, but he doesn't dare to question this remark, after all, he has also heard about the process and time of casting Hongyi cannons in Guangdong, and three months is really not a long time.

"In this case, I also ask General Xia to urge his craftsmen to hurry up, my eldest brother really wants to get this second batch of artillery as soon as possible to make up for the gap in the damage of the previous batch of artillery."

"That's for sure, please rest assured, Brother Zheng."

After sending Zheng Zhiguan away, Xia Nan smiled happily and received 300,000 taels of silver and did not plan to deliver the goods, this feeling of reluctance was really good. At the same time, this is also the reason for the so-called showdown with the Zheng family after three months - when the time comes, if the delivery is not delivered here, the other side will definitely turn its face, and the consequence of turning the face will be a war.