With such thoughts, Zheng Zhilong was very calm. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 info He smiled and chatted with the other party about the words that were not nutritious, thinking that it was best for the other party to mention this matter first, so that he could be more proactive.

Xia Nan did not disappoint him, and took the initiative to introduce the topic to the topic, but the content was beyond his expectations.

"This official came this time, and he has a major matter to discuss with General Feihong......

"General Feihong is just a false praise, General Xia just calls me by my name." Zheng Zhilong "modestly" corrected the other party's salutation.

Of course, Xia Nan would not be stupid and really call his name: "General Zheng's fleet is thousands, tens of thousands of men and horses, and there are enough soldiers and food, dare to ask who else in Fujian dares to pick up the general's tiger beard?" ”

Of course, this candidate can only be Liu Xiang, and it seems that the Dutchman can also be counted as a potential opponent. Zheng Zhilong didn't understand his intentions, and groaned without answering immediately.

Xia Nan continued: "General Zheng naturally knows that I have heard something in Guangdong, which is nothing more than Liu Xiang and the Dutch. ”

"Oh?" Zheng Zhilong was a little puzzled, knowing that Liu Xiang was not unusual, but the Dutch had a good relationship with him on the surface, where did he deduce it, "The Dutch are quite honest on Dongfan Island, how can General Xia be sure that the Dutch will go against me?" ”

Of course, I know that it is in the history textbooks, and not only you, but your son will have to fight with the Dutch in the future.

Of course, these can only be thought about in the heart, not spoken, and can only find a reason to justify themselves. Xia Nansha analyzed matter-of-factly: "Maybe General Zheng doesn't know what kind of title the Dutch have on the side of Europa, the British, the Portuguese, and the Spaniards all call them sea coachmen!" ”

This Zheng Zhilong really didn't know, he was interested, and it was naturally not a bad thing to know more about potential opponents: "And this kind of nickname?" Is there any reason for this? ”

"The merchant ships of Britain and other countries have artillery, and the ships are also made of solid wood, while the merchant ships of the Dutch have almost no weapons, and they use ordinary wood, which is half cheaper, so that the cost is reduced, and the freight is also much cheaper, and the competitiveness is naturally higher than that of the merchants of Britain and other countries. Naturally, there is a price to be paid for, and every time a Dutch merchant goes to sea, he gambles with his life, and once he encounters a pirate, he has almost no power to fight back, but once he returns safely, he earns more than his peers. Even so, the Dutch were not satisfied, and in order to make more profits, they also improved the design of the ship, making the belly of the ship very large, and the deck was small, and from a distance it looked like a pregnant woman with a big belly......"

"Why is that?" Zheng Zhilong was quite puzzled.

"In Europa, there are taxes to do business, and maritime merchants pay taxes based on the size of the deck, and the wider the deck, the more taxes are paid. This kind of big-bellied ship has a large cabin and a small deck, carries more goods, pays less taxes, and naturally earns more money per trip. Because of the Dutch's concept of business and the peculiar shape of the ship, they were called the coachmen of the sea, a term that was actually derogatory. ”

Although the commercial tax of the Ming Dynasty was basically a joke, Zheng Zhilong was able to understand the concept of tax evasion. Xia Nan's description portrays the greed and incorruptibility of the Dutch in a very expressive way, making him smile.

Xia Nan continued: "The Dutch are businessmen in their bones, and they are insatiable businessmen, who only have interests in their eyes, and only force can tame them. Maybe they are honestly staying on Dongfan Island right now, in fact, they are intimidated by General Zheng's force, as long as you show the slightest flaw, they will not hesitate to pounce on you and stab you in the back. Their ultimate goal is to occupy the entire trade between the Ming Dynasty and Japan and Nanyang, not to hide in the big man and be an angry little daughter-in-law with low eyebrows and pleasing eyes. ”

Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but praise well: "General Xia is knowledgeable and analyzes every detail, and this official can't accept it." So, the Dutch are destined to be my opponents, and there is no room for détente? ”

"Exactly. In General Zheng's opinion, Liu Xiang joins forces with the Dutch, what are your chances of winning? ”

Zheng Zhilong hesitated, Liu Xiang's men and horses plus the Dutchman's cannons, it is difficult to say how much chance of victory, if the imperial court fully supports it, it is estimated that it will be five or five open. But he didn't want to show weakness in front of Xia Nan, and said: "Liu Xiang's subordinates are all rabble, and the Dutch have very few warships, so why should Zheng be afraid?" Unconsciously, he used the tone of the rivers and lakes again.

"Huh." Xia Nan saw his bluff, "Just one Liu Xiang is naturally not General Zheng's opponent, but the Dutch are not fuel-efficient lamps, their warships are the top in Europe, but they are too few in number, so they choose Taoguang to raise obscurity." Once they join forces, Liu Xiang will go out on the ship, the Dutch will provide cannons, and even directly participate in the battle, I'm afraid it won't be as easy as General Zheng said, right? ”

Zheng Zhilong's brows furrowed, in fact, he was also worried that the two sides would join forces, if it was a single maritime force, he would not be afraid of anyone - including the Qiongzhou battalion.

"As far as I know, the Dutch will soon send a new governor to Daguan, bringing new warships, whose mission is to destroy the coastal forces of the Ming Dynasty, so that the imperial court will promise to henceforth cut off trade with all Western countries, trade only with the Dutch, and open trade ports - the war between the Ming and the Dutch will soon come." Summer South threw another bombshell at the right time. This is not his fiction, it is true in history.

If history had not changed, in 1633, the next year, the Dutch East India Company would have sent Hans Püttmans as governor of Taiwan, leading more than a dozen capital warships to launch an attack on the coast of China in an attempt to force the Ming government to accede to their demands - and it was Zheng Zhilong himself who would have fought for the Ming dynasty.

As he expected, Zheng Zhilong was not calm: "Is this true? ”

If it is really as the Dutch wish, then the Zheng family will bear the brunt of it. Zheng Zhilong made great efforts to eliminate most of the forces along the coast of Fujian, forcing the center of gravity of trade with Japan to shift from Yuegang to Zhongzuo, once the trade port was opened to the Dutch, then Zhongzuo would be beaten back to its original shape, and his previous efforts would be in vain. More importantly, the interruption of trade with Portugal, Spain and other countries, and only with the Dutch, means that the overlord of trade with Japan has changed from Zheng Zhilong to the Dutch, and the Dutch have the final say on this sea, which he absolutely cannot tolerate.

Zheng Zhilong stood up and paced back and forth. Regardless of whether Xia Nan's news is true or not, with his knowledge of the Dutch, this possibility is very high, and it is necessary to take action and prepare for the coming war. (To be continued.) )