c_t;“ Eighteen Zhi's people are asking to enter the port? What the hell are these pirates trying to do?"

Hans Putmans' brows furrowed when he heard his subordinate's report. At the beginning of the year, he had already received an urgent notice from Batavia City, and the company's board of directors clearly asked Dayuangang to stop all hostile actions with Daming and Haihan, and to break off the relationship with the Eighteen Zhi gang. In order for Hans to strictly enforce this rule, Governor Cohen also pointed out in his personal letter that this decision was related to the deterioration of the external environment of the East India Company in the Far East in the coming years, and therefore must be implemented unconditionally.

Although Governor Cohen did not state the real reason for this decision in his letter, Hans's nephew Van der Wegen gave a detailed account of the previous negotiations with Van Longen and Su Keyi in Sanya, and the final outcome of the negotiations. After reading Van de Wegen's letter, Hans understood the company's frustration.

When the Captain's armed fleet was defeated by the Haihan in the naval battle last summer, Hans actually had the intention of continuing the battle to save face, but he also knew that the Commander's armed strength was limited, and if he wanted to get this field back, he had to intervene in Batavia. Later, he asked his nephew Van der Wegen to return to Batavia with Van Longen, and in addition to reporting the war to the company's board of directors, he also had the intention of pulling rescue troops from the headquarters.

However, Hans did not expect that the Haihan people would announce their involvement in the battle for the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea at the same time as the Battle of Fujian. Unable to recapture the Natuna Islands from the Haihan, Governor Cohen had to send a delegation including Van der Wegen to Sanya to negotiate and negotiate with the Haihan people, delaying the time to reorganize their war preparations and to see what kind of attitude the Haihan people had towards the South China Sea and Fujian.

Compared with the impact of the Natuna Islands, the loss of a few armed merchant ships on the port side of Dayuan is not so important, and the first thing the board of directors must ensure is the safety of the shipping route between Northeast Asia and Batavia. However, the East India Company lost two battles in the South China Sea and Fujian in succession, one step passive, one step passive, and the negotiations in Sanya were deadlocked for two months, and the final result was still that the East India Company reluctantly compromised.

In order to avoid an anti-Dutch alliance in the South China Sea, the East India Company had to pinch its nose and acquiesce to the Haihan's control over the Natuna Islands, or the actual control of the Natuna Islands that had been restored by the Haihan. Although the final agreement also recognized the East India Company's condominium over the area, this was obviously only a verbal handout, because all the activities of the Dutch in the agreement, including but not limited to the docking of merchant ships, the stationing of personnel, trade supplies, etc., had to be reported to the management committee of the Han people on the island and obtained permission to carry out.

As for the armed conflict on the Dayuangang side, the two sides defined it as "a misunderstanding caused by a lack of communication", with the Haihan side abandoning all original claims for compensation, while the East India Company promised not to fight again and to break off relations with the Eighteen Zhi gangs. Read the full text of the latest chapter

Van der Wegen made it clear to his uncle in his letter that the Eighteen Zhi's preservation was no longer a boost to the development of Dayuangang, but was likely to become an excuse for Haihan to use force against Dayuangang. And Batavia is probably unlikely to send a large-scale armed force to Dayuangang to assist in the defense in the short term, once Dayuangang has friction and conflict with Haihan again, then Hans really has to ask for more blessings for the possible consequences.

In fact, the news that the Haihan militia has been stationed in Fujian on a large scale in the past month or two has also been heard by Dayuangang. However, Hans will not take the liberty of helping Eighteen Zhi this time, he has already ordered the expulsion of the institutions and personnel stationed in Dayuan before this, and in the last month, he has asked the wharf to identify all ships entering Dayuan Port, at least to prevent the personnel of Eighteen Zhi from entering and leaving Dayuan Port openly, so as not to give the Fujian government and Haihan people a false pretext.

In February, the Fujian side had already sent people to Dayuangang, and although it only opened an office in the name of a private trading house, both sides were well aware of the significance of this move. The Fujian government and the Haihan government needed to confirm that the East India Company had fully fulfilled its commitments under the agreement, and Hans hoped that the guò would be a way for the Haihan to dispel hostility and misgiving, and to establish a normalized trade channel with the Fujianese. At such a critical time, Hans didn't want to ruin the big picture by something extraneous.

"Inform Lieutenant Pick to come to me at once!" Hans quickly gave the order.

Lieutenant Peake was the officer who took over the military command of Grand Harbor after Vanderwegen's departure, and was also very young. But the timing of his appointment is indeed not very good, and it is almost the weakest time for Dayuangang at present, whether it is Daming, Haihan, or even Eighteen Zhi, there is no small threat to Dayuangang. For him personally, this is both a difficult problem and an opportunity to make a difference.

When Pique arrived at Hans's office, he immediately received an order from Hans: "Gather the musketeers, go to the harbor and suppress the fleet of the eighteen-chi, and don't let their men go ashore for the time being." I'll rush over and take care of it myself later!"

"Yes, sir!" said Peake saluted, then immediately gathered his men and went. Although the naval forces of Dayuangang suffered a lot of losses in the naval battle of last year, the armament on land was not greatly affected, and the musketeers of the city of Geranza had a strength of 500 men, which in the eyes of the Dutch was sufficient for a small war. After all, when the Fujian Ming army attacked Penghu, there were actually less than 1,000 fighters on the Dutch side.

After sending Pique away, Hans went back to his bedroom to change into a hunting outfit, armed himself with a dale and a saber, and examined his appearance in the mirror before setting off for the harbor with his guards.

When Hans arrived at the docks, he found that the fleet under the banner of Eighteen Zhi had not yet entered the port. The channel into Anping Port is very narrow, no more than 100 meters wide, and this fleet has been discovered by ships patrolling near the port before entering the port. And the fleet of the Eighteen Zhi did not come to fight, so they could only choose to wait for the reply of the port side at the entrance channel.

"What's the situation now, and what are they here for?" said Hans, arriving and began to inquire about Pique, who had come first.

"Leading the team are two leaders of the Eighteen Zhi, their names are ......" Pico hesitated slightly, and a Han-looking subordinate behind him immediately stepped forward and added in a low voice: "He Bin, Guo Huaiyi reads;." ”

Peake continued, "These two men want to be able to meet you, and they claim that they have left Eighteen Zhi and ask us to accept their refuge. ”

"Got out of Eighteen Zhi?" ...... Hans hesitated and then asked, "How many ships did they come?"

"According to their own accounts, there were more than sixty ships in total, almost a thousand people. "I've asked them to disarm immediately before they can negotiate a port call," Pique said. ”

"Let their two chiefs go ashore in the first harbor, and I will see them. Hans replied.

"But Eighteen Zhi ......" Pico hesitated about Hans's order, and the notice sent by the headquarters to Dayuan Port, he also knew that any dealings with Eighteen Zhi might be regarded as violating the peace agreement reached between the East India Company and Haihan, and Dayuan Port was stationed with Xu Xinsu's people. Although Pique had ordered the blockade of the port, the arrival of the Eighteen Zhi fleet was obviously not hidden from the eyes and ears of the people, and if the news got out, it was very likely that the matter would be out of control.

"Inform Xu Xinsu's people and let them come too. Hans didn't wait for Peake to object, and gave another order.

Peake was stunned for two seconds before taking his orders. Hans shook his head, thinking that this young man still didn't know his own mind as well as Vanderwigen. If Vanderwegen was there, he would have understood what he wanted to do immediately.

Half an hour later, Hans met He Bin and Guo Huaiyi at a warehouse in the port.

If I am not mistaken, we have already made our position to you about half a year ago that we do not welcome your personnel to come here again. Hans spoke in a cold, hard tone.

"Lord Hans doesn't know, that Zheng Zhilong is perverse and unpopular, the two of us have broken away from Eighteen Zhi, and we are determined to break it off. At this time, I will lead the department to vote, hoping that the adults can take us in regardless of the previous suspicions. In the future, I must saddle up the horse and serve the adults!" He Bin almost didn't hesitate, and directly expressed his intention.

Guo Huaiyi seemed to be a little unable to wipe his face, He Bin touched him with his elbow, and Guo Huaiyi spoke: "Lord Hans, the brothers under the command of Xia and Chief He are all veterans who have been on the sea for many years, if the adults are willing to take us in, in the future, this north to North Korea, south to Java, we can all go for the adults!"

"So both of you came with the idea of working for the East India Company?" asked Hans.

"Exactly. He Bin immediately rushed to answer.

"Mr. Xu, what do you think?" Hans ignored He Bin, but turned to ask a middle-aged Han man standing next to him.

The middle-aged man clenched his fists and responded: "Lord Hans, Xiaomin thinks that these two eighteen-year-old masters have bad intentions!"

"Oh? I'll hear it. Hans was very cooperative.

"I heard that the Haihan militia has recently pressed the border, intending to cooperate with the Fujian official army to attack Penghu, at this time it is already well known in the coastal areas of Fujian, and the masters of Penghu must also know very well. The man surnamed Xu analyzed unhurriedly: "There is no danger to defend in Penghu, even if Eighteen Zhi does not retreat, it will inevitably end up in ruin." If Zheng Zhilong is smart enough, he should give up Penghu, find another place to defend, and Xu Tu will make a comeback!"

Hans then duly asked, "And where are you going to find such a place?"

"This place is an excellent choice!" The man surnamed Xu raised his arm, and pointed to the entrance channel with a folding fan in his hand: "The entrance to this Dayuan Port is extremely narrow, and the Haihan gunboats cannot sail in large numbers, so it is a great problem to land here, and more than half of the construction of the nearby Geranza City has been completed, which can completely resist the attack of the army." If they can defend this place, even if the Haihan people have sharp guns, I am afraid it will be difficult to attack. ”

Hans deliberately asked, "But I, the East India Company, have already stated that they will no longer maintain contact with the Eighteen Zhi, so how can they turn this place into their own base?"

The man surnamed Xu replied: "This matter is not difficult, just send a few leaders to defect to Dayuangang." After the adults accept it, they will look for opportunities to make trouble, and it will only take a few days to seize the power of the big man in Hong Kong......"

"Fuck your fart!" He Bin couldn't bear it anymore, slapped the table and scolded: "Where did the traitor come from, he dared to sow discord here in front of Lao Tzu and tell right and wrong! Believe it or not, Lao Tzu pulled out your tongue!"

Guo Huaiyi silently began to look left and right, because just when the man surnamed Xu was talking nonsense, more than a dozen red-haired soldiers with muskets were unconsciously added around. Although it was not clear what was going on, Guo Huaiyi already had a faint premonition.

Hans coughed dryly and said, "I haven't had time to introduce the two of you, this Mr. Xu is from Zhangzhou, Fujian, and he is also related to Xu Xinsu, the general soldier of Fujian. ”

The man surnamed Xu hugged his fists and said: "Villain Xu Shan, the two masters have a lot of advice!"

If He Bin and Guo Huaiyi hadn't understood anything by this time, they would be really incorrigibly stupid. He Bin bounced up from the chair and reached out to pull out the knife on his waist, but he pulled it out empty, only to remember that after getting off the boat just now, all the hard things on his body had been searched by the red-haired man, and even a few ingots of broken silver were taken away. At this point, I want to do it, but I have no weapons available.

Before he could think about whether to pick up the chair or skim the table legs, several red-haired soldiers had already rushed closer, picked up the butt of their rifles and threw them at him. On the contrary, Guo Huai next to him saw the opportunity quickly, and immediately raised his hand to surrender. Before He Bin could open his mouth to beg for mercy, he received several heavy blows to his head and back one after another, and he fell to the ground in a daze.

In a daze, He Bin heard Hans command: "Arrest these two bandit leaders together with their men! As for the people on their ship, they must be searched one by one, and the bad guys must not be allowed to mix into Dayuan Harbor......