Chapter 628 The Dutch Plan

Van Longen has been working in the East India Company for more than ten years. He has won the trust of the governor. He has been traveling between Java and Northeast Asian countries for a long time. He is familiar with the sea conditions along the way. It is indeed a good idea for him to serve as the commander of this search and rescue fleet.

Couldn't be more appropriate.

The search and rescue fleet consisted of seven of Van Longen's own armed merchant ships as the main body, plus two armed troop carriers affiliated with the East India Company. Originally, Van Longen did not plan to organize additional troops outside of his own fleet, but Governor Cohen believed that there would be

It is necessary to send a certain number of soldiers to assist in this operation, because the real cause of the disappearance of our own ships cannot be determined at present. If there is really someone behind the scenes intercepting and killing Dutch merchant ships at sea, then sufficient troops may give Van Longen more confidence in responding.

If a fleet of nine sailboats and nearly a thousand people is not lucky enough to find the missing ship, it will be equivalent to just wandering on the sea. And the cost of such a fleet going to sea is not a small amount.

In order to prevent all this expenditure from being wasted, the East India Company still let Van Longen's merchant ships undertake a certain number of transportation tasks.

The fleet will carry a batch of spices, tin, sumac and other tropical products produced locally in Java, as well as some native products from Persia, India and Ceylon. These goods will be transported to Damuan Port, where they will be shipped by local

Merchants used sea transportation to distribute to the Ming Dynasty, North Korea, Ryukyu, Japan and other countries. This fleet can locally ship a batch of goods purchased from the above countries and return to Batavia via the same route. Such a trip can be completed

Afterwards, excluding the expenses of search and rescue operations, the fleet can still make a certain profit, and the captain and crew will not complain too much about this trip.

"There should be no one in the Far East who would try to rob such a fleet. The Governor need not worry about our safety. We will definitely return to Batavia intact in two months."

Governor Cohen, who was seeing him off by himself, didn't look very good-looking, and Van Longen could only say some casual words to comfort him.

In fact, the voyage from Batavia to Damuan Port is more than 2,000 nautical miles, and it will take more than half a month for the fleet to reach its destination with smooth sailing. No one can guarantee what will happen during this long journey.

What kind of unexpected situation? The seven armed merchant ships under Van Longen's name are all equipped with varying numbers of artillery. The largest ship, the "Netherlander", is equipped with twelve 12-pound side guns and two 24-pounders.

The firepower of the ship's bow cannon is already comparable to that of an ordinary warship. The two armed personnel carriers are each equipped with eight cannons. The total number of cannons in the entire fleet exceeds seventy. It is impossible to conduct an artillery battle at sea.

Intimidating any opponent.

But even though the combat capabilities of this fleet are not weak, Fan Longgen is not arrogant enough to think that what he is leading is an invincible fleet. Because he has also heard of the gunboats built by the Haihan people on Qiongzhou Island.

, the smallest type was also equipped with ten cannons, and based on this warship, it defeated the Shibazhi fleet that was several times larger than ours at the Pearl River Estuary.

Fan Longgen had had direct contact with Shiba Zhi and generally understood the armed level of this group of pirates. Although he also did not take Shiba Zhi seriously, if Fan Longgen was asked to deal with the siege of these pirates, he might not be able to do so.

It is certain that they will win and escape unscathed. And it is said that since the second half of last year, the Haihan fleet has completely taken over the defense of the waters around Qiongzhou Island. This at least shows that the strength of the Haihan fleet is far superior to that of the Ming Navy.

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Van Longen would rather encounter the Portuguese or Spanish at sea than encounter an opponent like the Haihan fleet in this search and rescue mission, because the first two opponents are pretty well known, while the Haihan fleet seems to be lurking in the shadows.

Just like the killers, they cannot clearly see their true strength.

Governor Cohen's response was a violent cough. Although he is only forty-four years old and is far from old, his health has been deteriorating in recent years and it is actually difficult to maintain normal working conditions.

.If the two Chinese doctors in Batavia hadn't been giving him prescriptions to nurse him back to health, he would have died long ago. Today he came to Batavia Port to see off Van Longen's fleet. He has also been feeling unwell.

He sat on a chair carried by two native attendants and did not get up.

In fact, Peterson Cohen died on September 21, 1629 in the original history, but after the Haihan people came to this time and space, many things changed unknowingly. The two substitutes

The Chinese doctor he treated actually worked with Ma Yu for a period of time at the Immigration Transfer Center in Lijiazhuang, Guangzhou before coming to Batavia. He also learned some advanced Haihan medical knowledge.

Employed people came to Batavia to make a living. However, they could only diagnose the general cause of Cohen's disease. There was no way to cure his chronic lung disease. The only thing they could do was to use some relatively soothing prescriptions to regulate his body.

Let his condition deteriorate more slowly.

"Mr. Van Longen, any force that threatens the East India Company must be eradicated and cannot be tolerated!" Cohen finally calmed down and then lectured: "Whether it is the Portuguese or the Spanish, as long as they want to fight against

If our ship takes action, then fight back hard! There is no need to be afraid of a war, we are the most powerful force in the Far East!"

Van Longen thought to himself that this is just an armed merchant ship, not the Dutch navy, and self-defense is just fine. Do you really expect me to fight them desperately? However, he promised very well: "Don't worry, Lord Governor, if you take action against us

They are really damn Spaniards, then I will definitely let them see the terrifying power of the Dutch!"

Cohen coughed a few more times, and then said: "Considering your military skills, I sent my most capable Mr. Spikes and Mr. Brouwer to assist you in completing this mission. If an armed conflict occurs, they will

They will command the soldiers to destroy the enemy. If you are in doubt, please consult with them."

"I am honored to act with two outstanding commanders." Van Longen bowed slightly to the two officers standing next to Cohen. Although they were not official officers of the Dutch Republic, they were just appointed commanders within the East India Company.

They were officers, and their subordinates were only armed personnel organized by the company itself, but in the colonies of the East India Company, they were real government troops.

These two officers are not unknown. Jacques Spikes, who was born in 1585, once served as a representative of the East India Company and lived in Korea and Japan in Northeast Asia for a long time. He came to the East India Company in Van Loungen.

By that time, Spikes had already been in the Far East for ten years. Hendrick Brouwer, born in 1581, also spent some time in Japan. He had joined the East Indies as a sailor as early as 1606.

The company is older than Spikes.

In the original history, these two officers also served as governors of the East India Company. After Cohen resigned in 1629, he was succeeded by Jacques Spikes, and Hendrik Brouwer served as

The eighth governor took over the governorship from Spikes in 1632. However, in this time and space, the arrival of the Haihan people inadvertently extended the life of Governor Cohen, so they were not able to take office according to the original time in history.

"But if you let these two go to sea with me, what will happen to the local defense?" Van Longen is no stranger to the identities of these two officers. They are both senior officers of the Batavia garrison. Two people are mobilized at a time.

, will indeed have a certain impact on Batavia's local defense.

"That's not a problem." Cohen waved his hand gently and said, "Mr. Van Diemen has returned from Delnate."

"Presumably our Lord Dimen must have brought back quite a harvest, right?" This was the first time Van Longen heard the news and he quickly asked.

"Yes, that place is said to be rich in cloves and cardamom, as well as tin mines. They are all good things." Speaking of this, Cohen's sick face also showed a bit of pride: "It was really great when I sent him to explore the east.

A wise decision."

"My lord has always been so wise." Fan Longgen flattered him unabashedly.

Anthony van Diemen was born in Kullenberg, Netherlands in 1593. He was a less successful merchant in his early years. After joining the East India Company in 1618, he was stationed in Batavia and changed his career to a navy. Last year

Cohen appointed him as the commander of the expedition fleet, leading a fleet to travel eastward, explore the waters east of Java Island and south of Luzon, and attack and expel the established power of the Portuguese in this area.

Dernate is located in the Maluku Islands, about 1,500 nautical miles east of Batavia. On the way, it needs to pass through the Java Sea, Flores Sea, Banda Sea, and Maluku Sea. Although the voyage is long, the local spices are rich in

The tin mines are very worthy of development. Of course, the most important thing is that such a good place cannot be quietly occupied by the Portuguese who take advantage of every opportunity.

More importantly than capturing Dernate, Van Diemen drew a large number of accurate nautical charts for the East India Company, which provided great help for the company to continue exploring unknown waters eastward and southward.

In the original history, after taking office, Van Diemen, as the ninth governor of the East India Company, sent a large number of expeditions to the east of Java. There were indeed many places in New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji and the northern coast of Australia.

Named after him. After his death in 1645, the East India Company ordered the extreme western point of New Zealand Island and an island on the east coast of Tasmania to be named after his wife to commemorate him.

his contribution to the company.

"In view of Mr. Van Diemen's outstanding contributions, I have issued an application submitted to the Republic's Parliament to appoint him as Admiral of the Far East!" Cohen coughed a few times and then said: "If you satisfactorily agree this time,

After completing the task, I will recommend you to take up the seat vacated by Mr. Van Diemen after his promotion."

In the original history, Van Diemen was indeed appointed as an admiral in 1631, but it was not Cohen who signed the document for him, but his successor Spikes. But something went wrong.

, Van Diemen was lucky enough not to miss his opportunity for promotion.

"I will live up to the high expectations of the Governor!" Van Longen suppressed the joy in his heart and bowed deeply to Cohen to express his gratitude.

Although he can be regarded as Cohen's subordinate, his actual position in the East India Company is not high, and it is far less than Spikes, Brouwer, Van Diemen and others. And if Van Longen wants to continue to climb up,

Then obtaining a senior military position is a shortcut. After all, in the promotion assessment conditions of the East India Company, commanders who have held military positions and have experience in leading troops are always easier to get the approval of the Governor and the Board of Directors than pure businessmen.

Favor. What Van Longen lacked was an opportunity to make a contribution.

"I've given you the opportunity, Mr. Van Longen. It's up to you whether you can seize the opportunity." Cohen covered his mouth with a handkerchief and finished his final instructions while coughing continuously.

"May God bless you for your speedy recovery!" Van Longen took off his hat and strode towards his ship. After some advice from Cohen, he no longer regarded this mission as optional.

An errand, but a great opportunity on your way to promotion.

"set sail!"

Following Van Longen's order, the nine sailboats unmoored, lifted anchors, hoisted sails, and slowly sailed away from the pier. Hundreds of local people waved their arms on the shore to bid farewell to their relatives. The sailors on board also lay down.

On the side of the ship, he bid farewell to his relatives loudly. Van Longen did not stop this move. In this era, sailors do not know whether they will come back safely every time they go to sea. Every farewell to their relatives is likely to be the last time they see each other.

Van Longen roughly has a list in his mind of where natural disasters may occur on this more than 2,000-mile route, and where pirates or rival armed ships may appear. Since this trip to the north is for

To find out the truth about the disappearance of the Dutch merchant ship, we can only slow down and investigate every suspicious area on the way. Doing so will definitely lengthen the voyage. The original voyage of more than twenty days will probably be extended by three days.

Van Longen conservatively estimated that the trip would be successful if it could arrive at Taiyuan Port within forty days.

The first stop of the fleet was Belitung Island, 200 nautical miles north of Batavia. This large island with an area of ​​nearly 5,000 square kilometers had too many coral reefs around it and was not rich in products. The East India Company did not use it as a

The main colonial target was to settle more than 200 immigrants in the harbor on the south side of the island, which was considered a means of control. It was not until 200 years later that the Dutch discovered tin mine veins on the island, but that is a story for another day.

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Chapter completed!