Chapter 928 Opening up new markets

For a country, the invasion of capital is far more difficult to resist than strong ships and guns. The latter may arouse the common hatred of the whole people, but the former can induce some people to submit or even cooperate. Haihan officials have never taken action.

It's just a small profit, but the generosity is often irresistible. For example, Li Dagui, who entered the Surabaya Port to contact Matalan officials this time, the conditions he gave were enough to make the local officials' hearts beat faster.

In the next three years, Haihan officials will donate 50,000 taels of silver to the Surabaya Port in the name of "port construction expenses" every year. Of course, the destination of the money will be allocated by the Surabaya Port officials themselves, and Haihan will not interfere.

Where to go. Not only that, if the Surabaya Port official requires payment in kind, then Haihan can also supply the goods at cost price according to the type of goods requested by the other party. In this way, as long as the Matalan official who handles the matter does not mind the trouble, it will be completely

You can get more profits by reselling Haihan goods that are in short supply. If you do it well, it is possible to directly double your profits.

As for the possible risks of this move... Are you kidding me? The Haihan people have already delivered the money to the door. Do you want to let the duck fly away? Official Ma Dalan simply could not refuse such an offer, so he

It was agreed to find a nearby place on a certain date to meet with Haihan officials from the combined fleet to discuss the specific operation methods.

On October 30, the two sides met on a secluded coast on Madura Island opposite Surabaya. According to usual practice, Haihan still sent people in advance and set up a huge tent on the coast to serve as a temporary meeting venue.

This time, Haihan used ten large tents with an area of ​​200 to 300 square meters connected together to build a giant tent nearly half the size of a football field to isolate the continuous rain this season. This kind of necessary pomp

In addition to demonstrating Haihan's financial and material resources, it can also demonstrate Haihan's capabilities in engineering construction.

Attending the meeting on behalf of the Matalan Kingdom was Apondu, the official in charge of the Surabaya Port. This 50-year-old governor has been in charge of local power for ten years. Before that, he also knew some information about Haihan.

, but this is the first time to deal with the Haihan people face to face.

What impressed Apondu at first sight was not the huge canvas tent on the coast, but the two majesty-class battleships docked about one nautical mile away from the coastline. This was the largest Apondu had ever seen in his life.

If the sailing ship is measured solely by the size of the hull, Apondu can intuitively judge that Haihan's shipbuilding technology seems to be still superior to that of the Western ghosts. The Haihan people have such a powerful navy, it is no wonder that the Dutch will take over their hands.

Deflated.

Apondu was very impressed by the Dutch fleet, because during the Batavia War in July and August last year, the Dutch fleet took advantage of the Matalan country's massive deployment to sneak attack on a series of ports such as Surabaya.

At that time, Surabaya Port was suddenly invaded by the Dutch fleet almost unprepared. It could not even organize a decent resistance. The burned ships and cargo at the port caused great losses to the local area. Apondu

I was also reprimanded by the ruler Lang Sang afterwards.

Although the attack on Surabaya Port was not his fault, there was no way. The rulers needed a scapegoat to stand up at this time. The reward Apondu received after taking the blame was to get another extension

The term of office. Being in charge of a trading port like Surabaya is definitely a lucrative job, and an arrangement like Lang Sang's is worthy of Apondu's efforts to take the blame.

The drain on the Dutch fleet was one of the main reasons why the Matalan army was defeated in the Battle of Batavia last year. This is well known in the officialdom of the Matalan country. After the war, the Matalan country learned from the painful experience. This year Lang Sang will

It has been ordered to build six to eight new shipyards across the country, striving to build a powerful navy within three to five years, and then launch revenge on the Dutch. Therefore, when Apondu saw the true appearance of the Haihan fleet

, couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

However, Apondu's attention returned to the venue arranged by Haihan after landing. The huge tent and the upright Haihan soldiers holding muskets gave him a considerable visual impact. This kind of

The strict military appearance was something he had never seen in his own army. In fact, among the tens of thousands of troops that the Matalan Kingdom attacked Batavia last year, a considerable proportion of the soldiers were temporarily recruited peasant soldiers from the local area, putting down their farm tools.

After taking the spear, even if the identity change was completed, many people did not even have a military uniform and were sent to the battlefield topless.

After meeting the leader of Haihan and being introduced by an interpreter, Apondu learned that this joint fleet not only included senior figures from Haihan, but also Annan and Champa each sent senior officials to join it. Unconsciously, he felt uncomfortable

Haihan's appeal is a little higher. The Matalan Kingdom also has many vassal states, such as the Sukadana Kingdom in Borneo. When there are military operations, the Matalan Kingdom will also

An edict was issued to order these vassal states to send troops together. Apondu had also heard that Annan and Champa had a close relationship with Haihan. It seemed that there was a sense of being a leader and a follower between these two countries and Haihan.

During the meeting, Yan Chujie made several demands to Apondu. First, open the trade door to Haihan, allow Haihan goods to enter the Surabaya port for trading, and allow Haihan officials to set up business stores and offices in Surabaya. Of course, if Matalan State-owned

With sufficient navigation capabilities, you can also go to ports under the control of Haihan for trade; the second is to send people to join the joint fleet to assist the fleet in visiting other ports in the country of Matalan; the third is to establish a formal exchange relationship between the two sides and set up an official communication

channel.

As for the first two requests made by Yan Chujie, Apondu has no objections. It is a good thing for Haihan products to enter the country of Matalan. As a local official who has managed the port for many years, Apondu still views this kind of measure that can promote market prosperity.

You should understand. But when it comes to the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between the two sides, Apondu does not have enough authority to make a decision. He can only say that he will make a decision after returning home and King Lang Sang will make the decision.

It was the first time that the two parties met and they didn't know each other well, so they could only talk about it for the time being. Yan Chujie made a gesture, and someone sent several boxes of gifts. These are all custom-made products specially used for giving gifts.

They are all styles that are not seen on the market at all. After seeing them, Apondu liked them very much and thought that the sincerity of the Haihan people was quite good.

After staying in Madura Island for two days, the combined fleet set off and continued westward. Before leaving, Yan Chujie sent a team of people to settle in Surabaya Port. They will be responsible for building a business station locally for future development with the Matara Kingdom.

Preparations were made for trade. As promised, Apondu also sent several of his men aboard the Haihan warship. They carried documents signed by Apondu so that the fleet could obtain supplies from other ports in Matalan.

Sailing about 180 nautical miles west from the Surabaya Strait, we arrived at Semarang, another important port on Java Island. According to legend, this place was named after the Sanbao eunuch Zheng He landed here when he went to Southeast Asia. Zheng He was

Deputy envoy Wang Jinghong led a group of men to stay here to cultivate, so this place has preserved many scenic spots related to Zheng He, such as Sanbao Cave, Sanbao Well, Sanbao Gong Temple, etc. Even the time when Zheng He landed here is based on the lunar calendar

June 30th has also become a traditional festival celebrated by the whole city.

However, the port conditions in Semarang are not as good as those in Surabaya, and there is no harbor terrain suitable for building docks. This is just because Han people have been living here since the 15th century, and the culture is similar to that of the Ming Dynasty, so the Ming maritime merchants are also willing to use this place as a port.

A stop on the southbound trade.

After Apondu's subordinates contacted the local government in Semarang, the joint fleet sent a supply ship to the port for purchase, and easily found a native Han guide here to assist in purchasing various supplies. Yan Chujie pretended to be a businessman and brought

A team of guards came ashore to personally inspect the traces left by the Sanbao eunuch.

Because he found a local guide to lead him, Yan Chujie came to the Sanbao Cave in Lion Head Mountain smoothly. The entrance of this cave is only one meter square, and you need to bow your head to get in. However, after entering, there is nearly a hundred square meters of space inside. According to legend, the cave entrance is only one meter square.

The deputy envoy Wang Jinghong recuperated in this cave. There is also a statue of Zheng He enshrined on the stone wall of the cave, and a couplet engraved with "He was appointed to the Linhai Kingdom, leaving a trace of the cave to shelter his people."

There is a well outside the cave, which is said to have been dug by Zheng He for his subordinates to drink. It is regarded as holy water by the local Han people. There is also the Sanbaogong Temple in front of the cave, with a statue of Zheng He in the middle hall and a large iron anchor in the left hall.

It is said to be a relic of Zheng He's fleet, and the right hall is the tomb of Wang Jinghong, the deputy envoy who stayed here until his death, and his entourage. Yan Chujie saw that there were dedicated people to take care of it, and the incense was good. Although he did not believe in gods and Buddhas, he still

He went into the temple to pay homage. Of course, he did not forget to take pictures of the situation here with his camera. When he returned to Sanya in the future, he would inevitably have to show off to his colleagues. Before leaving, he also paid homage to the temple in his own name.

Donating a hundred taels of silver and incense money can be regarded as a gesture of gratitude to the descendants of the Han people.

However, apart from the relics left by Zheng He, there is not much else to say in Semarang. There are no special products in the area. The population is only 30,000 or 40,000. There is not even a decent city. It is a scattered port town. Yan Chujie

After wandering around the local area for a day, I lost interest in staying any longer.

The combined fleet continued westward along the coastline and arrived in Cirebon after a day's sail. This is a smaller port than Semarang, but due to its geographical location right in the middle of Batavia and Semarang, some

Han merchants heading south would also choose this place as a midway supply port, selling some products such as porcelain and tea. The fleet only spent one night here and set sail the next day.

Starting from Cirebon and sailing more than 100 nautical miles westward, you will reach Batavia, the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company in the Far East. This is also the most unknown stop in the Combined Fleet's South China Sea cruise. Although this place

It was almost destroyed by the war a year ago, but Haihan still did not dare to take it lightly. After all, the Dutch armed fleet did not suffer too much losses in that battle. On the contrary, it served as a critical moment in the later stages of the war.

An important force that changes the direction of the war. Although the Haihan fleet is not afraid of the opponent, Yan Chujie does not want to have an armed conflict with the Dutch at this time. After all, the mission of this trip is to find the next place for Haihan to stay, not

Fight to the death with the Dutch.

On the other hand, Zheng Zha and Fan Ji, who joined the fleet as military observers, were very worried about the chaos in the world. They knew that Haihan had defeated the Dutch on Ambrosia Island, and they also knew that Haihan and the Netherlands had always

Neither of them are quite right, but I really wish to see these enemies compete at sea. As for the risks that may arise because of this, the military observers are not too worried. Although the Dutch armed fleet is powerful, that is in the past.

That's right. Compared with Haihan's fleet, which is armed to the teeth, the Dutch fleet does not have any advantages.

On November 8, the Combined Fleet arrived at a position about 20 nautical miles off the coast of Batavia Port. The sudden appearance of this huge fleet quickly caused panic. The first to discover the Combined Fleet were fishing boats operating in nearby waters. These

When the fishermen who didn't understand what happened saw the combined fleet appearing, they didn't even have time to identify the other party, so they turned around and hurriedly fled back to the harbor. The terrifying scene of the Matalan army approaching the border last year was still lingering in the minds of the fishermen. When they saw a

When an unidentified fleet appears in nearby waters, the first reaction is that an enemy is attacking.

Cohen, the original governor of Batavia City, had passed away last summer, and the Matalan people took advantage of the window of power transfer by the Dutch East India Company to launch the war. However, Cohen chose his successor before his death.

Van Diemen resisted the offensive of the Materan army with outstanding performance, and successfully counterattacked at the last moment, driving the Materan people who had almost occupied Batavia from the area. In this battle, the two sides

The Central Government was severely wounded, tens of thousands of troops were lost in the Battle of Maltalan, and the East India Company had to face a Batavia city that was almost in ruins after the war.

Although a whole year has passed, the repair and restoration work of Batavia City and Port is still in progress. The damage caused by this war to Batavia is extremely profound, and it will be difficult to do so without three to five years.

Under this predicament, Van Diemen, who took over the power of the East India Company, faced a lot of pressure this year. On the one hand, he had to prevent the Maltalan Kingdom from making a comeback, and on the other hand, he had to

Beware of the Haihan people from the north taking advantage of the situation. In addition, a large amount of funds must be raised to complete the reconstruction project of Batavia City.
Chapter completed!