Xinshun 1730

Chapter 277 The Fierce and Smart Enemy
The Swedish ship may leave soon.

In the Governor's Palace, Valkner was furious at a Dutch captain.

"Why did you bring Dashun's official ship to Batavia? Idiots! Don't you know that this official ship will remind the Chinese here that they have a powerful empire of the same race in the north?"

"What's the point of you doing this? Do we dare to seize the official ships of the Shun Empire? Do we dare to plunder their goods?"

"Their official ships fire salutes, but in the eyes of those hateful Chinese, salutes are just like cannons!"

When I first arrived, there were already a lot of troubles, but I never thought that I would encounter such an accident when I first arrived.

The captain who intercepted the Swedish merchant fleet felt aggrieved.

"Your Excellency, it is customary to intercept the Swedes' merchant ships for inspection."

"The organizer of the Swedish East India Company, Colin Cambier, was with the British East India Company and knew the trade route well. We have treaties with the British, but not with the Swedes. He has Commissions from the Swedish royal family, we cannot sink them."

"However, the company headquarters gave us an order to intercept the Swedish ships as much as possible. In the name of suspecting that they are pirates, take them to Batavia and delay their return."

"Master Governor, you should know what these Swedes did in Gothenburg. Those hateful smugglers seriously damaged the interests of the company."

"We delay here for a month, and the company's tea can sell more profits."

Valkner said angrily: "The Swedes' ships can be intercepted, but why did they block Dashun's ships? Why did they stop at Batavia when they knew they were official ships?"

"Put your minds on what would happen if a Dutch fleet stopped in Manhattan? Or, what if a British fleet reached Pronto?"

This is a deal of the Dutch East India Company that is hard to tell whether it has won or lost. The British exchanged the island of Plorence in Southeast Asia for Manhattan, which was then called New Amsterdam.Since then, it is impossible for the Dutch fleet to dock in New York, and the British fleet cannot dock in Ploren Island, in order to prevent the local immigrants from developing a rebellious heart.

This incident in front of him made Valkner very upset. It was like decades ago when the British took Manhattan away and the Dutch fleet arrived in Manhattan again. It would inevitably have a great impact on the Dutch living there.

Valknier felt that there was nothing wrong with the policy of the company headquarters.

However, the behavior of these captains is really a bit stupid, and they don't know how to adapt at all. Compared with the first batch of captains who came to Southeast Asia and ventured in Japan more than a hundred years ago, they are really far behind in their adaptability.

Every time this official ship of Dashun stays here for one more day, the Chinese here will take a closer look.

The sailors and sailors on that ship are not at all dirty like those on those private sea ships. The shiny copper cannons and black bayonets will make the Chinese in Batavia more courageous.

This is likely to pose a threat to his vision of a complete solution to the Batavian Chinese problem.At least before that, the company can be sure that the empire in the north will not be interested in overseas affairs. These immigrants scattered overseas, they don't know much, and no one really cares.

If because of this accident, the Shun Empire became interested in these overseas affairs and overseas immigration, it would probably lead to serious consequences.

After losing his temper, there was no way to deal with the captain, and he just let the captain leave after cursing a few words.

However, there is finally some good news. Judging from the current information, this time the French sent a mission to China, and China sent an official ship to Sweden... Obviously, there will be another outbreak between Dashun and Russia in the near future. war.

As long as there is another war between Shun and Russia, Valknir feels that what he has to do in Batavia will not disturb the Shun Empire, nor will it have a drastic impact. Concentrate on the Nanyang issue.

When the time comes, the uncooked rice will be cooked, and the turmoil will pass soon.So what if the Spaniards committed more than one massacre in Luzon?Isn't it time to continue trading?
Thinking about his plan, he ordered his subordinates: Don't detain these Swedish ships and Dashun merchant ships for too long this time, let them leave immediately, don't stop them along the way, let them leave Batavia immediately.When this ship returns from Sweden, all warships must not seize the approach!
The governor had an order, and his subordinates hurriedly sent these merchant ships out of the port as if they were sending off the plague god.

The Swedes who were traveling with me were also very surprised. I thought that if they were caught by the Dutch, they would have to "check" in Batavia for at least a month, but this time the Dutch turned their backs and even boarded the boat to find faults. Didn't do anything, just let it go.

The Swedes are of course very happy. This time they arrive with the wind, and they will arrive a few months earlier than the Dutch cargo ships. They can completely seize business opportunities and make this year's new tea appear in the European market first.

And this time, the Free Trade ship of Dashun also had some private goods from Swedish sailors and captains, which was regarded as a kind of "bribery".Once safely arrived in Gothenburg, these crew members can get a lot of income.

After receiving some very expensive gifts, the Swedish navigator on the Freetrade happily knew everything, and told the captain of the Freetrade all the landmarks, islands, ocean currents, and wind directions along the way And trainee captain, as well as chief mate, navigator and others.

The design of this new ship is very good, and the materials are quite luxurious. Soon, with the help of the Swedish navigator, the Free Trade became the lead ship of the fleet and began to cross the ocean.

After the governor of Batavia sent away the plague-like ship, he read the information of Batavia in the past few years in detail, and wrote the first letter of the new governor to the company headquarters for the first time as the governor. letter.

It has been more than a month since the Swedish ship left, and the Dutch merchant ship has just left. Because of the conflict of interest between Batavia and the company headquarters, the board of directors had to choose a compromise: some cargo ships had to stop in Batavia Then return to the Netherlands, instead of sailing directly from Guangdong.The helplessness of this compromise made the Dutch merchant ships always arrive in Europe one or two months later than the Swedish merchant ships.

In Valkenier’s first letter from the Governor to the Seventeen Gentlemen’s Group, he reported that Dashun sent an official ship to send Swedish prisoners back to Sweden, and made his own opinion on the purpose of the French mission to Dashun Judgment: There may be another war between Shun and Russia, and Sweden may even be involved... At least, Russia and Sweden may go to war. It is suggested that the company can hoard some iron bars and copper.

After reading a lot of reports and materials, Valkner also reported to the headquarters the various problems encountered by the Japanese business house and the trade expansion of Dashun merchants in Japan.

But he attributed these changes to one problem.

"For Japan's trade, as long as Japan's policy of locking up the country remains, the expansion of Chinese businessmen will have no impact on the company."

"As for Dashun's trading company, it's not so much a victory for a certain merchant group as it is a victory for the power of an Eastern official. It's just a story of an Eastern nobleman using his power to seek personal gain."

"In fact, the emperor of Dashun can make anyone rich or poor, with just one sentence. Obviously, the earl who fought the Russians and the Mongols was just because The favor of the Emperor of China obtained the monopoly of Japanese trade."

"However, I have to say that he is still a fool. A really smart person can choose to let their emperor close the customs and not allow us to build a business office in Guangdong, so that they will have more monopoly interests in Japan, and the company will also Had to come up with more silver coins for raw silk sold to Japan."

"Whether it's the emperor of China or the earl who formed a monopoly on trade with Japan, they don't understand trade skills, and they don't have the mind to use violence to maintain trade-if there is one, just close our business hall , it only takes one sentence for the emperor, so it shows their stupidity."

"The company's interests in Asia will not be affected in any way."

"But there's something bad going on in Batavia. The sugar trade..."

After writing this letter about the Swedish, Russian, Japanese, and Batavian sugar industries and Chinese hired labor, Valknier began to prepare his reforms.

For example, first check the number of Chinese who do not pay the poll tax, which can increase Batavia’s income by tens of thousands of Dutch guilders every month, and then choose to divide these people, thereby cleaning out a group of people who have nothing to do with Batavia. Meaningless and unprofitable population.

This kind of population cleansing policy is actually exactly what the Committee of 17 meant, or it could be said to be the choice of the Dutch East India Company after its trade thinking changed.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Shun Dynasty, Batavia’s trade idea was that Chinese merchants shipped tea, silk, and pepper spices back, and Batavia then shipped these Chinese goods to India to make profits, but this was not the company’s headquarters. arrived.Corporate headquarters were reluctant to see a Batavia with its own trade circle.This is similar to local and central and contradictory.

Then there is the triangular trade between the Netherlands, Batavia, and Guangdong and Fujian.Pepper spices from Batavia and raw silk tea porcelain from Dashun were shipped by Dutch merchant ships.

Compared with the previous trade policy, the Chinese maritime merchants were an important part and participant of the old trade routes; however, under the current trade policy, the Chinese maritime merchants have become competitors of the East India Company.

The desire to eliminate the Chinese in Batavia was not only for the simple sugar trade, but also for a deeper reason, to ensure the East India Company's monopoly on the Fujian-Guangdong Batavia trade and to use violent means to get rid of competitors.

When Valkner decided to check the Chinese poll tax, he also began to disintegrate the layout of divisions.

While checking the Chinese poll tax, I request the board of directors to ensure the interests of Batavia's company employees. Since employee smuggling and carrying smuggled goods cannot be prohibited, then make smuggling legal. The company sends a ship directly to Fujian to buy Batavia employee's personal belongings.And these private goods were originally traded privately by Dashun Maritime Merchant and company employees.

Once this policy is implemented, illegal smuggling and self-interest will be legalized, and the company will be able to cut some of the meat that it could not get in the first place, in exchange for the breakdown of the cooperative relationship between Dutch employees and Chinese maritime merchants, so as to ensure that when he implements the policy of eliminating Chinese, Pakistani Davia's employees support him, not against him because of personal smuggling.

Now, it is waiting for the company's board of directors to agree to his "legalization of private goods" proposal.After completing this step, there is only one step left before raising the butcher's knife to the "low-quality population that cannot bring profits" in his eyes.

…………

Not long after the Free Trade ship left Batavia, Lian Huaiguan took seven or eight brothers and found a captain who was going back to Dashun.

Dragons have their way of dragons, and rats have their ways of rats. Lian Huaiguan had never had the idea of ​​going back to Dashun before, but now he wanted to go back to Dashun, but it was easy to find a boat directly to Songjiang through his interpersonal relationship.

The cargo ships were loaded with Javanese lac, a gum that is used both as medicine and as a dye to give silk its brilliant red color.

The captain of the cargo ship has a special supply channel and a special shipping channel, and it is through this hand that he maintains profits.

The captain was quite polite to Lian Huaiguan, he was introduced by an acquaintance, even if he was not familiar with him before, he still had to give the introduced acquaintance a face.

Lian Huaiguan was also quite talkative, and after a few chats, the captain said some depressing words.

"As soon as I left Bacheng, my boat had to go to Bangka first to load some tin lumps there. The business was not easy. The Dutch were very strict about shellac, and I couldn't get much goods. If you only put this bit of shellac back, you won’t make much money.”

"I can earn a little more if I install tin blocks. If I go back in time for the Ching Ming Festival, I can earn a little more."

"This business is getting harder and harder to do."

Talking about tin nuggets and Ching Ming Festival, even Huaiguan understood what these tin nuggets were for.Tin foil from Jiangsu and Zhejiang is also burnt in Batavia. The ones from Ningbo, Hangzhou, and Suzhou are all top-quality, and that is also a silk-producing area, so shellac and tin blocks can be directly shipped there for sale.

Before the Ching Ming Festival, it can be sold at a good price, whether it is shellac dyed silk or tin blocks.

They are said to be the Prophet of Spring River Plumbing Duck. The changes in the Dutch East India Company’s trade policy in the past few years are the deepest experience of these maritime merchants who have gone to sea. It is really difficult to do business.

The East India Company monopolizes the trade between Batavia and Fujian and Guangdong. Mosquitoes are small but also meat. In the past, the Dutch East India Company may have looked down on this kind of mosquito meat. Now it is getting more and more difficult to operate, and this little mosquito meat is also being targeted. up.

Shellac, sumac, spices, tin blocks, etc., are now basically monopolized by the Dutch.Not relying on capital, whoever has the ability will come, but relying on force, which is unsolvable for the maritime merchants in Dashun who are fighting on their own.

If the Chinese sea merchants wanted to buy it, they had to pay a high price, but the East India Company could directly ship it to Fujian and Guangdong to make a profit, or sell it at a lower price than the Chinese sea merchants.

In just a few years, several ship owners who used to travel to Batavia and could continue without transporting tea could not stand it anymore and had to find another way of life.

They all go to sea, only respect Mazu Niangniang and Xu Zhenjun, the rest are not afraid of anyone, it is not that no one wants to be a pirate-monopoly trade rather than free trade will inevitably lead to pirates, but...now it is not as old as it was a few years ago, Now they can't beat the Dutch. After several contests, they can only watch helplessly as the Dutch basically monopolize the trade from Batavia to Fujian and Guangdong in a few years.

Dashun didn't care, the customs was open, but there were no countermeasures, and all the officials were extremely slow to respond.And the local Jiedu envoys are all more things than less things, and they may not be very clear about the way of trade.

Apart from this kind of people who still have connections, the rest is to earn some hard money by selling people, or they simply don't come to Batavia.

Lian Huaiguan couldn't empathize with the depression of pure maritime trade; but he also felt the same empathy for the difficult business brought about by the change of Dutch policy.

He has some casinos and restaurants in Batavia. Over the past few years, there have been fewer Chinese merchant ships in Batavia, and his business has also been affected.

(End of this chapter)