Kangxi, your Qing Dynasty is dead

Chapter 417 Ah, yeah, it’s really easy to get money for zero yuan! (Please vote for me, please subscribe)

December 1680, 12 AD, Ternalte Island.

The inside and outside of the castle where the Dutch Governor's Palace is located have been hastily cleaned up. The dense corpses near the city where the fiercest fighting broke out last night have been removed and buried. The temperature here is too high. The corpses must be rushed. If you bury it, it will stink and rot by tonight, and then the plague will spread.Just the palace walls that were beaten like honeycombs by cavity bombs, the walls and floors that were blown up by wooden-handled grenades filled with black powder were smoky, and the rooms of the Dutch Governor's Palace were still in flames. If not, then no one will take care of it.

Anyway, this temporary Sino-French joint fleet came here to buy it for zero yuan, grab a handful and leave. There are also lilacs on the Banda Islands waiting for everyone to grab them.Because of the free trade monopolized by the Western colonists, cooking seasonings such as cloves, nutmeg, and pepper were sold at sky-high prices, and it was money to grab them!
Japanese mercenaries from the Satsuma, Choshu, and Tosa domains staggered around inside and outside the Dutch fortress, and everyone was extremely excited.The night battle last night was so beautiful!
Less than 1000 Japanese mercenaries suddenly launched an attack on the dock, beating up the East India Company mercenaries who were guarding them.Those tall and burly Westerners turned out to be inflated and fat, and they were no match for the Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa Rondos and corporals who had endured hardship since childhood.As soon as the two sides came into contact, those foreign devils who were inflated and fat fell into collapse!
The mercenaries who came later to support the East India Company were also a bunch of rubbish. They were still forming a phalanx at night. What was even more ridiculous was that they were still using matchlock guns. After the match was lit, the target was particularly obvious in the dark night. , and immediately became a target for the Japanese mercenaries who used cavity bullets and flintlock guns!
The wooden-handled grenades thrown by the Japanese mercenaries approaching in the dark caused great damage to the phalanx of East India Company mercenaries!
This wooden-handled grenade is said to have been invented by Li Zhongshan himself, and is called the "Shikai-style grenade." It actually changes the traditional round cast-iron grenade into a cylinder, and then installs a wooden handle that is easy to hold and throw. .Just such a small change allows the round grenade that was originally difficult to use to have higher accuracy and a longer throwing distance, and it will not roll around after landing, basically it will explode wherever it is thrown!
Those short and nimble little Japanese grenadiers are very motivated to fight. They can actively seek out fighters without being escorted by officers at all. Therefore, they can disperse the formation with grenades on their backs, advance in the dark, and reach the front of the East India Company mercenaries. After more than ten steps away, he took out his fire stick and lit the grenade's match rope, and then threw them out one after another until all the grenades were thrown or they were knocked down by the enemy's bullets.

But this is not the most powerful thing. What caused the biggest blow to the East India Company mercenaries on Ternate Island was actually the reputation of the French heavenly soldiers!

The mercenaries of the East India Company were not mentally prepared for the latest tactics of the "French Sky Soldiers". It was a precise long-range shot and a grenade-throwing method at close range. There were so many long-range firepower and grenades that they could all be used at once. The East India Company mercenaries were stunned.

Then these scum from various European countries (who would go to the Dutch East Indies to work as mercenaries?) immediately thought of the invincible French heavenly soldiers of the Sun King!
They are at war with the French heavenly troops!

Didn't you hear the shouting "Louis! Louie!" over there?Moreover, they all disembarked from French warships. What else could they be if they weren't French heavenly soldiers?
How powerful are the French heavenly soldiers of the Sun King?In Europe, they single-handedly defeated the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany and still had the upper hand. The East India Company's mercenaries were just fighting a dozen natives in Southeast Asia. If they were to go to the European battlefield to deal with the French army, wouldn't that be asking for death?

When they thought that the Sun King's invincible French sky soldiers had landed on the island, these East India Company mercenaries immediately collapsed, shouting "The French are coming, the French are coming" and fled towards the Dutch fortress on the island. .

Van der Leyen, the governor of the Spice Islands, had just assembled a group of mercenaries at this time and was leading them out of the fortress. As a result, he ran into these broken soldiers shouting "The French are coming."

Now the mercenaries he had finally gathered had no fighting spirit. How could the East India Company mercenaries defeat the invincible French heavenly soldiers?
How can the French troops led by the Grand Condé, Durenny, the Duke of Luxembourg, the Marquis Vauban, and Marshal Crevain, who only bully the natives, be able to fight against them?Their Prince of Orange was also defeated time and again by these people. If it weren't for the money and mercenaries, the Netherlands would have been gone.

So these mercenaries misheard the news from Vander Leyen and fled. Then a large group of people rushed to the gate of the castle. There were many people and small doors, and they all wanted to squeeze in. As a result, there was a congestion!At this moment, the French sky soldiers shouting "Louis, Louis" caught up with them. They used the same three-axe, first firing volleys with flintlock guns, then throwing grenades, and finally charging with bayonets.It turned the inside and outside of the Dutch Castle into a slaughterhouse!
At this time, the East India Company mercenaries who were forced into a desperate situation also discovered that the soldiers who came were not French soldiers, but small Japanese soldiers, so they regained their fighting spirit and began to fight to the death - fighting to the death was impossible!The mercenaries of the East India Company all know how ruthless the Japanese mercenaries are.Because before the Tokugawa shogunate locked down the country, the Japanese mercenaries who overflowed from the Warring States Period were gold-medal thugs on the battlefields of Southeast Asia. They were famous for their fearlessness of death and ruthless attacks!
If it falls into the hands of the French sky soldiers, it can still be taken as a prisoner. If it falls into the hands of the Japanese mercenaries, it will be lucky if it is not torn into pieces!

Because of the stubborn resistance of these East India Company mercenaries, the battle for the castle lasted all night. It was not until early the next morning that the battle basically ended. The two temporarily formed Japanese mercenary battalions (from Satsuma Camp, Qiu Rong and Yu Qilin, who were selected from the Changzhou Camp and Tosa Camp), divided their troops into two groups. Qiu Rong led his troops to clean up the aftermath inside and outside the Dutch castle, while Yu Qilin led his troops to occupy the Sultan's Palace on the island.

Although Ternalt Island is a small volcanic island, it is the center of the Ternalt Sultanate and the capital of the Ternalt Sultanate. Although the island is small, it is different from another small island next to it. The island of Tidore produces the best nutmeg in the world!
Relying on these spices, the island owners on the two islands developed into two major sultanates in the Maluku Sea, which were quite prosperous for a time.However, after they were subdued by the Westerners and became a semi-colony, their strength also declined rapidly, and they could only survive by relying on the protection of the East India Company.

Now the East India Company, the backer and godfather of the sultanate, was defeated by the French heavenly soldiers overnight. Apart from surrendering and preparing to recognize the new father, what else can Sultan Ternalt do?

Just when the Dutch Fort and its surrounding areas were completely cleared, Yu Qilin had already arrived at the Sultan's Palace with hundreds of dwarf soldiers and several Chinese businessmen who could speak Maluku invited from Sulu Island.

The Sultan of Ternalt had already known that the Dutch were finished, and they also knew that those who were calling were the French troops. Even though Ternalt was located in a remote location, the indigenous royal princes on the island Everyone knows the reputation of France. In the past few years, France has been beating their sovereign country, the Netherlands, to death.

Although the Dutch East India Company has been declaring victory for their motherland, the people of the Ternalt Sultanate have also noticed that many Dutch on the island are learning French, and the schools where Dutch illegitimate children on the island study also offer French. Are you preparing to "welcome the Dharma King"?

Since the godfather is ready to become a Frenchman, the prince of the Ternalt Sultanate must also be consistent with the godfather!

So the Sultan secretly prepared the French flag and learned a few words in French.

At this moment, I saw a group of "French troops" wearing white robes and carrying flintlock guns heading towards the palace. Without saying a word, they immediately asked their men to unfurl the French flag and carry out the gold and silver treasures and the finest items that had been prepared long ago. Nutmeg, and then a large crowd stood at the gate of the palace to greet the heavenly soldiers.

Without waiting for the heavenly soldiers to approach, the group began to cheer in French: "Long live Louis, King of France! King of France!"

After shouting for a while, everyone stopped because they had already seen the person coming. He didn't look like a French person!Aren’t the French Westerners?Why do the leaders look so similar to Chinese people?Also, why are the guys carrying guns in the back so short?Is it a child?That’s not right, most dwarfs have beards. Whose kid has a beard?Isn't this too old-fashioned?

Yu Qilin can now speak a little French. When he saw these natives referring to France and heard them shouting "Long live King Louis of France", he became very angry - he had asked people about it on Sulu Island. What is the name of this "spice country", the Moluccas? It is a vassal of the Sulu Kingdom of the Ming Dynasty. In theory, it is the grandson of the Ming Dynasty. How can you recognize France as your adoptive father now?
At this moment, I heard that the Moluccas outside the palace gate stopped shouting again. They all stood there as if they were under a restraining spell. They immediately pressed the handle of the knife and asked in Chinese with a gloomy face: "Why don't you shout? Is it possible that you stopped shouting?" Are you ready to defect to France?" The Chinese businessman who followed him from Sulu Island immediately translated this into Malugu.Sultan Ternalt is a middle-aged man in his 40s or [-]s. He has dark skin, thick facial features, and his dress is a bit earthy. He also has a Western sword and a flintlock pistol stuck in his belt. He looks like he is. His majesty and majesty, his gestures and gestures all convey the aura of someone who has been on top of others for a long time.

There were ministers around him who could understand some Chinese, and they immediately whispered something into his ear, so he asked in Maluku: "Are you Chinese? What is the purpose of your coming to Maluku?"

His words were translated into Chinese, and Yu Qilin laughed: "We are French, and you were right, I am an authentic French Parisian! We came here to rob like this on the orders of French King Louis XIV. Yes. Get some nutmeg and nutmeg saplings!”

His words were translated into Malugu by a Fujian businessman who was holding back a bad smile.

By now Sultan Ternalt already knew something was wrong. He could still tell whether the other party was French or not.And this is not the most troublesome thing. The most troublesome thing is that the other party actually asks for nutmeg saplings!
Can this thing be given to the Chinese?The Chinese are the most knowledgeable about land. They have been given saplings, but they are still not allowed to grow nutmeg into Chinese cabbage?

Seeing the Sultan standing there stunned, Yu Qilin lowered his voice and said: "King Sultan, the Dutch on the island have all been killed by our French heavenly soldiers. From now on, you are no longer the Dutch's dog! Neither do we." What, I just want you some nutmeg and nutmeg saplings as seasoning for cooking, and you don’t even give me that?

If you don't give it, we won't be polite!Someone is coming."

As soon as he shouted, the group of Japanese lackeys began to scream strangely. They all took off their flintlock rifles with bayonets from their shoulders and pointed them at the Sultan and his men.

This frightened Sultan Ternalt. Why are these Chinese so cruel?This is fatal!
"Give, give, I'll give." How dare he say "no"?He quickly nodded in agreement.

Yu Qilin was finally satisfied and said to the Sultan: "Sultan, please come with us. First go to the Dutch castle for a while. When your people have collected saplings and nutmeg, we will release them." Don’t try to cheat when you return to the palace, we also have people who know the truth here!”

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and several Japanese mercenaries with flintlock rifles rushed forward, picked up the Sultan of Ternalt and brought them to his side. The Sultan's men all stood stunned. There, I didn't even dare to move.

Seeing that the Sultan himself was under control, Yu Qilin knew that it was safe - when he was studying at Guangdong Lecture Hall and Chongming Island Naval Academy, he had studied that the Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch were like this. Do you engage in "zero-yuan shopping"?Among them, seizing the native royal palaces to extort gold and silver treasures is a "Spanish law". Now it is time to learn and apply it.

Of course, France's Sun King Renyi would not kill the Sultan.At most, take him away and take him to Nanjing to surrender to the Ming Dynasty!
When Yu Qilin swaggered back to the castle with the gold, silver and cardamom gifted by the Sultan, a first-class battleship was already waiting on the dock not far from the castle. It was the French name Royal Sun, in Chinese The giant ship of more than 2000 tons named Liaodong.

The de facto commander of the entire formation, Cotang Tankojunmen, had already landed at the castle and was counting the harvest with Qiu Rong.It turned out that when Yu Qilin went to the Sultan's palace to arrest Sultan Ternalt, Qiu Rong's men had already confiscated the Dutch warehouse where the spices were stored.

Baskets of cloves, pepper, and nutmeg were placed outside the castle. These things were not worth much after the spice monopoly was broken, but in the 17th century, that was amazing!

When Europeans bypassed Africa to find new routes to Asia, the first thing they thought of was not silk and porcelain, but spices produced in Southeast Asia and India!
To put it bluntly, it was because of greed that we embarked on the golden road of colonial expansion.

After these European colonists obtained the Asian spices that European people loved, they did not expand production and turn the high-end spices into cheap mass consumer goods. It also destroyed many existing spice plant plantations, limited production to a few small islands, and took the path of high-priced products, turning cooking condiments into luxuries.

In fact, European businessmen had similar attitudes towards porcelain and silk. They just wanted to have a monopoly and sell them at high prices. So what the Netherlands came to China to pursue was also "monopoly free trade". After being rejected, they had a series of conflicts with the Ming Dynasty. !
And Li Zhongshan’s method to deal with the Dutch this time is zero-dollar purchases and anti-monopoly!

However, the monopoly has not been broken yet, so looking at the spices covering a large area of ​​land, Cotentin was so excited that he could hardly breathe. How many livres would this cost?These spices, plus the porcelain, silk, sugar, and tea that have been shipped to France, must have been sold, at least for hundreds of millions of livres!
Louis XIV's military expenditures suddenly became abundant again. Now some Spanish, Dutch, and English people could bear it!

"Cotentin," Yu Qilin had brought the dejected Sultan to Cotentin at this time, and said to him in Chinese, "the spices here are divided equally between the Ming Dynasty and France, and half of the gold and silver plundered are divided between the two countries." The rest will be divided among all the officers and soldiers participating in the battle according to their official ranks. As for the nutmeg saplings, someone will deliver them later, and this will belong to the Ming Dynasty. What do you think?"

His words were quickly translated into French. Cotentin smiled and nodded: "Okay, let's hurry up. There are Tidore Island and Banda Islands waiting for us. Let's grab them!"

(End of this chapter)