MLMD -Chapter 456 Reconnaissance

The 3rd day of the seventh lunar month, Chongzhen Year 12

Inside Fort Zeelandia in Tayouan, Tainan, groups of bare-chested men were carrying heavy bamboo baskets through the streets. Most of them were Gaoshan natives or Han people who had come to Tayouan to make a living.

Although the Dutch had arrived in Tayouan much later than the Spanish, they now styled themselves as the “carters of the seas.” Relying on their strong national power and formidable navy, they quickly built two fortresses on Taiwan—Fort Zeelandia and Fort Provintia. Among them, Fort Zeelandia was the most important. The entire city took more than ten years to complete and served as the center of Dutch rule in Tayouan. Not only did the families of the Dutch live there, but nearly a thousand Dutch soldiers were stationed there year-round.

The Dutch Governor of Tayouan, Ouwert, sat atop the highest structure in Fort Zeelandia—a tall spire—looking down at the bustling crowds below, who appeared no bigger than ants. A sense of indescribable satisfaction welled up in his heart.

It had been three years since he came to Tayouan, and Ouwert’s initial feeling of being “exiled” had completely vanished. Tayouan was a wonderful place. It produced rice, sugar, as well as tobacco, hemp, ginger, cotton, and other cash crops. The amount submitted annually to the East India Company kept increasing, and Tayouan was gaining ever more importance in the eyes of both the Dutch government and the Company. While enjoying an idyllic, almost utopian life here, he had also amassed a fortune—enough to allow him to live comfortably for the rest of his life. What more could he ask for? Ouwert could no longer even remember which bastard had sent him to Tayouan in the first place, but now he wanted to thank that bastard. If not for him, how could Ouwert have earned in just three years what he could never have earned in decades back in the Netherlands?

“What a fine day!” Ouwert stretched lazily, lifted his teacup, and took a sip—then frowned and shouted outside, “Eddy, hurry and change this for a hot cup of tea… Eddy… Damn it, has that lazy fool gone deaf?”

“Coming, coming…”

After a while, a fair-skinned white woman in a yellow long dress entered carrying a tray and placed a cup of tea before him.

Seeing who it was, Ouwert asked in surprise, “Belinda? Why is it you… Where did Eddy run off to? Has that lazy bastard gone slacking again?”

This voluptuous, still-charming woman was Ouwert’s wife, Belinda. She smiled softly and said, “Eddy and the others were called away by Lieutenant Colonel Villa. I heard they’re helping him move some things, so it’s just the two of us at home right now.”

Ouwert frowned. “What has Villa been busy with lately? I hardly ever see him around.”

Belinda replied with mild reproach, “In a few months you’ll be stepping down and returning home. Lieutenant Colonel Villa, as your adjutant, will be going back with you, so naturally he has some personal matters to take care of. Are you really so heartless?”

“Oh… of course not… I’m not that heartless.” Ouwert shrugged helplessly and took another sip of black tea.

“By the way, Ouwert… after we return home this time, should we buy a house in Amsterdam?”

“No… I think it would be better to settle in my hometown, Rotterdam. After all, that’s where I’m from…”

“No… Amsterdam is the center of the Netherlands. Compared to it, Rotterdam is far too barren—there’s almost nothing there. Besides, the environment in Rotterdam isn’t good for Erin either…”

As the two chatted idly, a rush of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside. Soon, a burly officer in a red-and-blue uniform strode in quickly.

“Oh… Lieutenant Colonel Villa.”

“Villa, weren’t you busy handling your personal affairs? How do you have time to come here?”

“Your Excellency the Governor, I’ve just received some bad news.” Villa’s expression was grim as he took a note from his pocket and handed it to Ouwert.

Ouwert glanced at it, his eyebrows immediately shooting up as he asked in surprise, “Is this intelligence reliable?”

Villa replied solemnly, “I believe it’s largely accurate. This information was sent by our agents embedded in Keelung. According to them, the Spanish Governor stationed in Tayouan, Antonio, took a few people to the Ming Empire. After returning, he began issuing mobilization orders to his troops and started conscripting laborers to gather provisions and ammunition. It looks like they’re preparing for some major action.”

“Major action?”
Ouwert frowned in confusion. “The Spanish only have about a thousand troops in Keelung and Tamsui. Even if they add local natives and laborers, they could at most muster a few thousand men. What major action could they possibly take? Are they planning to attack Fort Provintia or even Fort Zeelandia?” Saying this, Ouwert laughed himself. Attacking Fort Zeelandia? That idea was utterly insane.

But Villa did not laugh. Instead, he said worriedly, “Your Excellency, don’t forget—the intelligence also says that Antonio went to Shandong in the Ming Empire. I’ve heard that a very powerful marquis has recently arrived in Shandong. It was under his influence that Shandong resumed trade with Spain, and I hear the Spaniards obtained many fine things from him. Spanish merchant ships are almost going there daily now. Do you think the Spaniards might have persuaded that Ming marquis to join them in attacking us?”

“Hm… that’s not impossible.” Ouwert was no fool to have become governor. With a turn of his eyes, he considered the possibility, but then sighed in frustration. “The problem is, we have no intelligence network in Shandong. There’s no way to verify how true this information is.”

“Regardless of how reliable it is, we must take a stance,” Villa insisted. “I think you should write to Company headquarters and request more warships and soldiers to protect our interests in the East. I really can’t understand how a colony nearly as large as the Netherlands itself is guarded by fewer than two thousand soldiers and just over a dozen warships. It’s ridiculous.” As he spoke, a trace of anger appeared on Villa’s face.

“Villa, calm down,” Ouwert said, forced to placate his agitated adjutant. “You know our country has far too many colonies around the world. We can’t possibly station large forces everywhere. And you also know my term ends in less than three months. Even if the Company sends reinforcements, that will be the next governor’s problem.”

Avoiding trouble was a common habit of those in power—more matters meant more headaches. Governor Ouwert had already made enough money; all he cared about now was returning to the Netherlands and living the life of a respectable gentleman. As for troubles that wouldn’t arise immediately, he had no desire to concern himself with them.

After calming his adjutant and sending him away, Ouwert sat down, rubbed his temples, and said to his wife, “Belinda, go check on Erin and teach her some upper-class etiquette. Otherwise, when we return to Amsterdam, how will she fit into high society? That would be embarrassing.”

“All right, I’ll teach her,” Belinda replied softly, then swayed her full hips as she left.

Night gradually fell, and Fort Zeelandia, noisy all day, slowly grew quiet.

Fort Zeelandia wasn’t large—about the size of a small county town—but as the saying goes, though a sparrow is small, it has all its organs. Besides the main district where the Dutch lived, there were also areas for the indigenous peoples of Tayouan and the Han settlers who came to reclaim land. Since Chongzhen Year 5, more than a thousand ships traveled annually between Tayouan and the mainland, and the total number of Han migrants crossing between the two exceeded ten thousand. To coastal commoners of the time, going to Taiwan to reclaim land was as easy as a farmer going to the county town for work. Today, the total cultivated land in Tayouan exceeded ten thousand hectares. What was once a barren wilderness had become a vast expanse of fertile fields—a thriving, prosperous world.

However, as the Han population in Tayouan increased, the Dutch colonists grew more wary of them. Beginning in Chongzhen Year 11, the current governor, Ouwert, implemented a “racial segregation system.” Under this system, Han people were forbidden from building houses in Gaoshan settlements and were not allowed to contact or trade with Gaoshan residents without permission. The Dutch even offered bounties in Gaoshan villages: anyone who captured a Han person who had entered a Gaoshan village without authorization would receive five rixdollars. In the Dutch-built cities of Zeelandia and Chikan, a “curfew” was imposed: after nine at night, Han people were not allowed to pass more than six houses’ distance without carrying a lantern, or they would be fined. If a group of Han people walked together, only one lantern was allowed—violation meant a fine. Even if a single Han person carried a lantern but accidentally walked to the edge of Fort Zeelandia, he would still be fined. All these measures had a single goal: to turn the Han into second-class citizens.

But where there is oppression, there is resistance. The Dutch actions naturally aroused resentment among the Han in Fort Zeelandia. Although open conflict had not yet erupted, the seeds of resistance had already begun to sprout. Gong Xiaoman and several of his companions from the First Division of the Youchuan Bureau infiltrated Fort Zeelandia at precisely this time.

June in Tayouan was sweltering. The northern part of Fort Zeelandia was the main district where the Dutch colonists and soldiers lived. The Han settlers and Gaoshan people lived in the southern district, a cramped area of less than one square kilometer that housed four to five thousand people. Ramshackle wooden huts were packed tightly together, and sewage flowed openly through the streets, filling the air with stench. Gong Xiaoman lived in one of these small wooden huts with three Han settlers from Fujian.

“Smack, smack, smack…”

Gong Xiaoman kept slapping mosquitoes as he complained to a young man beside him, “Er Dan, how have you managed to live in this hellhole for years? I’ve only been here a few days and already feel like I’ve been stuck here for years.”

Er Dan, with the typical look of a coastal man—thin build, dark skin—grinned honestly. “What’s the big deal? You get used to it. There’s plenty of land here. Farming here earns good money every year. Last year alone I took six taels of silver back home. If I work a few more years, I can tear down our old mud house and build a big tiled one, then get someone to arrange a wife for me. What more could I ask for?” His face was filled with contentment.

Gong Xiaoman asked in confusion, “Er Dan, why don’t you try your luck in Shandong? There are plenty of opportunities there. I hear they’re recruiting lots of workers, and anyone with strength earns at least one silver dollar a month. Work there for a year or two and you’ll definitely be able to build a house and get married.”

At this, another middle-aged man nearby snorted. “Stop talking nonsense. Where would you find something that good—one silver dollar a month? I’ve heard silver dollars are very valuable now. Back home, one silver dollar can be exchanged for over a tael of silver. By your logic, working there would earn over ten taels a year. If that’s the case, why don’t you go? Why come to this hellhole to scrape by with us?”

“I…” Gong Xiaoman fell silent at once. For him, that question had no answer.

“See? Can’t say anything now, can you?” The middle-aged man said smugly, lecturing him like an elder. “Young people should keep their feet on the ground. Talking about one silver dollar a month—do you really think we’re fools? There’s no such good deal in this world!”

After his lecture, the man took a large gulp of water from a coarse ceramic cup by the bed, about to continue—

“Crash… clatter, clatter…”

A series of chaotic crashing sounds suddenly came from outside, along with faint crying and shouting.

“What’s going on?” The men in the room exchanged looks, then almost simultaneously jumped off the bed, pulled on their shoes, and rushed outside.

When they reached the street, they saw a group of Dutch soldiers in red-and-blue uniforms escorting dozens of men, pressed forward by people wearing gray short jackets. Leading them was a not-very-tall but rather handsome man. Behind them, more than a dozen women in ornate but badly worn clothes stumbled along, while the gray-clad men shouted curses, urging them to move faster.

“Who are these people? Why is this happening?” Gong Xiaoman was startled, but before he could speak, he felt his collar tighten as someone yanked him backward, pulling him under the eaves.

“What’s wrong with you?” Gong Xiaoman turned angrily, only to see the middle-aged man from his room wearing a grave expression. “Xiaoman, don’t say anything. These Dutch are not people you want to mess with. Don’t bring trouble on yourself.”

Er Dan also advised him, “Yeah, Brother Xiaoman, Uncle Gouzi is right. Those Dutch are vicious. And those people in gray—they’re from the Zheng family of Fujian. They’ve killed plenty of our Han folk together with the Dutch. Those people outside must have been kidnapped at sea by the Zheng family and brought here.”

“What’s going on here?” Gong Xiaoman felt he had stumbled onto something big. He had known the Zheng family had dealings with the Dutch, but he hadn’t imagined it ran this deep—that after hijacking merchant ships at sea, they would even deliver people to Fort Zeelandia. What exactly was happening? The doubts in his mind only grew heavier.

Late at night, most of the lamps in the huts were extinguished, but Gong Xiaoman lay awake, unable to sleep. His mind replayed the scene he had just witnessed. His experience and instincts told him that the relationship between the Zheng family and the Dutch was far more than that of ordinary collaborators—it had clearly gone beyond anything he had imagined.

“I must report what I saw.” Gong Xiaoman clenched his teeth, reached into a corner by the bed, and pulled out a small bundle. He crawled entirely under the blanket, opened it, and took out paper, a pen, and a small flashlight. This was a precious item issued to the Youchuan Bureau by the Marquis. The first time Gong Xiaoman saw it emit a bright beam of light without fire, he was utterly stunned—he couldn’t imagine such a thing existed in the world. But it was delicate: it couldn’t get wet, couldn’t be bumped, and couldn’t be used too long, or it would stop shining. Wrapped completely under the blanket, Gong Xiaoman began writing down what he had seen and his own conjectures by the light of the flashlight…

While Gong Xiaoman was writing, Governor Ouwert was receiving an important guest at the Governor’s Residence—the very same grim-looking middle-aged man Gong Xiaoman had seen on the street earlier.

“Oh… Mr. Zheng, welcome. I hear you’ve concluded another big deal recently, is that so?” Ouwert stood up, spreading his arms to embrace the visitor, but the man deftly avoided him.

This refined gentleman was Zheng Yang, a trusted strategist of Zheng Zhilong. He stepped aside slightly and smiled bitterly. “Governor, we Han are not accustomed to such greetings. I appreciate your goodwill, but let us dispense with the embrace.”

“Haha… you Han are just too shy,” Ouwert laughed, not pressing the issue, and sat back down. Fixing Zheng Yang with a sharp gaze, he said, “You Han have a saying: ‘One does not visit the Temple of the Three Treasures without a reason.’ What guidance brings you here today?”

Having dealt with foreigners many times, Zheng Yang was not surprised by Ouwert’s directness. He went straight to the point. “Governor, you surely already know about the battle we fought with the Weihaiwei Fleet some time ago. To be frank, we lost that fight and suffered heavy losses in ships—but what pains us most is the loss of artillery. Therefore, our leader wishes to purchase some twenty-four-pounder cannons from you. The price is negotiable.”

“How many do you want?”

“As many as possible. If we can, we’d like to start with fifty.”

“Oh God… that’s impossible!” Ouwert was shocked out of his seat.