Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 661

The war that took place on the island of West Java not only involved Beihai Town, the Dutch East India Company, and various sultanates, but also all the forces on the Malay Peninsula were paying close attention.

Since the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Portuguese and the Dutch have successively invaded Southeast Asia and colonized the entire economic circle around Malacca.The political struggle that lasted for more than 200 years made the originally unified Malay Peninsula region split into many small states.

Kedah, Kelantan, and Dingjanu in the north are controlled by the emerging Siamese Chakri dynasty; although Perak is an independent state, it is often attacked by Kedah from the north and Selangor from the Bugis in the south; Selangor is an independent state of the Bugis people; further south is the loose federation of small states of the Minangkabau people. The rule of the Luo Kingdom was increasingly separated from the control of Johor; because the Sultan of Johor was driven to the Rione Islands by the Dutch and the Aceh people, he engaged in pirate activities with the encouragement of Sultan Mahmud. The fierce king ruled.

Every country is a world of its own, and most of their residences are built along a main river. The so-called capital is almost the same as a village, except for a few more palaces and mosques of the Sultan.These villages and towns will be located near the mouth of the river.The ruler used the terrain of the river to control the entry and exit of the subjects, organize defense against foreign enemies, and collect toll taxes and import and export taxes.

In the history of another time and space, the split created by the Portuguese and the Dutch made a wedding dress for the British.When the VOC collapsed, the British in Penang quickly seized Malacca and Temasek, thereby controlling the main sea lanes for East-West trade.

In this 200-year chaos, the Chinese are not conspicuous. First of all, the Fujian-Guangdong Chinese, who are divided into groups by region, are already very closed and exclusive.In the 50th century, immigrants from South Asia began to mine tin mines and farm. They planted pepper in Terengganu and betel nuts in Liau to produce betel nut paste. During the Bacheng massacre more than 10,000 years ago, a large number of Fujian and Guangdong immigrants fled from Java to the Malay Peninsula.Up to now, the total number of Chinese from all over the Malay Peninsula is almost [-]+.

July 1793, 7, Malacca City, at three o'clock in the afternoon.

22-year-old Zeng Youliang, wearing a bamboo gown, came out of the Governor's Mansion on the west bank of the Malacca River, hurried across the suspension bridge, and headed straight to Chinatown on the east bank.When I met someone I knew well on the way, I just nodded and passed by.When he came to a temple with upturned eaves, he saw four big characters "Flying from the South China Sea" written on the mountain gate, and a group of dragons was carved on both sides of the gate.Among the white walls and red tiles, various mythological and animal statues are piled up on the dovetail-shaped eaves, which are shining and gorgeous in the sun.

Here is the Qing Hoon Ting, a Chinese Buddhist temple that plays the role of "political-religious compound" in the city of Malacca. It is also the earliest dojo in Southeast Asia with Chinese monks stationed in tin. It is also the first Avalokitesvara in the history of Malaya. Dojo.The main buildings in the temple are all made of nanmu, and the inside and outside are painted with raw lacquer, which is black and red and shiny.Among them, Avalokitesvara is enshrined in the main hall, Mazu is enshrined in the left altar, and Guan Gong is enshrined in the right altar.Behind the main hall is the court where the Chinese Jiapitan works.

In 1673, Zheng Fangyang, the first Chinese in Malacca, and his successor, Li Weijing, jointly built this temple. For 120 years, Cheng Hoon Teng has become the center for the Nanyang Chinese to maintain the belief of Guanyin in Han Dynasty by virtue of the hub advantage of the city of Malacca.

As for why a Buddhist temple is called "Ting" instead of "Temple", it is mainly related to the two Chinese Jiapitan who were planning to build it at that time.At that time, most of the Chinese residents in Malacca City were engaged in maritime trade and local business. In their view, if a person became rich through business, he would be on the way to the top of the sky.

Interestingly, although this is a Buddhist temple, every year when the Waking of Insects comes, there will be a special ceremony of "beating villains".

Zeng Youliang entered the mountain gate, first bowed to the Guanyin statue at the entrance of the main hall, and then walked around to the court behind.When I entered the door, I saw Jiabidan Chen Qihou, Lei Zhenlan Cai Shizhang, and Chen Qihou's younger brother Chen Yi talking.

"Mr. Dexin, something serious happened!"

The 45-year-old Chen Qi said without raising his head, "Cheng Xiang is here, what happened? Tell me."

"The navy of King Zhao of Beihai Town defeated the Dutch fleet five days ago on Qiandao, north of Bacheng. Sixteen warships were either sunk or captured!"

"This is true?!" The three people in the room were shocked when they heard the words, Chen Qihou raised his head and looked at Zeng Youliang in amazement, the ink on the brush in his hand dripped onto the file, staining a large area black.

"Ouch!" Cai Shizhang, who was on the side with sharp eyes, hurried forward to wipe it with rice paper.

"It's absolutely true. I just went to the governor's mansion to deliver the deed. I passed by the governor's public house. The door of his house was not closed. He was yelling at the commander of the city defense angrily. Many people heard it!"

After Zeng Youliang finished speaking, he said meaningfully: "Mr. Dexin, it seems that the Dutch are going to die, and we have to make plans early."

The 42-year-old Cai Shizhang, the second eldest among the three, raised his hand to stop Zeng Youliang. He went outside and said to an officer standing on the corridor: "Ah Shui, go and guard the door. If someone comes , let him wait first."

After his subordinates left, Cai Shizhang turned around and said, "Cheng Xiang, it's too early for you to say that. What is this loss to the Dutch? It's just a drop in the bucket! They have hundreds of big ships in the whole Nanyang! Besides By the way, you also saw it when the Dutch troop carrier passed by a few days ago, it was not thousands of people, but tens of thousands!"

Chen Qihou stroked his beard and thought for a while, then asked Zeng Youliang, "Cheng Xiang, who else did you tell this to?"

"I didn't tell anyone else, I went straight here after I came out of the city hall."

Cai Shizhang waved his hand and said, "Okay, let's keep this to ourselves, and don't talk about it everywhere. As the saying goes, having big feet and wearing big shoes, these things are beyond our control."

Chen Yi on the side also chimed in: "Yes! If you don't know, nothing changes. Cheng Xiang, you are still young. Since ancient times, victory and defeat have been commonplace in military affairs. It's just a naval battle. Even if King Zhao has a few big iron ships, Is it possible to compare with the fleet of the Dutch with their sails like clouds?"

Zeng Youliang was originally very interested, but he was quite upset when he was hit with a gun and a stick by the two, so he retorted: "I don't like the way the Dutch are arrogant all the time. In my opinion, they This time, I will definitely fall into a big somersault."

Although Cai Shizhang was dissatisfied, Zeng Youliang's father was also the former Jiapidan, and he always wanted to save face when he said something, so he continued to persuade: "Cheng Xiang, no matter how much trouble there is in Java, it's none of our business. Even if Beihai Town wins, I think both sides will suffer if they fail. Last time, the King of Zhao won easily, but he caught the Dutch by surprise. This time they pulled tens of thousands of troops to avenge their revenge. .”

Zeng Youliang was silent when he heard this, and didn't know how to refute for a while.At this time, I heard the voice of the servant Ah Shui from outside: "Master! The Governor's Mansion sent someone to tell the two masters to go to the Governor's Mansion to discuss matters."

Chen Qihou said in a deep voice, "What's the matter?"

"The man didn't say anything, he just told the two masters to go over as soon as possible."

"Ask him to sit in the porter for a while, and we'll go there."

Chen Qihou and Cai Shizhang looked at each other in surprise, and said that they were allowed to go to the Governor's Mansion at this hour, which seemed to be something serious.The two of them didn't dare to neglect, went to the next door to change their clothes, got on the sedan chair when they went out, and left with the people from the Governor's Mansion.

The Governor's Mansion of Malacca City is inside the Malacca Castle, and the Castle is located at the foot of St. Paul's Hill on the left bank of the Malacca River, facing the sea.The castle was built by the Portuguese in the early 16th century, and expanded after the Dutch took over.The entire castle is 1400 yards in circumference, with six towers equipped with cannons, four gates, and a ditch leading to the strait.Now only VOC staff and free Dutchmen are allowed to live in the castle. After dark, the drawbridge will be closed by soldiers and no one is allowed to approach.

Chen and Cai hurriedly followed the people from the Governor's Mansion across the suspension bridge. After a simple check by the guards, they soon met the Governor-General of VOC in Malacca, Abraham Kupeles.

In the era when the Dutch ruled Southeast Asia, Malacca was only a county under the management of Batavia, and all military and political affairs were controlled by Batavia.After Beihai Town defeated Bacheng, Malacca City became more important because it guarded the strait, and it was placed under the direct jurisdiction of the Governor-General of Ceylon.

Kupeles' expression was ugly, he raised his hand to pick up a letter, and said in a deep voice, "Look, it was delivered this evening. It's a very important matter, and I ask you to keep it secret after reading it. It cannot be disclosed to outsiders."

"Your Excellency Governor, please rest assured that both of us are citizens of Malacca, and serving in the court is also serving the Governor's Mansion."

Although Chen Qihou and Cai Shizhang were surprised, they hurriedly made a promise.Kupeles listened, and then handed over the letter.Chen Qihou opened it and saw that it was actually written in Chinese.Looking up again, my heart skipped a beat.

"Guo Xuexian, Commander of the Second Squadron of the Northern Navy, is telling His Excellency Abraham Kupeles, the Governor of Malacca: Your fleet in the Java Sea has been wiped out by our side, and more than a thousand officers and soldiers from Major General Kabien have become prisoners. The ground offensive on Java Island has also been thwarted by our side one after another. At present, the remaining defeated troops have fled to Serang and Wandong.

On behalf of the Northern Navy, I issue an ultimatum to you, requiring you to hand over the city of Malacca within 24 hours. All defenders lay down their weapons and leave the city to surrender. At that time, we will guarantee the safety of the people in the city.If not, our fleet will bombard Malacca Castle, don't say it's unpredictable! July 1793, 7 at 4:13 PM. "

Chen Qihou was dumbfounded after reading the letter.Cai Shizhang, who was next to him, waited for him to finish reading, and then took it over to take a look, and was also dazed.This is clearly an order to surrender!The content inside is just one sentence, you are given 24 hours to surrender unconditionally, if you disagree, you will fire!
"When was this letter sent?"

"Three hours ago."

It turned out that in the afternoon, a single-masted sailboat bearing the flag of the Sultan of Johor sailed into the Malacca River from the open sea. As soon as the Malay captain on board landed, he found the captain of the guard at the port and said that there was a letter from the Northern Navy. It needs to be handed over to the governor immediately.When the captain of the guard heard that it was a letter from the Beihai Navy, he hurriedly led the captain into the castle.When Kupeles received the letter and opened it, he found that it was written in Chinese. After asking the translator to translate it, he knew that something was wrong, so he immediately asked his subordinates to call Chen and Cai over.

"It has been 15 years since I was appointed by the company to be the governor of Malacca City. I have always treated the Chinese people equally and got along well with each other. Of course, I have done a lot of dealing with some of the company's unreasonable systems. , but there is nothing you can do about it. If this crisis can be passed, I will distribute more tax-included items to you."

In the tone of Kupeles' speech, the usual domineering and superior attitude was completely gone, which made Chen and Cai feel a sense of elation in their hearts.

It is said that since VOC colonized Southeast Asia in the early [-]th century, if it were not for the participation of a large number of Chinese laborers, the Dutch alone could not carry out large-scale urban construction, making Malacca and Batavia and other places picturesque.

However, in the immediate aftermath, tens of thousands of immigrants were lured to the plantations and mines in Java and Malaya to work like slaves.Poor working conditions led to severe malnutrition in many people, and those who escaped unbearably were often flogged to death.In the eyes of the Dutch, Chinese laborers deserve to be treated like this, because they are originally pariahs in their own country.

Since the Bacheng massacre, the Dutch rule over the Chinese in Southeast Asia has become more stringent.The taxes paid by the Chinese are the highest among all ethnic groups; people of Chinese descent must wear traditional Chinese clothing, including men who must wear braids; Chinese from all over the country are only allowed to live in designated Chinatown areas.Every time they left Chinatown, they had to apply for a difficult-to-obtain permit; in addition, the VOC, in order to ensure their rule and authority, strictly prohibited Chinese and Dutch marriages.

Fueled by discriminatory treatment by the colonial government, Chinese merchants, who always provided better and faster services at lower prices, were often described as poisonous snakes, hyenas or vultures, full of images of cunning and conspirators.Although they have lived in this land for more than 100 years, they have always been regarded as outsiders.

Chen Qihou and Cai Shizhang went through the initial shock, listened to Kupeles' words, and then recalled the contents of the letter from Beihai Township. Both of them couldn't help thinking that the era of Chinese in Malaya has come!

However, the scheming Chen Qihou knew that at this time, he could not be careless. If the Dutch jumped over the wall in a hurry, it would be a catastrophe for the more than 1000 Chinese in Malacca, so he quickly cupped his hands and said: "Yes, yes. Your Excellency Governor and I have known each other for many years. We are all grateful to the people of Chinatown for taking good care of us all the time."

Cai Shizhang also quickly said: "Your Excellency Governor has something to order, and we will definitely do the work of dogs and horses for the people of Hecheng."

Kupeles nodded in satisfaction, and then said: "I'm looking for you two, I have something to ask for your help. First of all, I want the people in Chinatown to live in the castle tonight. There are not many Chinese in Malacca. , There are still many empty rooms in the castle, which are easy to accommodate.”

"Ah!" Chen and Cai's complexion changed, and they thought that this is obviously to use the Chinese as a shield, which is too wicked!
There was a sinister smile on Kupeles' face: "What? Is there any difficulty?!"

"Your Excellency, it's getting late now, and the furniture has already rested, it's better to go back tomorrow morning."

"No! It must be done tonight! Colonel Molerus is already gathering troops, and you must assist."

How dare Chen and Cai refuse to agree, the so-called human-made swordsman, if they dare to say "no", catastrophe will come immediately!
"Second thing, I will appoint the two of you as negotiators for the city of Malacca, and I will take a boat to negotiate with the commander surnamed Guo tomorrow morning."

"I would also like to ask the governor to show me, what should I talk about?"

"Try to delay the time. I might as well tell you clearly that the 6000 troops led by Governor Overstraten and His Excellency Altyn are besieging Batavia, and Beihai Town has less than [-] troops there. Although we are in A loss at sea does not affect the overall situation. Do you understand?"

Chen and Cai, who knew nothing about war, wiped the cold sweat off their foreheads with their sleeves, and hurriedly said, "I understand, I understand."

(End of this chapter)