1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 280 Annan Ruan's Ambition

Christopher Mandane, the senior representative of the Dutch East India Company in the Kingdom of Cambodia, quietly looked at the short old man opposite him, waiting for his response.

Ruan Xingyi's cloudy eyes seemed to glance at Christopher Mandane inadvertently, feeling rather displeased.Although the Dutch red-haired fan spoke extremely reasonable words, his attitude seemed a bit condescending.

As the official of the Annan Ruan family, Ruan Xingyi had many dealings with Ming Dynasty officials, Cambodian officials, and Champa officials, and even met Japanese, Portuguese, and Spaniards.But for the Dutch, he has never been able to reciprocate closeness.They all seem a little arrogant, and they always think that the Annan people are like the natives on those islands in Southeast Asia.

They may not know that we Annan people have been bathed in the cultural influence of the northern dynasty for thousands of years and received the enlightenment of Confucian morality. We are a civilized country with a strong cultural atmosphere.It's not like you Western vassal states, red-haired and green-eyed ghosts and animals who don't know etiquette.

"I still need to report this matter to my great king (Lord Annan Ruan, who calls himself the King of Guangnan), and I will give you an answer after discussing with the courtiers." Ruan Xingyi said casually.

Christopher Mandane couldn't help being stunned after hearing the words translated by the interpreter.When you want to meet me, your officials need to report to the superior, and then make a decision after discussion.

When you meet and negotiate, if you encounter a major problem in everything, immediately stop the negotiation and say that you need to report to your supreme ruler.But the problem is that it has been more than a month since the negotiation, and you need to ask for instructions on every question.Don't you, as negotiators, have no authorization?

In the waters near Xinsheng Island, Dutch merchant ships were intercepted and attacked every week, even every day, and the lives and properties of the East India Company were being lost.According to the governor's plan, in the middle and late February, a squadron will be sent to the waters of Xinsheng Island to annihilate the interception fleet deployed by Nicholas.

If, at that time, you Annan people have not agreed, or you have agreed but are not ready to attack the army.Wouldn't that make our Dutch fleet ships waste time here.

"Then, my lord, when can you give me a clear answer." Christopher Mandane said impatiently: "You know, if you attack that small island one day later, their preparation time on the island will be reduced." Add one more day."

"There are no more than two thousand people on that small island. My Annan Ruan family has tens of thousands of troops and thousands of warships. Once the troops are sent out, they will be wiped out at once." Ruan Xingyi said: "Your envoy will wait a few more days, After we discuss it, I will reply to you as soon as possible.”

After finishing speaking, Ruan Xingyi got up and left with several subordinate officials.Christopher Mandane looked helplessly at several companions around him, shook his head and smiled wryly.

At this time, in a hall of the Guangnan Palace in the city of Fuchun (Hue), several members of Annan's Ruan family were discussing whether they should be invited by the Dutch to go to the south of the Kingdom of Cambodia to break a small island.

"The remote island has no production, and it is useless to seize it." Ruan Shaoqing, the uncle of King Guangnan, the ruler of Ruan at this time, obviously disagreed with the Dutch to attack Xinsheng Island. The danger of Ming Dynasty."

"Although the island is full of Ming people, according to reports from the fishermen, those people are all hungry people who fled from the Ming country and lived on the island. Confidently said: "The Hanzhou is thousands of miles away from our Annan, and the population is only tens of thousands. It is estimated that it was built by a pirate force from the Ming Dynasty. Sending troops to attack it will not have the risk of angering the Ming Dynasty."

"Is that Dutchman really willing to take that small island away from us again?" Li Fudao, Minister of Rites, said, "The barbarians are untrustworthy, and with their huge ships and sharp cannons on the sea, I'm afraid they will It’s easy to make empty promises to us.”

"The Dutch came from afar, relying on the advantage of boats and the power of artillery, but their population must not be abundant. And that small island is very close to Guangnan, so they dare not occupy it." Ministry of War Minister Ruan Jingsi said: "Besides, we seized that small island, which can form a pincer attack on Cambodia and Champa."

Ruan Fulan, King of Guangnan (Annan Ruan Lord), slightly raised his head to look at Ruan Jingsi, and his heart was also moved.

"However, after taking that small island, how do we replenish and maintain it?" Ruan Shaoqing asked.

"Those Ming people are only more than a thousand people, and they can still occupy that small island, not to mention that our Guangnan Kingdom is very close!" Huang Yuantao, the commander of the navy, said: "On weekdays, the navy patrols Champa and the waters of Cambodia. Just supply the island with supplies.”

"I heard that the Ming people on that island have a lot of firearms. Seizing them can strengthen our military strength in Guangnan. Its population of more than a thousand can also supplement the newly occupied southern territory." Ruan Jingsi, Shangshu of the Ministry of War said: "The Ming people are resistant Hard work is the best labor for farming."

"Since the Ministry of War has decided to seize that island, have you ever planned to send troops?" Guangnan King Ruan Fulan asked softly.

When everyone heard King Guangnan's question, they immediately understood that Lord Ruan had already intended to capture that small island.

"It is planned to dispatch two thousand armored soldiers and 150 naval warships to seize the small island quickly with a thunderous strike," said Ruan Jingsi, Shangshu of the Ministry of War.

Ruan Fulan, the king of Guangnan, nodded slightly. Two thousand soldiers should be regarded as a lion fighting a rabbit for seizing a small island occupied by more than a thousand people.

"Why does Your Majesty insist on seizing a small island in the south?" Ruan Shaoqing asked after the ministers left the palace: "Although that small island is very close to Cambodia, it is separated from us by Champa. Strength!"

"Uncle Wang doesn't know something. Seizing that small island is not only for accountability and punishment for the unprovoked bombardment of our navy by the Ming people on the island last year, but also for the thousand-year national fortune of our Guangnan Kingdom." Guangnan King Ruan Fulan said seriously: " The kingdom of Cambodia has been attacked by Siam one after another, and its decline is inevitable. And the Priangodi (near Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), which was acquired by Guangnan more than ten years ago due to marriage, is just taking advantage of this to manage the key points of Cambodia And that small island is located in the south of Cambodia, and it can echo with Priangodi. Moreover, it can also use that small island as a base to curb Siamese forces from penetrating into Cambodia.”

"However, we haven't even completely subdued the merger of Champa, so how can we go all out to manage Cambodia?"

"Uncle Wang, people without long-term considerations must have near-term worries!" Guangnan Wang Ruan Fulan said: "There are more than a thousand Ming people on that island now, and there may be more in the future. Letting it develop may not be able to threaten me in Guangnan, but after all Adding a new force will add a little bit of uncertainty to my future strategy in Guangnan. Now that the Dutch Red-haired Fan is willing to join hands with me to capture that small island, it happens to be easy to do, wouldn't it be easy!"

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Yang Guanen looked enviously at the sailors of Zheng's fleet walking into the gate of Xinsheng Castle with bulging pockets.They were all sailors on duty, sailed to the pier of Xinshengbao, and then invited each other to enter the city in twos and threes.

As a transshipment station for immigrants from Hanzhou, Xinshengbao has a kind of abnormal prosperity.Some of the immigrants who arrived and settled here in the early days, based on their previous skills and trades, quickly opened various small service businesses in the city in less than two years.

Small tea shops, small restaurants, bathhouses..., as well as small stalls such as shaving, shaving, and mending in the streets and alleys, and even large cloth shops, grain stores, hotels, and restaurants.Of course, the last few are service facilities run by the Xinsheng Island government.

In addition, more than a month ago, more than 1000 people from Zheng's fleet arrived, and there were more gambling stalls, prostitutes and other venues in Xinsheng Castle.These are naturally done by several officials in charge of Xinshengbao.Freed up a dozen immigrant houses, made some gambling equipment, recruited a dozen immigrants who knew how to make a living, and started this gambling stall.

As for prostitutes, because there are few well-known women on the island, if they want to make a living, they can only turn to pimps from the Kingdom of Cambodia on the opposite mainland.They organize local native girls to come to the island to do business, and Xinshengbao collects fees based on headcount.

The Zheng family's fleet was here, plundering the passing Dutch merchant ships and sharing the stolen goods. The sailors were extremely rich, and couldn't bear the loneliness, so they came to the island for entertainment.

Hu Pingjiang used almost all the money accumulated on the island to buy food, cloth and other daily necessities.Through the transportation of Zheng's fleet, they filled dozens of grain depots in Xinsheng Fort and Zhaoming Fort on the island, hoarding enough grain to feed more than [-] people on the island for more than a year.

Considering that the Dutch might collude with the Annans to seize the island, Hu Pingjiang mobilized more than 2000 people and built several small forts between the two castles, all of which were equipped with artillery.In this way, all the forts and mobile armed forces on the island can achieve mutual support and cooperation, and the enemy's activity space can be compressed to the maximum extent.

After inspecting the island's defenses and inspecting the training situation of Minzhuang, Hu Pingjiang couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for the arrival of the Dutch and Annan people.

In the face of such a defense, how many people does the enemy need to send to drive us out?Even if 5000 people come, they are probably here to give away their heads.

"Pingjiang, your defense should be able to block the attack of the Dutch?" Qi Dahai asked: "After all, you don't even have a dock fort here."

"Without forts, the Dutch can still bleed dry on the island!" Hu Pingjiang was full of confidence.

"That's good." Qi Dahai hesitated for a while, and said with some embarrassment: "A few days ago, I asked Chen Hui, and he said that if the Dutch attacked aggressively, the Zheng family's fleet would withdraw directly. You have to ...to face the Dutch alone."

"I know, I didn't expect the Zheng family to help us guard the Xinsheng Island." Hu Pingjiang said, "Whether it's the Dutch or the Annan people, they can't take advantage of our Xinsheng Island. "

"While we... Zheng's fleet is still here, what else do you need to help you with?"

"Food, oil, salt, medicine and other daily necessities, the more the better." Hu Pingjiang said, "It's best if we can get more doctors. If there is a fight, there will inevitably be casualties."

(End of this chapter)