1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 84
I don't know what method Ludwild used to "demand" the one hundred flintlock guns already equipped by the mercenaries in Batavia.Then it was sent to the dock together with the gunpowder pellets.

It is said that Army Commander Pete Kuruts was furious because of this, claiming that the actions of some "businessmen" would sooner or later endanger the stability and development of the East Indies colonies, and would also be an invisible damage to the operation of the East India Company.

In this regard, Ludwig just smiled contemptuously, "A soldier whose brain is occupied by his muscles knows how to run a company! It's so ridiculous!"

Regarding the disputes within the Batavia colonial institution, Cao Xiong didn't care at all.What he is worried about now is that Hu Wenjin will settle here and choose a location for his business.

With the coordination and help of Kapitan Su Minggang, a Batavian Chinese, Cao Xiong rented seven or eight warehouses not far from the pier.It is planned to leave five brothers for Hu Wenjin to help him buy supplies in the market and guard the warehouse.

When Cao Xiong learned from Su Minggang that some East India Company mercenaries in the city can also temporarily accept private employment to protect your personal safety or property safety.Therefore, they discussed with Hu Wenjin that when they left, it was best to hire some German mercenaries to protect the safety of their warehouses.

"Old Hu, you are not here to enjoy the blessings. I want you to learn how to do business with the shopkeeper Zhou, and to accumulate some contacts.... For a long time in the future, we will rely on Batavia to supplement Han All kinds of materials needed by the continent." Cao Xiongyu said earnestly: "Don't make trouble here, but don't be afraid of trouble. If you have a problem that can't be solved, you can go to Mr. Ludwig, but please remember, as a last resort, don't Find him.... Favors are exhausted when you beg others again and again."

"I saved it." Hu Wenjin nodded solemnly, "Master Cao, don't worry, I will definitely build a steady stream of supplementary bases for our Hanzhou here."

Everyone checked the goods and people loaded on the five ships again, as well as the water supplies on the way.They are all old people who have run at sea, and they don't pay much attention to the voyage of more than ten days.Moreover, the next half of the journey is almost all in the sphere of influence of the Dutch, and they are the partners of the Dutch, and they can fly the "VOC" East India Company flag, so it goes without saying that they are safe.

July 29, cloudy, light wind.

Cao Xiong and his party sailed out of Batavia port one after another with five ships, and headed for the open sea with the help of the weak southeast wind.After half an hour, all the sails were opened, turned to the southwest, and returned home.

"Dear Captain!" Second Lieutenant Andrew Florent, the liaison officer sent by the Batavia Fleet, stood in front of Cao Xiong and said seriously: "I think our ships should be regularized, not like this... at will .” As he spoke, he raised his finger and pointed to several Haicang boats in front of the boat.

"How do you say that?" Cao Xiong frowned after hearing what the interpreter said, and asked in a deep voice.

"Our ship has sails of different colors, the sides of the ship have not been cleaned for a long time, and the sailors are also dressed casually... and the operations on the ship are very irregular..." Second Lieutenant Andrew Florent pointed out Cao Xiong and his party one by one. All kinds of deficiencies.

"In addition, our ship has not been named. When operating at sea, it cannot refer to the ship it belongs to. ... Oh, no, this ship has a name, but the hull actually shows that it is the Spanish Santa Cruz No."

"I'm a pirate, not an officer!" Cao Xiong replied impatiently.

"But... aren't we going to act together with the Batavia fleet in the future?" Second Lieutenant Andrew Florent looked at Cao Xiong in astonishment, "I just want to make us stronger before launching an operation." A little. . . . Captain!"

"To become powerful, you need more powerful artillery, more skilled sailors, and even stronger and huge warships." Cao Xiong waved his right hand and said, "It's not what you said, give the ship a name, ship Change the sail into a unified style and color, and it will become stronger!"

"But..., but..., Mr. Captain, unified norms and unified operating standards are also a part of combat power!" Second Lieutenant Andrew Florent watched Cao Xiong turn his head and leave, no longer listening to his ramblings, in his heart There was a strong sense of frustration.

Second Lieutenant Andrew Florent was a marginal figure in the Batavia fleet, otherwise he would not have been kicked to Cao Xiong as a so-called liaison officer.In the fleet, as the boatswain, he has extremely strict requirements on the general affairs on the ship, cleaning the deck, maintaining the sails, maintaining the bottom of the ship...every item will be inspected meticulously, which makes him extremely unpopular on the ship and is considered by everyone Sailor isolated.

The Batavia Fleet, in addition to performing missions to maintain sea power in the East Indies and fight against the enemy, has been engaged in maritime trade and transportation for the East India Company all year round.Rather than saying that the fleet is a company's armed forces, it is better to say that it is the company's backup means of transportation.

This point made Lieutenant Andrew Florent quite critical. He believed that the perennial transportation mission would affect the combat effectiveness of the fleet.After all, a fleet does not often train seriously, but always serves as a means of trade and transportation. When a war breaks out, its combat effectiveness cannot be guaranteed.

After being quiet for a long time, the superior officer also got bored, and drove Second Lieutenant Andrew Florent from the ship to land as a fleet supply officer.Now, he kicked Cao Xiong from land to supervise and coordinate the follow-up actions of both parties.

To be honest, Second Lieutenant Andrew Florent was very disapproving when he arrived on Cao Xiong's ship.A group of rabble, except for this Spanish galleon, the other ships are basically civilian ships without attack and defense.

He believed that he only needed two or three galleons of slightly smaller tonnage to send this huge Spanish galleon to the bottom of the sea.Because, the people on board seem to have not yet mastered the application of the entire ship.There were only a dozen or so Spaniards who were listless and had no will to fight when they operated the boat.

Second Lieutenant Andrew Florent believed that if he could raise the fighting power of this group of rabble to several levels, then the Batavia fleet would be impressed.

Unexpectedly, after saying a lot of constructive opinions, Mr. Captain turned his face coldly, and finally walked away.He clenched his teeth tightly, and the anger in his heart couldn't be increased.Seeing this, the interpreter next to him also left in a hurry.

After sailing for more than ten days, the fleet arrived at Timor Island, and then found a bay, temporarily resting for half a day, and replenishing fresh water by the way.

"Uncle, if one day we have the strength, we can occupy a place on this island, and when we travel to Batavia in the future, there will also be a place to rest and supply supplies." Qi Dajiang came to the big ship where Cao Xiong was, and talked for a while, he pointed Looking at Timor Island in front of him, he said.

"Indeed!" Cao Xiong nodded, "It's only eight or nine days' flight from Batavia, and only four or five days' flight from our Hanzhou. It's a good midway supply point. If I have the opportunity, I will occupy it. !"

"Does this island belong to the Dutch?" Qi Dajiang asked, as for which country it belonged to, he didn't care at all.

"I don't know!" Cao Xiong said, "Later, I'll ask someone to ask our Dutch supervisor. If it belongs to them, let's ask for a supply station. If not, I'll have some strength tomorrow, so I'll take it Already!"

In fact, during this period, Timor Island still belonged to the Portuguese sphere of influence.However, due to limited strength, the Portuguese basically only controlled a few coastal points in the northern part of Timor Island.

"I'm going home soon. I don't know Xiaotian and the others, how are they doing now?" Qi Dajiang turned his head and looked towards the south.

"It shouldn't be a problem, right?" Cao Xiong said, "The aborigines near Jianye City are weak, so it's impossible to threaten them. As for foreign sea forces, I'm afraid they may not be able to find Jianye City."

"Even if something happens, Lao Yu and Xiao Tian can handle it!" Cao Xiong said confidently.

However, at the Jianye City camp not far to the south, at this time, a real crisis was encountered.

(End of this chapter)