I

Liu Hanyi knew that General Lu Song was a black man, but now that he saw him, he was as black as coal.

"General Iron, thank you!" Liu Hanyi said with a cupped hand.

Tie Hong also returned the gift with a cupped hand: "It's easy to say that they are all serving the country. It just so happens that I have been idle for a long time. Luzon has three thousand garrison troops, leaving three hundred to garrison in Manila and another two hundred to garrison in Tortoiseshell City. I can take two Thousands of people are fighting against you.”

"Two thousand people are enough." Liu Hanyi said.

Zhang Huangyan suddenly said: "There are thousands of Japanese ronin in Luzon. Most of them are employed by Han landlords to look after their homes and homes. Many of them fled Japan alone. They don't even have the money to marry a wife in Luzon. As long as they promise to give a wife With indigenous women as wives, and those who have done meritorious deeds given land, these ronin will definitely join the army enthusiastically, and they will not even be given military pay."

"That's great!" Liu Hanyi, like Han Xin, also sent more troops, the better.

Zhang Huangyan and Tie Hong temporarily stayed in Luzon to recruit Japanese.

Liu Hanyi went to Taiwan to persuade the naval generals there in the name of an imperial envoy.

In fact, Taiwan also has an army stationed there, with 500 soldiers in Taipei and 500 soldiers in Tainan. They mainly fight against the headhunters in the mountains.

Rogue bandits such as Zhang Xianzhong and Sun Kewang have developed into large villages in the mountain valleys. They worked hard to open up the mountainous areas and established a piece of land. Officials and immigrants came in, and they were able to keep part of the land themselves. In order to pay less stepped taxes on their land, the bandits were frantically giving birth to children. Zhang Xianzhong alone had 16 children, most of whom were born to local concubines.

Liu Hanyi visited Tainan and Taipei, and not only successfully persuaded the navy to dispatch, but also borrowed 200 army troops in Taiwan.

Zhang Xianzhong's brother-in-law, Ding Chang, opened a shop in Taipei County and engaged in leather goods business. After hearing the news, he immediately sent someone to report the news in the mountains. Unwilling to be left alone, Zhang Xianzhong came with hundreds of peasants and soldiers, intending to gain status through military exploits - he wanted to be the mayor of the town.

"Liu Tiantian, one-third of my hundred or so peasant soldiers are brothers who fought in the north and south. The remaining two-thirds also fight against the headhunters all the year round. I guarantee that all of them will be good!" Zhang Xianzhong's chest made a snapping sound.

Liu Hanyi looked at this famous "Eight Thieves" curiously. He probably had become a big landowner and his life was more prosperous. Zhang Xianzhong had obviously gained weight.

But he is still very strong, and can be described as big and round.

Fei Ruhe is recruiting Li Zicheng's troops in Hetao. Since Li Zicheng can be forgiven, it seems that there is no taboo in using Zhang Xianzhong to fight.

Liu Hanyi asked: "Why did Village Chief Zhang take the initiative to join the army?"

Zhang Xianzhong chuckled and said: "People in the Ming Dynasty don't tell secrets. First, it's boring to fight with the natives, and I want to go to Batavia to do some tricks. Second, I want to make meritorious service and become the mayor. The prefect and county magistrate are afraid of things and don't dare to let me be the mayor." . If you have achieved meritorious service, please ask the angels to say a few kind words in front of His Majesty. The third is to consider for your children and grandchildren. Although my children can enter school, they are not qualified to be civil servants after graduation, let alone go to Nanjing to become officials in the imperial examination. If I succeed in this battle, please ask Your Majesty to grant me a place in the imperial examination. The fourth child of my family is smart. He studied in primary school and ranked first in the examination every year. It will be great if he can take the imperial examination in the future."

Liu Hanyi couldn't laugh or cry when he heard that the dignified Eight Kings were now working hard to be the mayor of the town and took the initiative to fight for one of his sons' imperial examinations.

In fact, Zhang Xianzhong is very satisfied with his current life.

He now has a group of wives and concubines, three of whom were brought from Hubei, and the remaining concubines are all indigenous women. Although she is an aboriginal, she is also beautiful and has a unique charm. With more than ten children, Zhang Xianzhong was even more proud. His Zhang family was able to spread its branches in Taiwan and become a wealthy family.

He has thousands of acres of land under his name, most of which is still subject to high stepped taxes. But as long as all the children are adults and the property is divided equally among the children, those stepped taxes can be exempted. It is nothing more than a household registration for more than ten people.

Zhang Xianzhong's current ideal is to have more children, let his children have more children, and then continue to explore the mountains and forests. In a few decades, the Zhang family will have thousands of acres of land!

It would be great if his son could take the imperial examination and become an official and have connections in the court.

Liu Hanyi smiled and said: "Village Chief Zhang is dedicated to serving the country, how can I refuse? Let's wait for the Luzon army to set off together."

Liu Hanyi continued to sail to Guangdong, persuaded the navy there to send a few warships, and then went to Palembang and Malacca. Zhang Xianzhong sent people south and called Sun Kewang, who was waiting with more than 80 peasants and soldiers.

Liu Hanyi made appointments with various armies and kept gathering along the way. Now he gathered his troops in Guangzhou, and then headed south to Palembang collectively.

Malacca's army will also be waiting in Palembang.

Palembang is only 900 miles away from Batavia by sea. It can be reached in a blink of an eye by boat, like a sharp sword at the throat of the Dutch.

Liu Hanyi arrived in Malacca by ship. Not only did he borrow two warships and one hundred land troops, but he also learned the latest news about the Dutch fleet.

After the Dutch occupied Nambawa, they attacked Sukadana and forced the country's Sultan to surrender.

Today's Kalimantan, Brunei, Sulu and the Sultanate of Sanfa are vassals of China. The Sultanates of Nambawa, Sukadana and Banja are vassals of the Netherlands.

There is also the Landak Sultanate, which is most suitable for farming and has a natural harbor, but it still maintains its independent status. The Dutch didn't like it at all, because they could only farm land and didn't produce much spices, so they couldn't make much money from it.

After the situation stabilized, the Netherlands left part of the army to guard the gold mines, and the rest of the troops returned. There are also two ships that transport hundreds of troops to Ceylon to replenish the castle's troops to prevent the Portuguese from coming back. At the same time, they also replenish food for the castle in Ceylon.

Currently, half of the Dutch East India Company's troops are stationed on the east coast of India and Ceylon, half are stationed in Batavia, and sporadic troops are distributed on small islands rich in spices.

Liu Hanyi immediately came to Palembang and soon met Governor Kuang Hong and Wu Liangfu, the governor of the Governor's Mansion.

Wu Liangfu, the eunuch who killed Dayu'er and Shunzhi, was promoted by Zhao Hanchao because he actively requested to work overseas. His official position was equivalent to the director of the Palembang Governor's Office. He also adopted a Han orphan in Palembang and married a wife to continue the Wu family's legacy.

"Palembang can send a hundred troops," Kuang Hong said. "The Han people in Palembang can recruit at least a thousand volunteers. But it is best not to recruit. Most of these Han people believe in green religion, and the conversion to Taoism is very slow. In Before large-scale conversion, I will not allow them to serve as soldiers, even as volunteers. They can go to the Banten Kingdom to recruit servants. The Banten Kingdom is eager to drive away the Dutch."

Liu Hanyi shook his head and said: "No, the Bandan people cannot break through Batavia, so they often plunder the surrounding Han farms. This war requires the local Han people to provide food. If the Bandan people are recruited as servants, Batavia will definitely be triggered." The dissatisfaction of the Weyhan landowners.”

Kuang Hong smiled and came up with an idea: "After encircling Batavia, we can divide one or two hundred troops to go to the Buriangan (Bandung) area to incite the Matalan nobles there to rebel. Last time, the Netherlands helped the Matalan Sudan pacify In return for the rebellion, Briangan has been ceded to the Netherlands. There is a Dutch castle there, which is relatively crudely built. I heard that there are only a few dozen garrisons. The Netherlands is preaching everywhere in the Briangan area, and missionaries also occupy a large number of land, including Matalan. The aristocratic landowners were very resistant.”

Liu Hanyi clapped his hands and praised: "As long as we confirm that we have surrounded Batavia, the Matalan noble landowners in Brian's Island will definitely raise troops again. There is no need for them to help attack Batavia. After these people rebel, the war will move towards Spreading to the east, the entire Matalan Kingdom will be ruled by the rebels. In this way, Batavia will be surrounded by the sworn enemy Banten Kingdom to the west and the Matalan Kingdom filled with rebels to the east. Batavia will become an isolated city. , we can safely and boldly carry out the siege without sending extra people to the coast to incite."

To be on the safe side, Liu Hanyi went to the neighboring country of Johor and borrowed 1,500 Johor troops, whose combat effectiveness was worrisome.

Two months later, the various armies met in Palembang.

There are more than 40 large and small ships, 2,000 Luzon Army, 800 Japanese Ronin, 200 Taiwan Army, 220 Taiwan Peasant Soldiers, 100 Malacca Army, 100 Palembang Army, and 1,500 Johor Soldiers. The total strength of the Army reached 4,920.

On the Dutch side, there are more than 20 large and small ships and more than 1,200 Dutch troops.

However, there are more than 2,000 Dutch and Dutch-mixed civilians in Batavia, and it should be possible to temporarily recruit thousands of militiamen. There are also slaves who can also form temporary armies. There are also more than 2,000 indigenous servants who can be brought to the battlefield to fight. Counting all the garbage soldiers, the number is about the same as that of the Chinese army.

In fact, when the navies of Guangdong, Taiwan, and Luzon gathered together and marched south from Guangzhou, they were discovered by the Dutch when they reached Singapore.

Carl Rainiers, the governor of Batavia, immediately guessed the goal of the Chinese army. While he ordered troops from all over Southeast Asia to assemble, the merchant ships that had not yet left the port were temporarily incorporated into the navy, and the army troops guarding the Nambawa gold mine were also recalled. On the other hand, two more merchant ships were sent around the southern part of Sumatra Island to call for reinforcements from India.

At the same time, an envoy was sent to Palembang, hoping to resolve the crisis peacefully.

The envoy was the writer Neuhof, who had dealt with the Datong Army in Malacca and whose painting of the Nanjing Glazed Tower spread to Europe.

When Neuhof saw Liu Hanyi, he asked: "The Netherlands and China signed the Treaty of Batavia, and we have a ten-year truce. Why is China sending a large army to Palembang now? Is China going to break its promise and tear up the treaty?" ?"

Liu Hanyi took out the canonization edict and the gold seal of King Nambawa, and angrily said: "Nambawa is already a vassal state of China. The Netherlands has broken the treaty by conquering Nambawa!"

Neuhoff argued: "No, your canonization document has not yet been sent to Sultan Nambawa. Before China completed the canonization, Sultan Nambawa had surrendered to the Netherlands. Now Nambawa is a vassal state of the Netherlands, and we are not The treaty was not broken."

Liu Hanyi corrected: "King Nambawa has already presented his credentials to China. When the credentials are accepted by the Emperor of Datong, Nambawa will already be a vassal state of China!"

Neuhoff no longer dwells on this issue: "It seems that this is just a misunderstanding, and it can be resolved without force. The Netherlands can withdraw its troops from Nambawa. How about jointly mining the Nambawa gold mine with the Netherlands and China?"

This little Dutch teddy really wants everything.

Batavia is almost under attack, and is still unwilling to completely hand over the gold mines. It also wants to jointly develop gold mines with China.

Liu Hanyi sneered: "Do you think this can make me withdraw my troops?"

Neuhoff continued to make concessions: "Since China is unwilling to give up its gold mines, the Netherlands is willing to give up its gold mines and promises not to get involved in the Nambawa gold mines in the future."

"My 30,000-strong army came from afar, and you want me to go back without firing a shot?" Liu Hanyi exaggerated the strength of the troops six times.

Neuhoff wanted to delay and said, "Why don't I go back to Batavia first and ask the governor to compensate you for part of your country's military expenditure? Could you please give me a price? How much will it cost to make up for the loss of sending troops?"

"Fifty thousand taels of silver!" Liu Hanyi said loudly.

If the Netherlands was really willing to pay so much money, Liu Hanyi would retreat without saying a word, which would be enough for him to get a lot of credit.