Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 73 Dutch East India Company

On July 7, the eastern sky gradually turned white, as if nature's brush gently painted a layer of light bright color on the sky.

Where the sea and the sky meet, a flash of white gradually expands, like a bright band of light dancing on the sea level.

The waves swayed gently, and as the morning light gradually turned white, the ripples on the sea surface seemed to be sprinkled with countless sparkling gems, shining brightly.

The sea breeze, with its salty and humid scent, blows across your cheeks, making you feel fresh and cool.

A huge sailing ship was slowly approaching from a distance, its sails dyed bright white by the rising sun, shining brightly.

At this moment on the sea, everything is so peaceful and beautiful, as if the whole world is immersed in peace.

Last night, a not-so-intense battle ended in just over an hour. After the pirates failed to hijack the ship, they dispersed very quickly and efficiently during the night.

However, the "Break the Wave", which had been on high alert all night, had not yet relaxed its nerves, but when it sailed outside the Pearl River Estuary, it suddenly discovered a new situation.

Two galleons flying the "VOC" flag were hovering in front, and the black muzzles exposed on both sides of the ship emitted a cold and dark light.

Dutch East India Company!
The atmosphere on the "Break the Wave" suddenly became tense, and the crew members looked at each other in confusion.

Could it be that the pirates who entangled with them last night were in cahoots with the Dutch?

By the way, last night, three pirates who broke through the barbed wire fence and climbed over the side of the ship were caught. After being tortured and interrogated, they did not reveal that there was an ambush ahead!

My goodness, two armed sailing ships are blocking the mouth of the Pearl River!
"Two more sailing galleons were discovered about eight kilometers southwest!" The lookout loudly reported the new discovery.

Oh my, four armed merchant ships, forming a pincer attack, preparing to blockade the Pearl River Estuary?!
Are the Dutch targeting our "Breaker", or do they have other goals?

The problem is, we don’t think we have ever met the Dutch.

There shouldn't be any conflict between them, and they wouldn't have to block us here specifically.

Could it be that the Dutch are targeting the Ming Dynasty?
Preparing to launch a military strike on the Guangdong coast in retaliation for the other side expelling them from Penghu?

If that's the case, that would be a bit embarrassing!
Four armed merchant ships dared to block the mouth of the Pearl River, obviously trying to bully the Ming navy because they couldn't do anything to them.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty navy seemed to have become extremely rotten, and there were few decent warships to fight against these European colonists.

Later, it seemed that Zheng Zhilong and some pirates were recruited, and with the help of their maritime power, the vast maritime territory of the Celestial Empire was consolidated and maintained.

The target of the "Breaking Waves" was Macau on the left bank of the Pearl River Estuary. It planned to purchase a batch of cannons and muskets, but four armed merchant ships of the Dutch East India Company happened to be blocking the way to Macau, one in front and one behind, blocking its entry into the port.

How to do?
These four galleons are not like the pirate ships that posed no threat last night. They are armed ships equipped with dozens of cannons. If they were to engage in battle, the Wavebreaker might not be able to be hurt with its thick hull.

But cannonballs have no eyes. Once a fight breaks out, whether it injures crew members or immigrants, it is unacceptable.

"Prepare to start the fuel turbine!" Luo Zhenhui took a deep breath and ordered in a deep voice.

"Yes, Captain!"

Although the purpose of these four Dutch ships was unknown, they looked like they were not good people and could only start the engines at the cost of the limited fuel and rush through the enemy's blockade at a rapid speed without any hesitation.

“…the other party sent out a small boat!”

“…The boat is flying a white flag!”

"...The boat is coming towards us!"

At this time, the lookout reported the enemy's movements again.

"Wait, don't start the motor for now." Luo Zhenhui held up a telescope and watched as the Dutch armed merchant ship opposite lowered a small boat and two sailors were rowing hard towards this side.

Well, this red-haired devil did not launch an attack immediately, but sent a small boat. He probably came here to negotiate or inquire.

Perhaps, the other party’s target was not the “Breaking Waves”.
-
As the distance got closer, the surprise on Lieutenant David Klassen's face became more and more intense.

Not only is the ship huge in tonnage, but its entire hull also has an incredible length-to-width ratio. The bow is slightly upturned and equipped with several small triangular sails.

The hull was painted with a layer of blue-gray paint, blending perfectly with the blue sea. Several huge sails were half-hoisted, and more than ten sailors were clinging to the sails, probably ready to operate the sails at any time.

However, there were no obvious gun ports on either side of this giant ship. It was unclear whether the cover was tight and seamless, or whether there was no gun deck at all.

After being pulled up by the enemy sailors with a soft rope ladder, Lieutenant David Clason took a look around the deck.

Well, it's really strange. There are six cannons on the deck of this ship, and the operation room is very low. There is no tall tower like the European ships.

There were four or five people standing opposite him, looking at him with scrutiny.

Except for one person with European features, the rest all have oriental faces.

Ok?
Could this ship be a warship of the Ming government?
Or, some powerful Eastern maritime power?
"Greetings! On behalf of the East India Company, I'm issuing a war warning to you all." Lieutenant David Clason took a deep breath and spoke solemnly. "This sea area is currently in a state of war. To prevent accidental injuries or being passively drawn into the conflict, which could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings, we, the East India Company, request that you leave this area immediately."

After saying that, he glanced at the other people again, waiting for their reply.

However, for a moment, they looked at each other, then at him blankly. Oh, damn, I should have brought an interpreter.

They don't understand!
What should I do?
"Mr. Lieutenant, do you understand Spanish?" The European-looking man on the other side, after whispering with his companion, stepped forward and looked at him with a playful expression.

"Huh?..." Lieutenant David Klassen looked at the other party in astonishment and stammered in Spanish, "Are you... Spanish?"

"Yes, I used to be... a Spanish." Xavi's mouth twitched slightly.

"You're Spanish!" Lieutenant David Klassen glanced at the men with oriental faces standing beside Harvey. "Then you belong to..."

Damn the Spanish!
"We belong to..." Harvey glanced at Luo Zhenhui and saw him shake his head slightly. He immediately understood, "We belong to a powerful northern kingdom."

"A powerful northern kingdom?" Lieutenant David Klassen was shocked and couldn't help but look at the men with oriental faces seriously.

Their bronze skin, tall stature, calm temperament, and the strong hostility in their eyes made him feel a little tricky.

Are they warships of the Ming Navy fleet?
Are they going to intervene in our conflict with the Oysterglass Portuguese?
"Are you going to Oyster Mirror?" Lieutenant David Klassen stared at the expression on the other person's face.

"Yes, we are going to Oyster Mirror." Harvey nodded.

"Hiss..." Lieutenant David Klassen's heart tightened.

Hadn't the Ming government previously made it clear that it would not intervene in the dispute between the East India Company and the Portuguese?

More than 6 days ago (June 17), the East India Company mobilized four armed merchant ships, carrying armed mercenaries, preparing to attack the Portuguese-occupied Oyster Bay again.

However, this battle was still not very smooth, just like the previous two.

Well, actually, it was a crushing defeat.

After dropping anchor and landing at a place avoiding the main coastal defense battery of Oyster Mirror, the 800 mercenaries encountered many unexpected troubles while completing the basic formation.

First, the Portuguese defenders of the cannon fort in the center of Oyster Mirror Island suddenly opened fire from a high position where they could overlook the entire island.

Although the first round of artillery fire was only for adjusting the aim and calibrating the firing direction, and did not cause any harm to the East India Company mercenaries, it still frightened the soldiers who lacked heavy weapons, and the entire team fell into extreme chaos.

Next, it was the turn of the Portuguese armed volunteers and their armed slaves.

Especially the latter, whether they were from East Africa, India, or Malaya, they were all extremely excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Although many people only had halberds or swords and shields in their hands, they still roared and roared as they charged towards the East India Company mercenaries.

These mercenaries who lived on wages were stunned by this desperate fighting style, became timid, and kept retreating.

At this moment, the Portuguese artillery defenders launched an indiscriminate bombardment on the battlefield. For a time, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and there were heavy casualties. The mercenaries were forced to "move" to the beach first.

Unfortunately, as the armed slaves pursued them closely, the mercenaries' retreat quickly turned into a rout, creating a chaotic and extremely ugly scene.

If the four armed merchant ships anchored on the seashore had not opened fire at the right time, these 800 mercenaries would probably have been wiped out.

It's so embarrassing!

The Portuguese counterattack force numbered less than 300 people, but they defeated the East India Company mercenaries, which were twice as many in number. More than 200 of them died and fled back to the sea in a panic.

The commander of the team, Lieutenant Colonel Marco van Osch, was ashamed and angry, and was very unwilling to give up.

After gathering the defeated soldiers, they did not leave. Instead, they swam around the mouth of the Pearl River outside Haojing Harbor, blocking the Portuguese and preventing them from coming out.

It was early summer at this time, and the Portuguese would send several merchant ships to Japan for trade every year at this time.

The Dutch wanted to use this to blockade the oyster cage and prevent the Portuguese from trading, hoping to trap them to death.

There is no other way. Since we cannot defeat you Portuguese on land, we will use the sea combat mode that we are best at to restore the last bit of dignity of the East India Company.

During these days, no matter whether it was merchant ships from the Ming Dynasty or merchant ships from Siam, Champa, Malaya and other places, any merchant ships that wanted to enter Haojing were blocked by the Dutch and were not allowed to enter.

As for merchant ships that wanted to leave Oyster Bay, the Dutch only allowed ships from third countries to leave after careful screening.

After more than half a month of blockade, the entry and exit of Oyster Mirror by sea was basically banned, which made the Portuguese helpless and could only sigh in despair.

What made the Dutch even more gratified was that the Ming government remained neutral on this matter. It neither sent troops to support the Portuguese nor sent envoys to question the Dutch's war actions, nor did it express any dissatisfaction with their blatant blockade of the Pearl River Estuary.

It seemed as if all this had nothing to do with them!
However, what they didn't expect was that early this morning, such a huge three-masted sailing ship sailed out of the Lingdingyang, appeared in front of them, and was heading for Haojing.

What’s even worse is that the ship claims to belong to a powerful northern kingdom.

Isn’t there only one powerful kingdom in the north, and that is Ming?
"Excuse me, were you invited to Oyster Mirror by the Portuguese?" Lieutenant David Clason asked tentatively.

"Invitation?" Harvey thought for a moment and shook his head. "No one invited us. We're just going there to buy some necessary supplies. Excuse me, you Dutch people, won't allow us to enter the Oysterglass?"

(End of this chapter)