Chapter 821 - Li Siya's Report

Governor de Carpentier could scarcely believe that such an enormous ship existed in this world, let alone one constructed of iron. Beyond the sheer impossibility of manufacturing such quantities of steel, there was the even more fantastical rumor that this vessel required no sails—that it could navigate under its own power. In his view, if such a thing truly existed, it was either a miracle of God or, far more likely, a trick of the Devil.

Though rumors circulated everywhere, the Governor remained skeptical. If the Australians genuinely possessed such overwhelming maritime superiority, why would they remain on a desolate island off the coast of southern China? Surely they could simply sail their great iron ship to settle wherever they pleased—in lands more prosperous and resource-rich than a remote corner of Hainan.

But he was more interested in the so-called "Australian goods." Did they truly come from "Australia," or were they manufactured in Lingao? The Dutch East India Company's library contained no records of any place called "Australia." As for "Lingao," they knew only that it was a commercially insignificant small city—one of hundreds, perhaps thousands, scattered across China. The Governor could not conceive of such an obscure place suddenly producing so many novel, high-quality goods.

The Australians of Lingao presented too many unsolved mysteries—which was precisely why he had been willing to spend a considerable sum hiring Li Siya to gather intelligence. The "shopkeepers" never spent money recklessly. Four thousand guilders was a substantial outlay, but it was nothing compared to the value of understanding the future trajectory of maritime affairs in Southeast Asia and the broader East.

Only with sufficient intelligence could the Batavia authorities formulate an appropriate policy toward Australia. Should the Australians become trading partners, or should the Company launch a ruthless attack to destroy this emerging force entirely? Or were there other means to utilize or contain the Australian presence in the South China Sea?

The Dutch East India Company was the world's first "true capitalist enterprise." Its capitalism was thorough and ruthless, built upon the most naked commercial monopolies and the excess profits they generated. The Company was equally merciless toward partners, friends, employees, and enemies alike. It embodied the supremacy of interest. Even among its own senior staff, the VOC was recognized as the power that had most successfully applied the law of the jungle to the East Indies.

For the Governor, the Australians were neither enemies nor friends. What role they would ultimately play depended entirely upon their strength and their position within the broader East Asian trade system.

If the Australians proved weak and incapable of threatening the Company's monopoly, they could serve as suitable trading partners, supplying Far Eastern goods much as the Ming Empire did. But if they proved strong enough to threaten the VOC's dominance, containing them would become a primary objective—just as the Company spared no effort to squeeze out the English in the Indies, strike at the Portuguese in Japan, and suppress Zheng Zhilong along the China coast. The East India Company did not tolerate competition.

"You may go and rest now." The Governor extracted a check from his desk drawer. "Present this to the treasurer to collect your payment. Take a few days to recuperate."

"Thank you, Your Excellency." Gonzalez bowed, accepted the check, and withdrew.

The following day, the Governor carefully studied the German translation of Li Siya's answers to the 125 questions. She had addressed every inquiry raised by the Council; even for questions she answered "unknown," she provided speculations, rumors, and her personal assessments. The Governor concluded that Li Siya's performance more than justified the remuneration she had demanded.

First, she clearly answered the question of who the Australians were.

The Australians were Chinese—this could be confirmed by their language, script, and national identity. However, though they considered themselves "Chinese," they differed vastly from the Chinese in nearly every other respect, possessing an entirely distinct culture, institutional structure, and system of etiquette. Li Siya stated in her report: Their differences from the Chinese are as great as the differences between Europeans and Chinese—perhaps even greater. Furthermore, individuals of European descent numbered among the Australians—at least two or three. According to intelligence, these Europeans enjoyed the status of so-called "Senators."

The "Senators" of Lingao numbered between five and six hundred. Among them, a European-style "Council" system was practiced. Nine supreme councilors held all effective power. But formally, every Senator enjoyed equal political standing, together forming an institution called the "Senate." In theory, all major policies required approval by a majority of this body.

Li Siya wrote: They appear to practice something akin to a joint-stock partnership, for Senators frequently employ words like "shares" and "dividends" in conversation. Disputes over the so-called rights and prerogatives of Senators also occur with some regularity.

"Is this the Australian East India Company?" the Governor murmured upon reading this passage.

The majority of goods the Australians traded were manufactured in Lingao. Li Siya devoted considerable space to detailing the powerful manufacturing capabilities the Australians possessed there. In truth, neither Li Huamei's reports nor Randou's had included extensive descriptions of Lingao's productivity. Li Huamei was generally barred from Lingao's core industrial areas, and the report Randou had provided was itself a modified version, carefully sanitized by the External Intelligence Bureau—the Bureau had no desire for outsiders to grasp the true scale of Lingao's productive capacity. But Li Siya, intent on inciting Dutch aggression against Lingao, had embellished these reports considerably. She portrayed Lingao as a land of extraordinary material abundance, describing the output of Australian workshops in lavish, almost fantastical terms. She concluded with four full pages devoted to the luxurious lives of the Australian Senators: from verified facts to unverified rumors, rendered in vivid detail. The main highlights were their opulent toilets and bathrooms.

Li Siya believed this portrait of rich plunder would be sufficient to ignite Dutch greed and thereby trigger military action against the Australians. The Dutch, of course, would prove no match for Australian arms. A war that consumed both sides would serve her interests admirably.

Sure enough, this florid passage made the Governor's eyes gleam. His ring-adorned fingers drummed against the armrest. But after a few moments, he mastered himself. After all, he was a rational Dutchman; he would not be easily swayed by bombastic Latin rhetoric. In his experience, such extravagance reminded him of the Spaniards' claims that America overflowed with gold and silver: there was truth in it, but they conveniently omitted the immense hardships required to extract those riches.

The Australians of Lingao were certainly wealthy. But the very fact that they could occupy a city within the Ming Dynasty—a realm whose attitude toward foreign relations was notoriously rigid—demonstrated that Australian strength was not insignificant. The East India Company had launched expeditions against China several times in the past, and none had achieved the desired results.

Regarding actual Australian strength, the report indicated that beyond the Senators themselves, the Australians commanded local Chinese recruited from Guangdong and indigenous inhabitants of Lingao. Total population was unclear—estimated between fifty and one hundred thousand. These people served the Australians as servants, soldiers, serfs, and craftsmen.

The precise number of Australian troops was unknown, but estimates placed them at three to four companies of well-trained infantry at minimum—composed entirely of indigenous Chinese save for a few officers. This infantry underwent European-style training and was excellently equipped; their firearms were lighter than any currently employed by European armies yet possessed immense power—surpassing all European light firearms. Li Siya provided detailed descriptions of the Minié rifle and the Derringer pistol. The Australians also possessed artillery of equally excellent quality, though in limited quantities. Li Siya offered extensive descriptions of the coastal heavy artillery at Bopu—including detailed drawings of the battery positions, terrain, and fields of fire. This thoroughness greatly impressed the Governor: Li Siya was an extraordinary woman indeed. His estimation of her rose further still.

Regarding maritime power—the area of greatest concern to the Governor—the Australians possessed approximately one hundred vessels, nearly all of them "junks" gathered locally from Guangdong. Except for a few, their tonnage was not large. They also possessed several European-style ships, along with four iron fast ships reportedly brought from Australia.

Here Li Siya had laid a careful trap. She knew perfectly well the power of the "iron fast ships" from Li Huamei's and Randou's reports, but her own description remained deliberately vague—acknowledging their existence without detailing their actual capabilities. She did not want the Dutch to perceive the Australians as formidable at sea. If the Dutch came to fear Lingao's maritime power, they would never launch a military expedition against the Australians.

Finishing the report consumed the Governor's entire morning. Through it, he gained sufficient understanding of the Australians. Clearly, they were a potent force—but they did not yet possess the capability to meddle in long-distance maritime trade routes. This represented a significant opportunity for the Company. It seemed necessary to establish a trade route between Tayouan and Lingao as quickly as possible.

He unrolled the map on his desk and carefully examined Lingao, which had only recently been marked. Measuring with a ruler, he found that Lingao's location was not so remote after all—at least not in terms of Southeast Asian trade routes. It should make for a decent trading port.

De Carpentier was still pondering when a knock sounded at his door.

"Come in!" He looked up as his attendant entered.

"What is it?"

"The representative of Liu Xiang from Guangdong has arrived. Will you receive him?"

"Of course." De Carpentier nodded. "Show him in."

Liu Xiang had maintained a certain level of cooperation with the Dutch—cooperation born primarily of Liu Xiang's strength. After the Liu Xiang Gang rose suddenly along the Guangdong coast during the final years of the Tianqi era, they had swiftly come to control the waters near the Pearl River Estuary, becoming, for a time, the undisputed overlords of the Guangdong seas. Their expansion into Fujian waters had gradually brought them into conflict with Zheng Zhilong—and the Dutch, for their part, needed a force that could check the ever-growing power of "Zheng Iquan." The interests of both parties had aligned naturally.

(End of Chapter)