Chapter 822 - Ally

The envoy was a middle-aged man. Though he wore respectable traditional Chinese clothing, his hair neatly coiled in the distinctive topknot of a Chinese gentleman, and sported a graceful gauze cap—adornments only wealthy Chinese adopted—the Governor could still detect the unmistakable stench of seawater and rotting fish clinging to him.

The envoy clearly felt ill at ease in his refined attire. De Carpentier noticed him tugging at his collar and adjusting his sleeves from time to time, visibly uncomfortable.

Liu Xiang's representative bowed deeply before him. De Carpentier offered only a curt nod in return. As Governor-General of the East India Company, he considered himself the personal representative of the seventeen directors of the United Provinces. He saw no reason to extend courtesies to pirates of the South China Sea.

"Well then. What new proposal have you brought?"

The envoy's message was a request for Dutch support. Specifically, Liu Xiang hoped the Dutch would dispatch warships from Tayouan to assist him in his coming battle against Zheng Zhilong. He was preparing to launch a decisive maritime campaign against his rival, with the aim—if possible—of destroying Zheng Zhilong's base at Zhongzuo entirely.

Beyond direct Dutch participation in combat, the accompanying requests included cannons, matchlocks, gunpowder, and craftsmen and soldiers capable of using and maintaining European artillery. He could pay for everything. And if the Dutch were willing, he would purchase or lease a few European-style "clamp-board great ships"—complete with the sailors needed to operate them.

This is a substantial request, the Governor thought. Tayouan maintained only two permanently stationed vessels, one of which was merely a yacht. Moreover, he had always been cautious about intervening directly in the Liu-Zheng conflict. After all, most merchants currently visiting Tayouan Port hailed from Fujian. If Zheng Zhilong were angered, he might very well blockade that trade route. Such an outcome would represent a loss far greater than any potential gain.

The relationship between the Dutch and Zheng Zhilong was delicate. First, Zheng Zhilong had defeated Dutch attempts to meddle in Fujian sea trade in 1627, forcing Nuyts—the Dutch representative stationed at Tayouan—to sign a three-year trade agreement the following year. Though this agreement was never fully implemented, the Dutch remained wary of Zheng Zhilong's power. Then in 1630, Putman, the Company's representative, traveled to the mainland to conduct special trade negotiations with Zheng and concluded a new agreement. Since then, the two sides had enjoyed a period of "friendly relations." The Dutch had even provided some assistance for Zheng Zhilong's campaigns to eliminate other warlords at sea, including granting his ships free access to Tayouan Port.

However, the continuous expansion of Zheng Zhilong's power had eventually made him the exclusive middleman for Dutch trade in Zhangzhou Bay. Goods shipped by the Dutch to the Fujian seas could only be sold to the Zheng Zhilong Group; likewise, Chinese goods could only be purchased from the same source.

The East India Company deeply resented this monopoly. Friction had also developed over the Japan trade route. The Dutch wanted to monopolize commerce with Japan, while the Zheng Zhilong Group regarded trade with Japan as their own exclusive domain.

Under these accumulated pressures, the Dutch had long hoped to support some rival force that could strike at and weaken Zheng Zhilong—preventing any single Chinese maritime merchant group from monopolizing coastal trade and thereby opening the door to Dutch free trade.

Supporting the Liu Xiang Gang was a reasonable choice for the Company. Of course, given the fragile state of the Tayouan trade, Dutch support for Old Liu Xiang had always remained rather subtle. Covert aid—cannons, ammunition, and the like—had been ongoing for some time. But providing actual ships was a far more significant matter. The Dutch simply didn't have many vessels to spare in the East Indies.

In sum, the East India Company did not wish to see a decisive battle between Old Liu Xiang and Zheng Iquan. The inevitable outcome of such a confrontation would be winner-take-all. A victor controlling the monopoly on coastal trade from both Guangdong and Fujian would be a nightmare for the Company.

The envoy's message included a litany of complaints: pressure from Zheng Zhilong had become unbearable. After Zheng defected to the Imperial Court and obtained official status, he enjoyed every convenience for activities along the Fujian and Guangdong coasts. He could easily obtain supplies from shore and even receive intelligence and weapons support from government troops. The competition on land had also tilted in Zheng's favor. Both Zheng Zhilong and Liu Xiang relied on shore-based allies known as "Mountain Masters" who provided safe havens and material support. These "Mountain Masters" were half-farmers, half-bandits—not mere brigands, but communities of displaced peasants who had gathered in the mountains to log timber, burn charcoal, and cultivate cash crops. The Mountain Masters not only supplied pirates with materials and safe refuge after landing, but were also the primary producers of cash crops exported by sea merchants, chief among them indigo. Indigo was one of the largest commodity exports from China at the time and a substantial source of profit. After Zheng Zhilong obtained official status, Fujian authorities made clear their support for him. Under such dual pressure, the Mountain Masters' loyalties shifted rapidly—Liu Xiang found fewer and fewer "friends" on shore, threatening both his business and his very survival.

These converging problems had finally forced the Liu Xiang Gang to the decision that a decisive showdown with Zheng Zhilong could no longer be avoided. Comparatively speaking, Zheng's strength had not yet grown too overwhelming. Striking now offered at least a fifty percent chance of success.

A fifty percent chance was hardly an ideal basis for a decisive engagement, but with each passing month, Zheng Zhilong grew stronger still. In the past, he had been merely one force among many on the Fujian-Guangdong seas; now, with Xiong Wencan's backing, he had become the dominant power. And this ascendant hegemon showed no inclination toward "sharing wealth and honor"—he clearly intended to swallow everything for himself.

"Does Old Xiang truly intend to fight Iquan to the death?" The Governor raised an eyebrow, studying the envoy who stood before him.

"Your Honor's perception is sharp! Iquan grows more terrible by the day! That old ghost Xiong Wencan has given him many large ships and numerous Red Barbarian Cannons. He can recruit as many men as he wants in Fujian. When he fights, he doesn't fear losing men or destroying ships. If this continues, our Gang will be dragged to death sooner or later."

The envoy explained that recently Zheng Zhilong's fleet had approached the core territory of Old Liu Xiang in the Chaoshan region multiple times. To defend his heartland, the Liu Xiang Gang had been forced to urgently withdraw from the vicinity of the Pearl River Estuary and concentrate their forces near Chaoshan, preparing to meet Zheng Zhilong's challenge.

Abandoning the Pearl River Estuary was a grievous blow to Liu Xiang—it was his primary source of income. Though he could not monopolize the foreign goods trade due to Portuguese naval patrols, the "passage fees" collected from various coastal trading vessels entering and leaving Guangzhou remained extremely lucrative. Zheng Zhilong's maneuvers had not yet provoked direct naval combat between the two factions, yet they had placed Liu Xiang in an impossible position. He could not risk leaving his core territory near Chaoshan undefended—inviting Zheng to raid his base—just to continue generating revenue at the Pearl River Estuary. But now, forced to consolidate entirely around Chaoshan, the territory he had painstakingly conquered since the end of the Tianqi era would slowly be seized by others exploiting the vacuum. Without territory, there was no money. Without money, there was nothing.

For the Liu Xiang Gang, fighting might not guarantee survival—but not fighting meant certain death. The resources of Chaoshan alone could not sustain the Gang's existence.

De Carpentier understood Liu Xiang's predicament perfectly. Yet he had absolutely no intention of dispatching ships to support Liu Xiang. If Liu Xiang lacked assurance of decisive victory, betting everything on his cause was unwise. Even if Liu Xiang somehow triumphed, Zheng Zhilong's current strength meant he would not necessarily collapse. He would inevitably retaliate by blockading the Tayouan trade route. Providing weapons and personnel, on the other hand, was feasible. The Company had two sailing vessels in truly wretched condition sitting in Batavia harbor: the Alert and the Ardent. These 300-ton brigs leaked so severely they required constant pumping throughout any voyage. Without surplus sailors aboard, they could barely make short runs. But their rigging and armaments remained complete—one carried twelve cannons, the other eighteen. Selling both to Liu Xiang would be a sensible arrangement. The Chinese could repair them; they had no shortage of shipwrights or timber.

But this was not the primary concern. The Governor had to consider another possibility—what would happen if Liu Xiang lost the decisive battle? Zheng Zhilong would inevitably sweep southward into Guangdong waters. The Company's bargaining position with him would shrink even further. Ultimately, they might find themselves reduced to the state of their dealings with Xu Xinsu at Tayouan years ago—when the Company's merchant at Tayouan had been forced to purchase goods at fifty percent above market price.

The Governor's thoughts turned suddenly to the Australians of Lingao. "What sort of people are these Australians?" he asked.

The envoy appeared startled, clearly not expecting the Governor to raise this subject.

"Oh?" The Governor's interest sharpened.

"The Imperial Court has already dispatched a great army to exterminate the Australians in Lingao. They have only a few thousand people in total and not many ships—how could they possibly stand against the Court?" The envoy spoke freely, recounting the full story of Liu Xiang ordering his subordinates to attack Lingao and suffering a stinging defeat. He also described the recent concentration of Ming troops near Guangzhou in preparation for a massive cross-sea assault—Liu Xiang's own withdrawal from the Pearl River Estuary was partly to avoid direct conflict with government forces. Indeed, one of the key factors driving Liu Xiang toward a decisive confrontation with Zheng Zhilong was precisely the impending government campaign against Lingao. With the Australians fully occupied fighting the Ming, they would have no capacity to interfere with him. This removed one concern from his rear.

"...At that time, the Great Shopkeeper didn't realize how powerful their firearms were and miscalculated," the envoy said with studied nonchalance. "In the end, we lost about a thousand men."

(End of Chapter)