Chapter 380 - Important News

Li Siya disguised herself as a local Southern Fujian woman, her face smeared dark, and wearing a deep conical hat. She followed a few of Guo Huaiyi’s men, pretending to be a hunter selling deerskins in Dayuan, and went to Dayuan together.

Her identity was the “daughter” of one of the hunters. These men were all Guo Huaiyi’s trusted subordinates, who frequently traveled between Dayuan and Bengang, using trade as a cover to spy on the Dutch.

The road from Bengang to Dayuan was now basically safe—at least during the day, Han Chinese immigrants and employees of the East India Company could travel in groups without fear of being attacked by the natives.

Most of the indigenous people on the island of Taiwan were of Malay origin, having drifted from Southeast Asia. Some had only landed in Taiwan during the Tang and Song dynasties. Many of these so-called aborigines brought a custom of headhunting from their distant homelands.

Headhunting was not necessarily for hatred or gain—though hatred and gain were certainly good motivators. Often, it was more about headhunting for the sake of headhunting. The rows of heads on the stakes in the villages were like modern collections, more of a collectible to be shown off. The dried heads served to prove the owner’s courage and strength.

Shipwrecked sailors stranded on the island, sailors fetching water, and Southern Fujian immigrants who landed on the island all became targets of headhunters upon their arrival. Malaria and the headhunting killings of the indigenous tribes made the island of Taiwan a place that struck fear into the hearts of outsiders for a considerable period.

With the increase in immigrants, the establishment of self-defense forces, and the Dutch operations in Taiwan, the natives of places like Sincan began to submit. Incidents of headhunting and murder had become much less frequent, but it was still unsafe to travel alone. Although many farmlands had been developed on both sides of the road from Bengang to Dayuan, there were still large areas of wilderness that were sparsely populated. Neither the Dutch nor the immigrants could guarantee the security of this area.

The Dutch trading post was initially located on the island of Beixianwei, serving both for defense and to guard the Taijiang inner sea. However, for the convenience of trading with the locals, a few houses were built on one side of the Luermen Channel to serve as a trading post, purchasing deerskins and sugarcane, and selling daily necessities, ironware, and salt.

The trading post itself was a brick and stone building. The second and third floors were warehouses used to store the purchased goods. At the entrance of the trading post, Han Chinese and natives from Sincan and other places who were selling deerskins and local products were queuing up on the steps. A large table was placed on the steps, and the deerskins were laid out on it. A low-ranking Dutch commercial officer was responsible for inspecting them and setting a price—deerskin was Taiwan’s most valuable local export besides sugar, and the Dutch attached great importance to it.

The May sun in Taiwan was already scorching. Except for the natives who were, as usual, bare-headed and bare-chested, almost all the Han Chinese wore the common bamboo hats of Southern Fujian, their faces almost completely hidden. Li Siya knew that as long as her face wasn’t seen, there would be no problem. She carefully observed the situation in Dayuan from under her bamboo hat.

Although it was difficult to observe the progress of Fort Zeelandia carefully from this location, she could faintly see that the construction was more than halfway done. Li Siya estimated that it would be fully completed in less than half a year.

More indicative of the Dutch state of alert than Fort Zeelandia were their batteries on Beixianwei Island. The batteries had clearly been reinforced, and the bamboo pole walls erected on the ramparts indicated that the Dutch had recently strengthened their defenses. She noticed that the number of cannons on the batteries on Beixianwei Island had also increased, as had the number of sentries patrolling the island.

Recalling what Guo Huaiyi had said, that the Dutch were recently recruiting a large number of laborers for construction sites, it was clear they were in a hurry to complete Fort Zeelandia to serve as a strongpoint against an Australian attack.

This place was very close to the Japanese village. Li Siya soon noticed a notice posted in Japanese on the bulletin board at the entrance of the trading post. She pretended to walk over for a look and found it was a recruitment order from the Dutch.

The Dutch were recruiting Japanese to enlist as soldiers—this new discovery confirmed her suspicions. She knew the stinginess of the East India Company well; they would never recruit mercenaries for no reason.

Governor Putmans either had a very deep distrust of the Australians or intended to act against them.

However, from the current look of things, in terms of the balance of power in Taiwan, the Dutch were no match for the Australians. It was impossible for Hans Putmans to be so foolish as to take hostile action against the Australians on his own initiative. Besides, he didn’t have the authority to do so.

After selling the deerskins, Li Siya came to Dayuan Street. A simple market had formed outside the Dutch purchasing station due to trade. At this time, there were only a few shops and some small stalls, catering to the local natives and the Han Chinese traders. On the street and in the shops, many of the people coming and going were natives from the local Soulang, Mattauw, and Sincan communities. Having been “civilized” by the Dutch missionaries, they now wore simple clothing. However, many of the natives were drunk, staggering around on the street.

The Dutch shipped large quantities of arrack from Batavia and rum from Lingao, specifically to trade with the natives for furs.

Getting the natives addicted to alcohol was a common tactic of many trading companies during the Age of Discovery. Less civilized natives generally didn’t need many daily necessities. To compel them to trade regularly, one had to focus on addictive goods. Once a native became addicted to alcohol, they became a pitiful wretch for the company to exploit. This scene was playing out everywhere, from the Americas to the Bering Strait and Siberia.

Li Siya had done this kind of business herself and thought nothing of it. She had Guo Huaiyi’s men take her to a more decent tavern. Judging by the people entering and leaving, this place did not serve natives. Those coming and going were all Han Chinese, with occasional Japanese, blacks, and East Indians.

The tavern was bustling with noise, and all the windows were open for ventilation. It was about 70-80% full. Taverns always had a lot of news, especially small ones like this. Judging from the people coming and going, this place not only had Han Chinese traders but also various people serving under the Dutch. One should be able to get a lot of information from them.

Li Siya could speak several languages common on the East Asian seas—even some local dialects. At her signal, her group found a table near a table of drinking Japanese, ordered some food and drinks, and began to eat and drink quietly.

The Japanese were speaking Japanese—they probably thought that since everyone here was Chinese, no one would understand Japanese, so they spoke without reservation. Li Siya quickly gathered a lot of information: including the recently strengthened defenses; the order to increase the reserves of rice and gunpowder in the city and various forts; and that new cannons and matchlocks would be shipped from Batavia.

Then Li Siya heard an important piece of news: a trading ship arriving from Batavia with the south monsoon would be carrying a very important person to Fort Zeelandia.

Although the Japanese had a relatively low status and didn’t know who the person was, from the various preparations they mentioned for welcoming this important person, the visitor was at least a high-ranking employee of the East India Company, equivalent to a member of the Council of Batavia, or possibly some important person from the Netherlands itself.

This news immediately piqued Li Siya’s interest. The sudden arrival of this important person clearly had a significant purpose. If she could find out who the visitor was and what their purpose was, she might be able to use it to her advantage.

After leaving the tavern, Li Siya immediately decided to stay the night in the area to investigate the matter thoroughly.

There were simple inns in the market, which were of course inconvenient for Li Siya to stay in. Fortunately, Guo Huaiyi had people in the area specifically responsible for gathering intelligence and receiving personnel, so she stayed at their house.

“Are there prostitutes active near Dayuan Street?” she asked her attendant immediately after settling in.

“Yes, there are many prostitutes on the street. Both Han Chinese and natives…”

“Whose business do they do?”

“They do business with everyone.”

“Are there any who do business with the red-haired men?”

“Not on the street. But there’s a tavern over at the Beixianwei Island dock. They’re all ‘saltwater girls’—some Han Chinese, some black. Occasionally there are even ‘ghost girls’ (Western women). They specialize in doing business with sailors from the ships, and the red-haired men from the city often go there too.”

Li Siya knew that the “black people” the Han Chinese referred to included both black slaves from Africa and natives from the East Indies. Black people were rare in East Asia, and black women even more so; it was more likely that they were Southeast Asian native female slaves brought by the Dutch from Batavia.

“As soon as it gets dark, find a way to get me onto Beixianwei Island.”

“I understand!” The attendant had been instructed to follow all of this woman’s arrangements.

“When I want to return, I will signal with a light on the shore. You send a boat to pick me up.”

“That’s easy,” the attendant said. “The boat doesn’t need to go back. There are many reefs over at Luermen, and the water is shallow. The red-haired devils never patrol there. I’ll hide the boat among the reefs. You just give a whistle from the shore, and I’ll come out to meet you.”

After it was completely dark, Li Siya and two attendants quietly came to the shore, where a small boat was already prepared. Li Siya, wrapped in a black hooded cloak, leaped lightly and landed on the boat.

“Let’s go.”

The small boat glided quietly across the water—this was the Luermen Channel, where large ships could not pass, so it was rarely frequented. The small boat soon crossed the channel safely and came to rest among the chaotic reefs on the shore.

“Wait for me here. If I’m not back before dawn, you go back and report to Chief Guo immediately,” Li Siya said, observing the situation on the shore.

“I understand.”

Li Siya quietly went ashore. It was not far from the dock, which was dark with only a few lights still on. She had already asked for the location of the tavern and made her way there.

She carefully avoided the sentries near the dock and took off her cloak next to a pile of goods. She was wearing a European-style cotton dress, which she had deliberately torn in some places, and her hair was disheveled and hung loose. She tore off a strip from the hem of her skirt, revealing part of her lower leg. Then she quickly took out some rouge from her pocket and applied it to her face and lips, then used a charcoal pencil to draw her eyebrows and line her eyes.