Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 310 The Benefits of War

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The Qiongzhou Camp expeditionary force returned victorious, and the entire city of Lingao celebrated. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge knew that from this moment on, the Qiongzhou Camp was no longer a local tyrant content with its limited territory, but a hegemon spanning the four seas. From Japan to Southeast Asia, the entire East Asian seas belonged to the Qiongzhou Camp.

Upon returning to Lingao, Liu Ye summoned the high-ranking officers of the Qiongzhou Camp to the Nanyuan Council Hall. The war was over, but how to clean up the mess, eliminate potential threats, and reap the benefits of the war were questions that required collective wisdom and careful consideration.

First, there was the issue of how to conclude the war. Putmans asked with a worried look, "Your Excellency, I have written the letter according to your wishes. Can I return to Dayuan now?"

Liu Ye replied, "That's no problem. I keep my word. After we defeat Zheng Zhilong, I'll let you go back. But you must deliver a message to me: the East India Company must withdraw from Chinese waters and abandon its stronghold in Taiwan. You can retain the trade routes with Japan and Europe, but all the goods must be under my control, and I will set the prices."

Putmans' eyes widened in disbelief: "Are you sure Batavia will agree to such harsh conditions? I admit your fleet is powerful, but doing so will only force the company to start a new war!"

"If you want war, I'm ready anytime. But once it starts, I won't just take Fort Zeelandia; I'll also attack Batavia and drive the East India Company out of Asia completely," Liu Ye said firmly. "What do you think of Taiwan compared to the Central Left? Under our offensive, Zheng Yiguan couldn't even hold out for a day. Not only was his entire fleet wiped out, but his base was also destroyed. And your fleet in the Far East can't even defeat Zheng Yiguan..."

Putmans immediately deflated upon hearing this. A defeated general has no reason to boast of his bravery; after all, they had lost at Liaoluo Bay. He said somewhat unwillingly, "But Fort Zeelandia is the most fortified bastion in the Far East, not comparable to Zheng Yiguan's small stockade..."

Liu Ye scoffed: "Let's not even talk about how I can break through Fort Zeelandia. Even if I couldn't, wouldn't I be able to besiege it? Besides the sea route, what other ways do you have to resupply? Can you ask the local natives for help? And how long can you hold out after the siege?"

Putmans was utterly defeated and speechless. Fort Zeelandia had only a few hundred soldiers; the rest were officers' families, the elderly, women, and children. Once besieged, no matter how long they could hold out, they would eventually run out of ammunition and supplies. Forget about seeking help from the indigenous people; these people harbored deep hatred for the Dutch and would only take advantage of the chaos to loot and kill.

He was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "But I can't guarantee that Batavia will accept such conditions. Besides, although I haven't been officially relieved of my duties, the naval defeat means that resignation or dismissal is only a matter of time. I may not be qualified to deliver such a message..."

“At least you’re still a senior executive now. Even if you’re fired, you’re still the former executive. Your successor won’t know more about Far East affairs than you do, so you still have a say,” Liu Ye said. “As for whether the East India Company will accept such conditions and let your subordinates talk to you, you might have a different opinion.”

Van Bommel understood and advised, "Sir, my new boss's fleet possesses strength beyond your imagination. What you saw in the Battle of Liaoluo Bay was just the tip of the iceberg. Putting aside everything else, with cannons capable of firing 59-pound explosive shells, the entire East India Company fleet is no match for them. Abandoning the Far East is a wise choice."

Putmans was dumbfounded. A cannon? A 59-pound explosive shell? This completely overturned his understanding. However, Van Bommel was an excellent soldier; he certainly wouldn't lie, and all of this must be real. Suddenly, he could understand why Zheng Zhilong's entire force had been wiped out in a single day.

After thinking for a long time, he said helplessly, "Okay, I don't think I have a better choice. I will do as you say, but I will leave everything to Batavia to decide."

Liu Ye nodded: "Very good, you go and rest first. I will arrange a ship to take you back to Taiyuan tomorrow. I'll give you a month. You must give me an answer, otherwise I will start a war, attacking Taiyuan first, and then Batavia."

After seeing Putmans off, Liu Ye smiled and said to everyone, "Now it's time to talk about how we can enjoy the benefits of war. How should we control such a vast ocean?"

Yan Guang spoke first: "I heard that before the war, Zheng Zhilong had already begun distributing Zheng family flags to merchant ships. Large ships pay 3,000 taels of silver annually, and small ships pay 2,000 taels of silver. Ships that do not fly the Zheng family flag are not allowed to go to sea. There are thousands of merchant ships traveling to and from the Fujian waters. At this rate, the annual sales of flags alone will amount to hundreds of thousands, or even millions of taels. Why don't we follow suit?"

Everyone clicked their tongues in amazement; this was truly making money while lying down—the money came far too easily.

Liu Ye disagreed. In his view, this method was somewhat primitive, and the development and utilization of the gold mine was not thorough enough. "I have an idea, you can help me consider it and fill in the gaps."

He pondered for a moment and then slowly said, "The Zheng family has fallen. It's not that we can't sell flags on their behalf, but we can change the way we collect money. Instead of based on the size of the ship, we can designate a place where all merchant ships must enter the port to inspect the goods, assess their value, and then pay taxes proportionally. My idea is to initially set it at one-tenth of the tax."

This idea had been proposed during his first visit to Mu Tianyan, the Governor of Guangdong. However, times had changed; the Qiongzhou Camp lacked its current strength, and the maritime situation was uncertain, so Mu Tianyan rejected it. Now, things were different. Even without government support, the Qiongzhou Camp could do it on its own—Zheng Zhilong forced merchants to abandon Yuegang, the only legally recognized port by the court, and instead trade at Zhongzuosuo Port, without any government backing. If he could do it, the Qiongzhou Camp could do it even more easily.

Sun Yuanhua cautiously said, "Isn't this too radical? The tax on land-based merchants in this dynasty is only one-thirtieth. Imposing such a heavy tax on maritime merchants is probably inappropriate..."

Liu Ye smiled and said, "Mr. Sun, setting aside the pros and cons of the current dynasty's commercial taxes, you've forgotten one thing: the current dynasty has a maritime ban. Apart from Yuegang, which was opened during the Longqing era, theoretically, all merchants sailing from other ports are breaking the law and are considered smugglers, not protected by the government or the law. Even ships sailing from Yuegang are not allowed to go to Japan according to regulations; if they go there privately, they will be punished for 'colluding with the Japanese'—in reality, nine out of ten Fujian merchants are going to Japan, and the government is well aware of this but powerless to stop them. Now, Yuegang has been abolished after Zheng Zhilong's repeated attacks, and the only legal port is gone. So, what's wrong with me collecting taxes from these unscrupulous smugglers based on my own abilities?"