Zhu Cixiang's words made Anthony startled. He asked Maier who was beside him, "Are the Donglu from the Qing Dynasty in the north? What happened to them?"

Maier is a China expert who has been stationed in Taiwan all year round. He explained: "My Lord Governor, the Eastern Barbarians are the Qing Dynasty and the enemy of the Ming Empire. They occupied the northern border of the Ming Dynasty. Five or six years ago, Tsar Mikhail of the Romanov Dynasty

I sent people to occupy the Far East, but the Qing Dynasty did not expel them. This is what the crown prince should be talking about."

"I see."

Anthony nodded. He did not intend to delve into this issue. The north occupied by the Qing Dynasty was a very cold place and the economic development was not good. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty did not open up the newly occupied Korean Peninsula except for purchasing firecrackers.

Doing business with them is not only troublesome, but also very laborious. Last time Japan confiscated 3,000 muskets, the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty actually demanded compensation from the East India Company!

Just kidding! The East India Company only robbed others. When did it ever compensate them when doing business?

However, the resolute attitude of the crown prince of the Ming Empire made Anthony deeply uneasy.

But when it comes to negotiation, you need to take your time and negotiate the price bit by bit.

Anthony smiled slightly and said: "His Royal Highness, you have misunderstood. We have longed for your country for a long time and are very willing to make friends with the Ming Dynasty. We hope to contribute to the prosperity of Dongfan together."

Maoxiang, the minister of Honglu Temple, said: "Contribution? Where is your contribution? Unscrupulous plundering, or barbaric and ferocious robbery?"

Anthony shrugged his shoulders and said: "Ri, please don't be so harsh. It was we who developed the southern part of Dongfan and turned it into a beautiful treasure island. I am here today, hoping to cooperate sincerely with the Ming Empire.

Benefits shared.”

Maoxiang said righteously: "I would like to remind your Excellency the Governor that as early as the Three Kingdoms period, Emperor Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu Dynasty ordered generals Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi to lead thousands of soldiers to cross eastward to develop Dongfan. Since then, we

The Chinese have never stopped developing Dongfan!"

Maoxiang pointed to Zheng Zhilong next to him and said, "Especially Mr. Nicholas next to you. He led the Han people to the east more than ten years ago and worked with the Gaoshan people to open up Eastern Fan for more than ten years.

Dongfan is what it is now, but how could it have been without the contribution of you Dutch people?"

Anthony blinked his gray-blue eyes and smiled: "I don't think you can deny the facts. Taiwan's prosperity mainly benefits from our free trade, isn't it?"

Zheng Zhilong couldn't stand listening anymore and said: "Don't put gold on your face. Our Zheng family does business with more than a dozen countries at sea. Taiwan's development has benefited from our merchant ships. You are not the only one."

Anthony smiled and said: "Mr. Nicholas, you haven't told me yet, why are you here?"

Zheng Zhilong rolled his eyes and said, "You can't fucking care!"

Maoxiang came out and interrupted: "Mr. Anthony, you have also heard that we have always had trade relations with you, but please understand that you are doing business in the territory of the Ming Dynasty and have no right to collect taxes from the Chinese."

Anthony pretended to be stupid and said: "My men are very restrained. As far as I know, we have never violated the interests of the Ming Dynasty court, nor the interests of the mountain people."

Cheng Guoxiang, the Minister of Taxation, frowned and said: "Not only did you privately build castles in Dongfan, but you also levied heavy taxes on the Han people and mountain people in Dongfan year after year. Tell me, does this not harm the interests of the court? This does not count as infringing on the mountains.

The interests of the people?”

Anthony didn't know who this old guy who came out halfway was, but judging from his position and momentum, he didn't feel like an ordinary person.

He did not dare to offend, so he lowered his attitude and said: "We Dutch people have different cultural backgrounds from yours. A little misunderstanding is inevitable. What I hope for is a fair trade environment. I am not here to have grudges with you, but

I hope normal trade can resume."

Zhu Cixi said calmly: "Stop talking nonsense. If you want to trade with me, the Ming Dynasty, you must abide by the Ming Dynasty's rules."

Anthony said repeatedly: "That's right, that's right, we will definitely abide by the rules."

Zhu Cixiang was a little dissatisfied with his teasing attitude and said, "I think you haven't understood my thoughts yet, right?"

Anthony smiled nonchalantly and said: "The Crown Prince's mind is as deep as the Minhai Sea. How can I possibly understand it?"

This stupid Hongfan ghost was still pretending to be stupid. Zhu Cixiang said bluntly: "The Ming Dynasty will station troops in Dongfan and Dajuan."

Anthony smiled and said: "Dongfan belongs to you, you can come and go freely. I, Anthony, came here mainly to listen to the teachings of the Crown Prince."

Mao Xiang and others were not sure why Anthony's style suddenly changed. Only Zhu Cixiang knew clearly that the red-haired ghost was retreating in order to advance and wanted to buy time.

At this time, there were not many Dutch troops stationed in Dongfan, no more than 600 people. Currently, there are only more than 3,000 Dutch troops stationed in Asia.

The Netherlands is currently busy with religious wars in Europe, and if they want to increase their troops in Asia in large numbers, they will have to wait until the Thirty Years' War is over.

However, the current Netherlands is not Spain, which is in decline. They are in a period of rising national power. More than half of the tens of thousands of merchant ships in global trade fly the Dutch tricolor flag. Historically, the mid-to-late seventeenth century was basically the era of the Dutch.

"Sea Coachman" is not called "Sea Coachman" for nothing.

It was not difficult for Zhu Cihong to defeat the Dutch in Dongfan, but the strength of the Dutch at sea should not be underestimated. They were capable of counterattack.

Once they occupy the entire Dongfan and expel the Dutch in the south of Dongfan, Batavia will definitely dispatch its navy to recapture Taiwan and the Spanish in the north.

Whether it is the Jinghai Fleet or the newly reorganized Pingfan Fleet, they can only rely on supplies from the mainland and operate in offshore areas, and they do not yet have the strength to compete with the Dutch Navy.

Historically, Zheng Chenggong fought for a long time to regain Taiwan. He was favored by the goddess of fate several times. The reinforcements from Batavia were still delayed, which allowed him to successfully regain Taiwan.

Now Zhu Cixiang's main energy is at home. At this time, he does not want to build another strong opponent behind him.

In a few years, the Royal Navy of the Ming Dynasty will be able to form combat effectiveness. At that time, it will be the time for the Ming Dynasty to become famous all over the world.

The current situation can best be solved through exchange of interests and negotiation. If the foreign devils insist on not handing over Dongfan, they will have no choice but to start a war.

I am a great Ming, no matter how difficult the situation is, I must face it head on!

Zhu Cihong was still somewhat confident about the negotiation. After all, the Dutch colonial activities in Asia were under the jurisdiction of the Dutch East India Company. Since it was a company, it had to make money.

Although the Dutch East India Company also carried out wars, plunders, killings and conquests in overseas colonies, the only criterion for measuring success and failure was how much trade it increased and how much income it brought to the company.

But as for how many battles were won, how much land was conquered, and how many colonies were established, it was all in vain for the Dutch East India Company. What merchants valued most was money, not military exploits.

The purpose of the Dutch occupation of Taiwan was also to have a hub for commercial trade with China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula and Southeast Asia, so that they could better conduct trade activities.
Chapter completed!