I

"negotiation?"

"Yes, the other party is asking for negotiations, probably because they want us to surrender."

"Then let's talk. It can take one day."

No matter how smart Kuang Hong was, he would never have imagined that the Dutch defenders were running out of gunpowder. The Dutch Army's cunning operations caused the muskets to rust and the gunpowder to harden. This situation had occurred in Tainan before, but it was encountered by the Han rebels, and the Datong Army had no knowledge of it.

At this moment, the Dutch defenders were still drying gunpowder.

"Son of a bitch!"

Commander Hendrik was inspecting the gunpowder situation. As soon as he arrived at the place, he couldn't help but swear and shouted the Dutch word klootzak.

He rushed over quickly and kicked the soldier over: "How many times have I told you that hardened gunpowder is not allowed to be struck, but must be slowly ground into powder!"

These army soldiers were all out of prenatal education. They had never fought in a war since joining the army, let alone suffered the consequences of gunpowder explosions.

To be honest, the Dutch were lucky enough. A large amount of gunpowder in the arsenal was damp and might release heat and explode on its own. They have been exposed to "giant bombs" for these years, and not all of them ascending to heaven can be regarded as their ancestors' merit.

Generally speaking, gunpowder that is hardened and damp must be ground and then slowly dried. You have to use the sieve again to filter out the fine powder and prepare it again, so that it can be used normally.

But the air in Malacca was too humid and I couldn’t wait to dry, so I took the risk of baking.

When baking, if the temperature is slightly higher, the gunpowder may ignite.

Hendrick looked at several bonfires, randomly placed gunpowder, and hammers for hammering, and suddenly had the urge to open the city and surrender.

"Second Lieutenant, come here!" Hendrick pointed at a soldier.

Holland's second lieutenant is not a military rank at this time, but a grassroots cadre position, equivalent to the corps commander of the Datong Army, with a little education. The late Governor of Batavia, Van Diemen, first served as an ensign in the navy.

A second lieutenant came running over. His name was Rial, and he could barely recognize the words.

Hendrick instructed: "Whoever dares to hit gunpowder with a hammer again will have his head ripped off and stuffed into the shit!"

"Yes!" Rial held his head high.

Hendrik left immediately, and Rial instantly became sluggish, lying there extremely lazily, and said to the other soldiers: "Grind slowly, and don't knock. The enemy did not attack today, so everyone takes the opportunity to rest."

As soon as this was said, the gunpowder was no longer dealt with, and the Dutch soldiers sat together and started chatting.

The Dutch Marine Corps will not be formed for more than twenty years. In the Dutch army at this time, the navy was the navy, and the army was the army. The navy looked down on the army, and the army hated the navy.

Anyway, the Army does not want to fight tough battles and only likes to bully the indigenous people.

If the plague had not been spread in Tainan, the Dutch Army would not have been able to defeat the Taiwanese natives. How could they be willing to go head-to-head with the Datong Army?

"I heard that we are going to negotiate today. It would be great if it succeeds. With yesterday's replacement salary, I plan to go to the city to drink and find a woman to sleep with."

"When I make enough money, I will open a brothel in the city and go to the suburbs to catch Malay women as prostitutes. Those brothels run by Kelin (Hindu) and Nyonya (mixed-race Chinese) are really easy to make money. I admire them. I’m so jealous!”

"Haha, if you open a brothel, we will help you catch women. How about selling you a Malay woman for 50 guilders?"

"50 guilders is too expensive, 20 guilders at most. There are Malay natives everywhere in the suburbs. As long as you bring a musket, you can catch them easily."

"That idiot Qiao An actually married a wife last year, and she was a Malay woman. Haha, after his wife got pregnant, he even stopped drinking and had to go to work in the city."

"I advised him, why don't you enjoy yourself if you have money? Isn't it good to drink and visit brothels? This fool tires himself to death every day."

"I'm afraid you are all envious, right? After Qiao An got married, he was able to wear clean clothes every day and wash his hair and bathe frequently. He looks as clean as a noble. What about you? You all look like tramps."

"Even if I want to get married, I won't find a Malay woman, I will find a Nyonya from the city!"

"Nonya like you? They are all very rich."

"When the company sends more soldiers, we will establish a foothold in Malacca, and then we will impose heavy taxes on those Nyonya! Let me tell you, I was transferred from Batavia, and the Chinese there have to pay heavy taxes .We Dutch soldiers have many opportunities to blackmail the Chinese. It’s not like here, when we see Nyonya, we still smile at them.”

"..."

on the negotiating table.

Dai Hui, the deputy envoy sent by Honglu Temple, sat at the head of the negotiation, and next to him was Chen Erxun, who assisted him in the negotiation.

Dai Hui was not here to negotiate at all. He said in a commanding tone as soon as he opened his mouth: "You have been surrounded. There are only more than a hundred of you, and you cannot defend Malacca at all. Don't think about reinforcements. Wan Dan's army is attacking Batavia. Batavia is too busy to take care of itself and cannot spare the troops to rescue you. In order to avoid greater casualties on both sides, as long as you surrender immediately, you will be spared!"

This passage was translated, and Sanders was shocked and angry.

Less anger and more surprise.

Is Batavia under attack?

If that were the case, Malacca would definitely not be able to wait for reinforcements. Even if the stronghold in India sends troops to rescue, they will definitely go to Batavia first.

Sanders pretended to be calm and said: "Fort Santiago is extremely strong and it is impossible for you to capture it. In order to avoid unnecessary losses, I can make the decision and give you a sum of money, but it is absolutely impossible to surrender."

The two sides were at odds with each other. From morning to mid-afternoon, there was no progress at all and they had to part ways.

When leaving, Sanders sent a few soldiers to hoist them out of the castle in a hanging basket.

When Chen Erxun, the local Chinese leader, sat in the basket, he said to the two Dutch soldiers next to him: "As long as you surrender, each of you will be rewarded with 50 guilders, and we will continue to employ you as soldiers, and your military pay will be doubled compared to before. By then, , you can marry and have children, and your salary is enough to support your family. Even if you don’t work in the city, you can still have money to drink every day. Tell these words to other soldiers. Serve as a soldier for the Chinese, and maybe you can become a noble."

The two Dutch soldiers looked at each other in shock when Chen Erxun said this.

After surrendering, each person will be rewarded with 50 shields, and the military salary will be doubled?

After seeing off the "negotiator", the two soldiers whispered:

“Are the Chinese serious?”

"I heard that China is full of gold. If you serve as a soldier for them, you might be able to double your salary. I'm 34 years old and I don't want to go to a brothel anymore. I want to get married and have a son. What about you?"

"But how can we two surrender?"

"Tell others, there must be some who are willing to surrender. The Chinese said that it is possible to become a noble by serving as a soldier for China. Even if you cannot become a noble, you can still make more money, and maybe you can even wear clothes. silk."

"..."

That night the words spread throughout the castle.

Some people were interested, some were suspicious, but no one dared to act, and there was no leader. Instead, informant soldiers appeared.

Sanders was so frightened that he feared that the soldiers would rebel collectively. He convened a lecture all night: "There are some rumors among us. I tell you, they are all false. The Chinese will not give you double wages, but will kill you." To us, they are infidels. To them, we are infidels. The emperor of China who catches infidels will burn them to death in the capital of China. Once the castle is breached, you will all die and must hold on. Only in order to survive! Of course, you have to work very hard to defend the city. Now each of you will be given 1 Dutch guilder as a reward..."

After being coaxed and frightened, the soldiers finally did not dare to surrender.

Although Sanders usually does not regard them as human beings, after all, they are all from the Netherlands, and their emotions make them believe what Sanders said even more. For them, China is too unfamiliar, and they cannot believe what the Chinese say.

However, there are very few who still plan to take risks.

Jide's grandfather came from Portugal, and his family has lived in Malacca for hundreds of years. From my grandfather's generation, I started to mix blood, mainly Malay blood.

After the Dutch captured Malacca, because too many soldiers died of illness, he enlisted in the army as a half-European.

at night.

Jide said to the soldiers guarding the same enemy tower: "Jacques, I want to go out and try."

Jacques was surprised: "Aren't you afraid of being killed by the Chinese?"

Jide said: "What's the future for staying? You can't read, and I can't read either. Unless you make great achievements, you can't be promoted. And, can we really hold on here? I want to be able to wear clothes like the businessmen in the city." Silk clothes! Do you want it?"

"Think!" Jacques gritted his teeth and said.

Since the number of defenders is too small, they have to take turns at night, so there are only two of them here.

This place is 5 meters above the ground, and they have no rope. They can't find a way to surrender even if they want to get out.

The two took off all their clothes and pants, tore them into strips of cloth, and tied them into long ropes. The matchlocks of the matchlocks were also tied together to strengthen them. The upper end is tied to the arrow stack on the city wall, and it hangs down more than two meters above the ground, which is enough to jump out of the castle along the rope.

They threw down their muskets first and slipped away quietly without being noticed by others.

The two guys were naked and ran all the way down the mountain, but were caught by sentries on the way.

"Have enemy troops surrendered? Hahahaha!"

Kuang Hong was very happy after hearing this and said: "As promised, give them rewards!"

1 Dutch guilder is about 10 grams of silver, and the reward of 50 Dutch guilders is only more than ten taels of silver (sixteen taels per catty).

Hearing that the two surrenderers had no clothes, Kuang Hong asked Chen Erxun to get silk and asked them to put it on and go with them for negotiations tomorrow.

Jide and Jacques, happily dressed in silk clothes, followed Dai Hui and Chen Erxun.

The group slowly climbed up the mountain and arrived outside the castle.

It was explained that they were here for negotiation, and bamboo baskets were quickly hung on the city.

But Chen Erxun angrily rebuked: "Forget it once, why don't you let us go through the door for the second negotiation? Let's not talk anymore!"

The Dutch officers and soldiers in the city were baffled by these words.

Chen Erxun turned around and left. Jide and Jacques took off their hats and shouted towards the city: "We won't talk anymore!"

After they left, the defenders on the city whispered:

"The two of them looked familiar just now."

"What looks familiar? It's Jide and Jacques. They must have run away last night!"

"They seemed to be wearing silk."

"You can wear silk if you surrender? That's something only nobles can wear."

"..."