Chapter 845
After extensive deliberation, although some proposed simply sending a naturalized citizen or hiring an influential local from Macau—or even from Batavia itself—to serve as consul (in the 17th century, hiring foreigners as consuls was quite common), Skaed felt that squandering such an excellent opportunity to directly observe and influence Batavia would be regrettable.
"Diplomats are the best spies," Jiang Shan declared solemnly to a group of Senators from the Intelligence Bureau, gathered in the Intelligence Bureau's office building. "It would be too great a pity to forfeit this opportunity!"
"If there is no suitable candidate, I am willing to go." One person in the conference room spoke up.
This individual was in his thirties, with a long face and beard, and a pair of piercing black eyes. He wore his hair in a topknot and presented an appearance both scholarly and chivalrous. He was clad in a blue pleated robe—attire that immediately identified him as a Senator intelligence officer receiving mainland deployment training in Class B of the Intelligence Bureau's training program.
"I know English, German, French, and Latin, and can read Spanish—though I cannot understand it by ear," he said. "Knowing German means there will be no great obstacle in communicating with the Dutch."
"Old Zhao, you should not go. We are about to receive people from Zhejiang, and then we will have large-scale transfers of mainland population. The layout in the Two Jiangnan regions is extremely important." Jiang Shan immediately rejected the idea. "If you leave now, it will take at least three or four months to effectively settle in, and at least half a year to get things moving. If you go to Batavia, all the training work up to now will have been wasted."
The main work of the Intelligence Bureau in the second half of 1631 was to obtain and transfer population on a large scale from the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Anhui region. The station to be opened in Hangzhou would serve as a crucial node in the Intelligence Bureau's southeastern network. Naturally, Jiang Shan was unwilling to see his overall plan disrupted.
In the end, following standard recruitment principles, a volunteer was recruited from the Finance sector to go to Batavia—fortunately, a consul was a public identity and required no cover training.
The volunteer willing to go to Batavia as consul was a Senator named Xue Ruowang. He was a certified public accountant and certified tax accountant. Within the Finance sector, he specialized in constructing fiscal and tax systems. Tired of building systems and doing fiscal work, he longed to venture out and see if there might be other, more exciting work to be done. Xue Ruowang knew neither German nor Spanish but was proficient in English, French, and classical Latin. If push came to shove, he could manage in Batavia. Fortunately, the Finance sector had a fair number of personnel. Cheng Dong confirmed he could be released.
"The scale of Dutch financial operations in the 17th century was remarkable. Placing someone familiar with finance in Batavia might reveal some opportunities." When Skaed learned that someone was willing to go, he was pleased. "Also, we can introduce some modern international trade systems into our import-export trade with the Dutch. Or simply open a bank branch in Batavia..." Skaed spoke with mounting enthusiasm.
"We will discuss this later, later." Jiang Shan interjected. "First we need to get Old Xue settled in Batavia before anything else."
So the final decision on the consul to be stationed in Batavia was Xue Ruowang. This made the Senator, who had long been buried in ledgers and numbers, overjoyed.
"After I arrive in Batavia, I will strive to establish a Batavia branch as quickly as possible..." he said excitedly.
"To be honest, I am worried about your future." Yan Ming, the president of Delong Bank, said with a face full of melancholy at the Finance sector's farewell banquet. "You must be careful in that godforsaken place. Whatever you do, don't catch a tropical disease. Even if we immediately dispatch a doctor to save you, it would be too late..."
These words immediately deflated Xue Ruowang's enthusiasm by nine-tenths. Although before the transmigration everyone had been vaccinated with as many vaccines as possible—including some vaccines typically administered only when traveling abroad to Africa or Southeast Asia—many vaccines did not remain effective indefinitely with a single immunization. Some had validity periods that were close to expiring. Although the biological laboratory's vaccine development work had made great progress, there remained a long way to go before restoring 21st-century immunization levels.
"It's fine. If the Dutch can survive there, so can I," Xue Ruowang said with feigned bravado. "Besides, there are quite a few Chinese there. I will be careful and will be fine."
Before departure, Xue Ruowang received a "survival box."
"This is what the organization has prepared for you." Skaed pointed to this small box of exquisite workmanship—an outer rattan cushioning layer, an inner stamped tin lining, and an animal hide interior for moisture-proofing.
The box was quite small, equipped with a special carrying strap so it could be conveniently worn on one's person. When necessary, one could simply grab it and flee.
Inside the box were medicines specially prepared by the Health Department for the local conditions of Batavia. There were antimalarial drugs, antivenom, antibiotics, and various other emergency medicines and wilderness survival tools. Finally, there were 50 Portuguese gold coins.
"I hope you never have to use this," Skaed said.
"I hope so too."
As was customary, Xue Ruowang would bring his life secretary along. Xue Ruowang had once very much hoped to acquire a Dutch woman in Batavia, but people at the Department of Colonization and Trade thought this unlikely. The Dutch rarely shipped European women there; even the few women present were invariably other men's wives.
After the decision was made to go to Batavia, Xue Ruowang's life secretary received confidential training at the Political Security General Bureau's classified communications class, learning ciphers and radio operations. Through the radio, the Department of Colonization and Trade could effectively monitor Batavia's commercial and political situation.
Excerpts from Leibtrini's Correspondence with His Venetian Friend
Dear Friend,
I am delighted to be able to write to you. Since arriving in the Far East, all manner of strange sights have been constantly flooding my mind. It is a great honor to share these wonders with you. And being able to visit Lingao has truly opened my eyes.
As a Company employee, I was permitted to visit the city that the so-called Australians have established on Hainan Island—Lingao. After obtaining a formal trade agreement, we were permitted to move freely and observe the city built by this race we had never before encountered.
You surely know that as a painter, I have a strong interest in observing things. Whether during the sea voyage to the Far East, in Batavia, or in various parts of the East Indies, whatever scenery I witnessed with my own eyes, I would endeavor to record in my sketchbook. In Lingao, I naturally had the same compulsion, not to mention that this was also one of the reasons the Company sent me as an employee.
...
Mr. Gonzalez, the Spaniard, and I left the trading house at night. The door attendant did not restrict our comings and goings, merely using a sign written in multiple languages to remind us not to leave the East Gate Market area after dark. To ensure we could return to the trading house, he also gave us a small paper card bearing some manner of writing—which I believe to be Chinese characters. As long as we showed the card to passersby on the road, we could be smoothly guided back to the trading house.
East Gate Market at night was no different from during the day. The glass lampshades of the streetlamps lining the streets emitted brilliant light, illuminating the roads so brightly that even a dropped button could be easily found upon the ground. The streetlamps existed not only on the main streets but also in the side roads and alleys—merely less densely placed and more dimly lit.
Obviously, on such nights without darkness, East Gate Market's public security surpassed that of any city I knew. Light had driven away the evildoer's best cover—darkness itself.
Mr. Gonzalez and I wandered the streets until midnight. Even when pedestrians had grown few, we still felt entirely safe. Not only did we feel this way, but the shops that remained open until late at night clearly shared our sense of security.
Out of curiosity, Mr. Gonzalez and I ventured deep into the remote alleys. It truly astonished me: the streets of East Gate Market, whether main thoroughfares or back lanes, were all immaculately clean and tidy—this was genuinely miraculous. We could not discern traces of garbage or excrement in any corner. Every inch of road surface was paved with flagstones, gravel, bricks, or hard black sand, so there was no standing sewage anywhere. It was not difficult to understand why the Australians enforced strict quarantine measures for any foreigners entering their territory. In such a clean and sanitary city, epidemics would indeed be difficult to break out.
To ensure hygiene, they had placed rattan baskets for collecting garbage in many locations. All refuse was deposited within them. Public toilets were likewise established on street corners everywhere. Of course, these two provisions alone were insufficient to ensure hygiene. As you know, many nobles and personages of importance relieve themselves—even defecate—beneath the staircases of their own and others' palaces without any regard, even though the palaces possess toilets. I can only conclude that under Australian rule, the moral standards of the local populace have been greatly elevated.
We had originally planned to seek out a tavern for a drink, but the exotic sights along the streets of East Gate Market had captivated us. We frequently entered the shops lining the street to examine the wares within. The shopowners and assistants did not seem surprised by Europeans, as if they encountered Europeans regularly. Later we learned that there were indeed Europeans among the Australians. Of course, how these Europeans had become Australians, we had no means of knowing.
The goods sold in the shops were abundant. Almost all the Chinese goods commonly seen in East Asia could be found here, and the prices were not especially expensive. There was a generous supply of local fruits, and there were even shops specializing in selling fruits and fruit products—preserved fruits in particular were available in great quantities. Obviously, they suffered no shortage of sugar supply.
The Australians have a distinctive approach to producing various snacks. You would be hard-pressed to find a shop elsewhere that sold so many varieties of confections. We entered a shop specializing in candy. The shelves were lined with glass jars filled with all manner of colorful sweets. Even my brush could not have reproduced the colors and shapes of these candies in such a short time. They emitted various sweet and fragrant aromas that were simply intoxicating.
(End of Chapter)