Chapter 1496 - Enlivening Circulation

Liu Deshan immediately purchased several hundred dan of Fujian sugar. Both parties completed the exchange of goods and payment. The Zheng family then dispatched several men to the ship, asking Liu Deshan and Chen Huamin about everything they had seen and heard regarding the Australians. Following the Australian officer's instructions, Liu Deshan shared quite a bit—omitting only the inspection he himself had undergone. Intending to emphasize Australian strength, he inevitably embellished his account, and the faces of the Zheng men grew increasingly grave as he spoke.

A Zheng family manager then inquired about the Dongshanju's origins. Upon learning she had been purchased from Hong Kong's shipyard, the group grew even more disheartened. Though the Dongshanju carried no artillery, her tonnage and her wide double decks clearly indicated substantial combat potential. Placed in Zheng Zhifeng's hands, she would rank as a first-class capital warship. The European-style large ships under construction on Kinmen Island might boast greater size and tonnage, but even laymen could see that the Dongshanju's hull form was far sleeker, her sailing speed far swifter.

That the Australians could export such large vessels as mere merchant ships spoke volumes about the extent of their fleet's expansion. The realization left the entire group dispirited.

With the sugar loaded, the Dongshanju weighed anchor and set sail. Weitou Bay had become a place of troubles—the less time spent here, the better. The Dongshanju headed west, making for Taiwan.

Taiwan, as a trading port linking the Dutch East India Company and Lingao, had immediately shaken off its former half-dead condition after the two parties signed their trade contract. Compared to the Zheng Zhilong faction—whose orders shifted morning and evening with constantly escalating demands—the Australians' "contract spirit" was impeccable. They executed every agreement to the letter, not a hair out of place—while naturally demanding the same strict adherence from their counterparts. Hans Putmans had originally lacked confidence in developing Taiwan's commercial potential. In his experience, Chinese merchants were too cunning, consistently treacherous; meaningful progress seemed impossible without force to escort trade. Unfortunately, the chaos along China's coast left the Company's disposable force in East Asia woefully thin.

After signing the trade agreement with the Australians, Taiwan's situation changed immediately. Australian ships poured continuously into Taiwan's harbor, bearing countless Chinese goods the Company had long dreamed of obtaining—including large quantities of the increasingly sought-after Australian manufactures. Hans Putmans's performance soared; the Company showered him with praise, and his personal rewards naturally multiplied in turn. The Australians, unlike Chinese merchants, did not obsess over silver; they displayed excellent appetite for various goods. This greatly eased the "silver famine" that had plagued the Dutch East India Company's China trade. Less than half a year after signing the agreement, Taiwan leapt from being a trading post on the verge of abandonment to a "Pearl" of the Dutch East India Company.

Since the opening of the port at Kaohsiung, Australian supply cycles had shortened continuously. Hans Putmans soon discovered that the Australians had established a transit warehouse in Kaohsiung, accumulating enormous quantities of commodities. He had briefly entertained the idea of seizing Kaohsiung in a surprise raid—not only to claim rich spoils but to add another brilliant jewel to the Company's crown. Compared to Taiwan, which possessed only a single castle and a handful of forts, Kaohsiung was beginning to resemble a genuine city.

After witnessing the Lingao fleet stationed at Kaohsiung with his own eyes, this arrogant notion evaporated immediately. When Merchant Traudenius, stationed at Zhangzhou Bay, returned to Taiwan bearing news of Zheng Zhilong's destruction, Putmans immediately began considering how to preserve Taiwan for the Company—not, of course, through force.

Construction of Zeelandia Castle continued—after all, the Company had already invested substantial sums into the fortification, and abandoning it midway was inconceivable. Moreover, presiding over construction projects invariably meant opportunities for graft. But His Excellency the Governor had lost all interest in strengthening Taiwan's defenses and went through the motions of whatever the Company instructed. As for the natives who had once posed a considerable threat to Taiwan—frequently "grassing out" and "headhunting" beyond the city walls—several clashes with the Australians had taught them caution. They now rarely appeared near Taiwan at all. The result was that the overland route from Taiwan to Kaohsiung had also become safe; the Australians had even begun constructing a proper road between the two settlements, entirely unbothered by potential opposition.

At a wine party where too much Australian rum had been consumed, Putmans had shouted at Captain Heinrich Weidenfeller, Taiwan's Garrison Commander: "You think Taiwan remains in Company hands because of those four hundred tubercular wretches holding matchlocks under your command? No—we remain here purely because of Australian benevolence!"

Indeed, judging from their interactions, the Australians harbored no malice toward the Dutch in Taiwan; one might even call their attitude brimming with goodwill. The Dutch could visit Kaohsiung to procure every manner of fresh provisions to supplement their scarce supplies—and purchase various luxuries as well: cigars, alcohol, beverages. Those willing to pay premium prices could even acquire blocks of ice for relief from the summer heat. So much so that Batavia had concluded there was no longer any need to ship supplies to Taiwan; apart from gunpowder and firearms, Kaohsiung offered "everything for sale." Cargo space thus freed could transport additional trade goods instead.

The result was that the Dutch grew ever more dependent on Kaohsiung's material provisions. Gradually, the Dutch in Taiwan donned undershirts, shirts, and trousers sewn from imported Dutch linen by Kaohsiung's Clothing Factory, wore Lingao-manufactured rattan sandals, and topped their heads with woven rattan sun helmets. These suited Formosa's climate far better than their original cumbersome, stifling European garments. The Dutch also consumed Lingao-produced rum, salt soda water, and kvass in prodigious quantities.

Not only were most supplies purchased from Kaohsiung, but even ship repairs were conducted at Kaohsiung's shipyard. There they found a large dry dock and heavy cranes—repairing and maintaining several Dutch round-ships was child's play.

As for the sailors and soldiers stationed in Taiwan, so long as they followed the rules, they were free to enter Kaohsiung's commercial district for leisure and entertainment. Compared to the crude commercial quarter beneath Zeelandia Castle, Kaohsiung offered far more diversions. Should they fall ill, they could—if willing—also receive treatment from Chinese doctors locally. Compared to the German surgeons who reeked of stench, the Chinese physicians of Kaohsiung, with their medicines and acupuncture therapies, proved far more effective.

Even among the workers constructing Zeelandia Castle and its attendant forts, many were Australian slaves—Hans Putmans could find no other word to describe the people transported by shiploads and settled in enormous bamboo-framed camp compounds. When the Dutch found themselves suffering from too few laborers and too-slow progress, the Australians immediately proposed providing labor contracting services.

Putmans had little choice. The results proved that these Chinese slave laborers under Australian management worked with remarkable diligence and extraordinary efficiency. Under their contributions, the castle's progress could only be described as transforming day by day.

Hans Putmans was a shrewd and capable merchant. Even amid this excellent state of "Au-Dutch Harmony," he did not for a moment believe the Australians truly "loved peace." Their deeds at Weitou Bay demonstrated beyond doubt that they could be merciless when they chose to act—ruthless, even.

Obviously, the Australians refrained from touching Taiwan only because they still required trade with the Company. Should that trade ever become insignificant to them, they would come to seize Taiwan—and, further, occupy all of Formosa Island.

How to ensure the Company's survival on Formosa? Governor Hans Putmans had been pondering this question of late. To this end, he had dispatched a cadre of spies to Kaohsiung to gather intelligence on the Australians—particularly the types and quantities of ships entering and leaving the harbor, as well as the trade goods they carried.

It was under this atmosphere that the Dongshanju sailed into Taijiang.

This was not Chen Huamin's or Liu Deshan's first visit to Taiwan, but this time they were somewhat astonished: Taiwan had grown far more prosperous than before. With trading volume climbing sharply thanks to Australian commerce, the Dutch East India Company now dispatched several times the number of ships compared to earlier years. The Taiwan market flourished accordingly, with facilities expanding to match.

Zeelandia Castle—once perpetually under construction, never completing even its first terrace—had now risen from the ground. Scaffolding forested the brick-and-stone walls; one tower already stood tall. Several others were half-complete, visibly nearing completion. On the opposite side of the harbor, east of Taijiang, the once small and crude fortress had become a compact but formidable bastion. North Line Tail Island in the harbor was also under construction for a new fortress. Ships ferrying construction materials and workers flowed through the harbor in an endless stream.

Beyond the Australian trade vessels, the destruction of Zheng Zhilong had shattered the old monopoly on Fujian-to-Taiwan trade. The number of Great Ming merchants arriving to trade in Taiwan had increased substantially. Ships of varying sizes crowded around the wharves—save for a handful of Dutch vessels, most were Chinese craft: Guangzhou ships, Fujian ships. Consequently, around the wharf before Zeelandia Castle, rows of new buildings had sprouted: fresh warehouses and yards, with goods awaiting shipment piled like mountains.

"Incredible that Taiwan's commerce has grown so prosperous!" Liu Deshan nodded in appreciation. "I'd originally expected it to be quite desolate."

"What are you saying, Cousin? The Taiwan trade was monopolized by Zheng Zhilong—ordinary merchants dared not trade here. Now that the Zheng family has been utterly defeated, people aren't fools. Naturally everyone comes to seek their fortune."

Compared to the former Zheng family command flag's annual fee of two thousand taels of silver, the Class B license now issued by the Australians for coastal trade cost only one hundred taels per year. Many small and medium merchants running coastal routes could afford it. Merchant vessels bound for Taiwan multiplied accordingly, and trade goods were no longer limited to the previous exports of porcelain, silk, sugar, and other foreign cargo. Commercial activity had risen dramatically.

Pacifying the coastal sea lords served more than mere trade monopolization. For the Senate, only by promoting commercial circulation could they establish a better foundation for the next phase of social reform. Though the Senate was perfectly capable of monopolizing trade with the Dutch on Taiwan Island, they chose not to do so.

(End of Chapter)