New Shun 1730

"Without these Chinese, Batavia would not have developed to its current level. But now, these Chinese are negative assets for the entire Java."

"They are too hardworking, which has led to an oversupply of local sugar, seriously affecting the interests of the company. This is all their fault."

"Perhaps, it is time to clear them out of here."

Valkniel looked through the glass window at the Chinese Kapitans and Regents waiting outside to welcome the new governor, and expressed his thoughts to the sugar owner Douglas.

The current East India Company in Batavia is like the end of the empire, with corruption and leaks everywhere.

Smuggling is rampant, employees carry private goods, and can only control the bastions around Batavia and Java, and completely lose control outside the city.

The Kapitans and Regents in the city have no control over the sugarcane fields and Chinese villages outside the city. Moreover, the head tax is levied under the tax farming, and the tax farmers will also make false accounts, paying the head tax of ten people and receiving bribes from fifteen people, but in fact there are thirty people.

The Governor's Office and the Council of Batavia were not clear about how many Chinese people there were around Batavia.

Internal corruption, the opening of the Dashun Pass, and the plummeting price of spices all made Batavia a "chicken rib" existence.

Money can solve many problems, but... there is no money.

Especially since Amsterdam and Zeeland will set up a special trade committee with China, Batavia has been unable to make ends meet without transiting through Batavia.

The Netherlands had a bloody rule in Southeast Asia at the beginning. In order to ensure the monopoly of spices, they carried out massacres; in order to ensure the scarcity of spices, they cut down spice trees and burned spice forests on a large scale in Southeast Asia.

This way of ruling is destined to cause resistance one after another. In order to continue to rule, they can only build bastions and station troops, which all require money.

The previous governor who was just investigated and prosecuted continued the bloody oppression and expanded the tax collection population, which led to resentment and a crisis of rule. In addition, the confrontational policy after the conflict of interest between the China Trade Commission and Batavia led to a major purge of the upper echelons of Batavia by the Seventeen-member Committee.

As for the private reselling of residence permits, it was just a lie for outsiders to hear, and it was not a big crime: Governor, Governor, power does not need to expire, who does not use power for personal gain? What a big deal, how could it really be investigated for this.

It's just that the previous one was too bloody, and many sugar mills in Batavia can no longer support it.

At this time, the sugar owner Douglas, who was standing next to Valkner, gave such an explanation when questioned by the committee:

【The plight of the Chinese sugar mills has nothing to do with the low purchase price of sugar. The real reason is that many sugar mill owners borrowed money to operate, and the loan interest was too high. This is just the internal friction of the Chinese, and has no direct relationship with Batavia's low sugar price policy. 】

This is a very confusing answer... Why do Chinese sugar factories have to rely on loans to maintain?

However, the magical thing is that this nonsense answer was just rounded off, and the committee turned a blind eye and let it go.

In recent years, there is no room for profit from lowering sugar prices. After the Persian market was closed, the sugar industry has become a dangerous existence that may detonate Batavia: the more money the planters owe, the more they have to squeeze the operation in order to catch up with the price increase of sugar and pay off the previous debts in one go. To squeeze the operation, you have to increase manpower, and immigration through normal channels is prohibited and has to pay a head tax, so a large number of Fujian people are smuggled as slaves.

Douglas agreed with the idea of ​​the governor who trusted him. If the Chinese in Batavia could be eliminated, it would be beneficial.

However, there is still a very serious problem here: what about trade with China?

The company headquarters established a special committee for trade with China, and the trading house in Guangdong traded directly with Dashun.

If Batavia expels the Chinese, Batavia will benefit, but it will inevitably affect the company's headquarters' trade with China, and I'm afraid the headquarters will not agree.

"Governor, how can we get rid of these useless Chinese? If we make them all pay the head tax and check the population, this can also increase income, and they will be useful people. But if the population is checked and the head tax is paid, sugarcane plantations and sugar factories will definitely go bankrupt on a large scale. They will have no way to make a living and may cause chaos."

Douglas is still very clear about the current situation of Batavia's sugar industry. In recent years, it has been squeezed too hard. While strictly preventing smuggling, it is also forced to purchase. The price of sugar is too low. Not only is the living environment of slaves getting worse, but many sugar plantation owners are almost unable to hold on.

Valkniel has just arrived and can only formulate policies based on these statistical reports.

In recent years, the company has not had a good time. There are some problems with capital outflow. Batavia has become a big pit that cannot be thrown away but does not make money and must be invested in every year.

The Seventeen-member Committee did not want Valkner to take the blame, but hoped that he could rely on radical means, rely on a sudden attack, and quickly turn Batavia from loss to profit.

However, this is just like the situation at the end of the Ming Dynasty, where a hundred years of accumulated problems, it is ridiculous to expect a cabinet chief to solve all the problems.

But Valkner was ambitious and thought that his own means were enough to solve all the problems in Batavia.

At least, he thought so, and he also had his own set of plans.

His plan was very radical, but he only told Douglas that it would be cleared, but did not tell the details. Instead, he avoided the topic and said: "Let those Chinese Kapitan, Lei Zhenlan and tax collectors come in. It’s time for them to pay their respects to the new governor.”

Soon, the Chinese leaders of Batavia filed in, and the one at the front was the Chinese Kapitan Lian Fuguang of Batavia.

Lian Fuguang is less than 30 years old this year. His father is one of the six Lei Zhenlan from Batavia. He is married to the daughter of the six Lei Zhenlan. His sister is married to a Jia from Semarang. Bidan.

Now he has become the Kapitan of Batavia, and the rich are all relatives whose bones are broken and whose tendons are connected.

When the Red Creek Massacre occurred in history, three of the six Chinese Lei Zhenlan in Batavia chose to inform the Dutch in Batavia that the Chinese slave workers were going to rebel; A year ago, he reported that the uprising leader Lian Huaiguan had "bad conduct and hoped that the authorities would pay attention to this person."

After the Hongxi Massacre, the Chinese merchants in the city went on strike collectively, and it was he and Lei Zhenlan who came forward to ask the merchants to reopen.

The result of such kneeling and licking did not bring him a good ending.

Because he "did report the uprising leader Lian Huaiguan's misconduct a year ago", he was originally going to be sentenced to being quartered with five horses and his head hung on the city wall. In the end, the sentence was changed to exile to Ambon Island, and all his property was confiscated.

At this time, Lian Fuguang had just become a Chinese Kapitan in Batavia. With a "sense of mission" to make the family prosperous, he knew that he must marry the new governor.

After delivering valuable gifts according to the rules, Valkenir motioned to these Kapitan and Lei Zhenlan to sit down.

"Gentlemen, I think you are aware of the fact that the previous governor issued residence permits indiscriminately for personal gain."

"And I heard that many Chinese working in sugar cane plantations do not have residence permits and do not pay poll taxes. This will seriously harm Batavia's interests and is against the law."

"Mr. Lien Fuguang, as a Chinese Kapitan in Batavia, I heard that you have nearly thirty sugar mills and sugar cane gardens? I hope you can give me an accurate answer. In your sugar cane gardens, what are the How many slave laborers are there who don’t have a residence permit and don’t pay the poll tax?”

Anyone who can pay an audience to the Governor will be fluent in Dutch.

Lian Fuguang said: "Your Majesty Governor, all my sugar factories and sugar cane gardens have been subleased. In fact, I am only responsible for collecting rent. I have nothing to do with the operation of the sugar factory. This is a business issue. I I don’t think I can point fingers at the operators of the sugar factory. At least I can guarantee that when the sugar factory and sugar cane plantation were run by me, I did not take in anyone who did not have a residence permit, nor did I pay anyone less. "Poll tax."

He quickly made a guarantee to the governor and said that if the governor needed it, he could return home at any time to retrieve his lease contract to prove that all his sugar factories were rented out.

Lian Fuguang did not tell lies. As a member of the upper-class Chinese circle in Batavia, he was very well-informed and had a good relationship with the local Dutch officials.

We knew very early that there was a problem with the company's sugar sales, so we rented out all the sugar cane gardens very early and just sat at home to collect funds.

"Mr. Governor, the business I am currently running is selling some goods and opening a casino. And I pay the casino taxes on time."

"The servants in my family have all obtained residence permits, and they also pay monthly poll taxes. I can guarantee this."

Valkenier asked the other Lei Zhenlan, and all six Lei Zhenlan unanimously stated that their sugar cane gardens and sugar mills were leased to others.

The industry I am engaged in is either lending money or doing business, and I do not operate these real industries. Although many sugar cane plantations and sugar mills are in their names, they do not operate them themselves, and they have no involvement in the affairs of the sugar mills and sugar cane plantations.

Valkenir had just arrived and had no idea what to do. Douglas on the side quickly reminded: "My Lord Governor, I want to remind you. We can only govern a few cities such as Batavia and Ambon. We lack control over things outside the city. We can only rely on these Dan and Lei Zhenlan provide indirect management.”

Douglas did not necessarily have a good impression of these wealthy Chinese businessmen, but he was worried that Valkenier would not understand the situation and issue some strange orders.

He also wanted to remind the new governor that the Chinese living in the city were useful people. They were very loyal to Batavia, and most of them were tax collectors and merchants. They paid the poll tax on time and provided some information about the movements of the Chinese.

The garbage population that really needs to be eliminated are the poor people who work as wage laborers. Those people do not pay taxes, and now there is no profit from sugar cane. Moreover, those people have a fighting spirit.

He hopes that the new Chief Du will be more sober and understand that using China to control China has been Batavia's long-standing policy. If these "loyal" Chinese are squeezed too hard, it may lead to the Chinese becoming one-minded. These people have money and connections. If they are forced to side with the Chinese hired workers, big trouble will happen.

Valkenir was a little dissatisfied with Douglas's interruption, and when he was about to say something, several gunshots were suddenly heard outside.

The glass window was slightly shaken, and the people in the room suddenly became confused, thinking that something had happened.

A Dutchman hurried in.

"Governor, please don't worry. It's just a routine seizure and inspection of the Swedish East India Company's ships. The one that fired the cannon was an armed merchant ship of the Dashun, but its captain was an officer and was just firing the salute according to the rules!"