Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1294 Sulumayi
Having spent half his life at sea, Zheng Hongkui naturally understood this principle. Therefore, his key target now was not Malacca or Palembang, nor Batavia, but the main Dutch fleet.

He had to destroy this fleet first and completely seize the initiative at sea before he could proceed with his next move. But a problem lay before him: where was the main Dutch fleet? Was it in Batavia? Or in Palembang? Or near the Strait of Malacca? Or somewhere else?
Although his fleet had entered the South China Sea, he knew nothing about the enemy's situation. This was unavoidable; naval warfare is different from land warfare. The vast ocean makes it impossible to send out scouts to investigate as in land warfare. Even though small, fast warships in the combined fleet had already entered the South China Sea to search for the enemy's whereabouts, finding out the enemy's location required not only luck but also time. In addition, communication was poor in this era. Even if they were lucky enough to find out, many days would have passed by the time the news was relayed back. No one could know whether the enemy was still in the same place.

Thinking of this, Zheng Hongkui frowned deeply, finding it difficult to make a decision. He considered it for a whole day, and finally decided to ignore Malacca and Palembang for the time being, preparing to lead his fleet to Batavia. After the fleet arrived near Batavia, he would search for the enemy fleet. If he did not find the enemy fleet, he would then feign an attack on Batavia. As the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company, the Dutch would most likely have their fleet stationed there. Even if they were not there temporarily, as long as the Ming Dynasty's combined fleet appeared, the Dutch would definitely urgently send their fleet to rescue Batavia. In this way, he could first defeat the enemy's naval power through a naval battle, and then attack Batavia.

This was probably the most suitable option at the moment, and Zheng Hongkui had no better alternative. So, after making this decision, the fleet made its final resupply in Vung Tau and continued south. A few days later, it officially entered the South China Sea region controlled by the Dutch. At this point, Zheng Hongkui ordered the fleet to be divided into two fleets. The vanguard fleet, mainly composed of fast warships, was used for patrolling and searching for enemy warships, while the main fleet, led by him, followed behind to ensure the fleet's safety.

In the following days, the Combined Fleet continued to circle the South China Sea, searching for traces of the enemy fleet, and gradually approached Batavia. However, it did not find any enemy traces for several days, but instead encountered several local fishing boats and merchant ships traveling in the South China Sea.

Regarding the former, Zheng Hongkui merely sent men to inquire about the enemy's whereabouts. Unfortunately, these natives of the South China Sea were completely unaware of the Dutch situation and knew nothing about it. As for the latter, in addition to inquiring, Zheng Hongkui directly ordered the temporary detention of these merchant ships to prevent them from tipping off the Dutch. Although this was met with strong opposition, it was ineffective. In naval warfare, such measures are necessary. Moreover, Zheng Hongkui was merely detaining them and ordering them to accompany the fleet, not intending to plunder them. This was already a very amicable act in the context of war.

A few days later, as they drew closer to Batavia, Zheng Hongkui became increasingly cautious, but he still hadn't located the Dutch fleet. Just as he was growing anxious and even considered attacking Batavia to lure out the enemy's main fleet, a subordinate suddenly reported that Wang Fuzhi urgently requested an audience.

"Brother Rijian, good news!" Wang Fuzhi exclaimed eagerly upon seeing Zheng Hongkui.

"What news is it that makes Brother Er Nong so excited?" Zheng Hongkui asked with a smile, seeing his overjoyed expression.

"I have news of the Dutch fleet!" To everyone's surprise, Wang Fuzhi's words stunned Zheng Hongkui, who could hardly believe his ears.

"really?"

"Of course it's true!"

"Quick! Tell me in detail what happened!" Zheng Hongkui hurriedly pressed.

Wang Fuzhi told Zheng Hongkui with a smile that it was quite a coincidence. Hadn't Zheng Hongkui previously entrusted Wang Fuzhi to contact neighboring countries in the name of the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry)? Before the joint fleet set sail from Guangzhou, Wang Fuzhi had already sent someone to the South China Sea to handle this matter.

Although the Ming Dynasty was once the hegemon of the South China Sea, and the entire South China Sea was the Ming Dynasty's private territory, after the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the Ming Dynasty's policy of foreign expansion changed, and the great feat of voyages to the Western Ocean ceased to exist. The Ming Dynasty's influence in the South China Sea gradually weakened, and the previously established Xuanwei Division system gradually became nominal. When Europeans arrived in the Age of Exploration and reached the Far East, they successively conquered cities and established colonies in the South China Sea, and the situation in the South China Sea underwent earth-shattering changes.

Nominally, many countries were still vassal states of the Ming Dynasty, but in reality, they had long since ceased all relations with the Ming.

This time, Wang Fuzhi's men first contacted the Kingdom of Aceh, but Aceh had not only lost Old Port in its previous battle with the Dutch, but its forces had also been driven westward. Moreover, Aceh, having been terrified by the Dutch, was too weak to want to get involved in the war. In their view, the risks of intervening were too great, so they refused.

However, Aceh also expressed its stance of not helping either side, and sent someone to privately tell Wang Fuzhi's people that there was no need for Matalam and Banten to have any contact. Banten's current situation is similar to Aceh's. Their king is old and has no ambition. Even if the people from the Ming Dynasty went, they would most likely refuse, and there is even a possibility that the news would leak out.

As for Madalam, it goes without saying. After the death of its previous king, Agung, a new king ascended the throne, and the current king is Amanggulat I. This guy has no backbone; he's a complete lackey of the Dutch, having long since secretly sided with them, and the entire country has become a Dutch vassal state. If the Ming people go to Madalam, it's no different from dealing directly with the Dutch. Not only will they fail to win them over, but they might even be directly betrayed to the Dutch by Amanggulat I.

Aceh told the Ming envoy that the only country likely to cooperate with the Ming was Madura. Madura had been resisting Dutch tyranny for years, and the two sides had clashed many times. Although Madura's military equipment and fighting strength were far inferior to the Dutch, its king and princes had never yielded.

Prince Durno is a hero, brave and talented, and currently the commander of Madura. If he knew of the war between the Ming Dynasty and the Dutch, he would surely side with the Ming. Therefore, it is suggested that the Ming envoy go directly to Madura; the chances of success are extremely high.

Although they didn't receive support from Aceh, Aceh still provided assistance to the Ming Dynasty, especially by informing them of the specific situations of the other three countries. This saved Wang Fuzhi's envoys from unnecessary detours. Following this, Wang Fuzhi's men went directly to Madura in the east. As Aceh had predicted, Madura warmly welcomed the Ming envoys. Especially after learning that the Ming Dynasty had officially declared war on the Dutch, their prince, Durno, was overjoyed and volunteered to join the Ming side to help them in their war against the Dutch.

This outcome was exactly what the Ming envoy wanted. He immediately followed Wang Fuzhi's instructions and discussed the matter with Prince Durno. The two sides quickly reached an agreement. Prince Durno stated that as long as the Ming Dynasty could defeat the Dutch and reclaim the territory occupied by them, Madura would follow the Ming's lead. After the war, Madura would resume its tributary relationship with the Ming Dynasty, as before, and recognize the Ming Dynasty as its suzerain state.

In addition, Prince Durno told the Ming envoy that the Dutch fleet was currently in nearby Sulumay, together with Mataram's warships, and it was unknown what they were doing.

Upon hearing this news, the Ming envoy hurriedly pressed for its veracity. Duruno patted his chest, guaranteeing its absolute truth, swearing by his ancestors. Madura and the Dutch harbored deep-seated hatred, especially for the Dutch collaborator, Mataram. Several days earlier, the Dutch fleet had arrived in Sulumay, and Mataram had sent numerous ships and men to join them. Prince Duruno had initially assumed this was a sign of an impending attack on Madura and was extremely anxious, having already begun assembling his army in preparation for war. However, after the Ming envoy informed him that the Ming had declared war on the Netherlands, Prince Duruno instantly realized that the Dutch fleet's gathering was likely not aimed at him, but rather at the Ming fleet. It was then that he informed the Ming envoy of this.

Having confirmed the information without a doubt, Wang Fuzhi's men dared not delay and hurriedly sent someone to deliver the news back as quickly as possible. Just an hour earlier, Wang Fuzhi's fast ship had made contact with the Ming fleet that was on patrol and thus returned to Wang Fuzhi's side. After reporting this matter, Wang Fuzhi could no longer sit still and hurriedly went to find Zheng Hongkui.

“Sulumayi?” Zheng Hongkui muttered the place name, his eyes suddenly lighting up. He slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, “What a Dutchman! He’s really something! He actually hid his fleet here. It seems he was prepared for us all along.”

"What do you mean?" Wang Fuzhi didn't know much about the war, and he asked Zheng Hongkui in a hurry.

Zheng Hongkui didn't say much, and led Wang Fuzhi to the table, where there was a nautical chart depicting the topography of the South China Sea.

He pointed to the location of Batavia, then moved his finger to the right and stopped. This place was where Sulumay was located. The two were not too far apart. It would take less than three days for a warship to travel west from Sulumay to Batavia, and even if it took longer, it would only take five days.

Moreover, to the east of Sulumay lies Madura Island, the location of the Madura Kingdom. This place happens to form a strait with Sulumay to the west. Although the strait is not very large, it not only avoids sea winds and waves, but also effectively conceals the fleet hidden in Sulumay. If one simply cruises from the north without entering the strait, the fleet will not be detected at all. It can be said that the Dutch made this arrangement with profound intentions.

"I understand! The Dutch are trying to lure us into a trap!" Wang Fuzhi stared intently in the direction Zheng Hongkui was pointing, and suddenly realized what was going on.

"Heh, they've got a clever plan. No wonder we're so close to Batavia and haven't spotted a single Dutch warship. So, it turns out they've been plotting this all along. Well then, they have their schemes, and I have mine. Now that we know their fleet's location, let's go and meet them directly?"

(End of this chapter)