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

Chapter 1307 Race against time
A place in Batavia.

The three directors are discussing the negotiations with the Ming Dynasty. According to the timeline, their envoy, Ribeck, should return in the next couple of days. The negotiations are kept extremely secret, and only a few people know about them.

"Do you think the Ming Dynasty will accept the conditions we proposed before?" Director James asked, puffing on his pipe. His face was completely obscured by smoke, and his deep voice echoed in the room with the smoke he exhaled.

“I think there shouldn’t be much of a problem. After all, our revised terms are close to our bottom line, and judging from the attitude of the Ming side in our previous contacts, they don’t seem to have any intention of fighting us to the death. Since we were able to get this result through negotiations, the possibility of a successful peace talk is not small,” said Director Otto.

“I think so too,” Director Jacob agreed. “Judging from the current situation, the Ming Dynasty has no intention of escalating the war, and our concessions have shown considerable sincerity. After all, Batavia’s defenses are strong, and it wouldn’t be easy for the Ming Dynasty to take it by force with the city’s garrison. If it were me, I would agree to our request under such favorable conditions, even though the price would be high. But as long as we can maintain our colonies in the Far East, especially our control over the area surrounding Batavia, these costs would be worthwhile.”

"That's true, but I still have a vague feeling of unease," Director James said, taking a deep drag on his cigarette.

“My friend, you must be anxious, right? Don’t worry, I think the chances of success are very high,” Director Jacob said with a smile.

“I hope so.” Director James nodded, then asked Director Jacob, “Is Major Falknir ready? You know, once the peace talks are successful, we must honor the conditions we offered. That’s a prerequisite. We can’t afford any unexpected events.”

“There’s no need to worry about that. Major Falknir has already taken control of nearly half of the city’s defenses. As long as we take down Colonel Cohen first, Batavia will be in our hands. As for our governor, well, he’s powerless to do anything about it,” Director Jacob said confidently.

“What about General Capelen? Don’t forget he’s the highest-ranking officer in the Far East. If something happens to him, things might not go so smoothly.”

"His Excellency the General has stated that he will not interfere in this matter, neither supporting nor opposing it, and at the same time hopes that he will not be held responsible for the defeat afterward. I have already expressed my agreement to this," Director Jacob said calmly.

Neither Director James nor Director Otto objected to this outcome. Although it came at a price, General Cappellen's promise was enough. After all, although General Cappellen had been defeated and lost the main force of his fleet, his influence in the Far East military was immense. As long as they had his support, even if it was just a statement of non-participation and standing by, that would be sufficient.

As everyone was discussing the matter, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside. Hearing the noise, the three directors simultaneously turned to look at the door. When they saw that it was a low-ranking official from the board of directors, they all immediately showed extreme displeasure.

"what happened?"

"Your Excellencies! Something has happened! Something terrible has happened!" the official exclaimed hastily, ignoring the board members' questions.

"Something happened? What happened?"

"Mr. Ribeck has been taken away by the Governor's men!"

"What!" The three men jumped to their feet. Director Jacob pressed, "What exactly happened? Weren't you supposed to be waiting for Mr. Ribeck at the city gate? How did he get taken away by the governor's men? Didn't you try to stop them?"

The official explained, “It’s not that we failed to stop him, it’s that we simply didn’t receive Mr. Ribeck. When we learned that Mr. Ribeck’s ship had already docked, we waited at the agreed location, but after an hour we still hadn’t seen him. That’s when we went to the dock to inquire about the situation. We learned that Mr. Ribeck had just disembarked when he was hijacked by a carriage. After we figured out where the carriage went, we realized it was done by the Governor’s Office, so we immediately came to report to you, Your Excellencies…”

"You mean an hour ago?" Director James asked eagerly.

"To be precise, it was an hour and a half ago. I was delayed because of the search for Mr. Ribeck and the need to rush back to report on the matter."

"My God!" James swayed, his hand slipped, and the pipe he was holding fell to the floor with a crisp sound.

Jacob and Otto's expressions instantly turned extremely grim. As board members, they were not fools; they could judge for themselves how dire the situation was.

They sent Ribeck to negotiate with the Ming Dynasty, traveling between Sulumay and Batavia as an envoy. This was done in extreme secrecy, especially from the Governor-General's office. The reason was simple: with the main force of their fleet destroyed, the Dutch East India Company's military strength was severely weakened, making it utterly incapable of resisting the combined fleet of the Ming Dynasty and other countries. Even though Batavia had a garrison, strong defenses, and ample food supplies, these alone would not be enough to defeat the Ming army.

If Batavia were captured by the Ming army, not only would their lives and property be in danger, but the Dutch East India Company's foundation in the Far East would also be completely shaken. Fifty years of operation would be destroyed in an instant, and the East India Company would lose the Far East because of this incident. The final result would be the company's bankruptcy, and even if they were lucky enough to escape, they would face punishment from the board of directors or even the kingdom upon their return home.

In this situation, all three directors believed that ensuring the East India Company's fundamental interests was of paramount importance, even at a certain cost. As long as they could retain some territory and occupy Batavia and the surrounding colonies, even if they failed this time, there would be opportunities to rise again in the future.

Once all of this is gone, the collapse and bankruptcy of the East India Company is inevitable. These directors are closely related to the East India Company; their current status and position only exist because the company exists. Once the company is gone, everything they own will likely vanish like smoke.

This is the real reason why the three directors decided to negotiate with the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, because of the fleet's defeat, although they did not directly dismiss Reines from his post as governor, they allowed him to continue serving as governor. In other words, they were preparing to make Reines a scapegoat.

In any case, the real reason for the outbreak of this war was that Governor Reinnis secretly intercepted and killed Ming Dynasty merchant ships without the knowledge of the board of directors. Moreover, before the Far East Fleet was destroyed, it was Governor Reinnis who, in his capacity as governor, ordered preparations for the war.

Therefore, regardless of whether the conflict ends in peace talks or war, Governor Reinnis is primarily responsible. Furthermore, one of the important conditions for peace talks offered by the Ming Dynasty is to hold those responsible accountable, namely Governor Reinnis and Colonel Cohen. Under these circumstances, continuing to appoint him as governor would be most appropriate for the final cleanup work.

But before the final results were announced, the three directors had to keep it a secret from the Governor's Office, ensuring the other side didn't learn a thing. No one expected that everything would go so smoothly; why would Reinice suddenly take such a step, arresting Ribeck, the negotiator, at the docks? This action meant that Reinice already knew their plan and Ribeck's identity as the negotiator. But the question was, how did he know this? And how did he time it so perfectly?

"Could there be a mole within?" Director Jacob thought to himself, glancing at the other two directors beside him.

At this moment, both Director James and Director Otto looked at him, their expressions mirroring each other's suspicions.

"No! That's impossible!" Instantly, Director Jacob rejected the idea. The three of them were in the same boat, and this was a decision they made together. Moreover, under the current circumstances, there was no need to betray their own people by telling Reinice about this. What good would it do?

But if the information didn't leak from my side, where did it come from? Could it be from my subordinates? That doesn't make sense! My subordinates have no idea about the real situation. Even if they were in charge of picking up the people, they never revealed anything about the peace talks. So how did Reines know?
"Ribeck?" Instantly, Ribeck's image flashed through Jacob's mind. Did Ribeck betray them? If so, then all their actions had been under Reinice's surveillance all along? That was truly terrifying!

In particular, their plan to hand over Reinice and Colonel Cohen to the Ming Dynasty as a condition would have unimaginable consequences if Reinice found out.

Thinking of this, how could Director Jacob remain seated? If there were no unforeseen circumstances, Reinius would now be fully aware of their actions. Based on Director Jacob's understanding of Reinius, this governor was not an honest man who would surrender easily. One can imagine how he would react knowing that he had been betrayed and was about to be given to the Ming Dynasty as a "gift".

"Quickly! Go and fetch Major Falknir! Also, immediately assemble all the guards. No one is to approach this place without the Board's order!" Jacob hurriedly shouted to his subordinates.

The official was stunned and didn't react immediately until Jacob shouted again, at which point he came to his senses and hurriedly ran out.

At this point, the other two directors also realized the urgency of the situation. Director James immediately said, "I suggest that an emergency board meeting be convened immediately to remove Reinice from his post as governor and relieve Colonel Cohen of his military command, in accordance with the authorization given to us by the board!"

“I agree!” Director Otto said without hesitation. They were racing against time; whoever acted first would have a chance to win. If they were late, everything would be over.

Immediately, the three directors held a hasty and short-lived extraordinary board meeting, exercising their powers to remove Governor Reinice from office and relieve Colonel Cohen of command. The extraordinary board meeting concluded in just ten minutes after the discussions were completed, the deliberations were written down, and the three directors, representing the board, signed and sealed the document.

Then, in the name of the board of directors, they sent someone to the governor's mansion with the resolution to announce it. At this time, Major Falknir also arrived. Director Jacob ordered him to immediately take his men to take over the city defense forces of Batavia and announce the removal of the governor from office and the dismissal of Colonel Cohen.

Major Falknir, as Jacob's confidant, immediately understood the gravity of the situation and accepted the order to leave with his men. After the major left, the three directors breathed a sigh of relief, but they were still uneasy. They had done everything they could and could only wait for the final result.

(End of this chapter)