A Narrative Written Purely in Colonial History: Losing Gold Never Gained

Explanation: This is a historical narrative purely based on colonial historical materials, telling the experience of the Dutch in their search for gold in Eastern Taiwan in the seventeenth century. It is an appendix to another article "Pandora's Archives No. 4｜Taiwan, an island with a historical theme of "colonized", which is separate because of its length. The original text is an English paper, and the historical narrative part is extracted here and translated into Chinese. For the convenience of reading, relevant citations and arguments have been omitted.

Lost the gold never gained

On the last day of June 1646, two Dutch soldiers showed up at Freshwater Fortress with bad news. However, this isn't the only bad news for fresh water in the early summer of this year. The Dutch recently discovered that even though the toads agreed to pay a tribute tax each year, they were not keeping their promises. But the difficulties of collecting tribute taxes were not news to the Dutch, who encountered this problem almost everywhere on Formosa. In contrast, the news the two soldiers brought back was the real warning sign. A month and a half ago, the two of them, accompanied by the big chicken coop natives, took the native boat to Duoman in East Formosa. They asked the Duoyuman people to live there for a period of time. The apparent reason is to establish friendship and trade relations with the natives, but the real reason behind it is to spy on the legendary East Formosa gold mine. It was only three days before they arrived at Duoyuman, and the local elders' meeting officially rejected their request. Duoyumantou even took out a scepter, which was a gift from Caesar, a senior businessman, to the headman when he passed by a few months ago, but this time the headman handed the scepter back to the two soldiers. In a way that made it clear that they firmly rejected the Dutch ambitions to continue their invasion.

When the news reached Tamsui, it had been ten years since the Dutch started their gold exploration operation from their base in Geranza. From the very beginning, finding gold has been an extremely difficult task. When the Spaniard was still entrenched in North Formosa, to go to the legendary gold mine, the Dutch had to find a way to cross the huge mountain that ran through the island and cut it in half from north to south, and Most importantly, they must have the ability to secure this path. In order to travel from the city of Geranja on the southwestern plains of the island to the east of Formosa, the Dutch had to make alliances or wage wars with the natives, depending on the situation. The Dutch started from Dayuan and traveled southward through the ropes to Langqiao, which was located at the southern end of the island, and then turned back to the north. On the first day of February, 1638, Lieutenant Van Linha's troops finally arrived at Pei Nam Mi, in the southeastern part of the island, two years after their departure from the captain. Along the way, the Dutch negotiated peace with the Pazabang people, but waged war against the Taimari people, and both settlements were enemies of Lang Qiao. The Dutch made an alliance with the locals in Beinanmi. In the next eight years, they will use this as a base to explore the legendary golden land in the north, Duomanman, in a very roundabout way.

The eight-year journey was actually only two hundred kilometers.

Spring 1646, Danshui

Nope, a junior trader for the Dutch East India Company, had been ill for quite some time, and perhaps he shouldn't have come to Freshwater at all. Since I came to North Formosa to take over the duties of freshwater and chicken coops in August last year, my illness has not been interrupted. Kaiser, who was in charge of matters here before him, was also a junior businessman. He passed away six days after his illness. At this moment, Nope could only hope that he would not follow in his footsteps. A year before this, many Dutch people fell ill at the turn of the seasons, and the chief officer Caron heard about the tragic situation of the fresh water and the chicken coop, and immediately sent two doctors north with the necessary medicines. The chief is particularly concerned about the condition of the veteran businessman Steen. Steen arrived in Tamsui only a few days later than Nope, and made a special trip to supervise the local council to be held in Tamsui. But before the officer could take any action, Steen died the next day. But it will not be until half a month later that the chief will read the sad news in a paper document. And Nope, who wrote the letter, was also bedridden.

In the summer of 1642, when Captain Harrother succeeded in taking the chicken coop from the Spaniards, freshwater was indeed promising. The position commander Ramosius said the output of the sulphur mine should be sufficient to support the needs of the garrison. The commander himself was very enthusiastic about this matter, and immediately issued the order to mine, and soon began to rebuild the freshwater fortress. The Spaniards were quite unwise to say that, since 1636, the fort had been abandoned and let it fall.

Having said that, the following years proved that fresh water is no good place for Dutch people. Food shortages are the norm, and the Dutch have to contend with a harsh climate. Things seem to have improved slightly this year. In early spring, the General Assembly decided to lift the ban on the Han Chinese from going to Tamsui and Chicken Coop. Han Chinese who come to settle down can enjoy the benefit of tax exemption. If they choose to settle in the chicken coop, they can even be exempted from paying the poll tax for three years. In addition, in order to increase the company's revenue, any ships from China are allowed to sail freely to fresh water and chicken coops. In this way, North Formosa can once again obtain a variety of Chinese goods and groceries, which is of great help in solving local problems. Item shortages go a long way. The decision was announced in early April, and by the end of May, fifteen Han Chinese had settled in Tamsui, and fourteen had settled in chicken coops.

However, when Harpa, a senior businessman who is also the secretary of the city of Relanza, arrived in Tamsui on the flute-shaped boat "Golden Goose" at the end of April, Nuopei still could not see any real turning point. During this period of time, the problem of loose bookkeeping in Danshui has turned into an unpleasant dispute with the officers. Although the problem of rice shortage is basically solved, Nuopei still has to report the result of collecting tribute tax from the natives this year to the chief officer. In addition, the chief asks for a large number of coal mines here, and he can't pretend to be dumb. . Harpa's arrival further complicates his work. Harpa came here on several business trips, the most important of which was a gold hunt. He arrived at Tamsui during the rainy season, and immediately began to deal with the official business entrusted to him by the superior, that is, to try to enter the mysterious Dohman, where the legendary gold mine is located.

On the day when the sky was drizzling, the Danshui Council held a meeting to discuss the Duoman. Several natives were called to the parliament to be questioned, the most important of which was the big chicken balder man who took the Spanish name Theodoro, and there was also a Japanese who settled here, who also had a Spanish name called Jacinto. The two are said to be familiar with the route to Dohman. When asked, things were quickly clarified. According to the aboriginals, the best way to get to Duoman is by sea. If you go by land, then the Dutch have to walk from the north through steep cliffs and mountain roads, and then trek through large swamps before reaching what the Spanish call Santiago. Headland, after that, when they finally traverse the entire toad plain, they will encounter terrifying cliffs and impenetrable mountains, and Dooman is still far away from the mountains.

On the basis of this information, the parliament made a decision to send two soldiers from the chicken coop to Doomman on the indigenous boat of the big chicken cage, accompanied by the big chicken cage man Theodoro, the Japanese Jacinto and several others. Famous big chicken coop indigenous. The order is quite clear, requiring this pedestrian not to make a pointless stay in Toad Difficulty. Nope also went to the chicken coop with Harpa to see off this important mission. The two soldiers set sail in mid-May, after which Harpa returned to command, and soon after Nope returned to his duties in Tamsui. Nope didn't say anything about the mission, after all, he was concerned with his own ailment. On the very day that the two soldiers left the chicken coop and embarked on their unknown journey to Doomman, Nope wrote to the commander, again asking the commander to find another person to replace him. The letter reached Chief Cuaron five days later, but the Chief made no official statement about it.

Nope just waited for the permission, hoping to leave this environment he couldn't adapt to anyway. At the same time, the two soldiers were on their voyage to Dohman, and they kept Harpa's instructions in mind. The two soldiers were very different from each other. The older Ultraman is from Liuhuaden in the north of the Netherlands. He speaks both Spanish and Dajilongyu very well. He had known the Dominican missionaries in the Chicken Coop area from an early age, and, like all the other Big Chicken and San Diego natives, spoke fluent Spanish. Based on this convenience, even though Ultraman is not good at writing, the Tamsui Council still regards him as the best person to go to Duoman. However, Altman himself lacked interest in this mission. The contract signed by the person staying in Walden with the company is about to expire, and he has no plans to renew it. For this reason, the parliament specially selected another soldier named Siput. This person is from Danzig. He is young and full of ambition for this matter. He is willing to actively learn the local language. He can be alone. Siput can read and write well, and the council is full of expectations, hoping that he will be able to bring news about the gold mine after he has lived in Duoman for a period of time.

This was the fickle spring of 1646, and everyone had his own thoughts. For Nope, a junior businessman, his memories of Formosa Island would end up being unpleasant -- endless work, and lingering illnesses. At that time, Altman could already foresee his departure in four or five months. As for the young Siput, when he was on the big chicken coop native boat, he probably had a lot of longing in his heart. Indeed, Siput may have heard from his superiors how much effort the Dutch have spent in the past ten years in order to explore this gold mine. If he can find the legendary Duoyuman gold mine, his career prospects will be very bright.

But on the other hand, no one knows what the thoughts of the Maasai natives on the boat are turning. Did they foresee that the trip would end in failure? Maasai merchants have always traveled to and from the northeast coast of Formosa Island. Theodore once told the Dutch that long before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Maasai people had traded gold with the Duoman people from ancient times. Perhaps long before Ultraman and Siput set off to propose bilateral friendship and fair trade to the Dolemans, these Maasai people had already leaked the Dutch's true intentions to the Dolemans. East Formosa is a dangerous and isolated place for the Dutch, and no one knows this better than the young, bright and adventurous doctor Wesseling. Since 1638 he has been stationed in Beinanmi, in the southeastern part of the island. Hippert may have already heard of the tragedy that happened to Wesseling—the natives of Daba Liujiu and Lu Jiawang took advantage of his drunkenness to brutally murder this Copenhagener in cold blood. After hearing this story, neither Siput nor Ultraman should be surprised by Harpa's repeated calls.

"Be careful!" Harpa said. "If you value your honor and well-being, don't get drunk!"

In February 1638, Beinan Mi

This man named Maho is not only the head of Beinanmi, but also the ruler of the entire Beinanmi Plain. Besides Beinanmi, he also governs six or seven other settlements in this area. His own village was the largest of them, and could mobilize about a thousand able-bodied men into battle. This settlement is located south of the Tropic of Cancer, southeast of Formosa Island, facing the endless Pacific Ocean. Beinanmi dominates one side, and the biggest opponent is Lang Qiao, who can command sixteen tribes, but Lang Qiao is far away from the southern end of the island, very far from the Beinanmi Plain.

However, there was a sense of tension in the air today, a feeling that the situation was about to change. The leader, Ma Huo, heard that the day before, Taimali, a mountain tribe in the south of Beinanmi, was raided and burned to the ground, turning it into complete ruins. It is said that the attacker was a strange coalition, including his mortal enemy, the leader of Lang Qiao named Tata. It is reported that after the annihilation of Taimali, the troops headed north to Beinanmi. The men in Beinanmi were extremely anxious and waited all night, while the women had already taken their belongings to hide in the jungle.

This bizarre force is now outside Maho's village, confronting the men of Puy Nam Mi in battle formation, waiting for Maho to respond to their demands. The messenger was a Han Chinese who had been to Beinan for a few times, and his name was Chen Hua. According to him, the white-skinned people who came here were called the Dutch, and they were sent to the island by some supreme ruler of the Dutch, to be with the poor. Nan Mi lived in peace. Maho heard from Chen Hua that the Dutch had tried to come to Beinan the year before, but no one could tell whether the news surprised him. Chen Hua said that because Beinanmi was thirty miles away from Langqiao and was far on the other side of the mountain, for the Dutch, if they wanted to come by land, they had to spend a lot of energy to appease and fight against Langqiao along the way. the tribe, so they came in a chinajunk boat late last spring, but strong winds and waves forced them to return to the big group, and nothing happened. This time, they went to Lang Qiao by boat first, and accompanied by the leader of Lang Qiao and his team, it really took a lot of time for the marching army to come.

These people ruined Taima. With this in mind, Maho sent a representative out to negotiate peace. But the man soon returned to report to Maho that the leader of the army outside, calling himself Captain Van Linha, had made a request to meet Maho outside the tribe. After much deliberation, Maho decided to meet the visitors in person. He brought some betel nuts and wine, as well as several entourages, one of whom was particularly tall and burly.

This was the first time Maho had seen the Dutch, and the man who called himself Captain Van Linha had indeed come to pass. He was accompanied by four heavily armed soldiers, and another man played a strange musical instrument with a loud noise, which caught Maho's attention.

After the two sat down, this Captain Fan Linha began to explain to Maho that they had no intention of disturbing Bei Nan Mi. "At least so far, we have not suffered because of the provocation or resistance of the Beinan Miren." Fan Linha said, "We waged war against the Taimali people, and they themselves gave us a major reason to do so, otherwise this matter will never be resolved. will happen."

Maho listened quietly. No one could tell what was on his mind, but he seemed to be really thinking about Fan Linha's words. The Dutch say they are "a group of people who live in the fear of the Lord, who forbids them to lie, deceive or deceive." Maho wasn't quite sure what these words meant, but he decided to talk to them anyway. people maintain good relationships. He took off his crown, which was decorated with paper-thin gold leaf, almost like a crown to the Dutch. Maho placed the crown on Van Linha's head and explained that he had inherited it from his ancestors, and that the gold on it was plundered from there when the ancestors attacked Krelew. Fan Linha also took off his hat and put it on Maho's head. This man went so far as to say to Maho: "The object that covers the top of our body, which is held in the highest esteem by my people, is now presented to the Lord of the Puynammi region. The soldiers and other people who are accompanying me bear the testimony of our Peace has been reached and friendship has been established with Puy Nam Mi."

It is easy to negotiate peace, but in fact, both sides still maintain their vigilance. When the night fell, Chen Hua, who acted as an interpreter, followed Maho into the tribe for the night, but there were still five or six hundred men from Beinanmi guarding the entrance of the tribe. Of course, Fan Linha, who had a splendid heart, couldn't believe the savages in his eyes. He ordered the army to relocate to camp for the night, and between their position and the Puynamme tribe there were two defensive formations of Dutch soldiers and native allies.

The next day the Dutch left Puynamomi. During this short stay, they heard from Maho that there was a golden river, about three and a half feet north of Beinanmi, and Lilou, Beinanmi's old enemy, was located on the river. Although old enemies, when the Dutch said they could provide military assistance to attack, Maho refused the offer. He said that if the people from Beinanmi have a lot of contacts with the Dutch like the people from Langqiao, the people from Beinanmi will have a higher sense of security for these new friends. At that time, Maho might not have been very clear on the details of the relationship between the Dutch and the Lang Qiao people, but sooner or later he would know that the Dutch held a high degree of respect for the Lang Qiao master Tata. The Dutch regard Tata as a "king" and refer to his territory as a "province". Two years ago, when Tata finally agreed to go to the sergeant to sign a peace agreement with the Dutch, the junk ship that went to pick up Tata was sent by the sergeant himself. A year before that, Fan Linha had also been sent to Lang Qiao, and it was during that time that the Dutch finally understood that it was impossible to avoid contact with Bei Nan Mi in order to get close to the gold mine.

When Van Linha was about to leave, he suggested to Maho that Wesseling should stay in Peynam, so that Maho could know more about the Dutch. Of course, Vesselling can also learn more about gold through this. Maho readily agreed, and personally saw off the Dutch. He held Fan Linha's hand and went straight into the field, walking a long way before he really said goodbye.

He is the lord of the Beinanmi Plain, and for the well-being of Beinanmi, he must keep his promise to Fan Linha and be kind to Wesselin. It's just that the things of tomorrow cannot be left to him, nor to the Dutch.

In the winter of 1642, sir

The Council of Generals convened in mid-December 1642 to discuss whether to launch an attack on Langqiao Qiao. Looking back on that day, Chief Trodanius would probably see Wesseling's death as a major turning point in his three-year tenure as chief. Vesseling has made a significant contribution to the company since he was stationed in Puynamme in 1638, where he established a strong presence and extended the Dutch influence to East Formosa 's settlement. Traudanius later sent a letter to the company's Amsterdam office, in which he wrote that, with Wesseling's death, "the company has lost a major asset because he is so talented that he can achieve our goals." In the summer of 2008, the Dutch fleet approached the Spaniards in the chicken coop, and the situation was so tense that the Spanish commander had to urgently ask for help from Manila. However, within a few days, the news of Wesselin's death reached the officers, and everything seemed to have changed. The mighty fleet sent to the chicken coop failed to capture the Spanish fortress of San Saviour. It was not the Spaniards who defeated them, but the nasty seas in the area that the Spaniards called "Devil's Point".

The murder of Wesseling was an intolerable felony that seriously affected the Dutch prestige in East Formosa. So in January of the following year, Chief Traudanius personally led a large expedition consisting of more than 300 people, and took five ships to Lang Qiao, and then transferred to the eastern coast of Formosa, to severely punish those who committed the felony murder. Sixty-nine people in the bus also plan to explore the legendary gold location again. But the expedition suffered a series of misfortunes right from the start. The company's junk ship "Good Luck" and another Chinese junk ship hit a submerged reef when approaching Lang Qiao, and the entire army immediately fell into a dilemma in urgent need of food supplies. To the shock of the Dutch, the monarch of Lang Qiao, although he went to the shore to meet the Dutch troops, refused their requested supplies. Despite the difficulties, the army marched to Beinanmi. With the assistance of Beinanmi people, the revenge operation was very successful and completely destroyed the Daba Liujiu tribe located in the mountainous area on the edge of the Beinanmi Plain. After razing the bus Liujiu to the ground, Traudanius continued north, but the food shortage problem could not be solved, coupled with the difficulty of crossing the huge mountain to reach the legendary gold location, he finally had to abandon the original plan. And return to the lord. This forced decision was later criticized by the Viceroy of Batavia, Van Diemen, for "arriving in Rome and not seeing the Pope". Compared to this, Vesselling was even more heroic. He dared to go deep into the mountains alone and try his best to get close to the gold location. His contribution alone was far greater than the entire expedition of Traudanius.

All in all, when Wesselin died, everything went wrong. It was not until this summer that the Dutch finally won a big victory in the chicken coop and completely conquered the Spaniards. The position commander Ramosius immediately announced that he would open fresh water as a new trade point, which seemed to be a good new beginning.

In such an atmosphere, the General Council had a lengthy discussion on the Lang Qiao matter, and finally reached a unanimous resolution that, for the benefit of the company, an army of 300 people should be formed to punish the Lang Qiao people. The task again fell to the position commander Ramosius, who had returned from the north and was ready for battle. The troops set off on the day the decision was made, and even mobilized the natives who had let loose. Fangsuo is located between Daguan and Lang Qiao, and Lang Qiao was originally an old enemy, but later the Dutch launched the eastward policy, and they also created a pan-Netherlands alliance, and the front edge of this alliance was extended from Fang Rou to Lang Qiao. , and finally even as far as Beinanmi.

After the punitive attack, the position commander, with the help of the freers, hunted about forty heads and captured seven men, women and children. The five most important settlements under Lang Qiao's jurisdiction were burned to the ground. As for the ruler of Lang Qiao, who was once respected by the Dutch, the Dutch originally expected him to escape eastward, so they had already informed the Beinan Miren to defend the mountain pass and attack from the east, while the Dutch attacked from the west. To catch Tata, but he was lucky to escape with his brother.

When the position commander, Ramosius, returned triumphantly, it was not far from Traudanius' resignation. Due to some of his foolish actions, Governor Van Dimen recalled him to Batavia. Although severely reprimanded by the Governor, Traudanius probably thought that half of what he had done was a wise and appropriate decision. During those years, China, which was separated from Formosa by the sea, was in turmoil, and the entire southeastern coast of China became a dangerous area. Without armed guards, businessmen could hardly move. Looking at the overall situation in 1642, Traudanius believed that as long as the company's treasury had enough silver from Japan to purchase Chinese porcelain and raw silk, Chinese merchants would overcome all difficulties and come to trade. For this reason, it is imperative to strengthen the trade between Formosa and Japan, so it is inevitable to obtain more Formosa products needed by the Japanese market. The expulsion of the Spaniards was the first step in this plan, and with the appeasement of the natives of the South and East, he had good reason to reject everything the Batavia authorities accused him of, believing that he left a bright future for his successor .

However, Trodanius doesn't seem to know much about the geopolitics of the island that has been disrupted by Dutch activity over the years. He didn't seem to have thought about why the monarch of Lang Qiao suddenly turned against the Dutch. But when you think about it, it's not difficult to understand. From Tata's point of view, the expansion of Beinanmi's power has greatly threatened Langqiao's status, and even the balance of power within Langqiao has been harmed. Since 1636, Tata's brother Karuan has been more friendly to the Dutch than Tata, and he has gradually developed a separatist force, and Tata's authority has been affected by all the settlements under his jurisdiction. challenge.

But Traudanius never had a chance to think about that anymore. When Karugan abandoned Tata and appeared in the city of Geranja, hoping to obtain permission from the Dutch to live in Fangsuo, Traudanius, far away in Batavia, had already reached the end of his life.

On the day Traudanius died in Batavia, the sky over Geranza was pleasantly clear. With the strong north wind blowing, the port workers are busy loading sugar to Japan on the speedboat Liro. Half a year ago, Traudanius, who was ill, took the speedboat Lilo to Batavia. Now the destination of the speedboat is Dejima, an artificial island outside Nagasaki. It's a pity that the space on board is limited. No matter how much Traudanius valued the transaction between Formosa and Japan during his lifetime, there are still not many that can be shipped to Japan on this trip. 【Finish】