"Mr. Civil Affairs Officer, no matter what your large-scale purchase of food is, it poses a huge threat to our East India Company. I ask you to provide a reasonable explanation." Putmans protested.

After he arrived at Shenglong City, he always had an ominous premonition in his heart, and he had to figure out the evil purpose of the Jiuzhou Army.

"I just want to explain it, we still want to explain it to you?" A Jiaozhi Chief Secretary for Administration who was handling government affairs next to him whispered, not allowing Putmans to hear it clearly.

Although Xiong Wencan wanted to say this in his heart, as the highest civil servant of the Jiaozhi Governor, he certainly could not speak to Putmans like this. He always had to pay attention to etiquette: "Mr. Putmans, it is not your turn to do things on our Kyushu Army on our own territory. Just like you would not give us the details of the East India Company, there is no possibility of what we do to you. I regret that you have disappointed you, come and see off guests."

"You are trying to cover up the truth! I protest!"

Putmans shouted, but was still bombarded by several yamen runners.

After Putmans left, Xiong Wencan said to the officials on the left: "The noise we made from purchasing grain was too big, and it was discovered by the Westerners. I'm afraid that the incident of our invasion of Siam will not be concealed for long."

"Sir, our army has already set off. By the time the Westerners react, they must have been besieging the royal city of Siam. After the Westerners react, they have to spend time forming a fleet and then bargaining with us. The time difference in between is enough for us to do a lot of things." An official said.

"That's right, this time we made a time difference by being prepared and we made a profit. I hope the Nanyang Fleet can quickly withdraw from the battle against the Siam Royal City to deal with the Westerners, otherwise we would have to block the sea route from Hoi An Port to the Gulf of Siam, and we would have to provide supplies to the front line by land." Xiong Wencan said.

After leaving the Jiaozhi Governor's office, Putmans was very depressed. Not only did he not get a satisfactory explanation from the Jiuzhou Army, he was driven out. Could it be that he would come to Batavia Port in vain?

"Putmans, this time we have gone in vain. The Kyushu Army must be planning a big event. I am more worried that they will plot against the Spice Islands and take away our interests in the East India region." The Netherlands merchant Cruise followed Putmans to Shenglong City, and unknowingly involved in the battle between the East India Company and the Kyushu Army. As for his fellow Dutch merchants, he left the Spice Islands early.

"They said this would not harm our East India Company, so the purchase of grain should not be to attack the Spice Islands. To some extent, I was relieved," Putmans said.

"The Han people have always been cunning, and what they say is not trustworthy. I have been in business for many years and have met Chinese merchants the most shrewd. They are just spontaneous business behaviors among the people, and their influence in the countries of the South China Sea may be above our East India Company." The big-bellied businessman Cruise's eyes flashed in his eyes, which was obviously more afraid of Chinese merchants.

"This..." Putmans also suffered losses under the Jiuzhou Army many times. He was still scared when he thought about it, so he said: "We will stay in Shenglong City for a while and inquire about it everywhere. We must understand the intentions of the Jiuzhou Army and not come here for nothing."

Putmans then settled in Shenglong City.

The atmosphere in Shenglong City is getting more and more intense day by day, and the pedestrians on the street are busy with production and transportation. Putmans and his men are searching for information everywhere, trying to find out from the locals what their busyness is for.

Where Putmans lived, a group of plainclothes men stared at them secretly, paying attention to their movements at all times.

On a bamboo house next door, a big man was drinking tea carefully.

A middle-aged man dressed in a hawker walking through the streets and alleys walked up to the stilted bamboo house, came to the side of the man, and whispered: "Sir, these Dutch people are buying people's hearts everywhere with silver, and want to find out the purpose of our massive purchase of grain."

"Do they have a purpose to understand us?" the big man asked indifferently.

"Not yet." replied the man dressed in a hawker.

"Try to provide them with fake information, fool them first, and buy time for the front-line army to attack Siam. How to provide fake information and what fake information you have worked under our Intelligence Department for many years, should you know what to do?"

"yes."

The man dressed in a hawker bowed slightly, and then went down to the stilted bamboo house.

"Sir, why don't we just kill these Dutch people? Wouldn't it be more thorough to throw their bodies into the sea and make a shipwreck or a robbery?" said a plainclothes man on a bamboo house.

"That would be too much. Putmans is one of the governors of the East India Company. He died inexplicably in the waters near Shenglong City. In addition, we bought grain in a large amount of time, so it was too much to cover up. It would be better to fool him first and make him dizzy. He was not sure about our intentions for a day, so he would not be able to report to the East India Company, but he could buy us time. By the time he finally understood, it would be too late." said the tea-tasting man.

Putmans is now anxious and wants to find out the intentions of the Jiuzhou Army immediately.

His men scattered around and asked passers-by or vendors on the surrounding streets, but it seemed that there was no effect.

"These civilians either don't know what the superiors are doing, or they hesitate, don't know, and can't find any valuable words at all." Putmans' men came back to report to Putmans.

"Is there no way to let them speak with silver?" Putmans said.

"They need to know the whole story," Cruise said. "I think we have found the wrong person. We shouldn't ask some people in the market, but we should ask the merchants here. There are many merchants selling food in Shenglong City, including some greedy people. We can use their greed to get information from it."

"Cruise, I didn't expect you to know so much about Chinese businessmen. If this matter is resolved smoothly, I don't think you have to go back to Europe. Our East India company can hire you to conquer the South China Sea for our consultants and agents in the Spice Islands." Putmans threw out an olive branch.

"No, I just want to go back and be a rich man." Cruise refused.
Chapter completed!