Chapter 359: Killer Whale, Loach, and Batavia

The fleet set sail from the waters off Macao, heading southeast.

The Candle Dragon, serving as the fleet's flagship, sailed at the front of the formation, with scout hawk ships further ahead.

On the sterncastle deck, Lin Qian looked back and saw the fleet stretching endlessly across the sea—masts like a forest, sails blotting out the sky.

For this expedition against Batavia, besides the twenty-three warships forming the line of battle, there were also twenty-five Sea Wolf ships, thirty-three hawk ships, ten shark ships, twenty whale ships, and one falcon ship.

Large and small vessels totaled one hundred and twelve, with a total force of fifteen thousand including crew, and counting the Folangji cannons, over a thousand guns of various sizes. With such military strength in today's South Sea, only the Dutch could be considered a worthy opponent for Great Xia.

Among the fleet, the large transport vessels—shark ships and whale ships—numbered thirty in total, giving the fleet strong self-sustainability, with supplies enough for two and a half months.

Thus the fleet sailed entirely in open waters, stopping only at Xinquan Harbor for resupply.

Eleven days later, the fleet arrived at Xinquan Harbor, stayed one day for resupply, and the next day sailed southeast, preparing to pass through the Karimata Strait and strike directly at Batavia.

It was only mid-February at this point; based on the fleet's average speed, and accounting for time lost crossing the equatorial doldrums, the fleet would arrive at Batavia in fourteen days, landing right at the start of March—the timing was entirely feasible.

Since setting sail, Lin Qian had spent most of his time in the sterncastle conference room, discussing attack details with Zheng Zhilong, He Sai, Bai Qing, and others. Most of the first class of the naval academy had now risen to captain positions, so daily sailing and single-ship command in battle no longer required Zheng Zhilong and the others to handle things personally.

At the last pre-war meeting of the Naval Staff Department, they had spent all their time denouncing the Dutch and had not discussed tactical details much—this voyage was the perfect chance to make up for it. Chief of Staff Lu Ruoteng said: "... Getting back to business, once we reach Batavia, the Dutch will most likely defend from within the city. How to force them out is the key to this battle."

Wang Ruzhong said resolutely: "The fleet has a thousand marines, plus the brothers of the Army's Second Battalion—six thousand troops in all. With the zigzag siege method, are we afraid we can't take Batavia?"

Lu Ruoteng shook his head: "Don't forget the Mataram people."

Wang Ruzhong looked utterly confused: "What do you mean?"

Lu Ruoteng opened a new map and spread it on the conference table—it was the entire island of Java, the whole island under a single regime, the Mataram Sultanate, with only Batavia sticking out like a nail driven into the island's northwest corner.

"Mataram's current sultan is called Agung. When he first took the throne, Mataram was merely a small state in central Java; the Sultanate of Surabaya in eastern Java was the true overlord of the island.

Sultan Agung spent nine years campaigning ceaselessly, winning nearly every battle, destroying the Sultanate of Surabaya and establishing the most powerful unified regime on Java since the Majapahit Empire.

His territory includes not only Java but the entire island of Madura plus southern Borneo—the most powerful land kingdom in the entire South Sea. Yet even such a strong state besieged Batavia twice, in the eighth and ninth years of Tianqi, and both times returned in defeat, suffering disastrous losses. This shows how formidable Batavia's defenses are—we must not take them lightly."

Wang Ruzhong sneered disdainfully: "They're nothing but barbarian savages."

Lu Ruoteng rebuked him sternly: "You underestimate the enemy too much!"

Wang Ruzhong snorted coldly: "Six thousand Great Xia troops wiping out some southern barbarian petty state is nothing more than a casual effort."

Seeing the two at each other's throats, Lin Qian interrupted: "The island of Java has an enormous number of volcanoes. When volcanic ash erupts and falls, it makes the island's soil fertile and extremely suitable for farming, with a dense population.

Moreover, being near Aceh and the Dutch, they have studied the Ottoman Empire's military technology and institutions—quite different from the barbarians we imagine." These tropical archipelagos receive torrential rainfall and are covered in tall trees; after the topsoil is washed away by rain and absorbed by the trees, it retains almost no fertility. On the surface it looks lush and verdant, but in reality anything planted dies—for crops, it's no different from hell.

This is the important reason why Borneo, despite being such a large island, has so little population and no one has bothered to colonize it.

Java, however, with its abundance of volcanoes, happens to be the exception among such tropical islands.

This is also why the Dutch insist on fighting tooth and nail with the Mataram people over Java—because Java is suitable for growing crops and sugarcane.

Being Han Chinese, they knew well the power of agriculture, and at this Wang Ruzhong had nothing more to say.

Bailangzai asked: "How does this Mataram compare to Aceh?"

Lu Ruoteng said: "In terms of navy, Aceh ranks first among all the South Sea barbarians; in terms of army, Aceh is far inferior to Mataram.

So when our army attacks Batavia by land, we must be wary of the Mataram people. These barbarians are extremely numerous—they may not be able to take a bastion fort, but attacking our siege camp would be well within their capability."

Bai Qing said: "As the saying goes, befriend the distant and attack the near, share a common hatred against a common enemy. We and the Mataram people are both enemies of the Dutch—shouldn't we be on the same side?" At these words, everyone in the naval high command, including Lin Qian, turned to look at Bai Qing.

Bai Qing was momentarily at a loss: "What?"

Zheng Zhilong said with slight surprise: "Madam Bai's eloquence has improved considerably."

Bai Qing punched him and laughed, cursing: "I know my characters and read books too!"

Everyone laughed for a while, then Lu Ruoteng said: "Commander Bai's reasoning is sound, but here's where it gets strange—the Mataram people are not only not our allies, they might even collude with the Dutch to deal with us together."

Bai Qing asked doubtfully: "Why?"

Lu Ruoteng said: "The Dutch have strong city walls and ships that sail a thousand li, but very few land troops. Our fleet carries nearly six thousand soldiers. Who is strong and who is weak is clear at a glance.

Holland is far away in Europe, while Great Xia is right next door. The Luzon naval battle, the Zhenla campaign, and the Aceh naval battle have made too much of a name for us—in Sultan Agung's eyes, Great Xia's threat is greater than the Dutch's.

Most importantly, the Dutch take Han Chinese as slaves, and so do the Mataram people.

In the Song dynasty, maritime trade flourished, and in the early Yuan dynasty, when the Central Plains fell, many Han Chinese took to the seas on ships and went far to the South Sea. Most of the Han in Luzon and Water Zhenla came this way.

Java also has many such Han Chinese—some lived in the Sultanate of Surabaya in eastern Java.

After Mataram conquered the Sultanate of Surabaya, the vast majority of these Han became prisoners of war, enslaved until death.

When they besieged Batavia, large numbers of Han outside the city were likewise captured and enslaved."

As he spoke, Lu Ruoteng pulled out a map of Batavia and pointed at the dense grid-like structures outside the city walls.

Those were all residential areas, sugarcane plantations, and farmlands outside the city.

Most of these plantations and small handicraft workshops had Han Chinese laboring in them, and the residential areas outside the city were also home to lower-class Han.

So when the Mataram people came, these Han were the first to become captives.

Wang Ruzhong spat: "Damn it! The Dutch bully the Han, and the South Sea barbarians bully the Han too—we live so stifled!"

Lu Ruoteng said: "In any case, when we attack Batavia, our banner is the liberation of Han slaves, and Mataram will certainly be shaken by that. Our fleet also carries several envoys from the Foreign Affairs Bureau. Before the land siege of Batavia begins, we must make contact with Mataram in advance.

Even if we have to concede some interests to secure Mataram's neutrality, it would be worth it."

Wang Ruzhong remained dissatisfied: "So we just ignore the Han enslaved by Mataram?"

Lu Ruoteng narrowed his eyes and said calmly: "Settling accounts after the autumn harvest—it's never too late."

Lin Qian asked: "Who is the Foreign Affairs Bureau sending?"

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. Your servant had Director Wei personally select people who can endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens, who keep the greater picture in mind—they absolutely will not cause trouble."

Zheng Zhilong chuckled lightly: "Hard to say."

Lu Ruoteng took another map from the bookshelf and spread it on the table: "This is Onrust Island, twenty to thirty li northwest of Batavia city, sitting right beside the main shipping channel.

There is a simple bastion fort on the island, and the Dutch shipyard is also there. It is the gateway to Batavia. If we want to lure the Dutch out to fight..." Just then, a knock came at the conference room door—an orderly had brought lunch.

Lin Qian said: "Let's eat lunch first."

Today's lunch was rice soaked in lard, the main dish being cabbage and pork stewed with vermicelli, a side of dressed bean sprouts, and a bowl of seaweed and tofu soup.

This fare was already excellent on land, and at sea it was a rare delicacy indeed.

Everyone set to work clearing the conference table, and the personal guards served rice to each person, after which the meeting room was filled with the sounds of eating.

After they were full, the guards brewed hot tea, one cup per person, the flavor very weak, but still better than drinking straight from that strange-tasting water that had sat for five or six days. As the meeting room was enjoying its tea, they suddenly heard a commotion on the deck of the Candle Dragon, along with the sound of footsteps.

Lin Qian instructed Geng Wu: "Go see what's happening."

Geng Wu acknowledged the order and went out. A moment later he returned excitedly and said: "Your Majesty, off the fleet's port side, there's a pod of sea generals!"

Bai Qing heard this, set down his teacup, and said happily: "Really? Your Majesty, this is a rare good omen!"

Lin Qian knew that "sea generals" were orcas, which in the Great Ming were also called killer loaches, sea tigers, sea monks, and so on.

Because orcas were robust and mighty, did not harm people, and possessed considerable intelligence, coastal folk all regarded seeing an orca as an auspicious sign.

Setting aside superstition, long-distance ocean voyages were extremely boring, and the appearance of orcas could also boost morale—truly a good thing.

Lin Qian grew interested and said: "Let's go out and take a look." With that, he led Bai Qing and the others out of the cabin.

Leaving the cabin, they saw that the starboard side of the Candle Dragon was already packed with sailors, each reacting differently—some were cheering and shouting, some were pressing their palms together in prayer, and others were holding Foye Type 02 flintlock muskets, alert and on guard.

It was no wonder the soldiers overreacted—most orcas lived only in the deep sea, rarely seen on ordinary days, and these creatures were enormous in size and swam very fast. Anyone seeing one for the first time would feel fear.

Bai Qing had already run to the ship's rail and was excitedly waving to Lin Qian: "Your Majesty, come quick, right there—five or six of them, swimming along with our ship!"

Lin Qian walked over and looked in the direction Bai Qing pointed. There, upon the waves, five or six pitch-black dorsal fins broke the surface.

Those dorsal fins stood straight as halberds, and when they cut through the water, the surrounding waves barely rippled, yet their speed far exceeded that of ordinary sea fish. The nearest one was over a hundred paces from the Candle Dragon, and its black-and-white body could be dimly seen beneath the water.

Suddenly, that orca rose to the surface, revealing the blowhole on its back.

"Pfft!" A spray of water shot into the air, and then the surrounding orcas also surfaced one after another to breathe. Mist filled the space between sea and sky, and even from a distance one could smell a fishy odor.

Sunlight poured down, and a rainbow actually formed in the air.

The crew let out a "Wow!" of admiration.

This kind of spectacle was a first even for the old sailors, and for a moment they all stared, dumbstruck.

After breathing, the several orcas sank back beneath the water. Their swimming speed was extremely fast, far exceeding the fleet's, and before long they had vanished from sight.

Only then did the crew members, still savoring the moment, return to their posts.

Lin Qian and the others returned to the conference room, where Lu Ruoteng once again brought out the map of Onrust Island and said: "From the red barbarians' European home base to Batavia is more than ten thousand li. Once the shipyard falls, it will certainly cripple their shipping route.

This is how we can force the Dutch to give battle without even landing! No matter how great the casualties, we must take this island!" Bai Qing asked: "How many troops are on the island?"

Lu Ruoteng: "I don't know, but judging from the bastion fort map, there's no shortage of cannons, and there are no blind spots for fire—it will be difficult to land."

After that, Zheng Zhilong and Bai Qing asked a few more questions, none of which Lu Ruoteng could answer.

He Sai explained: "Batavia is a trading port. Though they guard against Han Chinese, there are always informants who can get in to investigate.

But Onrust Island is a vital military site—not just Han Chinese, even ordinary Dutch ships aren't allowed near it.

This map cost me five hundred silver yuan to buy."

Lin Qian stirred his tea leaves and said: "Silver yuan circulates in Hoi An too?"

He Sai said: "Silver yuan and the Spaniards' pesos each make up about half of the currency in Hoi An port."

Without detailed information, everyone could only make blind deductions against the map, and after discussing for a long while, they reached no conclusion.

Bailangzai hugged his great miao blade and said: "I think this island isn't big—when the time comes, we'll just adapt on the spot."

Lin Qian, however, was struck by a thought. He brought the map before him and examined it carefully. The map was crudely drawn—one could barely make out the pentagonal bastion fort and a few blocks of unclear meaning, without even a scale.

One could only roughly estimate the island's size through its outline and the bastion fort's footprint upon it.

Lin Qian asked: "How big is this island in total?"

He Sai said: "According to the merchants who come and go, roughly two hundred mu or so."

Even for an island, two hundred mu was very small. By comparison, Nan'ao Island's area was equivalent to more than nine hundred Onrust Islands. And this kind of small island generally had one huge weakness—a lack of fresh water.

Lin Qian stated his reasoning, but Lu Ruoteng shook his head: "We considered the fresh water problem, but Onrust Island is so close to Batavia that they can simply ship fresh water in.

Onrust Island is among the Thousand Islands, and there are several very close small islets and reefs around it, with shallow waterways crisscrossing in every direction—our fleet will find it very hard to maintain a complete blockade." Lin Qian said: "No need for a blockade. As long as we see a ship coming and can catch up to it, that's enough!"

This expedition's fleet carried a large number of Sea Wolf ships and Eagle ships, and had even brought Falcon ships along—now they would come in handy.

Just then, noise came from the deck again. Geng Wu went out to investigate and returned to say: "Your Majesty, several sea loaches spotted off the starboard side!"

"Sea loach" was the common name for whales. The word "whale" also existed in this era, but coastal folk called them sea loaches more often.

Zheng Zhilong laughed: "What kind of day is today? We've been at sea for over half a month—why are all the wonders happening today?"

Lin Qian rose and said: "Come on, let's go look again and clear our heads."

Leaving the cabin, they saw in the distance a towering reef rising from the sea, and around the reef, the water was constantly churning and boiling.

Looking more carefully, what was churning the water into a boil was a massive school of fish, desperately leaping out of the surface.

And that reef was the upper jaw of a whale. The whale's lower jaw sat in the seawater like a giant fishing net, waiting for the fish to leap out of the water and throw themselves into its trap.

Beside the whale's great mouth, large numbers of seagulls circled, occasionally diving down to snatch food from the whale's mouth.

Although the Great Xia fleet's route lay in the open sea, they passed by numerous uninhabited islands along the way, so seagulls were not uncommon.

Bai Qing watched for a moment, then said: "That's a yellow loach!"

Lin Qian smiled: "You recognize it?"

Bai Qing said smugly: "Your Majesty, don't look down on people. Who doesn't recognize a yellow loach? I also know black loaches, gray loaches, and sole loaches!"

Bailangzai explained: "These sea loaches are found in Guangdong. Back when we used to travel from the pearl grounds back to Guangzhou, we'd often see them. If we got lucky and caught one, it made a delicious congee."

As Bailangzai said this, an involuntary smile spread across his face—an expression extremely rare on his icy face. That memory must have been truly wonderful.

Bai Qing said: "Too bad yellow loach meat is coarse and not tasty. If only it were a sole loach—those are the most fragrant. Gray loach isn't bad either, just a bit of a muddy fishy taste." Lin Qian was greatly astonished: "You've caught whales?"

Bai Qing said matter-of-factly: "Of course. When you're starving to death, who cares about karma or no karma."

In this era, coastal folk regarded giant whales approaching shore as inauspicious. Fishermen had a saying: "Sea loaches have spirits; hunt them and you invite the waves." Thus no one had ever actively hunted whales.

This was the first time Lin Qian had learned that the Tanka people hunted whales, and he hurriedly asked Bai Qing to explain in detail.

Bai Qing gestured as he spoke: "Whaling is just like spearing fish. When you spot a sea loach, you sail the boat over, stand at the bow, and hurl the harpoon down. The sea loach, feeling the pain, dives. The harpoon is attached to a float, which drains the whale's strength, while the boat keeps letting out line. Once the whale has no strength left, it floats up, and everyone gets meat to eat." Lin Qian asked: "How long does the line need to be?"

"About forty zhang. It depends on the force—if the harpoon lands true, you won't need forty zhang. If it doesn't, and the sea loach only suffers a flesh wound, even forty zhang won't be enough."

Lin Qian pressed on: "And if it's not enough, what then?"

Bai Qing sighed softly: "Cut the rope quickly, and you might still live. Otherwise, there's only death."

She paused, then added: "A forty-zhang hemp rope is worth good money too, and if you cut the rope... you'd only be delaying death a little. So unless there's truly no other way to survive, no one goes after the sea eels."

Lin Qian then asked a few more questions about the details.

Though Bai Qing could speak at length about how delicious whale meat was, she and her brother had never caught one themselves—they'd only ever received shares from others' catches, and had tasted it no more than three times to this day.

Because whaling was far too perilous, even the Tanka wouldn't hunt them casually, and besides the meat, whales were of little use to the coastal folk.

Apart from the fin whales and gray whales Bai Qing had mentioned, all other whale meat was tough and stringy—besides the Tanka, almost no one ate it, and it couldn't fetch a good price either. Whale baleen could be used in Europe for corsets and skirt hoops, but in the Great Ming it was nearly useless—whether for umbrella ribs or horsewhips, the Central Plains had better materials. And whale oil, the most important industrial lubricant, had no market in the Great Ming whatsoever.

First, the Great Ming's low-load waterwheels were adequately lubricated with lard; second, common folk used cheap rapeseed oil for cooking and lamps, while the scholar-officials used white insect wax and tallow-tree seed oil.

This meant that whaling off the coast carried great risk for little reward—besides the Tanka, no one would do it.

And after Lin Qian conquered Fujian and Guangdong and abolished the debased-class registers, the Tanka were freed from oppressive taxes and could live well by ordinary fishing alone—there was no need to risk their lives anymore. The already-sporadic whaling trade vanished entirely from the southeastern coast.

Hearing Lin Qian's endless questions about whale blubber, population numbers, and whale species, Bai Qing assumed he was curious about the taste of whale meat, and said in a rush: "When we return in triumph, I'll catch one for Your Majesty!"

Lin Qian declined repeatedly and corrected her: "'Triumph' already carries the meaning of returning—no need to add 'in triumph' after it."

"Is that so?" Bai Qing blinked, then waved her hand with great righteousness: "In any case, when we're on the way back, I'll catch a sei whale—they're small and not strong, easy to handle. A hawk ship is more than enough. Your Majesty need not worry."

Bailangzai said worriedly: "Sis, let me go instead."

Lin Qian laughed and scolded: "No one needs to go. Don't cause more trouble."

Suddenly, a crewman cried out in alarm: "Look!"

Lin Qian looked toward the yellow whale and saw nothing unusual.

A crewman shaded his eyes with his hand and shouted: "To the north!"

Lin Qian simply pulled out his telescope and gazed northward. After searching for a moment, he indeed found something—several black dorsal fins had appeared on the sea. Bai Qing said in disbelief: "Those are the sea generals we saw at noon!"

These killer whales had come from deep water; by the time their dorsal fins broke the surface, they were less than twenty paces from the yellow whale.

Startled, the yellow whale shut its great mouth, trapping seawater, fish, and seagulls inside all at once, then immediately dove.

The killer whales dove right after it, and soon nothing remained on the surface but a large patch of foam. The crewmen knew a struggle was underway beneath the waves and held their breath, waiting. The deck fell eerily quiet, with only the wind, waves, and cries of seagulls to be heard.

A moment later, fifty paces off the Candle Dragon's starboard bow, a massive tail fluke broke the surface, then slammed down hard, sending white spray several zhang into the air.

The spray fell like a curtain of rain, drenching everyone aboard the Candle Dragon.

The hawk ships nearby scattered to avoid it.

Before long, another tail fluke emerged and crashed down, filling the whole deck with drifting mist.

From the color alone, one could tell it was the yellow whale's tail.

The crewmen all stared wide-eyed at the sea, where blue-green water showed black-and-white shapes flashing past, appearing and vanishing. Ripples spread across the surface with their movements.

Suddenly, a dense stream of bubbles rose to the surface, followed by a faint reddish tinge floating up.

After another moment, the corpse of a small yellow whale took shape in the shallows, then slowly floated up to the surface, coming to rest just over fifty paces off the Candle Dragon's starboard quarter. It was a yellow whale calf, with no visible wounds on its body—it had been drowned alive.

The killer whales gathered around the corpse, in no hurry to feed, swimming back and forth as if inspecting it—like admiring their trophy.

The mother yellow whale circled at a hundred paces' distance, surfacing every little while to gaze toward her calf's corpse.

The Candle Dragon gradually sailed away from where the killer whales were feeding, and at last the mother whale flicked her tail and headed for the deep sea, leaving only a slowly fading trail of water on the surface.

Lin Qian watched the direction the mother whale had gone, silent.

Lu Ruoteng said: "Your Majesty need not be moved to sorrow—big fish eat little fish, and sea tigers eat sea eels; such is the way of nature."

But Lin Qian only smiled and shook his head, offering no explanation.

In his heart, he was actually wondering how much whale oil could be rendered from a whale that size.

Several days later, the fleet crossed the equatorial doldrums and arrived at the Karimata Strait, which lay between the island of Sumatra and Borneo—past the strait lay the Java Sea.

At this time, the fleet's anchorage was only about eight hundred li from Batavia—at most, four days' sail.

Today was the twenty-seventh day of the second month, in the third year of Zhongxuan.

According to He Sai's intelligence, before the end of the second month the Dutch Christmas Fleet would set sail for home, leaving Batavia at its most vulnerable. However, the fleet's departure was subject to delays depending on cargo—and if they arrived too early and trapped the Christmas Fleet in Batavia, that would be a fine mess indeed.

Lin Qian therefore decided to send someone ahead to scout the situation. In the end, an envoy from the Foreign Affairs Bureau was chosen to sail a Sea Wolf ship to meet the Dutch Governor-General. After four days' voyage, the Great Xia envoy Jiang Wei arrived at Batavia, and had barely approached the main channel when Dutch warships intercepted him.

Jiang Wei ordered no resistance, and the Dutch soon came alongside and boarded. Jiang Wei identified himself.

The Dutchmen, who had originally intended to simply rob the ship, suddenly hesitated.

The Dutch captain was none other than Reyersen, who had escaped from Lin Qian's grasp several times before. Last time in the Strait of Malacca, Lin Qian had used heavenly thunder to defeat Sultan Mudah—an event that had left Reyersen with severe psychological trauma.

Hearing the name of Lin Qian of Great Xia at this moment, Reyersen trembled all over with fear. After the trembling passed, he glanced around—thankfully none of his men had seen. Then, pretending to deliberate at length, he said: "Take him to see the Governor-General."

The Dutch sailors brought rope and bound Jiang Wei's hands behind his back, then moved to blindfold him.

Jiang Wei cursed in fury: "Red barbarian savages! This envoy comes on the orders of the Xia King for peace talks between our two nations—binding hands and covering eyes, what manner of courtesy is this?" The interpreter translated Jiang Wei's words.

Reyersen cared little for courtesy, but he dared not offend Lin Qian, and worried even more that a blindfold might wreck the peace negotiations.

Last time in Malacca, he had been demoted to patrol-ship captain for abandoning his allies and fleeing alone—if he were to bear the additional crime of sabotaging the peace talks, he might well be reduced to a common sailor.

Thinking of this, Reyersen waved to his men: "Forget it—no blindfold. Untie the ropes on his hands too."

He then brought everyone from the Sea Wolf ship aboard the Dutch patrol vessel, herded them into the hold, forbade them from peeking at the harbor, and lashed a towline to the Sea Wolf ship, dragging it into port.

But since his eyes hadn't been covered after all, when Jiang Wei came out of the hold, he still got a clear look at the entire harbor.

Just as He Sai had said, the harbor held only thirty-odd ships, most of them yachts; large warships numbered just five or six, roughly the tonnage of fourth-rate vessels—and not a single one matched the Candle Dragon's displacement.

Jiang Wei's heart was now at ease. Only one thought remained: "I must return alive!"

"Sir, please disembark." Reyersen urged from behind Jiang Wei.

Jiang Wei stepped onto the gangplank and looked toward the city—all he could see was a vast expanse of deep green jungle, and at the horizon's edge, a volcano trailing wisps of white smoke.

Up close, great plantations ringed the city in perfectly regular rectangles; houses and streets were laid out as if cut by a knife, neat and orderly. The mighty city of Batavia stood before him.

Yahei

Pink Round

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