In the port city of Hambantota, Dutch ships were nowhere to be seen. Only the cargo ships were present at the docks. The military ships were all on patrols from the recent outbreak of rumors about the Portuguese defeat in Daman.
The General Mark Hendriks had increased the patrol for the Dutch using his influence in the Kandy kingdom. He also managed to patrol in the waters controlled by the Kingdom. Since the king was their puppet, Mark had nothing to worry about.
Mark also sent his merchants to confirm the truth about the rumors. Even if he found a Portuguese ship to Malacca. He can't confirm that they lost at Daman. Hence he figured sending the merchants to Surat and Goa would be the best way to confirm it.
The Dutch traded with the Empire mostly through the port city of Visakhapatnam.
