Jan van Aert was a Dutchman who served as Chief Navigator for the Dutch East India Company during the 1720s. He primarily operated out of the company's headquarters in the Portuguese colony of Macau.
In 1725, Jan, under the Templars' influence, allied with fellow businessmen Alan Jacob and Sun to sabotage a rival trading company led by Lee Huiyin. However, Jan eventually betrayed his allies and established a lucrative partnership with the Assassin Edward Kenway and his organization, the Zhang Wei Union, whom he later accompanied in their search for the lost city of Angkor, rumored to house a valuable treasure.
Biography[]
Supervising Hendrik[]
During his tenure as Chief Navigator, Jan had one of his men, Hendrik, investigate various rumors around Southeast Asia concerning possible treasures and ancient sites that could benefit the company's interests. Although Hendrik reported all of his findings directly to Jan, the latter dismissed most of his discoveries as little more than "old fisherman's tales".[1]
One of the legends Hendrik told Jan about concerned an ancient temple supposedly located in the lost Khmer city of Angkor, which was said to house a powerful artifact. However, Jan dismissed this story as false like the rest of the legends Hendrik had uncovered, and decided to focus on more practical pursuits.[1] Hendrik would later be killed under mysterious circumstances in February 1725, bringing an end to the Dutch East India Company's search for treasures in Asia.[2]
Alliance against Lee[]
That same year, Jan began collaborating with Alan Jacob, a representative of the Far East Company, and Sun, the head of the Hualien Trading Company, to sabotage a rival trading company led by Lee Huiyin and benefit their own respective businesses in the process. To this end, they hired Shimazu ninja led by the Templar Shimazu Saito to eliminate Lee at her own residence, the Mandarin's House.[3]
Jan meeting with Alan and Sun to discuss about Lee
After the ninja failed to kill Lee, Alan called an emergency meeting with Jan and Sun at St. Dominic's Church to discuss their next course of action. During the meeting, Jan remarked that the ninja's failure might be a sign they were not as strong as they had thought, but Alan pointed out that all the ninja had been allegedly killed by a single warrior. Unbeknowst to them, the Assassin Edward Kenway was watching the meeting from above after following Alan there and suspected one of them of being a Templar.[4]
Jan listened to Alan's plan to cripple Lee's company, which required Jan to use his standing in the Dutch East India Company to detain Lee's ships in the Macau harbor. Jan remarked that his role in the operation was suspiciously easy and questioned Alan's motives. Seeing that Sun was just as hesitant to follow his lead, Alan showed them a "treasure" he had acquired to entice their cooperation, promising them unprecedented wealth.[5]
Having been convinced to go along with Alan's plan, Jan later did as he had been told and, when several of Lee's ships were attacked by pirates at sea, he prevented the Dutch Navy from sending any ships to their rescue.[5] He also contributed to Alan's plan to frame Lee's company for opium trafficking, having her ships detained in the harbor under the pretense of being investigated for smuggling illegal narcotics.[6]
Jan meeting with Alan and Sun at the harbor
However, this plan was thwarted by Edward Kenway, who exposed the Far East Company for smuggling the opium into Macau.[7] Unable to cover this up due to the large number of witnesses, Jan had no choice but to comply to the orders of the Dutch East India Company's resident officials and detain one of the Far East Company's ships.[8]
When Jan later met with Alan and Sun at the harbor to discuss, he was accused by the former of betraying their agreement and attempting to sabotage his company. Their fight was broken up by Sun, who suspected that Lee had somehow learned about their plan and had sabotaged it. He then reminded Jan and Alan that they could not end their alliance until they had dealt with Lee.[8]
Partnership with the Zhang Wei Union[]
After Edward and his organization, the Zhang Wei Union, protected a Dutch East India Company ship from pirates near the Philippines, Jan met with the Assassin upon his return to Macau. Claiming that he was in Edward's debt for bringing his vessel back safely, Jan asked him to talk in private.[9]
Jan making Edward a business proposition
Aware of Edward's former activities in the Caribbean, Jan requested his aid in riding the Paracel Islands of pirates who had overrun them, in order to allow his company to resume trade operations there. In exchange, he promised to let the Assassin keep any goods he looted from the pirates and to secure a five-year partnership between the Dutch East India Company and the Zhang Wei Union, which led Edward to accept his offer.[10]
Edward was ultimately successful in his task, eliminating the pirates and taking their ships for himself. Upon the Assassin's return to Macau, an impressed Jan offered to help him register his new ships and kept his promise of a five-year contract between his company and the Union. However, Edward referred him to his associate Zhang, who he claimed was the true head of the Union. This amused Jan, but he nonetheless shook hands with Zhang, marking the beginning of a lucrative partnership between their organizations.[11]
Sometime later, Jan intervened in a fight between Lee and Sun, after being informed of the situation by Edward's friend John Young.[11] Arriving with several armed men to back up Edward, Jan warned both Lee and Sun to stand down or else they would face the consequences for disrupting the order in Macau. Ultimately, both merchants retreated, and Edward thanked Jan for his assistance in breaking up the fight.[12]
Journey to the Philippines[]
Jan talking to Edward aboard the Fenghuang
Sometime following Sun's death, which allowed Lee to become Macau's dominant merchant,[13] Jan learned that Edward and his associates had left Macau to pursue a possible lead to Angkor's location. Realizing that there must be some truth to the legend of Angkor's treasure, Jan decided to follow them and assumed command of one of the company's vessels. After tracking down the Zhang Wei Union members, he came to their rescue when their ship, the Fenghuang, was attacked by one of Lee's vessels near the Philippines.[14]
After sinking the enemy ship, Jan spoke to Edward aboard the Fenghuang and revealed his knowledge of the true purpose of the Assassin's expedition. He then expressed his love of adventures and his willingness to join the Union in their search for Angkor. Believing they needed the Dutch East India Company's protection in case they encountered Lee's fleet again, Edward reluctantly allowed Jan to accompany them.[1]
Before long, however, both Jan's ship and the Fenghuang came under attack by two Spanish Men O' War, forcing them to surrender. The crews of the two ships were brought to Manila, where Edward blamed Jan for their predicament. Although the navigator claimed that he was just as clueless as Edward about the reason behind their arrest, a representative of the Governor-General of the Philippines soon arrived and accused Jan of orchestrating the assassination of the previous governor, Fernando Manuel de Bustillo Bustamante y Rueda, six years prior.[1]
Edward rescuing Jan and his crew from Fort Santiago
Jan and his men were subsequently imprisoned in the dungeon underneath Fort Santiago, where they awaited their sentencing. As Jan lamented his fate, he suddenly heard a commotion outside and, moments later, Edward arrived to free the Dutchmen from their cells, much to Jan's relief. As the crew were being escorted out of the dungeon, Edward decided to ask Jan if he was indeed responsible for Governor Bustamante's assassination. Before the navigator could respond, he was interrupted by a riot which had broken out in the streets of Manila. Edward went to investigate the cause of this riot, leaving Jan and his men behind.[15]
Despite being abandoned by Edward, Jan and his crew managed to make their way back to the Manila harbor, where they saw that the remaining Zhang Wei Union members were engaged in a fight with several Spanish soldiers. As he made his way to back to his ship, Jan greeted the Union members and thanked them for their help while promising not to leave without them.[16]
True to his word, Jan waited for Edward and Shimazu Saito to return to the Fenghuang, whereupon both ships set sail away from Manila. When the Spanish Navy gave chase, Jan volunteered to distract their pursuers to give the Union members time to escape. After telling Edward to reconvene at the Sultanate of Sulu, an island kingdom south of the Philippines, Jan parted ways with the Assassin and proceeded with his distraction, allowing the Fenghuang to escape from the Spanish fleet.[17]
Personality and traits[]
Jan leading company soldiers to help Edward
Jan was a greedy businessman motivated mainly by his desire to increase his company's profits by any means necessary. As such, he had no real loyalties and would work with anyone as long as it benefited him.[10] Jan was willing to go to extreme lengths to achieve his goals and was not above breaking the law or sabotaging his rivals for his personal benefit. However, he was limited in what he could do due to having to obey the orders of his higher-ups in the company.[8]
Jan was the most reluctant member of the alliance against Lee, frequently doubting the others' plans,[4][8] and eventually betrayed his associates by forming a partnership with Edward Kenway. As shown during his meeting with Edward, Jan was a skilled negotiator, maintaining a friendly façade throughout and appealing to the Assassin's interests to get him to accept his offer.[10] However, he was also prone to anger when confronted or accused of doing something he had not done, as shown during his fight with Alan Jacob.[8]
Despite his questionable loyalty, Jan did appear to hold Edward in high regard due to the stories he had heard about the Assassin's exploits in the Caribbean.[10] As such, he maintained his partnership with him and his organization and came to their aid more than once.[12][14][17] His decision to join Edward in his quest for Angkor also stemmed from his own love of adventures, as despite his desk job at the Dutch East India Company, he always admired the freedom of seafarers that answered to no one but themselves.[1]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 50
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 3
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 11
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 13
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 14
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 16
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 17
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 18
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 26
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 27
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 30
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 31
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 40
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 49
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 51
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 53
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 57