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Chapter 581 The clouds are gathering
“According to His Majesty’s description of Little Luzon, before it was occupied by the Spanish, most of the people here believed in Islam, and the king was called the Sultan of Sulu.

When the Spanish first arrived here, they fought a war with the local Muslims and were ultimately defeated. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds should be mentioned in naval astronomy. The Portuguese explorer who discovered the nebulae also died in this war.

After the Spanish occupied Manila, they followed their domestic methods and adopted an intolerant attitude towards Islam. The natives of Little Luzon were either converted to Christianity or expelled and massacred.

After decades of unremitting efforts, Muslims are no longer seen in Little Luzon and several islands in the south. Only some islands further south still retain Muslim traditions.

Our situation now is similar to that when the Spaniards first arrived at the Port of Manila. We have an absolute advantage militarily, but are at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers and religion. But we have one more helper than the Spanish, the Chinese businessmen.

According to my survey of the Chinese businessmen here, there are not many who truly believe in Christianity, only a few thousand, and most of them are temporarily committed to survival and business. If they can be utilized, it will affect the attitudes of a large number of local people.

However, if we rely on them to slowly and subtly influence us, we may not be able to eliminate Christianity until we die. The most effective way is to force it. Like the Spaniards, those who convert live, those who remain stubborn die!

I think His Majesty is determined to use Annan's mercenaries, probably not just to capture Manila Port, but post-war security is the focus. In order not to form a deadly feud with the locals, the navy had better not participate in the large-scale killing of indigenous people, leave these tasks to the Annan mercenaries, and just turn a blind eye.

Killing is addictive. When this group of mercenaries makes too much noise, send them all back and replace them with another group. We only need to pay some logistical supplies, armor and weapons. In the long run, the cost is very low and the side effects are minimal.

After almost clearing the island of Muslims, the navy then launched a vigorous annihilation of the Annan bandits, just like it had done with the Japanese pirates, and pinned all the charges on them.

First, a few of the most heinous criminals were publicly executed, and the rest were shipped back. The local natives will be grateful, and the Annan soldiers will also make enough money, and everyone is happy. "

"...The method is feasible, but there is one thing we don't have, and it won't be easy to find for a while. It's a bit difficult!" Such a crazy method of genocide was not too exciting to the ears of Deputy Chief of Staff Zhu.

These orphans have never tasted the warmth of the human world since they can remember, and their hearts have been tempered beyond ordinary people's hardness. Not to mention just massacring foreigners, even if they did it within the Ming Dynasty, they would still do it as long as the emperor ordered it.

Wang Datou stayed in Manila Port for two months. Not only did he spy on intelligence and record the details of Chinese traitors, he also made many plans for the future. How to maintain long-term peace and stability in this port city favored by His Majesty the Emperor is one of them.

At this point, there is basically no need to think about it, the idea is already very mature, and it comes in a complete set, even the butt-wiping paper has been selected.

"What?" Wang Datou was very unconvinced. He had thought about it for so long, how could there be a big loophole!

"The Spaniards could replace the previous religion with Christianity and missionaries. What should we replace with? Mazu, Buddha, or Taishang Laojun?"

"...That's right. It's much easier to have something to replace it than to accept nothing. This matter is a bit difficult to handle, and we shouldn't be able to appoint it at will. We should report it to His Majesty. You write your own, I wrote my own story, and if we talk about it together, it should be taken seriously." Wang Datou woke up the dreamer, and Deputy Chief of Staff Zhu was stunned. Yes, this method is indeed missing a key link, religion! It is too difficult to prevent the indigenous people from practicing any religion. When they get sick, they ask God. It cannot be said that they are not allowed to receive medical treatment.

If Christianity could be replaced with a religion, the operation would be relatively easy. It’s not that I won’t let you see a doctor, I’m just changing the doctor. The doctor from Ming Dynasty has better medical skills. If you don’t believe it, go to Daming and see how many people there are, then look at the population of your village, and don’t look at the advertisements to see the efficacy.

But how to choose a suitable religion and who should be sent here to preach is a big problem. Not only can the Statistics Department not make the decision, but even the Navy Governor has no chance and can only ask the emperor for instructions.

The Spring Festival in the eleventh year of Jingyang (1615) was more festive than in previous years. As the news of the navy's capture of Manila Port reached the capital, Emperor Jingyang Longyan was delighted. He changed his old style of keeping things in check and issued an order exempting ten people. Summer taxes in many prefectures and counties pardoned hundreds of criminals.

On New Year's Eve, a grand fireworks party was held at Deshengmen, Chaoyangmen, Zhengyangmen, and Fuchengmen. Tens of thousands of colorful fireworks lit up the entire capital, which not only opened the eyes of the people, but also It also indicates that next year will be prosperous and the days will be more promising.

"They are quite good at choosing the time, and they are not idle even in the cold weather."

After going to Zhengyang Gate to light the first fireworks, and hearing the people shouting long live, Hong Tao did not go to spend the night with the queen and concubines, but sat alone in the Yangxin Hall and gritted his teeth while looking at the memorial on the imperial book table.

Just before dinner, Du Song, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan Pass, sent an urgent message from 800 miles away. Houjin soldiers and horses invaded in large numbers. Several groups of Jurchen troops were found near the border wall, especially at Huangtuling, Dongjiakou, Yiyuankou, and Jielingkou. A small engagement took place.

It is still unclear how many enemies there are, but judging from the direction and method of attack, Du Song believes that they are the main force of Houjin. Maybe Nurhachi will come in person, and the combat force will not be less than 100,000.

Along with the emperor to handle official business on the eve of the New Year's Eve, in addition to the Chief Priest of the Chief of Ceremonies Wang An and the Chief of the Royal Horse Supervisor Zhang Ran, there were also the newly promoted First Chief of the Chief of Liturgical Supervisors, Bingbi Cao Huachun, and the Chief of the Chief of Liturgical Supervisors, Bingbi Li Jinzhong of Dongchang. . Oh no, he should be called Wei Zhongxian now. The emperor allowed him to change his surname back to his original name and gave him the name Wei Zhongxian.

This is not because Hong Tao has a bad taste, but because the name Wei Zhongxian impresses him so much that he often cannot think of Li Jinzhong. In order to avoid calling the wrong name, he might as well change it, which can be regarded as a reward for his hard work in running the East Factory.

"Long live my Lord, there are several distinguished people in the court who run shops in Gubeikou and Xifengkou, and the eldest princess is the most important." With the emperor's name, Wei Zhongxian finally no longer has to lower his head in front of Wang An and pretend to be a grandson. He dares to Take the initiative to say something.

This is also one of Hong Tao's reasons for giving him the name. The power in the court must be in his own hands, and the power in the harem cannot be left aside. Anyone with too much power will be in trouble, even Wang An.

In addition, Wei Zhongxian seemed to have the potential to be a spy. Under his leadership, Dongchang carried out drastic reforms, eliminating a group of senior members who did not do anything, and replaced them with a group of young and middle-aged eunuchs, who immediately regained their combat effectiveness and made the army more capable. The emperor's eyes and ears became more sensitive.

(End of this chapter)