golden scales

In November of the 20th year of Chongzhen, a small boat from Fujian took a passerby from Guangdong across Lingdingyang and set foot on this small city.It is less than ten miles from north to south, and less than four miles from east to west. It is Macau, which was officially named by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Many civil and military officials who got the map of Huang Mingkun were very surprised. The crown prince seemed to be particularly concerned about this small town in the South China Sea.This is because of the education Zhu Cihong received in his previous life: Macao has been occupied by the Portuguese since the Ming Dynasty and became its colony.As the crown prince of Huangming, how could the future emperor tolerate colonies in his own territory?Of course, pay close attention to this.

But the feedback he received forced Zhu Cihong to change his prejudice. In this era, Macau can only be regarded as an autonomous dominion at best, not a colony.

From the time of Jiajing when the Portuguese entered Hong Kong and requested to live in Macao, it was not until the 44th year of Wanli, [-], that Portugal officially appointed Francisco Carlogo as the governor of Macao.However, the governor did not arrive at his post until the third year of the apocalypse, when Francisco Mas Galluer became the first governor of Macau to take office.

Although nominally called the governor, in fact, before [-], the governor of Macau was just a "soldier leader" responsible for the defense of Macau, and the governor's office was also located in the fort.The entire city is managed by a council under the influence of the Jesuits. This council is called the "Parliament of Loyalty" in official documents. Its power and history are far beyond that of the Australian Governor.

The Ming Dynasty did not give up its power in Macau, and still sent officials to manage the place and collect taxes.According to the agreement between Ming and Portugal, the Portuguese had to pay an annual land rent of 500 taels of silver for the land they lived in, as well as other variable taxes.During the Tianqi period, Guangdong received more than 2 taels of tax from Macau every year.

For the government of the Ming Dynasty, which has no concept of sovereignty, such benefits are far greater than the benefits of the land. Since the Frangji people are willing to make this deal, why not do it?

Even now, the entire city of Macau is full of mixed races who believe in Catholicism.With a population of nearly 1, the Portuguese still don't think this is their colony, but a piece of Chinese land governed by them.

Based on this sober understanding, Portugal after leasing Macau.Always be on the side of political correctness.Whether it was the contribution of artillery during the Jiajing period, or the assistance in training artillery and dispatching mercenaries during the Chongzhen period, or even the support for the Yongli regime in the original historical time and space, people believe that they are a group of "good tenants".

Upon receiving the news that the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty wanted to open up business, the Macau Council immediately made a decision to send member Lorenzo Mendez Cordero (rdeiro) as a plenipotentiary representative to Zhangzhou, Fujian Province to meet the Crown Prince of the Ming Empire.

Shen Youlong met Lorensu and his party in Guangzhou, and opened the door of convenience so that the Portuguese mission could go to the Crown Prince Xingyuan by land.As for the goods listed on the list, they will be traded by sea when the south wind blows in the coming year.

When Lorensu arrived in Zhangzhou Mansion with a group of assistants and servants in the dust for more than half a month.It has been nearly a month since Zhu Cihong moved his residence to Xiamen.

The city got its name from the 28th year of Hongwu, which means the gate of the national building.

Since it is a door, there is entry and exit, and there is absolutely no reason to only enter and not exit.

Zhu Cihong's establishment of a shipping department on Kinmen Island will inevitably require a larger warehouse and logistics center.However, the location of Xiamen is a unique and excellent choice.Therefore, Xiamen was also officially established as a county, and Jinmen Island was incorporated into the jurisdiction of Xiamen County, and it was the residence of the Shipping Department of Xiamen City.

When Lorenzo arrived on the main island of Xiamen by boat, he could see groups of workers leveling the foundation and working hard for the expansion of Xiamen city.He wrapped the coat around his body, but still felt that the cold sea wind could not stop tearing his body and soul.

——Why didn't the crown prince of the Ming Empire stay in Zhangzhou or Quanzhou honestly?At least it's warmer there.

Lorensu slandered, and walked into the east palace in the city with the fur-clad eunuch next to him.

"Please allow me to represent the King of Portugal. The great restorer, King Joao IV, and the Macao Council, extend our highest respect to you and congratulate you on the smooth birth of your son." Lorenzo said in a side room In the hall, I saw Zhu Cihong and several Ming officials in Yanju uniforms.

This is not a formal meeting.When the official finished translating the words of Franji's envoy respectfully, no matter it was Xiao Mo, Zheng Zhilong, or Fang Jiahong, they all showed kind smiles.

"Give me a seat." Zhu Cihong sat on the main seat in the middle, and asked Luo Rensu to sit opposite Fang Jiahong.Above him were a few well-mannered young civil servants, who looked at his Francine face with great interest.

"This is just an informal meeting and an informal banquet to welcome the arrival of the envoy." Zhu Cihong glanced at the mixed-race officer, and tried to use the vernacular that he could understand: "Portugal was in the past Over the years, I have complied with the order established by Daming, and I am very pleased with this."

——This is directly related to Wang Hong's victory in the naval battle.

Zhu Cihong added something in his heart, of course there is no need to say it.

Lorenzo expressed his thanks after listening to the translation.

Zhu Cihong continued: "I'm also very happy to hear that the country of Er was able to become independent from the barbaric and brutal Spaniards, although it was a bit late."

Lorenzo was worthy of his status as a diplomat, and said politely: "My sincere blessings are not too late in 1000 years."

Zhu Cihong nodded, and continued: "Have Er and the Netherlands reached a settlement in Europe?"

Lorenzo felt that the powerful crown prince had mastered the rhythm of the conversation and wanted to get rid of it. He simply replied: "The war in Europe is subsiding, but the final peace has not yet ushered in. No matter what happens in Europe, we and the Dutch Competition in the East will not abate."

He knew the history of friendship between Portugal and the Ming Dynasty, and he also knew Confucianism's views on grievances.What they believe in is "reporting grievances directly", and Portugal has an inherent advantage over the Netherlands in this regard.

Zhu Cihuang did not allow Lorensu to turn the topic to the east, and still bit Europe and said: "It's a pity that Ming can't support friends far away in Europe. I still remember that when many Ming troops surrendered, Er soldiers fought for Ming. To the point of death, this makes me especially hope to provide assistance to my country as much as I can."

It was the first time that Lorenzo received such high praise from the Ming Dynasty officials, and he quickly stood up to pay tribute: "This is the honor of our soldiers. Our country still needs Ming's help in East India."

"East India is nothing." Zhu Cihong once again blocked Lorensu's efforts: "There is an old saying in China: if there is no skin, there will be no hair. If your foundation in Europe is damaged, it is impossible for your overseas territories to be stable." provide resources.

"You must be well aware that the Dutch have driven you out of Japan and seized your ports and territories from Africa to India. In the East India, which is our Nanyang, you can only live in a small place like Macau On. Within a few decades, you will be completely forgotten.

"And all of this is because you lost the support of Lisbon and the support of 200 million compatriots in your own country." Zhu Cihong concluded.

Lorenzo knew that the Jesuit missionaries would spare no effort to introduce Europe to the east, but he really didn't expect that the crown prince even knew the population of Portugal so well.

——A population of 200 million, is this figure reliable?

Lorenzo thought to himself.

"So, the cooperation in Nanyang is not important, what is important is Europe." Zhu Cihong said: "You need an ally who can directly help you improve your combat effectiveness."

"But Your Highness, I am afraid that Ming Dynasty will not send a fleet to go on an expedition to Europe." Lorenzo finally gave up on leading the pace of the negotiation. Anyway, this is an informal meeting, he comforted himself.

"We currently have no plan to send a fleet." Zhu Cihong said so, and found that Zheng Zhilong seemed less nervous.

"However, we can send an army of 5000 people to take your ship to Europe to fight, if the war has not completely ended by then." Zhu Cihong said.

Xiao Mo didn't doubt Daming's military strength "at that time", but he didn't understand why the crown prince was so enthusiastic about a world thousands of miles away.In his impression, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince pays more attention to immediate interests.

"5000 people," Lorenzo stammered, "I don't mean to offend, this number of troops is not very large in Europe."

"What if we add another thousand cannons? The specifications can even be larger than your naval cannons." Zhu Cihong said.

Lorenzo was quite tempted, but his rationality made him sober: "Your Highness, at least ten galleons are required to transport a thousand 42-pound naval guns, and only these naval guns."

"It seems that the most important link is the transportation." Zhu Cihong showed disappointment, and then said: "But since we are allies, we should not stop because of this little difficulty. The fleet of Ming Dynasty has been to the southern tip of Africa. In the future You can go again. It’s just because the time is too long and there are not enough sailors suitable for long-distance voyages... In this way, we can first arrange a mission to go to Lisbon, in addition to formulating a trade agreement, we will also conduct inspections along the way and train sailors.”

Lorensu's heart was still full of doubts, but he couldn't refuse the kindness that came to his door.In order to increase his weight in front of the Crown Prince of the Ming Empire, he has notified the title of "Special Envoy with Plenipotentiary", which means that he must respond to this.

"As a subject of King Joao IV and an envoy of the Loyal Council, I am very grateful to Your Highness for his kindness to our country," Lorenzo said.

"Very good," Zhu Cihong clapped his hands together, "today is an informal meeting, don't spoil everyone's interest because of this whim and trivial matter. Zheng Du and General Xiao will entertain you on my behalf, please enjoy. Tomorrow morning, we The etiquette officer will bring you here to sign the relevant agreement on dispatching the mission, I hope you can prepare for it."

After saying these words, Zhu Cihong did not wait for Luo Rensu's response, then Shi Shiran left the side hall, which made Luo Rensu have a deeper understanding of the strength of this Highness.

Ps:

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