golden scales

In the eyes of Empress Duan, there is still half a year to go. Is it necessary to wake the emperor out of bed in the middle of the night?

Jin Yiwei was working hard, but if he went to any government office in the capital for two or three days, the time earned by this hard work would be gone.However, she still underestimated the spiritual power His Majesty instilled in his subordinates, as well as the self-discipline of the Emperor himself.

After Zhu Cihong got the red box message, he didn't go back to bed and went back to sleep. He just put on his clothes and got up to start a whole day's work ahead of schedule.He knew that Xu Dun did not use the red box to deliver the news simply to save time, but to ensure the confidentiality of the news.Only when this news was kept secret, would the emperor have more room to use it.

For example: make military preparations, wait until after the Tuhua tragedy occurs on Luzon Island, and then express "shock" and send troops to wipe it out.In this way, the "righteousness" can be obtained to the greatest extent, and it will not be affected by domestic noise.Moreover, it can also be used to severely punish the Spaniards in Manila and take the initiative in international exchanges.

However, based on the analysis of past historical facts, every time the Spaniards premeditated Tu Hua, the death toll was between [-] and [-].Although these people lived in Luzon, in an era when there was no clear concept of nationality, they belonged to the people of Ming Dynasty both logically and legally.

They are also fathers and sons, the same sons and daughters of China.

They went to Nanyang because they couldn't live in the country, not because they worshiped foreign countries and wanted to treason.

Things in the world are like a chess game, but is it really necessary to make the decision to abandon a piece?

Zhu Cihong stared at the World Kun map on the wall in the study until dawn, and then asked Lu Suyao, who had been waiting by her side all the time, to pass on the message to Wu Sheng and You Shiwei.Now that the country is gradually transforming from the war system, it is necessary to listen to the opinions of the court princes when launching a foreign war again.

"Your Majesty, this reminds me of Confucius crossing Mount Tai..." Wu Chen said.

Zhu Cihong understood.

Confucius passed by the side of Mount Tai and saw a woman weeping in front of a new tomb.After asking, I found out that Mount Tai has tigers.Her father-in-law, husband, and son all died in the jaws of a tiger.So the question is, why not move away?The answer is: there is no tyranny here.

This is the origin of "tyranny is fiercer than tiger".

At this time, overseas Chinese in Luzon had experienced two large-scale massacres, each exceeding [-]% ​​or [-]% of the total population.What does this percentage mean?It means that every survivor has relatives, friends, and old friends who died in Tu Hua.Such a tragic experience, they are strong after going through it once, what is going through it twice?

Are you saying that the imperial government is more tyrannical than Tu Hua?

So Wu Sheng's position is very clear: Since these expatriates chose to stay in Luzon, they refused to return to the Ming Dynasty.It can be left alone.If Luzon has rich products, it can still consider taking over the area to protect the expatriates, but Luzon really doesn't have any products that can be sold.

Indeed, Luzon now, like Taiwan before, has not yet promoted the planting of cash crops, but is simply a trading port for resale.The limited plantation is only to solve the catering problem of the Spanish garrison, and will not be paid attention to by Daming at all.

"What about You Du's opinion?" Zhu Cihong asked You Shiwei.

"I think," You Shiwei thought for a moment, "I'm afraid it's not good for the heavenly soldiers to go now. If we wait for the north wind to rise next year, the heavenly troops are fully prepared and go to Luzon to rescue refugees, and it will be more popular."

This is also a matter of experience.

In the War of Restoring the Nation after the National Revolution, the Ming army marched to the north with great momentum. Basically every county would respond to the king's flag, and the people spontaneously offered their cities and responded internally.However, in the process of expanding to the south, there were often chilling things such as local officials refusing to open the city, refusing to let soldiers enter the city to rest, and so on.

This is because the South still clings to its previous stereotypes.It is believed that the officers and soldiers are like bandits, and they must not be allowed to enter the city to harm the people.After the north experienced the Eastern Captives.Finding that no one can be worse, of course they are willing to cooperate to earn a way out.

The same is true for the Nanyang expatriates now. No one knows why they stick to Luzon and refuse to come back.If they were allowed to experience a tragedy in the world and the heavenly army appeared as a savior, then naturally there would be no conflict.

not to mention.If Daming showed an attitude of knowing about this matter too early, it would easily cause the Spaniards to notice Jin Yiwei's layout in Luzon.They are not natives of the Southern Man, ignorant of the spies under their noses.

"Slaughtering my people is a national enmity." After hearing the opinions of the two, Zhu Cihong had no choice but to express his position: "Pretend not to let them kill, this. I can't do it."

Wu Zhen sighed secretly, and said in his heart: Where did the crown prince who failed to achieve his goal and resorted to any means go?The city has none of this.

"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Yong has repeatedly asked for immigration in Australia. How about recruiting Chinese from Luzon?" Wu Sheng made a palliative suggestion.

As the governor of Australia, Yong Wang Zhu Cizhen's biggest dream is of course to be prosperous and healthy under his own rule.Since the discovery of several huge settlements in southeastern Australia, he has constantly asked the imperial court to immigrate to the border and completely occupy this rich and mysterious land of Australia.According to the current productivity and the land potential of Australia, there will be absolutely no problem in moving 10 people first.

What's more, there are many artesian springs on the grasslands of Australia, which are very suitable for animal husbandry.The sheep and rabbits brought by Daming can live well.Rabbits, in particular, have almost no natural enemies and reproduce quickly. They are the main meat eaten in Australia.

Because the sheep will be threatened by the thylacine, they cannot let go and graze casually.Zhu Cizhao originally wanted to exterminate the thylacine, but was reprimanded by the emperor, so he gave up.

Facing Wu Tong's suggestion, Zhu Cilang nodded: "That's fine, we must give those who are willing to stay away from right and wrong a chance. The Luzon Chinese settled down just like the people of the Ming Dynasty, and they should not be treated harshly."

Wu Tong bowed his head and agreed, and he had already figured out in his heart which yamen should handle it.

"The Military Intelligence Division needs to increase its intelligence collection on Luzon." Zhu Cihong said: "There is also a staff division, and the map must be reliable. From now on, the North Sea, Taiwan Strait Fleet and South China Sea Fleet must maintain a state of combat readiness at all times, and they can carry out surveillance on Spanish ships. Attack and cut off its foreign aid. The General Staff immediately formulates a war plan."

"Observe the order!" You Shiwei rushed forward like a burst of enthusiasm, and immediately agreed.

……

Sabiniano also knew that the president of his trial court was secretly encouraging the natives.He had an in-depth conversation with the greedy president, hoping to stem the undercurrent.However, as the military chief of Luzon, he could not interfere with the work of the magistrates and civil officials.When he sought the support of the mayor of Manila, it was sad to find that the mayor was firmly on the side of the president.

"My dear, is it not going well?" Mrs. Overseer is a devout Catholic.Every time I wait in the front hall for my husband's return.

Sabinianno nodded and said, "I seem to be the Lord of Sodom, but those greedy silverfish are unwilling to become ten righteous men."

In the "Bible", because of the evil of Sodom and Gomorrah, Yahweh is determined to completely destroy these two cities.Abraham begged for their mercy, and the LORD finally agreed as long as there were ten righteous people in the city.Just let go of the whole city.However, the two angels who were sent to carry out the mission only met the righteous family of Rhodes, so the two cities were finally completely destroyed by the Lord with fire and brimstone.

Sabiniano has been turning to Genesis Chapter 19 recently, even suspecting that this is a sign from God.In this omen, Sabiniano is naturally the only morally faithful Rhodes, and Manila has become the incarnation of Sodom—the city of sin.

The governor's wife showed horror and tried to calm down, saying: "My dear husband, maybe you didn't notice that you compared the Ming emperor to our great ruler."

Sabiniano did not notice this detail.It doesn't matter to him.

What matters is the survival of Manila.

"Maybe I should find an Abraham, lest the emperor next to me really send fire and brimstone to destroy this city." Sabiniano said.

Madame was annoyed by her husband's stubbornness, whispered the holy name of Mary, and twirled the rosary in her hand.

"Is there anyone you can trust in the city recently? Even a beggar from the Netherlands." Sabiniano walked into the living room and took out a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet, which was a high-end French product.

Madam watched the bloody red wine pouring into the glass, leaving a layer of blush on the glass body, and a handsome young Germanic face appeared in her mind.She trembled.After driving away the temptation from the devil, he said, "Recently, a German came from Macau. He got very close to several famous ladies."

"What does he do?" The warlord was not worried about his wife at all.Because his wife is an old school, she has never bathed naked since she was born.The Catholic Church believes that touching the body with both hands will produce lust, so respectable believers wear tulle to bathe.

"He claimed to be a poet. He owed money to others in Hamburg and was loaded on a ship to Macau. However, some people said that he escaped onto the ship by himself." The lady clasped her hands tightly on her belly.Maintain perfect manners.

"Very good." Mr. Overseer took a sip of red wine: "The Lord will bless him with a good tongue."

When this Germanic self-proclaimed poet was brought before Sabiniano, his tongue was so tangled up that his Spanish sounded like a learning parrot. .

The Overseer received the poet in his office, admiring him trembling as he stood in front of the desk.Occasionally, he dared to throw two winks to seduce himself.It can be seen that this poet is very good at selling hues.This may also be his ticket to the Far East.

"Otto, Otto Braun." Sabiniano maintained his arrogance as a nobleman: "Have you ever seen how a superior and decent person should speak?"

"Yes, sir," said the Germanic poet, "I was a guest at the Earl of Shaftesbury."

"That means," the warlord looked at the poet playfully, "you have an affair with one of the earl's servants, yes."

The poet felt that he should become angry, but when he saw the exquisite firecracker in the hands of the warlord, he finally lowered his head knowingly.

"There are many people in Manila who want to prove that you are a eunuch." The warden said.

The German didn't understand the threat contained in these words, but a smile appeared on his face.He was sure that the noble ladies would not think of him as an eunuch.

"I don't think the gentlemen of Manila should be dishonored, but I don't want to get my hands dirty either." The Overseer suppressed his inner irritation and stood up with the pistol: "I have no reason to hate you, do I? "

"Indeed, sir." The poet bowed his head.

"You will be able to get a chance of redemption," the warlord gestured with the firecracker in his hand, as if aiming at something, "go to Beijing. In the name of the great king, I pray for peace."

"Which king?" The poet was a little terrified.

"The king of the earth, the king of Spain, the great Philip IV." Sabiniano said slightly mockingly.

In the era of Philip IV, Spain had already gone downhill, and could even see the afterglow of the empire.King of the Earth, however, was his favorite title.It seems that I still control the empire on which the sun never sets controls the whole world.In fact, he could not even control his own Governor of New Spain, let alone the more distant Governor of the Philippines.

Let a low-status tramp pretend to be the king's envoy. If he really succeeds in deceiving the Ming emperor and bringing peace to Manila, then his little trick will be passed down as shrewd wisdom in the upper class.If the vagabond was exposed, he could be accused of being a fraud, and then watch him be hanged without hesitation—or hang himself to appease the Ming emperor's pride.

If neither has been debunked.If he failed to complete the mission, then this Germanic man would probably fall into the sea completely because of drunkenness, and no one would know about it.

Anyway, Manila is already sitting on the crater. No matter what you do, the result will not be worse. Why not take a chance?

Sabiniano pulled the trigger, and the ram clicked on the chopping block, failing to strike a spark because there was no flint in it.

September of the sixth year of Longjing.Before the north wind was about to blow, the Germans without any credentials boarded the ship to Taiwan.His hair color and pupils could easily pass him off as a Dutchman.Although the Dutch had just ended their war relationship with Ming, considering the Dutch East India Company's active compensation attitude, Ming did not kill the Dutch.

Compared with the courtesy received by the Italians and Portuguese, the Dutch only had three days to obtain a visa in Taiwan, and if they were rejected, they could only leave the land of Ming Dynasty.

Speaking of which, only the Spaniards who have been excluded all the time are the most hated by the Chinese, which makes Mr. Braun sleepless all night.There is no bright future in sight.

……

"He had the arrogance of an aristocrat, and his hands and face were cleansed and perfumed, but his fingers showed no signs of holding a pen for long. This makes me believe him more as a valet than a public servant. "The young missionary after several days of observation.Read the appraisal report on Otto Braun to the chief of Taiwan's shipping department.

He is not here to preach, but to help the Chinese identify Europeans who are trying to sneak into the Ming Dynasty.This is also the content of the cooperation between the imperial court and the Jesuits.The imperial court wanted to protect all kinds of information about Daming, and the Jesuits could also use this to prevent the Dominicans from infiltrating.

The officer was about to pick up the round seal on his desk indicating rejection when he was suddenly held down by the assistant behind him.

The young missionary was quite surprised.Since he came to Taiwan, he has never seen such a situation in which no distinction is made among Chinese people.

The assistant ignored the foreign friend's astonishment, and whispered: "He may be useful."

The officer knew the identity of this assistant very well, and without any insistence, he put Otto Braun's application for entry into the "pending" column.

This assistant is Jin Yiwei's secret agent.

After Jin Yiwei stepped out of the country, the biggest problem was race.

Fortunately, there is no concept of a nation-state in this era. There are a large number of natives in Nanyang who are willing to work for Ming—as long as Daming is willing to give real money.Relatively speaking, Europeans who are closer to civilized countries have already had the seeds of a country on the basis of their families. Unless they can win over the entire family to become Ming's allies, it will be difficult to find valuable collaborators.

Although the work of expanding the intelligence network is progressing slowly, everything must be started from scratch, and we cannot simply give up just because the progress is not satisfactory.

This Otto Braun is "Drip".

The Tainan County Police easily found an excuse and took the bewildered Otto Braun away from the hostel.He faces charges including: smuggling, attempted smuggling, and defrauding the Ming government by impersonating a public official.

"I can swear to Jesus Christ, I am really the messenger of Manila, the messenger of the Overseer Sabiniano." When Otto Braun was taken to the torture chamber, he only glanced at the bloodstained and rusty He collapsed on the ground and cried loudly: "I swear. This is my true identity!"

……

"Brother Zhang, didn't those Westerners think that such a person would never see His Majesty at all?"

"Brother Li, those people think that I am as dignified as the barbarians of Nanyang. Do you expect them to understand this?"

The two in charge of Qianhu were chatting while packing up the instruments of torture.They didn't actually use corporal punishment, but the simple mental pressure caused the young man who claimed to be the special envoy of the warlord to completely collapse.Because the collapse was too complete, this person was probably useless, but the fate he faced would not be too complicated—either he was secretly executed, or he was assigned to a certain mine as a coolie.

However, Otto Bryan's confession was approved, and Jin Yiwei determined that he came for peace, although this peace was Sabiniano's wishful thinking.

"Speaking of which, Brother Zhang, have you tried those Taixi girls?" Li Qianhu lowered his voice: "I heard that there are a few from the city."

"I tried it a long time ago, and I'm not really a Westerner." Zhang Qianhu pretended to be disdainful: "It's actually a hybrid between the Dutch and the Japanese. These people can't stay in Japan, so they can only come to Taiwan to make a living. It's just like the Thais."

"That's not interesting." Li Qianhu's mood faded.

"But it's really...hehe." Zhang Qianhu had a smile of "everything goes without words" on his face.

The two of them continued to chat, when they suddenly heard footsteps outside the door.

This is Jinyiwei's black prison, no one will come here, but once someone comes, the official hat must be bigger than the two prison guards.

"There is an order from Shangfeng to take the criminal Otto Braun to the magistrate's yamen." The visitor was dressed as a school lieutenant and held a waist badge. He was obviously an errand runner.

This kind of person has to be dealt with more carefully than a real boss. (To be continued..)