The products of different regions in the Ming Dynasty are different, and maritime merchants always choose to ship from the nearest port in order to save costs. Luzon is almost the only place that all maritime merchants must pass through when returning to the Ming Dynasty. With so many maritime merchants gathering here, it is naturally very lively.
The Golden Dragon Flag of the Ming Dynasty was the most solid barrier for maritime merchants in the Southeast Asia. In Nanyang, a land with such wealth, there are naturally many greedy people. You know, Han Du only eliminated the Japanese pirates in the Ming Dynasty and Nanyang. There are still a large number of Japanese pirates in the Japanese mainland. Moreover, due to the war between the north and the south of Japan, a large number of homeless people continued to become Japanese pirates.
In a rich place like Nanyang, Japanese pirates would naturally see it first and be greedy in their hearts. Many times, under the tight blockade of the Ming Dynasty Navy, Japanese pirates would risk their lives to enter Nanyang. Because as long as they can enter Nanyang alive, robbing a merchant ship will be enough for them to eat for a lifetime.
This is more terrifying than trying to change a bicycle into a motorcycle. It is a bicycle turning into labor. It is conceivable how tempting Nanyang is to the Japanese pirates, enough to make them risk their lives. Even if they know that it is a moth flying into the flame, the Japanese pirates will not hesitate to enter Nanyang.
Naturally, the Ming Dynasty Navy strictly guarded against it. From Ryukyu to Yaeyama Island and then to Luzon, it formed a sea Great Wall to keep Japanese pirates away from overseas.
But if you can only be a thief for a thousand days, how can you prevent a thief the day before? Even though the Ming Dynasty Navy was so tight on defense, there were still very few fish that slipped through the net. These Japanese pirates would inevitably rob merchant ships after entering Nanyang. Although the Ming Navy patrolled all the way, the robbed merchant ships were quickly recaptured by the Ming Navy. But after all, people cannot be resurrected, and those killed by Japanese pirates can only be buried in the sea.
When merchants saw the navy's bright golden dragon flag on the sea, it was often as if they were seeing a savior and patron saint.
Zhu Biao's flagship sailed into the harbor unimpeded, and Fang Xiaoru had been waiting for a long time.
"Your Majesty, Xiaoru, pays homage to His Highness the Crown Prince."
Zhu Biao took the lead and walked slowly off the boat. Looking at Fang Xiaoru, whose face was tanned by the sun, he sighed with concern: "You have suffered."
Han Du looked at Fang Xiaoru in surprise. He didn't expect that he had changed so much in just over a year. In the past, Fang Xiaoru's influence in Handu was that he was a humble gentleman and a person who could combine theory with practice and find a way out of it. Regardless of whether Fang Xiaoru went from studying classics to becoming an official or becoming a teacher in an academy, he always gave people the impression of being as gentle as jade, and he seemed to be full of poetry and calligraphy.
But now Fang Xiaoru's face is just a little darker, but it gives Han Du the same impression. A gentle and gentle man like jade, but he can't help but carry the light of the sword like a shadow.
When Fang Xiaoru saw Han Du staring at him, she curled her lips and nodded, thinking that she had met Han Du before. Then he smiled at Tang Ding and nodded slightly, and then replied to Zhu Biao: "How can the work of being loyal to the emperor be regarded as hard work? But the fact that His Highness the Prince's rich body can come to this overseas place is enough. Seeing that His Highness is thinking of the common people, he has been working hard all the way under the scorching sun and against the waves.
I will prepare a little wine to wash away the dust for His Highness. Your Highness, please! "
Zhu Biao nodded, then walked in the middle like stars over the moon, heading towards the Governor's Mansion.
When they arrived at the Governor's Mansion, everyone took their seats, and then Fang Xiaoru raised his glass and said: "Overseas is not as prosperous as the Central Plains. It is a bit shabby. Please forgive me for not providing good hospitality."
Fang Xiaoru still has the official position of Minister of the East Palace. Strictly speaking, he is still Zhu Biao's person. Of course, Zhu Biao will not care about this with him.
After drinking for three rounds, Zhu Biao said with a curious smile: "You used to be a famous Confucian in the capital, and you spoke and behaved like a famous scholar. Why now..."
Zhu Biao felt embarrassed to continue talking.
Fang Xiaoru didn't feel any embarrassment at all. He took Zhu Biao's words as usual and said, "Your Highness wants to ask me why it is like this?"
Zhu Biao nodded happily.
Fang Xiaoru smiled, put down the wine glass in his hand, and said, "Before coming to Luzon, I never thought that it would be like this."
After a moment of silence, Zhu Biao asked, "How do you feel about yourself now?"
"It feels good." Fang Xiaoru replied without thinking.
After a pause, he explained: "I dare not deceive His Highness. After I came to Nanyang with Han Du and found out what happened to the Governor, I looked down upon the Governor who combined military and political power. I feel that Han Du is going back the other way. Combining military and political power into one body, isn’t this what the Jiedushi was like during the Tang Dynasty? At that time, I thought that the governor was as bad a hidden danger to the court as the Jiedushi.”
Zhu Biao glanced at Han Du with a smile and saw that his expression remained indifferent, as if he didn't care about Fang Xiaoru's words at all. He turned back to Fang Xiaoru and asked, "What about now? Do you still have this view?"
Fang Xiaoru pondered and shook his head, admiring: "Now I can only sigh, Han Du really has a far-reaching vision than we do, and the establishment of a governor has an immeasurable effect on the Ming Dynasty's stabilization of Nanyang."
Zhu Biao laughed after hearing this, looked at Fang Xiaoru strangely and asked, "You are not talking like this just because you are the governor now, are you?"
As the saying goes, the butt determines the head. Fang Xiaoru was not the governor before, so naturally he would not consider standing in the position of the governor when looking at the problem. Now that Fang Xiaoru has become the governor of Luzon, Zhu Biao is also afraid that the position of governor will affect Fang Xiaoru's views.
Fang Xiaoru shook his head and said: "It doesn't matter whether I am the governor or not. Even if I am not the governor, as long as I stay here for two years, I will feel that establishing a governor is the best way to stabilize Nanyang."
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Zhu Biao asked closely, not only wanting Fang Xiaoru to explain, but also not necessarily wanting to consider him.
Fang Xiaoru naturally understood the implication of Zhu Biao's words, and straightened up, he said: "Nanyang is isolated overseas, thousands of miles away from the capital. If something happens, there will be no time to rescue. It's even better here, with navy troops coming often. And some Governor's Mansions The situation is not so good. No navy will go there for almost a year. It is not easy to guard the place with only two thousand soldiers from the Governor's Mansion. At this time, if the power of civil administration and the leadership of troops are combined If something happens, we may not be able to respond in time. There may even be a loophole taken advantage of, and it is unknown if it will overturn."
Zhu Biao originally just wanted to hear Fang Xiaoru's explanation, but he didn't expect that he would make the situation so serious. The smile on his face disappeared, and Zhu Biao asked in a deep voice: "Is the situation so serious? I have seen Anping and Luzon alone, and I think they are still peaceful!"
"Xianghe?" Fang Xiaoru was stunned at first, then smiled bitterly and explained: "Anping is not far from the Ming Dynasty, and there is His Highness the King of Qin suppressing it, so no one dares to make mistakes. Just take the minister. Let’s talk about it here. On the surface, it looks prosperous, but from the time I became the governor to now, I have ordered the execution of more than a hundred people. Does your highness believe it?”
"Killed so many?" Zhu Biao was surprised. He knew Fang Xiaoru well. From the moment Fang Xiaoru entered the East Palace, he would almost always call Fang Xiaoru to attend the banquet.
Fang Xiaoru gave Zhu Biao the impression that he was upright, gentle and not cruel.
But even a person who was not violent in Zhu Biao's eyes actually killed more than a hundred people in just over a year after coming to Luzon. What on earth is going on?
"Did you really order the killing yourself? Why did this happen?"
Fang Xiaoru sighed and explained: "Some were Japanese pirates who wanted to plunder Luzon. After we caught them, they all erected logs and hung themselves on the beach to deter the Japanese pirates."
Zhu Biao nodded subconsciously when he heard the words. The Japanese pirates were like locusts everywhere killing people, setting fires and stealing money. They were punished by Fang Xiaoru for their own fault. There was nothing to say.
"And the others are the natives of Luzon."
"What native? What do you mean?" Zhu Biao's face was full of doubts. This was the first time he heard the term native. People are people, what else is there that is not earthy?
Moreover, even in Cochin, he had only heard of Annan people, not any natives.
Seeing the confusion on Zhu Biao's face, Fang Xiaoru didn't think much and explained to him: "Some of the native people are former locals, and some were bought by others later."
When Han Du heard this, a look of embarrassment suddenly appeared on his face, and he quickly lowered his head to avoid Zhu Biao's gaze in advance.
Sure enough, when Zhu Biao heard Fang Xiaoru talking about buying it, his expression changed. He asked sharply: "Bought? People are still traded here?"
When Fang Xiaoru saw it, he frowned slightly and explained: "It's not considered buying and selling people. I don't know where these people came from. Anyway, some people said they were bought, some said they were tricked from other places. There are different opinions. There are all kinds of things. Moreover, these people are not ordinary people of the Ming Dynasty."
"Isn't it true that people in the Ming Dynasty can buy and sell at will?" Zhu Biao's face became very ugly, and he stared at Fang Xiaoru with eyes like fire.
When asked by Zhu Biao, Fang Xiaoru suddenly didn't know how to answer. If it were him before, he would definitely choose to stand on the highest moral point with Zhu Biao and strongly condemn this immoral behavior. But since he and Han Du have been together for a long time, he actually agrees a little more with Han Du's attitude of focusing on the people of the Ming Dynasty.
After all, the Ming Dynasty's national power was limited, and it was very difficult to take care of its own people. How could it have the extra energy to take care of outsiders?
Seeing that Fang Xiaoru was silent, Zhu Biao stopped chasing him and asked, but turned to look at Han Du and said sternly: "Han Du, why don't you say something?"
When Han Du heard this, he quickly raised his head and said with a flattering smile: "Your Highness, misunderstandings are all misunderstandings!"
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