"Don't worry, they have changed their attitude." Hale said, "Besides, I know you have many connections in Japan. If more Catholics can be sent to me from Japan to come to the Philippines to create an earthly Garden of Eden, I will Grateful."
"The population in Fujian is not a problem. It may be difficult for Japanese Catholics. The shogunate basically does not allow anyone to go abroad..."
"You see, if everything has to go through the government, we people will have no value in existence, right?"
Zheng Zhifeng laughed loudly. He had not smiled like this for a long time after the battle at Weitou Bay. He said:
"You are an amazing person!"
Hale then demonstrated the launch of a Congreve rocket. Zheng Zhifeng is very clear about the power of rockets - when the Australian warships attacked Kinmen Island, he witnessed with his own eyes how the rockets launched from the ships turned the entire parking lot into a sea of flames. Now that he found out that the person in front of him could provide similar rockets, he was simply overjoyed.
"You see, if those wooden boxes of yours are equipped with rocket launchers, a single salvo can deal a fatal blow to the enemy. Especially the attack on the enemy's port. It can easily turn into a sea of flames."
"I just want to know how many rockets you can sell to me next time I come here?"
"This is not a problem, not a problem. Let's talk about the price..."
Watching Zheng Zhifeng's ship leave, Hale's men on the island packed their belongings and started loading the ship to return to the manor outside Manila. In addition to silver: Spanish pesos and Chinese silver ingots, the boxes unloaded from Zheng Zhifeng's ship also contained some exquisite handicrafts and silks that he had specified to be delivered - all to please local dignitaries.
Marcos came over to report that everything had been loaded onto his ship.
"Marcos. Do you think this Chinese really understands the true power behind the cannon?"
"I don't think he understands..."
"Yes, if he understood, he should have surrendered to the Australians long ago. Instead of doing this useless struggle." Hale put on his hood.
Behind the cannon is the industrial power of a country. To put it bluntly, there are dozens of cannons. Even if the Zheng family is given several times more cannons, it will not change its decisive disadvantage against the Australians. Those Chinese who claim to be Australians already have steamships, rifled guns, and rifled cannons that are obviously self-made - this is the strength that has the foundation of a primary industrial country. It is no longer something that this time and space agricultural country can contend with.
"He has courage - just like us. Otherwise we should have surrendered immediately."
"Exactly, my dear Marcos," Hale said. "Let's go back to the manor as soon as possible. I think the Baroness will have a new invitation tonight."
In Manila. As long as it doesn't rain, the weather near noon will force people to hide inside and spend this terrible time in the gauze tent or on the bed. Even the core of the colony. The Governor's Palace, shaded by greenery, seems to be no exception. The windows on the first floor are covered by wooden window guards, and the huge shutters on the second floor are also tightly closed. There was silence all around, even the colonial sentries under the porch were holding their spears. He was half dozing off with his back against the doorpost.
In fact. There was no way the place that was the heart and brain of the Philippine colony could ever be so at ease. This official residence is located next to an eye-catching square with flourishing flowers and trees in the core area of the inner city. It is a large and regular-looking stone double-story building. In the Philippine colonies, where bamboo buildings and huts abound, stone buildings are a symbol of Spanish power. Like most high-end buildings in the Philippines, the ground floor is used as a storage room and servants' quarters, while the second floor is used for the owner's living quarters. There is also a mezzanine between the two floors, where Governor Juan Salamanca chose to work and interact with government officials.
The blinds were closed to protect against the harsh sunlight. It made the hall, which was already poorly lit, even darker. A small glass oil lamp swayed on the long table, reflecting the governor and several Manila leaders sitting at the table.
"Mr. Osvaldo. My confusion is, how could you and your clerks write such a ridiculous report?" The Governor of Salamanca pointed to a stack of Australian paper scattered on the table, "You don't understand Mr. Paul What are the saltpeter ponds mentioned? Just dig a few ponds and pour the feces, garbage and wood ash into them. But you want me to believe that this work costs 2,000 pesos, and another 500 pesos have to be invested every year. Arms factory The saltpeter pool inside has already produced saltpeter, but there is no additional cost of a copper."
"You know, the Manila City Hall has been facing the problem of insufficient public funds for many years. I have no choice but to hire those stupid natives. Of course they don't understand advanced mathematics," the mayor took a sip of Australian water. Putting down the glass bottle, he said leisurely: "You can ask Mr. Andrade to recalculate."
"The munitions factory, of course. There is more wood ash left in the smelting yard than can be used up. It would be great if it could produce wealth like wood ash."
"No, your statement is too ridiculous. I don't need to remind you of your identity. As the mayor of the colony, you and I are equally responsible for the defense of His Majesty's colony. The importance of new artillery ammunition to us cannot be overstated. And Yu, because we have never had enough troops in the Philippines. If the damn Dutch want to take over the Philippines, they can easily recruit 100,000 Chinese and Japanese. Now I am afraid they have to add Australians."
"Even from a monetary perspective, the saltpeter collection tank can help us reduce part of the cost of purchasing saltpeter from India every year. You don't understand the significance of this, right?"
"Poor Esteban, I will go crazy if I hear this order from you," the Manila police chief joked in response to the governor's words. This young country squire from Milan likes to tell crude jokes from time to time to hide his sinister and greedy appearance. "Fortunately, he can't hear anything now."
The conversation took a different direction. Esteban Sanabria made more enemies than friends in the Philippines, so his exciting duel with the count is always talked about. Even more dramatically, five days after the duel, the Commodore's fleet arrived in Manila. There was also a special person on the same ship, a special prosecutor sent by the Madrid High Court, who was ordered to investigate a series of fraud crimes committed by Esteban Sanabria in Seville, New Spain and the Far Eastern colonies. Of course, the suspect he was investigating had been silenced forever. The timing couldn't be better. As for the huge wealth that the deceased was once proud of, it obviously did not bring him any benefit, and it is not even clear whether anyone can inherit it. From New Spain to Manila, scavenging vultures were ready to pounce on the carcass.
Even in the busy conversations and arguments among city officials, the former richest businessman and fraudster in the colony had various ways of dying. According to the mayor, half of Sanavria's head was cut off. The royal flag officer demonstrated how the count stabbed Sanavria from the chest to the back with a knife. The most exaggerated statement came from Juan Aguilar, the mayor of Parian District, who insisted that poor Esteban Sanabria was chopped in two by the count with his knife.
"Now your ears can be quiet," said one city councilor. "No one will keep you chattering all day long, as if slandering other people's reputations is his only pleasure in the world."
"Who dares to slander Count Vananova now? Some people have traced his family lineage back to the Lando family in Lombardy. Maybe the branches and leaves of his family tree will continue to grow in the future, going beyond the ancient times and reaching ancient Rome."
"That's impossible. When have you ever heard that guy say a word of Latin?" the police chief retorted: "He speaks with a Tuscan accent. He can read a few Dante or Peter at most." Lark's crooked poem. If this is all the aristocratic education that man has received, then his tutor must be an unlearned liar. His countenance is all about putting up a front to deceive ignorant and simple-minded women. We really It’s time to check his details carefully.”
There were two clangs outside the door. The door opened, revealing the slim and slender figure of Eugenio Garcia Zapatero, secretary to the Governor, his face seemed to be pale due to some fright, "Count Vananova has arrived, he is in the small living room. Waiting here, and decided to present a gift to the Lord first to show respect."
The servant of the Governor's Palace walked in with a gift from the Count. The Secretary of the Governor subconsciously shrank back, as if what was lying in the servant's hand was a poisonous snake wrapped in silk. Everyone quickly recognized it. Lined in silk, it was a gorgeously decorated saber with a sheath on the handle. The count often wore it on various occasions.
"Oh my god, isn't this the weapon that brutally killed Esteban?" Mayor Osvaldo exclaimed. But no one cared about Ying He. Everyone put aside the reserve and grace of the nobles and stretched out their heads to look at the sabers famous for their duels.
In fact, this is an authentic "Lingao-made" high-end export product specially designed for export. It is a slightly modified product based on the Fubo Army's standard officer's command knife - an imitation Meiji 32-style sergeant's sword. It is inlaid with gold and silver. The sword suit and the cloisonne-decorated scabbard were indeed eye-catching, but when the sword was pulled out of the sheath, the royal flag officer loudly admired it. He has collected a lot of oriental weapons and considers himself an expert. The steel of this sword is excellent, and the pattern on the blade looks more exquisite than the best Japanese swords and Arabian scimitars. Of course the Spaniards didn’t know that it was the effect of pickling + mechanical polishing. (To be continued...)
