In May of the third year of the Ming Dynasty, Guangfu, Macau.
This port city that once belonged to the Portuguese is still full of the crowds, hustle and vitality unique to a place where Eastern and Western cultures meet.
There are crowds of people of all colors everywhere, and Western sailors wearing dirty shirts are often drunk and running rampant in the streets. White or mixed-race Macau locals, dressed in Chinese-style clothing, are all busy doing their own business. The landowners and gentry who moved from the coastal counties of Guangzhou were all clamoring for land when they arrived, as if they had been greatly wronged. Now most of them are working as tenants in Guangzhou to supply their land in the expanded Macao city. Enclosed buildings or shops were built above, which were rented out to foreigners who came to Macau to do business or work. And they themselves either gathered in small groups in teahouses and talked loudly, or they signed up for "cram-up classes" in the most common new-style academies in Macau, cramming for new imperial examinations such as "New Confucianism", "Law", and "Accounting" The knowledge to be tested - now that they have purchased the status of a national scholar, they can take the test to become an official!
In the center of Macau, close to the Haojiang River, there is the most spacious and luxurious street. Because there is an official office of the Nanyang Minister at the end of the street, it was named Nanyang Street. The streets are filled with all kinds of luxurious and decent buildings, including those surrounded by buildings with a large courtyard in the middle (very common in Chaoshan and southern Fujian), and those with stacked pavilions. Chinese-style buildings, but the most eye-catching ones are several Western-style buildings lined up. Outside these buildings are tall flagpoles with various flags hanging on them, including the Red Cross of England. The flag and the red cross and red stripe flag of the British East India Company, the white background golden fleur-de-lis flag of the Kingdom of France, the red, white and blue tricolor flag of the United Provinces of the Netherlands (Netherlands), and the white background red cross of the Kingdom of Spain cross flags, and even Portugal's crown-and-shield flag. These western-style buildings are home to the commercial embassies and consulates of several domineering maritime powers in the world today.
Although the Qing Dynasty's forcible takeover of Macau caused the Portuguese to cry for help everywhere in Europe, few people paid attention to this former world empire that had long lost its former glory. Anyway, the Portuguese's overseas bases were occupied by local princes. It's not the first time either.
Moreover, during this period, the Franco-Dutch War in Europe was in full swing, with France, England, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Germany (several German states plus the HRE), Denmark, etc., all European countries on the stage. They were all involved, and the fight was so bloody that no one had time to help Portugal bully the Qing Dynasty. Not only did no one help Portugal, but the maritime powers of England, France, the Netherlands, and Spain even added insult to injury and opened commercial embassies and consulates in Macau, with the intention of seizing the East Asian market. Later, when the Portuguese knew that the Ming Dynasty had been restored and Macao had become the territory of the Ming Dynasty, they also came back to do business with their noses in their hands.
However, these Western businessmen are not well-behaved businessmen. At best, they are called adventurers, and at worst, they are heinous robbers, thieves, and fraudsters! In their eyes, Eastern countries as wealthy as Ming Dynasty are the next targets of robbery, fraud, and theft!
Although the military power of the Ming Dynasty seems to be very strong, and it also implements a damn or very progressive (to whomever) "national republic". However, this country has not completed its unification. It is just a part of the former Eastern Celestial Empire. A part, or even just a small part. And it is in the midst of a civil war of unprecedented proportions! Once it fails, the consequences will be disastrous.
This civil war gave the colonists of England, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and other countries the opportunity to defraud, steal, rob and seize colonial interests.
They have done this kind of thing countless times in India, Southeast Asia, and the New World, and they have become familiar with it.
Of course, the strength of the Ming Dynasty is not comparable to that of India, Southeast Asia, and the natives of the New World. Therefore, these Western colonists must deal with it carefully, and they must communicate with each other and unite. Even if their mother countries are fighting each other in Europe, they are in China. We must also maintain harmony, collude with each other, and plot evil together.
Because the Dutch East India Company was the most powerful in the East, and its commercial building in Macau also occupied the largest area, occupying a land area of more than one mile in radius, and built several very beautiful buildings. Therefore, consuls and business office managers from England, France, Spain, Portugal and other countries gather in the Dutch business office every week to coordinate China policies.
In a very luxuriously decorated conference room, Thor Brouwer, the consul and chief commercial attaché of the Dutch East India Company in Macau, was in his thirties. He always wore exquisite and gorgeous clothes and had an elegant smile. A corrupt and profiteer, he was hosting a routine meeting of consuls from the five countries.
"Gentlemen," Brouwer can speak fluent French, which is also the common language at the consular meeting of the five countries, "I will first report some news that our Dutch East India Company has just received. First, the Ming Dynasty expelled Japan from Ryukyu. The rumor of the conqueror has been confirmed. It was personally confirmed by Mr. Cai, the Nanyang Trade Minister who co-organized the Ming Dynasty!"
The Mr. Cai he was talking about was Cai Yurong, who had just taken office. Cai Yurong's co-minister was originally a sinecure, but because the real minister Li Zhongzhen went to Zhaoqing to defend Sun Jiqing, he, the co-minister, had to come to Macau to handle matters.
However, Cai Yurong didn't know about Geng Jingzhong's recovery of Ryukyu. However, a foreign envoy came to ask about this matter. How could he say "Ryukyu is not in the hands of the imperial court"? It's not his first day as an official.
"Mr. Brouwer, did Minister Cai of the Ming Dynasty say whether the Ming Dynasty and Japan were at war? In addition, did Minister Cai say that the Ming Dynasty Zhengdong General stationed in Ryukyu was a vassal of the Ming Dynasty or an official directly under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty?" asked the question It was Gonzalez, the consul of New Spain in Macau - he was not sent directly by the Kingdom of Spain, but by the Viceroyalty of New Spain.
In these days, because transportation and communication methods are relatively primitive, the rules of this "distance diplomacy" are different from those of later generations. The position of consul is not necessarily sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but can also be recommended by the colonial governor-general or even by the businessmen operating in a certain country.
Brouwer glanced at this elderly former Madrid street walker and said to himself: You Spaniards must be causing trouble again! Do you want to seize our company's business share in Japan by provoking a conflict between Ming Dynasty and Japan?
Thinking of this, he said vaguely: "Of course General Zhengdong was sent by the Ming Dynasty. Whether he was a vassal or not, Minister Cai did not say clearly, but the possibility is relatively high. After all, the Ming Dynasty had just wiped out the Jing Kingdom and regained Zhejiang. It is also normal to accept the surrender of some Dajing army leaders during this process. As for Ming Dynasty and Japan, they are not at war yet."
The Spanish consul nodded, seeming to have received a satisfactory answer.
Thor Brouwer continued: "In addition, the rebel general Sun in Guangxi has now been canonized by the Emperor of the Great Zhou and became the general of Guangxi in the Great Zhou Kingdom. In addition, the younger brother of the Emperor of the Great Zhou, a The well-known prince was recently appointed Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and will soon go to Guangxi. His representatives are likely to contact you in the near future to purchase weapons and ammunition. I hope you will treat this matter with caution to avoid bringing harm to all of us. unnecessary trouble!"
In fact, Wu Sanwei and Sun Jiqing's envoys had already arrived in Macau and found the Dutch East India Company. They were here to purchase flintlock muskets from the Westerners!
The Dutch East India Company did not want this business to succeed.
Johns, the consul of the British East India Company, took over the topic and said slowly: "Mr. Brouwer, the ongoing war. I mean the ongoing war in East Asia. It may last for many years, or it may be in a shorter period of time. At the end of the war, China will be reunified. It will be a huge empire with a population of more than 100 million, or even a republic! She has now given up the closed-door policy that has been implemented for three hundred years and began to actively expand interests overseas. They have forced Annan's Nguyen regime handed over the Hoi An port, sent troops and supervisory powers to North Korea via sea, and now has Ryukyu in its hands! As far as I know, they also plan to lease an island located in the Strait of Malacca from the Dutch East India Company. At the entrance, there is a trading port built on an island that does not belong to the Dutch East India Company. Can I think that the Netherlands is ready to side with the Ming Dynasty in this war? "
This British man's intelligence capabilities are still very strong!
The Dutch East India Company really wanted to side with the Ming Dynasty. This is because the corrupt corporate governance of the Dutch East India Company caused losses to the company in the past 1675, and it is likely that it will still lose money this year!
This road toll and overseas zero-dollar purchases actually undermine the capitalist spirit of the Dutch!
The reason why the Dutch East India Company lost money was actually corruption!
There are no good people in this company, and it is impossible for a good businessman to go tens of thousands of miles away to cheat, steal, or rob! Moreover, the seventeen-member committee in Amsterdam was unable to effectively supervise the company's behavior in the East. As a result, corruption within the company is becoming more and more serious, fewer and fewer people are willing to work, and more and more people want to share money.
In addition, the Dutch East India Company also has a large employee team, with more than 11,000 employees in Southeast Asia and East Asia alone, 70% of which are military employees.
This has caused huge expenses to the company!
Although it has so many employees, after the company occupied "toll booths" in Java, Malacca and other places, its interest in entering the East Asian coast for trade has become less and less. Isn't it nice for him to just lay down and collect fees?
Therefore, the top executives of the East India Company are most interested in the toll station business in Malacca. They tend to agree with Ming Dynasty's request to rent an island near the Strait of Malacca to establish a trading port!
In the future, if we can create a trade pattern in which Chinese sailing ships manage the East Asian coast to Malacca, and Western sailing ships manage Malacca to Europe, wouldn't the Dutch East India Company be able to make a profit?
Besides, the Dutch East India Company could also get a "leased land" in Macau in exchange for transferring a small island near Malacca. This is fair!
The British, of course, are firmly opposed to this!
As soon as the British consul's words came out, the Portuguese consul Lopez, a Portuguese nobleman with dark skin and a bit like an Arab, immediately said vigilantly: "Mr. Brouwer, the Portuguese Kingdom is opposed to any support for the Ming or Qing Dynasty in order to undermine neutrality. Behavior!"
The Qing Dynasty robbed Portugal of Macau, and the Qing officials who carried out this operation were now generals of the Ming Dynasty. So the Portuguese regarded both the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty as the same threat!
If we must take sides, then Portugal will definitely side with the UK. Whoever the UK supports, Portugal will support!
After all, Britain became a staunch supporter of the Portuguese independence movement as early as after Portugal was annexed by Spain, and it continues to this day!
This is a century-old friendship and a century-old financial sponsor!
"The Kingdom of France is also opposed to interfering in the Chinese Civil War and we should not take any side!" Albert, the senior commercial commissioner of the French East India Company, also raised objections.
He was not opposed to the Netherlands because France was attacking the Netherlands, but because Louis XIV hated the Ming Dynasty's republic. Louis XIV said "I am the country" and he wanted to establish an absolute monarchy!
The Republic of the Ming Dynasty advocated that "the world is the master and the king is the guest" - this is the "absolute world system", which means that the "country" is made absolute and denies that the monarch is the country.
This system is actually the "evolution" of the absolute monarchy advocated by Louis XIV. After the country is made absolute, a modern nation-state can be constructed.
But how could Louis XIV approve of this proposition? this is too scary!
In France, there are many "fans of Chinese culture". They can understand the "absolute monarchy", and of course they can easily understand the "absolute world system"!
So Louis XIV is now ready to support Wu Sangui, because Wu Sangui is an absolute monarch!
To this end, he also sent a Jesuit missionary group headed by Hong Ruohan to China, preparing to teach Wu Sangui advanced Western military technology. This Hong Ruohan has now led people through Guangdong controlled by the Ming Dynasty, and into Hunan controlled by the Zhou Dynasty , we should be able to see Wu Sangui soon.
Brouwer glanced at the advocate of "absolute monarchy" with disgust. He himself was a republican, so of course he felt that the Ming Dynasty's republic was right! In recent years, he has been sending Ming Dynasty's progressive books to Europe!
However, in China, he is first of all a heinous Western colonizer. He must first safeguard the collective interests of the colonists, and must definitely avoid the situation where the Ming Dynasty dominates the world unless the Ming Dynasty is willing to give more benefits to the Netherlands!
Thinking of this, he nodded and said: "We still have to adhere to the principle of unity. Since everyone is opposed to intervention, then let's continue to remain neutral!"
After announcing their neutrality, today's meeting ended. The few foreigners who remained consistent went back to the representatives of the Chinese warlords who were in contact with them to discuss how to conduct secret transactions.
Among them, Brouwer went out of the back door and went to Cai Yurong's Yamen. He and Cai Yurong had a big business and private business to discuss!
This Cai Yurong seemed to be very rich and wanted to do business with the Dutch East India Company in exchange for spices for porcelain and silk.
But Brouwer really wanted to turn this business into a big private-to-private deal...
The consuls or commercial attachés of France, Britain, and Portugal went to the British business office together to secretly discuss how to support Wu Sangui and oppose the Ming Dynasty.
Gonzalez of Spain returned to his consulate, where there were two guests from Ryukyu!
The people Geng Jingzhong sent to Macau to contact the Spaniards were Yu Renying and Qingjiu. These two men were nominally here to purchase arms from the Spaniards, and they also brought a large deposit - all stolen from Hangzhou. Excellent silk!
Gonzalez had doubts about the identity of Ryukyu Geng Dongzheng before, but the silk given by the other party looked very good, and he would definitely be able to sell it for a lot of money when shipped back to Europe. So he wanted to get this deal done! Now that Brouwer of the Netherlands has endorsed Geng Dongzheng's identity, there shouldn't be much of a problem.
As for the possible war between the Ming Dynasty and Japan, it is obviously also good for Spain. Among other things, it can at least improve the relationship between Spain and Japan that has become cold due to religious conflicts.
Because the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands are obviously very close, and Britain, France, and Portugal are unable to intervene in the conflict between Japan and the Ming Dynasty, the only one who can help Japan is Spain.
(End of chapter)
