In the summer of 1686 AD, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in the seventh year of the Ming Dynasty, outside Guide Gate in Guangzhou City, there were crowds of people jostling each other.
At this moment, outside the city of Guangzhou, there is already a lively scene with tens of thousands of houses and numerous shops. When Zhu Heji designated Guangzhou as the capital of the Ming Dynasty, the largest city in the south of the world had not yet recovered from the turbulent times that repeatedly alternated between the Ming and Qing Dynasties. There were only a few tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the city. After more than ten years of Shengju, this number has already reached hundreds of thousands. It can be said that the prosperity and splendor of the late Ming Dynasty has been restored. Especially in the south facing the Pearl River, the commercial banks, banks, and shipping companies that grew up based on this international trade metropolis have the most buildings.
Almost all of these buildings are in the style of square enclosures, but these new enclosures are much more luxurious than the traditional enclosures in Chaozhou. There are no adobe walls, they are all made of bricks and stones and cement. There are no load-bearing or non-load-bearing walls. They are all built to be strong and durable. The outside of the brick wall is usually inlaid with granite or porcelain tiles as veneer, which makes it look particularly decent. The most luxurious thing is the windows - small pieces of transparent glass windows, most of which are Crystal Palace glass with the best light transmittance and no bubbles!
A merchant who can afford glass of this quality must have sufficient strength, which makes people feel reassured!
And there are literally hundreds of powerful merchants in Guangzhou! Guangdong has always been an important center for maritime trade. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, thanks to the large influx of silver from America, tens of thousands of civilians engaged in maritime trade and made foreign fortunes. Although some people died during the turbulent times of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and some were ruined, there were still some people who fled to Annan or Nanyang by boat. After Zhu Heji re-established the Ming Dynasty, these people returned to Guangdong one after another with their capital and channels. As the undisputed first city in Guangdong, Guangzhou naturally became a gathering place for these maritime merchants.
Under their leadership, Guangzhou's business has become more prosperous!
In addition, thanks to Zhu Heji's support and promotion, Guangdong's handicraft industry has also developed rapidly! It has also formed four world-famous flagship products such as crucible iron, milk white porcelain, special white (white sugar), and sugar cane wine!
In addition, Guangzhou's financial industry also started very early, almost at the same time as the reopening of the Ming Dynasty. By the seventh year of the Grand Duke's reign, a financial system had been formed with four banks and one institution as the core: Dongchang Guanyin Guangdong Head Office, Nanyang Bank, Penglai Bank Guangdong Head Office, Guangfu Bank Guangfu United Exchange .
These commercial banks and banks have built luxurious and magnificent buildings on several streets in the south of Guangzhou and the outer city of Guangzhou. If you walk into the city from Tianzi Pier, you will see rows of tall buildings and mansions along the way, which will shock the jaws of those outsiders who have never seen the world.
Most of the triumphant athletes who had just disembarked from the Tianzi Pier, walked along the wide and straight streets, entered the outer city of Guangzhou, and then walked all the way to Guide Gate, as well as the captured Westerners and indigenous people, had never experienced this kind of prosperity. When we got off the boat at Tianzi Pier, everyone was shocked. They opened their mouths and eyes wide, looking around, for fear of missing any bit of the celestial atmosphere of this mountaintop city, one of the three capitals of the Ming Dynasty. But it’s a scene that can last a lifetime with someone!
On the Guide Tower, the Ming Emperor Zhu Heji, the Supreme Emperor Zhu Cijiong and other civil and military officials, Xun Qi's clan, and envoys from various countries were all on the Guide Tower, and all the banners in front of the emperor were displayed, etc. They included the meritorious soldiers who made a triumphant expedition to Luzon and the various captives they captured as prey.
The people of the two capitals in the north and south have seen such a grand event before, but the people of Haijing and Guangzhou City, the place where the Ming Dynasty flourished, have seen it for the first time... And it is said in the newspapers here in Guangzhou Well, this time the one who was defeated by the Heavenly Soldiers was not some small country in Southeast Asia, but Spain, the largest country in the world and the one that was said to be favored by the gods and the sun never sets!
The so-called sun never sets means that the country is too big and too vast. Everywhere is his family’s territory. The land is all over the world, so there is always a place under the sun!
And this Spanish empire on which the sun never sets is extremely ferocious. It began to rise almost two hundred years ago. It fought wars and expanded year by year. From a small country located in a corner of Europe, it suddenly expanded into a country. A superpower whose area far exceeds that of the Ming Dynasty... it even established a stronghold on the island of Taiwan, the inherent territory of the Ming Dynasty!
Moreover, more than a hundred years ago, when they first conquered Luzon Island, they actually planned to use Luzon as a stronghold and use 20,000 troops to destroy the Ming Dynasty... This was extremely arrogant and did not know whether to live or die!
Later, although the expedition failed to take place due to various reasons, the country massacred Chinese businessmen three times on Luzon Island... At least half of the Chinese businessmen killed were fellow Guangdong fellows!
This is a country full of evil. Apart from Shang Kexi and Kang Mazi, they are the worst in the world.
Moreover, this Spanish country has joined forces with Kang Mazi who has gone to India, and is thinking of ruthlessly attacking Daming!
Such an evil empire has now been defeated by the Ming Dynasty... And the Ming Dynasty did not use all its strength. It just recruited a group of Japanese dwarf soldiers to beat the arrogant Spain. Looking for teeth everywhere!
Looking at the scene on the street of the groups of dwarf soldiers with long flintlock rifles, none of whom have bayonets attached, escorting the tall Spanish foreigners, it is not only relieving, but also a bit funny.
Behind the street-facing windows of the tall buildings on both sides of the street, there were many big businessmen who were doing business in various countries in Southeast Asia, or who had made a fortune by doing maritime trade with Nanyang trading companies. Most of them held up telescopes with the Crystal Palace sign and looked at them from a distance. When they saw the foreigners who had been captured, they all became excited... Spain is just like that, and the Netherlands is not much better than it. go!
The Santiago Fortress that the Spaniards worked hard on in Luzon was broken by those dwarf soldiers with mines and rockets in just a few days... How strong can the Dutch Batavia Fortress in Java be? How strong is the Dutch fortress in the Strait of Malacca?
If Batavia and Malacca can be captured...then the Dutch's monopoly trade on the Spice Island in Southeast Asia and by controlling Malacca will all fall into the hands of the Ming Dynasty merchants!
This is a good deal that will make a lot of money!
In many enclosed buildings, at this time, people were already discussing in low voices about petitioning Emperor Zhu Da to attack the Netherlands...
"No matter how bad the Spanish in the Philippines were, they would never dare to invade the Chinese mainland. However, the East India Company in Batavia repeatedly offended the Chinese Empire and even burned a new warship built by Zheng Yiguan in Xiamen... .Zheng Yiguan was a guerrilla of the Ming Navy back then, and they burned the ship of the Ming Navy! This account must be settled!"
"And there's more! They took advantage of the death of Mr. Guoxing and the civil strife in Prince Yanping's palace to collude with the Qing demons to attack Xiamen, killing many anti-Qing righteous men, and forcing the young Prince Yanping to abandon Xiamen and flee to Taiwan... Can little King Yanping forget this grudge?"
"The Dutch also colluded with Kang Mazi, sold a lot of weapons and sugar pills to Kang Mazi, and helped Kang Mazi kill our soldiers. They deserve death!"
"Yes, the Dutch are more hateful than the Spanish, we must not let them go!"
"How can you let it go? After fighting the Spaniards, it's time to fight the Dutch... If the court wants money, it can issue Malacca bonds and spice bonds. I will buy 100,000 yuan first... "
"We can raise it at the council meeting, and the court will definitely agree!"
"You can also ask Big Boss Hui, King Yanping and Military Advisor Chen to come and talk..."
These Zhu Heji fellow Guangdong fellows are really loyal and patriotic. They have already planned to spend money to buy bonds to help Emperor Zhu Da fight the Dutch!
Just when these patriots were discussing how to be patriotic, the warmest cheers sounded in the Guide Gate area.
"Wan Sheng! The Ming Dynasty is victorious..."
It turned out that the prisoner-offering team had arrived at Guide Gate, and all the prisoners were being escorted to kowtow and beg for their lives to the Grand Duke above the city gate... Seeing this scene, the people outside Guide Gate naturally It was boiling.
On the Tower of Guide Gate, everyone's eyes were turned to Emperor Zhu Da. There were almost ten thousand people kneeling on the street outside Guide Gate, most of whom were female relatives... To spare, or not to spare. ?
Of course you have to forgive me!
Those who couldn't be spared, the "dwarf soldiers" took them to various places in Luzon to work as coolies...if they died! Those who could be taken to Guangzhou to be sacrificed as prisoners were, of course, those who could be spared after screening.
Emperor Zhu turned his gaze to a group of foreign envoys standing in the corner, including those from the Netherlands, England, France, Ottomans, Hindustan, Rakshasa Kingdom, Sweden, and some small Southeast Asian states. The envoys who came were all wearing their own formal attire. However, there are no envoys from Spain, Portugal, or the Great Mongolia, nor envoys from European countries such as the Great Bobo and the Holy Roman Empire who are too busy with their own country's affairs and have no time to expand overseas.
Among them, the envoys from the Netherlands, England, France, Sweden, and the Rakshasa Kingdom were of course livid - half of today's prisoner presentation ceremony was held for them, right? This is a clear indication that Spain should be used as a target to be beaten by these countries! If you don't accept it, you will beat them next!
The envoys from Annam, Siam, Lancang, Borneo, Chenla, Champa and other small Southeast Asian states were trembling - the Ming Dynasty is showing its power! Who will be unlucky next? Is it too late to kneel now? If I have to kneel down, will tomorrow’s dynasty settle old scores? Will it destroy their country?
As for the envoys from the Ottoman Empire and the Hindustan Empire, they are full of expectations... The Ming Dynasty is on their side! Now that the Ming Dynasty is so powerful, they must follow and take advantage of it!
At this time, the Luzon Army Admiral Su Zhanshan, who was presiding over the Battle of Luzon this time, had already led several staff and general soldiers up to the tower to ask for credit for Zhu Heji's victory. I saw this Su Zhanshan walking up to Emperor Zhu Da, bowing, and then loudly said: "Your Majesty, my minister Su Zhanshan has led the Ming Dynasty's heavenly soldiers to help you take over the Spanish territory that has occupied Luzon Island for more than a hundred years. All the thieves and bandits were wiped out... and 10,888 prisoners were captured!"
"Okay!" Zhu Heji laughed a few times, and then deliberately raised his voice so that the foreign envoys could understand, "Well done! It showed the power of our great Ming Dynasty... .As early as the era of Taizu and Chengzu, our Ming Dynasty was the Celestial Dynasty that all barbarians submitted to. Malacca, Java Island, Myanmar, Luzon, Annan, Chenla, Champa, etc. were all ministers of the Celestial Dynasty and were protected by the Celestial Dynasty. I don’t know why. From then on, these ministers of the Celestial Dynasty were either trapped by the Western Barbarians, or they were conscious of the Celestial Dynasty, or they were disobedient to the Celestial Dynasty. As a result, the laws of the Celestial Dynasty no longer existed, and the vassal countries were also in chaos, and even became colonies of the Western Barbarians!
Now, our Ming Dynasty has been revived, and our national prestige has spread further overseas. Korea is attached, Mongolia is tied up, Japan has also returned from its lost way, Ryukyu and Luzon have also returned to the vassal states of the Celestial Dynasty...are the other vassal states of the Celestial Dynasty also? Is it time to return to their positions one by one? "
