In June in Manlajia, the southwest monsoon blows so dry that the Westerners, Southeast Asian natives and Seris people who live here feel like they can breathe out fire every time they take a breath.
The Muar Fortress, which stands not far from the mouth of the Ma River, is the tallest building in Malacca and a typical Portuguese castle. With this castle as the core, there are several rows of European-style red brick buildings, which are the residences of senior officials of the colonial authorities of Malacca. Among them, the Harbor Master's garden mansion is the most luxurious one.
After the siege of Malacca more than half a century ago, the original palisade defenses of Malacca remained the same. So far, the Portuguese colonial authorities have not built a city wall, and it is estimated that they have given up on this plan.
Although the colonial authorities of Manchuria collected a tariff of 10% of the value of the goods on every merchant ship and a 2% city defense construction surcharge, this noisy and chaotic trade hub was famous all over the world. , the corruption of Portugal before and now the Habsburg Dynasty is also "well-known".
An indispensable building in a colony is, of course, the church. Facing the port on the north shore is a cathedral. Its tall spire tells everyone who comes to this trading hub that this is a land ruled by the Catholic Church.
The Portuguese expelled the Tianfang religion here and asked the locals to convert to Christianity, with remarkable results. Of course, just like the Seris merchants, those who hung the cross before disembarking from the ship may also account for the majority of the so-called "believers".
Get off the boat from the port on the north bank of the Ma River estuary, walk across the bridge facing the cathedral, and reach the most prosperous place in Malacca - Symington Tavern.
This tavern is right in front of the cathedral. Catholics who have traveled across the ocean have sex with prostitutes in the dark room behind the tavern, and then walk a few steps into the church to confess. The church and the tavern therefore form a wonderful atmosphere. The symbiotic relationship has been well received by everyone who comes here to make a living.
"Mei, Mr. Mei!"
Portuguese Fernando Melo turned his face and looked at the Seris businessman who called him from behind. The businessman's round face turned black and red under the exposure of the equatorial sun, like a ripe eggplant. He was wearing the clothes of the Ming Dynasty, and his body was covered from top to bottom in silk that Fernando could not afford.
"Gu! You're back! When did you arrive? Is there any good news?" Fernando smelled of alcohol, raised the wooden wine glass in his hand, and looked nervously at the round-faced fat man.
The Seris man surnamed Gu was full of smiles. He threw a double-column silver dollar on the counter.
"I will pay for Mr. Mei's expenses tonight." The little cute coin jingled on the wooden counter and made a clear sound, which could still be heard clearly in the noisy pub. The bartender quickly accepted the silver coin as it was , all kinds of people around the counter soon cast their greedy eyes like wild beasts.
Melo Fernando swallowed, then revealed a fierce look in his eyes, and shouted at several compatriots who came forward: "Go away! This Master Siris is looking for me!" Following his shout, Tang The two short-dressed men beside the gentleman also lifted up their coats, revealing the Seris pistols fastened to their waists.
When the people around were cursing and walking away, the black-faced Mr. Gu motioned for Fernando to sit down at the counter and said with a smile: "Mr. Mei, I did bring you good news." After hearing this, Melo Fernando said, Her breathing suddenly became heavy, and she looked at him with an almost fiery gaze.
"Pepper sales are booming. The latest news is that your Carol has earned you four thousand taels. You can pay off your debts."
Fernando's eyes suddenly filled with tears. He trembled with trembling lips and kept crossing himself on his chest.
"Of course, in order for this ship of goods to enter the Ming Dynasty market smoothly, I also spent six hundred taels of silver to manage it." Mr. Gu looked at Melo Fernando with a smile, and there was a little more playfulness in his eyes.
Fernando wanted to hug the smiling Seris man, but he felt a little ashamed looking at the gorgeous silk. He swallowed more: "Thank God, thank you sir, I think I can climb out of this terrible abyss."
Wanli Nine years ago, the wooden stick with the sound of wind in front of the Guangzhou Customs once drove Melo Fernando, the once wealthy Portuguese ship owner, into the abyss.
In October of the ninth year of Wanli, a group of Portuguese businessmen caused trouble at the gate of Guangzhou Customs because of the Ming Dynasty's increase in export tariffs. Because Fernando was "taken as the leader", he was hit on the head with a stick and was also shackled by Lei Yingzhi, the director of Guangzhou Customs. The 30-pound wooden shackle almost killed him.
Later, Governor Alfonso's secretary Ines Fernando reminded him that spending money could buy peace. Fernando took the initiative to repay Customs Officer Lei with two thousand taels of silver and spent all the money on the order.
After using money to redeem himself, he could no longer purchase goods, so Fernando had to turn to his fellow Portuguese for help.
At that time, he thought that the shipowners who were making trouble with him would jointly help him pay for the money, but unfortunately, except for a few familiar friends who helped him with a total of one hundred taels, the others did not think that Fernando was being shackled. The number was for everyone's benefit, and the consensus was that he was just stupid.
Fernando, who could not stay in Daming for a long time, had no choice but to run back to Malacca with an almost empty ship to look for opportunities. However, he could not borrow the principal in Malacca, and his living expenses were quickly spent. The Carol, which could not pay a salary, all left him, from the first mate to the crew, and Fernando's career entered a rapid stage. Descending spiral.
Without money to purchase goods, the Carol could only park in the port and had to pay berthing fees. He had no money to hire sailors, and his Carol was not even capable of transporting cargo. But even in dire straits, Fernando doesn't want to sell his only boat, leaving him with no hope of breaking out of his downward spiral.
For a full year and a half, his ship was parked in Managa, and the bottom of the ship was covered with barnacles. So soon there was a resounding nickname: Barakuza, which means "empty ship".
Later, Fernando, who was in desperate situation, had no choice but to mortgage the boat to a loan shark and give it a try after being owed a lot of debt. In order to ensure that the borrower did not lose both people and the ship, Fernando could not go with the ship and he was detained in Manchuria.
Many people were interested in buying and selling this boat and contacted him to help him sell it. Fernando, who was deeply disappointed with his compatriots, finally chose Gu Mingde, an upstart who was gradually becoming popular in Manchuria.
Gu Mingde suggested to Fernando that there is no need to load other goods and that all Nanyang specialty pepper should be loaded. Nowadays, the catering and entertainment industry in Ming Dynasty is very developed, and the demand for pepper is huge.
Fernando adopted Gu Mingde's suggestion, and after the two reached an agreement, Gu Mingde took Fernando's ship in his own fleet. Fernando fell into anxious waiting in Managa, and has waited until today.
Gu Mingde smiled and said: "Mr. Mei, forgive me for taking the initiative and redeeming the IOU for you." After that, he took out the life-threatening IOU and handed it to Fernando.
Fernando's eyes were filled with tears again. He picked up the IOU in Gu Mingde's hand and shed big tears on it. Gu Mingde smiled and said: "For your freedom, I suggest a drink!"
After Fernando drank the fragrant wine, he asked Gu Mingde what goods he had brought back from China.
Gu Mingde smiled and said: "I brought you half a boat of cotton and half a boat of silk." Fernando took a breath and said: "Oh my God, you won't let me owe you another debt!"
Gu Mingde smiled and said: "Of course not, I am not as generous as you think. The imperial court exempted cotton and silk from tariffs. When I left Guangzhou, everyone was already crazy about buying goods - because I had already spent four hundred taels. I got priority through customs after getting off my friend.”
Fernando used so much force in his hands that he almost crushed the tin cup containing the wine. He stammered and asked, "Duty-free? Did I hear that right?"
Gu Mingde smiled and said: "Of course. You can trust me, I never joke in business. What's even more rare is that Ming Dynasty's silk and cotton are so cheap, we got an unimaginably low price!"
"Are you interested in taking me to Goa? Let us conquer them with three large ships of goods. Let me tell you, the homespun cloth is not as cheap as the high-grade cotton I shipped. As for the fine silk, it is only half the price last year!"
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