According to Li Laiheng, the Japanese pirates couldn't be easier to defeat. Those Japanese pirates are simply mobile cash machines for military exploits!
As a result, many people have forgotten the dangers of war, and just think about achieving military merits, just like Kuhaha, that is, Li Laiheng did in the past, achieving military merits, and tomorrow they can return to their hometown with honor and glory!
This gave the magistrate of Mizhi County and even the prefect of Yan'an Prefecture and other local officials an unexpected surprise. The government, where all the people were soldiers, became particularly smooth after the soldiers of the Dongjiang Army returned to Shaanxi to visit their relatives.
…………
While Qin was in a state of joy, thousands of miles away in the south, Xiyi was encountering a particularly troublesome thing.
This place is called Hao Jing Ao, and the people who have a headache are the Folangji people.
In the center of the town of Haojing'ao, a group of Ming army soldiers, led by a mounted military attache, surrounded a sedan chair. Beside the sedan, there were two sluggish-looking Xiyi, wearing shackles and being guarded by Ming army soldiers.
Directly in front of them, there were many Franco soldiers, both white and black. Each of them looked a little nervous, holding the flintlock gun in their hands tightly.
However, they didn't speak. They just watched the few Flemish people in front of them communicating with Ming officials.
The general sat on his horse and did not get off. He looked condescendingly at the few Westerners in front of him and shouted sternly: "My Ming Dynasty really treats you as friends from afar and gives you a place to live and rest, but I don't want you to wait. You are so ambitious that you dare to send people to help the Yunnan people rebel against the imperial court. What can you say now?"
The members of the Macau Council who hurried over after hearing the news looked at the two Westerners one by one. The expressions on their faces were really surprised and resentful. One of them immediately learned the etiquette of the Ming Dynasty, clasped his fists and replied in the Ming Dynasty Mandarin, which was not standard at first sight: "General, we don't know these two people, why do we say they are our Flemji people? I can guarantee that we Everyone is in Ming Dynasty, it’s just doing business in a regular manner!”
The Council has been dealing with officials of the Ming Dynasty for a long time, so naturally it can speak the official dialect of the Ming Dynasty. However, the new governor standing next to them was named Du Chen, who had just arrived this year. He couldn't understand Dongfang's language at all, so there was an interpreter beside him who was carefully translating.
The shackled Fo Langji was none other than Carlos, who was captured by Emperor Chongzhen and sent to Guangdong. He knew that the Ming officials were now negotiating with the compatriots in Hao Jing'ao, which would determine his fate, so he pricked up his ears. Listening.
He didn't understand the Ming Dynasty official dialect, but he heard the translator's words. Suddenly, he panicked. He quickly raised his head and stared at the compatriot who was dealing with the Ming Dynasty officials and said loudly: "My name is Carlos. I am in Annan." Side, from..."
He spoke quickly and urgently, which showed how scared he was. To the Ming army, it sounded like chirping birds, which was incomprehensible.
But Franji understood it clearly. After hearing him explain his situation clearly, he immediately understood that this person was really a Portuguese.
However, the leader of the meeting, named Johnson, sneered and said to him: "You say it is, but do you have proof? We are doing business with the Ming Dynasty according to the rules, and we can even send people to help." How could it be possible for the Ming Dynasty to fight against the barbarians in the north and help the Ming Dynasty rebel against the imperial court? You are definitely not Portuguese!"
For him, the interests of the Portuguese in Macau were above all else, so he wanted to put an end to this trouble directly.
But before he finished speaking, the new Governor of Macau, Du Chen, intervened and said: "He is right. I met him in Goa and knew that he was sent to Annan by the Governor of Goa."
Among the Portuguese overseas colonies, the Governor of Goa was in charge of the colonies in the Far East. Although Macau at this time, also known as Haojing Macao, was not a Portuguese colony, it was still under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Goa.
At this time, what Du Chen said was equivalent to confirming Carlos's identity and ending Johnson's attempt to solve this trouble simply and crudely.
In fact, Du Chen could actually pretend not to know, which would save him trouble. However, although he is the governor of Macau on behalf of the Portuguese royal family, his actual power can only be the military power to govern Haojing Ao. As for administrative power and other powers, they are all in the hands of the Macau Council.
The cost of the troops allocated to the Governor of Macau shall be borne by the Macau Council. Therefore, naturally, there has always been a conflict between the Governor of Macau and the Macau Council.
As the saying goes, the powerful dragon suppresses the local snake, these governors of Macao sent from abroad are basically ignored and embarrassed by the Macao Council using various means. For this reason, the governors of Macau before Du Chen basically did not serve long terms. Even in his previous term, he only served as the Governor of Macau for one year and then left.
After Du Chen came to Macau, it was inevitable that he would have conflicts with the Macau Council. He was feeling uncomfortable, so naturally he didn't mind and made the Macau Council uncomfortable, so he came forward to prove Carlos' identity.
When Carlos heard this, he couldn't help but be very grateful to Du Chen.
How could Johnson not know that if the Ming government had no basis at all, it would not be possible for them to just accuse a white person of being Portuguese. When Du Chen confirmed it, he couldn't turn a blind eye. After all, the officials of the Ming Dynasty also had translators who would translate what they said here.
Sure enough, I heard the general shouting: "Don't deny it, please reply quickly!"
Johnson had no choice but to look around at the other members of the council. Seeing that they all left him to deal with it, and no one wanted to cause trouble, he had no choice but to smile, bow his hands to the military attache, and then said to the sedan: "Sir, it's been a long journey, why don't you take a rest first. This matter is of great importance, and I will discuss it with others first no matter what."
He naturally knew that the final decision was not made by the military attaché on horseback, but by the civil servant sitting in a sedan chair, the magistrate of Xiangshan County who governed Haojing Ao.
After hearing what he said, the military attache stopped talking and waited quietly for the county magistrate in the sedan chair to speak.
As the parent officer in charge of the Portuguese people in Hao Jing'ao, he naturally knew that the Francois had to discuss things together when they encountered problems. This matter is indeed very important, so after hesitating for a while, he said: "That's fine, but you must reply within half an hour, and I have to report back to the prefect."
After he finished speaking, a government official on the side stepped forward and opened the curtain in front of the sedan, and a civil servant in green robe strolled out of the sedan.
When Johnson saw it, he quickly stepped forward, smiled and gestured with his hands, and guided the Xiangshan County magistrate to the luxurious reception hall dedicated to entertaining Ming officials. While walking on the road, he loudly ordered others in Ming Dynasty Mandarin to quickly prepare the newly arrived Nanyang specialties to entertain them.
Ordinary Ming soldiers naturally did not have this treatment and could only stay outside. After the military attache and the county magistrate entered the reception hall, they were separated due to their different status. The military attache remained in the outer hall and was entertained by other Francois, while the magistrate went into the inner hall and was entertained by Johnson himself.
Without outsiders, the attitude between the two is obviously different. I saw that Johnson also relaxed a little, but still said to the Xiangshan County Magistrate with respect: "Sir, please give me a price. How much money can turn a big thing into a trivial matter this time?"
Having said this, he quickly added: "Sir, you just heard that these two people are not actually from Hao Jing'ao, but from Annan. To be honest, this is not the same as Hao Jing'ao. It really has nothing to do with it. This... this is simply an unreasonable disaster! If your price is too high, it will be very difficult for me to do it."
When the Portuguese first arrived in the Far East, they wanted to deal with the Ming Dynasty like they did other colonies, but they were taught a lesson by the Ming Dynasty. So he learned to be good and do things according to the rules of the Ming Dynasty.
On the pretext of coming from a long voyage, their cargo was soaked and they needed a place to rest, so they rented Haojingao from the local government of the Ming Dynasty, which was not very popular at the time. The rent was 500 taels of silver a year.
For the local government of the Ming Dynasty at that time, in a place with few people, they could get 500 taels of silver every year. Why not do this!
Therefore, Falang Ji Talent has established itself in Hao Jing Ao and has been waiting for a long time.
In the process of dealing with Ming officials, they slowly figured out how to deal with Ming officials. It can be said that they bribed local Ming officials to make their stay in Haojingao enjoyable.
Not only that, they also worked hard to have good relations with senior officials of the Ming Dynasty, or the Ming Dynasty court. Not only did they sell Hongyi cannons to the Ming Dynasty, they also sent their people as mercenaries for the Ming Dynasty to train the Ming soldiers in firearms, and even went into battle to fight for the Ming Dynasty themselves.
Of course, this is also related to the huge price paid by Daming. The cost of hiring these Francois is very high. At that time, the leader of the Folangji mercenaries, Sirao of Gongsha, received a salary of 150 taels per year, plus an additional 15 taels per month, while the others received an annual salary of 100 taels, plus an additional 10 taels for food per month. money.
At that time, the general recruitment of soldiers of the Ming Dynasty was about two taels of silver a month, and only twenty-four taels a year. Basically, they only get one-tenth of the treatment of these Folangji people.
At this time, after Johnson stated his bottom line, he waited quietly for the Xiangshan County magistrate to make an offer. This time, he knew that it was not only the county magistrate who wanted to benefit, but also the superior officials above him, the prefect. You have to be mentally prepared to bleed once, but there is an upper limit.
He also knew that these Orientals loved to bargain. He has also learned how to wait for the county magistrate to set the price and then bargain for as much as he can get.
However, this time, he made a huge mistake.
()
