As if a pool of spring water was being crushed, while many Chinese businessmen in Manila were enthusiastically discussing the visit of the Southeast Fleet under the lamp, Hong Xiguan, Yan Zhang, and Hao Sizhong also lit lamps on the battleship, drank tea, and talked about the daytime.

"Brother Hong, why didn't you fight for the interests of the Chinese businessmen in Luzon?" Yan Zhang asked curiously.

"Why fight for them!" Hong Xiguan asked rhetorically.

"Well, everyone is Han, I heard they are having a miserable time! Pay four times the tax! Yan Zhangda hugged the uneven ground.

"No matter how miserable it is, it's better than Daming China!"

Yan Zhang was a little unconvinced, and Hong Xiguan gave him a piece of evidence: "If it's not good, why don't they return to China?" ”

Seeing that Yan Zhang wanted to argue, Hong Xiguan stopped him and said, "Okay, we don't worry about whether their lives are good or bad, the reason why I don't fight for their interests is that if you fight for their interests, will they thank you?" Also, this is someone's place, if it's your place, for example, it's your warship, and it's not your superiors who come, but someone else, who comes to tell you what to do, will you be happy? ”

"Of course they won't be happy, but if we live a better life for them, will they be unhappy?" Yan Zhang asked again, he had been in the army before, and this visit gave him a lot of insight and an eye-opener.

"If it's our place, we have an obligation to make them a little better! It's an obligation! ”

"If it's not our territory, if we point fingers, it's called meddling in other people's homes! The relationship between countries is complicated, and this is someone else's territory! Hong Xiguan sighed: "The South China Sea is too big! Our warships are limited, and our manpower is also limited, so give priority to the Dutch now, and the Spaniards will keep them and send us silver! ”

"Take the four Kapitans now, what can we give them? Money, we can't give them power until we bring down Spain, power, that's even more impossible, then why should they go with us? ”

Hong Xiguan told him: "It's better for people to beg you than for you to give gifts, and if you give gifts, others may not thank you!" ”

"At present, our main enemy is the Dutch, the rest, you can let it go, until the Dutch are defeated, nothing matter, unless it is a big deal, do you understand, my brother!"

He said unsatisfactorily: "Those four Jiabidan are all old rivers and lakes, what are the old rivers and lakes?" It's the kind that sells you, and you will help them count the money, they have experienced too many things, and the city is too deep, so they won't be easily moved by us. ”

"Why don't we do things for them for free, they don't ask for it, we don't do it!" Hong Xiguan said softly.

"Then we don't have to do anything?" Yan Zhang asked.

"No, the old man can't impress, and the young man may not!" He talked about tomorrow's itinerary, tomorrow he will first meet the Spaniards and discuss with them the implementation of affairs, and then visit Chinatown, on behalf of the Southeast Prefecture to comfort the overseas people, and there is also an open day for warships, so that everyone can come up and have a look! ”

"Don't worry, there will be a time to solve it! Time is in our hands! Think of how young we are, and our commander is not married yet! Hong Xiguan said hesitantly: "When it comes to solving the problem, there is an excuse!" ”

……

"See you again, Your Excellency, my envoy, and welcome!" The Governor was quite enthusiastic.

"You were so welcoming, you invited me to breakfast early in the morning!" Hong Xiguan thanked him and said.

"Everyone is a neighbor, so we should have more contact!" The Governor said with a smile.

They eat milk with bread and fried eggs, and the servants who work are Ah San, they wear uniforms, they are clean, their attitudes are deferential, and their movements are swift! The Governor said: "These Calcuttians have been sent by the British, and we have used them very well, and they are very well-behaved, and they are especially suitable as servants, and if you are interested, I can send you a dozen, and I will entrust you to give them to your Highness the Overseer!" ”

"I got it!" Hong Xiguan said three words, the translation was Chen Yucheng, and he accurately said to the governor: "He said thank you, don't do it!" ”

"Okay!" The governor was not reluctant, he was quite interested, and pointed at Chen Yucheng and said: "This young man is not bad, capable, baptized, and is our brother!" (Everyone is equal before the Lord, but he is the interpreter, and he has no place but to stand)

"Really?" Hong Xiguan listened to Chen Yucheng's translation and evaluation of Chen Yucheng's words, and asked the governor: "What do you think of the Han people?" ”

"The Han people are very capable and quite diligent, without them, nothing will be accomplished here!" The Governor spoke highly of the Han Chinese and did not hesitate to praise them.

"So diligent that you have to pay four times the tax?" Hong Xiguan sneered, Chen Yucheng glanced at him, and translated this sentence to the governor.

"Even if it's four times the tax rate, the life of the Han people is still better than that of the local natives, the pathetic natives! They can't even afford to raise themselves! The Governor did not want to answer such a pointed question, but diverged from the way.

Hong Xiguan didn't ask any questions, and laughed at the natives: "Probably sleep when you're full, eat when you're full, we call this kind of person 'pig'!" ”

The Governor laughed!

In the morning of the same day, the two sides signed an agreement, the Agreement of Friendship and Commerce between the Southeast Province and the Spanish East India Company, in which the two sides agreed to strive to increase bilateral trade by 10 percent per year (i.e., the export of goods operated by the Southeast Province itself) and the things agreed upon by the two sides in the previous negotiations were listed one by one, and signed and sealed by the Governor and Hong Hee-guan.

Hong Xiguan informed the governor's palace of their itinerary plan, and Spain said that there was no objection to where the southeast soldiers wanted to go, and they could see whatever they wanted, but for the open day of the warship, they said that it was not suitable to put it in Wangcheng Port, and Hong Xiguan asked if it was okay to put it in the Krabi anchorage, and the Spaniards said yes.

……

It was really an eye-opener to visit and visit Chinese businessmen in Parian.

Located in a swampy area outside the walls of Manila, the Parian settlement was set up in 1583 by Spanish authorities to manage the growing number of Chinese, who considered Chinese cunning and job-stealing illegal immigrants, known as Chinatown or Huibu.

At first, it had nothing, only four large canopy-like places built by the merchants of Moon Harbor for them to store their goods. In an effort to evict the Chinese residents of Manila from their homes and into their warehouses, the Spanish authorities announced that any non-Spaniards who appeared outside of Parian after the sun had gone down would be put to death. (Later relaxed)

This Chinese gathering area is like a replica of Yuegang, full of silver trade for Fujianese who attracted to the Philippines, and walking along the road, you can hear the familiar local sound.

Those Fujianese people are not as worried as the Kapitans, they greeted Hong Xiguan warmly, and Hong Xiguan also responded enthusiastically: "Hello everyone! ”

A labyrinth of hypermarkets slowly formed around the warehouses, filled with competitive shops, teahouses, and restaurants, and the narrow streets were always bustling with people dressed in long-sleeved robes, embroidered silk shoes, and crowns. Doctors and pharmacies sell their entire vat of plasters, decoctions, and herbal roots.

Everyone is either doing business or chatting with small teacups brewing Fujian kung fu tea, they shuttle through piles of goods, eating food that stunned Europeans: drinking strange potions after getting sick---- the red-haired fans can't understand that this can cure diseases, they think it is a magic rune water, not that the potion is useful, but that Chinese cast spells in the water!

Today is Parian's grand event, and for the first time, Chinese businessmen have welcomed the envoys of their home country!