Turquoise waters rush in and gently lap at the beaches of Manila Bay. With the onset of winter, this city on a tropical island is finally in the most comfortable season for Westerners who have settled here.

On the south bank of the Pasig River along the banks of Manila Bay, a tall, lanky white Spanish man in a white silk shirt was walking on a river beach with a large group of indigenous attendants and a few white men dressed about the same as him.

On the south bank of the Pasig River is a castle under construction, huge stones have been carried along the Pasig River, and the Chinese and indigenous Luzon coolies have picked up the boulders from the boats one by one and transported them to the construction site - there are not many coolies involved in the construction, so the progress of the work is very slow, and the fort known as Fort Santiago has been dragged on for decades, and now it is only the stone walls and gates of the perimeter completed. The main construction of the inner fortress is still going on endlessly, and no one knows when it will be completed.

The tall, thin man with a pointed nose and black hair was a white Spanish man named Diego Parrado Chacon, the current governor of the Philippine colony.

He walked slowly by the Pagasi River, bowing his head and putting his hands behind his back thoughtfully. The river splashed his trouser legs, but he didn't realize it. Occasionally, he would suddenly look back at the San Diego fortress under construction, and his thick eyebrows were twisted into a ball.

A bearded, slightly obese Spaniard approached him and whispered, "Your Excellency, are you still worried about the awakening dragon in the north?" ”

The man who spoke was Sebastián Caballero, a royal judge in Manila – according to Spanish colonial practice, the new governor was responsible for the examination of the outgoing governor when the old and new governors were alternated, and the testimony of the royal judge in charge of the legal affairs of the colony would play a crucial role in the review.

So the number two person in the colony is usually the royal judge.

Diego Parrado Chacon sighed softly, "Justice, aren't you worried at all? The dragon of the north is waking up faster than we can imagine...... Not only did they organize and train a Dutch-style army, but they also opened a naval school, built galleons of Galen, and even wanted to cross the Pacific Ocean to trade in New Spain! Probably no East Asian emperor has ever made the same request, right? ”

Caballero, who has lived in the Philippines for much longer than Chacon, thought for a moment and said, "Actually, there was an Eastern monarch who made the same request, and that was the king of Japan (Tokugawa Ieyasu) who made it decades ago...... However, it was rejected by the Viceroyalty of New Spain! ”

New Spain does not have an open-door policy, at least not on the Pacific coast. Therefore, Tokugawa Ieyasu's whimsical idea was rejected by the Viceroyalty of New Spain - because the Spaniards feared that Japan would accumulate wealth through Pacific trade, develop its own maritime power, and become Spain's rival in the Pacific!

"But can we refuse the demands of the Ming Empire in the same way that we reject the Japanese?" "And they're now very close to the Portuguese and the Dutch!" You probably don't know yet, do you? Former Governor of Batavia of the Dutch East India Company, Van Van Brown, former governor of the Dutch East India Company. Diemen has been appointed Dutch ambassador to Daming...... This is unprecedented! ”

The Governor of the Philippines looks worried!

Although Fan. Dimon himself, like Chakon, was wary of the "awakening" of the Ming Dynasty. But the nascent Republic of the Netherlands, a merchant nation that puts profits first, could not refuse high profits from China!

So when Fan. After returning to his homeland, Dimon reported his gains in China to the Board of Directors of the East India Company and the Council of the Republic of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and submitted a letter written in French from the Crown Prince of the Ming Regent to the Consul of the Republic and the Prince of Orange, the Parliament and William II, Prince of Orange, decided to respond to the request of the Daming Crown Prince to send an ambassador to the Ming Dynasty, and at the same time welcome the ambassador of the Ming Empire to the Netherlands.

Considering the hostile relations between Spain and the Netherlands, the friendly relations between the Ming and the Netherlands already posed a serious threat to Spanish rule in the Philippines, which officially ended the state of war between Spain and the Netherlands last year, in 1648. The Netherlands won the Eighty Years' War of Independence and gained independence and sovereignty, but the hatred between the two sides was not so easy to dissolve.

In addition, there is also a Western country that is very friendly with the Ming Dynasty, the Kingdom of Portugal, which is also fighting an independent war with Spain!

Before 1640, the Portuguese throne belonged to King Philip IV of Spain, but in December 1640, a riot broke out in Lisbon, and the Portuguese nobles occupied the royal palace, deposed Philip IV from the throne, and made João, Duke of Bragança, the new king, João IV.

The Portuguese War of Independence broke out!

Although the war between Spain and Portugal was not fierce, the hostile relationship between the two countries was clear.

In addition, the relationship between the Spanish Empire itself and the Ming Empire was not very good. Because of the large number of Chinese merchants in Manila, the Spanish colonists were always worried that the Ming would invade the Philippine colonies.

As a result, the relationship between the Philippine Governor's Office and the local Chinese in Manila would become very tense from time to time, followed by bloody clashes and massacres...... Just nine years earlier, in 1640, the Chinese diaspora in Manila had staged an armed uprising against the Spaniards.

After the uprising was suppressed, the Philippine Governor-General's Office imposed heavy taxes on overseas Chinese and Chinese businessmen!

Although relations between the two sides eased for a time after Governor Chacon took office, as the Ming Dynasty became more and more active at sea, many overseas Chinese in Manila became "excited" again.

And a few days ago, the news from the Champa state on the other side of the sea made Chakon deeply worried.

The occupation of the city by the Ming Dynasty, in Chakong's view, was a big step for the ancient Eastern Empire of the Ming Dynasty to the Age of Discovery!

"Justice," said Chacon, "I think we need to introduce new taxes to raise more money for the construction of the city of San Diego and the recruitment of troops...... Our army in Manila is too small, less than 2,000 people. If the Philippine colonies were to be held, an army of 10,000 men might be needed, of which no fewer than 3,000 Europeans were needed. ”

"Your Excellency the Governor," Caballero understood Governor Chacon's thoughts, but he did not think that the situation was so dire, "so far, the Ming Empire has not unleashed any hostility towards us...... In fact, the Ming Emperor behaved very friendly, inviting our merchants to establish a merchant house in the Shanghai commercial port, hoping to hire our scholars and engineers, and repeatedly promising not to invade the Philippines.

I think we can take the necessary defensive measures, but we should not show excessive hostility...... An army of 10,000 men is likely to turn into a huge waste. I think you should know that exorbitant taxes can kill all business viability in Manila. If the Philippines loses its economic value, is it still necessary? ”

The Spanish royal judge paused, "Your Excellency the Governor, now we should send someone to Nanking to meet with the Ming Emperor and try to conclude a treaty that will guarantee the security of the Philippine colonies." If you don't have the right person, I can walk in person. ”

"Justice, you can go this way." Chacon paused and looked back at the fortress of Santiago in the setting sun, "But I think you should understand that the biggest difference between us and the merchants of the Netherlands is that we not only pursue economic gain, but also fight to the end for the glory of the Lord. If the Ming Empire wants to take away the castle of Santiago, which belongs to the Lord, then he must be prepared to bear the wrath of the entire world empire!

Our Spanish world empire is much larger and more massive than his ancient empire! If there is to be a war, then it must be Spain who wins! ”