[Big chapter, it took a while, thank you for the support of the book friend, ask for votes]

"Yoshi, I've decided that you'll be in charge of the production of Date Maru, remember to do it carefully, so as not to insult the honor of the Taira clan......

'Goro, this time you are an envoy to Nanban, although you are accompanied by a shogunate samurai, but you must not forget that it is my Date retainer, and it represents my will, and the affairs of the sea trade will be promoted, and I am waiting for good news in Sendai......

'Look at Rokuemae, Acapulco is almost there, welcome to the new Spain of God'......

'It was the fleet of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, who was in Puerto San Luca, saluting us, and I bet the Duke must have made the best arrangements......

'Philip Francisco, this is your future name, and your lord's request has been agreed to by the king, and I hope that the glory of the Lord will shine on the land of Mutsu......

'Can you believe Philip?' Thomas just told me that those Saint Tropez (French port) buns actually picked up the snot paper you just threw away as if it were a treasure......

'Take this document, child, the Senate has agreed to confer on you the title of Honorary Citizen of Rome, may the Lord bear witness to all that you have done in the East for ......the Holy Church'

'I am sorry, dear Mr. Philip, it is a pleasure for you to return to Manila once again, but in view of the trouble caused to us by the shameful Dutch pirates, we are compelled to temporarily requisition the ship St. John the Baptista (note: the ship was named after the ship was built on June 24, the anniversary of St. John the Baptistist, Juan in Spanish is John's antiphon) to resist the attack, and you may be aware that the shogunate of your country has forbidden our ships to go, But I assure you that as soon as the situation allows, we will help you get on the boat back to Japan......

Tsunecho Zhikura woke up from his dream with a tired face again, and the various experiences of more than five years rolled back and forth in his mind, making his mood a little depressed.

When he returned, the wife and children of Toyokuni Damyojin had flown back with Osaka Castle four years earlier, and the Great Imperial Palace that had contributed to it had died a year later. The new masters of Edo Castle treated God and his servants more harshly than their predecessors, and it is said that many Catholics died painfully for more than three years. Others escaped Japan, some went to Macau, and many more came to Manila.

A few days earlier he had gone to the Cathedral of Manila to pay homage to the Holy Spirit of Justo, who had fled from Japan four years earlier after abandoning his status as a samurai and having spent the last forty days of his life in Manila before being summoned by the Lord. Shikura heard that His Excellency Governor Silva had wanted to organize an expeditionary force to help Takayama save the Japanese Cheshitan, but this was not carried out, and some of the rumored large fleets were replaced by solemn funerals.

During his long journey through the Americas and Europe, he met all sorts of cultists, nobles, and knights, but he never let go of his dignity as a samurai, as can be seen in the way he wore and hairstyled.

In his days at sea, what he saw from the St. John Baptister was not just a European-style sailing ship in the ocean, in his eyes, it was a perfect combination of hardwood decks from Higashiyamado and curved wood from Katahama-dori, and the ship also had a resounding Japanese name, Date Maru, which was the crystallization of nearly 5,000 craftsmen and folk servants in the territory, and it was also a touch of nostalgia for him.

He never forgot who he was and what he felt as a mutsu samurai, which seemed to be fine in the past, but after learning of the ban on religion in the second year of Genwa (1616), it became a psychological burden.

At the end of his journey across the Americas, he realized the power of Spain and the way it had opened up its colonies, and he was determined to record it without reservation and bring it back to the rulers of Mutsu.

While being baptized as Philip III's personal priest in Madrid's lavish palace, he did not forget to fight for the best interests of the seventeenth governor of the Date family.

During his years in France and Italy, he never gave up the glory of the samurai with a sword at his waist.

Sometimes he even recalls a time from the past, when he was a young man who pacified Osaki and Kasai at the behest of his family, and now that many of the peasants there must have converted to God, and most of them would be hesitant to confront him again.

In the second year of Bunroku, he followed the army to the Korean battlefield, at that time he was the head of the iron cannon ashigaru group of the Date army, he could fight, he could sail a boat, he knew foreign languages, and he did not die in a foreign country because of the terroir, which was the reason why he was favored by the head of the family, and along the way, sometimes he really couldn't decide whether he chose this path because he was chosen by God or in order to make the Date family stronger, but his concern for the faithful was still what he was most worried about these days, including his two sons and all the religious guards around him.

But now a desire has become more and more urgent, he wants to return to Japan, want to see his wife and children again, it is an emotional accumulation that has lasted for more than five years. But now, because of an order from the shogunate, he has been delayed for a whole year on this last leg of the journey.

For a person with such a special status as him, in Manila there is indispensable attention from all sides, but on the whole it is harmless entertainment and communication, and a large part of it comes from the Japanese samurai around him, after all these years of trekking, these guards still have the size of more than 100 people, compared to the time of departure, at least half of the members of the mission chose to stay in Europe and New Spain, now think about it that maybe these people have made a more correct choice, at least they will not be killed because of their faith.

Speaking of which, today was just a day of insomnia and early wake-up as usual, at least from his slightly bulging and haggard eyes, it was a common occurrence, but for now he had to be strong.

"Are you really from Japan?" When the fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl appeared in front of Zhicang, a hint of surprise clearly flashed on his face.

The girl had a beautiful and lovely oriental face, but the young man next to him seemed to have some Southern Barbarian blood, and his demeanor looked more shy. The servant behind the girl seems to be a Japanese ronin, but only the remaining head of the moon and the cross knife at his waist can reveal the identity of this person.

"I think I need to introduce myself, my name is Li Siya, my home is in Tokiki Town, Hirado, you can also call me Elizabeth, my father is Li Dan, a businessman from Hirado, as for He Economy, this is Macau's He Economy." Li Siya's Japanese with a standard silver bell-like laugh made her words seem real and unquestionable.

"Macau?" Zhicang Chang looked at the young man surnamed He suspiciously.

The young man hurriedly replied in the Japanese he had learned and sold: "In Xia He Yi, now do something in the Jesuits." ”

"I wonder what you two are talking about when they see me?"

It was evident that the Jesuits did not have a high presence on Luzon, and that Portuguese merchants from Macau had little reputation for hoarding in the silk markets of Manila.

Li Siya did not explain Zhicang's doubts, and said: "In this case, we will get straight to the point, in fact, my father has always wanted to establish trade relations with your lord, but there is no one to recommend him, just last year we heard from several Chinese businessmen that the ambassador has returned to the Philippines, so we came to find it." ”

"Trade with Sendai?" Zhicang Changchang groaned and felt that this was a little strange.

"My father has always been interested in the gold mines of Mutsu, and of course, if your country wants to, we can do the same if we can transport the goods and swords to Hirado."

Chang Chang smiled and listened to Li Siya's words, and said while looking at the little girl, "Just for such a thing, Miss actually came to Luzon to find me?" If I'm not mistaken, dried abalone and shark fin from Yoshihama Township can be purchased in Nagasaki, and as for Mutsu swords, etc., they may not be as cheap as those produced in Sakai Port, so why bother with such trouble? Besides, Ling Zun is a Chinese merchant in Hirado, and he naturally has the trade seal issued by the shogunate in his hand, so even if he drives the ship to Tsukinoura, why not, Miss still tell the truth, what is the purpose of this visit. ”

"Since Your Excellency said so, I will not hide it." Li Siya looked a little uncertain, and after a while, she returned to normal, "Just listening to my religious name, the ambassador can guess that my father and I are both devout believers. Now that the shogunate has issued a ban on religion, the brothers in your country have been suffering every day, and we have rescued many Kirichi Dan in the past year or so, but there are some whips in the northeast that cannot be reached. ”

"Do you want the owner of the house downstream to help you transport the population?"

Zhikura Tsunecho's face became a little unhappy, you must know that the abduction of people to the sea is not a trivial matter, whether it is the predecessor Taiko Toyotomi Hideyoshi or the previous Daigosho, in the process of expelling the missionaries, the abduction of human beings as a major crime, in fact, Zhikura Tsunecho also knows about some illegal Westerners in Japan to traffick human beings, so he is both wary and hostile to this proposal.

Seeing this, Li Siya hurriedly explained, "The ambassador misunderstood, we are not trying to abduct the population, but hope to invite the head of your family to say in the shogunate that since we want to ban religion, instead of slaughtering the sect, it is better to hand over people to us and send them overseas." ”

"It seems that the shogunate has severed contact with Luzon, so where will it be sent if it is rescued?"

Even in the Philippines, the life of Cheechtan, who fled from the country, is not as good as it should be, only the life of those businessmen is not bad, and it will only be more difficult in other places.

"You don't have to go far, as long as you send people to Daming South."

"Da Ming? How can it be? ”

It was evident that he had heard some kind of absurd statement.

"I wonder if you've heard of Australians?" Li Siya's voice sounded again.

Chang Chang hesitated for a moment when he heard this, but immediately replied, "I've heard of it, are they those short-haired weirdos from the Boni Country?" Rumored to be a big iron ship? ”

Although he had only been back in Manila for a year, he was already amazed by the sporadic produce he had come from Borneo during the trading season. In the past, the industrial products of the Senate were mainly luxury goods, such as mercury mirrors and kerosene lamps, and he had seen more than one in the residence of Governor Alonso. But since last year, some small things have begun to appear on the market here, and their low prices and excellent production have even caused a lot of impact on goods from China.

Twenty sewing needles with a tube packed with bamboo tubes are not only good in steel, but also no hairy in the upper and lower parts of the needle, and a set of only two cents and eight cents of silver;

'MSG' sealed in a porcelain bottle with wax, any dish will be extremely fresh as long as a little is added, a bottle of five cents silver;

Colorful transparent candies, not only colorful, pleasing shape, eat to the mouth is also full of the taste of all kinds of fruits, only four cents of silver per catty, but also with beautifully printed oil paper packaging, the price is cheaper than sugar, only slightly more expensive than honey;

The chair with a close-fitting backrest is more comfortable to sit on than the style of the Ming Dynasty, but it only costs two coins of silver, and the same wood is half cheaper than the Taishi chair shipped from Fujian;

Far better than the Daming Songjiang Mansion, I don't know what material but light and breathable socks, each pair of five cents of silver, three points cheaper than the most uncommon wool felt socks on the market, and less than the price of Songjiang socks;

Start with a thick 'towel' full of coils, wipe your face soft and gentle, especially particularly absorbent, I don't know how much better than a large hand towel with a light board, but only three cents of silver, the same price merchants naturally have a trade-off;

There are also matches that can be lit with a slight stroke on the earthen wall without the traction of a fire sickle, and each box is worth one silver cent;

Australia's white paper and various popular books and account books printed on white paper are the favorites of local businessmen.

If you don't count the impact of the monsoon, the Australian goods in the Manila market are new almost every month, take the branch warehouse Changchang himself, Manila's home, Australian wax has replaced local candles as the first choice for night lighting, the price of a pair of five cents is cheaper than lighting a torch, which directly makes the local candle craftsmen lose their livelihood, after all, those craftsmen can't reduce their costs to less than one or two anyway, and some of the brains are easy to use and go directly to Borneo to get an errand under the Australians.

Of course, in addition to these processed products, refined salt and white sugar from Borneo are also flooding the market in Manila, white sugar is sold at the price of black sugar, refined salt is only three cents per catty, directly so that Fujian's private salt has lost the market, in addition to not seeing real people, the reputation of Australians has already spread in Luzon.

The price and quality of these goods were beyond the comprehension of the Mutsu envoys, but by the end of this year's trade season, they had become as in-demand as Chinese goods, piling up the warehouses of Manilan merchants, just waiting for the arrival of the galleons of New Spain to complete another round of the globe, only this year the ships seemed to arrive a little late.

And the change in Changchang's expression obviously did not escape Li Siya's observation.

"It is that they are now in the port of Tuntian, Sanya, on a large island south of the Ming Dynasty, where the Japanese fled to Chechitan, where the Japanese can be treated well and will not be beheaded or burned at the stake for their faith. And they are willing to pay for everyone they send, and the value can be converted into money, or they can be compensated with their Australian goods. ”

"Australians farming in Daming?" Chang Chang heard the rumors that Australians were good at working and doing business, but he didn't expect that he would actually farm, which surprised him.

"Yes, and the Jesuit priest Joao Rodrigues and many priests also went there, and I heard that life was not bad, and that many of the natives had converted to God, and that this Ho was in charge of this in the Jesuits."

Tsunecho Zhikura was looking at He Yi, and although He Yi didn't understand Japanese, he nodded politely.

Lu Ruohan has been a missionary in Japan for more than 33 years, and his famous branch Changchang naturally knows it, and when he reads the Japanese letters written by Lu Ruohan that He Yi handed him over, most of the doubts in his heart are dispelled.

At this time, he felt that if he could really contribute to this matter, it would be as he wished, not only to save the Kishidans from the fire, but also to help the territory to have an extra amount of income, and the shogunate could also perfunctory the past, which was indeed a good thing to kill multiple birds with one stone. After all, when he left Mutsu, the head of the family did not give up the cultivation of the northern territories, and the reclamation of the land around the Kitakami River almost never stopped. I believe that the lord will be willing to do things that can enhance his own strength and make good alliances in the Catholic world, but he will not be busy expressing his position.

"It's not that this matter can't be discussed in the long run, it's just that I'm still in Luzon and can't return, and even if I promise you, I don't know when I can make the trip."

"This is simple, although Manila has broken off contact with Japan now, but there are other ways to go back, if the ambassador is willing, you can go to Macao with me, and then take my family's vermilion ship to Hirado first, and if you can arrive in Hong Kong before August in the Western calendar, maybe your lord will still be in Kyoto at that time."

When Li Siya left Hirado, he heard that Date Masamune, the precursor of Hidetada, had arrived at Fushimi Castle on May 8, and that he should have been in Kyoto until September, so he said this because his words were more credible.

Although he had just arrived in Luzon a year ago, General Yokozawa, a retainer sent by the Date family to greet him, had been waiting in Manila for more than two years, and he was also staying here because of the ban on religion, so he knew a lot about the current situation in the country after he left, but the envoy Soltello (note: Sotelo), who went to New Spain with him, heard that he had sneaked back to Japan last year, and there was no news back to him so far, which really made him particularly worried.

"Australian...... I mean, in that territory of Daming, are they okay with the believers of God? He tried Li Siya again.

"In the East, I have never seen a better one, including Manila and Macau, and many Cheechtin originally passed from Macau."

"It's close to Macau?"

"Yes, it's about two days."

"I'd like to see it."

"Plus that's enough time for a week round trip, I'm sure you'll love that place."

"When can your ship depart?"

"Anytime."

Li Siya could see that this ambassador who had been adrift in a foreign land for many years seemed to have completely let down his guard, so she and He Yi began to hang out with Zhicang Changchang, Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish were sometimes intertwined, what foreign sights, the king's courtesy, and the Pope's concern, especially the latter things may not be experienced even by the Spaniards themselves, so they can talk about the itch of the person concerned, and it will not make people suspicious.

Half an hour later, Li Siya felt that the time was ripe, so she asked casually, "Your Excellency the Governor seems to be too worried about the defense of Manila, and when we set out from Macau, we saw a sailing ship belonging to the Spanish royal family loading in the harbor, which was said to be full of artillery and guns sent to the fortress of Cavite, which seemed to be enough to arm thousands of men. ”

[References]

1、《Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce 1450-1680》Anthony Reid

2, "Sea Language" Huang Zhen

3. "Nanyang Yearbook"

4. Maritime Trade between China and Manila in the Late Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Centuries, by Li Jinming

5. "Macao-Manila Trade in the First Half of the 17th Century" by Zhao Wenhong and Wu Yingquan

6. "Zhucheng Weekly Consultation" is strict and simple

7、《The Rise of Ayudhya》Charnvit Kasetsiri

8, "History of Overseas Chinese in Nanyang" Chen Bisheng

9、《Chinaese in Southeast Asia》Victor Purcell

10. "A Brief Discussion on the Conflict between China and the European Powers on Southeast Asian Affairs in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries" He Aiguo

11. The Influence of Chinese Immigrants on Southeast Asian Languages and Daily Life in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries by Zheng Fuhong

12、《Statistics for Ship Arrivalsand Departures 1565-1815（by Year and by Decade）》

13、《Alphabetized List of Galleonsand Other Ships(with voyagedates)》

14、《Summary In form ation of Galleon Arrivalsand Departures 1565 through 1815》

15、《The Manila Galleon》Jason Schoonover

16, "Date Jijia Record"

17, "Date Family History" Date Bangzong

18, "Cheng Shi Ji" Yi Da Shi

19, "Wan Department Miscellaneous Notes" Shen Bang

20. "Instructions for the Ministry of Industry and Warehouse"

21, "Wanli Accounting Record" Wang Guoguang, Zhang Xueyan

22. "Regulations on Food and Grain for Officers and Soldiers in Beijing"

22. "Chinese Monetary History" Peng Xinwei

23、《History of the Mutsunokuni》Scipione Amati

24、《Recit de l'entree solemnelle et remarquable faite a Rome,par Dom Philippe Francois Faxicura》Abraham Savgrain