On the avenue leading from Heiwa Street to Shurijo Castle, two colored archways were erected high, decorated with red silk and other objects, and the plaque of the colored archway had four large gold characters on it, "Greetings to the Holy Grace." ”

Obviously, he temporarily took out the supplies from the treasury when he used to welcome the canonization envoys and other imperial court envoys.

However, on the head of Shuri Castle, more than a dozen frames more than one person high were made of pine branches, and the inside was written in red silk and gold dust.

"The South China Army is mighty", "The Ryukyu Kingdom has been deeply gracious for a long time".

Along both sides of the street of Pinghe Street, there are countless incense tables, on which there are incense burners, wine, fruits and other things, and the people in the city kneel on the side of the road with incense burners on their heads.

In addition to the incense burner, there is also a dragon plaque enshrined in the Ming Emperor, after the incense case, the Ryukyu scholars and officials knelt there in full robes and crowns, holding a handbook in their hands, and the family servants behind them held wine, meat, and other things in their hands, ready to welcome the arrival of the great soldiers.

On the dock, the Ryukyu King Shangfeng, dressed in a crown robe, knelt in front of the ramp of the Changsheng with Yugui in his hand, and behind him, the prince, the prime minister, the three law divisions, and the fifteen people lined up on both sides.

Behind these high-ranking officials kneeling at the docks, the various honor guards of the Ryukyu king, deacons, flags, gongs, umbrellas, fans, and other objects lined up on the road leading from the pier to Shurijo Castle.

Mao Sihai and Zeng Lin, the son-in-law of Weng, temporarily served as the praise officer.

"Kneel!"

"Bye!"

In Mao Sihai's loud salute, Ryukyu King Shangfeng knelt down to Li Shouhan on the Changsheng with strict etiquette.

After kneeling and knocking three times, Shang Feng raised the jade gui in his hand and chanted loudly.

"Minister! Ryukyu King Shangfeng. I would like to lead the officials and people of the Ryukyu State to welcome the President of the Southern Chinese Army of the Ming Dynasty, and also take care of money and food and civil affairs, Lord Li Shouhan! ”

"Excuse me!"

The voice of a teenager on the gangway drifted down the sea breeze with a little excitement.

Zhang Ergou greatly won face for the Nanzhong Army because he beheaded two Japanese people with one sword, and was regarded by the fleet as a move to raise his sword, and Shouhan specially gave him the opportunity to represent himself.

"Who's coming?!"

"The Ryukyu King Shangfeng."

"What's going on?"

"I'm here to welcome the general into the city."

"Get up!"

With the end of the Q&A between Zhang Ergou and King Shangyi, the first civil and military officers of the Ryukyu Kingdom got up with the prince and lined up, preparing to enter the city with the car of Li Shouhan and the King of the Ryukyus.

In the sound of fine music, the Shouhan Shi Shi appeared in front of the Shang family father and son and the ministers of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Behind him, dozens of officers were dressed in military uniforms. In front of the officers and men of the South Central Army. The people of the Ryukyus seem to have been crushed again.

"Lord Shang, I have been in Nanzhong for a long time, and I am lonely and unheard, I don't know when the Son of Heaven of my Ming Dynasty gave His Highness the treatment of the crown?"

glanced at the crown robe on the Ryukyu King Shangyi. Shouhan smiled at the corner of his mouth, and stabbed Shang Yi lightly.

According to the etiquette system. The king of the Ryukyus could only wear leather clothes. can't crown robes, this is obviously the Shang family father and son trespass in clothing.

Say that my clothes are arrogant, I see that you, the general, also sealed it yourself!

Shizi Shangxian muttered in his heart. But he didn't dare to say anything. Last night, Zeng Lin talked to him, which touched him very much.

"In terms of grade, then Li Shouhan is just the son of a thousand households with a garrison title, even if he is a person who has inherited the worldly position, he is only a fifth-grade official. It is a bit ridiculous to let the prince greet him with a full flag and a guard of honor and cheer. But, please think about it, what was the official position of the Shimazu family of the Satsuma Domain in the Ming system? Even in other kingdoms, he is only the head of a few places, but the first king is going to be taken captive by him, why? The strength is not as good as it! ”

"I am in the Ryukyu lonely sea, located between the Ming Dynasty and Fusang, and it is a big thing since I started. You can't survive otherwise. ”

After saying this, Shizi Shangxian broke out in a cold sweat, he got up and respectfully saluted Zeng Lin, "Everyone outside talks about how Mr. is, but it turns out that they all say nonsense." ”

Peeking at the sturdy and strong soldiers behind Shouhan and all the way to the gate of Shuri Castle, Shang Hyun felt more and more that it was extremely wise and correct to choose to join the Nanzhong Army. Any one of these soldiers can be pulled out at random, and they can all serve as the flag book of the Shimazu family and the role of captain of the Kuri in the Ryukyus.

There are also those cannons arrayed on the dock, with black muzzles lined up at intervals of more than ten steps, but I am afraid that Shuri Castle will be lost before the first round of artillery fire is over.

He stepped forward with small steps, lifted up the sleeves of his robe, and bowed deeply to Li Shouhan, who was having a good conversation with King Shangyi.

"The prince of the Ryukyu king, Shangxian, please board the car and enter the city with your father."

"It's good! Then I asked the son of the world to lead us in the front. ”

Get! In a word, the prince became a leading officer.

The battalion officer of the Right Guard Battalion brought Shouhan's mount, an Arab horse that had just been imported from India, and had been trained to be the most suitable for riding.

Snow-white, satin-like coat, bowl-sized hooves, nimbly rotating ears, and occasional yellow metallic glitter in the sun with a few small movements of the horse. The short mane that has been trimmed, the long tail that has been braided into a beautiful whip by the groom who kept it, and the new bridle bridle all show that the horse has a different identity.

"What a horse!"

Anyone who saw the horse up close was secretly appreciative.

"My lord came to Ryukyu in a dangerous situation, and the sea was turbulent, and he was a little unwell. I would like to ask the Minister of State to control the royal mount for the lord of my family. ”

Lin Sihai's Fujian accent was like a thunderbolt in the ears of the prime minister and the fifteen people.

"What? Let Lao Tzu give him control of the mount? Isn't it just a horse falling down? ”

The prime minister couldn't stop scolding in his heart, but he hesitated in the crowd.

"I think someone must have leaked out the matter of my persuasion to the king not to meet this guy that day, and this guy is here to take revenge! Deliberately bullying me in front of the countrymen! ”

One hand grabbed the horse's bridle, and the other gently stroked the horse's cheek twice. Zeng Lin went to control the horse. He smiled at Lin Sihai on the other side.

"Please get on the horse, General! Please board the car! ”

"There is a minister of labor. Lord Shang, please board the bus. ”

"Oh! Good! That, Zeng, no, Prime Minister of State, you have to control the horses well, don't startle the general. ”

Under the escort of the right battalion of the guards, the chariot of the Ryukyu king Shangyi followed behind the war horse of the Shouhan. At the front of the line, the prince Shangxian held a scepter in his hand as the leader.

"If they say a word, I will no longer be the minister of state?!"

The leader of the team walked into Shuri Castle. Many of the Ryukyu warriors followed the brigade step by step. Only the former prime minister was left standing still.

At this moment, he suddenly returned to his home and gathered his clansmen, entered Shuri Castle, and killed King Nashangyi and Li Shouhan together. After that, the idea of establishing himself as emperor. Then he glanced at the soldiers of the Nanchu Army at the head of the castle who had taken over the defense of Shuri Castle since the day before. He shook his head again with self-deprecation.

"Anyway, I'm still a member of this Ryukyu clan. There is a lot of land and sugar cane plantations, and you can be a rich man if you can't be a national minister. ”

In the city of Hue, in the signing room of the long history. Li Peilin couldn't wait to kick the insatiable guy in front of him.

The guards on duty at the door also hated each other, gesticulating to each other, and whenever they heard the slightest movement in the room, they rushed in and slashed that damn guy into shredded flesh!

Shouhan led his fleet to the Ryukyus, and Basten, who was dissatisfied, went around digging holes in the mountains to find some cheaper. first found Lin Huofeng, the big shopkeeper of the Han Yuan firm, and was politely excused by Lin Huofeng: "The big owner is not at home, I can't make decisions without permission." Besides, why don't you ask the question of the price of the goods when you deliver on the same day? ”

"%&(*#@¥......*(" Basten rode 10,000 alpacas in his mind and sent sincere greetings to Lin Huofeng's father, mother and elders. But what can be done? The goods that Shouhan gave him far exceeded the cost of him several times.

Still not giving up, he was entangled with Li Peilin, who was in charge of the sword seal during the long history of Shouhan and patrolling the sea frontier. Hopefully, I will get some expected compensation from him.

"My lord, I know the trust that the Governor has in you, and I also know your abilities and powers, I just hope that you can be magnanimous and let me, who gave up business opportunities for the trust of my friends, try to minimize some losses."

Nima's! And shit losses?!

Your boat is running out of steam! What more are you going to want?

Rao is Li Peilin usually has a good upbringing from a family, but in the face of such a scoundrel face as Basten, he can't help but feel a pang of disgust in his heart, and he can't help but want to shout for someone to come in and let the soldiers outside come in for Mr. Basten to baptize from the body to the soul.

However, he still tried his best to calm the anger in his heart, and kept using the words of his ancestors to persuade himself in his mind, "There must be a prime minister's belly, and there must be a prime minister's stomach." ”

"Mr. Basten, I would like to ask you, as far as I know, according to the figures reported by the port tax officer, your ship is already full of all kinds of cargo from my Nanzhong, and it has reached the limit of overloading, if you want to return to your hometown safely to enjoy, it is better to wait until the next time you come to ask for compensation! Remember! We only need people with skills and skills, and those who eat by mixing their mouths and pens! ”

"What about slaves? I have a business partner who can get the best slaves from Africa! If your army is interested, I can get it for you, it's much more cost-effective than your buffalo!" ”

At the mention of business, Basten's face changed again, and he wanted to firmly grasp all the opportunities and clues that could be exchanged for money in his hands.

Speaking of black slaves, and thinking of the East India Company from the slave trader, Basten's eyes suddenly lit up, and he saw a clue that could bring him great benefits.

"Lord Li, if you can make the decision for the Governor, and pay me a thousand pairs of armor, two hundred muskets and ammunition, six cannons with ammunition of more than eight pounds, and fifty barrels of gunpowder, I have a very important piece of news for you."

Hearing Basten's determined tone, and then looking at the expression on his face full of fearlessness, it seemed that he was telling Li Peilin, "I'm going to eat you."

"What's the news? Do you dare to offer such a sky-high price? ”

Li Peilin was also a little angry. This damned Dutch businessman is simply a scoundrel, a scoundrel! Stalking to the point of this!

"Can you call the shots?"

"When my lord goes out to sea to inspect, he will hand over the sword seal to me, and all matters such as conquest, expenditure, rewards and punishments, promotion, life and death can be handled." Pei Lin's tone also became cold and stern, and he deliberately accentuated the words life and death, signaling that the general matter should be translated well.

The implication is that if you come to me to blackmail, I can turn your head into material for cultivating the Jingguan!

But. After Basten spoke. made Peilin's attitude turn 180 degrees.

"Before I came to Hue, I did a short resupply and unloading in Batavia, and arranged for my manager to buy spices such as pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and so on for me. Outside Batavia at that time, more than 20 ships of the East India Company were anchored there. ”

"The day before yesterday, my manager wrote to me. When reporting on the acquisition of spices. By the way, I also mentioned this matter. According to what he described in the letter. At present, at least 70 armed vessels of various types are anchored there to prepare for the battle. Many of them are Chinese ships. ”

"My lord, I am a shareholder and a director of the East India Company. I am very ashamed to leak the company's important internal military deployment. However, I am very calm before God, because I am not attacked and slaughtered in my sleep for the sake of my friends. Even if it damages my business reputation, I don't hesitate to do so. I don't know how to express friendship in this way, do you think it's worth a lot of money in line with your country's always flaunted affection? ”

You are an anti-bone boy who eats the bottom of the bowl and the noodles of the bowl!

After thinking about it again, Pei Lin was relieved. He is the backbone of the Dutch, and he is not our forehead, he betrayed the interests of the so-called East India Company, and not the interests of our South China Army!

However, what he told was very serious!

The Dutch have gathered so many ships and so many pirate gangs, what are they going to do?!

Batavia is close to Lijiapo, Manraka, Penang, Lingjiawei Island, and Chai Stick, once the Dutch make any moves, I am afraid that this waterway, which is contributing tens of thousands of taels of gold and silver to the South Chinese Army every day, will be cut off!

What's even worse is that the ships traveling between Telugu and Goa will be harassed and intercepted by the Dutch, and those ships carrying gold, precious stones and other valuables will naturally not be mentioned, as well as the cotton and horses that the South and Chinese troops urgently need will become a delicacy on the lips of others.

"There is no joke in the army! Mr. Basten is not to joke about such things. ”

Looking at Li Peilin's eyes, Basten suddenly felt that he had never been so timid when he encountered a storm at sea, this seemingly weak and gentle guy, it turned out that this was just his disguise! Once the disguise is stripped away, his whole person exudes a burst of horror from the inside out!

"I'm going to go back to Amsterdam and enjoy life with this life!"

After a while, Mr. Basten jumped out of his tongue to answer Peilin's question.

"Someone! A new pot of tea for Mr. Basten! Good snacks are waiting! ”

"Convene the military division, the battalion office, and the divisions of the division to undertake the government, and the meeting will be held in the conference hall for discussion! The heads of the Law Enforcement Department, the Business Intelligence Office, and the Statistics Office are coming together! ”

A series of commands, which dazzled Basten, were served with a plate of wonderful and delicate snacks, and those beautiful snacks made him feel unbearable.

"What do you think should be done?!"

Summarizing the information revealed by Basten and the information collected by intelligence agencies such as the business intelligence office and the statistics office, people have come to the conclusion that this group of Dutchmen has gathered so many people and horses that they are definitely going to fight a big battle! Even Liu Laoxiang, whose strength at sea is not much better than Zheng Zhilong, appeared in Batavia, isn't this going to be a big battle?

"All on alert! Ding Zhuang everywhere is mobilized! Get ready to do a big job! ”

The faces of several young staff officers of the military division were flushed with excitement, and their hands kept rubbing against each other, as if they could take Batavia directly with just an order!

"My lord, I don't think the Red Hairy Yi is necessarily going to war with us."

Chen Tianhua, who has been in charge of the affairs of the camp office, put several reports on the table and expressed his views in a shocking manner.

"Fighting a war is the same as doing business, you must first calculate your own capital, calculate the pros and cons. How much can you earn if you earn, and what kind of Cheng dù will you lose if you lose. Looking at the opponent's capital and strength, will it be swallowed by the opponent, and there will be no scum left. ”

"At the moment the Dutch are a little dissatisfied with our occupation of the Manraka waterway and the establishment of customs on both sides of the waterway to collect taxes, but we have not touched their spice cultivation business in the islands of Java, so to speak, the water from the wells does not interfere with the water of the river. As long as his ships are taxed at customs, we can even escort them for a voyage. ”

"In the same way, their so-called East India Company came to South China to purchase all kinds of goods, and we did it equally."

Several officials of the household division also nodded their heads incessantly.

"However, people's hearts are not enough to swallow elephants!" Chen Tianhua's words changed, "The Dutch regard trade between the mainland and Dayuan, Japan and other places as a prohibition, and we and Zheng Zhilong are in conflict with these Hongmaoyi in this area. Right now, although this generation is hindered by purchasing all kinds of materials from my Nanzhong and transporting them back to their hometown to sell them for profit, they and Zheng Zhilong are at loggerheads with each other! ”

"What does General Chen mean is that the Dutch gathered a large number of gunboats of the East India Company this time, and entangled Liu Laoxiang and the bandits, in order to monopolize trade activities with the mainland and Japan?"

"Back to Lord Changshi, this is exactly what I think is foolish. I think that the ambition of this generation of wolves has been expressed many times over the years, requiring me to trade only with the Dutch. And repeatedly harassed coastal areas. ”……

After eating a few plates of snacks cleanly, Basten was still a little unsatisfied, "If such a snack is brought to Paris, I'm afraid that if a plate of snacks goes down, that bullshit princess from last time will run to my bedroom and cock her ass and beg me!" He thought about that scene for a while, and couldn't help but laugh lewdly twice on his face.

"Mr. Basten, you've been waiting for a long time."

Li Peilin, who was full of energy, walked in with Shi Shiran accompanied by the general affairs.

On his desk, he took a piece of letterhead printed with the words of the General's Palace, on which Pei Lin wrote a few lines and handed it to Basten.

"I have approved the things you want for my father-in-law, and you can take this warrant to the Han Yuan firm to handle the delivery. After returning to Batavia, please send someone to the Han Yuan firm in Lijiapo to inform us if there is any situation, and we will remember your friendship! ”

Orders were sent from Hue to various places along the roads and routes by speeding messengers and ships, "Officers at all levels must be on duty, soldiers must cancel their vacations, control zhì go out, artillery into combat readiness, and battalions go to the storehouses to collect ammunition!" ”

"The first phase of Zhuang Ding reports to the village official!"

"All villages must be strictly inspected and beware of spies!"

The South Central Army entered a state of combat readiness. (To be continued......)