Even if Zhou Shixiang is a human being in two lifetimes, it is impossible to understand everything about these affairs that specifically involve people's livelihood, let alone do it himself, so after setting up the general shelf, he threw it to Song Xianggong and Liao Ruixiang to handle it as before.

In late June, Zhou Shixiang and others came.

This person's name is Xiao Bailang, a native of Nanhai, Guangdong, the first year of Hongguang's talent and fame, because the Qing soldiers went south, the Nanming regime was unstable, and the imperial examination was interrupted, Xiao Bailang failed to go further in the imperial examination, and his family was poor, so he turned to go to sea with a sea merchant in the clan to make a living. Relying on his cleverness, after more than ten years, he has learned a lot of foreign words, and now he is a general manager for the Francois in Macau. When Zhou Shixiang was talking about the sale of firearms with those Francophiles in the former cottage, it was Xiao Bailang who translated in the middle.

Of course, Xiao Bailang was not invited by Zhou Shixiang, but was kidnapped from his home in Macau.

Xiao Bailang was kidnapped from his home inexplicably, and no one told him what was going on all the way, and his head was covered with a black cloth, he didn't know where he was taken, he only said that he was kidnapped by bandits, so he was very scared. After being taken to the marshal's mansion, he felt that someone was there, so he knelt on the ground as soon as his knees were weak, kowtowed, and said: "The heroes spare their lives, if they want to ransom, the small ones will write to their families, and the heroes will say as much as they want, and the small ones will never say anything, and they dare not work for the heroes!" ”

After speaking, he knelt there and didn't dare to move, and his body was faintly shaking, and he was really scared when he thought about it. He couldn't help but be afraid, the kidnappers were very vicious these days.

Zhou Shixiang waved his hand and motioned for the guards to take off the black cover on Xiao Bailang's head, and then said with a smile: "Xiao Tongshi doesn't have to be afraid. It was Ben Shuai who asked you to come. ”

Why is this sound so familiar?

After taking off the black cover, Xiao Bailang was still a little uncomfortable, waiting to look up. But he was taken aback: Isn't this person in front of him the chief soldier of the Ming Dynasty who wanted to buy firearms with the Francophile in the former cottage ten years ago?

"This"

Xiao Bailang didn't react for a while why this chief soldier surnamed Zhou wanted to tie himself up, and he was stunned.

"You don't have to be nervous, Ben Shuai won't harm your life, I just want to ask you about something, but I'm afraid that you won't come, so I have to make this decision to ask someone to tie you up, haha. The general thing is to be considerate of this handsome. ”

Zhou Shixiang didn't care what Xiao Bailang thought, and covered up the kidnapping with a word. Xiao Bailang was still stunned, not knowing what this person wanted to do.

"Oh. Don't worry, Ben Shuai will let you go back after asking some things, get up and sit down to talk. ”

Seeing that Xiao Bailang was still stunned, Zhou Shixiang only said that he was still afraid. He comforted him. He also motioned to the blind man Li to bring a chair and motioned for Xiao Bailang to sit down and speak.

"In front of adults, where there is a seat for the grass people, the grass people just stand." As if this chair was piercing his ass, Xiao Bailang didn't dare to sit at all, standing there covering his hands and not knowing what to do.

"Let you sit down."

Zhou Shixiang ignored Xiao Bailang and said to himself: "My subordinates said that you are also famous?" ”

Hearing this, Xiao Bailang was stunned for a moment and said, "Caomin is a talent in the first year of Hongguang's examination. ”

Zhou Shixiang nodded: "Since you have a meritorious reputation." Don't just take a bite and call a grass person, call it a student. ”

"Yes. My lord. ”

Xiucai saw that it was reasonable for the official to call the students, and Xiao Bailang responded in a low voice, but he was still confused, and he didn't know what Zhou Shixiang wanted to do when he tied him up.

Zhou Shixiang casually picked up Wan'er and drank a bowl of sour plum soup a few sips, only to feel refreshed, looked at Xiao Bailang again, chuckled, and said: "Don't worry, Ben Shuai's words have always counted, and he said that if he lets you go, he will let you go, but before you are released, you have to answer Ben Shuai's words well, if there is anything to conceal or omit, then it is no wonder that Ben Shuai will keep you for a few more days." ”

Hearing this, Xiao Bailang was overjoyed in his heart, and hurriedly said: "What the adults ask, the grass people students must tell the truth, and they will never dare to deceive, please rest assured." ”

"Oh, Ben Shuai can trust you."

Zhou Shixiang did not immediately ask Xiao Bailang about Macao, but looked at this person with interest, according to the perspective of his previous life, this is an elite who is proficient in several Chinese dialects, if he can be included in the bag, he will have one more diplomatic talent, so that he will not be afraid of being deceived by foreign devils in the future.

Xiao Bailang was a little embarrassed by Zhou Shixiang, so he said: "If the adults think that the price of firearms of the Portuguese is high, the students can talk about it for the adults and let them lower the price, is it good for the adults?" ”

"Portuguese?"

Zhou Shixiang tasted these three words, and his eyes were full of fun.

"Portugal is what adults call the Franco, and we also call them the Prido family, but according to their translation, Portugal is more accurate." Xiao Bailang thought that Zhou Shixiang didn't know what Portugal meant, so he hurriedly explained.

Zhou Shixiang laughed: "Ben Shuai knows Portugal, and he also knows where their country is, well, it's far away from our Daming." After speaking, his voice changed, "But you invited you all the way to ask you to bargain with the Grape Man?" ”

Why not?

Xiao Bailang was stunned again, not for this, what did the surnamed Zhou do with himself?

"And you tell Ben Shuai, why do these Portuguese sit on the ground and raise the price of firearms several times?"

The Portuguese sold a broken fire gun for a high price of dozens of taels of silver, which has always made Zhou Shixiang angry, trying to understand how these white-skinned devils who have always maintained a good relationship with Daming suddenly changed their faces and did not recognize Daming's signboard.

"Don't hide it from your lordship, if only the adult's family comes to buy, the Portuguese will not do it, after all, they come to our Ming Dynasty to make money, it is impossible to have silver without making money, and the reason why we can't get along with the adults is because the Qing army also sent people to Macao to purchase a batch of firearms, so the Portuguese raised the price and wanted to make more money from it." Xiao Bailang did not hide it and revealed the truth.

"It's as simple as that?"

Zhou Shixiang was a little unconvinced, and always felt that the attitude of those grape people towards him, the general soldier of the Ming Dynasty, was not very friendly when they were in front of the cottage.

Xiao Bailang hesitated, he was just a general matter, and the grape man would definitely not tell him what he thought.

"The students guessed that the reason why the Portuguese were reluctant to buy and sell with adults was probably because they were worried that the Qing army would not let them live in Macao after knowing about it, after all, the Qing court was stronger than our Ming Dynasty at the moment."

After saying this, Xiao Bailang was a little worried that he would offend Zhou Shixiang, the chief military officer of the Ming Dynasty, but he didn't want the other party but was not angry, but nodded, and said with emotion: "People are good and are bullied, if the family is poor, even relatives look down on it, not to mention these mercenary guys." ”

Xiao Bailang breathed a sigh of relief, and said cautiously: "I don't know what else adults have to ask students?" ”

"How many Portuguese live in Macau now, and how many troops do they have?" Zhou Shixiang opened his mouth and asked a question that made Xiao Bailang stay there after listening to it.

"What, don't you know or don't want to say?"

Zhou Shixiang looked at Xiao Bailang with a faint smile on his face.

"This question from adults, students dare not answer." Xiao Bailang swallowed in his throat, as if his soul had been lost, and said weakly.

"Why don't you dare to say it?" Zhou Shixiang walked up to Xiao Bailang with a smile on his face.

"Students are afraid"

Thinking that if the truth about Macau was revealed to Zhou Shixiang, what would the Portuguese do with themselves when they found out, Xiao Bailang couldn't help but be shocked.

What does this Ming Dynasty general soldier surnamed Zhou want to do? The Ming Dynasty allowed the Portuguese to live in Macao, is it possible that you can't drive the Portuguese away now?

Xiao Bailang was very uneasy, and vaguely noticed that Zhou Shixiang's plan was not small.

"If you don't say it, Ben Shuai's side will eventually be able to find out, but it will take some effort."

Zhou Shixiang put away his smile, looked at Xiao Bailang with a straight face, and said: "You are not only my Ming people, but also a famous scholar, and you know a lot of words, this kind of ability is only a small thing in Macau, it will be wasted, well, how about this handsome to protect an official to the court for you?" ”

"Adults want to give students such benefits, and students don't dare to ask for it if they don't have merit." Xiao Bailang gritted his teeth and refused this very tempting condition, the Portuguese knew that Da Ming was going to be finished, not to mention him, a Han man.

"You are a smart man, and you know that you will not be rewarded for your merits, but as long as you tell the truth about the Portuguese in Macao, you will be rewarded for your merits." Speaking of this, Zhou Shixiang's face suddenly sank, "If you don't say it, Ben Shuai is not such a good person, I can't say that Ben Shuai really wants to be a kidnapper and tear up the ticket!" ”

"Ahh My lord, this..."

Xiao Bailang was frightened by Zhou Shixiang's threatening words, he was not a person who was not afraid of death, but he always felt that he had sold the owner like this, and he seemed to be sorry for the owner. In the past few years that he has been working in Macao, the Portuguese have not treated him badly, not only let him buy a house and settle down in Macau, but also have a high salary every month, and live a very leisurely life. Therefore, my heart is very tangled and I don't know how to choose.

"To say it or not to say it!"

Zhou Shixiang gestured slightly, and the blind man Li Hehe smiled and took two steps towards Xiao Bailang with a big hammer. If the soft one is not successful, it will be hard, and Zhou Shixiang does not believe that this Xiao Bailang can really keep secrets for the Portuguese.

Xiao Bailang, who was turning his mind in every way, caught a glimpse of the blind Li's one-eyed unkindness, and then looked at the big hammer in the other party's hand that still had blood stains that had not been wiped off, and secretly felt that his heart had come to this point, and he couldn't help but disagree, no matter how good the Portuguese were to themselves, was it still important to their own lives?

Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and said, "The student is willing to say!" ”

"Okay, is this my Ming people!"

Zhou Shixiang smiled and sat down with Xiao Bailang, and after the other party spit out the details of the garrison of the Macao Grape People's army, he laughed again.

Xiao Bailang asked nervously: "Don't you really want to send troops to attack Macao?" ”

"How is that possible! Is Ben Shuai that kind of foolish person! Since I allowed them to live in Macao, the marshal, as an official of the imperial court, should respect the court's proposition, but my Ming only allowed the Portuguese to live in Macao, but did not sell Macau to them, so I still have jurisdiction over Macao and also have the right to garrison, so this marshal is ready to note those Portuguese and tell them that my Ming army is going to garrison in Macao! (To be continued.) )