Luzon is the largest island in the Philippine archipelago. Since the Song Dynasty, there have been Chinese merchant ships to trade here, and it was officially called Luzon in the Ming Dynasty, and it has also become a general name for the Philippines. However, from the end of the 16th century, most of the Philippines, including Luzon, was occupied by Spain, so Hailu was translated as Little Luzon, and Spain was called "Greater Luzon".

In 1571, a small fleet led by the Spanish colonizer Legazpi crossed the Pacific Ocean from the Americas to the Philippines. The Spaniards landed from Manila, Luzon, invaded and occupied most of the Philippines, and then established castles and forts on the south bank of the Bashi River. Since then, Manila has been the capital of Spain's colonial regime in Asia.

Manila became one of the core nodes of the Kingdom of Spain's global maritime hegemony and trade routes, but in the face of the dinosaur-like Asian Ming Empire, the whole of Europe could not find a good way to trade with this empire "reciprocity". Manila became the oriental "ulcer" and "cash machine" of Spain, and a large amount of wealth from the Americas turned around from here, flowing into the Ming Empire, into the pockets of the Portuguese, into the pockets of the Dutch, in short, with the Spanish had little to do with it.

As the world's first "sun never sets" empire, the Kingdom of Spain swept most of the world under the impetus of the first spring breeze of the Age of Discovery, but there has never been a colony like the Philippines that the Kingdom of Spain loves and hates, and even once had the idea of giving up after entering the 17th century.

……

Sunday, November 5, 1628.

The Weiyang Palace and the Prison Bull, flying the flag of China and the United States, slowly sailed into Manila Bay. From a distance, Asia's largest "European city" lies proudly at the mouth of the Bashi River, and more than 20 galen ships of various sizes are docked in the port area, making it look as if they have arrived in Europe.

At this time, the city of Manila had a population of tens of thousands, of which the Spanish had more than 10,000. People can't help but be a little "smug". After the horrific massacre of 1603, the number of people living in Manila recovered to more than 20,000 and once again occupied the backbone of Manila's social economy. However, no one knew that if history did not change, 10 years later, all kinds of envious and jealous Spanish colonists would start a massacre against these hard-working and intelligent Chinese.

The first to be greeted was a Spanish Excise Vessel. Facing the two thousand-ton snow-white elegant and beautiful merchant ships in front of him, the Spanish tax officer in Manila couldn't help but swallow his saliva. The wanton alteration of the ship's goods tax and the inexplicable entry ticket money were the things that Spanish tax officials in Manila had done for decades, especially against Ming maritime merchants from the mainland.

But then. The tax officer who boarded the ship was dumbfounded, and the merchants with oriental faces in front of him were obviously not the polite, humble and timid Ming Dynasty maritime merchants who often dealt with them, and the monkey-like banter in the other party's eyes made people feel uncomfortable.

"The American Republic of China? You're from North America? Staring at a "gorgeous passport" written in Chinese, Spanish and Latin at the same time, the Spanish tax officer, whose overall brain consciousness is still very "savage", is a little confused. Looking at the well-dressed Chinese young man in front of him, there was a big European beauty wearing a Chinese Han skirt standing like a jasper, and I felt even more that I had drunk too much today.

"I remember that Governor Silva has only been in office for a few years, and Manila has become so rude?! Perhaps I need to lodge a protest with His Excellency the Governor of Taborah! ”

Yan Xiaosong held Katarina's hand. He showed a stern expression of not being angry and arrogant to the small Spanish officials in front of him who were trying to habitually blackmail. Unlike the simple stop at the port of Manila seven years ago for supplies, Yan Xiaosong and his wife will enter Manila City as official diplomats to meet directly with the current Philippine Governor Tabora.

My God, does he know about Silva and Taborah?!

"I'm very sorry, but you don't have any valid documents to prove your identity...... But welcome to Manila! The Spanish petty officials were stunned when they heard this. I knew that I met a real big man today, so I quickly changed my face.

"Don't be too mean to the Kingdom of Spain, my dear."

A few years have passed, as a mother of two children. And Katarina, who was pregnant with her third child, was no longer as arrogant and angry as she was in her early years, and just gently pulled her husband's sleeve. He politely smiled at the Spanish fellow in front of him, and his fluent Spanish was very pleasant: "Mr. Tax Officer, we are not merchants, you can see us as diplomatic envoys, His Excellency Governor Tabora has been good friends with us for several years, and he has come to visit us today. ”

"Yes, but Your Excellency Governor Tabora has been in a bad mood these days, and may need to greet this gentleman and a beautiful lady like you." The tax collector awkwardly took off his hat and saluted, then pushed the Spanish soldier behind him to leave the ship quickly.

"Look, it's not just us who annoy the Dutch." Yan Xiaosong watched the Spanish ship guide in front, and said with a smile to his wife beside him.

"Lord Yan, when the students were studying abroad in their early years, they heard that the officials of the Luzon Franc machine made it difficult for our Ming maritime merchants in every possible way, or even slaughtered the Chinese people during the Wanli period, and the whole country was shocked. Such a trustless and unrighteous country of beasts can be thousands of miles away to expand its territory, which is really a reversal......"

The ship was slowly docking, and Zhao Mingchuan, who was Yan Xiaosong's special adviser, finally couldn't help muttering.

"In the eyes of most European officials, the ocean is hope. In the eyes of most Ming officials, the sea is a danger. Yan Xiaosong thought for a moment and expressed his opinion, "Daming is very rich, so rich that it is not worth taking risks, you can talk about benevolence, faith, and righteousness on the stage of your own master." No matter how detailed a map of the world is, it will not make people realize, and those who have the courage to jump out and look back at the problem will truly realize the original appearance of the world. From the standpoint of consequentialism, whether to talk about faith or not is a matter at the negotiation table, the premise is that the negotiation table belongs to you, and the outside world is to talk about strength first, and then talk about morality. In our U.S. Navy in China, there is a famous saying that truth and justice are only within the range of our artillery. ”

"Mingchuan understands." After getting such a domineering answer, Zhao Mingchuan hurriedly tidied up his shirt and bowed respectfully, but the expression on his face was not necessarily convinced.

……

The arrival of the Chinese and American diplomat couple. Governor Tabora, who had already dealt with Yan Xiaosong in Europe, was surprised, but a grand banquet was held in the Governor's Palace in Manila.

When he heard that this country, which was in the limelight in North America, had actually sent a powerful expeditionary fleet to Southeast Asia to "negotiate" with the Dutch, Tabora was surprised and delighted. The Spanish government had agreed to use Manila as a recuperation and supply base, which made Tabora feel wary again.

As early as in Europe, China and the United States casually mentioned the issue of the status of the Chinese in the Philippines in the Spanish colonization, and for Governor Taborah, who was in Manila, who had personally experienced the extremely "professional" social management ability of the Chinese, any question concerning the Chinese was the most worrying thing for every Philippine governor.

But after all, it is his own territory, and Tabora also believes that these Americans will not risk the world's condemnation to touch the cake of the Spaniards in the East. And the real toughest opponent at the moment is the Dutch East India Company. Although the colony of Manila itself had many Spaniards, the main naval force was far away from the mainland and the Atlantic Caribbean, and Manila, which was far away from the Spanish mainland, was actually able to protect itself militarily, and was completely unable to stop the Dutch expansion in Southeast Asia.

The meeting with "old friends" was short and uninteresting, and the gossip was so fanciful that Governor Taborah was cautious when it came to crucial issues.

In the end, Governor Tabora cited the fact that he had not received official documents from his homeland. The request of the Chinese and American expeditionary fleet to enter the port for rest was temporarily denied, but during this waiting period, the facility of up to one ship per month could be provided to purchase supplies, but additional cargo taxes were paid according to the trade model. Yan Xiaosong can only agree to this restriction.

After the banquet was over, Yan Xiaosong and his wife returned to the room specially arranged for them by Governor Tabora, and entered the bedroom. The two of them laughed, and almost more than half of the household items in a room were made in China and the United States.

……

Morning. Located on the banks of the Bashi River in the northeast of Manila's urban center, the Parian neighborhood came into life much earlier than other urban areas.

More than half of the Chinese residents of Manila live here, led by many large Chinese businessmen who have settled in Manila. In addition to a Catholic church in the distance, from the street architectural style, to the mainstream language, to the dress, it is almost a copy of the small city of the Ming Dynasty, and the Chinese who are in a monopoly position at all levels of social functions have built it into a Chinese society surrounded by "outsiders".

The mist had not yet lifted, the streets were lined with dung porters, the shops on both sides were tidying up before they opened, and a few women were walking slowly with their baskets of vegetables, and the new day looked no different than before.

A carriage drove to a quaint mansion with a vast area and stopped, Zhao Mingchuan, who had just changed into a clean shirt, walked to the door, looked up, and saw the two big characters "Li Mansion" written on the door plaque.

"Who? Early in the morning knocking on the door. The door opened, and a porter yawned and showed his head.

"In Xia Zhao Mingchuan, I came to visit the shopkeeper Li, this is a post, bother the big brother to hand it over." Zhao Mingchuan politely raised his hands over the post, and his attitude was very modest.

"Zhao Mingchuan? My Li family doesn't know such a person as you, go and go! The porter man thought that it was another poor relative who pretended to be a Ming Dynasty to come to Luzon to fight the autumn breeze, so he directly planned to close the door.

"Big brother, don't worry, this post Li Da Shopkeeper must want to see it, and you want to see it. I didn't enter the hospital, I just waited outside the door. Zhao Mingchuan directly stuffed the prayer post through the crack in the door, smiled and arched his hand, and stepped aside.

"Can this Xiucai's sour words still scare my Li family?" The porter man pinched the prayer post between his two fingers, just glanced at it, and was suddenly stunned, because the calligraphy written on it was obviously a little different from Daming.

"Let's show it to the master." After thinking about it, the porter man still resisted the urge to tear it off, turned around and walked down the corridor towards the backyard, at this time Li Guozhu was taking a walk in the backyard.

Li Guozhu is in his 40s this year, and he looks like a well-mannered and well-mannered wealthy Confucian businessman. He doesn't have the shrewd mind and personality of his father Li Dan, so he has never been able to control the power of this huge family, and he is not wronged at all when he loses at the hands of Zheng Zhilong, and it is even more unlikely that he wants to restore the power of his father's generation at sea. Therefore, since the death of his father Li Dan, Li Guozhu, who failed to compete with Zheng Zhilong for the inheritance of the East China Sea, has been lonely and lonely in recent years. It's just that with the few properties that the family runs in Luzon, they can still live a life without worrying about food and clothing.

waited until Li Guozhu took care of a flower and plant, and the porter man respectfully presented Zhao Mingchuan's greetings with both hands.

"I'll change the flowers in the side room later." Li Guozhu sat back at the stone table, holding tea in one hand and opening the worship post with the other, while greeting the little maid beside him, "What do you say the person who came calls himself Zhao Mingchuan?" If you're here to ask for money, just send some broken silver. ”

continued to speak, but as soon as he saw the line of names on the prayer post, Li Guozhu's face changed. The content of the post is naturally in the old-fashioned format. However, the inscription reads "Yan Yan, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy for Eastern Foreign Affairs of the United States of America".

"Where is this person?!" Li Guozhu hurriedly put down the teacup in his hand and stood up with a sigh, "Quick, don't be lazy, welcome into the study!" ”

"Huh?!" The porter man was stupid now, and he realized how strict it was for him to eat closed-door soup for others just now.

More than an hour later, two carriages headed for the Manila governor's residence, the former still holding Zhao Mingchuan, and the back carriage was restless Li Guozhu.

……

The meeting between Yan Xiaosong and Li Guozhu was in a side building in the governor's residence. Today, it is a temporary retreat for young couples.

The tea in front of him still did not move, and Li Guozhu only looked at the "short-robed" young man sitting on a Western chair with apprehension and curiosity, and was deeply disturbed by this "Chinese American official" who left a trace in Daming seven years ago.

“…… Mr. Li Dan has worked hard all his life and made a meteorology in the East China Sea. It is a model for the sons and daughters of the Chinese Han family on the sea, and our government deeply regrets the death of his old man, but the road is far away. It was not possible to send a representative to pay their respects immediately. Yan Xiaosong said politely, with a smile on his face, "Actually, it was seven years ago. I wanted to visit the old gentleman and the shopkeeper Li, but unfortunately it didn't go as people wanted. ”

The implication is that your arrogant aura and hedgehog-like hostility seven years ago have now fallen into a corner of the country, and the impermanence of the world is probably like this.

"At that time, my father was recuperating in the Japanese land, and I was also running a business in Luzon, so I was a little lazy, I don't know what happened to Mr. Yan returning to the East China Sea this time and looking for my Li family again?" Li Guozhu frowned slightly, feeling unhappy in his heart.

"Our government already knows the news of the death of His Majesty the Emperor of the Apocalypse of the Ming Dynasty, and even more aware of the changes in the chess game in the East China Sea now, I don't know what the Li family has planned?" Yan Xiaosong did not answer the other party's question, but asked more.

"Hmph, isn't the Yan family very beautiful with your help? Now that feng shui is in turn, it is only a matter of time before the court cleans him up. It's Zheng Zhilong and Liu Xiang, who were not familiar with the Li family's dogs back then, are flying, and they will have retribution one day! As soon as he thought of these things, Li Guozhu gritted his teeth with hatred, and couldn't help but slap one hand on the table.

"Well, this chaotic state obviously harms the interests of our government in the East China Sea and the South Seas of the Ming Dynasty, and of course, it may not be a good thing for the Li family. Shopkeeper Li, this is a letter written by an acquaintance of yours, you can take a look. Yan Xiaosong took out a piece of paper from the pocket of his suit and handed it to Li Guozhu, "This person can't write, so naturally someone else writes it." ”

"Acquaintances?" Li Guozhu was stunned for a moment, slowly turned out the letter, and after looking at it a few times, both eyes were on fire, "It turned out to be Liu Xiang, who eats something outside the inside!" ”

"Don't worry, shopkeeper Li, please continue to read it." Yan Xiaosong hurriedly pushed the teacup over, suggesting that the other party was accusing him of his feelings.

Li Guozhu saw that a young man was more determined than himself, his old face turned slightly red, and he quickly suppressed his anger and continued to look at the past.

“…… The Zheng family is strong, Liu Xiang is weak, and there is a gap with the public, which is really a last resort, and it is difficult to be ashamed of thinking about it now...... If the Yan clan dies, then the East China Sea will be all over Zheng Zhilong, and there will be a place for us to attach? Today, there are American warships from Xihaihua to help, hoping to restore the old words with the public and prosper together. ”

Reading this, Li Guozhu secretly felt a hint of threat, and couldn't help but raise his head and secretly glance at Yan Xiaosong.

"Can the Yan family not kill him? Liu Xiang has already attached himself to Huamei? Li Guozhu couldn't believe that the stunned young man who was not afraid of heaven and earth would write such a letter.

"Yes before, but now he has been forgiven by the Yan family. Liu Xiang has become our trusted friend, and the statement that he belongs to him is incorrect. Yan Xiaosong pointed to the letter in the other party's hand, and his face did not change.

"To make this unfamiliar white-eyed wolf obedient, Mr. Yan also has some skills. However, what is the intention of Liu Xiang to say that he only helps Chinese merchants in Nanyang and does not enter the East China Sea to share food? Li Guozhu put down the letterhead. sat up straight and looked at Yan Xiaosong deadly.

"Of course, it is cooperation to make the plate on the sea bigger, and our government opposes any kind of unilateral maritime hegemony, which is not conducive to the trade atmosphere and order along the coast of Daming, so I support this kind of mutual assistance and reciprocity. Liu Xiang has the ability to provide a guarantee for the security of maritime trade in the South Seas, and of course hopes that the Yan family and the Li family can revive the family business and actively restore the style of the Han family founded by Mr. Li in the East China Sea. It can also be regarded as creating a safer future for the tens of thousands of Chinese children living in Luzon. After Yan Xiaosong finished speaking, he continued to take out a new envelope from his pocket, "This is a letter of intent for cooperation that my friends in the business community asked me to forward to the shopkeeper Li, which of course includes the issue of the Li family's lasting development in Luzon." These are not part of the government's work. So I'm just paraphrasing their thoughts. ”

The letter hadn't been opened yet, but Li Guozhu had already gasped because he heard the other party's voice. Huamei wants to support Liu Xiang and the Li family at the same time as they did in the past, in order to fill the gap in the decline of the Yan family, to compete with Zheng Zhilong and other forces, and even consider the development of the net worth of many Chinese businessmen who are still cowering under the roof of Manila.

The Yan family has risen like a rainbow in the past seven years, and others may not know much about it, but Li Guozhu, a person who has also been a pirate, can clearly understand that China and the United States have imported weapons and sea goods in a big way. It is the Yan family's reliance on being able to run rampant in the East China Sea.

"The three families are fighting each other's horns to resist the Zheng family......" I haven't thought about the problem like this for a long time, and the young man in front of him threw such a big cake at once, and I couldn't help but make people's hearts skip a beat.

"It is said that when Mr. Li was alive. also has a lot of dealings with the Ming court, I think the Li family is not without a little bit of Austrian aid now, right? Yan Xiaosong said, and lightly pointed to the north, "From this point of view." I think the Li family should be able to do better. ”

Hearing this, Li Guozhu stood up suddenly, and actually walked around the study excitedly. It's half a ring. Li Guozhu realized his gaffe, quickly sat back in his position, and stretched out a hand: "Your country has spent so much time, but what is the plan?" ”

"Order, a peaceful order that can be equal and reciprocal, and a pattern that protects the overall interests of the Ming coastal China, and a prosperous and prosperous atmosphere of Far Eastern trade, is beneficial to all. Huamei Commodity Seafood will be in accordance with European trade rules, to give you a guaranteed agency, to ensure that everyone can get far more generous returns than in the past. Yan Xiaosong smiled without showing his teeth, and looked extremely righteous.

"Hmph, your Hua America is too high-sounding, right? The benefits behind it are all Huamei, let me wrestle with Zheng Zhilong, and contain each other, this kind of order is your Huamei family? When Li Guozhu heard this, he couldn't help but scoff.

Yan Xiaosong said, and took out a map of Southeast Asia from his pocket to unfold, so that Li Guozhu, who thought he was "scheming", was secretly speechless.

"The East China Sea and the South Ocean are vast, so why bother with the gains and losses of a pool and a water? Our government doesn't want to be able to get an inch of land, but if the Li family thinks that the land is fertile on any island in the South Seas, our government will naturally help...... Rather than letting Europe take up all the Fanyi, it is better to look at the heroes of the old man Li Dan's generation, and let my Chinese overseas people spread out...... Our expeditionary fleet has arrived in the South Seas, and is about to put the security of the whole South Seas in order, and the Dutch piracy needs to be punished. ”

After speaking, Yan Xiaosong finally picked up the teacup and put on a posture of "sending off guests".

“…… Let me think about it for a moment or two, and then I will reply. Today is in a hurry, the etiquette is not good, and I will definitely invite Mr. Yan to come to the Burrow another day to show my respect. Farewell. ”

Looking at the young man in front of him from the long-rumored Taixi powerhouse, Li Guozhu's heart trembled beyond measure.

Li Guozhu left, Yan Xiaosong slowly picked up the map of Southeast Asia on the desktop, and slowly swept over the areas marked with power or still blank, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

……

In the following days, under the leadership of Li Guozhu, the Chinese merchants in Manila gradually became active, and hundreds of tons of grain began to be transported to the port and loaded onto the Huamei Prisoner Ox Flying Shear merchant ship, and the price offered by the Huamei merchant ship was very satisfactory. Compared with the shocking price of the European famine, the price of grain in Southeast Asia at this time was much lower, so the transaction price made Zhao Mingchuan, who was temporarily in charge of logistics procurement, feel that he had a "profiteer" taste.

The lively convoy of transports made the Spanish soldiers in charge of the security of the docks nervous, and even the Governor of Tabora was alarmed, and when he inquired, it turned out that Li Guozhu, the richest Chinese businessman in Manila, was in the early stages.

Soon, however, almost all of Manila's high-status Spanish colonial officials and their families, including Governor Taborah, received a fine gift—high-end perfumes and clothing that sold for thousands of dollars in Europe. As the wife of the vice minister of foreign affairs of China and the United States, and the dual identity of Hispanics, Caterina and her eldest son Yan Shuming also went to the church in Manila to pray in a high-profile manner, and a large number of church donations made the local Spanish bishop very excited.

On the other hand, Yan Xiaosong entertained the local famous Chinese businessmen in Balian, and he insisted on praising Li Guozhu to the ceiling, and he opened and closed his mouth with mantras such as "old friend of the Chinese people", which made Li Guozhu flutter all day long. In addition, Yan Xiaosong, in the name of the U.S. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, publicly donated $10,000 to build a nursing home and academy for the Chinese community in Balian, which made the Chinese businessmen in Manila who undertook this social charity project boastful.

On a public occasion, Yan Xiaosong also said in an extremely high-profile manner that the Sino-American Oriental Expeditionary Fleet would soon make an official goodwill visit to Manila and conduct anti-piracy exercises with the local Spanish Navy, and that the "Chinese American Republic and the Kingdom of Spain" would do their utmost to create a stable and prosperous trade environment for the people of Manila, including Chinese businessmen, and to crack down on acts that attempted to undermine the friendship between the two countries between the two countries.

Thinking that as soon as the Chinese and American Vice Foreign Ministers came to Manila, they set off an active mood among local Chinese businessmen, and even unilaterally "flaunted their might", Governor Tabora was a mixed bag, and he always felt that something was wrong, but he was helpless.

On November 10, 1628, Yan Xiaosong left the Prisoner Ox to continue loading grain supplies, while he left Manila with his wife and children on the Weiyang Palace to prepare for Macao. The Weiyang Palace was hoisted with the Portuguese flag, and among the passengers on the same ship were Li Guozhu and a group of people, who would leave for the mainland to run some things for Yan Xiaosong.

Also on the same day, the main force of the Chinese and American Naval Expeditionary Fleet, which departed from Natuna, arrived in the waters near Batavia, ready to come to the door to "chat". (To be continued.) )