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At the beginning of the 16th century, the Kingdom of Portugal finally opened the eastern route from Lisbon to Malacca, and for the first time could enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of the oriental spice trade with impunity. Pilles, the court apothecary of Prince Afonso of Portugal, who had sailed the Orient with a fleet, wrote in his diary: "China is a great, rich, luxurious, and majestic country...... Guangzhou is the largest commercial center along the coast from Indochina to Zhangzhou. However, Chinese merchant ships were not allowed to sail to Siam, Java, Malacca, and other places without the permission of the Canton authorities. ”

The Ming Empire's maritime ban policy set certain tones almost from the beginning of Zheng He's voyage to the West, that is, only "tribute ships" were allowed, and "private ships" were strictly prohibited. In order to implement this maritime ban policy and law, the Ming Empire implemented a system of "tributary trade" and "city shipping" management to control and monopolize overseas trade to the greatest extent.

However, as European colonists poured more and more into the East, the Ming Empire's trade with the outside world broke through this shackle with an unstoppable momentum. By the second half of the 16th century, private trade had basically replaced the tribute trade, the sea ban existed in name only, and after the opening of Longqing, Guangzhou became an overseas trade port openly recognized by the Ming Empire.

With the clear stream admonition of "not competing with the people", Emperor Chongzhen also removed the eunuchs from all over the city, and the income of the city department plummeted, and it became even more nameless. There are local forces that are becoming more and more difficult to restrain inland and coastal officials and private businessmen, as well as a series of challenges from the brutal and unbridled European powers.

In 1517, the Portuguese Andre led nine ships to forcibly break into Guangzhou, and after creating a fait accompli, he reached a trade with Guangzhou.

In 1521, the Portuguese expeditionary fleet attempted to force its way into Canton and establish a trading post by force, engaging the Ming Empire's sailors at Tuen Mun. The Portuguese were defeated, and the Furlong machine artillery technology flowed into China.

In 1582, the Spanish Filipino colonies were sent to Guangzhou to negotiate in an attempt to establish a commercial port in Fujian under the guise of Macao, but they were refused.

In 1598, the Philippine Governor-General Drew sent an envoy to Canton in the hope of establishing a Spanish trading post, but was again refused.

In 1637, the fleet of the English East India Company failed to enter Macao. Instead, he forcibly attacked Humen in Guangzhou, burned down the yamen of the local government, occupied the Shajiao Fort in Humen, robbed dozens of cannons from the Humen coastal defense fortress, and plundered the surrounding countryside. Later, he secretly bribed Chen Qian, the general soldier of Guangdong. I was able to drive into Guangzhou, buy a batch of silk, sugar, wine, cloth and other goods, and then leave.

……

Wednesday, October 2, 1630.

A Western-style schooner docked the pier of Pearl Island, and a man ran on board, almost crawling towards the direction of the naval base, while Li Guozhu, dressed as a wealthy businessman, walked down and was stunned by the wide and well-organized port and the fiery town construction in front of him.

Li Guozhu from Guangzhou. This time, he did not come to rush to buy gorgeous goods, but to bring bad news to the military and political officials on Pearl Island: Zhao Mingchuan was arrested by officials from Panyu, Guangzhou, Ming Dynasty. The reason was that Zhao Mingchuan and others did not get an official trade permit, and according to the new ban issued by the governor of Liangguang, they confiscated a qiē cargo.

In fact, except for a small number of gorgeous gifts for Liu Yaoyu and Li Guozhu. There was no sea cargo on board the Huaqingchi at all. This act of blatant extortion was naturally rejected by Zhao Mingchuan, and after some defense and appeal, the Panyu magistrate simply arrested Zhao Mingchuan and put him in prison on the charge of "fornicating with foreign people and violating the prohibition of private business". In addition to the clever and slippery money, the third child slipped away in advance. All crew members, including Frey, were detained in port along with the Huaqingchi.

Li Guozhu and others, who had been waiting for a meeting in Panyu, found out about the matter after two full days. Finally, I heard the news around the bush. only to know that Zhao Mingchuan had been imprisoned in Panyu County, and even had to be sent to Guangzhou City.

Hades said that the little ghost is difficult. In desperation, in order to save the people and the ship, Li Guozhu stubbornly arranged for his subordinates to go to Panyu County to inquire about the situation, and prepared to go to prison to visit Zhao Mingchuan, while he and Qian Laosan took a fast boat back to Pearl Island to report the news.

The National Day holiday had just begun, and at this time the National Day celebration reception was being held in the city hall, and this news immediately caused an uproar among the military and political officials on Pearl Island, especially Lieutenant Commander Wang Zhihua, who succeeded Major Kent as commander of the Asian Fleet, and simply couldn't believe his ears.

"Ladies and gentlemen, think of a way, Da Ming is not gorgeous, that is to be caught, and killed!" Qian Laosan, who rushed back alone, showed a desperate expression and kept making waves at the officials present.

"God, this is unfortunate, maybe Mr. Zhao is too stubborn." Mayor George drew a cross on his chest, and he didn't have any idea for a while.

"Do you still need to think about it? Save! Wang Zhihua glanced at his colleague Major Kent and directly threw the wine glass to the ground.

"Maybe this needs to be discussed with Mr. Fan, and it should fall under his purview." Major Kent, who has stepped down as commander of the Asian Fleet, unhurriedly reminded those present. The Mr. Fan in his mouth is Fan Li, the head of the Asian Intelligence Department, and no one can see the depths under his command.

"Oh, good, go and invite Mr. Fan to the city hall!" Mayor George patted his head and hurriedly beckoned the staff to go out, wiping his sweat, "In order to prevent accidents, I sent a letter to the cabinet to ask for advice on how to deal with it." ”

Li Guozhu on the side didn't speak, and when he saw that everyone had finished speaking, he cautiously walked to the field and said: "You don't know, in fact, the original story is the dispute between Lord Wang Zunde, the governor of Liangguang, and Lord Xiong Wencan, the governor of Fujian, which has been a long-standing grudge between officials and businessmen in Fujian and Guangdong......."

Listening to Li Guozhu tell the story of what has happened on the southeast coast of the Ming Dynasty for more than half a year, everyone suddenly realized.

……

Soon, the news reached Manchester City, the capital of China, but this time, the cable contained more Fan Li's analysis opinions.

“…… It is not so much that the local government of Guangzhou deliberately targeted merchant ships under the banner of beauty, but rather that Wang Zunde challenged Xiong Wencan's relatively tolerant attitude towards the outside world. I heard that not only us, but also merchant ships from Luzon, Fujian, and Dayuan will be more or less troubled by Guangzhou. There is no impermeable wall in the world, especially after knowing that we have a cooperative relationship with Xiong Wencan, Zheng Zhilong, the Yan family and Luzon, the old man can't tolerate sand in his eyes, and his temperament is very strange. ”

Stayed in Daming for the longest time. Yan Xiaosong, who is basically familiar with the current situation, expressed his views at the cabinet ministers' meeting.

"So the problem is not that Zhao Mingchuan was arrested, nor is it as simple as extortion by the Ming magistrate. Instead, the Liangguang Governor's Mansion and the local government of Guangzhou below have a hostile attitude towards us, and Liu Xiang, who basically knows that 'if you don't give sugar, you will make trouble', is our follower. So their behavior should be............ What does that mean? Plucking the feathers on the tiger's mouth? Liu Yun, the Minister of Homeland Security, touched his chin thoughtfully, but his words revealed a faint murderous intent.

"Not only Zhao Mingchuan, but also all the crew members of the Huaqingchi were detained. The Oriental Union has asked the government to save people, and the matter cannot be delayed, but it is better to try to resolve it peacefully. Prime Minister Qi Jianjun rubbed his forehead. It seems to be a headache for this "arrogant" Ming Dynasty in history.

"If you don't cooperate, you will be replaced, and Wang Zunde won't be able to live for two years anyway." Su Zining said coldly in the corner, which made the ministers present confused, but Yan Xiaosong frowned.

"If you use force, I'm afraid it's not good, right? We have a lot of trouble reopening the immigration channel. You can't break it again because of one extortion! Minister of Immigration Li Xiang was the first to react and quickly stood up against it.

"It depends on who will end it...... Su Zining smiled mysteriously, walked to the blackboard in the conference room, grabbed the chalk and wrote down the names and titles of three people: Xiong Wencan, the governor of Fujian, Zheng Zhilong, the deputy general of Jin Penghai, and Chen Qian, the general of Guangdong.

"This Chen Qian is a famous shrunken turtle and greedy king in the Guangdong general army, and in history, the English captured the Humen fortress a few years later, and he could hide it. The funeral has become a happy event, and the defeat has become a great victory, what are we afraid of? There are only two people left, but I wish Wang Zunde was deflated......"

After speaking. Su Zining threw away the chalk and looked at Yan Xiaosong and the others with a smile, waiting for who would vote for him next......

……

Wednesday, October 14th. On the ninth day of the ninth month of September in the third year of Chongzhen in the Ming Empire, the lunar calendar was chongyang.

Today is Chung Yeung Festival. As the governor of Liangguang in the Ming Dynasty, Wang Zunde specially put down his official duties, took his wife and relatives and a group of subordinate bureaucrats, and climbed the Qixing Rock in the north of Zhaoqing City.

If you want to say that Wang Zunde, if the historical records are correct, he is indeed a standard good man among feudal scholars, living a simple life, honest and upright, and jealous and hateful. This kind of person can climb all the way to the position of the governor of Liangguang under the turbulent situation of the late Ming Dynasty, but it will not make people lose confidence in the politics of the last years of the Ming Dynasty.

However, Wang Zunde was only a feudal bureaucrat who strictly followed Confucian etiquette, and he was not really a pioneer for the small number of maritime merchants in Guangdong who were wronged by Liu Xiang and Zheng Zhilong. He also hated those maritime merchants who dealt with foreign countries, and he never had a good impression of the Portuguese in Macao, and he was even more disgusted with the appeasement policy of Xiong Wencan, the governor of Fujian, who connived at Zheng Zhilong and Yan Sihai, the "confidants" of the imperial court, in order to whitewash the peace.

The contradiction with Xiong Wencan has been made public, and no one can trip over anyone, and the emperor only gave the Liangguang Governor's Office a vague holy decree of "prohibiting the investigation of smuggled goods and arresting the pirates", in fact, the words are "If you can settle the affairs of Liangguang, just settle it, don't yell all day long".

The Yi and Miao rebellions in Guangxi have risen and fallen several times over the years, and the Shengli riots in Qiongzhou Mansion a few years ago kept Wang Zunde awake for several months. Not only did the counterinsurgency army that was transferred fail to solve the problem well, but the Guangxi Miao soldiers who entered Qiongzhou also caused disasters in the thirteen counties of the three prefectures of Qiongzhou.

Over the years, all the big and small things have added up, Wang Zunde has felt that he is haggard, but when he thinks that as the governor of Liangguang, he will be sorry for his ancestors and conscience if he does not take care of Liangguang for the emperor, so he shows a fearless and awe-inspiring attitude. In the past few years, almost all the magistrates in Liangguang who tried to be yin and yang with him have been removed from their posts and investigated, and now they are finally "clean and peaceful, and everything is waiting to be prosperous".

"The garden is full of golden chrysanthemums, and there are lonely bushes that are like frost. It's also like today's song banquet, and Pulsatilla enters the juvenile field. ”

Seeing the wild chrysanthemums all over the mountain, Wang Zunde, who was over sixty years old, couldn't help but chant Bai Juyi's poems, proud of his decades of respectful and respectful learning, not afraid of old age, and facing difficulties.

The sharp-eared staff immediately responded one after another, praising the governor Wang Lao's demeanor of serving the country wholeheartedly and being old and strong.

"It's a pity that the old man is old and frail. I'm afraid I can't do much for His Majesty...... When the father of Liangguang lives and works in peace and contentment, the old man will also return to his hometown and tease his grandson. Wang Zunde politely waved his hand slightly, and then looked at the south, as if he remembered something, so he turned his head to the staff behind him, "A few days ago, there was a report that the Guangzhou Bei Wei Du commanded the arrest of Mi Yi Tongyi, but did you hear about it?" ”

"Huh. The lower officials and others disposed of it according to the previous order of the governor, and the Miyi ship was seized. It has now been ascertained that the translation of the surname Zhao is a native of Xin'an County, Guangzhou Prefecture, or a famous talent, but he left home and was driven by outsiders. Violating the ban for private gain is really corrupting etiquette and religion and insulting the national body. In the near future, he will be escorted to Guangzhou Prefecture for trial and conviction. One of the staff members hurriedly gave up his hand and replied one by one.

"Hmm...... Can someone intercede? Wang Zunde remained silent, touched his beard and continued to ask.

"I haven't heard of this, but under the strict orders of the Governor, presumably no one in Guangzhou and other places dares to bend the law for personal gain." The staff wiped a cold sweat. I'm afraid of saying the wrong thing.

"That's good. If someone comes to investigate, or takes the post of Fujian Governor Xiong Wencan to intercede, they will also take it down. Wang Zunde thought for a moment. Or add a sentence.

"The lower official knows ......"

"Doge! Oh no, Governor! At this moment, an official ran from the mountain road, and the black gauze hat on his head was crooked.

"Unorthodox!" Wang Zunde blew his beard. He scolded him on the spot.

"The lower official is rude! The governor, the commander of Panyu County and the commander of Nantou Bei Wei have an urgent report! The day before and the night. A thief attacked Panyu at night, intercepted the ship of the people in Miyi, and escaped from the ocean! The petty officials trembled, wiping their sweat as they spoke, "The beginning and end of the matter have not yet been clarified, and that night, another Miyi military ship took advantage of the night to enter Humen from the west of the Longgu Waterway, claiming that its people were humiliated and injured, and forced the Panyu officials to release them, and paid 3,000 taels of silver...... The order of Panyu County refused, and the Miyi soldiers and ships shelled Humen, broke through the Shajiao Fort and left......"

"What do you say?! These Fanyi are really arrogant! Wang Zunde only felt that his head was hot, and he was dizzy, and it took a long time to ease up, and he pointed to the south with trembling hands, "Go to Guangzhou quickly, and spread the news that Chen Qian, the chief military officer of Guangdong, has come to see me!" ”

Wang Zunde roared a few times, and he felt weak all over his body, but he fell down, and the staff and family members on the side hurriedly rushed up.

……

Around the same time, Zhao Mingchuan woke up from his drowsiness again.

It has been more than three weeks since he was imprisoned in the Panyu County Yada Prison, and he has lived a life without seeing the light of day every day. The dim light, the stench of excrement mixed with the fermented straw, and the constant madness of some people in the other cell next door were almost the same as Zhao Mingchuan felt every day when he woke up and fell asleep.

"Yo, woke up? I said you're not hungry! A jailer came from the side, stuffed a plate of pickles made of rotten vegetable leaves and a steamed bun into the cell, and squatted down with a smile, "When I came in, I was also a white and pure reading master." It's a pity that you're in the limelight...... Fortunately, you are just a translator who runs the sea, if it was the Francophone who committed the crime, it is estimated that he would have proposed to cut it down! ”

"If you want to add sin, there is no excuse...... is so deceitful, this Ming is bad......" Zhao Mingchuan grabbed the steamed bun weakly, shook his head with a wry smile.

"Hey, listening to the people outside, the people on the boat seem to look at your face, right? I said don't be stiff, what to do, others are all as if you are running the sea to make money, you have to walk on the ground in Panyu, and you still want to get along with the people who are in command of the city and the commander? The matter is very big, once it is sent to the state capital yamen for conviction, you people will really not be able to pass this hurdle! The official seemed to have seen too much of this kind of thing over the years, and couldn't help but persuade softly.

"Well...... Thank you brother for reminding me, if my colleagues on board are safe, I ......"

There seemed to be faint shouts from outside the cell, and bursts of artillery could be heard farther away. In addition to the arraignment of prisoners, the inside and outside of the prison door are locked and must be unlocked at the same time before the prison door can be opened. The jailer, who was squatting outside the wooden fence of the cell and chatting with Zhao Mingchuan, stood up curiously, and slowly walked towards the closed cell door with his waist knife.

"What's the noise outside?" Holding a candle, the jailer curiously approached the cell door, opened the heavy window, and looked out.

In the dimly lit courtyard outside the cell, a number of officials who were supposed to patrol and stand guard were gone, and a few moans could be heard, while several dark figures rushed out of the corners, all carrying burdens and clutching something resembling Tessie's short firecracker.

"Yes...... Someone robbed the prison?! ”

The little jailer's heart jumped violently, and he subconsciously closed the small window on the cell door, turned around and shrank into the large prison passage. He was about to run into the end of the passage to call out to a few other jailers on duty, when he felt a wave of heat erupt from the direction of the cell door behind him.

A violent explosion swept the burning debris of the cell door and a large cloud of smoke into the cell, and the little jailer's body flew straight off the ground, slammed into the passage wall and passed out. Immediately afterward, several masked men dressed in black rushed into the prison with revolvers.

"Mr. Zhao, we are from the Asian Intelligence Division! Let's get out of here, there's someone at the docks in charge of retaking the merchant ships! A man in black walked up to the wooden fence and ripped off his mask, revealing a Chinese face.

At this time, Zhao Mingchuan was already stunned by what happened in front of him......

……

On the night of October 12, six agents of the Huamei Asian Intelligence Department infiltrated the county seat of Panyu in Guangzhou Prefecture with weapons. Several agents of the Asian Intelligence Department, including retired soldiers of the army's special operations team, blew up the county government prison with a simple and crude blasting method, and rescued Zhao Mingchuan, who had been imprisoned for more than half a month, in front of a group of county government jailers who were weak-handed.

On the Panyu wharf, the same six agents boarded the seized Huaqingchi flying scissors merchant ship, directly overturned a number of guards on board, and forcibly evacuated Guangzhou with the crew and merchant ships.

After receiving the authorization order from the Navy Command for a "limited strike," Wang Zhihua, the newly appointed commander of the Asian Fleet, accompanied by Major Kent, boarded the light cruiser Black Crystal, and took three frigates, including the Dandelion, the Yueji, which had just returned from Liaodong, and the Tulip, which escorted the transport fleet, to symbolically shell the Shajiao Fort of Humen Fortress while covering the operation of the Asian Intelligence Department to rescue Zhao Mingchuan.

The shelling lasted for more than 10 minutes, and about 100 shells fell inside and outside the Shajiao Fort in Humen, which was considered a very low-intensity battle. However, the salvo launched from a distance of 1,600 meters directly stunned the Ming troops stationed at the Humen Fort. The more than 20 Portuguese Hongyi cannons that have been imitated with great difficulty over the years are completely useless at this time, and they just watched the dark sea in the distance, and the rows of flickering muzzles used their own batteries as toys to fight, and after the calculation, dozens of officers and soldiers were killed and wounded.

A few days later, a clipper boat from Liu Xiang's family sailed into Kinmen, the residence of the Fujian Jin Penghai Waterproofing Division, and sent a letter to Zheng Zhilong. On the other hand, Li Guozhu himself had already quietly come to Nanao County, where the Guangdong General Military Office was stationed, to meet Chen Qian, an old acquaintance and Guangdong General Military Officer.

(To be continued)