Genius remembers in a second [Aishang Novel Network biquge.info] to provide you with wonderful novels to read.

On Saturday, September 1, 1629, the 13th day of July in the second year of Chongzhen of the Ming Empire.

In order to avoid "irritating" the Ming officials, the Huamei expeditionary fleet was anchored in the north of Tamsui Fort.

Before the incense case, nearly 100 relatives or henchmen from the Yan family knelt in a courtyard. The officials of the Ming Dynasty read the holy decree in a frustrated manner, and the people below led by Yan Sihai supported the ground with their hands and lowered their heads.

“…… Conferring the duties as above, each should look up to the body to know, do not lose the grace of God, admiration! ”

After a long time, it finally came to an end. The official gently closed the holy decree, looked at Yan Sihai who bowed his head and bowed in front of him, and the expression on his face was a little indifferent: "Yan Xuan's consolation envoy, this time the emperor's grace is vast, and he has been loved by the governor of Fujian, Lord Xiong. ”

"Although the Yan family is light and thin, they dare not bear the trust of the saint...... Please move and enjoy the scenery in the backyard. ”

As early as on the mainland, this official knew that the senior Yan family had been running to the sea for a long time, and there were a lot of treasures and seafood in his hands, and when he saw the other party's respectful and flattering attitude, he suddenly smiled a little, took square steps, and swaggered towards the backyard.

Holding the holy decree in both hands, the smile on Yan Sihai's face gradually dissipated, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the subordinates of his relatives who were still kneeling on the ground were all looking at him.

And at a corner of a corridor outside the main hall of the front yard, Yan Xianping, who did not participate in the reading of the holy decree, was standing behind Sun Yang and eavesdropping on the whole process.

"It's really an exaggeration, from today onwards, your fourth uncle will be a big toast......" The Ming officials in the sight had already walked away, and Sun Yang turned his head and smiled at his fiancée.

"Is that all right? When my father returned to the imperial court, it was also such a terrible thing, who knew that a few years later, ...... "Yan Xian in a gorgeous and fashionable Han skirt." muttering some words in the holy decree just now, revealing a sneer, "The fourth uncle has become a senior consolation envoy, and the rules are several layers more than before, in the future, if the senior ship merchants want to enter Fujian and land, they must follow their faces, even if Zheng Zhilong is clearly making trouble, the fourth uncle is helpless, he is really angry!" ”

"The articles are all done by the people below. We don't have to worry. Seeing that there was no one around, Sun Yang put his hands on Yan Xianping's shoulders, "The expeditionary fleet has received the displaced people transported by Zheng Zhilong from Tamsui Fort today, and we will leave for Manila, Luzon in a few days to accompany Vice Minister Yan for a meeting." ”

"Are you going back?" Yan Xianping looked at her fiancé's happy expression. His head gradually lowered, and his face flushed slightly, "It's just that there is one thing that I can't let go, and I will marry you after I return to China...... But Xiaoyu has followed me since I was a child, like sisters, and Yili should also ......"

After speaking, he also glanced sideways at the personal maid who had been guarding him, revealing guilt.

"The slave waits for the young lady and the aunt. No two minds! Xiaoyu's cheeks were also flushed, and she knelt down directly, her head lowered.

"Hehe, it's okay. If you have a good relationship, you will live at home together! Xiaoyu's cooking skills are great! Sun Yang touched his chin and smiled even brighter, with a "smiling" expression.

"Don't you think about it!" Yan Xianping gritted his teeth and punched Sun Yang in the chest. turned around and helped Xiaoyu up, "Although they are sisters." But...... If I can find a marriage for Xiaoyu in Huamei, I will rest assured. ”

"Ahh Miss, don't drive the slave away...... "Xiaoyu's body trembled, and tears came out.

"Hmph, it's not that these stinky men are thinking about some abusive things in their minds all day long! In the past few years, I have lived with the old lady Zhong Ge and the old lady, although I know that men and women are different, but the personality is equal, and there are rules and regulations for beautiful and respectful women. ”

"Okay, okay, you're so fierce, I want to live a few more years. Don't worry, the Zhong family is now half of your mother's family, and Zhong Lao has always treated Xiaoyu as a granddaughter, you can continue to live there, and I will introduce you if there is a suitable one in the future. However, Xiaoyu, do you have any special requirements? Sun Yang held back a smile and said it clearly.

"Uncle, Miss......"

Xiaoyu, who was panicked by the two of you, and I said a word, covered her face with her hands and flew away.

……

At this moment, outside Qiongshan County, the distant capital of Qiongzhou, Guangdong, two young scholars are walking side by side on a muddy dirt road.

At this time, there are only short rice stubbles and cracked fields left in the distant rice fields, and there are still a few agricultural and sideline crops planted in the few fields that have not been abandoned.

“…… Since joining Qiong, my cousin-in-law has had a lot of help, and now the 'Nanhai Firm' has been completed, and several distant friends and relatives have also come to Qiong, thanks to the help of Mr. Yan and Brother Sicheng! Liu Yaoyu, who has not been seen for more than half a year, has regained his usual enthusiasm at this time, looking at the sky in the east, with a look of hesitation, "My brother has talked about his intention with several shopkeepers in Qiongzhou, and plans to take down two Zhuang shops in Qiongzhou, I don't know what Brother Sicheng thinks?" ”

"Mingchuan has been in Huamei for several years, and what he has seen is only a corner of the scene. The prosperity of the people of a country in Huamei is extraordinary, the people are less than 100,000, and the land of a city often ends in thousands, but the national expenditure is several times that of the Ming Dynasty, and the people enjoy the national benefits, which can be called the state of great wealth in the world. The industries of cargo breeding, construction, transportation and storage, and merchants complement each other, and the municipal shipping tax department, commercial law, and naval warships are tightly bound, and they are indispensable everywhere, and they are not alone. Look at my Daming again, the laws of various prefectures and localities are different, the order changes every day, and there are few rules for the supply and delivery of agricultural and commercial goods, if Brother Yiping wants to build a family in Daming, and does not take the road of climbing the dragon and attaching the phoenix, and violating the prohibition of private business, I am afraid it will be difficult to achieve his wish......"

Although he doesn't want to hit the other party, he is used to seeing the status quo of maritime trade along the Ming coast that is highly divided and monopolized by the family lords and powerful forces, and Zhao Mingchuan still doesn't have much expectations for Liu Yaoyu's vision.

"Although my brother has a cousin-in-law to protect the safety of his family, but in addition to this, there is no favor, Qiongzhou is wild and sparsely populated, the miasma is rampant, and Li is ferocious, so isn't it impossible to do things here?" After listening to this, Liu Yaoyu slowly became depressed, "My cousin-in-law came to Qiong because of 'eunuch calamity', and he was disheartened, and my brother couldn't bear to disturb him too much. If you can't revive the family business if you take the right path, what will your brother look like...... Alas, I heard that Brother Sicheng will move to China and the United States with his family, and today my brother will see him off. ”

Quietly looking at the friend who was getting more and more depressed in front of him. Zhao Mingchuan also sighed in his heart. couldn't help but think of the topic that Yan Xiaosong had talked about with him before.

Yan Xiaosong praised the scenery and landform of Qiongzhou more than once, as if this remote place of the Ming Dynasty, which has a population of only about 300,000 on the whole island including Shengli, has a treasure that even China and the United States envy.

But now it seems that Mr. Hua Mei and Mr. Yan have forgotten about Liu Yaoyu. At present, Qiongzhou is not as good as the mainland's Liangguang or Fujian and Zhejiang, it is nothing, and the old family connections have been lost, Liu Yaoyu lives here to rebuild the business, and at most can only do some local trade according to the needs of Li Guozhu, Liu Xiang or Pearl Island, and look for goods along the coast of Guangdong to do some small business, and slowly accumulate family funds. If you want to restore the grandeur of the Liu family. I'm afraid that I may not be able to do it in the last ten years or eight years.

"Brother Yiping, there is nothing difficult in the world, but I am afraid of people with hearts. Master Di also warned me that doing business requires a lot of accumulation, and you are a merchant family. Naturally, I understand the truth better than I do. If it weren't for Brother Yi Ping's recommendation, Ming Chuan would still be flowing away in Guangzhou like a headless fly. Brother Yi Ping, you can rest assured, Mingchuan will definitely advance and retreat with you! ”

Zhao Mingchuan saluted with both hands, and he had already made up his mind in his heart.

……

On September 10, 1629, the Sino-American expeditionary fleet finally sailed into Manila Bay, a Philippine colony of the Kingdom of Spain.

The messenger of the King of Spain, who was N beats slower than the Chinese American expeditionary fleet, finally delivered the domestic documents to Manila in July this year, and the governor of Tabola, who received the final instructions, finally agreed to the request of the Chinese American expeditionary fleet to enter Manila to recuperate.

But today is not as simple as a resupply break for the fleet. Since the beginning of this year. The whole Far East was bewildered by the gorgeous expeditionary fleet from the Atlantic. Although the scale of the war was very small, and it was even far less than the brawl between several factions in Southeast Asia in peacetime, the Chinese and American fleets instantly made the great powers, including the Dutch East India Company, see the situation clearly with their powerful combat strength that was impossible to resist.

China and the United States announced the annexation of the Natuna Islands, the "homeland of pirates in the Far East," once hated by European colonists. The implementation of anti-piracy patrols in the surrounding waters has indeed benefited merchant ships from Southeast Asian countries, including Manila. After the Dutch East India Company was forced to abandon its monopoly on the sea routes, Manila's maritime trade was much more stable and prosperous, and naturally the governor of Tabora accelerated the accumulation of wealth.

Although the Chinese diplomat was very humble and said that "the Kingdom of Spain still has an active dominant position in the Far East". The venue for the negotiations of the Eastern Conference was chosen in Manila, but Governor Tabora knew that this was the beginning of the Spanish royal family, which had been drawn into a European war, and was forced to recognize the entry of American power in the Far East.

The shore is crowded with thousands of Chinese in Manila. Even though some of these people have settled in Manila for more than 20 years, most of the Chinese are still dressed in traditional Ming costumes and laugh frequently at the beautiful and mighty warships that are gradually calling in the bay.

The Spaniards, who catered to the etiquette of the sea, also fired cannons that were not stuffed with cannonballs at the fortress of the bay, and when the host and guest fired the salute one after another, the cheers on the shore reached **.

"Your Excellency Governor Taborah, I feel that at least in this place, we should put aside disputes and be united."

On the shore, Antony, the representative of the Dutch government, who had been wiping the butt of the Dutch East India Company in the Far East, looked anxious at this time, and finally extended an olive branch to the short and burly Spanish governor.

"If His Majesty the King approves it, I also hope to cooperate with you." Governor Tabora straightened his chest, the arrogance on his face undiminished, "But Mr. Anthony should be well aware that your rivals this time are not only Americans, but also the Portuguese and English who have been piling bills in the Far East for more than twenty years. In addition, I heard that even the Danes are planning to join in the fun this time. ”

"The Danish East India Company? Those wrecked ships haven't even finished visiting the coastline near Trankuiba, and this place has nothing to do with them at all! ”

Anthony was furious when he heard that the Danish East India Company, which had swaggered a few years earlier in the trading base of Tranqui Baxiu on the east coast of India, and the Danes who had been fighting a few wrecked ships all the time of the year.

"So, this time it's 'fair'...... Hell, I actually think it's incredible! Governor Tabora made only half a joke, and then quickly took sides with the Dutch on the matter.

The fleet had already docked, and a number of U.S. military and political officials of the Chinese military stepped off the board, and Governor Tabora quickly put on a happy smile and greeted him with a large contingent of colonial bureaucrats.

……

The Oriental Conference brought together representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United States of America, the Portuguese East India Colonies and Macao, the English East India Company, the Dutch Government and the East India Company, the Spanish Philippine Colonies, and the Danish East India Company, which was purely soy sauce. The meeting took place at St. Augustine's Church in the heart of Manila. A famous all-stone church known as the "Vatican of the East".

The bitter controversy brought the meeting to a stalemate from the outset, with the Dutch delegates firmly opposing the English claim to the annexation of Sulawesi to Makassar, which was the core trading node of the Spice Islands, and would be a great threat to the Dutch spice trade, which had been painstakingly operated for more than two decades.

The English East India Company also proposed a monopoly agreement on the rice and hides trade in Siam, but this was quickly met with strong opposition from the Portuguese representative of Macau.

Similarly, Portuguese officials in the East Indies colonies strongly urged the Dutch to give up their colonial trading posts in the western part of the island, claiming that the entire island and the red sandalwood trade were the exclusive rights of Portugal.

The representative of Spain implicitly expressed the entire Philippine Islands. The ownership of Sulu, which had not yet been conquered in the south, and the trade route of Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei) on the island of Kalimantan must be unconditionally vested in the Kingdom of Spain, and all merchant ships from Southeast Asia to Japan must be registered and taxed at the port of Manila.

The Danish East India Company, like a-stirring stick, hoped that the Portuguese and Dutch would open up Macau and Batavia. This allowed the Kingdom of Denmark to "peacefully use the Eastern Route and participate in the spice trade".

The American Republic of China, which ostensibly has only one isolated overseas territory, has become a mediator in the dispute. Yan Xiaosong constantly expressed his "sober views" on several trade routes and regions, but did not propose any action to divide the rights and interests of other countries, which made a group of European diplomats who were afraid of the Americans stealing food secretly suspicious.

Behind the heated discussion, diplomats from all sides privately visited Yan Xiaosong, who lives in the Chinese neighborhood of Balian, after the meeting, hoping to gain more clarity from the other side.

On September 20, the Eastern Conference took place almost 10 days later. A merchant fleet of Li Guozhu, which had been brought from overseas on the Pearl Island, brought a large amount of goods worth more than 50,000 Spanish silver dollars, and the Spanish tax collector should have unceremoniously collected at least 10,000 Spanish silver dollars in a one-time tax on the ship's goods. However, Yan Xiaosong, the vice minister of foreign affairs of China and the United States, jumped out at this time, hoping to unify the protection and preferential trade policies for Chinese businessmen in the Far East trade, and this news immediately quieted the anxious talks.

It was only then that it became clear to everyone the direction of interests that the Chinese and American diplomats cared about. China and the United States were not interested in the land and trade interests of the existing Far Eastern routes. They only hope that the interests of Chinese businessmen in all spheres of influence will not be affected.

That's a big appetite. Everyone knows that Chinese businessmen are one of the most active main forces on the Southeast Asian route today, whether it is the Portuguese, Spanish or Dutch, they all regard the heavy taxation and exploitation of Chinese businessmen as the easiest means to make a fortune. Huamei people themselves do not seek any superficial interests, but they protect the Chinese businessmen in the Far East so happily, and while they envelop the Chinese businessmen, they also penetrate the interests into every corner that the Chinese businessmen can reach!

The demands of China and the United States finally intervened, leaving a group of European diplomats still arguing over the Eastern route and trade monopolies everywhere.

Thinking of the attitude of the Chinese in Manila, Manila Governor Tabora is the most vigilant person about Yan Xiaosong's demands. The idea that Li Guozhu launched a large-scale alliance of Chinese businessmen in Marani with the support of the Chinese Americans has already posed a faint threat to the colonial authorities in Manila, and even the United States has even granted special shelter to Chinese businessmen in various parts of the Philippines -- in the event of severe disasters or persecution, Chinese people from all over the Philippines can get help on Pearl Island.

Could it be that in the future, the Americans will also want to meddle in the affairs of the Chinese in Manila? This was the most fearful of the Governor of Taborah, and of course the representatives of the East India Company in Batavia, the Netherlands, who had been forced to sign a treaty with the United States for the protection of the Batavian Chinese. Even one of the topics on the agenda of the meeting was that the Dutch East India Company, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the United States, should pay compensation to the various losses caused by the Southeast Asian powers as a result of the "brutality and unjustification of the Dutch."

In accordance with the broad principle of eating people and not spitting out bones, England and Portugal, as well as Spain, have been secretly preparing for a long time on this issue. According to the obvious or implicit signs, the Dutch East India Company, which had an absolute economic and military superiority in the old trade monopoly pattern in the Far East, may pay at least 3 million guilders this time, and if the opponent succeeds, Batavia's trade monopoly layout in Southeast Asia will be greatly damaged because of the precarious financial problem, and it may not be the turn of the opponent to divide it, and it will have to retreat from trade.

After a meeting of silent protests against the ambitions of the United States, Antony, the representative of the Dutch government, and Spexson, who had temporarily taken over as governor of Batavia, the Dutch East India Company, secretly went to the residence of Yan Xiaosong, the representative of the United States Foreign Ministry in China.

(To be continued)