In November of the twentieth year of Chongzhen, a small boat from Fujian sailed through Lingdingyang with the general affairs of Guangdong and set foot on this small city. It is less than ten miles from north to south and less than four miles from east to west, which is the Macao named by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Many civil and military officials who got the map of Huang Mingkun were surprised, and the crown prince seemed to be particularly concerned about this small town in the South China Sea. This is because of the education Zhu received in his previous life: Macao was occupied by the Portuguese from the Ming Dynasty and became its colony. As the crown prince of the emperor, how could the future emperor tolerate the presence of colonies on his territory? Of course, special attention should be paid to this.

However, the feedback received made Zhu Cihong have to change his preconceptions, in this era, Macao can only be regarded as a dominance at best, not a colony.

From the Jiajing period when the Portuguese entered Macao and asked for residence, it was not until the 44th year of Wanli, 1616 A.D., that Portugal officially appointed Francisco. Cullogao served as Governor of Macau. And the governor did not arrive until the third year of the Apocalypse. Maas. Garuille became the first Governor of Macau to arrive.

Although nominally called the Governor-General, in reality until 1783, the Governor of Macao was only a "soldier-chief", responsible for the defense of Macao, and the Governor's Office was also located in the fort. The city was governed by a council under the influence of Jesus, known in official documents as the "Council of Loyalty," which was far from being matched in power or history by the Governor.

The Ming Dynasty did not give up its power in Macau, and still sent officials to manage the local government and collect taxes. According to the agreement between Ming and Portugal, the Portuguese had to pay an annual rent of 500 taels of silver for the land they lived in, as well as other taxes of varying amounts. During the Apocalypse, Guangdong was able to receive more than 20,000 taels of taxes from Macao every year.

For the Ming government, which did not have the concept of sovereignty, such benefits were far greater than the benefits of land. If the Francois are willing to make this deal, why not?

Even today, with a population of nearly 10,000 Catholics, the Portuguese do not consider it to be their colony, but a piece of Chinese land under their rule.

Based on this sober understanding. Portugal has always been able to be on the side of political correctness after leasing Macau. Whether it is the contribution of artillery during the Jiajing period, or the help in training artillery, sending mercenaries during the Chongzhen period, or even the support for the Yongli regime in the original historical time and space, it makes people believe that they are a group of "good tenants".

After receiving the news that the prince of the Ming Dynasty was going to open his mouth for trade, the Macau Council immediately made a resolution to send member Lorensu. Mendes. Lourenco Mendes Cordeiro, as plenipotentiary, traveled to Zhangzhou, Fujian, to meet the crown prince of the Ming Empire.

Shen Youlong met with Lorensu and his entourage in Guangzhou, opening the door to convenience. Allowing the Portuguese mission to travel overland to the crown prince. As for the goods listed on the list, they will wait until the next year, when the south wind rises, and then trade by sea.

When Luo Rensu arrived in Zhangzhou Mansion with a group of assistants and servants for more than half a month, Zhu Cihong had already moved his line to Xiamen for nearly a month.

The city got its name in the 28th year of Hongwu, which means the gate of the national building.

Since it is a door, there is entry and exit, and there is absolutely no reason to only enter and not leave.

Zhu Cihong's opening of the city office on Kinmen Island inevitably required a larger warehousing and logistics center, but Xiamen's location was a unique and excellent choice. Therefore, Xiamen was also officially established as a county. Kinmen Island is under the jurisdiction of Xiamen County and is the seat of Xiamen City.

Lorensu arrived at Xiamen Island by boat. From afar, I saw groups of workers leveling the foundation and working hard for the expansion of Xiamen City. He wrapped himself in his coat, still feeling the cold sea breeze tearing apart his body and soul.

- Why didn't the crown prince of the Ming Empire stay in Zhangzhou or Quanzhou honestly? At least it's warmer in there.

Loren sneered, and followed the eunuch in fur into the east palace in the city.

"Allow me to speak on behalf of the King of Portugal, the Great Restoration, João IV. and the Macau Council, I would like to pay you the highest respect and congratulate you on the successful birth of your son. Luo Rensu met Zhu Cihong in a side hall, and several Ming officials wearing Yanju clothes.

It was not a formal summons, and the messenger respectfully translated the words of the messenger. Whether it was Xiao Mo, Zheng Zhilong, and Fang Jiahong, they all showed a kind smile.

"Give a seat." Zhu Cihong sat on the main seat in the middle, and let Luo Rensu sit opposite Fang Jiahong, and above him were several polite young civil officials, looking at his face with great interest.

"It was just an informal meeting, and an informal feast, to welcome the messenger." Zhu Cihong glanced at the mixed-race general, and said in the vernacular that he could understand: "I am very pleased that Portugal has abided by the order set by the Ming Dynasty in the years before. ”

——This is directly related to Wang Hong's victory in the naval battle at the beginning.

Zhu Cihong added in his heart, of course, there is no need to say it.

Lorensu listened to the translation and expressed his gratitude.

Zhu continued: "I am also glad to hear that the country was able to become independent from the barbaric and brutal Spanish rule, albeit a little later. ”

Loren was worthy of his status as a diplomat, and said politely: "It is not too late for a thousand years of sincere blessings." ”

Zhu Cihong nodded and continued: "Have you reconciled with the Netherlands in Europe?" ”

Lorensu felt that the powerful crown prince had mastered the rhythm of the dialogue, and was eager to get rid of it, and replied simply: "The war in Europe is subsided, but the peace after the end has not yet been ushered in. Regardless of Europe, our competition with the Dutch in the East will not weaken. ”

He knew the history of friendship between Portugal and the Ming Kingdom, and he also knew the views of Confucianism on grievances. They believed in "repaying grievances with straightforwardness", and in this regard Portugal had an inherent advantage over the Dutch.

Zhu Cihong did not allow Lorensu to turn the topic to the East, and still bit Europe and said: "It's a pity that the Ming Dynasty can't support friends far away in Europe. I still remember that in the case of many Ming surrenders, the soldiers of the Erguo fought to the death for the Ming Dynasty, which makes me especially want to help the Erguo as much as I can. ”

It was the first time that Luo Rensu received such high praise from the official mouth of the Ming Dynasty, and hurriedly stood up to salute: "This is the honor of our soldiers." Our country still needs the help of the Ming Dynasty in the East Indies. ”

"The East Indies are nothing." Zhu Cihong once again blocked Lorensu's efforts: "There is an old saying in China: if the skin does not have hair, it will be attached. If your foundation in Europe is damaged, it is impossible for the overseas territories to provide resources securely.

"As you are well aware, the Dutch have driven you out of Japan and seized your ports and possessions from Africa to India. In the East Indies, our South Seas, you can only live in a small part of Macao. In a few decades, you will be completely forgotten.

"And all this stems from the fact that you have lost the support of Lisbon and the support of two million of your countrymen." Zhu Cihong concluded.

Loren knew that the Jesuit missionaries would go to great lengths to introduce Europe to the East, but he did not expect the crown prince to know so much about the population of Portugal.

- Two million people, is this figure reliable?

Lorensu said secretly in his heart.

"So, the cooperation in Nanyang is not important, the important thing is Europe." Zhu Cihong said: "You need an ally who can directly help you improve your combat effectiveness. ”

"But Your Highness, I'm afraid the Ming Dynasty will not send a fleet to Europe." Lorenço had finally given up on dominating the pace of the negotiations, and it was an informal meeting anyway, he consoled himself.

"We don't have any plans to send a fleet at the moment." Zhu Cihong said this, and found that Zheng Zhilong seemed to be less nervous.

"But we can send an army of five thousand men on your ship to fight in Europe, if the war is not completely over by then." Zhu Cihong said.

Xiao Mo didn't doubt the military strength of the Ming Dynasty "when the time comes", but he didn't understand why the crown prince was so enthusiastic about a world world thousands of miles away. In his impression, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is more focused on immediate interests.

"Five thousand," Lorensu stammered slightly, "I don't mean to offend, this number of troops is not very large in Europe. ”

"What if a thousand more cannons? The specs can even be larger than your naval guns. Zhu Cihong said.

Lorensu was quite tempted, but reason made him sober up: "Your Highness, a thousand forty-two-pound naval guns need at least ten galleons to transport, and only these naval guns. ”

"It seems that the most important part is in transportation." Zhu Cihong looked disappointed, and then said: "But since we are friends, we should not stop at this little difficulty. The Ming fleet has been to the southern tip of Africa before, and it can go again in the future. It's just that because it has been too long, there are too few sailors suitable for long voyages...... In this way, we can arrange a mission to Lisbon in advance, in addition to drawing up trade agreements, by the way, to conduct expeditions along the way, and to train sailors. ”

Lorensu's mind was still full of doubts, but this kindness to the door made him unable to refuse. In order to increase his weight in front of the crown prince of the Ming Empire, he has already communicated the title of "Plenipotentiary Envoy", which means that he must respond to this.

"As a subject of King João IV and a loyal emissary of the Parliament, I am very grateful to His Highness for his kindness to my country." Lorensu Road.

"Very good," Zhu Cihong stroked his palms, "Today is an informal meeting, don't ruin everyone's interest because of such a whim." Zheng Du and General Xiao will entertain you on my behalf, please enjoy it. Tomorrow morning, our ceremonial officer will bring you to sign the agreement to send the mission, and we hope you will be able to prepare for it. ”

After saying these words, Zhu Cihong did not wait for Luo Rensu's response and Shi Shiran left the side hall, so that Luo Rensu had a deeper understanding of the strength of this highness. (To be continued......)

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