As Zhu Cihong knows, Portugal is now in a difficult diplomatic situation.

In terms of national power, after the rule of Spain, overseas territories were greatly damaged, and the nobility and common people were suffering from economic recession. The country that once became the empire of the world is now only a second-rate small country, which makes the Portuguese even more unwilling.

Diplomatically, they rebelled against the rule of the Spanish Habsburgs, hoping to join the anti-Habsburg camp, that is, the Protestant camp. The Protestant camp, however, preferred Portugal as an enemy nation, and plundered it through war.

This dilemma would continue to plague Portugal until the next year, in 1648, when the Peace of Westphalia was finally signed, establishing a new European order.

The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty could not catch up with the tail of the Thirty Years' War in any case, and the reason why this "goodwill" invitation was thrown out purely to send the first comprehensive inspection mission to understand the movements in Europe as a matter of course.

Compared with the Netherlands, which is in sight of victory and is about to turn against itself, and Spain, which has no faith and has a deep blood feud, Portugal is the best choice for Zhu Cihong.

Similarly, Portugal, which is now isolated and helpless, will never reject such a friendly ally as the Ming Empire. At the very least, the two countries could launch an offensive against the West and the Netherlands in the South Seas and regain the golden route to Japan.

The day after receiving the feast, Lorensu received an agreement to send a mission from the Ming Empire, along with a memorandum to jointly develop the Nanyang market.

The agreement has the force of a treaty, and if it is breached, it will face tension between the two countries, and the Ming Empire may take back Macao at any time, and will no longer guarantee the safety of the lives and property of Macao residents.

The Memorandum on the Development of the South Sea Market is a redistribution plan for the East Indies. The Portuguese could open merchant houses within the power of the Ming Dynasty in the South Seas, legally conduct trade, pay commercial taxes, and be protected by the Ming Empire.

The former is a big stick. The latter is a carrot, a trick that, of course, is old-fashioned, but always useful.

It is impossible for Lorensu to bear the responsibility of dealing with the Ming Empire, and he also believes that all the members of the Loyal Parliament will not choose to stand against the Ming Empire. In particular, the Crown Prince clearly expressed goodwill, and the Macao authorities only need to cooperate in arranging ships and providing a certain number of skilled personnel. There is no need to invest too much human and financial resources.

"The Ming Empire was a civilized country that respected the rules, unlike those barbarians who could only talk with weapons. They value their promise and credibility, and we can trust them in their commitment to the development of the East Indies. Lorensu concluded the letter by saying that after reading it, he asked the servant to return to Macao as soon as possible.

Returning from Xiamen to Macao can be carried down the wind by sea, which can save nearly half the time. After the members of the Macau Loyalty Council consulted with the Jesuit clergy, they decided to send a larger team to Xiamen. Among them, there are a large number of skilled personnel needed by the crown prince, who will receive a high salary of 150 taels a year and a living allowance of 35 taels a month. Traveled to Beijing, Shandong, Zhejiang and other places to exchange drawings and navigation skills.

The other part consisted of John Tong's peers, the Jesuit priests, who hoped to gain the right to preach in the Ming Dynasty. Of course, Zhu Cihong is full of vigilance against Catholicism, a religion that subverts the foundation of Ming society, because not all of the religious gentlemen are clear-headed people like Wang Zheng, and some will even accept the most extreme ignorance in Catholicism.

However, Zhu Cihong is a person with the art of speaking, and he uses the reason that preaching must be transmitted first. It also recruited several knowledgeable and well-informed priests who were proficient in many Chinese, and set up Siyi Halls in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province and Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. Translating European academic works and training translators.

Thanks to the efforts of the Portuguese, the number of the first envoys of the Ming Dynasty to Europe was determined at 300. Zheng Zhilong set aside a Western-style warship as the seat of the Ming Mission, and the sailors were cross-staffed by the Ming and Portuguese countries, aiming to train the sailors of the Ming Dynasty to master the art of ocean navigation.

The mission will depart from Xiamen, Quanzhou. It joined the Portuguese fleet in Macao, then crossed the Indian Ocean through Malacca with an easterly wind, and arrived in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, after an eight- to nine-month voyage.

Chongzhen twenty-one years. It is destined to leave a strong mark in the history of the world.

……

"Today is the first day of the twenty-first year of Chongzhen in the Ming calendar, and it is also the second day when they calculate the arrival of spring. Today, February 2, I arrived at the port of Xiamen and saw two Portuguese old lock boats. The Ming people did not hide their hostile attitude towards our company in the slightest, and did not allow any crew member to leave the ship until they had finished their so-called plague inspection. ”

Sitting in the cabin, Cohenrad looked out the window at the newly built port, dipped in ink, and continued: "The Chinese are obviously friendlier to the Portuguese, and their ships are unloading every day, and even then they still have a deep draft, and God knows how much cargo they load." Officials at the port of Xiamen will arrange for the unloading tomorrow, but all the goods must be checked according to the list, and even the boxes must be opened and inspected......"

"Mr. Solomonsson." The captain knocked on Cohenrad? Solomonson's hatch: "A Chinese official has asked to see you." ”

Cohenrad nodded, checked his attire, and walked out of the cabin.

With his rank and as High Commercial Attaché, he was qualified to be the commander of a detachment. However, he was very self-aware of his tactical abilities, so he took only two sailing ships with him, the Luthduniant and the Egret. Even so, in order to reduce the risk of perfidy in the Ming Empire, Cohenrad only took the Luthdounan to Xiamen, and stopped the Egret on an island in the outer ocean for support.

"Nikolai, I really didn't expect you to come in person." Cohenrad walked to the deck and saw an old acquaintance standing on the dock, Zheng Zhilong.

Nikolai is Zheng Zhilong's Christian name.

Zheng Zhilong smiled at Cohenrad and replied in Dutch, "Did this trip go well?" ”

"It depends on the terms of trade that your country finally agrees on." Coenrad laughed, "Can I come down?" ”

Zheng Zhilong nodded.

The Guards guarding the ship allowed Cohenrad only to pass, but not even his servants to go ashore.

Cohenrad looked at Nikolai, believing that it was not a matter for him to decide, so he had to bury his displeasure in his heart. He walked up to Zheng Zhilong and said, "Is there a plague going on here?" The check is very strict. ”

Zheng Zhilong did not reply, but just asked his subordinates to hand over a national document: "This is the latest "Complete Map of All Nations and Countries" issued by my country's cabinet. ”

Cohenrad took the map suspiciously, and when he opened it, he found that the map was a rare color print, among which in the upper right corner of the map was the Ming Territory with a pale yellow color print. Other countries are dyed in different shades of color to distinguish the general extent of the territory.

"Thank you for the gift." Cohenrad put away the map and was about to take out the return gift he had prepared for Zheng Zhilong, but saw Zheng Zhilong raise his hand to stop him.

"Please take a closer look at the territory of the Ming Dynasty." Zheng Zhilong reminded.

Cohenrad unfolded the map again, and couldn't help but focus on his own place, Fujian, and soon found that Formosa was also dyed the same color as the Ming Dynasty: pale yellow.

"What does that mean?" Cohenrad fought back his anger.

"This means that the Dutch should withdraw from Geranza and Fort Anthony, and return Taiwan to the Ming officials." Zheng Zhilong said simply and clearly.

"It's impossible, Official." "It is impossible for the Governor-General," said Cohenrad, "to agree to such an excessive request. ”

"If you go out of your own accord, you will still have equal trading rights with the Portuguese." Zheng Zhilong raised his head slightly: "Otherwise, I'm afraid we will have to fight another battle to decide who obeys whom." ”

Cohenrad felt a deep chill. In the Battle of Liaoluo Bay in 1633, it was the Ming fleet led by the man in front of him who defeated the Dutch fleet, making the "expedition to China" a joke.

Zheng Zhilong will not forget Chongzhen's six-year duel, and although the Dutch sailing ship showed accurate artillery ability, he finally defeated the European fleet, which is claimed to be the most powerful in the eastern Indian Ocean. Now that I think about it, it seems that I still have the strength to fight again under the crown prince's eyes and add weight to myself.

"You're blackmailing, official." Cohenrad glared at Zheng Zhilong.

Zheng Zhilong raised his hand and shook it at him: "Take him away." ”

The guards on the side stepped forward and grabbed Cohenrad and almost set him up.

"The United Company will not allow you to kidnap like this!" Coenrad shouted.

"No, I'm just inviting you to be a guest." Zheng Zhilong squeezed out a smile.

Cohenrad did not put up unnecessary resistance, he hoped that someone on board would send a small boat back to Batavia to report that he had been taken away. However, reason told him that the Chinese would not let any Dutch ship leave the port. He was even more worried that if O'Forwart's Ming attack on Formosa proved to be correct, then General Lane would face charges of dereliction of duty.

The dream of becoming a governor or even a governor himself, naturally became nonsense.

- If the war in Formosa can be avoided, there may be room for manoeuvre.

After Cohenrad was placed under house arrest, he meditated in the hope of finding a way out of a desperate situation.

……

"There is no possibility of peace between us and the Netherlands." Zhu never thought of bringing the Dutch to their knees through negotiation and coercion: "Even if they were willing to give up Taiwan, they would not be able to give up Japan. Even if they abandon all routes east of Batavia, it is impossible to give up Batavia. However, the Ming sailors had to occupy Luzon and Java until they took control of Malacca. This is an unshakable national policy. ”

Zheng Zhilong looked at the range marked on the map, and suddenly felt that if this place was all the territory of the Ming Dynasty, it would be a very good deal. (To be continued......)

PS: Ask for a recommended ticket, ask for a monthly pass~~!