Macau, Governor's Palace.

More than a decade ago, it was a fort.

At that time, the king of Spain ruled Portugal jointly, and the Portuguese on the Macau side had never recognized it. The king of Spain sent the first governor, which not only detonated the contradictions between the two countries, but also the contradictions between the native and colonial countries, and then the factional contradictions within the Catholic Church.

The three contradictions overlapped, and the Macau parliamentarians, together with the Jesuits, staged a coup d'état to expel the governor.

The first Governor of Portugal and Macao suppressed it by force, occupied the Jesuit battery, and directly converted it into the Governor's Palace of Portugal and Macao.

"Your Excellency the Governor!"

The adjutant said anxiously: "The envoy we sent to Guangzhou was expelled back by Zhao, the rebel leader of the Ming Kingdom. Zhao threatened to say that His Excellency the Governor must personally go to Canton to negotiate, otherwise he would starve the Portuguese in Magang to death. ”

St. Paul, the sixth Governor of Portugal and Macao, was named D. Sebastian? Lobo? Reach? Silveira.

This goods just came to Macao two months ago, and before the butt was hot, Macao was starved of food for 20 days.

SchPaul asked, "How long is there enough food to eat?" ”

"Half a month at most." The adjutant replied.

Sch Paul asked again: "This rebel leader Zhao, has you heard more information?" ”

The adjutant took out a handwritten document: "Zhao's full name is Zhao Han, and he was given the title of 'Heavenly King' when he rebelled. The King of Heaven is the King of Heaven......"

"Wait," interrupted Paul, "is this man religious?" ”

"No, no, no," the adjutant explained, "the heaven of the Ming Kingdom is not the paradise of Catholics, and the supreme ruler is called the Jade Emperor." The Jade Emperor is equivalent to the emperor of heaven, and the king of heaven is the king of heaven. ”

Shi Paul suddenly realized: "I understand the difference between the Roman emperor and the Spanish king, this Zhao is a believer in Taoism. He started a rebellion and wanted to establish a Taoist state, which was very bad for us. Fanatical religious, he will expel European missionaries, destroy our churches and hospitals. ”

The adjutant had only been in Macao for two months, and he said in a daze: "But I heard from the Macau Senate (Parliament) that there are very few religious fanatics in the Ming Kingdom, and maybe things are not as bad as imagined." ”

"This Zhao must be a fanatic of Taoism," said Shi Paul, "the Ming is a powerful country, and only religious fanatics can quickly rebel and grow." I heard that he was about to completely occupy Guangdong...... What about the map? ”

The adjutant brought a map of the world, which was marked in detail in Japan and Korea, and the few coastal provinces of the Ming Dynasty were also more detailed.

But in the inland provinces, only a rough outline has been drawn.

"Jiangxi...... It's here, they've hit Canton, they're still attacking Huguang," Paul said, "it's a very powerful rebel force, maybe we can help the Ming Kingdom." As long as the rebels are exterminated, the Ming Emperor will definitely be rewarded, and we will get more benefits. ”

"No, no," said the adjutant anxiously, "Your Excellency the Governor, Da Ming is about to die. I heard the senators say that there were also rebels in the north of the Ming Kingdom, and they were powerless to quell the rebellion in the south. In the next few years, if not decades, Guangdong will be under Zhao's rule, and we must cooperate with Zhao. It won't even take that long, and if there is no food for another month, the Spaniards and Portuguese in Magang will starve to death. ”

"But he has no sincerity, and refuses to receive my messenger." Schpaul was very angry.

The adjutant suggested, "Your Excellency, I think you should go to Canton yourself. ”

"No, I can't go," said Paul slapping the table, "that's a Taoist fanatic, and I'm a devout Catholic, and he's probably going to kill me in Canton!" I want to transfer troops, I want to transfer troops from the Philippines, and I want to take down Guangzhou. It was just a rebel army, and it was certainly no match for the Spanish warriors. ”

The adjutant reminded: "Your Excellency the Governor, you have no right to transfer troops in the Philippines, you can only mobilize the Magang Guard and the Tomorrow (China) and Japan Trade Fleet. Moreover, these troops may not obey orders. ”

There are 300 members of the Magang Guard, 100 Portuguese and Macao soldiers, and 200 Spanish and Filipino soldiers.

In particular, the Macao soldiers were all Portuguese who were born and raised in Macao. They had a relatively indifferent relationship with Portugal, let alone the governor sent by the Spanish king.

Now two-thirds of Macau's armed forces come from the Philippines to suppress the Portuguese rebellion!

"Knock knock!"

"Please come in."

A Portuguese and Macao parliamentarian walked into the Governor's office, photographed a parliamentary document and said: "Your Excellency the Governor, please leave for Canton immediately, and you must take three members of the council with you." Otherwise, the council will lead the citizens to take action, and Ma-Hong Kong will not welcome an incompetent governor! ”

"Okay, I'll think about it, Mr. Councillor." Schpaul smiled.

The councillor turned and walked away, not paying any attention to the Governor.

Macau has been granted autonomy, and even the governor cannot interfere in the management of affairs.

Moreover, Portugal itself is fighting for independence. St. Paul was a governor sent by the King of Spain, and he was afraid of annoying the Macau Parliament and making Macau independent from Spain.

In addition, the churches in Macau are also fighting endlessly, with the Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans, and Augustinians, each representing different forces.

Historically, in the year Chongzhen hanged himself, the Macau Council directly expelled the Spaniards, and the four major churches also began to fight fiercely. The Governor of Macau was also the subject of expulsion. Moreover, the indigenous people of Macao in Portugal really drove away the governor of Macao!

Shi Paul is now under a lot of pressure, with Zhao Han from Guangzhou and the Macau Parliament from inside.

What is even more disgusting is the Dutch, last year the Dutch fleet directly blocked Malacca for half a year, and did not allow any Spanish and Portuguese ships to pass.

"Prepare, I'll go to Guangzhou in three days."

Sch Paul slumped in his chair, looking like he had nothing to love, he had poured eight lifetimes of blood mold before he was sent to be the governor of Macau.

Three days later, we departed.

More than 40 people, including the governor, adjutants, parliamentarians, guards, and trade teams, arrived in Guangzhou.

Deng Yunzhan, the director of the City Shipping Division, received them and left them there, and they were not allowed to move around at will.

"We are under house arrest." Said the commander of the Sino-Japanese trade fleet, Sarmento.

Instead, Schpaul breathed a sigh of relief and said: "It's not house arrest, it's a means of negotiating pressure." It seems that Zhao didn't really want to expel us, otherwise he wouldn't have needed to exert such pressure. Shi Paul suddenly laughed, "Everyone, take it easy, Zhao will have to negotiate with us sooner or later." ”

"Perhaps." Desino sneered.

De Sino was a parliamentary negotiator in Macau, his grandfather was Portuguese, his father was born in China, and he himself was of mixed Portuguese and Chinese descent.

Portugal?

It was his grandfather and father's homeland, not his own.

What's more, Portugal had been ruled by Spain for many years, and he was reluctant to serve a Spanish king.

Desino not only speaks Cantonese, but also speaks the official dialect of the Ming Dynasty, and often interacts with Ming officials. It is precisely because of this that he, a mixed-race child with a lowly status, can climb step by step to become a Macao parliamentarian.

At this moment, a foreigner was brought by an official messenger and walked through the courtyard of the Macao mission towards the courtyard of the inner courtyard.

"Hello, are you Portuguese?" Sammento hurriedly shouted.

The foreigner smiled and turned around: "No, I'm British." ”

After saying that, this person followed the official and left, obviously being deliberately taken here to go around.

Desino suddenly said: "I have met him, Peter Mundy, an English businessman and travel writer. ”

"Damn, how can there be British merchants here, they are here to steal business!" Sarmento was so angry that he walked back and forth.

Shi Paul sighed: "This rebel leader Zhao is not only an excellent general, but also an excellent negotiator. We have already lost half of this negotiation, and it depends on what price he will offer. Truth be told, we have very little room for bargaining. ”

Historically, the first British travelogue involving China was Peter Mundy's Travels in Europe and Asia.

This man came a few years ago and followed the British fleet to Canton to do business, that is, he lost 2,800 taels of silver and robbed 30 pigs. Peter Mundy was not a commander, he was just a ship-to-ship merchant, and although he did not purchase enough goods, he was allowed to return to England to make a small profit.

Last year, Peter Mundy came to Guangdong again, sailing a merchant ship alone, and it was his luck that he was not robbed halfway.

Unfortunately, Portugal got in the way, and Peter Mundy's merchant ships docked in Macao, and for most of the year, they could not buy goods at all. This guy simply traveled in Macao, bribed the Ming officials, traveled to the suburbs of Guangzhou with his entourage, and finally lived in a gentry's house and became friends with a young scholar.

Peter Mundy's description of China throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was the most objective and fair of all English writers.

There are praises and disadvantages, seeking truth from facts.

Back at his quarters, Peter Mundy took out his quill and began to record what he had seen and heard today—

"Through my friend Huang, I learned that Zhao, the leader of the rebel army, had occupied Guangzhou, the greatest city of the Ming Kingdom. I thought, this is an opportunity, I have to contact Zhao, otherwise I can only return empty. Damn the Portuguese! ”

“…… Zhao is very young, oh my God, he can speak English. Although his broken English seemed to be taught by a peasant in the countryside, he was barely able to communicate. ”

"Zhao told me that my understanding of the Great Ming Kingdom is too biased, like going to a port in the United Kingdom and thinking that I know the whole of Britain. Perhaps, this is true, Zhao and his rebels are different from other Chinese I have seen. ”

"In my long-term contact, the Daming people, or Chinese, are xenophobic, cowardly, greedy, and superstitious. In order to fight for a cemetery, they can start a peasant war. They do not come into contact with foreigners, let them lead the way, and always ask for many silver coins...... After Zhao came, he slowly began to change. The officials did not dare to ask for bribes again, at least not on the surface, and they secretly asked for silver dollars from Zhao. ”

Zhao said he would deal with these corrupt officials. He invited me to dinner, and the dishes were not extravagant, unlike other wealthy Chinese......"

"But it's a pity that such an excellent young man as Zhao actually eats with chopsticks like other Chinese." Some of them held bowls, and some of them put them on the table, like pigs in a trough. I can't accept at all that many Chinese, dressed in rich silk and using fine porcelain, eat like pigs. My beautiful yearning for Chinese was shattered by the way they ate......"