The armed merchant ships of the British are stronger than ordinary armed merchant ships in terms of combat power, but they are still inferior to warships.

After all, it is a merchant ship, and it still carries merchant goods, whether it is the number of artillery or the number of combatants, it is not the opponent of the fleet of the Ming Kingdom.

Weddell thought about it, but reluctantly accepted the order of the Ming army. Before he could start trading, he fought against the Ming navy, which was not what he wanted to see, nor was it what the many shareholders behind him wanted.

After the inspection of the Ming army, they were still not very at ease with these armed merchant ships, and escorted them all the way, well, in Weddell's opinion, to the sea of Guangzhou, and ordered to anchor in the sea of Shajiao and wait for customs inspection.

Weddell looked up at the condescending Sand Point Fort, and suddenly felt that this was very different from the description of his country's merchants before.

On the ocean, he saw two huge ships and several medium-sized warships, and the rows of gun hatches on the side chords made people feel oppressive.

In a few years, the navy of the Ming Empire has developed to this extent? Weddell was secretly glad that he did not impulsively engage in a firefight with the Ming Navy.

Of course, Weddell didn't know that Shen Yourong, the commander-in-chief of the navy, was in Guangzhou at this time, and the two giant ships were his flagships.

Although the conquest of Luzon had been basically determined, the intense training in Dongfan had not been interrupted.

But it was no longer necessary for Shen Yourong to do it himself, he was in charge of Guangzhou, and was replanning the cruising area of the South China Sea Fleet, as well as quickly reporting back some work on the establishment of the Admiralty by the imperial court.

At present, the South China Sea Fleet is divided into three sub-fleets, one stationed at Saigon Port in Mekong Province, one stationed in Jinxia and Guangzhou, and the other in Dongfan, which is the main force for the conquest of Luzon.

However, in the emperor's opinion, the radiation range of these three detachments was still not wide enough, and even if there was a small fleet in Sanya, Hainan, it still could not satisfy the emperor.

The key point is that the emperor is worried that the coastline is too long, and if the Xiyi ships enter the South China Sea, the Ming navy will not be able to know in advance.

The interception of Weddell's fleet this time was purely coincidental, and such coincidences are not always there. Historically, Weddell's fleet really brought a lot of trouble to the Daming coast.

Although with the current strength of the Ming Navy, it will also deal a heavy blow to it when it hears the alarm. But the retaliation afterwards was still unsatisfactory.

In this regard, Shen Yourong is also very difficult, if he cannot block the entrance to the Strait of Malacca, it will be difficult to intercept ships entering the South China Sea. In addition to strengthening coastal cruises, there is really no good way to do it now.

The conquest of Luzon was to take revenge on the Spaniards; The occupation of Malacca is probably a strategic action that Can't wait for.

Shen Yourong knew in his heart that it was not difficult to occupy Malacca, where there were not many Portuguese and even fewer warships, and even a tenth of the Spaniards could not catch up.

But the emperor did not do it immediately, apparently also thinking about the problems after the occupation. This required the navy to come up with a feasible plan for the emperor's reference to decide.

Just when Shen Yourong was still thinking about how to play secretly, the officials of the Ming Dynasty Customs had already arrived on Weddell's ship.

"A British merchant, sure enough?" Listening to the interpreter's relay, the official nodded, and despite his youth, he didn't seem to know anything about the country.

This is the change of the Ming Dynasty, and the proportion of professional officials is getting higher and higher. You must know that the officials of the Ming Dynasty in history also regarded Weddell and others as Spaniards, or collectively referred to as Xiyi.

Missionaries as interpreters? Weddell was also a little surprised, looking at the high-nosed blonde European, and paying special attention to the cross he hung.

"There are no British merchants in the Canton Merchant House, you are the first." The missionary interpreter ignored Weddell's astonished gaze and said to himself, "Now, let me introduce you to the rules......

Obviously, this is not the first time that this interpreter has worked, and he has a clear grasp of the process and knows the rules well.

"It is forbidden to carry weapons ashore, the guns and gunpowder on the ship must be sealed, and special personnel will be on board every day to inspect ......"

"There are large and small commercial houses, and the rent is also more or less......"

"There is an exchange in the trading hall, and the prices of the goods brought by the goods, as well as the commercial goods to be purchased, can be listed on the exchange, and after the transaction, you must hold the documents to pay the tax......"

"If you want to trade in the Japanese Kingdom, you need to pay the Jinghai fee in exchange for a special flag to mark ......"

"In addition to the Guangzhou Commercial Hall, there are also two places in Shanghai and Saigon, and the rules are the same......

When the interpreter stopped, the look on his face made Weddell a little unhappy. It's a little arrogant, as if they look down on us a little.

"Don't make trouble, and don't do anything hostile or act that makes people feel that way." The interpreter suddenly admonished with great seriousness: "Because of this, several Dutch ships were violently attacked and all destroyed. ”

"And—" the interpreter emphasized, sticking out his finger, "it's not unusual to have pirate plunder at sea, isn't it?" But not here. If reported, any British ship entering the South China Sea in the future will be attacked by the Ming navy, no exceptions. ”

Showing a look of disdain and contempt, as if looking at a bun, the interpreter said: "There are hundreds of warships in the Ming navy, and the Dutch, Spaniards, and Portuguese have all accepted this condition, and you British don't want to be excluded from the trade with the Ming Dynasty, right?" ”

Weddell blinked, and finally had a clearer understanding of the strength and policies of the Ming Empire. If you want to say domineering, it can be counted. But for true businessmen, it's also a boon.

In the vast sea, it is very common to do business and steal. But the Ming Empire dared to make such a threat, and the naval strength may not be what it used to be.

"We are serious merchants, armed with artillery and muskets, but also to ensure our own safety." John, the merchant who accompanied him, said with a smiling face: "Here, it is natural to abide by the rules of the Ming Dynasty. By the way, I don't know your honorific name yet. ”

"Noretti." The interpreter replied, "Portuguese." The Portuguese were the first to establish trade with the Ming Empire and had good relations with the Ming Empire. ”

"Great." John rubbed his hands, with a happy expression, and said, "We came to trade with the Ming Dynasty because we wanted to pass through the merchants of your country. I didn't expect you to be. If there is anything you don't understand, we can't help you. Afterwards, there will be great thanks. ”

Noretti's expression softened a little, and said: "The procedures are not simple, and the merchant area is also very large, you are new to the city, and you really need someone to guide you." Well, you can come to me at the exchange, and I will arrange someone to help you. ”

He was not a missionary, but an intermediary businessman. Weddell was not impressed by Noretti's arrogance, but knew that it was not a good thing to offend him.

Noretti followed behind the Ming Dynasty officials, inspected the ship, couldn't help shaking his head again and again, and said: "You can't sell these goods, so it's better to come empty in the future, so as not to pay customs duties in vain." ”

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