The wind and the sun are beautiful, and it is definitely a pleasure to sit on the beach and bask in the sun in this kind of weather.

Of course, if you get used to this kind of life, it will be difficult for ordinary people to think like this anymore.

Liu Dafu is this kind of person. Therefore, he preferred to feel the taste of dry tobacco in his mouth more, and by the way, he looked at the countless masts on the dock one after another.

This is Shanghai.

Since the initial construction of the port two years ago, Shanghai, which was not very prosperous, has immediately changed. I don't know where it came from, so many ships filled all the berths on the dock at once. Moreover, how much the dock expands, how many ships will immediately cram in. And with the arrival of these ships came a large number of ...... Person!

Liu Dafu is also one of them, he came from his hometown two years ago.

His hometown is Chishan Town, Jiangxi, and two years ago, Jiangxi was flooded with heavy rains and floods, and a good family was washed away. Moreover, not only the house and the family's belongings are gone, but the few acres of land that the family relies on for survival have also been flooded, and especially unfortunately, because of the low-lying location, it is estimated that it is impossible for his family's few acres of land to come out to bask in the sun after a few years. Although the government later came to send people to help the disaster, since the land had been flooded, it was impossible for the government to give him a few acres even if the disaster relief was thorough. Therefore, in order to survive, he took his family and followed the villagers who were affected by the disaster together to start a journey to escape the famine. Descending the river, I arrived in Shanghai. In fact, he originally wanted Anhui, but then he heard that Shanghai was building a port and needed a large number of laborers, so he gritted his teeth and rushed over. Because, it is possible to find a job in Anhui, but it is certain to find a job in Shanghai. But then again, this is really in response to the old saying: it's better to come early than to come at a good time!

He originally thought that Shanghai had been under construction for more than a year, and he was just looking for a job here. What he didn't expect was that he was actually the first batch of migrant workers to arrive in Shanghai! And it turns out that the people who work here are all criminals who have committed crimes. As a result, because of his "old" qualifications, coupled with sincerity and a strong temperament, a year after coming here, he became the first batch of Lizheng who was elected by the government! Later, he became a patrolman. …… There are not many inspectors in Shanghai, and they don't have much power, although they are not ranked, but this is at least an official.

To this day, he felt like he was in a dream. His original plan was to work in Shanghai for two years, and then write to ask his fellow villagers if his few acres of land had been silted out, and if so, he would take his family back to his hometown to live. But now, he doesn't care about those acres of land anymore! Shanghai is a good place, and his salary as a patrol is three taels a month, which is almost comparable to the previous income at home for a year.

"Well, Ming'er will send the baby to the school to recognize a few words, and let him come to be a patrolman in a few years, how good it is to be this day......"

Liu Dafu stretched and stood up...... At the beginning of this year, there was a patrol who patronized the joy of his own play, and ignored this regulation, but he didn't know how to do it and was known by the inspection above, and then he lost his job. Since then, no patrolman has dared to mess around, although he may not be caught if he does not follow the rules, but what if? No one is interested in losing their jobs, is there? How many people are staring at the position of this inspector!

Thinking of this, Liu Dafu knocked the cigarette ash in the smoke pot, put his hand on the awning and looked at the sea, and then turned around and walked towards the dock!

……

"Hey, Frost, is that the Qing people? He's dressed strangely...... The back of his head is what you call braids? ”

At the same time as Liu Dafu walked towards the port, on the horizon in the distance, a sea ship also showed its figure. On the deck of this sea ship, a white girl about eighteen or nineteen years old, with long chestnut hair and a binocular, happened to see Liu Dafu's back, and in surprise, she couldn't help but ask a gorgeously dressed red-haired man behind her.

"Dear Miss Elizabeth, you saw it right, the Qing people are like that." Before the red-haired man could speak, behind him, a man with a dirty dress, a big shy belly, a three-cornered hat, and a stubble beard on his face jumped out and said with a smile.

"Hehe, it's really interesting. That person's braid made me feel like I was seeing a pig's tail that couldn't stop shaking! Elizabeth put down her binoculars and laughed out loud.

"Elizabeth, you said it very well, and I feel that way! ......" The red-haired man named "Frost" echoed with a smile, and his echo made Elizabeth laugh even more presumptuously.

"Don't blame me for not reminding you...... If you go ashore and continue to say that, I can't guarantee that you won't be in any danger! When the bearded man with the big belly heard the joke of the man and the woman, he suddenly put away his smile and said seriously.

"What's wrong? Am I wrong? That's a lot like a pig's tail! Elizabeth glanced contemptuously at the bearded man and said unceremoniously.

"Miss Elizabeth, in the Qing Kingdom, no envoy of any country dares to say such a thing as you...... If your words are known to the Qing people on the shore, I can responsibly say that it may cost you and your father their lives! Of course, this includes all of us on this boat! The bearded man said coldly.

"Captain Wiggins, what are you kidding? Because killing people with a single word, how can there be such a barbaric thing in this world? Elizabeth was unconvinced.

"Because it's not uncommon in Europe to kill people with a single sentence, I don't see what that means! However, as far as I know, Dear Miss, when the conquerors of the Qing Kingdom went south from the north to conquer this land, they killed millions of people in order to keep all the people in braids! So, the braid you despise is a symbol in the eyes of the rulers of the Qing Kingdom, a thing that symbolizes their right to rule. If you make fun of the braids of the Qing people, then you are making fun of the Qing Emperor's right to rule the land opposite......" Speaking of this, the bearded man suddenly shrugged his shoulders again and said with a smile: "Making fun of the emperor of the most powerful country in the world, I have to say, I admire your courage very much!" Of course, if you didn't say that on the ship, I would have admired it even more. ”

"Humph! Even a person's hairstyle has to be managed...... It's the barbarians! Elizabeth's face changed color at Wiggins's words, but she was still extremely unconvinced.

"That's right, killing so many people for the sake of their hair, they are indeed barbarians! However, dear Elizabeth, we are not here to declare war on them, we are to use our civilization to influence them, to change them, and finally, to let them open their arms and enter the world of civilization! Frost said.

"Captain Wiggins, are the Qing people stubborn?" Elizabeth ignored Frost's "wild words" and turned to Wiggins instead.

"It's hard to say, dear miss! It depends on your luck. However, I am not optimistic about your father, the honourable Sir Richard, on this trip! Wiggins said.

"I don't understand! Wiggins, how can you have such pessimistic thoughts? Sir Richard is Europe's greatest diplomat! His excellent diplomatic skills even led Spain to break off diplomatic relations with Louis XIV! Frost said.

"I've heard about Mr. Richard's great performance, too! However, the East is not the same as the West. Mr. Frost, the Qing people don't even turn their brains in the same way as us Europeans. Wiggins shrugged and smiled.

"My father is studying Chinese books, and he will definitely find a breakthrough!" Elizabeth clenched her fists and said.

"Ah, I almost forgot that Sir Richard was a linguistic genius! …… May everything be as you say! Wiggins smiled and bowed, then turned to the ship's helmsman and shouted, "Stop!" ”

"Stop the ship? Why stop the boat? Frost asked.

"Sir, this is a Chinese port, we are not Chinese, so before the port sends a navigator to guide us, ours cannot enter casually!" Wiggins laughed.

"Oh...... We've been at sea for a long time, Mr. Wiggins, can't I have come ashore sooner! Elizabeth said with a grimace.

"That's not going to work! There's a battery in the harbor, and I don't want my cute boat baby to get shelled! Wiggins' head shook like a wave drum, and there was no room for negotiation.

"I think we can get a little closer. Mr. Wiggins, we're still far from the port! Seeing Elizabeth's disgruntled expression, Frost said wisely.

"Dear sir, it's no secret that the cannons of the Qing people have always had a long range!" Glancing blankly at Frost, Wiggins shook his head again.

"Damn! What a disappointment! Seeing that Wiggins just wouldn't agree, Elizabeth stomped her foot and turned to walk towards the cabin, and Frost hesitated for a moment, and then followed.

"Ignorant but proud young man!" Wiggins looked at the backs of the two men and sneered secretly.

The two young men came with Sir Richard. Sir Richard was a British diplomat, and in the ongoing "War of the Spanish Succession", this diplomat, with his excellent diplomatic skills, walked in many countries in Europe, and his greatest achievement was to successfully persuade the Spanish nobles to rise up against King Louis XIV of France, so that the anti-French alliance "solved" an opponent without waste. This time, the purpose of this diplomat's visit to the Qing State was to open up contact with the upper echelons of the Qing State, hoping that the Qing State would allow British ships to enter the China Sea! In fact, Britain didn't pay much attention to this land, after all, in the waters south of China, Britain was not very strong! Moreover, they "like" India even more! But things are no longer the case. Because, just over a year ago, the Qing navy suddenly occupied the area known as "Temasek", locking off the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

"I really don't know why that governor of Luzon is so stupid, knowing that the Qing State is a behemoth that cannot be violated, and he still wants to provoke it! As a result, Spain lost an important colony in the Far East! Shaking his head, Wiggins put on his tricorne hat and thought helplessly.

He's Wiggins, Spaniard!

But the Spaniards lost Luzon!

And it's very unjust!

……

This has to start when Shi Shifat returned to Guangzhou.

Ever since he was summoned by Kangxi, met Yu Zhong, and listened to Tai Zhong's remarks, Shi Shiji has been thinking about it. There is no military general who does not want to make a contribution! Although Shi Shifat has always disliked competing with others, this does not mean that he does not want to make some achievements.

The army is like a beast of prey, and it has always had its own territory. Yu Zhong led the Manchurian Naval Division at that time to attack Japan, which was tantamount to putting Japan in the mouth of the Manchurian Naval Division, according to the usual marching rules, if there was no order from the imperial court or Yu Zhong's "invitation", other naval divisions would be embarrassed to grab that piece of fat. Yu Zhong was able to tolerate Nian Qianyao, who was a Fujian sailor, to get a share of the war in Japan, and he had a good temper. This is also the reason why Wan Zhengse and Lan Li fought so red-faced, but they only said a few words about asking for a boat for the middle and not serious. Lan Li's subordinates broke the rules, but Yu Zhong did not. However, the battle in Yu Zhong made the other sailors itch very much. Lan Li's subordinates have already reached into Japan, and Wan Zhengse has nothing good in front of him, so he naturally has to stretch out a hand to go over, especially since Yu Zhong has withdrawn from Manchuria, before the new Manchurian Admiral reacts, if Wan Zhengse wants to make a profit in Japan, he should first create a fait accompli. But he can't use the world. Although the South China Sea is the largest of the four seas, no matter how big it is, it cannot be relied upon by Japan.

Yu Zhong's words opened a window for him.

Guangdong Province is the southernmost port opened by the imperial court, and Shi Shifu naturally knows how many merchant ships enter and leave every year. That's a lot of money! But if Temasek really occupies that place, as Yu Zhong said, if it can block the passage between the East and the West, wouldn't it be under its control all the merchant ships that trade between the East and the West? After some consideration, Shi Shiqiu made up his mind, although he didn't have any big ships and didn't have so many troops, he still did it.

For more than a year, he continued to send his ships to the South China Sea, and at the same time, he also sent ships along the coastline to the south, drawing charts along the way. As a result, his efforts paid off, not only opening sea lanes for the Qing court and Annam and other countries, but also finally finding the place that Yu Zhong called "Temasek". And by looking at the indigenous people on both sides of the Channel where Temasek is located, it will take at least a thousand miles to the south to find a link between east and west. In other words, everything Yu Zhong said is correct, and this is indeed a "good" place to hold the sea communication between the East and the West. As a family of sea generals, Shi Shiji certainly knows what such a place represents! This place is much more important to the Zheng family than the original Luermen in Taiwan.

However, although Shi Shiji wanted to do it, he didn't have enough ships in his hands, especially the lack of big ships, so he had to suspend the plan. However, at this time, some generals under Shi Shiqi who were unwilling to go south to "suffer" began to complain. thinks that everything Shi Shiji has done for more than a year is doing in vain! Moreover, these people also secretly announced Shi Shifat's action, which was still a secret, which caused great dissatisfaction among the officers and soldiers of the South China Sea Navy Division against Shi Shifat. The South China Sea Naval Division was formed on the basis of the Guangdong Naval Division, but the Guangdong Naval Division was only a coastal naval division that had only been formed for a long time, especially the offshore naval division that had no actual combat and long-distance navigation experience. Therefore, most of its officers and soldiers have a feeling of rejection of going to sea. In this regard, although Shi Shifu was extremely annoyed, he had no choice for a while. Originally, if things were like this, Shi Shifu might temporarily give up the idea of going to sea in order to appease the emotions in the army, but the generals who agitated the soldiers were too ignorant of advance and retreat, and they actually thought of stabbing this matter to the top, so that Shi Shifat would lose his official position and resign. As a result, after learning about this, Shi Shifat finally broke out. He did not investigate who was obstructing him, but quickly set off with more than 2,300 officers and soldiers of the elite naval division. The destination, of course, is Temasek.

It's kind of like an all-or-nothing gamble!

Those who secretly engaged in sabotage failed to meet the will to remove Shi Shifat, Kangxi just asked Shi Shifat to act cautiously in the will, and let the Guangdong general Wu Dan enter the South China Sea Naval Division to help Shi Shifat suppress those troublemakers. But because Shi Shiji had already left, Wu Dan couldn't, so he had to tell Kangxi about the matter quickly.

Then, it's just a matter of waiting!

But no one expected that this wait would be four months!

Four months later, the news came that Shi Shifu not only occupied Temasek, but also fought with the Spanish fleet in Luzon, and he also won!