"What did he say?"

On the third day after Zheng He shelled the armed merchant ships under Chen Zuyi's command, when a surprised voice sounded, a Han man in his forties, wearing a Su brocade round-necked robe, questioned the merchant ship in front of him with an incredulous expression.

He sat in the central hall of a Chinese-style building, with more than 20 Han Chinese wearing various satin round-necked robes sitting on the left and right.

Everyone looked at each other, and in front of the middle hall outside them, there were hundreds of soldiers in iron armor standing in the open space of nearly an acre of front yard.

This group of soldiers was sturdy, with long knives at their waists and spears in their hands, and all of them had a fierce anger on their faces, as if they would draw their knives and kill people in the next moment.

The open space in the front yard under their feet was paved with green bricks, and the mansion they were in said to be too shabby and too big.

If you really want to say it, it's like the mansion of a wealthy family, except that all kinds of regulations have been expanded several times.

It's like the normal one-zhang courtyard wall is two zhang high and one zhang thick, and it is a miniature version of the city.

All the houses in the mansion are also the same proportions of ordinary courtyard houses, which is simple to say at the good point and enlarged to be an enlarged version of the private house at the hard point.

But such a place is the residence of Chen Zuyi, the One Piece of the South Seas, and the power center of tens of thousands of pirates in the South Seas.

They said...... The court has made a decree, and the king must either accept the appeasement or exterminate the ...... on the spot."

"Fuck it!"

Kneeling in the middle hall, the person in charge trembled and explained the words, and the more than 20 leaders on the left and right scolded one after another when they heard the words, but Chen Zuyi, who was sitting on the main seat, smiled contemptuously: "You want to encircle and suppress me? ”

"How many soldiers and ships do they have?" One of the leaders asked, and the huge fleet also appeared in the back of the head.

"I don't know, their ships are at least more than 3,000 materials, and there are no less than twenty guns on the deck alone, and each ship has at least four or five hundred people."

"There are so many ships that they shoot stone projectiles that are so powerful that there are thousands of them, and there are so many warships that the whole sea is densely packed like a big moving island."

The person in charge did not add oil and vinegar, but explained the scale of the Ming fleet in a matter-of-fact manner.

Perhaps seeing the honesty on his face, the leaders who were still scolding closed their mouths one after another, and even Chen Zuyi, who was contemptuous before, restrained his smile and frowned slightly.

He knows the character of this person in charge, so he is a little uncertain about the size of the Ming army's fleet now.

"Wang Qiu, are you exaggerating!"

Some of the leaders didn't believe it, but Wang Qiu was so anxious that he cried out when he heard this: "It's true, if you don't believe it, you can ask the brothers, they hit us with artillery two or three miles away, and in the blink of an eye, our ship was broken up, and more than half of the people were killed on the spot!" ”

The truth of his words was eager, and the eagerness was seen by everyone, which made everyone murmur in their hearts.

"Send a message, call all the ships."

Suddenly, Chen Zuyi, who restrained his smile, took the initiative to speak, which made many leaders realize the seriousness of this matter.

Soon, the whole city was busy, and many carrier pigeons were released, and others were sailing out to sea, ready to inform the brothers at sea.

They may feel that they are the busiest, but at this moment, the busiest person in the entire Nanyang is not them, but Palembang City, which is more than 200 miles away from them.

Liang Daoming, who was also a maritime merchant in the South Seas, and as the "new Srivijaya king" who guarded Palembang, learned early on that the imperial court's fleet was heading south.

At noon on the same day, a treasure ship and two horse boats flying the Ming flag sailed south and arrived at the coast of Palembang Port.

Despite the fact that only three ships were anchored offshore, the sheer hull caused panic throughout the port of Palembang.

The ringing of bells caused panic throughout Palembang, dozens of trebuchets on the coast were ready, and thousands of men in iron armor and thousands of men with weapons were nervously hiding in the streets and alleys to prepare for the enemy.

Under their watchful eye, three small sand boats were lowered from the three ships and sailed towards the harbor of Palembang.

Under their nervous gaze, a broad-faced lion-nosed man wearing Chinese-style armor and not too tall led hundreds of troops wearing armor.

"Lord of the Kingdom!"

Seeing this man appear, everyone seemed to have a backbone, and this wide-faced lion-nosed man with a small stature was Liang Daoming, the king of the New Srivijaya Kingdom.

"This is the ship of the imperial court, everyone should not act rashly, wait for their sand boat to dock, and ask them what they are trying to do."

Liang Daoming pacified the Han and Malay troops under his command, and waited quietly with the army for the approach of the three sand boats.

Palembang is one of the main cities along the shipping route from Malacca to Java, and there are many merchants from all over the world passing through it, so the port was built large enough.

If the warships of the imperial court are willing, then they can enter the harbor and anchor, and now send three sand ships, obviously with other intentions.

Soon, three sand boats arrived and docked in the crowded harbor, and a civil servant wearing civilian official clothes and fifty or sixty Ming soldiers in armor walked down from the boat.

The civil servant had a fatwa from the East Palace in his hand and walked towards the city of Palembang with fifty or sixty soldiers.

When they were less than fifty paces away from the defenders of Palembang, the civil official raised his hand: "Tan Shengshou, a native of Nanhai County, Guangdong, came today at the behest of His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to appease Liang Daoming, an overseas Chinese in Palembang, and at the same time pardon the people who crossed the sea in Guangdong, and allowed them to go back and forth to the sea in the future and go home to visit their relatives." ”

As soon as Tan Shengshou's words were spoken, the Han soldiers in Palembang City looked at each other, excited and a little suspicious.

The main reason why they were so vigilant about the arrival of the imperial fleet was that since the establishment of the Naval Governor's Office, the Ming Navy almost intercepted the Ming coastal waters in order to put an end to the Japanese invaders, which made it impossible for many relatives of the Han people in Palembang to go south, and they did not dare to return north.

Because of this, they are very worried that they will be punished for stealing the South Seas.

"Lord, let me negotiate."

At this moment, the two generals on the left and right beside Liang Daoming spoke one after another, but Liang Daoming shook his head: "I don't think the imperial court will do anything to me, and you haven't heard about the things in the north." ”

"This ......" The two courtiers looked at each other when they heard this, not knowing what to say to dissuade them.

The matter of going to the West has been in full swing since last year, especially after the Ming Dynasty destroyed the Hu father and son of Annan, and the Nanyang countries learned about the scale of the Western fleet in the news circulation of their own merchants.

Originally, Liang Daoming and others also thought it was an exaggeration, but as Zheng He and them gradually went south, they came into contact with more and more countries, and they came into contact with more and more foreign merchants, and gradually they felt that even if the Western fleet did not have the tens of thousands of merchants boasted, it would not be less than more than 10,000 soldiers and horses.

If the imperial court really wants to arrest him Liang Daoming, then it can directly send troops to suppress it, after all, it is a felony for them to smuggle into Nanyang.

"I'll take a hundred brothers with me, and you two will stay."

After Liang Daoming finished speaking, he acted, got up and motioned for the soldiers around him to follow him out of the city, and appeared in the field of vision of Tan Shengshou and others.

Seeing this, Tan Sheng did not stand in place and wait, but walked forward with a smile and communicated with Liang Daoming in his hometown: "You and I are both from Nanhai County, and we can be regarded as fellow villagers, which is why I took the initiative to invite Ying to see you." ”

"Lord Tan is serious." Liang Daoming didn't expect that he used to be a small trader in Nanhai County to be able to do this level today, and he didn't expect that he could talk to the officials of the imperial court on an equal footing.

"Sit down and talk."

Two Ming soldiers brought stools and put them away, and Tan Shengshou took the initiative to invite Liang Daoming to take a seat, and said at the same time:

"The imperial court went to the West this time, I think you have heard about it."

"The grass people heard about it." Although he is already a king, Liang Daoming is still in awe of the imperial court in his heart.

"That's fine." Tan Shengshou breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time handed over the decree of the East Palace with both hands.

"This is the decree of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the East Palace, His Royal Highness has pardoned all the people who went south to Nanyang, allowed them to return to their hometowns, and also allowed them to bring their families to live in Nanyang."

"However, if you want to go to Nanyang in the future, you can only take the official ship of the imperial court, and His Royal Highness means that he is ready to appease you and set Palembang as the old port of the imperial court, and the station of the Nanyang Navy of the imperial court in the future."

Tan Shengshou didn't hide it, he just smiled and said everything that made everyone nervous, because he knew what was behind him.

But even though he kept smiling at him, the meaning of those words still made the soldiers who came with Liang Daoming angry.

"Placate me?" Liang Daoming felt that the atmosphere was wrong, and tried to ease the atmosphere, and at the same time opened the decree of the East Palace.

There is a lot of content in the fatwa, mainly about the current situation in Nanyang, and the situation in Nanyang in the future, as well as the plight of the new Srivijaya Kingdom, and the attitude of the imperial court towards the Majapahit Kingdom.

In the end, Zhu Gaoxu stated the conditions for appeasing Liang Daoming and others, including Tan Shengshou's said pardon, and mentioned the treatment of Liang Daoming and others after accepting the appeasement.

Liang Daoming will be given the official position of commander of Nanyang Guard, as well as the rank of lieutenant of the light car on the third rank.

With this scattered rank, his descendants will be guaranteed for at least ten generations.

In addition, Liang Daoming will also have the right to propose official positions of 6,000 households, 5600 households, and 112 general banners.

Although it is a suggestion, as long as there are no names on it that have harmed the imperial court, they can all be hired, or Liang Daoming can use these places in exchange for the pardon of some criminals who have violated other laws.

As for the changes in the lives of the people in Palembang after the imperial court took over Palembang, Zhu Gaoxu also wrote about it in detail.

According to the new policy in Shandong and other places, there is only commercial tax and land tax, and the tax system of one tax of ten taxes is implemented.

All merchant ships were not allowed to smuggle, but could only engage in trade with the West.

The imperial court will set up an official school in Palembang, and the specific number of settings will be based on how many people and how many children there are.

In addition, people in Guangzhou, Fujian, Zhejiang and other places can also take their relatives to Nanyang, or choose to return to their hometowns.

As for their property in Palembang, what can be handled will be disposed of, and what cannot be disposed of will be taken over by the imperial court and exchanged for money at the same price.

In addition to these, Zhu Gaoxu also made a detailed plan for the construction and reclamation of Palembang in the future, which was presented to Liang Daoming in written form.

For Liang Daoming, through this decree, he can feel the importance that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the prison country attaches to Palembang, and at the same time admires the planning of these contents.

At least during his reign, he never had the energy to change this, and the mere maintenance of the local army against the invasion of the Majapahit and pirates exhausted him.

Among his subordinates, only Zheng Bo and Shi Jinqing were of great use, and they were the two who tried to stop him before.

Zheng Bo knows that he actually wants to return to his hometown in his heart, and Shi Jinqing hopes to stay in Palembang and let Palembang develop and grow, and his ambition is not shallow.

"I need to discuss this matter with the people in the city."

Liang Daoming did not make the decision rashly, and Tan Sheng also expressed his understanding when he heard this, but still reminded:

"The imperial fleet will arrive in Palembang tomorrow, but we will not enter the port, and will anchor at sea for four days, waiting for good news from Brother Tailing."

Tan Shengshou's words invisibly gave Liang Daoming a trace of pressure, and also made him think of how to do Shi Jinqing's ideological work.

"I've already arranged a place for the adults......"

Liang Daoming said that there was no arrangement, and Tan Shengshou also knew that the other party was polite, so he raised his hand to interrupt and said with a smile: "No need, I will return to the ship first, and I will go ashore to ask Brother Tai when the fleet arrives tomorrow." ”

Tan Sheng saluted, then turned around and returned to the sand boat with dozens of soldiers, rowing back to the sea warship.

Seeing them leave, Liang Daoming also returned to the city, and while ordering the whole army to be under martial law, he took the Han Chinese, Malays and other officials who could speak in Palembang to the former Srivijaya Palace.

They shuttled through the city, and the roads in Palembang were not very good, they were basically dirt roads, and where the potholes were filled, they were filled with sand from the sea, which was very simple.

Compared to the roads, the houses on the left and right sides of the street are culturally diverse and different.

There are all kinds of Halal, Malay, Nanyang, Chinese and other buildings, and although they are built in different areas, the towns formed by the collision of various cultures are very distinctive, and they can be said to be unique in other parts of Southeast Asia.

Because of this, the contradictions within Srivijaya are as rich as culture.

After Liang Daoming finished talking with the Ming officials, he rushed back to the palace with everyone without saying a word, which made everyone feel worried.

Soon, they came to a quaint brown palace city built of stone, and they passed through the Malay and partially halal-style walls to a palace with few Chinese styles.

It is said to be a palace, but the area is only two or three points, only enough to accommodate a hundred people to stand, and if you have to sit down, there can only be fifty or sixty people.

Liang Daoming sat on his chair, and then handed the Daming East Palace Decree in his hand to the man next to him.

The man was about fifty years old, and the whole person was like an old peasant who had been digging in the field for half his life, resting for only three or five years, and still had a strong peasant atmosphere.

He looked at the fatwa with a stunned expression on his face, and then passed it on to the others.

One by one, the people looked at the contents of the fatwa until all of them had read it, and a full hour had passed, and the efficiency was slow.

"What do you think, Lord?"

In the crowd, another person who had persuaded Liang Daoming earlier opened his mouth to ask, and everyone looked at him, which made him feel the pressure on his shoulders.

"Tomorrow the main force of the imperial fleet will arrive in Palembang, but they promise to anchor at sea for three days and wait for news from us."

"I mean, let's see what the size of tomorrow's imperial fleet really is, and then decide whether to accept appeasement or confrontation."

"I think you have all seen that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince does have a lot of insights into the governance of Palembang, if Palembang is in the hands of the imperial court, it will definitely be better than in our hands, and Majapahit will also stop attacking us because he is afraid of the imperial court."

"In other words, as long as the imperial court comes and can carry out the conditions of the fatwa, then Palembang and the people in the vicinity can enjoy peace."

"When the time comes, we can go to the imperial court to serve and the descendants of Yu Yin."

The meaning of Liang Daoming's words was still obvious, although he said that he would not make plans until he saw the fleet tomorrow, but everyone knew that he was inclined to accept the appeasement.

It is not surprising that being able to return to his hometown as a guard commander is much more comfortable for those who pursue comfort than being a so-called national lord overseas.

"I'm for it!"

"Me too!"

For a time, there were many people who echoed Liang Daoming, after all, most of them went south because of the war in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, or because their families were poor.

Now you can return to your hometown to be an official with wealth and integrity, and you can continue to enjoy wealth in your hometown and be exempted from your own crimes, everyone knows how to choose.

The Han people want to return to their homeland, while the Malays want peace.

They had been fighting Majapahit for eight years, and no one wanted to continue.

Now the emergence of the Ming Dynasty is indeed the dawn that they can reach, and in terms of the conditions offered by the Ming Dynasty, it is difficult for the Malay people living in this land to refuse.

Shi Jinqing looked at this scene, and although he intended to resist, he had to nod his head in agreement.

Liang Daoming, whose eyes had been on him, saw that he agreed, and his eyes immediately softened.

After all, it is not a good person who comes to Nanyang to beg for a living, if Shi Jinqing causes everyone to miss this opportunity for the sake of a person's selfish desires, then everyone will not mind getting rid of him.

"In that case, let's wait until tomorrow morning to go to the port and wait to see if the size of the imperial court's fleet is as large as the group of merchants boasted."

"Hahahaha-"

When everyone heard this, they laughed, but they didn't believe it, but they were happy that the matter was finalized.

Throughout the night, many people tossed and turned, some fell asleep, others stayed up all night.

The next morning, before dawn, many of the leaders of the Sriwijaya appeared in some of the houses near the port city and waited anxiously.

Time passed little by little, and as the sun hung high in the sky, black spots also appeared in the sea northwest of Palembang.

"Bell, bell, bell—"

The bells of the harbor were struck by the sailors in charge of the reconnaissance, and all the leaders walked out of their houses and looked out to the northwest.

I saw that the black dots in the northwest direction were getting bigger and bigger, and there were more and more of them, and a black line was gradually formed.

"That's the old port, it's not small?"

"Yes, it can be called the Old Port or Palembang, but after we come, it will be called the Old Port, after all, we still have to build a new port in the north."

After months of arduous journey, looking at Palembang in the distance, Zheng and the others on the deck finally arrived at their destination.

When their fleet appeared, as time passed, the fleet got closer and closer, and the people on the shore of Palembang, Liang Daoming and others were all shocked by the huge hull and size of this fleet.

Their fleet was so large that when the fleet entered the harbor, the ships would grind against each other because they were close together.

The sound of friction had a thrilling shocking power, and they were even more shocked by the number of Ming troops on the battleship.

As if deliberately flexing his muscles, Yang Zhan commanded the fleet to cruise around the harbor as close as possible to Liang Daoming and other Sriwijaya soldiers and civilians, and finally returned to the sea where Tan Shengshou and the others were anchored.

"Too... Too much, too big......"

At this moment, even Liang Daoming, Zheng Bo, Shi Jinqing and others, who had seen the world, were surprised by the scale of the fleet.

Now they finally understand why Zheng He can take this fleet so easily to canonize and recruit the kingdoms and chieftains, and why Tan Shengshou dares to bring dozens of people to negotiate.

Their confidence and ease come from their fists bigger than cannons, and the uncountable cannons on their ships.

Liang Daoming and the others didn't dare to imagine what kind of human purgatory the Palembang city would become if this fleet were to shell the Palembang urban area.

For them, who are accustomed to ballista and trebuchet combat, they are already surprised by the power of artillery when they occasionally see them fired, but now they don't know how to describe it for a moment when they see the countless cannons.

"True Heavenly Soldiers ......"

Liang Daoming held back for a long time, and finally could only hold back such a sentence, and at the same time, Zheng He also met with Tan Shengshou, who arrived a day earlier, and at the same time learned Liang Daoming's thoughts from him.

"He should be ready to accept the appeasement, but now that he sees the strength of the imperial court, his heart is probably more shaken."

Zheng He said his thoughts, and at the same time said to Tan Sheng: "Strike while the iron is hot, you take someone to find him now and see what his attitude is." ”

"If he is willing to accept the appeasement, then let him come by boat to me on the boat and meet with me."

"Yes!" Tan Sheng was given a return salute, and then excitedly returned to his boat and sailed towards the port.

This time, he did not drive the sand ship, but directly drove the 3,000-material warship, because in front of the Western Fleet, his warship was nothing at all.

Under the watchful eyes of the military and civilians in Palembang, Tan Shengshou's warship slowly docked, and then lowered the ship ladder and walked down calmly.

This time, he only led twenty soldiers and walked in the direction of Liang Daoming and them, and soon walked to the edge of the city, and no one dared to stop him.

Where he passed, the soldiers and civilians retreated one after another, guiding him to the front of Liang Daoming and the others.

Facing Liang Daoming, he was still polite but not rude, with a smile on his face and raised his hand:

"Brother, how do you think about it?"

(End of chapter)