At that time, the King of Spain jointly ruled Portugal, and the Portuguese in Macau never recognized it. The King of Spain sent the first governor, which not only detonated the conflicts between the two countries, but also the conflicts between the mainland and the colonies, and then the factional conflicts within the Catholic Church.
Three contradictions superimposed, and Macau parliamentarians joined forces with the Jesuits to launch a coup to expel the governor.
The first Governor-General of Portugal and Macao suppressed it with force and occupied the Jesuit fort, which was directly converted into the Governor-General's Palace of Portugal and Macao.
"Your Majesty the Governor!"
The adjutant said anxiously: "The envoy we sent to Guangzhou was expelled back by Zhao, the leader of the Ming Dynasty rebellion. Zhao threatened that the governor must go to Guangzhou to negotiate in person, otherwise he will starve the Portuguese in Ma Gang to death."
Paulo Sebastián, the sixth Governor-General of Portugal and Macao, whose full name is: D. Sebastian Loboda Silveira.
This guy just came to Macau two months ago, and before his butt was even hot, Macau was starved of food for twenty days.
Paul Shi asked: "How long will there be enough food?"
"At most half a month." The adjutant replied.
Shi Paulo asked again: "Has Zhao, the rebel leader, found out more information?"
The adjutant took out a handwritten document: "Zhao's full name is Zhao Han. He was awarded the title of 'King of Heaven' during the rebellion. King of Heaven is the king of heaven..."
"Wait a minute," interrupted Paul Shi, "is this man a religious person?"
"No, no, no," the adjutant explained, "the paradise of the Ming Dynasty is not a paradise for Catholics. 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."
Paulo suddenly realized: "I understand the difference between the Roman emperor and the Spanish king. This Zhao is a believer in Taoism. He launched a rebellion and wanted to establish a Taoist country, which is very detrimental to us. He is a fanatical religious element.
They will expel European missionaries and destroy our churches and hospitals."
The adjutant had only been in Macau for two months. He said confusedly: "But I heard from the Macau Elders (Parliament) that there are very few religious fanatics in the Ming Dynasty. Maybe things are not as bad as imagined."
"This Zhao must be a fanatical believer in Taoism," said Paul Shi. "The Ming Dynasty is a powerful country. Only religious fanatics can quickly rebel and grow. I heard that he is about to completely occupy Guangdong... Where is the map?"
The adjutant brought a world map. Japan and North Korea were marked in detail, as were a few coastal provinces of the Ming Dynasty.
But for the inland provinces, only a rough outline was drawn.
"Jiangxi... is here. They have attacked Guangdong and are still attacking Huguang," said Paul Shi. "This is a very powerful rebel force. Maybe we can help the Ming Dynasty. As long as the rebels are wiped out, the Ming Emperor will definitely
There will be rewards and we will get more benefits."
"No, no, no," the adjutant said anxiously, "Your Excellency, Governor, the Ming Dynasty is about to die. I heard from the elders that there are rebels in the north of the Ming Dynasty, and they are simply unable to quell the rebellion in the south. In the next few years, or even decades,
The Guangdong metropolis is under Zhao's rule, and we must cooperate with Zhao. It won't even take that long. If there is no food for another month, the Spanish and Portuguese people in Ma'ang will starve to death."
"But he has no sincerity and refuses to receive my envoy." Paul Shi was very angry.
The adjutant suggested: "Your Majesty the Governor, I think you should go to Guangzhou yourself."
"No, I can't go," Paul said, slamming the table. "That is a fanatical Taoist believer, and I am a devout Catholic. He will probably kill me in Guangzhou! I want to mobilize troops, I want to mobilize troops from the Philippines,
I want to capture Guangzhou. This is just a rebel force, and it is certainly no match for the Spanish warriors."
The adjutant reminded: "Your Majesty the Governor, you have no right to mobilize troops in the Philippines. You can only mobilize the Ma Port Guard and the Ming (China) Japan Trade Fleet. Moreover, these troops may not obey orders."
There are 300 Ma Gang Guards, 100 Portuguese and Macau soldiers, and 200 Spanish and Filipino soldiers.
In particular, those Macau soldiers were all Portuguese born and raised in Macau. Their relationship with Portugal was relatively indifferent, let alone the governor sent by the King of Spain.
Now, two-thirds of Macau's armed forces come from the Philippines, with the purpose of suppressing the Portuguese rebellion!
"Dong dong dong!"
"Please come in."
A Portuguese-Macao congressman walked into the Governor's office, took out parliamentary documents and said: "Your Majesty the Governor, please leave for Guangzhou immediately, and you must bring three members of the parliament with you. Otherwise, the parliament will guide the citizens to take action, Ma Gang
An incompetent governor is not welcome!"
"Okay, I will consider it, Mr. Congressman." Paulo smiled.
The congressman turned around and left without paying any attention to the governor.
Macau has gained autonomy, and even the governor cannot interfere in management affairs.
Moreover, Portugal itself is fighting for independence. As the governor sent by the King of Spain, Paulo is afraid of offending the Macau Parliament and making Macau independent from Spain.
In addition, the churches in Macau are also constantly fighting. The four major churches, the Jesuits, the Dominicans, the Franciscans, and the Augustinians, represent different forces.
Historically, in the year that Chongzhen hanged himself, the Macau Parliament directly expelled the Spaniards, and the four major churches also began to fight fiercely. The Governor of Macau was also a target of expulsion. Moreover, the Portuguese natives of Macau really drove away the Governor of Macau!
Paul Shi is now under a lot of pressure. There is pressure from Zhao Han of Guangzhou on the outside and pressure from the Macao Parliament on the inside.
What's even more disgusting is the Dutch. Last year, the Dutch fleet blocked Malacca for half a year, preventing any Spanish or Portuguese ships from passing through.
"Get ready, I'll go to Guangzhou in three days."
Paulo Si slumped in his chair, looking helpless. He had suffered eight bad lives before he was sent to be the governor of Macau.
Three days later, we set off.
The governor, adjutants, parliamentarians, guards, and trade teams, a total of more than 40 people, arrived in Guangzhou.
Deng Yunzhan, the director of the Shipping Department, received them, left them there, and didn't allow them to move around as they pleased.
"We are under house arrest," said Sarmento, commander of the Sino-Japanese trade fleet.
Instead, Shi Paulo breathed a sigh of relief and said: "It's not house arrest, this is a negotiation and pressure method. It seems that Zhao doesn't really want to expel us, otherwise he wouldn't have to exert pressure like this." Shi Paulo suddenly laughed,
"Everyone, please relax a little. Zhao will negotiate with us sooner or later."
"Maybe." Desino sneered.
Desino is a negotiator in the Macau Parliament. His grandfather is Portuguese, his father is a Portuguese born in China, and he himself is of mixed Portuguese and Chinese descent.
Portugal?
That was the country of his grandfather and father, but not his own country.
What's more, Portugal has been ruled by Spain for many years, and he is not willing to serve a Spanish king.
Desino can not only speak Cantonese, but also the Mandarin of the Ming Dynasty, and often interacts with Ming Dynasty officials. It is precisely because of this that he, a low-status mixed-race man, can step up to become a member of the Macau Parliament.
At this moment, a foreigner was brought by official messengers and passed by the courtyard of the Macao Mission and walked towards the courtyard further inside.
"Hello, are you Portuguese?" Sarmento shouted quickly.
The foreigner smiled and turned around: "No, I am British."
After saying that, the man followed the official officer and left. It was obvious that he was brought here deliberately to take a look around.
Desino suddenly said: "I have met him, the British businessman and travel writer Peter Mundy."
"Damn it, why are there British businessmen here? They are here to steal business!" Sarmento walked back and forth angrily.
Shi Paulo sighed: "This rebel leader Zhao is not only an excellent general, but also an excellent negotiator. We have already lost half of this negotiation. Let's just see what price he will offer. To be honest,
We have very little room for bargaining."
Historically, the first British travelogue involving China was "Peter Mundy's Travels in Europe and Asia" written by Peter Mundy.
This man came once a few years ago, following the British fleet to Guangzhou to do business. He lost 2,800 taels of silver and robbed 30 pigs. Peter Mundy was not the commander, he was just a merchant on board the ship, although he did not purchase any.
The goods were sufficient, but he was still allowed to return to England to make a small fortune.
Last year, Peter Mundy came to Guangdong again, driving a merchant ship alone. He was unlucky not to be robbed on the way.
Unfortunately, Portugal interfered. Peter Mundy's merchant ship docked in Macau, and he could not buy any goods for most of the year. He simply traveled in Macau, bribed officials of the Ming Dynasty, traveled to the suburbs of Guangzhou with his entourage, and finally stayed in a gentleman's home.
, became friends with a young scholar.
Peter Mundy's description of China was the most objective and fair among all British writers throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
There are praises and criticisms, but seek truth from facts.
Returning to his residence, Peter Mundy took out his quill and began to record what he saw today
"Through my friend Huang, I learned that there was a rebel leader, Zhao, who occupied Guangzhou, the greatest city in the Ming Dynasty. I thought, this is an opportunity, I must contact Zhao, otherwise I can only return with an empty ship. Damn it.
The Portuguese!”
"...Zhao is very young. God, he can actually speak English. Although his English is broken, it seems that he was taught by a peasant in the countryside, but he can still barely communicate."
"Zhao told me that my understanding of the Ming Dynasty was too biased. It was like arriving at a British port and thinking that I knew the whole of Britain. Perhaps this is true. Zhao and his rebels are different from other Chinese people I have seen.
People are different.”
"In my long-term contact, the people of the Ming Dynasty, or the Chinese, are xenophobic, cowardly, greedy, and superstitious. Just to fight for a cemetery, a peasant war will break out. They do not have contact with foreigners and let them lead the way.
, always asking for a lot of silver coins... After Zhao came, he slowly began to change. Officials did not dare to ask for bribes anymore, at least not on the surface. They secretly asked for silver coins without telling Zhao."
"Zhao said he would deal with these corrupt officials. He invited me to dinner, and the food was not extravagant, unlike other wealthy Chinese..."
"But it's a pity that Zhao, an outstanding young man, actually eats with chopsticks like other Chinese people. Some of them hold bowls, and some put the bowls on the table, like pigs digging in the trough. I
It is completely unacceptable that many Chinese people, wearing luxurious silks and using exquisite porcelain, eat like pigs. My good yearning for the Chinese people is shattered because of their way of eating..."