The next morning, Liu Sheng and his party met the so-called "Governor of Macau" Faria. The reason why I say "so-called" is because this governor was illegal.
Historically, since 1616, the first 92 "Governors of Macau" were illegal. Because Macau during this period was a leased territory of the Ming and Qing governments, not a colony, the Macau authorities had to pay 515 taels of land rent to Xiangshan County every year.
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It was illegal for Portugal to send a governor to Macau, and the Portuguese in Macau had always been secretive about this act. When the Macau and Portuguese authorities faced Qing officials, Faria never showed up.
The problem is that Liu Sheng and the others did not understand this at all, so the two sides still had a polite conversation, and Liu Sheng also sent the prepared gifts. Faria and several municipal committee members expressed their great appreciation for the goods "produced" in Beihai Town.
To their great surprise, apart from their average attitude toward cigarettes, they all showed great interest in matches, lanterns, and the razors given to them.
But privately, the Macao-Portuguese people just regard razors as a novelty. In these days, most men have to grow beards, which usually only need to be trimmed. No one shaves their chins like the people in Beihai Town.
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For Liu Sheng's proposal to conduct a two-day business inspection in the local area, Faria and the members of the municipal committee who accompanied the meeting expressed their full support. These people had learned about the tonnage of the Thor from Matos, and such a ship could transport cargo at a time.
The quantity is equivalent to seven or eight three-masted sailing ships, which is undoubtedly very attractive to Macao and Portugal.
At this time, although Macau had the privilege of 25 merchant ships designated by the Qing court, it had been reduced to a supporting role in world trade. Its external routes only included Manila, some ports in Indochina and the Malay Peninsula, as well as Batavia, Imperial
Wen, Brunei, India and Ceylon. If the Qing government had not forced all foreign businessmen from Guangzhou to spend the winter in Macau, the Macao and Portuguese authorities would not even be able to earn rent money.
After Liu Sheng's meeting with Faria, accompanied by a special person from the Municipal Committee, they visited various business houses in Macao.
Like other European cities of the same era, the city of Macau is based on a wide straight street as the central skeleton. Residential areas, commercial areas, and other public facilities are distributed on both sides of the straight street like a fish skeleton. The entire straight street starts from the south.
From Fengshun Church to St. Anthony Church in the north, various residential areas in between are divided according to church parishes.
The first stop for the group was Temple of San Ba. In July 1762, because the Portuguese royal family expelled the Jesuits, the St. Paul's College located in Temple of San Ba was forced to close. It is currently managed by the Macau Municipal Council.
Because they had little interest in Catholicism, Liu Sheng and Ding Guofeng just walked around the church and came out without even intending to talk to the clergy. In another fifty years, the church will be destroyed by fire, leaving only
A big archway.
A dozen soldiers from Beihai Town showed great interest in those Baroque-style sculptures and decorations, which were not seen at all in Beihai Town. Although several priests tried their best to introduce them, these were from island countries and Henan.
The soldiers in Beihai Town were already very resistant to Catholicism, and Beihai Town had no such soil.
Afterwards, everyone went to the Mazu Pavilion. It was the turn of the Chinese gods and Mazu, who protects the safety of the sea. Liu Sheng and Ding Guofeng both offered incense and paid homage.
What Liu Sheng and the others did not expect was that the Bugalao Cannon Foundry, which was once prosperous in the late Ming Dynasty, closed down more than a hundred years ago. Now the Macau authorities only have a small workshop for the maintenance and repair of various types of artillery;
The famous "Wannu Store" has turned into a business dealing in tea and European watches and jewelry. Although the idea of recruiting craftsmen in the plan fell through, Liu Sheng and the others also learned that there are currently six forts in Macau, each of which
The number of coastal defense artillery pieces is more than 100.
As for the shipbuilding industry, there are only two shipyards in Neiwan and Gongbei on the entire peninsula. Since the Qing government strictly monitored Macao and Portuguese shipbuilding, the Gongbei shipyards only built some small fishing boats and barges.
Fortunately, when Liu Sheng and the others visited the Inner Bay Dockyard, although the dock was not very good, they found that there were a large number of teak and ironwood piled here, just like a timber trading market. This discovery surprised them, so
A batch of wood was ordered.
However, when Liu Sheng and others expressed their intention to recruit several shipbuilding craftsmen with high salaries, Macau officials expressed their difficulty. Forty-eight years ago during the Qianlong reign, the Qing government adopted a ban policy on the Macau shipbuilding industry and required all craftsmen to be registered.
Anyone who dares to build ships privately will be surrounded by neighbors. These Chinese shipbuilders build ships in the dock during the day and leave the city before the locks are closed at night. If they dare to follow Liu Sheng, their neighbors will be held accountable by the government.
However, since Liu Sheng and others purchased a large amount of wood, Macau officials recommended two Portuguese engineers and several Portuguese craftsmen who were unemployed at home. Liu Sheng and Ding Guofeng discussed it and decided to meet with these people tomorrow morning.
It is said that the current main commercial streets in Macau are the "Three Streets", namely Camp, Caodui and Guanqian Street. When everyone arrived here, they found that the streets were crowded and shops were lined up row upon row. Chinese people wearing long robes and mandarin jackets and foreigners wearing Western clothes mixed together.
everywhere, Cantonese and Hokkien accents fill the streets.
The accompanying municipal official complained: "There are too many Qing people coming now, and they have taken up all the land outside the city wall."
Ding Guofeng heard this and asked: "What? Can't you go out of the city to build a house?"
The official explained: "It all started because of the Fu'an religious incident decades ago, and Macau also suffered in the end."
Liu Sheng and Ding Guofeng became even more curious after hearing this, and continued to ask questions. The official only gave a general explanation, but he spoke from a Catholic standpoint.
In the twelfth year of Qianlong's reign, due to his involvement in the Fu'an missionary case, Haiphong Tongzhi led troops into Macau in an attempt to seal down the Abaro Monastery, which aimed to pursue "Catholic Chineseization." As a result, the priest and bishop of the monastery refused to hand over the keys to the church, and Haiphong Tongzhi
In the end, Zhi only posted a seal notice and left. Since then, Chinese have been strictly prohibited from living in Macau. All Chinese working in Macau are not allowed to bring their families with them, and Chinese south of Guanzhai must register.
As a result, except for those who married Portuguese women, all the Chinese in the city moved to live outside the city. Now, the city of Macau has been surrounded by Chinese communities outside the city, which makes the Macau and Portuguese authorities extremely unhappy.
Disputes between China and foreign countries are also increasing day by day.
Everyone turned to the commercial street in the evening and found that most of the Chinese shops here sold various daily necessities, fish, salt, grain, cloth, etc. These are supplies for daily life in Macau, but for Beihai Town,
There's really nothing to buy.
After Liu Sheng gave the accompanying general manager a pack of cigarettes, the general manager's conversation became much more relaxed. He learned from him that the most prosperous businesses in Macau now include only three types of businesses: entertainment, services and real estate, and opium smuggling.
The entertainment industry developed because the Qing government strictly prohibited Western women from landing in Guangzhou. Therefore, a group of foreign businessmen were like ascetics. They had to stay in Guangzhou's Thirteenth Street all year round except in winter. They could only return to Macau in winter.
Meet women. In this way, the business of various brothels and bars in Macau will be very prosperous in winter.
Services and real estate are also related to the above-mentioned reasons. Consuls, chief executives, their families and business people from Britain, the United States, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Prussia and other countries have lived in Macao for many years. Some wealthy businessmen also purchased high-end residences. Like the British
, the Dutch East India Company also rented a huge warehouse in Macau.
The last step is opium smuggling. Because the Macao and Portuguese authorities have 25 ships that are exempt from inspection, the Portuguese took the opportunity to put opium in the cargo and sneak it through the customs. In order to monopolize the Macao opium smuggling trade market, Macao and Portugal stipulated that businessmen from other countries should operate opium in Macao.
It can only be represented by Portuguese merchants. Opium trafficked by merchants from other countries to China can only be transshipped by Portuguese merchant ships and unloaded in Macao.
At this time, although the Guangdong Customs explicitly banned the entry of opium, they knew that the Macao and Portuguese people in the Chinese officialdom were accustomed to paying bribes. They also set up a "corruption fund" for bribery and charged 40 yuan in double-column silver coins for each box of opium.
fund.
The Macao-Portuguese monopoly on opium smuggling has led to a difficult opium smuggling situation for the British East India Company. Five years ago, British businessmen resold more than 1,600 boxes of opium backlogged in Yanzi Bay to Portuguese merchants in Australia at a low price of 210 yuan per box.
Trading firm.
In the history of another time and space, this practice of Macau and Portugal eventually led to British opium dealers forcing their way into Whampoa eight years later, and finally staying in Whampoa for more than a year without incident. This behavior led to Whampoa replacing Macau as the British opium smuggling center.
The base is even more poisonous.
In a trading house run by Portuguese, Liu Sheng saw that the first line in the product catalog was the price of Indian Mawa opium, and the clerk enthusiastically invited him to see the goods. If Ding Guofeng hadn't stopped him, Liu Sheng would have almost bought it.
this business.
Later, when a group of people asked for product price lists from other trading houses, they found that opium was listed; even later, in several trading companies opened by Guangdong and Fujian people, opium was also sold. Seeing this, Liu Sheng couldn't help but
Burning with rage.
"Liu, don't be impulsive! You have to think about Liu Zheng. He will stay here for a long time in winter! If we smash Macau, Liu Zheng will be in danger." Since Ding Guofeng became the captain, he has been more trouble-free than ever.
I have calmed down a lot before.
"Then what do you think we should do?!" Liu Sheng stood on the side of the street, gritting his teeth, looking coldly at the various shops on the street, thinking that none of them were good!
"Calm down and do what we need to do. Go back and discuss with Zhao Xin, he will definitely have a solution!"
On the Thor, Zhao Xin was currently receiving a middle-aged man wearing a coarse cloth with braids on his head and his men. This man was Zheng Lianchang, the boss of the Red Flag Gang. After receiving the report from Shrimp Ball Boy,
, it took more than half a day to take hundreds of men and twenty boats from Lei Yue Mun to Tan Tsai Island.
However, Zheng Lianchang didn't take action immediately. He listened to Shrimp Ball Boy's report and knew that the opponent only used two rapid-fire cannons that were no thicker than his forearms, and he was able to hit the English ship and make it run away; for such a powerful character, it is better not to take action easily.
When he and a group of Hongqi helpers saw the Thunder God, they were even more frightened. As mentioned before, the Dan family were very illiterate and extremely superstitious, so Zheng Lianchang and all his subordinates thought that the Thunder God was either a god or an immortal.
The sea monster made them even more afraid to act rashly.
"Zheng Yi, a bastard who doesn't know how to die, actually dares to provoke these people, alas!" Zheng Lianchang stood on the bow of the ship and looked at the Thor, stamping his feet and sighing.
Speaking of Zheng Lianchang, he is conscientious in his work, but his intelligence is mediocre. Although the Red Gang has not grown in his hands, it has not declined, and he is just a man of integrity. However, this man can clearly distinguish between people and things, right and wrong, and right from wrong.
He is good at listening to other people's opinions. Zheng Yi is his eldest son, and he is very capable among the Zheng children. He has played and trained with a group of gang members since he was a child, and has done several major things; so he will take over his class in the future.
It must be Zheng Yi. This is why Zheng Lianchang brought people here in such a hurry.
Zheng Lianchang sent shrimp balls to contact the Thor, and then led several of his men onto the deck of the Thor. However, when he saw that neither Zhao Xin nor the sailors and soldiers around him had braids, he seemed
He was very surprised. He already knew from Xia Qiaozi that people like Zhao Xin could speak Mandarin, so when he saw Zhao Xin, Zheng Lianchang stepped forward, cupped his fists and said, "My lord, Zheng Lianchang, may I ask how you are called?"
"My surname is Zhao. Chief Zheng, please have a seat." Zhao Xin has been in a bad mood these days, so he is not polite.
"Captain Zhao" Zheng Lianchang thought for a while and decided to use the title "Captain Zhao". "Zheng Yi is ignorant and has offended Captain Zhao. Please forgive me."
Zhao Xin smiled lightly and said: "This guy is really brave. He actually led people on board a ship to attack at night. Gang Leader Zheng, I heard that your ancestors were under the Zheng family in Taiwan. How come you have become a pirate now?"
"Our ancestors did not want to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, so they had no choice but to settle in the Pearl River Estuary, where they took their brothers to fish and make ends meet. As for the pirates Captain Zhao mentioned, they really have nothing to do with us."
Faced with Zheng Lianchang's lies, Zhao Xin waved his hands and said: "This is just for those who don't understand. I know your details very well. Do you dare to say that you have no connection with Annan?"
"You!" Zheng Lianchang was shocked. He didn't expect that such a secret matter would be revealed by the other party.
It is said that in addition to sulfur and ordnance, rice and ironware were also included in the trade embargo list by the Qing government. Due to the war in Annan, the demand for ironware was extremely urgent, which led to the rise of smuggling trade. With smuggling, there will definitely be
Pirates. However, at this time, the Pearl River pirates did not pose much of a threat to the Qing court. These pirates, often in groups of three to five, or as many as dozens, robbed fishing boats and merchant ships along the way, which was called "tadou" in Cantonese. Most of these pirates
Some of the iron supplies they grabbed were sold to Annan by the pirates.
Zhao Xin smiled slightly. He knew the historical stories of pirates in Guangdong from watching movies and TV shows. He didn't expect that the casual deception turned out to be true. "Gangzhu Zheng, I know you are here to take your son back. I am not a pirate.
, so if you have something to say, just say it directly.”
"I can let you take him away, but I have two conditions." Zhao Xin didn't say whether he would agree or not, which meant that Zheng Lianchang had to agree. "I want twenty shipbuilding workers, and you give me another fifty."
These people have been with me for ten years."
Zheng Lianchang's face suddenly darkened: "I have plenty of people, including boatmen, but what does Captain Zhao want these people for?"
"I don't want to say the reason. In short, these people will only grow their skills if they follow me. I really don't like the idea of occupying a reef to collect tolls. I don't want these people for nothing. I will give each of them fifty taels of silver."
, you can sign a contract, Gang Leader Zheng, I will give you an additional two thousand taels."
"Ah!" Zheng Lianchang was stunned. He also had five hundred taels of silver on board to redeem his son, but he didn't expect that the other party would give him ten times the silver before he gave it away. He quickly asked: "Zhao
Captain, where did you come from?"
"Beihai. It's about six thousand miles away from Tanzai Island."
Zheng Lianchang and a few people behind him couldn't help but take a breath after hearing this. Mother! More than six thousand miles! But what Zhao Xin said next surprised them even more.
"However, it will take at most ten days to arrive on my boat." After Zhao Xin finished speaking, he ordered a soldier to bring Zheng Yi and Zheng Qi over.
Not long after, brothers Zheng Yi and Zheng Qi, wearing Beihai Town training camouflage, were led by several soldiers and walked over from the bow cabin of the ship.
"Abba!" Zheng Yi's eyes turned red when he saw his father coming in person, and he knelt down. Zheng Qi beside him also knelt down with a haggard look.
"You bastard!" Zheng Lianchang got angry and slapped his son in the face.
Fu'an Missionary Case: Historically, starting from the later years of Kangxi, the Dominican monk Bai Duolu began to secretly preach in Fu'an, Fujian. When Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, the Qing government began to expel Western missionaries on a large scale across the country.
The Catholic churches in various provinces were converted into public offices and religion was strictly prohibited. Afterwards, although Catholic missionary activities in inland China were hit hard, they did not disappear. There were still secret missionary activities in many areas, especially in Fu'an area. In April of the 11th year of Qianlong's reign,
, Zhou Xuejian, the then governor of Fujian, based on a secret report, captured five Western missionaries: Fei Ruoyong, De Huang Zhengguo, Shi Huang Zhengguo, Bai Duolu, and Hua Jing. At the same time, he also captured a group of local religious people. After interrogation, it was learned that
Each time these five missionaries set out from Macau, they shaved their heads and braided their hair, pretended to be patients, sat in a sedan chair on the road, covered with curtains, and then secretly sneaked into Fu'an to preach; all missionary funds were also provided by the Dominican Republic in Macau.
I will provide. By July of that year, the Fu'an missionary case evolved into a nationwide ban on missionaries. Originally, Qianlong was unwilling to deal with missionaries seriously, but Zhou Xuejian, the governor of Fujian, as an important minister of the border, faced missionaries in Luzon, Macau and other places.
situation and the serious situation of secret missionary work in the jurisdiction, Zhou Xuejian felt the undercurrent of Western power spreading eastward more directly and strongly than Qianlong; and Catholicism had a great impact on traditional Chinese culture. Finally, under his strong suggestion, the monk Bai Duolu
He was beheaded and four other missionaries were imprisoned.