In December of the thirty-fourth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty and January of 1607 AD, Yin Feng returned to Quanzhou with his wife and concubines to pay homage to Zeng Yue's tomb. Then he returned to his old house in the north of the city to live temporarily.
There are more than 30 personal guards of Yin Feng. Luo Aquan of the special forces has been lurking in Quanzhou City for many days. In addition, more than 100 infantry soldiers of the escort team in makeup have entered Quanzhou City and are lying in wait around the old house of the Zeng family.
At this moment, the old streets of Beicheng are almost guarded by government officials and Chinese company escorts. The troops led by Shen Yourong, the capital of Fujian Province, are stationed at the former site of Hebosuo five miles outside the city. They have also taken over the defense of Quanzhou City Gate and conducted strict inspections. People coming and going. The Fujian government and Yin Feng have reached a certain tacit agreement. Neither party will take the initiative to "provoke". Of course, this gentleman's agreement to guard against gentlemen and not villains cannot stop the tax eunuch Gao Cai and the general Zhu Wen. Da Da engaged in some secret methods. Therefore, Yin Feng returned to Quanzhou this time and learned his lesson. He discussed with the Quanzhou magistrate in advance and quietly entered the city at night. He also brought hundreds of guards with him; of course, he was a public guard. It's just the 30 personal guards. The rest are lurking in secret, waiting for opportunities.
Xie Huimin, a close confidant of Governor Xu Xueju, brought a subordinate of Zhu Wenda, the general of the Fujian Army, to Yin Feng's home at night.
"The imperial decree will be issued in the near future. It is no longer possible to establish official counties in Taiwan. The ministers of the DPRK and China pointed out that disasters have occurred frequently in various places in recent days. The rebels and wars have continued in the southwest. The national treasury is in ruins. It is impossible to have the financial resources to expand the territory. However, Ye Xianggao, the right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, is from Fuqing, Fujian Province. He tried his best to mediate for Mr. Yin in the court... Now, the court finally agreed to set up a Taiwan Water Fort in Dongpan. The chief officer will be a garrison or a commander-in-chief. Mr. Yin, the capital of Fujian Province, is trying to convince everyone in Dongfan. This position should be yours." Mr. Xie talked in a roundabout way for a long time. He finally made his true meaning clear. Zeng Qi, who was accompanying him, remained silent. He felt that he was old-faced. It's a bit overwhelming.
Governor Xu Xueju was unwilling to come forward to summon Yin Feng. In fact, he was a little embarrassed. He took more than 100,000 taels of silver from Yin Feng, but only got Yin Feng a military attaché with no rank and no quota. He still had a grudge against Yin Feng. Governor Xu, an officer subordinate to Commander-in-Chief Zhu Wenda, revealed his intentions to Master Xie; the existence of Taiwan Zhonghua Company helped him to some extent solve the contradiction between the increasing population of Fujian Province, the number of people and the lack of land. The previous year in Quanzhou Many of the refugees from the typhoon disaster and floods in western Fujian were recruited by Chinese companies.
However, Xu Xueju did not want to shift the focus of Fujian's economic development and the solution to the population's food problem to the sea. Officials of the Ming Dynasty at that time generally regarded the sea as a threat. The development of overseas trade or export-oriented economy will inevitably lead to the collapse of the natural economy. Transformation and destruction of small-scale peasant production forms. This is something that Confucian concepts and Neo-Confucianism cannot tolerate. Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for Xu Xueju, who is deeply influenced by Confucian culture, to do such a big change. It is impossible to achieve it. He thought more The answer is: to avoid major turbulence and trouble along the coast of Fujian Province during his tenure; of course, his unexpected salary income can be guaranteed by the China Company. This is also a point he values very much.
Yin Feng nodded: "I don't care about the position. What I care about is the status of the imperial court. There have never been chieftains in the southeast. There was not much hope in setting up a magistrate county in Taiwan. I have also heard some of the original story. But it was this assistant, Shen, who always made things difficult for Mr. Ye. That's why the issue of Taiwan's surrender was abandoned halfway. Mr. Ye wrote a letter to strike out the eunuch Gao Cai. He and the commander-in-chief Zhu Wenda were not the same people. That's why Commander-in-Chief Zhu wrote a letter to oppose the establishment of counties in Taiwan. Act of."
Yin Feng didn't care about the imperial court's reward. He comforted his father-in-law Zeng Qi and said, "The decision on this matter is in the hands of the court boss. My father-in-law has tried his best. It doesn't matter." He turned to Master Xie and said, "Since you want to give me a military position, then. It’s best to have someone with good taste. I’m a student supervisor, so it’s not too much to get a seventh-grade military attaché. Otherwise, I’ll pay some more and thank you, Master, for helping me with my activities.”
Zeng Qi and Mr. Xie looked at each other in confusion. Seeing that Yin Feng regarded the imperial official status as a bargaining item in the market, they looked at each other and smiled bitterly. Zeng Qi explained: "Feng'er returned from overseas. He is not very clear about the official positions in the Ming Dynasty. It is also a normal thing. The garrison and the general are usually led by the guards and the Qianhu and Baihu. The court should give you the title of Qianhu when the time comes."
Yin Feng muttered dissatisfiedly: "At most, he is only a seventh-grade officer. Or a military attache. Alas..."
After sending Master Xie away, Yin Feng smiled coldly: "It's just a guard, the general... haha. The court is really stingy." He deliberately left Master Xie and his boss, Governor Xu Xueju, with an image of being eager for official positions. It was just for the sake of it. Confused and paralyzed the Fujian government. The counterattack on Manila is imminent. The China United Company now has no time to deal with the Ming court.
Zeng Qi didn't wait to sit down. He immediately asked: "Feng'er, have you really decided to attack Manila?"
Yin Feng was stunned: "Father-in-law, this is the purpose of my establishment of China Company. I have never changed in the past three years."
Zeng Qi sighed: "Yueer has a brother and brother-in-law like you. It's time for him to rest in peace. Have you ever thought about it? In fact, according to your current status, the wealth and strength you possess now are completely You can establish a country on that Luzon island."
Yin Feng looked at Zeng Qi's old face. He saw that the face was full of vicissitudes and years. He suddenly thought that Zeng Qi had traveled between Fuzhou and Taiwan for his own affairs for a long time. He couldn't help but feel warm in his heart: "Father... I I am your half-son. I came to this world with no relatives or reasons. It was you who gave me a chance to establish myself. You gave me a family. That’s why I insist on avenging Zeng Yue. I don’t want to hide it in front of you. What; I want to do something far more than just avenge the third brother. This is just the beginning. The road ahead. I haven’t fully thought about it myself, but there will definitely be various risks."
Yin Feng stood up and took the initiative to salute Zeng Qi for the first time. Zeng Qi's old eyes seemed a little moist and he just sat there with a sigh.
At first, he recruited Yin Feng to work for the Zeng family. He really wanted to use him; now, the fate of Yin Feng and the Zeng family are closely related. Especially after Zeng Qi's death, Zeng Qi has regarded Yin Feng as the heir to his business assets. .This kind of emotional entanglement can no longer be explained by the ordinary relationship between father-in-law and son-in-law.
When Yin Feng sent Zeng Qi out of the door, he suddenly said: "Father-in-law, let Zeng Rui and several brothers who have no fame go to Taiwan to work."
Zeng Qi was shaken. He turned around with a wry smile and said, "Feng'er. There are dozens of people in the Zeng family, but it's all up to you."
…
Yin Feng turned back to his room and saw Mai Wan'er hurried in holding a gray dove.
"Master, there is a carrier pigeon that just flew in."
"The carrier pigeon is from Taiwan." Yin Feng took out the letter from the carrier pigeon's feet. He looked at it for a moment, then smiled and said, "Li Lihua will be very happy to know this news."
…
It was a dry season night in Manila, the capital of the Spanish Empire in the Philippines. The north wind that brought Chinese trading ships in previous years had not yet reached here. A few dark clouds covered the moon in the night sky.
Most of the ruins of the Chinese community in Balian have been washed away by tropical winds and rains into the river. The ground is full of scattered charred wood and debris. After Balian was completely destroyed by fire, there are tens of thousands of dead ghosts wandering here. In this place, only a solitary stilt bamboo house was built in the past few years; it was a checkpoint for Spanish colonists.
The Pasig River has flooded several times and has turned part of the original Balian District into a swamp. Reeds and grass along the river are hidden in the night, making a soft rustling sound as the southwest wind blows.
In a corner of the grass, two figures were carefully moving their positions. They were half-crouching and walking on the rugged muddy ground. They were walking slowly while counting; "One hundred and twenty-eight, one hundred and twenty-nine, One hundred and thirty..." The moonlight suddenly shined through the clouds. The two stopped in their tracks, stopped all movements, and carefully looked towards the direction of Manila City.
After a while, the moonlight was blocked by a cloud again. The two took a breath and sat down on the ground. One of them was a small man with Spanish Christian style short hair. His face looked like a Chinese... physiological person. He was getting older. He was 50 years old; the other man was much younger, less than twenty years old. He was wearing the common clothes of the mountain tribes in northern Luzon. But his face was also typical of the residents of southern China.
"What's wrong, I forgot. Uncle Zhang, how many steps have he counted from the river to here?" The young man exclaimed in a low voice. He came to Manila with the Wang family's merchant ship from the south gate of Fuzhou last year when Fujian opened up trade in Manila. Chinese sailor. His actual identity is a spy from the Military Intelligence Department of the Chinese United Company's escort team. His name is Luo Xiaocheng. He is from Haicheng County. He is a wealthy man from Haicheng and the major shareholder of China Company. He protected Yin Feng and his party on the day Yin Feng was assassinated. The Great Sea Shangluo Xuri is the main family.
The almost fifty-year-old man was Zhang Wei. He was the physicist who gave Yin Feng a map of Luzon at the mouth of the Ango River in Lingayin Bay (called Tortoise Harbor in China) and helped Yin Feng escape from Manila. He is a Christian hawker. He relied on the protection of the Yi'eruo tribe to which the Chinese mixed-race young man Da'an belonged. He escaped the massacre of Chinese people in Luzon by the Spaniards in the 31st year of Wanli. He originally attacked Manila more than 30 years ago. A sailor of Lin Feng's fleet. When Lin Feng's fleet was defeated and returned to China due to the joint strangulation by the Spaniards and the Ming Dynasty officials, he stayed in the mountainous area of northern Luzon with a group of fleet members due to injuries. At the same time, his hatred for the Spanish also He stayed in his heart. In order to make a living, he shaved his head and became a Catholic. He did business in various parts of Luzon Island and deliberately paid attention to the topography of various places.
The Manila Massacre in the 31st year of Wanli was the second time he was hunted down by the Spaniards. He hid among the mountain tribesmen again until a year later, when the Spanish Governor-General in Manila lifted the order to massacre the Chinese. He just came out again. He still made a living by trafficking goods. Because the Spaniards at this time were in urgent need of Chinese people to do business, he was able to move around Manila. He also found out about the existence of the Chinese Company.
When the Yi'eruo-Chinese tribe in Da'an was surrounded and suppressed by the Spanish army that imposed taxes, he encouraged Da'an to take the initiative to contact the Chinese companies in Taiwan.
This time Fujian reopened trade in Manila. Although only two Chinese ships came to Manila, the Spaniards were also ecstatic. They exempted Chinese merchant ships from all taxes. Even the head tax levied on the Chinese was reduced. The Balian District has been It was burned down. The Chinese Catholic settlement area north of the Bashi River was basically in ruins. This group of Chinese businessmen received preferential treatment and were allowed to enter the Intramuros of Manila to live.
Taking advantage of the Spanish's preferential treatment of the Chinese, Luo Xiaocheng and the other seven or eight military intelligence spies who came with the ship immediately devoted themselves to their secret work. He contacted people around Manila according to the address and code given by Yin Feng. Zhang Wei who trafficked goods.
Tonight is the third night that the two of them have measured the terrain around the Intramuros of Manila. During the day, they took the opportunity to sell small commodities to survey the terrain around the city wall. At night, they secretly measured the distance; after all, the two Chinese were constantly around the city wall during the day. Wandering around. Too eye-catching.
"It's one hundred and thirty steps. It's one hundred and thirty steps from the Pasig River to here." Zhang Wei smiled and said: "Little guy, why did Captain Yin choose you to do this? You are tired. You might as well I am an old man."
Luo Xiaocheng touched his face and said with a smile: "I'm busy selling goods during the day. I have to work in the fields outside the city at night. Uncle, why aren't you tired? I can't do it anymore. It's the third night..."
"Cheng Zai, you don't know. I heard that Captain Yin is going to fight back to Manila. I couldn't be more happy." Zhang Wei sighed, pointed to the surrounding area and said, "Look at this riverside beach. It's more than thirty years old." Years ago, Captain Lin's brigade fought a fierce battle with the Greeks here. My brother also died under the city of Manila. There was no such city wall back then. There was only a fence. Forget it. All this will have an end. I hope Captain Yin can call back soon."
Luo Xiaocheng nodded: "Don't worry. When the ship owner comes back, he will bring hundreds of warships and hundreds of cannons. This mere city wall can't stop our company's cannons."
"Cheng Zai. Why are you here? After all, it is very dangerous to do these things under the eyes of the people you are interested in."
Luo Xiaocheng lowered his head and pulled the weeds on the ground: "I came to Manila at my own request. I have been farming at home and have never seen anything ten miles outside my home village. My father died when I was young. It was my uncles who raised me. Many of them came to Manila to make a living. A few years ago, they all suddenly died on Luzon Island, which I don’t even know the location of. Without their support, I relied on half an acre of land at home. I couldn't survive at all. Fortunately, Captain Yin came to Haicheng to rescue the orphans of the Luzon victims. He took me to Taiwan Island. He asked me to read and read. He asked me to learn the language of the Greeks, as well as geography and astronomy. And how to open it? Gun shooting, gunpowder blasting...the ship owner gave me a whole new world. I am here just to contribute to the ship owner and avenge my uncles."
Zhang Wei looked at the young man and kept shaking his head: "Poor kid, Ji Zai. From now on, you can call me uncle. Follow me. We will definitely see the moment when the city of Manila is captured by our Chinese people."
"Okay, uncle. You are my uncle now. Hey, how many steps did we count just now? Oh, one hundred and thirty steps. Let's continue counting."
Luo Xiaocheng stood up. Under the dim moonlight, he looked at a Portuguese compass in his hand. He pointed forward and said, "That's right. This is the direction due west. Let's continue counting."
Zhang Wei also stood up: "Hey, Chengzai. I don't understand why the ship owner wants to know the terrain around the royal city so clearly. He even has to calculate the detailed distance and dimensions. Is this necessary?"
Luo Xiaocheng smiled: "This is prepared for artillery shooting range measurement. The ship owner also said that he would replicate the outline of the Royal City of Manila in Taiwan and let the escort team conduct on-the-spot training and operations."
Zhang Wei shook his head: "I don't understand. I don't understand what you are talking about. Ignore it. As long as it can help the captain. If you ask me to count the bricks on the wall of the royal city, I will do it..."
The third volume. The volume of Across the World begins. The previous chapters can be skipped by those who are new and impatient. Go directly to the third volume. It is all YY. Haha.