Jinnige and Guo Jujing looked at each other and both felt that the situation was very bad; "What is going on and why did such a thing happen?" Jinnige couldn't help but asked directly.
Baradas brought everyone into his residence, closed the door, and whispered: "Captain Yin, oh, he is the local Qianhu, inspection officer, the actual ruler of this island should be a person without any clear beliefs. , and he has a concubine who is a Catholic. Originally we planned to use the influence of this female believer to change his faith, but since he reconciled with the court, more and more imperial literati and gentry came here, especially the It is the Zeng family where Captain Yin’s wife belongs. Many people come here to work for the company. The Zeng family are disciples of Confucius, and many of them have taken the imperial examination... Father Guo Jujing, you know what this means... "
"This means that they are likely to reject our religion,"
Baradas nodded: "This is one aspect of the problem. On the other hand, since there are thousands of members in our missionary area, our funds are very problematic. The Macau City Hall is no longer able to sponsor us, so a brother from our missionary church Privately, I want to make some money by reselling the guns of the China Company to make up for the church's shortfall, but... the current situation is: Captain Yin believes that the existence of our church threatens his rule over Taiwan. Now our European missionaries cannot leave the city. , only Chinese priests are allowed to attend mass at the homes of the faithful, and the church is closed... The board of directors of the China United Company sent us a proclamation, asking our church to compensate them for all the losses caused by the loss of their latest invention of muskets. The amount is as high as more than ten thousand taels of silver,"
Jinnige shook his head: "Your Majesty, we can understand your plight, but this is not a reason to act recklessly."
Guo Jujing also shook his head and sighed: "Can we meet Captain Yin? We plead with him in the name of Bishop Matteo Ricci. Doesn't he admire Father Matteo Ricci very much? We brought the priest's letter,"
Baradas thought for a moment: "Let me go to Miss Li's house to inquire about it. You guys are here by chance. The captain has just left for Quanzhou, his wife's hometown."
…
Yin Fengzheng, Zeng Jing, and Mai Wan'er landed at Quanzhou Port. It happened to be the same day that Jin Nige and others landed in Taiwan. He was greeted by the company's mainland business manager, the chief shopkeeper Xu Xinsu, and a large group of company associates and employees.
This is the second time Yin Feng has landed in Quanzhou after being recruited by the government. He came to pay homage to Zeng Yue's tomb and also to meet the newly appointed governor of Fujian, Chen Xingxue.
Xu Xueju has been impeached by the Nanjing Yushi Kedao, saying that he was corrupt and used troops to attack maritime merchants without permission. He has resigned and returned to his hometown to serve.
The news came very suddenly. Xu Xueju was originally praised by the imperial court for his success in pacifying the pirates. The newly appointed Chen Xingxue was a Jinshi in the Ding Chou year of Wanli. He was a native of Zhuji, Zhejiang. He was originally the chief envoy of Fujian and had always been at odds with Xu Xueju. , but being very close to the eunuch Gao Cai, Xu Xueju had a scholarly temper to some extent, while Chen Xingxue was completely the lackey of the eunuch Gao Cai.
He was recommended by Gao Cai after Xu Xueju resigned and was directly promoted to the position of governor from the position of chief envoy. Obviously, Xu Xueju's sudden resignation must have something to do with Gao Cai. After taking office, Governor Chen Xingxue completely obeyed orders. Gao Cai, the tax eunuch, ordered the supervisory personnel of the tax eunuch to station at the Haicheng Taxation Hall, regaining control of the taxation in Haicheng Port; and restarted the collection of various commercial taxes, port taxes, etc. that had been abolished by Xu Xueju.
The governor's Yamen also ordered that the tax eunuch Yamen would go to Taiwan and Hong Kong to supervise taxes.
Taiwan Port is a free port, and all Chinese and foreign ships are tax-free; of course, most of the ships entering the port are owned by the Chinese company, so collecting taxes is just a torment for oneself. However, if the tax eunuch Gao Cai collects taxes in Taiwan Port, then It means directly cutting the flesh on the Chinese company.
Yin Feng invited Zeng Qi back from Luzon for discussion. This time when he came to Quanzhou, he also invited Huang Qian and other wealthy merchants and gentry from all over Fujian to discuss countermeasures. Now, Zhonghua Company and all businessmen in Fujian are a community of interests.
…
Li Lihua did not follow Yin Feng back to Quanzhou. Although her hometown is considered to be from Quanzhou, she likes to stay in Taiwan. Without a formal status, she is very free in Taiwan. Once she returns to Quanzhou, all kinds of rules and customs will weigh her down. Out of anger.
That morning, she lazily slept in bed, bored and unwilling to get up. Ever since the Macau incident, Yin Feng had not allowed her to go out to do things for her safety. She only appeared occasionally during some religious festivals. In the place of activity for the faithful of the Catholic Church.
In fact, she assisted in many of the overseas intelligence work that Yin Feng personally supervised. Some confidential personnel and paperwork related to overseas intelligence were handled by Li Lihua. Only Zeng Jingshan and Han Ping on the board of directors of Zhonghua Company knew about this situation. Father and son, apart from these three people, there is only Lin Xiao.
Today, the Jesuit missionary Jin Nige and others who landed in Taiwan yesterday will come to visit her. Lin Xiao has sent them relevant information overnight, including the general content of their secret conversation in the room.
Li Lihua didn't want to know how Lin Xiao came up with these conversations, but she understood why Yin Feng treated the Catholic Missionary Society so harshly. Although she had lived in a Catholic atmosphere since she was a child, the Manila Massacre and her father's death by Spanish Facts such as people being imprisoned and died educated her. The Catholic Church was sometimes an accomplice of the European powers. She was a baptized member of the Jesuit order. Her father was a Chinese businessman who traveled between Manila and Japan. She learned a lot about the Jesuits, etc. Rumors of missionary monasteries.
Decades ago, her father had witnessed the heyday of the Jesuit mission in Japan; in the 1580s, the Jesuit missionaries in Japan gained the faith of more than a dozen daimyo and hundreds of thousands of Japanese believers, thus beginning Appearing to be too stubborn and confident, Father Gaspar Coelho, acting Jesuit archbishop of Nagasaki during this period, behaved almost exactly like a daimyo, even going so far as to travel around in light ships equipped with cannons. In 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi took severe action against Coelho. After meeting the latter on Coelho's ship, Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued the famous "Bantenren Expulsion Order", an order to expel Jesuit missionaries. The order declared that because Christianity was a harmful doctrine, it would not be allowed in Japan, the "Land of the Gods". Father Coelho finally exposed the true face of the colonial advance army. He defended Nagasaki in 1585. On March 3, 2011, he sent a letter to Antonio Seteño, President of the Jesuits of the Philippines, requesting the Governor of Manila to send troops for support. He and some priests asked the Spanish to send them weapons, turn Nagasaki into a fortress, and rely on the military power of foreign forces. And united the Catholic daimyo to fight against Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
After Li Lihua went through the Manila Massacre, she no longer had any sense of identity with Europeans, but she also became a lonely person. Her only connection with her motherland was Yin Feng. She now sees the problem completely from Yin Feng's perspective. The religious education she received since she was a child is completely vulnerable in the face of bloody facts and love, and she and Yin Feng remain highly vigilant against what Europeans do. This is a common thought between her and Yin Feng.
On the island of Taiwan, the only one who can truly understand Yin Feng may be Li Lihua.
Jinni Ge and others got up early and rushed to Yin Feng's Shipowner Alley. Along the way, they could see countless people going to work at docks, factories, and shops. You couldn't see them here at all like those in cities in other mainland provinces. The common beggars, vagrants or idle market scoundrels, of course, are not seen wandering around as servants.
As he walked, Baradas introduced the local people: "There are basically no idle people in the local area. All these people from the other side of the river work in the factories, docks, and shops of the China Company, producing silk, various ironware, and self-ringing bells..." He saw Looking at the expressions of Jinnige and others, he smiled: "Chinese people are very good at imitating. They can make anything they see. I heard from believers that the company's factory can also make all kinds of gold and silverware and jewelry. , cloth, embroidered silk and satin, these are sold all over the mainland and overseas. Yes, the company is not only engaged in trade, but also produces things, so I estimate that this Chinese company should be as profitable as the Dutch East India Company, oh, It may be richer than them. On the island of Taiwan, the company has a monopoly on land and ports, but other Chinese businessmen can also open shops and run workshops here. Recently, the company has allowed domestic businessmen to purchase land here,"
They passed a small square. Rows of notice boards were set up on one side of the square. Many people were standing in front of the notice board to watch. Several people in Confucian robes were reading something loudly in front of the notice board.
Jinnige asked curiously: "What are you doing?"
"This is the so-called labor market in Taiwan Port. New arrivals to the island come here to look for jobs. Farms, factories, shops, docks, and any merchants and factory owners who need to recruit people are announced here every day. Anyone can come here to post notices, and there are literate gentlemen hired by the company to constantly read notices here. At the same time, the decrees of the rulers of the island are also published here, so that people who come here for the first time can act in accordance with the decrees," Barada Si explained patiently.
"The laws here are made public in the form of announcements, and the company headquarters often releases relevant business news here, such as which country's ships arrive at the port, what cargo they carry, etc. Therefore, there are many people standing here to listen. A boy sent by a small businessman.
"What are you doing over there? Look, there are many people queuing up to go to the port. Are these coolies at the dock? But why are there children there and carrying packages?"
Baradas smiled bitterly and said: "These people are immigrants to Luzon. The Chinese Company organized many refugees who lost their land from the vast mainland of China, as well as escaped criminals, homeless people who had no way to make a living, etc., and organized them Get up and immigrate to Luzon, and when the Spaniards come to Manila again, they will see a city completely inhabited by Chinese,"
You Wenhui added: "Many of the immigrants are people from Fujian Province. This year's earthquake in Quanzhou Prefecture left many people homeless. Therefore, Captain Yin took the opportunity to recruit tens of thousands of refugees and organized them to go to Luzon Island. We see The third group of people has arrived. Before immigrating, they will also undergo some military drills and training. Many people have signed twenty-year contracts and will become long-term workers in the company's farms. When the twenty-year period expires, Later, they can obtain a small piece of land from the company and pass it on to the next generation as their own fields,"
Jin Nige and Guo Jujing looked at each other and took a breath of air-conditioning at the same time. They have traveled many places in China and are well aware that China's population is several times larger than that of the entire Europe. In recent years, the country has been plagued by famines and the government is incompetent. With refugees, Chinese companies can easily recruit people who are willing to immigrate.
If an immigration movement is launched with such a huge population base, it will take less than twenty years for all ports in Southeast Asia to become Chinese colonies. The Portuguese spent nearly a hundred years of hard work and the total population of their colonies in Asia was less than 10,000; If the Chinese launched a colonial operation, it would only take ten years to spread throughout Southeast Asia. The occupation of the Philippines was just the beginning of such colonial operations.
Yin Feng uses land and wealth to attract people to immigrate to various parts of Southeast Asia, which will undoubtedly have a strong impact on the local colonial rule of Portugal, the Netherlands and other countries, and various missionary societies such as the Jesuits will also face a powerful force.
Guo Jujing whispered to Jinnige: "We have despised this Chinese United Company before, but now it seems that in the future, we, the Jesuits, will have to deal with them throughout Asia."
The people living around Shipowner Alley are senior managers of Zhonghua Company and company employees. Therefore, there are guards patrolling with guns and live ammunition in many places. The plaque of the company headquarters is now gone, replaced by officers from the inspection department. Brand, in fact, this is a typical case of selling sheep over dogs. Everyone knows where this place is.
Several European missionaries and their Chinese entourage passed by the entrance of the company headquarters and were stopped by the black guards of Yin Feng's personal guard at the entrance of the ship owner's alley.
Standing at the entrance of the alley was the guard captain Lin Yue who had been waiting for a long time.
He carefully checked everyone's ID. When You Wenhui saw Jin Nige standing there and looking around curiously, he quickly reminded him: "Take out your ID. You need to check your ID when entering Captain Yin's house."
"Identification, what kind of identification?" Jinnige was confused. He raised his hand and patted his golden-haired head: "Did you mean..."
"This is the pass that the dock official gave you when you landed at the dock yesterday. Without this document, you will be arrested and thrown into jail,"
Jinnige was nervous for a while. He didn't expect this certificate to be so useful. He spent a long time searching all over his body before he found it.
They entered the alley and were stopped by several maids at the door of Li Lihua's house, which was jokingly called "West Palace" by Taiwanese people. An older woman babbled to these blond and blue-eyed weirdos, and the result was in Chinese. Guo Jujing, Baradas and others who were very good at it didn't understand anything. Fortunately, You Wenhui understood some local dialects and hurriedly said to several missionaries: "This maid is from Chaozhou. She said that the eldest lady has not gotten up yet." ,please let us wait a moment,"
Several Jesuit priests had no choice but to stand at the door and wait patiently.