On the third day of March in the first year of Chongzhen, ten Tang-class battleships, the Munitis, the Princess Alexandra, and a fleet of ten clipper ships set off from Jeju Port on Jeju Island and embarked on a southward raid. novel As part of his promise, Zhao Lie will accompany Alexandra south to Macau.
It is hard to explain that he abducted this girl for two years and did not come to apologize in person.
In addition, although the four-year agreement was still more than a year away in March this year, Zhao Lie believed that the opportunity to establish a stable alliance had arrived.
Reaching an alliance early will also allow the Portuguese in Macau to see their own strength, which is conducive to the stability of the alliance.
It was spring at this time, and the wind direction on the sea was uncertain.
Sometimes it blew a lateral northwest wind, and sometimes it blew a lateral southerly wind.
The fleet constantly adjusted the sails to borrow wind power, just with a ship of four to five knots.
Heading southeast quickly, the fast clipper ship slowed down to catch up with the Galen ship and headed south together.
In the past few years, this voyage has been the easiest for Zhao Lie.
The expedition to the Northern Passage of Luzon Island will be led by Li Hu and Muñoz.
As the situation unfolds, it is impossible for him to do everything personally.
Moreover, for Tang He has deep confidence in the power of the class battleship.
After his trip to Macau, he will return to Jeju and travel to Beihua Island.
This year is a year of great development in Beihua.
Everything is complicated and will not be calm.
This is what he is most worried about.
Since it was a peaceful journey, Zhao Lie and Alexandra enjoyed a rare sea holiday.
This was the most pleasant day after Zhao Lie returned to Ming Dynasty.
Of course, Alexandra was also addicted to the happiness of having her sweetheart with her.
In the middle of the day.
Moreover, this time her lover came home with her to discuss marriage, which made her feel even better.
At this time, the coastal areas of Fujian were turbulent.
Zheng Zhilong, Li Kuiqi, Liu Xiang and others are the Nezha gangsters who have turned the narrow Fujian coast upside down.
If the coastal merchants and even fishermen did not control these gangs, they would really not be allowed to sail into the sea.
Most of the Fujian navy was annihilated and captured.
Zheng Zhilong and others used Xiamen as their base to harass the coast of Fujian.
Fujian officialdom was in a state of panic three times a day.
Xiong Wencan, the newly appointed Censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and governor of Fujian, has a head as big as a bucket.
Rebuilding the navy and eradicating pirates required the construction of a large number of warships.
Recruiting personnel was something that Fujian's current dilapidated finances could not afford.
The previous governor had already asked the imperial cabinet for help, but the cabinet's reply was that there was no money.
Now that Emperor Chongzhen, who had just ascended the throne, was raking in money from Liaodong, there was no need to count on banditry in Fujian in the short term.
This was all told by colleagues of the same year in Beijing, so what should be done.
If the pirates are left alone, the pirates' intrusions in all directions will be the source of instability in Fujian.
If you want to govern Fujian, you must get rid of the pirates.
It's simply an unsolvable problem.
So Xiong Wencan took the only feasible measure of appeasement.
Appeasement is a two-fold matter.
The government wants to appease, and the pirates must also be willing to be appeased.
A slap in the face can't make a difference.
After several contacts.
Only Zheng Zhilong had the strongest intention to recruit and be cared for, and was always in contact with the Fujian Dusi government.
Li Kuiqi, Liu Xiang and others were half-hearted and had no intention of doing so.
Xiong Wencan noticed that Zheng Zhilong, the most powerful man, wanted to be favored, so he sent more aides to win over him, and the two parties began to formally contact each other.
It was at this time that Zhao Lie's fleet passed through the waters of Fujian at the end of March.
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Zhao Lie noticed that the Ming Dynasty Navy’s sentry ships had not been seen since the southern waters of Zhejiang.
All that appeared were pirate sentry ships flying various flags and dressed in various colors, indicating that the Ming Dynasty’s navy had no sail to enter the sea.
Zheng Zhilong , Liu Xiang and other pirates are now the masters of this sea area.
There is no harassment to the pirates in the large fleet of the Franji people, and they are all allowed to go.
They have always made profits between the Franji people and the Netherlands, and of course they will not offend them.
Take Zheng Zhilong, for example, this year with the Macau Franji people If people get close, they may have close contact with the Dutch people in Xiaoliuqiu next year.
On this day, the fleet separated off the coast of Guangdong.
More than a dozen Galen warships and clipper ships slowly sailed toward the depths of the South China Sea.
The Princess Alexandra, the Munitis, the Flying Shark, and the Flying Fox The clipper ship No. 1 turned north and sailed towards Macau.
On the second day off the coast of Macau, Alexandra and Marta took the Munitis and sailed to Macau accompanied by the Flying Shark.
Zhao Lie was waiting on the Princess Alexandra.
There are seven heavy guns on the upper deck of the Princess Alexandra, including a 12-pound cannon at the bow, two 12-pound cannons on each side, and an 18-pound Tiago can opener.
More than a hundred people Wearing armor and possessing sufficient self-defense capabilities, the Alexandra can use its speed to escape even if it is besieged by multiple Galenic ships.
Mr.
Alonzo is discussing with his colleagues on the council the serious threats currently facing Macau.
Macau has been a commercial port for hundreds of years, operating trade routes from Spain and Portugal to Southeast Asia and Japan, earning a lot of revenue every year.
The merchants returned home with full loads, and the Macau city government collected generous taxes.
The Portuguese in Macau ran various businesses related to this, such as shipyards, gun factories, shops, maritime trade, restaurants, etc.
Generally speaking, the profits were huge, and Macau lived and worked in peace and contentment. .
However, Macau's fate began to change nearly ten years ago.
Since Spain, the suzerain country, joined the Holy Roman Empire's conquests, it has been unable to defend its territories in Southeast Asia and East Asia, let alone the Portuguese territories.
Later, the ferocious Dutch and English began to establish strongholds in the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia, eroding the territories of Spain and Portugal, and robbing the merchant ships of the two countries.
Over the past few years, the trade route from Southeast Asia to mainland Portugal has been intermittent.
Now Macau can only rely on the trade routes from Macau to Manila and Macau to Japan to survive.
Of course, this is also a trade route worth two million taels of silver a year.
The Dutch are now eyeing this trade route again.
Their attack on the Ming Dynasty to seize the Ming Dynasty's exclusive rights to foreign sea trade failed, but they captured Xiaoliuqiu Island.
From there, they continued to attack the Portuguese from Macau to Japan.
The rugged shipping route caused heavy losses to the merchant ships of the Macao people and reduced their income by half.
At the same time, the missionary operations of Portuguese and Spanish missionaries in Kyushu, Honshu, and Shikoku attracted hundreds of thousands of Japanese Catholics, which aroused dissatisfaction with the Japanese shogunate.
Some ministers within the shogunate clamored to cut off sea trade with the Portuguese and Spanish. .
As a punishment, Macau's crisis has arrived.
Alonzo rubbed his forehead.
The council discussed the matter for two days and involved people from the city hall to conduct repeated calculations.
The result was that Macau would have to invest at least one million taels of silver to preserve the two trade routes and build twenty to thirty Galen warships.
This was something Macau could not afford.
Macau could invest at most 300,000 to 400,000 taels of silver.
More than ten new Galen ships were built.
Keep a trade route safe.
Alonzo's headache is whether to really abandon the Japanese shipping route, or to concentrate on maintaining the Philippine trade route with a trade volume of one million taels a year.
More than a year ago, the Dutch in Ryukyu did not harass the Japanese shipping route for more than half a year, allowing Macau to relax.
Take a breath.
However, in the past six months, they began to plunder Portuguese and Spanish merchant ships in the Ryukyu Strait.
Later it was learned that they lost several warships in Ryukyu.
After receiving additional support from Jakarta, we started taking action again.
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At this time, he hated the Mingjin gang who robbed and left, which made him and Macau extremely embarrassed.
If the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver that were robbed that time were still there.
What else did he have to worry about?
Since dozens of Portuguese people and this group of Ming people left two years ago, there has been no news since then.
The family members of these dozens of people came to cry from time to time, giving him a headache.
In the dissatisfied eyes of the maritime merchants, Alonzo announced that the meeting would be adjourned today and would be discussed again tomorrow.
Back home, Alonzo drank a glass of strong wine tiredly.
He had a premonition that his position as speaker was hanging.
After all, people would not let a person who could not solve problems stay in the position of speaker for a long time.
The reason why he is still in this position is because no one has put forward proper suggestions to solve the problems faced by Macau.
If someone puts forward even a barely coping solution, it may replace him.
At this time, the servants of the Ming Dynasty at home reported the matter, and Felipe, the commander of the garrison, asked to see him.
"Sir, Miss Alexandra of the Lopez family just entered the port on the Munitis.
At the same time, there was also a small boat belonging to Akito.
Now Alexandra has just returned to her uncle's business."
Fei Lippe said hurriedly without any nonsense after he came in.
"Really?"
Alonzo asked tremblingly.
"Yes, it's absolutely true.
Lieutenant Phil at the dock saw it with his own eyes."
Felipe said firmly.
As if grasping a life-saving straw, Alonzo drank the wine in one gulp, put down the glass, and said, "Let's go."
The two of them immediately went out and left.
When the two hurriedly arrived at the home of Alexandra's uncle Assuncao, Assuncao came out to greet them in the living room.
"Although it has been many years since Miss Alexandra came back, and your relatives have not seen each other for several years, of course there is a lot to say.
However, this time involves the safety of dozens of people, so please forgive us for coming uninvited."
Alonzo said apologetically.
However, he has a good relationship with Assuncao, so I believe he won't care too much.
"It's a separation between life and death," said Assuncao, who is in his forties, with red eyes.
"My brother passed away a few years ago, leaving behind two children.
They traveled thousands of miles to come to me.
Last time, something happened in Macau, and I was not at home. , I thought I would never see her again.”
Alonzo and Felipe gave a few words of advice, but they were really anxious.
What, who are the remaining people?
What is Akito's strength?
It is related to the overall situation of Macau.
You should talk about it.
"According to her, everyone who went to Macau is safe and sound.
As for Mingren, it is said that he has occupied Jeju Island and Beihua Island.
Can you give details?
We will talk to her when she comes out," Assuncang awkwardly touched his thick black beard. , "Well, I haven't seen her in a few years.
She and her aunt talk a lot."
After hearing this, Alonzo felt even more itchy.
It seems that Mingren's power is developing very quickly.
It is really possible to help Macau and himself.
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This, oh, can he come out sooner?
"Ahem, according to her, she came back this time to discuss her wedding to the leader of the Ming Dynasty, so..."
Assuncao apologized after waiting for another meal.
Oh, God, you told me earlier, this, this is going to be the mother of the country, a good thing, Alonzo is not in a hurry this time, just kidding, if the mother of a country is a Macau Portuguese, then why is he anxious.
"Mr.
Assuncao, is there any good tea here?
Let's drink while we wait."
Alonzo asked, coming over anxiously, he was really thirsty.
Assuncao's face turned red.
He had caused this incident and did not serve tea to the guests.
He ordered Mingren's servants to serve tea and snacks
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