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However, due to its huge size, too many guns, and a high center of gravity, it is mainly used for offshore operations, and ocean voyages are purely deadly.

The Dutch battleship is a different kind, abandoning the first and second-tier battleships, and focusing on building third-tier battleships.

Moreover, only a small amount of heavy artillery is equipped to maintain the center of gravity and reduce its own weight, making it very flexible when sailing, and it can be driven directly to Asia.

The navies of Britain, France, Spain and other countries are accustomed to using battle line tactics.If confronted with the Dutch navy, the Dutch warships would rush indiscriminately, rush close and suppress them with heavy artillery, and then jump to the side or set fire to the ship to win.

In a word, beat the master to death with random punches.

Zheng Zhilong's big bird ship is dictatorial, and its offshore flexibility is higher than that of Dutch warships. The general guns on the bow and stern can suppress the Dutch heavy artillery.

After approaching, the Dutch were still preparing to release the arson boat, and Zheng Zhilong had already used a rocket-propelled arsonator.

The two sides fought many times, and the Dutch did not win once.

Of course, Zheng Zhilong's big bird ship has enough ocean-going capabilities.In the deep sea, if there is a complicated situation, the performance will be greatly reduced immediately.

The big bird boat went out to sea along the Pearl River. Zheng Zhilong pointed to a certain place on the bank and said, "That's the Humen Fort. It's almost deserted. Brother, you need to repair it."

"Thank you brother for reminding me." Zhao Han immediately woke up when he heard the word Humen.

Zheng Zhilong said: "The ruins of the Humen Fort were blown up by the Saxons a few years ago."

"Sexons?" Zhao Han didn't understand.

Zheng Zhilong said: "That's how Franji people are called. It may be Saxon, or Saxon. Sometimes it is also called India."

Zhao Han suddenly realized, this is England!

But Zhao Han was even more puzzled: "Have the Saxons arrived in Daming?"

"I came here a few years ago, played a game, accompanied 2800 taels of silver, and ran away before the goods were full," Zheng Zhilong shook his head and sighed, "There are more and more Xiyi in Nanyang, maybe I will come again in the future country."

Zhao Han wanted to laugh when he heard this. The British came to Guangzhou to fight. Not only did they lose, but they also paid 2800 taels of silver to Daqing?

"Who commanded that battle?" Zhao Han wanted to recruit this person.

Zheng Zhilong had a weird expression: "You know it, and I know it too. We have all been recruited by him."

"Xiong Wencan?" Zhao Han asked.

"That's him." Zheng Zhilong nodded.

Zhao Han's expression is extremely wonderful: "..."

During the Wanli period, the Queen granted the British East India Company an exclusive license for trade in China.At the same time, Queen Elizabeth also wrote a letter to Emperor Wanli: "Elizabeth, Queen of the Kingdoms of England, to His Majesty the Greatest and Invincible King..."

There was an accident on the way, the British fleet failed to arrive, and the Queen's letter naturally could not be delivered.

Until the reign of Chongzhen, the first British merchant ship finally arrived in Guangzhou.

The British were not familiar with China, so they found a Portuguese in Macau, hoping to help them contact Ming officials.

The Portuguese agreed on the surface, turned around and spoke ill of the British, slandering the Ming officials in every possible way.

Seeing that there was no response, the British attacked directly by force, captured the Humen Fort by surprise, and forced the Ming government to do business with Britain.

Xiong Wencan is a peace-loving official. As long as Britain returns the 35 cannons in Humen, he promises free trade in the future.

The two sides reached an agreement, and the British ship suddenly sailed into the inland river of Guangzhou, trying to force Ming to sign an unequal treaty by force.

Xiong Wencan was furious after being teased, and sent three warships to attack, which were the three Xinhui ships in Zhao Han's hands.

Two British warships were damaged, dozens of British sailors were injured, and the British fleet fled the inland river of Guangzhou in embarrassment.

The British became more and more angry, burned three Chinese merchant ships halfway, and went ashore to snatch 30 pigs to vent their anger.Then they blew up part of the Humen Fort, and after leaving the Pearl River, burned a Chinese merchant ship.

Burning with anger, Xiong Wencan summoned the navy and merchant ships to prepare for the conquest, and the British fled to Macau in a hurry.

Under the mediation of the Portuguese, China and the UK signed a settlement agreement, and the UK compensated Daming with 2800 taels of silver, and the trade must be rolled out of the Guangzhou waters immediately.

This is the first close contact between China and Britain.

After Zhao Han finished listening, he looked at the bombed Humen Fort and felt that the British war reparations were too little.

Zheng Zhilong said: "These Xiyi are actually the same, and they can be honest when they are subdued. In the past, Franji people were also very arrogant. After being punished several times, they are now shrunk in Macau like a dog raised by Ming. They have repeatedly attacked the coast of Daming, Guangzhou has also been attacked twice, and they have not yet been completely conquered."

"Awe-inspiring but not virtuous, barbarians are like this." Zhao Han nodded.

Zheng Zhilong said, "How about we set up a cover?"

Zhao Han asked with a smile, "What cover?"

Zheng Zhilong said: "It is announced that the Hongfan ghosts are not allowed to come to Guangzhou for trade, and the Hongfan ghosts will definitely come to attack. It is [-]% absolutely correct. I know the Hongfan ghosts too well. At that time, I will lie in ambush at sea, and my virtuous brother will lie in ambush in the river. Work together inside and outside to beat the Red Fan ghost!"

Zhao Han pondered silently. After the Dutchman was beaten and disabled, Zheng Zhilong would become the dominant family in the sea.

Zheng Zhilong suddenly said: "My dear brother, I can send you some shipwrights, and you open a shipyard to manufacture warships yourself. How about it?"

"Brother is so sincere, brother Yu is naturally willing to cooperate." Zhao Han immediately agreed.

The cooperation between the two parties has become closer, because Zheng Zhilong has shown his heart.

This great pirate seems to really want to surrender, and he probably wants to enter the court and become a high official, or be named a prince to honor his ancestors.

Chapter 266 [Spanish, Portuguese and British]

Macau, Governor's Palace.

More than ten years ago, it was still a fort.

At that time, the Spanish king 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 detonated the conflicts between the mainland and the colonies, and then detonated the factional conflicts within the Catholic Church.

The three contradictions superimposed, and the Macao councilors united with the Jesuits to launch a coup to expel the governor.

The first Governor of Portugal and Macau suppressed it by force and occupied the fort of the Jesuits, which was directly converted into the Governor's Palace of Portugal and Macau.

"Your Excellency the Governor!"

The adjutant said anxiously: "The envoy we sent to Guangzhou was expelled by Zhao, the rebel leader of the Ming Dynasty. Zhao threatened that His Excellency the Governor must go to Guangzhou to negotiate in person, otherwise he would starve to death the Portuguese in Magang."

Shi Paulo, the sixth governor of Portugal and Macao, his full name is: D·Sebastian Lobo Da Silveira.

This guy just came to Macau two months ago, before his butt was hot, Macau was deprived of food for 20 days.

Paul Shi asked, "How long will there be enough food?"

"At most half a month." The adjutant replied.

Paul Shi asked again: "This rebel leader Zhao, have you found out more information?"

The adjutant took out a handwritten material: "Zhao's full name is Zhao Han, and he was given the title of 'Heavenly King' when he rebelled. Heavenly King is the king of heaven..."

"Wait," interrupted Paulo, "is this man religious?"

"No, no, no," the adjutant explained, "The heaven 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."

Paul Shi suddenly realized: "I understand the difference between the Roman emperor and the Spanish king. This Zhao is a Taoist believer. He launched a rebellion and wanted to establish a Taoist country, which is very detrimental to us. Fanatic religious elements, he Will expel European missionaries and destroy our churches and hospitals."

The adjutant had only been in Macau for two months, and he said confusedly: "But I heard from the Macau Council of Elders (Parliament) that there are very few religious fanatics in Ming Dynasty, maybe things are not as bad as imagined."

"This Zhao must be a Taoist fanatic," Shi Baoluo said. "Daming 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 map of the world. Japan and North Korea were marked in detail, and the few coastal provinces of Ming Dynasty were also marked in detail.

But for the inland provinces, only a rough outline is drawn.

"Jiangxi... is here. They have reached Guangdong and are still attacking Huguang," Shi Baoluo said. "This is a very powerful rebel force. Maybe we can help the Ming Dynasty. As long as the rebel army is wiped out, the Emperor of Ming Dynasty will surely It will pay off and we will get more benefits."

"No, no, no," the adjutant said anxiously, "Your Excellency, Da Ming is about to die. I heard from the elders that there are rebels in the north of Da Ming, and they are powerless to quell the rebellion in the south. In the next few years, even decades, Guangdong will be under the rule of Zhao, and we must cooperate with Zhao. It won’t even take that long, and the Spanish and Portuguese in Magang will starve to death in one month without food.”

"But he has no sincerity and refuses to meet my envoy." Paulo Shi was very angry.

The adjutant suggested: "Your Excellency Governor, I think you should go to Guangzhou yourself."

"No, I can't go," Shi Paulo said, slapping the table. "That's a Taoist fanatic, and I'm a devout Catholic. He might kill me in Guangzhou! I want to transfer troops, I want to transfer troops from the Philippines, I want to take down Canton. This is just a rebel army, and it is certainly no match for the Spanish warriors."

The adjutant reminded: "Your Excellency, you have no right to deploy troops in the Philippines. You can only mobilize the Magang Guard and Tomorrow Trading Fleet. Moreover, these troops may not obey orders."

There are 300 Magang guards, 100 Portuguese and Macao soldiers, and 200 Spanish and Filipino soldiers.

Especially those Macau soldiers are all Portuguese born and raised in Macau.Their relationship with Portugal is relatively indifferent, not to mention the governor sent by the Spanish king.

Now two-thirds of the armed forces in Macau come from the Philippines, the purpose is to suppress the Portuguese rebellion!

"Boom boom boom!"

"Please come in."

A Portuguese-Macau MP stepped into the Governor’s office and took out a parliamentary document saying: “Your Excellency, please leave for Guangzhou immediately, and you must bring three members of the Council with you. Otherwise, the Council will guide the citizens to take action, Ma Gang An incompetent governor is not welcome!"

"Okay, I'll think about it, Mr. Congressman." Shi Baoluo said with a smile.

The congressman turned around and left, not paying attention to the governor at all.

Macau has gained autonomy, and even the governor cannot intervene in management affairs.

Moreover, Portugal is fighting for independence.Shi Paulo is the governor sent by the King of Spain. He was afraid of annoying the Macau Parliament and making Macau independent from Spain.

In addition, the churches in Macau are also fighting endlessly. The Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans, and Augustines represent different forces.

Historically, in the year when Chongzhen hanged himself, the Macau Parliament directly expelled the Spaniards, and the four major churches also began to fight fiercely.The Governor of Macau is also among those deported.Moreover, the natives of Macau, Portugal, really drove the Governor of Macau away!

Shi Paulo is under a lot of pressure now, outside there is pressure from Guangzhou Zhao Han, and inside there is pressure from the Macau Parliament.

What is even more disgusting is the Dutch. Last year, the Dutch fleet directly blocked Malacca for half a year, and no Spanish or Portuguese ships were allowed to pass.

"Get ready, I'm going to Guangzhou in three days."

Shi Paulo sat slumped on the chair, looking unloved. It took eight lifetimes of bad luck for him to be sent to be the governor of Macau.

Three days later, set off.

A total of more than forty people, including the governor, adjutants, councilors, guards, and trade teams, arrived in Guangzhou.

Deng Yunzhan, the head of the Shibo Department, received them, left them there and ignored them, and they were not allowed to move around at will.

"We are under house arrest," said Samento, commander of the Sino-Japanese trade fleet.

Instead, Paul Shi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's not house arrest, it's a means of negotiating pressure. It seems that Zhao doesn't really want to expel us, otherwise he wouldn't need to exert such pressure." Paul Shi suddenly laughed, "Everyone, take it easy, Zhao will negotiate with us sooner or later."

"Maybe." Desino sneered.

Desino is a negotiator of the Macau Parliament. His grandfather is Portuguese, his father was born in China, and he himself is of mixed Portuguese and Chinese descent.

Portugal?

That was the country of grandfather and father, not his own.

What's more, Portugal has been ruled by Spain for many years, and he is unwilling to play for a Spanish king.

Desino could not only speak Cantonese, but also Ming Dynasty official dialect, and often dealt with Ming officials.It is also because of this that he, a lowly mixed-race boy, was able to climb up step by step to become a member of the Macao Council.

At this moment, a foreigner was brought by an official, passed the courtyard of the Macau Mission, and walked towards the inner courtyard.

"Hello, are you Portuguese?" Sarmento shouted hastily.

The foreigner turned around with a smile: "No, I'm British."

After finishing speaking, this person followed the official and left, obviously being brought here deliberately for a while.

DeSino said suddenly, "I met him, the British businessman and travel writer Peter Mundy."

"Damn it, how come there are British businessmen here, they are here to grab business!" Samento 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, so let's just see what price he will offer. To be honest, We have very little room to bargain."

Historically, the first British travel book involving China was "Peter Mandy's Oya Travel Notes" written by Peter Mundy.

This person came to Guangzhou a few years ago to do business with the British fleet. That was the time he lost 2800 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 enough goods, he was still allowed to return to England to make a small profit.

Last year, Peter Mundy came to Guangdong again, driving a merchant ship alone, and he was lucky not to be robbed halfway.

It's a pity that Portugal got in the way, and Peter Mundy's merchant ship docked in Macau, and he couldn't buy goods at all in the past half a year.This guy simply traveled in Macau, bribed officials of the Ming Dynasty, traveled to the suburbs of Guangzhou with his entourage, and finally lived in a gentry's house and 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, seek truth from facts.

Back at his residence, Peter Mundy took out a quill and began to record what he saw today——

"Through my friend Huang, I learned that there is a rebel leader, Zhao, who has occupied Guangzhou, the greatest city in the Ming Dynasty. I thought, this is an opportunity, I must contact Zhao, otherwise I will have to return empty. Damn Portuguese!"

"...Zhao is very young, God, he can speak English. Although his English is broken, it seems to be taught by a farmer in the countryside, but he can barely communicate."

"Zhao told me that my understanding of the Ming Dynasty was too biased, like arriving at a port in England and thinking that I knew the whole of Britain. Perhaps, this is true. Zhao and his rebels are like other Chinese people I have seen. People are different."