Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 834

The Philippines only has a rainy season and a dry season, and the dry season is from November to June, which is the best time to go.

Of course, if you count according to the lunar calendar, you must go south before May.

Sun Xiu was also decisive. After resting for a few days, he was loaded with a large number of soldiers and supplies, and headed for the Philippines in a mighty way.

Five 1000 battleships, [-] [-] warships, [-] sailors, [-] musketeers, a total of [-] people, an unprecedented scale.

Manila Governor's Mansion, Governor Manrique de Lara wandered anxiously in the study, raising his head from time to time and asking, "Has the Archbishop come?"

The yellow and black servants on the side always replied respectfully: "Go back to the master, the archbishop has not arrived yet."

"Oh my God--"

"Damn, damn—"

He stomped his feet from time to time, leaving potholes on the expensive carpet, and the servants watched in horror.

You must know that the governor is a nobleman, and he has extremely strict requirements on his etiquette and posture. This is the first time for the servants to be in such a restless situation.

I don't know how long it took before a servant came to report: "The Archbishop has arrived—"

"finally come--"

Governor Mankeli hurriedly opened the door, walked down the stairs with a thud, three steps at a time, and arrived at the gate.

Only then did he see the archbishop's face.

Seeing this, the Governor breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had met a savior: "Your Excellency, Archbishop, you are finally here."

"Good morning, my Excellency the Governor."

The archbishop had a thick beard, and the green-brown eyes seemed to exude a peaceful atmosphere, which made people suddenly calm down.

He was wearing a missionary's white robe. Even in such a hot weather in the Philippines, he did not dare to relax in the slightest. He looked like a missionary who was strict with himself.

"Sorry, I was so reckless."

The governor took the black tea poured by the servant, added a spoonful of sugar with his own hands, and asked, "How many spoonfuls do you want?"

"Three scoops will do, thank you." The archbishop was not polite.

In order to get closer, the governor personally added sugar to him, and he had to accept it no matter what.

After receiving the black tea and taking a sip, the archbishop sat upright, his eyes sparkling.

The Philippines, named after Prince Philip at the time.

Although it was only a colony, Spain implemented a centralized system of power here, and the Spanish king personally appointed a governor to govern the Philippines.

It is difficult to completely rule the Philippines with a population of 100,000 with only a few thousand people, so the Spaniards ruled the Philippines spiritually with the help of Catholicism.

That is to say, the military first, political pressure, Catholicism took the opportunity to enter, and the animistic indigenous people were defeated.

The Spaniards are worthy of the filial sons of the Catholic Church. In the Philippines, missionaries have political privileges and can receive salaries. Sometimes the governor is vacant and the archbishop replaces him.

Their privileges include occupying land, interfering with administrative appointments and removals, supervising taxation, census, budget review and so on.

For example, if the aborigines fight or commit a crime, the priests control the judiciary, and they will favor the believers, thus forcing other aborigines to believe in Catholicism.

All in all, the Spaniards distrusted the native Filipinos and allowed the missionaries to be the management class, thereby achieving dominance and exploitation.

Therefore, in a sense, the archbishop is actually the executive vice-governor.

"Ming people are coming!" Waiting for the archbishop to finish a cup of black tea, the governor spoke slowly.

He looked at the bishop, hoping it was false news.

"You are right."

The archbishop sighed softly, and directly wiped out hope: "Because of a mistake more than ten years ago, the Ming people are going to come to Manila."

"But you and I both know it's just a casus belli."

"Don't they have Taiwan?" Governor Manlik weakly clutched his teacup, suppressing his anger: "Isn't Manila better than Taiwan?"

As he said that, he widened his eyes and looked at the archbishop seriously: "You understand that the location of Manila is extremely important. It is the kingdom's largest colony in the Far East, and it is also a transit point for trade."

"It contributes hundreds of thousands of Bron (gold coins) to the kingdom every year. If I lose it, His Majesty the King will never let me go lightly."

"Once the Ming people occupy the Philippines, the preaching will not be so smooth..."

"I understand, I understand." The Archbishop said with a headache, "For us, this is a matter of life and death."

As he spoke, he stood up resolutely and looked at the burly governor: "Whether it is money or manpower, please just give orders, and the church will definitely go all out."

"The Kingdom cannot lose the Philippines, and neither can the Church."

"Okay—" the governor finally showed a smile.

After a friendly negotiation between the two, the church will use its manpower throughout Southeast Asia to call on all believers to come to Manila to guard the church.

Similarly, the church also knew the strength of the Governor's Mansion, and decided to call on believers to donate money to recruit mercenaries.

As for the mobilization of the natives, there is no need to mention it.

His Excellency the archbishop raised his chin and said proudly: "After decades of management, Catholic believers have continued to rise, and the entire diocese can directly mobilize more than [-] young and strong indigenous people to serve."

"If you can not fight or try not to fight."

Your Excellency the Governor is still a little afraid of the Ming army. The Dutch were defeated by them, let alone Spain.

"Your Excellency, I hope you will write a few more letters to the Ming Dynasty, so that those Jesuit missionaries can convey our peaceful intentions."

The ships of the Ming army on the sea were mighty, and they couldn't hide it at all. Therefore, after Manila learned of the news that it had left Xiamen Island, it immediately began martial law.

The merchants had already smelled the breath of war, and hurriedly transferred their ships. The huge Manila Bay was empty, and only a few dozen merchant ships were hired to assist the navy in the battle.

Wang Cheng wore short clothes, left the low wooden house, and saw the door, his wife was busy washing clothes, and his two children were helping to fetch water.

"I'm going out to find something to do—" He glanced at the half bowl of rice on the table, swallowed, and turned away.

"Isn't there no one at the pier?" His wife's sallow face was full of confusion and worry: "Isn't there going to be a war recently? Let's escape too!"

"My dad's place is full of people, so I will designate it as safe."

His wife is an aborigine, and Wang Cheng is a down-and-out bandit. Although he also wants to marry a Han woman, in the Philippines, a down-and-out person like him can only marry an aboriginal.

With a few feet of cloth and a bag of rice, you can marry a daughter-in-law, just as easy as buying and selling.

In Manila, although the Chinese are discriminated against and bullied, the Spaniards are inseparable from the Chinese. The natives can only hunt, not farm or do business, and cannot contribute taxes.

After a shipwreck, Wang Cheng stayed in Manila to start a family and start a business. He owned a log cabin and had a wife and two sons.

"Your father has more than a dozen children, where can we eat?" Wang Cheng gritted his teeth, shook his head and said, "I'll go to the pier to see."

After finishing speaking, he touched the heads of his two sons before leaving.

Looking at the pier, there is empty sea water, flocks of seagulls, but there is no ship docked.

Helpless, he could only go to the city.

The Governor's Palace is not in the city, so Manila is not built of stones, but of bricks and tiles.

There are a large number of Western-style buildings, Chinese-style houses, and shops in the city. A large amount of sewage is dumped on the side of the road at random, and then flows into the sewer.

The street is slightly smooth, but a strong smell of horse manure can't be dissipated, which makes people feel a little disgusted.

However, Wang Cheng is used to it.

Although martial law began in Manila at this time, it is a commercial city after all, and many shops are still operating, and they are not willing to give up even a day's profit.

Pedestrians come and go in a hurry, the rich and nobles have their own merchants to deliver them to their door, while the ordinary poor can only line up in front of the rice shop.

Fortunately, the land in the Philippines is fertile and there are three crops a year. There is no shortage of food at all, and the price of food is low, which supports many people.

Walking around, there is no odd job at all.

"Hey, second son Wang—"

Suddenly, at the mouth of a narrow alley, there was a shout.

When Wang Cheng turned his head, he saw Zhang Yuzi, who was usually playful, waving his hand to greet him.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

Zhang Yuzi has a few scars, so he got such a title, but he is righteous and tall, and he is very popular in the Chinese circle.

If anyone is bullied by the natives, he must be asked for help.

The workers on the wharf are headed by him, so they can get away with it.

"come over--"

A pair of powerful hands pulled Wang Cheng directly into a small gate.

Then, there were more than a dozen big men who appeared in front of his eyes.

Zhang Yizi patted him on the shoulder: "I know you are hungry, everyone is the same, there are no ships arriving at the port these days, and there is no work."

Wang Cheng frowned: "Then what should I do?"

"Wang Er Er, you are also a good man, you can't be suffocated to death by urine."

Zhang Yizi closed the door directly, and then said to the dozen or so trustworthy men, "I'm calling everyone here because I have a good thing in mind for everyone."

"The imperial court is going to call—"

These words, like a bolt from the blue, shocked everyone.

Having been away from home for many years, the court, what a word of alienation.

For the imperial court, these people are abandoned people, not worth mentioning at all, and they don't take it to heart.

So the two consecutive massacres in Manila, the Spaniards have never worried about the revenge of the Ming people.

"This, this—" Wang Cheng trembled, his mouth trembling: "The imperial court wants to hit Manila?"

"That's right." Zhang Lizi said at the top of his voice, "The imperial court wants to avenge us and beat those Xiyi, red-haired devils."

"When Manila is captured, those red-haired devils will no longer dare to bully us, and the natives are even more like dogs, not worth mentioning."

"Then, you son, we don't know how to fight, either?" Wang Cheng calmed down, "Without muskets, we are no match for the red-haired man."

"The imperial court doesn't need everyone to attack directly."

At this time, a handsome man came down the stairs, wearing silk and leather boots, compared with them, he looked like a fairy.

This appearance immediately shocked everyone.

"I am a member of a family of Jinyiwei, and I have come to Manila to gather loyal officials and officers to overthrow the rule of the red-haired man in one fell swoop and make Manila the land of the imperial court."

As he spoke, he lit up his badge.

The carvings are exquisite, and there is a sense of officialdom in the thickness. Everyone seems to be hot, and spreads quickly to watch.

Seeing everyone bent down, with respectful and fearful faces, the man said calmly:

"Brothers, after this is done, Manila will be the land of the imperial court. You are no longer abandoned citizens, but good citizens of Ming Dynasty."

"You can take the imperial examination, become an official, do business, and farm. No one dares to kill you."

As soon as these words came out, everyone bowed even lower, but no one dared to speak.

The man is surprised.

At this time, Zhang Lizi boldly said: "We are not going to fight, but when the red-haired devils fight with the officers and soldiers, we will raid from the city and close the city gate."

"There is not much danger, and the rewards are very generous."

As he said that, Zhang Yizi took out a wooden box from behind, opened it, and saw that it was full of silver coins.

"As long as we promise now, we will distribute a piece of silver immediately. After the completion, each person will get 20 yuan. This can buy hundreds of acres of land in Manila."

"And, from now on, you will be officers and soldiers of the imperial court, and you can live on your salary, which is much better than carrying bags at the pier?"

These words completely overwhelmed everyone.

At this juncture of martial law, one silver coin is enough to feed a family for a month, and it is impossible to refuse.

"I've done it—" Wang Cheng gritted his teeth and raised his head: "You can do this, but one yuan is too little, so you must give me ten yuan, and I will use it as a family allowance."

"In case of death by then, my wife and children can live on."

"That's right, there has to be a settling allowance, and one piece can't be paid—"

Everyone woke up and shouted immediately.

Zhang Yuzi glanced at the man, and after getting a positive answer, he gritted his teeth: "Okay, but you can't leave, I'm afraid someone will tell you."

"I'll personally send the money to your home."

Zhang Yizi's character was trusted, and everyone nodded.

Then, the flintlock gun upstairs was also fired.

Everyone was even more shocked. The cordless musket was more advanced than the red-haired boy, so he was sure to win.

It has been more than ten years since the last massacre, and there are more than [-] Ming people living in Manila, and there are countless large and small wooden houses.

Relying on the advantages of money and the help of businessmen, Jin Yiwei hooked up hundreds of people, distributed weapons, and prepared to cooperate internally and externally to take Manila.

In the tenth year of Shaowu, on April NO.20, dozens of Ming warships arrived in Manila Bay.

Sun Lin raised his binoculars, looked at the warship in front of him, and couldn't help saying: "Good guy, it seems that I'm waiting for work at leisure."

Shi Lang said earnestly: "In a battle at sea, the first thing is the size of the ship, and the second is the number of troops. We are in an advantage in both of these things, and the Spaniards are nothing to worry about."

"That's right." Sun Lin smiled confidently: "I know exactly how many warships, numbers, and artillery the enemy has. If you know yourself and the enemy, why worry?"

On the bay, thirty Spanish warships dominate the sea, with white sails fluttering, looking extremely powerful.

However, there are only two warships equivalent to the Ming army's [-] materials, and the rest are small and medium-sized (about [-] tons) warships, or armed merchant ships.

(End of this chapter)