Lu Ming

Chapter 279 Longyan Battle ([-])

Regarding the reaction of the Portuguese, the people across the board are very certain: they will definitely not compromise.

No one would agree to such a garrison condition of "defeating power and humiliating the country". Even my Qing Dynasty had no choice but to kneel down after the face was completely swollen in the Opium War, and the Portuguese have not been beaten in the face yet.

Both negotiating parties are now well aware of one thing: the time-traveling people want to make trouble, and they don't bother to hide it, and the malice is always on the table.

As for why the time-travelers are so straightforward, one word: useless.

Unlike the Dutch, British, and Spaniards like wild dogs, the Portuguese occupied Macau, the only Ming goods base in East Asia.They are the only colonists who can enter the city of Canton to buy goods, although there is a time limit for this.

In this situation, the Portuguese only need to ship Cantonese goods to Europe along the air route every year, without thinking too much.

And this is exactly the point of criticism from the public: the Portuguese cannot provide the industrial raw materials needed by the big officials, and the trade system with Macau as the core has actually formed an implicit competition with the big officials.

The food needed by the cross-country people and the Portuguese of various populations cannot be provided, and the existence of Macau has made the idea of ​​the cross-town people to integrate the foreign trade pattern of Fujian and Guangdong encountered a thorn in the door.

This non-complementary trade pattern is the most fundamental reason why the Portuguese were targeted by a rogue force: the Dutch wild dogs can adjust their import and export commodities at any time, but the Portuguese cannot.Even if they took time to adjust, but when the effect came to fruition, the people who had already entered the Pearl River Estuary would not be able to tolerate them anymore.

In a word, the crossing country welcomes everyone to do business in East Asia.But there is a premise that everyone must trade on the owner's territory and pay taxes to the owner. An extrajudicial place like Macau that does not obey the king must be uprooted.

With Alonso's hasty departure, from this moment on, with the 23° north latitude as the dividing line, the fog of war against the Portuguese has been opened.The crossing country has officially entered into a "confrontation" with Macau: all Portuguese ships trying to go north will be detained.

And the deliberately provoked cold war between the two sides will continue until the day Master Wang comes ashore.

From Xiamen Port along the Jiulong River, less than 20 kilometers away is the Zhangzhou Plain.

From Zhangzhou, continue along the upper reaches of the Jiulong River, and after 200 miles of waterway, it is Longyan County.

Surrounded by mountains, Longyan County has a long history. It was recorded in the Jin Dynasty that it was inhabited, and it was called Kucao Town in history.Although this place has always been remote, there are many outstanding people in the past dynasties, and it can be regarded as an ancient city with a thousand years of culture.

Backed by mountains and facing water, surrounded by jade belts around the waist, Longyan County is surrounded by a Longjin River on three sides, with beautiful scenery, quiet and peaceful.

October 1628, 10, at noon.There is a Zhigu Pavilion next to the Longjin Wharf outside the south gate of Longyan County, and at this moment a group of people in official robes are taking small seats in the pavilion.

The one sitting at the top is about thirty years old, dark skinned, short in stature, plump, with a big head and wide mouth, and bright eyes.Seeing that this person is dressed in a blue robe and has a seventh-rank Chibuzi, he is naturally Yu Yinggui, the main hall of Longyan County.

Yu Yinggui, courtesy name Erji, was born in Duchang, Jiangxi Province, and was a Jinshi in the last year of Wanli (1619).

Comrade Erji has left a good reputation in history - since he took office in Longyan, he has not only "picked up beetles and brushed against traitors", ruled Qingping, but also raised funds from many parties to build Longjin Bridge, and even "exported warehouses at a low price" during the hungry years , the relief is useless."

Later, after Ying Gui was promoted to the supervisory censor, "Yi Li Sheng Temple", this was the highest level of remembrance that parents and officials could get in ancient times.

"Since the Ming Mansion took office, the government of Longyan County has been well-organized and people are harmonious, and all industries are prosperous. Unexpectedly, officers and soldiers have come to help suppress bandits recently. It is really gratifying. The Ming Mansion is well-governed and well-governed."

The name of the flattering man was Dong Daxing.This man was sitting at the bottom of the pavilion. He was in his forties, with a plain appearance, big cheeks, squinting eyes, wearing a blue poplin ingot robe, with gold and jade hanging all over his body, just what a successful businessman should have in this era. image.

"A mere 200 people, what is there to do? Hmph, you can't even live in a tent. You really are a man from the mansion. Seeing how he behaves, I can't bear the slightest bit of grievance."

As soon as Dong Daxing finished speaking, a middle-aged man with thin cheeks and dressed in a military officer's uniform next to the county magistrate took up the conversation indignantly.

Who is this unruly man?Just look at the fifth-grade Xiong Buzi on his chest, and you can tell: Longyan City is home to a thousand households, Li Kaichun.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, culture was more expensive than military, so it was not against harmony for a fifth-rank military officer to sit next to a seventh-rank county magistrate, not to mention that this county magistrate was born as a 985 official Jinshi, not someone who raised people and supervised students.

After Li Qianhu finished expressing his opinion, the scene immediately cooled down.As for why Master Qianhu uttered disdainful words?This started half a month ago.

Half a month ago, the officials in Longyan County suddenly received several official documents.The county magistrate Yu Yinggui was the first to bear the brunt.

The official document was sent by Shi Bangyao, Zhangzhou Futai, the immediate boss. The content was to ask Longyan County to make preparations. The government will send a team of soldiers to suppress the bandits in a few days.

At the same time, the official document of Tingzhang Military Preparation Road was also sent over.In addition, the immediate superior of Longyan Suocheng: Zhangzhou Wei Commander Shi Liangying's military order was also passed on to Li Qianhu.

After the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the system of garrisons originally established by Zhu Yuanzhang has gradually degenerated into a semi-serf feudal landlord group. From a military point of view, the guards who have long been reduced to private slaves of generals are no longer useful.

The main military force supporting the Ming Empire's southern and northern wars has gradually changed from a conscription-style guard to a recruiting-style "battalion" system.

The battalion controls the army according to the order of chief soldier, deputy general, general, and guerrilla, which has nothing to do with the semi-full-time mode of thousands of households in the guard.The relationship between the two parties is somewhat similar to the difference between the Land Reclamation Construction Corps and the Field Army in later generations.

Like all Cao Chuan's subordinates, they are now theoretically Ming's battalion soldiers, but Cao Chuan himself is in charge of the army and weapons.

Since the battalion soldiers are all recruits, the soldiers are relatively elite, with personal freedom, and they are really soldiers.Of course, combat power is directly proportional to wages: the high cost of battalion soldiers is all borne by the government, and such soldiers are not responsible for farming.

As for Longyan, a remote county in the mountain depression, it is naturally impossible to have battalions stationed there, so the daily anti-bandits and robberies are mainly completed through the joint defense system composed of guards and the public.

It stands to reason that the Zhangzhou government sent troops to Longyan County to arrest bandits, which was a good thing that could not be asked for for the state and county in the late Ming Dynasty where the security situation was deteriorating.

However, what happened this time was quite weird, not to mention only 200 soldiers who came, and they were all uncle soldiers: before the people arrived, all the requests arrived first.

The government officials who came with the documents, after going around outside the county seat, not only demanded that the Tianhou Palace be vacated for the lords, but also explicitly asked Yuzhi County to mobilize manpower to repair the Tianhou Palace, so as to prepare for the arrival of the lords
Tianhou Temple is the Mazu Temple. Although it is dilapidated, it is the largest building outside the county.There are five entrances to the palace, not to mention 200 people, 400 people can perform it.

And the county magistrate Yu Da was sitting on his knees: I have never seen such a domineering guest army!
Fortunately, since Yu Ming Mansion can keep Wan'er in history, he is naturally not a fool, so he urgently edited a book and sent it to Zhangzhou Mansion together with a letter from his master.

Within two days, Changsui came back from Zhangzhou.After reading the private letters from his colleagues in the Zhangzhou Mansion and the confidential documents sent by the master group, Master Yu finally knew the roots of these uncles: the trilogy of the new general Cao Chuan who made a big splash in the mansion newspaper a few days ago!

Well, since this is the case, Mr. Yu is not doing too much for himself: a powerful general with more than [-] troops under his command sent people to suppress the bandits with good intentions. cooperated.

Ever since, after insinuating two sentences about Cao Tubie's ignorance of official rules, Li Qianhu of Longyan City was shot. Send the military households under his command to "help with the military camp affairs".

Li Qianhu, who usually does not interfere with the well water and river water in the local area, vomited blood: the military households are all his tenants, and now he wants to send the tenants out to serve as errands for others, and he has to bring his own dry food. Li Qianhu is too good to give up what!

However, the county magistrate knew about the official document sent to Li Qianhu by the commander of Zhangzhou Guards, requesting Lao Li to fully cooperate with the reception work of the guest army.Moreover, the tone of the official document this time is more severe, obviously not the kind of errand that can be shirked - this is exactly the reason why the county magistrate asked Li Qianhu to bleed.

Helpless, Li Qianhu could only send his military households to the Tianhou Palace to "join the grand event" amidst the scolding.

So half a month later, at noon on this day, when the officials in Longyan County, the "villagers" and a few "enthusiastic merchants" were sitting together in the Zhigu Pavilion waiting to "pick up customers", Li Qian, who was already reluctant Hu was caught now, and he seized the opportunity to sarcastically say a few words about these uncles who hadn't met yet.
After listening to the complaints and sarcasm full of complaints, Mr. Yu Yinggui smiled slightly, and then said gently in a Jiangxi dialect: "Master Li, the matter has come to an end, so don't complain anymore. I always come here to help calm down the situation." Local, a little care is also the meaning of the title."

"Oh, my lord, you know that Mingwu (Li Qianhu's character) is someone who doesn't understand the overall situation. It's just that I'm not used to this generation's extravagant behavior!"

After hearing this, County Magistrate Yu stroked his short beard under his chin, and then said with a half-smile: "Hehehe, Mr. Li has a heart for his hometown, and he has a heart."

Following the county magistrate's words to smooth things over, the cold scene that had been disturbed by Li Qianhu suddenly heated up again.And several businessmen headed by Dong Daxing hurriedly started their flattering journey again.

But at this moment, a loud-voiced yamen servant standing high on the pier suddenly shouted: "The boat is coming!"

After hearing the sound, everyone in the pavilion got up one after another and walked to the pier.

(End of this chapter)