prosperous age

Among the world's powerful nations, the Ming Dynasty was undoubtedly number one, followed by Spain, and then France.

Although Portugal made money through trade, its foundation was too weak. Now, Portugal has been forcibly annexed by Spain, which is a pain in the hearts of all Portuguese people overseas.

Yes, their homeland—Portugal—had in fact been annexed by Spain. Even though the local nobles and the overseas colonial governments continued to resist and refused to recognize Philip II's rule over Portugal, their country became a province of Spain.

It's important to know that in order to acquire Portugal, the Spanish sent troops to conquer Lisbon and annex Portugal, even though there was indeed a blood relationship between the two kings.

Now, under the condition that the Ming Dynasty accepts, Bu Jialao can renounce his Portuguese citizenship and become a citizen of the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, the Ming Dynasty never considered any immigration provisions. Even though Wei Guangde came from a later era, he never thought of absorbing white people, black people, or people from other places into China.

The Chinese people have their own character, appearance, traditions, and blood ties. Even though they were once occupied, they still survived tenaciously and have always been one of the world's most populous countries.

The Han people, with their continuous life, will forever live happily under the sun, unlike some immigrant countries that need to accept people from different places.

Although, at first glance, this seems to be a kind of fusion.

But this integration is essentially because they have no inheritance; they are merely continuing the tradition that they are, in fact, a hybrid nation.

However, after Bu Jialao clearly expressed his opinion, the council chamber fell silent.

Yes, they had actually considered Bu Jialao's choice.

However, for them, their initial choice was definitely not the Ming Dynasty, but France.

Spain was now too powerful. The King of Spain not only inherited Spain, but also the throne of the Holy Roman Empire, and even the Netherlands, southern Italy, and the southern Mediterranean. At this time, Spain was a vast empire spanning Europe and Africa, ruling the most prosperous region along the Mediterranean coast.

This is also an important reason why France later needed to unite with England and Prussia, with whom they were not on good terms, to fight against Spain and use the Forty Years' War to divide Spain.

France was also unwilling to accept a vast empire beside it, posing a constant threat to its safety.

Supporting the independence of the Netherlands is the first step in dismantling Spain, and they are even willing to directly participate in the war for it.

France once held the title of the strongest power in Europe for a long time.

"Will the Ming Dynasty accept us? I've never heard of them issuing us household allowances."

In the Ming Dynasty, the government would register and manage the people under its jurisdiction. Household registration was the most basic thing. Based on the household registration, they needed to be managed by the local government.

Previously, Xiangshan County had no jurisdiction over them because they did not have household registration; they were considered outsiders.

However, if they joined the Ming Dynasty, they would truly have to accept the administration of the Ming government.

"I think it's best to maintain the status quo; there's no need to join the Ming Dynasty."

One of the businessmen spoke up.

Having spent a considerable amount of time in Haojing, he was well aware of the nature of the Ming government and was unwilling to make this choice.

"I am just suggesting that we apply to join the Ming Dynasty, so that Haojing can be separated from the administration of Xiangshan County and even the Guangdong Provincial Administration Commission, and be directly managed by the central government of the Ming Dynasty."

We are willing to pay appropriate taxes to the Emperor and the court of the Ming Dynasty.

I think that if we ever return to our homeland with Ming Dynasty citizenship, our status will be no less than that of citizens of France or other countries; in fact, it will be higher.

Even if one day the Ming people are not satisfied with what they are doing, we can always replace them.

We're businessmen; as long as it brings profit, I don't care.

Bu Jialao continued to explain his thoughts on this issue, saying that in his view, joining a foreign country only requires focusing on benefits, and there is no need to consider anything else.

If being a citizen of the Ming Dynasty can bring him convenience in doing business, then he is willing to accept the status of a citizen of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, if this convenience disappears one day, then I'll just leave.

Anyway, their homeland Portugal no longer exists.

"Now that the Ming Dynasty wants to control Haojing, how did we end up discussing joining them?"

One of the businessmen spoke up.

"No, they are related."

Bu Jialao immediately retorted, "I say, if I say that some of us have joined the Ming Kingdom and become registered residents there, then can we occupy one or more seats in the council allocated to the Ming people?"

"hiss"

Frank's expression changed slightly at this moment, and he gasped.

Now, everyone in the room knew Bu Jialao's deeper intentions.

The Ming government requested that the Portuguese and Ming citizens each occupy half of the seats in the council, and that if the two sides disagreed on important matters, the Xiangshan County government would make the final decision.

However, if their people could infiltrate the Ming people, it would naturally mean that they could obtain more than half of the voting rights.

Of course, the prerequisite is that the Ming Dynasty needs to accept them.

"Hehehe, interesting."

Ksenias laughed, glanced at Bu Jialao, and exclaimed in admiration.

“It is indeed very interesting. Bu Jialao is a cannon casting master. Even the Ming Dynasty needs talents like him. I think they will consider it.”

Okay, is there anyone else willing to apply to join the Ming Dynasty along with Bu Jialao?

Frank laughed.

What was originally a very thorny problem was unexpectedly resolved successfully if Bu Jialao's idea was followed.

However, it is clearly not enough for Bu Jialao to be alone; they need to add some more people.

Soon, the dozen or so people in the room began to discuss it in hushed tones.

After taking a sip of coffee, Frank smiled and said, "I hope to have two or three people with Bu Jialao. Tomorrow I will go to Xiangshan County again to discuss the specific details with them."

Xenius and Niseya, you'll be in charge of the city's defense for the next few days.

Although we have made contact with the Ming government, we still need to be on guard, especially since they have secretly mobilized troops to Xiangshan County.

Furthermore, the merchant ships at the docks should be sent out to patrol the sea every day. I don't want the Ming Dynasty's naval fleet to be hiding somewhere nearby.

If negotiations with them don't go smoothly, I don't want to see warships sailing towards us at sea while we're dealing with enemies on land.

"Yes, don't worry about that. I'll have merchant ships patrol the nearby waters tomorrow."

Xenius answered loudly, and Nyssia nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with the decision.

"Is there any result yet? Who is willing to apply to join the Ming Dynasty along with Master Bu Jialao?"

The meeting continued in the council hall, and the final result was that two more small merchants chose to join Bu Jialao in applying to join the Ming Kingdom and receive household subsidies.

Of course, they joined as individuals, not as a family.

They were already wanderers; if they could successfully join the Ming Dynasty, that would be enough.

If other situations arise later, just pack up and leave.

After all, joining the Ming Dynasty was merely a stopgap measure for them, and the results of today's meeting would be reported in writing to the Goa Governor's Office.

As for why there wasn't time to delay, there wasn't enough time to obtain the order from the Goa Governor's Office.

Even under ideal circumstances, a round trip between the two sides would take at least three months. Even if they contacted Temasek and received support from them, it would still take at least another month. In their assessment, there simply wasn't enough time.

Moreover, if Temasek is involved, how will Old Port react?

If things go wrong, not only will they lose control of the trestle, but the Ming army will also target Temasek, which would be a real disaster for Portugal.

Temasek was very important; it was a crucial channel for Portuguese merchants to obtain goods such as spices, silk, and porcelain from the East.

Once the Ming dynasty controls the Temasek Strait, it will be difficult for them to continuously obtain products from the East, which would be a fatal blow to the maritime trade routes that the Portuguese have worked so hard to establish.

Although Mingguo may know that both Haojing and Temasek are actually under Goa's control, it is not a fact as long as they do not admit it.

Haojing was, after all, land they leased from the Ming Dynasty, not land they captured with cannons.

The next day, Frank and Bu Jialao boarded a carriage and left Haojing early for Xiangshan County.

Bu Jialao's identity was indeed special. In an era in which the world was paying more and more attention to firearms, a cannon-casting master like him was indeed worthy of the respect of various countries.

Even when he was facing members of the South China Sea Fleet, they treated him with great courtesy.

However, in the Ming Dynasty, the government, or rather the literati, actually looked down on these "craftsmen" because in their view, one side was the superiors, while the other side was just a servant.

Liu Yaohui and other officials did not take the Portuguese seriously and looked down on them from the bottom of their hearts.

It has to be said that Chinese people are true members of the "appearance association." Although there are some Portuguese people whose appearance conforms to Eastern aesthetics, they still look down on them.

After the magistrate of Xiangshan County delivered the message, Liu Yaohui directly instructed him to receive the Portuguese, and did not even want to meet them.

Frank was actually quite helpless about the attitude of the Ming government.

He could guess that there must be higher-ranking Ming officials in the city.

But people looked down on him, and there was nothing he could do about it.

After an hour of discussion, the magistrate of Xiangshan County, upon learning of Hao Jing's intentions, temporarily suspended the negotiations, citing the seriousness of the matter and the need for reporting.

After seeing Frank and Bu Jialao off, the magistrate of Xiangshan County hurriedly went to the back hall where Liu Yaohui was staying to report on the situation of the moat.

"Bu Jialao, is that the merchant who's so skilled at casting cannons?"

In the back garden, Liu Yaohui sat in the pavilion, listening to the report from the magistrate of Xiangshan County.

"He did indeed know how to cast cannons. In the early years, the navy came to Haojing to purchase cannons, and later sent craftsmen into Haojing to learn cannon casting techniques in his workshop."

The magistrate of Xiangshan County answered in a low voice.

"The imperial court has attached great importance to the Ministry of Works in recent years, and has asked them to find ways to manufacture good things. As far as I know, many of these things are actually Western products."

Liu Yaohui recalled the news from the capital over the years, as well as the official gazettes, especially the secret documents that had been passed between government officials. The most important thing was to collect information on goods flowing in from overseas, which would then be judged by the Ministry of Works.

When the diplomatic missions went to Europe, they collected a lot of local products and books, which the Ministry of Works is said to be studying now.

Many of their things seem simple, but they are full of calculations.

Well, in this era, the scholars of the Ming Dynasty regarded mathematics as calculation, or arithmetic.

Although the concept of "mathematics" and the term existed in China as early as the Song Dynasty, arithmetic remained the more widely accepted term.

In fact, in modern times, arithmetic basically represents ancient Chinese mathematical knowledge.

"Since the founding of our dynasty, there has been no record of accepting foreign peoples into the household registration system."

After a long while, Liu Yaohui finally spoke slowly.

"I don't think so. I've never heard of it."

However, the latest issue of the official gazette seems to say that Mongolians will be registered in a separate household register.

The magistrate of Xiangshan County suddenly spoke, recalling the official report sent yesterday.

"It's different. Our dynasty originated from the Song and Yuan dynasties, so the Yuan people are naturally considered Ming people as well. It's just that they didn't submit to the rule of the Ming dynasty in the past."

"With the current Holy Emperor in power, the Yuan people, bathed in His grace, have voluntarily submitted; this is a good thing."

After reading the official gazette, Liu Yaohui guessed the gist of it: the natural disaster was so severe that the Mongols could not bear it, and in order to receive the court's aid, they had no choice but to accept the court's orders.

Although it was only in name, Liu Yaohui still felt that the current cabinet was doing a great job.

He could guess that, step by step, the imperial court would gradually infiltrate the grasslands, and eventually, these unruly Mongols would have no choice but to submit to its rule.

After all, their living conditions are what they are.

After thousands of years of fighting, it's not that there weren't insightful people in Shilin who saw through their southward migration: it was to plunder resources for survival.

"This matter is beyond my control; it must be reported to the imperial court immediately."

Liu Yaohui knew that if Bu Jialao was truly willing to join the Ming Dynasty, the cabinet might make an exception for him.

After all, there was no precedent for this before.

China's first naturalization of foreign citizens began during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng. During the Yongle reign, the Sulu Sultan died in Shandong, and his family chose to stay and guard his tomb. Foreigners lived in the Ming Dynasty for two hundred years.

During the Qing Dynasty's rule over China, Emperor Yongzheng issued an edict allowing more than 300 descendants of the Eastern King, who had lived in Shandong for hundreds of years, to register as citizens.

This was absolutely unprecedented.

Why does he want to be registered as a resident of our Ming Dynasty?

Liu Yaohui asked again.

The magistrate of Xiangshan County naturally asked Bu Jialao about this issue. His explanation was that he had lived in the Ming Dynasty for many years and was already inseparable from this place, so he planned to stay here for all eternity.

"What about the other conditions? Will they accept them?"

Liu Yaohui continued to ask.

He hasn't received any news from the navy yet; they're probably still on their way, but it should be soon.

Therefore, he needed to understand the situation in the trench as soon as possible, and it was very important whether the navy could enter the trench peacefully.

"They are still stalling for time, gathering information, and trying to find out exactly how the imperial court intends to treat them."

During previous negotiations, Frank repeatedly asked whether, in the name of the court, they could be allowed to reside in Haojing indefinitely and their property there could be protected.

In my humble opinion, they still want to stay, but they are afraid that the government troops will expel them after they arrive, so they are unwilling to accept it.

"That's what the magistrate of Xiangshan County said."

As long as money is not involved, or when the court's will is clear, he is quite shrewd.

"In the next negotiation, you can tell them that the court has no intention of expelling them."

As for requiring an official document from the imperial court, that also needs to be reported to higher authorities.

Liu Yaohui received a letter from Wei Guangde, which did not imply any intention to expel him.

In fact, Wei Guangde hadn't anticipated that the Portuguese would indirectly uncover his ideas about the future political structure of the Hague. (End of Chapter)