prosperous age

The navy's southward advance was swift, easily described as a meteor chasing the moon or a rabbit escaping.

Just as news of the government troops marching south in large numbers spread through Songjiang Prefecture and Yuegang Wharf, the fleet had already crossed the strait between Fujian and Dongfan Island and was heading south at high speed toward Luzon Island.

Were there any foreign merchants at these two docks?

Of course there are.

So after the news spread, these foreign merchants didn't bother to buy goods and just wanted to leave quickly.

However, they were ultimately a step too slow.

The ship has been guarded by government personnel, and all the sailors on board have been driven off the ship.

Generally, after a ship docks, the sailors take turns going ashore to rest.

They either went to taverns or had fun to relax and unwind from the fatigue of being at sea.

This time, however, no one remained on the ship.

Although the Ming government did not use force against them, it was only because they were obedient and did not cause any trouble.

If they dared to resist, they would have already been attacked with sword sheaths and gun barrels.

Even among the government troops, there were constables dressed in black uniforms with double forks tucked into their waistbands.

These are the personnel the government needs to deal with the talents in the martial arts world. These constables are very good at locking down their opponents' weapons in a fight.

"By imperial decree, foreign ships are prohibited from leaving port in the near future."

You may continue to purchase supplies at the port, but no one is allowed to board the ships, let alone leave.

An official stood in front of several foreign merchants, loudly reading the magistrate's document.

It seems he guessed that these barbarians might not understand, so he added his own plain language at the end.

Then, some of these foreign merchants found out, through a combination of guesswork and deception, that they had been imprisoned and forbidden from leaving the port.

The other foreign merchants only learned about their current situation after the translator's explanation.

“I am Portuguese, not Spanish as you say.”

Immediately, one of the foreign merchants, a red-haired one, loudly defended himself.

"I don't care if you're a Westerner or a Portuguese, I'll treat you all as barbarians here."

You may stay in the port to rest and purchase goods, but you are not allowed to leave the port.

Just stay put and behave yourself; the court won't make things difficult for you.

Otherwise, you would be under arrest by now.

The official's guess was actually quite accurate. In order to create a more relaxed business environment for the Ming Dynasty, Wei Guangde temporarily imprisoned foreign merchants to maintain military secrecy at this time, but he did not intend to confiscate their private property.

The officials below naturally understood the characteristics of the imperial court's official documents; if they didn't order the arrests, it meant they didn't intend to make things difficult for these people.

Well, this is how, in Yuegang, the government troops and constables led by the county magistrate of Haicheng County quickly took control of the foreign merchants in the port.

In Songjiang Prefecture, there were far more foreign merchants than in Yuegang.

At Yuegang Wharf, there were only four or five foreign ships, while at Songjiangfu Wharf, there were more than ten foreign ships.

In order to quickly control these foreign ships, the prefect of Songjiang Prefecture mobilized government troops and constables from several counties and requested several naval patrol boats to completely blockade the port.

Even so, tensions between the two sides were once high at the dock.

The main problem was that there were too many Yi people here, and the government's actions were discovered.

After that, the resistance from the Yi people became even more intense.

Some of the foreign ships even opened their gun ports, revealing the dark muzzles of the cannons inside.

However, the possibility of these foreign merchants leaving was extremely slim. Not only were the sailors scattered and disorganized, but many were already under the control of the Ming army while still on shore.

Even those foreign ships that wanted to resist only opened three or five gun ports.

Clearly, there weren't many people left on the ship, and they couldn't operate too many cannons.

At the dock, although the government troops did not carry firearms, the surrounding Ming merchant ships were still not happy.

Upon seeing the foreign ships open their cannon windows, Ming merchant ships immediately followed suit, either opening their cannon windows or pushing their cannons directly onto the deck, aiming the muzzles directly at the foreign ships.

In the past, boat people were dissatisfied with the imperial court because the court cut off their livelihood.

These people had lived at sea for generations, but the imperial court's ban on sea travel left them without food or clothing, so they naturally had no choice but to become bandits.

But now, the imperial court has allowed them to sail out to sea, which is equivalent to giving their whole family a way to make a living.

Naturally, the resentment towards the imperial court and government officials has turned into gratitude.

Seeing that the barbarians dared to use force to intimidate the officials, these boat people also consciously helped their own people, taking out the firearms on their boats and aiming them at the barbarians.

In an instant, the atmosphere on the dock became extremely tense, and a major battle was about to break out.

Meanwhile, the prefect of Songjiang Prefecture was sweating profusely in the distance. Knowing that there were many foreigners at the dock, he tried his best to mobilize officials and officers from the surrounding counties, but he still failed to quickly control the foreign ships.

Given the current situation, it seems that seeking help from the surrounding garrisons is not the only option.

With the enemy using firearms, the constables under the prefect's command, who were only responsible for suppressing local strife and maintaining order, were clearly no match for the barbarians wielding firearms.

Even with the help of Ming Dynasty maritime merchants, it will probably still be troublesome.

"Your Excellency, the consul from Anelia has come with several foreign merchants to request an audience."

Just as the prefect of Songjiang was about to issue a document to summon nearby garrisons to assist in the battle, his subordinates came to report.

"What is he doing here? Is he going to take the side of the foreign merchants too?"

The prefect was instantly enraged.

"Sir, please calm down. Why not listen to his intentions first? Besides, he brought several foreign merchants with him. Perhaps he wants to act as a peacemaker."

I've heard that they and the Western Barbarians are not from the same country, and there are even conflicts between them.

Behind the Songjiang prefect, a clerk leaned close to his ear and whispered a reminder.

"Then, let them come over."

Reminded by his advisor, the prefect of Songjiang also came to his senses and immediately gave instructions.

Before long, the British consul appeared before him with three Western merchants.

"Good afternoon, my lord."

The British consul cupped his hands, mimicking the manner of the Ming Dynasty people's greeting, and spoke.

During the Ming Dynasty, ordinary people did not usually need to kneel when meeting officials; a simple bow was sufficient. Kneeling was only required on specific occasions or when being tried for committing a crime.

In other words, people only needed to kneel and bow on solemn occasions such as when they were being tried for breaking the law, when they received an imperial edict, or when they participated in a sacrificial ceremony.

In later films and television dramas, ordinary people are basically depicted as kneeling before officials, which is actually a legacy of the Qing Dynasty.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the restoration of Han and Tang etiquette, abolished the Yuan Dynasty's custom of kneeling and bowing to foreigners, and stipulated that officials and commoners only needed to bow when they met, and commoners did not need to kneel when they met officials.

Therefore, ordinary people only needed to bow with their hands clasped when they met county officials or ministers.

The British consul had been staying in the Ming Dynasty for more than half a year and had already gained a deep understanding of the local customs and traditions, so he naturally adapted to the local customs.

No wonder that when Europeans came to China, they felt uncomfortable everywhere, but now that they are in the Ming Dynasty, they don't feel uncomfortable at all.

Because in Europe, there is no kneeling etiquette.

It could be said that kneeling is not a mainstream practice in either the East or the West; it's a form of etiquette favored only by ignorant barbarians. After a few pleasantries, the exchange between the two sides quickly got on track.

"I don't know why you suddenly want to arrest Spanish merchants. As far as I know, they have only come to the Ming Dynasty to trade and have not violated your country's laws."

Speaking in broken Chinese, the British consul addressed the prefect of Songjiang.

In their speech, they no longer referred to the "Ming Kingdom" but instead used the Han Chinese slang term "Great Ming".

"We have no intention of arresting them. It's just that some things have happened between our dynasty and the Western barbarians recently. The court has ordered the temporary detention of all ships in port and the imprisonment of all barbarians."

Consul, please rest assured, we are simply letting them stay in hotels in the port area; we will not arrest them.

As for what happens next, we need to wait for the imperial court's order.

The prefect of Songjiang explained.

He received the news yesterday and immediately summoned constables and soldiers from several nearby counties to assemble in the port area.

Clearly, the information had not been leaked; it was only when the vigilant Yi people noticed the action that these events occurred.

The main problem is that there are quite a few Yi people here, and if they resist even slightly when trying to control the area, it will affect other people in the distance.

Upon discovering that Ming officials were controlling the foreigners, they naturally became sensitive.

After all, they were in a foreign land thousands of miles away from their homeland, so the foreigners were very careful.

"I wonder what has happened between your country and Spain that would involve innocent businessmen?"

The British consul immediately pressed for an answer.

He didn't actually come here to help the Spanish merchants; he wanted to spy on the Ming Dynasty.

Although Britain had the idea of ​​establishing a long-term trade relationship with Ming China, the distance between the two countries made it difficult to support such a trade route.

But they did it anyway.

In the East, the establishment of a British consulate was actually intended to spy on the Ming Dynasty, including gathering military, economic, and technological intelligence.

Although the British consul was unaware of the reason for the Ming government's sudden attack on the Western barbarians, he took it to heart.

Once you fully understand the ins and outs, you can get a general idea of ​​the political situation in the Ming Dynasty, especially their bottom line.

The prefect of Songjiang knew the general idea; it was described in the official documents.

As for the British consul's claim that the Spanish merchants were innocent, to be honest, the prefect himself thought so too.

However, war may break out between the imperial court and the Western barbarians. If these Western barbarians are allowed to leave, they may immediately run to Luzon to report the news, or even join the Western barbarian army to fight against the government troops.

Therefore, regardless of whether he accepted it or not, the Western merchants and ships in the port could not be let go.

"A month ago, the Western barbarians of Luzon brazenly bombarded our Ming Dynasty's naval warships. The imperial court was furious and dispatched its navy south to Luzon."

Finally, the prefect of Songjiang revealed what he knew.

However, upon hearing this, not only was the British consul shocked, but the three Spanish merchants behind him also changed their expressions drastically.

They never imagined that the Spanish in the Philippines would bombard Ming Dynasty warships with their own—this was a blatant declaration of war.

Everyone knows that pirates on the Ming Dynasty's seas have been almost wiped out by the Ming navy.

If you put your mind to it, all you can think of is seeing a ship, mistaking it for a pirate, and then firing at it.

This reason might be valid for firing in other sea areas, but it doesn't hold water near the Ming Sea.

"Gibberish."

Soon, a Western merchant stepped forward and loudly spoke a string of words in a foreign language.

But it didn't matter that he couldn't understand, as an interpreter immediately stepped forward to translate for him.

He said they did not know why their navy attacked the Ming warships, but they had no ill intentions toward the Ming Dynasty and were only there for trade. He asked that they not be treated the same as the Philippine military.

After listening to the translation, the prefect of Songjiang nodded slightly and said, "Tell them that I am only acting on orders to temporarily detain them. They are all staying in hotels in the port area."

As long as the ships remain anchored in the harbor and do not sail out to sea, their lives and property are safe.

At least, the government won't touch them until the imperial court issues further orders.

The official documents only mentioned "detention" and did not use the word "arrest." In fact, the officials were very sensitive to the wording in official documents and could understand the meaning.

If the magistrate of Chenghai County in Zhangzhou Prefecture could understand it, then the prefect of Songjiang would certainly understand its meaning even better.

From beginning to end, he had no intention of taking down these barbarians.

Of course, if a conflict breaks out, then it's hard to say.

Thinking of this, he continued, "Tell all the barbarians to disembark and stay at the inn."

If resistance leads to a bloody fight, the consequence will certainly not be staying in a hotel, but rather being thrown into the Songjiang Prefecture prison.

This is intimidation. Regardless of whether they can actually capture so many barbarians, they have to say these things.

"Please wait a moment, sir, while I ask for their opinion."

The British consul was arguably the most detached person here, and his status granted him a "immunity" tacitly approved by the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, this immunity is different from that of later generations, but due to the current communication technology, it is almost equivalent to "immunity".

According to the agreement between the Ming Dynasty and Anelia, diplomatic personnel sent by both sides would not be arrested. Even if they were guilty, they could only be placed under residential surveillance and would still be able to carry out their duties normally.

The handling of this matter requires both parties to send personnel to jointly investigate the case.

Okay, so even if the British consul was guilty, the Ming government could only detain him in the courtyard, meaning they were not allowed to leave their consulate.

As for a joint trial by the two countries, with current technology, it's unknown how many years from now.

Wei Guangde accepted this because most of the dispatched personnel were carrying out other missions.

The British needed to protect their diplomats, and the Ming Dynasty had the same need, so they naturally hit it off.

At this point, the British consul, acting as a third party, began to discuss the matter with the three Spanish merchants.

Do you think you have a chance to escape?

He was greeted by three shaking heads.

Although Britain and Spain have conflicts, that's a matter at the national level.

British consuls generally had good relationships with foreign merchants, as the countries were neighboring and they sometimes needed to ask them to help deliver messages.

Although the British consul privately believed that he was actually an unfortunate man abandoned by his motherland.

Despite what happened, he still did what a diplomat should do and tried his best to mediate between the Ming government and the Spanish merchants.

In short, once the three people were finally identified, the British consul brought their answer.

"Sir, they are willing to cooperate and will arrange for all the sailors to stay in the hotel. They also hope that you will keep your promise."

"That's natural. I act in accordance with the orders of the imperial court."

They can rest easy as long as no new orders come down from the capital.

The prefect of Songjiang did not speak definitively; he did not know what would happen if things did not turn out well in Luzon.

Similar incidents were occurring repeatedly in several ports of the Ming Dynasty.

At the docks of Guangzhou and Haojing, even Spanish ships from Southeast Asia were quickly seized by the Ming army as soon as they landed.

Meanwhile, the main force of the South China Sea Fleet was sailing majestically across the South China Sea, steadily approaching Luzon. (End of Chapter)