prosperous age

Just as the Temasek Portuguese were becoming increasingly apprehensive after witnessing the large-scale reinforcement of Ming troops in Palembang and were considering ending their arms trade with the Kingdom of Aceh, the atmosphere in the conference room of the Governor-General's Palace in Manila, Philippines, was as oppressive as a gloomy primeval forest.

After several days of continuous contact, the Spanish thoroughly understood the Ming people's intentions.

This includes the origins of the Ming Dynasty warship they attacked.

It came from the east; it wasn't a ship that lost its way at sea and accidentally drifted here.

"They want a share of the rights in New Spain? Dream on, the Pope will not grant them such an outrageous request."

Upon returning, Governor Sand did not cease his tirade against the Ming officials.

Those sitting below, besides fleet commander De Pero, were officials from the Philippine Governor's Office, who were also at a loss.

They found it difficult to answer the demands made by the Ming people.

Because they simply don't have that power.

Just kidding, they're sitting here because the kingdom needs spices from Southeast Asia.

Otherwise, who would want to come here?

New Spain is the foundation of the kingdom.

If the Ming people were allowed into that land, they wouldn't know what would happen.

"Your Excellency, please stop your insults. This only makes you appear incompetent."

Our current concern is how to respond to the Ming people.

De Perrot suggested, "We might as well tell them directly tomorrow that we can't give them any answer."

This matter can only be reported to His Majesty the King for a decision.

"What do you mean?"

Sander stared at De Pero, his dissatisfaction almost seeping from his eyes.

"For the honor of the kingdom, shouldn't we dare to refuse outright?"

Sander questioned.

"No, because we do not know His Majesty's decision."

De Perrot replied directly, "Tell them we need time to get the information back."

Then I led the fleet back to Mexico and reported the situation there to the Governor-General's Palace.

Keep them calm for now; the Mexican Viceroyalty will surely send a fleet to support them.

Only then will we have the confidence to say 'no' to those ignorant and arrogant Ming people.

Moreover, by then, whether or not the Philippines can be defended will not be your responsibility, Governor-General.

Well, De Pero did remind him that he was the governor of Manila, and his duty was to defend the city.

If the city is lost in his hands, he will bear a great responsibility.

"It should be reported."

Sander finally lowered his head and said something.

“Your Excellency is wise; we should ask His Majesty the King to make the decision.”

"New Spain is a vast land, and to the north, there are countless indigenous peoples, which is very dangerous."

Actually, it's not that we can't give them that barren land in the north.

“That makes sense. Let the Ming people fight those natives.”

If they wish, we can sell them a small number of firearms, profit from their gold and silver, and weaken the Ming Dynasty's power there.

Even, if His Majesty the King permits, it wouldn't be impossible for us to send troops to annihilate them directly.

However, that would require the kingdom to send more troops to strengthen the defenses of Manila.

These officials then began to discuss the matter animatedly. When Sander was hurling insults, they had all remained silent, not daring to even breathe.

It was only because De Pero, who was not part of the Philippine official system, dared to speak to Sanders like that.

Sander was well aware that De Perot's goal was to leave as soon as possible.

Outside the port, the Ming Dynasty's fleet was enormous.

And then there are those artillery pieces; lately, they've been sending out a fleet every now and then to conduct artillery drills.

The booming sound of cannons could be clearly heard even in Manila.

He also noticed that these Ming people didn't seem to care much for the Song people in the city.

Thinking about it, I feel relieved.

Earlier, they worried that Ming people would infiltrate the Song people, acting as their inside agents and informants, and betraying the kingdom's interests.

However, it seems that the Ming people did not consider these Song people as their own.

There are precedents in the West for people to no longer acknowledge their origins.

Nobles are loyal only to the monarch to whom they have sworn allegiance.

"Lift the blockade against Chinese people."

Despite talking with the Ming people for so long, they showed no interest in them whatsoever.

Looking back now, those Chinese who stayed in the city had absolutely no connection with the Ming Dynasty.

They do not acknowledge the new kingdom in that land, and still yearn for the kingdom that has vanished and no longer exists.

Thinking about it this way, it makes sense that the Ming people didn't care about their lives.

From now on, we only need to focus on the Ming Chinese who come here; we don't need to pay too much attention to the Chinese who have already settled here.

Governor Sand interrupted their discussion and issued an order.

"But."

"No buts."

Someone was about to express their concerns when Sander interrupted them.

"Right now, I must ensure stability in the city. It would be a waste to dedicate manpower to watching over them at this time."

Besides, I understand your little schemes, but we can't let small things cause us to lose sight of the bigger picture.

Governor Sand began to speak.

During this period, the Chinese residents in the city were restricted from leaving, forcing them to spend much more money than the market price to buy daily necessities from the guards.

Of course, the lion's share of the money went to them, with the soldiers receiving only a small portion.

Sander also received a share, which was quite generous, but he doesn't plan to continue for the time being.

Even if Chinese people have some savings, they need to rest and recuperate after such a long period of time.

Are we really going to let them starve to death?
If they starve to death, who will pay their taxes?

Although these Chinese people are few in number, they are the main force of tax payers in Manila.

Although everyone received a considerable amount of money during this period, it was income earned privately.

The Governor-General's accounts show a significant decrease in tax revenue over the past two months.

It wasn't just because Ming Dynasty merchants fled, causing them to lose their source of income from customs duties; also, the expulsion of Chinese people from their homes affected all sectors of industry and commerce in the cities.

"We must get the city running as soon as possible and increase tax revenue."

Otherwise, we would have collapsed on our own without the Ming army attacking us.

As soon as Governor Sander finished speaking, the officials in charge of finance immediately chimed in to agree.

The Governor-General's Office saw a sharp decrease in revenue, while its expenditures increased significantly.

In particular, to prepare for a possible war, a large number of new indigenous people were recruited.

Well, these newly added lazybones are really troublesome and have become a burden on the Governor's Office.

"Your Excellency, should we dismiss the newly recruited personnel?"

The finance official immediately asked a question.

"Not for now. We'll consider their fate after we've reached an agreement with the Ming people and withdrawn."

Governor Sand gave his own reply.

Reducing troop strength at this time is definitely not an option; what if something goes wrong? "Then, what should we do with the confiscated Chinese supplies?"

This time, they not only confined Chinese people to their homes, but also shut down a large number of their shops and confiscated a considerable amount of goods.

Yes, it's quite valuable.

“They should still have money, let them redeem it at half price.”

If you can't afford to pay, you can sign an IOU and pay interest.

Governor Sand quickly came up with a solution: since the governor's mansion had already been looted once, someone needed to bear the losses this time.

The wealth of these Chinese people just made up for the losses during this period.

"They are our cattle and horses for collecting taxes, we can't push them too hard, understand?"

Governor Sander said to his finance minister.

"Understood, I will definitely handle this matter well."

The treasurer immediately agreed.

However, he had already quickly made some plans in his mind.

Well, we'll secretly charge them another 10%, and then say it's a discount for them.

He didn't care whether the Chinese in Manila still had any money.

Can't we just write an IOU?

Return the goods to them, and once they sell them, they'll have the money.

He won't lose anything, he'll only make a profit.

Well, those who are willing to leave Spain and go to sea are all here to make money.

Making money is nothing to be ashamed of.

When the time comes, just take out some money and go to the church to buy an indulgence.

Having purchased indulgences, he was a clean soul again.

With the major issues settled, the only remaining discussion was about the details of negotiations with the Ming people the next day. The meeting finally ended, and the atmosphere at the Governor's Office returned to normal.

The next day, the Chinese in Manila discovered something to their delight: the soldiers who had been blockading them had finally withdrawn.

The horse-drawn carriages on the streets have all been moved away, and the people are finally free. They can finally walk on the streets again and breathe the fresh air outdoors at will.

However, most Chinese people did not relax at this time.

Having been stuck at home for so long, almost everyone rushed out to check on their shops or jobs.

However, when they arrived at their shop, everyone was stunned.

Not only were they detained in their homes for no reason, but their shops and warehouses were also seized by the governor's office.

In their eyes, there was only the seal of the governor's mansion.

Well, by this point, they actually knew what had been going on lately.

If we're talking about an undeserved disaster, it really does seem to be one.

However, they didn't know whether they should pin the blame on the Ming Dynasty.

They also understood why the Spanish were wary of them.

So, with a sigh, the local Chinese merchants had no choice but to go to the Governor's Mansion together to ask how to remove the seals pasted on the door.

Whether in China or abroad, Chinese people inherently possess a strong sense of law-abidingness.

Except for bad people.

They also knew that this piece of paper, which carried governmental significance, could not be torn up casually.

Soon, they would have to face the reality of the Governor's Office blatantly extorting them.

The changes in the city haven't reached the sea so quickly yet.

However, in a rather impressive stone house at the dock, officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty began negotiations with the Spanish again.

"You must report this to the Mexican Viceroyalty."
Yes, no problem.

However, our navy is already fully prepared.

"When the time comes, let them contact the Eastern Continent Governor's Office directly to discuss the matter."

Before their arrival, the imperial court had already reached a consensus: regardless of whether the Spanish in the Philippines acknowledged it or not, the Ming Dynasty would send troops to land on the eastern continent and begin developing it.

What the court wanted was simply to use this route to inform the Spanish of their arrival.

Can't we contact each other directly?
Of course not.

In fact, all non-Spanish ships that approached the equatorial trade winds would be attacked by the Spanish navy.

Until it sinks.

On the high seas, Spain was just that domineering at that time.

In fact, a few years later, if it weren't for the natural barrier of the sea and its unique and changeable maritime climate, Britain would have had a hard time defeating the Spanish Armada.

The idea that the British defeated the Spanish Armada with advanced tactics is a very ignorant one.

Spain's invincible Armada was defeated more by the sea than by the weak British Navy.

If they truly possessed such formidable strength, the British, not the Netherlands, should have dominated the oceans after defeating the Spanish navy.

Therefore, as long as the enemy ship is sunk, everything can be blamed on the sea.

It could be said that the ships sent by the Ming Dynasty to make contact would not even reach the Spanish ports before sinking to the bottom of the sea.

"Our fleet will set off at top speed for Mexico to report the situation here."

We hope that both sides can maintain a peaceful stance until a response is received.

The Spanish diplomat made the request.

"Of course, no problem, we will stay in Tortoiseshell City."

However, it needs to be made clear that His Majesty the Emperor of our dynasty has appointed Li Chengliang, Earl Li, as the Admiral and Governor-General of the Expansion of the Eastern Continent.

"Negotiations will be conducted between your governor over there and our Earl Li."

With so many of them, it's impossible for them to stay adrift at sea forever.

The South China Sea Fleet is currently taking turns to rest and recuperate in Turtle City, and they are temporarily staying in this building.

They also found it very uncomfortable to stay in that kind of space on the ship for extended periods.

"Of course, we have no problem and fully agree with your request."

However, we have already arranged for ships to set sail and return to Mexico in the next few days. We would appreciate your understanding in opening a passageway outside the port to facilitate the entry and exit of merchant ships.

Spanish diplomats immediately raised the issue of restoring the shipping lanes.

During this period, after the Ming Dynasty navy blocked the entrance to Manila Port, not a single ship entered the port.

Upon seeing the Ming Dynasty naval warships in the distance, they immediately turned around and left.

In fact, there were merchants from the Ming Dynasty and Southeast Asia, as well as Spanish maritime merchants.

They can't afford to offend them; it involves a contest at the national level, something these businessmen can't control.

They dared not dock at the Ming Dynasty's ports, because Portuguese merchants had spread the word that Spanish merchant ships were being held in port and the crew and merchants were being taken to inns in the port.

Okay, they have to settle their own expenses; they don't get any government-provided meals.

Spanish merchants in the Far East and the Ming Dynasty's Maritime Sea are living a miserable life, getting worse every year.

However, the Ming government was not as shameless as the Spanish Governor-General of Manila, who forcibly confiscated the assets of Chinese merchants.

As for the situation in the city, it was eventually reported to the Ming Dynasty through the Jinyiwei's (Imperial Guards') connections. The officials just shook their heads indifferently, seemingly lamenting the low moral character of the Spanish barbarians.

Then there is no more then.

After the Manila galleon fleet left Manila Harbor, the two centipede-shaped ships of the Ming army also sped northward towards Dongfan Island with the orderly rowing of the sailors.

In the capital of the Ming Dynasty, outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Li Chengliang knelt on the ground.

By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:
I, having received the Mandate of Heaven and ruling over all lands, consider the vast expanse of the Eastern Continent, though far overseas, its fertile land and thriving people truly constitute an extension of the territory of my Great Ming.
"Now, I hereby specially appoint General Li Chengliang of Liaodong to oversee military affairs and lead the troops to the Eastern Continent at 1:15 PM on the 11th day of the eighth month of the eleventh year of Wanli to expand the territory and pacify the people of Suiyuan." (End of this chapter)