Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 342: Opening of Port to Recruit

"what did he say?"

On the third day when Zheng He bombarded the armed merchant ships under Chen Zuyi, a surprised voice rang out. A Han man in his forties and wearing a Su Jinyuan collared robe questioned the kneeling merchant ship master in front of him with an incredible expression.

He was sitting in the central hall of a Chinese-style building, with more than 20 Han people wearing various satin round-neck robes sitting on his left and right.

Everyone looked at each other in shock, and in front of the nave outside them, hundreds of soldiers wearing iron armor stood on an open space of nearly an acre in the front yard.

This group of soldiers were strong and strong, with swords at their waists and spears in their hands. All of them had a look of violence on their faces, as if they would draw their swords and kill people at the next moment.

The open space in the front yard under their feet was paved with blue bricks. The mansion they were in was either too shabby or too big.

To be honest, it is like a wealthy family's mansion, except that all kinds of regulations have been expanded several times.

Just like the normal one-foot-long courtyard wall here is two feet high and one foot thick, it's like a miniature city.

All the houses in the mansion are also enlarged proportions of ordinary courtyard houses. At best, they are simple, at worst, they are enlarged versions of private houses.

Suddenly, Chen Zuyi, who had suppressed his smile, took the initiative to speak, which made many leaders aware of the seriousness of this matter.

Liang Daoming comforted the Han and Malay troops under his command, and he and the troops quietly waited for the approach of the three sand ships.

When they were less than fifty steps away from the Palembang garrison, the civil servants raised their hands and bowed: "Your Excellency, Tan Shengshou, the Guangdong Supervisor of the Ming Dynasty Metropolitan Procuratorate, is a native of Nanhai County, Guangdong. Today, by the order of His Majesty the Ming Emperor, I have come to appease Ju. Liang Daoming, an overseas Chinese from Hong Kong, also pardoned the people who crossed the sea from Guangdong and allowed them to travel by sea and go home to visit relatives in the future."

Soon, three sand ships arrived and docked in the crowded port. A civil servant wearing civilian uniform and fifty or sixty Ming army soldiers in armor stepped out of the ship.

"This is the imperial court's ship. No one should act rashly. Wait until their sand ship docks and ask them what their purpose is."

If the court really wants to arrest Liang Daoming, it can directly send troops to suppress it. After all, it is a serious crime for them to sneak across Nanyang.

The civil servant held a decree from the East Palace in his hand and walked towards Palembang City with fifty or sixty soldiers.

"How many soldiers, horses and warships do they have?" a leader asked, and after hearing this, the commander also thought of the huge fleet.

Palembang is one of the main cities on the waterway from Malacca to Java. There are many merchants from various countries passing through here, so the port is built large enough.

At this moment, the two generals on the left and right beside Liang Daoming spoke one after another, but Liang Daoming shook his head: "I don't think the court will do anything to me. It's not like you haven't heard about things in the north."

Some leaders didn't believe it, but Wang Qiu was so worried that he almost cried when he heard this: "It's true. If you don't believe it, you can ask the brothers. They hit us with artillery two or three miles away. In the blink of an eye, Our ship was beaten to pieces, and more than half of the people were killed on the spot!"

Although there were only three ships anchored offshore, the huge hull still caused panic in the entire Palembang port.

"Master, let me negotiate."

But such a place is currently the residence of Chen Zuyi, the pirate king of Nanyang, and the center of power for tens of thousands of pirates in Nanyang.

Kneeling in the middle hall, the boss trembled and explained the words. More than 20 leaders on the left and right cursed after hearing the words. On the contrary, Chen Zuyi, who was sitting in the main seat, smiled contemptuously: "You want to encircle and suppress me?"

As they watched nervously, a man with a wide face and a lion's nose who was not too tall and was wearing Chinese-style armor came leading hundreds of troops wearing armor.

They may feel that they are the busiest, but at this moment, the busiest in Nanyang is not them, but the city of Palembang, which is more than 200 miles away from them.

"Send a message to summon all ships."

"They have too many ships, and the stone bullets they fire are extremely powerful. There are thousands of them. There are so many warships that the entire sea is covered, and they are densely packed like a large moving island."

"I don't know. Their warships have at least three thousand materials. There are no less than twenty cannons on the deck alone. Each ship has at least four to five hundred people."

Seeing this man appear, everyone seemed to have a backbone, and this short, broad-faced, lion-nosed man was the king of the new Srivijaya Kingdom, Liang Daoming.

Because of this, they were very worried that they would be punished for stealing to Nanyang.

Soon, the whole city became busy, many carrier pigeons were released, and some were driving ships out to sea, preparing to inform the brothers at sea.

The clanging bells made the entire Palembang panic. Dozens of trebuchets on the coast were ready. At the same time, thousands of men wearing iron armor and thousands of men holding weapons were also nervous. Hide in the streets and prepare for the enemy.

As soon as Tan Shengshou spoke, the Han soldiers in Palembang City looked at each other with excitement and some suspicion.

Perhaps seeing the honesty on his face, the leaders who were still yelling and scolding all shut their mouths. Even Chen Zuyi, who had been contemptuous before, stopped smiling and frowned slightly.

"Fucking fart!"

"They said...the imperial court issued a decree, and the king must either accept the recruitment or be killed on the spot..."

Also a Nanyang maritime merchant, as the "new Srivijaya King" guarding Palembang, Liang Daoming had learned early that the imperial fleet was heading south.

"This..." The two ministers looked at each other in confusion upon hearing this, not knowing what to say to dissuade him.

Initially, Liang Daoming and others thought it was an exaggeration, but as Zheng He and others gradually went south, they came into contact with more and more countries and more and more foreign businessmen. Gradually, they felt that even without the group of merchants bragging about the Pacific Fleet, There are tens of thousands, no less than ten thousand soldiers and horses.

He knew the character of this commander, so he was now a little unsure about the size of the Ming fleet.

The matter of the voyage to the Western Ocean has been rumored in full swing since last year, especially after the Ming Dynasty annihilated the Annan Hu family and his son. The Southeast Asian countries learned about the size of the voyage to the Western Ocean fleet from the circulation of news from their own merchants.

Under their gaze, three small sand boats were put down on the three ships and rafted towards the port of Palembang.

"Wang Qiu, are you exaggerating?"

"Lord of the country!"

If the court's warships are willing, they can enter the harbor and berth. Now they are sending three sand ships, which obviously has other intentions.

The officer in charge did not add fuel to the fire, but explained the size of the Ming fleet in a matter-of-fact manner.

At noon on the same day, a treasure ship and two horse ships flying the flag of the Ming Dynasty sailed south and arrived at the coast of Palembang Port.

The main reason why they were so wary of the arrival of the imperial fleet was that since the establishment of the Navy Governor's Office, the Ming Navy almost intercepted the Ming Dynasty offshore in order to eliminate Japanese pirates. This approach made it impossible for many relatives of the Han people in Palembang to go south, and they did not dare to Return north.

What he said was true and urgent, and his eagerness was seen by everyone, making them murmur uncontrollably.

"I'll take a hundred brothers, and you two will stay."

After Liang Daoming finished speaking, he took action, stood up and motioned to the soldiers around him to follow him out of the city, and appeared in the sight of Tan Shengshou and others.

When Tan Shengshou saw this, he did not stand there and wait arrogantly. Instead, he walked forward with a smile and communicated with Liang Daoming in his hometown dialect: "You and I are both from Nanhai County, and we can be considered fellow townsmen. That's why I took the initiative. Please come and see you."

"Master Tan, you are serious." Liang Daoming also didn't expect that he, a small vendor in Nanhai County, could do what he is today, let alone that he could talk on an equal footing with the officials of the imperial court.

"Sit down and talk."

Two Ming soldiers brought stools and placed them. Tan Shengshou took the initiative and asked Liang Daoming to take a seat, and at the same time said:

"I think you have heard about the imperial court's voyage to the West."

"The common people have heard about it." Although he was already a king, Liang Daoming still feared the imperial court in his heart.

"That's good." Tan Shengshou breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time handed over the Eastern Palace's teaching order with both hands.

"This is an edict from His Highness the Crown Prince of the East Palace. His Highness has pardoned all the people who went south to Nanyang and allowed them to return to their hometowns. At the same time, he also allowed them to bring their families to live in Nanyang."

"But if you want to go to Nanyang in the future, you can only take the official ships of the imperial court. In addition, His Highness intends to appease you and set up Palembang as the imperial court's old port and the station of the imperial Nanyang Navy in the future."

Tan Shengshou didn't hide it, he just smiled and said everything that made everyone nervous, because he knew what was behind him.

But even though he kept smiling, the meaning behind his words still made the soldiers who followed Liang Daoming look angry.

"Appease me?" Liang Daoming felt something was wrong in the atmosphere, tried to ease the atmosphere, and at the same time opened the Eastern Palace's teaching order.

The edict contains a lot of content, mainly describing the current situation in Nanyang and the situation in Nanyang in the future, as well as the plight of the new Srivijaya Kingdom, and the court's attitude towards the Majapahit Kingdom.

Finally, Zhu Gaoxu stated the conditions for recruiting Liang Daoming and others, including the pardon mentioned by Tan Shengshou, and mentioned the treatment of Liang Daoming and others after accepting the recruitment.

Liang Daoming will be awarded the powerful official position of Commander of the Nanyang Guard, and the rank of Qingqi Commandery at the third rank.

With this single level, his descendants are guaranteed for at least ten generations.

In addition, Liang Daoming will also have the power to propose official positions for six thousand households, fifty-six hundred households, and one hundred and twelve general banners.

Although it is a suggestion, as long as the names of people who have harmed the imperial court do not appear on it, they can be hired, or Liang Daoming can use these places to exchange for the pardon of some criminals who have violated other laws.

As for the changes in the lives of the people in Palembang after the imperial court took over Palembang, Zhu Gaoxu also wrote about it in detail.

According to the new policies in Shandong and other places, there are only commercial taxes and land taxes, and a tax system of one out of ten taxes is implemented.

All merchant ships are prohibited from smuggling and can only engage in trade with the West.

The imperial court would set up an official school in Palembang. The specific number of schools would be based on the population and number of children in Palembang.

In addition, people in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang can also bring their relatives to Nanyang, or choose to return home.

As for their property in Palembang, what can be disposed of will be disposed of, and what cannot be disposed of will be taken over by the court and exchanged for equal value.

In addition to these, Zhu Gaoxu also made detailed plans for the future construction and land reclamation of Palembang, which he presented to Liang Daoming in written form.

For Liang Daoming, through this edict, he could feel that His Royal Highness the Supervisory Prince attached great importance to Palembang, and at the same time he admired the planning of these contents. At least during his reign, he never had the energy to change these. Just maintaining the local army and resisting the invasion of Majapahit and pirates made him physically and mentally exhausted.

Among his men, only Zheng Bo and Shi Jinqing were of great use, and they were the same two people who tried to stop him before.

Uncle Zheng knew that he actually wanted to return to his hometown in glory, while Shi Jinqing wanted to stay in Palembang and let Palembang develop and grow, and he had great ambitions.

"I need to discuss this matter with the people in the city."

Liang Daoming did not make the decision rashly. Tan Shengshou also expressed understanding after hearing this, but still reminded:

"The imperial fleet will arrive at Palembang tomorrow, but we will not enter the port. We will be anchored at sea for four days, waiting for good news from Xiongtai."

Tan Shengshou's words invisibly put a little pressure on Liang Daoming, and also made him think of how to do Shi Jinqing's ideological work.

"I have arranged a place for you to stay..."

Liang Daoming talked about the non-existent arrangement, and Tan Shengshou also knew that the other party was being polite, so he raised his hand to interrupt and said with a smile: "No need, I will return to the ship first, and I will go ashore to ask my brother when the fleet arrives tomorrow. "

Tan Sheng bowed and saluted, then turned around and took dozens of soldiers back to the sand ship, and rowed back to the warship on the sea.

Watching them leave, Liang Daoming also returned to the city, and while ordering the entire army to maintain martial law, he took the Han, Malay and other officials who could speak in Palembang to the former Srivijaya Palace.

They shuttled through the city. The roads in Palembang were not very good. They were basically dirt roads. Every pothole was filled with sand from the sea. It was very crude.

Compared with the roads, the houses on the left and right sides of the streets are culturally complex and different.

There are all kinds of buildings including Muslim, Malay, Nanyang, Chinese and so on. Although the construction area is different, the town formed by the collision of multiple cultures is very unique and can be said to be unique in other parts of Southeast Asia.

Because of this, the internal conflicts within Srivijaya are as rich as the culture.

After Liang Daoming finished talking with the Ming officials, he led everyone back to the palace without saying a word, which made everyone feel uneasy.

Soon, they came to a quaint brown stone palace. They passed through the city wall with Malay and partially Muslim styles and came to a palace with little Chinese style.

It is said to be a palace, but its area is only two-thirds of the area. It can only accommodate a hundred people standing. If they all sit down, it can only accommodate fifty or sixty people.

Liang Daoming sat on his chair, and then handed the Ming Dynasty East Palace Order to the man next to him.

The man was about fifty years old. He looked like an old farmer who had been digging in the fields for half his life and could only rest for three to five years. He still had a strong peasant aura about him.

He looked at the decree with a somewhat stunned expression on his face, and then passed the decree to others.

Everyone checked the contents of the decree one by one until all of them had finished reading. A full hour had passed, and the efficiency was slow.

"My lord, what do you think?"

In the crowd, another person who had previously advised Liang Daoming asked, and everyone looked at him, which made him feel the pressure on his shoulders.

"The main force of the imperial fleet will arrive in Palembang tomorrow, but they promised to stay at sea for three days, waiting for news from us."

"What I mean is, let's first see what the size of the imperial fleet tomorrow will be, and then decide whether to accept appeasement or confrontation."

"I think you have all seen that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince does have great insights into the management of Palembang. If Palembang is in the hands of the court, it will definitely be better than in our hands, and Majapahit will also stop treating us because he is afraid of the court. attack."

"In other words, as long as the imperial court comes and can implement the various conditions in the decree, Palembang and the nearby people can enjoy peace."

"When the time comes, we can go to serve in the imperial court and leave a lasting impression on future generations."

The meaning of Liang Daoming's words is still very obvious. Although he said that he would wait until he sees the fleet tomorrow before making any plans, everyone knows that he prefers to accept recruitment.

This is not surprising. Being able to return to his hometown as the commander of the guards is much more comfortable for those who pursue comfort than being a so-called countryman overseas.

"I agree!"

"Me too!"

For a time, there were many people who agreed with Liang Daoming. After all, most of them went south because of the war in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, or because their families were poor.

Now he can go back to his hometown to be an official with his wealth and honor, and he can continue to enjoy the wealth and honor in his hometown and avoid his own punishment. Everyone knows how to choose this choice.

The Han people want to return home in glory, while the Malays want peace.

They had been fighting Majapahit for eight full years, and no one wanted to continue.

Now the emergence of the Ming Dynasty is indeed the dawn that they can reach, and as far as the conditions offered by the Ming Dynasty are concerned, the Malay people living in this land cannot refuse.

Shi Jinqing looked at this scene. Although he wanted to resist, he had to nod in agreement.

Liang Daoming, whose eyes had been fixed on him, immediately softened when he saw his agreement.

After all, those who come to Nanyang to seek life are not good people. If Shi Jinqing causes everyone to miss this opportunity for one person's selfish desires, then everyone will not mind getting rid of him.

"In this case, let's go to the port early tomorrow morning and see if the size of the imperial fleet is as large as that group of businessmen boasted."

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Everyone laughed when they heard this, not because they didn't believe it, but because they were happy that the matter could be finalized.

Throughout the night, many people tossed and turned, some fell asleep, and others stayed up all night.

The next morning, before it was dark, many Srivijaya leaders appeared in some houses near the port city and waited anxiously.

Time passed little by little, and as the sun hung high in the sky, black spots also appeared in the sea northwest of Palembang.

"Dang Dang Dang——"

The big bell at the port was rung by the sailors responsible for the investigation. All the leaders walked out of the houses and looked to the northwest from a distance.

I saw that the black spots in the northwest were getting bigger and bigger, and there were more and more, gradually forming a black line.

"That's the old port there. It looks pretty big?"

"Yes, it can be called Old Port or Palembang, but we will call it Old Port after we come here. After all, we still have to build New Port City in the north."

After months of arduous travel, looking at Palembang in the distance, Zheng He and the others on the deck finally arrived at their destination while bickering.

When their fleet appeared, as time passed, the fleet got closer and closer. The people on the shore of Palembang, Liang Daoming and others were all shocked by the huge hull and scale of this fleet.

Their fleet was so large that when the fleet entered the harbor, the warships would make a friction sound because they were so close together.

The friction sound was thrilling and shocking, and the number of Ming troops on the warship shocked them even more.

As if deliberately flexing his muscles, Yang Zhan commanded the fleet to cruise as close as possible to the harbor where Liang Daoming and other Srivijaya soldiers and civilians were, and finally returned to the sea area where Tan Shengshou and others were anchored.

"Too... too much, too big..."

At this moment, even Liang Daoming, Zheng Bo, Shi Jinqing and others who had seen the world were surprised by the size of the fleet.

Now they finally understood why Zheng He could so easily lead this fleet to ennoble and recruit kingdoms and chiefs, and why Tan Shengshou dared to bring dozens of people to negotiate.

Their confidence and ease come from their fists, which are bigger than cannons, and the countless cannons on the warships.

Liang Daoming and the others could not imagine what kind of hell on earth the Palembang city would become if this fleet were to bombard it.

For them who were used to fighting with ballistae and trebuchets, they were already surprised by the power of artillery when they saw the artillery fire occasionally. But now when they saw the countless artillery, they didn't know how to describe it for a moment.

"True heavenly soldiers..."

Liang Daoming held it in for a long time, and finally could only say this sentence. At the same time, Zheng He also met Tan Shengshou, who arrived a day early, and learned Liang Daoming's thoughts from him.

"He should be ready to accept recruitment. Now that he sees the strength of the imperial court, he is probably even more shaken."

Zheng He expressed his thoughts and at the same time said to Tan Shengshou: "Strike while the iron is hot, take people to find him now and see what his attitude is."

"If he is willing to accept the appeasement, then let him come to me by boat and have an interview with me."

"Yes!" Tan Shengshou bowed in return, then excitedly returned to his boat and sailed towards the port.

This time he did not drive a sand ship, but directly drove a warship with three thousand materials, because in front of the Pacific Fleet, his warship was nothing at all.

Under the watchful eyes of the soldiers and civilians of Palembang, Tan Shengshou's warship slowly docked, then lowered the ladder and walked down calmly.

This time, he only brought twenty soldiers and walked in the direction of Liang Daoming and the others. After a while, he reached the edge of the city. No one dared to stop him.

Wherever he passed, soldiers and civilians gave way, leading him to the front of Liang Daoming and everyone.

Facing Liang Daoming, he was still polite but not rude, with a smile on his face and raised his hand to bow:

"Brother, what do you think?"

(End of this chapter)