I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 751 They are coming!

After struggling for a while, Jose finally shouted: "Uncle!"

Marcelo looked at his nephew Jose with red eyes and sighed deeply, "Jose, I finally found you."

"Is mother okay?"

"Do you remember her?"

"She's the only one I care about."

"She died three years ago. When news of you reached Portugal, it was first said that you were killed in battle, and your mother fell ill. A few months later, news came that you were not killed in battle, but surrendered.

Your mother couldn't hold on in the extreme sadness and joy. Before she died, she held my hand and asked me to find you.

I volunteered to be the envoy to the Kingdom of Ming this time. Besides wanting to learn more about the Kingdom of Ming, I also hope to find you."

Jose lowered his head and buried his face deeply in his hands. When he raised his head, tears were streaming down his face.

"May the Virgin Mary save her soul." Jose wiped his tears, made the sign of the cross on his chest, and murmured.

"Do you still believe in God?" Marcelo asked with a flash in his eyes.

"Yes, although I hate those hypocritical priests, I still believe in God unswervingly. People must have faith, otherwise they are just like salted fish."

“Is this your understanding?”

"No, this is what His Majesty the Emperor said."

Marcelo choked, thought for a while and asked again: "Between God and the Emperor of Ming, who would you be more loyal to?"

Jose answered without hesitation: "Your Majesty the Emperor."

Marcelo asked somewhat unhappily: “Why?”

"God is illusory, but His Majesty the Emperor has given me everything."

José's words made Marcelo's temples throb.

That’s right, this is my own nephew, not an impersonator!
"Okay, uncle, while it's still early, come to my house and have a seat. My wife and I were very sorry that there were no elders in my family to bless us during the wedding, so we had to invite General Yu and County Magistrate Song to represent us as father and brother.

Now that you are here, you must come to our house and meet your nephew's wife, and you should also let the children kowtow to their uncle."

Jose paused and added, "The custom in the Ming country is that uncles are more important than heaven. Uncles are the most important relatives besides parents."

Marcelo saw José's face, which was about 60% similar to his sister's. He remembered her last words to him and couldn't help but sigh: "Okay, go ahead."

Jose's home is in the town of Shipai Island, three miles away from the port.

"Uncle, Leon, the Hong Kong Port is on the Kowloon side, and the opposite Shek Pai Island is the military port. Do you see that Xiangshan? It occupies a large area of ​​Shek Pai Island, where there are castles and fortresses built on the mountain.

The South China Sea Navy Command, the South China Sea Navy First Fleet Commander's Office, and the Guangdong Coastal Defense Command are all located there."

In the carriage, Jose pointed to the scenery outside the window and introduced it.

Marcelo looked at the castle on Xiangshan Mountain and the warships in Shipai Naval Port for a while, his expression was complicated and his mind was unsettled.

He sighed, turned his head and asked, "Jose, do you have a high position in the Ming army?"

"My military rank is Lieutenant Colonel, and my boss, the Admiral of the Second Fleet of the South China Sea, is a Major General. Below him is the Admiral Associate, a Brigadier General; below him is the Chief of Staff, a Colonel; the Director of the Political Work Department, a Colonel; the Chief of the Logistics Department, a Colonel, and below him is me, a Lieutenant Colonel."

Sixth place, not a low ranking.

“How many ships are there in the South China Sea Second Fleet?”

Jose smiled, "My uncle is asking me for information. But I can only answer what I can."

"I'm your uncle."

Jose replied bluntly, "I am an officer of the Ming Navy."

Hearing the arrogance in his tone, Marcelo was speechless.

"Well, say what you can."

"It is common knowledge how many warships the Second Fleet has, and it is not covered by the confidentiality regulations. Previously, there were about 200 large and small ships. In the second half of the third year of the Wanli reign, Dinghai Marquis Li Chao returned to China and brought back his experience in fighting Spain. The Navy Department spent half a year planning and reformed the various naval fleets.

Our Second Fleet has been streamlined to include 63 main combat warships and 117 auxiliary combat warships."

When Leon heard a familiar name, he couldn’t help but ask, “Li Chao, is it Li Chao from the Qinglong Water Division?”

"Yes, Leon, do you know him?"

"I was sent to the capital of Ming Dynasty as the deputy governor of Malacca, and it was he who accompanied me to the north."

"I see. Calculating the time, after accompanying you north, Marquis Dinghai led the Qinglong Navy to the east to conquer the New World and the two continents of Gen and Xun."

Leon's eyes widened. "It's him! The evil dragon general the Spaniards are talking about, is he?"

"General Dragon?"

“It is said that a terrifying dragon was hung on the Ming warships, and the Ming generals stood under the dragon’s flag, commanding the warships like a pack of wolves, tearing the Spanish warships to pieces.

So the Spanish called this general the Dragon General. As you said, it might be Li Chao. "

Jose shrugged and said nothing.

Leon thought of the two again: “Father Enrique and Manuela, do you know where they are now?
After Leon's mission to the capital was fruitless, Manuela decided to stay in the Ming Dynasty.

When Goa fell into the hands of the Ming people, most Portuguese decided to leave, either to return home or to Basra and Muscat. However, Father Enrique decided to go against the flow and use God's glory to win back the game for Portugal.

"Father Enrique preached in Ming Dynasty for more than two years without any success. Finally, he had no choice but to go to East Japan to preach. Last year, he sent a letter saying that he had made great progress there. It is said that two or three daimyo converted to Christianity and built a church for him."

"Eastern Japan?"

"Yes, that is Japan." Jose shook his head. "Don't mention him."

"what happened?"

"There are wars all year round, between daimyo and daimyo, and even between villages. It is said that the population there has been reduced by half in the past ten years.

Father Enrique said in the letter that if you want to find a place that is closest to hell in this world, please come to Japan.

Marcelo was surprised when he heard this. “Why is this happening?”

Jose changed the subject, "Uncle, let's change to a more pleasant topic. Manuela's business talent was fully demonstrated. He used his previous connections in India to help the Ming Dynasty merchant group open up the market there.

Now cotton cloth from the Ming Dynasty was pouring into the country, in exchange for large quantities of gold, silver, jewelry, iron ore, and grain.

With Manuela as the go-between, the Ming merchant group cooperated with the Indian princes to mine high-quality iron ore in Goa and plant millions of acres of cotton in Jilin.

The cotton was transported to the Ming Dynasty, and not only was it exchanged for cotton cloth for the Indian princes, but also for weapons and armor, as well as the matchlock guns and cannons that were discarded by the Ming army. Because of these contributions, Manuela not only became a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, but was also granted the hereditary military title of Qianhu. He is currently in Shanghai, and we can meet him when we go north and go to the capital together. "

Marcelo heard the envious tone in Jose's words, and felt a little annoyed, and couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

"So what honor did you get for all your hard work?"

Jose sighed and replied in disappointment: "Alas, uncle, I am not talented. After years of hard work, I have only been given a small title, which is only five ranks higher than Manuela. I am still far from the goal of being conferred a title."

Seeing the disappointment on his face but the smugness that he couldn't suppress on the corners of his mouth, Marcelo felt his anger rising and he couldn't help but turn his head away.

Leon thought of another aspect, "The Ming merchant group sold weapons and guns to the Indian chieftain?"

"Yes, compared with the Ming Dynasty, the armor and guns that the Portuguese sold before can be completely ignored. However, the Ming Dynasty sold mostly armor, which were made in Luanzhou. They were cheap and easy to use, and one ship could carry thousands of sets.

The control of matchlock guns is relatively strict, and the control of artillery is even stricter. The Merchant Corps has no say on who to sell to, but the people of the Naval Intelligence Bureau have the final say. "

"Naval Intelligence?"

Leon and Marcelo looked at each other, "What for?"

"Haha, I'm just gathering intelligence." Jose laughed and glossed over the topic, "It's just that with the Ming Dynasty's easy-to-use and cheap armor, as well as the designated guns and cannons for sale, Mughal Akbar is in trouble.

Sometimes, the Afghan and Rajput princes from all over the country would suddenly join forces to fight against Akbar, the most powerful. Now, the wars in India are becoming more and more intense.

According to the latest intelligence, our Ming Army marched westward to the Yarkand Khanate and the Kazakh Khanate. A large number of Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and Yarkand people migrated southward and poured into the river.

The Uzbeks and Bukharans in the Transoxiana region were impacted and migrated to the Indus River area. In response to the avalanche, a large number of Afghan people flocked to India, making the situation there even more complicated.

Leon and Marcelo had only one thought in their minds, that the Ming Dynasty's Naval Intelligence Agency was not a good thing and that it must have been the one that instigated all of this.

The carriage entered Kowloon City, drove along the neat streets for more than ten minutes, and stopped at the door of a mansion.

Jose's wife, Mrs. Song, received the notification early and was waiting behind the screen wall.

This is a woman in her twenties, with delicate features, a decent appearance and a plump figure.

She bowed to Marcelo and said, "My lord uncle."

"Grandson pays respects to Uncle Grandpa!"

Two little boys, one about six or seven years old, and the other two years old, followed their older brother with a chubby face, imitating his kneeling rite.

Jose pointed to the boy who was about six or seven years old and said, "Uncle, this is my first son, He Yun, with the courtesy name Zilong. This is my second son, He Liang, with the courtesy name Kongming."

When Marcelo heard the name translated by Jose, he felt it was very strange. He didn't know the meaning of it and stood there at a loss.

I just arrived in Daming and don’t know the local etiquette.

What are you talking about? But I'm speaking Portuguese, can you understand me, niece?

Song got Jose's look, stood up and bowed to Leon: "My concubine greets my brother."

Leon hurriedly pretended to bow and said, “You’re welcome, you’re welcome.”

Song stepped aside and said, "Uncle, brother, please come in."

Please go to the flower hall, Jose asked you two to sit down, and two maids came in with their heads down, holding teacups and serving tea.

Jose said a little boastfully, "These two are Siamese maids. I think they are much more useful than the Japanese maids."

After speaking, he bowed and said, “Uncle, Leon, please sit down for a while, I will change my clothes and come back.”

After saying that, Jose and Song left the hall and went into the back room.

What do you mean?
Marcelo looked at Leon curiously.

Leon was also confused at first, but after thinking for a while, he remembered, "Ming Dynasty scholars have their own rules. When meeting guests, they cannot wear official uniforms or outer clothes. They must change into home clothes. Otherwise, it is impolite."

"Is there still such a rule?"

"I remember hearing about it, but the last time I was sent to the capital, I didn't visit the Ming people's home."

"Then why did Jose learn this rule?"

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. He is now an officer of the Ming Dynasty and has a medal. There are some rules that he must abide by."

Marcelo sighed, looked around, and said softly, "This time I came to Ming Country, in addition to Jose's mother's entrustment, his father's instructions. He also hopes that Jose can return to Portugal."

Jose was nominally the Marquis's illegitimate son, but those who knew the inside story knew that this was just a cover.

"Does the Cardinal also want Jose to come? What if his true identity is revealed?"

Marcelo snorted, "Haha, José's true identity is known not only to the Portuguese nobles, but also to the Spanish nobles and the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.

Isn’t there enough trouble in the Vatican? Isn’t there enough illegitimate children of cardinals and popes? There is nothing to worry about.”

Leon thought about it and finally shook his head. "Jose is very happy here and definitely doesn't want to go back."

Marcelo sighed, "Yeah, why go back? To be laughed at and looked down upon by them? I sent him to the East because I was worried that he would go crazy under their cold words.

He had been through so much in the East, and finally settled down. I didn't want him to go back to that damn vortex. But his mother's last words, Leon, made me feel very upset. "

"Mr. Marquis, Jose is no longer a child. He doesn't need you to make decisions for him."

Marcelo was stunned, then nodded in understanding.

Ten minutes later, Jose came out like a gust of wind. He was wearing a long shirt and a strip of cloth around his forehead. He walked out leisurely.

Seeing the surprised looks from Marcelo and Leon, José shook his sleeves elegantly and said modestly, “This is called a one-line scarf.

Originally, we scholars had to wear a crown and scarf, but now our army and navy have been ordered by the emperor to have their hair cut short. Without a bun, many crowns and scarves cannot be worn, but this scarf is the most suitable for us. "

If he didn't have a distinct southern European face and spoke Portuguese, outsiders would really think he was an elegant scholar.

Marcelo and Leon looked at each other, ignored him for the moment, and got straight to the point.

"Jose, our mission to the Ming Kingdom this time is to negotiate peace with the Ming Kingdom and to introduce their fleet and caravans to Europe."

Jose's eyes flickered, "Is Spain planning to annex Portugal?"

There was surprise in Marcelo and Leon's eyes. They didn't expect that Jose had made great progress after several years of experience in Ming Dynasty and could actually reveal the truth in just one sentence.

Leon received the look from Marcelo and gave a brief account of the situation in Europe in recent years.

Jose's eyes became brighter and brighter. "So that's why. Spain won a great victory. No wonder they came."

Marcelo was stunned, "Who's here?"

(End of this chapter)