Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 336 The Cruel Ming Emperor

January 4

澳门
As the saying goes, when the city gate is on fire, the fish in the pond will be affected.

When the Ming Dynasty was at war with the Netherlands, the most nervous person was the Governor of Macau, Du Chen.

As a general rule, a lean camel is bigger than a horse.

Even though the Iberian League has been at war with Britain and the Netherlands for many years, and defeated the last fleet of its homeland in the past few years.

But with the existing strength of Manila, it should not be difficult to ensure Macau's neutrality in this war.

But when living together, there is always a chance of coming together and a chance of separation.

During the years of alliance with Spain, Portugal was not only involved in the Eighty Years' War, but also fell out with Britain.

Later, Portugal's colony of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf was occupied by Britain; and in the war with the Netherlands, it lost some of its commercial interests in Brazil, Africa, India and the Far East.

After the Portuguese nobles suffered heavy losses, they finally decided to divorce Spain a few years ago.

Then the problem is coming.

Since they were divorced, Manila, under Spanish control, might help the Portuguese a little out of past friendship, but it would not intervene in the war between the Netherlands and the Ming Dynasty.
Fortunately, the Dutch fleet that attacked Guangzhou did not do anything to Macau, and the Ming Dynasty that counterattacked did not take any extreme actions.

But just when Du Chen thought he had survived this incident safely, a Dutch fleet with unknown intentions began cruising along the coast.

After he retreated, he received news that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty summoned him to Guangzhou.

How did the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty know that there was a governor in Macau?
This was Du Chen’s first reaction after receiving the news.

You should know that although he is the eighth Governor of Macau, due to the leased nature of Macau, the existence of this governor has always been kept secret from the Ming Dynasty.

However, Du Chen didn't pay much attention to the leak. After all, there was a more serious problem facing him.

To go or not to go?
In the past, he might not have taken the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty seriously, but in order to expand his trade territory, he would still go to meet him.

But now, the Ming emperor who cut thousands of people into pieces has long become a demon existing in the world in Du Chen's heart. Even though he attaches great importance to him, he still has doubts about going to Guangzhou.

I just can't help it.

"Governor, you must be careful about your words and actions on this trip. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty is cruel and murderous. If you anger him, the people of our island will be in trouble."

"I see. Am I seeking death?"

Looking at the Macau residents who came to see him off, Du Chen suddenly felt like he was a sacrifice to the devil.

But what can be done?

The residents had already been frightened by the various news coming from Guangzhou. If he really insisted on not going, who knew if someone would kidnap him and take him to Guangzhou.

Thinking of this, Du Chen did not delay any longer. He was going into a tiger's den anyway, so he might as well behave more consciously.

"Governor! The Dutch fleet!"

Just as Du Chen was getting ready to board the ship, a burst of excited shouts came from the observation deck.

Seeing this, he was stunned at first, then snatched the telescope from someone else without thinking.

The Dutch had just reduced their newly built Invincible Armada to ashes, and at this time they were at the height of their power.

This time, the Ming people not only burned their two double-decker galleons, but also captured all the prisoners of war.

How could the Dutch swallow such a huge loss?
Perhaps it was because he was too excited, Du Chen poked his eyeball without paying attention. But this thing only needs one eye after all, so he covered it with his hand while holding the mirror with one hand to look at it.

Sail.

Mast.

colour.

style.

It was indeed the Dutch fleet!
A huge fleet led by two galleons!
I don't have to face that demon king anymore!

Realizing that the war was not over, Du Chen was so excited that his hands began to tremble.

He had fought in many wars against the Dutch, during which time he had naturally accumulated a great deal of blood feud.

But when he saw the Dutch fleet today, he not only did not feel any hatred in his heart, but he felt as if he had seen his relatives.

In the final analysis, this is all due to strength.

In the early years, the Iberian Alliance was in its heyday, and the Ming Dynasty did not show the slightest interest in the ocean. But now, not only has the world situation undergone a major change, but the Ming Dynasty has also been awakened by the stupid Dutch.

Under such circumstances, how could the weak Du Chen not feel tremendous pressure from this huge empire?

just
"Governor! Behind you! Look behind you!"

With a sudden shout, Du Chen couldn't help but adjust the angle of the telescope. When his sight passed the Dutch warships, he actually saw an even larger Ming fleet.

这 是
Dutch prisoners?

Why so many?
Seeing this scene, Du Chen's brain couldn't help but pause for a moment, but before he could come to his senses, another shout came.

"Look! The Dutch ship is full of Ming troops!"

Damn!
Du Chen's heart sank when he heard the words. He quickly put the telescope in front of his eyes and saw that the Dutch warships were full of soldiers dressed as Ming army.

"Set the ship quickly!"

After realizing what the scene before him meant, Du Chen no longer had any hope.

Before taking office, he had made various plans to guard against the Dutch attack, but no matter how hard he racked his brains, he could not have imagined that the Dutch fleet meeting would appear before him in this way.

It has to be said that this was not only a huge shock to Du Chen, but also frightened the entire residents of Macau.

It’s just that the same scene may have different meanings in the eyes of different people.

Just like the officials and local gentry who were waiting outside Guangzhou city at that time were very interested in the arrival of the fleet.

"My young Lord, I have heard that the Dutch are quite powerful at sea, but I don't know exactly where they are so strong?"

Although Hao Yaoqi seemed reckless, he not only won the favor of His Majesty during this period, but also had a hot relationship with a group of Ming officials. Of course, this was due to the officials' relationship with the red-top white, but it was undeniable that this general from the bottom of society had a bit of a pure heart. Although he made some mistakes in details when interacting with people, he was still likable overall.

Therefore, after he asked this question which could easily be misunderstood, Zheng Damu did not think about anything else.

"The largest Dutch warship is divided into three layers, and each layer has more than 20 heavy artillery pieces on the left and right sides. Adding the lighter ones on the deck, there are nearly 100 guns on the entire ship. Our Ming warships will naturally be able to fight head-on."

After hearing this, Hao Yaoqi's mind immediately appeared the scene of hundreds of artillery firing at the same time, but after a moment, he was puzzled again.

"Then this time Shen Butang and General Mei captured a large number of Dutch warships. Doesn't this mean that our Ming warships are stronger than those of the Dutch?"

"I guess so."

Zheng Damu has always been close to Hao Yaoqi, but this time he only gave a brief reply and did not fully express his guess.

No wonder.

Although Your Majesty has built more than ten double-decker warships, the navy is not like the army. Anyone who can breathe can be counted as a soldier.

Naval commanders like them naturally believed that they had won the battle by cheating, and never thought that they could defeat the Dutch fleet in a head-on battle.

Under such circumstances, Zheng Damu naturally had no idea how to answer.

Fortunately, before Hao Yaoqi asked again, a number of warships appeared in everyone's sight. After that, all his attention was focused on the fleet that covered the sky and the sun, and he had no energy to pay attention to these trivial things.

After a while, Shen Tingyang and his companions arrived at the shore in a "small boat".

After the process was completed, Zheng Damu planned to bring these heroes into the city, but Shen Tingyang asked first: "Young Marquis, our army encountered a French ship on the road. They said they came to pay a visit to His Majesty on his orders. Is this true?"

"Oh? They're coming?"

After asking this question, Zheng Damu began to search among the crowd. When he saw the only foreigner, how could he not know that this was a Portuguese?
Seeing this situation, he did not do anything more. He just secretly took note of it in his mind and led Shen and Mei to Guangzhou City.

Du Chen didn't care too much about the Ming people's contempt, or he was still in great shock and didn't recover, so he didn't pay attention to this.

After leaving Macau, he ordered the ship he was on to move close to the Ming navy, but after only a while, the Ming warship sent an inquiry signal.

Faced with such an inquiry, Du Chen would naturally answer truthfully. Later, the Ming navy relaxed its vigilance against him, and he also tried to move closer to their fleet.

It was obvious that his purpose in doing so was to spy on the strength of the Ming army fleet. However, after some spying, he not only calculated how many cannons there were on the more than ten double-decker galleons of the Ming army, but also discovered many soldiers equipped with flintlock rifles.

A person who can become the governor of a place is naturally not the kind of person who only looks at the surface.

Through these he could clearly feel that the Ming Emperor's attitude towards firearms was different from before. If coupled with the emperor's emphasis on maritime trade, Du Chen began to feel a sense of crisis.

Therefore, when he was led outside a hall to wait for the summons from the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, his mind was still a little groggy.

".In this battle we destroyed two enemy fortresses, captured two towns, captured more than seventy enemy warships and armed merchant ships, captured more than 1,300 enemy soldiers, and countless sailors."

A lengthy report brought Du Chen back to reality. Even though he had seen the power of the Ming navy, he still felt like he was struck by lightning when he heard this battle report.

As a bystander, he had a clear understanding of what happened in this month.

The Dutch rashly provoked a war because they failed to correctly assess the strength of the Ming Dynasty. Afterwards, the Ming Dynasty did not use diplomacy before force as it had done in the past. Not only did it recapture Guangzhou in a very short period of time, it also drove the Dutch out of Taiwan Island with lightning speed.

If someone said that this was done in haste, Du Chen would never believe it.

Not to mention that it was impossible for more than a dozen double-decker galleons to appear out of thin air, it would be impossible to fully explore the hydrological conditions of TW and the Dutch defense deployment without several years.

What does this mean?
What else can it prove?
Apart from the fact that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty had long planned to attack the Dutch, Du Chen really couldn't think of any other possibility.

I’m afraid Macau can’t be saved anymore.

This thought came to his mind again, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the gold coins he had spent for the position of Governor of Macau.

"Send it over! The French envoy is here to see you~~~~!"

As a slightly harsh shout was heard in the hall, Du Chen felt the translator behind him gently poking him.

Judgment Day has finally arrived.

As this thought came to his mind, he straightened his clothes slightly and then strode into the hall.

"The French envoy Du Chen pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

After seeing the young man sitting in the middle of the lobby, Du Chen hesitated for a moment and then knelt on the ground.

"Get up."

"Thank you, His Majesty the Ming Emperor."

As soon as he finished speaking, Du Chen stood up at the reminder of the translator. Zhu Cilang looked at the Westerner who seemed to have a sad and angry look on his face, and felt amused in his heart.

Zhu Cilang once heard a saying that the lower one is in society, the more they like to discuss current affairs.

He was well aware of the dirty intention behind these words, but after careful consideration, he also agreed with them from another perspective.

Why?

The lower one is in society, the more their quality of life will be related to their country's status.

Take this time for example, the South American empire was on the verge of destruction and African tribes were reduced to commodities.

During this process, the nobles of the South American Empire and the leaders of African tribes were naturally safe, but ordinary people could hardly even save their lives.

But when the nest is overturned, no egg can remain intact. If this nest is completely rotten, how can any powerful person escape?
Just like Du Chen, being the governor of a place certainly makes him a powerful person, but when Portugal became second-rate, even if he didn't want to kneel, didn't he still have to kneel in front of the hall?

"Your Excellency has been in Macau for a long time. I wonder if this war has disturbed the local people?"

When saying this, Zhu Cilang had an extremely kind smile on his face, but in Du Chen's eyes, the long scar on the Ming Emperor's face became even more hideous, so he regarded this ordinary greeting as a threat.

"Reporting to His Majesty, Macau's commercial exchanges have indeed been affected, but the people are still safe."

"Well, as long as you're safe," Zhu Cilang nodded slowly, but he didn't have the patience to talk to this white-skinned man any more, so he took the initiative to change the subject to the point: "I called you here this time, first, I want to ask about the impact of this war on Macau, and second, I want to ask whether you are Spanish or Portuguese."

"Your Majesty, although Spain and Portugal are two different names, we have been one country for a long time."

Du Chen was extremely calm when he spoke, as if everything he said was true, but the person he was facing was not an ordinary person. Before he finished speaking, the long scar on the face of the Ming Emperor began to move again.

"Oh? So if you ask for help from Manila, the Spanish will send reinforcements?"

(End of this chapter)