Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1283 Pirates
Today I suddenly received a message from someone sent by the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry) saying that Zhang Xijun, the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, invited me to meet at the Zongli Yamen.

Before setting off, they all thought it would just be a regular meeting, perhaps like before, to discuss trade matters.

But upon arriving at the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry), he discovered that the situation was different from what he had expected. Not only had he arrived, but also the foreign ministers from other countries in the capital had come. With so many ministers arriving at the Zongli Yamen at the same time, could something serious have happened?
Baron Markley was the most impatient. He couldn't help but ask Viscount Philippe, who was sitting next to him. After all, the two countries had the closest relationship, and Baron Markley and Viscount Philippe were actually related.

"Do you know why we've all been invited here this time?"

Viscount Philip smiled wryly and spread his hands, pointing to his clothes, saying, "You've put me in a difficult position. I was having a good time with my friends, drinking and listening to music, when suddenly my subordinates from the embassy came to me and said that His Excellency the Prime Minister had invited me here. As you can see, I didn't even have time to change my clothes before I arrived, and only when I got here did I find that you were here as well."

Viscount Philip was quite young, tall, with flaxen hair and a handsome face—a real heartthrob in Europe. Born into nobility, he was already a playboy in Europe, and after arriving in the Ming Dynasty, he indulged himself even more.

Today, he was dressed in a magnificent Ming Dynasty outfit, and his hair was styled in the same way as the people of the Ming Dynasty, with a crown on it. He often went to various entertainment venues in this appearance. He was not short of money, and with his special status, he had made many friends in the Ming Dynasty. Just as he said today, he was enjoying himself with a few people, drinking and listening to music, when suddenly his subordinate came to him and asked him to come to the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry) immediately. Viscount Philip did not have time to go back and change his clothes, so he rushed to the Zongli Yamen in this outfit.

"Could it be because of trade?" Baron Pedro of Portugal interjected, but then shook his head and frowned, saying, "That shouldn't be the case! Didn't we just sign the trade quota for next year two months ago? That was decided long ago, and if there were any changes, we should have communicated with them first."

"Hehe, isn't this just preparation for communication?" Baron Antonio of Spain laughed. "Since you've gathered all of us here, you must have a direct relationship with our countries. It's possible that you're talking about changing trade quotas."

"No!" Sir Wilson, who had remained silent until now, immediately disagreed with Baron Antonio's words. Sir Wilson was the oldest among those present, already in his early forties, with graying temples and beard. Unlike the other envoys, he had earned his position through his own abilities. His family was a political dynasty in England, and although he had been suppressed during Cromwell's reign and had never held an important position, his abilities were recognized by Charles II.

After Charles II was formally crowned king, he set about selecting a person to serve as the envoy to the Ming Dynasty, and finally chose Sir Wilson. This shows that this knight was not just a pleasure-seeking good-for-nothing.

"Sir, why do you say that? If it weren't for the trade quota, why would you have invited us all here?" Baron Markley couldn't help but ask.

Sir Wilson smiled faintly and said, “You have all been in the Ming Dynasty for some time now, and you are all well aware of the Ming court’s attitude towards foreign affairs. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty has always valued keeping its word, especially the Emperor, whose words are law and golden edicts. Since the trade quotas have already been determined and the agreement has been approved by the Zongli Yamen and the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, this matter will absolutely not be changed. Otherwise, wouldn’t the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty be going back on his word?”

"That makes sense!" Baron Markley clapped his hands and nodded repeatedly. Sir Wilson's words had indeed hit the nail on the head. Such a big matter had not only been agreed upon beforehand, but had also received unanimous recognition from various countries and the approval of His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. How could it be overturned suddenly?
Moreover, even if modifications were necessary, it would inevitably be due to some unforeseen circumstances, but there haven't been any such circumstances recently! Trade cooperation between various countries and the Ming Dynasty is thriving, and both the Ming Dynasty and the various countries are benefiting from this, so there is absolutely no need for modifications.

"What is it that warrants inviting us all here?" Baron Pedro asked, frowning. Portugal had a settlement in Macau and was arguably the most knowledgeable and well-informed country about the situation in the Ming Dynasty. Even he hadn't heard any rumors about it and couldn't figure out the real reason for bringing them here.

"I don't know about that." Sir Wilson shook his head with a smile. "Isn't there a saying in the Ming Dynasty, 'Since we're here, let's make the best of it'? Since we've invited us all here, won't the mystery be revealed when the Prime Minister arrives? Anyway, we're all here, so let's be patient and wait a little longer."

Sir Wilson's words were met with agreement: since they couldn't guess, they would stop guessing for now and find out what it was all about when they met Zhang Xijun.

As everyone continued to wait, footsteps sounded outside. They straightened up slightly and looked towards the door. Sure enough, Zhang Xijun appeared before them, followed a few steps behind by Wang Fuzhi.

"I apologize for keeping you all waiting; I'm a little late," Zhang Xijun said politely upon seeing the group. These envoys had been in the Ming Dynasty for quite some time, some having arrived several years ago. They could generally speak a few words of Chinese and understand standard Mandarin. Hearing Zhang Xijun's words, the envoys quickly rose and bowed, saying it was no trouble at all. Zhang Xijun waved for them to sit down, and then he and Wang Fuzhi took their seats on either side of them. After the waiters served tea, Zhang Xijun coughed once and began to speak after the waiters had left.

"I have invited you all here today because of a very important matter..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned somewhat surprised. A major event? What major event? Could it be that the Ming Dynasty was really going to go back on its word and change the trade quotas? This was truly unimaginable.

But everyone was stunned by Zhang Xijun's next sentence.

"Just recently, our Ming Dynasty merchant ships encountered pirates in the South China Sea. This is not the first time these pirates have attacked. According to the investigation, in the past two years, 28 Ming Dynasty merchant ships of various sizes have disappeared in the South China Sea. A total of 719 sailors and crew members are missing, and the loss of property is equivalent to nearly 1.6 million silver dollars. It is simply outrageous!"

Everyone was shocked. This was no small matter; twenty-eight merchant ships, along with their people and cargo, had all disappeared. As for the meaning of "disappeared," they weren't stupid; they understood perfectly well. Furthermore, not counting the loss of lives, the property loss alone amounted to 1.6 million yuan—an astronomical figure!

"Pirates? Where did these pirates come from? Could they be pirates composed of local natives from the South China Sea?" one of them couldn't help but ask.

Another person nodded and said, "That's possible. It's said that some countries in the South China Sea make a living by plundering at sea. However, this is the first time I've heard of such a case of plundering merchant ships at sea. Usually, they only rob some small boats. It's unimaginable that such a large-scale and long-term operation could be the work of several pirate groups working together?"

"I've heard about this before, but this is the first time I've realized the losses are so great," said Baron Pedro of Portugal after a moment's thought. "We've received similar news from Macau before; several Ming Dynasty merchant ships have disappeared at sea, causing them to avoid going out alone and instead form fleets for safety. Furthermore, our Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in Macau has been closely monitoring the situation and has also adopted a joint voyage approach, even actively searching for pirates at sea, but ultimately we haven't been able to find out what happened."

At this point, Baron Pedro looked at Baron Antonio, the Spanish minister, and asked, "Spain has colonies in Luzon, and there are many more ships traveling to and from the South China Sea. I wonder if Your Excellency has heard of this?"

Baron Antonio shook his head: "I haven't heard of that, nor have I received any news of Spanish ships being attacked by pirates. But I think even if there were pirates, they probably wouldn't dare to attack ships belonging to the Kingdom of Spain."

While this statement may seem somewhat arrogant, it is indeed true. In terms of naval strength, Spain is arguably the second strongest nation today, with few daring to claim the top spot. The power of the Spanish navy is undeniable; even its ordinary merchant ships are armed ocean-going vessels equipped with powerful cannons. Ordinary pirates might not bother them, but if they do, the Spanish are not to be trifled with.

"Since pirates have appeared in the South China Sea, this is indeed no small matter." Baron Makre of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth frowned deeply. He was most concerned about this matter. Firstly, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had the weakest naval power in the Far East, and only ordinary merchant ships could reach the Ming Dynasty for trade. Secondly, due to its political system, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was now ruled by merchants, with the parliament holding a higher position than the king. The parliament was mostly composed of large merchants, and trade in the Far East was related to the common interests of these merchant groups. If problems arose in trade, there would certainly be a strong reaction at home.

Furthermore, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is currently at war with Tsarist Russia, fighting for control of Eastern Europe, particularly the Moscow region. This war has been ongoing for over a year. Although Sweden has been assisting, it has not been fully committed and is even secretly plotting to weaken the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth through Tsarist Russia, raising suspicions of taking advantage of the situation to seize territory.

In this situation, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was not in a good position, having lost ground on the front lines. War requires not only manpower and military strength, but also financial support. Last year, the country strengthened trade with the Ming Dynasty, intending to obtain more goods from the Ming through Far Eastern trade to support the continuation of the war. As the envoy, Baron MacLey certainly understood this; if pirates disrupted shipping routes, or even if their own merchant ships encountered Ming merchant ships, the consequences would be unimaginable.

(End of this chapter)