Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 210 Threat
In the lobby, Zhu Lang looked at Lorenzo, who was looking serious, and sneered, saying

"You can still send dozens of warships to our Ming Dynasty, right? Then send them quickly."

"But I really want to know, are you planning to send these dozens of warships from Manila or Goa?"

When Lorenzo heard the two place names from the young man above him, his expression suddenly changed. However, before he could speak, the young man above him spoke in a cold voice:

"You Portuguese took advantage of the war a few years ago to force your independence from Spain. The Spaniards in Manila must be wishing you dead as soon as possible. Sending troops to rescue you is simply wishful thinking."

"Your ship from Goa headquarters can come, but before you come, you should first think about how to pass through the Dutch Strait of Malacca."

"By the way, how could I have forgotten about the Dutch? If we use a few dozen cannons, we can drive you Portuguese out of Southeast Asia. I'm sure the Dutch will be very interested."

After hearing what the young man said, the last bit of hope in Lorenzo's heart was finally shattered, and then a trace of fear rose in Lorenzo's heart.

The situation of the Portuguese in Macau is indeed as the young emperor said. Now the Portuguese in Macau have no reinforcements except for the few remaining armed merchant ships and the local Portuguese.
A few years ago, Japan ordered the expulsion of all Portuguese, leaving only the hateful Dutch and Ming merchant ships to trade.
After losing the Japanese market, the number of Portuguese merchant ships coming from Southeast Asia continued to decrease, and the strength of the Portuguese in Macau also declined year by year. Coupled with the crazy looting of the Dutch at sea, the strength of Macau has now dropped to the lowest point in the past decade.
It is for this reason that the Portuguese talents in Macau want to seize this opportunity to open up the Ming market as soon as possible, reshape the trade routes in the East, and re-establish Macau's position.

If the Ming Dynasty really cooperated with the Dutch barbarians, as long as the Dutch destroyed several merchant ships in Haojing, the Ming Dynasty would not even have to do anything. As long as they blocked the access to the island, the Portuguese on the island would starve to death.

The more Lorenzo thought about it, the more panicked he became. He looked at the young man above him, but he couldn't understand why this emperor far away in the East knew so much about the Portuguese situation.
Zhu Lang looked at the pale Lorenzo from above. Seeing that he had frightened the red-haired Portuguese, his eyes turned and his face became even colder. He spoke coldly to Li Chengzhi beside him.

"Come here, drag this ignorant red barbarian who threatens the imperial court away and cut off his ears."

"Go back and tell your Governor of Goa that because of your threats, the Ming Dynasty and the Portuguese will be enemies from now on."

"From now on, whenever your Portuguese merchant ships appear in the waters of the Central Plains, they will be regarded as an invasion. I will directly send people to strangle them. You Portuguese people will never get an inch of silk from the Ming Dynasty again. This is the fate of you threatening the Ming Dynasty."

Lorenzo finally became completely panicked when he heard the words of the young man above him.
Although the Portuguese were no longer able to engage in the silver silk trade between Ming and Japan because of the expulsion of the Portuguese from Japan, Ming was still an important maritime trade market for the Portuguese and a source of silk, cotton and porcelain.
If the emperor in front of him really expelled the Portuguese like Japan did, once the Ming Dynasty's goods market was lost, not to mention Macau, I'm afraid that Portugal's headquarters in Goa would be seriously damaged.
As the culprit behind all this, even if Lorenzo returns to the Kingdom of Portugal, he will probably be severely punished. No, if that is the case, he probably won't even have the chance to return to the Kingdom of Portugal.
When Lorenzo thought of this, he was finally terrified. The interests of Haojing and the development of new markets were no longer important. Compared with the safety of his own life, these things were nothing.

Seeing the guards on both sides approaching, Lorenzo no longer cared about the blood on his forehead. His feet softened and he knelt down immediately. He quickly spoke

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Our Portuguese have arrived in the Ming Dynasty for decades and have always been very respectful to the Ming Dynasty. However, those Dutch red barbarians are barbaric, murderous, and cunning. Your Highness must not trust those Dutch red barbarians."

Since entering the East, the despicable and barbaric Dutch have frequently attacked and plundered the merchant ships and ports of the Kingdom of Portugal. A few years ago, they even took away the Strait of Malacca, which the Portuguese were proud of.

If the Ming Dynasty cooperates with the Dutch and allows the Dutch to remove the last eastern stronghold of Haojing, the Kingdom of Portugal will forever lose this land of wealth flowing with silk and silver.
After Lorenzo cursed the Dutch, he continued

"Your Highness, please allow me to report that we, the Portuguese people in Macau, have lived in the Ming Dynasty for decades. Everyone is grateful and would never dare to provoke Your Majesty."

"In fact, many of us Portuguese in Macau agree and support your country's purchase of artillery. However, the new governor, Cisse, is ignorant of the situation and arrogant, so he frequently obstructs us loyal Portuguese people and wants to use this to threaten the court."

When Lorenzo said this, his eyes lit up, and he immediately spoke

"Yes, it was that Sissi. These conditions were all imposed by the Governor Sissi, and our council was forced to do so."

"People like me and Mr. Vanno of the Bugalao Cannon Factory on Macau Island are firmly opposed to it, but Cisse is the governor sent by the Goa headquarters, and we can't do anything about him. I hope Your Majesty will understand."

"We, the Portuguese people of Macau, have been cared for by the Ming court and Your Majesty for generations. How can we fail to repay such a great favor? Your Majesty, rest assured. After I return, I will definitely find a way to persuade the Governor of Cisse to provide Your Majesty with the necessary artillery."

"Your Majesty, please calm down and do not expel the Portuguese from Macau"

Zhu Lang stopped Lorenzo, who was kneeling and begging, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

Now, what he values ​​most is to defeat the Qing army in Zhao'ancheng as soon as possible, and then use this point to influence the situation in the entire Fujian Province, completely defeat the Qing army in Fujian Province, and take back Fujian Province.
This is the big thing at hand. Compared with this, the red barbarians on Haojing Island are nothing. His ultimate goal of threatening Lorenzo today is to get the heavy artillery.

Of course, if these good intentions were really meaningless and they wanted to threaten him with artillery, then he would send troops to Macau to wipe out all the red barbarians on the island without leaving a single one alive.

At this time, Lorenzo surrendered and Zhu Lang did not intend to intimidate him any further.
Portugal was right in one point: Ming was in urgent need of artillery, but Ming needed artillery not to defend against the Qing invaders, but to defeat the Qing invaders and recover Fujian Province.
Zhu Lang had a cold expression on his face and remained silent for a long time. When Lorenzo below turned pale and desperate, he snorted coldly and said

“How many people are there in your council?”

When Lorenzo heard the young man above him speak, a hint of joy finally flashed in his eyes, and then he quickly spoke

"The Macau Council consists of six people, all of whom are elected by the Portuguese on the island of Macau. In addition, the Governor of Macau, the Bishop of the Macau Church, and the Chief Justice of the Royal Family will also participate in the discussion of major affairs in Macau."

“So that means there are nine people.”

Zhu Lang thought for a moment, then looked at Lorenzo below and said, "I will give you five licenses. From now on, whether it is the Hongyi in Macau or the merchant ships from your country, only those who hold these five licenses can buy silk, porcelain and other goods from our Ming Dynasty."

"The rest of the red barbarians are not allowed to purchase our Ming goods privately. Once anyone is found to be purchasing privately, we will directly punish them for breaking the law."

"You use these five cards to deal with the people in the council, do you understand?"

Lorenzo's eyes lit up when he heard this. Now, the trade between Ming and Portugal was all done by Ming merchants transporting goods to Macau to trade with the red barbarians on the island. As long as they could get to the island, anyone could trade freely.
But if, as His Majesty said, the form of procurement changes to a licensing system in the future, then it is equivalent to the Portuguese who hold these five licenses directly controlling the supply of the entire Ming Dynasty.

From now on, all merchant ships arriving at Haojing can only obtain Ming Dynasty goods through these five companies. The horrific profits are enough to make people tremble.

As long as you can get one of the licenses, you don't have to do any maritime trade in the future. You can make money just by sitting still.
Zhu Lang looked at Lorenzo who was excited below and spoke again

"Five cards for thirty cannons, and I need them right away, do you understand?"

Lorenzo's face changed when he heard this, but after thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and immediately spoke

"Don't worry, Your Highness. After I return to Macau, I will do my best to persuade Governor Cisse to provide your Majesty with artillery as soon as possible."

Zhu Lang heard this, but his face was dissatisfied, and he said coldly
"What I want is certainty, not as much as possible, and I need this artillery immediately."

Lorenzo heard this and showed a hint of difficulty on his face. He said respectfully:

"Your Majesty, you may not know that the Governor of Macau was sent by the Portuguese country, and he has always been at odds with the local council of Macau."

"Moreover, according to the order of the Portuguese state, the governor has the power to manage defense and has a guard directly under him. Therefore, the Macau Council needs to discuss matters with the governor and cannot make decisions directly."

"How many people does this governor have?"

"Um... Governor Cisse has hundreds of musketeers at his disposal, all of whom are Portugal's elite troops."

Lorenzo hesitated again and again, and just reported a fictitious number. When Zhu Lang heard this, his eyes turned and his face suddenly became angry. He said

"Just a few hundred soldiers dared to disobey the orders of the Ming Dynasty. Who gave him the courage?"

"Well, I will send two thousand soldiers to accompany you back, and you can kill the governor directly. From now on, you will be the governor. How do you think?"

Lorenzo looked at the murderous young man above him, and suddenly a trace of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He quickly spoke

"No need, no need. Governor Xisai has just arrived and does not know the situation in Macau. We, the lower class, will persuade him to understand the situation and there is no need to trouble your majesty's army."

This young emperor is a fierce and powerful person. If we allow the two thousand soldiers to go to the island now, I am afraid that these two thousand soldiers will be stationed on the island in the future.
Besides, although Xi Sai was annoying, he was appointed by the king himself and sent by the Goa headquarters. If their council used the Ming people to get rid of Xi Sai, how would they explain to the country?
"Really? All the soldiers under my command are elite warriors who have fought many battles. It will be easy for us to deal with a few hundred musketeers. We will definitely not fail. This is a rare opportunity," Zhu Lang said in a bewitching voice.
"No, that's not necessary. When I return, I will convince the Governor to immediately deliver the artillery that Your Majesty needs."

Lorenzo ignored the regret in the emperor's eyes and directly refused. Seeing this, Zhu Lang said nothing more.
If Lorenzo agreed at this time, Zhu Lang would really send people to Macao to assist the Macao Council on the island to get rid of the governor. As long as the governor was eliminated, the red barbarians in Macao would have no choice but to follow the Ming court.
There are many good things on Haojing Island. Apart from other things, the craftsmen in the Nabujialao Cannon Factory are what the Ming Dynasty urgently needs now.

At this time, Lorenzo refused, but Zhu Lang was not too sorry. Now he was in urgent need of artillery, but he did not want to force these people too much. But Lorenzo and his people thought that they would be worry-free in this way, which was a big mistake.
Haojing couldn't escape again, so now he just had to concentrate on dealing with the Tartars. Once he drove the Tartars out of Fujian Province and stabilized the situation, he would have plenty of time to deal with the red barbarians on the island.
When he has time, he will send troops to the island directly. What can these red barbarians do to him?
Zhu Lang looked at Lorenzo who was alert below, and no longer mentioned sending troops. He said

"It will take about two to three days to get from Chaozhou to Haojing. I will give you eight days. You must deliver the artillery to Chaozhou after eight days. Otherwise, I will send troops to the island to assist you and other loyal red barbarians to eliminate the unrighteous governor and transport the artillery. Do you understand?"

"I understand. I will definitely deliver artillery in eight days to help your highness's military prestige."

Zhu Lang looked at Lorenzo who immediately responded respectfully. After a brief thought, he spoke to Li Chengzhi below.

"Chengzhi, take Mr. Lorenzo to Zhao'an and let him see the might of the Ming army. Then send a ship to send Mr. Lorenzo back to Haojing immediately. Don't delay."

These red barbarians have always been fearful of power and not virtuous. Now Lorenzo seems to be respectful and submissive, but who knows what kind of trouble he will cause when he returns. He does not want to waste time here.
Now let Lorenzo go to the front to see the imperial army, let these people know that the imperial court is capable of destroying the red barbarians on Haojing Island at any time, and these red barbarians will put their minds at ease, cooperate with the Ming court, and hand over the artillery quickly.
"Also, please ask the imperial physician to come and give Mr. Lorenzo a good bandage."

"Mr. Lorenzo was too careless when he walked. He fell like this. You should be more careful next time."

Lorenzo was also stunned when he heard this, and then his mouth twitched. After hesitating for a moment, he could only respond respectfully.
Zhu Lang saw Lorenzo bow and agree, and a hint of satisfaction flashed across his face. Then he finally waved to Li Chengzhi, and then Li Chengzhi led Lorenzo out of the hall.

That afternoon, Lorenzo was hastily bandaged and then escorted to the Zhao'an front by the Jinyiwei soldiers. Under the Zhao'an city, as the two armies gathered, the atmosphere became increasingly solemn.

(End of this chapter)