Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 26 War
Zhu Lang ignored the two people who were shocked and started talking to Ferreira.

"Are you Portuguese or Spanish?" Zhu Lang asked again.

"Your Highness, I am Portuguese"

Ferreira's heart was slightly moved. He had lived in Macau for many years and knew something about the situation in the Ming Dynasty.

Even in Macau, many people just call them Red Barbarians, not knowing that they actually come from two countries.

And now this prince of the Ming Dynasty could name Portugal and Spain. It was obvious that unlike other arrogant Ming people, this prince knew something about Europe.

"Are you a native of Portugal, or a mixed-race person from places like Macau in Nanyang?" Zhu Lang asked, looking at Ferreira's black curly hair.

"I am a pure Portuguese. I grew up in Portugal. My father is a respected baron in the Kingdom of Portugal..."

Ferreira looked proud and began to introduce his origins.

As Ferreira talked, Zhu Lang gradually got to know Ferreira.
According to him, he was the illegitimate son of a Portuguese baron and was very much loved by his baron father.
His family's territory is near the sea, and the family runs a maritime trade industry, trading with England all year round. Although an illegitimate son cannot inherit the title, the old baron also sent someone to teach him English, hoping that he can find a place in the family industry in the future.

Ferreira, a Portuguese, is also fluent in English and can even communicate in basic English.

If all goes well, when Ferreira grows up, he will join his family or other maritime trading companies that are friendly with his family, and as a manager, he will manage the maritime trade between Portugal and England on the ship.

But who could have imagined that when he just came of age, a war broke out, and there was also some minor friction between Britain and Spain. Portugal was implicated, trade between Britain and Portugal was interrupted, and Ferreira's family's maritime trading company went bankrupt.

Ferreira's career as a manager ended before it even began. The family's maritime trade business was cut off, and the old baron was too busy to take care of Ferreira.

Ferreira heard rumors that there were countless spices and gems on the other side of the ocean, and no one would pick up gold if it was dropped on the ground. And there were indeed many people in Portugal who made a lot of money from this transoceanic trade.

There are countless rumors circulating in the market, that a poor boy followed a large sailing ship to the sea, and then returned with a full load, relying on the gold and silver he earned to turn his life around, marry a lady from a noble family, and reach the pinnacle of life. Such rumors are common in Portugal, and there are even real examples.

With the dream of getting rich and the hardship of making a living, Ferreira finally set out to sea at the age of 18 and began his great sailing career.
Ferreira set out from Europe on a Portuguese merchant ship, first to Goa, then to the South Pacific Islands, crossing half of the globe in more than a decade, but his original dream of getting rich did not come true.
This trade route across the ocean was indeed full of gold and honey, but these belonged to the owners of the sailboats and had nothing to do with him as an ordinary sailor. He even found that even buying a ticket home would cost him all his money.
More than a decade of sailing career, coupled with the education he received in his childhood, made him an excellent gunner, so he didn't have to worry about not being able to support himself.
Two years ago, he couldn't make it in Southeast Asia, and heard that there was a huge empire in the far east, with countless silk and gold, so Ferreira followed the fleet and began his adventure, and finally came to Macau.
Zhu Lang listened to Ferreira's description and combined it with his own memory. Suddenly, he discovered something that he also knew.

"Is the war between the Habsburgs and the Frankish Alliance over?" Zhu Lang said softly.

"This... should, should be over. I don't know. I haven't heard from my hometown for a long time," Ferreira said hesitantly.
Yes, that war that caused some minor friction between Britain and Spain and cut off the sea route between Portugal and England was the famous Thirty Years' War in Europe.

This war, which swept across Europe, was so extensive and long that it tore all European countries to pieces and profoundly affected the order of the next few hundred years.
Ferreira is just one of the ordinary people affected by this war.
Ferreira looked at the young prince in front of him with shock. He could accurately name the two forces of the Habsburg Alliance and the Frankish Alliance. This showed that this prince of a distant eastern country, the future emperor, really knew the situation in the interior of Europe.
Oh my God, has the future emperor of this distant Eastern Empire already set his sights on his hometown?
Based on Ferreira's understanding of the Ming Dynasty, this vast empire was several times larger than the powerful Kingdom of Spain. Once the emperor of the Eastern Empire intervened in the war when European countries were exhausted, the consequences would be disastrous.

How should the exhausted European countries deal with the invasion of such a huge empire?

Ferreira looked worried, but then he thought, even if Europe was really occupied by this prince, so what? What does this have to do with him, a little illegitimate son of a noble?

If the prince really plans to reorganize Europe, maybe he can even take a boat back to his hometown. Thinking of this, Ferreira's expression became natural. Zhu Lang didn't expect that Ferreira in front of him had already made such a grand plan for himself. The reason why he paid attention to these was just to match the time of the East and the West in this era.
Compared with the Habsburgs and the Franks, he paid more attention to the Netherlands in this European war, and he paid attention to the Netherlands because the Netherlands was related to his plan for Taiwan.
As for joining the European battlefield to dominate the European continent, he had no idea at all. At the moment, just withstanding the attack of the Qing army was already exhausting him. How could he care about what was happening in Europe thousands of miles away?
"Is Portugal independent now?" Zhu Lang thought about this and asked again.

"Yes, I heard some news from people back home a few years ago that the great Kingdom of Portugal has gained independence from the evil Kingdom of Spain, and we are already an independent country recognized by all European countries."

Ferreira swallowed his saliva and wanted to hide the situation of his country, but he thought that this mysterious oriental prince even knew English and might have connections with the English, so he dared not hide it and had to speak.

This war that swept across Europe not only had a profound impact on the future, but also had a great impact on the present.
In this war, the Habsburg-Spanish alliance gradually lost the upper hand. The Netherlands and Portugal, which were not recognized by Spain, also took the opportunity to join the Frankish Kingdom, truly gained independence from the Spanish Kingdom, and obtained recognition from European countries.
The Netherlands grew rapidly in power during this war. Through its powerful ocean-going warships, it seized a large area of ​​Spanish and Portuguese territory in the South Pacific Islands, replacing Portugal and becoming the rising maritime hegemon in the South Pacific region.
The reason why Ferreira went to Macau was because the Dutch seized the Portuguese interests in the South Pacific Islands. The Portuguese merchant ships in the South Pacific had a hard time surviving and naturally could not afford to hire so many sailors, so Ferreira had to go to Macau to look for opportunities.
Ferreira left Europe because of the war, but even though he ran thousands of miles away, he still could not escape the impact of the war. The high and mighty kings just waved their feathers lightly, and Ferreira, who was thousands of miles away, changed his course.

Zhu Lang compared his memory and thought about the current situation in the Netherlands

The Netherlands and Portugal officially gained independence several years ago, which means that the war is coming to an end and the Dutch can also withdraw from the war. Future development will inevitably be extremely rapid.

The location of Taiwan is extremely important. Any maritime hegemon who aspires to conquer the South Seas will not let this place go. Zhu Lang is not interested in Europe, but he has already made plans for Taiwan. I am afraid that in the future, there will inevitably be competition with the Netherlands here.
Zhu Lang was thinking about the Netherlands, but then he let out a long sigh. He had too many things to deal with right now. Although Taiwan was important, it was not even on the list.

Therefore, after some thought, I can only suppress the thoughts in my mind.
Zhu Lang turned his gaze back to Ferreira and asked

"As a gunner, you must understand the sine and cosine functions and know how to calculate the angle of the gun's elevation."

"I learned all these from the old gunner on the ship, so I know a little bit about them," Ferreira replied carefully.

This time he dared not brag recklessly. Since the prince in front of him knew sine and cosine, he must have learned this. If he said he was proficient in it, and the prince gave him some function problems on the spot, he would be in trouble.
He is a good gunner, but instead of eating meat and drinking wine, how can he be asked to sit down and do math problems?
Zhu Lang's eyes flashed with satisfaction. This Ferreira is really good. He knows the situation in Europe, knows how to operate artillery, and knows some mathematics. He is a good instructor to train artillery.
If you want to fire your artillery accurately, you must learn some mathematics. Ferreira is just the right person for this purpose.
Thinking of this, Zhu Lang said
"Now that you have come to Haojing, you can learn the Mandarin of the Ming Dynasty"

"I have learned a few sentences, but the language is so profound that I still cannot get started."

"Then go down and study hard. If you learn well, I will use you as an artillery instructor in the future. Your father is a baron. As long as you can do this well, I will make you a viscount in the future."

Zhu Lang casually threw down a handful of bait

"Yes, I will definitely study the language of the country and serve His Highness."

Ferreira responded respectfully, but a thoughtful look flashed across his face.
He no longer had any illusions about returning to Portugal to obtain a title and reach the pinnacle. It was also unclear whether he could return to Portugal in this lifetime. If he could obtain a title in this huge Eastern country, it seemed like a good choice.
If he could become a noble here and have wealth, he might be able to return home one day and become a true Portuguese noble.

Thinking of this, Ferreira's face became more respectful.

But Zhu Lang had already asked all the questions he wanted to ask and had no interest in Ferreira for the time being, so he asked Li Guoyong to take Ferreira away first.

Li Guoyong led Ferreira out of the room, and Zhu Lang's eyes finally fell on Pang Tianshou. Feeling the gaze of the young prince above, Pang Tianshou suddenly began to get nervous.

(End of this chapter)