Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 456 Arming the Qing Army
Yingtian
Qinhuai River

This river was called Longzangpu in ancient times and was called Huaishui in the Han Dynasty. It is said that when Qin Shihuang visited Kuaiji and passed Moling in the east, he thought that this place had "kingly aura" and ordered to dig a Xiliangang in the Fangshan and Shiqiaoshan areas to guide Longzangpu northward into the Yangtze River to break it.

Regarding the origin of this river, "Compilation of Events of the Six Dynasties" records: "The Huai River...is divided into tortuous branches, which does not seem to be artificially excavated, and it is suspected that it was not opened by the First Emperor." However, some sections of the river were artificially excavated, so it cannot be generalized.

But then again, this river matches Yingtian very well. Even if it was not entirely dug by humans, it must have been carefully planned.

The river course runs obliquely into the Yangtze River from the southeast of Yingtian, and with Zhongshan Mountain, it forms a situation of being surrounded by mountains and waters. The inner and outer cities of Yingtian were built according to this terrain. As long as there are no problems inside, they can be said to be impregnable.

Of course, Yingtian has been peaceful for hundreds of years, and no large-scale battles have taken place here even when it was besieged in the past. In addition, the current emperor has won victory after victory. Even though Yingtian is only separated from the Tartars by a river, the pleasure boats on the Qinhuai River are drifting leisurely as if in peacetime.

"Director Du is indeed very knowledgeable. I only know a little about the scenery of the southwest, but I didn't expect you to know everything about it."

"Mr. Wen is right. We are so ignorant because we are confined to our hometown."

"Yes, yes, Director Du knows more about the Ming Dynasty than I do. It's really shameful."

Following Master Wen's exclamation, everyone at the table couldn't stop praising Du Chen, and the atmosphere on the pleasure boat reached a climax.

These are the people who bought shares of the Haimao Group, and they naturally flatter Du Chen, who is in charge of the Ming Customs.

According to common sense, Du Chen should be in a good mood since the host was in such an attitude. But who would have thought that after hearing the last sentence, his face suddenly fell, and then the official language with a strange tone spread throughout the table.

"Although I was born in France, Your Majesty treats me as a national talent. I will be your subject for life. From now on, there is no need to mention such words of separation."

As soon as the words came out, the atmosphere at the table suddenly became tense.

Fortunately, Mr. Wen was used to big scenes, and after he understood the Westerner's thoughts, he immediately changed his mind.

"Your Majesty was able to select a person like the Commissioner who is loyal to the Ming Dynasty from among such a vast sea of ​​people. He is truly a star from heaven!"

Xingxiu's choice could not be wrong, so Du Chen's expression relaxed. However, when the voices of praise from the pleasure boat rang out again, he seemed a little absent-minded.

He had been staying in Yingtian for nearly two months. Although he was constantly entertained by the gentry and nobles of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and he also experienced the difference between a senior official of a big country and the Governor of Macau, he was still a little worried because the cunning fellow Stetson was still in Guangzhou.

This is not surprising. When Zhu Cilang appointed Du Chen as the acting director of the customs, he also sent Stetson over. This Dutchman was ruthless and had no psychological burden even if he betrayed the Governor-General of Taiwan. Therefore, the pressure on him in this main position was much greater. Even though he had done his best, he still worried that his deputy would find any flaws.

But then again, no matter how worried he was, how could he return to Guangzhou without the emperor's order?
After all, His Majesty neither agreed nor rejected Philip IV's request, so he, as the middleman, had to stay in Yingtian.

Of course, apart from worrying about that sinister guy Stetson, Du Chen is still very satisfied with his current life.

Not to mention that those who want to get a piece of the pie in maritime trade will inevitably flatter him, the fact that Yingtian is far away from any city in Europe is enough to make him linger.

"I know that you are all willing to respond to His Majesty's call and contribute to the commercial development of Ming Dynasty, but I still have to put the ugly words in front of you," Du Chen's voice rang out directly while everyone was still flattering him. After that, everyone listened attentively. He then continued, "First, overseas is not peaceful, and a strong navy is needed to maintain peace in the waterways, so tariffs are just to use your money to do your business."

"I understand, I understand. We have seen what happened earlier. Those Dutch were tyrannical and brutal. If Your Majesty had not sent troops to defeat them, how could we have transported the goods out of Ming?"

"Yes, my father got sick after meeting the Dutch at sea. I understand what the Commissioner means."

"We should all keep a close eye on them. If we find anyone trying to steal our people's support, we can deal with them ourselves without the need for the court to intervene!"

Everyone at the table expressed their opinions passionately, but Du Chen, who was sitting at the head of the table, had a calm expression on his face.

Who is he?

How could I possibly believe such nonsense?
"Second, whether you believe it or not, I am very satisfied with my current life. If you really think that I will take the risk to help you evade tariffs, you are totally wrong."

It was not known whether it was because Du Chen's words were too straightforward, or the underlying meaning touched the hearts of everyone present, but after he finished speaking, the atmosphere at the table stagnated.

Faced with such a scene, Master Wen, as the organizer of the event, took the initiative to step forward to defuse the awkwardness, but he could not help but feel some contempt for these people in his heart.

No wonder.

When facing the imperial power and military generals, the civil servants can be regarded as a whole, but when internal strife occurs, the civil servants become factions.

The same principle applies to the aristocratic families. People in Jiangsu and Zhejiang look down on people in Huguang, and people in Huguang despise people in the southwest. Within Jiangsu and Zhejiang, there are different factions, and they all think that an ally without an enemy is the biggest enemy.

Take the current situation for example. His Wen family is located in Huating and is a family that has passed down farming and studying. However, the people at the table are all from the hilly area in southern Zhejiang. In fact, they have achieved their current success through business.

If he were young, Master Wen would have looked down on these people from the mountains like the people from the plains, and it would be impossible for him to sit at the same table with them.

But accidents happen all the time, and misfortunes may come to people at any time. The twists and turns many years ago caused the main branch to suffer a disaster, and they in Huating were also affected. After that, the strength of the Wen family in Huating was constantly shrinking. In order to prevent his family from falling into decline, he had no choice but to fall into depravity.

Here, the words hit the nail on the head.

Due to the policies of the imperial court, for many years in China, the families who have always relied on the land for their livelihood have been more powerful. The more powerful a family is, the more people will pass the imperial examinations, and the family will know more about official affairs than ordinary families.

With this premise, he naturally thought that what Du Chen said were just polite words. When he saw the reactions of the people at the table, he would think that they were all bumpkins who had never seen the world.

But Master Wen was, after all, a prominent figure in public. No matter how much contempt he felt in his heart, he did not show it on his face. But when he was thinking of something to say to ease the awkwardness, he saw a servant running in in a panic.

"Master! Someone is coming from the palace!"

In the palace?

As the words spread, everyone's eyes turned to Du Chen, but Du Chen was even more confused than them. When everyone at the table looked outside the boat, he was still unable to come back to his senses.

After nearly two months of delay, he had long lost all hope of completing Philip IV's mission.

After all, the Ming Dynasty still had a large territory to recover, so it had no spare energy to care about European affairs. However, he was the customs commissioner and had nothing else to do, so why would His Majesty summon him at this time?
His mind was constantly turning, but his movements were not slow at all. By the time the eunuch appeared, the originally full pleasure boat had been vacated into a large empty space.

"Your Majesty has ordered Du Chen to appear before you."
-
Du Chen was right. Although customs matters were important, they were not urgent at all. If he really wanted to give instructions, he could wait until dawn. What he saw also proved this point.

When he arrived outside the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Cilang, who usually met court officials in the warm room, was sitting upright in the main hall, while several important officials in red robes were standing solemnly inside.

"Your Majesty, I am Du Chen, the acting Customs official, and I pay my respects to His Majesty. May our Emperor live long and long!"

"Okay, get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

During the conversation, Du Chen's mastery of Ming Dynasty etiquette was fully revealed. If the strange accent in the official language was treated as a dialect, Du Chen was no different from an ordinary court official.

White people, yellow people, black people.

This is a division given by Westerners in later generations, but Zhu Cilang knew that the skin color of the people in the Ming Dynasty ranged greatly. The women in the water towns of the south of the Yangtze River could be so white that the so-called white people were eclipsed, while the old farmers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau could be so dark that the so-called black people could not even dream of matching.

In comparison, the so-called white people and black people have no such ability to adapt to the environment. Differentiating people by color is nothing but a manifestation of narrow-mindedness and ignorance.

Of course, this is also an aspect of cultural invasion.

In later generations, the country weakened, and everyone from high-ranking officials to ordinary people took the words and deeds of Westerners as their norm. When a new dynasty was established hundreds of years later, the confidence of the Celestial Empire gradually recovered, but the subtle influence of more than a hundred years had changed the way the Chinese people thought.

This can be understood as the inclusiveness and vitality of civilization, but the selfishness and greed of the commercial nation have inevitably invaded the blood of the farming nation, and it is not clear whether it is good or bad.

After thinking for a few times, Zhu Cilang returned to reality. Seeing Du Chen still standing in the hall waiting for a reply, he smiled and spoke first.

"I heard that the gentry have been hosting banquets these days. You are an important official in the court. Don't let yourself be drained by wine and women."

When Du Chen first heard this, he thought it was just a common concern, but just as he was about to reply, he was startled.

In order to integrate into the Ming officialdom, he not only maintained a relatively close relationship with local gentry, but also privately hired several legal advisors from Shaoxing.

Compared with His Majesty's generous salary, the expenses of these advisers are nothing, but it is this expense of several dozen taels every year that makes him smell potential danger from this sentence.

"Your Majesty is right. Those gentry came here for the position of customs chief. It's just that I'm new here and don't know how to refuse, so I lingered on the Qinhuai River." Du Chen secretly glanced at Zhu Cilang's expression, and when he saw that His Majesty was smiling, he continued, "Now that I have Your Majesty's sympathy, I can directly refuse their invitation."

"You are good at taking advantage of others, but most of those gentry come from the hilly areas in southern Zhejiang. I think you will have to deal with them more. You should know how to handle it yourself."

"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty."

Although these words were meant to be a warning, Zhu Cilang had no intention of pursuing the matter further as he faced Du Chen, a Westerner who was relatively knowledgeable.

After all, he chose Du Chen and Stetson to be in charge of the customs because they had no connection with the Ming Dynasty.

Although there are waves of people rushing to establish relationships with them at this time, as long as they have a clear mind, they can always figure out the difference between having a full meal and drinking a full meal, and they can make the right choice.

In comparison, if a senior official of the Ming Dynasty sat in this position, he would not only have to face the temptation of real interests, but also have to withstand the test of various relationships. Even if the customs was a brand new government office, it would only take a few years for it to be corrupted by the bad atmosphere of the court.

Of course, this does not mean that Du Chen and Stetson can be absolutely honest, but the degree and harm are within the controllable range, so Zhu Cilang has to choose the lesser of two evils.

After the opening remarks, Du Chen drew all his attention to him. After a few breaths, His Majesty seemed to have finished his thoughts, and the topic finally came to the right place.

"I summoned you here mainly because of the King of Spain's proposal, but the terms inside need to be discussed again."

When Du Chen heard the words, his head, which was slightly lowered, suddenly raised up. After meeting Zhu Cilang's eyes, he realized that this was extremely disrespectful. Then he looked at the ground in front of him with a face full of astonishment.

Seeing this situation, Zhu Cilang couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

How could he not know that agreeing to Philip IV's request was simply stretching his hand into his own trap? However, the Dutch, who had been silent for a long time, had done such a big thing. If he did not give a corresponding revenge, he would inevitably be looked down upon.

When the Ming fleet was transporting muskets and cloth armor to Japan, it once again encountered the merchant ships that had been passing by. After a not-so-fierce battle, those merchant ships were damaged or sunk, and the cargoes on them were all seized by the Ming navy.

If it were an ordinary time, the only thing left would be to follow the map and catch the owner of the merchant ship. Not only would they be rewarded for their merits, but those ship owners would also be subject to the most severe punishment of the Ming Dynasty.

But this made the naval commanders break out in cold sweats. Among the cargoes were not only self-propelled guns, but also more than ten cannons of different sizes. Altogether, these things could equip a firearms unit of almost three to two thousand people. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, even the confiscation of property and extermination of the clan were not unexpected.

Faced with such a major smuggling case, the leading general did not dare to leak any information. After much consideration, he finally reported it to Shen Tingyang.

After all, smuggling of military supplies was not an uncommon thing in the Ming Dynasty. Even though the Ming Dynasty at this time was no longer the same as before, the military generals did not dare to be sure that no one would take the risk.

Shen Tingyang was mature and prudent. After receiving the news, he submitted a secret report to Yingtian while quietly transporting the firearms to the factory. He stayed at the base steadily without making any movement.

In the end, the expected shocking case did not break out. After identification, it was found that these firearms were also homemade, but they were not produced by the Ming Dynasty.

At this time, there was a breakthrough in the interrogation of the arrested sailors. According to their confession, these firearms were loaded in Batavia and their destination was Beijing.

At this point, everything becomes clear.

Although the Dutch chose to stop their operations after the battle in Taiwan for various reasons, they still suffered such a huge loss and caused some trouble for the Ming Dynasty.

As for the means, it was to arm the Qing army with flintlock rifles.

(End of this chapter)