Chapter 1178 Meeting Westerners for the First Time
Zhu Biao wanted to refute Han Du, but couldn't find a reason. But at this time, he felt that if he didn't say something, he would feel a little uncomfortable.
He turned to look at Fang Xiaoru and asked, "You are also a great scholar. Do you also agree with Han Du's statement?"
Fang Xiaoru shook his head slightly and said humbly: "I am just a scholar and cannot deserve the praise of His Highness. However, I will answer your Highness's question based on my own experience."
Zhu Biao looked at Fang Xiaoru quietly and said nothing. There was neither expectation nor disappointment in his eyes. Apparently Zhu Biao also guessed what Fang Xiaoru would say.
"When I first came here, I had the same thoughts as His Highness does now. I felt that everyone, whether they were Ming people or natives, were human beings, and I thought we could treat them all equally."
"But later I didn't think so," Fang Xiaoru looked into Zhu Biao's eyes sincerely and said, "If the Ming Dynasty wants to grow strong and the people want to be rich, they need things like food, grain, gold, silver, copper, spices, etc., and these
It's impossible for things to fall out of thin air, right? Growing food requires a lot of labor, and mining minerals is even more dangerous. If you don't do it right, you will die. If the natives don't do these things, then only the people of the Ming Dynasty will do them.
"
If the natives don't do it, then only the people of the Ming Dynasty will do it. After hearing the words, Zhu Biao fell silent. Han Du persuaded Zhu Biao: "Your Highness, Fang Xiaoru is right. The Ming Dynasty needs these resources.
, to become rich and powerful. But none of these things come in vain, and which one is not exchanged for human life? It is better to let the people of Ming Dynasty pay their lives in vain."
The Taoist friends who die are not the poor Taoists. Everyone understood Han Du's meaning instantly. Mining will definitely kill people anyway. Instead of killing the people of the Ming Dynasty, it is better to let these natives die.
Zhu Biao weighed it for a long time, and finally had to nod and sigh, "Having said that, can't we give the natives some hope?"
Seeing Zhu Biao's last struggle, Han Du suddenly laughed and nodded: "Of course we must give them hope. We can also absorb those natives who speak Chinese, write Chinese characters, and are accustomed to Ming Dynasty etiquette."
Zhu Biao, Fang Xiaoru, and Tang Ding all looked at Han Du.
Han Du saw it and smiled and said: "The number of these people must not be large, but we can give them the same status as the people of the Ming Dynasty. This will not only give all the natives a hope and prevent them from jumping over the wall in despair, but also
Let them take care of the natives."
"Host? What do you mean?" Fang Xiaoru asked quickly. He had been the governor of Luzon for more than a year, and all kinds of affairs were exhausting him mentally and physically. Among all kinds of affairs, the most important thing was actually with the local people.
Things related to people.
That's why Fang Xiaoru was so eager when Han Du mentioned letting the natives manage the natives.
Han Dumosuo touched the armrest of the chair and said with a smile: "To be honest, whether it is the people of the Ming Dynasty or the survivors of the former Song Dynasty, if you directly control the natives, the natives will record all their grievances on them.
But if we let the natives who care about us govern them, then no matter what happens to them, no matter what grievances they have, they will all bear their grudges on these natives, and it will not have much to do with other people."
Fang Xiaoru suddenly understood. He raised his fingers and said with trembling words: "You mean, we civilize some natives and then let them attract the hatred of other natives?"
"Not bad." Han Du smiled and nodded.
Zhu Biao and Fang Xiaoru looked at each other and suddenly had a deeper understanding of Han Du's ruthlessness.
Han Du saw that the eyes of the two people looking at him had changed, he smiled and said: "In this way, not only can we give the natives a little hope, but also set up an expectation for all the natives. And since these people have got us
Our support will definitely intensify for other natives. Not only can it help us manage the natives obediently, but they will not have any other way to go except relying on us, so there is no need to worry about them at all.
Will rebel."
"Wonderful!" Fang Xiaoru immediately clapped her hands and cheered happily.
Zhu Biao looked at him blankly. He wanted to know what Fang Xiaoru had gone through in more than a year to turn the gentle and elegant gentleman he was before into the person he was now, who was happy to hear poisonous schemes.
In fact, Fang Xiaoru even moved the chair closer to Han Du, and started to make plans with Han Du.
Zhu Biao sighed helplessly. He didn't like Han Du's approach, but he also knew what the Ming Dynasty needed most now. Nanyang alone provided a large amount of food to the Ming Dynasty every year, so he couldn't give up easily.
Some people are helping to save money first, but no one is helping to take care of the present. Ming Dynasty can only take care of the present first. As for being nice to the natives, it can only be left for later.
Zhu Biao rested for a night and washed and changed clothes refreshed the next morning.
When the guard heard that Fang Xiaoru wanted to see him, Zhu Biao thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Send him to come in."
After Fang Xiaoru came in to greet him, Zhu Biao didn't wait for him to speak.
, then asked: "You came here to see me this early in the morning. What's the matter?"
Fang Xiaoru cupped his hands and replied: "Your Highness, they are some highly respected people from the Ming Dynasty who were exiled here and survivors of the former Song Dynasty. They heard that Your Highness was touring the sea and came here to pay homage. What do you think, Your Highness?"
After Zhu Biao pondered for a while, he said: "They are lonely. They are here just to take a look. They will set off again soon, so it is better to avoid it."
Zhu Biao still did not give up on wanting to change the situation in which the natives were being squeezed. He did not want to contact those people who directly exploited the natives because he did not want to lose his true judgment due to preconceived ideas.
Seeing that Zhu Biao was unwilling, Fang Xiaoru withdrew. Although Zhu Biao did not want to see these people, Fang Xiaoru still summoned them for a meeting. The main purpose was to discuss with them how to use the natives to carry out the plan proposed by Han Du.
Go down.
Zhu Biao only stayed in Luzon for three days before ordering Han Du to set sail. ??
This time, the fleet visited Champa, Siam and other ports, which gave Zhu Biao a better understanding of various things in Southeast Asia and a solid understanding of various folk customs.
Finally, the fleet arrived at the last destination of the trip, the Old Port.
The huge fleet was sailing slowly on the sea, and hundreds of ships were connected to form a long black winding belt on the sea. They were slowly sailing towards the old port.
Some Western merchants' ships were frightened and exclaimed when they saw such a fleet of ships covering the sky. There were even some newcomers who wanted to turn around and run back immediately.
"Don't be afraid, that's the fleet of the Ming Navy. They won't attack us." A man dressed as a first mate said to the captain with a smile. Obviously he was more familiar with Nanyang than the captain, and he was also familiar with the Ming Navy.
On the contrary, the captain, as the owner of a ship, looked like it was his first time in Nanyang, and he was even more unfamiliar with the Ming Navy.
"Da Ming Navy?" The captain took a deep breath and asked the first mate doubtfully.
"Yes, Captain." The first mate nodded and replied.
Then he explained to the captain: "I once told you, sir, that Ming Dynasty is that mysterious country in the east."
The captain nodded and answered: "Oh, yes, dear first mate. It is indeed you who told me that this is the legendary Eastern country, but you did not tell me that their fleet, the Ming Dynasty Navy, will be
Such a huge fleet. Such a huge fleet is invincible on the sea. How could they have such an invincible fleet?"
"Haha, Captain, maybe these fleets just look powerful, maybe they use scimitars." Another Westerner raised his beard full of chin and smiled wildly.
The first mate looked at the man condescendingly, his expression full of contempt for a frog in a well.
After the captain heard this, his eyes lit up and he couldn't help but nodded secretly. If these fleets were just huge ships with low combat effectiveness, then he would have made a fortune. If he snatched all these ships and took them back and converted them into warships, then
He is invincible in the Arabian Sea, and can even build a country and become king based on this.
Seeing the captain's eagerness to try, the first mate's face darkened and he hurriedly advised: "Captain, you must not do this!"
"Why?" The captain looked at the first mate impatiently.
The first mate said in a deep voice: "The Ming Dynasty is the most powerful country in the East. Even though I have traveled to so many places, I have never seen an empire as huge as the Ming Dynasty. The land area of the Ming Dynasty alone exceeds ten thousand miles, and this place is said by the people of the Ming Dynasty.
It was just an old port in Nanyang, a barbaric land overseas. There were thirty-three places like this in Nanyang during the Ming Dynasty.
Moreover, does the captain know how far this place is from the imperial capital of the Ming Dynasty, which is what the people of the Ming Dynasty call the capital?"
"How far?" The greedy look on the captain's face had long since disappeared.
Even the person who was smiling wildly just now has a serious look on his face now.
"It's more than ten thousand miles away. If we set sail from the old port back to the capital of the Ming Dynasty, it will take four or five months, even with smooth sailing."
With thousands of miles of land and thousands of miles of sea territory, occupying such a vast area, the strength of the Ming Dynasty can be seen.
The power of Ming Dynasty made the captain and others look at each other with sympathy and no longer dared to talk nonsense.
When the first mate saw the expressions on the two men's faces, he felt extremely proud.
The captain in front of him was not a captain at all, but a pirate who robbed his ship. And he, the first mate, was originally a maritime merchant who went to and from the old port to do business, but when he returned, the captain robbed all his goods.
Two pure.
Just when the captain ordered him to be thrown into the sea to feed the fish, he struggled to survive and attracted the captain's attention with the prosperity and wealth of the old port. The greedy captain was attracted by his description of the old port and spared his life.
, let him take the captain to the old port.
But now, the first mate regards the strength of the Ming Dynasty Navy as his own strength, pretending to be powerful in front of the captain, and letting out a breath of bad breath in his chest.