Richard looked at Johnson with admiration and admiration in his heart.
In terms of human relations and sophistication, Johnson really has a good grasp of it!
…
In his palace, Mangbai met Richard, Johnson and others who had come from afar.
After Johnson and his party saw Mang Bai, the first thing they did was to kneel down with a bang and salute respectfully in broken Chinese.
"The common people bow to His Majesty the King!"
The reason why the Dutch use Chinese to salute the Burmese king is because whether they want to admit it or not.
In this era, Chinese is the universal language of the entire East!
If two countries with different spoken and written languages want to communicate with each other, they can only use Chinese.
Mang Bai also spoke in proficient Chinese.
"Without courtesy and in peace, you red barbarians, why do you want to see this king?"
Mang Bai speaks very good Chinese, fluently and fluently. Although his accent is slightly lacking, it is just a dialect with a slight accent.
There is no awkward feeling like foreigners speaking Chinese.
In this era in East Asia, basically no one in the ruling class of each country can speak Chinese.
The same is true for Mang Bai. He also received the purest Confucian education since he was a child.
Johnson stood up and sent greetings.
"On behalf of the Dutch East India Company, Johnson sends greetings to His Majesty the King."
"I hope that His Majesty the Great King will always be strong, always healthy, and always rule your country!"
When Mang Bai heard this, his narrowed eyes were full of satisfaction. It was obvious that he was very impressed by Johnson's compliment.
But even so, he still spoke.
"Let's be honest, why do you want to see me?"
When Johnson heard this, he stopped beating around the bush and spoke directly.
"Dear His Royal Highness, Johnson is here on behalf of the Dutch East India Company to bring warmth and help to His Highness."
"We in the Netherlands are deeply oppressed by the hegemony of the Ming Dynasty and cannot bear it, but we are unable to resist."
"We can only sit back and watch the Ming Dynasty oppress our merchants and citizens, and cut off the interests that originally belong to us."
"And Myanmar also has a similar experience to the Dutch!"
"Now we are also being oppressed by the Ming Kingdom!"
"Myanmar and the Netherlands are two equally great countries with the same situation and common enemies."
"We should stand together!"
"Those of us who have been oppressed by the Ming Dynasty should unite, help each other, and strive to overthrow the Ming Dynasty's hegemony."
Upon hearing this, Mang Bai's originally careless eyes changed, showing an interested expression.
The sitting posture also changed from a paralyzed position similar to Ge You's lying down, to a sitting upright position.
Mang Bai stared at Johnson with sharp eyes and asked in a serious tone.
"You Dutch want to support Burma in starting a war with Ming Dynasty?"
"So, what help can you provide to Myanmar?"
Hearing this, Johnson smiled slightly and spoke very confidently.
"Your Majesty the King, we in the Netherlands will provide you, this great ruler, with a batch of firearms."
"And hire a group of military instructors and commanders who are familiar with the use of firearms and are proficient in various firearm warfare methods for you..."
"I believe that if we can get help from the Netherlands, the great Burmese people will be able to unite and defeat the evil Ming invaders."
Mangbai, who was originally somewhat interested in what Johnson said, turned into that careless state again after listening to Johnson's words.
Firearms...
What did he think it was!
Firearms, aren't they just decorations that make a sound?
Something your dog doesn’t even want!
In a place like Myanmar, where the terrain is rugged and complex, the climate is humid, and it rains from time to time...
There is nothing wrong with saying that firearms are just like decorations.
If it suddenly rains during the war, firearms might as well be used as fire sticks.
Didn’t you see that when the Ming army led by Li Dingguo went south to Burma, they rarely used firearms?
Basically, they are mainly cold weapons!
The army carries some firearms, but the number is also very limited.
Seeing that Mangbai's state became careless again, Johnson was also a little confused.
It shouldn’t be!
The indigenous countries he encountered in the past sent instructors and commanders as soon as they heard that the Dutch were willing to provide them with firearms.
If you don't express gratitude and bow your head before bowing, you should be excited!
It really doesn’t make sense!
In any case, the king of Myanmar should not have this attitude.
Mang Bai didn't care what Johnson thought, it was just some firearms, and he really didn't like them.
Even if there were no Dutch, he could still get a batch of firearms from the Ming Dynasty through some businessmen.
At most it’s just that the price is a bit expensive!
Mang Bai continued to ask without paying much attention.
"Then, apart from firearms, can you Dutch provide us with any other help?"
What Mangbai really wanted was to hire a mercenary from the Dutch to fight for him.
Instead of getting a batch of firearms from the Dutch.
Seeing that Johnson was confused and didn't understand what he meant, Mangbai simply went straight to the point and asked.
"For example, provide me with a mercenary."
After hearing this, Johnson opened his mouth and said.
"The Dutch East India Company can help His Majesty the King to contact the Khalkha people in India."
"They have the most elite and skilled warriors in the world, and they are the best mercenaries in the world!"
After hearing this, Mang Bai nodded with satisfaction.
"If the performance of the mercenaries satisfies me, I will give you a commission that satisfies you."
Johnson nodded in response, then plucked up the courage again and asked.
"Does His Majesty the King really not want firearms? No more thinking about it? Since both parties have a common enemy, the company can sell them at a reduced price."
Unexpectedly, Mang Bai glanced at Johnson sideways and said in a disdainful tone.
"firearm?"
“Dogs don’t want that stuff!”
Johnson: "..."
…
Myanmar is just a corner of the world, a rather marginal corner.
No matter how the situation in Myanmar changes, it will not affect the evolution of the overall situation in the world.
The main force of the Qing army was still moving southward, pressing toward the south of the Yangtze River.
Wu Sangui also fought in Hunan and began to run the place and accumulate strength.
He used strong methods to move the population from Hunan to Sichuan and Shu to fill the population vacancy in Sichuan and Shu.
And adopted the policy of combining military and civilian settlements to develop the abandoned fields in Sichuan and Sichuan.
This is the policy that the Manchus and Qing Dynasties used in history to fill in Sichuan from Huguang.
Sichuan and Sichuan are really in decline now!
If the population cannot be replenished from the outside world, I don’t know how long it will take to recover...
On the Ming side, after taking Nanchang, they suspended their offensive and began to build Nanchang city defense, preparing to build a defense line facing the north with Nanchang as the core.
And sent a large-scale fleet northward to attack the Bohai Sea.
There is also the Ming Dynasty's plan for the Jingnan Army...
Geng Jingzhong's death turned the Jingnan Army into a big piece of fat meat.
It was a piece of fat meat that was basically boneless and was placed right in front of Daming!
No matter what, Zhu Hongyu had to take a bite.
He mobilized an integrated infantry division to go north by sea and attack Fuzhou, preparing for the worst.
Jin Yiwei sent out manpower to contact Cai Yaozu, the second and fifth son, and prepared to capture the Jingnan Army with Cai Yaozu's cooperation.
If that doesn't work, send the army and intervene with force!