"Master Zhong, the Portuguese in Macau sent their governor to the capital to apologize and request an audience." Emperor Chongzhen informed Zhong Jinwei as soon as he saw him.
When Zhong Jinwei heard this, he made a calculation in his mind and said with a smile: "They came very quickly! Where are they now?"
Emperor Chongzhen also smiled, and then said: "I have left them in Honglu Temple. Master Zhong, how should we deal with the matter of the Portuguese in Macau more appropriately?"
Zhong Jinwei was undoubtedly an expert in this field, and it was he who spread the rumor that the Portuguese came to the capital to plead guilty. Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen immediately came to Zhong Jinwei and asked him what he thought.
Zhong Jinwei had done his homework before, so he replied calmly: "Your Majesty, the Portuguese in Macau actually don't have any good intentions towards the Ming Dynasty. The reason why they are more disciplined than the Dutch now is just because they don't have the strength of the Dutch.
They are just powerful. As for them, we in the Ming Dynasty cannot treat them as friendly guests."
Emperor Chongzhen nodded. The Portuguese's performance in the Jiangnan Rebellion could tell their position. Emperor Chongzhen naturally would no longer be polite to the Portuguese, so he asked Zhong Jinwei: "Master Zhong, what is the Western position?"
You are most familiar with the matter. Please tell me how to do it."
"First, the rent we rented to them in Macau was only five hundred and two years, which was too cheap. The price will have to be increased significantly."
Zhong Jinwei's statement made Emperor Chongzhen laugh. He now understood the profits of sea trade. The Portuguese only paid five hundred taels a year, which was worse than sending a beggar.
"Second, Macau is the territory of the Ming Dynasty, so everyone in Macau must abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty and be managed by people sent by the Ming Dynasty."
Hearing Zhong Jinwei say this, Emperor Chongzhen smiled and reminded: "Master Zhong, Macau is managed by officials from the Ming Dynasty."
When Zhong Jinwei heard this, he realized that he had not explained clearly, so he added: "Your Majesty, I am referring to the Portuguese, and they must be managed by Ming officials, not their Macao Council."
"Master Zhong, isn't this too unreasonable? After all, they are inconsistent with the customs and habits of the Ming Dynasty." Emperor Chongzhen asked for advice a little embarrassed.
After hearing this, Zhong Jinwei shook his head resolutely and said: "Your Majesty, this is a matter of principle. It is the need of the Ming Dynasty to declare Macao's territorial sovereignty. It is to clearly tell the Portuguese that this is the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and it is the Ming Dynasty that has the final say. Come on.
In the Ming Dynasty, we must abide by the rules of the Ming Dynasty, stay in our own land and be good citizens, otherwise we will be punished in the same way."
After hearing what Zhong Jinwei said, Emperor Chongzhen understood and immediately expressed his position: "Master Zhong is right, I almost made a mistake."
Zhong Jinwei smiled after hearing this and said: "Your Majesty, the Portuguese army in Macau is quite special. It is unrealistic to not allow them to have an army. After all, it is not safe at sea now, so they also need an army to escort them. I suggest that they manage the army themselves."
However, you must declare to the local government when entering or leaving Macau. During your stay in Macau, unless invited by the Ming Dynasty, you must pay the rent for the port."
Emperor Chongzhen did not speak this time, but nodded slightly.
Zhong Jinwei then continued: "The instructors of the Ming Dynasty Naval Academy asked the Portuguese to send people to teach. The shipyard imitated the work of Western warships and also asked them to send people to teach."
Hearing Zhong Jinwei talk about so many demands on the Portuguese, this was completely different from the previous treatment of the Portuguese. Emperor Chongzhen asked a little worriedly: "Master Zhong, can the Portuguese agree to such many demands?"
When Zhong Jinwei heard this, he smiled and said: "There may have been trouble before, but they have seen the fate of the Dutch who were stronger than them. I believe that they will consider this matter carefully. Otherwise, they can also let the Bingzhan Bureau do a few rounds.
Show them the cannonball."
Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but shake his head, Master Zhong loved scaring people the most.
"Of course, as long as the Portuguese can agree to the above conditions, our Ming Dynasty can grant them the right to trade in various open ports. In the short term, if only the Portuguese do business with the Ming Dynasty, the profits will be enough for them to ignore the different opinions of insiders.
Of course, something must be reiterated here.”
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he couldn't help but ask: "Master Zhong, what do you want to reiterate?"
"Businesses must be settled with Ming Jiusi Baobao notes." Zhong Jinwei reminded.
"Oh!" Emperor Chongzhen nodded knowingly, and then said, "I understand."
After Zhong Jinwei expressed his opinions, he patted his butt and set off for Liaodong by himself.
Emperor Chongzhen took his opinions to discuss with the courtiers, and after finally improving some details, he began a showdown with the Portuguese.
First, they arranged for the Portuguese to visit the training ground of the Bureau of War. When the Hongyi cannon produced by the iron mold casting method was unveiled and practiced, the Portuguese envoy, the Governor of Macau, Maascaru, was also greatly surprised.
At that time, the Governor of Macau had very little power and could only manage the Macau military. In other words, he was actually just a fleet commander.
Because of this, he could tell at a glance that this artillery was lighter and of better quality than the artillery they were using. He couldn't help but feel envious and directly requested to buy this kind of artillery.
It was Hedong in the 30th year and Hexi in the 30th year. In the past, the Ming Dynasty bought artillery from the Portuguese, but now it is reversed. The Portuguese want to buy the artillery from the Ming Dynasty.
However, Maaskar Road did not go as he wished, and Ming Dynasty did not agree to sell it to him.
But when Zhong Jinwei returned from Liaodong and heard about it, he immediately put it up for sale. Why not sell it? Even if the Portuguese bought it, they couldn't imitate it.
The most important thing is that the arms business is the most profitable business. The cost of casting iron cannons is very low, but because the cannons produced are of better quality, the asking price is naturally higher. This profit made Emperor Chongzhen and Bi Zi
Yan and the others were all smiles. Of course, this is a story for another day.
When the imperial court sent requests to Mascara based on Zhong Jinwei's suggestions, it received no reply for the time being. It was said that it would have to return to Macau for discussion before making a decision.
Emperor Chongzhen had the confidence to quell the chaos in Jiangnan, so he gave Mascara a time limit. If there was no reply within the time limit, he would directly use force to expel him, and at the same time he would declare that Portugal was no longer welcome by the Ming Dynasty.
Although the Portuguese felt that the conditions offered by the Ming Dynasty were too harsh, and they had to help them build ships and train sailors, once the Ming Dynasty's navy became stronger, they would have no choice but to listen to the Ming government's words even more. But if they don't agree, no need to
This is the fate of the Dutch. At most, it will only delay the Ming Dynasty's navy to become stronger.
After some urgent discussions, the Portuguese finally agreed to Ming's request.