The night was dark, Zhang Yanling was pacing slowly in the room, his brows furrowed.
His purpose for this trip was to investigate and evaluate the possibility of opening maritime trade routes and to evaluate the possibility of re-opening the sea ban. Of course, he also wanted to obtain a Franco cannon as a sample for the arsenal to study and imitate.
Zhang Yanling's original idea was to investigate in secret, find out these things, and then find an opportunity to buy a Franco cannon and sneak away with it. He didn't want to expose his identity and make any big noise.
However, after arriving here for a few days, Zhang Yanling learned some things that have shifted the focus of the investigation. The deeper the investigation went, the more Zhang Yanling felt that there were too many secrets hidden in this Guangzhou mansion.
For Zhang Yanling, it is not surprising that there is a large amount of smuggling in Guangzhou. Before coming here, he had already expected that there would be local smuggling. However, the scale of smuggling here and the methods used to cover it up even involve
Some people who appeared and disappeared behind the scenes, the attitude of local officials, and the attitude of the people all made Zhang Yanling feel unusual.
That's fine. After all, the advantage lies in allowing people to take risks. Even if the government or a prince is involved in smuggling, it is an act to make money. It seems understandable.
However, what is happening now has clearly gone beyond mere smuggling for profit.
The French ships on Tuen Mun Island have been here for two or three years, and Tuen Mun Island has been occupied by them for two years. The government here concealed it and only reported it to the court recently. But they said that the other party was only here for supply transit.
We should show the magnanimity of our great Ming Dynasty and let these foreign ships feel the great grace of our great Ming Dynasty. In fact, it is the expiration of the imperial court.
In fact, these Francois and some foreign merchants have already occupied Tuen Mun Island. The temples and Taoist temples on the island were destroyed by them, and they built churches, buildings, barracks, etc. It has become a port base for them. These guys have
You can go in and out of Guangzhou like nothing, and you may even have certain privileges.
It is very likely that officials from the Guangzhou government and even officials from the Guangdong and Guangxi Chief Government Offices have reached some kind of tacit agreement with these people from the Franco Kingdom to jointly seize the benefits gained from smuggling. If the benefits of smuggling include officials and merchants as well as merchants from the Franco Kingdom.
If the three parties cooperate to seize, it is not just a matter of merchants smuggling for profit. It is a major matter of accepting bribes, deceiving the court, and conniving at the people of the Flemish Kingdom to invade the Ming Dynasty's land.
What makes Zhang Yanling even more intolerable is that what Huo Shijian said today confirmed Zhang Yanling's suspicion.
The people from the Franji Kingdom are not merchants. They do control the trade routes and make huge profits from them. But at the same time, starting from the end of last year, they are kidnapping the young and middle-aged people here in an organized way.
woman.
Disappearance cases have occurred not only in Guangzhou Prefecture, but also in the local counties under its jurisdiction. The specific number of people is unknown, but there have been at least dozens of cases. In other words, these red-haired ghosts are secretly engaged in human smuggling and trafficking. They kidnapped Daming.
The young and strong men of the DPRK went to sea and were sold to foreign countries as slaves and forced labor. The young women were captured and their fate was probably even worse.
The value of young labor force and young women is much more than the goods transported from the Ming Dynasty. These are slaves who can continuously create value. They are working tools to make money that can meet their needs. Whether it is labor or doing something dangerous but rewarding
Jobs with huge profits, or for the enjoyment of overseas Chinese, are expensive and best-selling 'goods'.
Zhang Yanling knew that it was extremely expensive for the princes and nobles of the Ming Dynasty to keep Korean maids in their homes. The price of Korean women known as "Silla maids" could range from several thousand to tens of thousands of taels. Women of the Ming Dynasty may
In the eyes of the nobles of the country, it is probably a priceless and rare luxury product.
In short, no matter what, the actions of the bandits from the Franji Kingdom have gone far beyond what the merchants did. Not only did they invade and occupy the land of the Ming Dynasty and refuse to leave, they even dared to confront the Ming Dynasty's army. They even dared to kidnap the Ming Dynasty.
Common people engage in human trafficking. These are extremely heinous acts.
It’s okay if Zhang Yanling doesn’t know these things. Now that he knows, how can he sit idly by and do nothing.
We must drive away these bandits from the Fo Lang Ji Kingdom, recapture Tuen Mun Island, and give them severe punishment.
Not only that, the fact that the bandits from the Fo Langji Kingdom dared to commit such atrocities must have a lot to do with the connivance and ignorance of local officials. How could the government not know things that ordinary people in Guangzhou knew? The people kept silent for fear that it was the government.
The result of suppression.
In other words, local government officials are very likely to be complicit in the bandits of the Franco Kingdom. Even if they are not complicit, they must have turned a blind eye and allowed the people of the Franco Kingdom to do evil.
Not only must we root out the bandits in the Franco Kingdom and eliminate them. We must also purge the relevant officials and bring them to justice.
Zhang Yanling even believed that if local officials dared to be so conniving, there might even be a bigger backer behind them, covering them up and endorsing them. For example, some prince, or some people in the court.
Zhang Yanling paced quickly, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. He was really so angry that his heart ached.
He has never been so angry since traveling through time. He has seen the dangers of the court and gone through the test of life and death. None of these experiences have made him feel so angry as in today's situation. The Ming Dynasty has actually become so corrupt.
In the imperial court, Liu Jin and others covered their faces with only one hand
Zhang Yanling felt that the entire Ming Dynasty was like a building whose columns, rafters and beams were corroded by moths. It was already crumbling and could happen at any time.
Collapse and overturn.
In this case, I'm afraid I have to do something to reverse the situation.
Zhang Yanling stopped, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself down.
Anger cannot solve problems, and you must not act out of anger in the current situation. Zhang Yanling warned herself to calm down and not act impulsively.
I am isolated and helpless here, with only a dozen people at hand. It is probably a luxury to hope to solve the problem at hand. I must find a capable helper to act with me. If I can't get the support of local soldiers and horses, then
Still unable to act.
There must also be steps in everything you do.
Zhang Yanling believes that to solve the problem of bandits in Folangji Kingdom on Tuen Mun Island and to rescue the people who have been kidnapped and kidnapped, some military means are needed. But before that, things in the local government may have to be resolved first. Otherwise,
Not only cannot we get help from local soldiers, but we may also be stabbed in the back by them.
In Zhang Yanling's view, it is much easier to deal with the bandits of the Folangji Kingdom on Tuen Mun Island through military means than to deal with the people who are colluding in the government. These guys can cover the sky with one hand, which must be the real power among local officials.
figure.
Under the current circumstances, what is needed is strong wisdom and means, and what is needed is watertight calculations. Zhang Yanling felt tremendous pressure, and at the same time felt extremely excited about it.
…
The autumn sun is shining high and the autumn day is refreshing.
More than a dozen cavalrymen galloped through the long street and arrived at the open bluestone square in front of the Chief Secretary's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi.
Before the several government officials standing at the entrance of the lobby could react, a dozen or so armed horsemen strode into the lobby surrounded by an imposing young man.
"Hey, hey, hey, who are you? This is the lobby of the Chief Secretary's Yamen. You are not allowed to break in." The Yamen officials hurriedly stepped forward to stop them.
"You've lost your dog's eyes. The Marquis of Jianchang of the Ming Dynasty and the Deputy Governor of Tuanying. Today's uncle Zhang Hou is here. Why don't you hurry up and report it?" A burly man shouted loudly.
"Ouch!" The government officials were startled. This list of names really frightened them.
"What's going on? What's the noise about? Zhang Cheng, how did these people break in?" A thin-looking old man wearing a black robe came out from behind the curtain and asked loudly.
"Master, they said they are the deputy governor of the regiment and the marquis of Jianchang in the Ming Dynasty." The head of the Yamen team said hurriedly.
"Ah?" The master was startled and looked up and down at Zhang Yanling and his party.
"Are you really...?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Why don't you report it to the Chief Envoy?" Chen Shiyi shouted loudly.
"Yes, yes, yes!" The master repeatedly held up his hands and trotted into the inner hall with his robe in hand to report.
Zhang Yanling stepped forward, put his hands behind his hands and glanced up at the plaque hanging in the hall. On the plaque was gilded on a black background and written with four powerful characters: Benefit All Peoples.
Zhang Yanling smiled, strode forward, sat down on the chair behind the table in the hall, and started shaking with his feet on the case.
A group of government officials stood in the hall, whispering to each other, not knowing what they were talking about.
In the back hall of the Chief Secretary's office, Li Siming, the right chief envoy of the Guangdong and Guangdong Proclamation Secretary, had just gotten up and finished washing. He was now standing on the corridor carrying bird food with bamboo sticks to feed the birds.
The master burst in from outside the courtyard, shouting and yelling, causing the emerald green birds in the cage to flutter and fly around. Their wings splashed the water in the newly added trough, bringing with them more than a dozen wet birds.
Food splashed all over Li Siming's face.
Li Siming yelled angrily: "You bitch, are you crazy? Why are you trespassing? This Jin Cui shocked me. Do you know how much silver this Jin Cui is worth? I can't afford it even if I sell your cheap bones."
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, sir, and I'm sorry to the bird. But sir, I'm not an old man in panic. Someone is coming to the hall. Sir, please go and see him." The master hurriedly bowed his hands and shouted.
"Why are you meeting? The King of Heaven told him to wait, I want to feed the birds. These people just refuse to let me have my leisure time. If you have something to do, don't you know how to go to the prefect's Yamen? I just like to run to the Chief Secretary's Yamen. Prefect Kang, on the other hand,
In my free time, I will do a lot of trivial things to annoy my officer." Li Siming scolded.
He turned his head, pouted his mouth and whistled to comfort the frightened caged bird.
"Sir, this is someone from the capital. He is the deputy governor of the regiment and the Marquis of Jianchang Zhang." The master said solemnly.
"What!" Li Siming turned around, stared, and yelled.
The bird in the cage was frightened again and flapped its wings.