The woods on the hillside were filled with smoke, and the sea breeze blew the fire and smoke from Jiangjun Port into the woods on the hillside, choking the mouth and nose. When Zhang Yanling rushed to the cliff with his guards, he found some bad signs. There were traces of people running through the woods.
, as well as discarded firearms and equipment.
It seems that there were some soldiers from Folangji who escaped from the top of the mountain last night and went down from here to the direction of the military port. The road is steep and difficult to walk, so they must be cowardly deserters.
Zhang Yanling was very panicked, as this was not good. So she hurried to the edge of the cliff to look for Helena and the others. As a result, there was no one in the groove of the cliff. There was no trace of Helena and others.
Not only that, but the body of a Franco soldier was also seen on the ground outside the groove.
This surprise was no small matter. When leaving here, Zhang Yanling threw the body of the Fo Langji soldier from the cliff to the bottom of the hillside on the other side. There was no body in the hiding place. Seeing this body, Zhang Yanling felt a sense of
An ominous premonition. Could it be that they were kidnapped by the Folangji people?
Zhang Yanling hurriedly called Helena's name loudly and ordered people to look around. After calling several times, she heard someone's sweet response on the top of the smoke-filled cliff.
"My Lord Duke, is that you?"
Zhang Yanling was overjoyed. It was Helena's voice. So she rushed to the top of the cliff and stepped on the rocks. A figure stumbled over and it was Helena. She threw herself into Zhang Yanling's arms and hugged her tightly.
Zhang Yanling shouted.
"You are back, you are back."
Zhang Yanling patted her back and said: "It's okay, it's okay, it's safe, it's safe. Where are Catherine and your father?"
Catherine walked slowly from the smoke, still holding a Western sword in her hand. She shouted with joy: "Your Majesty, I am here. Uncle Almeida is also here, everything is fine."
Zhang Yanling chuckled and said, "That's great. I saw the corpse of a Folangji man down there, and there were traces of the rout of deserters in the woods. I thought something bad had happened. Just be fine."
Helena said softly: "We were almost discovered by them. A blind man ran to where we were hiding and found us. Fortunately, Catherine was bold and stabbed him to death with a sword without letting him scream.
.We see that the people below are uneasy
Quan, he helped my father to the cliff to take shelter. Fortunately, many deserters came from behind, running like crazy from the woods to the military port. If we had not come up the cliff, they would have definitely discovered us. That would have been terrible.
I can’t run away.”
Zhang Yanling heard sweat dripping down his spine. He had not thought carefully about it. He did not expect that some deserters from the Franco soldiers would escape from the steep hillside here. This position was halfway up the hillside, and something almost happened. If he had known this, he would have placed them in a
He could only leave in a better position. At that time, I was eager to participate in the battle, so I really didn't think about it so much.
Zhang Yanling looked at Catherine and praised: "Miss Catherine is really amazing. Well done."
Catherine's face was red, and she dropped the Western sword in her hand on the ground and said: "I was scared to death. I could only do this at that time. As soon as he screamed, we were all finished."
Zhang Yanling smiled and nodded, patting her arm to express his appreciation. He went up to check on Almeida's condition. Almeida seemed to be very awake with her eyes open. Seeing Zhang Yanling's arrival, her eyes also showed joy.
At that moment, Zhang Yanling called the accompanying soldiers to carry Almeida, and they climbed up the hillside and left.
While standing on the hillside, Helena looked back at the military port with the flames and smoke billowing into the sky, and said with lingering fear: "It seems that the battle was very fierce. We heard the roar of firearms all night without stopping. Catherine and I
We are all worried about your safety. God bless you and you are unscathed. It seems you have won the battle."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Thanks to you, we have indeed won. The entire Managara Seaport belongs to our Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, Alfonso escaped with a large number of manpower. It was he who ordered the bombing of the military port and the fire in the East District
Caused by the bomb. Destroy if you don't get it, this bastard is really hateful. I wanted to capture him alive, but unfortunately I couldn't."
Catherine gritted her teeth and said, "It's a pity that this devil escaped. I don't know when my father's revenge will be avenged."
Helena comforted her softly: "Catherine, he will definitely not end well, and this revenge will definitely be avenged."
Catherine sighed and said no more. She thought to herself: I'm afraid this revenge will never be avenged.
Zhang Yanling set up his residence in the Governor's Mansion. This is not only because the Governor's Mansion is currently the most luxurious and spacious place, but also because this place where the former Governor-General of Manlajia lived in has symbolic significance. This means that this place has already
Occupied by the Ming Empire.
Catherine and Helena's father and daughter also lived here. Zhang Yanling let them live in the original luxurious residence, while he lived in the official residence on the east side of the Governor's Mansion. This was of course also out of consideration of avoiding suspicion.
For several days, Zhang Yanling was extremely busy. There were many things to do after occupying the seaport. The port was now in chaos. After the Fo Langji people were driven away, although the Ming Dynasty soldiers and horses occupied it, many things needed to be re-planned. The Ming Dynasty
The soldiers of the Armada cannot be trapped in the security incidents in the streets, nor can they ignore the chaos in the city. They need to quickly get this port city into normal operation.
Zhang Yanling had actually already thought about it. The Ming Dynasty could not follow the old path of the Folangji people and could not do it themselves. It had to rely on local strength and implement local autonomy. The Ming Dynasty came here to open up trade routes and obtain the right to finance, trade and garrison.
With these legal powers, other things will be much easier to handle.
In view of this, the first thing Zhang Yanling did was to invite the nobles and princes of the Manlajia Kingdom who had been driven away by the Folangji people to come for talks. Speaking of which, the king of Manlajia was originally canonized by the Ming Dynasty.
When Zheng He went to the West, the local chiefs of Manchuria
Paramisu paid homage to Zheng He, and sent his son Ersha to accompany the Ming Dynasty fleet to the Ming Dynasty to meet Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty. He offered tribute. Zhu Di officially canonized Paramisu as the king of Manlajia. With the canonization of the Ming Emperor, Paramisu
Misu then legitimately began their rule.
The Ming Dynasty has implemented a maritime ban for many years, and has long been in trouble with these foreign countries overseas. However, in fact, every few years, these foreign countries will still send people to meet the Ming Emperor to pay tribute and continue their relations.
When the Folangji people attacked Manlajia, King Suduan Mamu of Manlajia actually asked for help from the Ming Dynasty. However, Emperor Hongzhi at that time did not have the energy to take care of the affairs of this overseas country. He only made a symbolic request.
An imperial edict,
It was brought back to the Minister of Manlajia who asked for help at that time. The imperial edict naturally rebuked the Folangji people not to attack Manlajia, saying that Manlajia was a vassal state covered by the Ming Dynasty. But this warning was of course given by the Folangji people.
It fell on deaf ears.
Although Zhang Yanling knew in his heart that these local princes and nobles were all worms, he could only deal with them. Not only did these people have local connections and legal status, they actually had prestige in the hearts of the local people. Zhang Yanling didn't want to
A new king was appointed, causing wars and confrontations here every day.
At the same time, Zhang Yanling ordered a purge of Manlajia Port. The place was a mixed bag of fish and dragons, and it was chaotic. The Ming Dynasty soldiers and horses occupied it for several days, and dozens of robberies occurred every day, as well as several murders. Local
The local forces thought that after the Folangji people left, they could be lawless. Seeing that the Ming Dynasty soldiers and horses seemed unwilling to control local security, they began to run rampant.
Zhang Yanling ordered a severe crackdown. That night, when the Western District was attacked, many people rushed over to take advantage of the troubled waters, loot and set fire to the government. Even the Governor's Mansion was not spared and was almost burned down.
Zhang Yanling was a little angry at that time. These guys have been doing this these days, how can Zhang Yanling tolerate them? Manlajia Seaport will become an important transit port and base in the future, and these local forces must be eradicated.
For two consecutive days, Chen Shiyi led a team to conduct arrests in the city. As long as someone testified, they would be arrested immediately. In one day, more than 200 people were arrested. The next morning, more than 200 people were arrested in the Cross Square.
He was beheaded and his body was exposed for three days. This shocked the whole city.
The next day, a larger-scale testimonial and manhunt operation was launched. In the evening of that day, nearly a hundred people were beheaded in the Cross Square.
Since then, the security situation in the entire Katong District has suddenly improved. Some people fled overnight and never dared to come back. The local people clapped their hands and applauded.
In view of the fact that there are many local Chinese in Manchuria and they have been deeply integrated into the local area, Zhang Yanling asked them to come forward, use the streets as areas, appoint district chiefs, and organize people to maintain public security. A temporary governor's office was set up in the East District to handle some disputes and affairs.
Handling some relief and reconstruction matters. Several senior generals of the Armada took turns on duty.
Of course, in addition to these things, Zhang Yanling also ordered some symbolic things to be done. For example, the wooden wall blocking the river bank was removed and the east and west districts were allowed to pass. Of course, it needed to be checked at the checkpoint and there were legitimate reasons.
At the same time, in order to repair the arriving armored warships as quickly as possible, many local ship repair workers were recruited to help. Several large-scale relief activities were also organized using some of the captured food supplies.
As a result, the order of the entire Malacca port gradually became orderly, and people's hearts gradually stabilized.
For several days in a row, Zhang Yanling was very busy, leaving early and returning late, without a moment of leisure. When he returned at dusk that day, and was preparing to eat after taking a bath, a personal guard came to report that two people living in the main building of the Governor's Mansion
A girl from the Flemish Kingdom came to ask for an audience.
Zhang Yanling was stunned for a moment, then remembered that he had not seen them for several days, so he ordered someone to invite them in.
The lanterns flickered under the porch. Zhang Yanling stood at the door of his residence and watched Helena and Catherine coming in with their skirts fluttering one after another, like two fairies walking among the flowers. She couldn't help but smile.
Helena and Catherine also saw Zhang Yanling standing on the porch. After taking a bath, Zhang Yanling simply tied up her hair in a bun and wore a moon-white gown. She stood there tall and tall, which made Helena and Catherine feel a little dazed and almost
Didn't recognize it.
"I haven't seen you for a few days. How are you two ladies doing? My men didn't make things difficult for you, right?" Zhang Yanling asked with a smile.
Helena snorted, walked over with her blond hair swinging, and said in a deep voice: "I'm afraid the Duke has forgotten us. He doesn't remember Catherine and I. No one has been seen for several days, and we have been here several times.
, It’s not that he hasn’t come back, it’s that he’s already asleep and can’t be disturbed. It’s really hard to see you.”
Helena's words were full of dissatisfaction and coquettishness, and it seemed that she had indeed lost her temper.
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "I'm really sorry for coming in to talk. I'm really busy these days, so I'll wait for you two."
Helena snorted and walked by with her head held high. A scent of fragrance hit her nostrils. Zhang Yanling wrinkled her nose and thought: "The scent of lavender."
Catherine lowered her head and saluted, and walked past Zhang Yanling. Zhang Yanling wrinkled her nose and said to herself: "The scent of rosemary."