In the cabin, Master Zhao finally understood the meaning of the memorial that Lin Run took out.

"Zhongcheng, are you saying that the Wuyang Trading House is behind this?" He couldn't help but frown slightly. It seemed that this big trading company, which had brought together the interests of the Portuguese and Guangdong merchants, had an even bigger appetite than the intelligence showed.

"I'm just guessing." Lin Run pinched the corners of his eyes and said, "You may not know that they have been actively lobbying in the past two years, saying that Macau is located in a remote area and they hope to let the Portuguese move to Tuen Mun Island to better protect Guangzhou Bay."

"What the hell are you dreaming about!" Zhao Hao suddenly swore, which was rare, and scared Lin Run.

"Why are you reacting so strongly?" Lin Run said with a smile, "They have been plotting to seize Tuen Mun Island for a long time. The first time the Portuguese came to Ming, didn't they capture Tuen Mun Island? But they lost the Tuen Mun naval battle and were driven away by us."

Zhao Hao thought so too. If anyone had to choose a port between Hong Kong and Macau as a base, they would choose the former rather than the latter. It was because the innate conditions were too different.

So Portugal set its sights on taking over Hong Kong Island right from the start, but was completely defeated in the Battle of Tuen Mun. It then had to settle for the next best thing, and move to Macau, where government control was relatively weak.

Now that they have established a firm foothold in Macao and think they have successfully captured the officials of Guangdong, they will of course be greedy and will start to set their sights on Hong Kong Island again.

But in another period of history, Zhao Hao did not see any historical records of the Portuguese and Lin Hongzhong getting involved in Hong Kong Island again. Could it be because of the changes he brought?

It's true.

In a hunting operation two years ago, the Coast Guard fleet captured the Portuguese smuggling fleet, including their flagship "Duke of Goa" and the latest galleon "Oriental Beauty", and detained them for a whole year.

Although the two sides later signed a treaty, the Portuguese redeemed their two precious sailing ships in exchange for recognizing the Jiangnan Group's monopoly on trade with Japan and promising not to cross the north of Ryukyu.

But both sides are very clear that the treaty is only temporary, and after the three-year period expires, there will inevitably be another war!

Therefore, the Portuguese have been preparing for war intensively. Therefore, changing to a qualified military port that is easy to defend and difficult to attack has naturally become their top priority.

As the name suggests, the shape of Macau is like an oyster, and the coastline is as smooth as a mirror, so there is no place for a military port. This can be seen from the fact that Zeng Yiben's pirate fleet was able to easily attack the Macau Pier.

That's why they are thinking about Tuen Mun Island again!

Unexpectedly, they met Lin Zhongcheng, who was impossible to corrupt, and Lin Run, whose head was filled with thoughts of saving the nation by Mr. Zhao. Naturally, their wishful thinking failed.

Seeing that the governor's office had a clear attitude and refused to lease Tuen Mun Island to them, the Portuguese had no more tricks. But the comprador had a way, and Lin Hongzhong set his sights on Yin Zhengmao, who was then the governor of Guangxi. Yin Zhengmao's love of money was well known to everyone, and Lin's general office offered him a lot of sponsorship, so he naturally became his guest of honor.

Lin Hongzhong originally wanted to influence Beijing through Yin Zhengmao to see if he could get the court to directly issue an order to lease Tuen Mun Island to the Wuyang Trading House, which had actively donated money.

Who would have thought that Yin Zhengmao would be promoted to the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi by virtue of his great victory. Now he could get it done without alerting Beijing!

~~

"After the beginning of the year, Lin Hongzhong has been running back and forth between the provincial capital and Zhaoqing, busy with this matter." Lin Run stretched his sore back and said, "Although I strongly opposed it, the governor-general is in charge of military affairs, and the governor is in charge of civil affairs. If Yin Butang really wants to lease it, I can't stop him. Once this memorial is submitted, the matter is basically settled."

Zhao Hao nodded. The people living on Tuen Mun Island were all bandits and their descendants, so according to the policy of "moving the people exiled to the coast to the inland", they could all be moved away and Tuen Mun Island could be left for the red-haired devils.

The patrol officers divided the territory into different areas to prevent interference from the governor's office.

The third clause, "Boldly borrow foreign soldiers and recruit sea merchants to join the official navy", was tailor-made for Portugal and Lin Hongzhong. With this clause, they could immediately obtain official status.

By then, the Portuguese could imitate the Duoyan Guard and Jianzhou Guard and obtain a Tuen Mun Thousand Households Unit, and legitimately garrison Tuen Mun Island. If Lin Hongzhong is appointed as the Thousand Households Unit, they can pass the imperial court test with minimal fuss.

Once they have an official identity, how can Zhao Hao's Coast Guard attack Tuen Mun Island? The red-haired devils will be invincible!

As for why Lin Daoqian was specifically mentioned and the Nan'ao deputy commander was appointed, it was probably aimed at the Jiangnan Group. If Lin Daoqian in Chaoyang was completely recruited and heavy troops were deployed on Nan'ao Island, the Taiwan Strait could be controlled, and the coast guard fleet could be completely blocked from moving south.

What? You dare to attack the Nan'ao General's Mansion? Are you trying to rebel? In that case, the imperial court would destroy them without the Portuguese taking action!

Although the governor-general must have considered the overall situation when proposing this coastal defense program, and he would not deliberately target Zhao Hao, how much hatred and resentment must one have to make Yin Zhengmao treat his fellow countryman so cruelly?

But this plan is indeed too targeted, helping the Reds to achieve their strategic intentions and blocking the passage of the Coast Guard fleet to the south. It is hard not to wonder how much private goods the people who helped Yin Zhengmao draft this plan put into it?

Of course, it is also possible that Yin Zhengmao was angry that Mr. Zhao had disrupted his plan, so he came up with this plan to disgust him, let Zhao Hao and his son know who is the master of Guangdong and Guangxi, and severely blackmail Mr. Zhao.

But this is a bit of a persecution fantasy and a sense of self-satisfaction. Yin Zhengmao is now a governor, and there are plenty of opportunities to extort money. There is no need to use this coastal defense strategy presented to the court to mess with him and his son.

It’s not necessary. It’s really not necessary.

After much thought, it is more likely that someone is secretly making trouble and taking advantage of the power of another.

~~

Mr. Zhao calmed down and stopped speculating. Because no matter what the situation was, it was an indisputable fact that the Portuguese and the Wuyang Trading House had exerted influence on the Governor's Office and successfully integrated their intentions into the Governor's coastal defense strategy.

So just be lenient in anticipating the enemy and don't think too much about it.

"That's clever, interesting. It's fun to have an opponent like this." After thinking this through, he smiled brightly and said, "Zhongcheng, do you know how lonely it is to be invincible?"

"I'd be foolish to believe you. Who wouldn't want the opponent to be as weak as possible? Unless you're crazy." Lin Run laughed and scolded, "Since you know they're coming for you, what are you going to do?"

"I just found out less than a minute ago, how can there be any rules?" Zhao Hao smiled bitterly and arched his hands, saying, "Zhongcheng, please stop keeping me in suspense and ask me for advice."

"Okay." Lin Run nodded, stood up and walked to the coastal defense map on the wall, and found Haojingao and Tuen Mun Island.

The two peninsulas are like two horns of an ox, facing each other across the Guangzhou Bay.

"Are you interested in taking over Tuen Mun Island?" After a long while, Lin Run asked quietly.

"Uh..." Zhao Hao stood up and stood behind him, also looking at Tuen Mun Island, secretly drooling. That is Hong Kong, the gateway to the Pearl River Delta.

"How can I not think about it? I'm envious even in my dreams, okay?" There was no need to hide it from Lin Zhongcheng. He swallowed his saliva first, then smiled bitterly and said, "But you have to eat one bite at a time. If you take too big a step, you'll get hurt. If I don't take down Ryukyu and clear out the sea lords in the Fujian and Guangdong waters, how can my fleet go south? Without the protection of the fleet, even if Zhongcheng gives it to me, I can't occupy it."

"That's right." Lin Run nodded and said, "I wanted you to send people to occupy it from the land first, but it seems that I thought it was too simple."

"Zhongcheng is not overthinking it, he thinks I am too powerful." Zhao Hao said with a smile: "In fact, I am just an ordinary person. I can't go against the basic rules."

"Haha, yes, I thought you were a goblin." Lin Run laughed loudly, and then asked in a deep voice: "How long will it take at the fastest?"

"If everything goes well, it will be the end of the year at the earliest." Lin Run asked without any context, but Zhao Hao answered very straightforwardly. "The sea lords in Fujian and Guangdong are all local tyrants. It's not difficult to defeat them, but they just find a corner and hide away, and we can't find them. When we go over, they pop up again and attack us unexpectedly, which is very uncomfortable."

"Yeah." Lin Run nodded, holding his right arm with his left hand and his chin with his right hand, staring at the long and fragmented coastline in Fujian and Guangdong. After a while, he said, "That's pretty fast."

"That's right." Zhao Hao agreed, and then gave Lin Run a shot of prevention: "But that's my optimistic estimate. Who can be sure of such things? If things don't go well, maybe we won't be able to finish them in the next year."

"You must get it done before the beginning of next spring!" Lin Run slapped the map and said decisively: "The focus of Yinbutang this year must still be on suppressing the rebellion of Lan Yiqing and Lai Yuanjue. I can find a way to help you delay it until the end of the year, it shouldn't be a problem!"

"I understand." Zhao Hao nodded slowly and said, "I'll do my best."

"We must not let the Portuguese get Tuen Mun Island." Lin Run said firmly: "Even though the Ming Dynasty has a lot of land, we can't lose any of it! And we must not give it up during my term!"

"Yes!" Zhao Hao responded solemnly, and this time his voice was much more straightforward. "I promise to complete the task!"

"Okay!" Lin Run turned around, patted his shoulder and said, "I'll help you look after Tuen Mun Island, but you have to defend Lin Daoqian and Nan'ao Island by yourself."

"Don't worry, Zhongcheng. I've already given Lin Daoqian a heads-up." Zhao Hao seemed to remember something and couldn't help but laugh, "The more Governor Yin's people try to win him over, the more scared he will be, and the more he will cling to my thighs."

"Oh, really?" Lin Run felt relieved after hearing that, and suddenly smiled and said, "If he can really follow you wholeheartedly, you can help him to gain some military merits, and then ask your father-in-law for help, and help him become the deputy general of Nan'ao, wouldn't that solve the dilemma?"

"No one is wiser than the Prime Minister!" Zhao Hao immediately clapped his hands with admiration, "Such a brilliant idea, why didn't I think of it?"

"Don't give me that!" Lin Run glared at him, and they looked at each other and laughed.

The laughter was full of heroic spirit, as if nothing in the world could defeat them.

ps. Two updates on the weekend, have a nice weekend everyone.