Chapter 1578 Without You, the World Can't Move Forward
The Dongmen Lighthouse had an additional mission than the Eluanbi Lighthouse, which was to monitor the Spanish fleet and provide early warning of possible attacks at any time.
So when the tower guards saw this huge fleet, and so many Western-style sailing ships, they were shocked at first. They immediately sounded the alarm, tore off the gun covers, and quickly went on alert.
Only after seeing the flag with the sun and the moon shining together clearly did the officers and soldiers calm down a little and use lantern language to ask the other party's identity.
The other party's answer made the soldiers guarding the tower unbelievable. They never expected that the fleet that set out on a round-the-world voyage more than three years ago would actually come back!
Many people thought they were in trouble...
Although the 'Welcome Home' signal was given immediately, the officer guarding the tower still carefully checked the flag on the mast and the mottled number on the ship before he dared to believe that this was the 'Eternal Sinner Liu Daxia' that had sailed around the world for a thousand days!
Unlike the cautious officers and soldiers guarding the tower, the crew members returning from the long voyage could no longer contain their excitement. They crowded around the side of the ship and waved, cheered and whistled at their comrades in coast guard uniforms on the dock.
I don't know who started it first, but soon the crew members all sang loudly together:
"The police flag flutters on the ship, and my heart beats in my chest.
After straightening our belts and caps, we sailed back across the waves..."
This vernacular song, which was sung in the police academy, has long been ingrained in the souls of the coast guards. The officers and soldiers guarding the tower completely let down their guard upon hearing it. They put away their Longqing-style handguns and sang loudly on the lighthouse:
"Seagulls, seagulls are calling on the strings, and the flags are waving in the wind.
The calm sea raises its waves to welcome you back to its mother's arms..."
The people on the ship and the tower began to sing in unison, and the song echoed over the strait:
"Hello, dear motherland, hello, hello, mother.
Tears are falling on my face, and my face is smiling as much as it can.
The deep blue sea is pure and crystal clear, like a blue message dedicated to the mother.
Hello, my dear motherland. Hello, mother. Hello, hello.
Hello, Mom, hello..."
~~
The Dongmen Lighthouse released a carrier pigeon as soon as possible, and the good news was delivered to the Coast Guard Headquarters in Yongxia City that afternoon.
Master Zhao was in Luzon at this time, but unfortunately he had just left Luzon Island to inspect Mayit Island across the water.
Jin Ke was also very excited when he received the news, but he knew that Zhao Hao must be even more excited...
Because it normally takes up to two years to complete a round-the-world voyage, the long-distance fleet should have returned last fall.
The young man was fine at first, but after waiting for a long time, the ship he was waiting for did not come in winter, so he panicked and thought, could it be that the Spaniards had captured them?
By the end of the year, the fleet had not returned yet, and Zhao Hao was so panicked that he didn't even go back to the mainland for the Spring Festival. He stayed in Luzon to "have fun with the immigrants."
During that time, he stood by the sea and looked out every day, and almost became a "Lady Looking Stone".
People all say that the young master is a truly infatuated man. Although he has many wives, he would feel like he has lost his soul if any of them is missing.
This is true. But without Xiao Zhuzi, he would be particularly lost. He kept complaining to Jin Ke and others around him, "My father-in-law asked me for my daughter, what should I give him?" "Wuwu Xiaojing, I shouldn't have let you go out." And so on.
Seeing that the young master's biggest worry could finally be cured, Jin Ke quickly asked Chang Kaiche to take a speedboat to deliver this great news to Mayit Island.
~~
Mayit is the later Mindoro Island. However, the latter was the name changed by the Spaniards more than a hundred years later. It is still called "Mayit", which means "the land of black people".
Mayit Island covers an area of 10,000 square kilometers and is the seventh largest island in the Luzon Islands. The western part is mainly composed of gentle hills, while the eastern part is arable plains. The land is fertile, and the sunshine and rainfall are abundant.
There are eight indigenous tribes on the island who believe in natural gods, with a total population of 20 to 30,000 people, and they are naturally close to the Celestial Empire.
Because since the Song Dynasty, they have built sailing ships and sailed to Guangzhou, exchanging island products such as yellow wax, pearls, betel nuts, etc. for Chinese porcelain and ironware.
Moreover, they were very trustworthy in trade and never broke their promises, so people in the Song Dynasty also spoke highly of the Ma Yi people, believing that they "valued integrity and righteousness, and valued keeping their promises."
Although the two sides had no contact for more than a hundred years after Zheng He, the Mayit people still missed the Celestial Empire. After learning that the Celestial Empire had recovered Luzon, they took the initiative to send people to Yongxia City to contact them and request that Mayit Island be incorporated into the Luzon Governor's Office.
This idea is similar to the later Puerto Rico, which cried out for becoming a U.S. territory. The Ming Dynasty was so attractive to the people within its own borders.
Of course, the chieftains of Mayi were begging for a merger because of the pressure of reality. They had just entered the slave society and had a small population. Both the Sulu Sultanate in the west and the Spaniards in the south were much stronger than them. With the protection of their father, they could rest assured.
But the landlords didn't have any surplus food. The rulers of all dynasties had always pushed away the enclaves, rejecting countless requests for annexation.
Zhao Hao, however, accepted all who came. In his plan, the entire Nanyang should be the core territory of the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, Mayit Island was naturally incorporated into the Luzon Governor-General's Office and became an integral part of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhao Hao came to Mayi to meet with the leaders of the eight tribes and discuss future plans with them. With the rich experience and lessons learned from dealing with the Pingpu people in Taiwan, Mr. Zhao could naturally come up with a plan that would make the natives compete to donate their land and be grateful to him. The atmosphere of the meeting was very harmonious.
Besides, he came to inspect the newly discovered gold mine.
In order to convince his father-in-law, Zhao Hao boasted that there was a gold mountain in Luzon and that he could pick up gold beans everywhere. But after more than two years of conquering Luzon, he still hadn't found a gold mine on the island, and he couldn't explain it to his father-in-law.
Zhao Hao could only pin his hopes on Ma Yi, because he remembered that Ma Yi's Spanish name, "Mindoro", meant "gold mine".
He was not disappointed. Less than a year after arriving on the island, the Jiangnan Precious Metals prospecting team found a mine in the northern mountainous area of Mayi and tried to mine a batch of gold sand.
This made Zhao Hao overjoyed. After preparing to meet with the indigenous leaders, he would go into the mountains to see it with his own eyes and then report the good news to his father-in-law... Look, although I lost my precious daughter for you, I found your precious gold.
"If that's the case, my father-in-law probably won't forgive me, right?" Young Master Zhao, who was enjoying the dance performance of the indigenous girl, suddenly lost his focus and murmured to Tang Baolu beside him, "I'm so stupid, really, I let Xiao Jing go to sea even though I knew there might be a war with the Spaniards..."
Upon hearing this, several native leaders looked at Don Paul, who was acting as the interpreter. Don Paul scratched his head and forced a smile, saying, "Our young master said that the dance was so good that it made him miss his wife who was far away!"
The native leaders showed a look of realization and said that they didn't expect that Master Zhao was as sentimental as they were.
When a woman in the Mayi tribe loses her husband, she will shave her head, fast for seven days, and sleep with her husband. Many of them are on the verge of death. If she is not dead after seven days, her relatives will persuade her to eat and drink, and she may survive. However, she will not change her chastity for the rest of her life. Some even burn their husband's body and die together in the fire.
Tang Baolu nodded with an awkward smile, and was just about to peel a piece of candy for the young master when he suddenly saw Chang Kaiche moving his fat body, rolling towards him like a ball.
"Sir, good news, Madam is back!" Chang Kaiche shouted breathlessly.
"Which lady?" Young Master Zhao asked in confusion. Who is coming? It's almost the New Year, why isn't she at home taking care of the children?
"Yes, it's Madam Zhang..." Chang Kaiche explained breathlessly, "The one who sailed around the world!"
"Ah? Really?!" Zhao Hao couldn't believe it at first.
"It's absolutely true. We crossed the Dongmen Strait this morning and will reach Yongxia Bay the day after tomorrow at the latest!" Chang Kaiche nodded hurriedly and presented the report sent from the Dongmen Lighthouse to the young master for review.
Zhao Hao quickly grabbed the piece of paper and took a look. He saw that it was clearly written in black and white that the ocean-going fleet had returned, and its size had expanded to sixteen ships!
"Hahaha, thank God..." Young Master Zhao finally believed this super good news and couldn't help crying with joy. He couldn't hold back and left the table singing "I'm So Happy Today" without saying goodbye.
"What are you doing, young master?" The tribal leaders looked at each other, wondering why this big man seemed so abnormal? Is he reliable?
"Oh, our young master's wife, whom he has missed for many years, has finally returned. He can't wait to greet her. Let me say sorry to you. See you later." Tang Baolu hurriedly said to the leaders, "It's okay, it's okay. Come on, let's continue playing music and dancing!"
"What about the conditions that the young master mentioned just now?" This is what the leaders are most concerned about.
"Of course it counts. Our master is a man of his word and he will definitely do what he says!" Tang Baolu smiled and reassured them, saying, "If you are worried, let's sign the contract now!"
"Don't worry!" The leaders laughed and said, "But it's more reassuring if we sign it..."
~~
Zhao Hao boarded the ship at Dolphin Bay in the north of Mayit Island and originally planned to go out to sea to meet them. However, there were too many islands in Luzon and he was afraid of missing them, so he suppressed his urgency and waited at Verde Island between Mayit Island and Luzon Island.
Verde Island is located on the Mayit Strait leading to Yongxia City, ten kilometers away from Puerto Galera and only 5 kilometers away from Batangas at the southern tip of Luzon Island. It is the southern gate of Yongxia Bay and its current strategic position is very important.
In addition to a lighthouse, the war zone also built bastions and docks on the island to closely monitor all passing ships to prevent attacks by the Spanish.
Master Zhao waited restlessly for a whole day on Buddha Island, and finally saw the long-distance fleet slowly sailing towards him in the north wind.
Zhao Hao immediately ordered someone to send a signal, and at the same time, he could not wait to board the speedboat and head towards the wounded Liu Daxia, the eternal sinner.
On the Liu Daxia, the communicator immediately read the signal from the lighthouse and reported loudly: "The commander-in-chief requires to board the flagship!"
Lin Feng didn't expect the master to come so soon, so she quickly asked the little black girl to help her put on the dress while shouting to greet him quickly.
Zhang Xiaojing, who had always been calm, finally became nervous and quickly sat in front of the dressing table in her cabin. While applying powder on her face, she ordered, "Quick, Qianyi, help me get that red skirt. Red can make me look less dark!"
"Miss, you're not dark to begin with..." Qianyi muttered, "You're just not as white as before."
ps. I've been thinking about this for a whole day and finally figured it out. I've just finished writing a little over one chapter and will continue writing. The next chapter will probably take a while.
(End of this chapter)