Ten days ago,
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The port of Malacca was desolate and gloomy.
This was merely a temporary anchorage, not much larger than Lihang Port, and leagues behind Shuangyu ten years ago. The Portuguese flag looked dull and lusterless in the dim twilight.
Yu Dayou's navy now held the waterway as tightly as an iron bucket. Within the range of the Iron Bodhisattva's cannons, more than a dozen ships were still afloat but on the verge of sinking. Most of the Portuguese sailors were ashore, sitting dejectedly, speechless to each other.
Yu Dayou and Lin Mingguo, accompanied by a guide and a hundred musketeers, walked past the sailors, holding aloft the Great Ming's three-star flag. The tall, prominent structure ahead was the Portuguese's largest fortress in the East and the most powerful place in the world at this time.
The two men had fought Japanese pirates their entire lives, always feeling powerless, decades of frustration having built up in their hearts, which now all came pouring out.
Lin Mingguo looked at the dejected sailors and sighed, "Marshal, if you hadn't been so quick-witted and anticipated that the Portuguese would surely start a war, we would have been at a disadvantage… But they could never have imagined that the mighty ruler of the seas would surrender in less than an hour… It shows that circumstances are stronger than men, and no matter who it is, there comes a day when they fall from their peak…"
"Mm-hmm," Yu Dayou replied, "Honestly, we didn't want to fight, but Old Lin, to put it another way, if we didn't fight, what would happen to Zhu Mo and the others? They would surely suffer at the hands of the Burmese! Besides, as you saw, they had already deployed their formations, waiting for us to foolishly fall into their trap…"
He recalled how the Portuguese governor had casually thrown aside the diplomatic letter presented before the battle, which had truly enraged him. Zhu Mo had said that that Sōzā had likely fled alone, but it seemed his prediction was wrong. Sōzā had probably reported the dire situation and received an opportunity to atone for his past mistakes, which was why he had gone ashore to the Burmese kingdom.
This battle was unavoidable. The Portuguese were prepared for both eventualities: attacking Jinteng on land and waiting to ambush us at sea. A trap had already been laid. If they had believed the words of their envoy at that time, brought their warships to the designated sea area, and then attended a peace banquet, they would have been completely annihilated.
Thinking of the trap at the time, Yu Dayou felt a lingering fear and sighed, "Old Lin, these Portuguese are more treacherous than the Japanese pirates… When we go in later, we don't need to say much. We'll directly ask them if they agree. If they don't, we'll immediately fire our guns and have Old Chen open fire to sink all their warships!"
Lin Mingguo, recalling the enemy's treachery, also said angrily, "That's exactly what we should do! Marshal, Young Master Zhu's side is probably also in a perilous situation. We don't need to delay. If they refuse, we'll go attack Bugu City, 'surround Wei to rescue Zhao'!"
"Mm-hmm," Yu Dayou nodded, gazing at the beautiful mountain range behind the building and asked, "Elder Zheng, what is that mountain called?"
The guide, Zheng Yasi, whom they had brought from Qiongzhou, had been a sailor on a Portuguese fleet and was very familiar with the ports in the South Seas.
At this moment, he sighed, "Marshal Yu, that is Zhenguo Mountain! It was even bestowed its name by our Emperor Yongle. The Portuguese, however, call it Saint Paul's Mountain. Marshal, when I was young and came here, the Sultan still paid tribute annually. The mountains and rivers have been defiled, but now they have finally been renewed!"
"Mm-hmm," Yu Dayou murmured, "Zhenguo Mountain, Zhenguo Mountain… I wonder when its name will be restored…"
Saying this, he let out a long sigh and had the musketeers stand on the grassy area outside, then strode in with the two men.
…
The hall was named the City Hall. This was the newly established city of Malacca by the Portuguese. The City Hall also served as the headquarters of the East India Company fleet, governing the entire colonial territory in the South Seas.
Malacca was once a sultanate. Forty years ago, its ruler, Mahmud, was defeated and retreated to Johor. After repeated failed attempts to restore his kingdom, he died of grief, and the surrounding sultanates all submitted. Now, four governors had already served, and the current governor was Cabral, who led the maritime trade and privateer forces in the entire South Seas and East Sea, making him one of the most powerful men in the world.
But at this moment,
His somber expression seemed even more sinister in the empty office. A guard gently knocked and pushed open the door, saying respectfully, "Your Excellency, Commander Yu Dayou of the Ming Navy requests an audience."
"Mm," Cabral waved his hand, his expression growing even more grim. A Chinese confidant beside him whispered, "Your Excellency, I think it's best not to meet him…"
"Oh?" Cabral asked indifferently, "Why? What scheme do you Chinese have up your sleeves now?" He thought of the repeated losses incurred by the Chinese and was filled with anger.
The Chinese confidant leaned closer to him and said, "Your Excellency, the Burmese are currently attacking China's Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. Yu Dayou will most likely propose a withdrawal of troops… If we drag this out for ten days to half a month, perhaps the Burmese will have already taken the city, and then negotiations would be more advantageous."
"Oh…" Cabral pondered, nodded, and said, "That makes sense. Tell him! According to our country's etiquette, before peace talks, we must first pray. Say that the governor has gone to pray…"
The guard saluted and turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, just at this moment, with a bang, the door was forcibly pushed open again, and three Chinese men strode in.
Yu Dayou said to Zheng Yasi, "Ask him, is he the Governor?"
Zheng Yasi immediately shouted, "Our Marshal asks you, who is the Governor? Stand up and answer!"
With a snap, Cabral was furious on the spot and slammed the table, uttering a string of curses. Seven or eight guards rushed in from the corridor outside. Seeing that they were Ming generals, they retreated a few steps.
Yu Dayou and Lin Mingguo could not understand at all, and Zheng Yasi dared not translate, so the situation became awkward. Lin Mingguo saw a middle-aged Chinese scholar standing behind the large desk and immediately said loudly, "Who are you? Why are you here?"
The Chinese scholar became flustered and stammered, "I, I am a guest…"
Zheng Yasi, however, said, "Marshal Yu, he is the Chinese merchant Lin Jingkang of Malacca. He has led fleets to Qiongzhou and Yuegang many times. I have met him, and he also knows Sōzā!"
"Good, good," Yu Dayou said, "Lin Jingkang, you are also from the Great Ming. I will not make things difficult for you. I ask you, is this person the Governor?"
Lin Jingkang saw that the Portuguese guards dared not move, so he could only nod.
Yu Dayou continued, "It doesn't matter if you translate or not… I will only state three conditions to the Portuguese Governor: First, immediately order the Burmese commander Mang Yinglong to withdraw his troops; Second, immediately release all Chinese slaves, whether old, weak, women, or children, all unconditionally; Third, from today onwards, all maritime merchants must obtain a pass from the Zhoushan Public Office for their trade. Any vessel without a pass will be sunk by our navy, and any merchant without a pass will be expelled! Do you understand?"
Lin Jingkang was originally from Fujian, but he followed his relatives to engage in maritime trade when he was young. Because he was smart and studious, he learned multiple languages as he grew up. Not only did his business prosper, but he also became a Chinese councilman in Malacca City, maintaining close personal relationships with all previous governors, and was considered one of the leading figures among the Chinese in the South Seas.
At this moment, seeing Yu Dayou's resolute demeanor and having personally witnessed the invincible might of the Ming navy that morning, he was utterly disheartened, thinking that the era of the Portuguese had passed. On the sea, it was always about superior ships and firepower.
Being adept at adapting to circumstances, he had also guessed that Cabral was inclined towards peace. Thus, he translated the conditions in a tactful tone, making it sound like friendly negotiations.
Cabral was already terrified but was reluctant to lose face. Moreover, even if he couldn't understand Chinese, couldn't he see the expressions? Couldn't he understand the tone? At this moment, facing the gloomy sky outside the window, he finally let out a long sigh, clasped his hands behind his back, and said to Lin Jingkang in Portuguese, "Tell him, our Portuguese travel the world for the sake of order… Sōzā is a fallen nobleman of our country, cunning and resourceful, who obtained his position through bribery. Although I am the Governor of the Far East, I have no power to control him… This morning's naval battle was because your ships had already invaded our territorial waters… As for the actions of the Burmese commander Mang Yinglong, I am completely unaware, nor is any of our country's political leadership… Given this, any peace talks should be based on the following conditions: First, your ships must sail thirty nautical miles away from the military port; Second, I should be given full respect; Third, I can agree to your terms, but all formal treaties must be jointly negotiated by envoys from both countries. If General Yu agrees to my conditions, I will invite him to the ceremonial banquet tonight."