I

At the beginning of spring, Zhao Han got another concubine, and Portugal finally sent Princess Catalina.

Historically, Caterina married Charles II, and it was she who introduced the habit of drinking tea in the British court.

This princess was able to have children at first, but she gave up after three miscarriages.

Caterina also brought news that King Joao IV of Portugal had died of illness before she set out.

Afonso VI, who was frail and disabled, became regent when the old king was seriously ill. The Netherlands took the opportunity to attack the Portuguese mainland and blocked the port for more than three months, causing Princess Caterina to be unable to go to sea. Otherwise, she could have married to China last year.

"Your Majesty, the Dutch are very hateful. You should send troops to fight these bandits." Catalina couldn't wait to blow the pillow on the second day of her wedding.

Zhao Han said with a smile: "Of course I will send troops, but the armistice period between China and the Netherlands has not expired, and we will have to wait a few more years before sending troops."

Although Caterina was a little disappointed, she still flattered her: "Your Majesty is the greatest monarch. As long as China sends troops, the Dutch will definitely lose miserably."

"Haha, let's wait until the truce expires." Zhao Han turned over and pinned her down, and started the human creation operation again.

This twenty-year-old princess is not a stunning beauty, but she is also young and beautiful. Moreover, on the ship to China, I learned to communicate in Chinese every day.

"The idea is very good, so let's work hard." Zhao Han felt even more amused.

This woman has some desire for power, but she seems too immature. In Zhao Han's eyes, she is just like a little sheep.

The prince who once tried to invite Lu Tianxiang to dance was taken away by a plague. The current King of Portugal is a mentally ill boy who has been paralyzed since childhood.

As for Caterina, historically she married Charles II and before she got to know her well in England, she persuaded Charles to change the Anglican Church to Catholicism. Of course the matter failed, and Charles was no fool.

When Caterina became Queen of England, she not only taught the British how to drink afternoon tea, but also brought table knives and forks to Britain - before her, British nobles ate with their hands and spoons. I don't know how to use a knife and fork to eat a slightly larger piece of meat, so I just grab it with my hands and chew it.

Now, Caterina is married to China. The elegance and education in the palace make her feel ashamed. She did not dare to persuade the emperor to convert to religion, so she thought of giving birth to a son and sending him back to Portugal to become the king.

When Zhao Han stopped breathing, Catalina kept rubbing on the emperor like a kitten: "Your Majesty, let's do it again. We will have a son next year."

"Next time, next time, my waist can't bear it." Zhao Han quickly refused.

The next day, Zhao Han reviewed the memorial and saw the joint signatures of the governors of Palembang and Yecheng.

Palembang is to the west of Banten and Coconut City is to the east of Banten, both of which border the Banten territory. The two governors seemed to have a tacit understanding, and together they allowed the Han people to reclaim the territory of the Wandan Kingdom. Over the past few years, the territorial conflicts became more and more obvious.

The two governors jointly petitioned the emperor to lift the ban on firearms and arm more Han civilians.

In this way, not only can we deal with the indigenous people better, but we can also recruit and train troops on the spot in future wars with the Banten Kingdom, eliminating the need to mobilize troops from the mainland for support. At the same time, firearms can also be used as control tools to control the armed forces of overseas Han people - each musket must be licensed, the owner must be registered in the Governor's Mansion, and the leader of each peasant army must be appointed by the Governor.

Zhao Han thought about it carefully and initially decided to equip the overseas Han people with matchlock guns, but he felt that it was not necessary and it would be okay to just give them flintlock guns.

Zhao Han picked up his pen and gave instructions: "Order the Ministry of War and the Governor's Mansion to take out 20,000 unused matchlock muskets from each army and give them to the navy to be shipped to overseas territories. Each governor-general will also transport 500 muskets. Shoot the blunderbuss."

There are a lot of old matchlock guns in the warehouse, many of which are moldy and rusty.

These old antiques, which can still be used with a little repair, can be recycled and sent to overseas territories. As for the transportation of 500 fuguns to each governor-general, that is left to the governor's own disposal.

…

Chittagong.

Prince Charles of England has been here for more than half a year.

Although the Portuguese princess only arrived in China this spring, China can't wait to receive the dowry. Chittagong is a dowry. Taking it here can open up a market for Chinese cotton cloth.

Dowry must also be accepted by force, because Portugal does not have the final say here.

The territorial ownership rights are in the hands of Arakan (Arakan), and Portugal only leased the port to build the city. The Portuguese, on the other hand, could only manage the city, and the surrounding suburbs were dominated by pirates.

The Datong Navy deployed more than 60 ships. They arrived in early summer last year and bombarded the pirates when they saw them.

After several naval battles, most of the Arakan pirates have been destroyed, but sporadic pirates still pop up from time to time. The Datong Navy left ten warships permanently stationed there and patrolled irregularly every month. They would kill pirates whenever they encountered them. The pirate den in Chittagong finally calmed down.

"Ready, raise your gun!"

Prince Charles, is training soldiers himself.

He took two young boys from the London countryside to select matchlock guns in China's arsenal, and he picked out all the good ones. The emperor promised to give him 2,000 muskets. Anyway, they were used as waste, and all the Datong Army had already replaced them with flintlock muskets.

As for the soldiers in front of them, they were all captured by pirates.

When the Datong Navy caught the pirates, they asked them whether they wanted to die or live. Those who wanted to live were thrown to Charles to train his troops.

Charles would also select pirates and kill those who did not want to convert to Protestantism. If there are not enough people, we will ask the Datong Navy for them. Anyway, we will catch a batch every month.

The state religion of Arakan is Buddhism, and the king is frantically expelling green believers. Many of the pirates in Chittagong were expelled believers. Charles killed more than two hundred people, and finally scared these pirates, and they were willing to convert to British Protestantism.

"You have been practicing for more than half a year, so you should be almost done." Shi Lang asked.

"Barely enough to fight," said Charles.

A British prince who trains Arakan pirates and usually gives orders in Portuguese...

Shi Lang said: "You can return home. The imperial court has sent four warships to escort you. Please remember the agreement with your Majesty!"

"You must keep your promise!" Charles said.

Charles, the merry king, knows when to be tough and when to hug someone's lap. Historically, in order to ease his finances, he even sold Dunkirk to France for only a few hundred thousand pounds.

The agreement between Zhao Han and Charles was that after the British navy grew stronger, China and Britain would attack Central America together.

Britain attacked from the east and China attacked from the west, attacking Spanish forces from both sides. At that time, Panama and Costa Rica will belong to China, and Nicaragua will belong to the United Kingdom. The rest of the colonies will belong to whoever captures them.

"Follow me to the port." Shi Lang said.

Last year, it was discovered that Guy Zheng was smuggling with the navy, and Shi Lang's father, Shi Daxuan, was also involved. Fortunately, he was not deeply involved in the case. Shi Daxuan was only fired from his military post, retired and returned home early, and his title was demoted to viscount.

Shi Lang must have resented this matter, but he was also very grateful to the emperor. Because the emperor did not punish him concurrently, he was promoted to one level (for his contribution to the eradication of pirates in Chittagong).

When they arrived at the port, a naval admiral came over and saluted Shi Lang and Charles.

Shi Lang introduced: "This is Xian Biao. Xian Biao is fully responsible for the four warships that will escort you back to China."

Charles quickly handed over his hand: "I have met General Xian."

"Greetings to Your Highness." Xian Biao returned the greeting.

Xian Biao in history is also considered a number one figure. He was born in the Xian family in Lingnan and belonged to a prominent family in Guangdong. His distant ancestors went south before Zhao Tuo.

In another time and space, Xian Biao resisted the Qing Dynasty for more than thirty years.

After the defeat in Guangdong, he took refuge with Zheng Chenggong's son, but his family members who stayed in Guangdong were executed by the Nine Tribes. He also led troops to Cambodia and wiped out the Dutch influence there. From then on, the Zheng family monopolized Cambodia's maritime trade. During the San Francisco Rebellion, he led hundreds of ships to and from the coast of Guangdong to attack the Qing army, while the Netherlands helped the Qing army attack Xian Biao.

In this time and space, Xian Biao was a member of the Datong Navy with a well-established background. He had been promoted from the rank of soldier through meritorious service for more than ten years.

"You two, let's talk slowly." Shi Lang turned and left.

Shi Lang was very smart and guessed that the emperor was suppressing the Zheng family's power. His father was forced to retire from the army and return home, which was a clear statement between the Shi family and the Zheng family. Only in this way could Shi Lang be promoted in the future.

As for Xian Biao, he has nothing to do with the Zheng family and is a key training target. After returning from this trip to England, as long as I don't die in the sea, I will definitely be able to rise high.

Shi Lang wandered into the city and was invited by the governor to have a drink.

The governor of Chittagong is named Chen Shangyong, and his father is Chen Zizhuang, one of the three loyalists in Lingnan. Historically, his father was tortured to death by the Qing army, and Chen Shangyong himself also died in battle.

Shi Lang arrived at the Governor's Mansion, and Ferdinand, the manager, was also there.

Ferdinand was an original Portuguese official, but his bloodline had long been impure. His grandmother is a Nyonya (mixed Han Chinese), and his mother is a Rakhine. Although she believes in Catholicism, she can change to Buddhism at any time.

Today, all Portuguese mixed descendants in Chittagong belong to China as dowries. Ferdinand's position as general manager is to assist the governor in managing the Portuguese. It will be abolished after two or three terms at most, and it is a transitional official position.

"Who is this?" Shi Lang pointed at the stranger in the room.

Chen Shangyong and Ferdinand were both sitting at the wine table, but the stranger stood uneasily.

Chen Shangyong smiled and said: "The King of Arakan sent him to collect rent."

The messenger said cautiously: "Three heavenly officials, the annual rent in Chittagong is not much. Can you..."

"Don't even think about it!" Chen Shangyong slammed the table, "This Chittagong is the dowry of the Portuguese princess. We sent troops to capture it from the pirates. What does it have to do with you Ruo Kaiguo?"

The envoy said with a sad face: "Chittagong is leased by our country to Portugal."

Chen Shangyong said: "Then you go to the King of Portugal. Just in time, we have four warships going to Europe. You can also go on the ship together."

If the envoy was speechless, how could he want to go to Europe?

Chen Shangyong continued: "Go back and tell the King of Arakan that he wants the port rent. He must either send people to Portugal or lead his own troops to fight!"

If your fist is big, your words will work.

As a subsidiary force of Burma, if Ruocai State dared to send reinforcements last time, the Chinese court has not yet settled the score.