Volume 3: Confrontation! The Run of Civilization Chapter 469 Ming Declares War on You
The so-called Yangon River is actually an estuary formed by two rivers sharing one estuary. Therefore, the river is extremely wide. Even in the 17th century, when dredging was almost unnecessary, the Yangon River was several thousand meters wide.
On both sides of the wide river, on one side is the Yangguang Prefecture of the Ming Dynasty, where there are many docks and ships. Along the river bank, in addition to a large number of square warehouses, there are also many newly built Chinese-style buildings with flying eaves and brackets.
On the other side of the river, in addition to the same docks, ships, and warehouses, there are rows of classical or Baroque buildings that had just emerged in Europe - this was a colony developed by the Portuguese and eventually accepted by the Spanish, Salim.
On the night of April 3, 1621, in a three-story, exquisite and magnificent Baroque building, the Spanish Governor of Salim, Silva, was inviting the opium dealer Fernando to dinner.
"Well, Your Excellency the Governor, today's steak seems to taste completely different."
"Fernando, what's the difference?"
"This tastes even better than the steak I had in Europe. You know, there are only buffaloes in Southeast Asia, and the meat is really bad."
"Hahaha, you have a really keen palate. Yes, this is Agenta beef produced in France. I specially had it shipped here from Europe. Ten cows were on the ship, but only one was left when we got here. Alas, the hope of breeding Agenta cattle in this place has been shattered once again, so we can only simply enjoy the taste buds."
"I see. Thank you for your generosity, Your Excellency the Governor."
"No, you're welcome. Since last November, in the past four months, the taxes your goods have contributed to Thalien have exceeded the total taxes collected over the decades since its founding. You deserve this honor."
"No, strictly speaking, I'm not a real businessman. I'm just an employee of the Intelligence Bureau. I'm here to carry out a mission under the order of His Majesty the King. Taxes and the like are just a side effect."
"Praise your majesty, his casual actions have brought unparalleled glory to Tharyan."
"Praise your majesty."
The two men stood up, bowed towards the west, then quickly sat down and concentrated on the steak in front of them: it would be a great sin if the ingredients that had traveled halfway around the world to get here were really affected by the taste because they were cold.
After finishing the main course with relish, a dark-skinned Burmese slave girl brought the dessert, and the two continued their conversation while eating the dessert.
"Fernando, your case is directly under the jurisdiction of the Intelligence Bureau. Logically, I shouldn't say much. But recently, many Burmese have exhausted their family property due to opium smoking. They kneel in front of your opium shop every day to beg and cry out. I don't care. But it's not good for the surrounding Burmese to see it, right?"
"Sir, I have no other choice." Fernando spread his hands. "I accepted their land, houses, and even wives and daughters as collateral. They really have nothing left. I can't give them opium for nothing, right? That would be against the rules."
"...No, I'm not suggesting that you give it to them for free. What I mean is, can't you just hire them to work and ask them not to be so conspicuous at the door?"
"Sir, these people have been destroyed by opium, and their addiction is more serious than one another. The only difference between them and the dead is that they have one more breath. What kind of work can such people do?"
"Oh, Fernando, anyone who is alive is valuable. I think we can put them in the forest on my estate, and then we can go with our shotguns..."
"Huh? This is a really good idea. It can prevent these wastes from gathering at the door and scaring other Burmese people, thus affecting our business. It can also reflect the final value of these wastes. Hmm..." He stroked his beard for a while: "Sir, you reminded me that I recently opened a crocodile farm to provide the best furs to Spain. These people...hahahaha..."
"Well, that's right. Come, let's drink to God's forgiveness for these smokers after their death."
"Yes, Salud~!"
The two men stood up with smiles on their faces and drank the red wine in their glasses. Silva said, "Fernando, when are you going to release this devil to more places?"
"The latest shipment has already sailed to Singapore half a month ago." Fernando licked his lips and smacked his lips after adding scarlet wine again. His eyes sparkled as he said, "Sir, according to His Majesty's instructions, Singapore and other places can be rolled out later. Our main task now is to attract local nobles in Myanmar to grow this plant."
"Oh, of course, of course!" Silva raised his hands. "I will strictly follow your Majesty's orders. I have contacted many Burmese princes and ministers. After seeing the profits of the opium dens, they all have the idea of planting them on a large scale in their own estates. Didn't I take a lot of poppy seeds from you some time ago? This is the reason."
"Ah, yes!" Fernando clapped his hands vigorously. "The climate here is always so hot, which is not very good for us white people. But for poppy cultivation, it is a wonderful place. Please make an appointment for me to meet these noble natives as soon as possible. I can continue to provide them with more seeds for free and teach them how to grow them."
"Okay. Actually..." Silva also took a sip of red wine: "If possible, I hope you can go to Ava in person."
"Ava?"
"Isn't that the capital of the Burmese?"
"Yes, last month I gave opium to the Burmese king to smoke, and he felt very good about it. After hearing about the profits of this stuff, he hoped that the royal family could also grow it."
“Hahaha, Your Excellency the Governor, you have accomplished a great thing for His Majesty the King!” Fernando stood up excitedly. “That’s great! As long as the King of Burma joins in, even if the Emperor of Ming reacts half a year or a year later, it will be too late.”
"Yeah." Silva leaned back in his chair comfortably. "My work is almost done here. How about you? How many officials of the Ming Dynasty on the other side of the river have smoked it?"
"The situation is also very good." Fernando smiled proudly: "There are at least 20 officials in Yangguang Prefecture of Ming Dynasty who are currently smoking opium. Even the two leaders of the Jinyiwei, the mortal enemy of our Spanish Intelligence Agency, also buy opium from me."
"Have you found out any useful information?" Silva leaned forward slightly. "In the past two years, white children have always disappeared in Shalian. Although these children are the children of poor people whose dreams of getting rich have been shattered. But when I mentioned this matter in a letter to His Majesty, His Majesty replied quickly and said that this might be the Ming people training future spies against the country..."
"Sir, His Majesty also mentioned this to me before I came here. In recent months, I have had many contacts with Luo from the Ming Dynasty's Jinyiwei, and I have tried to insinuate him twice while he was smoking. But this man is very cunning. No matter how he smokes, he doesn't say anything valuable. He just said that he is willing to assist us in investigating missing persons and so on."
"Humph!" Silva put the wine glass heavily on the table. "These cunning Orientals! Fernando, you have so many Burmese children in your hands now. Do you have such plans?"
"Yes. The only regret is that there are too few Han Chinese in Yangon, and most of the children are children of the garrison. Although there are many smokers among the garrison here, it seems that their salary is very good. So far, none of them has gone bankrupt like the Burmese and had to sell their children in exchange for opium. You have been in the Far East for many years, and you should know that although in our eyes, Oriental people look the same. But in fact, there is still a big difference in appearance between the Burmese and the Han Chinese. If you want to infiltrate our spies in the Ming Dynasty in the future, it is best to hire the children of the Ming people themselves."
"Be patient. As long as the opium den continues, someone will take the bait eventually. Oh, God, by the way, we also have to find a way to control a few adult Han Chinese. The language of the Ming country is too weird. Even if our people are proficient in Chinese, their accents are very obvious when they speak it."
"Well, I also... eh?"
Just as Fernando was about to discuss further with Silva, with his keen sense as an intelligence officer, he felt a hurried sound on the stairs of the house.
With a clang, the door of the restaurant was opened, and an angry Spanish officer rushed in: " Sir, the Ming...Ming fleet sailed into the Yangon River. Twenty minutes ago, they shot countless letters with bows and arrows. The content of each letter was one sentence: From now on, the Ming Empire declares war on Spain!"
