Establishing a colonial government in a place far away from the homeland, surrounded by great wealth and opportunities, but also surrounded by great fear and unknowns. They could only rely on a little more than a thousand soldiers and a group of subordinates who were not exactly incompetent, but not much better than incompetent teammates.
Some brainless and reckless soldiers, some greedy and cowardly civil officials, some sanctimonious people who only cared about their own interests but were equally reluctant to give up their own lives, the Filipino indigenous people who were enemies in a perilous situation, and some emotionally unstable Chinese people who could explode at any time.
The governor was deeply depressed and afraid. On the way back to City M, the governor had thought of resigning countless times.
Serving as an overseas governor required very deep qualifications and strong abilities. This was something the Spanish government was very concerned about. It was even more important for the Philippines, a land of gold and spices and an important place to plunder wealth. Now that the empire was at war with Britain, France, and the Netherlands at the same time, the income from spices was indispensable. The Philippines did not even need to use domestic funds, and could still support the country. This alone was enough for the imperial government to not give up on this place.
However, not giving up here was not a joke. It required serious consideration, careful thinking, and the layout needed at least the assistance of more than three thousand well-trained soldiers. The quality of the soldiers who were guarding and assisting in the defense of the Philippines was not good, and the number was far from enough.
He knew that China had a large population, and it was said that there were millions of troops. Not to mention other places, just in Myanmar, Xiao Ruxun had 30,000 troops at his disposal. Not to mention 30,000, even if 10,000 well-trained Chinese soldiers came to attack him, he would have to lose the Philippines.
There was no other way. Spain was at war with its enemies everywhere. England was at sea, France was on land, and the Netherlands was at sea and on land. They had no extra troops to send to the Philippines. Even if they did, it would take at least half a year for reinforcements to arrive in Spain, and then another half a year for reinforcements to arrive.
By then, his body would have completely rotted, the Philippines would have completely fallen, and the empire's finances would have completely collapsed due to militarism and the lack of external sources. The country's finances would have collapsed, and the Genoese bankers would have taken advantage of it, leaving nothing behind.
The choice now was what to do.
Back in City M, Ricci told Bishop Alexander the whole story. Bishop Alexander immediately said that the stability of the Philippines was more important than anything else. If the stability of the Philippines could be exchanged with the Chinese, then everything would be worth it.
The viceroy repeated what he had just said to Bishop Alexander. Bishop Alexander was speechless when he heard it.
The Chinese were high-quality labor force, and those indigenous wild monkeys were greedy, cunning, and vicious fellows. They could use rules and laws to deal with the Chinese, but they could only use guns to deal with those wild monkeys. In the future, if the Philippines wanted to maintain stability and not face constant wars, the existence of the Chinese was indispensable.
The Philippines was not completely conquered by war. At that time, there were only 400 soldiers, so it was impossible for them to completely control all the land in the Philippines. It was just that the first governor, after fully learning the lesson of Magellan, used force and political means to defeat some absolute opponents, and then won over some fence-sitters.
To be precise, the relationship between the Philippines and Spain at this time was similar to that of allies, and not that of subordinates and superiors. A large number of indigenous chiefs held real wealth and power, and formed an alliance with the Catholics to ensure their ruling position. It could be said that the entire island was filled with traitors.
Seeing Bishop Alexander's hesitation, the governor's desire to retreat became stronger. He was more and more unwilling to stay in the Philippines. He felt that he would lose his life sooner or later, either by the king or the Chinese.
This would not do. He could not stand it.
Bishop Alexander was still discussing with Ricci how to reply to Xiao Ruxun.
"You said that without the order of the emperor of China, General Xiao would not send troops to attack the Philippines?"
Bishop Alexander confirmed again and again.
"I am very sure that General Xiao still listens to the orders of the emperor of China. China is a unified empire, and the emperor is supreme. He is not an administrator, not a governor, not a noble, but an emperor. An emperor with absolute power, an emperor that no one can question."
This was the only thing Ricci was sure of. Otherwise, even a servant of the emperor would not have so much power to strut around in front of outsiders.
Yes, Ricci still did not understand China, and he did not understand Daming.
"Alright, we …"
"But Mr. Bishop, we cannot ignore General Xiao's request just because of this. We are here for the missionary work in China. Without General Xiao's support, we will definitely not be able to enter China to preach."
Ricci timely reminded the bishop, who seemed to be in a bad state of mind, in case he really forgot his original intention of coming here.
Bishop Alexander slapped his head. He was really panicking these days, and actually forgot what he should do the most! This really should not be, really should not be!
"Then how do you think we should persuade the governor? I don't think this governor will agree to let the tens of thousands of China people go just because of our request and wishes. What he said makes sense. If the China people are let go, the Filipino natives will cause trouble, and we won't be able to control so many of them. If we lose the Philippines, the Vatican will blame us. I can't bear this responsibility, and neither can you. "
Bishop Alexander's visit to China to discuss the missionary work actually had a deeper meaning. The current Pope was not young anymore, and his health was not too good. The election of the next Pope had already been put on the agenda. As one of the cardinals who had the right to be elected, he had the possibility of becoming the next Pope.
China had a large population and a high level of civilization. Once it became a paradise for the Catholics, their prestige would be greatly enhanced. Not to mention anything else, the status of the Roman Curia would immediately rise, and they would once again suppress Europe. They would return to the era when the Roman Curia dominated Europe, and everyone's golden years would return.
And he would become the greatest hero, obtain the highest prestige, and become the next Pope, the ruler of the highest civilization in the East and the West.
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