It was not without reason that Hughes dared to set up a roadblock here to intercept Chen Longzheng. He was definitely not a reckless person. Toughness did not mean recklessness. Most of the time, toughness represented confidence, and even more so, cunning and treacherous. Hughes was not a cunning and treacherous person. He was not a politician, but he was definitely not reckless.
This time, Xiao Ruxun had been too domineering. He had firmly grasped the lifeline of the Spaniards. Although they did not dare to confront Xiao Ruxun head-on, they did not think that Xiao Ruxun had the confidence to start an all-out war. Once Xiao Ruxun really chose to shed all pretense of cordiality with them and impose economic sanctions, they were very likely to fight to the death at all costs. When that time came, it was uncertain what they would do.
Since the Ming court did not order Xiao Ruxun to attack Spain and did not allow them to stir up disputes in the South China Sea, Xiao Ruxun did not have the right to take the initiative to attack. Although Xiao Ruxun could kill them, they might not sit still and wait for death.
This time, Xiao Ruxun had taken so many Chinese with him. It had greatly shaken Spain's rule in the Philippines and harmed the interests of all of Spain. None of the Spaniards were willing to do so.
On the surface, they did not dare to play any tricks because the governor had already given in. However, their subordinates could play some tricks behind the governor's back. If the civil officials and military officers worked together to play tricks, the governor might not know. Even if the governor knew, as long as the matter was not blown out of proportion, the governor might not pursue it.
A deeper level of consideration was that Xiao Ruxun might not be willing to shed all pretense of cordiality with the Spaniards. Leaving something behind today would make it easier for them to meet again in the future. Human civilization had such standards. Xiao Ruxun should also understand the necessity of not being ruthless. In that case, it was necessary for him to take what he needed from the Spaniards. You get the reputation and a large part of the benefits. Can't I get a little soup?
They guessed that what Xiao Ruxun wanted was authority and fame. Getting tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants from the hands of the Spaniards, in itself, she had obtained both fame and practical benefits, and her face was guaranteed. Leaving a little soup for us to drink, you won't be so stingy, right?
Both sides did not want to blow things up, so the next problem was very easy to deal with. The two to three thousand people could be treated as fish that escaped the net. You turn a blind eye and leave them to us. At least we still have a way out. If you really don't leave any, not only will we have a hard time, you won't have a good time either!
That was roughly what it meant. Hughes had a well-thought-out plan in mind. He led his troops to block off the only road they had to pass through. In the distance, he saw a group of people quickly approaching. He told the soldiers not to be impatient and not to be in a hurry to ignite the fire. They had to wait for the results of the negotiations between their officers before making any plans.
Chen Longzheng had brought his troops to denounce them in anger, but in the end, they were blocked by the Spaniards. This clearly meant that the Spaniards were behind this matter. At the very least, they would turn a blind eye and support them. Now, this method of blocking the road should also be something they came up with to fool him. They did not want the remaining two to three thousand people to leave and continue to work for them.
Would Chen Longzheng agree?
Hughes' biggest mistake was to think that all the crows in the world were black. All officials, whether they were European officials or Chinese officials, were the same. It was better to have less trouble than more trouble. They should just enjoy their comfortable days and not care about the flood behind them.
Chen Longzheng was definitely not such an official. Chen Longzheng, who had a strong sense of justice, could not tolerate a grain of sand in his eyes!
"Mr. Leigh! Ask this person to remove the roadblock immediately! Leave immediately and do not get involved in this matter! This is the internal affairs of the Daming. If this person wants to get involved, don't blame me for being merciless with the guns in my hands! "
Chen Longzheng raised the exquisite flintlock in his hand with a straight face. It looked like he was going to shoot if there was any disagreement. This scared Ricci. After many years of getting along with him, he had already figured out this person's character. This person was a straightforward person who did not consider the consequences and only looked at right and wrong. The key was that Xiao Ruxun had intentionally or unintentionally indulged this character of his. Ricci did not know why.
But now it seemed that this kind of person was really suitable for the diplomacy of a big country. Especially for a big country like the Daming, which was used to being high and mighty, it needed such an unreasonable person who only looked at right and wrong. Only this kind of person was strong enough.
In addition to the 300 gunmen behind him, these 300 people were all the best in Xiao Ruxun's guards. All of them could shoot accurately. Among them, 50 had rifled rifles in their hands, which were specially prepared by Xiao Ruxun for Chen Longzheng in case he suddenly wanted to cause trouble.
Now it really came in handy. If Chen Longzheng encountered injustice, he would definitely make trouble at all costs.
This kind of person was a scourge in the country, and even scourge abroad. More than a thousand years ago, Emperor Wu of Han also had such a person under his command. He was young and frivolous. He did everything according to his own preferences, so the entire Chang 'an City was unlucky.
Later, because this person committed too many crimes in the country, no matter whether it was civilians or officials, they could not tolerate him. So they all complained and put pressure on the emperor. Emperor Wu of Han could not bear it, but he really liked him. So he had no choice but to throw him to the grassland.
Once he was thrown away, the Xiongnu people who ran amok on the grassland immediately suffered eight generations of bad luck. Not only that, but it also achieved the immortal merit of the Han family for thousands of years — Wolf Storehouse.
That person was called Huo Qubing. Not only was he cold-blooded and ruthless, but he was also full of romantic thoughts after winning the war.
Of course, Chen Longzheng, who was full of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, was not as lethal as Huo Qubing. He could not reach the point where blood would flow like a river when Huo Qubing was enraged. But when a scholar was enraged, it was not impossible. At least the scholar's spirit was often something that those old and stale people could not face. Just one look at it would hurt their eyes.
Xiao Ruxun needed his scholarly spirit, his hatred of evil, his romanticism, and his idealism. There were many such people in the Daming Dynasty, but there were almost none who could persist to the age of Chen Longzheng. This was because their edges and corners had been ground away by the stale officialdom. They were no longer idealistic or romantic.
But Chen Longzheng was different. Under Xiao Ruxun's protection and deliberate connivance, his edges and corners were brighter and sharper than three years ago. It was so piercing that people could not open their eyes. Two years ago, Xiao Ruxun asked him to be the head of the Audit Office to test his edge.
But unexpectedly, even the Myanmar officialdom, which was as clean as a white lotus compared to the Daming Dynasty, could not handle Chen Longzheng's hatred of evil. He pulled down three officials in a row. The charges were not serious, but they were turned into corruption cases for him. Not only did the three lose their heads, but their families also lost their lives.
The other officials in Myanmar were frightened. The entire Myanmar officialdom trembled under Chen Longzheng. In the end, it could not stand it anymore. Even when his family went out to buy a box of rouge, he would ask them for a long time. Therefore, even Xiao Ruxun could not handle it. It just so happened that the plan to go out to sea happened, so he kept chasing him out.
He was the Hai Rui and Zhi Du that Xiao Ruxun deliberately cultivated. Looking at the situation, he might even become Chen Tang.
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