Chapter 28, Liu Chaozuo, your illegal crossing has happened!
"...ah——"
With a low cry, a man covered in sweat kicked off the soaked quilt and woke up suddenly from the bed.
He gasped feebly and rubbed his groggy head. The horrific memories he had experienced before were replayed in his mind one after another.
——The captain who exchanged vampire blood and claimed to have experienced hundreds of battles died, and was trampled into a small cake by a huge alien monster; the three senior team members, who claimed to be professional shooters, retired special forces and demolition experts, also They were all buried in the mouth of the alien monster, reduced to unrecognizable lumps of minced meat and bones, and swallowed down the digestive tract... The entire team was wiped out, and he was the only one who survived by chance.
Because when death was about to come, he was seriously injured and faced a desperate situation. He finally used the rebirth item that he had exchanged at a high price to save his life - [Reincarnation Badge], so that he could forcibly escape from the plot world and start a new life as a "newcomer". Jump into another team's story adventure.
Of course, the price of using the [Reincarnation Badge] is also very heavy - now that he has become a new person again, all the equipment, skills, bloodlines, physical enhancements, etc. that were previously obtained in the infinite space will be erased, allowing him to return again. To the state of an ordinary white-collar worker who first entered the infinite space.
Alas, the losses were extremely heavy!
However, no matter what, he escaped from the danger of death and survived again - as long as he is alive, there is still hope...
Eh? etc? Now that I'm new, what kind of world is this? Where are the seniors? What about the other newcomers?
It was only then that the man finally realized that something was wrong, and quickly got up from the bed.
Looking around, with the faint morning light coming in from the papered windows, he found that he was in an antique room. Under him was a large carved bed. Next to the bed were mahogany cabinets, an oil lamp, and furniture. The ancient shelves with various porcelains, glazed wares and small pieces of bronze are obviously of ancient Chinese style. The floor is paved with smooth bluestone, and the interior is beautifully decorated with carved beams and paintings, just like a mansion in a traditional Chinese residence.
But where is this? Where did the other team members go?
With the above questions, this infinite space reincarnation who was reborn as a newcomer raised his right hand with some confusion and looked at the Lord God's watch on his hand. Then he was even more confused to see an empty crystal screen without any task prompts. Even the timing function has disappeared!
Hey, hey, if you don't bring this, who can tell me what's going on?
Full of confusion and fear, the confused man had no choice but to get up and rummage around in the faint morning light. Finally, in a rattan box in the corner of the house, he found an official seal and a "document of confession." "And a set of official uniforms of the seventh rank of the Ming Dynasty, plus a diary and an account book.
Based on his past experience in several martial arts worlds, he pondered these things for a long time before finally figuring out the identity given to him by the "Lord God" in this world: the new magistrate of Xiangshan County in the Ming Dynasty. The name was changed to his real name: Liu Chaozuo.
The current time is the end of December in the fourth year of Chongzhen, and his current location is Macau.
Then, through the diary found in his luggage, Liu Chaozuo finally figured out why he in this time and space came to Macau just before the Chinese New Year - Macau was also under the rule of Xiangshan County at this time. The shy county magistrate Liu Chaozuo is here to collect rent from the Portuguese!
——According to the description in the diary, Liu Chaozuonai was born in Juren. Although he is not a higher-level Jinshi, the Ming Dynasty's juren can already be called a master and have the qualifications to be awarded an official. For example, Hai Ruihai Bijia, a famous official during the Jiajing period, released the teachings of Chun'an County as a judge.
However, generally speaking, the road to promotion of people to officials is much narrower than taking the imperial examination, and it is not easy to get an official, and the position is not very good. At this time, one has to test a person's basic qualities - whether to be an official with a false title but no position, or to be an official with real power holding the seal, or to sit on the bench in the capital and sit on the bench until As time goes by, it all depends on whether you know how to be a good person, or whether you have the capital to be a good person.
Juren in the Ming Dynasty were among the gentry and enjoyed many privileges such as tax exemption and exemption from military service. Even though he was originally a poor scholar who lived in a dilapidated temple, once he was elected, a large number of villagers came to "donate" their land. Normally, there would be no exhausting candidates. Of course, Liu Chaozuo was not a poor man, but the business of running for office in Beijing was very powerful. In order to promote a county magistrate, Liu Chaozuo spent a lot of money. He even sold all the land in his hometown. Fortunately, both his parents were dead and he had no brothers or sisters, so there was no one in the family to support him. Otherwise, the elders of the clan would hit him on the back with a cane and scold him for being a prodigal.
After wasting many days in Beijing, I finally got an official position, but it was the magistrate of Xiangshan County, Guangdong, on the other side of the Ming Empire! This official position greatly disappointed Liu Chaozuo: Xiangshan, Guangdong in the Ming Dynasty was not a special economic zone where every inch of land was valuable in later generations, but a first-class poor land. The "Yongle Dadian" of the Ming Dynasty records: "Xiangshan is a town with an island in the sea. Its land is the narrowest and its people are the poorest." This place has been a lower-class county since the Song Dynasty and is a poor border area with a long tradition. In other words, this is a place where there is little money to be made. If the magistrate buys this place, God knows when will he get his money back? !
But no matter what, now that I have obtained the position of county magistrate, there is no reason why I should not take up the post. Therefore, Liu Chaozuo had no choice but to pack his bags and embark on the arduous and long road to his appointment. Originally, there were inns along the way from the capital to Xiangshan, so Mr. Liu could save money on travel expenses. But now it is Emperor Chongzhen who is in power and has just issued an edict to abolish the Tianxia Station. This not only led to the emergence of the famous laid-off postman Li Zicheng in northern Shaanxi, but also added countless difficulties to Liu Chaozuo's road to office: he had to pay for all the food, drink, transportation, transportation and accommodation along the way! Liu Chaozuo originally spent almost all the silver around him on buying an official position. As a result, he was already penniless and empty before he even reached Shandong.
Fortunately, there were so many local yamen along the way from Beijing to Guangdong. As a judge, he could talk to the chief seal officials in various places to talk about friendship, talk about writing, and finally make some money. If the autumn wind blows through this long journey, at least I won't starve to death halfway.
Although this kind of behavior is very similar to that of beggars, the only difference is that beggars on the street wear rags, while noble men wear straight clothes. But in desperation, what can Liu Chaozuo do? I had no choice but to persevere along the way, regardless of the cynicism of officials from all over the country. I walked all the way, begging in a civilized way, and embarked on the long road of begging for an official. If I met a generous official, I could probably get one or two taels of silver. If you are stingy, you have to be mentally prepared to be rejected... What's even more unfortunate is that this is the chaotic time of the late Ming Dynasty. From northern Shaanxi to Shandong and then to Lianghuai, there is no safe place north of the Yangtze River. On the way to his appointment, Liu Chaozuo encountered bandits and bandits one after another. Several confidants were either separated or separated along the way. He took the money and fled, and in the end he was left alone. With extremely tenacious will, he finally reached the end of the Long March.
By the time he finally arrived in Xiangshan County, it was already late December, and all the county offices were closed for annual leave. What's even worse is that Liu Chaozuo was already penniless at this time. In addition to his official uniform, he even pawned his clothes and luggage. Fortunately, after hearing the news, the yamen clerk rushed over and saw the county magistrate in such a miserable state, so he immediately pooled his money to treat him to a meal of Jie Feng wine, otherwise Mr. Liu would have been in danger of fainting from hunger in the yamen!
It's just that a full meal won't last long, and Mr. Liu doesn't know how to live the rest of his life.
Although there is still some money and food in the Xiangshan County government treasury, it is already the end of the year when the government is closed, and according to the rules, it cannot be used until after the new year. As for Liu Chaozuo, he didn't even have enough money for food now, and he really couldn't survive the New Year. It happened that he was new here, and he was timid and didn't dare to break the rules at will. I want to find a few big players to take advantage of the autumn wind! There is no suitable name either. Fortunately, he had begged all the way to take office. He had already lost all his moral integrity and no longer cared about dignity and prestige. He simply said shyly at the banquet that I don't have enough money now. Can you guys lend me some money temporarily?
When all the yamen officials heard this, how could they not know that after the money was taken out, it would probably never come back? Immediately, they complained incessantly and refused to pull out a hair... Of course, it would not work to ask them to use their own money to honor the county magistrate, but the county magistrate's difficulties must also be solved. So a moment later, an old scribe stroked his beard and said, this year's national tax on imperial grain has already been collected, and it has been recorded and stored in the treasury, but there is really not much money to be squeezed out. Even if you want to seek help from a local big business, it is best not to bring bad luck to them during the Chinese New Year, otherwise it will be difficult to get along with them in the future.
Fortunately, the barbarians in Macau have not paid this year's land rent of 500 taels. When the county government officials went to collect the rent, they said they were worried because they did not see the county magistrate's seal. collection. Therefore, after the former county magistrate died of a sudden illness, he continued to delay payment. Now that the new county magistrate has arrived, those barbarians have no reason to continue to default on their arrears - although the money has to be paid into the public account, if the county magistrate has urgent needs to settle down his family, everyone will be in the same yamen. I will never fail to understand the difficulties faced by the county magistrate...
In addition, when the barbarian merchants in Macao pay a visit to the new county magistrate, they will definitely pay a tribute. Although the amount may not be too much, if the money is added together, it should be enough for Liu Chaozuo to live a prosperous new year.
Therefore, the county magistrate Liu Chaozuo, who was eager to find rice to cook, took a group of government officials and a few temporarily recruited servants and rushed to Macau to collect rent!
——Although future history textbooks will classify Macau and Hong Kong as similar foreign concessions, in fact, Macau, which was occupied by the Portuguese during the Ming Dynasty, and a series of concessions such as Hong Kong that were later ceded by the Manchu Qing Dynasty, are not at all the same. It's completely different.
In the eighth year of Zhengde (1509), he was in Da. Ten years after the Gamma fleet first arrived in India, the Portuguese fleet arrived on the coast of China for the first time and captured Tuen Mun Island at the mouth of the Pearl River in an attempt to monopolize China's silk and porcelain trade with the West. They first pretended to be envoys from Malacca and requested trade with the Ming Dynasty government. At the same time, they could not restrain their sailors and continued to plunder the coast of Guangdong, which eventually aroused public outrage. After the scam was discovered, the Portuguese and the Ming army The Battle of Tuen Mun broke out, the Portuguese fleet was almost completely wiped out, and the first invasion of China failed.
Afterwards, the resurgent Portuguese colluded with the Japanese pirates at Shuangyu and continued to launch a comprehensive attack on the Ming Dynasty by providing matchlocks and artillery to the Japanese pirates in an attempt to seize a colony in China. However, the Ming army quickly launched a counterattack, destroying the Shuangyu stronghold and driving away the Portuguese again.
Next, the Portuguese teamed up with Japanese pirates and merchants and continued to attack the coasts of Fujian and Guangdong many times, burning, killing and looting. However, the soldiers and civilians of the Ming Dynasty also rose up to resist, causing the Portuguese expeditionary force to suffer heavy losses - after all, they were a small country with two million people. With his meager strength, he went on an expedition halfway across the world. The Eastern Empire with the largest population in the world at that time, with the navigation technology at that time, just transporting the Portuguese from their home country to the coast of the Ming Dynasty, almost half of the people had to feed sharks along the way. If they were to continue the long-term consumption with the Ming Dynasty Fighting is tantamount to throwing human lives into the sea.
Therefore, in half a century, the Portuguese teamed up with Japanese pirates and hired Nanyang natives to fight against the Ming Dynasty several times, but they were beaten to a pulp by the Ming Dynasty. The plan to monopolize the Eastern silk and porcelain trade became a complete fantasy. . Those Japanese pirates were still yellow race after all, and many of them were simply Chinese merchants, so after the defeat, they could probably escape by simply changing their clothes and hairstyle. However, the physical characteristics of the Portuguese were so different from those of the Chinese that they could not hide even if they wanted to - the official policy of the Ming Dynasty at that time was "Kill all Folangji who encounter them"!
Seeing that they could not be deceived, deceived, and defeated by armed invasion, the Portuguese finally came to their senses and gave up their fantasy of conquering China by force. In 1553, a Portuguese fleet anchored off the coast of Xiangshan County, Guangdong. , falsely claimed that he was a "tribute envoy" from a Southeast Asian country to Beijing, and asked to borrow a piece of land to expose the goods on the ship. At the same time, a large sum of silver was used to bribe Wang Bai, the deputy envoy of Guangdong Sea Route, and others. In the end, relying on the deception of corrupt Chinese officials, the Portuguese were able to steal Macau, which was still a desolate small fishing village at the time
Although there have been Portuguese people in Macau since then, Macau was not considered a ceded territory in the Ming Dynasty. Strictly speaking, it could only be regarded as a special economic zone that allowed foreigners to live. The Ming Dynasty has always set up tax cards and official offices in Macau. Every year for all goods transactions, taxes must be paid to the Municipal Shipping Department, otherwise the ship will be fined and detained. In order to obtain the right to live in Macau, the Portuguese have to pay a large sum of money every year. Rent - roughly similar to the Chinatowns and Chinatowns where overseas Chinese lived in later generations, or the more ancient "fanfang" in Guangzhou and Quanzhou where Arab merchants lived in the Tang and Song Dynasties.
Of course, after taking over Macau, the Portuguese were not always so honest. In fact, it didn't take long for them to start building fortresses and forts in Macau, defaulting on rent, and trying to provoke the Ming Dynasty's bottom line. In the forty-third year of Jiajing (1564), the Portuguese actually hung a statue of "The Virgin Stepping on the Dragon's Head" on the newly built Catholic church in Macau. It is intended to trample China under its feet. The result completely angered the Guangzhou government. Yu Dayou, the Ming Dynasty's commander-in-chief of Guangdong and Guangxi and a famous anti-Japanese general, was gearing up to make new achievements and wipe out the local Portuguese in one fell swoop.
After hearing the news, the Portuguese in Macau were immediately frightened - after repeatedly hitting the wall, they already knew that the Ming Dynasty was not easy to mess with, so they hurriedly asked to see Mo Jiheng, the deputy envoy of the Guangdong Sea Route in the Ming Dynasty. They sincerely repented and took the He paid large sums of gold and silver to honor local officials. Not only did he make up for the rent arrears in previous years, he also took the initiative to increase the rent paid every year in the future. As for the statue of "The Virgin Stepping on the Dragon's Head" that caused trouble, the Portuguese took the initiative to destroy it. After the matter subsided, the Ming Dynasty officials warned the Portuguese that if they committed any illegal behavior in Macau again, they would be punished with "continuous sitting".
From then on, the Portuguese were extremely obedient to the successive governors of Guangdong and Guangxi in the Ming Dynasty, and never forgot to send large sums of gold and silver as filial gifts every year. As for the land rent, fire consumption and various additional payments paid to Xiangshan County, we dare not default on them. On the other hand, in line with the purpose of governing by doing nothing, as long as no life-threatening lawsuits were caused, rent taxes were paid in full and routine "filial piety" was paid, the subsequent local officials of Guangdong did not care much about the Portuguese. .
Although they turned a blind eye and allowed the Portuguese to settle, the Ming Dynasty officials did not make any concessions on the issue of sovereignty. Although the Portuguese had already established a general office in Macao and stationed officials, and various pirates also There are agent activities in Macau. But from a legal point of view, Macau has always been under the legal jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty. If the government comes with a seizure document, the Portuguese Governor must obey the order to arrest and transfer him. If the Xiangshan County Magistrate is a strong order, he might still He personally led people into the city to arrest him. Not even the governor can protect him.
In contrast, Hong Kong, Jiaozhou Bay, Lushun, and the foreign concessions in major cities that were forcibly leased during the late Qing Dynasty were said to be leases, but in fact they were occupied. Foreigners from various countries did not pay any fees to any Chinese government. More than half a cent of land rent.
It was not until after the Opium War that the Portuguese in Macau gradually became bolder. They first refused to pay the rent, then expelled the official offices and troops stationed in Macau by the Qing Dynasty, and finally forced the Qing government to sign the "Early Agreement on the Sino-Portuguese Conference" in 1887. and the "Sino-Portuguese Friendship and Trade Agreement", which officially confirmed that Macau is Portuguese territory - therefore, the responsibility for China's loss of Macau in history should also be borne by the Manchu and Qing government.
Closer to home, during the Ming Dynasty, the Portuguese in Macau did not have the arrogance of the imperialist powers in modern times, but were as cautious as a little daughter-in-law. With their military strength in Macau, they were indeed enough to sweep away several surrounding counties that had no defense. , and even sent troops deep into the Pearl River and bombarded Guangzhou... But apart from cutting off trade routes, what was the point? They are here to do business and make money, not to burn money and fight as conquerors. Today's Portuguese have long understood that with their poor military strength in the east, it is simply a dream to conquer China.
Not to mention that in this day and age, even the Portuguese mainland of the Iberian Peninsula was swallowed up by Spain (it was not successfully restored until 1640). In a sense, they were almost slaves to the country. How could they still be here? Are you able to be tough in front of people from other countries?
Therefore, as soon as County Magistrate Liu Chaozuo arrived in Macau, after verifying his identity, the local Portuguese Chamber of Commerce gave him 500 taels of land rental money and 15 taels of "fire expenses", in addition to a filial gift to the county magistrate. Then, after hearing the news, several Chinese merchants living in Macau rushed to host a banquet in honor of the county magistrate. Liu Chaozuo, who had been sleeping in the open air along the way, was so happy that he could not find where to go, and he immediately became drunk. When I woke up, it was already too late and I really couldn't rush back to the county, so I stayed overnight in the mansion of a businessman named Huang in Macau.
Then, when he woke up, Daming County Magistrate Liu Chaozuo became Liu Chaozuo, the reincarnation of infinite space... Liu Chaozuo had no doubts about the fact that he, a newcomer, had become the county magistrate: based on his experience, in order to improve newcomers in the first place The safety factor of the plot world prevents cannibalism within the team members - mainly senior members killing newcomers. The "main god" system often assigns newcomers a higher status. But this still does not solve Liu Chaozuo's question - what plot world is he in? Where are the other members of the reincarnation team?
Full of doubts, he got up and walked around the small courtyard. Except for a few local coolies who did not look like modern people, sleeping soundly in the wing, he could not find any trace of the infinite space reincarnation. What made Liu Chaozuo even more horrified was that the Lord God watch he was wearing was also missing and showed a blank: Could it be that even this thing has quality problems? Lord God! I want to complain! Does this thing have a warranty?
In addition, since he couldn't find any teammates and the main watch didn't give any prompts, he couldn't confirm what plot world he had entered. He could only guess on his own: "...Macau during the Chongzhen period in the late Ming Dynasty? This place is really strange. Oh! What kind of plot world have I entered? Uh, I vaguely remember that when I watched the TV series "Blue Blood Sword", the Portuguese army seemed to appear in it. Could it be this martial arts drama..."
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In short, Liu Chaozuo just sat beside the bed. I thought about it for a while. It wasn't until daylight that there was any sound in the mansion - the servants and maids of the Huang Mansion came in to say hello to him, and brought him hot water for washing his face and breakfast: a bowl of wontons, a plate of pickles and a few fried cakes.
After the county magistrate had put on his clothes and had breakfast, a Xiangshan County clerk, who had followed him from the county to Macau to press for rent and seemed to have rested elsewhere last night, smelled of alcohol and makeup, came to Macau. I walked over slowly and asked the county magistrate if he would take a boat back to the county today - I had finished my business in Macau, and the Chinese New Year would be the day after tomorrow. Everyone was waiting for their family reunion, and everyone was eager to return home!
Liu Chaozuo was still confused about his situation, so he agreed without hesitation: Maybe there will be new clues in the county government?
So, Liu Chaozuo and his party said goodbye to their hospitable host, left the Huang Mansion with rent money and gifts, and walked to the streets of Macau.
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During the Chongzhen period of the late Ming Dynasty, Macau was not the Oriental gambling city of later generations, but a small port with a population of only 10,000 to 20,000 people. The city is small and there is not much to see. But the street was bustling and lively, and from time to time some overseas people with wild looks and strange clothes walked past: Nordic people with red skin, yellow hair and blue eyes, Latinos with light brown skin and black hair, and short Japanese people with shaved hair in a semicircle. , an Indian Asan with dark skin, curly hair and smell of curry, was completely black and only Authentic African blacks with white teeth... As for all kinds of ragged sailors, they are a scene on the street. They are all drunk and staggering around in the street. For this reason, they sit in front of the door of wealthy families wearing numbers. The servant wearing a cane saw a drunk guy trying to break in, so he picked up the cane and gave him a hard blow.
In addition, the abnormal climate of the Little Ice Age has obviously affected this remote southern land - although the dazzling sun hangs in the sky, the sunshine does not bring much warmth at all. The rich people on the street even wear leather jackets. Of robes. The poor wore shabby cotton-padded jackets full of patches.
Although the street scene in Macau is a little disappointing, it is still somewhat exotic. Macau is just a stone's throw away from Xiangshan County, and he has nothing to do now, and Macau is considered the territory under his county magistrate's rule, so Liu Chaozuo, who has changed his soul, continues to stroll slowly along the street and look around. Understand the sentiments of the people. He originally wanted to take this opportunity to see what the Ruins of St. Paul's, a famous tourist attraction in Macau, looked like before it was burned down. However, when he got there and took a look, he realized that there was still a lot of construction going on here - it turned out that the Ruins of St. Paul's was the church. St. Paul's Church is still under construction, and the ground is full of stone and wood. I heard from the government officials in Xiangshan that this church has been built for almost twenty years, but it still looks like an unfinished building... Liu Chaozuo couldn't help but sigh. This Macau church is really the same as the most famous unfinished building in East Asia in later generations, Liu Chaozuo in Pyongyang, North Korea. Jing Hotel is comparable.
After going around in a circle like this, a lot of time has been spent. So, under the urging of several government clerks who were eager to go home for the New Year, Liu Chaozuo finally ended his wandering, turned around and walked over to the dock with a large group of people, preparing to take a boat back to Xiangshan County.
Next, he noticed something unusual.
"...borrowed it! Give way!"
Accompanied by a loud shout in Cantonese, County Magistrate Liu Chaozuo was stunned to see a rickshaw pulling a foreigner, passing him by at lightning speed - if the driver hadn't put his hair in a bun, he would have thought he was We came to the Shanghai Concession during the Republic of China: in the previous Infinite Space Adventure, Liu Chaozuo had once ventured into the plot world of "Fearless".
But it’s still the end of the Ming Dynasty. Where did this rickshaw come from?
He looked around suspiciously and found that no matter the pedestrians on the street or the Xiangshan County government officials around him, they all seemed to turn a blind eye to this. When I think about it again, this place is Macau, which is the most open to the outside world and has the most imported products in the late Ming Dynasty, so I feel relieved - since horse-drawn carriages and wheelbarrows existed in ancient times, it is not necessarily impossible for the ancients to make rickshaws. Perhaps in Europe at this time There is already something similar!
Liu Chaozuo, who was not very good at history, thought so as he continued walking along the street, and then saw something familiar.
"...Laying Australian movies, pulling Australian movies! Come and watch! New movies are released... Guan Yunchang warms wine and kills Hua Xiong! Sun Wukong beats the white-bone demon three times! King Zhou dotes on Daji, Xiang Yu farewell to my concubine... Celebrating the New Year today, All discounts are 20% off! ”
Accompanied by a few crisp gongs, a vendor set up an "Australian film machine" in the street market and shouted loudly to attract customers. Children in the alley heard the sound and rushed to the street corner, taking out the "Australian film machine" from their arms. A handful of copper coins were thrown into the hands of the hawker, while shouting: "...let me see it first, let me see it first."
Liu Chaozuo, who was wearing the official uniform of the seventh rank of the Ming Dynasty, witnessed this scene and couldn't help being stunned again - what kind of pornographic film is this? This is obviously a foreign film that was common on the streets during the Republic of China! He had seen "Pornographic Movies" in the plot world of "Fearless". In the modern world, he heard that there are also small toys with similar principles for sale, which are driven by a ratchet mechanism driven by a spring in a wooden box. A film reel, so that the pictures on the film can be played continuously, and the viewer has to pull the rope to wind up the clockwork... It's just the end of Ming Dynasty now! Could it be that the Europeans at this time had already developed similar gadgets and had them trafficked to Macau through the Portuguese? ! Well, no wonder the vendor just called it La'ao movie...
Although he was deeply shocked, Liu Chaozuo thought that the word "Ao" in this "Ao film" was referring to Macau, so after a little thought, he felt relieved, but he was more interested in the advancement of modern Europe. In awe.
Finally, when the group of people walked to the pier and looked for the ferry back to Xiangshan County, Liu Chaozuo finally discovered something unusual about this world.
——He saw a large shadow of heavy sails covering the sky, coming from a distance, and he was suddenly startled. The alarm bells in the Macau port rang, Portuguese soldiers with tomahawks and spears ran back and forth, and there was a commotion on the docks and streets... …
Of course, such riotous scenes were not uncommon in the Age of Discovery when pirates were rampant. But the real problem is that Liu Chaozuo, who has sharp eyes, noticed as soon as he looked over that there were several large ships in the fleet approaching Macau with chimneys filled with soot!
Hey, Watt, the inventor, wouldn't be born until the next century! Where did you seventeenth-century steamships come from?
Next, the blue and white cross-star flags hung on the masts of these sailboats made Magistrate Liu Chaozuo stunned when he saw them at the Macau Pier. He was messy in the wind and suffered a nervous breakdown. In the end, he couldn't help but exclaim. ：
"...This...what the hell is going on? Why are there NATO flags these days? And where did the steamships in the seventeenth century come from? Oh! What on earth has this damn Lord thrown me into? Such a ridiculous world! ”
Then, Liu Chaozuo was dragged back by several government officials, and an old official who served as a general (translator) explained to him.
"...Sir! This is terrible! The ships of the thieves are coming out in full force, heading straight for Macau! Although I heard from Mr. Fo Langji that the thieves outside Hong Kong have no ill intentions towards Macau. But just in case. , I’m afraid Macau will be closed down today! Let’s go back to the county by land!”
"...Kun thief? What is that? Are you talking about the fleet outside the port?"
"... Your Excellency has just come to Guangdong, so you may not know something. This bandit is a giant sea pirate that has appeared in recent years. He claims to be from Australia thousands of miles away, and is a descendant of the Miao who fled overseas when the Song Dynasty collapsed. Because they He shaves his hair short and leaves no beard, so we call him a thief..."
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In the evening of this day, Magistrate Liu and his party, who had been hurrying slowly all the way, finally made it back to Xiangshan County from Macau before the city gate closed.
Then, under the pleading looks of all the yamen servants, Liu Chaozuo had no choice but to give them a reward of silver and a holiday, and sent them home to celebrate the New Year. He took his luggage and bedding to the yamen to rest - Ming Dynasty Officials Adhering to the custom of "officials do not repair yamen", as long as the yamen has not collapsed, they are too lazy to spend money to repair it, so the inner house of the yamen in Xiangshan County is naturally in a dilapidated state. Even though the government officials had organized voluntary cleaning, many places still looked somewhere between a haunted house and a ruin. However, Liu Chaozuo was also a man who had endured a lot of hardships, so he was calm about it.
However, when he made his bed and got under the quilt, there was no sound and his thoughts were up and down, but he couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
——Recalling what he saw and heard in Macau today, as well as the various news and rumors he heard from the government officials along the way, Liu Chaozuo couldn't help but sigh for a moment, feeling that the amount of information was a bit too much, and his brain capacity was not enough, and he felt even more in his heart. I don’t even know how to complain about this absurd world:
"...Australians? What kind of Miao people do you claim to be from the Song Dynasty? Where did these guys fall from? There are probably only aborigines and kangaroos in Australia these days! What kind of hell has the Lord God thrown me into? Ah? And what’s the mission in this world? Why did this damn Lord’s watch suddenly crash? My Lord! The quality of the product you provided is so bad!”
However, before Liu Chaozuo could sort out today's chaotic encounter and various abnormal information, something even more incredible happened:
Without any warning, there was a flash of golden light in the room, and several unfamiliar figures suddenly appeared. Then, the bright beams of four or five strong flashlights shone straight towards Liu Chaozuo's face, making him almost unable to open his eyes in the flickering light and dark...
The next moment, before Liu Chaozuo could see who it was, he heard a man yelling at him angrily:
"...Liu Chaozuo, what happened to you has happened! You crossed illegally without the approval of the relevant departments! Now the evidence is conclusive, why don't we arrest you as soon as possible!" In an instant, Liu Chaozuo felt something disconnect in his mind, and his face The expression on his face suddenly changed into the word "囧"...