Chapter 997 1088 Orthodoxy

Chapter 997 1088 Orthodoxy

Outside an unknown small harbor in the northwest of Luzon Island, two sea ships were slowly approaching.

The one in front was a gunboat of the Ming Dynasty, but the ship following behind was obviously not the style of the Ming Dynasty ship. Instead, it was quite similar to the barbarian merchant ships that the people on the southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty had seen at this time.

The arrival of two sea ships made the officers and soldiers of the Daming Navy on alert nearby suddenly became nervous.

As various signals were sent out, officers and soldiers appeared on the gun emplacements of the two naval warships in the port, all of whom were paying close attention to the approach of the two ships.

On the shore, Deng Zilong had received news that Wang Wanggao's gunboat had entered the harbor with a barbarian ship. For some unknown reason, he also walked out of the camp and stood on the beach to observe quietly.

The two ships looked intact and did not look like they had been through a war.

However, why did Wang Wanggao bring the Yi people's ships here? The result of doing so was obviously to expose their existence.

In fact, Deng Zilong has never thought about how to appear here.

Not long after, two ships stopped in the bay near the shore, one anchored to the left and the other to the right.

Soon, a small boat was put down from the big Ming gun boat, and several people got on the boat and rowed the famous oars desperately towards the shore.

Deng Zilong put away the telescope in his hand. He had observed carefully just now that Wang Wanggao was still on the bow of the bird ship, and beside him was the sailor who was responsible for signaling. It seemed that he was communicating with the Yi ship next to him in this way.

However, the distance was a bit far, and Deng Zilong's flags were somewhat unclear.

However, from the sailor's actions, he probably judged that he wanted the barbarian ship on the other side to stay here and not move.

Although the Yi merchant ship was much smaller than the merchant ships Deng Zilong had seen in the Ming Dynasty, it still had a row of gun windows arranged on the side. It was obviously an armed merchant ship.

However, because the ship is small, it seems not suitable for long-distance voyages across the sea.

I don’t know how they brought this ship to Luzon. Could it be that the Yi people established a shipyard in Luzon and manufactured it here?

Deng Zilong's heart tightened for no reason and he became nervous.

If the Yi people have a shipyard on Luzon Island, it will definitely not be a good thing for the Ming Dynasty.

This means that their warships can be maintained nearby and can remain in combat condition for a longer period of time.

Ever since he knew that the imperial court intended to divide Luzon, Deng Zilong had regarded the Yi people as enemies and was ready to go to war with them at any time.

Naturally, it is normal to have such thoughts.

Comparing the advantages and disadvantages of the Ming Dynasty and the Yi people, it is obvious that this place is closer to the Ming Dynasty and can easily obtain many conveniences.

However, the Yi people's occupation of Luzon was still short and did not provide these convenient conditions.

I heard from Li Jin that there is a shipyard on the seaside outside Manila, but it seems to have no shipbuilding capabilities now. It can only build small boats. It mainly provides maintenance and repair work for merchant ships.

Because the Yi people have a limited number of merchant ships here, the scale is small.

Look at the Yi merchant ship in front of us. Although it looks very new, judging from the degree of corrosion of the wood, it is also a product that was launched a few years ago.

It should not have been built in Luzon.

Deng Zilong had a suspicion in his mind and raised his telescope to observe for a while. On the deck of the ship, a man who appeared to be a captain was communicating with someone next to him. He seemed to be pointing out the three warships of the Ming Dynasty in the bay from time to time. .

Not long after, the boat docked, and a general on the boat ran toward them.

When someone came near and knelt down on one knee to salute, Deng Zilong asked him to stand up and speak.

"What's going on? I asked you to patrol the surrounding area. How did you lead the barbarian ships here?"

Deng Zilong was dissatisfied with Wang Wanggao's arrogance, but the most important thing now was to find out what happened to them that made them act like this.

"Sir, we encountered this barbarian merchant ship when we were patrolling the sea. At that time, the other party took the initiative to approach. There was also a Han on board, who claimed to be Lin Bixiu, and took the initiative to translate."

"Wait a minute, you said there are Han Chinese on board the barbarians acting as translators between you and the barbarians?"

When the general commander on the opposite side was answering, Deng Zilong suddenly interrupted.

"Yes, that Lin Bixiu said that his family was a people who left China to escape the Mongol invasion hundreds of years ago and settled here."

Zong Qi hurriedly replied: "Although they are here, they still use their own language every day, so he is proficient in the local language, and has been in contact with the Yi people for a long time, and has learned the Yi people's language."

"Well, go on, what do they do?"

Deng Zilong nodded. At this time, many people who were making a living at sea were indeed proficient in many "foreign languages." Even on Li Jin's ship, there were such people who could speak the languages ​​of the Yi and Luzon people.

When he was doing business with the Yi people, he also learned some of their language. As long as the communication was not very complicated, he could handle it with ease.

With the introduction of the general flag, Deng Zilong also learned about the encounter of this trip to sea.

At first, the gunboats were patrolling nearby, mainly to practice with the several warships sent out before, so as not to miss the meeting with them.

As for the barbarian ships they encountered on the way, they naturally found out that they were transport ships collecting food from all over the Philippine Islands and transporting them to Manila.

Although it is a merchant ship, it belongs to the Navy of the Kingdom of Spain.

After the barbarians occupied the Philippine Islands, they established many strongholds everywhere, not only to maintain control of the entire island, but also to communicate with the island tribes and obtain their supplies.

Due to the recent preparations for war, Manila City has recruited thousands of locals, resulting in relatively large food consumption. The tribes around Manila City alone are no longer able to supply sufficient food.

Therefore, Governor Ravisari of Manila now sends ships to various places to collect grain, and the barbarian ship in the port is one of them.

They encountered a Chinese ship near the Philippine Islands, and it clearly looked like a warship. At first, they thought it was an armed ship belonging to the Lin Feng Pirate Group, so they approached and prepared for war.

Yes, although this barbarian ship is similar to the bird ship, it is not big, but it is very well armed, and the sailors are all Spanish elite sailors, so they are sure to defeat the opponent.

Only after the two ships approached, Lin Bixiu noticed the "Ming" flag on the opposite gunboat and knew that this was not an armed ship belonging to pirates, but most likely a warship from the Ming Dynasty, so he urgently stopped preparations for war.

Yes, when he noticed that the barbarian ship on the other side opened the gun window and leaked out the black hole of the gun muzzle, Wang Wanggao did not hesitate to get his side ready for battle and pushed out the cannons to prepare for the battle.

Of course, the battle did not break out in the end. After the two ships got closer, the two sides communicated through Lin Bixiu, the translator.

Wang Wanggao could only say that he was a warship of the Ming Dynasty that was ordered to go to sea to find traces of Lin Feng's pirate group. Because they had the same enemy, the atmosphere of the exchange between the two parties was quite pleasant.

From Lin Bixiu's mouth, it was once again confirmed that Lin Feng was in Pengjia Yuclan Bay.

Of course, Wang Wanggao knew this. They had already verified it, but they just didn't see Lin Feng with their own eyes.

Knowing the intention of the Ming Dynasty Navy, the Yi people were obviously very concerned about it and invited them to Manila City to meet with the Yi people governor to discuss the possibility of a joint attack between the two families on Penga Yuclan Bay and the encirclement and suppression of Lin Feng.

After all, Lin Feng was a pirate wanted by the Ming Dynasty, and the Yi people knew this very well.

Involving the Ming Dynasty officials to participate in the encirclement and suppression of Lin Feng's pirate group seems to be a good thing for the Yi people. At least they have an ally who can help somewhat.

It would naturally be in their best interests to exterminate Lin Feng who was squatting on the Philippine Islands.

There is no room for two tigers in one mountain. After Lin Feng arrived in the Philippine Islands, especially after he built a city near the mouth of Penga Yuclan Bay and established Tortoiseshell City, the surrounding Filipino indigenous people began to make moves.

According to the information they had, many locals had already taken the initiative to join Lin Feng and work for them.

Lin Feng also accepted all comers and attracted a large number of local people to participate.

"According to what Lin Bixiu said, Lin Feng seems to have the intention to become king in Tortoiseshell City. After all, this place is far away from the Ming Dynasty, and he has attracted a large number of local people, and the conditions are very favorable."

Finally, the commander-in-chief said.

"Lin Feng still wants to build a country overseas, haha."

Deng Zilong just sneered disdainfully, but seeing the barbarian boat in the bay, he knew that now he needed to determine his attitude towards them first.

"Let their captain come ashore and speak."

Deng Zilong opened his mouth and ordered.

"yes."

The commander-in-chief took the order, quickly returned to the boat, and rowed toward the bay.

Soon, the Yi boats in the bay responded. Someone got on the boat, but this boat was not the Ming army's boat, but the Yi people's own boat.

After the captain of the Yi boat and several other people boarded the boat, Wang Wanggao also got off the gunboat and rowed to the shore with the previous boat.

The two boats docked, and Wang Wanggao came over with a Yi and a middle-aged man who was obviously Han.

When he arrived in front of Deng Zilong, Wang Wanggao saluted him first, and then heard the Han man behind the Yi people step forward and bow to him as well.

"Who are you."

Deng Zilong asked knowingly.

"I'm Lin Bixiu, a survivor of the Song Dynasty. I'd like to see Master Deng."

Hearing what Lin Bixiu said, Deng Zilong frowned slightly and said, "Are you from the Song Dynasty? Don't you know that I, Emperor Gao, the great ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, expelled the Tartars and restored China a hundred years ago?

Nowadays, the whole world belongs to our Ming Dynasty. Where are the Song people? "

When Deng Zilong said this, Lin Bixiu knew that he had made a mistake.

In fact, this is also a habit.

He had met visitors from the Ming Dynasty before, and they all claimed to be from the Song Dynasty to show that their ancestors were unwilling to be driven overseas by the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty.

Everyone in Ming Dynasty didn't say anything when he said this. Over time, he got used to saying this.

Now being scolded by this Ming general, I realized that something seemed wrong.

But then, he figured out that he was no longer a Mingren. Although he was still Han, he could only be regarded as Chinese. Speaking of which, he was actually a Luzon native.

As for people in Ming Dynasty's official circles, they also have political stances.

This political stance does not mean loyalty to the emperor or loyalty and obedience to anyone, but involves the inheritance of Chinese civilization.

Some people say that Zhu Yuanzhang drove out the Tartars and rebuilt China, while others say that the old Zhu family was the most successful peasant uprising.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang himself said that he obeyed the destiny and inherited the orthodoxy from Meng Yuan.

The question is, Zhu Yuanzhang rebelled in the name of expelling the Tartars, why did he end up recognizing the orthodoxy of the Yuan Dynasty?

The reasons for this are actually very complicated, and even involve the Liao Kingdom before the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, the Southern and Northern Song Dynasties, and the Jin Kingdom established later.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, although they wanted to restore the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, they never succeeded. In the end, they lost a large area of ​​mountains and rivers in the north. Since then, China has been divided into north and south.

At that time, the order was chaotic, and the bureaucrats who represented the Han culture could no longer define the orthodox Confucian doctrine of self-discipline and restoration of rituals, and the monarch and the ministers.

The Liao Dynasty was able to rule the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun for a long time and smoothly, and the subsequent Song Dynasty was actually reshaping the orthodoxy and order of Confucian culture.

The Confucianism of the Song Dynasty was definitely not the same as the Confucianism of the previous dynasties. Similarly, the Confucian disciples of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun did not necessarily agree with the Confucian tradition that was cut off by the Song Dynasty.

The confrontation between Liao and Song for more than a hundred years was not only geographically isolated, but also culturally different.

Both the Northern Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty claimed to be orthodox, and the Liao Dynasty's international status at that time was no less than that of the Northern Song Dynasty. Even the word "China" was pointed to the Liao Dynasty in more historical books.

This is because the dynasties that China was most proud of before were the Han and Tang Dynasties, but the Han Dynasty had passed away a long time ago, and the Tang Dynasty had just perished.

The core of the early Tang Dynasty was a mixture of the Xianbei-ized Han people and the Han-ized Xianbei people, Shandong wealthy families in Hebei, Shanxi, and Henan, and the Jiangnan families with low sense of participation.

The complexity of the ethnic system made the early Tang Dynasty maintain great tolerance and openness to all foreign ethnic groups. The most representative one is the sentence of Emperor Taizong of Tang: Since ancient times, people have valued China and despised foreigners. Only I love them all equally.

It means that no matter whether they are Han or foreign, they are all the same to me. We are all one family.

After the baptism of the Anshi Rebellion, the emperors of the Tang Dynasty no longer dared to be so confident, nor did they dare to easily trust the Hu people.

In the Tang Dynasty, the wealthy families relied on their power and monopoly on culture to suppress the local mixed culture.

But Huang Chao's extermination of the wealthy completely subverted this set of management order. From the end of the Tang Dynasty to the beginning of the Song Dynasty, China was following a cycle of tearing up, reshaping, tearing up, and blending.

After the demise of the Tang Dynasty, the orthodoxy that best represents the Han culture was controlled by the northern regime.

Starting from the Later Jin Dynasty, especially after the Khitan briefly entered the Central Plains, local warlords no longer pursued orthodoxy and focused their energy on improving national strength and military strength.

In troubled times, anyone can claim to have inherited the tradition, and no longer follow the only legitimacy.

In particular, scholars represented by Feng Dao and Han Xizai took a more realistic path. They would go to whoever respected them. If they disagreed, they would jump ship and go to the next master.

After Jin conquered Liao, the northern Han people under its rule had the hope of returning to the inheritance order of the Southern Song Dynasty, and they also held uprisings many times to prepare to go to the Southern Song Dynasty.

But the Southern Song Dynasty abandoned the northern gentry, because the gentry who had fled to the south earlier and the local gentry in the south were ostracizing and despising the children of the gentry who returned later.

The incompetence and exclusion of the Southern Song Dynasty made the north no longer hopeful, so they turned around and became more pragmatic Confucian realists, supporting the Jin Dynasty, including the Yuan Dynasty, which was loyal to the Mongols.

In this way, the cultural division between the north and the south was naturally welcomed by the Mongols.

In order to prevent the northern and southern Han people from merging, the unified Yuan Dynasty deliberately divided the Han culture. The Yuan Dynasty called the northern Han people Han people, and the southern Han people were the lowest level of southerners. (End of this chapter)