Chapter 295 Qing-American Coalition
Chapter 295 Qing-American Coalition
Shao Quanzhong smiled and said, "Don't worry, I have a plan for this matter."
As he was talking, Langji had already come in with the guards. When he saw Shao Quanzhong, he bowed quickly and said, "Greetings, Prince."
Shao Quanzhong personally helped Jilang up and said, "You are a vassal king appointed by the imperial court, and you are on the same level as me. You don't need to salute me."
Pointing to the gorgeous decoration of the Spanish Governor's Palace, he said, "Do you think it's beautiful here?"
"Your Highness, this place is great. When the imperial army arrived, the Spanish bandits fled, all thanks to your military prowess. When will you take us to the Sulu Islands to help our country recover its territory?"
Shao Quanzhong patted Langji on the shoulder and said, "Brother, you have to think bigger. Don't just focus on those broken islands. Wasn't Luzon the territory of the Sulu Kingdom in the past?"
Ah? Langji didn't quite believe his ears, "Your Highness is saying that Luzon should also be incorporated into the Kingdom of Sulu?"
Shao Quanzhong pointed around and said, "Yes, your Sulu Kingdom can move its capital to Manila. This Governor's Mansion will be your palace in the future."
Holy shit, there is such a good thing? I can't even think about it.
The ancestors of the Sulu Kingdom came from Indonesia, settled in the Sulu Islands, and established a country in the Sulu Islands.
Southeast Asia was primitive and backward, and there was no government in Luzon at the time, so the Sulu Kingdom made a claim to Luzon but did not actually rule it.
Manila prospered only after the Spanish came and established a colony in Luzon. So, if we don't count Zheng He's passing through during his voyages to the West, Luzon was actually established by the Spanish.
The Kingdom of Sulu became a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty during the Yongle period, but the Qing Dynasty could not take advantage of the Ming Dynasty's claims.
The only documented fact is that during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, the Sulu Kingdom declared itself a vassal of the Qing Dynasty. At that time, the Spanish had already begun to rule Luzon, and the Sulu Kingdom had already lost the Luzon it claimed.
Seeing that Langji was a little confused with surprise, Shao Quanzhong patted him on the shoulder again.
"Calm down, it's not a big deal. Let me explain it to you. We, the Qing Dynasty, attacked Manila to retaliate against their invasion of the vassal state of Sulu. Then, we left after our revenge. Remember, we did not invade Spanish territory. It was you who led the people to recapture Luzon, the homeland of Sulu."
Langji fell to his knees and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. But you can't leave. If you leave, I won't be able to withstand the Spaniards coming back."
"If you can't handle it, there are people who can. Come, call the leader of the Cuban mercenaries, Li Wencai, over here."
Li Wencai was an old subordinate of Shi Dakai who had always followed him and was rescued by Shao Quanzhong in Anshun Field. This time, he led two thousand mercenaries on board the Nanyang Navy's ship to support Shao Quanzhong.
They plundered the Mediterranean coast of Türkiye and the Black Sea coast of Russia along the way, traveled thousands of miles back to the Far East with the fleet, and made a fortune in Japan. With the support of strong ships and powerful guns, they suffered little loss.
Li Wencai saluted Shao Quanzhong, who pointed at Li Wencai and said, "Langji, do you see these Cuban mercenaries you hired? With them here, Manila will be safe.
Now, you pick up some tribute from the Governor's Office, take our captured messenger ship Duke of Dilo to pay tribute to the capital, and come back after being re-ennobled by the court, and prepare to be the king of Sulu for generations to enjoy happiness. "
Langji understood that Shao Quanzhong's intention was to let Li Wencai control the Sulu Kingdom, and he would just provide a figurehead, so the deal would be done.
I used to be a pirate, but now I can be a vassal king for generations, rich and prosperous, but I don't have to do anything. This is called heaven-sent wealth. "Thank you for your favor, Your Highness. I will definitely be loyal to Your Highness, appease the local natives for Your Highness, and be a good vassal of the court. Sulu will always be loyal to Your Highness."
"Yeah, yes, he is a smart man. I like smart people the most."
Langji was overjoyed. He took people to the Governor's Mansion to find valuable tribute and took a boat to the capital to pay tribute.
Shao Quanzhong took Li Wencai's hand and instructed, "According to the intelligence gathered by the investigation staff officer Fan He who sent people to the city, the Spanish have a total of 5,000 colonial troops in Luzon, but their equipment is simple, and they still use flintlock rifles.
You have few subordinates, so you don't need to fight them. Your mission is to defend Manila. I will leave the captured Spanish Far East Fleet to help you guard the harbor. Later, I will send someone to replace you and let you return to Cuba with this harvest. "
Shao Quanzhong left Li Wencai to guard Manila, and led his fleet southward, across the Sulu Sea, and arrived at Banjarmasin in southern Borneo on March 24, the eighth year of the Tongzhi reign.
The gates of Machen were wide open to warmly welcome the Qing fleet.
All the Dutch evacuated and moved out all their belongings, leaving only Awusi Delishan, whom Shao Quanzhong met in Dongwanlu, with an interpreter to welcome Shao Quanzhong's arrival.
"Your Highness, why are you so late here? In order to maintain the friendship between the Netherlands and the Qing Empire, His Majesty William has issued an imperial decree to return Borneo to the governance of the Lan Fang Republic. Please go to Batavia to sign a formal document of friendship and cooperation."
Ma Jin lowered the tricolor flag and raised the yellow square flag of the Lan Fang Republic, and the handover was peaceful.
On March 1868, the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign (April 4, 25 in the Western calendar), the Qing Dynasty and the Netherlands signed the Batavia Qing-Dutch Friendship Treaty in Batavia.
The Dutch forces withdrew from Borneo, ending their "administration" over Lan Fang, a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty respectfully sent the Dutch garrison and Dutch overseers who had been "accidentally captured" in Dongwanlu back to Batavia. The Qing Dynasty recognized the Dutch rule over Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi and the Spice Islands. The Qing and Dutch sides maintained good neighborly friendship and worked together to promote the well-being of the people of Southeast Asia and the progress of the civilized world.
Peter Meier, the Governor-General of Batavia of the Netherlands, and Zeng Jize, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Qing Dynasty, signed the treaty and sent it to the world via telegram.
After the cordial and friendly talks, the two sides took a photo together, which will be exclusively released in California Terra.
Meier hosted a dinner at the Governor's Palace to welcome the visiting Qing guests. After the dinner, a grand dance was held, attended by all the celebrities in Batavia.
During his visit, Shao Quanzhong inspected the vassal states of Lan Fang and Sulu in Southeast Asia. His third stop was Batavia, where he signed a treaty with the Netherlands. He successfully completed the goals of his visit and made positive contributions to the stable development of Southeast Asia.
Ping'er attended group photos, dinners, and dances as Shao Quanzhong's wife. The Dutch gentlemen were polite, the dinner at the Governor's Mansion was lively, the dance was fashionable and trendy, and Shao Quanzhong made progress this time and did not step on Ping'er's feet - this is what the upper class looks like.
Ping'er's face flushed with excitement. She looked at herself in the mirror again and again in the guest room of the Governor's Mansion, and was reluctant to take off the dress she had put on temporarily.
Suddenly, I heard Shao Quanzhong calling out, "Ping'er, borrow the Dutchman's telegraph room and draft two telegrams for me."
One letter was to the British king Chen Cheng who was stationed in Buenos Aires. He transferred the two generals Zhang Hanchen (Zhang Lexing) and Yang Changjiu (Yang Fuqing) who were under the British king's control to serve under his command. The two generals Zhang and Yang led their troops to wait in Buenos Aires, and Shao Quanzhong would send a ship to pick them up.
One letter was addressed to Andrew Johnson, the President of the United States. In his capacity as the Imperial Commissioner and Plenipotentiary Envoy of the Qing Dynasty, Shao Quanzhong requested an alliance with the Confederation to form a Qing-American coalition to attack Spain.
(End of this chapter)