Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 585: Diplomatic Mission to Brunei (Part )

Zheng Chenggong actually didn't want to attack Batavia at all, but looking at the emperor's enthusiasm, Zheng Chenggong knew that it seemed really unlikely that he would not fight.

Fortunately, sending troops to attack Batavia did not mean he had no benefits. It was heard that Batavia was a gathering point for maritime trade from all over the country. If the Dutch occupied this place, they could make a fortune every day.

Zheng Chenggong also knew that Meng Jun's core idea of controlling Malacca was to worry that one day a powerful enemy would come from the sea. Regarding this worry, Zheng Chenggong sneered and said, "Although the emperor is a great ruler, he sometimes worries about nothing. Throughout the dynasties, when has there been an enemy coming from the sea?"

But Chen Yonghua shook his head and retorted: "Prince, yes!"

Zheng Chenggong's laughter seemed to be stuck, and after a while he asked, "When?"

Chen Yonghua replied: "During the Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates ravaged the coastal provinces."

Zheng Chenggong said disdainfully: "It's just a minor problem."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yonghua said sternly: "Prince, as the saying goes, if a small trouble is not eliminated, it will become a big disaster. Don't underestimate a small trouble."

"The Japanese pirates are in Japan, and Malacca is in the extreme south. In my opinion, it would be easier for the emperor to conquer Japan."

Chen Yonghua was stunned for a moment, and then asked after a long while: "The prince was born in Japan, does he want to invade Japan?"

Zheng Chenggong laughed and said, "Why not? The whole world belongs to the king, and all the people are his subjects. Fusang calls itself the emperor, and I have long despised it!"

After the two chatted for a while, Zheng Chenggong got to the point. Since the emperor was ambitious and wanted to conquer Batavia, the first priority was to find out who the barbarians were in Batavia, how many warships they had, how many soldiers they had, whether the city defenses were strong, and whether there were any reinforcements.

After Zheng Chenggong decided to follow Meng Jun's example and set up an organization similar to the Qingluan Guard, Chen Yonghua took some time to imitate the Qingluan Guard's organization, changed its name, and set it up.

The head of Qingluan Guard was the commander-in-chief, so Chen Yonghua called the leader of the organization the helmsman according to the local common name in Fujian. Chen Yonghua called each department under Qingluan Guard the hall master. As for the name, Zheng Chenggong also intended to imitate the Qingluan Guard, such as the name of Jinling Guard.

However, this move was blocked by Chen Yonghua, who advised: "Although this title may seem grand, if it is leaked, it may be feared by the court. If someone with ulterior motives uses this as a reason to impeach the prince, even if it is not a big deal, it will still be a troublesome matter."

Chen Yonghua's suggestion was to name the society "Heaven and Earth Society". Although Zheng Chenggong was not very satisfied with the name, a name is just a title. After thinking about it, Zheng Chenggong decided to follow Chen Yonghua's suggestion.

………………

Baga Bay Port of Brunei Kingdom.

The huge fleet of the Qian Dynasty delegation stopped at ports along the coast of Luzon to rest and replenish fresh water and food, and then headed towards the Brunei Kingdom.

On the second day of the first lunar month in the sixth year of Zhaowu, the diplomatic corps slowly approached the Baga Bay port of Brunei.

The early morning sun shines on the sparkling sea. The Baga Bay port in Brunei Kingdom is peaceful and tranquil. People are as usual, either preparing to go out to sea to fish or busy with their daily livelihoods on the shore.

Suddenly, a sharp-eyed boy pointed at the sea level and shouted curiously: "Look! What is that?" Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction he pointed, only to see a huge fleet appearing on the sea in the distance, gradually appearing on the sea level.

Someone shouted, "It's a big ship, a Westerner's big ship!"

In an instant, panic spread rapidly among the crowd, screams rang out one after another, the men also showed fear, some hurriedly packed up their things, prepared to flee, the children were frightened by this sudden scene and burst into tears, and the entire port fell into chaos.

The Brunei navy patrol soon discovered the fleet. The navy commander looked over and his face changed drastically. He quickly ordered: "Quick, everyone be on alert!"

It was not until they got closer that the Brunei patrol team discovered the Zheng family logo and a large flag with the word "Qian" on it.

When General Zhang Shun, who was escorting the diplomatic envoys, saw the Brunei navy, he launched several small boats and sent people to negotiate.

After negotiations between the two sides, the commander of the Brunei navy learned that this was an envoy from the Qian Dynasty, a great country in the Central Plains. Knowing the importance of the matter, the commander immediately selected several agile soldiers and rushed to the capital to report the news to the Brunei Sultan.

The commander did not dare to stop the delegation. After the Qian Dynasty delegation landed, the commander also arranged for the locals to deliver food, fresh water and other supplies to the Qian envoys.

After reaching the shore, Wan Yunguo refused to disembark, declaring: "Unless the King of Brunei sends an important official to welcome us in person, we will never disembark."

It was more than ten days later that the Sultan of Brunei received the news. By then, Brunei was no longer as strong as it was when the country was first established.

The current Sultan of Brunei is Bolkiah Mahan. Feudal rule is practiced in Brunei. The Sultan has four ministers and eight deputy ministers. Most of the land in the country is controlled by these twelve ministers. What is most fatal is that the current Sultan is facing an attack from members of the royal family, and the civil war is still going on.

Therefore, even though Borkia Mahan knew that the Central Plains was unified again and the Qian Dynasty was the common ruler of the world, he really had no intention or time to send an envoy across the ocean to pay tribute. Moreover, Mahan never thought of paying tribute at all. Even during the early Ming Dynasty, the tribute was intermittent.

Upon hearing that the Qian Dynasty delegation had arrived, Ma Han was somewhat caught off guard, but he still tried his best to send important officials to greet them.

As for the official of Qian Dynasty, Wan Yunguo, after the officials of Brunei arrived at the port of Baga Bay, he gathered many people to greet them, and then Wan Yunguo leisurely got off the ship.

Zhang Shun, who was standing aside, kept shaking his head. He was just a director of the Ministry of Rites, a small official. Normally, Zhang Shun would ignore such officials. But now that he had arrived in Brunei, he allowed him to pretend, and he could only follow behind him.

The ministers of Brunei quickly stepped forward, bowed to Zhang Shun and others, and said with a smile on their faces: "Dear Qian Dynasty envoys, we have been here to welcome you for a long time. My master heard that the Celestial Empire envoys were coming and was very happy. He specially sent us to welcome them." (Common Translation)

Wan Yunguo bowed slightly, returned the greeting with a cupped hand, and said with a smile: "I am here on a mission to your country under the order of our emperor. It is a good opportunity to exchange what we have and what we need, and to contribute to the great cause of peace. Your country has beautiful mountains and rivers, and the people are simple and honest. I feel at home the moment I arrive. However, I have the emperor's order, and I must hurry to your master's place as soon as possible."

"Of course, please get on the sedan chair, envoy."

Afterwards, led by the welcoming team, the delegation members set out on the road to the capital of Brunei. Along the way, the people of Brunei looked at the delegation with curious eyes.

On the way, Wan Yunguo could not help but complain to the officials beside him: "Looking at this state, it is extremely desolate, with sparse villages and deserted markets. There is no sign of prosperity. Moreover, the people are all crude and uncouth, with no rules in words and deeds, no etiquette, and no etiquette. It is really a barbaric land. It is a waste of our efforts to travel here. I don't know what benefit this trip can bring!"