Chapter 6: How Could We Raise Arms Over Mere Commoners?

She spoke in Spanish, and the Han Chinese around her could not understand a word.

But the anger in her tone was plain to everyone, and they all bowed their heads even lower, nearly parallel to the ground.

At this moment, Boss Lu steeled himself and stepped forward, saying in broken Spanish: "Miss Catalina, I apologize on his behalf. He is a ship captain who has just arrived in port and does not know proper manners."

Catalina acted as if she had not heard, and looked toward the tax collector and the priest standing at the entrance of the trading house, greeting them: "Good morning."

The two returned her greeting: "Good morning, Miss Catalina."

"Add 5% more tax to this merchant."

"But, miss." The tax collector looked troubled. "Your father..."

"Consider it an offering to the Lord. I trust you will be quite satisfied with this contribution, Father." Catalina revealed a sweet smile.

The Spanish priest smiled and said: "Of course, miss."

After speaking, Catalina swept a disgusted gaze over Lin Qian, then shook the reins and rode away.

Boss Lu hurriedly retreated to the roadside, and when a mounted guard passed by, he kicked Boss Lu in the back, sending him falling flat on his back.

The mounted guard burst into loud laughter and followed Catalina into the distance.

The clerk hurriedly helped Boss Lu up. His nose had already bled from the fall, the blood pooling at his chin and dripping to the ground.

The Spanish priest shrugged at Lin Qian and said: "Then, in the witness of the Lord, let us sign the contract."

Lin Qian suppressed his temper and said: "Did you not see that Boss Lu was injured by the guard's reckless behavior? We cannot sign the contract today."

"No, you must sign today." The priest shook his head, not even bothering to explain why.

Lin Qian stared at him coldly: "And what if I refuse?"

At this moment, Boss Lu interjected in Spanish: "Sign, sign right now."

With one hand covering his nose and the other making a gesture of invitation, he led everyone into the trading house.

Lin Qian stood still in place.

Boss Lu walked over to him and said in a low voice: "When under someone else's roof, you must lower your head. You do not live here, so you do not know the hardships of this place. This contract must be signed today. I will pay the extra tax myself — consider it a favor to me."

Though Lin Qian could not swallow this indignation, he was no hot-headed youth either. He knew that forcing himself to the forefront would not only gain nothing, but would also put Boss Lu in an awkward position caught in the middle.

With words having come to this point, Lin Qian had no choice but to follow them inside.

The clerk brought out paper and brush, and both parties drew up the deed according to the price just agreed upon, after which the two Spaniards also signed their names.

The deed was made in triplicate, with Lin Qian, Boss Lu, and the Spaniards each taking one copy.

Boss Lu cupped his hands toward the two Spaniards and said: "The tax payment will be delivered to the Governor-General's residence and the church today. Thank you both. Please, take your leave."

The two Spaniards left satisfied.

Lin Qian said: "The tax payment to the church arose because of me, so it should rightly be borne by me. Please simply deduct it from the silver coins."

Boss Lu took the handkerchief the clerk handed him to wipe the blood from his face while waving his other hand: "Brother Lin just now did not hesitate to clash with the Franks to speak up for me. For that alone, I must make a friend of you. I will pay the tax — do not argue further."

One could tell Boss Lu had a generous and forthright nature. With a man like this, directness was best; excessive refusal would only hurt the friendship.

Lin Qian then cupped his hands and said: "Since Big Brother recognizes me as a friend, I will say no more words of formality. When this younger brother returns to the Great Ming, there will still be plenty of empty space in my hold, and I will purchase more goods from you then."

Boss Lu appeared to be about forty years of age, while Lin Qian was barely twenty, so it was natural for him to call himself the younger brother.

Hearing this, Boss Lu's smile grew even wider: "Well said. The island of Luzon is rich in produce, and the Franks have brought many fine goods as well — cloves, nutmeg, glassware, pearls, hawksbill turtle shell, and such bring the greatest profit. Whatever Brother Lin wants, just give the word, and I will keep the best goods for you."

The two then chatted about idle matters, getting along splendidly, and Boss Lu had the clerk serve tea.

"Luzon has no tea fields, and few ships trading with the Great Ming bring tea here. Tea is quite a rarity in Luzon. Brother Lin, do have a taste."

Lin Qian himself had little interest in tea, but in his previous life he had learned quite a bit in order to deal with others. He raised the teacup, took a sip, and said: "The tea fragrance is light and clear, with a lingering aftertaste. Is this Longjing?"

Boss Lu looked rather pleased with himself: "Indeed, it is Longjing tea. It is only a pity that the Franks do not appreciate the goodness of tea..."

Lin Qian had long been curious about the relationship between the Spaniards and the Han Chinese, so he took the opportunity to probe: "These barbarians are brutal by nature — women galloping through the streets, officials extorting at will. Truly uncivilized savages."

Boss Lu's expression turned fearful, and he hurriedly gestured for Lin Qian to keep his voice down.

"Brother Lin, mind your words. That Frankish woman is not to be trifled with."

Boss Lu lowered his voice and said: "She is the only daughter of the Frankish Governor-General, deeply favored by him. Never mind galloping through the streets — even killing a man is within her power. If Brother Lin encounters her next time, remember to lower your head and bow."

"I have heard that the Franks on this island number barely a thousand in total, while the Han Chinese number in the tens of thousands. Why are they so feared?"

Boss Lu hesitated somewhat, thought for a moment, then sighed and said: "Very well. This is an ugly affair on this island, and even if I do not speak of it, Brother Lin will sooner or later learn of it from others. It was the thirty-first year of Wanli..."

The thirty-first year of Wanli — that is, seventeen years ago, in the year 1603 of the Common Era.

According to Boss Lu, at that time the Great Ming Emperor had heard some wild rumor from who knows where, claiming that there was a gold mine on the island of Luzon, and so dispatched the Assistant Magistrate of Haicheng County and a Centurion to recklessly come to the island to prospect.

At that time, the Spaniards on the island numbered only a few hundred, while the Han Chinese numbered in the tens of thousands. The Spaniards had long been wary of the Han Chinese.

This action deeply provoked the Spanish Governor-General, who believed that the Great Ming court was using the pretext of "mineral prospecting" to survey the waterways and terrain in preparation for a future invasion, and he came to view all the Han Chinese on the island as agents of the Great Ming.

After the Great Ming prospecting party left the island, the Spaniards began military preparations. Within a few months they organized a force of conscripted soldiers from among the Japanese and Luzon natives, and without the slightest warning launched an attack on the Han Chinese.

The Han Chinese were caught completely off guard, with no defense or resistance whatsoever.

The attack quickly devolved into a massacre, killing continuously for three days and three nights. Corpses lay piled in the area around the Parián market, blood flowing so thick it floated pestles.

The Han Chinese — men and women, old and young alike — all died horribly, with over thirty thousand dead. The entire Parián market was slaughtered until nine of every ten households stood empty.

Had the island not still needed the Han Chinese to keep its commerce and agriculture running, it was likely that every last Han Chinese on the island would have been butchered to extinction.

"Such a thing happened?" Lin Qian was quite shocked. He considered himself well-versed in history, yet he had no memory at all of this massacre of 1603.

"This affair was too shameful. The Great Ming authorities dared not publicize it, so naturally Brother Lin would not know."

"What did the court do?" Lin Qian pressed.

In his impression, aside from its unsuccessful campaigns against the Later Jin, the Great Ming had always been extremely tough toward all other foreign nations.

Boss Lu was utterly contemptuous. He snorted coldly: "The court? The court only issued a single proclamation, stating: 'In overseas conflicts, the instigator is unknown. How could we raise arms over mere commoners?' And with that, the matter was lightly brushed aside."

Even though he had long been utterly disillusioned with the Great Ming court, he could not help but let out a long sigh: "'How could we raise arms over mere commoners'? Alas! Brother Lin, we Han Chinese on the island of Luzon... from that day forth were no longer counted as subjects of the Great Ming. Naturally, we could only be left to the mercy of the Franks' bullying..."

Yahei

Fenyuan

Pen