Chapter 270: Macau Coup

The Macau Treaty was signed after all — there was no other choice.

Spain was at war with the Dutch, Portugal had been agitating for independence all along, and the Governor of Macau was caught in the middle, pulled in both directions.

Zhao Han's willingness to allow self-rule in the foreign residential quarter was the last shred of face he left the Governor and the Council. If it came to an open rupture, they might not even keep the residential quarter — where would the more than two thousand Portuguese and Spanish on the island go then?

"One, two, three — ram!"

"One, two, three — ram!"

Boom!

The Macau boundary wall the Portuguese had been building, still unfinished, was torn down section by section.

The area the Great Ming leased to the Portuguese was not the whole island of Macau, only a small patch of it. The churches the Portuguese had built beyond the boundary had been torn down by Ming officials many times; only the cannon foundry had always been left standing.

Although Zhao Han permitted self-rule in the settlement, it was strictly limited to the settlement — the boundary wall had enclosed large swaths of countryside as well.

Gan Dashou, the County Magistrate of Xiangshan, came in person with his clerks and officers to register the Han people on the island and distribute land to them.

Some of the local clerks beat gongs and shouted: "Come quickly to register and be entered in the rolls — once your household registration is settled, you get your land deed! Private land without a deed will be confiscated! Once you have your household registration, you won't have to fear being bullied by the Folangji anymore!"

Macau already had eight completed batteries, with one more under construction, over sixty fixed coastal defense guns, plus twenty field artillery pieces.

Fei Ruhe personally led troops to take over the batteries and cannons.

With the treaty produced, everything went smoothly, and the batteries were soon in Fei Ruhe's hands.

"Stop! This is a Portuguese foundry — what you are doing is robbery! The Macau Treaty says nothing about the ownership of the foundry; you cannot simply seize it!" Councilman Mascarenhas barred the foundry gate.

Tu Tingye said to the interpreter, "Tell him I am Tu Tingye, Inspector of the Macau Patrol Office. From now on, Macau's public order falls under my jurisdiction. The Bocarro Cannon Foundry is an over-the-boundary construction and must be reclaimed. The Macau Council may only govern the settlement! Raise muskets!"

Three hundred muskets rose in unison.

Seeing that the man still would not move aside, Tu Tingye shouted again: "Light the match-cords!"

Mascarenhas recoiled in fright and scrambled out of the way, sputtering with rage: "War — you are trying to start a war!"

The Bocarro Cannon Foundry styled itself the finest foundry in the Far East; its guns not only sold well in Asia but were even exported back to Europe.

The "Divine Might Great General Cannon" mounted on the gate-towers of Beijing was cast right here at the Bocarro Cannon Foundry in Macau.

Tu Tingye gave a cold laugh. "Go inside and tell them."

Wang Shengtai led a dozen or so apprentices into the foundry and announced: "From this day forward, the Bocarro Cannon Foundry is renamed the Macau Cannon Foundry. I am the foundry's Supervisor. Your wages remain as before. If you can improve the techniques or cast guns of superior quality, there will be bonuses to be earned as well."

A man who looked like both a craftsman and a proprietor came over and said to Wang Shengtai, "I am Vintez Bocarro. My grandfather founded this foundry. I would like to ask: I still hold a fifteen percent share — are those shares to be taken away as well?"

"You may stay," Wang Shengtai replied. "So long as you possess exceptional gun-casting skill, you will be left one percent in honorary shares. Dividends only — no participation in management, and they cannot be bequeathed to your descendants. They expire upon your death."

Vintez Bocarro said indignantly, "This is robbery!"

Wang Shengtai laughed coldly. "Then let me answer you: this foundry is not part of the leased territory. Your grandfather, back then, crossed beyond the lease boundary and forcibly seized the villagers' land. What sort of conduct is that? Banditry! Leaving you one percent in honorary shares is already giving you considerable face. Were it not on the Regional Commander's orders, I would expel you outright! Either take the one percent honorary shares and keep casting guns, or leave the foundry at once!"

Vintez Bocarro fell silent, and dejectedly accepted this reality.

The whole of Macau, and the cannon foundry with it, had long since been badly weakened by a battle fought earlier.

That battle had been fought in Shandong.

In the third year of Chongzhen, the Portuguese gun company from Macau reached Beijing. The commander drew an annual salary of 150 taels, with a monthly allowance of 15 taels; ordinary gunners drew 100 taels a year, with a monthly allowance of 10 taels. They not only trained Ming artillerymen but also went to the Liaodong front to fight, and at the Dengzhou gun-casting base they employed the cold-casting technique for gun barrels, tripling the range of the Hongyi cannon.

Because the pay was so high, Portuguese gunners and foundry craftsmen kept leaving Macau for Dengzhou, and at Pi Island they fought so effectively that the Manchu Qing dared not put to sea again.

In the fifth year of Chongzhen, Kong Youde mutinied and led his troops to besiege Dengzhou. Because of Geng Zhongming's betrayal, the gates of Dengzhou fell.

The Ming troops either died or surrendered; the Portuguese gun company, isolated and with no help coming, still held their gun positions and fought on.

The gun company under Kong Youde's command had been trained by the Portuguese.

The pupils fought the masters.

Forty Portuguese gunners, while their Great Ming allies fled or surrendered, fought to the very end. Twelve died in battle, fifteen were severely wounded, and the rest all suffered light wounds — a casualty rate of one hundred percent.

Kong Youde took the surviving Portuguese gunners and master founders away with him, and they all surrendered to the Manchu Qing. Thus the Manchu Qing acquired advanced gun-casting technology.

And from that time on, Macau had been badly weakened.

The Bocarro Cannon Foundry lost half of its finest master founders outright. The excellent gunners of the Macau batteries also lost half of their number outright.

Wang Shengtai suddenly smiled. "Sir, there is no need for despair. So long as you are willing to pass on the cold-casting technique for gun barrels, the one percent honorary shares will be granted as promised, and you will also receive an annual salary of three hundred taels of silver."

Only then did Vintez Bocarro feel somewhat better; at least life would still be comfortably off.

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Wang Shengtai added, "So long as you apply yourself diligently, sir, the Regional Commander promises you a title of nobility."

"A title of nobility?" Vintez Bocarro felt a surge of joy.

"Yes, a title of nobility," Wang Shengtai said with a smile.

Vintez Bocarro's grandfather had been merely a gun-founder, and one transferred from the foundry at Goa in India at that. To become an aristocrat was a dream their family had held for generations; even the lowest rank of baron or count was enough to make Vintez Bocarro strive with all his might.

"Honored sir, I am at your service." Vintez Bocarro bowed.

The Bocarro Cannon Foundry thus passed into Zhao Han's hands and was formally renamed the Macau Cannon Foundry.

……

Macau, the Portuguese settlement.

Fei Ruhe bellowed: "Lay down your muskets at once and disband the Macau Guard!"

The Guard commander, Julio, howled in fury: "I do not consent to the signing of the Macau Treaty! I do not consent to disbanding the Guard! Damned rebels, if you want me to submit, then settle it on the battlefield!"

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

The Council sounded the bell, and several councilmen came running at top speed.

After a muttered conference with the Guard, they left at once. Of the three hundred men of the Macau Guard, one hundred Portuguese raised their guns and leveled them at the two hundred Spaniards.

Julio was utterly dumbfounded — the Chinese had not even begun to fight, and his own men were already at each other's throats.

The Governor of Macau, Silveira, saw this scene from the Governor's Palace. He rushed toward the Council chamber with his men, roaring: "What exactly does the Council think it is doing? Does Macau mean to betray the King?"

The Council President, Valia, had an icy expression. "I am sorry, but the Macau Council is loyal only to the King of Portugal."

"The King of Spain IS the King of Portugal!" Silveira raged.

Valia said, "Leave Macau at once. You are not welcome here."

Fifty-four years ago, Spain interfered in Macau's affairs; the Portuguese of Macau resisted and expelled the Spanish missionaries and friars.

Fifty-two years ago, Macau obtained semi-autonomy.

Forty-eight years ago, by order of the Queen of Spain, the Governor-General of the Philippines sent ships to Macau to purchase military supplies, and the ships were seized by the Portuguese.

Forty-four years ago, the King of Spain cut off trade between the Philippines, Mexico, and Macau.

Forty-three years ago, Spanish ships were driven out by the Portuguese.

Forty-two years ago…

The Portuguese of Macau had been resisting Spanish rule all along, even launching a coup that was suppressed by force.

Now that Zhao Han was about to disband the Macau Guard, the Macau Senate immediately seized the chance to stage a coup.

"God, you cannot do this!"

"Go back to the Philippines, you damned Spaniards!"

Large-scale conflict first broke out at the churches.

Jesuit priests, leading a large number of Portuguese civilians and wielding clubs, stormed into the Dominican church. They beat every Spaniard they saw, not even sparing the nuns, and tied up the Bishop of Macau outright.

The present Governor's mansion was once the Jesuit fort.

The whole city descended into chaos. Fei Ruhe, with several hundred soldiers, stood cheerfully outside the settlement watching the excitement.

Including children and the garrison, the foreigners in Macau now numbered over two thousand.

Among them, the Portuguese were the majority. They began smashing, looting, and burning, targeting the Spaniards. Ever since the King of Spain had ruled Portugal, the number of Spaniards in Macau had steadily increased, seriously harming Portuguese interests. Over these decades, they had expelled the Spaniards three times.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Macau Guard opened fire.

Two hundred Spanish guardsmen fired on one hundred Portuguese guardsmen.

The original purpose of establishing the Macau Guard was, first, to suppress Portuguese rebellions, and only second to guard against Dutch attacks.

Governor-General Shi Baoluo stood frozen on the spot. The guard was fighting, the clergy were fighting, the civilians were fighting too.

There was no need at all for the Chinese to lift a finger; Macau could beat its own brains out.

"General, the Great Folangji (Portuguese) can't hold on," the interpreter warned.

Fei Ruhe immediately bellowed, "Kill!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Before long, the Spanish were caught in a two-sided pincer by the Chinese and the Portuguese and swiftly collapsed into surrender.

Fei Ruhe was just about to take prisoners when the Portuguese Guard suddenly opened fire at close range, killing a third of the surrendered Spanish troops on the spot.

The two sides started fighting again, and Fei Ruhe could not be bothered to get involved.

Guard Commander Julio fell to a bullet, unwilling to accept his fate, as countless surrendered Spanish soldiers fled in rout toward the shore.

At the same time, Portuguese clergy drove out Spanish clergy, Portuguese civilians drove out Spanish civilians, and the Macau Senate expelled the officials of the Governor-General's mansion.

Governor-General Shi Baoluo was driven to the dock. Senate President Valia said sternly, "Get back to the Philippines at once, and do not set foot on Macau soil again!"

A great number of Spanish officials, clergy, and civilians boarded the ships, cursing or weeping.

The civilians especially, they left with only the clothes on their backs, all their property stripped away. How were they and their families supposed to survive in the Philippines?

"Marvelous, simply marvelous," Fei Ruhe could not help exclaiming.

Senate President Valia ordered the Guard disbanded and handed all the muskets over to Fei Ruhe, saying, "Please honor the treaty, Your Excellency, and henceforth refrain from interfering in the affairs of the settlement."

"We always keep our word," Fei Ruhe said with a smile.

(End of chapter)