Chapter 276: 274 Pan Qimei

The Dutch have always been brimming with confidence, forever launching baffling offensives on their own initiative in Asia.

For instance, eight years later in history, eighteen warships and eight hundred soldiers would actually split into three routes in an attempt to swallow the entire Philippines in one gulp.

They plundered Chinese merchant ships at sea, intercepted Spanish treasure galleons from the Americas, landed along the way to ceaselessly incite the Philippine natives to rebellion, and finally marched on Manila with the native rebel army to fight a decisive battle against Spain.

That campaign lasted eight months. Spanish garrison casualties… numbered a few dozen.

And the Dutch East India Company, its Far East division, suffered outright financial collapse and was thereafter powerless to expand in the Far East.

Such baffling behavior — one wonders if the joint-stock system was to blame. Listed companies are easily held hostage by their share price; the Dutch East India Company's rush to expand was probably to show performance to its shareholders.

This attack on Macao is equally incomprehensible.

Even if the Dutch took Macao, could they hold this broken little place long-term? Much less force Zhao Han to open trade!

"That… could it be possible…" Huang Yunxiao began, then stopped.

After Fei Ruhe was stripped of his military post, he could only train troops in Macao, with no command authority for the time being. For this entire defensive battle of Macao, he was just a spectator.

"If you've got something to say, say it. If you've got a fart, let it out. Don't hem and haw," Fei Ruhe said irritably.

Huang Yunxiao scratched his head. "These Folangji people in Macao, though they aren't our countrymen, they've been registered with temporary household status. Could it be… could intermarriage be permitted?"

"Whose family's daughter?" Fei Ruhe asked.

Huang Yunxiao looked a bit sheepish. "It's the family whose house the red-haired barbarians attacked — Councilman Cavalinho's youngest daughter. Her name's quite nice, Elisa."

"Not bad. Fight one battle and you've charmed yourself a foreign woman," Fei Ruhe teased.

Huang Yunxiao just grinned foolishly.

This fellow commanded fiercely in combat, sending the Dutch running for their lives. The young girl Elisa watched the entire battle from her family's villa and was instantly smitten, her heart secretly pledged to him.

The Portuguese in Macao had been settled for several decades already and inevitably intermarried with Chinese. Cavalinho, as a Macao councilman, was also happy to form a marriage alliance with the Macao Coastal Defense Commander, so after the battle he took the initiative to come and propose the match.

Fei Ruhe, having been disciplined this time, had grown increasingly cautious. He said, "Your situation is very complicated. I'll have to write to the Garrison Commander and ask. Just wait patiently."

After Huang Yunxiao left, Abel Tasman was brought in.

Abel Tasman dropped directly to his knees and pleaded, "Great Chinese general, I beg you to spare my life. Do not hand me over to the Portuguese."

"What's he saying?" Fei Ruhe asked.

The interpreter replied, "The red-haired barbarians and the Folangji have a blood feud. He begs the general not to hand him over to the Folangji."

Fei Ruhe asked, "What do you do?"

Abel Tasman said, "Reporting to the General, I am a senior employee of the Dutch East India Company's exploration team. My dream is to become a great explorer."

Fei Ruhe was rather puzzled. "What sort of thing is an explorer?"

Abel Tasman said, "It means sailing a ship through unknown waters in search of islands and continents. One can also go ashore and explore unknown mountains, forests, and rivers."

"And… what use is that? What trade do you ply to earn your bread?" Fei Ruhe still could not comprehend.

Abel Tasman answered, "I renewed a ten-year senior employment contract with the Dutch East India Company. I help the company search for continents and islands, and assist the company in exploring known landmasses. I can survey and draw maps, I understand astronomy, I also understand navigation, and I can prospect for mineral deposits. Three years ago, I assisted the expedition commander in discovering a large copper mine in the Spice Islands."

"Oh, you can prospect for mines too? It seems you are a man of useful talent," Fei Ruhe finally showed interest.

Seeing Fei Ruhe's attitude shift, Abel Tasman hurriedly said, "Yes, General, I am a mining expert. I can explore for natural treasures for Your Excellency."

Fei Ruhe nodded and smiled. "I'll send you to Ji'an. You'll be in charge of prospecting, and those Japanese pirates will be in charge of digging. Ha, a fitting match indeed."

Dutch, Japanese, and Malay soldiers — over eight hundred were taken prisoner this time.

Aside from a few individuals with special skills, the rest were all thrown into the mines. Killing them outright would be such a waste; every man must be put to full use.

Zhao Han is short of everything right now, except for all kinds of mines.

Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong — mountains everywhere, mines everywhere!

……

Lianzhou, Nangang Pai.

The Heavenly King Zhao had long since sent betrothal gifts: two large fat pigs, two geese, ten chickens, five hundred jin of grain, and a great jar of fine wine.

The greater betrothal gift was that the entire province of Guangdong would not levy the autumn grain tax this year. The three counties of Lianzhou, Lianshan, and Yangshan would not only be exempt from autumn grain this year, but next year's summer grain land tax would also be halved.

When the news spread, Han, Yao, and Zhuang commoners everywhere broke into scenes of joyous singing and dancing.

In truth, it had little to do with Zhao Han taking a wife.

It was rather that the Guangzhou region had suffered too terribly — three years of drought, three years of military calamity — and the common people were severely short of grain. Even the authorities were short of grain, so Zhao Han likewise declared this year's autumn grain tax remitted, to give the entire province's people a chance to catch their breath.

Pan Qimei sat before the dressing table. Her mother and sister-in-law were wrapping her headdress and putting on her jewelry.

The headscarf was embroidered with the Seal of King Pan, complemented by silver leaves, silver drums, silver hairpins, bells, beaded necklaces, and many other ornaments. The upper garment was predominantly bright red, with indigo and white accents — this was the formal dress of the Pai Yao, worn only three times in a lifetime.

Below, she wore an embroidered skirt reaching the knees, and puttees below the knees.

Not only puttees, but also knee guards, convenient for climbing slopes and gathering work. However, the wedding puttees and knee guards were made of colored cloth embroidered with patterns, and the shoes were embroidered cloth shoes as well.

The neighbors were already feasting at the wedding banquet. Once Pan Qimei was fully dressed, she hastily ate something to fill her stomach, then set off down the mountain with the bride-escorting and bride-seeing-off processions.

The groom had not come, so the bride-escorting ceremony was not complete.

A Yao bride was supposed to walk on foot, carried on the groom's back when crossing bridges. This time, Pan Qimei rode in a sedan chair, with bearers hired by Zhao Han. Ahead was the bride-escorting procession playing wind and percussion music, and behind was the bride-seeing-off procession carrying the dowry on shoulder poles.

The dowry was very plain: embroidery, water buckets, a foot basin, a simple saber, a hoe, bedding, and a parasol.

Also, over ten loads of dry firewood… signifying that the bride was a frugal and industrious person.

When she left home, her father sang a toast and the other elders sang in response. Pan Qimei departed singing the "bridal lament," weeping and singing all the way, until she reached the foot of the mountain and suddenly broke into a smile, her heart brimming with hope for the life ahead.

Pan Qimei was just an ordinary Yao woman. She had learned housework from childhood, could sing, could spin and weave, and the Yao brocade she wove was extraordinarily beautiful.

She also often went up the mountain to cut pigweed, gather medicinal herbs and mushrooms, and during the busy farming season she would help harvest rice.

Her normal life trajectory should have been to marry a Yao man, move out of her husband's family home a year after the wedding, and set up a household on her own to live a simple life. If her husband's family had no extra terraced fields, she would have to help her husband clear wasteland, or simply go down the mountain to work — either becoming a tenant farmer for someone, or going into the city to become a drifter.

She would have to do a great deal of housework and farm work, raise chickens and ducks, spin thread and weave cloth, and then bear many children.

Just three months ago, the Tianchang Elder of the Pai suddenly announced a selection for the most beautiful and virtuous young maiden. She fought her way through round after round, emerging from Nangang Pai, and finally entered the grand finals of the Eight Pai Yao.

They competed not only in beauty, but also in spinning and brocade weaving.

In the end, she and Deng Sanmei of Junliao Pai were evenly matched, and the Yao elders of each Pai argued endlessly. One elder suggested comparing the calluses on their palms — whoever had more calluses was more diligent and virtuous, and would surely win the favor of the Heavenly King Zhao.

Pan Qimei's palms had even more calluses, so she won the honor fair and square.

That evening after leaving home, the wedding procession lodged in a riverside village. It was a Han village, and upon learning that the Heavenly King Zhao was taking a bride, they had long since tidied up clean rooms.

Pan Qimei tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She rose and gazed at the stars through the window.

She had heard that the Heavenly King Zhao was a great hero, even mightier than the bravest warrior of the Nangang Pai, able to wield a great podao as effortlessly as brandishing a sheaf of straw. The Heavenly King Zhao could eat three jin of rice and two jin of meat every day, sturdier than a water buffalo plowing the fields — she just didn't know if he could sing mountain songs in duet.

Pan Qimei had heard many tales of the Heavenly King Zhao. Over in Jiangxi, greedy officials had been levying crushing taxes, and the Heavenly King Zhao had raised troops with the peasants, routing over a thousand government soldiers all by himself.

How mighty and valiant he must be — surely blessed by King Pangu.

And what was Jiangxi like?

Pan Qimei had lived in the mountains since childhood, never having contact with the outside world. She imagined the houses in Jiangxi must be bigger. She had heard people back from Ji'an say that the Regional Commander's residence was enormous, and Pan Qimei thought she could take one of its courtyards to raise chickens.

The following days were spent traveling by boat, and the wedding procession finally arrived at Yingde city.

The city walls here were so tall and grand!

Pan Qimei rode a sedan chair into the city, with many passersby gathering to watch along the way. She felt a bit shy, yet did not hide away, waving to the onlookers with great poise.

Zhao Han had given an order: the officials of Yingde County were not permitted to come out of the city to receive them.

Not permitted out of the city — that meant they could receive them inside the city. The Yingde County Magistrate, afraid of angering Zhao Han, did not organize any retinue but merely stood guard at the city gate in his personal capacity to escort them.

Zhao Han was at that moment reading military dispatches. Over in Huguang, they had completely occupied Baoqing Prefecture and Yongzhou Prefecture a month ago.

In the Hunan territory south of Yuezhou Prefecture, only Chenzhou Prefecture, the Baojing Pacification Commission, and the Yongshun Pacification Commission remained untaken — all of it endless mountain ranges, poor and remote, with an especially large minority population.

Zhao Han set down the military dispatch and wrote a letter to Huang Yao and the others, ordering them to prepare to march after the summer harvest next year.

By then the Jiangxi naval forces would also mobilize, joining Huang Yao's Northern Academy troops in a pincer attack from north and south on Yuezhou Prefecture and Changde Prefecture, seizing the entire Dongting Lake plain.

As for the remote western mountain regions of Hunan, there was no need to attack them for now — taking them would cost time and effort for little gain.

"Regional Commander, the bride has arrived!"

Zhao Han set down his brush and came into the courtyard. Pan Qimei had already been carried in and was looking around curiously in every direction.

So that was the Heavenly King Zhao?

Truly tall and imposing — and handsome too. Pan Qimei's face instantly flushed red.

Zhao Han had been curious about the beauty chosen by the Yao people. Now, seeing her, he immediately understood those Yao folk's aesthetic preferences.

Looking at Pan Qimei, Zhao Han's first reaction was how large her bosom was, and his second was how short she was. When he drew near for a closer look, her face was so tender it seemed water would burst forth if pinched, her round cheeks still carrying baby fat, now blushing shyly like a red apple.

The Yao elders' aesthetic could be summed up as: large bosom, large buttocks, good for bearing children. The face must be fair and clear, the skin tender. The palms must have calluses, proving she was capable of labor.

A young girl about 1.5 meters tall, round-faced, with a large bosom.

Four words to describe her: baby face, giant X.

Zhao Han swore he was absolutely not a lolicon, nor had he ever thought of taking a concubine of this type.

(End of Chapter)