On Friday, March 2, 1646, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month of the second year of Longwu in the Ming Empire.

Today, it is the last festival of the Spring Festival holiday every year, the Shangyuan Festival, at this time, the overseas consulate of Huamei Pearl Island is still in the final climax of the Spring Festival holiday, the commercial street is full of people and cars, the sound of firecrackers is everywhere, and children are chasing each other in the streets and alleys.

After the Lunar New Year, the newly expanded port finally welcomed its biggest wave of visitors: a total of six large and small merchant ships entered the port area, accompanied by an Alfalfa-class frigate.

The Dragon Bamboo is the lead ship of the third batch of improved Alfalfa-class frigates, the first capital ship of the Huamei Asian Fleet to be equipped with new steel rifled guns, and the first deployment of this class to the Far East. The range of its 100 mm naval guns is almost comparable to that of the 120 mm Wisworth rifles on the Princess-class light cruisers.

And the first captain of the Longzhu was Major Zhou Ping, the son of Yan Qigu of the Huamei Yan Mansion. The addition of the Dragon Bamboo has once again raised the strength of the Asian Fleet to a new level. For Zhou Ping, it was also the first time he returned to the East since he was sensible.

Five of the merchant ships escorted by the Dragon Bamboo were small merchant ships flying the flag of the Oriental Union Group. They are said to be small, and they are much larger than the common Ming merchant ships in the South Seas, but this type of ship did not exist in the Oriental Union Group before.

They are the earliest generation of all-steam modern and inland general merchant ships in China, with a full load displacement of less than 1,000 tons, a maximum cargo capacity of about 450 tons, and most of the ships are more than 15 years old, belonging to the national standard 440 type that is being phased out one after another, and the smallest merchant ships of the current Oriental Union Group are the 800-ton Oriental Union 800 type with a cargo capacity.

From a gorgeous point of view, the appearance of such small merchant ships in the Far East across tens of thousands of nautical miles is itself a miracle, and if they are not careful, they may stop on the way.

In fact, these five national standard 440 merchant ships are second-hand merchant ships purchased by OUCC Group from Huamei for Daming Guangfu Bank, and belong to the first batch of Huamei merchant ships purchased by Luo Huide's Guangfu Bank with a mortgage loan from Oriental Bank in Hong Kong. It was the first time that the Ming maritime merchants owned a steam merchant ship.

In order to allow these refurbished second-hand ships to sail to the Far East, OUCC has also spent no less effort. From the day of their departure, their cargo compartment was full of coal, and they docked all the way for almost half a year to reach Pearl Island. So much so that they look even more old inside and out, otherwise they would not be able to cross the Atlantic and Indian Oceans with their pitiful standard endurance of more than 2,000 nautical miles.

The last and largest one left. It is the most luxurious large-scale ocean-going passenger and cargo merchant ship in Huamei, the Indian Ocean Fairy, flying the flag of a state-owned ocean shipping company.

As the third sister ship of the same type of the Queen of the Western Ocean, the Indian Ocean Fairy was not only hired by the Chinese and American Army to transport a group of army recruits to the Far East, but also carried a group of special guests.

When the gorgeous body of the Indian Ocean Fairy approached the dock, it almost stole the attention of everyone in the port area. The good living conditions for the voyage made every passenger who stepped off the ship in good spirits, and in the dock pick-up area, there was already a group of rushing soldiers waiting.

First to come ashore were about 600 Chinese Army officers and soldiers, all of whom had completed their training last fall and winter. The Wehrmacht's Eastern Brigade and the Foreign Legion Brown Bear Brigade will be joined separately to replace retired soldiers from both forces.

The next to disembark were more than 100 employees sent by the Oriental Union Group from the mainland, who also came to the Far East to rotate their positions. At present, there are as many as 1,000 employees of the Oriental Union Group in the Far East, and most of them, except for some who have moved to the Far East with their families, have to rotate a batch every year or two.

The last to get off the boat was a bit of a surprise. Almost all of them are well-dressed women, and many even have children with them or in their arms. A few were followed by a number of servants.

Every woman who disembarks from the ship, a soldier will come out of the dockside pick-up group, or shyly holding hands, or hugging warmly, or wordlessly looking at each other.

As soon as a chubby middle-aged European woman walked down the spiral staircase with her salute, a tall European sergeant major of second rank leaned in. The rolled-up sleeves reveal hairy arms. The whole person hugged the middle-aged woman like a bear.

"My dear Bolya, my sweetheart little biscuit, my heart broke when I knew you were delaying your voyage at Nanshan Port! But God willing, tomorrow there is a nice holiday for us to compensate each other. Ha ha! ”

"Dear dead ghost, you haven't paid your salary home for a whole year, and I've had to cut back on my family's expenses! I'm going to take a good look at your spending for the year, God witness, and if anything is wrong, I'll leave right away! ”

The unshaven face touched his wife's cheek frequently, but his wife was "mercilessly" spit out, and Makarov's cheeky laughter spread almost dozens of meters away, causing a burst of laughter and clapping from the ship.

Another large group of passengers disembarked, and the blonde woman at the head was no more than twenty years old, dressed in a luxurious dress, and led by a little boy who was only three or four years old, and behind him was a long line of men and women who were almost all servants, both men and women carrying suitcases.

"Major, your lady should be the most beautiful angel on this ship!"

"I'm sure the Major's wife must have brought half of the estate in her suitcase!"

Ren Xingzhong embarrassedly stood up in the applause of his colleagues, walked to the blonde woman's side, and after staring at him affectionately for a few times, he couldn't help but hug the other party into his arms. Then he turned his head and looked at his timid and shy son, who had been separated for three years.

"Call Daddy, dear." When Anne saw her son shrink behind her, she quickly crouched down and pushed her son in front of her husband.

When Ren Xingzhong set off from the mainland, his son was only a few months old, and now he was able to stand and speak. Ren Xingzhong suppressed the excitement in his heart, and just smiled and touched his son's face with his hand.

You must know that when Anne planned to take her son to visit relatives in the Far East, Yang Wenwen was resolutely opposed. Even though she is on a large luxury passenger ship, Yang Wenwen, who is well aware of the risks of ocean sailing, is also very worried about the safety of her little grandson.

The little boy looked at the unfamiliar officer in front of him, then looked back at his mother, and finally lowered his head and grabbed the edge of his mother's skirt again. After Ren Xingzhong and his wife glanced at each other, they could only show a wry smile.

Not long after, Qiao Yan's wife and eldest son, Yu Shan's wife and young daughter also appeared among the passengers. It's a pity that at this moment, Qiao Xian is leading a mixed force of the Eastern Brigade and the Brown Bear Brigade to carry out a major task on Dayuan Island, and only Yu Shan will receive it.

Dozens of family members of officers and men of the Eastern Brigade stepped off the ship, setting off a heat wave of weeping and laughter on the wharf, and many officers or non-commissioned officers who had been separated from their wives and children for a long time were actually red-eyed.

This arrangement, which should be the first attempt by the U.S. Department of Defense, is intended to give officers and soldiers deployed in remote areas a chance to reunite with their families. Although when the Eastern Brigade was formed, the Ministry of National Defense specially approved that the families of officers or senior non-commissioned officers could accompany them to settle on Pearl Island. However, only a small number of people have applied in essence.

Due to the delayed change in the schedule of military operations in the Far East, the planned three-year deployment period of the Eastern Brigade had to be extended for another two years, and most of the officers and men had to remain in the Far East, except for the officers and men who normally retired or were replaced during their service periods.

In order to take care of the mood of the officers and men or to maintain their morale, the Ministry of National Defense not only generously gave some officers and men military rank promotions, but also arranged this large-scale family visit to the Far East at the end of last year. It was only because of the temporary rendezvous of the Indian Ocean Fairy during its stopover at Nanshan Port that the trip that was supposed to arrive at Pearl Island before the Chinese New Year's Eve was delayed to this day.

As the last family member disembarked, the crowd at the dock gradually dispersed, and then another wave of dock workers approached. The next stage of warehouse unloading began.

It seemed that he was still asleep when he entered the port, and when most of the sailors had begun to leave the ship, a young Chinese man in a suit, sleepy-eyed and carrying a suitcase appeared on the deck of the Indian Ocean Nymph.

"Are you Mr. Chang, the new assistant to the Far Eastern Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"

A European man holding a sign and losing patience on the side of the dock quickly ran over when he saw the Chinese young man walking off the boat alone.

"Hello, I am Sanyu, this is the appointment document and identity certificate issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." Sanyu shook hands with the other party while embarrassedly taking out his identity document and letter of appointment from his body, "The ship delayed the voyage on the way. So late. Please take me to the office of the Far Eastern Affairs Division, and I will apologize to Director Kim in person. ”

"It's a pity. Mr. King is now visiting Dayuan Island, and this is his work plan for you before leaving, so I ask you to go to Hong Kong immediately to meet with Governor Conrad. The content of the letter is encrypted at the second level, and you have to interpret it yourself. I have also prepared the ferry ticket to Hong Kong, you can only rest for two days and leave the day after tomorrow! ”

said. A paper bag was handed to Sanyu.

Unexpectedly, he received such a tight work arrangement as soon as he got off the ship, which seemed to be a very important task, and Sanyu once again had deep expectations for his transfer to the Far East.

……

……

At this moment, the Governor's Office of Hong Kong.

"Your Excellency the Governor, the representative of the Dutch East India Company in Batavia has arrived. It is hoped that their crews and soldiers will go into the city to recuperate. ”

The door to the Governor's Mansion office opened, and a clerk walked in and handed Conrad a paperwork. The Governor of Hong Kong, who was trimming flowers in front of the windowsill, shook his hand and almost accidentally injured a flower stem.

"It's more effective than the Portuguese, but coming from a country full of mosquitoes and diseases, you should be more conscious...... Tell them that they can only operate in the port quarantine area and that they must go through adequate sanitary checks! ”

Conrad was not in a very good mood after being disturbed, and the scissors in his hand slammed on the windowsill: "By the way, after the health quarantine, let them be stationed in the designated area, and they can't enter the city." Let the police keep an eye on it, today is the Shangyuan Festival, and I don't want any incidents that may harass Hong Kong citizens! ”

An hour after Conrad's instructions were given, some 800 disarmed Dutch East India Company sailors or mercenaries boarded the sanitary quarantine area of the Hong Kong Pier, and looked at this gorgeous site with amazement and envy as it was different from other Oriental cities.

Compared to the original gray color of Batavia or the trading forts of the Spice Islands, the air here is fresh, the view is wide, and everything that catches the eye is fresh and bright, and there is no Javanese natives who are almost half savage walking around.

The neat city streets and green belts in the distance, as well as the delicious taste mixed with the fish, make every mercenary from far away Europe feel refreshed.

However, before they could summarize their views and continue to discuss, a group of officers and soldiers of the Huamei Oriental Brigade, policemen, and health personnel from more than a dozen quarantine areas surrounded them. Needless to say, almost all of them were ordered to drag off their clothes, which were as dirty as beggars from long voyages.

"Nope! Never! My God. This is an insult to me personally! Lieutenant, keep your eyes open and take a good look at this document and my status as a general! I am representing the Dutch East India Company and the commander-in-chief of this military operation! ”

The commander-in-chief of the Dutch East India Company, who was in charge of the joint Japanese trade switch operation, was a Danish man named Rasmussen, who was spitting at a gorgeous lieutenant officer.

"I'm sorry. Your Excellency, the Joint Command has not yet been formally formed, so you are still an ordinary entrant. I have been instructed to guide you in the sanitation and disinfection work, otherwise you will not be able to provide the next phase of supplies. ”

After listening to the translation, the young Chinese lieutenant coldly gave a military salute to the Dutch major general, who was far higher than him on the surface, but did not abandon his duty.

Presumably, some of the smell at the scene was quietly dissipating, and several of the Huamei health and quarantine workers closest to Rasmussen secretly covered their noses.

"Damn the Governor of Hong Kong! Tell him that we are not indigenous to Java. Not even enemies! ”

Rasmussen probably sensed something, and looked around at the hundreds of gorgeous soldiers who were gradually surrounding him, and the rifles that had been pulled out one after another, and his face flushed.

"Maybe we should really change into a more comfortable outfit, and they look like they're all ready, you say, Your Excellency?"

Seeing a stack of ** neatly stacked in the shack not far away, a clerk of the Dutch East India Company who accompanied Rasmussen muttered softly.

"Okay. Let everyone take off their armor. Seeing that the resistance was ineffective, Rasmussen could only take off the breastplate buckled on his body with a red face. And the moment he took off his helmet, the smell wafting from his messy hair made the nearest Huamei health quarantine personnel show uncomfortable expressions.

"Your Excellency, you must take it all off. Except for your armor and weapons, everything else will be burned in a centralized manner, but we will compensate each of you for a new set of ** items and shirts. A Chinese-European-American staff member blocked Rasmussen's path again.

"What a shameful day. We're not here for the Savage Ball......" Rasmussen looked at his men around him, and finally began to tear his clothes vigorously in impatience, "Alright, cheer up the boys, I need everyone to keep their morale up when they walk into the bathhouse!" ”

A few minutes later. Rasmussen raised his head and walked first towards a large wooden shed in the distance, followed by hundreds of equally white, shiny minions.

Regardless of the problem of covering up shame in broad daylight, under the shyness and sneer of the female residents of Hong Kong who happened to pass by nearby, hundreds of Dutch mercenaries stripped themselves up and down, and entered the bathing and disinfection shack one after another with a majestic spirit and singing unknown songs.

……

According to the arrangement of the heads of Huamei, Portugal and the Netherlands in the Far East, the Dutch East India Company will become the main force in the "trade negotiations between the Netherlands, the United States and Portugal against Japan" after the beginning of the spring.

Due to the emergency change on Dayuan Island, most of the main forces of the Huamei Asian Fleet went to Anping Port on Dayuan Island, so they could only send officers and men of the Eastern Brigade of three warships, including the Jincheng Princess, one transport ship, and two companies to participate in the operation.

The Dutch East India Company undertook the largest troop contribution, sending six sail warships and more than 600 land mercenaries from Java. Portugal was responsible for organizing three sail warships and more than 300 marines from Goa, Malacca and Macau. The three countries have a total of 13 warships and more than 1,300 army troops.

Although the scale of the Japanese operation was greatly reduced due to the issue of Dayuan Island, it was still a rare opportunity for the Wehrmacht's Eastern Brigade, which had been stationed in the Far East for three years. Therefore, after careful consideration, Major General Deng Jian, commander of the Far East Regional Command of the Chinese and US Army, personally selected the companies and officers to participate in this expedition, and for this reason he specially gave the officers and men of the operation a big vacation in advance.

The Portuguese ships have not yet been fully in place, and there is still about half a month before the official sailing of the three-nation combined fleet, but as more and more European sail warships and soldiers appear on Hong Kong Island, it still arouses private discussions among the Ming maritime merchants. Some Daming maritime merchants who had already completed their trade postponed their departure for fear of encountering any accidents after going to sea.

The gossip went as soon as possible, and the surrounding Ming and Guangbei towns in Nantou, Guangzhou, Guangzhou, and other surrounding towns became nervous. All of a sudden, the Humen Fort, which was guarding the waterways of Guangzhou, was on guard day and night, for fear that these Taixi soldiers gathered outside Guangzhou would take the opportunity to land and plunder the place. Zhao Youheng, governor of Guangdong, summoned the business representatives of the Oriental Union Group, who were supplying the new army in Guangzhou, on several occasions and specifically inquired about a number of things.

A few days later, the few well-informed maritime merchants finally heard two important words: Japan.

It was only when people learned the truth and the promise of security that people breathed a sigh of relief.

What did Japan do to offend these Western Fanyi, and whether the Zheng family, which monopolized Japan's trade routes, would cause a conflict with Fanyi, the Ming maritime merchants did not know. (To be continued......)