Chapter Twenty-Five: The Red Barbarian

  "This one called 'Guan Fu' stood up, also shaking his head: 'Hong Yi is Holland, the lotus that reflects the moon, also known as He Ping, it's a country in the Western Ocean...'"

  Listening to this man's words, Ding Yunyi also took it to heart. Who would have thought that Guan Fu would say next: "The country is vast, not ordinary. Roughly the size of our Great Ming territory, with a population of hundreds of millions, ships in the tens of thousands, and an army of over a million strong, with tens of thousands of skilled generals. The king of this country is eight zhang tall, with red hair and red eyebrows, so he is often called the Red Barbarian."

  This man spoke with great reason, and the crowd listened with rapt attention. From the second floor came a soft "oh" from Han Xiaoxiao: "So it's also a major power, no wonder it dares to offend our Great Ming."

  "Nonsense."

  Ding Yunyi heard this and couldn't help but let out a sigh.

  This sentence instantly drew everyone's attention, and Guan Fu lost face, becoming enraged: "You're so young, how dare you speak such arrogant words?"

  Ding Yunyi stood up and looked at him disdainfully: "Hong Yi called Holland, but where is it as terrible as this gentleman said? It's just a small country in the West, its full name is 'Netherlands Republic', originally under the rule of Spain... also known as the dry silk people, later independent, so they are sworn enemies with the dry silk people. After gaining independence from the dry silk people, Holland developed into a maritime and trading power, its merchant ships exceeding the total number of merchant ships in all European countries, and was hailed as 'the sailor on the sea'. Their king is not a tall, red-haired, red-browed person, but the head of state William II!"

  This remark was unheard of by everyone present, and even Qin Yun widened his eyes in surprise. Who would have thought that Ding Xun would be so familiar with Hong Yi?

  "Governor William II? That's an interesting name." A voice came from the second floor, belonging to Han Xiaoxiao.

  Ding Yunyi looked up and said, "The Governor-General is a Dutchman who has been jointly promoted, but in fact he has little real power. The operating system of the Republic of the United Provinces is completely different from that of our great Ming dynasty. For example, in diplomacy, when signing an important treaty, the head of the Republic of the United Provinces cannot make a decision on his own; instead, the treaty must be taken to the Republican Parliament for discussion and decision-making. However, since the Republic is composed of various autonomous provinces, the treaty must also be taken to each provincial parliament for discussion and approval. Moreover, within each province, there are some autonomous cities, so the treaty must first be approved by the parliaments of these autonomous cities before being returned to the provincial parliament - the Republican Parliament and the head of state."

  Everyone in the Moon Embracing Pavilion widened their eyes upon hearing this. What parliament, what republic, it sounded like a fairy tale to their ears.

  "Is their leader also comparable to our great Ming Emperor? They actually dare to say that their words don't count?" Han Xiaoxiao was very curious, half believing and half doubting: "Since you said that the Red Barbarians are a small country, how can they dare to contend with our great Ming?"

  "This is called self-aggrandizement." Ding Yunyi smiled: "The Netherlands' maritime trade was developed, and they thought they were invincible. In Europe, the Netherlands and France are very similar, both extremely lacking in land, so they had to make a living from the sea. With the expansion of maritime trade, the Dutch established a large ocean-going fleet. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Vice Admiral Weimalang of the Dutch East India Fleet led two large warships to the waters of the Ming Dynasty, intending to capture Macau first and then occupy Penghu, but unexpectedly encountered strong winds along the way and drifted to Penghu Island. At that time, there were Ming dynasty troops stationed on the island to defend against Japanese pirates, but since the Japanese pirates often came in winter and spring, it was summer at the time, and the garrison had already withdrawn to the mainland, so the Dutch occupied Penghu without any resistance and unilaterally declared this place as a Dutch stronghold."

  In the Moon Embracing Pavilion, the crows and sparrows were silent, everyone was attracted by Ding Yunyi's story:

  "After settling in, Weima Lang sent a Ming merchant to the mainland to negotiate trade with Fujian officials. It was a serious crime for Ming officials to privately trade with foreigners, so the merchant was arrested as soon as he landed, and local officials demanded that the Dutch leave Penghu immediately."

  It is laughable that the Dutch took the Ming Dynasty as aborigines. In response to this requirement of the imperial court, We Ma Lang only treated it as a trivial matter and sent people to bribe the eunuchs who were in charge of taxation in Fujian Province while writing letters to threaten local officials, claiming that if they did not agree to trade, he would send warships to attack along the coast of Fujian. As a result, their approach brought 50 Ming naval warships.

  Ding Yunyi's words were full of admiration:

  The commander of the fleet was named Shen You-rong, who had previously participated in the Wanli Korean campaign and the Southeast Coastal Campaign against the Japanese pirates, and was a renowned general who had been through hundreds of battles. The imperial court sent such a general to lead the fleet for negotiations, which was something the Dutch never expected.

  A dramatic scene unfolded as Shen Youlong reported the Ming dynasty's trade policies to the Dutch and demanded that they leave the territory of the Great Ming immediately. Although We Ma Lang himself was still able to maintain his composure, the people around him were furious and drew their swords in a threatening manner. In response to the Dutch threat of war, Shen Youlong replied: "China is accustomed to killing thieves, you have come as guests, why do you speak of fighting? Are you thinking of rebelling? Come and see the military might of the heavenly dynasty! Have you not heard that I defeated the Japanese pirates at sea, turning the seawater red? I will not let you follow in their footsteps."

  The Dutch were cunning businessmen, and although they declared war, when they found their two warships surrounded by 50 large Ming warships and the opposing commander was a confident general, they wisely chose to retreat. The first armed confrontation between the European maritime overlord and the Great Ming ended in a bloodless way, leaving behind a monument called "Shen You Rong's Stele for the Retreat of the Red-Haired Barbarians" on Penghu Island, which has been passed down for centuries!

  "What a Shen You Rong, who can subdue the enemy without fighting." Han Xiao Xiao couldn't help but praise.

  "You have never heard of me breaking the Japanese pirates at sea, with the seawater turning red? I couldn't bear to let you follow in their footsteps!" What a majestic aura!

  Ding Yunyi smiled slightly, although he couldn't see the expression of Han Xiaoxiao behind the curtain on the second floor. But he could imagine Han Xiaoxiao's admiration at this moment: "How can it be otherwise? The Red Barbarians are not willing to give up, so they repeatedly provoke our Great Ming, but every time they are defeated by our Great Ming. The fortress established in Penghu was also thoroughly destroyed. In the previous sea battle, they were defeated again. Now, how dare the Red Barbarians look straight at our Great Ming? It's ridiculous to say that the territory of the Red Barbarian country is equal to that of our Great Ming."

  "Guānfǔ" became enraged: "Nonsense, nonsense! You made all this up yourself. At your young age, how can you possibly understand the affairs of the Red Barbarians?"

  Ding Yunyi had not yet responded, when Qin Yun burst out laughing and said: "Don't you all know who he is? Shen You Rong killed the Japanese pirates until the seawater turned red, and this Ding Patrol Officer also killed the Red Barbarians in the Battle of Liao Bay until they were terrified at the mere mention of his name!"