From the southernmost part of Annan, there is a sea area, which is the southern ocean in the true sense. Across the coast lie the kingdoms of Sarawak and Johor, situated on Borneo. The Franks have established a stronghold here to control the trade of the Strait of Malacca.
Previously, Zheng He's navy controlled this area.
The Ming Dynasty had abandoned its garrison point in the Strait of Malacca for several centuries, until the Franks crossed the oceans, occupied it, and continued to develop. All goods, slaves, missionaries, and even armies from the West had to come here for supplies. From here, they would look northwest towards Annan, northeast towards the Ming Dynasty's South China Sea, and east to control Luzon. Now, the entire southern sea was teeming with Frankish fleets.
This was because the Dutch had done something significant.
Several maritime companies controlling the trade here formed a United East India Company, with the Dutch at its head, granting it a monopoly on shipping and trade. It possessed substantial capital and was permitted to have armed forces, declare war, make peace, occupy land, and build fortresses.
The harbor was filled with fleets. Besides actual warships, there were many merchant ships, all equipped with firearms. If a war broke out, the merchant ships could be immediately conscripted and transformed into slightly inferior light warships.
After dominating the South China Sea, the next goal was expansion northward. Decades ago, the Franks and the Dutch had repeatedly attempted to force trade with the Ming Dynasty by sea, but the result was repeated defeats, leading only to peaceful transactions. However, the acquisition of the Bugao Casting Plant by the Ming Dynasty was another provocation.
The companies united to counter the actions of the Ming Dynasty. Although the Franks believed that a vast empire could not be easily defeated, and the Ming Dynasty's navy had just withdrawn from the Korean battlefield after a seven-year war, their troop quality had greatly improved.
Furthermore, the gods and demons in the South China Sea and the Eastern Great Ming Sea would not cooperate with these Westerners. To fight in this sea area, they needed the help of Western gods, demons, and ghosts. Otherwise, no matter how strong their firearms or how large their warships, they would be capsized by the waves.
Moreover, due to the prolonged war between the Ming Dynasty and Japan, and the collapse of Osaka Castle, many Japanese pirates were raiding the southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty and Luzon beyond the South China Sea. For the Dutch governing this region, it was necessary to bribe the Japanese pirates to harass the Ming Dynasty's coast.
This time, the East India Company dispatched a massive fleet, and the first destination was Haojing Bay.
"The Dharma Sect is our ally. We can use their cover to resupply before the battle in Haojing Bay. As long as we fight in the South China Sea, we have a great chance of winning. Besides the Dharma Sect's divine beings who control the sea, we also have missionaries skilled in naval warfare to assist us."
"We must reclaim the Bugao Casting Plant. The firearms produced here are the lifeline of the entire East. Now that it is controlled by the Ming Dynasty, it means that if we go to war with them, we will not receive supplies of powerful artillery."
Some large cannons could only be manufactured at the Bugao Casting Plant. A factory of such immense scale could not simply be given away and rebuilt; it required vast resources and time. And the distance from the West to here was truly thousands of miles. Once large cannons were lost, it would be impossible to establish a foothold here.
The warships pitched and rolled on the sea, and soon they spotted the harbor of Haojing Bay. However, the missionaries on board frowned slightly.
He felt the power of the Heavenly Lord still existed in that land, but... this feeling was slightly different from the Heavenly Lord of the past.
Perhaps the apostles of St. Paul's Academy had revised the content of the Four Gospels to adapt to the environment of China. For new mission locations, tolerance was essential at the beginning, and it was difficult to make the people of this land serve Christ wholeheartedly.
This missionary, wearing a deep blue robe the color of the sea, couldn't help but sigh. The people of this land were not easily won over by blessings and enchantments. Their faith was too杂乱 (záluan - chaotic/disorderly), to the point where ordinary small favors were taken for granted. It was as if, no matter what deity you were, only frequent manifestations would gain their recognition and belief. But if you stopped manifesting, they would immediately leave you.
The grand Christian Church had fallen to the point of competing for work with wandering mountain spirits and wild ghosts, which was a complete disgrace to the great church.
Those mountain spirits and wild ghosts would even offer you a "full package" service, blessing you for seven days, with refunds and exchanges if you were not satisfied, all for the price of a stick of incense. What unworldly fellows!
"Refunds and exchanges are things you find with the Franks! I heard about it. In the past, the competition for incense among the deities here wasn't this fierce. It was the Franks who, when introducing firearms to the Ming Dynasty's governor, said they offered refunds, exchanges, and repairs if you weren't satisfied. This incident caused quite a stir, and everyone in the South China Sea knew about it!"
"Alright, we're approaching the port. Stow the cannons, hoist the merchant ship flags, cover everything up, don't reveal any clues!"
The captain of the warship chatted with the missionary while directing the crew to camouflage the warships. They sailed slowly into the harbor, where people from St. Paul's Academy came to greet them, though some familiar faces were missing.
The missionary asked curiously, "Why isn't the merchant head of the Benevolent Society here? Every time I return to this land, he always comes to do business with me. Has his business grown so large that he no longer wishes to see me?"
There was a hint of sarcasm in his words, but the pastor of St. Paul's Academy shook his head, his expression tinged with sadness:
"A fire suddenly broke out at the Benevolent Society a few days ago. Strangely, none of the children fostered there were harmed, but the entire Benevolent Society turned to ashes, and the merchant head and others were burned to death."
The missionary was stunned: "This is clearly the work of supernatural power. How could it only kill the merchants and not the children? Fire doesn't have eyes."
The pastor was also quite saddened, as the Benevolent Society was a major source of orphans for them. Now that it was gone, they had to negotiate with another institution that housed orphans, and there weren't many such institutions in the south.
"There is no evidence, and no one will prosecute this matter. However, we have submitted written materials to the Ming officials. The Governor of Guangzhou is still the same person, he has not resigned, and he will favor us."
"Even if there is no outcome, I believe that St. Paul's Academy, as a sister institution of the Benevolent Society, will receive substantial compensation. Moreover, many children are homeless in the south, and the priests have proposed bringing all those children to live in the academy."
The missionary in the deep blue robe's eyes lit up:
"Well done, you have done well."
Soon, people from the Dharma Sect also arrived.
King Lei did not appear personally; instead, he sent one of the other two Ascended Immortals. As the sect leader approached, he saw the other party wearing deep blue robes, and his expression immediately became colorful.
"It seems the Westerners can't wait any longer. It must be because of the casting plant incident that someone wearing such robes has come."
Just as no one in Taoism would wear black Taoist robes,
In Christianity, no one would wear blue Christian robes.
Red robes were equivalent to regional bishops, while blue robes...
Represented that he was Christ's "Son of God" on Earth!