Yu Dayou listened carefully, a thought springing to mind—
Why did officials everywhere have such convoluted ways of speaking? Was it the same in the Great Ming as in the Franks? And were the routines of officialdom identical?
This man was blaming everything on Soza and claimed to know nothing at all? That was fooling ghosts! If he truly knew nothing, why would he have made preparations so early? If it had been someone else, lacking that one stubborn streak, perhaps we would have been at the bottom of the sea by now?
Sailing thirty nautical miles out, he knew this. It had been the custom at sea for years: as long as one party effectively controlled an island or a port, outsiders had to maintain a thirty-nautical mile distance, or they could be fired upon. This was achievable, as thirty nautical miles was merely a matter of wind and sail. Could the remaining Frankish warships possibly escape?
The second condition, in truth, wasn't a condition at all, merely a request not to humiliate him personally. That was naturally not a problem. However, this person had previously set a trap under the guise of peace talks, which had angered the imperial forces. Otherwise, the Great Ming navy would not have humiliated enemy commanders. The third condition was also by convention; after all, as a governor, and he as the Admiral of the Fujian Maritime Forces, they could not sign any treaties.
Thinking thus,
Yu Dayou nodded and said to the translator,
"Tell him I can agree. However, the ceasefire and withdrawal must be executed immediately! Mang Yinglong must withdraw his troops at once, or all negotiations are off!"
Cabral listened, frowning, and let out a long sigh.
"General Yu, I have no authority to command our friend in Bugu City… You must understand, he is not an official of our country, and the Burmese army is not our army. At most, I can ask the mercenary commander Meiluo to withdraw, and that is only due to my personal relationship with her. To be honest, I do not get along well with that friend in Bugu City, and this matter is likely impossible to achieve…"
Heh heh,
How could Yu Dayou believe such talk?
These past twenty years, how often had he seen such tactics? The nature of the Franks was to be very rule-abiding on the surface, never showing themselves proactively, but in reality, they always controlled these puppets from behind the scenes. The Japanese pirates were an example: nominally recruited by several feudal lords in Kyushu, but in reality, those lords listened to Soza, and Soza, in turn, listened to the Governor of Malacca. For years, the Great Ming court had formally inquired with Soza multiple times, but he always claimed ignorance, saying it was the work of several Japanese daimyo and had nothing to do with the Franks. The court, mindful of diplomatic relations, had truly been unable to do anything about him.
It was precisely because of this that Zhu Mo had apprehended over a thousand Franks in Zhoushan. Under interrogation, they all confessed their crimes, and over a hundred specifically identified Soza as directly commanding them. This led to the warrant for Soza's arrest. Against such people, one had to be unyielding; only then would they yield.
At this moment,
Yu Dayou simply snorted and said calmly,
"Your country's pirates in our Zhoushan Archipelago number over a thousand. In the past few months, our country has executed over three hundred Frankish war criminals, all of whom confessed the truth in their depositions… Heh heh, Governor, there's no need to pretend. General Soza is your subordinate, and you are also the supreme commander of those mercenaries! On this matter, the Zhoushan Public Office has both witness testimony and material evidence.
Governor, to put it bluntly, I can arrest you right now with the warrant from the Zhoushan Public Office! Take you back to the Zhoushan Public Office for trial according to the law!
In view of this… uh, I advise you not to beat around the bush. Let's speak plainly: either you sign the order immediately, or our two countries will fight another battle. You, make a decision now…"
Cabral listened, his expression suddenly changing drastically. He looked up sharply, glaring at Yu Dayou, his eyes almost tearing, showing his suppressed rage.
But he did not know that Yu Dayou was also extremely anxious at this moment—
After returning from Southern Joseon, according to the original plan, he arrived at Qiongzhou to rendezvous with the various forces, and then they would proceed south together. But during those few days in Qiongzhou, he heard that the Tusi of Mubang had rebelled against the court, and he was immediately terrified!
One must know,
What kind of place were Yunnan and Guizhou? What kind of person was Mu Chaobi? Would Yu Dayou not know? If several Tusi rebelled together, would the situation behind them be simple? It was more likely that someone in the court wanted to make things difficult for Zhu Mo!
He immediately set sail from Qiongzhou overnight, taking many guides, and traveled south. Apart from resupplying along the way, he had hardly landed, thus rushing to Malacca at the earliest opportunity.
With time so pressing, Yu Dayou naturally lost patience. He then said indifferently,
"I'll give you fifteen minutes! No more, no less! Go!"
Saying that,
He was about to leave immediately.
This flurry of activity greatly worried Cabral, who blurted out,
"Wait!"
"I… I can write a personal letter to Mang Yinglong. Whether he listens is up to him; I cannot control it!"
Yu Dayou and Lin Mingguo exchanged glances. Lin Mingguo leaned in and whispered, "Marshal, a letter might not be enough. If this person plays tricks, Young Master Zhu might be in trouble over there?"
Yu Dayou pondered for a moment, thinking: How can I put pressure on Mang Yinglong? Make him understand that the Franks have suffered a major defeat at sea, only then will it be effective…
He paced a few steps, looking at Cabral and then at Lin Jingkang, unable to make up his mind. If he carelessly wrote a letter to get by, it would be a major mistake. Or perhaps… I should have him send something as proof along with it?
With this thought,
A flash of inspiration struck him. He had an idea and immediately said to the translator,
"Tell him that just writing a letter won't do. He also needs to send two items to Mang Yinglong, and my men will escort them together…
The first item, is the ring he uses to stamp his seal on his finger… The second item is my personal seal, to be affixed to the letter together. Ask him if he agrees?"
After Zheng Ya Si finished speaking, Cabral was immediately disheartened. He thought of the enemy's strong ships and cannons anchored outside the naval port, and judging by the tone, this Yu Dayou seemed to attach great importance to Mang Yinglong's withdrawal, making it his top priority, which was very strange…
He glanced at Lin Jingkang, as if to say: You were right, the Ming army's highest priority is Mang Yinglong's withdrawal… Alas, if I could stall for ten days to half a month, I would have some leverage… Now that Mang Yinglong has just reached the border, it is too late to negotiate after he achieves a victory…
He sighed, thinking of the many opposing forces from the former Sultanate within the city, and coupled with the Franks' usual oppressive demeanor, deep resentments had accumulated. If the situation here could not be quickly resolved, and the Ming army stationed there for a long time, it would likely trigger a backlash from the native forces…
Thinking of this,
Cabral knew he had no retreat left and said dejectedly,
"I agree… But we also have a request… Please, General Yu, do not station troops on shore. Once I report to the Regent, Bishop Enrique, we will send envoys to your country to negotiate a friendly treaty… Do you agree?"
Yu Dayou pondered for a moment and nodded,
"Alright! You write it first, write it now!"
Cabral was angry again, but thinking that the blade was in the hand of the butcher and he was the fish, he had no temper left. He immediately picked up a quill pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote hastily in the Frankish language.
Zheng Ya Si translated it once, but Yu Dayou felt the wording was evasive and inappropriate. He pondered,
"Like this! Tell him to write it according to our version! Old Zheng, I will dictate, you write, and then have him translate it himself!"
Yu Dayou paced a few steps and said,
"To His Excellency Mang Yinglong: On the morning of the twenty-seventh of September, my fleet encountered the Fujian Maritime Forces of the Great Ming outside Malacca. Their ships' firearms were superior, and I was truly unable to resist, suffering defeat. Now, envoys have been dispatched by both sides to negotiate peace. All my allies should cease hostilities. Please, upon receiving this letter, quickly muster your forces and return. Delays may lead to unforeseen changes."
Zheng Ya Si hastily wrote it down and roughly explained the meaning in the Frankish language.
Cabral frowned, reluctantly acting as a scribe. He finished writing quickly and handed it back to Zheng Ya Si. Zheng Ya Si, who had passed the Xiucai exam in his youth and later served as a scribe and translator for many ship owners, was very familiar with the Frankish language. After reading it three times, he carefully considered the most important parts and revised a few sentences before finally nodding.
Cabral used his ring to seal the signature with red wax, and Yu Dayou affixed his Admiral's official seal, a round one and a square one, which looked quite pleasing.
In the afternoon,
Yu Dayou dispatched six men, and Cabral sent his three personal guards. They immediately left by boat for the opposite shore and, upon landing, rode fast horses towards Bugu City.
That evening,
Yu Dayou withdrew all his soldiers back to the warships. They were then divided into three teams, patrolling in shifts, completely encircling the entire port city of Malacca.