Chapter 1677 Social Status

If the local people in Manila were to describe the difference between the Spanish rule and the present, it would probably be the significant change in the social status of the Han people. During the Spanish rule, Han immigrants in Manila could only be regarded as third-class citizens, even people like Ran Tianlu The Ming Dynasty businessmen who were doing well in the local area would not have had an easy life if they were not protected by Father Blanco. Many foreign businessmen had stayed in Manila for a year or two and were not even qualified to set foot in the city. Transactions can be completed in the Manila Port and Cavite Port areas.

However, after Haihan drove away the Spanish rulers, he immediately supported a group of Han people in the local area to take over the positions vacated in various official institutions. The social status of the Spaniards was suddenly reversed with that of the Han people, and became the current They are at the bottom of society. Many Spanish immigrant families resisted during the Haihan attack on Manila, and their property was confiscated after the war. Now they have to rely on selling their labor to make ends meet. And those Han Chinese who were originally looked down upon by the Spaniards, The day that I have been waiting for finally comes and I feel proud.

In the area between the west gate of Manila and the port, in addition to large and small warehouses, there are also large Han Chinese settlements. About two thousand Han immigrants live here. The main business of these Han people is navigation and In terms of trade, many people have experience as sailors on Spanish merchant ships. There are also many people who rely on their origins to serve as a bridge of commerce between Spain and the Ming Dynasty. In addition, the Haihan Army was worried about translators before attacking the city. With too few personnel, there will be a lot of trouble in taking over Manila, but these local Han people made this seemingly difficult problem easily solved.

The Qin family living in this Han community is the epitome of a very typical colonial Han family. The ancestors of the Qin family were deceived from the southern Fujian area of ​​the Ming Dynasty to Luzon Island during the Wanli period under the pretense of traveling to Southeast Asia to make a fortune. They almost sold piglets. The operating model was sold to the Spanish colonists as slaves. The Spanish had not long occupied Manila at that time, and the ancestors of the Qin family worked hard for their masters all their lives, and finally got the freedom of the next generation. However, since the Qin family itself had no one here, The second generation of the family had no background, so it took them several generations to just run a shop outside Manila that specialized in selling off-the-shelf goods.

The head of the family, Qin Shengyao, is nearly fifty years old. The knowledge he accumulated from many years of hanging out in local shopping malls finally came into play in the Manila war. From the beginning of the war, Qin Shengyao strictly prohibited his family from participating in it, and even Special money was spent to allow several descendants of the family who served in the Manila fleet and port forts to return home early to prevent them from being involved in this war and implicating the family. After the war, when the Haihan Army conducted a census of this area, the Qin family As a result, he was given the opportunity to become an official because of his evaluation of "clean wealth and active cooperation".

The reason why Qin Shengyao acted like this was mainly because he had frequent contacts with Ming merchants and had long heard a lot of news about Haihan. In particular, some war news was prohibited from being spread locally by the Spanish colonial government. It made Qin Shengyao realize the terrifying strength of the Haihan Army. After all, like when Spain lost its stronghold in Taipei, went to attack Sanya, and then failed at the opponent's doorstep, such embarrassing battle reports would definitely not spread in Manila. The news brought by merchants from the Ming Dynasty was a lot more exaggerated. The rumors about the strength of the Haihan Army that Qin Shengyao learned were naturally more exaggerated.

But this also saved the Qin family. It was precisely because Qin Shengyao was very afraid of the Haihan Army that he tried to prevent his family from participating in the war. Otherwise, the Qin family would not be imprisoned even if they were liquidated after the war, but they would definitely be punished by having their property confiscated.

It is unavoidable, let alone getting the opportunity to serve as an official under the new ruler.

Of course, if it is just that they did not help the tyrants in this war, the Qin family is not enough to gain favor. The Haihan Army chose the Qin family as its support target. Another important reason is that the Qin family has always insisted on the Han people's

Cultural traditions, speaking Chinese, writing Chinese characters and wearing Hanfu, have not confused their origins just because they have lived in the Spanish colonies for several generations. Qin Shengyao’s two sons, Qin Huaming and Qin Huacheng, also adhere to this tradition, so they are in the population

During the census, he gained the favor of Haihanjun, which gave him the opportunity to become an official.

Qin Shengyao did not step forward to take the official position offered by Haihan himself, but left the opportunity to his two sons. After receiving a short training, the eldest son Qin Huaming became a temporary supernumerary under the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Haihan.

Although he has the title of "officer", he can be regarded as a sesame officer. His second son, Qin Huacheng, had served in the Manila Fleet in the past and had received military training for a period of time, so he was appointed as the detachment leader of the Xicheng Police Force, commanding the

More than 60 young men were also selected from the local Han people and were responsible for maintaining security in the Han-inhabited area outside the West City Gate and the Manila port.

The two sons of the Qin family are working for the new government, and their status has immediately increased. In the past, except for business partners, few people came to the Qin family, but now they have a bustling scene. There are all kinds of people who come here to visit Qin Shengyao every day.

There are neighbors who hope to be taken care of by the Qin family, and there are also admirers who want to learn from Qin Shengyao and know how to board the big ship of Shanghai and Han. Some even think that the Qin family must have some relationship with some high-ranking officials of the Haihan army.

Personal connections, hoping to get Qin Shengyao to connect him and introduce him to officials from Haihan.

Although Qin Shengyao was proud, he was not overly inflated because he suddenly became a popular celebrity in this area. He knew very well how much he weighed, and he also understood that the Qin family's current power was not

How capable Qin Shengyao is, or that he has a relationship with a high-ranking official in Haihan, but it is due to timing and luck. If he wants to use this to win the admiration or even money of others, it is tantamount to defeating his own luck.

Once the Haihan people find out, the consequences will be hard to predict.

Therefore, Qin Shengyao was polite to those who came to visit him, but if it was something that was not within his ability, he would not agree to it anyway. Especially requests such as those asking him to introduce senior officials from Haihan, he would decisively refuse them.

On this day, Qin Shengyao sent away another visitor whose request was not met. Naturally, the man's face was not very good when he was rejected. He cursed all the way out of the Qin family's courtyard gate. Qin Huaming happened to come back from outside and bumped into this man.

At this scene, he could only give way with a wry smile. After he returned home and saw his father, he talked about the scene he had just seen at the gate and asked about the reason for it.

Qin Shengyao said: "Nading's family brought a generous gift, hoping to use it to introduce his father to high-ranking officials in Haihan. However, his family only married a Spanish in the city last year. This time I heard that his son-in-law also gave him a gift."

The Haihan Army captured him, and the Ding family probably wanted to use some connections to protect his daughter and son-in-law, but at this juncture, everyone is in danger, how can a father dare to agree to such a thing rashly?"

Qin Hua Ming said: "Since it is a gift, why don't the Ding family go directly to give it to the Haihan people, but they go through such a big circle and start from my family?"

Qin Shengyao sighed and said: "It's not just the words of people, but there are rumors outside that my father has a personal relationship with the general of Haihan Army, so he sent you two brothers to work in Haihan Yamen. The Ding family wants to give gifts to Haihan

High-ranking officials were not allowed to enter. Hearing that his father had such a way, he naturally found his way here. Little did he know that the Haihan officer whom his father saw that day was just a lieutenant who led the general's horse to fall.

It’s nothing more than human nature, and now that everyone is gone, there is no way to send messages to the higher authorities.”

The Haihan officer Qin Shengyao was talking about was Sun Bing, commander of the 1st company of the Marine Corps. Because the area outside the West City Gate was close to the coastline, it was the navy that took over the defense at that time. In accordance with the requirements of his superiors, Sun Bing first

Han families with relatively clean local backgrounds were selected, and the Qin family was naturally among them. Sun Bing came to talk to Qin Shengyao, and after learning about the Qin family's situation, he recommended him to the interim management committee.

Only then did the arrangements for the two brothers of the Qin family to join the officialdom were made.

Qin Shengyao was right when he said that Sun Bing was a captain. His military rank was captain, but it was not necessary to lead the general's horse and kick the pedal. After all, Wang Tom commanded most of the battles at sea and rarely rode out on horseback.

Moreover, Wang Tom actually doesn't care about these trivial matters among the people. Even if Sun Bing can be asked to deliver the message, it will probably not have any effect.

Now that Tom Wang and his marines have left Manila and gone north, Qin Shengyao doesn't know anyone else in the Haihan Army. In terms of personal friendship with Haihan officials, it may not be as good as his two sons.

After all, the Qin brothers have to deal with Haihan officials almost every day, which is much better than him, an old man who has been idle at home recently with nothing to do.

Qin Hua Ming said: "It is said that the Ding family's shipping company has saved a dozen cargo ships, but they are temporarily unable to go to sea due to the ban. Maybe they can be used in the future. The second brother is now working in the police force. If you want to inquire about the prisoners,

News, we can think of a way."

Qin Shengyao waved his hands repeatedly and said: "You can't help it. If this drags your second brother into trouble, it will be too much!"

"What are you dragging me down?" Qin Huacheng, the second child, also came back while he was talking, and happened to hear the conversation between his father and his brother.

Qin Shengyao did not hide anything from him and told him what happened just now. After listening to it, Qin Huacheng laughed and said: "Father thinks too much. Haihan people are not so unkind. If they are just asking for information about prisoners, in fact,

There is no hindrance. You can find out the name of the son-in-law of the Ding family. I will be on duty tomorrow and I can find someone to find out."

But Qin Shengyao still has concerns about this: "If the Haihan people want to trouble the Ding family to settle accounts after the fall, wouldn't it be asking for trouble if I, the Qin family, do this for them?"

Qin Huacheng said: "What my father doesn't know is that the man in power in the city is no longer a military general, but a civil servant named Mr. Qiu who came from Sanya. This Mr. Qiu is not as arbitrary as the previous General Haihan.

, and the entire family will not be imprisoned just because one person committed a crime. Besides, the Ding family is also Han, and now that the government intends to support the Han people to suppress the Western Fans, it should not kill the Ding family just because of such a trivial matter. In my opinion, we should give it a try.

If it succeeds, the Ding family will owe my family a favor from now on. If we purchase goods from Daming in the future, the Ding family shipyard will have to give us a cheaper price to be justified."

Qin Shengyao was a little moved when he heard what he said. In the past, because the Qin family shop did not have its own sea-going ships, most of the goods imported from the Ming Dynasty were entrusted to the Ming merchants to bring them when they went south. However, the cost of this procurement method was inevitable.

It will be relatively high. Another way is to hire a ship to go to Daming for purchasing. In this way, you can also bring a batch of goods to Daming for sale. You can do business on both trips, and the profits will be relatively rich.

However, Qin's shop had a mediocre relationship with local shipping companies in the past, and it was often difficult to book suitable shipping schedules at low prices, so it has always adopted the former method to maintain supply of goods. If there is an opportunity to establish a good relationship with local shipping companies, in the future

Perhaps it is possible, as Qin Huacheng said, to hire cargo ships from the Ding family shipping company to go to the Ming Dynasty for trade. Of course, now we can add another destination, which is Sanya, known as the first trading port in the South China Sea.

"It's just that my father has just rejected the Ding family, and now he takes the initiative to seek them back. Wouldn't this be a slap in the face?" Qin Shengyao thought about it, but still felt a little embarrassed about it.

Qin Huacheng said: "It doesn't matter. There is no need to embarrass my father. You can just pretend to be the bad guy in this play, and I will be the bad guy next time."

Qin Shengyao asked quickly: "Tell me first, how to sing this red face? If it's inappropriate, it's better not to take the risk."

Qin Huacheng said: "It's simple. Tomorrow I will go to Ding's house to investigate the matter of his son-in-law, and then I will find an opportunity to deliberately reveal something, saying that there is still a chance of reversing the matter. They will inevitably come to the rescue, and we will negotiate the terms then.

Not too late."

"Is this feasible?" Qin Shengyao still felt that something was not safe.

"Father, I think my second brother's idea is feasible. You might as well give it a try." Qin Huaming also stood up for Qin Huacheng and said, "If there is really any risk, then it won't be too late to give up."

Qin Shengyao couldn't talk to the two brothers. After some hesitation, he finally agreed to their idea. He just repeatedly warned that if the son-in-law of the Ding family had been convicted by Haihan, he must not make any mistakes. At most, he would tell the news

Tell the Ding family not to meddle in other people's business. The two brothers agreed wholeheartedly, but in their hearts they were already thinking about how to get more benefits from it.

The next day, Qin Huacheng went to the police station to report to the police station. After that, he arranged a routine patrol mission. In the first few days, the Haihan Army was mixed with them, but in the past few days, as the Haihan Army gradually withdrew, this patrol mission

It has become a task performed by their group of security police alone.
Chapter completed!