There is a low hill not far from the port of Malacca. Although the hill is not high, it occupies a very vast area. This hill is also very famous in the Kingdom of Malacca because its name is "San Bao Mountain".

It is said that the Sanbao eunuch Zheng He stationed his fleet headquarters here five times during his seven voyages to the West. There is also a "Sanbao Temple" at the foot of the mountain, with a statue of Zheng He in the temple, and the surrounding area of ​​the mountain is also where the Han people of Malacca live.

Speaking of this Sanbao Mountain, in addition to Zheng He, there is another person who must be mentioned, that is the legendary Princess Han Baoli in the history of the Kingdom of Malacca. It is said that this princess came from the Ming Dynasty, and the Kingdom of Malacca at that time was unmarried to the Ming Dynasty.

, so the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty married the Princess Baoli of Han Dynasty to the other party. Along with the princess, there were more than 500 followers. These people were arranged to live in Sanbaoshan. From then on, Sanbaoshan became

It became a settlement place for the Han people in Malacca.

However, the origin of Princess Han Baoli is very suspicious. According to the records of the Kingdom of Malacca, this princess should have been married to the Kingdom of Malacca in 1459, and she came on a treasure ship. However, Zheng He had been dead for more than 20 years at that time.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty court was also enforcing extremely strict maritime bans, and no ships were allowed to enter the sea. The original majestic treasure ship had been moored in the port for more than 20 years without any attention, and it was impossible to use it again after more than 20 years. This princess

How is it possible to take a treasure ship to Malacca?

In addition, the marriage of a princess is not a trivial matter, but in the historical documents of the Ming Dynasty, there has never been a record of Princess Baoli of the Han Dynasty. Moreover, the Ming royal family has long had ancestral precepts of disharmony. It is even more impossible to allow the daughter of the Ming Dynasty to marry.

Therefore, the identity of Princess Baoli of Han Dynasty is very suspicious. At least there is no record of this princess in the entire history of Ming Dynasty.

After Zhou Zhong occupied the port of Malacca, with the stability of port affairs, he naturally wanted to meet the Han people here. After all, the Han people in Malacca City are also a force that cannot be ignored. According to what he learned from Baman, Malacca

The number of Han people in the city has reached more than 2,000, divided into several large families. These big families make a living by doing business. They are the richest group of people in Malacca. Unfortunately, the Han people do not seem to be very interested in being an official. Unlike the

The Tamils ​​controlled the political power of the Kingdom of Malacca.

In fact, when Zhou Zhong just defeated the Portuguese, the Han people in Malacca sent several elderly representatives to ask for an audience. Unfortunately, Zhou Zhong was busy with business at the time, so he only met with them briefly and then let them go back and live in peace.

The Ming army is here and will definitely ensure their safety.

Today, Zhou Zhong finally got out of the busy military affairs and took Wu Shan and other royal guards to Sanbaoshan. This is an independent residential area in Malacca city. All residents are Han Chinese. The entire area is neatly divided into several smaller ones by streets.

area. According to what Wu Shan learned, each family here occupies a separate area, and each area is an independent small kingdom. In the area, family law is greater than national law, and even the laws of the Kingdom of Malacca cannot control it.

Come here. So when the Han people living here make mistakes, they usually leave it to the patriarch of each family to deal with it.

Zhou Zhonglai had notified several big families here before. So when he came to Sanbaoshan, he saw that the street entrance was already full of people. Except for the few old men who had met before, they were followed by a group of people.

Men and women, both old and young, were all staring at Zhou Zhong excitedly. In addition, in the open space in front of them, there was a group of lion dancers fighting lions, and the sound of firecrackers was even louder. If you didn't know

People may think that today is some kind of Han Chinese festival.

"Little old man, see you, Lord Admiral!" Seeing Zhou Zhong coming, the white-bearded old man at the head immediately led the people forward to salute, and those behind also knelt down. After all, in the hearts of these overseas Han people, the Central Plains will always be theirs.

Gen, naturally also had great respect for the officials of the Ming Dynasty.

"Haha, Mr. Lu, there is no need to be polite. We are all descendants of the Yan and Huang Dynasties. It is fate for all of us to be able to meet together in Malacca, overseas, so you don't have to be polite. Please get up quickly!" Zhou Chong was also laughing at this time.

He helped the old man in front of him up and said, this old man's surname is Lu, he is the patriarch of the Lu family, the largest Han family in Malacca. He is almost 80 years old this year, but he is very strong and very righteous.

Malacca has a high prestige among the Han people.

Seeing Zhou Zhong helping him without any pretense, Mr. Lu was also very excited. He stood up tremblingly and said a few words of thanks. The content was nothing more than thanking Zhou Zhong and the others for destroying the Portuguese and saving them from the disaster of weapons.

.

After Zhou Zhong also said a few polite words, he was let into the Han residential area by Mr. Lu and the heads of several other big families. A group of people surrounded him and entered a very grand house. Although the house obviously had

It has the architectural style of the Central Plains, but it is different from the houses of the Ming Dynasty. It was not until Mr. Lu introduced him later that he learned that it turned out that Mr. Lu and his family were Han Chinese who moved to Nanyang at the end of the Song Dynasty. Later, they moved several times.

They settled in Sanbaoshan only ten years ago, but after so many years, they have maintained Han habits in all aspects of life. For example, in terms of architectural style, the house built by their family is significantly different from the Ming Dynasty house.

.

After the group entered the living room, Zhou Zhong was led to the main seat. Next to him was Mr. Lu, and below him sat several other patriarchs of big families. They had met Zhou Zhong before, so there was no need to introduce them again.

"Mr. Lu, I was busy with official duties last time, so I could only meet with you in a hurry. I didn't come to understand your situation. It's really rude. I wonder if we Han people suffered any casualties in this war?"

Zhou Chong sat down and didn't even take a sip of tea. He immediately asked with concern, and he also used the term "we Han people", obviously trying to get closer to each other.

Mr. Lu and the others are all human beings, so why don’t they understand the meaning of Zhou Zhong’s words? At that moment, they all looked happy, and then Mr. Lu said: “Your Majesty, the Portuguese are extremely cruel, and when they attack

When we arrived at the port, we also hid in the city. Fortunately, the Portuguese failed to kill us where we lived, so there were not many casualties. However, several young men sent out to inquire for information were shot by the Portuguese.

Kill them, this is all our mistake, if we had known, we should not have let them out!"

At the end of the sentence, Mr. Lu also showed a bit of regret on his face. It seemed that he had been brooding over the deaths of several young people. However, Zhou Zhong was relieved when he heard this. Even if all the people in Malacca were dead, he

He doesn't feel distressed at all, but these Han people are the foundation for his future rule of Malacca Port, so there must be no accidents. Now he can finally feel relieved.

Regarding Mr. Lu's regret, Zhou Zhong also comforted him with some kind words, and then asked: "Mr. Lu, I don't know how many Han people there are in Malacca City now, what is the current situation, and have they encountered any difficulties? If so,

, you can just ask, I will try my best to help you!"

Hearing that Zhou Zhong was so concerned about them, Mr. Lu and the others were even more happy. At that moment, the middle-aged man sitting under Mr. Lu said: "Your Excellency, there are now a thousand and six Han people in Malacca."

One hundred and forty-three people are divided into five large families and seven small families. Each family has its own industry and land. Although the Portuguese attack caused some losses to us this time, it is not a big problem.

But we are worried that the Portuguese will come back, so many families are now discussing relocation."

The middle-aged man who spoke was named Zhao Pu. He was the patriarch of the Zhao family, second only to the Lu family. Coincidentally, he was also a Han Chinese who migrated from the late Song Dynasty. It is said that their ancestors were still members of the Song Dynasty clan. Unfortunately, their former glory has long since disappeared.

No, now they are just a group of ordinary overseas Chinese businessmen.

After hearing Zhao Pu's words, Zhou Zhong's brows suddenly furrowed. He pondered for a moment before speaking: "Chief Zhao, you don't have to worry about the Portuguese in the future. I have discussed it with Baman before. In order to prevent

The Portuguese are coming again, so our navy of the Ming Dynasty will be stationed in Malacca City, and the port will be taken over by our Ming Dynasty. As long as we are as big as us, even if the Portuguese come with twice as many troops, they will probably be defeated!"

Hearing that the Ming Dynasty was going to garrison troops in Malacca, this news made Mr. Lu and the others overjoyed. After all, they had seen the incompetence of the Malacca army before and the bravery of the Ming army later. They had long felt that the Ming army could guarantee their victory.

It's safe. Now that the Ming Navy is stationed at the port, they don't have to move anymore. After all, no one is willing to give up the foundation they have worked hard for for many years in Malacca.

In addition, these people have been wandering overseas for many years, but they have always cared about their homeland. Unfortunately, they have already taken root overseas. Unless they give up the foundation that generations of people have worked hard for overseas, it is impossible to go back. But now the Ming Dynasty has begun to

The Malacca garrison, although it still nominally belongs to the Kingdom of Malacca, gives them a greater sense of belonging, and they also believe that with the start of the garrison, more and more Han people will flock to Malacca, and then this place will definitely be the same.

It will become more prosperous, and it may even become Ming Dynasty's overseas territory in the future.

But before Zhou Zhong finished speaking, he paused and then said: "Mr. Lu, according to what I learned before, there are more than 2,000 Han people in Malacca, but why did you just say there are only 1,000?

There are more than 600 people, how come there are hundreds of people missing all of a sudden? What is going on?"
Chapter completed!