How was Macau gradually invaded by Portugal?

(1) "Pathfinders" from the Iberian Peninsula

The two seafaring peoples of the Iberian Peninsula have historically played the role of "wayfinders". In 1492, Columbus crossed the Atlantic and discovered America; in 1497, Vasco da Gama bypassed the Cape of Storms and reached the Indian Ocean. Only 10 years later, the Portuguese "discovered" China.

During the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, in 1514, a Portuguese fleet sailed to Tuen Mun at the mouth of the Pearl River in Guangdong for trade. In accordance with the Portuguese practice of occupying the coastal areas of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the Portuguese also erected a stone tablet engraved with the Portuguese national emblem on Tuen Mun Island in order to "occupy" it.

The Ming Empire did not welcome merchants from any country outside the tribute system, let alone come to "occupy" China and ordered the army to expel the Portuguese there. From 1521 to 1522, the Ming army fought with the Portuguese twice, but the Portuguese were defeated and expelled from the coast of Guangdong.

The Portuguese went north by boat and visited Wuyu in Quanzhou and Shuangyu Port in Ningbo, and established a stronghold in Shuangyu. After more than 20 years of operation, the Portuguese built churches, city halls, hospitals, and formed an autonomous organization in the port, forming a large-scale Portuguese settlement. However, the Portuguese robbed property and oppressed the people. The Chinese were angry and asked the government to expel the Portuguese. In 1548, the Portuguese stronghold at Shuangyu was destroyed by the Ming army. After that, "everyone heard about the coastal defense, purged them thousands of miles away, and those who went away fled far away."

The Portuguese have not gone far and are still tenaciously "fighting guerrilla" along the coast of Guangdong. Moreover, they "began to have a more comprehensive and correct understanding" of China's real society and knew that "officials, big and small, would turn a blind eye to illegal maritime trade as long as they can get benefits." They were able to trade on Shangchuan Island at the mouth of the Pearl River and other places.

However, the environment in Shangchuan and other places is harsh and closed, making it difficult to stay there for a long time. Moreover, local officials only allowed the Portuguese to set up temporary tents. Once the transaction was completed, they had to leave the local area.

In this way, after 40 years of hard work - starting a provocation at Tuen Mun, fighting at Shuangyu, and retreating from Shangchuan - the Portuguese still cannot gain a foothold in China. At this time, in 1553, a message suddenly came: "The Chinese are willing to make peace with the Portuguese"!

That year, the Portuguese landed in Macau.

(2) How the Portuguese were able to land in Macau

The origin of the Portuguese being "permitted" to land in Macau is recorded in many historical materials, and the following theory is formed: In 1553, a Portuguese merchant ship sailed Entering the waters of Macao; the Portuguese lied and said that their ship encountered rough waves, cracked, and the cargo was soaked-these cargoes were tributes dedicated to the Chinese emperor-so they requested to go ashore to dry the cargo. Wang Baiyin, deputy envoy of China Seaway, accepted a bribe from the Portuguese and allowed him to land in Macau. It is said that Portuguese businessmen had a "secret agreement" with Wang Bo, and they bribed Wang Bo 1,000 taels of silver every year to be allowed to reside in Macau.

This accusation is very serious. If found true, Wang Bai will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history. After careful research, historian Mr. Jin Guoping believes that things are not that simple.

It turned out that after 40 years of guerrilla warfare in the South China Sea, Portuguese merchant ships actually colluded with Chinese pirates. The person is in a state of embarrassment. The result of this collusion was that with the "help" of the Portuguese's elite firearms, the pirates killed people, set fire to the coastal villages of Guangdong, looted and resisted the officers and soldiers, and caused terrible disasters. For this reason, the Ming court decided to adopt the "divide and rule" strategy through the Guangdong government: to distinguish the Portuguese from the pirates, the former should be pacified and the latter should be suppressed. This is the source of the news that "the Chinese are willing to make peace with the Portuguese".

Wang Bai is a seafarer with an official rank of only 4th grade, but he is integrated with coastal defense, shipping, and barbarian affairs. He is needed to achieve the central government's established political-military goals. Under this circumstance, he had a "peace negotiation" with the Portuguese merchant leader Souza.

So far, a letter left by Souza is the only on-site historical material of this "peace negotiation". Judging from the letter, "In this negotiation, I did not reach any tax rate or agreement with him... The result of the negotiation is that we must pay 20% tax in accordance with custom and pay it in China according to the king's permission. As for the above 20% I only agreed to pay 10% of the tariff. Haidao replied to me that he could not lower the tax rate because it was a tax stipulated by the emperor. He needed to report this issue to the court."

In view of this, Mr. Jin Guoping pointed out: "Wang Bai still needs to consult the Beijing government on the issue of tax percentage. How dare he make an independent decision on such a major issue concerning the country and the country as allowing Portuguese people to settle in Macau?"

It seems that Wang Bai and the Portuguese trade contact, but allowed them to conduct peaceful trade off the coast of Guangzhou in exchange for the neutrality of the Portuguese. From a political point of view, this was "just an expedient measure in the Guangdong Sea bandit suppression strategy at that time, but its results far exceeded this category. In fact, Wang Bai did not expect it. After many setbacks, the Portuguese Unknowingly, it was the origin of stable trade in China and even settling in Macau."