Gonçalo Teixeira Corrêa

Gonçalo Teixeira Correia ( 12 February 1632) was a Portuguese artillery captain who led a mission across the Ming Empire to fight its Manchu invaders and train its army in the use of Western cannon. After he was killed defending Dengzhou (now Penglai) in Shandong from mutinous troops under Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming, he was eulogized and honored by the Chinese, whose War Ministry granted him the posthumous rank of Assistant Regional Commander.

Name Correia's name appears in contemporary records as or . Following Portuguese conventions, it is the latter of his surnames which he received from his father but it is sometimes omitted. His given name is usually emended to the modern Portuguese spelling ; some sources use his surname's archaic spelling . and 22 Indian and African servants. The inclusion of the elderly Jesuit Rodrigues was at the insistence of the Macanese patrons of the voyage. and four "excellent bombards".

The officials at Guangzhou were particularly distrustful of the Jesuit Rodrigues and held Correia and his men for extensive examination. They were still ultimately required by imperial mandate to permit them passage in February 1629. In fact, Correia and Rodrigues helped to disguise the Jesuits André Palmeiro (January 1569 14 April 1635) and Domingos Mendes (1652) as part of the company in northern Guangdong, well away from the imperial border guards. Palmeiro and Mendes then donned a disguise of Chinese clothing and bid them farewell, separating from the party to inspect various Jesuit missions throughout the country. purchase cannon, and recruit gunners, totaling 200 men in all. Jiang, a member of Xu's pro-Western group, was maligned and accused of having embezzled from the funds set aside for the foreign mercenaries. The emperor criticized his officials for their erratic counsel but overturned Xu and ordered Cordeiro and Rodrigues do Campo's return. (Needham describes Cordeiro and Rodrigues del Campo's companies as reaching Beijing before turning back after a short time.) Once in Beijing, he submitted a memorial denying Lu's accusations regarding Macao's demands and ambitions. He and his party then joined Correia, A memorial by Rodrigues also secured an official statement from the War Ministry on 19 June 1632 which listed all Macao's services for China, including those performed by Correia. Xiong Mingyu, the Ming Minister of War, further gave Correia the posthumous title of Assistant Regional Commander and two of his men were also given the posthumous ranks of brigade commander and commandant in the Ming army.