"Welcome, Mr. Colbert, Miss Mancini. The journey from France to China is quite far...especially for a young and beautiful lady. What is the reason that makes such a long journey... Did she come all the way?"
The speaker was Prince Kong Dai, who was also the Duke of Shengguo in the Ming Dynasty, so he was currently wearing a red silk python robe. He was in his Western-style Duke's Mansion in Yingtian Laoshan, looking at the distance with a puzzled expression. The special envoys of the King of France, Jean-Baptiste Colbert and Marie Mancini, came.
Jean-Baptiste Colbert was originally Cardinal Mazarin's personal financial assistant. He was given the position of special envoy. It was normal for him to travel across the ocean to China, but Marie Mancini was such a lovely person. If you don't stay in France, why would you come to China?
Hearing the prince's question, Colbert, who looked listless due to travel fatigue and seasickness, just smiled slightly: "Because His Royal Highness the Cardinal believes that the Ming Emperor is an Eastern monarch with mysterious power and profound knowledge... In order to The interests of France require someone close enough to observe him deeply and carefully."
After Colbert finished speaking, he glanced at Mary Mancini. This little pony is very adaptable to sailing life. Even when she encounters a storm on the Atlantic Ocean, she doesn't get seasick. But when she left France, she cried like a tearful person, which was heartbreaking to watch!
The prince frowned, looked at Mary Mancini carefully for a while, and finally nodded: "I think the cardinal's idea makes sense... His Majesty the Emperor does possess some knowledge beyond imagination. ! This matter has been mentioned more than once in the report I submitted to Paris."
Although Zhu Cixiang did not have the ability to open a golden finger, he was still quite good at mathematics in his previous life, and some of the knowledge he mastered was still relatively advanced in the seventeenth century. And he also remembered some improvements in weapons and equipment that were easier to implement. For example, sleeve bayonets, minie bullets, wooden ammunition stocks, wooden tube fuses, pointed bullets, howitzers, wooden handle grenades, fixed ammunition... Oh, and sandbags!
Although the golden finger was not big, it was enough to shock and ecstasy Prince Kong Dai who was close to Zhu Cihong!
What is surprising is that this Chinese emperor actually had such a genius mind, and in such a short period of time invented so many weapons and equipment that may not seem advanced, but are enough to change the shape of war.
What makes France happy, no, is that he himself will be the second biggest beneficiary of these creations and inventions! Because although he was not the inventor of these weapons, the person who invented them knew better how to use them to maximize their power.
As long as he can return to France after King Louis XIV takes charge, no general on the European continent will be able to resist the French army under his command!
The rise of France will be realized in the hands of him and King Louis XIV!
Colbert said at this time: "In addition to the report submitted by His Royal Highness, His Royal Highness the Cardinal also received from his good friend, the newly-appointed Pope Alexander VII, Father Tang Ruowang and other teachers in the Ming Dynasty Taixue and Beijing School last year. Reports of Jesuit priests. All reports indicate that the current Ming Emperor possesses some extraordinary knowledge...and this knowledge should not and cannot come from the traditional Chinese imperial education he received !
Therefore, His Majesty the Pope hopes to learn more about the Ming Emperor to answer some of his doubts! "
The mystery in the Pope's mind is related to the "Birdman"!
While Tang Ruowang was in Rome, he speculated that Zhu Cihong might have seen an angel and received some kind of revelation and knowledge from the angel. He wrote a report and submitted it to the then Pope Innocent X. Innocent X ignored Tang Ruowang's report.
What else can I do if I don't ignore it? If it is admitted that the Ming Emperor saw angels, then the Chinese "Heavenly Law" and the Christian "God" can be equated!
This will create a crisis of Christian faith!
Of course, the Pope cannot treat the Ming Emperor as a heretic, because he was not a Christian to begin with, and the most important thing is that Zhu Cixiang is still the most powerful monarch in the world today, bar none!
However, Pope Alexander VII, who just took office last year, is a quite enlightened pope. In his view, "discovering God" is also the Lord's care. If the Lord is not willing to be discovered by the Chinese, how can they discover the almighty Lord? Woolen cloth?
Therefore, Christianity should not be hostile to those who discover the Lord... Therefore, Alexander VII hoped to establish a good relationship between Catholicism and the Ming Dynasty during his term.
At the same time, as the representative of the Lord in the world, Alexander VII wanted to find out the truth about the "Birdman Incident" - he served the Lord so devoutly that he became the Pope, and he had never seen an angel with wings. , why did Zhu Cixiang see him?
"In other words, Miss Mancini still shoulders the sacred mission given by the Pope?" Prince Condé looked at this little beauty from Italy and thought: Being a royal mistress still feels sacred... Only Italians can do such ridiculous things!
Mary Mancini smiled slightly, "I don't know what the sacred mission is, but I do want to get close to the most powerful and richest monarch in the world... just like those surrounding European countries Just like the king's beautiful women!
Your Highness, do you think my goal can be achieved? "
"Hahaha! You are quite straightforward, not like an Italian." Prince Condai laughed, "Okay, I will arrange a European-style villa for you to live in near Laoshan Palace until the Ming Emperor Summon you.
The Shanghai prefect who escorted you to Laoshan must have recommended you to the emperor... I think your goal can be achieved!
Mr. Colbert, tell me about your goal. What do you want from Emperor Ming? "
"Your Highness," Mr. Colbert's expression became serious, "I want to give France a chance to rise!"
Prince Condé smiled: "I think our British friend Cromwell must have the same idea, right? He also sent a quite large envoy. What is his purpose?"
When Colbert heard Prince Condé's question, he just smiled bitterly, shook his head and said: "Your Highness, I don't know how to answer your question... because Cromwell has become more and more serious in the past two years. It’s getting crazier, he’s probably crazy!”
"Crazy?" Prince Condé was stunned. "You say Cromwell is crazy? What did he do? Did he want to be the king of England?"
"He should want to be, but that's not crazy." Colbert said, "Cromwell issued an order last year to establish local military regimes across England, dividing the country into eleven military districts, each Military districts were run by his trusted generals. And he also ordered the introduction of Puritan rules, including the execution of adulterers, the abolition of theatrical performances and games, the closing of taverns and brothels, the prohibition of cursing, and the prohibition of religious ceremonies...now throughout Europe Everyone knows that the most powerful man in Britain has gone completely crazy, and he is surrounded by a group of equally crazy Puritan officers!"
"Oh God! What does he want to do?" Prince Condé was shocked. "Is this the life that the English rebelled against?"
"I can't answer this question," Colbert said, "but one thing is for sure, these English Puritans must be very ambitious and may want to tear the entire Spanish world empire apart..."
"Tear apart the entire Spanish World Empire...Although it is crazy, it is not impossible! Because the Spanish Eastern Fleet just attacked the Dinghai anchorage of the Ming Navy," Condai thought, "and it also triggered a fire. A naval revolution!
The question now is what does the UK want? What can we gain? What does Daming want? "
