In the year after setting off from Tianjin Port, Xu Guangqi, who was extremely lonely, often felt ashamed of his own insignificance and ignorance when facing Polaris' nervous murmurs. Not to mention the vastness of the world that he experienced along the way, his respect for the emperor became more and more profound as he traveled further and further away from China. Every colonial supply point left a deep impression on him, and his sense of mission became more and more clear.
It's not that these supply points are so prosperous, some places are not as good as the towns on the border of the Ming Dynasty. Xu Guangqi was deeply impressed by the various races, strange languages and everything that was bizarre and bizarre. He was dumbfounded as if in a dream. When he woke up during the night voyage, he often didn't know where he was, thinking that he had left the real world and that the big ship carrying him sailed into the "Book of Mountains and Seas".
In the past year, he has written nearly 100,000 words of "Journey to the West", recording everything he has experienced in detail. As the first Ming Dynasty mission to bypass the Cape of Good Hope, they also aroused countless curious onlookers and even ill-intentioned attempts along the way. However, Luo Mingjian protected him very well and did not let Xu Guangqi directly face the challenges and challenges along the way. threaten.
After all, the cardinal and even the next cardinal are not just cats and dogs who can talk to him, and when the top officials of each colony face Luo Mingjian, they basically cannot look at him levelly. When Luo Mingjian didn't say "please sit down", everyone could only stand and talk to him.
After tens of thousands of miles, Xu Guangqi, who stood on the deck and looked at the pilot ship in front, knew that Luo Mingjian's mission was mostly over. In the face of this new land and new civilization, the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty and the dignity of the emperor all depended on himself - a former poor boy who ran away from home in Shanghai County and finally married a princess.
Luo Mingjian, who was standing aside, saw that Xu Guangqi's body was a little tense and said with a smile: "Master Xu, there is no need to be nervous. I firmly believe that what you bring to Europa is exactly what they need, and you will be welcomed unimaginably. "
Xu Guangqi forced a smile on his face, tried to pretend to be calm, nodded and said, "I hope so."
Luo Mingjian smiled and said nothing. In fact, he received the news from the Clippers on Porto Santo Island: The entire Europe has fallen into a state that he could not imagine in response to the arrival of the Ming Dynasty's mission.
After receiving a large amount of detailed information about the Ming Dynasty, Pope Gregory XIII even issued an edict calling for a truce throughout Europe and welcomed the distinguished guests from the East in a peaceful manner - which shows that the Catholic Church attaches great importance to this exchange.
The Republic of the Netherlands was the first to respond to the order. The Republic's first consul, William the Silent, was assassinated three months ago. The entire Netherlands fell into a state of leaderlessness, with each city fighting on its own. If Spain could comply with the decree, it would be much easier for the lowlanders to at least elect a second consul.
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, the governor of the Low Countries who was engaged in the siege of Antwerp, cursed loudly and wrote to Felipe II asking him to stop the papal edict, saying, "This is to give the heretics a chance to breathe, and to let the bitch of England You can wake up laughing even in your sleep."
Of course Felipe II was not happy with Gregory XIII's decree, but His Majesty the Pope was trying to create obstacles for Felipe through his righteousness, and of course he could not change his mind. So he held his nose and Farnesel wrote back, saying that he could continue building the Farnesel Bridge to besiege Antwerp, but it would be better not to engage the defenders in battle.
The otaku of the Holy Roman Empire and the celibate Rudolf II was the second to respond to the papal edict because he had long been tired of the endless uprisings and repression in the empire - if the rebels responded to the pope, then Rudolf could live a peaceful life. Day, this is exactly what he dreamed of.
In France, the "Three Henrys' War" had just begun. Henry I, Duke of Guise, led the Catholic Alliance Army and was fighting with Henry de Bourbon, leader of the Huguenots, and King Henry III, a moderate king who leaned towards Protestantism. From the perspective of public obedience, the pope's edict was very fair, because the armistice at this time was not good for the Catholic Church - the Duke of Guise was in great power at this time, and Henry III was concerned about one thing and the other. Therefore, public opinion throughout Europe believed that His Majesty the Pope's decree made no distinction between friend and foe and was very just.
In addition to these major wars, the armed fighting between the major lords across Europe has also stopped. The rich and powerful people went to Lisbon to see the visitors from the East. The poor and powerful also held their breaths. The whole continent was looking forward to the mysterious visitors from the East. 's first appearance.
On the seventh day of September in the twelfth year of Wanli, the Ming Dynasty envoy arrived in Lisbon. On the pier of Lisbon Port, thousands of people put on festive costumes, and finally saw the shadows of sails in the distance in the cold wind of late autumn.
As the sailboat approached, bursts of cheers erupted throughout the pier, and the noise in various languages reached the sky. Antonio Pérez, the special envoy of Felipe II of Spain and Felipe I of Portugal (note: this refers to the same person), smiled at Francisco de Sandoval Rojas, Marquis of Denia beside him road:
"Your Majesty the Marquis, I personally think that this welcome ceremony is a bit too grand for a visiting Earl from the East."
The Marquis of Denia touched his mustache and replied with a smile: "I think His Majesty, who is about to go bankrupt again, still has certain illusions about Seris. If Lisbon can become a transit point for Eastern goods, then we will I hope I can repay those loan sharks."
Palace counselor Antonio Perez was speechless and could only stand there and smile bitterly. The Marquis of Denia continued: "Have you heard of the proverb that has been popular in Lisbon recently?"
Perez expressed his willingness to hear the details, and the Marquis of Denia narrowed his eyes and smiled: "On the noble table, there are more napkins than wine and food." After saying that, he couldn't help laughing.
Perez was speechless in the face of this humorless joke. He thought that the Marquis had a bad taste for his little friend Felipe II, as if he could always get endless pleasure from Felipe II's poor economic situation. .
He had no choice but to change the subject and said: "I think that on the east-west route, there are only His Majesty's sailing ships - if His Majesty is willing, it is feasible to collect taxes in any port he wants."
The Marquis of Denia stopped laughing, and his face became serious: "You may be right, Mr. Perez, but Seris can choose not to trade with us. What can you do with it? After all, arriving at Seris Members of the papal mission in Lys, without exception, all say that Siris has no need for Europa’s goods and that they are much richer than us.”
"If we only rely on daily consumables such as spices, we won't be able to draw many ducats, and the king already owes 2.8 million."
Perez opened his mouth to refute the Marquis of Denia, but the Marquis interrupted him and said: "They are starting to disembark. It's our turn."
With a burst of noise, the first large sailing ship carrying the head of the Ming Dynasty Mission docked at the pier. A long pedal covered with red carpet connected the deck and the pier. The Ming Dynasty Mission finally showed up.
The first to appear were two rows of imperial guards standing on the deck, holding embroidered spring knives and wearing ceremonial armor. The phoenix-winged helmet, the round golden shield on the chest, the head of a tiger at the waist, and the red inverted triangle "hanging fish" skirt inserted between the leg skirts, make these six-foot-tall men shine in the autumn sun and look majestic.
After they got off the boat, they formed two columns on the dock. Then came Xu Guangqi and members of the mission holding a dragon festival. Everyone at the dock saw Xu Guangqi, the leader, wearing a seven-beam Jinxian crown, a golden Diao Chan cage, a red python robe, a leather belt and a ribbon. The dragon joint in his hand is entirely made of gold, with the dragon's head at the top, two silk sash hanging from it, and three clusters of yak tails hanging down - the twenty-five-year-old Earl stood on the deck holding the scepter and appeared, looking around, He has the calm demeanor of the great Chinese nation.
The appearance of the Ming Dynasty honor guard and members of the envoy made the entire dock suddenly quiet. The gentlemen in stockings and bloomer trousers and the women in tight tops and bell-shaped skirts invariably closed their mouths and stared at them with jealous eyes.
Not to mention the blind Xu Guangqi and his entourage, just when the honor guards were in action, people could also see that the trousers under their battle skirts were all smooth and shining with unique luster. And even the poor people watching the excitement on the pier know that it is a luxury product that can only be worn on women's skirts and hat brims to enhance the quality of the entire clothing, silk!
"Serys! Sires!" Suddenly, a loud shout broke the silence, and everyone at the dock shouted "Serys" in unison, leaving Xu Guangqi standing there in confusion, not knowing what kind of ceremony this was. Liu Chengxi, the personal guard who was following him, saw him stop and quickly stopped too. Everyone in the delegation also stopped.
Cardinal Luo Mingjian, who was standing behind the mission, saw that Xu Guangqi was confused and quickly separated from the people in front, walked to Xu Guangqi and said: "Your Excellency, this is the residents of Lisbon expressing their welcome to your arrival. You don't need to pay attention to this. .....I think this kind of welcome ceremony is a little...that strange compared to the grand ceremony of our court. Please continue walking, I think the person standing opposite you should be the Marquis of Denia Your Excellency and Mr. Perez, the King’s envoy.”
Xu Guangqi calmed down and held the dragon joint in his hand tighter. He no longer looked at the strangely dressed onlookers around him. Under the protection of his entourage, he officially took the first step in the exchange between the two civilizations.
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