Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 808
As soon as the emperor said he would meet, the Ministry of Rites was busy immediately.

After the Lifan Academy became independent, it took away the chieftain and the vassal states of the inner vassals, and the most difficult foreign barbarians were left to the Ministry of Rites.

As soon as Junkou opened, the Ministry of Rites immediately sent someone to prepare for an interpreter.

As a result, among the dozens of interpreters, none of them could speak Rakshasa, which made the whole Ministry of Rites confused.

It's impossible to see the emperor and the empress and talk to the duck.

That's the second thing, etiquette needs to be communicated to know!

At this time, news of the arrival of the Russians in Beijing spread to several embassies.

Today, there are only four embassies in the capital, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and England.

The four maritime powers control the waterway from Daming to the west, and the goods are almost bought out by them.

The Dutch ambassador, José Carlonado, saw the opportunity in an instant and came to the Ministry of Rites right away to work as a part-time interpreter.

The Dutchman is a coachman on the sea, and his country is rising. He is extremely proficient in financial lending business, and he immediately won the favor of the Ministry of Rites.

Ivanov was very happy to hear that he spoke pure French.

However, Sir Jose who appeared in front of his eyes was wearing a wise man's toga and square soft hat. If he didn't have deep eyes, big nose and brown eyes, he really thought he was a wise man.

"Sir Ivanov?"

"It is the count, sir."

"Okay, Your Excellency the Earl." Sir Jose didn't care much about the title, and translated it casually.

Although the dress etiquette is cumbersome, it is a rule, and Ivanov does not want to violate it, but when he knelt down on his knees, Ivanov became stubborn and shouted:
"This is the posture of a farmer. As a nobleman, even a king is kneeling on one knee."

"Oh, my count, this is in the east, in Daming, it's different."

Sir José did his duty, and the Dutch were involved in a lot of trade in Russia, and good relations with the Russians were a matter of family business.

For the sake of gold coins, Sir Jose has always been very serious, he explained:

"This emperor, like the Ottoman Empire, has the honorable status of emperor and absolute power, and is also the head of religion."

"Secularism and religion are all controlled by him. If you kneel down to him, imagine him as the pope!"

When it comes to this, Jose is quite indifferent.

Ivanov narrowed his eyes, and his heart was full of anger. He was indeed a heretic. Although the Pope is not good, he is still the Patriarch after all!
However, even the Great Patriarch would never want me to kneel down so easily.

"I heard that the Emperor of Ming Dynasty was very generous. He usually rewarded his envoys. Those who had the most amounted to tens of thousands of gold marks, and even those who were few were worth two or three thousand..."

Hearing this, Ivanov immediately softened his face a lot: "In order to fulfill His Majesty's order, what's the point of sacrificing me alone?"

When it was time to practice etiquette, the officials of the Ministry of Rites found that he was much more sincere and serious, and he still wanted to find the right person.

Despite the serf's etiquette, Ivanov thought about wealth:

It would be too much to directly ask for money later, if you reward more silk and tea, you can double it when you bring it back!

A few days later, the Ministry of Rites reported that the envoys of the Raksha Kingdom learned how to use their strength, and they had mastered the etiquette in a short period of time, so they could come to have an audience.

Seeing this, Zhu Yixi approved it, and the time was set in the afternoon.

At this time, he was receiving a missionary from Taiwan.

Since the Portuguese in Macau were expelled, Taiwan has implemented an open policy, allowing overseas people to settle down. The household registration is loose. After living for three years, they can become naturalized and settle down if they own real estate.

So when I arrived in China from Europe, Macau, the first stop, has been changed to Taiwan.

In Taiwan, the number of overseas barbarians exceeded [-], the financial industry, shipbuilding industry and handicraft industries were increasingly developed, and overseas trade became the mainstream, and they were the biggest beneficiaries after Macao was taken back.

Wei Kuangguo, formerly known as Martino Martini, Italian, Jesuit missionary, famous geographer, historian and theologian, arrived in Macau in the summer of 1643. After the war subsided, he went to Nanjing to settle down and preach.

At this time, in 1648, the second year of Shaowu, he returned to Europe and, as a representative of the Jesuit Mission, went to the Holy See to defend Chinese etiquette.

After debating with the Dominicans, they won a complete victory, and the Holy See allowed the Jesuits to implement Matteo Ricci's rules, that is, to respect Chinese believers to worship Confucius and ancestors.

When returning to Europe, it passed through Germany, France, Britain, Belgium, and Norway. It widely promoted Chinese geography and culture, which caused another wave of Chinese trends.

As a representative of the Society of Jesus, meeting the emperor is the minimum rule.

For religious people, Zhu Yixi is always tolerant, and he allows them to kneel on one knee.

"Your Majesty, when I return to Rome this time, my Jesuits have already obtained the approval of Rome, and I will abide by the old rules of Matteo Ricci and will not change them."

Wei Kuangguo has a big beard and dark brown hair and beard. He is a purebred Italian. He bowed his head slightly and said sincerely.

"The rules of Matteo Ricci are the premise of preaching. As long as Jesus will obey, how can I stop it?"

The emperor's words sound nice, but Wei Kuanguo doesn't take it seriously.

Having been in China for many years, he already knows the customs and customs, how could he not understand the emperor's suspicion?

But the Jesuits are not the group of crazy missionaries in Spain. They currently have no political ambitions and only want to preach.

"The princes have been practicing for a long time, but now that they are getting older, they should be more knowledgeable."

Zhu Yixi looked at Wei Kuanguo's respectful appearance. If he removed his western appearance, he would be a scholar-bureaucrat.

Thinking of this, his heart moved, and he said, "I don't know if you have the spare time to tell my children the story of Europa?"

"Of course, you can talk about geography, politics, countries, culture, mathematics, etc., don't be too rigid."

Wei Kuanguo was overjoyed.

Sure enough, there is nothing wrong with my fawning these days.

Teaching the emperor's son is something that many people can't ask for. It would be great to raise a pro-Jesuit monarch.

"Please put it down, Your Majesty, I will definitely read it carefully."

Wei Kuanguo hurriedly bowed down, and then added: "I will work hard on the steam engine."

"That's fine."

The emperor nodded with satisfaction.

He is naturally extremely serious about the education of the prince.

In the early Qing Dynasty, the princes of Kangxi were exceptionally outstanding. Take Lao Jiu as an example, he was proficient in three languages. When Jiulong seized the throne, he even used Latin and Chinese as secret letters to deliver messages.

Of course, this is also because Kangxi was rescued by missionaries many times, and he was naturally close to the West. Later, when Nan Huairen taught mathematics, his Chinese was not good, and his Chinese was difficult to understand. He even invented "yuan", "ci", "Root" is synonymous.

With his demonstration, the princes will naturally have a lot of access to Western culture.

Zhu Yixi thought that his sons would be entrusted to various places in the future, and they would learn more about the West, mathematics, geography, etc., so that they could govern the country in the future.

Broadening your horizons is essential.

In the afternoon, Ivanov came to the royal garden - Yuquan Villa.

The eunuch led the way, and he followed behind, looking down at the ground, not daring to look around.

Even so, with his peripheral vision, he was still able to see the wealth of the Ming Emperor.

Huge palace complexes, splendid buildings, countless attendants, the crude Russian imperial palace simply cannot be compared with it.

Similarly, the Dutch ambassador José, who was following behind, was also able to meet the emperor through the identity of an interpreter.

Came to an attic, Tingtao Pavilion.

The waterfall is flying, the spring water is ding-dong, the emperor sits in front of the cliff, the mist fills the air, and the whole person presents a detached posture.

The two were intimidated.

"Your Majesty, the envoys of the Raksha Kingdom and the interpreter have all been brought here."

"Let them in."

Soon, the two met the emperor.

With a thin white face, bright eyes, and a black robe, it shows that he is in a leisurely time.

"Foreign envoy Ivanov, to greet His Majesty the Emperor of Ming—"

Both of them knelt down, one in French and one in Chinese.

"Get up."

The emperor glanced at Jose, although he didn't know what the Dutchman's intentions were, but in the face of absolute strength, everything was nothing.

With the construction of the three major naval divisions, Daming's water strength in the east has reached its peak, occupying absolute dominance.

For example, the tonnage of the Western-style Galen ship has reached [-] materials (approximately [-] tons), and it has become the absolute main force after being transformed by the East and integrating Chinese and Western styles.

Each of the three major navy has two ships.

As for the middle force, there are thousands of ships and two thousand ships, the number of which exceeds a hundred, ranking first in Asia.

Even if the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and all the ships of the three countries in East Asia are added together, they cannot compare with the Ming army.

Now as long as the drills are mature, you are not afraid of sea battles, but what you are afraid of is how to occupy.

"Your Majesty, our king knows that there is a huge empire in the far east, so he sent me to greet you and bring gifts."

Zhu Yixi looked at the gift list and just nodded slightly.

Mink, mink, what the hell is mink.

All of them are Siberian specialties, what about Russian native gold?

Having said that, these cartloads of mink are worth a fortune.

It is conservatively estimated that two to 30,000 yuan is unavoidable.

"The Grand Duke of Moscow has a heart."

As soon as Jose translated, Ivanov blushed immediately.

Without him, Russia at this time claimed to inherit the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire and the title of Caesar. It was no longer the Grand Duke of Moscow, but the Emperor of Russia.

The "sand" in the word "tsar" comes from the translation of Caesar in Latin, which means "big emperor".
The Grand Duke of Moscow is a humiliating country title for Russia. This is the period of the Golden Horde.

Obviously, the emperor knowingly committed the crime, showing that he knew Russia's history like the back of his hand, and it was impossible to fool him.

"Your Majesty, the Tsar knows that your country wants to take down the Oirat Mongolia and also wants to eliminate the Tungus, so I would like to wish you a helping hand—"

With a serious look on his face, Ivanov started to talk about business.

Jose, who was translating at the side, was full of confusion. Whether it was Oirat Mongolian or Tungusic, he didn't know where it was.

The emperor understood in an instant.

The old man is thinking about Central Asia!

No, I heard that Da Bobo is galloping in Eastern Europe. If this kid doesn't go to fight Poland, why does he still want to expand in Central Asia? How can he have spare energy?

As for the Tungus people, after some inquiries, Zhu Yixi learned that they were Mongolians with braids in Lake Baikal, and he suddenly realized:
"It turns out that this guy Shunzhi ran to Lake Baikal."

"It seems that the Russians have expanded their power to Lake Baikal at this time, but the momentum was broken by the Qing Dynasty, and they were even bullied, so they had to pull their allies to take revenge."

Thinking of this, Zhu Yixi suddenly felt a surge of enthusiasm, wanting to go north with cavalry to occupy the huge Lake Baikal.

This is the largest lake in Eurasia!
How many people looked at the map and shed tears?

Unfortunately, it's too far away.

The three tribes of Mobei Mongolia are only superficially obedient at this time. The army passes through their territory, and both sides are worried, and conflicts may arise at any time.

Even if it is occupied, it will not be able to hold it. It is better to let the Manchus occupy it and Sinicize the farming.

As for Central Asia, he was really blindfolded.

He couldn't understand the awkward place names, and he didn't know about it. Regarding the relationship between Oirat Mongolia and Russia, he only knew that a Turghut tribe returned to the east during the Qianlong period, which made people excited.

"What's wrong with you, Oirat IV?"

the emperor asked curiously.

Ivanov gritted his teeth and said, "They broke the city, captured the Russian people, destroyed the cultivated land, and robbed the cattle and sheep. They are simply the sinners of civilization and the embodiment of barbarism."

"Only by eliminating these Mongolians can the civilized world develop."

Hearing these words, there was no content at all, and they were all complaints, Zhu Yixi was disappointed.

At this time, he is still guarding against me, the old man is still careful.

The emperor was noncommittal, and said indifferently: "The situation in Central Asia is unpredictable. Oirat Mongolia has always been submissive to the court. I can't listen to your one-sided words and punish them."

"It's against the rules and it doesn't make sense."

"As for the remnants of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, they are thousands of miles away, and there is a Khalkha Mongolia in the middle, so it is impossible to crusade at all."

In this regard, Ivanov was stupid.

He co-authored and ran all the way to the east, but did not meet any conditions.

Isn't that hard work for nothing?
As he spoke, he looked sincerely at Jose who was at the side.

Jose said in a low voice: "As far as I know, Central Asia is extremely far away from Beijing. Even with the most powerful war horse, it takes half a month."

"You want someone to send troops with empty teeth, who is willing?"

Ivanov suddenly realized that this is indeed the case.

The remnants of Tunguska are too far away, and they still have to pass through the territory of Mongolia, so there is no way to crusade at all.

Therefore, these two requirements are not in line with reality at all.

Seeing this, he could only lower his head and think hard.

Suddenly, he realized that he seemed to have a third mission this time, by the way, trade.

Ivanov raised his head and said respectfully, "Dear Ming Emperor, our country wants to have an embassy in Beijing just like the Dutch and Spaniards."

"In addition, please allow our country to conduct business and trade with your country."

"Yes." The emperor was very polite: "For the embassy, ​​you can be neighbors with the Dutch. As for trade, can your country have ships?"

"This..." Ivanov didn't know that this was a temptation, and shook his head, "Our country can only reach the north of your country through Siberia and Mongolia."

"Although the distance is long, the time is less than taking a boat."

It seems that it has not yet reached Heilongjiang.

Zhu Yixi's heart skipped a beat, this is a good thing.

For Nurgan Dusi, without the competition from the Russians, the vast territory would belong to Ming.

In addition, if the Manchu Qing blocked Lake Baikal, then the Horqin Grassland and the Hulunbeier area would also be their territory.

When the Russians want to move eastward, it will not be as easy as in history.

"That's right, Man Qing is making use of his residual heat, and it's still worth a bit!"

(End of this chapter)