I'm really not doing business

Chapter 408 People are people, I am who I am

"The wisdom of the distinguished guest is as bright as the stars in the sky, but this time, the distinguished guest may lose." Sauron did not doubt Antonio's choice at all.

If Antonio was smart, he shouldn't have met Sauron. As Felipe II's secretary and envoy, what kind words could Sauron have?

Sauron was sure that Antonio would hand over Xu Fan. If he handed over Xu Fan, he would get too much.

During Xu Fan's friendly visit, Antonio was recognized by France and England.

Now that he has been recognized by the Holy See and Spain, Antonio is the de facto king.

"I think I will definitely win this time." Xu Fan leaned on the Grand Master's chair, looked at Sauron and said with great conviction: "Your Highness is very easy to get angry, and he is also prone to making embarrassing decisions impulsively. During the war, he even likes to rush to the front. All his actions are destined to be his upper limit. He is just a captain and cannot be a king."

"But Sauron, don't forget that His Highness is recognized by most civilians."

"When His Highness traveled across the ocean and arrived in the Ming Dynasty, in order to seek His Majesty's favor and favor, the gift he gave to the Emperor was a bunch of crops. In the East, this is called following one's own preferences. His Highness Antonio has never forgotten that he position."

"My father's painful lesson taught me that in life, there may seem to be many choices, but in fact, there is only one way to go."

Every choice at a fork in the road of life carries sunk costs. These sunk costs form a huge inertia, carrying people forward.

Xu Jie seemed to have countless ways to survive in the Ming Dynasty, but Xu Jie could only walk one way to the end, and then died on this road. There seemed to be many escape routes, but behind him was a cliff.

The same goes for everyone, including His Majesty.

Of course, Xu Jie could choose to surrender to the emperor. Back then, he could become an auxiliary minister with Qing Ci. Today, Xu Jie can still flatter the emperor and survive. But after Xu Jie surrenders, those powerful and powerful people will never let him go. Xu Jie, who was once a help, will only become an enemy.

From the moment Antonio accepted His Majesty's investment, no matter how many times he had doubts, the outcome was actually destined.

"Okay, let's wait and see, it only takes seven days." Sauron agreed to the bet. Even if he loses, he will not keep his promise. He will still poach corners unswervingly. Continue to drive a wedge between Xu Fan and Antonio.

Rather than trusting in a promise, I would rather trust that my wife is faithful. This is an old Thai proverb.

Seven days was not a long time, and Xu Fan was very busy. He met with lords from various places, including colonial lords. These lords expressed their sincere welcome to Antonio on the throne and hoped that Antonio could improve the relationship with the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty and the Governor-General's Palace of Goa are located in the Strait of Malacca. Physically, the relationship between Portugal and the Ming Dynasty has entered a historical freezing point.

The seven days were up, and Antonio did not give Sauron any answer.

Antonio chose to escape. He didn't know how to make the right choice. This matter also involved Xu Fan himself, and Antonio couldn't consult the consultant's opinion. After some weighing, Antonio chose to avoid talking about it. A grand cocktail party was held in the palace, and they indulged in wine and sex all day long.

It's such a complicated choice, but I can't figure it out. It's better to have fun and exchange life with those noble ladies.

Xu Fan really couldn't stand the mistress culture in Taixi. With the beginning of the Renaissance movement two hundred years ago, the morals and customs of Taixi were released from the extremely repressive religious culture, and the mistress culture was almost dissolute. It really left Xu Fan, a traditional scholar-bureaucrat educated in Eastern conservative culture, at a loss as to what to do.

It's normal for everyone to swap concubines for fun. Xu Fan is not a stubborn man, nor is he a moral defender, but the fact that the main wife can also swap for fun is really beyond what Xu Fan can accept.

"Although it is said that the sea is tolerant, I really can't accept it. At this cocktail party, the mistresses of the nobles, their clothes, jewelry, and even pomp, overshadowed all other women, including the head wives, competing for beauty, It’s so messy that it’s so confusing.” Xu Fan smelled of alcohol, and when he returned to the Chinese Hall, he complained to Sauron.

Soran shook his head and said: "It's actually nothing, just get used to it. Just now, there are rumors about the affair between the captain and the duchess, but they are just scandals. Portugal and Spain belong to the Catholic countries and will not be made public. To admit the existence of mistresses is not like romantic France or wealthy England."

"François, the King of France with a big nose, had a mistress named Frances de Foy. This mistress was named the chief mistress, and the husband of the chief mistress, Count Jean of Chateaubriand, was very fond of his wife. I don’t feel any shame in becoming the king’s canonized mistress, I feel it is an honor.”

"This Count Jean of Chateaubriand, because his wife was the king's mistress, obtained the position of Governor of Brittany and received huge benefits. Later, many nobles in France tried their best to make themselves The wife became the mistress of the king, and even became a kind of showing off capital."

"Just like what distinguished guests would see at a cocktail party."

Sauron is a priest who has a very firm belief and is very dissatisfied with this trend. Many children of noble ladies have no idea who their father is. He said that Romantic France is a mockery.

Sauron and Felipe II discussed this issue. Sauron believed that it was caused by incomplete moral construction after the influx of large amounts of wealth. However, the tyrant Felipe did not think so. He felt that this bad culture would continue forever. The continuation of the money-worship culture brought about by the influx of large amounts of wealth has only catalyzed the spread of this phenomenon.

"You can ignore the distinguished guests if they don't adapt to this culture. In their eyes, there is not much difference between the distinguished guests and the fanatics. They can understand the moral restraints you place on yourself." Sauron provided Xu Fan with a A solution to create a persona of a fanatical believer, and then it is logical to abide by the ethics and teachings.

As the Minister of State, Xu Fan will inevitably participate in this kind of cocktail party and cannot avoid it. However, if there are some things that he cannot accept, he can choose to create a character to solve them.

In the past seven days, Sauron has studied the requirements of the Ming Dynasty Rites for personal cultivation, which are somewhat similar to the requirements of the doctrine. Creatures like fanatic believers, especially those in high positions, have long been extinct in the West.

"It seems I won." Xu Fan said about the previous bet.

"Antonio is a coward! He is escaping!" Soren rubbed his brows in pain, this Antonio actually evaded.

"That's why I won, even though your promise is worthless." Xu Fan smiled broadly.

"Dear guest, my king has some questions. The feudal system in Taixi has come to an end. This is a reality before us, but why has it come to an end?" Sauron talked about his doubts.

Felipe's feudal system was completely different from that of the Ming Dynasty, but why did it come to an end? Felipe didn't understand the root cause, and neither did Felipe's think tank.

"This question is not complicated. If you know the Ming Dynasty, you can answer it in only six words: Abandon the well fields and open up the streets." Xu Fan has already thought about this question.

"I don't know what that is." Sauron rubbed his hands. Even though he had studied many Ming classics, it was really difficult to understand what those words were like heavenly books without translations from Ming people. mean.

This is not because Sauron is stupid. In fact, classical Chinese is the same for many Ming people. It is difficult to understand, especially articles without punctuation.

Xu Fan sat up straight and said: "Let me explain these six words more simply and clearly. The emergence and large-scale application of iron tools have brought about the rapid growth of arable acres, and at the same time, agricultural production and output have been greatly improved. Improvement, six hundred years ago, intensive farming gradually appeared on the land of the Ming Dynasty, and the efficiency of production was further improved."

"The increase in the number of acres and output will inevitably lead to an increase in population, and an increase in population will inevitably lead to agglomeration of the population. Just like in the West now, after the influx of a large amount of wealth, the population multiplied rapidly, and many cities with hundreds of thousands of people gathered appeared. , but the corresponding management did not develop along with the population, which ultimately led to every city being stinky."

Sauron seemed to have cleared the clouds and seen the sky. Many doubts that had troubled him for a long time were answered in these simple sentences. He said helplessly: "You have not solved my doubts. Of course, Maybe I'm too stupid."

Xu Fan felt that what he said was very clear, but Sauron still didn't understand, so he had to continue: "With the increase in population concentration, the communication cost within the gathering place and between gathering places will increase. Straight up, you use your local slang and I use mine, if you open your mouth to speak, you will not be able to communicate."

"Those aristocratic students traveled around during the great travel activities in Europe and the West, and almost everyone's Latin was extremely fluent."

"Driven by the original desire to reduce communication costs and transaction costs, it is inevitable that cars will travel on the same track, books will share the same text, and the population will increase and gather in large numbers. Everyone's consensus will gradually converge. The biggest problem with the enfeoffment system is the institutional framework. on blocking this consensus."

"Do you understand it?"

Sauron closed his eyes in pain, shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, wise man, I didn't understand. The distinguished guest's words are very simple and easy to understand, but I still don't fully understand."

Xu Fan scratched his head, and Sauron became increasingly embarrassed. The Chinese Hall of the Portuguese Palace was too quiet.

"I think if you want to understand this problem, you need to start from the beginning. Then, let's understand one thing, that is, people are people." Xu Fan put forward a very pertinent suggestion, which made Sauron even more Became confused.

Xu Fan asked with great certainty: "Yes, that's the question. Let me ask you, in the relationship between man and God, should you advocate man or God first?"

"Of course he is God." As a priest with firm faith, Sauron answered this question without hesitation, and then he suddenly realized where the problem was.

In the doctrine, everything is God's grace, and social development is also God's mercy.

But in Xu Fan's answer, it is obvious that the development of the world is defined as people's own merit. For such a bold statement, Xu Fan in Lisbon will be burned at the stake.

"The Analects of Confucius·Shuer": Zi Buyu's strange power confuses the gods.

"The Analects of Confucius·Advanced": Ji Lu asked about ghosts and gods. Confucius said: "If you cannot serve people, how can you serve ghosts?" '

"The Analects of Confucius·Yongye": The meaning of serving the people, respecting gods and ghosts and keeping away from them, can be said to be known.

This is the Confucian attitude towards gods. It is not said or discussed. On the issue of ancestors or ghosts and gods, the Master said: Put people first, satisfy people first, and then satisfy ghosts and gods. The essence of serving the people is to respect gods and ghosts, but Staying away from gods and ghosts is wisdom.

This is not the view of one Confucian family, but the common view of hundreds of schools of thought.

For example, "Zhuangzi: The Theory of Equality of Things" says: Outside the Liuhe, the sage exists and does not care; that is, the things outside the heaven and the earth, the sages in the world know but do not talk about it; for example, "Mozi: Tianzhi" says: I have the will of heaven, for example, if The wheel maker has rules, and the craftsman has his own rules. The wheelwright follows his rules to measure the circumference of the world. The Mohists define gods and ghosts as heaven's will, and heaven's will is like the compass in the hand of the wheel hub maker, or the ruler in the carpenter's hand. It's a tool.

Put people before ghosts and gods, respect ghosts and gods and keep them at a distance.

The common understanding of hundreds of schools of thought in the pre-Qin period is that there is no theoretical in-depth study of the issue of God. Human beings are in charge of human affairs, and people's choices and development are in the hands of human beings, not the so-called mercy of gods. "People are people." Xu Fan stated a fact that is a matter of course. He asked with a smile: "If the decision of the human king conflicts with the teachings, what will Felipe II do? Follow the teachings or follow your own Where is your heart?"

"Of course we follow the teachings." Sauron paused for a moment and whispered.

Xu Fan stretched and said, "That's not what we do there. What we do there is: control the destiny and use it."

“If you want to know more about it, you can read the direct interpretation of the Four Books translated by Legaz, even though it is very difficult to understand.”

Xu Fan played a trick here. The Direct Interpretation of the Four Books is for enlightenment. It is for children. It is like Zhang Juzheng giving a banquet and explaining the Direct Interpretation of the Four Books. Everyone can see it, but the real art of the emperor is actually It is "Xunzi", Xunzi, the theory of emperors and ethics. Zhang Juzheng also talked about Xunzi secretly.

Xunzi was expelled from Confucianism because he was a disgraceful Confucian, so talking about Xunzi cannot be done in public.

Antonio was drunk and slept in the garden with the duchess. After Xu Fan learned the news, he had the garden sealed off to prevent scandals that were not good for the king from spreading. Antonio was indeed not suitable to be the king. He even chose Without the courage, neither willing to give up Xu Fan, nor willing to completely offend the tyrant and the Holy See, Antonio chose to escape.

Sword Master Marcus and Xu Fan handed over the affairs of the large sailing ship heading to the Ming Dynasty.

There were seven galleons in total heading to the Ming Dynasty, all of which were five-masted ocean-going ships. The tyrant Felipe II once again squeezed the colonies and planned to return the debt owed to the emperor.

The goods carried on ships departing from the West mainly include: salt, cloth, rum, firearms, and gunpowder. The tyrant Felipe II owned the world's largest saltpeter mine in Chile, with more saltpeter mines than the Mughal Kingdom. .

These goods would be exchanged for gold, copper, sugar cubes, saltpeter, amalgam, and the most important goods - slaves in the New World.

Slaves would be sold in Mindanao and Luzon in exchange for grain and other goods from Wanli Seawall, and sent to the Ming Dynasty, where they would obtain needed silk, tea, porcelain and other items.

Part of the firearms and gunpowder will be traded in the Free City. In addition to being exchanged for cheap black fans, they are also exchanged for higher-value women from the West, such as red-haired fans and golden-haired fans. The destination of these women is not the New World, but Songjiang Prefecture of the Ming Dynasty.

Every transaction will increase the value of the goods several times. A large amount of gold, silver, copper, saltpeter, and grain poured into the Ming Dynasty, while silk, porcelain, and tea poured into the New World and Europe. Behind the prosperity of the great maritime trade was the death at the bottom of the cabin. slave.

The galleon trade has been going on for the eighth year. Neither Antonio nor Felipe can give up the huge benefits brought by this route. Even though they are already in a state of military hostility at this time, for the galleon trade, Both parties reached a consensus on cooperation.

Cooperation in struggle and struggle in cooperation are in line with the first theorem of the theory of contradiction. Contradictions are ubiquitous and everything never exists in complete opposition.

The Governor-General of Luzon in the Ming Dynasty ushered in a great happy event. The Governor, the Marquis of Sishui, whose surname was Zhengmao, used some method to convince those old-fashioned die-hards to marry the princess back to Luzon instead of marrying her to Luzon. The second son stayed in the Ming Dynasty and became the Prince Consort.

This made everyone in Luzon rejoice. The carnival lasted for three days and still did not end. The wine shops that sold wine had to put up signs of closing down. They were really out of stock. In three days, they sold half a year's sales.

This kind of joy is based on a basic fact. In the next few decades, the political structure of Luzon will be very stable. This stability is a normal state for the Ming Dynasty, but it is long-lost luck for Luzon. .

This means that in the next few decades, Luzon will be protected by the Ming Navy and will not have to worry about Japanese pirates, pirates, red-haired bandits and desperadoes; Luzon can trade with the Ming Dynasty and enjoy a good business environment Stability means smooth trade, and there is no need to worry about local development; Luzon can receive continuous talent export from the Ming Dynasty. Compared with the local people in Luzon, the candidates from the mainland are just like high-end talents;

In some places, peace and stability are so common that they are as common as rice, flour, oil and food.

In some places, peace and stability are very rare, so rare that they are as rare as rice, flour, oil and food.

Peace and stability are never gifts from God, nor do they come out of thin air.

Apart from this major event in Luzon, the biggest thing is the country of Thousand Islands. The exploration of the Yuanxu Islands is in full swing. The first person to go is not the navy or the stargazing ship, but the Zheshe from Nanya. The family's fleet and their servants conquered the villages one by one and delineated the land. Countless information was gathered in Manila, Luzon and then sent to the Ming Dynasty.

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty promised to open up a sufficient number of acres of land overseas and give rewards for the development, and the Yuanxu Islands were the promised land given to Zheshe households by His Majesty. Stimulated by the rewards for opening up, the development speed of the Yuanxu Islands increased. It completely exceeded everyone's expectations.

In order to prevent the emergence of pirate dens, the Daming Navy began regular patrols.

On the second day of May in the eighth year of Wanli, Emperor Zhu Yijun of the Ming Dynasty once again came to Wuying Tower in Beidaying and began the daily parade of military horses. Xiong Tingbi also formally worshiped Qi Jiguang as his martial arts teacher and learned the use of long and short weapons, firearms and the art of war.

"When I opened my tendon, I was in so much pain. If it weren't for my stubbornness, Tishuai Zhu Xixiao wouldn't have dared to open my tendon. Why is it so easy when Xiong is so big?" Zhu Yijun looked at Xiong Tingbi's training. After all the suffering he had suffered, Xiong The newcomers with big muscles and round waists don’t have to suffer this crime! This is simply unreasonable.

"Brother, talent is something I can't envy. His arms are more than four inches wider than mine." Zhu Yili stared, indignant. Xiong Tingbi stretched his muscles. It's as easy as eating and drinking, but he can only envy him. .

Zhu Yili couldn't beat Xiong Tingbi. Since he became Qi Jiguang's direct descendant, Xiong Tingbi's force value has soared at a speed that ordinary people can't understand.

Two brothers, Zhu Yijun and Zhu Yiliu, when they first squatted on horseback, they started crying for father and mother within a quarter of an hour at most. Their faces turned pale in pain. They needed to persist and persist. Zhu Yijun's achievements in martial arts today are really due to perseverance. Yes, when Qi Shuai saw His Majesty practicing martial arts for the first time, he was shocked by Ti Shuai Zhu Xixiao's audacity!

Xiong Tingbi only had to adapt to the stance for a few days before he was able to complete half an hour of training every day. Because the emperor gave special training funds and received a large amount of meat, egg and milk supplements, his physical fitness increased at a jaw-dropping rate.

Thirteen-year-old Xiong Tingbi, armed with nearly thirty kilograms of long and short weapons, cannons and other weapons, could run ten miles in two quarters of an hour.

Thirteen years old, thirty kilograms, two quarters of an hour, ten miles of land, Zhu Yijun really can't do these numbers at this age, let alone Zhu Yiliu.

Xiong Tingbi knew that His Majesty, Taifu, Qi Shuai, and King Lu were all watching him. After the warm-up, he performed a Qi family sword technique. This was the name of Zhu Yi Junding, whose real name was Xinyou sword technique.

Xiong Tingbi holds the knife in his left hand with the tip facing up. After taking a breath, he takes the knife in his right hand, lunges with his right foot, holds the knife in both hands and raises it above his head. This action is to receive the move and use it against the cavalry, and then the upper left The sword is powerful and heavy, and even cuts through the wind. After Li Lao, he kills with a T-shaped blow.

Kaka!

The two wooden stakes representing the horse's legs and head were broken immediately. Xiong Tingbi didn't stop at all. He immediately took a step forward to the right and bayoneted. The cold light flashed and the knife penetrated a human-shaped target made of straw. The blade came out from the back. Inside the human-shaped target was a three-finger-thick wooden board, which was directly penetrated. After bursts of sword light, Xiong Tingbi held four knives and immediately stepped forward to pick the knife.

Xiong Tingbi fully fulfilled the requirements of the sword technique. He urged the sword with his body and turned the sword with him.

After a round of sword fighting, Xiong Tingbi was already sweating. It seemed that he was just playing a routine, and he could do it if he had good hands, but it was already very rare to be able to achieve Xiong Tingbi's level.

"When I heard in Jing Zhong Jing, it was said that Yue Fei's son Yue Yun went to the battlefield at the age of twelve. I didn't believe it at first, but now when I watch Xiong Tingbi train, he already looks like a tiger in full swing, and he is already as strong as a sharp soldier." Zhu Yijun He spoke highly of Xiong Tingbi's sword skills.

"Your Majesty is also a capable soldier at this age." Qi Jiguang said immediately. This is not flattery, it is indeed a fact.

Your Majesty has never been the kind of martial arts genius that God feeds you, and as a born nobleman, you don't have to make things difficult for yourself, but your Majesty did it, and it has been tested in actual combat in the Xishan attack.

"Qi Shuai taught me well." Zhu Yijun was not arrogant, but turned his eyes and looked at Zhu Yiliu and said: "Prince Lu, you go and spar with Xiong Da. Prince Lu was beaten by me before. After some sparring with Xiong Da, I call it "consolidation practice."

"Me? Fight him?!" Zhu Yixuan swallowed his throat and said, "Brother, I have a stomachache!"

After Zhu Yili finished speaking, he ran away in a flash. In the past, Xiong Tingbi had no professional training and relied entirely on his natural power. Zhu Yili could still beat him. Now, he can still beat him, but that would require Xiong Tingbi to let go of Tonghui River. Water will do, but this will greatly affect Xiong Tingbi’s progress.

"General Li, what do you think of Xiong Tingbi?" Zhu Yijun looked at Li Rusong. Ma Fang was old and went to the martial arts school to retire. Now Li Rusong has changed from a staff general to one of the deputy generals, mainly responsible for the cavalry battalion. .

Li Rusong immediately said: "Your Majesty, why don't you go directly to the military camp? You will definitely become a strong general in the future. What books should you study and what fame should you take? Wouldn't it be nice to be made a marquis immediately?"

Li Rusong has always looked down on civilian officials. He has always been like this. He is really tired of the Ming Dynasty's culture of promoting civility and military affairs and using culture to control military affairs.

Zhu Yijun initially thought that this was a sign of Li Rusong's maturity, and he was just expressing a basic political stance through his dislike of civil servants. As a military attache, he had a good relationship with civil servants and could easily make the emperor jealous.

But soon, Zhu Yijun discovered that Li Rusong really looked down on humble Confucians.

For example, when Tan Lun, Zeng Xingwu, Yin Zhengmao, and Ling Yunyi came to the military camp, Li Rusong was really very polite.

"Merits and honors still have to be tested." Zhang Juzheng replied quite calmly. Zhang Juzheng had accepted so many disciples in his life, but none of them made him worry. Xiong Tingbi was his close disciple, who was obedient and loved to learn.

Your Majesty has great perseverance, but people will always get tired. Zhang Juzheng is also worried about His Majesty's difficulty in overcoming the end. If His Majesty starts to slack off at the age of forty, Xiong Tingbi will be able to use it. This is a guarantee left by Zhang Juzheng to the emperor. .

Qi Jiguang said with some worry: "Xiong Tingbi's temperament is still too upright and can easily offend others."

Xiong Tingbi's style of play is that he doesn't care about his life. In order to win, he will even trade injuries for injuries. With this kind of upright temperament, the future road will not be smooth.

"Xiong Da! Let's go to the riding camp!" Zhu Yijun saw Xiong Tingbi finish his sparring and called Xiong Tingbi to the riding camp.

The war horses sent by the Mughal Kingdom are all high-quality war horses. Now more than 10,000 war horses can be provided for the use of the Ming Dynasty every year. Three cavalry battalions have been established and have initially formed combat effectiveness.

Zhang Juzheng has many things to do, and this time he came to the capital camp solely to review the results of the cavalry camp.

The formation of the cavalry camp is the most important link in the Ming Dynasty Zhenwu. The historical issue of Beilu must be solved while he is alive. If we want to find a window period for Zhenwu to solve Beilu, we don't know how long we have to wait. Year, I wonder if Ming Dynasty can wait until that day.

　Today’s joke: King Lu asked the emperor: Brother, can you beat Li Rusong? The emperor replied: "I can't beat him." King Lu asked again: Why does my brother win every time? The emperor thought for a while and asked: What is east of Shandong? King Lu replied: East China Sea. The emperor smiled and said: No, that is the water released by Li Rusong. Please give me a monthly ticket, wow! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

　　

　

(End of this chapter)