I'm really not doing business

Chapter 426: Word Therapy in the House of Wise Men
Xu Jiugao originally planned to die. Liu Ji, as a desperado, did not have many shortcomings except for his love of robbery. An experienced captain could bring the fleet back to the Ming Dynasty, and he clearly felt the passage of his life force at sea. , he was already on his deathbed, and suddenly he heard the words of someone trying to pry his head off.

I sat up in shock when I was dying, I found myself in the Jiecu courtyard!
Xu Jiugao is alive. He has a strong desire to live. No matter what, he cannot die in Taixi, his body cannot be separated, and at least his head cannot be pried open!

Xu Jiugao lives in the House of Wise Man in the Free City. It is located near the equator, the sun is shining brightly, and there are not a few people coming and going.

Within the scope of the House of Wise Men, Xu Jiugao and others did not receive any harsh criticism. Local pirates often turned to the House of Wise Men for help. For some difficult questions, they went to the House of Wise Men for advice. It was better than going to the church to pray, because there were people in the House of Wise Men. respond.

Going to church to pray will only sell you indulgences, but seeking help from the House of Wise Men will get you some answers. After Xu Fan left, the consulting business of the House of Wise Men did not close down, but became more and more prosperous, and even opened In many stores, Xu Fan's servants, these losers, acted as wise men.

After Xu Jiugao recovered from his illness, he assumed the role of a wise man for several days and solved some of the pirates' doubts, making the House of Wisdom even more famous. The pirates all said: The priests in the House of Wisdom can communicate with the God of Wisdom. Any doubts can be answered.

Xu Jiugao liked this wise man's role-playing game very much, because he keenly realized that this could be an excellent platform for intelligence gathering. Soon, Xu Jiugao completely understood the operating logic of the House of Wise Man.

In fact, solving doubts is not solving doubts at all. Xu Fan just used a set of words.

Everyone seeks the answer from the wise man, but in fact, before everyone comes to the house of the wise man, he has already made a certain choice in his heart. All he needs is support for the idea deep in his heart.

Therefore, a set of words to guide the other party to express their true thoughts and give affirmation emerged.

This poured cold water on Felipe II and completely calmed down.

Antonio shook his head and said: "The special envoy's understanding of the situation is slightly behind. After a while, Spain's military god, the Marquis of Santa Cruz, will come to Lisbon in person for peace talks."

But to everyone's surprise, Felipe withdrew his troops at this critical time.

While the ground war was going on, both Felipe and Duke Fernando were thinking about a terrible question, that is, where did Antonio's navy go? You must know that all of Antonio's strength lies in the navy. They soon learned that Antonio's The Navy is stealing homes.

Xu Jiugao and Liu Ji's eyes widened. Xu Jiugao said in disbelief: "Let's just get together. Are they still planning to have a son?!"

Xu Fan leaned back in his chair and said: "So those ladies are keen on socializing and do not take any measures to prevent accidents, because what they pursue is probably accidents."

"I don't know much about the situation. I hope this military god is really here for peace talks." Xu Jiugao was still worried. Was this military god really coming for peace talks or launching an attack in the name of peace talks? Xu Jiugao's worries were also Xu Fan's worries, but Xu Fan felt the need to talk about it because it was a risk.

The situation in France is in a mess, and Xu Fan was extremely surprised by the Queen Mother's critical moment support. The Duchess seems to be obsessed with Antonio. At least for now, this choice is not too bad.

Antonio's wisdom may not be enough for him to serve as king against Felipe, but he has never changed, and there is always a commoner in his eyes.

Felipe did not want to use Alvaro, because Alvaro had already achieved great success, but the situation was too critical. Alvaro did not live up to the expectations of the Spaniards, and began to call back the Invincible Fleet, and began a campaign, all Antonio's The five-masted transoceanic ship was completely strangled in the Mediterranean, and then the Free Fleet was completely wiped out.

However, Antonio bought ten more five-masted transoceanic ships in the Ming Dynasty. After this core came back again, it quickly formed combat effectiveness in just one month, or it once again had the ability to harass the Spanish coast.

Xu Jiugao asked with a puzzled look: "If I remember correctly, Antonio and the duchess's grandfather are the same person."

The Free Fleet of the Free City crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and attacked the Spanish mainland. Originally, Felipe planned to take Lisbon in one fell swoop and then order the withdrawal. However, the destructive power of the ten five-masted ocean crossing ships of the Free Fleet was extremely shocking. In just two Within a month, dozens of ports were breached, and they burned, killed, and looted along the way. Even Seville, the trading home of the New World, was breached.

"His Royal Highness, you should consider the military threat of Felipe II." Xu Jiugao found out in the Free City that Antonio's life was not stable during this period, and Antonio spent a period of time hiding in Tibet.

In the Royal Palace of the Portuguese King in Lisbon, Antonio, the Portuguese king, welcomed the Angel of Heaven with a grand welcome ceremony. Of course, Antonio did not comply with the content of the vassal rituals. It was not that Antonio had a disobedient heart, but that Antonio did not know that there were vassal rituals. This kind of thing, as a half-monastic monk of the Ming dynasty, he had no inheritance, and no one told him that such a thing existed.

The Ming Dynasty's envoys did not remind Antonio because Portugal was too far away, so far that the Ming Dynasty could not effectively control the military, economy, politics and culture, so everyone remained silent. Maintaining the status quo was also a kind of political wisdom.

Xu Fan calls this therapy therapy, and the charges are extremely expensive. For example, in the House of the Great Wise Man in the City of Freedom, one communication costs fifty taels of silver, or the equivalent of silver coins, while in the ordinary House of the Wise Man, It costs five silver coins once, which is more expensive than indulgences and more effective.

It is worth noting that there are many Houses of Wise Men in Portugal as well.

The Ming Dynasty was indeed beyond its reach and could not directly interfere with the situation in the West. However, the Ming Emperor's investment in Antonio exceeded Felipe's expectations. The Ming Emperor's punitive tariffs and threats to the New World colonies made Felipe furious, but Somewhat helpless.

For Antonio, the situation immediately became precarious.

Felipe's desire to pursue Portugal would not die, and he still wanted to gather troops to attack Lisbon, but Tessie's galleons returned and the Free Fleet was established again!

"Is that so?" Xu Jiugao frowned.

Antonio didn't stay long, and after a brief chat with Xu Jiugao, he chose to leave. The Minister of State and the Ming Dynasty envoy were from the same hometown, so naturally they had a lot to say.

Xu Fan nodded and said: "Yes, you remember correctly, their grandfather is Manuel I, and Felipe II is the grandson of Manuel I, so this is an infighting within the family."

"Taixi is like this. It's really difficult for you to figure out the blood relationship between the Thai and Western nobles, because they themselves don't know the relationship between them." Chen Dazhuang suppressed a smile. Xu Fan knew that Antonio and the Duchess were having an affair. When they got together, they had the same expression as Xu Jiugao and Liu Ji. Things like Taixi were really messy.

Antonio's return to Lisbon to compete for the throne was an adventure in itself.

Alvaro could have taken the opportunity to go all out and eliminate Antonio, because Antonio had no cards at all. Antonio himself even went to Porto, ready to escape at any time, because the defeat was determined.

No one knows what was discussed. Some people say that Alvaro is worried about the safety of his son Diego de in Ming Dynasty. Some people say that Alvaro launched a palace coup and was defeated by Felipe. Some people say that Felipe After a big quarrel with Alvaro, Felipe asked why he didn't attack Lisbon.

"In this war that lasted for seven months, what surprised me was that Queen Mother Catherine of France sent naval support, as well as the Duchess of Braganza's choice in the city. The Duchess chose to support Antonio, well, just like As you think, the two heirs are living together and planning to have children." Xu Fan and Xu Jiugao came to the Chinese Hall, sat down and talked about the previous war.

Only Felipe and Alvaro knew the content of the discussion, but what finally made the entire Spanish people breathe a sigh of relief was that the king and the general did not have a direct conflict due to this campaign, thus avoiding domestic rupture.

At this time, France was unable to protect itself. Under the dispatch of Queen Mother Catherine, two Galese battleships (three-masted plywood class) appeared in the Tagus River and repelled Felipe's army. The stalemate phase did not last. How long, because Felipe's Armada showed its terrifying power and strangled the French navy, the river was completely emptied, and Lisbon seemed to be within easy reach.

But Alvaro, the god of war, did not continue the attack. He returned to the Spanish Summer Palace, handed over military power, and after talking with Felipe all night, returned to a state of seclusion, just like before.

"Whether it is punitive tariffs or the complete loss of Mindanao, or even the viceroyalties of Mexico and Peru, these are costs that Felipe cannot bear."

Felipe had to once again invite Alvaro de Bazin, Marquis of Santa Cruz, to take charge of the situation.

The Marquis of Alvaro has never been defeated in the West. Just like Qi Jiguang was the military god of the Ming Dynasty, the Marquis of Alvaro is the military god of Spain.

"Thanks to His Majesty the Great Ming Emperor, whose generosity allowed my subjects and I to spend a peaceful time."

Xu Jiugao did not stay in the City of Liberty for more time, but immediately led the fleet to Lisbon after he recovered.

Xu Jiugao glanced at Xu Fan, who smiled and said nothing. What was strange to Xu Jiugao was Antonio's words. It was not an exaggerated thank you, but Antonio actually mentioned civilians at the end.

Antonio said in an extremely exaggerated tone: "After I left the Ming Dynasty, my Chinese level has not declined. This is thanks to the timely communication from the Minister of State. I sincerely thank the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty for his support. The despicable Felipe actually wanted to alienate me." My relationship with His Majesty tried to mold me into a traitor, but Felipe's treacherous plot did not succeed. His Majesty's threats made Felipe afraid to act rashly."

In May of the eighth year of Wanli, Felipe sent his invincible fleet to Lisbon and captured the ancient city of Évora. Duke Fernando defeated Antonio's army on the banks of the Tagus River on the outskirts of Lisbon, threatening the royal city and Lisbon's four enemies. Of the ministers, three chose to surrender to Felipe.

Freedom Fleet: I am so resurrected!
The core of the Free Fleet is the five-masted ocean-going ship. Alvaro knew this very well, so in the process of clearing the Free Fleet, Alvaro eliminated all five-masted ocean-going ships at the cost of reducing the size of the Armada. At least 20% of the time, Alvaro did not pursue the fleeing three-masted and two-masted ships.

"Marriages between close relatives such as Taixi and the pursuit of pure blood and nobility often lead to children who often suffer from madness, premature death, and deformities. For example, the only son of King Henry III of France had a protruding mandible and a huge mandible that was unable to chew food. , the tongue is too big to pronounce accurately.”

"That child was full of tragedy. He was not weaned until he was five years old, could not walk until he was eight years old, could not communicate with others at the age of twelve, and became extremely angry. In the end, the Queen Mother took the child's life with her own hands."

"Many people say that this is the child of the Queen Mother and Henry III, and this is why he is cursed."

"Is that really the case?" Xu Jiugao asked curiously.

Xu Fan shook his head and said: "No, the Queen Mother is sixty-two years old this year. Henry III has been staying at the Duke of Anjou Castle before he became King of France. By the time he became King of France, the Queen Mother was already fifty-five years old. On the contrary, The Queen Mother has been doing her best to ensure that the position of King of France belongs to the French."

"The current King Henry III of France likes male favors, which leads to him having no heirs. France, which belongs to Valois, will have no heirs after the death of the Queen Mother. This is a conspiracy, but the Queen Mother has nothing to do."

"Henry III is so disappointing."

To understand the history of how France changed from Valois France to Bourbon France, it is enough to look at the life of the Queen Mother.

Xu Jiugao obtained Xu Fan's notes. After these notes were brought back to the Ming Dynasty, they could complete the overseas chronicles. It was not an important content, but it could be regarded as a historical record and lesson. "Here is a letter from His Majesty to Special Envoy Xu." Xu Jiugao took out a letter. This was a letter written by His Majesty himself.

Xu Fan picked up the letter and looked at the lacquer first. The intact lacquer meant that the letter had not been opened. He opened the letter and took a look at the monogram to confirm that it was His Majesty's signature and the authenticity of the letter. Xu Fan just started to read the letter.

The monogram is an anti-counterfeiting mark.

Before the Song Dynasty, some people specifically targeted those who had passed the imperial examination. This was called robbing officials and bullying nobles in the Central Plains.

For example, in Journey to the West, Chen Guangrui, Tang Monk's father, was knocked into the river by the boatman Liu Hong when he was on his way to his post. Tang Monk was then put into a wooden basin and drifted with the current, thus starting the main story of Journey to the West.

Journey to the West is naturally a mythical story, but this kind of incident of Li Dai and Tao Zang happens frequently.

During the reign of Renzong in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Monogram Hall appeared. Students who were awarded Jinshi would definitely go to the Monogram Hall to ask for their own monogram. After they became proficient, they would go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to exchange the monogram for the official seal. The monogram is a standard anti-counterfeiting mark. This It's because of the information gap. The heroes don't know the existence of the monogram. As soon as they write an official document, the secret will be exposed.

Zhu Yijun's monogram is not the emperor's name. This is something that needs to be completely avoided, so His Majesty's monogram is Zhu Zhongxing.

Zhu Zhongxing is the will of the empire and the embodiment of the will of Ming Zhongxing.

In the letter, the Ming Emperor bluntly stated that he was Xu Fan's father-killing enemy, and that the emperor personally cut off the head. Regarding the specific process, the Ming Emperor had no hidden intentions. Xu Fan was a smart man, and there was no point in lying. No one but the emperor dared to commit murder in the prison. In the early years of Yongle, it was Emperor Yongle's order that Commander Ti, Jigang, kill Jie Jin.

The letter ended abruptly here, with no more explanations and no tasks, but Xu Fan was very, very glad that His Majesty did not seem to intend to continue the pursuit.

Chen Dazhuang is a direct descendant of Ling Yunyi, an imperial eagle dog and a minion of the emperor who has met the Holy Spirit. It is easier for Chen Dazhuang to kill Xu Fan than to kill a chicken.

This specially sent letter from His Majesty tells Xu Fan that the matter has been settled and there will be no further pursuit. Isn't this a life-saving talisman for Xu Fan?

"The scholars in the south of the Yangtze River are always too greedy." Xu Fan put down the letter and said to Xu Jiugao: "In the 30th year of Hongwu, there was a big case in the North-South Ranking. The scholars in the south of the Yangtze River refused to even give a single Jinshi quota to the north."

"Huh?" Xu Jiugao was stunned for a moment, then relieved. This North-South List case was so famous that there were countless discussions about it, but Xu Fan's understanding of this matter was obviously from a very novel perspective.

"Well, they are always pushing their limits. After Emperor Sui Yang died in Yangzhou, which emperor dared to let the noble families and the ruling class merge? The North and South List case was not the intention of the local noble families to break through their own class and firmly occupy the official elected officials and even the The ruling class of hereditary officials?" Xu Fan said something incomprehensible.

Xu Fan had only heard a little bit about class theory in Thailand and the West, and he analyzed the world of aristocratic families based on class theory.

That is, the class of the aristocratic families in the world from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the demise of the Sui Dynasty. During that period, the aristocratic families completely controlled the elected official class through the nine-rank Zhongzheng system, and then obtained the status of hereditary officials through the resources they controlled.

At that time, the generals and officials in the court were all from famous families. Later, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was eager for quick success and quick gain, and finally died under the joint strangulation of the famous families.

Xu Fan carefully put His Majesty's letters away, and became even more convinced that he would obtain the Portuguese throne, otherwise he would not even be eligible to obtain the Ming Dynasty's imperial edict in the future. He continued: "If you look at the North-South Ranking Case from the perspective of class theory, You will find a terrible fact. The scholars in the south of the Yangtze River hope to completely drive away the scholars in the north through the North-South Ranking Case, thereby gaining control over the selection of officials, and then weaken the power of hereditary officials through the general trend of promoting culture and military affairs. And then become a new aristocratic class."

"They were halfway successful. They weakened the power of hereditary officials through the trend of promoting civil and military affairs. However, they did not fully control the selection of officials because internal strife broke out and everyone wanted it."

When Xu Fan talked about the greed of Jiangnan students, he was not talking about the cause of his father's death. Xu Jie had no way out, and finally died under the emperor's sharp blade. However, the son did not talk about his father's fault. Xu Fan could not say directly that his father Damn it, he tried so hard to persuade me.

"Special Envoy Xu, when do you plan to go to France? I bought some silk from the Ming Dynasty and gave it to the Queen Mother as a gift. The Queen Mother has not given up yet. She is a very fashionable person and plans to save Henry III's alienation from women. , need silk." Xu Fan asked about Xu Jiugao's itinerary.

Queen Mother Catherine is a very fashionable woman. She single-handedly created the romance of Paris. The practice of cinching the waist is very popular in Paris. A woman's waist is only one foot or less. As the old saying goes, a golden gun cannot compete with a thin waist. .

Henry III once liked women, otherwise he would not have a deformed child. And the 62-year-old Catherine prepared more than 70 very beautiful women, intending to awaken Henry III's love for women through fashion, and give birth to a child with deformity. The next healthy child will inherit the throne.

While being fashionable, Queen Mother Catherine was also an extremely violent woman. She once launched a St. Bartholomew's Night. At her daughter's wedding, the Queen Mother brazenly launched a purge against the opposition. Turn the wedding into a bloody wedding.

The night of killing occurred in Paris, and more than 5,000 people died that day. In the end, the night of killing spread from Paris to the countryside, and at least 30,000 people died in the purge.

Considering that there are only 150,000 people in Paris and only 5 million people in France as a whole, 30,000 people died with butcher knives, this ratio is really high.

The Queen Mother had planned that if fashionable methods did not work, she would use violent methods.

Once Henry III gave birth to healthy children, regardless of gender, Henry III himself would be of little use. This may be why Henry III liked men.

"I plan to meet this Spanish military god, and then go to Paris and the Netherlands. The Strait of Gibraltar is controlled by Spain, otherwise you can reach the Ottoman Kingdom directly by sea." Xu Jiugao explained his itinerary. He wanted to explore the Ottoman Kingdom. However, Felipe would not let the Ming envoy get his wish.

If Ming colluded with Osman, Felipe wouldn't even be able to sleep well.

"He will arrive in about three days." Xu Fan nodded, thinking it was okay.

In fact, the combat power of the Marquis of Santa Cruz far exceeded Xu Fan's imagination. Felipe's passive situation was immediately changed after this person appeared. He fought back and forth with the Invincible Fleet, and even The Freedom Fleet, which had the upper hand, was kicked to death by the Marquis of Santa Cruz.

If it weren't for the new backbone five-masted transoceanic ship that Ming Dynasty once again supported, I'm afraid Portugal would already belong to Felipe.

Four days later, the Marquis of Santa Cruz's fleet appeared at the port of Lisbon. Antonio, the Duchess, Marcus, Paulino, Xu Fan, Xu Jiugao, Liu Ji, Chen Dazhuang and others greeted Santa Cruz at the port. Marquis of Si.

The Marquis of Santa Cruz is old. He is slightly stooped and has some hair loss. He only has some hair on his temples. His eyes are sunken and he has a raised white beard under his nose. He took out a pair of glasses, put them on and looked at them. Antonio and the Duchess then shook their heads and said: "I told the king that the Duchess has supported Antonio to be the king from the beginning. The King did not believe it. Now it seems that the Duchess has never supported my king to inherit the throne of Portugal."

The Duchess was one of the heirs. She quit immediately because she had no supporters. Alvaro, who was mature in years, could tell at a glance that Antonio and the Duchess had probably been mixed up for a long time.

"Is this the special envoy from the great eastern country, Portuguese Minister of State Xu Fan?" Alvaro looked at Xu Fan and said with a smile: "I can see ambition in your eyes. Of course, Your Excellency Antonio, too You can think of me as instigating your relationship."

"Sauron is a capable man. He learned something from the Minister of State. After returning to the country, the city is no longer so smelly that it is difficult to enter. Thank you, Mr. Xu Fan, for your careful teaching."

"Actually, Your Excellency Antonio's attitude is not important. What is important is the attitude of the great eastern country. Your Excellency Xu Fan, did Ming Dynasty stretch its hand too long?"

Alvaro doesn't care about Antonio. Felipe can kill such an idiot with three fingers without him taking action. Alvaro cares about strange oriental faces like Xu Fan and Xu Jiugao. Their arrival makes Alvaro extremely afraid. When he gets off the boat, Then he started to attack the Easterners.

In a simple sentence, Antonio was branded as a traitor who led the wolf into the house. The Ming Dynasty interfered too much in the affairs of the West. The Ming Dynasty was beyond his reach and dared to extend his hand so far. However, Alvaro personally led the Armada and chopped off the extended hand!
Helplessly, the hand reached out again.

"If the general were twenty years younger, there would be no chance for the Free Fleet to resurrect." Xu Fan didn't care about Alvaro's attack, because Alvaro came for peace talks. What he couldn't get on the battlefield would not be available on the negotiation table Think about it.

"Your Excellency, is this the Ming captain Xu Jiugao who recently arrived in Liberty City?" Alvaro looked at Xu Jiugao with a helpless expression. The Ming exploration fleet has arrived in Taixi. This is not good news for Taixi. The shipping route, which represented a complete monopoly in the hands of the Spanish royal family, had been opened by the Ming Dynasty.

This means that even without the Western galleons, the Ming Dynasty's five-masted ocean crossing ships can still cross the ocean and reach the Liberty City, allowing the Liberty Fleet to revive.

"Yes, the general's reputation has been heard even in the Ming Dynasty." Xu Jiugao did not mean to underestimate Alvaro. He asked with some confusion: "Actually, it is very strange. How did the general defeat the Free Fleet? The Invincible Fleet before Always at a disadvantage.”

"Old things still have their uses. The Invincible Fleet is too bloated. Everyone has their own ideas. Everyone is afraid of my conquest from land, so they are willing to listen to my orders. In terms of strength, the Invincible Fleet is far stronger than freedom. Fleets and huge empires are bloated and rigid. The Ming Dynasty is no exception, and Spain is no exception." Alvaro waved his hand, completely crushed in terms of strength, but the record was extremely ugly. The reason is that everyone has their own Be careful.

Alvaro is the father of soldiers, the god of war on both land and sea. As long as he lives and leads the army to fight, he is just a rope.

It was deserving of victory, but the bloat and rigidity within the empire resulted in parties with inconsistent interests making different choices, which was ultimately reflected in the performance.

What did Alvaro and Felipe II talk about at the summer palace? Alvaro actually encouraged Felipe II to launch a purge similar to the Blood Wedding, completely controlling the empire in the hands of Felipe II, and then completely annexing Portugal.

And Alvaro will be the first to be purged.

Felipe II did not agree with this overly radical approach. As the overlord of the West, Felipe believed that there was no need to adopt such radical methods for the empire on which the sun never sets.

On the way to the Portuguese palace, a man hurriedly ran to Antonio and whispered: "There is news from Spain that Felipe has taken action. On the day of the Pastoral Festival, Felipe came after cleaning." Nobles participating in the Immigrant Festival."

Felipe didn't want to cleanse Alvaro. The cost of moving him would be too high. The morale of the army would be dispersed. The invincible Grand Phalanx and the Armada would lose confidence in the king, but that didn't mean that Felipe wouldn't take action against others.

"What a ruthless means." Xu Fan said sincerely as he looked at Alvaro arriving in Lisbon.

This old man is going to die of old age.

(End of this chapter)