I'm really not doing business

Chapter 656: The Secret Skill from the Ming Dynasty - Boomerang
The architectural style of the El Escorial Monastery is called "escape from God", and the monastery is also called: "mysterious sanctuary". If Felipe is really a devout believer, why would he escape from God?

Being a third-rank official means being anti-religious. Deep down in his heart, Felipe hides his resistance to religion. This is a struggle for power.

Because part of the power that should have belonged to the king was taken away by the Holy See, just like the Holy Roman Emperor no longer accepted the canonization from the Holy See.

Because of the Vatican, Philip II lost his right to inherit the Holy Roman Empire, which made Philip II even more angry.

The defender of the Vatican and the eradicator of paganism? He was just trying to unite the scattered Spain. Now that there was a new replacement, the Great Light Church, Philip II chose to indulge.

Religion must use the power of religion to fight back.

Galileo was able to find a job with Philip II because he studied medicine at the University of Pisa and was convicted of heresy by the Inquisition for doubting God.

Galileo was just twenty years old this year, but Legashi still saw fatigue in Galileo. The oppression from the Vatican made Galileo less sharp than a young man, and more steady, even a little decadent, which was rarely seen in the generally elderly court officials of the Ming Dynasty.

Li Yashi had met Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu countless times. They were old, but full of fighting spirit.

Galileo seemed a little confused, so he looked more gloomy.

Felipe II looked at Galileo and seemed to see another brave self, a self who dared to resist the Vatican, but Felipe could not do it for various reasons. Felipe remembered that he was first and foremost the King of Spain.

Galileo is just a microcosm, a microcosm of the cruel persecution by the Vatican.

"Your Majesty does not recommend that Your Highness attack the English mainland." Legazpi talked about something that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty repeatedly mentioned in his letters to the state. It was not that he disagreed or did not allow it, but that he did not recommend it. The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not intend to deeply interfere with Felipe's decision-making.

"The Mongols, the Whip of God, once whipped all the countries in the Western Regions and the West during their Western Expedition. But Kublai Khan, the Whip-bearer, sent troops to attack Japan twice. In the East, Japan is roughly equivalent to England, with the same geographical location and moral standards. However, Kublai Khan's two attacks were defeated by the sea wind and waves. It is not a good choice to conquer a country that has existed for hundreds of years. "

"England is not a barbaric country like those in the New World that has not even invented wheels and iron tools. On the contrary, they have extremely fierce competition with us for wool." Li Yashi's attitude was particularly firm.

"The Ming Emperor is reaching too far. This is a conflict between us and England. Does the Ming, which is 40,000 miles away, want to interfere with our military operations? We are not attacking Antonio of Portugal, a vassal of the Ming Emperor." Felipe was very dissatisfied with the Ming Emperor's long-arm jurisdiction.

The Ming emperor reached out to the West, thousands of miles away, and asked Felipe not to attack England. What kind of mentality is this? This is a fatherly addiction!

It’s bad enough that we have the Roman Catholic Church above our heads, but now we also have the Beijing Catholic Church as our father?

Legazpi could see that Felipe did not agree with this suggestion, and immediately said calmly: "No, Your Highness, this is the wise prophet's well-intentioned advice to Your Highness. Of course, Your Highness can choose not to listen, but I suggest that Your Highness carefully consider this well-intentioned advice."

"In fact, the Ming Dynasty is preparing to destroy the Japanese. Yes, it is the same thing that Your Highness is preparing to do. I believe Your Highness has learned from the merchants that the Ming Dynasty navy is in no way inferior to the Invincible Fleet."

Felipe's vanity was satisfied at this moment.

He was aware of the situation of the Ming fleet. The Ming did not deliberately conceal it from Western merchants. Every time a special envoy from the West returned to Spain, he would describe to him in detail how huge and well-equipped the Ming fleet was.

The Ming Dynasty's invincible fleet had six fast sailing ships, including the Youlong and Feiyun, 120 five-masted ocean-going ships, 600 three-masted plywood ships (horse boats), more than 1,000 warships, and nearly 2,000 fighting ships. At the naval review in Tianjin Port, envoys from the West also watched the ceremony. It can be said without exaggeration that the Ming Dynasty navy participating in the naval review could crush the Spanish Invincible Armada.

This is not only a gap in scale, but also a gap in quality. According to the explanation of change by the theory of contradiction, quantitative change leads to qualitative change, and the huge scale supports the excellent equipment of the Ming Dynasty navy.

Even though he knew that what Legazpi said was just nice words, Felipe still benefited from it. Legazpi compared the Ming Navy with the Spanish Armada, but in fact, Felipe knew the gap between the two very well.

The difference between cloud and mud.

"You mean that the fleets of the Luzon Governor's Office and the Old Port Governor's Office are as strong as our Invincible Fleet." Felipe said with a smile. The Luzon Governor's Office and the Old Port Governor's Office were detachments, but even if they were detachments, their combat effectiveness was so strong that the Spanish army could not even dream of it.

Legashi smiled. There was a fast sailing ship deployed in Luzon and Old Port respectively. With just one fast sailing ship and sufficient ammunition, the entire Invincible Fleet could be destroyed.

The fully paid Ming army is really difficult to defeat.

"The Ming Dynasty has such a powerful navy. When it comes to destroying Japan, the emperor, court secretaries, and ministers of state all believe that it is safer to take the land route. They plan to start from Korea, so they only need to use Tsushima Island as a springboard to cross the sea, and there is no need to worry too much about the impact of waves and strong winds." Li Yashi took out a pen and paper and simply drew the geographical locations of Japan, Korea, and the Ming Dynasty.

"The Ming Emperor is very brave, but he seems too cautious in this matter." Felipe criticized the Ming Emperor's strategic timidity.

The Ming Emperor was so cautious about the small country of Japan that he actually wanted to destroy Japan by land instead of by sea, even though there was clearly another route.

"After Kublai Khan failed to conquer Japan twice, he stopped his expansion because the cost of defeat was so high that even the emperor of the Central Plains could not afford it." Legasi said solemnly: "As a land power country with a huge depth, the only thing that can defeat a huge land empire is arrogance."

"And I see this arrogance in your Highness."

"Legas!" Felipe was furious. This was a blatant rebuke and accusation. Of course he would be angry. For many years, no one dared to speak to him like this! This was an offense! Disobedience!
"Your Highness! I once criticized your majesty's stinginess and greed, but your honorable majesty did not make things difficult for me! The debate in Beijing is too free, so much so that even some traitors can speak! Your Majesty said: No one can never make mistakes. Only those who accept criticism from others and examine themselves can be wise rulers!" Li Yashi refused to retreat and said without hesitation.

"Honest words are unpleasant to the ear but beneficial to one's conduct; good medicine tastes bitter but beneficial to one's health; I examine myself three times a day! This is what Your Majesty requires of yourself, and it is also one of Your Majesty's eight virtues: humility!"

"The Ming Dynasty was able to rise from the ashes, like a phoenix rising from the ashes! It once again dominated the Far East, thanks not only to the efforts of the people, but also to the efforts of Your Majesty! Your Majesty always said that with the combined strength of ten thousand men, the world is invincible! But where are the common people? Where are the common people when Your Majesty needs them?"

"I have never seen ten thousand men with one strength, I have only seen one man with ten thousand strengths!"

"I only saw His Majesty and a few loyal ministers fighting alone!"

"In an imperial country, the emperor's character and morality determine the fate of the country! This is what I see!"

"Your Highness, as the King of Spain, as the overlord of the British Empire, and as an important part of the world's maritime power, Your Highness should always remain humble!"

It can be said that Legazpi's words hit Felipe right in the lungs!
Although Felipe repeatedly boasted that he was the overlord of the British Empire and hoped to maintain an equal status with the Ming Dynasty, he actually envied the supreme power of the Ming Emperor and the powerful national strength of the Ming Dynasty. When Legazpi compared himself with the Ming Emperor, it was not only the prosperity, ruling power and centripetal force of the empire that were crushed by the Ming Dynasty.

And now, even the king's morality has been crushed.

Felipe slammed the table and pointed at Legashi several times before he reluctantly sat down and said, "Humph, isn't it because you have the support of the Ming Emperor that you dare to be so arrogant? Where is your humility? Where is your virtue?"

Legazpi had so many aliases, but the most important one was the identity of the special envoy to Thailand and Spain that Legazpi asked the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty for. Felipe could only tolerate this one.

In the capital of the Ming Dynasty, people called him Li Yashi "Li Tongshi" and he would not argue. But in the West, even Felipe had to call him Li Tianshi, the messenger of wisdom incarnate!

Angels are messengers of the emperor.

The most important thing is that this messenger is the Left Envoy of Light. The Great Light Church has a religious army! The Left Envoy of Light has no real power, but is one of the symbols of the Great Light Church.

Once the Left Protector of Light was killed in Spain, those crazy believers would not care about the eight virtues. With their fanatical faith, they might even poke a hole in the sky. Felipe didn't even dare to imagine what would happen.

"If Your Highness thinks I am arrogant, that is really too sad." Li Yashi said with a gloomy look, "I can actually stay in Ming Dynasty and not come back here. I have witnessed the punishment of the stake several times."

"Once defeated, Spain would lose the Strait of Gibraltar and become a baby swimming in the bathtub of the Mediterranean."

"I don't want to see this happen."

The usual tactic of the despicable Confucians is moral kidnapping.

Legazpi risked his life to return to his homeland, and you, Felipe, should listen to me carefully.

"Okay, you have a point." Felipe calmed himself down and said helplessly, "No one has ever said these things to me. I have been a monarch for too long. These court secretaries look at me like a tiger. Every noble has his own concerns. No one has ever said these things to me."

"The empire has many problems, and I can't seem to solve them by myself. I've made a lot of efforts, but all in vain."

Legazpi was well aware of the terror of the Roman Catholic Church in Thailand. He knew the danger this time, but he still came back and was determined to stop Felipe from making an unwise decision.

There are very few people like this in the Ming Dynasty. Bi Gan's heart being cut out is a legend, while Hai Rui carrying a coffin to make a remonstrance is a reality.

In fact, Li Yashi did not believe the legend that Bigan opened his heart to make remonstrations until he saw Hai Rui with his own eyes. Only then did he become convinced that such an upright and loyal minister really existed and was right before his eyes.

But today, Li Yashi was somewhat surprised to find that he seemed to have become the Hai Rui of the past.

Legazpi took a deep breath and continued, "Your Highness, the English are as hateful as the Japanese pirates. Why did the English instigate the civilians in the Netherlands to rebel against Spain? It is true that Spain's overly brutal rule in the Netherlands created the conditions for this kind of rebellion, but without the instigation of England, it would never have developed to the current point."

"Because the English also know that they are isolated overseas and need a fulcrum to cross the turbulent Atlantic Ocean and the capricious English Channel."

"Your Highness, even the English, whom you look down upon, are full of awe for nature." "True wisdom comes from heaven and earth, from nature. We must respect nature."

Felipe II clenched his fists, slammed them on the table, and said loudly: "Huh, no matter how reasonable your words are, I am still very unwilling to accept it! These bastards looted Seville, they pushed down Columbus's bronze coffin! They burned down my cathedral! This is an unforgivable sin! I must punish them!"

"These bastards must be punished!"

Li Yashi's eyes became a little colder, and he whispered: "There are many ways to punish, it doesn't have to be a direct attack."

"Oh?" Felipe raised his eyebrows. Since this Li Yashi dared to contradict him like this, it seemed that he had prepared a way. Li Yashi had studied in Ming Dynasty for twelve years, and it seemed that he really learned a lot!
"Your Highness, in the conflict between England and Spain, the English knew they were no match for us, so they issued a privateering license to gain a relative advantage, right?" Li Yashi's tone was still very cold. If Zhu Yijun saw this face, he would definitely say that Li Yashi had completely turned into a cheap scholar! When the cheap scholar gave bad advice and carried out conspiracy and intrigue, his expression was exactly the same as Li Yashi's!
Damn it, it would have been fine if they had just learned the good things from the Ming Dynasty, but they also learned all the bad things.

“That’s true.” Felipe didn’t understand what Legazpi was trying to say.

"What are pirates?" Legazpi said with a twitch of his mouth, "Pirates are a group of desperate criminals. Calling them dogs is an insult to dogs. They have no morals at all. As long as they are paid, they can do anything. The reason they help the English is because only the English can give them benefits."

"Give them a piece of meat, and they will wag their tails and beg for mercy. Your Highness, put aside some moral restraints, make use of these pirates, give them some meat, and let the pirates explore the way and rob England."

The strategy proposed by Li Yashi was a unique skill from the Ming Dynasty - the boomerang. Even the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Juzheng, fell into this trap.

You will rise because of this and you will fall because of this!

Since the English plundered Spain with the help of pirates, Felipe could also plunder England with the help of pirates. Could he expect the pirates to be loyal to the Queen of England and not be intimidated by the huge profits? They were pirates.

"This..." Felipe looked at Li Yashi in a daze, and said absentmindedly: "My old friend, did you live such a... contradictory life before? On the one hand, your morality is so dazzling, and I feel the strong love and moral constraints from you, but your other side is so dark?"

"My old friend, you surprise me."

What on earth did this person go through in the Ming Dynasty to become like this, living such a contradictory life, and becoming so complicated.

Legashi spread his hands and said, "Contradictions are universal. Opposition and unity are the states of existence of all things, just like the yin and yang fish in Tai Chi."

"No one in the Ming Dynasty believes in the Great Light Religion, but everyone lives by following the basic teachings of the Great Light Religion. Perhaps the Great Light Religion is just a narrative method to explain the logic of the people of the Ming Dynasty."

"So what do you think of this punishment, Your Highness? The Queen of England has issued a privateering license, and we have declared free trade, and all ships can trade in Seville, the New World's trading house."

"In the name of freedom."

Felipe stared at Legazpi for a long time before he said with certainty: "You were not so shameless before. I remember that you were a little reckless and arrogant, and not as wise as you are now. What changed you? Was it Daming?"

"It is indeed the Ming Dynasty." Li Yashi admitted his shamelessness. If one were to apply the rhetoric of the Great Light Church, it would be that after spending a long time with the incarnation of wisdom and receiving guidance from the prophet, even the dumbest lamb would comprehend wisdom.

"Huh, your idea is very good. I can give it a try. Oh, by the way, in the name of freedom, how should we do it specifically?" Felipe asked impatiently.

Li Yashi explained in detail the high-sounding speech he had learned from the lowly Confucian scholars of the Ming Dynasty.

"The Emperor of Ming is really too pitiful." Felipe said with lingering fear after listening to what Legazpi learned from the cheap scholar: "Does the Emperor of Ming deal with such creatures every day? He is only 22 years old. It is really too difficult. He has managed to survive from the age of 10 to now. Hasn't he lost faith in the empire yet?"

Felipe was genuinely terrified of creatures called Jianru. These people were like demons from hell.

"Well, your Majesty is always in the upper hand in the struggle with the lowly Confucian scholars, because your Majesty always firmly believes that the path of greatness and the scorching light can melt all darkness!" Li Yashi suddenly discovered that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty had never been at a disadvantage in the twelve years of struggle.

Legazpi stayed in the monastery and told Felipe the story of the Ming Dynasty.

After the beheading of Soren was resolved and Felipe was persuaded to temporarily give up the attack on the English mainland and advance again after the hydrology was thoroughly understood, the atmosphere became extremely harmonious. Legashi talked about a lot of things, such as the Royal Academy of Gewu in the Temple of Gewu, the Royal Institute of Technology and the Maritime School that trained students of Gewu, the Military Academy that trained grassroots officers, the Zhengya Bell and Drum Tower that told the time every hour, and so on.

The story of the Ming Dynasty is very long. Originally, Felipe only wanted to listen to a ten-day story, but it was extended to fifteen days in the end, and only half of Legazpi's story was told.

"I have to be busy with state affairs, my friend. You know, I am a king. It's a pity." Felipe said with great regret: "I will read your travel notes carefully word by word, and I will also study in detail the contradiction theory, production diagram theory, public and private theory, and class theory that you sent back to Taixi."

"It's a pity that you have to go back now."

Legazpi bowed slightly and said, "Your Highness, please remember that the national conditions of Ming and Spain are different, the fundamental contradictions are different, and the means of struggle are also different. If you just follow the book, you will become a cheap scholar who has accomplished nothing. Your Highness, please make adjustments according to the different places, times and contradictions. This is also what His Majesty has always emphasized. You must not follow the book mechanically."

"Goodbye, my highness. I'm afraid we will never meet again after this departure."

Philip II whispered to his secretary twice before saying with a smile on his face, "Oh, my friend, I have received news that our pirates have entered London along the Thames River and the Queen of England has escaped. I have to share this news with you. This is really the happiest thing that has happened to me in all these years."

"thanks for your advice."

"So soon?" Li Yashi was slightly stunned. He thought he would have to go to Lisbon or Ming Dynasty to receive the good news, but he received the good news before he even left Madrid.

Felipe said with a gloating look: "The pirates actually had this idea a long time ago. Taking advantage of the fact that the Thames River was not frozen this year, more than 700 ships and more than 7,000 pirates rushed into London. I think the Queen of England never thought that the pirates she condoned would come to her. I really want to appreciate her stunned expression and her embarrassment when she escaped."

"Without the privateering license, there wouldn't be so many powerful pirates, hahahaha!"

Felipe burst into laughter as he spoke. He had never been so happy in his life. The bad guy like England was finally taught a severe lesson by the even worse guy created by himself.

In this way, Felipe can also give an explanation to all the forces in Spain.

"Goodbye my old friend. Please write to me every year and tell me about your situation in Ming Dynasty. Also, please finish your travel notes on time. I am very interested in the affairs of Ming Dynasty." Felipe said goodbye to Legasi solemnly.

"Goodbye, my highness." Legazpi bowed his head again and left the monastery. On his way back, he was not locked in a small carriage, but was allowed to move freely.

Legazpi met people from the Inquisition many times, but these knights of the Inquisition seemed to have received orders and did not take action against Legazpi. This gave him a lot of conveniences. He traveled freely in his hometown. It was really bad here. The roads outside the city were particularly muddy. The poor sanitary environment in the city made Legazpi cover his nose constantly, but he still finished his tour of Madrid with great interest.

To his disappointment, compared with the rapid changes in Ming Dynasty, Spain did not change much in the twelve years he was away.

Li Yashi remembered that when he first arrived at the Xingang Port of Songjiang Prefecture, the Xingang Port was still deserted, with only a lonely pier standing there. It was dilapidated and looked like a fishing village with a few run-down houses. But now Songjiang Prefecture has become a metropolis with a population of two million, with roads extending in all directions, rows of shops, busy docks, and a sea full of thousands of ships.

There have been no changes in Spain, which means there has not been much development.

Development can cover up many contradictions. When development occurs, it means that distributable benefits are increasing, which can make more people satisfied. However, when development stagnates, distributable benefits no longer increase, and various contradictions will emerge, making society more divided.

The development of all things is cyclical and spiral. In the downward cycle, how to redistribute the means of production, how to make the distribution satisfy the interests of the majority, and how to maintain the basic stability of society are all tests of the wisdom of those in power.

Just as he told Xu Fan, due to the lack of management experience in long-term and stable governance of a vast territory in the predicament of material scarcity and money shortage, many of Taixi's decisions were like a naive child swinging a sledgehammer.

Legazpi left by boat, watching his homeland disappear little by little under the sea level. He knew that he would never be able to return.

"Why did you agree to go to the distant East?" Legashi asked the 20-year-old young man next to him, Galileo. Leaving hometown is something that requires great determination to do.

Galileo said in confusion, "I don't want to leave either, but I have to. I am a heretic who doubts God, which is better than you, a heretic who betrays God. In order to keep you alive, His Majesty the King gave up a lot of benefits to the Holy See, including the appointment and dismissal of cardinals."

"But it doesn't matter. Soon, the Great Light Church will tell the Holy See that a conservative, closed-minded, and unprogressive Holy See will be eliminated. Only by making changes can it survive."

"Do you believe in the Great Light Church so much?" Li Yashi was very resistant to the Great Light Church. He felt that this church was incompatible with the Ming Dynasty.

This kind of resistance to religion should not appear in Westerners, so Li Yashi subconsciously resisted it because he had already become a Ming Dynasty person.

Galileo was silent for a moment and then said, "What is the joy of life? What is the pain of death? To do good and eliminate evil is the only way to achieve light."

Li Yashi held his forehead and said helplessly: "After you follow me back to the Ming Dynasty, don't tell others that you believe in the Great Light Religion, or you will be laughed at by those scholars and officials."

Galileo said excitedly: "I have listened to the story for fifteen days. Perhaps it is an illusion. The Ming Dynasty is very tolerant."

Looking at the calm Mediterranean Sea where the sea and sky meet, Li Yashi said with a smile, "You should read "Mao Dun Shuo". On the way back to Ming Dynasty, I will teach you Chinese characters and dialects. You just need to memorize "Mao Dun Shuo". Ming Dynasty is a very complex and contradictory world."

"You'll like it there."

(End of this chapter)