Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 200 Weiss Lando

"Treasurer Wen knows this person?" Huang Shunlong didn't seem surprised, "He is considered a well-known figure in the local area."

"Why don't you know." When Wen Desi thought of the humiliation of being captured that year, he wanted to do something about her, but if this thought was exposed, it would greatly affect the image, "This woman has a lot of relationship with us." He said vaguely.

It can be said that there is a lot of origin, that is, it can be said that there is cooperation with each other, and it can also be said that there is hatred, which can be regarded as a neutral expression.

"Hehe, shopkeeper Wen doesn't have to hide it. This girl is acting out of her own way and is ruthless. I think she has a grudge against you."

Wen Desi didn't say anything, it was a tacit agreement.

Huang Shunlong said that they only know that Li Siya is of Portuguese-Chinese mixed race, but no one knows who her parents are and where they are.But she lived in a Portuguese residential area in Macau, with a spacious and luxurious house. Although she was doing bloody business, she was able to appear at the gatherings of local Portuguese leaders in a grand manner. Obviously, her parents were not low-born.

"This woman is very difficult to mess with," Huang Shunlong lowered his voice, "She regards Macau as her lair, and she behaves relatively restrained locally, but once she goes to sea, she acts extremely ruthlessly. She is also full of tricks, if you have any trouble with her , Be more careful when you do things on weekdays.”

Wen Desi responded vaguely, and inquired about a lot of specific information about Li Siya: her two-masted clipper ship was named Lotus.I haven't been in the port recently, probably went to sea again.I even found out her address—Wen Desi once had the idea of ​​sending Bei Wei to a special operation, but Huang Shunlong then said that he was not sure if Li Siya really lived in that house—although Huang Shunlong married He has a Portuguese wife, but this woman's background is not high, and it doesn't add much bargaining chips for him to interact with the Portuguese upper class. The only advantage is that he can do business with the Portuguese without any obstacles.He knew very little about the activities of the native Portuguese elite.

According to Chinese custom, Huang Shunlong wanted to keep them for dinner, but Wen Desi had no intention of staying, and Zhang Xin was even more anxious to find a place that sold rhubarb liqueur.After the two parties agreed on the seal and seal of the future joint, they left.

After going out, he turned around and returned to the meeting point under the cross at the Cross Street Square, and found that Bai Duolu had returned, with a smile typical of religious believers, and holding a leather-bound Bible in his hand. De Si thought to himself that he would be brainwashed by the Jesuits in just over an hour, right?While looking at it, Bai Duolu greeted him cheerfully.

"Mr. Wen, there is good news."

"The local Jesuit president wants to see you."

The term Jesuit, immediately appeared in Wen Desi's mind, a gloomy figure dressed in black sitting in a dark marble room.What did the Jesuit president see him for?Do you want to proclaim the gospel of the Lord to him?Wen Desi wanted to travel through the religious policy of the public, but he has never discussed it. If you say that he doesn’t like all kinds of religions in this time and space, it’s better to have some kind of "holy religion". It’s better for him to be the archangel himself. ——It’s just that there are too many people traveling through this time, so it’s probably impossible for this group of modern people to be incompetent, and the threshold of political struggle is extremely sophisticated.

"Find a place first and tell me about your meeting with the priest," Wen Desi said.

In the hall of a small but delicate church in the Portuguese neighborhood of the city, the scorching South China sun shines through the small leaded panes of glass in the windows and casts dim shadows on the marble floor.A man in a monk's robe sat beside a large desk, his head bowed, as if thinking.The corners of the table were gilded and covered with books and papers.There is also an exquisitely crafted ebony crucifix placed conspicuously.

Behind him is a large fireplace with exquisite carvings. Looking at the decorations on it and the unique patterns of marble, maybe the stones and craftsmen came from far away Italy.Of course, in southern China where the coldest day will not be lower than 20 degrees Celsius, this thing is purely decorative, symbolizing the power of the president of the Jesuit branch in Macau.The branch president is in charge of all Catholic missionary affairs in China and East Asia, and his position in the church does not even need to submit to the authority of the bishop of Macau.

This lonely figure is Jelanzani, the president of the Society of Jesus in Macau.

At this time, Jalanzani was alone, and his body was very weak—he had contracted malaria many years ago when he was serving as a missionary in Pattani. Although he was treated with tobacco and survived, the aftereffects still occur from time to time.But a powerful spiritual fire was burning in this weak body—perhaps knowing that his life was short, he felt more urgent about missionary affairs.

"These idiots!" he said to himself, "whether they are Franciscans or Augustinians, they are a bunch of idiots. They think that faith is the rock of everything. Martyrdom is honor. Did the Japanese in 1596 Will the farce repeat itself in China?"

On his desk, there was a letter from the Jesuits in Manila, about whether Chinese ancestor worship was idol worship, which caused a lot of controversy in the church.And this controversy tends to spread to the top of the Holy See.Alas, although the Jesuits have great power in the Holy See, the power is always proportional to the enemy, not to mention those kings and nobles, they all try to use the Jesuits as their own tools, not God's.

"Let's discuss, let's discuss. It's better to never finish discussing this matter." Jalanzani is very clear, unless according to the Jesuit missionaries who are already in Beijing: they think that Chinese people's sacrifice to ancestors is just a commemorative activity. Otherwise, missionary activities in China, which have not made much progress so far, will be even more difficult - he has been in Macau for many years, and he knows what worshiping ancestors means to Chinese people.

Except for Matteo Ricci who had achieved some success, most of the missionaries sent out were expelled by the Chinese local government, and some of them were simply missing—Geranzani knew that most of them were has embarked on the road of martyrdom.

Missionary activities in China were far less smooth than those in Japan.Although through the efforts of Matteo Ricci, he won a group of believers from Chinese officials and intellectuals, and successfully entered the capital of China to participate in the imperial court's astronomical revision and ordnance manufacturing affairs, but the number of believers has always lagged behind.He knew very well that ordinary people, officials and intellectuals in China were always wary of foreigners with very different appearances and customs.

He sighed, as if he heard footsteps outside the door:

"what's up?"

A door hidden behind a curtain opened quietly.A man in black came in gently:

"My lord, Lord Lando is here."

"Well, let him in."

After a while, an officer walked in from the door.

The man was between thirty-five and forty years old, tall and stocky, with quick eyes and a short black beard.He adorned himself in the fashionable Spanish fashion, with a corset and white lace.The heavy saber on the wide belt slanted across the chest knocked on the leather boots from time to time.This attire and the cold gray eyes showed that this was a professional soldier who licked blood with a knife.

He took off his hat and saluted the president according to French etiquette.Then he stood respectfully, but with a solemn demeanor, exactly what a person of status should look like.

The president stared at the person in front of him.His eyes were deep, and he couldn't see what he was thinking.

This dangerous guy, the president thought, can I really entrust this task to him?This adventurer who came out of nowhere claimed to be Weiss Lando. Although he said that he was from a family in Parma, Italy, his Italian was very bad. Feel ashamed for his compatriots.People found that he would speak English from time to time.If it weren't for his appearance and firmness in faith, the chairman really suspected that he was a heretical Englishman.

Such adventurers were everywhere in the Far East at that time, and they had real or fake life experiences and backgrounds.Trying to get their own share of the prosperity of this great voyage.The president thought: That's fine, anyway, this kind of person has no roots, and he doesn't need to explain to anyone if something unexpected happens.He looked at the officer carefully for a while, and after a moment of silence, he said:

"Are you Mr. Weiss Lando?"

"I am, my lord," Lando said.

"It has been more than three months since you came to Macao with Father Comange's ship. Are you still used to life in Macao?"

"It's a very habit." Lando said frankly, "It's just that my wallet is very thin..."

The president smiled: "No one feels that the purse is full." He picked up a roll of paperwork:

"You took part in that operation in Aragones—"

"Yes, Mr. President."

"The report you wrote to Father Comange was very detailed. Obviously, the enemy of Aragones defeated him without your help."

"Yes, my lord, the firepower of those Chinese is very fierce. The will to resist is also very strong."

"Australians, right? They claim to be Australians."

Lando shrugged his shoulders: "They are out-and-out Chinese, although they are not from the Ming Dynasty."

"Is Aragones' ship still under repair?"

"He's recruiting sailors in the tavern every day, and I think he's having a hard time finding enough. Even if he's willing to recruit Chinese sailors."

"They'll send him someone from Manila," the president whispered.Although Portugal and Spain were under the rule of one king at this time, the relationship between the two parties could not be described as harmonious.Macau has not yet raised the king's flag.The governor of Manila and the nobles there are always planning to bring Macau under his rule.

As an Italian, Gelanzani had an instinctive distaste for the Spaniards.

"You are a brave man." The president said, "Your loyalty to the church is obvious to all—" He remembered something, "I heard that you fought against the heretics in Montenegro?"

"Yes, as a volunteer." Lando replied proudly, "I can live a peaceful life at home, but I still went to that mountainous place."

"Very well," continued Jaranzani, "you dare to show your talents, and the time has come to show your talents!"

This cunning Italian immediately put on a look of "loyalty and service": "I am willing to serve you!"

"Not for me, but for our church."

(End of this chapter)