scourge the qing dynasty

Chapter 418 A letter to Pope Clement X (external chapter)
(PS: The long-awaited chapter, the continuous war, and the chaste wolf is a bit tired, friends, let's change the taste of the day with the chaste wolf.)
Great Vatican Monarch, Successor of Apostle Peter, Representative of Christ on Earth, Most Holy Father, His Majesty Pope Clement X, your loyal servant, Christian missionary, envoy of the Holy See, Joachim of the Jesuits Bouvet (Bai Jin), write this letter with excitement, report to you what I have seen and heard in the mysterious East, and convey my respect to you for His Royal Highness Prince Lu, pay tribute to God, and express Beloved, He truly loves all people and keeps them healthy.

Your Majesty the Great Pope, in accordance with the will of the Lord and your order, in order to investigate the truth about the murder of a congregation named Ferdinand Verbiest (Nan Huairen) in the capital of the Qing Empire, and to spread the Gospel of the Lord to the people in the East, convey your respect to His Majesty the Pope. Greetings from Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, I set off from Brest, France in [-] in Jesus Era, and arrived in Macau in December [-] in Jesus Era via Siam (Thailand), embarking on a mysterious journey Chinese land.

Unfortunately, after I arrived in Macau, the local church members told me that several princes in southern China had set off an unprecedented rebellion in 1970, Jesus Era [-], and the Emperor Kangxi who once paid tribute to you had also been called Yifeng The prince of Lu was captured on the battlefield and sentenced to death. Now China has fallen into great chaos. Various princes are constantly fighting for the control of Chinese land. Yifeng. Prince Lu has also captured the capital of the Qing Dynasty. The grandmother and successor of Emperor Kangxi were driven back to the desolate land in Northeast China. There are now two emperors in China, one is the Great Zhou Emperor recognized by Prince Lu, and the other is Emperor Qianlong, the successor of Emperor Kangxi , but neither of these two emperors gained the power to rule China. Now the most powerful in China is Prince Yifeng Lu.

I was at a loss for a while and didn’t know what to do next. Later, the Chinese priest Wen Zao Luo told me to go to Beijing to meet Prince Lu. He is willing to go with me, because as far as Father Luo knows, the control of Chinese land Most of the power of the Great Zhou court is actually in the hands of Prince Lu. When we negotiate with Prince Lu, it is equivalent to negotiating with the Great Zhou court. As long as Prince Lu agrees, we can allow the spread of the Lord’s gospel on Chinese land , Let the people of the East return to the embrace of the Lord.

The Dutch in Macau objected to the proposal of Father Luo, and they told me that Prince Lu was a pagan pagan, a greedy oriental usurer, and a cruel executioner, because Prince Lu defeated the Dutch fleet at the mouth of the Yangtze River. , brutally killed the Dutch navy commander Porter, snatched the Dutch warships, cut off all trade with the Netherlands, and refused to fulfill the promise of Emperor Kangxi to give Taiwan to the Dutch, and even issued a privateer to the Chinese pirates. A license to allow Chinese ships to rob and attack all Dutch ships they encountered at sea in retaliation for the Dutch support of Emperor Kangxi.Therefore, the Dutch believe that Prince Lu is a follower of Satan, the messenger of hell, who will send all Christians to the guillotine.

I decided to go to Beijing to try my luck, because the businessman of Great Britain told me that Prince Lu is a kind and kind prince, he appreciates and likes the culture of Europa very much, and is also willing to start a comprehensive trade with Europa, exporting opium which is scarce in Europe to Europa , to help Europe reduce the price of opium, so that more Europeans can obtain the gift of God to mankind. All the opium produced on the land was sold to Europe, lowering the price of opium in Europe.

The British businessman also told me excitedly that Prince Lu can still converse and write in British. Although the grammar of Prince Lu’s British is very strange, it is indeed Great British!my God!I was so excited, because although I am French, I happen to know some British and can converse in British, so despite the strong opposition of the Dutch, I finally boarded the boat bound for Ningbo with Father Luo. Sailing, and arrived in Ningbo on May [-], [-] in the era of Jesus, and delivered a letter to Prince Lu's army stationed there, requesting to go to Beijing to meet Prince Lu.

Prince Lu’s army was very friendly. After confirming that I was not Dutch, they quickly sent my letter to Nanjing. A month later, Prince Lu’s army in Ningbo told me that Prince Lu had agreed to meet me and arranged Give me the boat and entourage, let me go north along the great canal dug in China 1000 years ago, and go to Beijing to meet Prince Lu.

Your Majesty the Pope, I believe you will not believe what I saw on the way to Beijing. In my imagination, the northern part of China that has just experienced war must be full of dead bodies, plagues and dilapidated houses everywhere. However, what I can't believe is that on the land controlled by Prince Lu, there are almost no dead bodies and plagues, and there are no dilapidated castles left after being burned by the war. Even the poorest people can use their work in exchange for With food and currency to sustain life, the gentry in many places still lived a very comfortable life.

I can even swear to God that in the city of Yangzhou controlled by Prince Lu, the life of many merchants is simply more comfortable than the life of King Louis XIV of my country, and the banquets are more luxurious and richer than the feast of Louis XIV’s court !Yangzhou, Changzhou, Suzhou and Zhenjiang, the first cities occupied by Prince Lu, are also more beautiful and cleaner than Paris.I finally believed what Marco Polo said in the book. In China, a small military officer who guards the city gate has a better life than a European king. The white sugar in China is also much whiter than our European white sugar.

Father Luo and the common people in China told me that all this was brought to them by Prince Lu. Prince Lu’s closeness to the people and diligence, and his friendliness to the people and businessmen made all of this possible. I also hope to see you sooner. Go to Prince Lu and see this great Prince His Royal Highness with your own eyes.

My wish was about to come true. After I arrived in Beijing, I was first placed in the Xuanwumen Church where Father Ferdinand Verbiest (Nan Huairen) once lived. I met Fugui Li, a believer who had been baptized by Father Ferdinand Verbiest. Fugui Li told me very excitedly that the great Prince Lu had also been to this great church and had a long conversation with Father Ferdinand Verbiest. He also swears to God that he once heard Prince Lew talking to Father Ferdinand Verbiest in British - even though Father Ferdinand Verbiest didn't understand British at all.

I couldn't bear the pain of waiting any longer, so I immediately asked the officials of Prince Lu's territory to see me, and I got a quick reply. Prince Lu agreed to meet at 26:[-] p.m. Very welcome to me.my God!Prince Lu actually understands the calendar in the era of Jesus, and also understands our European time!I have a hunch that my meeting with Prince Lu will be the beginning of a great history!
At two o'clock in the afternoon on July 26th, I came to the great Chinese Imperial Palace, waiting for the reception of Prince Lu. I can't describe the size and luxury of the Chinese Imperial Palace, but I can be sure that compared with the Chinese Imperial Palace, Versailles Palace is like a thatched house and Compared with the Vatican Cathedral, and the Chinese imperial palace is still very clean, the air is very fresh, unlike the Palace of Versailles, which is full of feces and dirty air.

Time passed very slowly, and Father Luo and I were trembling nervously, because there were monks from China’s Shaolin Temple and Taoist priests from China’s Longhu Mountain who were waiting with us to be received by Prince Lu. Their order of meeting was ahead of us. And they look at us with hatred.Father Luo told me that these heretics came to ask Prince Lu to reward them with titles. They are willing to lead their followers to support Prince Lu to rule the land of China, and they also want Prince Lu to make their religion the state religion, so they are not only hostile to each other , is still very hostile to us Catholics, worried that we will gain the trust and appreciation of Prince Lu, and made Catholicism the state religion.

my God!It suddenly occurred to me that it would be great if Prince Lu accepted the baptism of the church and became a believer in the Lord, and made Catholicism the state religion.China's population is larger than all European countries combined!
At 10:[-], pagan monks and Taoist priests first went to meet Prince Lu. At [-]:[-] minutes, they left the palace with joyful expressions. I think they must have received a satisfactory reward from Prince Lu, right?It was my turn with Father Luo, and my heart was beating so hard that I could barely move as I followed Prince Lu's official back.

Father Luo and I were led into a luxurious palace, where we saw the great Prince Lu. He was medium-sized, slightly chubby, with handsome features, but his eyes were a little small and narrowed into two slits when he smiled.When Father Luo and I knelt down on one knee according to the negotiated etiquette, Prince Lu stretched out his right hand and asked us to kiss hands——My God!Prince Lu actually understands our European etiquette!

Prince Lu kindly asked us our names first in Chinese, and then asked about my nationality. When Prince Lu learned that I was from France, Prince Lu immediately asked me about the recent situation of the French court musketeer captain Dardarion. Although I still don't know how Prince Lu met Marshal Daddarion, I was so excited that I almost fainted, and I was so surprised that I could hardly speak, and then I had to use a lot of strength to forcefully maintain a calm answer. Prince Lu's question.

When Prince Lu learned that Marshal Daddarion of France had unfortunately died on the Dutch battlefield four years ago, Prince Lu appeared very disappointed, and then angrily accused the Protestant Dutch people of being heretics and The devil who should go to hell!Then Prince Lu said that in order to avenge Marshal Daddarion, he would intensify his attack on the Dutch East India Company, and asked me to write to His Majesty King Louis XIV for him, seeking an alliance to drive the Dutch pirates back to land. Not a single Dutch ship is to be allowed on the seas of Asia.

Please forgive me, Your Majesty the Pope. I am your pious servant, but I am also French, so I agreed to Prince Lu's request. Prince Lu was very happy and invited us to take a walk with him in the imperial garden of the Chinese Imperial Palace. I am very happy to accept Invited by Prince Lu.

In the indescribably beautiful Royal Garden, I had a lot of conversations with Prince Lu in my barely fluent British language—to my shame, Prince Lu’s British language was more than ten times more proficient than mine, and I couldn’t even understand many sentences I don't understand, I can't understand the meaning, so we have no choice but to ask Father Luo to act as an interpreter, which ensures smooth communication.

Prince Lu and I first talked about you, the great Pope Clement X. Prince Lu entrusted me to express the highest respect to you, and invited you to visit China at an appropriate time. Prince Lu will come to the port in person Welcome, and a church as magnificent as the Roman Church will be built on Chinese soil, so that it will be convenient for you, His Majesty the Pope, to live in China.

Hearing these words from Prince Lu, Father Luo and I trembled with excitement. We took the liberty to express our gratitude to Prince Lu on behalf of His Majesty the Pope. Then I tried to ask Prince Lu about his religious beliefs. Prince Lu told you frankly I, he is now a miscellaneous believer, interested in Buddhism, Taoism and Catholicism, but the most appreciated is our Catholicism.Prince Lu also said that if His Majesty the Pope came to China and gave him the right to protect the church in Asia, he could consider accepting baptism and becoming a true Catholic.

God!I can be sure that these words of Prince Lu must come from the heart, because his understanding of Catholicism is far above that of ordinary Chinese people. He not only knows about baptism and the right to protect the church, but he even knows about indulgences!Prince Lu said that if he can obtain the right to protect the church in Asia, he will issue a large number of indulgences for the Holy See in Southeast Asia, India and the Persian Gulf to help the Holy See solve the problem of military expenditure against the Ottoman Empire's westward invasion!

Even, for the glory of Christ, use the sword to wipe out all the obstacles in the Middle East. Prince Lu can also organize the Eastern Crusades to launch a Western Expedition to crusade against the heretics in the Middle East, and take charge of the Middle East land for His Majesty the Pope!

my God!I hope Prince Lu’s promise can be fulfilled, because I know that Prince Lu’s army is already the most powerful in China. Just the day before I met Prince Lu, a prince named Geng in southern China angered Prince Lu. Prince Lu decisively ordered his army to attack the prince, and won immediately.If Prince Lu's army can really enter the Middle East battlefield for the Lord, then the Ottoman Empire will never be able to threaten the land of the Holy See, and all you need to pay, the great Pope, is a piece of Middle East land full of deserts!

Next, Prince Lew took the initiative to talk about Great Britain, because Prince Lew was proficient in the British language, and knew more about Prince Lew about Great Britain. Prince Lew knew Newton, and also knew Charles II, his younger brother, the Duke of York, and his beautiful niece. Mary, Prince Lu also told me that he had written to Mr. Isaac Newton three times, inviting him to China to spread European science and theology, but he did not know whether it was because of the messenger or Mr. Newton. I am deeply sorry.But Prince Lu did not give up, and asked me to write a letter to Newton on his behalf, inviting Mr. Newton to travel to China again, and promised to receive this faithful people of God with the highest courtesy, and I happily agreed.

Of course, Prince Lu did not forget to pay tribute to King Louis XIV of France, and kindly called His Majesty Louis XIV the Sun King, God's favorite, and appreciated Louis XIV's famous saying that only the monarch has the right to think and make decisions , others only have the obligation to perform!

Prince Lu also said that, in his opinion, the same is true for you, His Majesty the Pope—on the land of the Lord, only His Majesty the Pope has the right to think and make decisions, and others only have the obligation to perform!For the glory of the Lord and the sanctity of the Holy See, if Your Majesty the Pope, you and your successors are willing, you can ask Prince Lu and his descendants to go to Europe at any time to fight for the glory and sanctity of the Holy See. Prince Lu and his descendants, Will provide all possible help.

In addition, Prince Lu also made a small request to His Majesty, the Pope, as a temporary heretic who is devout to the Lord, that is, he hopes that His Majesty can send a group of people who are proficient in theology, mathematics, chemistry, Metallurgical, forging and mechanical Catholics came to China to spread the gospel of the Lord and impart European scientific and technological knowledge to the tens of millions of Chinese people who have not yet believed in it!In return, Prince Lu will order his army and officials to give the servants of the Lord the greatest help in evangelizing, the best food and the cheapest opium.

my God!I think His Majesty the Pope will definitely agree to Prince Lu’s request. The population of tens of millions is more than the population of all Europe combined. If they can all become believers of the Lord, Your Majesty, you can increase the number by tens of millions. devout Christians.

Although Prince Lu was not very interested, I still talked to Prince Lu about the current war situation in China, and asked how long Prince Lu could take to unify China. In order not to misunderstand Prince Lu, I told Prince Lu frankly that I hope He can unify China as soon as possible and become China's greatest king, so this question is asked.Prince Lu thanked me for my blessing, and then told me that he couldn't answer my question, because he still had many powerful opponents. Although his strength was sufficient, he couldn't say for sure how long it would take.

Merciful Lord, in order for your gospel to spread in the mysterious eastern land as soon as possible, please bless the great Prince Lu, and let the victory be with him forever.

When talking about Prince Lu's most hated enemy, who had been expelled by Prince Lu to the Qing court in the northeast, Prince Lu became angry and said that the Qing empress dowager who really controlled the Qing court was an evil pagan witch with long hair. The forked tongue, the horns of the devil, and the tail of the trident are the enemies of all Chinese and all believers of the Lord!Any Catholic country that supports this witch is a Judas who ignores the dignity of the Holy See, a devil who secretly intermarried with Jews!
"The witch sent by the devil, the Empress Dowager Mangou, and all the heretics who eat tofu and sugar, should be burned at the stake!"——This is the original words of Prince Lu.

Our pleasant conversation with Prince Lu lasted for more than two hours. During this period, many Chinese officials asked for an interview, but Prince Lu refused all of them, because Prince Lu believed that the envoy sent by His Majesty the Pope should not be treated lightly. Father Luo was very moved, thanked Prince Lu repeatedly, and took the opportunity to propose a missionary request in China. Prince Lu agreed without hesitation, and gave Xuanwumen Church to me, and Nanjing Church to Father Luo, so that we could Spread the good news of the Lord.

At the same time, after learning about my understanding of mathematics, Prince Lu decided to build a church school in the inner city of Beijing, and organize noble children to study European mathematics in the school. Prince Lu also hoped that I could invite some students who are proficient in chemistry, physics and mechanics Many European missionaries went to church schools as teachers and promised to give these missionaries the best treatment. I happily agreed to Prince Lu's request.

At the end of the meeting, Prince Lu expressed his apology to us, because he has a very important military meeting to be held, and his generals have been waiting for more than an hour, so he cannot accompany us to share dinner.Then Prince Lu smiled and asked me to invite him to Xuanwumen Church for dinner, and asked him to eat our French steak, grilled snails and pancakes. In the evening, I went to Xuanwumen Church to attend the banquet I prepared for him, and arranged officials to assist me in investigating the cause of Father Ferdinand Verbiest's death.

I presented a gift to Prince Lou. The altimetry telescope was given to me by His Majesty King Louis XIV. Prince Lou liked it very much and asked me if I could imitate it. Xuan came to a Chinese official named Dai Zi and asked him to assist me in making a large number of this kind of telescope.

Prince Lu rewarded me with a pair of blue and white porcelain vases from the Ming Dynasty in China. If I bring this pair of blue and white porcelain vases back to Europe, I will become a rich man in no time. vase.There is a picture of Jesus crucified on it, which is indescribably precious—although Father Luo has never heard of Christians going to China to preach in the Tang Dynasty, I thank Prince Lu for his generosity on behalf of His Majesty the Pope.

Prince Lu presented you, His Majesty, with a box of morphine, morphine refined from opium—it is said that Prince Lu personally supervised the refining.Prince Lu also said that if the citizens of various European countries can like morphine, Prince Lu will ban all Chinese citizens from smoking opium in the future, sell opium and morphine to Europe at a low price, and help the people of the Lord get rid of diseases. In exchange for European scientific instruments, academic achievements and scientific technologies.

Your Majesty the Great Pope, I can no longer contain the excitement in my heart when I write this letter, and I can no longer imagine the beautiful scene when Prince Lu unifies China!Your Majesty the great Pope, I think you, like me, must very much hope that Prince Lu will unify China earlier, so that the Lord’s gospel can spread freely in the mysterious eastern land, right?If this is the case, please His Majesty the great Pope pray for Prince Lu in the Roman Cathedral, and ask the Lord and Jesus to bless Prince Lu together. I have already done so in the church in Xuanwumen.

It was written in the Xuanwumen Church in the capital of China on the night of July 26, [-] in the era of Jesus.

Postscript: When this letter written by our respected Father Bai Jin was sent to Europe, although Pope Clement X had unfortunately passed away, the successor Pope Innocent XI was still very excited after reading the letter. I couldn't help myself, and immediately ran to the Roman church in the Vatican to hold a mass, praying that our respected Prince Lu would unify China as soon as possible, and let the Lord's gospel spread freely in the mysterious land of China earlier.At the same time, according to the request of Prince Lu, His Majesty the Pope organized a large number of missionaries who were proficient in Western science to go to China to spread the Gospel of the Lord, and the plan to take back the right of patronage in East Asia from the Portuguese and bestow it on Prince Lu also appeared in into the mind of His Majesty the Pope.

At the same time, after receiving the letter sent by Father Bai, the Sun King Louis XIV was also very excited, thinking that a great opportunity for himself to enter East Asia had appeared, and he couldn't wait to form a team composed of French officials, generals, court scientists and court priests. A large group of envoys rushed to China by boat to meet Prince Lu, to discuss the plan to form an alliance with Prince Lu against the sea coachmen, and to discuss matters such as expanding maritime trade and trying to monopolize China's foreign opium trade.

Father Bai is a great priest who kept his promise. Prince Lu asked him to invite Mr. Newton to travel to China. Of course, Father Bai did not break his promise. When Father Bai’s letter was successfully delivered to the Royal Academy of Sciences, he has received similar letters twice Sir Newton was finally tempted and began to seriously consider China's plan to spread theology and science, and tried to put it into action.

(End of this chapter)