Jinyi Town Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 617 The Wheel of History Rolls Forward

Halfway through the banquet, the two Westerners actually quarreled loudly!
The two Westerners who quarreled, one named Cristiano, was a Frenchman.Franchi is the general name of Ming Dynasty for the two kingdoms of Spain and Portugal.The other, John, is from England.

Britain and Spain are now at war.Queen Elizabeth I of England, knighted the great pirate Drake, and led the British fleet to plunder Spanish merchant ships in the Atlantic Ocean.

The two fighting Westerners even drew their swords, and Cristiano shouted in French: "Long live Philip II!"

Not to be outdone, John shouted in English: "Long live Queen Elizabeth I!"

After the two shouted, they would face each other with swords.

He Liu and Yu Youding thought this was a strange etiquette for Westerners when drinking.

Tina made a timely move, walked over and babbled a lot of Western dialect, persuaded the two to put away their swords, and raised their wine glasses to clink.

Tina returned to her seat.He Liu asked, "What were those two doing just now?"

Tina replied, "Oh, those two stupid people were dueling just now."

He Liu was a little strange: "A duel?"

Tina nodded: "Well, a duel means life and death. They belong to our two countries in Europa. These two countries are at war."

He Liu was at a loss: "Two people from the enemy country, on the same boat, came to our Ming Dynasty to do business? It's unbelievable!"

Tina said seriously: "Dear General, please remember that trade is peace! Profit is better than hatred!"

Tina is not a gypsy fortune teller and cannot predict the future.Five years later, the Spanish Armada fought the Royal Navy at Gravelines.The Battle of Gravelines was recognized by later historians as one of the turning points in European history.Cristiano and John, who are now sitting at the same table eating, both died in the brutal sea battle five years later.

After drinking for three rounds, Tina talked endlessly to He Liu and Yu Youding about many things about Europa: the ancient East, the great Ming Dynasty, the prosperity of the world, and the prosperity of the country.In other parts of the world, countless major events are also happening.

The Spaniards discovered countless huge silver mines in the colonies of Latin America; the 300-year Renaissance reached its climax, turning Europe from ignorance and backwardness to civilization and civilization; Britain is rising, challenging Spain’s maritime supremacy step by step ; The Kingdom of France continued to rule the continent. . .

The wheel of history always rolls forward unconsciously.To apply a classic line from later generations of web dramas: "This is the law of nature, and we cannot resist it."

During the banquet, Matteo Ricci, the foreign editor of the Imperial Academy, said: "Master He, Sir Yu. I will go out of Beijing next month, travel all over the thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, and draw an accurate "Map of the Map of the Great Ming Dynasty."

He Liu suddenly had an idea.Now the country has a wise king, and there are virtuous ministers in the court.On Jin Yiwei's side, Chen Ju is a good boss who is benevolent and virtuous, and Yang Wan is already able to take care of himself.It seems that the imperial court no longer needs him, a veteran of the three dynasties.

He Liu asked Matteo Ricci, "Where do you plan to go first?"

Matteo Ricci said: "Naturally, go to Beizhili first."

He Liudao: "How about I be your companion? You are the only Western official in the imperial court, and you have a distinguished status. If you want to travel around the world, naturally someone should be by your side to protect you. In my opinion, I will take a dozen Twenty Jinyi guards will protect you along the way."

Matteo Ricci smiled and said, "It would be my honor to have Mr. He protect me."

Yu Youding, as the minister of the Ministry of Rites and a member of the cabinet, can naturally hear He Liu's implication.He thought to himself: Liu Ye, the head of Jinyiwei, is he going to retreat bravely?

Two days later, in the side hall of Yongshou Palace, Emperor Wanli personally received the "Admiral of the Western Dutch National Navy" Tina and representatives of more than a dozen Western businessmen.

After the interview, the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Rituals negotiated a deal worth 500 million taels of silver with these Western businessmen.

A month later, the western fleet was fully loaded with cargo and left Tanggukou.

After seeing off Tina, He Liu came to the main hall of Yongshou Palace to ask for orders.

Emperor Wanli smiled and said: "You want to go out of Beijing with Matteo Ricci to contribute to the drawing of the "Daming Kanyu Map"? What about Jin Yiwei? Chen Ju is a novice, Yang Wan is young, Shizhong is in Liaodong, Li Bofeng, heh, No need to mention it. I feel that Jin Yiwei needs a veteran of the three dynasties like you to sit in charge."

He Liu sighed: "Your Majesty, alas, I am old. Now the world is peaceful, the country is peaceful and the people are peaceful. The imperial court no longer needs people like this minister. I want to retire, but I am afraid that if something happens to the imperial court in the future, they will be killed again." Do you need a minister? So, I decided to hide. As the commander of Jinyiwei, Zuo Tongzhi, I will escort Matteo Ricci out of Beijing to investigate the great rivers and mountains of our Ming Dynasty. When the emperor wants to use me, I will definitely return to Beijing in time. "

Emperor Wanli said: "Since you have made up your mind, I can't force you to stay. In fact, I envy you. You can travel freely and enjoy the beautiful rivers and mountains. But I, but I can only stay in this Palace of Eternal Life and bear the heavy burden left to me by my ancestors. Alas, being a man is difficult, being an official is even more difficult, and being an emperor is even more difficult!"

He Liu kowtowed and said: "The emperor is wise and wise. Whether it is employing people or governing the world, he can be regarded as a model of a wise emperor. The past emperors of the Ming Dynasty have spirits in the sky, and they will definitely feel gratified."

Emperor Wanli suppressed his smile, and asked seriously: "He Liu, you say that I am a wise king, do you think so in your heart?"

He Liu said from the bottom of his heart: "The old minister really thinks so. The emperor is now diligent in political affairs, respectful and thrifty, using virtuous ministers internally and good generals externally. Every decree you make will be of great benefit to the common people. . . ”

Emperor Wanli waved his hand and interrupted He Liu: "He Liu, you have served the two former emperors Jiajing and Longqing. How do you think I compare with the two former emperors?"

This is a tricky question.If He Liu replied: You are stronger than Jiajing and Longqing.That's tantamount to scolding Emperor Wanli: Your grandfather and father are foolish emperors.

If He Liu replied: You are not as good as Jiajing and Longqing.That would make Emperor Wanli unhappy again.

The 63-year-old He Liu has served Fan in Jinyiwei for 43 years, and he has already cultivated into an old fox.He replied: "Lord Jiajing and Lord Longqing are like Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Jing of Han. The emperor is like Emperor Taizong of Tang. Emperor Wen is a ruler of Ming, Emperor Jing is a ruler of Ming, and Emperor Taizong of Tang is also a ruler of Ming. However, they each have their own strengths, so it is difficult to compare them."

Emperor Wenwen and Emperor Hanjing advocated governance by doing nothing.Although he is a virtuous king, he has not done much.Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty created the prosperous age of Zhenguan, ruled by literature and martial arts, and opened up territories.He Liu said "incomparable", but the subtext is: You are much better than Jiajing and Longqing.

Emperor Wanli couldn't help showing a smile on his face when he heard the words: "He Liu, no, today I will learn from the two former emperors and call you Lao Liu. Lao Liu, Lao Liu, you are such an old fox! What you say is tight. But what? , I have to admit that what you said is very useful to me."

(End of this chapter)