prosperous age

"Mr. Robert, Mr. Drake, please take a seat."

In the living room of the Wei Mansion, Wei Guangde was receiving two ambassadors from the British delegation.

After asking them to sit down, Wei Guangde asked the servants to serve tea.

Well, during the period before the wedding of Emperor Wanli, these diplomatic envoys were very busy. They needed to contact officials of the Ming Dynasty to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Although the British delegation arrived relatively late, they had already learned a lot of information by using the time they spent at sea and in Tianjin.

For example, at this time, the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and their so-called vassal states was actually different from the current diplomatic relations in the West.

Well, although the Ming Dynasty accepted foreign envoys, it seemed that it had no idea of ​​having permanent envoys. Generally, they would send special envoys when there was something going on, and naturally there would be no talk of establishing overseas institutions.

In fact, the situation among European countries was similar before the Middle Ages.

Diplomatic missions in the Middle Ages were temporary in nature, and diplomats were not fixed and did not receive specialized professional training.

They are usually appointed by the monarch and step down at the end of their diplomatic mission.

When new diplomatic missions arise, the monarch appoints other people as diplomatic envoys.

In the early Middle Ages, the Germanic barbarian kingdoms lacked suitable talents and had a small number of diplomats. The Carolingian dynasty directly selected educated church members as diplomatic envoys, which made diplomatic envoys exclusive to a certain type of people.

In the early modern period, with the growth of national consciousness, the power to send diplomatic envoys to other countries was limited to monarchs or rulers of countries.

With the rise of the Cluny Movement, the Roman Catholic Church became the supreme authority in medieval Europe.

This hegemony is reflected not only in the spiritual level, but also in the political and secular aspects.

This led to the gradual formation of an international order based on Christian beliefs and principles, namely the Christian kingdom, on the European continent.

In such an international order, cooperation and solidarity among European countries should be based on common beliefs and values, rather than on geopolitical, ethnic and economic interests as basic principles.

Catholicism is the only religion and the Pope is regarded as the spiritual leader of all Catholic countries. His duty is to uphold Catholic beliefs and principles while ensuring peace and cooperation among Catholic countries.

The Pope can exercise a degree of secular power to ensure the security and well-being of Catholic countries.

The Popes in the Middle Ages were committed to building a "Christian kingdom system", in which the Pope promoted peace and resolved disputes among Christian monarchs, confirmed the monarchs' promises with the most powerful and broadest authority, imposed excommunication sanctions on monarchs who violated their promises, and released the monarchs from their oaths.

Gregory VII wanted to "replace the imperial model with a feudal one and create a federation of European states in the form of a system of clientelism linking the states to the Roman See by legal and political ties."

Although the concept of "Christendom" emerged in the Middle Ages, its influence continued during the Renaissance and the Reformation.

The papal envoys sent by the Pope to various countries have dual functions both inside and outside the Church. Inside the Church, as the Pope's representative, the papal envoys can convene and preside over bishops' conferences to promote the Church's reform agenda.

They coordinate religious ceremonies in different regions and denominations, standardize and rectify church discipline, combat church corruption, promote church centralization, and enhance the unity and authority of the church.

Outside the Church, they are sent to local governments to conduct diplomatic and administrative affairs on behalf of the Pope.

They enjoy a position of honor in the local Church and play an important role in diplomatic settings by chairing bishops' conferences and peace and armistice conferences.

In modern times, the main reason for establishing the system of permanent diplomatic envoys was the increasingly numerous diplomatic affairs and the turbulent international situation.

This forced the monarch to send specific envoys to other countries to collect and transmit information in order to grasp the latest developments in other countries and take measures that are conducive to safeguarding their own security and interests.

In addition, governments of various countries have also successively established departments responsible for handling diplomatic affairs, and the diplomatic system has gradually become more specialized and professional.

Around the 13th century, European countries began to send permanent envoys to each other.

Since Italy, especially Venice, it has become a gathering place for envoys from various countries due to trade needs.

By the 15th century, Italy began to send permanent representatives to Spain, Germany, France, and England, a change that marked the deepening of diplomatic relations.

What Britain wants to establish with the Ming Dynasty this time is such a permanent representative, responsible for protecting the interests of British merchants in trade with the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, the permanent representative also has the responsibility to communicate with the Ming government. After all, the two countries are too far apart, and it takes a year for a British merchant ship to make a round trip.

Only by sending permanent representatives can the interests of British businessmen be effectively protected. Otherwise, not many people would dare to come here.

In fact, Drake had already seen the charm of oriental goods, and the Ming Dynasty goods he brought back to Britain became a new trend in London and even the entire two islands.

Even if Drake did not continue to rob the Spaniards, he was willing to invest money to buy ships and continue trade between Ming and Britain.

As for the East, due to the Ming Dynasty's transcendent status, it did not seem to have any intention of changing the current situation, so it did not have the habit of establishing overseas institutions like Europe.

When the vassal states had something going on, they would send envoys to the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty would do the same. This made Robert a little unsure. He didn't know whether Britain, or more precisely England, would be recognized by the Ming Dynasty if it wanted to send representatives to the Ming Dynasty.

As for bilateral trade, Robert is not worried.

At least he already knew that British merchant ships could enter the port for trade, whether in Jiugang or Yuegang, as well as in Songjiang Prefecture's Shanghai Port.

When Songjiang Prefecture opened to sea, the wharf was finally chosen to be located on the territory of Shanghai County, because it was adjacent to the Yangtze River estuary and had very convenient river transportation.

There is a reason why Songjiang eventually became Shanghai.

At this time, Robert and Drake stood up again and expressed their respect to Wei Guangde, the cabinet minister of the Ming Dynasty, on behalf of the Queen of England, and then explained their purpose.

"You want to send a permanent representative to our Ming Dynasty and set up an office?"

Hearing the words of the interpreter from the Siyi Hall, Wei Guangde frowned slightly.

The Ming Dynasty had a Huitongguan specifically responsible for receiving foreign guests, but it was limited to special envoys and there was no precedent for allowing foreign governments to send permanent personnel.

Of course, Wei Guangde knew that the mutual dispatch of ambassadors would become a routine in the future, and these representatives would become ambassadors to various countries and would have great power.

However, at present, he is only a permanent representative, at best an agent.

In later diplomatic relations, they are usually divided into three levels.

The first level is the ambassador, which is also the highest level. Its full name is usually "Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary", and it is sent by the head of state of one country to the head of another country.

The second level is the minister, who is still dispatched by the head of state. Although the diplomatic courtesy he enjoys is slightly lower than that of an ambassador, his actual status, position, and diplomatic privileges and immunities are the same as those of an ambassador.

The third level is the charge d'affaires, who are usually representatives sent to other countries in the name of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or embassy staff are appointed to serve as the temporary head of the embassy, ​​called "charge d'affaires ad interim", with the same diplomatic privileges and immunities as ambassadors and ministers.

At this moment, Wei Guangde had inadvertently been thinking about this matter with the thinking of later generations. In fact, before meeting them, Wei Guangde was still wondering, what was the point of writing on the visiting card about establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries?

Does Britain want to become a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty?
You know, the distance between Ming Dynasty and Britain is too far, what is the use of this diplomatic relationship?

What Wei Guangde didn't know was that Britain was eager to establish diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty and send permanent representatives, more to obtain the route to the Ming Dynasty from the Portuguese. Yes, according to the resources allocated by the Pope, the Portuguese had the route to the east of Europe and all economic interests, because British merchant ships entering the Indian Ocean was actually a provocation to the inherent interests of the Portuguese.

Whether it was the return of the Drake's Golden Hind or the visit of the Jesse to the Ming Dynasty this time, they had actually always been trying to avoid the Portuguese.

Only after diplomatic relations were established between Britain and the Ming Dynasty and representatives were sent did their merchant ships have a reason to travel to the East.

Otherwise, there is a high possibility of being attacked by the Portuguese navy along the way.

Although Portugal may not dare to do so, their navy is only slightly stronger than that of Britain, but don't forget that Portugal also has a large number of armed merchant ships.

In this era, except for the Spanish Navy, the navies of other countries were not actually very strong, but they still had merchant fleets that were much larger than their navies.

It is a common practice in Europe that the military will requisition merchant ships to fight in times of war.

The reason why the Spanish Navy was excluded is that its military power was unrivaled in the world at that time.

Don’t think that Spain’s naval power is weak just because it lost several Invincible Armadas. In fact, that was only a part of the Spanish Navy’s strength.

Spain is very powerful, so powerful that their fleet crisscrosses the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. If Spain wants to mobilize all its main naval forces, it will take at least three years.

Therefore, the Invincible Armada that Britain defeated was, at best, just a carefully selected fleet of the Spanish home fleet.

“You should tell Lord Xu of the Ministry of Rites about this request.

I also know that the distance between Ming and An'erlia is thousands of miles, and it is not easy to come here. I think as long as it is not excessive, the Ministry of Rites will consider your request. "

As for the current situation in the Ming Dynasty, Wei Guangde did not think that the Ministry of Rites would agree to the possibility of the British sending representatives to the Ming Dynasty. However, he could teach them the tricks the Koreans used when the time comes.

Yes, Wei Guangde didn’t know what the British were thinking, so he wouldn’t agree to anything rashly.

However, to avoid sending a permanent representative, we can use the Korean method. Once an envoy arrives in the Ming Dynasty, he should stay there. Anyway, they will be treated with good food and drink in the Huitong Hall, so they will become envoys who are not envoys.

Once something happens in the country, a messenger can be sent at full speed to report the news.

Wei Guangde planned to use this trick to teach the British and see if they could accept it.

"Sir Wei, we mentioned the issue of establishing diplomatic relations between our two countries to Minister Xu of your Ministry of Rites in Tianjin. He said that it still needs to be submitted to your cabinet for discussion and then reported to your emperor for approval.

However, he proposed that my country and your country need to reach a vassal agreement, but my country, like Spain and Portugal, is willing to establish equal diplomatic relations with your country, not a vassal relationship. "

Robert spoke up.

"hehe."

Wei Guangde smiled and understood something.

Indeed, since Zheng He's voyages to the West, a diplomatic system of vassal relations has been established with the countries along the coast of the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

This is different from the Tang Dynasty, which was a dynasty second only to the Ming Dynasty in terms of its complex and frequent foreign relations.

The vassal state in Chinese history is a complex and unique concept, which is essentially a political form in which a centralized state rules surrounding small countries.

A vassal state refers to a small country that was subordinate to and protected by a big country in ancient times. Its origin lies in the control and subordinate relationship established by the big country over the surrounding small countries through military and political means.

The concept of vassal states originated from the feudal system of the Zhou Dynasty, when all princes were regarded as vassal states.

After the Qin Dynasty unified China, it implemented the county system and abolished the feudal system. Vassal states then specifically referred to foreign countries that recognized China's suzerainty and paid tribute to China.

During the Han Dynasty, China had more than 50 vassal states, such as the Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Wusun, Dayuezhi, etc. The establishment of the Western Regions Protectorate was actually an institution specifically designed to manage the vassal states.

Among all the powerful dynasties, the Tang Dynasty had the strictest management over its vassal states. The total area under its jurisdiction over its vassal states far exceeded that of the Han Dynasty, and was even larger than the area directly governed by the Tang Dynasty itself. The number of vassal states exceeded 70.

In the present-day Ming Dynasty, there are more vassal states in name. According to statistics from the Ministry of Rites, there are as many as 140 vassal states, covering as far as South Asia, Africa and other places.

Of course, these vassal states of the Ming Dynasty were not controlled as strictly as those of the Tang Dynasty, but most of them were actually pilgrimage states, submitting in name only and fulfilling the duty of paying tribute.

Of course, it would be more accurate to say that this tribute was to come to the Ming Dynasty to trade in order to obtain the customs permit.

"Mr. Robert, I think you are wrong. Our Ming Dynasty has not established diplomatic relations with Spain and Portugal.

The relationship between the court and them is just a contact, and no agreement has been signed between the two countries. "

Wei Guangde smiled.

Actually, Wei Guangde was not opposed to establishing diplomatic relations, but the current court was still dominated by the idea of ​​"the Celestial Empire", which was correct, but it was indeed not suitable for small European countries.

The only way to make European countries surrender is through war.

How is that possible? European countries were unable to deploy military force to East Asia, and the same was true for the Ming Dynasty.

“We have already discussed with the Spanish and Portuguese missions and will take advantage of this opportunity to reach a bilateral agreement with your country.

In fact, we have all been authorized by the King to sign a dignified agreement."

Robert continued.

Spain had strongholds in Luzon and Portugal in Haojing, so they were naturally not in a hurry to establish agencies in Ming Dynasty. However, the British needed them, which was why they came here.

Although Wei Guangde did not directly manage the Ministry of Rites, he had a great influence on the Ming Dynasty's foreign relations.

“Our country very much hopes that Your Excellency Wei can understand us and support our two countries in signing a diplomatic agreement and establishing a permanent representative office in your country.

Of course, if your country wishes, you can also establish the same representative office in our country."

Robert continued.

"Your problem is a bit difficult."

Wei Guangde glanced at the interpreter, wondering whether he should agree to help.

The gifts given by the British included the two table clocks, two couple's pocket watches and many valuable jewelries. In fact, the processing technology of European jewellery was very advanced at that time.

Xu Jianglan liked some of the jewelry very much.

Wei Guangde soon had an answer and said with a smile: "I will speak for you in the cabinet on this matter." (End of this chapter)