I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 191: Mission to the West (please subscribe)

Zhu Youxiao is not very interested in the affairs of European countries now.

After all, Ming Dynasty has too much time to take care of itself, so it is naturally beyond its reach to deal with European affairs.

It's just that as a latecomer, when the Ming Dynasty stabilizes internally and prepares to enter the ocean, the first enemy it encounters will inevitably be Spain.

You must know that the Spanish colony is in Luzon, so it is still necessary to make arrangements now.

"Thank you, His Majesty the Emperor, for your instructions. I will definitely bring this blessing back to Europe."

Seeing this, Xu Guangqi on the side also took the opportunity to pick up the conversation.

"Your Majesty, when Tang Ruowang came, the Pope also wrote a letter of credence, hoping that the West could maintain friendship with the Ming Dynasty forever and help each other and trade."

"Well, the credentials are of great importance, so let him submit them to the officials according to normal procedures. However, our country has always been a country of etiquette. Since this country has submitted its credentials to our country, we should also send envoys there. have a look."

These words made Tang Ruowang's eyes light up. It has been nearly 100 years since the Portuguese came into contact with the Ming Dynasty. In order to trade with the Ming Dynasty, they have worked hard. As the pioneer missionaries, they also racked their brains to meet the Ming Emperor. There are still many difficulties. .

But now the Ming Emperor in front of him not only accepted the Pope's credentials, but also wanted to send an envoy to Europe. This was unprecedented.

If this can be accomplished, then as an envoy of the distant Chinese Empire, he will definitely cause a sensation in Europe. He will also be canonized by the Pope for this merit, and his missionary career and status will be improved to a higher level.

"This is feasible. The route from Macau to Europe is very mature. Every year, merchant ships go to Europe, passing through Macau, passing through Malacca, then to Goa, and then around the Cape of Good Hope to reach Europe. It takes two or three years to go back and forth.

If this news comes back to Macau, I think the Portuguese will definitely support this matter, and European countries will welcome the Ming envoys and treat them with the highest courtesy. "

Tang Ruowang, who felt that his future was bright, immediately agreed with Zhu Youxiao's statement and planned a route.

Xu Guangqi also knew that the emperor's move was a good opportunity to strengthen exchanges with the West, and he also supported it.

"Well, this is feasible, but after all, we are going there on behalf of the Ming Dynasty, so we need to discuss it with the cabinet and even the officials. Once it is decided, we will send people there immediately. If the West can come, so can the Ming Dynasty."

This is also one of the reasons why Zhu Youxiao is willing to meet Tang Ruowang.

In the Age of Discovery, since the West could come, Ming Dynasty would also send people there to conduct on-site inspections of the current situation in Europe, become familiar with European countries, and lay a solid foundation for future cooperation and confrontation.

But the more important thing is that the predecessors planted trees, and the descendants enjoy the shade. For the late players who are preparing to participate in the Age of Discovery, the map of the Ming Dynasty is not illuminated, and there is not even a chart route for trade.

Therefore, Zhu Youxiao wanted to take advantage of the mission and use Portugal's help to figure out the route to Europe. If there was a chance, it would be best to send people to America, bypass the Strait of Magellan, and sail around the world to light up the earth. full image.

It's just that this person is not easy to choose.

The number of people must not only be able to represent the Ming Dynasty but also be familiar with navigation.Initially, Zhu Youxiao was still hesitant about choosing someone, but when he turned around and saw Zheng Zhilong, he suddenly had an idea and suddenly felt that many things at sea could be done.

"I've decided on this matter. It's just that it's hard to choose people. But I heard that people in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian are particularly fond of overseas trade, and they do it on a large scale. They range from Japan in the east to Nanyang in the west. There are many Chinese people even in the islands of Southeast Asia who have settled down and done business. When the time comes, in addition to sending officials there, the imperial court can also select people from Guangdong and Guangxi to go with them."

Xu Guangqi knew this very well, but he still wondered why the emperor suddenly mentioned people from Guangdong and Guangxi. But after all, the emperor had said this, and he still had to explain it. But before he could speak, Zhu Youxiao had already turned his attention to Tang Ruowang. Zheng Zhilong behind him.

"Your name is Zheng Zhilong. Since you followed Tang Ruowang from Macau to Beijing, you must be from Guangdong, Guangxi or Fujian."

As soon as these words came out, everyone's eyes turned to Zheng Zhilong, who was bending over to translate. They secretly thought that this man's opportunity had come. The emperor probably wanted the locals to answer in person, so he asked him. Since the opportunity was given to him, let's see How did he answer?

Zheng Zhilong was also shocked. At this time, he was just a young man who had just learned how to do business. He was far from the most powerful island overlord in history.But when the emperor asked, he knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so he quickly calmed down and thought about his thoughts.

"Your Majesty Shengming, I am a native of Shijing County, Nan'an Prefecture, Fujian Province. I grew up in Fujian, but my uncle was doing business in Macau. In the past two years, I went to Macau to make a living with my uncle Huang Cheng."

"Oh, since I have been to Macau and my uncle is still doing business there, can you tell me whether there are many people there who go to Nanyang to do business."

"Your Majesty, the land in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian is barren, so many people go to Nanyang to seek a living. In places such as Manila in Luzon, Malacca in Nanyang, and even Siam, and even in the Japanese countries and Ryukyus in the East, there are merchants from the Ming Dynasty trading, and they have made a lot of profits. And many live there year-round to make a living.”

Zheng Zhilong thought about it and decided that it would be better not to hide it from the emperor but to report it truthfully, because even if he didn't tell it, the emperor would ask Tang Ruowang.

But what he said made Xu Guangqi tremble with fear. He thought about how this man dared to say anything. You must know that before the Ming Dynasty, the Longqing switch did open the sea ban, but there was a prohibition, that is, you must not do business with the Japanese country.

Now that Zheng Zhilong has told the truth, if His Majesty is angry and feels that these businessmen are violating the government system and not respecting the imperial system, wouldn't it mean that a large number of people will be punished again?

But he didn't expect that Zhu Youxiao didn't care at all.

"Businessmen are looking for profits, and they will go wherever they make money. Now it's just trade in Southeast Asia and the East. In my opinion, they should be bolder. They can also do business in Tianzhu, Western countries, and even the New World."

Hearing the emperor's affirmation, Zheng Zhilong wholeheartedly agreed, but he couldn't help but curse.

He naturally knows the principle of connecting the world. Sea trade is like this. The farther the distance, the higher the profit. I heard that those Folangji people sold the Ming Dynasty's goods to the West, and the profit was more than ten times.

But why it wasn't done? It's because the Ming court didn't support it. The policy was still wavering. Sometimes the sea was banned, and sometimes it was relaxed. Even if it was relaxed, it was just like a little daughter-in-law who was too shy to open the door. Only one or two people were allowed to do so. Local trade.

It was not until the new emperor ascended the throne that things got better, the sea ban was fully lifted, and everyone could trade on the sea.But the conditions were still immature, and there were no colonies to provide supplies along the way, so it was impossible to reach the West.

　Second more!

　　Updates will start tomorrow, three updates a day, the number of days is not fixed, and I hope everyone will support me.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)