Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 177 Predicting the European War
"I still have a backup copy of this novel here. Shopkeeper Ding, please take it back and read it first. But don't rush to print it first. You should proofread it carefully first. I will also check if there are any inappropriate places and adjust them. Come here." Zhang Xiao said.

"Then Ding will take it back and read it carefully." Shopkeeper Ding said.

After meeting Shopkeeper Ding, Zhang Xiao stayed at home, collecting and sorting out the intelligence information he got from North Korea this time, thinking that he would be able to answer better when he was asked to answer questions in front of His Majesty.

However, before Zhang Xiao could wait for the emperor's summons, he first waited for Matteo Ricci's invitation.

"Zhang Zhanshi, when I heard about your experience in North Korea, I was very shocked. I didn't expect that such a barbaric thing would happen to you, Zhang Zhanshi. May the Lord always bless you." Matteo Ricci met Zhang Xiao , first came a greeting.

"Thank you for your concern. It's just a thief. Mr. Li, how about you teaching in Tongwen Hall now?"

"How should I put it? Zhang Zhanshi, the International Phonetic Symbols you made are indeed subtle, but I tried to teach the students, but they said it was too difficult to learn. When they learned those words, they directly used the Chinese phonetic notation, no I’m willing to learn the International Phonetic Alphabet, but I’m not willing to learn my romaji phonetic notation.”

"Mr. Li, I personally just make some suggestions. This phonetic symbol or Roman notation can be taught, but it cannot be said that all students can be taught it. After all, many students may not have the talent to learn languages, and they are older. It would be good for them to know how to write the Spanish letters and how to say some of the most commonly used sentences. Moreover, in the "Portuguese-Chinese Dictionary" written by Mr. Li, I roughly spelled out the sounds in it, and I feel that some of them are wrong. The dialects of the South. China is a vast country. Although all books have been written in Chinese characters and the language has Mandarin, there are still great differences in local dialects. Mr. Li still needs to use "Hongwu Zhengyun" as a model for phonetic notation. "

"Thank you Zhang Zhanshi for your suggestion. Because when I was compiling the Portuguese-Chinese Dictionary, I was in Guangdong Province. Although the scholars in Guangdong Province assured me that what they spoke was Mandarin, but later I really came to After traveling to Nanjing and Beijing, I found that real Mandarin still sounds different. I am also relearning standard Mandarin, but this process is not easy. I will also revise the "Portuguese-Chinese Dictionary".

"Then there's Mr. Lawley."

"Why did Mr. Zhang ask about this? The founder of the Society of Jesus is indeed Spanish, but it was also founded with the grace of the Pope. We still have to accept the Pope's teachings."

"No need to explain, I know what Caesar means, but next time you want to say this to others, just say the king."

"Zhang Zhan, Li is just a missionary. As the saying goes, give God's things to God and give to Caesar what is Caesar's. I can't control the fight between Caesars. Mr. Zhang, may I explain what Caesar means?"

"Lee understands."

"It doesn't matter. There are thousands of scholars in the Ming Dynasty, and there are also geniuses in language and other fields. But you need to find it yourself, Mr. Li. Mr. Li, what I want to talk to you about is another thing, which is Macau. Here, you are sent by the Christian sect, but you should also have a close relationship with Spain. "

"Zhang Zhanshi is willing to give me the opportunity to teach. It's not too late for Li to thank you. It's not a big hardship. I will also find someone among these students who is willing to study in depth and write with him. It stands to reason that Zhang Zhanshi is yours It’s the most appropriate, but you are too busy.”

"Mr. Li, what you said is indeed true, but the fight between Caesars may also affect the authority of your Cross. Now the Holy Roman Empire and France have been in conflict for a long time, and the northern princes of the Holy Roman Empire are still in conflict. Some countries further north, such as Denmark and Sweden, believe in Protestantism. Once there is civil strife in the Holy Roman Empire, and other Protestant countries intervene, then the European continent will be devastated. Of course, Europe is too far away from the Ming Dynasty. According to the theory. No matter how you calculate it, Zhou Li is considered to be in ruins, and he doesn't care how he attacks the Ming Dynasty, but the land of Macau is the land of the Ming Dynasty, and the Portuguese are just renting it. Even if Portugal is annexed by Spain, it will not change this fact. But if it is European. It would not be good if other countries come to Macau to compete for strongholds. "

"In that case, Zhang also has a question to ask. If the Habsburg family that rules Spain and the Holy Roman Empire weakens in the future, will your stronghold in Macau be affected? As far as I know , the Netherlands, which was originally under the jurisdiction of the King of Spain, has been undergoing riots for decades, and the Netherlands has been established. The Netherlands' overseas trade is relatively developed, and it is very eager to establish overseas strongholds. As far as I know, Nigeria. The rioters in Deland are not willing to pay tithes to your Christian Pope, so what will happen if the Dutch and British come from Europe?"

"What's wrong? If the war for Macau breaks out, will it affect our Society of Jesus?" Matteo Ricci suddenly became nervous.

"No matter which countries come to compete for Macau, they are all invaders of the Ming Dynasty. Mr. Li, you know that after going through the campaign to conquer Japan and aid Korea, the imperial court is not friendly to foreigners. What if it happens because of the Macau incident? If it leads to a war, it is not certain whether the Ming Dynasty is willing to lease Macau to the Francois, and you may not be welcomed in China. Mr. Li, you have to know that the Christian religion has been established for thousands of years. Is it possible? Didn’t the Chinese people know about the existence of your cross religion in the past? In fact, in the Tang Dynasty hundreds of years ago, the cross religion was spread. We called it Nestorianism. However, when Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty destroyed Buddhism, he also The Nestorians are also gone. Now if Ming Dynasty wants to purge you, it may be a little more troublesome in Macau, but if Ming Dynasty insists on purging you, it will be no problem. "

"Then what should we do?" Matteo Ricci asked quickly. "I also want to ask Mr. Li something. You should also have contacts with Macau now. You can talk to them and ask them what they mean. When the Portuguese rented Macau, did they want to cannibalize it at the beginning? It’s hard to say that the Ming Dynasty is just looking for money. Since it is looking for money, it must be like asking for money. The Ming Dynasty is not one of those small countries in Nanyang. Since it wants to rent land from the Ming Dynasty, it must also show some sincerity and a lot of it. To pay tribute, you need to give some valuable technology, talent, and information. Otherwise, one day Spain fails in its struggle for hegemony in Europe, and the British, Dutch, or French come to Ming Dynasty and offer better conditions. I can't guarantee whether the imperial court will be moved. If the imperial court is moved, I can't say what the outcome will be. Macau has managed to accumulate a lot of wealth through trade, and you have worked hard to preach. I don’t want to benefit others in vain if I make some progress.”

"Mr. Zhang, is this your personal meaning? Or is it the meaning of the Ming Dynasty?" Matteo Ricci was silent for a long time before asking.

"It's my personal opinion at the moment, and it's hard to say in the future. Mr. Li, your Society of Jesus is operating in China, and you are under the jurisdiction of the Pope who is thousands of miles away. I still suggest that the Pope directly sends someone over to negotiate. Otherwise, there will be a lot of trouble in the future. You have to understand that the dignity of the emperor of China is inviolable. No matter what dynasty or generation he belongs to, religious believers will not be allowed to associate with foreign countries or incite such illegal acts. , the court’s punishments are extremely severe,” Zhang Xiao said.

"Then Li will understand. Thank you Mr. Zhang for the reminder. In this case, Li will write to Macau and ask for their opinions. Mr. Zhang, I also mentioned to you before that Tongwenguan I am afraid that I am not able to recruit new foreign teachers at the side meeting, so I have written to Macau before, asking for people to come and teach. I don’t know if the court has any intention to expand the recruitment. "

"I have just come back. How is the Tongwen Museum doing now? I have to go find out before I can tell you. But Mr. Li, don't worry, the Tongwen Museum will be expanded sooner or later. In this way, Mr. Li, you can invite us from Macau You can invite people who are versatile, even if they can farm or garden, they are considered craftsmen. Invite people from all over the world. Since it is a Tongwen library, you can learn all kinds of languages. Let’s start the class first.”

"So Li will understand. Li still wants to ask, Zhang Zhanshi, do you have any basis for saying that a war will break out in Europe soon? After all, Zhang Zhanshi, although you once stayed in Nanyang, you always It’s hearsay.”

"This is all old news. In order to facilitate business, my family spent a lot of money to record and translate books, materials, customs and customs from all over the world, and built a secret library. I was there too. I learned a lot of knowledge. Later, the Philippine governor sent troops to attack, and the library was burned down by the clan leader. I can only say that my memory is relatively good, and I still remember most of the knowledge in the Ming Dynasty. I collected reading materials and had contacts with other missionaries and foreign businessmen, so I still had some grasp of the situation in Europe.

"Now the conflict between Caesar of the Holy Roman Empire and the princes in the north will break out sooner or later. Once a civil war breaks out in the Holy Roman Empire, the Nordic countries will send troops south, whether out of consideration for relief from the same clan or for hegemony. Once the Holy Roman Empire goes to war, The Kingdom of Spain will also come to an end as the same family. Once Spain comes to an end, so will Britain, France, and the Netherlands. Then it will be a great war in Europe. The struggle for hegemony in Europe has been going on for a long time, even if this war does not involve the Holy Roman Empire. The outbreak will occur elsewhere in Europe.

"Of course, this is just Zhang's one-sided statement, and it may not actually happen. But one thing will not change. The struggle for European hegemony will definitely affect other European spheres of influence. The wars between European countries will not only be in Europe. It will break out in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. After all, there are so many countries in Europe, and no country wants to strive for hegemony. Conflict is inevitable. Just like the war between Britain and France, it lasted for a hundred years. Britain and France have also fought many wars. War in Europe is inevitable, but the scale of the next war will be even larger. After all, the Holy Roman Empire is at the center of Europe, just like the Central Plains of China. Everyone wants to fight for it," Zhang Xiao analyzed.

"Then if this war really breaks out, it would be too unfortunate." Matteo Ricci sighed.

Matteo Ricci said goodbye and left.

"My boss, I didn't expect you to talk about this with Matteo Ricci. Matteo Ricci is just a foreign monk. Is it really okay to talk about such a big thing?" Lu Zhang asked.

"No, no, no, Matteo Ricci is by no means a simple foreign monk. He has used a lot of resources to come to the capital. In this case, if you ask him to spread some words, he can still spread them. I will also do it later Reporting the matter in Macau to the imperial court, the current situation in Macau is actually a bit embarrassing. Although nominally the Francois only leased land in Macau, Macau was just a desert island at the beginning. If it was just for business, why not. Guangzhou City leased land, and now the Folangji people are building houses and building fortresses in Macau, as if they are treating it as their own colonial stronghold. If things go on like this, it will be detrimental to the Ming Dynasty. However, we cannot just drive away the Folangji people. Not to mention how much it costs to fight a war, just by driving away the Folangji people, the Ming Dynasty lost a window to understand the Western Yi countries. "

"So, boss, you're just going to tell Matteo Ricci these words to scare the Folangji people and let them have a good talk with Ming Dynasty?"

"It's not scary. After all, the Francois arrived early and occupied so much land in the Americas and the main trade routes in the world. How many people are jealous. You can wait and see. The further back you go, the more jealous you are. , more European countries will appear along the coast of the Ming Dynasty, such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and other countries, and they will definitely want to break the blockade of the trade routes by the Francois and directly contact the Francois from thousands of miles away. If you come here and are determined to stand firm, you can imagine that there is so much money to be made from this trade route, and no country can help but be jealous. "

"So in the future, other European countries may follow in the footsteps of the Franco-Ji Kingdom. But the Franco-Ji people occupied all the territory first, and it will be difficult for them to get anything if they come later."

"Yes, other countries have a late market and can't buy any fresh food. But it doesn't matter. They can rob the Folangji people's stronghold, or they can find a piece of land that the Folangji people didn't care about. If you want to occupy it, no matter how bad this place is, you must occupy it first. For example, if other countries come, they will definitely want to occupy Macau. Other places are also good, such as..." Zhang Xiao said as he spoke. I took a look at the location of the treasure island on the map.

Zhang Xiao felt excited, wondering why he had forgotten this matter. Calculating the time, if the Dutch came, they would definitely be targeting the treasure island. This matter should be discussed earlier and coastal defenses should be strengthened.

(End of this chapter)