Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 180 The Emperor gives a banquet
After being arranged for such a home visit, Zhang Xiao simply stayed at home, so as not to have any arrangements and not be able to come back in time.

Sure enough, within a few days, news came from the palace that the emperor wanted to summon him.

"I have read your book, but I still don't understand the plot. Altaïr came all the way to Mongolia to carry out assassinations. What does he want to do?" the emperor asked.

"According to the novel, Altaïr suspected that Genghis Khan had the Golden Apple. From a practical point of view, he was worried that the Mongolian cavalry would invade the Middle East and affect the interests of the Assassin organization. Historically, Assassin did send killers, However, their target was Meng Gehan, but they failed and attracted a large army of Mongols," Zhang Xiao replied.

"This golden apple doesn't seem to be very effective. Even Altaïr's master couldn't defeat his apprentice with this thing. Genghis Khan was able to conquer a large territory by relying on tens of thousands of cavalry in the grassland. What did he rely on? The way of ghosts. It is normal for such an assassination organization to be destroyed. When Gongsun Shu faced Emperor Guangwu's army, he sent assassins to kill two generals. In the end, Wu Han led his army to destroy the country and also implicated Shu. The local people suffered. The Khwarazm Kingdom killed the Mongolian envoys, and the country was completely destroyed. I am afraid that the Assassin organization was completely defeated by the Mongolian army. "

"It was indeed completely wiped out. Although Assassin's fortress was built in the mountains and was easy to defend and difficult to attack, it was difficult to withstand the attack of the Mongolian cavalry. In the end, it was completely destroyed. However, in the novel, Assassin's organization only transferred to went underground and no longer appeared in the conspicuous form of political power.”

"I also read it. In the end, Altaïr asked his men to withdraw and stayed on his own. If you leave this foreshadowing, is it possible that you can write a sequel?"

"Weichen does have this intention. The next sequel is planned to be set in Renaissance Italy." Zhang Xiao briefly outlined the concept of Renaissance.

"Matthew Ricci is also Italian. If you are writing a book, you can ask him about Italian customs and customs."

"I also have this intention. It's just that this book may not be convenient."

The emperor's royal meal was brought up, and then several small bowls of food were brought to Zhang Xiao.

"It shouldn't happen. After all, it's the Francois and the Jesuits who are asking for it now. If Matteo Ricci leaves the Ming Dynasty because of this incident, then he is not a qualified missionary. If there is really a falling out It doesn't matter, there are so many countries in Europe, and too many countries want to deal with the Ming Dynasty. The Franco Kingdom has a monopoly on the routes to the East. Who is not interested in the profits, there will be other European countries competing to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty. "

"When you write about Italy in the sequel, it is considered to be about his hometown. Matteo Ricci should also be happy. After all, these foreign monks came to the Ming Dynasty just to preach. Can you introduce their customs and customs? He should be happy. That’s why I’m so happy.”

"Reporting to your majesty, it happened roughly during the time of Emperor Xiaozong and Emperor Wuzong." Zhang Xiao said.

"Let's not talk about big things for now. It's time to eat now, so you can stay with us."

"Zhang Xiao, more than one person has told me that you have a favorable impression of the Flemish people and the Cross Cult. In fact, I feel the same way. Now it seems that I was wrong. You want to publish this book. I don’t know if Matteo Ricci is going to fall out with you.”

The emperor listened carefully and thoughtfully.

"Then what does this protagonist have to do with Daming?"

As the emperor said nothing while eating, Zhang Xiao ate his food carefully and gracefully.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's still difficult to find Matteo Ricci's adviser for this book, because the big villain in the sequel is the Pope of the Cross."

"Oh? Have you conceived the story now? Can you tell it now, and I'll also hear how this cross-religious pope became the villain." The emperor suddenly became interested.

"Your Majesty, this is how I set it up. The protagonist comes from a banking family in Florence, Italy. His uncle is the lord of a castle. The protagonist's name is Ezio. He was originally a playboy, until one day, His family was suddenly framed by political enemies, and his father and brother were imprisoned and killed. Ezio embarked on the road of revenge. His uncle also told Ezio that their family was an Assassin organization..." Zhang Xiao roughly described Assassin's Creed No. The plot of the second part is briefly discussed, until Ezio sneaks into the Vatican, fights with Pope Alexander VI, and finally forgives the Pope.

"If this is the plot, then you'd better not show it to Matteo Ricci. If you arrange the story of the Christian Pope like this, I'm afraid he will fall out with you."

"Then according to the time of your story, this story also happened in the next year." The emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, the protagonist Ezio is a fictional character. This Pope Alexander VI is a real person. The dividing line between Spain and Portugal that divides the world, also called the Papal Meridian, was established by this Pope. Now It was he who laid the foundation for the European colonial structure, but this pope's conduct was indeed rather despicable. He obtained the position of pope through bribery and other means, and he also violated doctrine by having a mistress and illegitimate children, and he even gave birth to illegitimate children. Pushed to the forefront and tried to dominate Italy. "

"Your Majesty, it doesn't matter." Zhang Xiao said quickly.

Zhang Xiao secretly thought to himself, what a crime he would be committing if he brought out the plot of the Chinese female assassin in Assassin's Creed, who is the grandfather of the emperor in front of him.

"I would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty for your great kindness." After chatting with the emperor so many times, this was the first time that Zhang Xiao saw the emperor in charge of food.

"How is it? This food is quite delicious, isn't it?" the emperor asked.

"Of course it's very delicious." Zhang Xiao replied.

"Zhang Xiao, what kind of food did you eat in Nanyang?" "Chen's family immigrated from Guangdong Province, so the daily food is almost the same as Cantonese food. However, as Nanyang is close to the sea, you can eat more Eat some seafood, and there are also some specialty vegetables and fruits from Nanyang, which are sometimes eaten as dishes. As for the other staple food, rice is the main one.”

"Zhang Xiao, I have one more thing to ask. If the Franco Kingdom wants to buy tea, silk and other items from the Ming Dynasty, and goes to America to dig for gold and silver, then what special products are there in Nanyang that can make them Did they really find some big gold mine after traveling so far?"

"Your Majesty, the direct reason is spices. In the past, spices were more expensive than gold in Europe. European nobles did not have more gold and silver, but more spices. When European nobles entertained guests, they always liked Put a lot of spices to show the luxury of your family. Even now, there are many spices in Europe, but they are not affordable for ordinary people. They are basically reserved for those Europeans who came to Nanyang. The first thing is to seize the Spice Islands, which are islands rich in spices, and then build fortresses at key coastal locations along the way to monopolize the trade routes.”

"Back then, Sanbao eunuchs went to the West, but they brought back a lot of spices. Later, the imperial court used spices to pay officials' salaries, and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty were not happy. Spices from Southeast Asia were also used in the imperial kitchen, and there was nothing unusual about this in Europe. People have devoted all their efforts to grab these spices?" The emperor was still a little confused.

"Your Majesty, it is said that things are rare and valuable. At that time, Rome also particularly liked the silk of the Han Dynasty. Silk could only be worn by high-ranking officials. Including porcelain, it has been sold overseas since the Song Dynasty. Now the people of Folangji use boxes of gold. Silver was exchanged for countless goods from the Ming Dynasty. Nowadays, Europe is still in a feudal state, and it is difficult to live and feed by farming. That is why so many people are willing to go to sea and want to make a fortune through trade. "

"If this European traveled so far, I'm afraid there would be a lot of casualties."

"Yes, let's not talk about others. Columbus, who pioneered the American shipping route, sailed for dozens of days, and there was an endless sea along the way. His men almost mutinied and threw him into the sea to return. Fortunately, they found him later. Land. Cortez, who conquered the Americas, also suffered an unknown number of casualties. As for Pizarro, who conquered the Inca, he died directly in the internal fighting. Magellan died of illness on the ship, died of hunger and thirst, and countless sailors died of septicemia due to lack of fruits and vegetables during the voyage."

"Speaking of Luzon Island, I remember the Papal Meridian you just mentioned. If it is drawn like this, then Luzon Island should be regarded as the territory of Portugal. Why is it occupied by Spain again?" The emperor looked at it. asked looking at the map.

"That meridian is indeed drawn like this, but when it comes to really grabbing the territory, it doesn't matter. After all, Spain's original intention of sending Columbus was not to open up America, but to visit the Ming Dynasty and have a poisonous country. Regarding trade, it will be seen later that the Portuguese country has a monopoly on the trade routes, so they will not be convinced, so if they can grab a piece of territory, it will be a piece of territory. They also took advantage of the Portuguese king's defeat and death and directly annexed the Portuguese country. "

"Now that the two countries have merged and the huge land has belonged to Spain, it will be more difficult for other European countries to want new territories." The emperor said while looking at the map.

"Actually, there are still territories. For example, in the Americas, both Spain and Portugal only occupy the central and southern parts. No one has occupied the large territory in the north. And here in Africa, the Portuguese only established strongholds along the coast and never went deep into Africa. There are also many mineral deposits in the interior. There is also the so-called Southern Continent in the south. Europeans have not really reached the extremely cold places in the north and south, and no one has been able to explore them in depth. Even if Spain and Portugal occupied the territory first, Other countries can still come and snatch it directly. Of course, other European countries may not be more eager to snatch overseas colonies, but to break the hegemony of the Habsburg family in Europe. After all, Europe is so big, and one country is too big. If it is too powerful, other countries will join forces to attack it, just like the five countries conquered Qi during the Warring States Period, so a large-scale war will break out in Europe. "

"Zhang Xiao, you have mentioned this European war many times. What does a European war have to do with the Ming Dynasty? After all, Europe is so far away."

"Your Majesty, if a war does break out, there is always an opportunity. Macau and Malacca were originally Portuguese colonies, so now the colonists in these two places are mostly Portuguese. Most of them may not be willing to obey the rule of the Spanish King. So it’s not impossible to fight for it. There is also Luzon Island. If Spain is in a bitter war in Europe, the main force of their navy will definitely stay in Europe, so Ming Dynasty can also seize this opportunity to expel the European colonists from Luzon Island. Go out and save the Europeans from having to look to Shu, threatening Ryukyu and even the southeastern coast."

"This is a major matter for the court. The ministers in the court have their own opinions. For now, the people of Folangji are quite respectful. The court still has to deal with the border troubles in the north and Yang Yinglong in the south. This matter can be discussed later."

"The minister obeys the order."

"I see that you handed over the drawings a few days ago. What kind of trains and railways are they? From what you say, do you want to build a road from Beijing to Tianjin first?"

"Your Majesty, these trains and railways are powerful weapons for the country. As long as they are built, it will be much more convenient and faster to transport troops and food."

"This train also needs a steam engine. The steam engine you drew before was copied by the Ministry of Industry. I don't know how much trouble it took, and they didn't figure out the reason. I don't know how many memorials were sent to the court to allocate money. . Well, if you are willing, you can discuss it with the Ministry of Industry and make a small one and let me see what it looks like. "

"I accept the decree."

Zhang Xiao said goodbye and left.

The queen walked out from the side.

"Queen, you have been watching this time. You can see clearly who Zhang Xiao is, right?" the emperor asked.

"I didn't expect that Zhang Xiao would be so outspoken. After reading his book, I thought he had a good impression of the people from the West. Unexpectedly, he thinks about how to deal with the Europeans every day." said the queen.

"Think about how his family has been operating in Nanyang for many years. Once the family business was wiped out and the family was scattered, this is also a big feud."

"Yes, I listened carefully just now. Anyone who has never been to Nanyang will not be able to say these words and have such insights. But when I look at Zhang Xiao, I seem to want to use the imperial court to The soldiers and horses avenge themselves."

"Actually, I also wanted to go to Nanyang to mine, but at that time the ministers advised me, and Zhang Xiao also told me, saying that if the news of mining in Nanyang spread, I was afraid that the Spanish Governor of Luzon would be detrimental to the local Chinese. This time If it weren't for the Chinese people living in Nanyang, they wouldn't be able to tell. This person is still a bit scheming. Queen, you have to think carefully about whether my wife will suffer a loss if she marries him. "

"Despite this, there are no such young talents in the Ming Dynasty. I am already quite satisfied. However, Zhang Xiao has learned a lot. Your Majesty, please keep an eye on him." The Queen said.

(End of this chapter)