From Chief to Ball

It is better to say that it is to show off than to ask for advice.It is better to say that he came to visit him than he was afraid that Matteo Ricci would die of anxiety and anxiety.

After reading a few books, Matteo Ricci realized that the way to win the upper-level bureaucrats by relying on technology and culture was completely blocked by this group of people. Thinking of the letter he had received earlier about etiquette and translation issues, he suddenly felt a sense of loss. Yihei felt a severe pain in his heart, clutching his heart and making an expression of extreme pain.

Unexpectedly, this group of people took out a small pill, and after taking it, Matteo Ricci's heartache and panic improved a lot, but the anxiety in his heart became more serious.

After his body gradually recovered, Matteo Ricci finally couldn't help asking: "How much knowledge does the envoy sent by your country know about this knowledge?"

At this moment, he was eagerly looking forward to getting a negative answer. If the person facing him was a professional bureaucrat or an aristocrat who didn't understand these things, then things might have a turning point.

"Our envoy? Speaking of which, I'll call him Mr. He's extremely irreligious."

A short sentence ended the last hope in Matteo Ricci's heart.

……

A few days later, the mission led by Chen Jian officially entered Beijing.In terms of novelty, there are a large number of furs of exotic animals in the Classic of Mountains and Seas; in terms of intimacy, there is the fact that the Battle of Ryukyu supported the Asian tributary system; in terms of calendar, there is a full-time astronomer; On technology, there are excellent craftsmen brought along with the ship; on mathematics, there are the first batch of learners of this historical line calculus and plane Cartesian coordinate system... Along with all these, there are many books brought into Beijing .

A few days later, Matteo Ricci, who was worried, restless, and seriously ill, passed away. This envoy of Eastern and Western cultures who should have lived a few more days and a person who can be called Lizi was sent by Chen Jian.

The final reply letter was not finished, the next overseer of the Chinese missionary area was not appointed or recommended, and the issue of etiquette coincided with his death and could no longer be suppressed.A dispute about ancestor worship, God, God, doctrine, whether it is still meaningful to continue to adhere to the upper-level academic mission, whether to send people to Rome to ask the Pope to adapt to local conditions, etc., started after his funeral.

And the dissemination of the translations of right angles, obtuse angles, acute angles, line segments, straight lines, geometry, etc. that he brought and influenced has not been interrupted by his death, and continues to affect the present and future here.

Chapter 99 Small things now, big things to come ([-])

The process of paying tribute or negotiating is boring. The only thing worthy of praise is that when Chen Jian proposed to let the officers of the Beijing camp and the ministers of the Ministry of War watch the military drills and volley performances of the fusiliers, he did not get a sentence of "you can watch it." , It’s okay not to watch”, but was praised by the mouth.

After visiting Ye Xianggao, the leader of Donglin at this time, Chen Jianda talked about topics such as morality, tax supervision, and the six departments of government return, and won the welcome of this faction by cutting the key points.Anyway, these people have never considered solving the current crisis from the institutional and technical levels. Chen Jian likes to talk about morality and morality.

At this time, it was the time when Donglin and Qi Chuzhe were competing with each other. Around Li Sancai's entry into the cabinet, and more than a year later, there was a Beijing inspection. Beijing was in the hands of Donglin; Nanjing was in the hands of Qi Chuzhe. In the hands of the party, the two parties are trying their best to find evidence for each other, and they don't care about the possible impact of Chen Jian and others' trade, nor have they thought about the consequences.

After the final negotiations, Chen Jian got a coveted contract.

The Republic recognizes the legitimacy of Chixian Shenzhou Emperor and the jurisprudence of the tributary system, and must not interfere in the internal affairs of the country within the tributary system; it cannot trade with several tributary vassal states without permission.

The merchants of the Republic are allowed to live in Quanzhou, Fuzhou, and Zhangzhou, but they must abide by the laws of Ming Dynasty. They just enjoy the treatment of two minors and one leniency as outsiders. At most, they are deported and returned to their original places.

It is allowed to temporarily borrow Taiwan as a transit point for goods for a period of 20 years. The rent is exempted, but [-] flintlock guns and eight long-barreled guns must be used as tributes, and they will enter Beijing as tributes within three years.The rest of the tribute will be paid once every ten years, but trade in Fujian and Guangdong is allowed outside of the tribute.

Five people were authorized to study in Nanjing Guozijian, some people were allowed to travel around, and Chen Jian and others were allowed to choose places to live in Beijing, buy houses or build schools.

Appointing a person as a naturalized citizen to join Qin Tianjian as the nine-rank five-official calendar, and asking the Ministry of Rites to compile a new calendar, in fact, Donglin took the opportunity to attack the Qi, Chu, and Zhejiang factions.

Chen Jian, in his capacity as the Secretary of Propaganda and Consolation of the Western Domain, has the qualifications to proclaim Taiwan in name, and pays 500 taels of silver every year.This position is not hereditary, but the specific official position is determined by Chen Jian, and after the decision is made, it will be reported to the Ming court for official approval and certification.

Chen Jian is allowed to trade in Yuegang, and the import and export goods on board are taxed at about [-]% according to the estimated value.Eight percent of the tax is levied on goods entering the inland river, which is recorded by stamps, and the remaining taxes and fees are no longer required to be paid along the way.

Every trading ship returning to Moon Harbor must carry fifty shi of rice, which is tax-free and levied at a fair price.

No trade with Japan.Japanese people are not allowed to be hired as private soldiers or private slaves.

Chen Jian was allowed to cruise between Ryukyu and Taiwan, and he was obliged to send troops in case of looting by Japanese pirates.At the same time, a eunuch was sent to follow Chen Jian to inspect the ships going to Japan for smuggling. Once found, they were immediately detained and all the goods were confiscated. The owner and crew were sent back to Fujian for disposal.

In case of emergencies such as typhoons, etc., you can park in coastal ports, but you are not allowed to carry weapons ashore when entering the port.

Because Ryukyu has just experienced the war, the tribute to Ryukyu was exempted, and the tribute was changed from one tribute every three years to one tribute every ten years.

Chen Jian was allowed to send people to Shandong, Shanxi, Henan and other places to promote sweet potato and corn planting as low-level officials of the Ming court.

Chen Jian is allowed to explore minerals in remote places such as Qiongzhou. If he wants to mine, he needs to report and pay mining tax after getting permission.

12 people were selected to be stationed in the Beijing Camp to teach the practice of firecrackers.A new school was opened in Fujian to train gunners.

...Basically, this treaty is quite beneficial to Chen Jian's plan, and the most coveted status has been resolved.

As for the issue of whether to trade with Japan, that is, it stays on paper, and no one can control it.

And cruising around the Ryukyu to suppress smuggling can firmly grasp the opportunity to monopolize the smuggling trade.Although it will cause opposition from some smuggling interest groups, it can also take this opportunity to win over some maritime merchants to participate in monopoly trade.

The function of the contract is only to make some actions legal and reasonable, such as anti-smuggling.In the case of customs and taxation being completely rotten, only state officials are allowed to set fires in anti-smuggling matters, and ordinary people are not allowed to light lamps.

If the hand stretches a little longer, after a few years the joint-stock company grows and the fleet takes shape, the smuggling will basically be cut off: either join the company or be detained.

This is not something that can be solved with one sentence or a treaty, it can be solved with dozens of warships.

The indifferent status of a propaganda and comfort envoy also gave Chen Jian the legitimacy to interfere in major events such as the establishment of chieftains in the Liao region in the future.It may not be that he came forward in person, anyway, the title is similar to that of chieftain.

It was already the end of the new year when this treaty was signed, and as this year was about to pass, Chen Jian also immediately ushered in his tenth year in this world.

This year is not a special year, but it is a year suitable for signing treaties.While Chen Jian was busy with the treaty in Beijing, the other side of the earth also signed many treaties and sent many envoys this year.

Under various treaties, the whole world has ushered in temporary peace, but behind these fragile treaties, greater chaos is brewing.

In The Hague, the nobles of various countries and the Ministry of Rites of the Republic sent the first batch of envoys to Europe to witness the signing of the Ten-Year Armistice Agreement between Spain and the Netherlands.

This agreement has a great relationship with the Republic.

In last year's battle, when Spinola attacked Maurice, he keenly found a gap, but the four companies of the Dutch equipped with new-style flintlock guns blocked it with the rapid mobility of a horizontal column instead of a phalanx At the gap, two mercenary-style field guns were quickly moved to the gap near the gap under the pull of the horses. Spinola suffered heavy losses under the rapid salvo of shelling and flintlock guns, and did not break through the gap.

This was the first appearance of the flintlock and fast mobile field guns on the European battlefield, and it was also the first time that the cousin of the Swedish Crown Prince Gustav II witnessed a difference from the previous ones after serving in Maurice's army. The tactical system deeply affected this nobleman.

At the same time, this victory also made Morris more prestige, which aroused the vigilance of the supporters of the Great Speaker. The debate on war or peace planted the seeds of future political and religious chaos in the Netherlands.

Spain were exhausted and badly needed a rest.I came into contact with the existence of the Republic three years ago, and it also made the Spaniards feel anxious. I am afraid that the Republic and the Netherlands will form an alliance, even if it is not an alliance, just provide loans, weapons and even mercenaries, and those provinces in the southern Netherlands will fall into a trap. panic.

With unprecedented speed of response, Spain contacted the Republic's envoys in Europe.As a previously established policy and Chen Jian's assessment of the situation, the Republic quickly signed a strange convention, a trade treaty, and a secret agreement with Spain.

The name of the convention is "Anti-Piracy Convention". There are only two countries that have signed this convention, the Republic and Spain. Besides, no other countries agree with this convention. Britain, the Netherlands and other countries refuse to sign it, and also refuse to join this convention, and send People lodged serious representations against this convention, believing it to be unreasonable.

According to this treaty, any private plundering behavior is considered a pirate, and once discovered, it will not enjoy the treatment of prisoners of war, but will be punished as a crime of piracy.Spain and the Republic will not sponsor privateers of any kind.

In fact, Spain has no interest in privateers, just beg others not to rob him.The Nanyang Trading Company hated pirates deeply, which seriously affected many of their trades; the domestically developed handicraft industry needed an export market, and workshop owners and industrial capital wanted to open up free trade everywhere; tilted in the direction of free trade.

This poor treaty, signed by only two countries, has no control over European affairs, but only the archipelago and the Viceroyalty of Spain.Although Yinghe was angry, there was nothing he could do, because their hands couldn't reach there.

Behind this convention is a trade agreement and a secret treaty between the Republic and Spain, which are complementary.

The trade agreement allows the Nanyang Trading Company to buy a ship that the royal family monopolizes trade with a certain amount of pesos per year, and at the same time allows two legal ships to go to the Spanish Viceroyalty to trade specific commodities every year.

This made the Spanish royal family feel extremely heartbroken, and they also knew that two ships that legally traded specific commodities and one ship that monopolized trade meant at least ten times or even a hundred times the amount of smuggling, but there was no way.Because they urgently need to sign a secret treaty with the Republic.

The secret treaty is at the cost of a trade treaty, hoping that the Republic will not support the Netherlands, send military personnel, provide loans to the Netherlands, and maintain absolute neutrality in the war between the Netherlands and Spain, otherwise the trade will be cancelled. treaty.

The ink on the treaty here was not yet dry, and the first group of people who went to the world of the republic active in Europe took this opportunity to hold a meeting in The Hague on the subject of "sovereignty, territory, territorial sea, colonial ownership, island naming rights". , Visual Discovery Landing Discover the Difference Between Nominal Control and Actual Control" and other content seminars.

Various forces rushed to tell each other, each with their own goals, actively participated in this seminar.However, contrary to the anti-piracy convention, Britain, France, and the Netherlands were extremely active in this matter, while Spain protested solemnly and was extremely dissatisfied.

They didn't say anything, but the participating countries agreed that the meridian and the ownership of the New World stipulated by the Pope are bullshit, illegal and unreasonable.Not only do we not admit it, but we also want to make it clear from the point of view that this is wrong.