Chapter 250 Ming Dynasty Officials Go to the Papal State
In the autumn and tenth month of the tenth year of Zhengde, the first Ming Dynasty flag with a red background and black dragon pattern flew on the Mediterranean Sea.
This is the national flag of the Ming Dynasty.
In the seventh year of Zhengde, Emperor Zhu Houzhao issued an order to the cabinet to establish the style of the Ming Dynasty flag to symbolize the national spirit.
In the end, the Ministry of Rites spent a year selecting this flag style.
The black dragon pattern flag with a red background and the main color of Zhu Xuan naturally represents the enterprising and unyielding spirit of China, and the dragon pattern naturally represents the totem of the country of China.
Zhu Houzhao issued an edict throughout the country on the winter solstice of the eighth year of Zhengde's reign that all government offices, schools, military bases, city gates, and ships going to sea in the Ming Dynasty must fly this flag. The navy of the Ming Dynasty has the obligation to protect and rescue ships flying this flag.
The flag of the Ming Dynasty has become a common phenomenon in Southeast Asia.
But this is the first time that the Ming flag has appeared in the interior of the Mediterranean, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean.
It first appeared in the North African port city of Ceuta.
It is connected to the Strait of Gibraltar to the west, with direct access to Spain, to the north to France, and to the east, it can reach Rome directly via Sardinia and Corsica, and even have contact with the Ottoman Empire.
besides.
Across the Strait of Gibraltar, the city of Ceuta has direct navigation to Guinea, and the Francois hoarded gold from Guinea here.
And now that Ming Dynasty has occupied this place, naturally he will not give up anymore.
Countless gold will naturally be transported back to the Ming Dynasty in the future.
Emperor Zhengde was not Emperor Yongle.
Xia Yan is not Zheng He. Since he has occupied this place, he naturally has no thought of giving up.
Therefore, after seizing this port city from the Francois, Xia Yan ordered the Ming Dynasty flag to be planted here, and declared that this place officially belonged to the capital of the Ming Dynasty's Western Province, and appointed Wang Youquan, the accompanying alternate officer supervisor, as the prefect of Ceuta.
Zhu Houzhao gave Xia Yan the official position of the right minister of the Ministry of War to patrol the West, and gave him many convenient rights.
In other words, throughout the entire west of the Indian Ocean, while Xia Yan was still in this position, he had the final say and was the King of the West. If he had pulled down the Pope of the West and chopped him up with a knife, Zhu Houzhao would not blame him now.
Not to mention opening a mansion and building teeth now.
Xia Yan, an official of the Ming Dynasty, set up his residence in Ceuta. The natural purpose was to establish a stronghold for the Ming Dynasty in the Mediterranean and to provide supplies for Marquis Jianchang to continue his westward march.
Zhang Yanling, the Marquis of Jianchang, did not stay in Ceuta long. Before Vasco da Gama's injury fully recovered, he and his fleet set sail eastward.
Xia Yan used wine to cheer up the Ming aristocrat who represented the first Ming Dynasty team and was about to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and shouted loudly:
"Marquis Jianchang! Xia had many misunderstandings about you in the past, thinking that you were just a dandy uncle. Now with your courage to continue sailing for the Ming Dynasty, Xia will respect you in awe! If you return to the Ming Dynasty someday, , Xia will be the first to ask for credit!”
Zhang Yanling smiled slightly and looked at the rough sea: "Okay! Minister Xia, I have finally figured it out. You are different from other civil servants. I will have to rely on you in the future. I am afraid that I will have to pay you back when the time comes." It really depends on you, otherwise those old stubborns really think that I am just wasting money and food. When the time comes, I will bring back real money and silver from the land of Huawai and let them all take a look!"
As they sailed all the way, Zhang Yanling no longer just held the original intention of proving that the earth is a sphere, but began to pay more attention to whether he could plunder more wealth. Anyway, in these places outside the Ming Dynasty, he could grab whatever he wanted without worrying about it. The imperial censor spoke of impeachment.
Xia Yan was still a scholar after all, and was not interested in Zhang Yanling's desire to find more gold and silver. He was more interested in Zhang Yanling's desire to prove that the earth is a sphere. Therefore, he couldn't help but remind him: "Marquis Jianchang should not forget In light of your original intention to agree to His Majesty, scholars throughout the Ming Dynasty are waiting for you to come back to see whose theory is right!”
"Of course I haven't forgotten it. In fact, without going there, we can basically conclude that the earth is a sphere. These days, various phenomena we have seen at sea have proven that it is consistent with what the ancients said, that the earth lives in the sky, and its body is round to match the sky. Degree, China is the place to live It is north of the equator, so the North Pole is always visible and the South Pole is always hidden. If you travel 250 miles south, the North Pole will be one degree lower, and if you travel 250 miles north, the North Pole will be one degree higher. There is no contradiction in this. It can also be determined based on the angle of observation of the North Star. Prove it!”
"But no matter what, since I agreed to your majesty, I still go there. Besides, your majesty once said that Columbus of the Spanish dynasty had crossed this sea in the fifth year of Hongzhi, discovered a new continent, and even claimed the entire continent as his own. Yes, our Ming Dynasty cannot just watch others benefit. I want to occupy a piece of territory for the Ming Dynasty! Apart from my emperor's nephew, how can these barbarian emperors in the West have the right to own these new continents? Farewell!"
As Zhang Yanling spoke, he handed over to Xia Yan, and then ordered the fleet that had replenished fresh water and food to continue setting sail.
Xia Yan also bowed his hand, and after giving some instructions to Wang Youquan, the prefect of Ceuta, he also ordered to set sail for Rome.
Lying on the deck, Vasco da Gama couldn't understand what the two Orientals in front of him were saying. He was still aching in pain and didn't know what kind of punishment he would face. He cursed these Orientals in his heart as devils, and at the same time he He really wanted to survive and no longer suffer inhuman torture, so he also hoped in his heart that these Eastern people could forgive him.
Vasco da Gama didn't know why the compatriot who followed the Easterners and described the situation in the sea ahead and spoke the French language was not punished like himself, and even had property and women.
……
Xia Yan glanced at the sail shadow going away to the west, then put down the telescope and looked up at the blue interior of the Mediterranean Sea. The officers and soldiers on the battleship have also lost the madness and barbarity of yesterday, and are all serious and nervously guarding the surroundings. Their experience at sea over the past few days tells them that the closer they get to these Western countries, the more enemy ships they encounter. There are more and more, so once they leave the coast, they don't dare to take it lightly.
Fortunately, along the way, because at this time most of Italy was still under the rule of the Austrian Empire, and the areas that were not ruled had just become independent from the Pope and were in a state of separatism, forming relatively small ones. The city-state republic, therefore, will not pose a threat to the Ming fleet at this time.
As for the Ottoman Empire, he was now expanding in the Balkans and had not yet expanded westward.
Therefore, Xia Yan and his Ming cruise fleet arrived in Rome smoothly.
At this time, Rome was still the capital of the Catholic Papal State.
It has been a holy city for Catholics since the Frankish king dedicated the city to the Pope eight hundred years ago.
It was not until twelve years later that Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire sent troops to burn and plunder the place, and the Renaissance began in Rome, which had lost the order of papal rule.
therefore.
When Xia Yan and Ming's fleets appeared in Rome, Rome was still in the medieval period under the rule of the Pope.
"Is this the legendary person from the East?"
"Their ship is too big!"
"Are they missionaries?"
"Quick, tell the bishop!"
……
Xia Yan's special envoy Pires led a group of Ming officers and soldiers ashore first.
Pires found a priest named Francis and expressed the purpose of Ming Dynasty coming here: "Please tell the Senate and the Pope that we are envoys from the Ming Empire in the East. I represent the ministers of Emperor Zhengde of Ming Dynasty. Mr. Xia Yan, the Right Minister of the Ministry of War, the Western Admiral of the Western Military Affairs, we are here to inspect the Western countries in order to establish trade and cultural exchanges in the future.”
"The envoy of the Ming Empire, sent by Emperor Zhengde? Not the Pope?"
The priest named France asked in surprise. He grew up in Rome and was a devout believer, so he thought other religions would have their own popes.
"There is no pope in the Ming Empire. Our king is the emperor. We are not here to preach, but to inspect and inspect! We have brought you goods, but we also have guns! As long as you are friendly to us, we are willing to trade with you Commodities, we don’t want to become enemies with each other, and we can only communicate with guns at that time.”
Pires said so much, but there was only one sentence that made the pastor put aside his grudge: Daming was not here to preach.
"Quick, go and tell the bishop that he is a messenger from the East, not here to preach!"
When the pastor heard that the people from the Ming Dynasty were not here to preach, he felt relieved. He even thought that the people from the Ming Dynasty were here for pilgrimage, so he became excited.
Rome is still under the rule of the Pope, but the Pope's Holy See is not in Rome, but in Avignon, France. Therefore, after the people who knew about the Ming Dynasty appeared in the city of Rome at this time, there was only the Roman Cardinal Toges. He became the first senior cleric to face the incident of the first arrival of Ming officials.
Toges was a little scared at first, fearing that these Easterners were coming to destroy his Papal State, but after receiving the news from Pastor France, he became happy again and thought:
"It seems that these people from the East are here for pilgrimage. Their emperor must believe in God and must come to ask the Pope to crown him. I don't know which missionary is responsible for spreading our teachings to the East. , so that the emperor of the East also became a believer! ”
"Let those who are trying to apostatize see that our Catholicism has not died out. People from the far east come to make pilgrimages. What does this mean? This shows that our Catholicism is heading towards glory!"
After Bishop Tojis said this, he welcomed the Ming Dynasty's envoy ashore with excitement and excitement.
Xia Yan came to Rome for the first time, but he didn't have a great impression of the city at first. He found that the civilians here seemed to be no better dressed than the people of the Ming Dynasty. They were all wrapped in old cloth and black clothes. Under the stubble that has been driven away and not repaired, there are empty faces.
Even the streets were messy and filthy, and the scattered fruit and vegetable leaves smelled moldy and rotten under the long-lasting humid air.
"Perhaps this is what Your Majesty calls Medieval Rome. It is indeed not a city that people want to live here!"
Xia Yan frowned, adjusted his bright scarlet official robe, and rode into the city of Rome.
Before the Ming Dynasty, China had the theory that the earth was a sphere, but later it became less popular for unknown reasons
(End of chapter)