Chapter 426: Word Therapy in the House of Wise Men
Xu Jiugao was originally planning to die. As a desperado, Liu Ji didn’t have many shortcomings except that he liked robbery. An experienced captain could bring the fleet back Ming Dynasty, and he clearly felt the passing of his life force at sea. He was already dying when he suddenly heard the words of someone trying to pry his head off.
I sat up in shock while dying of illness, I found myself in the Jiecu courtyard!
Xu Jiugao is alive, and he has a strong desire to live. No matter what, he cannot die in Taixi, his body cannot be separated, or at least his head cannot be pried open!
Xu Jiugao lives in the House of Wise Man in the Free City. It is located near the equator, the sun is shining brightly, and there are not a few people coming and going.
Within the scope of the House of Wise Men, Xu Jiugao and others did not receive any harsh criticism. Local pirates often turned to the House of Wise Men for help. For some difficult questions, they went to the House of Wise Men for advice. It was better than going to the church to pray. Because the house of the wise will respond.
Going to church to pray will only sell you indulgences, but seeking help from the House of Wise Men will get you some answers. After Xu Fan left, the consulting business of the House of Wise Men did not close down, but became more and more popular. It became very popular, and even many disposal shops were opened. Xu Fan's servants, these losers, acted as wise men.
After Xu Jiugao recovered from his illness, he assumed the role of a wise man for a few days and solved some of the pirates' doubts, making the House of Wise Men even more famous. The pirates all said: The priests of the House of Wise Men, Can communicate with the God of Wisdom, and any doubts can be answered.
Xu Jiugao liked this role-playing game of the Wise Man very much, because he keenly realized that this could be an excellent platform for gathering intelligence. Soon, Xu Jiugao completely understood the purpose of the House of Wise Man. Run logic.
In fact, solving doubts is not solving doubts at all. Xu Fan just used a set of words.
Everyone seeks the answer from the wise man, but in fact, before everyone comes to the house of the wise man, he has already made a certain choice in his heart. All he needs is support for the idea deep in his heart.
So a set of words to guide the other party to express their true thoughts and give affirmation appeared.
This set of procedures is called speech therapy by Xu Fan, and the charges are extremely expensive. For example, one communication at the House of the Great Wise Man in the City of Freedom requires fifty taels of silver, or the equivalent of silver coins. An ordinary house of wise men requires five silver coins once, which is more expensive than indulgences and more effective.
Xu Jiugao did not stay in the Free City for more time, but immediately led the fleet to Lisbon after he recovered.
It is worth noting that there are also many Houses of Wise Men in Portugal.
In the Portuguese Palace in Lisbon, Antonio, the Portuguese king, welcomed the Angel of Heaven with a grand welcome ceremony. Of course, Antonio did not comply with the content of the vassal rituals. It was not that Antonio had a disobedient heart, but that Antonio did not. He knew that there was such a thing as a vassal ritual. As a half-monastic monk of the Ming dynasty, he had no inheritance and no one told him that such a thing existed.
The Ming envoys did not remind Antonio because Portugal was too far away, so far that the Ming Dynasty could not effectively control the military, economy, politics and culture, so everyone remained silent. Maintaining the status quo was also a kind of political wisdom.
Antonio said in an extremely exaggerated tone: "After I left the Ming Dynasty, my Chinese level has not declined. This is thanks to the timely communication by the Minister of State. I sincerely thank the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty for his support. Despicable Felipe actually wanted to alienate His Majesty and me, trying to portray me as a traitor. Felipe's plot failed. His Majesty's threats made Felipe afraid to act rashly."
"No matter what. Punitive tariffs, or the complete loss of Mindanao, and even the viceroyalties of Mexico and Peru, are all costs Felipe cannot afford."
"Thank you to His Majesty the Great Ming Emperor for his generosity that allowed me and my family. The subjects had a peaceful time.”
Xu Jiugao glanced at Xu Fan, who smiled and said nothing. What was strange to Xu Jiugao was Antonio's words. It was not an exaggerated thank you, but Antonio actually mentioned civilians at the end.
Antonio's wisdom may not be enough for him to serve as king against Felipe, but he has never changed, and there are always civilians in his eyes.
"His Royal Highness, you should consider the military threat of Felipe II." Xu Jiugao found out in the Free City that Antonio's life was not stable during this period, and Antonio hid in hiding for a while Tibetan days.
Antonio shook his head and said: "The special envoy's understanding of the situation is slightly behind. After a while, Spain's military god, the Marquis of Santa Cruz, will come to Lisbon in person for peace talks."
< br>"Is that so?" Xu Jiugao frowned.
In May of the eighth year of Wanli, Felipe sent his Armada to Lisbon and captured the ancient city of Évora. Duke Fernando defeated Antonio's army on the banks of the Tagus River on the outskirts of Lisbon. Threatening the royal city, three of Lisbon's four ministers chose to surrender to Felipe.
For Antonio, the situation immediately became precarious.
At this time, France, which was unable to protect itself, was dispatched by Queen Mother Catherine, and two Galese battleships (three-masted plywood class) appeared in the Tagus River to repel Felipe's attack. Army, the stalemate phase did not last long, because Felipe's Armada showed its terrifying power and strangled all the French navy. The river was completely emptied, and Lisbon seemed to be within easy reach.
But to everyone's surprise, Felipe withdrew his troops at this critical time.
While the ground war was going on, both Felipe and Duke Fernando were thinking about a terrible question, that is, where has Antonio's navy gone? You must know that all Antonio's strength lies in the navy. They will soon Just know that Antonio's navy is stealing.
The Free Fleet of the Free City crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and attacked the Spanish mainland. Originally, Felipe planned to take Lisbon in one fell swoop and then order the withdrawal. However, the destructive power of the ten five-masted ocean crossing ships of the Free Fleet was extremely shocking. In just two Within months, dozens of ports were breached, and they burned, killed, and looted along the way. Even Seville, the trading home of the New World, was breached.
Felipe had to invite Alvaro de Bazin, Marquis of Santa Cruz, to take charge of the situation again.
The Marquis of Alvaro has never been defeated in the West. Just like Qi Jiguang was the military god of the Ming Dynasty, the Marquis of Alvaro is the military god of Spain.
Felipe did not want to use Alvaro, because Alvaro had already achieved great success, but the situation was too critical. Alvaro did not live up to the expectations of the Spaniards, began to call back the Invincible Fleet, and began During the battle, all of Antonio's five-masted transoceanic ships were strangled in the Mediterranean, and then the Free Fleet was completely wiped out.
Alvaro could have taken the opportunity to eliminate Antonio in one go, because Antonio had no cards at all. Antonio himself even went to Porto, ready to escape at any time, because the defeat was determined.
But Alvaro, the god of war, did not continue the attack. He returned to the Spanish Summer Palace, handed over military power, and after talking with Felipe all night, returned to a state of seclusion, just like before.
No one knows what was discussed. Some say that Alvaro was worried about the safety of his son Diego de in the Ming Dynasty. Some say that Alvaro launched a palace coup and was defeated by Felipe. , some people said that Felipe and Alvaro had a big quarrel, and Felipe asked why he didn't attack Lisbon.
Only Felipe and Alvaro know the content of the discussion, but what makes the whole Spanish people breathe a sigh of relief is that the king and the general did not have a direct conflict due to this campaign, thus avoiding domestic rupture. .
Felipe's desire to pursue Portugal will not die, and he still wants to gather troops to attack Lisbon, but the Taisi's galleons return and the Free Fleet is established again!
Freedom Fleet: I am so resurrected!
The core of the Free Fleet is the five-masted ocean-going ship. Alvaro knew this very well, so in the process of clearing the Free Fleet, Alvaro eliminated all five-masted ocean-going ships at the cost of reducing the size of the Armada. At least 20% of the time, Alvaro did not pursue the fleeing three-masted and two-masted ships.
But Antonio bought ten more five-masted transoceanic ships in the Ming Dynasty. After this core came back again, it quickly formed combat effectiveness in just one month, or it once again had the ability to harass the Spanish coast. .
This poured cold water on Felipe II and completely calmed down.
The Ming Dynasty was indeed beyond its reach and could not directly interfere with the situation in the West. However, the Ming Emperor’s investment in Antonio exceeded Felipe’s expectations. The Ming Emperor’s punitive tariffs and threats to the New World colonies made Felipe Lippe was furious, but also helpless.
"I don't know much about the situation. I hope this military god is really here for peace talks." Xu Jiugao was still worried. Is this military god really coming for peace talks or launching an attack in the name of peace talks? ? Xu Jiugao's worries were also Xu Fan's worries, but Xu Fan felt the need to talk about it because it was a risk.
Antonio running back to Lisbon to compete for the throne is an adventure in itself.
Antonio did not stay long. After a brief chat with Xu Jiugao, he chose to leave. The Minister of State and the Ming Dynasty envoy were from the same hometown, so naturally they had a lot to say.
“In this war that lasted for seven months, what surprised me was that Catherine, the Queen Mother of France, sent naval support and the Duchess of Braganza in the city chose to support Antonio, well, as you think, the two heirs are living together and planning to have children." Xu Fan and Xu Jiugao came to the Chinese Hall, sat down and talked about the previous war.
The situation in France is a mess, and the Queen Mother's critical moment of support surprised Xu Fan. The Duchess seems to be obsessed with Antonio. At least for now, this choice is not too bad.
Xu Jiugao asked with a puzzled look on his face: "If I remember correctly, Antonio and the duchess's grandfather are the same person."
Xu Fan nodded and said: "Yes, you remember correctly, their grandfather is Manuel I, and Felipe II is the grandson of Manuel I, so this is an infighting within the family."
< br>Xu Jiugao and Liu Ji's eyes widened. Xu Jiugao said in disbelief: "Forget it if they get together, are they still planning to have a son?!"
"Taixi is like this, you want It is really difficult to clarify the blood relationship between the Thai and Western nobles, because they themselves do not know the relationship between them." Chen Dazhuang suppressed a smile. When Xu Fan knew that Antonio and the duchess were together, he and Xu Jiugao. Liu Ji had an expression on his face, "These things about Taixi are really messy."
Xu Fan leaned back in his chair and said: "So those ladies are keen on socializing and do not take any measures to prevent accidents, because what they pursue is probably accidents."
"Marriages between close relatives such as the West, and the pursuit of pure blood and nobility, often lead to children who often suffer from madness, premature death, and deformities. For example, the only son of King Henry III of France had a protruding mandible and a huge mandible that was unable to chew food. , whose tongue was too big to pronounce accurately."
"The child who was full of tragedy was not weaned until he was five years old, could not walk until he was eight years old, could not communicate with others at the age of twelve, and was extremely angry, and finally the Queen Mother took it upon herself to speak. The result was the child's life."
"Many people said that this was the child of the Queen Mother and Henry III who was subject to this curse."
"Is that true? ?" Xu Jiugao asked curiously.
Xu Fan shook his head and said: "No, the Queen Mother is sixty-two years old this year. Henry III has been staying at the Duke of Anjou Castle before he became King of France. When he became King of France, the Queen Mother was already fifty. Five years old. On the contrary, the Queen Mother has been doing her best to ensure that the position of King of France belongs to the French."
"The current French King Henry III likes male favors, resulting in him having no heirs and belonging to Valois. France will have no heirs after the Queen Mother dies. This is a conspiracy, but the Queen Mother has nothing to do. ”
"Henry III was so disappointing."
To understand the history of how France changed from Valois France to Bourbon France, it is enough to look at the life of the Queen Mother.
Xu Jiugao obtained Xu Fan's notes. After these notes were brought back to the Ming Dynasty, they could complete the overseas chronicles. It was not an important content, but it could be regarded as a historical record and lesson. "Here is a letter from His Majesty to Special Envoy Xu." Xu Jiugao took out a letter. This was a letter written by His Majesty himself.
Xu Fan picked up the letter and looked at the paint first. The intact paint meant that the letter had not been opened. He opened the letter, took a look at the monogram, and was sure. It was His Majesty's signature that confirmed the authenticity of the letter, and Xu Fan began to read the letter.
Monogram is a kind of anti-counterfeiting mark.
Before the Song Dynasty, some people specifically targeted those who had passed the imperial examination. This was called robbing officials and bullying nobles in the Central Plains.
For example, in Journey to the West, Tang Monk’s father Chen Guangrui was knocked into the river by the boatman Liu Hong when he was on his way to his post. Tang Monk was then put into a wooden basin and drifted with the current, thus starting the story of Journey to the West. Main story.
Journey to the West is naturally a mythical story, but this kind of incident of Li Dai and Tao Zang happens frequently.
During the reign of Renzong in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Monogram Hall appeared. Students who were awarded Jinshi would definitely go to the Monogram Hall to ask for their own monogram, and then after they became proficient, they would go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to exchange the monogram for the official seal, and the Monogram was It is a standard anti-counterfeiting mark. This is because of the information gap. The heroes do not know the existence of the monogram. As long as they write official documents, the secret will be revealed.
Zhu Yijun's monogram is not a taboo for the emperor's name. This is something that needs to be completely avoided, so His Majesty's monogram is Zhu Zhongxing.
Zhu Zhongxing is the will of the empire and the embodiment of the will of Ming Zhongxing.
In the letter, the Ming Emperor bluntly stated that he was Xu Fan's father-killing enemy, and that the emperor personally cut off the head. As for the specific process, the Ming Emperor had no hidden intentions. Xu Fan was a smart man. , lying has no meaning. Anyone who dares to commit murder in the prison is no one but the emperor. In the early years of Yongle, it was also the Yongle Emperor's will that Tishuai Jigang kill Jie Jin.
The letter ended abruptly here, with no more explanations and no tasks, but Xu Fan was very, very glad that His Majesty did not seem to intend to continue the pursuit.
Chen Dazhuang is a direct descendant of Ling Yunyi. He is an imperial eagle dog and a minion of the emperor. It is easier for Chen Dazhuang to kill Xu Fan than to kill a chicken.
This specially sent letter from His Majesty tells Xu Fan that the matter has been settled and there will be no further pursuit. Isn't this a life-saving talisman for Xu Fan?
"Jiangnan scholars are always excessively greedy." Xu Fan put down the letter and said to Xu Jiugao: "In the 30th year of Hongwu, there was a major case in the North-South Ranking. The Jiangnan scholars did not even have a Jinshi quota. I'm willing to give it to the North."
"Huh?" Xu Jiugao was stunned, and then he was relieved. This North-South List case is so famous that there are countless discussions about it, but Xu Fan's understanding of this matter is obvious. It's a very novel angle.
"Well, always pushing the envelope. After Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty died in Yangzhou, which emperor dared to let the famous families and the ruling class merge? The North and South List case was not the intention of the local famous families to break through their own class and firmly establish Occupy the ruling class of elected officials or even hereditary officials?" Xu Fan said something incomprehensible.
Xu Fan had only heard a little bit about class theory in Thailand and the West, and he analyzed the world of aristocratic families based on class theory.
That is, the class of the aristocratic families in the world from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the demise of the Sui Dynasty. During that period, the aristocratic families completely controlled the elected official class through the nine-rank Zhongzheng system, and then obtained the status of hereditary officials through the resources they controlled.
At that time, the generals and officials in the court were all from famous families. Later, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was eager for quick success and quick profit, and finally died under the joint strangulation of the famous families.
Xu Fan carefully put away His Majesty’s letters and became even more convinced that he would obtain the throne of Portugal, otherwise he would not even be qualified to obtain the Ming Dynasty’s imperial edict in the future. He continued: “If you look at it from the perspective of class theory, Looking at the North-South Ranking Case, you will find a terrible fact. The scholars in the south of the Yangtze River hope to completely drive away the northern scholars through the North-South Ranking Case, and then gain control over the selection of officials. Through the general trend of promoting culture and military affairs, Weakened the power of hereditary officials, and then became a new family class."
"They succeeded halfway. Through the trend of promoting culture and military affairs, they weakened the power of hereditary officials, but the official selection of officials was not complete. Control, because there was internal strife, everyone wanted it.”
When Xu Fan talked about the greed of Jiangnan students, he was talking about the cause of his father’s death. Xu Jie had no way out, and was killed by the emperor’s sharp blade. But Xu Fan couldn't say directly that his father deserved to die, but the son didn't say anything about his father's fault. He had tried so hard to persuade him.
"Special Envoy Xu, when do you plan to go to France? I bought some silk from Daming and gave it to the Queen Mother as a gift. The Queen Mother has not given up yet. She is a very fashionable person and plans to save it again. Henry III was alienated from women and needed silk." Xu Fan asked about Xu Jiugao's itinerary.
Queen Mother Catherine is a very fashionable woman. She single-handedly created the romance of Paris. The practice of cinching the waist is very popular in Paris. A woman’s waist is only one foot or less. As the old saying goes, A golden gun cannot compete with a thin waist.
Henry III also once liked women, otherwise a deformed child would not have been born, and the 62-year-old Catherine prepared more than 70 very beautiful women, planning to awaken Henry III through fashion. Love a woman, give birth to a healthy child, and inherit the throne.
While being fashionable, Queen Mother Catherine was also an extremely violent woman. She once launched a St. Bartholomew's Night. At her daughter's wedding, the Queen Mother brazenly launched a campaign against the opposition. A major purge turned the wedding into a bloody wedding.
The night of killing occurred in Paris, and more than 5,000 people died that day. In the end, the night of killing spread from Paris to the countryside, and at least 30,000 people died in the purge.
Considering that there are only 150,000 people in Paris and only 5 million people in France as a whole, 30,000 people died with butcher knives, this ratio is really high.
The Queen Mother has planned that if fashionable methods don’t work, then violent methods will be used.
Once Henry III gave birth to healthy children, regardless of gender, Henry III himself would be of little use. This may be why Henry III liked men.
“I plan to meet this Spanish military god, and then go to Paris and the Netherlands. The Strait of Gibraltar is controlled by Spain, otherwise we can reach the Ottoman Kingdom directly by sea.” Xu Jiugao explained his itinerary. He really wanted to explore the Ottoman Kingdom, but Felipe would not let the Ming Dynasty envoy get his wish.
If Ming colludes with Osman, Felipe will not even be able to sleep well.
"He will arrive in about three days." Xu Fan nodded, thinking that it was okay.
In fact, the combat power of the Marquis of Santa Cruz far exceeded Xu Fan's imagination. Felipe's passive situation was immediately changed after this man appeared, and he fought against the Invincible Fleet. The Free Fleet, which was going back and forth and even vaguely had the upper hand, was kicked to death by the Marquis of Santa Cruz.
If it weren’t for the new backbone five-masted transoceanic ship that Ming Dynasty once again supported, I’m afraid Portugal now belongs to Felipe.
Four days later, the fleet of the Marquis of Santa Cruz appeared at the port of Lisbon. Antonio, the Duchess, Marcus, Paulino, Xu Fan, Xu Jiugao, Liu Ji, Chen Dazhuang and others, The port received the Marquis of Santa Cruz.
The Marquis of Santa Cruz is old. He is slightly rickety and has some hair loss. He only has some hair on his temples. His eyes are sunken and he has a raised white beard under his nose. He took out a pair of glasses. Putting it on, he looked at Antonio and the Duchess, then shook his head and said: "I told the king that the Duchess has supported Antonio as king from the beginning. The king didn't believe it. Now it seems that the Duchess has never supported my king. Succession The throne of Portugal.”
The Duchess was one of the heirs. She quit immediately because she had no supporters. Alvaro, who was mature in age, could tell at a glance that Antonio and the Duchess were probably already involved.
“Is this the special envoy from the great eastern country, Portuguese Minister of State Xu Fan?” Alvaro looked at Xu Fan and said with a smile: “I can see the ambition in your eyes. Of course, Sir Antonio, you can also think that I am instigating your relationship."
"Solon is a capable person. He learned something from the Minister of State. After returning to the country, the city no longer smells bad. It’s difficult to enter. Thank you for your careful guidance, Mr. Xu Fan.”
“Actually, the attitude of Mr. Antonio is not important. What is important is the attitude of the great eastern country. Mr. Xu Fan, did the Ming Dynasty extend its hand too long. "
Alvaro doesn't care about Antonio. Felipe can kill such a fool with three fingers without him taking action. Alvaro cares about the arrival of strange oriental faces like Xu Fan and Xu Jiugao. This made Alvaro extremely afraid. As soon as he got off the boat, he began to attack the Easterners.
In a simple sentence, Antonio was labeled as a traitor who led the wolf into the house. The Ming Dynasty interfered too much in the affairs of the West. The Ming Dynasty was beyond its reach and dared to extend its hand so far. However, Alvaro personally led the Armada and extended his hand to the enemy. My hands were chopped off!
Reluctantly, this hand stretched out again.
"If the general were twenty years younger, there would be no chance for the Free Fleet to resurrect." Xu Fan didn't care about Alvaro's attack, because Alvaro came for peace talks, and he couldn't get what he wanted on the battlefield. , even on the negotiating table.
"Your Excellency, is this the Ming captain Xu Jiugao who recently arrived in Liberty City?" Alvaro looked at Xu Jiugao with a helpless expression. The Ming exploration fleet arrived in Taixi. This is not good news. This means that the shipping route that is completely monopolized by the Spanish royal family has been opened by the Ming Dynasty.
This means that even without the Western galleon, the Ming Dynasty's five-masted ocean crossing ship can still cross the ocean and reach the Liberty City, allowing the Liberty Fleet to revive.
"Yes, the general's reputation has been heard even in the Ming Dynasty." Xu Jiugao did not mean to underestimate Alvaro. He asked with some confusion: "Actually, it is very strange. How did the general defeat the Free Fleet? The Invincible Fleet before It’s always been at a disadvantage.”
“Old things still have their uses. The Armada is too bloated and everyone has their own ideas. Everyone is afraid of my conquest from land, so they are willing to listen to my orders. Forget it, in terms of strength, the Invincible Fleet is far stronger than the Free Fleet. A huge empire is bloated and rigid. The Ming Dynasty is no exception, and Spain is no exception." Alvaro waved his hand, completely overwhelming in terms of strength, and the record was good. But it's extremely ugly. The reason is that everyone has their own little thoughts.
Alvaro is the father of soldiers, the god of war on both land and sea. As long as he lives and leads the army to fight, he is just a rope.
We should win, but the bloat and rigidity within the empire have resulted in parties with inconsistent interests making different choices, which is ultimately reflected in the performance.
What did Alvaro and Felipe II talk about at the Summer Palace? Alvaro actually encouraged Felipe II to launch a purge similar to the Blood Wedding, completely controlling the empire in the hands of Felipe II, and then completely annexing Portugal.
Alvaro will be the first to be purged.
Felipe II did not agree with this overly radical approach. As the overlord of the West, Felipe believed that there was no need to adopt such radical methods on an empire that was at its peak and the sun never set.
On the way to the Portuguese Palace, a man hurriedly ran to Antonio and whispered: "There is news from Spain that Felipe has taken action. On the day of the Transplantation Festival, Felipe Felipe purged the nobles who came to attend the Immigration Festival. "
Felipe didn't want to purge Alvaro. The cost of moving him would be too high. The morale of the army would be dispersed. The invincible phalanx and the invincible fleet would Everyone will lose confidence in the king, but that doesn't mean Felipe won't take action against others.
“What a cruel method.” Xu Fan looked at Alvaro arriving in Lisbon and said sincerely.
This old man is going to die of old age.
(End of this chapter)