Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 1046 Going to the World
"Everyone in the Ottoman Empire, including this sultan, is full of affection and longing for the mysterious oriental civilization. Since the founding of the Ottoman state, successive sultans have sent envoys to Daming to present exquisite gifts to the emperor. This friendship , Daming must have felt it." In the magnificent palace of the Ottoman Empire, which looked like a fairy palace in a fairy tale, Sultan Murad IV tasted the freshly squeezed juice, with a serious expression, and spoke in a low and slow Turkish language.His behavior is very elegant, showing the dignity and demeanor of the emperor, which is admirable, but anyone who knows him knows that the Sudan is in a bad mood now, it is best not to make him angry.There was no way, the Sultan was the supreme ruler of the empire, and a single word could determine the life or death of countless people. The consequences of making him angry were very serious.But now it is not his subjects who are making him angry, but an ancient country in the far east. The sultan's majesty is useless to that country thousands of miles away, so now the sultan can only express his feelings to the envoys of Ming Dynasty with words. Dissatisfaction: "But the Ming Dynasty did something that seriously harmed the interests of the Ottomans. This is really regrettable."

The envoy of the Ming Dynasty is Fang Yingqiu. After several years of training, this personable and handsome young man has been polished into a diplomat who is flexible and decent, quick-thinking and calm about changes.As early as in Nanyang, he had been responsible for receiving foreign merchants and missionaries for a long time, and accumulated a lot of experience in dealing with foreigners, so the task of visiting the Ottoman Empire fell on his shoulders. on.After listening to the translation, he smiled and asked, "Great Sultan, I don't know where Daming offended you?"

Murad IV said in a deep voice: "You sold powerful cannons and shells to the powerful enemy of the Ottoman Empire, the Venetians, posing a serious threat to Ottomans! Over the past year, the Venetians have used the shells they bought from you. It is unbearable to sink many warships of the empire and cause many warriors of Allah to hate the battlefield! If Ming really cherishes the friendship with the Ottoman Empire, please stop supplying such terrible weapons to the Venetians!"

Sultan seemed a little annoyed by this, and became so excited at the mention of this that the iced juice spilled out.

Fang Yingqiu was stunned: "Is there such a thing?"

The Sultan was just a little angry, and the Ottoman Navy Minister was extremely angry: "The holy war launched by the empire against the infidels was originally victorious, whether it was at sea or on land, especially my powerful imperial navy. It was so powerful that it destroyed many Venetian colonial strongholds in Asia one after another, and it seemed that the Crescent Banner could be planted in mainland Italy... But the hateful Venetian heretics never threw an unusually cheap weapon into the battlefield. This kind of weapon is launched by a cannon, which can penetrate the hull and then explode in the cabin and burn violently. Once it catches fire, it cannot be extinguished! We have nearly two hundred warships destroyed by it, and the effect of the holy war will be greatly affected! I think if As a good friend of the Ottoman Empire, it is very inappropriate for Ming Dynasty to provide powerful weapons to the enemies of Ottoman!"

Fang Yingqiu was a little dumbfounded—it was agreed upon departure that it was just an exchange of paperwork and a visit to a few cities, but he did not expect the Ottomans to make a strong protest against them!Looking at the old man's angry expression, it doesn't look like a fake, it seems that this is true, he said: "To tell the truth, Sudan, the weapon you mentioned is not even equipped by the Ming army itself, let alone sold to the outside world. ...Yes, I can swear to Allah, Da Ming absolutely does not have such weapons and equipment, if I lie, let the fire from hell burn my soul to ashes!"

This oath is very poisonous, and there is no fear at all——because he knows very well that the Ming army is really not equipped with this kind of weapon. The high-explosive incendiary bomb made of explosives is many times stronger than the original sulfur bomb!
Murad IV didn't know about this, and his brows furrowed: "But according to the captives we captured, these weapons are indeed from Ming Dynasty!"

Fang Yingqiu said: "This matter is too complicated, and I dare not draw conclusions lightly. After I return to China, I will definitely investigate clearly and give Sudan an explanation!"

Having said all this, Murad IV couldn't say anything more. The two countries are separated by thousands of miles, and his protest itself has no effect on Daming. Could it be that he can still fly over and bite Emperor Daming?It was just to express his dissatisfaction to Daming. Now that Daming knew his dissatisfaction, he accepted it as soon as it was good, and took the opportunity to propose sending a pasha to visit Daming. Fang Yingqiu naturally agreed .

After the visit to the Ottoman Empire, Fang Yingqiu led the fleet across the Mediterranean Sea and sailed to Italy under the guidance of an old Italian seaman. He also visited Venice to learn about the political system and customs of the richest city-state republic in Europe. , if possible, Milan, Genoa, Florence, Pisa and other city-states are also on his visit list.After opening the door, Daming was full of curiosity about the outside world. He was just taking the lead. In the future, such visits across the ocean will become more and more frequent.

The fleet successfully crossed the Mediterranean Sea and landed in the water city of Venice, where they were warmly welcomed by the Republic of Venice.The silk, tea, spices, porcelain, linen, furs, etc. they brought set off a frenzy in Italy. Merchants from major city-states flocked to buy them, and gold and silver coins flowed to Daming like water. The businessman's pocket doesn't take money seriously at all!Although Venetian merchants have been able to bring back these luxury goods from the East from time to time over the years, what Fang Yingqiu brought was official products, and the quality was much higher than what they bought at high prices from the private sector. It's weird!Consul Andre didn't need to rush to buy it. As the consul of the city-state, he received a state gift from the Emperor Ming himself: two blue and white porcelain vases, one bolt of silk, and two bolts of fine linen. It was a great gift.The consul who received this gift readily agreed to sign a trade treaty with Daming, and the citizens of Venice are [-]% in favor of it. Even an idiot can see that there are unlimited business opportunities in it. Just can't get through with everyone.

Fang Yingqiu then visited Milan, Florence, Pisa and other city-states, and they were also very popular. Wherever he went, invitations from the upper class came one after another, and everyone wanted to witness the demeanor of the envoy from the East.Fang Yingqiu's abilities were brought into full play, his handsome and elegant appearance fascinated the ladies and ladies, his excellent eloquence never failed in the confrontation with the best debaters in Italy, and the oriental culture he displayed The breadth and depth of the city-state consuls were also amazed.For a long time, when it comes to the East, the first thing Europeans think of is rich, very rich, as if there is nothing else but money, and the second is terror. The Mongols used piles of heads and rivers stained red with blood. Fear is implanted in the marrow of Europeans and can never be erased.But Fang Yingqiu's arrival made them realize that besides the wealth and the terrifying Mongolian cavalry, there is also a brilliant civilization in the east. This ancient civilization has been passed down for thousands of years and has never declined. On the contrary, it has become more and more brilliant.Italians eat this set.They have always regarded themselves as the heirs of the Roman Empire. The civilization of the city-states far exceeds that of Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and Western Europe. As for Northern Europe, they are still drinking blood, even if Britain, France, Germany and other countries are getting more and more Powerful, the Italians can still despise them as bumpkins and upstarts, because these countries are far behind them in terms of culture.As for other countries, they are not even qualified to be despised by Italians.But today they encountered a more brilliant civilization, and apart from admiration and yearning, they had no other feelings.

The splendid culture of the Italian city-states also opened Fang Yingqiu's eyes.The Roman Empire has long since perished, but the fire left by the Roman Empire has been passed on, and it can be seen everywhere in Italy.Fang Yingqiu was amazed by the grandeur of the Colosseum in ancient Rome, and the superb craftsmanship of the ancient roads that are still in use after thousands of years also made him speechless. There are also gorgeous cathedrals, Italian wines and delicacies displayed on the square The works of art...it all fascinated him.He wrote in the report: "...As early as the Han Dynasty, we called this country 'Great Qin' and regarded them as the only country that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Great Han. Unfortunately, what our envoys saw at that time was only the fierceness and warlikeness of the Romans. , did not have a deep understanding of their culture, art, and laws. Looking back at the ancient empire that once stood shoulder to shoulder with the Han, we were surprised to find that it was so great and brilliant. Their accomplishments in construction engineering are endless. Their mechanical genius is equally astonishing. Their laws are more just and better enforced than ours, and their seamanship surpasses all nations. All these are worthy of our study. We are not Everything is the best in the world, there are many things we are far behind Tessie, if we can't lower our posture to communicate with them and learn from them, we will be left behind by them sooner or later!"

After the report was handed in, there was an uproar. Many people almost pointed at his nose and scolded him for talking nonsense... These people belong to the kind of bastards who are used to being arrogant and used to seeing the world with their eyes closed.Fortunately, there are not many such second-hand goods, and most people still hold a positive view on this report. With the strong support of the imperial court, more and more businessmen set sail to Europe, and the shipping lanes between Eurasia and Europe gradually became lively. , There are still many students who travel across the ocean to study in Europe. The connection between Eurasia and Europe is getting closer and closer. The achievements since the European Renaissance were quickly absorbed by scholars from the East and spread in the East at an astonishing speed.

Then the Europeans were stunned to find that many achievements they had not yet accepted had been popularized in ancient China and became a huge thrust to promote the rapid development of the entire country.Achievements in fields such as geometry, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, etc. are what Daming cares most about. However, at this time Europe has no awareness of patents, and they are quickly absorbed by Chinese students with an almost infinite desire for knowledge. Continue to study, form a school of your own, and finally achieve an achievement that amazes the teachers.

Fang Yingqiu lingered in various Italian city-states, enjoying himself, but the other group of people did not have such a good life.While he was having dinner with the Italian beauty, a fleet full of exiles arrived in Australia. The prisoners walked out of the cabin in a daze amid the roars of the soldiers, only glanced at the outside world, and then wailed in despair!
(End of this chapter)