I have to admit that Westerners are indeed quite good in terms of efficiency, and since Lin Feng received the promise of "encouraging missionaries", Nan Huairen and other people immediately rushed to the 'gate' of Australia non-stop, publicized the news, and encouraged a large number of missionaries to go north to spread the gospel of God.

At the very beginning, although this information was relatively new in the Australian 'Gate' area, it had not yet caused that kind of sensational 'sexual' effect, because historically, China's previous dynasties still showed considerable interest in Western civilization, at least not as extremely repulsive as later, here can be seen from the sales performance of goods such as Hongyi cannons, music boxes and self-striking bells, and in terms of cultural 'exchange', although the Ming and Qing dynasties sneered at Western morality and ethics, they were also interested in their smelting, chemistry, The achievements in mathematics and astronomy still show a certain envy, and many scholars have also put down their shelves and become students, so in the last hundred years, the missionary career has become very ironic, because as far as their missionary work is concerned, the results achieved are really minimal, but in terms of personal future, it can be regarded as a soaring prosperity, especially represented by Matteo Ricci, John Tang and others, the two of whom have even 'mixed' into high-ranking officials in Chinese politics.

However, the news brought back by Nan Huairen this time is obviously more special, because judging from Lin Feng's promise, this time the church has made "breakthrough" progress in China, in fact, as far as their original plan is concerned, it is really good luck to be able to keep the Chinese government in a fair attitude, not to discriminate, not to exclude, and not to suppress Catholicism, and now to suddenly hear that the political leaders of northern China have suddenly decided to give official support to the church, it is really a feeling of daydreaming. Therefore, when Nan Huairen returned to the Australian 'Gate' and praised Lin Feng loudly, the vast majority of people were very disapproving, thinking that "the ruler of the north" was just looking for some scholars who could compile calendars and cast artillery, but when Nan Huairen, Thomson and others pasted the matter of opening the "Oriental Theological Seminary" in the form of commercial notices, and began to gather Catholic missionaries to go north on a large scale, the major chambers of commerce that stayed in the Australian 'Gate' suddenly seemed to be collectively K' Realizing the huge business opportunity here, the European Chamber of Commerce rushed to the local Catholic church in an attempt to get a ticket from Nan Huairen.

Lin Feng paid enough attention to this first "Oriental Theological Seminary" in history, and in order to show the sincerity of the Han court, the ferry tickets of Nan Huairen and other missionaries were taken care of by the Han government, and the first fleet of the Han Navy led two warships to escort them, and sailed directly from Tianjin to Ao'men, and was in charge of commanding a naval colonel named Su Mao of the Han Kingdom. Therefore, these representatives of the Chamber of Commerce soon found that they seemed to be able to communicate with the Han officials here, so on a sunny day, at the strong request of many businessmen, Vitra, the governor of the Kingdom of Portugal in Australia, had to send a letter inviting the Han Navy to pay a friendly visit to Australia.

Su Mao is a native of Fujian, like Shi Lang, he was originally in the Taiwan fleet 'mixed' to eat, is Shi Lang's cronies of the general, and later because of the relationship with the superiors too close, when Shi Lang and Zheng Chenggong turned their faces, for fear of losing their lives, so he surrendered to the Qing court with Shi Lang's boss, and then went all the way back and forth, and became today's Han Navy Captain. Because he is the general's henchman, this major escort mission also fell to him.

Because of the special 'nature' of the leased land, the Australian 'gate' has always maintained a neutral position in China's civil war, so although the Jinhui consortium and others have had many business contacts with the Australian 'gate' chamber of commerce before, and they are not very strangers to each other, for fear of arousing the worries of the Taiwan fleet, in addition to the merchant ships, the Han army's naval warships are not very convenient to drive into the Australian 'gate', and even if it is' In addition to the inability to block the news, there is also an important reason that the Chinese-style cube-headed Fu ship and the Western-style multi-masted ship are too different in appearance, and people can judge it at a glance, so in order to cause unnecessary trouble, when the escort fleet sailed to the Australian 'Gate' waters, Su Mao drove the ship to Huangpu Port to dock and replenish, waiting for news from Nan Huairen and others.

After receiving the invitation of the governor of Australia this time, Su Mao was quite hesitant, of course, it was not that he did not dare to go to the Australian 'gate' to "go to the meeting alone", Portugal and the Han Kingdom were not enemy countries, and judging from the letterhead, there would be no danger in this meeting, and the reason why he hesitated was because he felt that his military rank was too low, like this Dealing with 'affairs is not within his purview at all, and what is particularly dangerous is that he is still a high-ranking officer, if this kind of thing is done by a civilian official, it is nothing, it can be regarded as a windfall, but as a soldier, it is inevitable that there will be a suspicion of going down in the melon field, you must know that if you accidentally offend a villain one day, play a book of "ill-intentioned" or "foreign countries" and the like in the Han King, then the fun will be great. So after careful consideration, he accepted the gift of the Governor of Australia, but politely refused his invitation, of course, according to the rules of the Chinese kingdom, in order to show the "grace and grace of heaven", he also gave the Governor of Australia some silk porcelain in return to show friendship.

Although the official 'door' was closed because the Han army officers were too cautious, this did not curb the pursuit of gold coins by the majority of merchants. Because judging from the current situation of China's foreign trade, one or two treaty ports on the southern coast are simply depressing and crazy, and the European chambers of commerce now dream of opening China's 'door' and conducting all-round trade with this behemoth with the world's largest population.

In order to please Lin Feng's joy, in addition to sending a large number of "tributes" from Australia, the Netherlands, and England, many of them even expressed their willingness to contribute to His Majesty's "missionary cause" and contribute to the "Oriental Theological Seminary" that was being prepared.

This requirement can still be considered, Colonel Su Mao found several old Confucians in Guangzhou in a row, and finally found a precedent in the history of the Ming Dynasty, it is said that the original Three Treasures eunuch also did the same thing, and His Majesty Ming Chengzu heard the news of this "prestige from all over the world, and foreign Yi came to the dynasty" immediately "Longyan Dayue", so in Su Mao's view, this is simply a pie in the sky, who is not willing to do it if you don't 'spend' money? !

By the time a group of missionaries and a large number of businessmen arrived in Beijing, the "Oriental Theological Seminary" had finally been completed after nearly two months of day and night construction, and Lin Feng personally led a group of ministers to attend the inauguration ceremony of the school.

According to the meaning of Nan Huairen and others, this school should be called "St. John's Theological Seminary", but when they proposed this name, it was met with fierce opposition from the ministers of the Han army headed by Li Guangdi. There are countless refinements, and they are still too busy to study their own, so isn't it a bit unbelievable to rush to learn a set of barbarians? ! It is better to 'spend' the money on national universities such as Guozijian and the Law and Calculation School, but the idea is the idea, since Lin Feng must do it, they can't twist the big 'legs' with their arms, not to mention that at this time, Lin Feng is playing the banner of "rewarding meritorious heroes", so according to the historical lesson plan of King Yan's "Thousand Golden City Horse Bones", it is not completely unreasonable to do so.

Since General Rick has made many great contributions and is deeply favored by the Lord, no one in the Han Dynasty now dares to say anything like "red" Mao "barbarians", so under this trend, most of them are willing to understand the missionaries' service to Lin Feng as the Lord's "profound virtue and prestige", which leads to the "four directions" of foreign talents. Confucius sage has said that the sage of governing the country is the first, and the king should take care of talents and be good at employing people as the first virtue, and like Mr. Nan Huairen, he has made great contributions to my Han Dynasty, and he does not ask for rewards but only asks for a school to teach and educate people. Nowadays, the barbarians in Jianzhou are 'chaotic' in China, and the world is declining, and it is really unreasonable to discourage this kind of style.

Rao has a great public opinion base, but so many foreigners suddenly appeared in Beijing, and its viewing effect is also sensational, in addition to the appearance and clothing of the Europeans, they also have a strong interest in the goods they bring to Beijing, so when this team of 'chaotic' European Chamber of Commerce delegation swaggered through the market, thousands of people were empty, and the hard-working, kind-hearted and enthusiastic Beijing people lined up on both sides of the street to welcome.

This kind of scene made the officials of the Han court feel very proud, you must know that this kind of activity is rare even in history, for thousands of years, there have been this record of the famous and prosperous dynasty, the country is strong, the monarch is virtuous, and the ministers are capable, so although this large-scale barbarian coming to the dynasty has nothing to do with them, it does not prevent them from enjoying this sense of achievement.

Hearing that Nan Huairen and others had come to Beijing, and that many representatives of the Chamber of Commerce were accompanying him, Lin Feng immediately sent someone to pass on the edict and meet these international friends in the palace of the Han Dynasty in Zhongnanhai.

For the sake of etiquette, only some leaders of the Chamber of Commerce were able to receive the Han King. Lin Fenggao sat on the throne, watching these foreigners line up and rush in, his heart was really proud, if he was still in that era, he was afraid that he was not even qualified to go to a foreign-funded enterprise to work, where could it be as beautiful as it is now? !

"Greetings to His Majesty the King, I am the representative of the Portuguese Aole Chamber of Commerce! ……”

“…… I'm a ...... of the Portuguese Ohm Chamber of Commerce."

Because of the relationship between the governor of Australia and the 'gate' paving the road, the first in line are the Portuguese, and these people kneel and kowtow to Lin Feng one by one according to Chinese etiquette, kneeling twice and kowtowing six times, which is very compatible.

After the Portuguese had finished the motions, two tall representatives of the Chamber of Commerce stepped forward, but instead of kneeling, they just put their right hand on their chests, bowed deeply, and said in Dutch, "Your Majesty, we are representatives of the East India Company of the British Empire......"

Before he finished speaking, Li Ergou, who was standing on the side of the 'waiter', immediately shouted angrily, "Bold barbarian, don't kneel yet?!" ……”

Lin Feng waved his hand, turned his head, and asked Nan Huairen, "What language do they speak?!" ”

"It's Dutch!!" Nan Huairen looked at Lin Feng with some surprise, as far as he knew, His Majesty the King was extremely intelligent and knowledgeable, and even spoke English very fluently, how could he not even understand Dutch?! He pointed to the two people in the hall and said, "They are representatives of the British East India Company!!" ”

"Britain?! East India Company?! Lin Feng was stunned for a moment, almost laughing, this time he bumped into the old enemy, he shook his head at the moment, looked at the two Britons, and said in English, "You are British?!" ”

"Oh!! The British, led by God ......", looked at Lin Feng blankly, with a heart attack on his face, and said in disbelief, "You...... Oh no, Your Majesty, you actually speak English?! ”

"yes, what's so strange about that?!" Lin Feng looked at him with a smile, "What's your name!" ”

"Your Majesty, your wisdom is astonishing," he gradually came back to his senses and bowed slightly, "I'm Shalin?" Lord Nelson, representative of the East India Company," he pointed back to his companion, "This is Lieutenant Commander Durandot of the Royal Navy of the British Empire!!" ......" After saying that, the two bowed together again, "Here, on behalf of the British Empire, I ......"

"Stop, stop, stop! - Lin Feng waved his hand and said with a smile, "Okay, Lord Shalin, do you know that it is not etiquette for you to do this as a representative of foreign 'friendship'. ”

Shalin was stunned and said, "Why?!" He shrugged his shoulders, "Your Majesty, in England, even when we meet His Majesty James II, this is the kind of courtesy!!" ”

"No, no, you must be wrong to think so!" Lin Feng waved his hand disapprovingly, and said with a smile, "This is China, we have a saying in China called 'follow the customs of the country', which means that when you leave your hometown and go to someone else's land, you must respect other people's customs and habits!" ”

"But...... But ......" Salin looked at Colonel Durandot with a red face, and said in a protesting voice, "Your Majesty, don't you think that this kind of etiquette is too humiliating as an envoy of foreign affairs?!" ”

"Hey! I said, what kind of logic are you?! Lin Feng shook his head and patiently enlightened, "How can you think that?!" Well, then I'll give you an example, for example, have you ever seen the Islamists?! ”

"Of course! Your Majesty, in the deserts of Asia, they are in groups," Shalin nodded, and said suspiciously, "And so is India!" ”

"Oh, you know - do you know that they have a peculiar habit of not eating pig meat, and if you eat pig meat in their territory, you will be hunted, don't you believe it?!"

Sha Lin looked at Lin Feng fixedly, he didn't feel any connection between the two at all, "Your Majesty, can I understand that you are threatening me?!" ”

"No, no! Of course not! Lin Feng waved his hand, "I gave an order some time ago that in the area I rule, no one, including me, is allowed to eat pig 'meat' in the Muslim settlement, do you know why?!" ”

"Your tolerance and kindness are incomparable, Your Majesty!"

"Yes, in fact, in Beijing, in this city, 90% of the residents do not believe in Islam, but we still set aside a small area, where everyone is not allowed to eat pig 'meat'," Lin Feng said solemnly, "This is called respect, because these Hui people have lived in that small area for many years, it is their home, although I am the supreme king, I must also respect their habits!" ”

Shalin and Durandot looked at each other, and for a moment they really didn't know how to refute, Lord Shalin glanced at the Portuguese and said hesitantly, "...... Your Majesty, your words do make a lot of sense, but ...... This kneel and kowtow ......"

"Yes, this is what we are used to, just like you kneeling on one knee, and the king of England pardoning knights with a long sword, it belongs to a kind of court etiquette, and this is the precipitation of thousands of years of culture, it represents obedience, peace and respect, not the product of a tyrannical king bullying the people," Lin Feng's expression was grim, staring at the two Englishmen tightly, "If you don't believe it, you can ask the Portuguese around you, many of them have been to Japan- The way of life and etiquette in Japan today is very similar to that of a thousand years ago, in this East Asian cultural system, prostration is not humiliation, it is just a way for people to show humility and respect!! ”

Shalin looked back in amazement, and a Portuguese man next to him nodded, "Yes, Your Excellency, my ship has been to Japan, that's right, in Japan, people generally kneel on the floor to rest and 'talk', and even if ordinary friends meet, they kneel and kowtow to each other," he shrugged his shoulders, squinted his eyes at Shalin, and gloated, "It is precisely because of this understanding that we Portuguese do not consider this etiquette humiliating, on the contrary, we use it to gain the respect of our masters, It also showed our Asian friends the gentlemanly demeanor of Europe! ”

Shalin's face was red, and in the disdainful gaze of the Portuguese, he suddenly felt like a hillbilly crawling up in a field, what a shame, the gentleness of the British Empire, the gentlemanly tradition of the British Isles was dim here, and he glared fiercely at these damned Portuguese, who must have fallen into the grave because of the British fleet's invasion of Australia not long ago.

"Of course, if the British friends really can't accept this etiquette, you don't have to salute," Lin Feng turned his head and said to the representative of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce, "Gentlemen, this is understandable - not long ago I conquered the primitive tribes of Liaodong, they have no writing, no history, they wear the skin and 'hair' of wild beasts, and eat bloody raw 'meat', so when they refuse to accept etiquette and civilization, we can only uphold leniency, and know that the barbarians understand the vastness." Profound civilization doesn't happen overnight, you say?! ”

The crowd laughed in unison, and suddenly someone in the midst of the Portuguese crowd laughed aloud, "You are merciful and wise, Your Majesty the Great Lord—and we are the same to the vulgar and uncivilized pirates!!" ”

These damned Portuguese, God, why don't you send them all to hell, His Excellency Lord Sarin thought viciously in his heart, and hurriedly knelt on the ground with Durandot, imitating the appearance of the Portuguese, kneeling and bowing to Lin Feng with a straight eye, and raised his head, "Dear Your Majesty, forgive us for our rudeness - I have to admit that before this, we lacked an in-depth understanding of Eastern civilization, which caused misunderstandings!" He smiled bitterly, "Please believe that we are definitely well-educated aristocrats, and the British Empire is an advanced civilized country!" ”

"Of course!! I understand this, so I know English!! Lin Feng raised his hand gracefully, "Please take a seat, honorable Mr. Lord!" He turned his head and smiled at the Portuguese, "Sit down, gentlemen—I have good tea here, and it's definitely not the kind of stall you have on board!" ”

In the midst of the laughter, the atmosphere was friendly and warm, and everyone sat down.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!! ......" A Portuguese merchant stood up and bowed to Lin Feng, "Your Majesty, we are here in Beijing this time to get your permission to allow us to trade with the Han Empire!" ”

"Absolutely!" Lin Feng picked up the teacup and saluted, "Everyone, please!" - You will soon find out that our Han Empire attaches great importance to commerce and trade, and it also has many legal conveniences. He smiled, "Of course, you still have to pay taxes!" ”

Lin Feng's cordial and humorous attitude was obviously very affinity, and the Portuguese was originally a little nervous, but he was obviously relieved at the moment, "Your Majesty, in fact, I am from the Portuguese Ohm Chamber of Commerce...... The ......," he thought for a moment, picked a word among the Chinese, "...... The 'treasurer' Ohm - I beg your pardon, Great Majesty, I don't think you may know that we say that the trade demanded is a complicated matter! ”

"Oh?! Please speak! ”

Ohm bowed his head slightly as a sign of respect, "We hope you'll be able to open up a few more port cities!" ”

"Of course, that's not a problem at all!" Lin Feng nodded and said, "Tianjin, Lushun, Juehua Island, Dalian, Qinhuangdao, and even in the near future, Qingdao and Yantai can also open up for trade!" ”

"Oh! God, your radiance shines in the East!! Ohm stroked his chest excitedly, and he glanced at Lin Feng, "So, can our ships sail freely in your territorial waters?!" ”

"Merchant ships are allowed, but for the sake of national defense and security, the Imperial Navy has the right to order you to stop and inspect at any time - in addition, according to international customs, your navy will not be allowed to appear in your country's territorial waters, otherwise the Imperial Navy will be regarded as an invasion!"

Hearing this, Sha Lin glanced at Lin Feng in surprise, he often heard that the Chinese monarch was diligent and intelligent, and it seemed to be true. Lin Feng continued, "In addition, merchant ships trading with their own country must also be registered in the imperial government, apply for trade certificates, pay taxes in accordance with the law, and before leaving the port, the customs officers of their country will board the ship according to the law to check whether there is 'smuggling' or smuggling, and check whether the armed degree of the merchant ship exceeds the standard!" ”

"But...... Your Majesty," Ohm frowned, "I wonder what level of armament is the standard in your opinion?!" - You may not know that there are many pirates in Asian waters these days, and if you can't defend yourself, it's very dangerous to sail! ”

"You can discuss this issue with General Shi Lang, but one thing I can promise is that the Imperial Navy will spare no effort to fight piracy, and any legitimate merchant ship in its own waters that is infringed by pirates has the right to ask for help from the Han Navy!!"

"Oh! Very good! Thank you, Your Majesty! Ohm bowed slightly and sat down satisfied.

Lin Feng turned his head and looked at Lord Sarin who was sitting on the side, "After the matter of the Portuguese friend is finished, then what good advice does Lord Sarin have?!" ”

"Your Majesty!" Shalin hurriedly stood up, bowed and said, "On behalf of His Majesty the King of England, I greet you!" - Our East India Company hopes to strengthen trade with the Han Empire, and I hope Your Majesty can make it easier! ”

"Of course," Lin Feng smiled, "Then what kind of convenience do you want?!" ”

"Your Majesty, don't you think it's unfair that the Portuguese can set up a leased land in Australia, but we can't in the British Empire?!" Shalin pointed to the Portuguese merchant next to him and said proudly, "Our British Empire is so powerful, as far as people can see, compared to Portugal, you should have the friendship of the Royal Navy!" ”

Lin Feng looked at him in surprise and said in amazement, "Your Excellency means that your Royal Navy is going to declare war on me?!" ”

Shalin was taken aback and hurriedly denied, "Of course not, Your Majesty, we hope to trade peacefully with your country and become a friendly country on both sides of the ocean, how can you think so?!" ”

"Of course I have to think so, the widow is the king of a country, and if you want friendship, you can only make friendship with your James II, what is the purpose of friendship with the Royal Navy?!" Lin Feng frowned and said, "Lord Shalin, please pay attention to your words and identity, you are a nobleman, and in front of you is a king!" ”

Sha Lin was caught off guard, embarrassed, and bowed down and said, "I'm sorry, I lost my words just now!" ”

"Forget it, I'll write a letter to your Majesty James when I go back, how did you do it in the British Empire, don't you know that nobles should look like nobles?!" Lin Feng frowned and said, "His Majesty James, as a king, seems to lack efforts to educate the etiquette of his subjects, as a king of a friendly country, I think I have to give him a kind reminder, if this continues, the face of the British Empire is really worth worrying about!" ”