"Ambassador Dimon, can we get to Europe before the embassy in the East?"

"It's a bit too late, we've been delayed in Siam for too long, and if we want to bypass Africa as originally planned, I'm afraid we'll fall behind the Eastern Capture Mission."

"So...... Are there any shortcuts to take? Is it possible not to bypass Africa? ”

"Yes! We can pass from the land of the Ottoman Empire! ”

"The Ottoman Empire? Where is this country? Is it powerful? ”

"This country occupies the Balkan Peninsula in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and is currently the most powerful country in the world."

On a rickety boat that sails westward on the Arabian Sea, Ji Kun, who is not born seasick, is working with Fan. Dimen, and Li Shaoyou, who was used to shaking, discussed the westbound route together in the cabin.

The Kikun mission was delayed in Siam for more than two months, and it was only after the completion of the mound fortress on the inner island that it set sail for the south again. When they arrived in Batavia, they learned that the Spanish sailing ship on which the Qing delegation had passed through the Strait of Malacca a month earlier.

This makes Ji Kun a little anxious, although diplomatic activities don't talk about first-come, first-come, first-served, but there is always a preconceived idea of everything. If the Qing delegation was allowed to arrive first and carry out activities in various European countries, it might create many unnecessary obstacles for the Ming mission.

According to Fan. According to Dimon's analysis, the Ming Mission will most likely encounter big trouble in Europe, because Zhu Cihong's understanding of God is newer than that of "Protestantism"!

Moreover, he also put forward the demand of "the right to protect the religion", and with the national strength of the Ming Dynasty, if Zhu Cihong converted to Catholicism, of course, he could take the "right to protect the religion."

But not only could it be impossible for Zhu Cihong to become a Catholic, but he also had his own understanding of God, which was supported by a whole set of philosophical theories (Lixue), and this set of theories was close to Protestantism......

Under such circumstances, how could the Pope hand over the right to protect the religion to Zhu Cihong?

If there is a conflict between the two sides on religious issues, will the "god of Spain" still have to jump up and down against the Ming Dynasty?

Is there still a group of God's filial sons in Europe, and they still have to follow along?

It's going to be a big problem!

So Fan. Dimen suggested that the Ming mission should arrive before the Qing mission as much as possible, so as not to make the Qing mission toss together.

But it seems that it is too late to bypass Africa - in fact, it is still too late, because the Spaniards have taken the Qing delegation to India to find the Mongol Empire, but the Ming mission does not know. So in their opinion, the only way is to pass from the Ottoman Empire.

"That Ottoman should be the Rumi country that always sent us rare birds and beasts during the Hongwu and Yongle years."

It was Li Shaoyou who interjected, he had made full preparations before the envoy and knew a lot about Western affairs.

He added, "They also produced the Rumi gun, but at some point it changed its name to Ottoman." ”

"Deputy Envoy Li," Fan. "This country has always been called the Ottoman Empire. As for Rumi, maybe it's a homonym for Roma or Rome? But it doesn't matter, the important thing is that the Ottoman Empire was very strong, and it was a country with Celestial Religion as its state religion.

In the West, the war between Catholicism and Celestialism has lasted for almost 1,000 years, and the hatred between the two sides is deep, so it is best for you not to mention any religious issues. If the Ottomans mention this, you will deal with religious freedom or something.

If they ask about the purpose of your visit to the West, they say it's for trade...... Don't talk to them about God, God is sometimes more difficult than Spain, and you have to avoid getting into trouble. ”

Fan. Dimen is now playing the role of an old friend of the Ming people and a loyal adviser to the Ming diplomatic corps.

Of course, his proposals were based on the premise that they were in the interests of the Dutch Republic. With this premise satisfied, he is still willing to put forward some constructive suggestions.

"How powerful is this Ottoman Empire?" Ji Kun asked, "How is it better than Daming?" ”

"Of course it's stronger than Daming, whether at sea or on land." Fan. Dimon said honestly.

Ji Kun asked again: "Then will they colonize the West and the South Seas like you Europeans?" ”

Ji Kun's worries were not unreasonable in the context of the world situation in the 17th century. The Ottoman Empire was stronger than any European power, and at least until the Vienna fiasco, it looked like a superpower that would be difficult to defeat, both at sea and on land.

If the Ottoman Empire had spent its energies not primarily in the war for supremacy on the continent, but on the Indian and South Seas, the Dutch and Portuguese would have fared less.

"That's a problem," said Fan. Dimon shrugged, "So you'd better not provoke the Ottomans on the issue of colonization and overseas trade, if they shift their attention from Europe to the Indian and South Oceans, it will not be a good thing for both of us." ”

......

Istanbul, Topkapi Palace.

Sultan Ksenem, who had just finished his morning class, was sitting in the Sultan's Audience Hall in the Imperial Diet Hall in Kubarti, watching the ongoing meeting through a golden window.

The hegemony that the Ottoman Empire could maintain for hundreds of years certainly had its merits politically. This empire has taken the true meaning of "foreign monks chanting scriptures" to the extreme!

Although the Ottoman Turks were the ruling people of the empire, at least half of the members of parliament who discussed state affairs in today's Kubalti Hall were not Ottoman Turks, including the Grand Vizier, the Vizier, the military leader, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Grand Mufti, the Secretary of Parliament, and others.

And the Sultan of Kseem, who sat behind the golden window, was also not a Turk, she was a Greek woman, and although she was revered as the Sultan, she was in fact a queen mother. At the age of 15, she entered the harem of Ottoman Speed as a slave girl, and was favored by Ahmet I, and gave birth to Murad IV and Ibrahim I.

In 1623, he gained the power of "listening to the government" by virtue of his son Murad IV becoming sultan, and returned to power for the first time after eight years. In 1640, after the death of Murad IV, who was brave and warlike but had no sons, he once again "listened to the government" and helped his mentally ill son Ibrahim I to govern. In 1648, he deposed Ibrahim I and replaced the Sultan with his grandson Muhammad IV, who continues to "sit in power" until now.

However, instead of entering the council hall to meet with the important ministers sitting on the couches, the Sultan of Ksem sat behind the golden windows, not because of the "hanging curtain", but because of the system peculiar to the Ottoman Empire.

By Chinese standards, the Ottoman Empire's "relative power" was very heavy, and when the Great Vicky presided over the imperial parliament, the sultan did not even have to show his face, but just stayed behind the golden window and watched, knocking on the window when he wanted to express his opinion.

If you meet a lazy Sultan, you can squint behind the golden window for a while if you let the curtains be lowered.

While the old grandmother, the Sultan of Kseim, was yawning and drowsy, her foreign secretary suddenly said something very novel.

"The governor of Basra has just sent a report that a large diplomatic mission sent by the Emperor of China has arrived in Basra."

The Chancellor of the Exchequer was a little surprised, "The Chinese Emperor's Mission? Isn't their country closed to the rest of the world? ”

"Maybe something has changed now," the imperial vizier touched his long beard, "I think it would be interesting that we could entertain these Chinese and learn about things in the East by the way." ”

Dangdangdang......

At this moment, a black eunuch knocked on the golden window, and the meeting of the Imperial Diet was temporarily suspended.

Then the black eunuch was heard shouting, "His Majesty the Sultan wants to summon the Grand Vizier and the Foreign Minister!" ”