Chapter 291: The President Who Is at a Loss

For China, a mainland country with a huge population, the Catholic Church naturally attaches more importance to it.

However, after a great effort, it was found that there was little success.

Chinese believed in Buddhism and Taoism, and attached great importance to the characteristics of ancestor worship, for a long time, the missionaries failed to successfully infiltrate the Chinese mainland, and had no choice but to persevere in Macao......

Although through the continuous efforts of several generations of missionaries, a group of Chinese officials and intellectuals were finally won over the followers of Chinese officials and intellectuals since the Jiajing period, the number of believers still lagged behind for a long time.

Therefore, the Holy See sent him, an old man, to China for the second time.

The last time he came to China, he was a young man, having lived in China for 22 years, traveling from province to province, asking himself to know something about the products, customs, clothing, language, and political system of this ancient country.

On his return to Europe in 1636, he also completed his book "Chronicles of Great China" on his travels, which was admired by many.

Zeng Dezhao knew very well that ordinary people, officials, and intellectuals in China had always been wary of foreigners with very different faces and customs.

Thus, to this day, the small island of Macau is still the most important foothold of the Catholic Church in China, and it is also the only remaining stronghold of the Portuguese in the Far East.

By preserving this stronghold, Western Christendom can retain the hope that it will one day colonize, exploit, and assimilate under the pretext of cultural, economic, and technological exchanges.

……

"These idiots!"

Now, Zeng Dezhao is saying to himself, "Is the farce in Japan going to be repeated in China again?" ”

On his desk, he threw a letter that had just arrived from the church in Manila.

The question of which side to help in the civil war of the Chinese has caused a great deal of controversy in the Church, and this controversy, which has a tendency to spread to the upper echelons of the Holy See, has never been determined.

"Alas!"

Although the Holy See has great power, it is always proportional to its enemies, not to mention the kings and nobles who try to use the Church as their own instrument rather than God's.

"Argue, argue, it's better that this matter will never be argued until the only territory is lost!"

The more Zeng Dezhao thought about it, the more annoyed he became, and the more he thought about it, the more angry he became.

In recent years, thanks to the Chinese Civil War, Catholicism was very active in the Ming dynasty of the "Longwu" and "Yongli" dynasties.

Senior missionaries such as Qu Shawei and Bu Mige had been operating by the side of the Ming Emperor, and even Zeng Dezhao himself had visited Zhaoqing.

The activities of the missionaries received great support from the imperial court, and the number of believers also made a breakthrough, and in addition to baptizing the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother, and the Prince, they also involved in requesting military aid from Macao, and even sending direct envoys to Europe.

However, as the situation continued to deteriorate, Emperor Yongli of the Ming Dynasty finally evacuated Zhaoqing and fled all the way to the very wild Guangxi area.

Seeing that the Ming Kingdom was about to fall into decline, and that the Queen Mother, who was the most religious, and Qu Shawei, a highly respected priest, had passed away one after another, the Church in Macao gradually reduced its ties with Nanning.

On the other hand, out of the consideration of betting on both ends, the teaching work of missionaries such as John Tong, who was originally stationed in Beijing, became more and more vigorous.

According to the assertion of these missionaries who had already established themselves in Beijing, the Manchu regime in the north had been consolidated, and that the barbaric nomads would eventually come to dominate the Central Plains, and that support for the remnants of the Ming should be resolutely abandoned.

Otherwise, offending this new magnate will make it even more difficult to carry out missionary activities in China in the future.

This view was supported by many, and Portuguese Indian officials were adamantly opposed to the Church's continued investment in southern China.

Because of this, after Qu Ande's death, Zeng Dezhao no longer sent people to Nanning, and now only Bu Mige is left, still faithfully carrying out his missionary mission in Nanning.

In order to avoid jeopardizing the friendly relations that were being established with the Manchus, Zeng Dezhao sent messages on several occasions to ask Bu Mige to withdraw from Macao and promised to appoint him as vice president of the Macao branch.

However, the stubborn Bu Mige repeatedly refused to leave Nanning, which made Zeng Dezhao very angry but helpless.

The reason for this is that the Polish Bu Mige, who has been running to serve the Yongli court with all his might, is really reluctant to give up the foundation he has established for the God he worships in southern China.

It can be seen from his many letters that he was full of confidence in the level of expectation of the Chinese people he came into contact with for the restoration of the Ming court.

On the other hand, Bumige's move may also be the possibility of pursuing a dream for his personal lifelong ambition.

And the resourceful and indecisive upper echelons still do not have a clear attitude towards how to choose.

This is the real reason why Zeng Dezhao is full of complaints and at a loss, how can he succeed if he wants to do great things, but he is at both ends of the rat, instead of concentrating resources and going all out.

……

But today, Zeng Dezhao's mood is not just as simple as being bored, under his seemingly quiet appearance as before, it is difficult to hide his uneasy heart.

Perhaps to confirm Bu Mige's judgment, the recent Ming army has soared in momentum and has launched decisive battles with the Manchu army in all directions.

It is said that with the help of a group of mysterious figures, they are launching a major counterattack on Guangdong, and Guangzhou, which is close to Macau, is also likely to be recaptured by the Ming army.

Just when Zeng Dezhao was undecided, a sudden news startled him.

Just yesterday afternoon, the governor of Macao, Fei Susha, sent people to invite him, saying that he was going to convene a meeting to solicit opinions on the illegal intrusion of a small group of Chinese soldiers into Macao.

Zeng Dezhao thought about it again and again, and finally sent only his loyal assistant Jacob to represent him, believing that Jacob would be able to convey his thoughts and concerns accurately.

Zeng Dezhao is Portuguese, and he is naturally supportive of sternly warning the Chinese to maintain Macau's unique status.

However, as an archbishop, it is unrealistic for him to openly express his stance and incite believers to confront the Ming army, after all, Bu Mige is also a widely influential clergyman, and their safety is of paramount importance.

Shortly after Jacob returned late at night, Zeng Dezhao heard explosions and gunfire in the city.

As soon as the morning dawned, Zeng Dezhao, who was restless, sent people out to investigate the battle situation, but the news he got almost made his jaw drop - Fei Susha died in battle, and the Governor's Mansion fell!

"This, this, what the hell is going on?"

He was shocked by the death of the governor Fei Susha, but another piece of news made him both suspicious and worried—the secretary of the Ming court's military department, the scholar Qu Shiyun, had come in person.

For this important minister of the Yongli Dynasty who had been baptized as early as the third year of the Apocalypse and whose Christian name was Dormer, Zeng Dezhao not only knew about it, but also had several friends in Zhaoqing.

At the beginning of the second year of Yongli, the Yongli Emperor fled from Wuzhou to Guilin, and Qu Shiyun, who was in charge of defense, entrusted the missionary Bi Fangji to go to Macao to ask for help, and finally, Qu Shiyun defeated the Qing army in Guilin with the help of the Portuguese army.

No matter how you say it, it's a bit of a friendship, why did he come quietly but didn't report it?

"The university scholars are here, and they say that they are a small group of Ming Army?"

Now, Zeng Dezhao is both angry at Fei Susha's stupidity and recklessness, and even more terrified by the collapse of the situation.

(Question: Fu Xinrui attacked the barracks at night and captured two officers alive, including a colonel, so may I ask, which language does the word colonel come from?) ）

Thanks: "January Snow", "Descendant Fangze", "Baby", "Ann Ruosu", "Passing Years", "Love is an Eternal Topic", "Dragon and Tiger Leap" and "Quasi-Quasi" for the rewards! Thank you, dear friends! Keeping it in mind, I will work hard!

(End of chapter)