In the spring of 1667, a group of visitors from the East who had come from afar broke a storm in Europe!

In fact, the news of the imminent visit of the Ming mission had spread throughout Europe a few months ago. This was the news brought by the released Dutch colonial officials and merchants.

Although the reliability of this information is doubtful, after all, who would send an embassy while occupying someone else's colony? It seems that this is the case with the Ottomans. Their invasion of Vienna did not prevent their envoys from being the most distinguished guests of the European courts.

Although it was not known when the envoy of the Ming Kingdom would arrive, the vast majority of Europeans were looking forward to the envoy's arrival with great enthusiasm. Because they come from the El Dorado country! From Marco Polo's Golden Country.

Not only a golden country, but also a perfect country.

In the eyes of Europeans at this time, China was a desirable country. They have a very high evaluation of the Ming Dynasty, and in their eyes, China's politics is clear and worthy of their learning. Almost everything in China is completely respectful.

In fact, Europeans' yearning for the East has lasted for millennia. When Caesar appeared in the Senate in a silk robe, Europeans already knew about the "Silk Country" in the East. More than 300 years ago, as the Mongols swept across Eurasia, they experienced the barbarism of the Mongols for the first time, and then they learned about the East from the mouth of Marco Polo. Marco Polo's travelogue showed Europeans a dream country full of gold and wealth. From then on, the golden land began to inspire countless European adventurers to set sail to the East.

It can be said that it is precisely because of the yearning for the golden country that Europe opened the prelude to the Age of Discovery.

After a hundred years of hard work, European adventurers finally found the paradise written by Marco Polo - China. However, at this time, the Han Chinese had long since escaped the rule of the Tatars. The Ming Empire replaced the legendary Great Khan. And the accounts of the missionaries who returned from the Ming Dynasty also made China real in the eyes of Europeans, and it was no longer full of dreams as in the past.

But even so, in their eyes, Daming is still a paradise for their hearts and minds - in the eyes of Portuguese missionaries, every town in Daming is as magnificent as a city. Even the suburbs of Guangzhou are as large as Lisbon. The home decoration of ordinary people has reached the level of "enviable", every house is elegant home decoration, the house is very clean, and the furniture is very exquisite. Every night, there are more "literary and artistic youths" playing poetry and music by the river.

As for the Spanish envoys, in the towns of Fujian, they saw the streets of the Ming Dynasty cities that were as wide as "15 horsemen can run in parallel", as well as the cities lined with green trees. Not only is the city exceptionally clean, but it also has incredible "hospices" for beggars and the handicapped, as well as "an adequate supply of rice". The price of fish and meat in the market is very cheap, and you can eat a sumptuous feast for a little money. Such a country is simply "the richest country in the world".

And without exception, the people of the Ming Dynasty in their eyes are very healthy: "Men and women have a good physique, well-proportioned and beautiful people." Life is even more sophisticated, with a particular focus on public hygiene: "They are extremely clean first, not only in the houses, but also on the streets. The whole Ming Dynasty looks like a big garden, and there is indescribable tranquility and serenity, such a Ming Dynasty to Europeans brought to Europeans exclaimed: "The intelligence and ability of the Chinese are really too high." ”

Historically, this almost frenzied worship came to an abrupt end in 1793 with the British mission in Magalny, but what did this "big garden" look like in the Qing Dynasty? Barrow, a member of the British mission to China, described the Chinese countryside during the Kangqian era as "extremely poor and helpless." He was particularly impressed by the fact that abandoned dead babies are common on the roadside, and there are more than 9,000 abandoned babies every year around the city of Beijing, which is a shocking scene. The so-called "prosperous age" allowed the British to see a decadent and decaying empire that had fallen into stagnation.

In the Opium War 47 years later, the British smashed open the door of the "Celestial Empire" with warships and artillery. China has gone from being a model of civilization to being ridiculed.

And now history has deviated from its previous trajectory on a fork in the road. The so-called "Great Qing Dynasty" lingered in the northwest, and even Kangxi changed the name of the era, let alone the so-called "prosperous era of Kangqian". The Ming Dynasty in 1667 was still a paradise in the minds of Europeans. At this time, Li Long and his entourage, who came from afar, were naturally the most honored guests in the courts of European countries.

But most of the time, just like this time, when he came to Madrid, the capital of Spain, Li Long sat in a carriage and could always feel strange eyes from his surroundings. He frowned and couldn't help but mutter.

"Deputy Envoy Xiong, do you feel weird, it seems that since we got here, it seems that we are like being a monkey along the way."

"Don't mind, envoy. Westerners are so welcoming. In fact, the same is true when we first meet Europeans. ”

Xiong Cilu smiled and shrugged his shoulders, and when he first met the Western missionary, he was also very curious.

"Indeed,"

As a missionary, Lu Riman said with a smile that he arrived in Macao in July 1658, then stayed in Hangzhou for a year, and then moved to Suzhou, where he served for a time in the defense of the city. In Suzhou, he developed a group of Catholics. Later, he was also one of the first Western priests to enter Qinghe Academy to teach. Now he served as a guide for the Ming mission, guiding the Ming envoys into the Spanish court and using this as an opportunity to lead them into Rome.

For him personally, he regarded the visit of the Ming mission as the most important moment in his life, not just to preach, but to bring the Ming to Europe.

"Spain, like us, is a foreigner who has just expelled and occupied Spain, and once upon a time they were enslaved by foreigners, and in this respect our two countries have suffered similarly."

Xiong Cixu introduced meaningfully. In his mind, any nation that has gained its freedom under foreign slavery is worthy of respect, even to some extent.

Vice-Envoy Xiong was right, the Ivan Yujaya Peninsula was occupied by the Moors for nearly 700 years, during which the people of God were enslaved by the heathens, and even had to convert to heresy in the midst of constant persecution, and it was because of their increasing persecution of Christians that the religious fanaticism and revenge of the northern Christian kingdoms were aroused. They continued to gain and lose until 1469, when Princess Isabella of Castile married Prince Ferdinand of Aragon. The two of them became known as the "Catholic Kings", and the two countries became unified, giving birth to the Kingdom of Spain. In 1482, civil strife broke out in Granada, and the new Spanish kingdom immediately moved south, finally completing the unification of the country. Ten years later, the infidels were expelled from Evan Yujaya. It was also in that year that Columbus discovered the New World, and now, there are no pagans to be seen in Spain, just as the bannermen are no longer seen in the Ming Dynasty. ”

Father Lu Riman said proudly. The pagans of his mouth, whether true or not, were converted to Christianity. For the next century, they were allowed to stay in Spain, but their relationship with the so-called old Christian community was not always very good. Among them, the false conversions were later screened and washed by the Inquisition.

Li Long and Xiong Cilu only smiled at Lu Riman's statement that he "could no longer look at the banner people", they knew that the Manchu Qing Dynasty was still entrenched in the northwest, but they believed that soon, they would be expelled.

"How did you convert those heretics to God?"

Xiong may not be interested in the religion of the Spaniards, but Li Long was very interested, because he noticed that the Moorish religion was the same as the religion in Java and other places, so he wanted to know about that religion.

"Very simply, they had only two options of conversion or exile, and the vast majority of pagans chose between this world and the afterlife, converting to Christianity."

Lu Riman's answer made Xiong Cishu ask secretly vigilantly.

"What if their conversion is false?"

"Then naturally there will be a strong inquisition to suppress them."

Lu Riman's unabashed words naturally made Li Long and Xiong Cixu secretly vigilant. Perhaps it was because he noticed their change, Lu Riman added to the side.

"It's already a good choice, if it's ...... them"

Pointing to the robed Moors outside the carriage, they all wore crosses around their necks to indicate that they had been converted.

"When they came here, if they did not convert to heresy, they would be beheaded by the Christians, for it was their Lord's mission to kill the heathen......"

In the face of Lu Riman's answer, whether it was Li Long or Xiong Cixu, the two of them chose to be silent, and they rationally chose not to ask about the mutual killing between these two religions, all of which had nothing to do with them.

As long as it has no effect on Daming. As for the impact that has already been made, there is nothing wrong with that, and it will always disappear in the future.

"Perhaps, the feudal state of Nanyang should seriously consider this issue."

Just as Li Long was thinking about this in his heart, the carriage suddenly stopped, and the solemn and gorgeous palace was displayed in front of everyone, and in front of the palace, the Spanish guards were greeting the guests from the East with their heads held high.

As he was about to step into the European court, Li Long looked a little nervous, and Xiong Cixu reminded him softly by his side.

"Nothing, remember, you are from the Celestial Empire!"

https:

Genius one second to remember the address of this site:. Mobile version reading URL: m.