When I asked, I naturally got accurate information. This was in the eighth year of Eiroku (1565), when Floyce had just left Kyushu. But I think that with the strict system of the Jesuits, he must have received the news about it.

Floys frowned slightly, a thoughtful look on his face. Obviously, he did know about it, but because the matter was a little sensitive, he couldn't tell my intentions, so it was difficult to answer for the time being.

After thinking for a moment, Floyse leaned over and said a few words to Father Olgchino, who simply replied with a few syllables, as if to let Floyse decide for himself.

Floys pondered for a moment before replying to my inquiry, and his brow was still slightly furrowed: "As for this matter, the cause is that the son of the Marquis of Matsuura desecrated the statue of Christ made of tin, and the apology promised by the Marquis of Matsuura has not come for a long time, so the Portuguese merchants are very indignant, so they sail the merchant ship out of Hirado and transfer it to the port of Nagasaki under the lord of Omura...... Then, the Marquis of Matsuura was very dissatisfied and sent troops to attack the merchant ships docked in Nagasaki, and in order to protect the lives and property of the merchants and their families, the Chamber of Commerce had to go out of the port to block it. ”

"I see." I nodded.

It was clear that this was just an excuse for the missionaries to transfer the trading port. Compared to the fierce acts of the Catholics, who often smashed Buddhist idols, Matsuura Shin's son's actions were a trivial. I think it's probably because the interests can't be discussed! At that time, Yamaguchi and Hakata Port were no longer suitable as a base because they were involved in the war between the Ouchi family and the Mori family, and the only port that Portuguese merchants could use was Hirado Port, so it is likely that Matsuura Zhenxin relied on this situation to make some excessive demands.

"Does the lord have any intention in mentioning this?" Pastor Calapur and I were already familiar with each other, so I asked bluntly.

"There are two intentions." I also decided to confess to him. Since my questions were often unexpected, and they often had to consult with each other when they spoke, and sometimes they had to translate back and forth, this kind of conversation was a real test of patience: "First, I have heard that the Catholics in Kyushu often clash with the local Shinto and Buddhist believers, so I hope that when you preach in my territory, you will restrain the congregants a little to avoid incidents in Omura's territory; Second, since the Portuguese warships could fight for him, I would like to be able to count on the help of the Chamber of Commerce and the Church in the field of weapons...... For example, a cannon on a ship. ”

"My lordship, as an honest, peaceful, and humble servant of God, it is necessary for me to clarify," Freud replied quickly, not bothering to translate to Father Olgchino this time, "As to the first matter, I think there may have been some misunderstanding, we have never encouraged the use of violence by the congregation, and I also regret the affairs of Omura; As for the second one, I can only apologize, I am an apostle of God for peace, not an arms dealer. ”

"Is that so?" I nodded, agreeing with his answer to a limited extent.

The matter in Omura's territory is indeed Omura's own brain-dead. In order to curry favor with Catholicism, he went too far, not only shielding the Catholics in the territory, but also taking the initiative to destroy the temples in the territory, and even burned down his own Bodhi Temple and the spiritual seat of the previous heads of the family (anyway, he inherited from the Arima family to the Omura family, and it was not his ancestors who burned it). The last brain-dead act finally caused a large-scale backlash from the retainers and the people in the territory. In the first year of Motogame (1570), Goto Takaaki, the concubine of the former head of the family, Junzen Omura, attacked Juntada Omura, and a large number of retainers and lords responded and burned down the entire Nagasaki; Last year, Goto Takaaki and his fellow Saigo Junxiao and others led 1,500 people to surround Omura Juntada's residence, if it weren't for the loyalty of his retainers to highlight the strange plan (three cities and seven riding cages, the rest are all rushing to help), and seriously injured the same clan Saigo Junxiao who supported Goto Takaaki, and defeated the Saigo family's army, Omura Juntada may have been finished.

However, the claim to be an apostle of peace is clearly unkind. In the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and the Catholic Church, there is a very close connection between the two. St. Francis, the first missionary to arrive in the first place? When Father Xavier (one of the founders of the Society of Jesus, teacher of Matteo Ricci and posthumously canonized) visited the palace, the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce presented him as an official envoy of the Kingdom of Portugal. After that, every action of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce was guided by the local church, including the choice of which daimyo to trade with, which was decided by the church, and the transfer from Hirado to Nagasaki during the Eiroku period, as well as the shelling of the Matsuura family's naval army, were all instructed by the church. In contrast, the chamber of commerce on the Macau side still has some freedom.

It's just that although I know this, it's not convenient for me to point it out directly. Otherwise, this discussion will definitely be in vain.

It turned out that Calabull had the help to speak. He was one of the designers of the Poseidon-class frigates, and as soon as I mentioned the matter of cannons, he must have already known my purpose.

"Perhaps, we can be a little more flexible?" He interjected, "As far as I know, the lord's father-in-law, King Bungo, has twice obtained cannons from His Excellency the Viceroy of India to protect the inner harbor of the palace, as well as the churches and congregants in the territory......"

I couldn't help but feel happy. It seems that Calabul is also looking forward to seeing the birth of the Poseidon-class frigate! For him, who once loved sailing, the Poseidon class is probably equivalent to his child.

"There is such a precedent!" I quickly picked him up, "So can we do the same here?" ”

"On this matter......" Floyce hesitated.

"So be it!" I struck while the iron was hot, "Didn't Father Orgchino build churches here and in Kyoto?" Then, I am willing to give all the funds as a tribute to the God of your religion. In return, it is up to you to negotiate with the Indian governor to see if you can give me a cannon of the corresponding value. ”

Floys and Olgkino discussed it for a while, and finally nodded, "I'm willing to make this happen." ”

……，…… After some bargaining, I reached an agreement with Floyse that I would pay 5,000 yuan for the construction of two churches, and then the church persuaded the Viceroy of India to allow the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in Macau to provide me with three cannons. This is naturally not enough to be equipped with the "Poseidon class", and it can only be installed on the bow of the three Kira ships to strengthen their attack capabilities.

As for the Poseidon level, I have to wait for the establishment of a bishopric in Macao and read out of the Bishopric of Goa, India. At that time, the three dioceses of the Diocese will be subordinate to the Diocese of Macao, and the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce of Macau will also be under the guidance of the Diocese of Macao, and will become the most relied on force of the Diocese of Macao.

At the same time, as an additional condition of the agreement, I returned to Kyoto in February to introduce Floys to Nobunaga.

Since I explained to Nobunaga the position of Freyce in the Catholic Church in Kinai, this meeting was more formal than the one in Calapur, and Floyse prepared the gifts. The most precious of these are three small handcuffs painted with gold flint, a fine velvet satin cape, and a globe more than half a man high. The globe was taken down from a merchant ship and was originally in the captain's private possession. Due to its large size, the globe is a little bulky, and the outlines of the Eurasian continent, the African continent and the American continent are somewhat rough, but it is roughly accurate, and in the center of the ocean, there are also related constellations and krakens and other images, adding some artistic flavor to the globe.

Nobunaga was overjoyed to receive these gifts. The globe, in particular, was a source of love for him. He looked at the map above, inquired in detail about the location of Portugal and Ben, and found Spain, the home country of Floys, and sighed at the vastness of the world and the hardships of the missionaries who had traveled thousands of miles.

After these pleasantries, Nobunaga asked meaningfully, "I have seen and heard about your efforts and the enthusiasm for preaching over the past few months. But what is the purpose of your mission? ”

Floys put his hand on his chest, bowed to Nobunaga, and replied unhurriedly: "It is the will of God, the creator of this world and the savior of mankind, to let me come to Ben." And the purpose of motivating and urging us to accomplish our mission is to tell me how to be saved. Except for the desire to spread the Holy Religion, we seek nothing else, and naturally we do not pursue any worldly interests. ”

"In that case," Nobunaga said with a smile on his face, "why do you seek to meet with me when you have already allowed you to preach in the territory?" And to give such a precious gift? ”

"Coming to meet Your Highness is the unanimous will of our people, and it is also God's guidance to our people. I think it is appropriate to come to receive this inquiry from His Highness, so that His Highness may understand and agree with my wishes," said Frews very skillfully, "and as for these gifts, they were entrusted to me by the Chamber of Commerce. As the Lamb of God, all of the people in the Chamber of Commerce were very grateful to learn that His Highness had allowed the establishment of churches so that they could enjoy the glory of God in foreign lands. ”

Nobunaga nodded slightly. He seemed to be very satisfied with this answer.

After a moment of silence, he continued, "If your teachings are not accepted by the people and cannot be preached in this country, will you leave?" Will those Portuguese merchants leave? ”

"As long as there is a Christian here, any priest would like to die here in order to take care of him," Freud replied firmly, "and God will be kind, just and merciful to his believers, and I will be honest and humble to every believer, and I think that no upright and hard-working person will reject such a sect and doctrine, right?" ”

"Honest and humble...... Well said! Nobunaga suddenly sighed, "But there is a group of people here, who are lying, arrogant, arrogant, and deceiving the world for their own personal gain. Sometimes, I want to get rid of them all! ”

At this moment, the attendants outside the door came to report: "My lord, I say that the Venerable Master is asking to see you outside the door!" ”

"Huh!" Nobunaga couldn't help but smile, "Let him in!" ”

Soon, Chaoshan walked into the hall. He saw Floyse, and then he saw me, and his face changed slightly.

"His Royal Highness," he said, sitting down in his usual position, and saluted Nobunaga with his hands folded, "the poor monk just passed by the outer perimeter of Honnoji Temple, and found that ground was being broken there, and I heard that a Nanban temple was going to be built...... Such a thing that corrupts the feng shui in Beijing, I don't know if you have the permission of His Royal Highness? ”

"Naturally, I allowed it. What, do you have any comments? Nobunaga said.

"Don't dare!" Chaoshan said that the attitude was very respectful, "It's just that Kyoto is a place where gods and Buddhas gather, and rashly building a Nanban temple is afraid that there will be harm to the gods and Buddhas, which is not conducive to the great cause of His Highness!" …… Please think twice, Your Highness! ”

"Needless to say, since I've made a decision, I can't afford anyone else to question it," Nobunaga waved his hand, "Also, you're just in time, I just have something I want to ask you!" ”

"Yes...... Please inquire about His Royal Highness the Right General. Chaoshan replied helplessly.

"Last time, you advised me to hand over the collection of goods for the exploration trade to Sakai Town, for what was the reason?"

"This," Chaoshan said to the horseman, "the poor monk just considers that His Royal Highness the Right General and Lord Niwa are busy with official business, and I am afraid that there will be places that cannot be taken care of...... The poor monk believes that Sakai Town has been responsible for such a thing for the Hosokawa family a long time ago, and he will definitely not disappoint His Highness. ”

"You have a heart!" Nobunaga said with a smile, not knowing whether it was praise or mockery.

"It is the unshirkable responsibility of the poor monk to share the worries of His Royal Highness the Right General." Chaoshan replied.

"Lies! It's all a lie! Nobunaga suddenly stood up and threw the folding fan in his hand towards Asayama, "It's clear that you accepted the benefits of the ten people of Sakai Machinaya (warehouse business), so you spoke for them!" Thought I didn't know? ”

He had such a sudden seizure, not only as a person concerned, but even I, a bystander, were startled. However, in this way, I also understand why Nobunaga had the same emotion as before, which turned out to be said to Asama. This famous monk of the Hokke sect was once trusted by Nobunaga and was responsible for the connection between the Oda family and the Imperial Palace. The year before last, he was given the title of "Master of the Ride" by Emperor Masakin-cho for repairing the Imperial Palace, but his actions obviously did not live up to this title and betrayed Nobunaga's trust (the Jesuit almanac "Jesus Correspondence" calls him a heretic and a deceiver).

"You go down first!" After venting his dissatisfaction, Nobunaga gave Asayama an eviction order.

Chao Shan Cheng bowed his head wordlessly, and got up and left a little embarrassed.

"These greedy monks really can't be trusted!" Nobunaga was furious, "And those people in Sakai Town are actually trying to meddle in their own family's affairs, which is really too much!" ”

(To be continued)