It is now the fourth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, and it is exactly 1576 when converted into Western Yuan.

After the Jiajing period of the ravages of the Japanese invaders, the corruption of officialdom, and the economic depression, the Ming Dynasty was finally able to recuperate during the six years of the reign of Emperor Longqing. Therefore, in the minds of ordinary people, it can still be regarded as a prosperous era of singing and dancing. Wang Fulin remembers that some people even called this period Longwan Shengshi, or Longwan Zhongxing.

And what is the situation of those European countries today? When he first read Alexandre Dumas's novels, Wang Fulin once went to understand the history of Europe during this period.

France at this time was the last afterglow of the Valua dynasty, the turbulent era depicted in the trilogy of Henry IV Dumas. The Catholic Charles IX had just died, and his brother Henry III had succeeded him, and Queen Margot was still in harmony with her husband, now King of Navarre, who would later take over the throne from the Valua dynasty. At this time, Henry IV did not see much of the qualifications of the emperor, the thirty years of religious war between the old and the new Christians was in an irreconcilable state, and the world also thought that this contradiction was hopeless, no one would have thought that Henry IV would issue the Edict of Nantes after his accession to the throne, and his son Louis XIII's prime minister, Bishop Richelieu, was about to bring the Bourbon dynasty and France to the road of European hegemony. But at this time, France, which is in the quagmire, has no time to take care of anything else.

At this time, Spain was ushering in its heyday. The first empire on which the sun never sets, predating Britain, was born, and Philip II of the House of Habsburg ruled over Spain, the Netherlands, Sicily and Naples, Franche-Comté, Milan, and all the Spanish American and African colonies. than his father, Charles V. Philip II was missing the Holy Roman Emperor. Archduke of Austria. The three titles of King of Germany - because they belonged to his uncle Ferdinand I - did not rule the most extensive territory of the time like his father, but he was ambitious to annex Portugal and build an armada.

Britain reigned on the throne of Elizabeth I, who had a thunderous reputation and was about to defeat the Armada. In contrast to the young Portuguese king, who almost no one has heard of, Elizabeth I has been on the throne for more than a decade and has initially stabilized the situation, but the stalemate with Mary, Queen of Scots, has continued, but the queen has now made a name for herself. But to outsiders, Britain seemed to be in a corner of the country, unable to challenge Spain's hegemony. No one would have imagined that later generations would call the period of the queen's reign the golden age of England.

As for the king of Portugal, he was young but neurotic, and had nothing to do to fight Morocco so that he was doomed to die early. In history, only no heirs were left and annexed by Spain, and even after Portugal became independent, the throne fell to the line of the Duke of Bragança, who was originally an illegitimate son.

It can be said that the Ming Dynasty, the prosperous period of singing and dancing, is the biggest change among many dynasties in Europe, and it is also the best opportunity. But Wang Fulin knew very well that the premise was that he would be able to learn a variety of foreign languages, including Portuguese, Spanish, Latin, and Old English – given the sheer level of difficulty. It is also possible to consider selecting reliable foreign personnel for his own use -- and at the same time gaining a solid position in the DPRK and China, otherwise he will not be able to interfere with this kind of foreign policy at all. No one would think that at this time, the Ming petty officials who put a few Benyang as stones in their right hand to weigh and play with them are fighting the ideas of several major powers recognized in the world today.

Since he knew that the yamen of Guangdong City has never left Guangzhou City, and not in Haojing, that is, Macau, which is also a place of real trading, Wang Fulin did not expect the efficiency of Guangdong City's shipping company. As for the so-called three sets of teams of guarding Macao, the three major military yamens of promotion, preparation and inspection, he also guessed from the experience of passing through the gate of the lotus stem, I am afraid that it is also the same kind of goods. Sure enough, when he really set foot on this land, he found that although there were quite a lot of Ming people dressed in local clothes, and there were many Ming troops stationed there, there was no shadow of the Ming army in front of those Portuguese with muskets in their hands and swords at their waists.

Of the Portuguese sergeants with few blond hair and blue eyes, mostly black-haired and brown-eyed, some were able to bargain with the locals in stumbling Cantonese, and some laughed with each other in their own Chinese dialect, but on the whole, the order on the streets was relatively good. Another major sight is that there are scattered people on the streets who look like local Ming people, but they are holding Bibles and hanging crosses. Almost without exception, these people are quite kind, with a constant smile on their faces, and from time to time they will pull people to say something.

What's even more surprising is that Wang Fulin also heard that one of them spoke clearly in Japanese, and he didn't know if it was a maritime merchant who knew Japanese, or if he was really Japanese. In this case, Wang Fulin can assert that these people are by no means priests, after all, the priesthood of the Catholic Church is not so easy to grant, and in any case, it is impossible to admit the native Ming as priests so quickly, and as for the Japanese, it is even more nonsense. However, if the Japanese speakers are really Japanese, how did these people come to Macau, and whether they live here for a long time, this is also a question that needs to be figured out!

But just when he looked around thoughtfully, he didn't expect a person to smile in front of him: "Today, the Church of Our Lady of Hope will hold a grand service, and you are welcome to bathe in the glory of the Lord." ”

Before Wang Fulin could speak, someone stuffed something in his hand, and when he came back to his senses and looked at it, he found that it was a simple map, and the guy with a smile had already gone elsewhere to distribute such small leaflets. He remembered the posture of advertising in later generations, and he really couldn't cry or laugh, but at this time, the big bucktooth who had been acting with them came over, and when he saw the map clearly, he smiled.

"Master Chen, I have been to this Church of Our Lady of Wangde, which is actually a small and broken wooden house, and there is a leprosy courtyard behind it, so we all call it the Mad King Hall. But it is quite famous among the Franc machine people, and I heard that it is still a cathedral. The Franco-Rang people are different from the religions we believe, and some of us believe in Buddhism. There are channels. But they believe in the Father and the Son. They have a Bishop Jia here. It is said that there is a lot of power, and most of the Franc people go to worship every seven days, and many Ming people have also converted to this religion, and even wear their clothes and learn their language. ”

Wang Fulin knew that Macao had indeed been a bridgehead for Western missionaries, and Xiaobei's notes also noted that the bishop of Macau was called Jia Nailao—of course, this was not necessarily the Chinese name of the people. It is likely that it was just a transliteration - and after arriving in Macao, the House of Mercy for orphans and the Hospital for the Poor were built, so it was quite popular. So, when Bucktooth says that some people are starting to become Catholics, he is still very alarming: "Do you know how many people have converted to their teachings? ”

"How much? There are only a few dozen at most. Ahem, most of the people here are merchants, or they are just like your brothers, how can they casually believe in the gods of this state? For example, if I want to believe in the God of Wealth, I can't understand a word of the words of the Fanbang people. What do you believe in their God? However, a visit to the Church of Our Lady of Hope is not without its benefits. When I went back to trade with those Franc machine people, I still drew a gourd and muttered a few sentences, begging for a cross and drawing twice, maybe I could make more money, and I went to see the excitement. ”

Big Bucktooth said this not only to Wang Fulin, but also to others in the same industry. His group carried the goods of three mule carts, and although they were in a hurry to ship, because the old horse knew the way, everyone listened to him with suspicion. And Wang Fulin thought that there was nothing to do, and he was also quite interested in those missionaries in Macao, so he simply followed a piece of the road to have a look. With the big bucktooth leading the way, the simple map would not be useful, and after turning around for a while, he found that it was a large square in front of him.

Of course, the square is there, but the fountain sculpture is not. Surrounded by shops, Big Bucktooth led them straight to a wooden building that didn't look too remarkable. After listening to the explanation, he learned that the wooden building that was completely different from what he saw in Macao in later generations was the Church of Our Lady of Hope, which is now the Cathedral.

Of course, in history, because of the leprosy at the back, the new cathedral was soon built elsewhere, but the Church of Our Lady of Hope is still the first church in Macau, and all bishops have to come here to receive the scepter.

The Church of Our Lady of Wangde has a total of one floor, which is completely made of wood, and does not have many Western features, but has the characteristics of Chinese architecture, especially the columns and doors. And at this moment, most of the people who have gathered here intermittently are the so-called Franc machine people, and a very small number of a dozen are Ming people with pious faces and real believers at a glance, and there are businessmen like him who simply come to see the excitement and look outside. However, he went to the door and counted the heads, only to find that although it was full, there were only a dozen rows of seats. Since Xiaobei said that there are thousands of Portuguese people living on the island of Macau, how can the total number of people who come to worship is hundreds?

Either there are many other churches on the island that can be worshipped elsewhere, or those who profess Catholicism may not be very religious in their true faith. The former is very likely, after all, the Portuguese have been rooted here for more than 20 years, and it is nothing to build a few more churches. As for the belief in ungodliness, it is also possible, especially when you travel thousands of miles to a place like Macau, the important thing is to make money, how can you take care of such a thing as worship every time?

In the Church of Our Lady of Wangde, the jagged chants came out, but Wang Fulin's mind was not here, he kept looking around. It wasn't until Big Bucktooth crept deep into the middle with three merchants who had come to Macao for the first time that he quietly followed, but he only stood closest to the door, watching the old man in a fuchsia robe on the high platform preside over the service in a language that he did not understand at all. However, he soon discovered that the big bucktooth's eyes had been glancing in all directions, as if looking for someone. Thinking that this guy had suggested that he should come here to take a look, his heart moved, and he took a few steps forward at the moment.

When he saw that the gaze of the big bucktooth fell on a place, he looked at it, and at first glance, he found that the faces of foreigners were mixed with a face with some impression. Wasn't that one of the two Portuguese brought over by Zhang Taizheng on Putuo Mountain? He had made a big deal with them, and I remember that the people seemed to be called ...... Sebastian? Franco?

Wang Fulin was thinking about it, and the big bucktooth had already turned around and walked over, but it was with the three small merchants from before. also made a gesture at him to hurry out. See this scenario. His heart moved. Quietly turned around and went out. Sure enough, as soon as he came out, Da Bucktooth said with a smile on his face: "Grand Master Chen, those people who pulled people before were all local believers who volunteered to work for the Church of Our Lady of Wangde, but it is said that Bishop Jia is very opposed to such a mission. It's okay to take a look at the excitement, Haojing accommodation is very expensive, so everyone can trade early and go back early. A day of delay can be a waste of money! ”

Who tricked people into coming here to see the excitement just now, and now another reminder that it costs a lot of money to delay for a day?

Wang Fulin felt more and more that there was something wrong with this big bucktooth, but at this time, it was more important to see what this guy wanted to do, so he yawned quietly and said lazily: "It's okay, then let's go!" ”

Seeing that Wang Fulin agreed to his proposal, Da Luoya immediately smiled, but he didn't ask Chen Bingchang on the side for his opinion at all. Although Wang Fulin said early on that it was his younger brother, the second son of the Chen family. He saw early on that the entourage and others were all looking forward to Wang Fulin, and Chen Bingchang had no right to speak at all. In my heart, I decided that it was not the order of the young and the old, but the difference between the superior and the inferior.

On the way from the Church of Our Lady of Hope again. Big Bucktooth bragged about the grand scene of many ships docked on the dock, and said how close his relationship with the old man Sai was. Because of the scene he had just seen in the Church of Our Lady of Wangde, Wang Fulin had to wonder in his heart whether this guy who was talking wildly was really related to the Franco-robot Sebastian he knew. I don't know how long I walked, but Big Bucktooth finally brought the group to the southeast dock, nodded and talked to the guards who came forward to stop him in a language that no one understood.

Wang Fulin's heart was already full of suspicion at this time, and after the guards gave way to let him go, he pretended to be curious and asked Big Bucktooth: "What Master Huang just said is the words of the Franc machine?" Can you teach me when you're free? ”

He just deliberately asked casually, but Big Bucktooth's face froze, and then he smiled dryly: "Where is the words of Grand Master Chen, I often come and go to Haojing to trade, and I learned it after coming and going, but I also have to put in a lot of effort." Mr. Chen, you are a scholar, and you will be an official in the future, what is there to learn from these words? I really want to understand, isn't there still me in the middle of the translation? ”

Speaking of this, Big Bucktooth suddenly glanced at the ships that were parked at the dock, pointed to a six-masted ship with a bright flag, and changed the topic with a smile on his face: "Look, that ship is called the Lisbon, and Lisbon is said to be the capital of the Franco, just like our capital." To be able to name a ship after the capital, this is a big face, the old man I am talking about is the captain of this ship, his surname is Franco, and the Francois people call him Captain Franco. It is said that a relative of his wife in the family, who is the prince of the country of the Franc machine, has thousands of troops under his hands, in our words, that is, one person is above ten thousand people......"

The little merchants looked up, and found that the boat that the big bucktooth had spoken of was really the largest of all the ships in the docks, and that it was the owner of the ship that they wanted to sell, and everyone was overjoyed, and they all thought that they could sell it for a good price.

Of course, this in no way includes Wang Fulin. Along the way, he had already discovered that the area where the Church of Our Lady of Wangde was located was a very lively square, and according to the layout, it should be a commercial area. This wharf is by no means a trading area as Big Bucktooth said, although there are many boats, and there are guards left behind on the bow, but compared to the commercial streets that passed before, it seems deserted, except for their line, there are basically no Ming people. Although he didn't know how many times he had taken risks in his life, he still whispered a few words to Chen Atian, a guide who was proficient in Cantonese, at this time.

Hearing Wang Fulin's command, Chen Atian looked around vigilantly, nodded immediately, quietly slowed down the horse and fell behind, and after Wang Fulin and the others continued to move forward, he quietly turned his horse and ran out.

Wang Fulin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the people leaving. Be careful to sail the ship of ten thousand years, if he is planted here, it will be a joke to spread it. Let Chen Atian leave a mark to warn Xiaobei to go to the promotion department again, and he will stay for a while, and after he understands what medicine is sold in the gourd here, he can also take the opportunity to slip away.

PS: Today's two shifts, this is the first shift of four thousand eight. By the way, I'm a crazy lover of Alexandre Dumas, and I swept away the library of Alexandre Dumas novels in high school, including the Three Musketeers trilogy and the Henry IV trilogy. There are three copies of the last Viscount Bragerona of the Musketeers, and this book is like a big brick ^_^ (to be continued. )