Chapter Eighty-Five: Sweet Bait

Before the banquet began, everyone was invited to the side hall to sit and talk, Fan Li'an and Yang Bo talked and met, but revealed some dissatisfaction, the first is that there are too few churches in Liaodong, there are only two churches in Lushun, Fan Li'an hopes that Yang Bo can build more churches, Yang Bo thought about it and did not agree, Fan Li'an looked carefully and found that Yang Bo seemed to have a difficult face.

"Not enough money"

Yang Bo made up his mind and said: "Priest, maybe you still don't understand the predicament we are in now, there are tens of thousands of people in Lushun, I want to arm them, I want to pay them salaries, I want to build armor, I have to use silver everywhere, and I really don't have enough money." ”

Bi Fangji, John Tang, Lu Ruohan, Fernandez and others all echoed and poured bitter water on Fan Li'an.

"But"

Yang Bo took the topic back again: "I am more anxious about building a church than anyone here, and in fact, I also hope that more people from the church will join my army and serve in my civil affairs system."

"What?"

Yang Bo's words caused an uproar, and even Bi Fangji opened his mouth wide and looked at Yang Bo in disbelief.

"That's right, I've always thought that well-educated people are exactly what I need, and I will provide them with a lot of suitable positions, but this plan may have to be delayed" Yang Bo threw out a very tempting bait that he couldn't get, and he was not in a hurry.

Fan Li'an looked at Father Guo Jujing and Father Jose, who were flushed with excitement, and asked with some curiosity: "As far as I know, the food and salary of General Yang's department should be provided by the imperial court. Isn't it? Also, if the general builds a church on a large scale, will there be criticism and opposition from the imperial court? ”

Yang Bo smiled slightly. He said to Bi Fangji: "Father, please explain this point to the envoy in detail."

Bi Francis leaned over and whispered something in Italian, and several priests were shocked at first, then slowly eased, and then smiling, and Fan Li'an asked Bi Francis and others from time to time.

Ruan Dacheng, who accompanied the reception, leaned over with some curiosity and asked softly, "Why does your lord prefer this Xiyi Church?" ”

Yang Bo smiled but did not answer.

After a while. Fan Li'an turned around, took Yang Bo's hand excitedly, and said, "General Yang's pious heart will definitely be conveyed to the Pope, in order to express to you the admiration of our people." There is a request that General Yang must not refuse, I am willing to fund the new church in Lushun."

Fr. Guo Jujing and Fr. Jose also expressed their willingness to raise funds in Nanjing and Macao to solve Yang Bo's worries.

"No, no, no. Fathers. I'm afraid the envoy has misunderstood."

Yang Bo righteously refused: "Although the believers in Nanjing and Macao are God's people, just like Lushun, it is my responsibility to build a new church, and I can't pass my responsibility on to others, which is unfair. Please give me a little time."

The more modest Yang Bo was, the more urgent everyone became. Even Father Guo Jujing was so excited that he stood up and retorted, and finally Yang Bo had to compromise, Fan Li'an and the priests symbolically gave a hundred taels of silver, in return, the church built in the future will be named after them, this supreme glory made everyone's hearts bloom, Yang Bo is simply red in their eyes. Naked, with two white wings, a chubby angel figure.

But the angel soon revealed the greed of the devil......

Fan Li'an coughed twice, interrupting the excited imagination of the priests, he guessed that Yang Bo would not be without a little request, listening to Bi Fangji and Tang Ruowang's explanations, he knew that Yang Bo was considered a warlord regime in Liaodong, and also had his own army and financial resources, and did not buy much of the imperial court's accounts, and this warlord power was second to none in the Ming Dynasty, and the entire southern half of Liaoning was operated by him like an iron bucket, Xu Guangqi died of illness, Sun Yuanhua was killed, and the big people close to the church in the Ming Dynasty stood aside, and supporting Yang Bo became his top priority as an envoy.

"Gentlemen, let's get back to reality, General Yang, and I would also like to ask you to give me an exact time so that, well, I may report this good news to God when I pray to him." Fan Li'an took the initiative.

"Five years!" Yang Bo stretched out a hand without hesitation

Everyone's faces began to become unnatural, Father Guo Jujing is seventy-four years old, Jose and Bi Francis are also nearly sixty years old, in this era when fifty years old is not too young, I am afraid that no one except Fan Li'an will not see the day when the church with his name will be completed......

"General Yang, will you accept our sincere fundraising?" Father Jose muttered.

Fan Li'an interrupted Father Jose, looked at Yang Bo and said: "I'm afraid five years is too long, if General Yang has any difficulties, please raise them, and we will discuss and solve them together, but I personally suggest that if Lushun can build ten churches in two years, the whole of Rome will be proud of you." ”

"You're all wrong!"

Yang Bo stood up with a serious expression and said eloquently: "It doesn't cost a lot of money to build a church, do you think I'm really worried about the church?" It really doesn't work, so what does it matter if I just use ten houses to convert them into churches? The glory of God also shines in churches that are not magnificent, what do you think? ”

The crowd whispered a cross and said in unison, "Praise the Lord, Amen!" ”

Yang Bo said: "There is no shortage of churches in Liaodong, what is missing?" Talent, and a large number of clergy, these are the treasures that I lack the most, and what is the point of building a church without a knowledgeable priest to train them? ”

Everyone nodded again and again, agreeing with Yang Bo's thoughtful consideration.

Yang Bo said: "As I said just now, these people not only have to preach, but I also want to promote the best of them into the army and into the civil affairs system, which requires them to be proficient not only in theology, but also in miscellaneous studies. ”

Fan Li'an stammered: "I can report to the Pope, as long as General Yang needs how many such talents, I will go and find them for you." ”

Yang Bo shook his head. Stretched out two fingers and said: "Two difficulties, first, you all know that the people of Daming are quite xenophobic. Master Bi, how many years did it take you to be accepted by the people of the Ming Dynasty instead of avoiding it? Father Guo, what about you? ”

Bi Fangji laughed: "It's much better in Lushun, it turns out that everywhere I go in Xuzhou, there are people pointing at me, and I heard that when Dengzhou rebelled, many Xiyi people were hanged."

Yang Bo looked at Fan Li'an and said, "Therefore, it is difficult for the Holy See to send people to be accepted by the people of the Ming Dynasty. It was already quite difficult to proselytize, and it was even more difficult to get them to accept the rule of a Xiyi, and my prestige could only be suppressed for a while. If there is any estrangement that cannot be resolved in time, it can easily lead to a catastrophe, Father Guo, I heard that you have encountered this kind of thing before, and you almost lost your life? ”

Father Guo Jujing nodded: "That's right. At that time, the people suspected that the Xiyi people were plotting to rebel. They also said that there were a large number of weapons and equipment hidden in the church, and secretly reported them to the government, and they also said that the Xiyi people were ready to elect me as king, if it weren't for the people of the government at that time who searched the church and found no convincing evidence, I was afraid that I would have returned to the arms of the Lord long ago......"

Everyone knows what happened to Guo Jujing, and now I still wipe a cold sweat when I hear him tell it.

"Therefore, I am ready to select talented talents from the local believers, and I am ready to establish a seminary in Lushun to train them!" Yang Bo threw another tempting bait

"Seminary?" Fan Li'an stood up excitedly. He asked loudly, "General Yang, are you sure?" Do you want to build a seminary? ”

Yang Bo smiled and nodded: "I want to name this seminary after Pope Urban VIII." Do you think this is the best gift for the Pope? ”

Fan Li'an stood up and hugged Yang Bo very rudely: "Named after the Pope?" Oh God, what a day? I don't know how to describe my excitement, praise the Lord, and praise you, my angel! ”

Yang Bo's words made everyone excited and couldn't help themselves, building a seminary in the closed and ancient empire of the Ming Dynasty will definitely make them including Pope Urban VIII famous in history! Their names will even be sung by the Christians in Europe!

Yang Bo and Bi Fangji smiled and nodded, the bait had been thrown, and it was time to talk about the return.

"Jizhi, you go and get a bounty notice about the pattern of the battleship" Yang Bo whispered to Ruan Dacheng, who was confused, did not dare to hesitate and ran out quickly.

The guards came to report that the wine feast was ready, and Yang Bo warmly invited everyone to the table.

After praying before the meal, Fan Li'an raised his glass and said, "To General Yang, I also respect your most rock-solid faith."

After a while, Yang Bo finally threw out the topic: "Your Excellency, in fact, my ambitions are far beyond your imagination, do you know what I want?" I want the right to protect the religion of the whole of East Asia! ”

Yang Bo's words were like a bomb, scaring everyone, Fan Li'an's hand holding the wine glass was trembling slightly, Father Guo Jujing poked his soup spoon into Tang Ruowang's arms, and even Bi Fangji stood up.

"Protectorate of the East and East Asia?" Fan Li'an stammered and repeated.

Yang Bo nodded affirmatively, and the gentlemen at the table couldn't help but whisper.

"There are many missionaries who came to my Ming Dynasty, but they lost their lives due to wars, accidents, or pirates, etc., just like Father Bi Francis, when he came to Ming Dynasty, because of pirates, only three of the 500 people on the same ship survived, right, John Tong?" Yang Bo turned his gaze to Tang Ruowang, who recalled the experience of the year, nodded with a gloomy face, and was silent.

"I will never allow this to happen again!" Yang Bo slapped his hand on the dining table and said loudly: "They are all God's chosen messengers, but they have not completed their mission, but because of various accidents, they have lost the opportunity to bring more believers closer to God, I repeat, I will never allow this kind of thing to happen!" ”

Yang Bo's words resonated with everyone, which of the missionaries here did not come to Daming after a lot of hardships and hardships? Now that I heard that someone was willing to guarantee their safety, it was natural to be concerned.

"My purpose in protecting the right to the church is very simple, that is, to ensure the safety of all believers and missionaries in the church, not only the Ming Dynasty, but in fact, I want to send missionaries to Japan, Korea, Annam, Siam, as long as my sailors can reach, the glory of the Lord will shine there!"

Yang Bo said impassionedly: "Japan! In this backward and ignorant evil place, I am going to open their doors with artillery, and then send missionaries to preach the doctrine of God in an open and honest manner, so that those poor Japanese people will have a chance, what chance? Choose God's chance, while evil pagans are trying to close the doors of Japan. And in the area of Annam, I have heard that there is even a cannibalistic belief in their teachings, and I can forgive these barbarian beings, who do not know that they are sinning, these poor people, but this heresy cannot go on any longer......"

Yang Bo's words made everyone constantly cross and exclaim: "Oh, my God! ”

"Father Matteo Ricci has said that you will do a great deal of merit by entering through this narrow door, and yes, great merit awaits you in the first place, Fathers and Envoys, what are you waiting for? Are your eyes only on Lushun? The world is big and there are so many things we need to do! (To be continued......)