Ah Hu led a group of craftsmen down to settle down, and the entire hall suddenly became empty.

"Sir, please be seated!" Geng Jingzhong waved his hand.

"Your Royal Highness Prince Xie, thank Your Highness the Prince for saving us from prison, the Lord will bless you." Nan Huairen led several missionaries to bow down together.

"No need to be polite, I myself like Western studies very much, and I also know a little about your Catholicism. I heard that your situation in the capital is very bad, so I helped by the way. Please come to Fuzhou, in fact, I want to ask you to be a gentleman and teach Western studies. ”

"His Royal Highness the Prince is also interested in our Western studies?" Nan Huairen was very surprised, he had come to China for many years, and he had never seen a person who took the initiative to learn Western studies, and he had the impression that people here only learned the words of the sages, and everything else was dismissed as a small way and disdained to learn it.

"Yes, not just to teach me, but to teach the children. I am going to open a school dedicated to Western studies. I have English, French, Portuguese, mathematics, geometry, astronomy, geography and medicine. Geng Jingzhong stated his purpose, "Not only that, I have heard that many of your missionaries are proficient in muskets and concoction, and I also need your help in developing new muskets. Of course, I will pay a salary, twenty taels of silver a month. ”

"Oh, praise to Your Highness, you are so generous." Nan Huairen has been in China for many years, and he is very aware of the purchasing power of silver, and in the capital, ten taels of silver is the cost of an ordinary family of five for a whole year. "We are happy to serve your Royal Highness, but allow us to serve here, it is our job." Speaking of this, Nan Huairen and the others are still a little worried.

"Of course, I don't reject your religion, as long as it is a religion that persuades people to do good, I will support it." Geng Jingzhong couldn't help but move around as he spoke, "But you can't force others to believe in religion. My aim is freedom of belief. ”

"Yes, Your Highness, freedom of religion is also our principle." Nan Huairen stood up happily and bowed, smiling like a flower.

"I have built a beautiful church for you in the city of Fuzhou, you can see it for yourself later. Not only that, but I can also help you build churches in other big cities in the future, and with my help, I think you will be better able to preach. However, I need more missionaries to work for me. ”

"You must be a messenger sent by God, Your Highness! We will do our best to teach the children well. May God be with you! ”

Geng Jingzhong smiled disapprehantly: "I hope we have a happy cooperation." ”

Leaving the palace, Nan Huairen and other missionaries were so excited that they couldn't help themselves, and being able to make the school a gentleman had a huge role in promoting their missionary career.

When they arrived at the newly built cathedral, the group was stunned. Towering minarets, pointed arches, large windows, and stained glass depicting biblical stories. It is a typical Romanesque church. At least that's what it looks like.

In order to attract talents, retain these missionaries, and facilitate the recruitment of more Western missionaries to work for him, Geng Jingzhong generously spent more than 20,000 taels of silver to invite Western architects from places where Western businessmen gathered, such as Yuegang and Guangzhou Thirteen Lines, and it took nearly three months to complete the construction. In the design, he also added some features of Chinese architecture, which seemed a bit non-existent. But this is China, there must be some Chinese characteristics!

The whole church uses pointed ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, and slender bunds to create a sense of lightness and slenderness. As well as a new frame structure to increase the strength to support the roof, the whole building with straight lines, majestic appearance and open space in the church, combined with the long windows inlaid with stained glass, give the church a strong religious atmosphere. The plan of the church is still largely Latin cross-shaped, but a pair of tall towers have been added to either side of its western gate.

It has to be said that although the style of Western architecture and Chinese lofts is very different, they are both very beautiful. Art is indeed regardless of nationality.

"Oh God, it's so beautiful!"

"Yes, what a compliment to His Royal Highness the Prince, such a church can only be seen in my hometown, it is like a miniature version of St. Peter's Basilica!"

The missionaries were amazed by the magnificence of the church. Nan Huairen couldn't help but shout: "We must inform the Society of Jesus that for the sake of the holy cause, we need more priests to sow the glory of the Lord!" ”

"Not bad" "Not bad" "The Great Qing Kingdom is too big, bigger than the whole of Europe, and we want to sow all this vast land to the glory of the Lord." We will be the biggest contributors! ”

"The most important thing is that we have the support of His Royal Highness the Prince, and we can continue to preach without being hindered."

"Well, I'm going to go back to Europe, report the situation here to the Jesuits, and let the headquarters send more missionaries to the East to continue our cause!" Nan Huairen made up his mind, even if the way back was a little dangerous. "I'll go and bid farewell to His Royal Highness the Prince in a moment."

At this moment, Geng Jingzhong was discussing with the palace steward where to establish a new school, and suddenly someone came to report a visit from Mr. Yang. Strange as it was, he immediately came out to meet him.

"Sorry to disturb your esteemed Royal Highness the Prince! I have come to bid you farewell. I'm going to go back to Europe! Seeing Geng Jingzhong, Nan Huairen immediately bowed.

"Oh, why is that? Isn't this good, why do you suddenly want to go back to Europe? Geng Jingzhong was very surprised.

"Your Highness, I am ready to return to Europe and invite another group of missionaries to the East to sow the glory of my Lord!"

"I see! Then you don't need to go back yourself, send other missionaries, I need your help here for the time being. Geng Jingzhong paused: "In this way, send a few other missionaries back, and by the way, help me recruit some skilled workers from Europe, but anyone with a skill must be good, especially skilled workers in iron making, shipbuilding, and making muskets and artillery!" ”

"When I recruit people, tell them that anyone who is willing to come to the East to work for me will be rich when they go back in the future! The salary is at least ten times that of Europe," Geng Jingzhong did not hesitate to offer high prices for the sake of development.

Nan Huairen is already a little stunned at the moment! Didn't you come to quit your job, how did you become a helper to recruit workers? "Oh well, Your Royal Highness the Prince, I will follow your arrangement, and I will arrange for people to set off!"

"No hurry! Ah Hu, tell the tent to prepare two thousand taels of gold to come out, I will use it later! ”

"Sir, I will take them to the wharf, and let them take this gold with them when they set out, some of which will be used as travel expenses, and the rest, when recruiting workers, will not give each person five taels of gold as a deposit, and if the whole family will come, ten taels. The more workers you recruit, the better! ”

"You are truly the most generous employer, Your Highness the Prince, and I am sure that those workers will be vying to come and work for you! Then I'll go back! ”

"In this case, I was also going to go to Moon Harbor to meet your European merchants, and I am sure you have heard of my perfume, and it is a good thing. I think you European aristocrats will like it too! I'll send you off tomorrow! ”

Sure enough, Geng Jingzhong's arrangement was quite wise. A few missionaries brought the news back to Europe, and the Jesuits sent hundreds of missionaries to prepare for the East.

And several missionaries were also very smooth when recruiting workers. The mysterious and rich, legendary gold of the East has always been the first choice for adventurous Westerners, when a pile of golden gold is placed in front of everyone, it completely detonates their enthusiasm, and they have packed up and boarded merchant ships to follow the missionaries to the East to pan for gold! Of course, this is not an afterthought.