"I, Niccolò from Venice, on the Mediterranean coast of the far west, am willing to do the service of His Majesty, the great king who defeated the Mongol Empire. This is my brother, Matteo ......"

The two lustful people knelt in front of Chen Dexing, and they threw down the rice bowl and jumped out when Chen Dexing and Zhao Fu passed by them. As a result, he was grabbed by Chen Dexing's personal soldiers as assassins, first beaten violently, and then searched his body, but did not find any weapons, and then dragged him to Chen Dexing.

These two people are naturally the brothers Niccolò and Matteo from Venice. Of course, the two of them jumped out not to fight, but to fight for an opportunity to serve their new master. Such a move immediately attracted countless complicated eyes! The people gathered here are all merchants who will travel thousands of miles to Yanjing, and in the words of later generations, they are all adventurers!

The courage is very fat, as long as there is an opportunity, there is nothing they dare not say or do. As for the conscience, of course, they all stayed in their hometown. As long as there are interests, what does it matter if they take refuge in Chen Da Bandit?

Now let's see what happens to this pair of brothers from Venice?

"Venice?" Chen Dexing looked at the two foreign devils in front of him who were covered with dirt and their beards were almost sticking into wisps, and their skin couldn't tell whether they were white or yellow, and frowned, "You are Italians?" ”

Italy!

Niccolò and Matteo brothers were stunned! Chen Dexing said "Italian" in English, and the two brothers could barely understand it. They just reported the name of Venice, and the other party, a king of the Oriental world, actually reported the name of Italy!

"Well, we're Italian, too." Niccolò's brow was already furrowed.

"This year is ...... It's 1261 A.D., right? Who was the Papa of the Roman Church when you left Italy? ”

"Papa of the Roman Church...... Niccolò and Matteo's eyes were about to pop out!

Chen Dexing knew that the Church of Rome was not surprising. After all, he even knows Italy. But it was surprising to pronounce Papa in a speech that was quite close to Latin. Because when the word Papa is associated with the Church of Rome, the representative can only be the Pope...... And in the East. Almost no one will refer to the Pope as Papa, usually as the King of Enlightenment.

Has this Chen Dexing ever been to Europa?

"When we left Italy. Seven years have passed since Innocent III took charge of the Ecumenical Church......," Niccolò pondered. He originally wanted to pretend to be an emissary of the Ecumenical Church to fool Chen Dexing. But listening to Chen Dexing's words, he seems to know something about European affairs, and he is not easy to fool!

"What can you do for Lone?" Chen Dexing looked at the two dirty Italians with some interest. Of course he had heard of Marco. Polo's daimyo. However, these two masters in front of him seem to be a little old, and it can't be Marco. Polo.

"We, we have come from faraway lands, to the East in pursuit of friendship and trade, and we have no hostility towards you and your people. We don't serve the Mongols either. ”

Niccolò didn't dare to fool Chen Dexing with nonsense, so he had to honestly say his request: "Your warriors have captured us as a complete misunderstanding, we are not Mongolians, we are only Italians, the most powerful Roman emperor in the extreme west and the subjects of the king of Italy...... There was a war between the Roman Empire and the Mongols twenty years ago, and we repelled the Mongol invasion! I think you and the Roman Emperor could totally join forces against the Mongols! ”

Niccolò's "Roman Empire" refers to the Holy Roman Empire established by the Germanic peoples, who fought against the Mongols who invaded Poland during the Western Expedition of the Mongol eldest son, and was defeated and finally died of illness due to the illness of the Great Khan of Ögedei. Batu returned to his teacher to breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing the interested expression on Chen Dexing's face, Niccolò hurriedly said, "In addition, the power of the Ecumenical Church is very great, no less than that of the Roman Emperor. It is also worth uniting with if you can allow your subjects to freely believe in Christ. Jesus' words ......"

The merchants of this era, whether from Venice or the Great Food Country. It's as if they are all part-time missionaries, just preaching the gospel of the Lord. One to spread the truth of Allah. And the Southern Song Dynasty and Mongolia, although one has the most developed economy in the world. One has the most powerful force in the world, but it seems to be a weak person in terms of religious beliefs. The Southern Song Dynasty was unable to allow Taoism to spread westward, and the shamanism of Great Mongolia had already declined in its headquarters. Moreover, both countries are not very resistant to foreign religions, and treat each other with tolerance and freedom.

As for the result, anyway, the Great Mongolia Kingdom became the Little Mongolia Kingdom, and many of Genghis Khan's descendants became believers in the true God who could not speak Mongolian. On the Chinese side, the basic market is still preserved, but the territory of the entire Chinese civilization is shrinking at the height of China's national strength......

"Not allowed!" Chen Dexing said categorically, "My subjects have no religious freedom!" Just as the Ecumenical Church does not allow believers to convert! It is not permissible to serve Christ in my land. Jesuit Sect Spread! ”

Religious freedom or something, of course Chen Dexing can't agree to it! In the 13th century, religion was a weapon, a tool for imperial expansion, and a fool would allow religious freedom!

“……”

This Han king is more difficult to serve than the Mongol Great Khan! Niccolò and Matteo immediately recognized this reality. However, the smiles on the faces of the two were a little more sincere - they were slaves, and they had to find a way to tie up with their masters, so that they could be upgraded from slaves to slaves.

"As for the Roman Empire, or the Holy Roman Empire of the Germanic peoples, I am willing to develop diplomatic relations with them at the right time, but not now!" Chen Dexing's tone was still cold, and his gaze swept coldly over the two apprehensive Venetians. "Do you have any real skills?"

Niccolò said honestly: "We speak Latin, the language of the Great Food, Mongolian and Chinese. ”

Chen Dexing smiled, turned his head to Zhao Fu and said, "Zhao Qing, these two people go to the Foreign Affairs Department and let them serve as generals and teachers." ”

"Teach what?" Zhao Fu was a little stunned.

"Latin, the Great Food Language, and the general situation of Christianity and the countries of the Celestial Religion." Chen Dexing smiled and said, "These are useful, in the future, we will have contact with distant countries, and the Foreign Affairs Department must prepare early." ”

"Xia Guan understands." Zhao Fu nodded, and then instructed the entourage of the Diplomatic Department beside him to lead the two Venetians to wash and clean, change into neat clothes, and take their families to the residence of the personnel of the Foreign Affairs Department. Of course, they are still slaves, and they will not be pardoned as an unfree until they prove their talents - and now that the most brutal war in the history of mankind is underway, everyone under Chen Dexing's command must fulfill their duties, so no one is free!

"Great King, I am willing to serve you......"

"Great king, I have traveled to 100 countries and speak 20 languages!"

"Great King, I am skilled in sailing in the most dangerous seas, and I have fought against the dragons of the seas......"

Seeing that Niccolò and Matteodon, the two Venetians, had suddenly gotten rid of their coolies and did not go to the Foreign Affairs Department, a group of sub-colored businessmen were all hot-eyed, shouting and shouting to show Chen Dexing their talents.

Chen Dexing smiled coldly, he knew that there were some capable people among these businessmen, if they didn't have any skills, they would honestly stay in Europe and the Middle East to farm and herd sheep. But the cunning of these people is also undoubted, and it is not easy to use them well.

Chen Dexing raised his right hand high and waved it gently, everyone was silent, just looking at Chen Dexing with burning - there was expectation, hatred, and of course more fear!

"Slaves!" Chen Dexing raised his voice so that all the people around him could hear clearly, "I really need talented people, whether they are yellow-skinned, white-skinned, or dark-skinned.

But I need more loyal and reliable people, because our country is fighting the most murderous enemy in the history of mankind, and many of you have served this enemy! So you are slaves now! Relative to your talents, the first thing I need is loyalty!

If you want to be free from slavery, you must first renounce your faith, whether it is Christ, God, or Buddha! Only by taking refuge in the Heavenly Dao first, you Semu can become the courtiers of the Lone King!

In addition, the Lone King would like to remind you that in the kingdom of the Lone King, there are only monasteries of Heavenly Taoism, Taoism and Han Buddhism! ”

Chen Dexing's tone was cold, and what he said poured a basin of ice water on the heads of these people -- his kingdom is quite strict in the management of religion, and there is no religious freedom and religious tolerance in the Southern Song Dynasty and Northern Mongolia!

Although it is not a unified sect of the Heavenly Daoist Sect, it is definitely a national policy to support the Heavenly Dao and suppress the various sects! However, Buddhism and Taoism, which had a great influence in Han China and Goryeo, could not disappear overnight, but various laws and regulations were already being formulated to promote the secularization of Buddhism and Taoism.

Except for the state religion Tiandao, which can receive financial subsidies from the Recruitment Division, Taoism and Buddhist monasteries do not have any economic incentives, and the real estate and business activities of temples must be taxed like ordinary businessmen!

In addition, the Department of Recruitment also strictly ordered all Buddhist and Taoist sects not to interfere with the monks marrying wives and having children - when there were less than 10 million Han people left in the north (including Semu and Mongolia, which were worth 10 million), and there were only more than 200,000 Han people under Chen Dexing, Dink and celibacy could be said to be a threat to national security! Therefore, there is nothing wrong with adopting such a policy.

As for other religions other than these three religions, the policy of the Northland Recruitment Division is that they are not welcome! Correspondence between merchants and merchants behind closed doors is also forbidden. But public preaching, the establishment of temples and shrines, is forbidden! (To be continued......)