Chapter 832-for-tat

For Zhang Guangde, the only ambassador in all of Europe, there is little work. It's not that he wants to be lazy, but Europe in this era doesn't seem to have the habit of having a permanent diplomatic envoy. So Zhang Guangde's position looks a bit nondescript. It's not right to say it's okay, there is a team in the embassy that keeps an eye on news from the European continent, political, economic, military, and so on.

"I know him, at a French lady's salon where I saw this man present." When Zhang Guangde was still hesitating to meet these French businessmen, Carnon whispered in his ear. "Well, his identity." Zhang Guangde, who became serious, immediately came up, which shocked Kanon's heart. After being pregnant with a child, Zhang Guangde was always kind to her, and he suddenly returned to his original appearance, which was really a little uncomfortable.

"Pierre, French Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs." Zhang Guangde nodded, and suddenly frowned: "How is the war between France and Spain going?" Damn it! Why hasn't the report been handed in lately? You have a good rest, I'll go to the office. ”

Hurriedly going downstairs, Zhang Guangde strode with an unhappy face, came to the study downstairs, and said to the housekeeper Zhang Laishun: "Please come to Staff Officer Ni, I need to know the latest information on the Franco-Spanish war." "The embassy has an intelligence team, and Ni Zhigao is the person in charge. What does this guy say, the way he came from is a bit special, while he is responsible for Zhang Guangde at work, his direct authority is not here with the ambassador. Zhang Guangde knew where he came from, so he didn't treat him as a real subordinate.

Before the housekeeper could make any moves, Ni Zhigao had already come uninvited, standing at the door and seeing Pierre and the others who had been stopped, he listened with great interest to Pierre's servant in a stammering official sentence: "The Emperor of France, deputy, (French) damned." Didn't he understand? "There is no doubt that the doorman did not understand, the servant repeated it in French, and the soldier did not understand it even more. Don't speak French, even if it's Portuguese, you can only understand some simple sentences.

"How. Didn't you bring a translator? Ni Zhigao stepped forward to ask, using French, and speaking well. Although Pierre didn't fully express the beauty of French, he was at least able to understand it.

"On behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of France, visit the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Ming Empire in Europe." The servant was overjoyed, and Pierre, who was about to go into battle shirtless, breathed a sigh of relief and silently looked at the officer of the Ming Empire. There were not many people in the French Empire who understood the official language of the Ming Dynasty, and there were even fewer people who could be trusted. This guy dressed as a servant in front of him. As a translator, he obviously didn't know that the official dialect he spoke could only be regarded as a local official dialect, an official dialect with a southern accent, and he still learned four different words.

"Wait a minute, everyone, I'll go in and report." Ni Zhigao nodded, walked inside, walked through the living room and the small courtyard behind, and walked into the inner room where Zhang Guangde's study was located. The butler just came to meet him.

"General! Looking for me? Ni Zhigao's attitude was respectful, and he saluted before entering the door. This guy doesn't look amazing, and it's hard for you to find it if you throw it in the pile. Zhang Guangde did not judge people by their appearance, and knew that this guy was not a simple character. So he suppressed some unhappiness in his heart, smiled and said: "The war between the French and the Spaniards, I want to know about it?" ”

"I was familiar with the situation, and Louis XIV used the excuse that his wife was the sister of the current King of Spain. Claiming the right to inherit the Spanish throne and claiming the Spanish Netherlands as Philip IV's inheritance. This request was rejected by Spain. France then declared war on Spain. The French army suffered heavy losses in the attack on Luxembourg, but in other battles, it achieved some victories. The French army lost more than five thousand people in Luxembourg. As a direct result, the victory advantage in other battlefields is lost. ”

Zhang Guangde opened the map, Ni Zhigao pointed on the map, and continued: "The Spaniards did not take advantage of the victory to pursue, the battle line was flattened, and the news brought back by our intelligence officers showed that the Spaniards consumed a lot of arms and did not dare to pursue. ”

Hearing this, Zhang Guangde's eyes emitted a faint blue light, and he sighed twice before he said, "I see." ”

Ni Zhigao said with a smile: "The good news is not only this, the Dutch and the English have sent representatives to arrive in Angra Sangra within a week at the latest." Zhang Guangde was very happy at this time, picked up the teacup and killed it fiercely, and said with a smile: "The arms in the warehouse have been pressed for too long, and I finally have the opportunity to make a good profit." Otherwise, this ambassador is not boring, do you think I should go to Europe and establish diplomatic relations with England and France? ”

"I don't dare to say anything about it, in general, the more lively Europe is, the greater the benefits of the Ming Dynasty. In terms of the comprehensive strength of each country, England has a geographical advantage, and France is a military power on land. In the future of Europe, these two countries will inevitably stand out. In contrast, countries such as Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, although they look strong, lack stamina. ”

"England isn't a big country, is it?" Zhang Guangde showed a puzzled expression, and Ni Zhigao explained: "The imperial power of England is sidelined, and the business community has a great influence on the political arena. The rest of Europe is significantly inferior to England in terms of heavy industry and commerce. But then again, in recent years, England has been unstable internally, and it is difficult to judge the future development. ”

Zhang Guangde nodded and said that he understood, in fact, he took the Ming Dynasty as the benchmark, since the grandfather Chen engaged in neo-Confucianism, heavy things, and prosperous industry and commerce, the national strength of the Ming Dynasty is increasing day by day, and it can be said that it is developing rapidly. The interior of the Ming Dynasty may not be obvious, but in the coastal provinces, a consensus has been reached that without a thriving industry and commerce, there will be no Ming Dynasty. The various branches of traditional Confucianism in the Ming Dynasty are difficult to compete with in the face of the emerging learning based on facts. In fact, after the birth of Neo-Confucianism, it was the imperial power that was most affected. You must know that the foundation of imperial power is "ordered by heaven", and in front of the telescope, the stars and the like are bankrupt. If it was in the past, the imperial power could still solve the problem by violent means, but unfortunately there was a Chen grandfather in the Ming Dynasty, and no one dared to take the lead in playing hooligans to break the rules. As long as this opening is opened, Chen Xie's army will enter Beijing, and the entire Ming ruling class will be finished. It is impossible to maintain a delicate balance as it is now.

Ni Zhigao only provided a judgment, and whether Zhang Guangde was willing to accept the suggestion is another matter. The people of the intelligence services, who only provide intelligence, this is a matter of principle. Zhang Guangde thought for a while and asked: "Is there a place inside France where you can do your hands and feet?" Ni Zhigao reacted immediately to this question, pointing to the horse track: "Here, there are more Protestants. ”

Zhang Guangde didn't know much about this, but he didn't say anything immediately, but nodded and said, "I need to see the detailed report." Ni Zhigao didn't have any objection, and nodded: "Understand, let people make a report when they go back." By the way, if you don't see the French envoy, you have to make an idea. The French speak French and are very persistent, and in their eyes, languages other than French are the language of the countrymen. ”

"Yoro is arrogant!" Zhang Guangde was directly happy, the superiority of the Ming people is very strong in this era, not to mention a France, even the whole of Europe, in the eyes of the Ming people, are uncivilized barbarians.

Pierre was finally allowed to go, and while his heart was a little relaxed, he also felt a strong sense of unease. His biggest fear was revealing his whereabouts, which now seemed difficult to keep secret. It's no wonder that others came in a hurry. Moreover, the French do not seem to have much contact with the Ming people, and it is difficult to find a convenient contact channel temporarily, and things are too anxious to visit in such a hurry.

While sitting in the living room and waiting, Pierre's eyes suddenly lit up, and a European woman dressed in a Ming costume appeared with two maids. The exquisite Daming tea set, as well as the woman's fluent French, gave him an unexpected surprise.

"Distinguished guest, my husband has something to do, I'll come in a moment, please try Daming's tea." Carnon appears as the hostess, and there is always a sense of satisfaction in her heart. On this small island, wherever Canon goes, he will be followed by envious eyes. Even standing in front of this French magnyman, Carnon did not have the inferiority complex that he had in the past.

"Thank you, dear lady, for your hospitality." Pierre came with a kiss on the hand, and Carnon spoke French fluently, which was good news for Pierre. At least this lady seems to have a good impression of France.

Zhang Guangde finally appeared, dressed in a Tang suit instead of a military uniform, stepped forward and hugged Kanon's waist, and said softly: "Hard work, madam." Kanon bowed slightly and said, "Do you need my translation?" Zhang Guangde shook his head: "No need, as a diplomat of the Ming Empire, it is a shame for me to conduct diplomatic activities in a third Chinese language." ”

Ni Zhigao, who came in later, played the role of a translator, and after a brief greeting, Zhang Guangde motioned to sit down.

"I like to be open and honest, and as the plenipotentiary ambassador of the Ming Empire to Europe, I deeply regret the diplomatic strength of European countries. So far, only Spain, the Netherlands, and Portugal have had substantial diplomatic contacts with the Ming Empire. Could it be that the friendship of the Ming Empire is not worth having in your country? As soon as Zhang Guangde spoke, he was aggressive.

Pierre seemed unhurried and replied calmly: "Your Excellency, am I not here?" There was very little contact between France and the Ming Empire, and if I remember correctly, the last time your country's fleet appeared in the French port of Marseille, Lord Mazarin did not slack off. ”

Speaking of this, Zhang Guangde shook his head unhappily and said: "If the commander of the fleet of the Ming Empire can only operate in the small port of Marseille, which is full of sewage, it can be regarded as not lazy, I have nothing to say." If Your Excellency continues to maintain this defensive mentality, I do not see any need for diplomatic relations between the two countries. ”

After a brief period of politeness, the inevitable confrontation began. (To be continued......)