Chapter 221 [Panic in the Catholic League]

After communication, Ao Bai found out that the blacks did not intend to go home, and that they had been tricked into boarding the ship because they were going on a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Mecca, whose full name is Mecca-Mukarama, which means "Mecca of Honor", is the holiest city in Islam and has the Kaaba and Haram al-Haram. Mecca's famous Hajj attracts millions of people every year and is one of the five pillars of Islam. This boatload of slaves were devout people who had been fooled. European slave traders acquired slaves in a variety of ways.

The Ming fleet was supposed to pass through Mecca and could leave them there, but as they approached, they encountered many merchant ships that traded slaves at sea. There were Arabs who asked to get on the ship, wanting to buy "coke" from them.

The coke was referring to the black slaves, and Ao Bai immediately ordered the traffickers to be driven away. The Ming people did not read the Four Books and Five Classics in vain, and knew the inside story of the slave trade, and expressed their disdain for the practices of European countries. This is the difference between the Ming and the Jurchens, the European powers, Confucianism is not conducive to primitive accumulation, but this doctrine is indeed beneficial, it can make people cultivate their sentiments and become a good person.

The Dutch sailors found a letter on the British ship saying that now Mecca was under control and was a place where black slaves were traded.

For these traffickers, Ao Bai does not intend to take care of them, and he has no obligation to take care of them. The slave trade is very inhumane, but the Ming Dynasty can't be a messenger of justice for free, so he can't control it for the time being. Even if they have interests, they must wait for their military power to dominate the world before they can act as the world's policeman and seek benefits for the country. In this case, it is not possible to send blacks to Mecca. Ao Bai gathered the blacks together and explained the situation to them personally, some of whom knew English.

"I know that the reason why you want to join us is because you want to go to Mecca, and after the pilgrimage, you can go back to reunite with your relatives, right?" ”

The black man who could speak English said: "Yes, sir. ”

Ao Bai gestured and said, "But if you go to Mecca, a different fate awaits you, a group of bad men are waiting for you in Mecca, ready to take you as slaves." Being a slave, understand? ”

The black man said, "My lord, we understand that those Arabs are very bad, we don't want to be slaves, we just want to go to Mecca." ”

"But there are many slave traders in Mecca, and if you go, you will be taken out as slaves, are you willing to be slaves? Now is not the time to go to Mecca. ”

The black man said: "We understand, my lord, but we are devout Muslims, we are not slaves, we are going to Mecca." ”

Ao Bai said depressedly: "How many times do you want me to repeat it?" The end of going to Mecca is to become a slave. Do you understand? ”

The black man said, "Captain, we understand what you mean, but we don't want to be slaves, we just want to go to Mecca." ”

Aobai: "......"

No wonder these guys will be sold, their IQ is too low, right? Ao Bai is going crazy. It's definitely not that there is a problem with his expressive skills. Nor was the meaning of Mecca to Muslims within his comprehension. He no longer explains, leaving Africans to think for themselves.

In the evening, a middle-aged man in his thirties approached Ao Bai and said, "My lord, we have discussed, a few years ago, some people from our village went to Mecca, and they have not come back yet, maybe they are just slaves." We're not going. ”

Ao Bai smiled: "Your family is actually not safe, so let's go to Europe, there will be a ship to return to Daming in the future, it will pass through your hometown, if you are willing to go home, you will get off the ship." If you're willing to follow me, I'll keep you fed and clothed. Take you back to Daming. ”

He knew that there would not be a few people who would like to go to Daming, and these people would choose to go back to Africa, and the end might still be trafficked and enslaved. He didn't want to say it too many times, how to go on the road, people have to choose by themselves.

When the Ming fleet sailed into the Mediterranean, many Europeans, especially the Spaniards, began to panic. The Ming fleet was brought by the Dutch, and the Dutch and Spain were constantly fighting. Although the Portuguese insisted that the Ming fleet went to Europe only to do business, no one would believe such a formation.

The sneak attack on the city of Geranza was also speculated by the Ming army through grapevine, so it waited for an opportunity to invade Taiwan. However, after the Japanese war, the Ming became friends with the Dutch.

Such a development is too weird, the Dutch are not stupid, they must know something, the two countries are not only not opposed, but also closer, the Spaniards analyzed, the only possibility is that the two sides reached some kind of agreement.

Not only the Spaniards, but also the Japanese. The Ming merchants made a lot of money selling hibiscus cream in Japan, which had already caused dissatisfaction among the Japanese, and they could be sure that the Ming had a plan.

Now that a hundred warships were on their way to Europe, the 20,000 men who joined the Religious Wars could change the course of the war. The Catholic Union held a meeting in Austria.

These people were very dissatisfied with the Portuguese, and the strength of the Ming navy skyrocketed, and they thought that the Portuguese were helping. Because Ao Bai married Anna, and the Portuguese envoys sent to Daming many times, it is impossible to have nothing to do with them. It was only for the Portuguese that insisted that they had contacted the Ming court only for business and the spread of Catholicism. The Spaniards could not find favourable evidence that Portugal had formed an alliance with the Ming Dynasty.

Recently, the wars of religion have been tilting in favor of the Catholic League. After the defeat of Denmark, in 1630, Sweden, also uneasy about the movement of the Holy Roman Empire into and out of the Baltic Sea, organized a Protestant army to declare war on the Holy Roman Empire. Known as the "Lion of Northern Europe", King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden was a military genius who defeated the army of the Holy Roman Empire with a new method of "five columns of infantry and four columns of cavalry".

The king's bravery can boost the morale of his army, but if he is not careful, it can backfire.

In order to support the friendly countries, France, which was originally supporting behind the scenes, also sent troops to join the war. France, although a typical Old Christian state, has been quietly supporting the Protestant state because it wants to weaken its neighbor, the Holy Roman Empire, and thus expand its political power. The Netherlands had been waiting for an opportunity, and if the Ming also joined in to support Protestantism at this time, the Catholic Union would be in danger.

The Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II was deeply surprised by the Ming army's departure to Europe, and said: "Isn't the Ming army's maritime power weak? Why did they come to Europe, did they really come with 20,000 people, or was it a bluff? ”

Archduke Zapatero of Spain said: "According to the report of the Asian garrison, the maritime strength of the Ming Dynasty has been growing in the past two years, and the Battle of Penghu could not deal with the Dutch at sea, which made them realize the importance of the navy." Huang Peng, the Taifu of the Ming court, made great efforts to govern the country, and further strengthened their national strength, they not only defeated the Jin State on the border, but also took the opportunity of the war between the Netherlands and Japan to station troops in Japan and fully trade. The Ming Dynasty is no longer as independent as before. ”

Ferdinand II said: "Didn't the Ming Dynasty always promote Catholicism in the territory? They didn't let the Protestant forces get involved. Why did they suddenly ally with the Netherlands now? ”

Zapatero said: "The Ming army came this time, nominally it was a deal, they should land in Holland or France, now the Swedes have just been in the war, and they can't make a comeback for the time being, but if the Ming army participates in the war, it will make our situation very unfavorable." I think we should find a way to stop them. ”

"How can you stop it?" Ferdinand II asked, and everyone fell silent. At the heart of this meeting was Ferdinand II, a busy man who was now King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, Holy Roman Emperor.

The kings of Europe were not exchanged for war, as in China, and their succession was based on blood ties. In ancient times, the people believed that the king's blood was noble, appointed by the gods, and they did not dare to replace them even if a few great men appeared.

The change of dynasties in European kingdoms was due to the lack of male successors, and the emergence of different names of dynasties due to the marriage of female successors and the adoption of their husbands' surnames.

If they do not marry and have no offspring, they will look for successors from those closest in blood, such as the Tudor dynasty in England, where Elizabeth's successor is the son of the Queen of Scots, who is her cousin. Because of the royal relationship, princesses and princes (not heirs) will marry the royal families of other countries, and some even live in other countries. But if they are lucky, their sons and daughters or grandchildren may one day return home to inherit the throne.

In ancient times, the royal families of various European countries pursued the code of blood purity, and the royal families of various countries married together, so once there was a vacancy in the throne, people from all countries were elected to a certain king's palace. There are nearly 1,000 successors to the British royal family, distributed in various European countries.

In the Holy Roman Empire, the monarch was the monarch of Austria, and the empire was made up of many states, many of which were kings of multiple countries. The change of the king does not have much impact on the below, and the degree of feudalism in Europe is already very low, and it is not as centralized as the Ming Dynasty. The princes were very divided, and the king was sometimes just a name.

Serving as a king, sometimes two countries will not be merged. Must Hungary and Bohemia. Some were annexed, and Spain was nominally annexed because Philip II was king of Portugal in 1580.

In fact, Philip II inherited only part of the interests of all the Portuguese colonies. The Philippines was also successfully colonized through the Portuguese Indian springboard. However, Spain, as a Catholic patron state, assured the pope that the Treaty of Alcasovas would remain in force and that the de facto control of the Portuguese colonies had not changed hands, in order for the pope to recognize the annexation as an "act of succession". In addition, Philip II demanded that Portugal abolish its Centennial Alliance with England, but this refusal, leading to a naval battle with England. Now it seems that Spain's annexation of Portugal will do little good.

After half a ring, the Spanish Duke Duvalt asked, "Can you send someone to attack the Ming fleet in the Mediterranean?" ”。.。

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