Chapter 216 [Religious Wars, Decision on the Western Expedition]

When Joseon changed its name to Qingguo, Ho Fu moved to a new mansion. There are several important ministers in the family, and even Li Yan is a waiter in the Criminal Department, and it is too shabby to live in a small place.

The new mansion is near the palace, and the original owner has been raided. The house of "Chongzhen" was given to Aobai. In addition, he is neighbored by Sun Chengzong's family, a veteran who has retired with honor. There are statues of him in the background city, and the name of the national hero is confirmed.

Aobai's third child was born, a mixed-race child, named Huang An, which means peace and security. After consulting with Anna, Ao Bai also gave him a Portuguese name, Rui Costa.

When the child was born, the family was very lively, and many foreigners came to congratulate him, and the birth of this child was of extraordinary significance. The Portuguese also brought new secrets.

Spain was embroiled in the "Wars of Religion" on European soil, and the Portuguese were desperate for the Ming to send troops to help them gain independence. In fact, the intervention of the Ming Dynasty is likely to affect the outcome of this war.

The decline of the Holy Roman Empire, the internal rivalry between the princes, the sharp opposition between Catholicism and Protestantism in the wake of the Reformation, and the rise of neighboring states, led to war. The Protestant (Lutheran, Calvinist) princes and the Old Christians (Catholic) formed the Protestant Union and the Catholic Union, respectively.

The war was fought on the side of the German Protestant princes and Denmark, Sweden, and France, with the support of the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Russia; The Holy Roman Emperor, the German Catholic princes, and Spain were on the other side, supported by the Pope and Poland.

In fact, these belligerents were fighting for territory under the guise of religious disputes, and France, in order to dominate Europe, tried to keep Germany divided and supported the Protestant princes to rebel against imperial power; Denmark and Sweden have long coveted German territories and harbors in the North and Baltic Seas; The Dutch and British were reluctant to expand their empire in northern Europe, and Britain sought to weaken Spain. All of these countries supported the Protestant Union.

The Holy Roman Emperor Matthias, attempting to restore Catholicism in Czech Bohemia, appointed Ferdinand II as Czech king. Ferdinand II ordered a ban on the religious activities of Protestants in Prague, demolished their churches, and declared those who attended Protestant gatherings a mob. In May 1618, armed crowds stormed the palace and threw the emperor's messenger through the window into the trench, which became the fuse of the war.

Marquis Fernando said: "Now both sides of the opposing side have standing mercenaries, with a total strength of 30,000 to 50,000 men each......"

Ao Bai smiled: "Wait, Marquis, you don't need to say it in such detail, I think if the Ming army is dispatched, it is likely to cause disgust in European countries, what I want to know most now is that we go, what is the benefit, not to join the religious war." Even if all Europeans convert to Buddhism, I'm not interested in joining. ”

He just wanted to help Portugal clean up Spain and then do business in Europe and that's it. If Portugal wanted the Ming army to maintain Catholicism and confront the Protestant alliance of many European countries, it was absolutely impossible. He didn't believe in these things at all, and he was even more disdainful of the spirit of the Europeans who came up with the Da Vinci code for religious beliefs, and it was most practical to live a good life.

Fernando knew that he was a practical person, and said with a smile: "Lord Huang, the fastest way to end the war is to defeat Spain and make them unable to support the Catholic League, so that the balance of power between the two sides will be disrupted." The Spanish occupation of Palatine threatened the security of France and the Netherlands. If the Ming army is willing to deal with Spain, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden will become the allies of the Ming Dynasty, so that when Spain is defeated and we restore the country, the Ming Dynasty will establish a foothold in Europe to do business, and it will definitely be recognized by all countries. ”

Ao Bai smiled: "Very good, but this is in the interests of Daming." Duke, you are coming from the coast, can our Ming ship sail to Europe? ”

Fernando said: "There is no problem at all, the ship of the sailor may not be able to gain the upper hand in the naval battle, but as long as it is allied with the Netherlands on the matter of the religious war, and the landing from any port in the Netherlands, France, or Sweden can be very smooth." The combat effectiveness of the Ming Army is definitely not something that the Spaniards can compete with. ”

After listening to the translation, Ao Bai said with a smile: "Marquis, Portugal did not hesitate to stand on the side of Protestantism in order to break away from Spain, so I am afraid that President Long Huamin will be very unhappy, right?" ”

Long Huamin didn't come to be a translator this time, he is the president of the Catholic Church, if Daming also cooperates with the people of the Protestant Alliance in the future, how can Catholicism be developed in Daming? However, Ao Bai doesn't think it's so troublesome, the state religion of the Ming Dynasty will only be Buddhism, which will not change. There are simply not many ordinary people who believe that the gods of foreigners will bless them.

Fernando sighed: "He has been in Macau for a long time, he is our friend, this matter has an impact on him, but he has no way to change our decision, he has not been back to Europe for a long time, he does not care about what the situation there is like, he just wants to preach in Daming." ”

There are no permanent enemies, only eternal interests. Previously, the Ming army attacked the Dutch city of Geranza and robbed the Dutch merchant ships. But to deal with Spain, the Ming had to form an alliance with the Dutch, and they needed strong allies. The Dutch, having lost Taiwan, will surely want to make Spain look good. Their war with Spain never stopped.

Lately, the Dutch have almost certainly done something wrong at sea.

In one year, the Ming pirates sank three Dutch merchant ships, and the British also had one, and now the European forces in India are feeling the pressure and dissatisfied with the Ming Dynasty and want to ask for an explanation. The Japanese also feel that it is wrong. When the Japanese pirates were at their worst, there were many Ming people who pretended to be Japanese pirates, and now they have restricted the pirates in the country, and there are still several news of Japanese pirates robbing merchant ships outside, and fools also know that there are cats in it. What's more, now the "good thing" Ah Hibiscus paste that Daming sold to them, the people along the coast have lost their energy.

At this time, the Ming court sent envoys to negotiate secretly with the Dutch. Originally, the Netherlands had already wanted to give Da Ming some color, but as soon as he heard the way of cooperation, the two sides immediately changed from enemies to brothers. If 50,000 Ming troops joined the religious wars, it would be a force to be reckoned with.

The Daming Naval Division has been building ships non-stop, and the scale is getting bigger and bigger, and the quality of the warships may still be a little different from that of European ships, but it occupies an absolute advantage in quantity. Zheng Zhilong said confidently when he reported that with the current strength of the Ming Navy, he would definitely be able to defeat the Netherlands and Spain in Asia.

"Chongzhen" summoned the ministers to secretly study the plan to go to Europe. Now that the cabinet ministers are all worshippers, it has become a foregone conclusion that they will go to Europe, and it is only a matter of how to go and who to send.

This meeting was also joined by the Marquis of Fernando, who gave a detailed account of the situation in Europe, the superiority of the Ming army, the details of the allies.

Ao Bai proposed: "Zheng Zhilong and Mao Wenlong can lead 50,000 troops, as the governor of the Ming army, to establish forces in Europe." Mao Wenlong is good at building strongholds and is very good at fighting. Zheng Zhilong is very good at business, and I think they can bring enough benefits to Daming overseas. Against Spain, we are not alone, there will be a coalition of countries such as France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, etc., as long as we join, it is almost a sure battle. Also, because Portugal gave us cover, we could easily enter Spanish territory. ”

Li Biao said: "If we send a fleet over like this, won't they be suspicious?" ”

Ao Bai said: "We are nominally going to do business, and in addition to people, we also have to carry some goods on board. The army was to go in batches. After landing in France, we can meet with the French royal family, our ships will anchor in France, and after the army is assembled, we will cross Sweden and attack Spain with the combined forces of Sweden, France and Denmark. They are familiar with the terrain, and we have the elite special forces of the Ming Dynasty - Blackstone. There are also advanced chain crossbows, hot air balloons. ”

Heishizhai has developed into an organization like Jinyiwei, specializing in the management of copyists, many of whom have cultivated Xingyi Fist, the nine-character mantra seal, and are equipped with chain crossbows. They are a bunch of superkillers.

It would be a disaster for Spain.

The official Shangshu asked: "What will the Ming do after this war?" ”

Pointing to the map drawn by the Portuguese, Ao Bai said with a smile: "The Netherlands, France, and Portugal will be our primary partners, and our goods, silk, will be transported to these places by water." The UK will be our main competitor because we are ready to look to the Americas after the situation has stabilized in Europe. This continent is also vast and has huge benefits. There are few British, if we immigrate there in large numbers, drive out the British, emancipate the black slaves, the American continent, and a hundred years later, it will develop into the second homeland of the Ming people. In this way, we can establish a stronghold on three important landmasses. Our wealth will be endless, and our children and grandchildren will benefit from it. ”

Li Yan sighed: "It's really a crazy plan, and the wonderful thing is that it is very likely to succeed." ”

"Chongzhen" also clenched his fists and said: "I just listened, and I felt my blood boiling." How many years will this take to do? ”

"Europe's victory over Spain and Portugal's independence, I think it will be possible within five years," he said. The Americas will definitely be longer, and I'm going to go to Europe in person. ”

"Chongzhen" sighed, frowned, and said, "Taifu, you can't go." If you go, what will happen to the country? ”

Ao Bai said: "The ministers of the DPRK and China can control the affairs here, and I will go to Yi Yi to lead the troops, so that the soldiers will not be chaotic." Anna is my wife, and I should go to her hometown to meet her parents. Also, after the situation in Europe stabilizes, there is a need for someone who can make decisions directly, otherwise will they wait for them to come back from the voyage and report? That's a waste of time. ”

Li Yan smiled: "I'll go with me to see what the foreigner's place is like." ”。.。

More to, address