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Extra-Fan Wai II, "The Great Smash Bros. at the End of the Ming Dynasty" Copy of the Great Demon Kingdom Chapter [The Great Sage Marries] (Middle)

In the afternoon of the same day, although the empress's wedding had not yet begun, in order to create an atmosphere of "national celebration", firecrackers were also set off in the streets and alleys of Haizhou City. Those dirty, ragged citizens, with their numb eyes, watched blankly as the wealthy servants of the "Great Holy Country" set off firecrackers and pulled banners everywhere, and couldn't help but look forward to the flowing water seats where they could eat and drink for free in the evening

In the sound of firecrackers one after another, a group of shaved short, wearing pullovers, yellow and thin faces, as if the wind was blowing down, also trembled out of the big iron gate of the Haizhou labor camp, and then looked at the streets and countryside outside the labor camp, and couldn't help but cry.

“…… This damn Haizhou Great Demon Kingdom! The poor monk finally survived alive! I really shouldn't have listened to the foolery of those scholars, what kind of demons did you come here to descend here, what kind of demons to get rid of! Pity my three senior brothers, all of them died so miserably in this hellish place! ”

A bald man with a Jiangnan accent couldn't help but sigh with tears when he looked at the scars and tanned skin on his body.

“…… Zhizhang Xiaoyou, people will eventually die, don't be too sad. Anyway, we got out of the fire pit alive. ”

A middle-aged Taoist priest next to him who was so thin that he lost his shape comforted Monk Zhizhang and said, "...... After you return to Yangzhou Zenzhi Temple, you will be able to recuperate, cultivate your temperament, and never come out to pretend to be a chivalrous person. These days in the Great Demon Kingdom of Haizhou can be regarded as a nightmare! ”

“…… Hmph, you two southerners are so unambitious! After watching the Sprinkle family return to the mountain, he called all the senior brothers, brought the guys who took advantage of them, and contacted the righteous people of the world to level this man-eating demon cave together! Let these demons and overseas thieves also learn the power of Shaolin martial arts! ”

Another middle-aged monk who claimed to be from the Shaolin Temple in Songshan and was proficient in the Golden Bell Jar and the Eighteen Bronze Arrays said so proudly, but the legs and feet that were still trembling slightly showed that this Shaolin monk was also very strong......

——The above released prisoners were all confused by the various lewd and demonic legends of the "Great Demon Country" in Haizhou, and rushed to kill the demons, Taoist chiefs and chivalrous warriors. These guys who have seen too much "Australian martial arts" yearn for "lifting swords and straddle and waving ghost rain, and the bones are like mountain birds." The world is like a tide, people are like water, only sighing that a few people in the rivers and lakes are back", regardless of their own catties, with a few shallow kung fu and juggling skills, they actually dared to follow the example of the east and ran to Haizhou to "kill demons". I thought that this Haizhou Great Demon Country really hid some martial arts secrets, elixirs, gold and silver treasures, etc., and maybe there were passionate demon witches and witches who would wake up and be willing to stick to their bodies to give them righteous knights...... As a result, as soon as he arrived on the ground in Haizhou, he was severely beaten with a stick because of his wild words to the people of the Wenxiang Sect, and he was immediately arrested and taken to a labor camp.

It is conceivable that the former Wenxiang sect members who ruled Haizhou naturally did not have the legal system and human rights spirit of modern society, and directly regarded them as free coolies, wearing iron shackles all day long, and being driven by leather whips to sift sand, smash stones, and weave baskets...... It was really three hundred and sixty-five days a year, eating less than chickens, working more than cows, sleeping later than dogs, and being beaten and hungry by guards from time to time. After more than ten years of tossing like this, the men who were beaten by Rao couldn't endure the torture, and they fell into the mass grave one after another to feed the dogs. Thanks to the fact that the "Monkey King" Xu Xin's children remarried and the whole country forgave her, the last few trembling dead leftovers in front of me did not have to continue to sift the sand until they died, but could walk out of the prison door in a hurry.

“…… Shaolin Temple? Hehe, how many years have you been in prison for a bald donkey? Don't even know about Li Zicheng's burning of Shaolin Temple? ”

Listening to the Shaolin monk's words, a swarthy young man next to him, who had also just been released from prison, couldn't help but sneer, as if he had seen some joke - this guy had just been imprisoned for fighting the day before yesterday, and as a result, he had only sifted the sand for two days, and today he was released in time for the amnesty, and the news to the outside world is naturally much better than these Taoist monks who have been in prison for many years.

“…… Burn down the Shaolin Temple?! A group of monks and lay knights have been sifting the sand in the Haizhou labor camp for so many years, and they are naturally very closed to the news of the rivers and lakes, and immediately asked: "...... When did this happen? Then why is the Great Shun Emperor Li Zicheng so mad? ”

“…… That was 10 years ago! As for the reason, when Li Zicheng waved his army to attack Luoyang, the Shaolin monk had a wrong brain and had to help defend the city? This is good, after the fall of Luoyang, the Shaolin Temple was immediately retributed, and was burned by Li Zicheng's troops, and the monks were either killed, or they were tied up with ropes and sold to our Haizhou to exchange for military salaries, at that time, I watched them slip away with big bald heads, and were burned on the dock one by one with a soldering iron on the face, and then were escorted to the slave ship of the Dutch Hongmaoyi......"

The Haizhou boy said with a mocking expression, "...... So, Master, I'm afraid that your brothers have been sold to Java! ”

Suddenly hearing such bad news, the Shaolin monk who had just been released from prison suddenly raised his head to the sky and cried, and then collapsed to the ground, bursting into tears. The Yangzhou monk next to him hurriedly helped him up and comforted him, "...... Senior brother, please mourn, if you have nowhere to go, you might as well follow me to Zenzhi Temple! ”

Unexpectedly, the Haizhou boy sneered again, "...... Yangzhou Zenzhi Temple? Hehe, you two bald heads, it's really hard to be a brother! ”

“…… Amitabha, this little benefactor, why did he say this? Could it be that the Zen Wisdom Temple, where the poor monk is located, has something changed? ”

The monk from Yangzhou Zenzhi Temple couldn't help but be shocked when he heard this, "...... Please also let the little donor know! ”

“…… What else could have happened? Naturally, it was a military disaster! The Haizhou boy scratched his head and replied, "...... Eight years ago, Li Zicheng led the army to the east to conquer the Qing State, and the Qing Emperor Dolgon fought Xuzhou, but the Qing army was defeated, and fled all the way south to Yangzhou after the internal strife mutinied, and a fire burned Yangzhou City for seven days and seven nights! Although Li Zicheng was assassinated later, the Great Shun Dynasty also collapsed. However, the Qing army also did not have the courage to return to Jiangbei, but destroyed the city of Yangzhou and moved its people to the south of the Yangtze River. Even if Yangzhou Zenzhi Temple was not burned down by luck before, it will definitely be in ruins by the Qing army now! ”

“…… Amitabha! My Buddha!! The monk who was born in Yangzhou Zenzhi Temple suddenly had black eyes, fell to the ground, and tears rained down.

“…… Ahem! If the two of you have nowhere to go, how about going back to Mount Tai with Poor Dao? ”

The middle-aged Taoist priest who was so thin that he lost his shape before suddenly felt a little unbearable when he saw this, and said to the two inmates, "...... Although the Jade Emperor, who was born in poverty, may not agree to take in the two, there are also many Buddhist temples in Mount Tai, which can be used for the two to place orders......"

It's just that before the Taoist priest's words were finished, he was interrupted by the Haizhou boy, "...... Back to Tarzan? This one...... Daoist, you're not kidding, are you? ”

The Taoist priest's heart tightened when he heard it for a moment, "...... This one...... Could it be that the Jade Emperor of Mount Tai has changed in these years? ”

“…… Alas, it's not just your Jade Emperor who has seen something happen! It's basically the whole Mount Tai is finished! The Haizhou boy sighed and explained to the Taoist priest, "...... About five or six years ago, a group of Hui bandits from Shaanxi and Gansu in the northwest flowed in, dragging tens of thousands of people with their families, somehow broke into Shandong, first swept through the counties of western Luxi in one go, killing people with rolling heads and rivers of blood, and they were really invincible. After that, these Hui bandits attacked Mount Tai again the year before last...... Hey, if they just want to grab money, food, and territory, or play some Taishan Feng Zen, then it's nothing, who makes people's fists big? Who knew that this group of Huihui was bent on spreading their set of teachings, so they wanted to cut down the mountains and break the temple to clear the side gods, so they killed thousands of monks and Taoists up and down Mount Tai, and all the Buddhist temples and Taoist temples were changed into real temples with crescent moon flags......"

“…… So, what about later? Are these demons still entrenched on Mount Tai? The Taoist priest asked in a trembling voice.

“…… That's not true, this gang returned to Taishan for more than half a year, and then was defeated by the Australian soldiers last spring, so they had to escape from the Shandong border and re-flow to the north. I heard that it seems to have entered the city of Beijing, and it made a killing there, and built a skeleton tower in Tongzhou. However, the area around Mount Tai, which was recovered by the Australian soldiers, was also ruined, the farmland was completely deserted, and the houses were destroyed. ”

The Haizhou boy pursed his lips and replied, "...... Therefore, although the Australian soldiers defeated Mount Tai, they did not stay for long, but only moved the local people to Laizhou, Jiaozhou and our Haizhou to settle down, and then withdrew their troops. Now it is said that there are not even many living people on Mount Tai, did you want to be a wild man in the past? ”

Hearing this, the Taoist priest of the Jade Emperor Temple of Mount Tai and another monk from Mount Tai were like five thunderbolts, and they were instantly stunned. The remaining monks, Taoist chiefs and knights hurriedly rushed up, surrounded the well-informed Haizhou boy, and inquired about the current situation in their respective hometowns. However, the results were all miserable: either they were cut down and destroyed temples, or they were slaughtered and exterminated, or at least they were forcibly relocated......

-- In the past ten years, almost all the tragedies and tragedies imaginable in the land of China have been staged...... Soldiers and horses fought and plundered, the state dynasty swirled and perished, the famous mountains and ancient temples turned into wilderness, the famous cities and cities fell into ruins, the drought and flood disasters continued one after another, and the fertile soil of the Central Plains was full of thorns.

As for Huguang, Jiangnan, Sichuan, Shu, and Guanzhong, they are also full of wars and starvation, coupled with the successive plagues, floods and droughts, which simply leave no way for the people to live, and in many places even the news has been cut off. God knows if all the people have died and become a ghost country.

In contrast, Haizhou, a big demon country sheltered by the "Australian thieves", can already be called a place of peace.

“…… Oh my God! I thought that this Haizhou was a devil's cave, but I didn't expect that my hometown had already become purgatory, so where should people go! ”

A Taoist priest sat on the ground with a bitter face, "...... That's it, now I just want to go back to my hometown, and I don't have any entanglement in my hands, so let's find a place to settle down first, so I can earn a bowl of rice to eat! I didn't even eat breakfast today! He rubbed his cooing belly and looked at the Haizhou boy with expectant eyes, "...... This little brother, can you inquire if there is any recruitment near here? ”

“…… Haizhou here...... There are also a few places to recruit workers, but you will definitely not find a guarantor, I'm afraid no shop or workshop dares to accept it! There is no need for anyone to guarantee a big bag at the wharf, but look at your wind blowing down the street, which foreman on the ground in Haizhou is willing to ask? ”

The boy scratched his scalp in embarrassment, but then his eyes flickered, and he had a ghost idea that seemed to work, "...... However, we are all suffering together, and we can't watch you starve to death outside. Have you seen the Western temple with a cross on the roof by the sea? You just have to be like this in the past...... It's okay to mix a few meals of coarse tea and light rice. What the? That Western church in Haizhou City looks more magnificent? Please, our 'Monkey King' is going to marry there today! Just with your dirty and sloppy appearance, you actually want to mix in and eat a flowing water seat? Be careful because it is unsightly, and you will be beaten out with a stick! …… Be content!! Don't be blind anymore!! ……”

A few hours later, a group of former Buddhist and Taoist priests who had been in prison for many years sat in a Catholic monastery on the hill outside the city, received a white-washed monk's gray robe, hastily washed their dirty heads and faces, and then devoured dark hard buns and drank rancid bean soup or gruel, all of which they received from the abbey steward after their voluntary conversion to God, while pricking up their ears to listen to the "Australian Catholic Church" A trainee pastor, with a slight Cantonese accent, sermons:

“…… For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life, whether the world believes it or not...... It is important to know that only devout believers can be saved, and it is not the end of physical death, but at the final judgment, those who are not named in the book of life will be thrown into the eternal fire...... Trust Jesus and wait for His coming...... Don't miss the Kingdom of Heaven ......"

In this way, the road to the transfer of these monks and Taoists seems to have a fairly smooth beginning...... After all, is the world a god?

At the same time, in the lounge of Haizhou Cathedral, the scheduled officiant of the empress's wedding had just sailed halfway around the world and arrived from Europe to take office from the East. Geros, meeting with a respected guest.

For the Roman Catholic Church, the first half of the seventeenth century was a period of frustration with many setbacks.

From Martin Luther's official proclamation of the birth of Protestantism to this time, the civil and military battles between Catholicism and Protestantism in Europe have lasted for more than 100 years, during which there have been countless repeated battles and tug-of-wars with each other, making poor Europeans almost dry of blood.

Protestantism relied on the emerging industrial and commercial bourgeoisie of the Age of Discovery, took advantage of the general trend of the Reformation, and took advantage of the decay and division of the Catholic camp to advance all the way, constantly conquering the faith positions of one country after another. The Holy See, which refused to go to the grave, united with the traditional feudal forces in Europe, especially the economic and military forces of Spain, to launch a counter-Reformation movement, stabilize the remaining core territory, recruit fanatical believers to act as descendants, use the Inquisition to intensify the suppression of Protestants and other heretics, strengthen ideological and cultural control, and launch round after round of counter-attacks against Protestant forces militarily and politically, in an attempt to restore everything in European Christendom to the old outlook.

However, as the dust settles on the Thirty Years' War and the English Civil War, the last attempt of the Catholic Church to completely eradicate Protestant heresy fails, and the Pope has to bow his head to the reality and admit that the Christian faith world in Central and Western Europe is completely divided and cannot be restored to the grand unity of the past.

At the same time, the Ottoman Turkish Empire in the Near East, having ended decades of internal political chaos, resumed its strategic offensive, and launched a massive offensive against the Catholic camp in the Central European theater and the Mediterranean. Austria and Venice, which were on the front line, were already on the left and right, and they were losing ground one after another. As soon as this not-so-thick buffer was torn, Italy and the Papal States would be exposed to the infidels.

Such a situation of internal and external difficulties, as well as the shrinking and losing sphere of influence year after year, filled the Holy See, which was caught between Protestants and Green Christians during this period, with a sense of distress, as if they had seen the collapse of the Roman Empire in the past, and it was once again repeating itself before their eyes.

In the midst of this increasingly unfavorable situation, the style of the Holy See became more and more conservative and fierce—the tolerant, rational humanism of the Renaissance had long since disappeared and was replaced by brutal Inquisition and frenzied witch hunting.

In order to implement the above-mentioned brutal strategy, the Society of Jesus came into being, which became an important magic weapon and weapon for the Catholic Church to resist the Reformation.

Unlike the Benedictine Church and the Franciscans, which were born in the Middle Ages, the Jesuit Society was founded in 1534 after the birth of Protestantism, with a tight internal organization, strict relations between the upper and lower levels, a lack of traditional benevolence, unscrupulous means to combat heresy, and often participated in various conspiracies and bloody purges.

It is said that many assassinations, massacres and terror in the recent history of Europe are inseparable from the Jesuits, and in France, they planned to assassinate Henry IV, the founder of the Bourbon dynasty, but failed. In England, they hatched a gunpowder conspiracy that nearly killed King James I. Within the Catholic camp, they also competed with the Spanish and Portuguese crowns, as the Spanish and Austrian princes sought to control the Holy See by secular force, while the Holy See sought to break free from control and counter-control the princes. In addition, the reason why the Thirty Years' War was fought so brutally and brutally and almost destroyed the whole of Germany was also due to the Jesuits' attempt to take the opportunity to cleanse Germany, the stronghold of Lutheran Protestants, and constantly sabotage the peace talks.

Therefore, the Jesuits were notorious in European countries at that time, similar to the Ku Klux Klan or Nazis, and were even banned as terrorists by the kings of various countries, and even the most devout Spanish kingdom in the Catholic camp could not tolerate the rampant behavior of the Jesuits in the end - the Jesuit missionaries at that time actually openly instigated secession in the American colonies of Spain, and once established a South American Jesuit state similar to the Teutonic Knights!

In the end, under the backlash of European kings, the Holy See had to dissolve the Society of Jesus in the eighteenth century, although in the nineteenth century, the Society of Jesus was resurrected again, but at this time it was already the era of the Industrial Revolution, and neither the Society of Jesus nor the Holy See had lost the madness of the past.

Outside of European Christendom, however, the Jesuits of the Age of Discovery were praised in a positive way.

- In the sixteenth century, in view of the growing power of Protestantism in northern Europe, it may be difficult to stop. In order to make up for the lost faith position, the Roman Church made a strategic decision to take advantage of the geographical opportunity to send people to Asia, Africa and the Americas to vigorously spread the Catholic faith, increase the number of Catholic believers throughout the world, and finally re-overwhelm the Protestant heresy in Europe by virtue of its sheer size.

There has been a successful precedent in the history of Christianity for such a strategy – in the later part of the Roman Empire, although Christianity had become the state religion of the empire, the Roman Church was only one of the five patriarchates of the empire, on an equal footing with the patriarchs of Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria. However, during the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the Roman Church relied on tireless missionary missions to various Germanic barbarians, prompting them to convert to Catholicism one by one, thus greatly expanding the Catholic faith and sphere of influence. Eventually, the Church of Rome emerged from the five patriarchates, and became the leader of faith in the entire Western world, above all secular kings.

Therefore, in the face of the constant attacks of the Protestant heresy, it was only natural that the Holy See should once again launch the above strategy.

As a loyal follower of the Pope, the Jesuits resolutely sent missionaries all over the world, with religious fanaticism, risking shipwrecks, plagues and wars, trekking mountains and rivers to spread the faith in foreign lands thousands of miles away, they preached to blacks in Africa, to the Iroquois in North America, and in East Asia, such as Matteo Ricci and John Tong in China, and Xavier in Japan, all of whom were Jesuits.

However, although these Jesuit missionaries supported them in their religious fanaticism to go on missions far away, their missionary activities were not only successful in other civilized countries, but also needed the support, or at least tacit approval, of the local rulers.

Therefore, the Jesuit missionaries who came to East Asia in that era generally used the advanced natural sciences, military technology and painting and statue art of the West as a stepping stone, trying to attract the attention and preferences of the Eastern high society, so as to imperceptibly spread the faith, so they invisibly played an important role as a bridge between the East and the West. Some of the most successful Jesuit missionaries even became guests of the kings of the East.

However, in this late Ming Dynasty, which was greatly changed by hundreds of thousands of modern Chinese travelers, the Jesuit missionaries who came to the Far East in the face of crazy expansion, thriving civilization, advanced technology, and powerful "Australians" fell into a dilemma and confusion.

On the bright side, the "Australians" did not have much resistance to the Catholic doctrine itself, and even had their own Catholic churches and churches very early, as well as a large number of Catholics - around the middle of the fourteenth century, a member of the French Knights Hospitaller named Levi, because of some wonderful encounters, accidentally came to the land of Australians, and successfully spread the glory of God to this land, so that some Australians converted to Christianity, which is the origin of the Australian Catholic Church. (Derived from the "History of the Rise and Fall of the Australian Song Empire" fabricated by the time-traveler, this book has been circulated around the world with all kinds of "Australian goods", and has now become a bestseller in Europe.) ）

When the news reached Rome, the entire Catholic Church rejoiced. The Pope officially issued an edict canonizing "St. Levy" as the patron saint of Australians. And the streets of Port-Marseille, which is said to be the birthplace of "Saint-Levy", have also erected a stone statue of Levi. Some scholars and clerics believe that the legendary rich Eastern Christian kingdom "John the Elder" may be the former "Australian and Song Empire......

As the Australians continued to conquer the Orient, Confucianism, which had seriously hindered the missionary cause of the Jesuits, was ruthlessly and devastatingly attacked by the Australians, and the cause of Catholic propagation also achieved explosive and gratifying results in the East. At present, hundreds of churches have appeared in the coastal provinces of China, occupied by Australians, with more than 3 million believers. In Australia, there are also ornate cathedrals and magnificent monasteries. And in a considerable part of the Australian army, there are also chaplains and nuns. In addition, due to the influence of the Australians, Japan, the "island of samurai," which once strictly forbade religion and even killed Christians, turned out to be a country that respected Catholicism as the state religion after a bloody and tragic civil war, thus causing the number of God's "lambs" in the East to increase rapidly by a hundredfold in a short period of time.

In just a few decades, Catholicism has won nearly half of the total population of the Catholic countries of Europe in the East with adherents!

But on the negative side, because the Catholic Church in Australia is too independent, with its own seminary, its own training of clergy and the consecration of holy goods, it inevitably has many conflicts with the distant Holy See. Not to mention that "Australians" are after all a secular country that does not have a state religion but has a religious administration, and although there is no discriminatory policy against Christians, it is even less likely to suppress other religions for the sake of missionaries.

Thus, the question of whether Catholics in the East should observe Lent, whether polygamy should be recognized, who should appoint bishops in the East, whether the Church should be allowed to levy an eleven tax on the faithful (believers are required to pay one-tenth of their income to the Church), whether there is a tax exemption on church property, whether priests and nuns have the right to marry and have children, whether clergy can officiate in churches for "non-Christians" (travelers), whether they can set up a Inquisition on the territory of Australians and carry out "witch hunts...... and so on, and so on, and so on, the Jesuits and the Australian Catholic Church had many unpleasant quarrels and conflicts. Since the Jesuits were not very down-to-earth and lacked the support of the official and civil believers, the above controversies basically ended in the defeat of the Jesuits, and even the papal decree from Rome was of little use.

In addition, according to the observation of Jesuit missionaries, the level of piety of Catholics under Australian rule is generally very problematic. There are very few Christians who can go to church every Sunday, and most so-called Christians just wear a cross around their necks and go to church three or four times a year to donate some change depending on their mood. Even the clergy are very unprofessional and always ignore some of the demands and prohibitions of the Holy See.

If the Australian Catholic Church had been placed in Europe, it would have been accused of heresy by the Holy See. But the problem is that this place is in East Asia, thousands of miles away from Europe, and the other side is a large country with a territory that is larger than the whole of Europe, and the believers have no reverence for the Holy See, whether it is the Holy See or the Jesuits, they cannot stand up in this situation - it must be known that Australian Catholics are not without other choices, and the Puritans in England and Lutheran Protestants in the Netherlands are also now haunting the territory of Australians, although they are not as enthusiastic about missionary work as the Jesuits. However, if the Catholic Church is too demanding on details and pushes the Australian Catholic Church into a hurry, the other side may also learn from the Anglican Church and turn to the Protestant camp, which will inevitably completely subvert the balance of power between the two camps...... Then the Jesuits really couldn't cry.

In general, in the face of the current situation in East Asia, the Jesuit missionary felt like a hungry traveler, who was suddenly invited to a banquet and ate a sumptuous meal, but although the meal was full, it was burned to his taste, and he was too embarrassed to ask the host to make a new table, and even if he did, the host might not listen, but he might be kicked out and have nothing to eat......

In view of this unusually tangled and complicated situation, the Vatican side discussed it several times, and finally decided to find a way to set up a model of true pure faith in the Far East on the premise of avoiding the loss of vested interests as much as possible to avoid angering the Australians. Just as the Catholic Maori family won the Japanese Civil War, making Japan's legendary Treasure Island a kingdom of God, the Holy See took advantage of the situation to appoint a senior Jesuit priest Fanta. Geros, who traveled to the Far East to serve as Archbishop of Japan, sought to establish the leadership of the Holy See over the Christian faith in Japan.

Of course, although this practice is tantamount to a departure from the Australian Catholic Church, it does not mean that Fanta. Geros needs to distance himself from Australians. On the contrary, on the way to Japan from Europe, Fanta. Archbishop Geros has been studying Chinese and looking for opportunities to deal with the Australian Catholic Church and the powerful figures in Australia, hoping to gain the understanding and approval of the Eastern overlord in Japanese missionary affairs.

Wait until Fanta. Archbishop Geros arrived in Macau and learned that the empress of Haizhou's "Great Holy Kingdom" was about to be married, and that the supreme ruler of Australia would also come to watch the ceremony, and that the groom who married the empress was still an "Australian" Christian. Geros even took the initiative to postpone the trip to Japan to take up his postponement, and instead came to Haizhou to preside over the wedding, in order to have an opportunity to meet with the supreme leader of Australia, trying to gain favor with him.

At present, although Xu Xin's wedding has not yet been held, Fanta. Archbishop Geros, however, had succeeded in meeting with the Supreme Leader of the Australians, Mr. Qi Jianjun, to exchange views on some of the issues that might arise in the future of Japan, and had received a somewhat goodwill approval.

But the problem is that, according to the Japanese religious information he collected in places such as Macau, Taiwan, Hangzhou, and Haizhou, even if it can be recognized and acquiesced by Australians, the resistance of the indigenous people in Japan alone is terrible enough - as a rapidly transforming Christian country, the Catholic Church organization in Japan today is largely nothing more than the co-optation of former monks, nuns, and shrines, and shrines and Buddhist temples. As for Japanese characteristics such as monks marrying wives and having children, witches marrying and selling meat, etc., they have naturally been inherited together, and there has been no change because the monks have changed their heads and become priests, and the shrine maidens have changed their clothes and become nuns - except for the cross around their necks.

In fact, they largely regarded monks and shrine maidens as a job, but only faith in Christ Jesus outside of work.

If Fanta. In order to follow the instructions of the Holy See, Archbishop Geros insisted on imposing European-style liturgical norms among the Japanese church and congregation, which meant that he had to forcibly force at least thousands of Japanese priests and nuns to divorce, and also let tens of thousands of Japanese children who could have become the heirs of the church become dishonorable illegitimate children. In addition, a large number of high-ranking samurai and wealthy concubines of Japanese Christians were demoted to mistresses...... No matter which one of these things happens, it will definitely cause public anger and cause great trouble. And in the East, so far from Rome, the authority of the Vatican Holy See is so little that he fears that he will "die of a violent illness" in the afternoon after issuing the order in the morning......

But if Fanta. In order to avoid the disgust and suspicion of the Japanese people, Archbishop Geros chose to continue to blindly accommodate the customs of the indigenous islanders of Japan, completely ignoring the "purity" of Catholicism.

Alas, it's really a dilemma, I don't know what to do!

But right in Fanta. While Archbishop Geros was torn about what to do in Japan, he met a well-known Jesuit missionary in Haizhou, John Tong, who had just escaped from the city of Beijing with his parishioners.

Then, Fanta. Archbishop Geros appeared, and these troubles of his own were nothing compared to the tribulations that the other party had experienced!

John Tang, a famous Jesuit missionary in the late Ming Dynasty, was born in Cologne, Germany, and was originally known as Johann Brown. Adam. Sal. Feng. Baier, John Tang is the Chinese name he took to facilitate his missionary work in China. Since arriving in China in 1619, he has devoted himself to the study of Chinese Chinese culture, Chinese history and ethics, and looking for the fusion point of Eastern and Western cultures. At the same time, he tried to associate with celebrities in the government and the opposition and tried to achieve his goal of spreading faith.

During the Apocalypse, John Tang arrived in Beijing and managed to win the interest of Ming scholars by presenting the latest astronomical research and mathematical knowledge from Europe. He then toured the northern provinces, built a chapel in Xi'an, Shaanxi, and collected information on the geography and ethnicity of northwest China. Then he returned to Beijing, where he was recommended by Xu Guangqi, a scholar of the Ministry of Rites, to work in the Qin Tianjian prison, translating almanacs, deducing astronomy, and making instruments. At the same time, John Tang took advantage of the opportunity to explain astronomical knowledge to the eunuchs to spread Catholicism in the palace and successfully baptized several eunuchs into the Church.

According to the history of the original plane, relying on the long-sleeved and good dancing communication skills and contacts accumulated over the years, as well as the always low-key and cautious style, even in the face of the Ding Revolution changes in the Ming and Qing dynasties, John Tang and his parishioners in Beijing were able to survive the catastrophe unharmed, and because of their knowledge and skills in astronomical calendars, they continued to serve as officials in the Qing court. It was even appreciated and trusted by the regent Dorgon, Emperor Shunzhi and Emperor Kangxi, and was once an official to the Qintian Supervisor, and was able to often go in and out of the court, and made many suggestions on the gains and losses of the court, and successively wrote more than 300 chapters. Even when Emperor Shunzhi was dying, he discussed the establishment of an heir, and he also asked John Tang for his opinion, which shows the prosperity of his official fortune and the depth of his grace.

However, in this late Ming Dynasty plane that had been changed by a large number of traversers, John Tang did not have such good luck. Although the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty still entered the customs, they only stayed in Beijing for a year before they collapsed, not only the Han soldiers and generals under their command rebelled, but even the hometown of Liaodong was occupied by the traversers, and Huang Taiji had to come to Jiangnan with the remnants of the defeated generals, and robbed the territory of the Donglin Party to re-establish the country. Beijing, on the other hand, was occupied by the ancestor of the Guanning Army, who proclaimed himself the "Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty" and established a "Great Jin Empire" with Beijing as the capital and a territory spanning Northern Zhili and northern Shanxi.

However, Zu Dashou's "Great Jin Empire" did not last long, and only seven years after the founding of the country, Zu Dashou was killed in a mutiny, and his "Great Jin Empire" was also destroyed in the civil war in which the Guanning army fought each other. In the next few years, Beijing, the imperial capital, changed the banner of the king at the head of the city, and the country names of Dayan, Dayou, and Daliao appeared one after another, and the Mahayana state established by the Wenxiang Sect in the south also invaded Beijing for a time, but soon retreated because of civil strife. Even the Mongolian Tatars from outside the Seychelles once picked up a bargain and stayed in the city of Beijing for a few days......

In the midst of such a terrible world, which was full of disturbances and chaos, John Tong's knowledge of the astronomical calendar and mathematics naturally became unpopular, and even his own survival became very difficult. But even so, John Tang did not heed the advice of the Australian Catholic Church, left the increasingly abandoned Beijing, and withdrew to the territory of Australians such as Jiaodong or Liaodong, but continued to stick to the small church left by Matteo Ricci, struggling to maintain the activities of the small church in Beijing, and even provided some shelter and relief to the Catholic believers in Beijing.

However, in the autumn of last year, even such a dismal operation could no longer persist in the city of Beijing: a self-proclaimed "holy war army" in the northwest **** gangsters, in recent years, have made a big disturbance in the North China Plain, with a religious fanaticism, stunned to beat the intriguing princes from all walks of life to the north. Although this "holy war army" rogue was finally driven out of Shandong by the traversers because of the trouble caused by cutting down mountains and destroying temples everywhere, and was beaten out of Shandong by the traversers, its main force was still intact, and after a short rest, it turned around and rushed to Beijing.

Thus, after only a short battle, the crescent moon flag was quickly raised over the ruined city of Beijing. And John Tong's Catholic church naturally became a thorn in their side, and within a few days, it was tragically washed in the blood of the Hui Kou. Relying on the cover of the parishioners who forgot their lives and deaths, John Tang finally escaped death under the scimitars of the "Holy War Army" and successfully broke out of the city of Beijing. But he was still blinded in one eye by a bow and arrow during the escape, and his left hand was cut off by his pursuers. Therefore, today's priest John Tong wears a black eye patch on his face and an iron hook on his left hand, which at first glance he thinks is a Caribbean pirate...... But just think of the effort and sacrifice he put into the missionary cause. Archbishop Geros couldn't laugh anymore.

“…… It's hard to imagine that we have all come to the east on the other side of the world, and we will continue to fight the Arabs for their faith! Just like the Crusaders were in Palestine...... You've really suffered all these years. This is simply the conduct of a saint! After listening to John Tong's account of his hardships in Beijing over the years, as well as the various thrills on the way to escape, Fanta. Archbishop Geros couldn't help but exclaim heartily.

“…… It's all for God's cause! John Tang replied lightly, and at the same time drew a cross on his chest with his only intact right hand, "...... Moreover, these pagans in the East are not Arabs, and I can't say what kind of nationality they are......"

“…… These are all inconsequential details, just understand that they are enemies of the Lord Christ! ”

Fanta. Archbishop Geros waved his hand and said, "...... Now that the Catholic Church in Beijing no longer exists, I wonder what you want to do next? Do you want to come with me to Japan? Now there is a shortage of people around me who are familiar with the Eastern society like you! ”

“…… Thank you for your kindness, but you really don't have to! I've already talked to Marshal Huangshi that he will attack Beijing and wipe out the mob by next year at the latest. Naturally, I would return to Beijing with his army and continue the missionary work of Matteo Ricci's predecessors in China. As for the missionary work in Japan, hehe, the experience that applies to China may not apply to Japan, and people like me can only add to the chaos in the past......"

“…… You are so humble...... "Fanta. Archbishop Geros smiled, but seeing that John Tang's attitude was very resolute, he did not continue to force it, "...... Alas...... Compared to the diocese you lead, the situation in Japan is much better, but there are also a lot of troubles......"

He sighed as he explained all the things that did not conform to the rules of the Catholic Church in Japan, wanting to hear John Tang's opinion. After hearing this, John Tang pondered for a moment and shook his head at Fanta. Archbishop Geros said, "...... With all due respect, you are so anxious, Japan has only been converted to our Lord for a few years, and the foundation of the Church is not yet solid, so you really can't ask too much. Moreover, even the popes and cardinals of Rome, who still have many well-known and powerful illegitimate children, how can they ask the members of the Church in Japan to be on par with the saints? ”

“…… However, the Vatican's instructions were ...... "Fanta. Archbishop Geros looked a little embarrassed.

“…… Let us not forget, Sir, that our mission in coming to the East is to enlarge the Lord's flock in the East, not to create strife among the flocks that already exist. This will only make the sheep flee! Such a reckless mistake has been made several times in the past, and it cannot be made again! ”

Tang Ruowang said in a deep voice, "...... Our missionary work in the East has never been on a strong rope, but on a thread, and any impatient and impulsive approach will instantly bury everything that has been won by decades of hard work! In the last century, the Holy See lost England forever due to a wrong decision (not to allow King Henry VIII to divorce). Do you want to do it again? ”

“…… I see what you mean, even if progress is slow and nothing is accomplished, it is better than ruining the efforts of those who came before you. ”

Fanta. Archbishop Geros was silent for a moment, and finally nodded slowly, "...... When I arrive in Japan, I will respect the opinions of the local believers and try to be as cautious as possible. As for further matters, we can only wait until the foundation of the church in Japan has been solidified...... Well, it seems like it's almost time for the wedding, and it's time for me to get ready, but would you like to come with me? ”

“…… Ah, that's certainly an honor......"

(End of chapter)

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