The young man in front of him had red lips and white teeth, and looked solemn, but his eyes seemed to be too flexible, as if he was a little discordant?

Cardinal Ikorama bent down solemnly and bowed: "Your Excellency the Prince of the Ming Empire, I, Cardinal Ikorama of the Vatican, greet you on behalf of the Holy See!" May the pillars be with you! This is the first heavyweight European magnate, Hua Houwei immediately solemnly responded: "Thank you for your kindness, I, King Wu of the Ming Empire, express my goodwill to the Holy See on behalf of the Ming Empire!" Regarding the Tianzhu Sect, the attitude of the Ming Empire is consistent and maintains good intentions. As long as the Tianzhu Sect does not violate the "Da Ming Law" and does not commit adultery, then Da Ming is welcome! The start was good, and Ikorama was pleased: "Thank you for your generosity. May I ask Your Excellency, why occupy Sardinia? Hua Houwei smiled and said casually: "I have many friends in the Kingdom of Portugal, and I also have an alliance with King Alfonso V. Alfonso died unexpectedly, Salvador came to Daming for help, as a nobleman who follows his conscience, I want to help the Kingdom of Portugal, isn't it too much? Ikolama frowned: "After all, this is an internal affair of Europe, is it inappropriate for the Ming Empire to participate?" Hua Houwei shook his head: "I still know a little about Europe." Cardinal, this is not the time of the Roman Empire, Portugal, as an independent and autonomous state, should have its own rights. So, as the executioner of the invasion of the Kingdom of Portugal, Spain, since it was not punished from Europe itself, should the allies of the Kingdom of Portugal be blamed for following the Covenant? Ikorama didn't expect that this young man from the Ming Empire was very familiar with the routine of Europeans, so he had to nod: "Okay, the Kingdom of Portugal has this right, and His Excellency's behavior of helping allies is admirable." It's just that the subjects of Sardinia are innocent, so why should they bear the war? ”

"Oh, Archbishop, as far as I know, Sardinia is under Spanish control. So, does it take kindness to treat the enemy? At the time of the Crusades, the Pope's decree didn't seem like that, right? "Ikolama understands one thing, you can't treat the young man in front of you as a young master who doesn't know anything.

He nodded helplessly: "Okay, let's put this matter aside, the Holy See is no longer the Holy See of a hundred years ago, and some things are helpless." Your Excellency, what do you think of the Holy See? Hua Houwei pointed to the tea on the table: "Please taste the magic drink from the East first." Archbishop, I have always maintained a friendly attitude towards the Holy See, and it is not up to me, but to the Holy See itself. The Ming Empire is far away from Europe and has no dealings with the Holy See, as long as the Holy See does not treat the Ming Empire as a heretic, the Ming Empire will certainly not point the finger at the Holy See. I would then like to extend a formal invitation to His Holiness the Pope to come to Sardinia for a meeting, where we may discuss constructively the dispute between Portugal and Spain. Of course, this is not the point, the point is that I want the Holy See to lead the long-term trade between the Ming Empire and Europe! After Ikorama left, Qi Youshan and Zhu Shanqing surrounded him.

Qi Youshan didn't understand Hua Houwei's strategy: "Lord Wang, do you really plan to give this piece of fat to the Holy See?" Hua Houwei looked at the map of Europe hanging in the room with deep eyes: "This place is second only to the Ming Dynasty in the world, both in terms of the number and quality of people!" It can be said that this is the only place that can pose a substantial threat to the Ming Dynasty! Then, Shanqing, clear the field. Well, then how to weaken Europe, how to let them sink in ignorance forever? Only religion! Look! Hua Houwei pointed to the map: "The Ottoman Empire and the Mamluk and Safavid are between Europe and the Ming Dynasty, and they are a natural buffer zone." Those northern lands have no one to live in, and you can ignore it. Europe must be a zone that does not pose a threat to the Ming Dynasty, a partner that can trade, and a place that will always stand in the second place. Qi Youshan scratched his head: "Lord, is this necessary?" ”

"Yes! And it's a must-have! There are mountains, mountains are green, and the potential of Europe is huge, and it must not be taken lightly! In order to achieve my vision, we must make friends with the Holy See, and we must help the Holy See to regain tight control over Europe, and I will pay no price for this! Zhu Shanqing asked puzzledly: "Isn't it good to make Europe a little messy?" Is it different? Hua Houwei shook his head: "That's the next policy!" Backwardness in thinking is really backwardness! Let them not want to forge ahead, let them be content with the status quo, let them bathe in the shroud of holy light, and we will be safe! Born in sorrow and dying in peace, why should they be awakened? "Ikrama returned to the Sistine Chapel, only to learn that Pope Julius was not there.

In St. Peter's Square, Julius inspects the progress of St. Peter's Basilica. After Julius returned to the Sistine Chapel, Ikorama began to report: "Your Majesty, that young prince is not easy to deal with. He has made you a formal invitation to set foot in Sardinia for a meeting on European affairs. Also, he emphasized that he hoped that the Holy See would become the main body of trade between Europe and the Ming Dynasty, and most of the trade would be carried out after the Holy See and the Ming Dynasty negotiated! ”

"Oh? Haha, I have to say, Ikorama, you gave me a surprise! Well, it seems that the Ming Empire has no malice here, at least no malice to the Holy See! That's fine, the Holy See is no longer the Holy See that shocks Europe, and it is not the Holy See that can be crowned a king. Alas, what a nostalgic time! "Julius is already 66 years old, and although he has many illegitimate children, he is a devout Catholic.

He wanted to once again exalt the Pope to a powerful and glorious position of independence, to return to the good old days when the Holy See dominated Europe.

Icolama cautiously asked, "Are you really going to Sardinia?" ”

"Why not? If the life of a bad old man can be exchanged for the glory of the Holy See, why not do it? Why is that young prince of Daming bad for me? There is no need for no interest! ”

"But, after all, you are the spiritual symbol of Europe," Ikorama apparently did not believe so much in Hua Houwei's credibility.

"Haha, that's all that is left of the symbol! Dear Ikorama, this risk is worth taking! "Three days later, a luxurious but somewhat old sea ship arrived in Sardinia!

Hua Houwei, who got the news, personally greeted him, put on a full set of princely honor guards, and stood outside the city of Cagliari.

It was a historic meeting, and the silver-haired Julius, wearing a pen-nib crown and a crimson robe embroidered with gold threads, was in high spirits; And Hua Houwei was also dressed up to greet him, wearing a gold crown inlaid with 81 beads on his head and a five-clawed golden dragon robe, greeting him with a smile.

Hua Houwei preemptively stretched out his hands towards Julius: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Prince of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houwei, King Wu, welcome to your arrival!" Julius ignored Hua Houwei's outstretched hands, but stepped forward and gave Hua Houwei a big hug: "Okay, thank you for your kindness, child, the Lord's light will bring you good luck!" The two sides talked and laughed but guarded the boundary, and came to the venue specially prepared by Hua Houwei to sit down.

After a hypocritical and cumbersome courtesy greeting, Julius went straight to the point: "Well, it seems that the Ming Empire came to Europe with good intentions, so what do you want from Portugal?" "Requirements?

It's best to be in the state it is all the time! Otherwise, why did Lao Tzu keep occupying Gibraltar? Hua Houwei smiled sincerely twice: "Salvador is my true friend and a gentleman loyal to the king. Before Portugal became independent, the Ming Empire would not end the hostilities between the two sides. Oh, this matter will not lead to anything in the short term, let's look to the future and talk about the trade between Europe and the Ming Dynasty! ”

"Well, you have a lot of truth in saying that the Holy See cannot make decisions in place of Ferdinand II of Spain. So, dear Zhu, what do you think about the trade between Europe and the Ming Dynasty? Hua Houwei pretended to mutter: "Well, that's what I think." The Holy See, as the most representative institution in Europe, should shoulder its due responsibilities. You see, there are many large and small countries in Europe, and the heavy tariffs on each other greatly hinder the normal flow of trade. And if the Holy See can assume one of the main bodies of trade between the two sides, then this kind of headache will be much better! Shanqing, take it! A one-foot-square brocade box was placed in front of Julius, and Hua Houwei opened it with his own hands: "Look, this is my personal gift to you. With a blue and white porcelain shell as smooth as jade and an accurate table clock, I think you should need such a timekeeping tool with an error of no more than two minutes a day to better complete your heavy work. Julius looked at the clock in front of him in shock, there is a bell tower in the Sistine Chapel, and the error can exceed half an hour every day!

It's so beautiful! The plain blue and white porcelain, the dazzling dial, the golden pendulum swinging back and forth, the key is the transparent glass that is as smooth as a mirror, it is really rare!

"Good! Very good! I love it! Thank you, simple boy from the Ming Empire! Ikorama, bring me my gift to the Prince! "This is a cross sword, a cold blade, the blade is a glorious cross, and the scabbard is full of precious stones.

"You have a saying in the East, I think it's very good. The sword is given to the strong. What a handsome boy you are, this sword will definitely accompany you on the battlefield! Hua Houwei smiled and accepted the cross sword: "Thank you for the gift of the elder." There are many products of elephant clocks, and I plan to join hands with the Holy See in Europe to enrich the lives of European people, what do you think? ”