Arriving at the port, Aveiro, a close vassal of the King of Portugal, met Alfonso in the lobby of a hotel where merchants preferred to stay during their trades.

There were also two generals from the expeditionary fleet, but not the high-ranking generals they had sent.

In addition, there were three big merchants who went to sea with them.

These people, Aveiro has seen. When the expeditionary fleet set out, he accompanied João III to see him off.

Of the group, Alfonso was the only one he hadn't met, because Alfonso had been gone for so many years.

"Diego! You are all trusted friends of His Majesty, and have been allied with the Royal Family for many years, and your betrayal is very sad for His Majesty! ”

As soon as Aveiro arrived, he said to one of the three great merchants.

"Oh my God." The man named Diego had impatience in his eyes, "In the Kingdom of Portugal, in all of Europa, when did the lords of the kingdom regard us merchants as true friends?" But we sailed through dangerous land and sea, brought all sorts of delicate goods to the royal family, paid a lot of taxes, and still had no territory, no title. An ally of the king? Please don't make me laugh, Baron Aveiro. Are you so trusted, do you have your own territory? Oh, I remember, the baron has no territory and cannot inherit! ”

Aveiro's face turned red as he spoke.

"Everything is changing, isn't it? At least now, there is a council, the nobility is being disarmed little by little, and their castles are ......"

"Stop talking this nonsense." Alfonso lazily interrupted him, "There is no one here who does not know Portugal. Did João send us to persuade us to repent with his mouth? I, the Honorable Earl of Nanao of the Ming Empire, have returned to my homeland to bring a brighter path to Portugal. Everyone here has seen the wider world and knows how backward and fragile the Kingdom of Portugal is now. ”

During the long Middle Ages, the kingdoms of Europe were more primitive and pure feudal fiefdoms.

This is all too clear to Alfonso, who once held the title of viscount.

Dukes, princes, uncles, and sons may own territories, have their own armies, and be kings in their territories. The so-called kingdom is nothing more than the support of many princes, princes, uncles, and sons, and has been recognized by the Holy See and other kingdoms. It is possible that the king of the kingdom himself was originally just an earl. The other feudal lords, who were loyal to the king, received privileges.

Today, Europe is indeed changing, such as Henry VII of England and his son, who are disarming the nobility and strengthening the power of the king. In exchange, of course, the nobles were given other things, such as material comforts, which were now becoming more and more extravagant.

A real businessman? If they had a high position, then there would not have been so many struggles to overthrow or limit royal power later.

Now Alfonso simply casually and contemptuously spoke of the "backwardness" of the Kingdom of Portugal, which made Aveiro blush.

"You may not know that Spain has brought back shiploads of gold from the New World, and Portugal has given many people land in the mahogany land of the New World. Since the beginning of the previous year, nearly a hundred ships have set off for that place, and nearly 20,000 slaves have been brought in to the south of the Mediterranean. Aveiro argued, "The great Portugal is constantly opening up new colonies. As long as you are loyal to His Majesty the King, you all have a bright future! ”

"Allegiance, that's what we're here to do." Alfonso laughed, "So, what can His Majesty give us?" ”

Aveiro was about to speak, but Alfonso interrupted him again and reminded him: "This is my last reward for my homeland, and I hope His Majesty will think it through." The route to the East is already in our hands, and His Majesty the Noble and Tolerant Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has given me the privilege of trading with the West, and Malacca is now a province of the Ming Empire. And the colonies of India, dear Viscount Aveiro, you need to remind His Majesty the King that, in fact, Goa is already independent. ”

"What?" Aveiro was shocked.

Alfonso laughed: "Portugal is only a small country, and it has no experience in ruling a huge territory, let alone those colonies that are so far away from Portugal?" If His Majesty decides to count on me for benefits from the East, and even more, then grant me terms. If not, then it's a pity, believe us waiting in Goa, Ottoman, Spain...... There will always be people who will come and beg to work with us. ”

Aveiro was speechless for a long time.

The viceroy of India, despite his high position, did hand over a portion of the colony's revenue to Portugal. In exchange, the protection of the fleet in the hands of the king was not the object of crusade.

But now, Portugal has extended its colonial tentacles into the New World. Mahogany, the Portuguese pronunciation, later Brazil.

With a small country to maintain the stability of so many overseas colonies, Portugal was even short enough to recruit foreign sailors and mercenaries, and to take a large number of slaves from Africa to work as laborers.

The cost of maintaining this system was very high, both to meet the needs and support of other feudal nobles internally, and to maintain the suppression of overseas colonies, and to change governors every two or three years by dispatching them.

João III didn't really have a choice.

For example, over the years, Portugal has cut down a lot of giant trees used for shipbuilding, and there are fewer and fewer of them. The construction of ships is increasingly reliant on the shipyards of Goa. Logs are starting to rely on imports, but fortunately there are large areas of primeval forest found in Brazil.

But if Goa becomes independent, what will happen to the Kingdom of Portugal in the future to build warships and merchant ships?

Now it has lost nearly half of its naval strength, but the other side wants too much. Aveiro was just a messenger, and he reconfirmed what Alfonso wanted.

"The surrender and compensation of the Ming Empire, that is the price of the provocation to the dignity of His Majesty the Ming Emperor, is to allow the exchange of trade between Portugal and the Ming Empire, and it is not missing at all."

Alfonso emphasized, and then said the benefit: "The primitive New World does not have the exquisite goods of the ancient and rich countries of the East, which are the favorite goods of the nobles of the whole of Europa. By doing this, the goods from Europa could be sold in large quantities to the whole Ming Dynasty, and we were able to traffic a steady stream of porcelain, silk, and tea from the Ming Dynasty. Believe me, the scale is more than ten times the size of the current one. If the Spaniards had received so much gold, it would have to be exchanged for goods. ”

“…… Is there really that much cargo? "Aveiro is both a confirmation of the heart and a search for steps.

The guy named Diego said, "Wait a minute, you can get to our ship and have a good look." Masterpieces from the East, the finest goods of the Ming Dynasty, produced by various enterprises set up by His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Empire himself, to supply the good things of the Ming court. Compared to these, the goods brought by the private merchants who had ventured to smuggle in the past, which His Majesty regarded as treasures, were simply inferior garbage. ”

Alfonso nodded.

Porcelain, silk, tea, and much more from the Orient are very popular here. However, the Ming Dynasty has been forbidden to the sea for many years, and the Ming goods that can flow to Europe are indeed filled with a large number of inferior goods from folk workshops.

Despite this, they still sell well in Europe.

Now with the supply of the highest quality goods from so many enterprises in Daming, how much benefit is this? Diego did not hesitate to stand on Alfonso's side, because only he was recognized by the Ming Emperor, and he had the official title of nobility of the Ming Dynasty, and he was the honor of the earl!

"As for our ......," Alfonso pointed to the crowd, "with the same feelings as Portuguese, we hope that Portugal will have this precious opportunity to fully trade with the Ming Empire, and not allow Spain to annex Portugal while Portugal is weak." However, on behalf of His Majesty the Ming Emperor's will, Portugal is required to pay the price for the invasion of the Ming Empire's territory, and it is difficult for us to believe that His Majesty the King trusts us. ”

"For the sake of our safety, and in order to preside over the affairs of trade with the Ming Empire and help Portugal recover its strength as soon as possible, we hope that His Majesty the King will think carefully about changing the backward palace bureaucracy. I need a duke to get the territory of Goa. In addition, I learned from the Ming Empire that it was more efficient and I suggested that His Majesty the King set up a Council of State with me as Prime Minister and Minister of State. ”

Alfonso waved his hand, and his secretary, his daughter, who had stayed in Goa with Diego on a sea trip, pulled out a book.

"After the navy of the Ming Empire recaptured Malacca, I asked Juan to persuade His Majesty the King, and I also sent the Ming Pao. It seems that His Majesty the King does not understand how huge the Ming Empire is, and what His Majesty the Great Emperor can represent behind the fact that he can govern an empire larger than the whole of Europa in an orderly manner. My views on how the Portuguese Empire should be reformed and what system should be implemented have been written on the way back, and I ask His Majesty to consider it. ”

Aveiro took the booklet in confusion and looked at Alfonso in amazement.

He actually wants to carry out reforms in Portugal? Can the royal family and other nobles agree? What will the Holy See and other kingdoms think?

This is Alfonso's own ambition.

Zhu only suggested that he use the strength he has now to gain a foothold in Portugal first.

But Alfonso, who "returned to China after completing his studies" from the Ming Dynasty, has indeed looked down on the system practiced by these European kingdoms in his heart.

Feudal fiefdom ...... In those days at Huangming University, in the process of drinking and bragging with Wen Zhengming, he had already learned that this was all done in the East more than 2,000 years ago.

Speaking of which, at that time, the scope of the empire's control in the East was not large, so there was feudalism. And since the beginning of the Warring States Period, especially after the unification of Great Qin, it has been the monarch who has great power and is assisted by hundreds of officials, how can there be many feudal territories?

Although the Qin and Han dynasties still had mining and eating, the counties were parallel. What Henry VII is doing now, I don't know how many years the East has been doing.

The East is already far ahead in expanding the power of the monarchy and achieving direct rule over the localities.

Alfonso felt that if he had enough chance, he would not be able to control at least three or five kingdoms and become the toughest man in the whole of Europa.

You know, he can also have a steady stream of financial support from trade with Daming.

And the Portuguese royal family? Why can't he marry another princess from the royal family and leave this inheritance to his son?

Here in the harbor, Alfonso confidently led Aveiro to confirm the loyalty and trust of the remnants of the expeditionary fleet. This is the loyalty after seeing the new Daming Sea Master and confirming the benefits that Alfonso can bring to them.

The Ming warships were bigger and more numerous, and the Ming artillery and muskets were already better than theirs, and the Ming was much more vast and rich than Portugal.

This force is not enough to completely overthrow the Portuguese royal family, but it is a significant force.

Aveiro was silent. What happened in the far east that made them support Alfonso at the risk of being driven from their homeland and losing their loved ones?

But after seeing the cargo of Diego's merchant ship, Aveiro also figured it out.

As long as Alfonso is not determined to start a war with the royal family, what choice does His Majesty have?

"Twenty million Cruzzard...... How is this possible. Aveiro gritted his teeth, "You know, all the debts of His Majesty the King are now only one and a half million Kruzard. ”

He was talking about the gold coins that Portugal had struck itself after it had flourished.

Today's gold coins, the whole Europa is probably based on the Ducats of Venice. Kruzador, a little heavier than Ducat. In terms of weight, ten gold coins of Cruzado are roughly equivalent to one or two gold coins of the Ming Dynasty.

A pound of gold in the Ming Dynasty is about more than 590 grams. But one pound of Daming is sixteen taels, so one tael of gold is about thirty-seven .3 grams. The Cruzado gold coin is about 3.70 grams.

In the Ming Dynasty, the exchange ratio of gold and silver is usually around one for five or one for six, which is called "five crossing" and "six crossing" among the people.

The compensation demanded by Zhu Houxi was 10 million taels of silver, and according to the "six payments", it was more than 1.6 million taels of gold.

Alfonso made up a whole and asked for 20 million kruzado.

It's a lot, and Joao can't take it. Didn't you hear what Aveiro said? João is still in debt.

"Gold, silver, can be, can also be converted into the goods needed by the Ming Dynasty." Alfonso smiled, "If it's not enough, you can also raise money in the name of going to the East to buy goods, and you can pay it on an annual basis." Didn't the Spaniards get a lot of gold? The goods brought this time can be sold at a high price. Of course, the goods were brought by us, and we are here to help His Majesty the King first overcome the difficulties caused by the punishment for violating the Ming Dynasty, and our profits this time can be deducted from future taxes. ”

Alfonso knew very well that there must be a harvest to send back to Daming, so that he could still get support from Daming in the future.

In a word, compensation cannot be less, but in the form of compensation, Alfonso will do his best to help Joao find a way.

"Send an envoy to Daming, present the instrument of surrender, sign a peace and trade agreement, and have enough time to raise compensation. During this time, Diego and his family also brought back goods from Malacca in exchange for a steady stream of gold and silver brought back from the New World by the Spaniards. Also, if His Majesty chooses to believe me, then there will certainly be other nobles who oppose it, and I can help His Majesty to eradicate them and recover their property. ”

Alfonso said this again, and Aveiro looked at him like a demon.

"His Majesty should come here." Alfonso looked at him proudly, "Although the news I brought back is painful and angry to him, it is the price of his previous arrogant desire to divide the rest of the world's undiscovered local colonies with Spain. There is a huge empire in the Far East, but the defeat of the Persian and Indian fleets makes us all too proud. I first became a prisoner of the Ming Dynasty, and then realized the strength of the Ming Dynasty, and felt the tolerance of His Majesty the Emperor. ”

He performed an elegant etiquette: "Now, your majesty should also be awake and calm down, and wake up from your dreams." 20 million Kruzado, believe me, this is only two or three months of financial revenue in Daming, not to mention the annual trade amount of Daming. His Majesty the Emperor does not want much, and what I have brought to His Majesty is the most advanced and efficient system, endless wealth, and an opportunity to become the king of the whole of Europa! ”

The decision was up to João III to do it himself, and Alfonso articulated his needs clearly and clearly, analysing the pros and cons for João III.

As a first requirement for negotiations to really begin, he demanded the entire harbor area as a temporary territory, blocking the harbor before the other warships had time to arrive.

You can enter and exit, but he will take over the trade and taxes of the port for the time being.

After all, he had already expressed his goodwill: the goods he brought back, and the wealth obtained after selling them, could be lent to João III to repay the compensation to the Ming Dynasty.

In the Portuguese royal palace that night, João III had to make a decision that would insult his ancestors.

Alfonso gave him only one day to decide whether to negotiate or not to hand over the port area to him as a temporary territory.

This is what Alfonso believes is the first step João III needs to build trust in him.

The second step was that João III should personally go to the port area to "welcome and reward" the expedition soldiers and dispose of the "spoils" brought back this time.

The booklet that Aveiro brought back had already been read twice by João III.

He could not imagine a country where lords and nobles only received salaries and no fiefs, nor could he imagine a country where there were powerful prime ministers with supreme royal power.

In his opinion, if this prime minister is established, then he needs to rely on Alfonso first, suppress the other lords in a short time, and also face the troubles caused by their in-law relations with many royal families and lords.

That's impossible.

João III thought that Alfonso was lying to him, how could the vast Eastern Empire be like this?

Unless he really has an army that is incredibly powerful, and he is absolutely loyal to him.

Now that the strongest army in Lisbon is in the hands of Alfonso, will Alfonso be absolutely loyal to him?

That's impossible.

But if a decision is not made today, then God knows what Alfonso will do? And Portugal was about to lose its interests from the East forever, and because it was exposed to weakness, it would face a new European situation.

João III closed his eyes in despair for a moment, then opened them and spoke softly: "Where is my dear sister Maria?" ”

……

Externally, there is a version of the story.

Viscount Alfonso, who had set off for the East, finally gained the recognition and trust of the Ming Dynasty after experiencing initial friction with the Ming Empire in the East.

This was the inevitable friction that arose after Portugal expanded its sphere of influence at sea and touched the borders of the Eastern Empire.

Although there was initial unpleasantness between the two sides, they eventually got to know each other, and Viscount Alfonso, as Count of Daming, brought back even more exciting news for Europe: trade, trade on a larger scale!

The valiant and talented Alfonso, who was granted the title of Duke by King João III, was granted Goa and other newly opened colonies in India as territories.

At the same time, in order to cope with the opportunities and challenges brought about by this completely opened eastern trade route, João III will also appoint Alfonso as Prime Minister and Minister of State to carry out reforms.

The first stage of reform was the establishment of the Council of State. Unlike the current parliament, which is only an advisor to the king and is full of nobles, the ministers of this Council of State will take care of many administrative matters including civil affairs, finances, commerce, etc., in the growing number of Portuguese kingdoms in the colonies.

Since the Ming Empire currently only had trust in the valiant Duke Alfonso, trade with Europe was only carried out by Portuguese caravans in Malacca.

Huge quantities of the finest Oriental silks, porcelain, tea, and spices were there, but this required sufficient funds.

With the Daming Commodity Fair in Lisbon as an opportunity, the Portuguese royal family will raise a special treasury bond to build a larger merchant fleet and purchase more goods from the East, with a very touching interest return.

For this huge Ming trade route development plan, the Duke of Alfonso also brought more advanced joint-stock company system and financial management methods of the Ming Dynasty, which was established by the Portuguese royal family and welcomed nobles and wealthy merchants from all over Europe as shareholders. And the Duke of Alfonso will be the president of the Bright Way company, with Diego as general manager.

At the same time, the Duke of Alfonso also brought the goods needed by the Ming Emperor.

Included is a stone that is said to be widely used in the magical alchemy of the East, a sacred tree seed and their product that the emperors of the East have been looking for.

For the hundreds of millions of potential believers there, the Eastern Emperor did not want the missionaries to disturb the order there, but welcomed Western scholars to bring European books and learning.

How to use the benefits of the future to convince the nobility of the Kingdom of Portugal and to raise funds from some people was a joint effort of João III and Alfonso. And there are naturally disgruntled people, but their actions are just beginning to brew.

At least for now, in Lisbon's port area, at the Ming Fair, the Duke of Alfonso showed off the iron voucher he had received for the canonization of the Count of the Ming Dynasty and his official dress woven in silk and fine embroidery.

Fluent in the Oriental language, novel and elegant oriental ceremonial movements, the longed-for capital of the Oriental Empire, with a population of more than one million, prosperous and rich, the strange Duke of Alfonso exudes unimaginable charm.

In his story, his wife has died of illness, and his daughter is the concubine of the Ming Emperor, so he quickly gained the hearts of many ladies and girls.

He and his wife, who had once made his head green, of course, went their separate ways.

Speaking of which, Alfonso was happy. Because the daughter is the emperor's woman, in the Ming Dynasty, even if his wife is still not reserved, no one dares to do anything to the emperor's woman's mother.

She misses Portugal a lot, but only Alfonso himself has returned.

Wonderful!

There is even a noble Princess Maria, who is only thirteen years old, waiting for him.

As long as he proves that he really had no intention of threatening João III's position, he did what he said he was loyal to.

Alfonso in a hurry? I have survived so many years in Daming.

João III's half-brother, Duke Louis of Beya, had already set off on a sea ship to the distant capital of the Ming Empire to formally establish diplomatic relations and sign a treaty of trade with the Ming Empire.

As the sea ship sailed off the west coast of Africa, Louis's heart was heavy.

Twenty million Kruzado is the new shackle on his brother.

But without this shackle, the royal family's more than 1.5 million cruzado debts, Portugal's current weak status quo, will completely explode.

Is the empire of the East really as powerful as Alfonso suggests?

Is the emperor of the East really as omniscient and heroic as he says?

(End of chapter)