Chapter 107: The Initiators of Religious Persecution

Father John Tong is fifty-eight years old.

He felt old enough to return to Europe in his lifetime.

However, the emperor did not agree!

He knew that he was involved in too many things that he should not be involved in, and many things were closely related to the fate of the Ming Dynasty, because he had seen too many secrets, and he also knew that his idea of returning to Europe was an illusion after all.

There are more and more Europeans in the Ming Empire, but the number of Europeans in Yushan Academy is constantly decreasing, and after many years, after the death of those scholars and priests from Europe, he is the only one still alive in this splendid church.

Every day, John Tong would ring the bell of Mass in the evening, hoping that he would be able to take advantage of this bell to fly over thousands of mountains and rivers, over mountains and oceans, and finally return to his hometown.

The Church of Light on Jade Mountain is probably the most beautiful church in the world...... Every time scholars and priests from Europe made a breakthrough in scholarship or made a major discovery, Emperor Yun Zhao would build a memorial hall in the Hall of Light.

Over the past few decades, the Temple of Light has stood on top of the Jade Mountain and has become the brightest, holiest, and greatest existence in the world.

What's the point of a person guarding such a glorious church?

In fact, there are many people in the church, and there are many believers.

There were priests, there were apprentices, there were priests, priests, even organ choirs.

However, in John Tong's eyes, there was only one real servant in this temple of God.

The yellow-skinned priests here do not go around preaching God's oracles, they do not spread God's radiance, they only listen to people's confessions, they give people comfort, they will treat people, they will help people with broken hearts.

They can memorize the doctrine by heart, and they can even quote every sentence of the scriptures anytime and anywhere.

But what's the use of that?

Coming to church to serve God is just a job for them, and after taking off their robes, they will return home and continue to worship their ancestors and continue to worship the gods and Buddhas in the sky.

Those believers are also like this, after coming to the Temple of Light to pray to God, it does not prevent them from going to the temple on the Jade Mountain again? Taoist temples or houses of worship to listen to the voice of God.

This is the belief of the Ming people.

Are they speculators of faith? They don't mind praying to any god when disaster strikes.

This is the faith of the rich......

John Tang walked under the roof of the algae painted with religious paintings? Virgin? The Holy Spirit looked at him with pity, making him feel like an ascetic walking alone on his back on his back.

Xu Yuanshou standing in the sun? The sun rises behind him, shaping his shadow like a titan.

"Priest? You can return to Europe aboard the Queen. ”

Xu Yuanshou's voice exploded in his mind like the voice of God.

John Tang was pleasantly surprised? Immediately in his mind, the appearance of God quickly changed to the appearance of Xu Yuanshou, he believed in God, but he did not believe in any words that came out of Xu Yuanshou's mouth.

Xu Yuanshou also knew that he had deceived this foreigner many times? So much so that credibility is almost non-existent with him? He stepped forward and said, "This is true, Your Majesty's will has been issued, and the giant ship Empress is already waiting for you in Guangzhou Harbor."

You have three days to prepare. ”

"Can I take the wealth that remains here?"

"Of course, but what are you going to do with the money back to Europe? The Vatican is not short of money at the moment, they only lack your own people who can bring back the complete information of the Ming Dynasty. ”

John Tang drew a cross on his chest: "I can't bring the followers of the Ming Dynasty back to the Vatican?" Then bring back some money and compensate the dervishes of Europe. ”

Xu Yuanshou shook his head and said, "Who said you can't bring a large number of believers? Not only can you carry a team of more than 200 believers, but you can also carry a letter written by the Ming Emperor himself to His Majesty the Pope.

Can you even tell the Pope? And all the cardinals of Europe? Emperor Daming longed for them to come to the land of Daming? Spread the light of God on this land of light. ”

John Tang shook his head and said, "You have given His Majesty the Pope a bright future. ”

Xu Yuanshou laughed and said, "You can also tell His Majesty the Pope that the population of my Ming Dynasty is larger than that of all European countries combined, and this is a bright kingdom of God." ”

"Are we free to preach?"

"Of course you can, but you should also know the rules of the Ming Dynasty - the supremacy of imperial power! As long as you don't violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty, everything you do is just. ”

"What price am I going to pay, or rather, what should His Majesty the Pope pay?"

Xu Yuanshou was silent for a moment, then raised his head and said to Tang Ruowang: "I hope that His Majesty the Pope can clean up the heretics in Europe and exile them to the bright land of my Daming." ”

Tang Ruowang gasped, looked at the prosperous Yushan City under the sea of clouds, and said slowly: "In the eyes of God, this is the biggest gathering place for heresies. ”

Xu Yuanshou raised his hand and said: "Within five years, 10,000 heretics, and then, you can preach happily in Daming, if His Majesty the Pope can't determine who the heretics are, we can provide a list, of course, because of this, we can provide you with churches in the country, and guarantee that each church provided will cost no less than 100,000 silver dollars, which can be written into the contract." ”

"You want heretics, not servants of God."

"You are wrong, Da Ming is an open place, we want heretics, we also need servants of God, Da Ming is big enough to contain both the devil and God."

"Aren't you worried that I will tell His Majesty the Pope the truth?"

Xu Yuanshou said with a smile: "You have traveled thousands of miles to come to Daming to preach, and I heard that the last person to ask is just to create a new diocese and become a cardinal who is qualified to light chimneys in the Vatican (decide on a new pope), the cardinal archbishop of Daming Parish, should belong to you." ”

"God's servants don't lie."

"But the Cardinal Church!"

"Let me think about it."

Tang Ruowang saluted Xu Yuanshou, Xu Yuanshou returned the salute seriously, and then the two went their separate ways.

On this day, John Tang knelt on the ground and repented all night, while Xu Yuanshou stood on the top of the Jade Mountain, looking up at the bright moon in the sky until the sun rose in the east.

Tang Ruowang didn't know if he was doing this as a priest, and Xu Yuanshou didn't know what kind of impact it would have on Daming when Western knowledge poured into Yushan Academy.

Yun Zhao knew what the result was.

He just didn't want to tell Xu Yuanshou, and he didn't want to tell Tang Ruowang.

He didn't even want to tell anyone except Yun Zhang, including the coquettish Qian Duoduo and the square Feng Ying.

He won't tell anyone that it was these heresies that would lead people to a whole new world for hundreds of years to come.

He would not tell anyone that all religions, after entering the Ming Dynasty, would be reformed, and God knows what they would be improved, but Yun Zhao believed that the officials under his command would deeply understand the emperor's worries about religion.

And it will make John Tong's God a religious wonder without hurting any dignity.

Gold?

The Ming Dynasty is so many, whether it is the Western Regions or Lingnan, or the South Seas, or India, every year there are a lot of gold truckloads, boats and ships transported back, and finally cast into huge gold ingots, into the treasury, or banks.

Silver?

No matter how much silver was produced, it would eventually be transported to the Ming Dynasty, where it would also be minted into huge silver ingots, which would then go to the treasury or banks.

Finally, it appeared in the circulation market of the Ming Empire in the form of gold or silver tickets.

Grain?

The Ming Empire is not worried about the lack of food now, but the problem of too much grain output, since the crop seeds have been generally improved, the grain yield per mu will only increase year by year,

And because the area has become larger, cattle, horses, mules, donkeys and large livestock have increased, farming in Daming is no longer the cruel scene of relying on manpower in the past, people can cultivate more land and grow the best food.

It is because there is no shortage of money, no shortage of food, coupled with the self-sufficient lifestyle that the Ming people have cultivated since ancient times, so that the Ming Dynasty can form a complete economic circle.

For the time being, the only thing that Europe can import to the Ming Dynasty is just people, and it must be the best people, ordinary labor, whether it is the South Seas, or India, or Africa, the Ming Empire is not rare.

Since Han Xiufen closed the Strait of Malacca and Xia Wanchun closed the Western Plateau, a closed country that Yun Zhao dreamed of is slowly taking shape.

Yun Zhao really wants to take advantage of his life and control this huge empire, so that all the knowledge that will explode in this era will explode in the inner circle of Daming.

Just like Xu Yuanshou said - the Ming Dynasty is big enough, there are wise and wise monarchs, intelligent and civilized courtiers, brave and unparalleled troops, hard-working and simple people, and the flower of civilization, if it can't bloom in this environment, it will be a very unreasonable thing.

As for religion, especially Catholicism, Yun Zhao didn't feel that they had the soil to grow up in the Ming Dynasty.

When the Ming people were born, the first contact was their father, not God, and most importantly, if they continue to cultivate the national pride of the Ming people, then a foreign monk will not leave anything except for bringing some fresh things to the Ming people.

Yun Zhao would love to see the day when religion needs government support to survive.

He believes that day will not come too late.

Thinking of this, Yun Zhao would always let out a night owl-like laugh in the dead of night.