This is an edict from His Majesty the Emperor, not a personal letter. Listening to Silbo explain the contents of the edict one by one, Lang Shining's originally pale cheeks gradually returned to blood.

This is not a total ban on Christianity, but only requires that the spread of Catholicism to the British and Chinese people be prohibited before the Holy See signs the Anglo-Chinese "Religious Decree", and does not say that Catholicism will be expelled from Anglo-Chinese.

But what does this "Religious Decree" say? The Pope is required to recognize that all religions in China are equal, and that other heresies in the Church must not fight each other; No church has the right to judge or adjudicate on Chinese customs; Can the Pope approve that no church may exercise control over its people in violation of Chinese law? ”

Bishop Sierber was a member of the Society of Jesus, and the Jesuits in China adhered to a subtle missionary policy, but as a bishop, he naturally had to bow to Rome, which had been influenced by Franciscan and emphasized that the Chinese people must obey the decrees of the Holy See. He came to Macao to discuss with the Pope's special envoy Doro the policy of communication with Yinghua, and when he looked at Yinghua's "Religious Decree", he felt that it was a serious blasphemy against the Holy See and the Lord.

"Even if the price is the loss of the right to preach in China, we must not bow down to this crime of blaspheming the glory of our Lord!" ”

When Lang Shining first heard this religious order, he also felt very uncomfortable, but after thinking about it carefully, he shook his head and said: "Your Excellency, I remember that since Father Matteo Ricci came to China, China has always been the same principle for our church. This Religious Decree is merely a re-emphasis on these principles in the legal sense, which we in the Society of Jesus have long embraced and should not be abandoned because of the change in form...... A beautiful kingdom that even our Lord should admire from the bottom of my heart. ”

Fr. Suanxia interjected: "If my understanding is not biased, this decree is actually an expression of equality to Rome, just as the law emphasizes the equality of all religions. It is important to know that during the Ming and Qing states, the emperor and the government preferred to solve these problems by informal temporary decrees, rather than writing them into formal decrees. Because they felt that to do so would mean that Rome would be on an equal footing with them, and that they would lose the dignity of the Middle Kingdom in the hearts of their subjects. "Set sail for the Ghost to provide the Ghost of Might

Sierbo was silent for a moment, and then looked at Lang Shining, his eyes full of doubt: "Where do the Chinese know what laws?" Their civilization has always been stuck in beautiful but empty morality, and they claim to be the center of the universe, but in reality they are nothing more than a bunch of ignorant megalomaniacs. When will they bow their arrogant heads and use the law to talk to us Europeans and to our Holy See on an equal footing? Father Gasti, are you bewitching the curious young emperor? ”

A group of priests were muttering in Latin, and the tooth people didn't have time to translate, but from their expressions, Xu Lingti saw some clues.

Daoyin still didn't understand what was going on, Xu Lingti smiled and said, "They are arguing over Your Majesty's newly issued Religious Decree, they didn't expect that Your Majesty would reinterpret his responsibilities as kings, and he would also have a new depiction of our country of China." ”

In the sanctuary of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Snow, the priests were distracted by this "religious decree", while in the Governor's Palace, the Portuguese Governor of Macau, Ma Yu, wiped the sweat from his forehead and perhaps the tears from the corners of his eyes, and signed his name on the "Temporary Residence Agreement for the Portuguese of Macau".

The main content of this agreement is that the Portuguese in Macao can continue to reside in Macao, and that the Portuguese will no longer be allowed to decide on their own as long as they are on Chinese soil. Yinghua will set up a district office and a district office in Macao for management. Taking into account the actual needs of the Portuguese, a separate Portuguese Public Office can be set up, which will elect 12 directors to communicate with the district office on relevant matters.

This is the disposition of Macao, and as for the Portuguese, it will be dealt with in accordance with the "Foreigners' Residence in China" just promulgated by Yinghua. Those who have purchased property in Yinghua need to obtain a "Temporary Residence Permit", which will be renewed once a year, and pay foreign residence tax and property tax at the same time. If you are engaged in business and other occupations, you must also pay taxes according to the Anglo-Chinese Industrial and Commercial Act. Those who stay in China temporarily must apply for a temporary visa. Of course, foreigners working in the Anglo-Chinese government, the military, hospitals and schools enjoy many benefits, as do the Portuguese of Macao.

As soon as this agreement was signed, Ma Yu, the Portuguese governor, became the last governor, and even if the Portuguese obeyed his rule, Yinghua did not recognize his power, and only communicated with the twelve Portuguese representatives, and they could only plead their ways, and had no other power. Ma Yu felt that he was forced by irresistible violence to sign this alliance under the city, and he said unwillingly: "This agreement has no legal effect without the signature of the governor of Goa and the king." Xiao Xie smiled slightly, patted the agreement and said: "Your Excellency the Governor, please see clearly, this is not an agreement between the British and the Chinese, but just a temporary residence contract signed by you Portuguese who are temporarily living in our country and the Macao District Office of Xiangshan County, China. If your Governor of Goa, and your King, have any opinion on this agreement, it is questioning our Anglo-Chinese ownership of Macau, which is another topic. ”

His smile became a little hideous: "Of course, this topic means...... War. ”

Ma Yu looked at this young man and felt extremely unfamiliar, not this person, but this person's temperament. It is not like the Qing officials he has contacted before, and he is also very different from the Ming officials in the previous accounts of the previous circles. Regardless of the Ming and Qing dynasties, honest officials regarded Macao as a hot potato, and as long as they did not cause trouble on the surface, they would never want to take care of it. The greedy officials regard them as fat, pluck the feathers on them in everything, and as long as they are fed enough silver, they will not pay attention to this outland.

And this young man, no matter what trouble, insists on holding Macao in his hands. Even if he offered a lease of 10,000 taels of silver a year, twenty times the rent with Ming Guo, he was not tempted at all?

Xiao Xie put the agreement away, and the relieved smile at that moment made Ma Yu's eyes jump. No, it's not strange at all, this young man's temperament, that is, a standard businessman. It's just that this businessman serves the country, not money.

He smiled bitterly, and his identity was revealed as soon as he opened his mouth, and he only woke up until now.

Ma Yu lamented in his heart: "Although the Governor of Goa and His Majesty the King will definitely try to save the situation, they are no longer facing the Ming and Qing Kingdoms, but a ...... A businessman who treats his rights as capital and greedily calculates his chips. ”

On the sea, Hu Hanshan's flagship "Lei Gong" was full of guests and friends, and the rotation was endless. Officials from all sides who had come before had to report that the Macao agreement had been signed, and they all left the ship in droves to land and go on their official business, followed by foreigners on the nearby sea to watch the party.

These foreigners were still a little nervous at first, but when they heard that the commander of the fleet wanted to convey to them the goodwill of His Majesty the Emperor Yinghua and at the same time entrusted them with the transmission of credentials to the governments of various countries, they relaxed one by one. And this relaxation, the sound of the tooth man asking for what rum brandy was endless, made the temples of Hu Hanshan, who was occupied in the VIP cabin, jump non-stop.

These foreigners, all claiming to be businessmen, stayed in Macao's waters under the pretext of being concerned about the plight of the Portuguese in Macao and worried about drastic changes in Anglo-Chinese foreign policy in the future. After learning of the contents of the "Agreement on the Temporary Residence of the Portuguese in Macao", the Anglo-Chinese officials temporarily left to deal with affairs, and the foreigners discussed it on their own.

More than a dozen foreigners got together, Latin, Britannica, French, and Low Earth were mixed together, and finally French became the intermediate language to communicate with these people.

The Spaniards were indignant: "The Chinese have to pay the price for their arrogance and ignorance, and the injustice suffered by the Portuguese, not only the Kingdom of Portugal must seek justice, but our Kingdom of Spain must also speak for them." ”

The French: "Yes, we want to seek justice......"

The Portuguese were even more in tears: "Our compatriots are suffering!" How absurd it is that they are no longer ordered to dispose of their household affairs in a self-determined manner! The Chinese servants who had served them had turned into masters and treated them like slaves. ”

Britons pluck their nostrils: "Slave, it's terrible......"

The Italians were even more excited: "I just heard from the tooth man who sent this agreement that the Chinese also submitted an ultimatum to the church to prevent the spread of the Lord's gospel in China, which is blasphemy against our Lord!" The Pope should organize a holy war! Tie all these heretics to the stake! ”

Spain takes the topic to a practical level: "We spread the Gospel of the Lord in Asia and plant the seeds of civilization. For one or two hundred years, a historical convention has been formed. This emperor of South China is full of blood and blood, and he brazenly overthrows such a tradition, which is a trampling on civilization! If we let it go any longer, the bloody order of Zheng Yiguan's rule over Nanyang will come back, and we can't let history go backwards! The Briton held his chin and said in a cheerful voice, "Yes, order ......," and another with a low accent chimed in: "The Emperor of South China sent his fleet to occupy Kunlun Island, and also cultivated fields on a large scale in the lower reaches of the Mekong River, although he was covered with a layer of Nanyang Company's skin, but this emperor's intention to rule the South Seas is extremely obvious!" If we Europeans do not unite, sooner or later the South Seas will cease to be ours! ”

Perhaps this was too straightforward, or perhaps the man's subject country was too sensitive, and the cabin suddenly fell silent.

The man didn't realize it, and continued: "That sovereign's navy is still too weak! None of the largest warships exceeded the level of our European frigates, and there were only twenty or thirty such warships under our feet, as for that kind of ...... The Junk ships, though numerous and fast, could not penetrate even our large merchant ships with small cannons. ”

The more he spoke, the more excited he became: "As long as you report what you see to the Governor and the company, and let them understand that if the mother country does not use the necessary strength, then the lifeblood of the country, which is related to the fate of the country, will be occupied by ignorant and arrogant bandits." Even if it is just a detachment of only fourth-class battleships, the order of the South Seas will return to the normal track! ”

Everyone looked at each other, and the Briton, who had only nine fingers in his right hand, was none other than Captain Popper, the British East India Company's special observer in China.

Captain Popper said happily: "Dutch, have you sent your fleet?" If I'm not mistaken, your East India Company's armed merchant fleet joined forces with the Qing and was defeated in the Guray Sea, and now you are not in a hurry to negotiate the ransom of the captain and crew, and you want to encourage others to help you Dutch seek benefits in China? ”

The Dutchman said angrily: "This is Asia, not Europe, we must put aside the grievances of Europe, unite as one, and work together against this huge and arrogant ignorant giant, we must teach them what civilization is!" ”

Captain Popper continued to laugh and said, "Civilization? Isn't it civilization to negotiate with foreigners who occupy their own territory, rather than drive them outright? Isn't this agreement, as well as the Religious Decree, civilization? ”

Everyone else rolled their eyes, the Britannica and Rome were on the same page, and at the same time, the British East India Company only had roots in India, and only a few small strongholds in Aceh and other small bases in the South Seas, and they were very unhappy with the "predecessors" such as Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands, how could they follow the Dutch to stir up this troubled waters? The more unfortunate they were, the happier the Britons became.

The Frenchman interjected: "That's right, you've all overlooked one thing. China, at least South China, has changed its masters. He was different from previous Chinese emperors, he was a businessman. It would be a mistake to regard his country as the ancient country that was so proud that it had to call trade tributary. ”

Captain Popper and the Frenchman, who must also be an observer, looked at each other and smiled tacitly, Britain and France have enmity, but France also has enmity with the Netherlands. A few decades ago, the Dutch replaced the Spaniards in dominating the trade with China, and although the French joined forces with the Dutch and received a share, it hurt the pride of the French in claiming to be the masters of Europe.

There was a buzz in the cabin, and the topic turned to how to grasp the foreign policy of the emperor of South China, urging his superiors and even his mother country to adjust their trade policy towards China. Although the words of the Britannica and the French are somewhat biased, there is one thing that everyone agrees on. The new emperors of southern China always put laws and regulations first, which is no different from them Europeans.

In the midst of the noise, the green-robed officer who claimed to be the head of the Privy Council entered, followed by the commander of the fleet.

"There are Dutch here!?"

The officer glanced inside the cabin, and then, in the eyes of the others, stared at the innocent-looking Dutch "merchant".

The young fleet commander waved his hand, and the soldiers swarmed up and tied up the Dutchman.

The official of the Privy Council said solemnly in Latin: "The Dutch colluded with the Qing Dynasty and became the enemy of our China, and His Majesty the Emperor has issued a declaration of war against the Netherlands!" All Dutch people in China who do not have diplomatic status will be regarded as spies......" (To be continued) [This text is provided by the Ghost of Sailing]