After the signing of the Lisbon Treaty, the treatment of the mission also changed abruptly, and in terms of credibility on the surface, as Lang Shining said, the Europa people still cherish it.

As a result, there were no overt restrictions on the outing of the mission's personnel, and the "commercial espionage" operations of the Ministry of Commerce, the Manufacturing Bureau, and the General Supervision Department were carried out in a completely brazen manner, and the work of collecting the corresponding scientific, economic, and cultural books was not hindered.

But as if the wolves of the Mission had grown tired of the taste of Portuguese girls, the results of the above actions were not of interest, and they were basically the stuff of two or three hundred years ago. Portugal was still under Roman Catholic control, and it was backward and conservative compared to the emerging countries of Europa.

The only thing that interested Tang Sun, Song Ji, Li Fangying, and even Mi Anping, the master of the Foshan Manufacturing Bureau, was the Latin version of the British "Alchemist" Bacon's "New Tools".

The current level of Latin in the mission is already very good, and even former rotten Confucians like Li Fangying can barely read Latin books, which is naturally due to Latin teachers such as Lang Shining and Ou Liwang, as well as Portuguese such as Sir Sousa and Ma Yu, and even more due to the boring time of wandering at sea for more than half a year.

The literati are talking about the relationship between this book and the pre-Qin famous Gongsun Long's "name and truth", which traces back to the root of Aristotle's knowledge system. Mi Anping, on the other hand, is based on scientific methods such as "induction", which is associated with the "several degrees" advocated by the Anglo-Chinese Catholic Way. "There is a vague sense of intellectual commonality between the arts and sciences.

Portugal is the frontier of Europa, and what the mission can find is what is chewed by the Europa Center, but through this window, everyone can already see that most of the new achievements since the Renaissance have come from France and Britain.

The King of Portugal transferred a mansion covering more than 30 acres near the port area of Lisbon to the mission, and after roughly settling down as the Anglo-Chinese Residence in Portugal, the next move in Europa was put on the agenda. It has been almost a month since the mission arrived in Lisbon, and many Europa countries have extended invitations to the mission, and the King of Portugal has promised to send special envoys to accompany the mission to other countries, except for the distant Nordic countries.

Based on the second task entrusted to the mission, most people thought that they should go to Spain first to eliminate the possible danger of their own Nanyang.

But Xiao Xie reminded everyone that after they arrived in Europa, they didn't hear any news that anyone had sent a fleet to East Asia to fight against the British and Chinese. Even the parties concerned, France and Spain, seemed to be unaware of the matter, but instead sent invitations to visit.

After analyzing the reasons for this or the difficult interests of the mission, we analyzed it for a long time, but we couldn't understand the essentials. Tang Sunho, Song Ji and other literati thought that since they couldn't figure it out, there was no need to figure it out, no matter how messy he was, just do what I did.

The east and west are thousands of miles apart, and this is really a general, and the king's order is not affected. Xiao Xie resolutely made a decision and readjusted the Europa itinerary according to the information obtained by the mission and the long-term interests of Yinghua in Europa. Then the rumors of war between Spain and France should not exist.

In addition to Portugal, the Europa countries related to Anglo-Chinese interests are France, Spain, Britain and the Netherlands, and the Holy See can also be counted as an object. But Lang Shining said that now the countries of Europa are mainly secular, and it is not interesting to deal with the Holy See, so everyone ignored the Holy See, and Xiao Xie also threw the invitation letter sent by Cardinal Santos of Portugal on behalf of the Holy See into the wastebasket.

The cardinal could not have imagined that the reason why his invitation was ignored was only because Lang Shining was afraid that he would be arrested as a heretic when he arrived in Italy,...

There are four countries left, and the Netherlands is naturally ranked among the remaining three, and the industrialists advocate going to Britain first, because the industrial and commercial technology there is the highest, but the literati feel that they should go to France first, after all, France is the heart of Europa, and Europa at this time is proud of speaking elegant French, which shows its cultural prosperity.

The officers of the navy wanted to go to Spain, and the shipbuilding skills offered by Portugal were not very popular with them. Although Spain had lost to Britain and the Netherlands at sea before, when it came to the quality of warships, Europe at this time was still Spain first, followed by France. Listening to the Portuguese, Spain had two 7 ships at this time. Giant ship of door guns, 5. There are large ships above the door cannon with bladed ships, and there are also huge ships with door guns under construction. ,

In contrast, the Britons were inferior to the Dutch in terms of warships, that is, the French navy could compare with them. The French Navy even has a monster like the battleship "Sun King" with cannons, but just as the Sun King was sunk by the British Dutch before the flight, the French Navy has slipped down from the peak of the Sun King Louis XIV.

The staff of the General Office led by Xiao Xie naturally had to be viewed from a diplomatic point of view.

At this time, he did not know that the conflict between the mother country and Spain in the South Seas was inevitable due to different original intentions. But he knows very well that it is difficult to reconcile the interests of Spain and Anglo-Chinese in the next stage of Nanyang, and the previous exchanges are also a bad impression. Even if you haven't turned your face at this time, it is impossible for people to show you the skills of their families.

And Britain and even the Netherlands are the most important interests, at this time in Europa is only gaining a foothold, not enough momentum, directly to the door, there is no business to discuss, maybe the other party has to be wary of their own intentions.

France is different, from all aspects, the status of France in Europa at this time is faintly close to that of China in East Asia, so it is called "the heart of Europa". This is the reversal of the hearts of Europa, so that Tian Xian climbed to the top of this mountain, which is conducive to follow-up.

Song was excited: "Then let's go and conquer those little French ladies!" ”

Lang Shining poured cold water on him: "France is not a Portuguese tooth, the French are proud roosters." ”

There was also a hint of longing in his eyes: "The culture of France is dazzling, and it is not for nothing to be called the heart of Europa, only talking about literature and art, Europa people are all admired." The Sun King and the Palace of Versailles are the places that all the noble gentlemen of Europa yearn for, and in their hearts, devotion to our Lord Jesus and worship to France. ”

Xiao Xie sneered: "Culture? ”

He beckoned to everyone: "Move out all the clothes we pressed at the bottom of the box......

In the morning of April, the port of Bordeaux, France, arrived like a carnival, and countless people gathered at the pier in anticipation. When the mast flying the red and blue flags broke through the morning mist and approached from north to south from the Gironde Bend, a roar of cheers erupted from the quay.

The news of the arrival of the Seris in Europa had already spread to the whole of France, and it was the French who were most concerned about this matter. Since the last century, it has affected the whole of Europa. "Although there are many origins, it is the French who have attributed it to the whole of Europa. Strictly speaking, it was the Palace of Versailles, the Sun King, who spread out.

When the Sun King Louis XIV sat on his throne in the Palace of Versailles in Paris, and said the words "e, eu, seven c, utNPe" (I am the country), he was dressed in a silk robe that made people dazzled in color, texture, and embroidery, and held a gold-inlaid cloisonne porcelain cup, which was soaked in tea leaves from the mountain of immortals in the Central Kingdom.

At this time in Europe, when the "Chinese national fever" was in its heyday, relying on the rendering of missionaries, the people of China in the minds of the Europa people were rich in products, the people were simple, the officials were honest and the emperor was wise, and the political system was superior was almost a perfect paradise and an ideal extreme situation. Although the Tartar kingdom was now ruled by the Tartars, the missionaries deliberately avoided the topic, confusing the Tartar kingdom with what was called Seris in the Hellenistic era, and replacing the Cyris with the Tartar kingdom at that time.

Now that a large legation claiming to have been freed from Tartar rule and restored the lineage of Seris had come from the East, the Tartar Shoe of the Missionaries had been replaced by this concept of Seris. No matter how much you tell it, how can it compare to seeing it with your own eyes?"

For the French, who claim to be the center of Europe, only they are qualified to sit on an equal footing with the East, and the mysterious and noble Orient invisibly exalts their pride. Now that the Seris are in Europa, their dealings with the Portuguese are based on the affairs of Macao, and the rest of the trip, if not to visit them in France, all the French will feel disgraced.

Coming from the Gironde Birth, Bordeaux was approached by four ships, one of the pilot French Navy cruisers, one from Portugal, and two slender and elegant warships from Seris. The two ships were more sophisticated, giving a sense of strength in hibernation, and the shipbuilders on the dock side praised the delicate craftsmanship of the ship's plank joints, but this was not something that ordinary people could see. ,

In the presence of the regent's envoys from Paris and a large group of nobles, Charles, Louis, Montesquieu, the presidents of the Bordeaux courts, even local celebrities, did not make it into the protocol to greet the Ceris mission. But he was given a place to see the welcome with great clarity, and it was written in his book "The Letters of Seris".

"The Portuguese have told us that the Cyris, though gorgeous, were restrained and elegant, far more noble than the extravagance of the Sun King. It is said that they have restored the old country of Seris a hundred years ago, and there is no more ridiculous pigtails. I have seen that thing in Mr. Huang Caro, and he has mentioned more than once his nostalgia and remembrance of the ancient Chinese country, and his hatred for the tartar shoes that polluted the ancient Chinese country, that is, the custom of Seris. ”【２】

"The Seris appeared, oh no...... I exclaimed with the people around me, and for a moment, we all felt that the morning light seemed to have absorbed it into their bodies, and they were dressed completely differently than we knew before, was this the real Seris? ”。 During this period, there were the History of the Christian Expedition to the Kingdom of China (1618, later known as the Book of the Kingdom of the Middle Kingdom of Licima) in 1618, the Chronicles of the Chinese Empire (1675) by Father Min Ming, the Chronicles of the Great Middle Kingdom (16-43) by Father Zeng Dezhao, the Ten Volumes of the History of the Kingdom of China (1658) by Father Wei Kuangguo, the Illustrated Chronicles of the Kingdom of China (1667) by Father Kircher, and the Philosophers of the Kingdom of China (1687) by Father Bai Yingli and Yin Fengze. Father Bai Jin's "The Biography of the Kangxi Emperor" (1699), and the German scientist and philosopher Leibniz's "Recent Events of the Chinese Dynasty" (1697) [Z: Huang Jialiu was from the Chinese country, an early Chinese who came to settle in Europe, and he had died of illness a few years earlier. This person has a very deep relationship with Montesquieu, Montesquieu's "Persian Letters", which is based on him and uses him as a perspective to criticize the **** and court luxury of France. [There are still a few chapters on the trip to Europe, which is the background of the world situation in the book, so it takes a little more pen and ink. Written in the 5th century B.C., the book "History" was written by Herodotus, who was hailed as the "father of history" by the Roman philosopher Cicero. Herodotus said in his book: "Oriental culture is the cradle of all culture and all wisdom." In the fourth volume of the book, he is even more

With rich imagination, China is positioned "beyond the north wind" thousands of miles away. Although such a few words can only vaguely outline the appearance of China, we can still see the respect of the ancient Greeks for China. Because in the religious beliefs of the Greeks, the "people beyond the north wind" were the people who were favored by the sun god Apollo.

The Roman geographer Pomponi Mera, in the first century AD, praised the integrity of the Chinese: "This is a very just people, they leave their goods in the wilderness, and the buyers come to pick up the goods when the seller is not there, and this way of doing business is famous." ”

The evaluation of China by the Greek historian Marcellin in the 4th century is more representative of the general understanding of China by Westerners at that time. He praised the richness of China's products: "The territory of the Seris country is vast, and the fertile plains are thousands of miles...... The products are also very rich, there are cereals, dried and fresh fruits, cattle, sheep and livestock, there is really everything, and the products are numerous and numerous. "The cities there are sparse, but they're larger, more productive, and densely populated." He praised the peace-loving nature of the Chinese: "The Seris people do not know how to conduct war and use weapons at all. The Seris people prefer to cultivate their bodies quietly, so they are the easiest neighbors to get along with. "In their place, the sky is clear, the moon is clear, the climate is mild and pleasant, and even if the wind blows, it is not a cold wind, but a gentle breeze." When I was younger, my imagination was never limited and I dreamed of changing the world.

When I matured, I realized that I couldn't change the world, so I shortened my horizons and decided to change only my country.

As I entered the twilight years, I realized that I could not change my country, and my last wish was just to change my family. However, this is also not possible.

As I lay in bed, dying, I suddenly realized: if I had only changed myself at first, and then as an example, I might have changed my family; With the help and encouragement of my family, I may be able to do something for the country.

And then who knows? I might even change the world.