Chapter 402: Heroes of the World (VI)
When the Spanish envoy Francis came to China again, the document showed the title of Marquis Francis. Huo Chong found it very interesting after reading it. This guy was climbing up the ladder too fast.
When the Marquis saw Huo Chong, he saluted in a proper manner. After all, a Marquis was nothing but dust in front of the emperor. Any disrespect would lead to a huge disaster. Unless the Marquis had the ability to overthrow the royal family.
After greeting Huo Chong, Marquis Francis said, "Your Majesty, I brought two cardinals with me this time."
Hearing this, Huo Chong understood what this guy wanted to do. He couldn't help but sneer and said, "Haha, kid, your father asked me to do missionary work in China. Do you know the result?"
"My father did. But these two are not here to preach."
"Shit. You didn't bring a priest from the Vatican with you, did you? Could it be that... the Pope also promised you the title of Duke in the future? Wait, is the Pope in France or the Vatican right now?"
Francis was shocked and quickly explained loudly, "Your Majesty, the Avignon Prisoner was in 1309. It is 400 years ago now."
"Oh. The Pope has returned to the Vatican." Huo Chong then confirmed the current situation.
Things were just as Huo Chong said, this was the will of the Pope. Francis didn't think so much at first. After obtaining the status of Marquis, Francis was already satisfied. He decided to do business well and live happily in Spain from then on.
However, the King of Spain thought that Francis had amazing diplomatic skills, so he took the Marquis Francis to the Vatican. The purpose of this trip was to spend some silver coins in exchange for the Pope's recognition of the King of Spain's sainthood.
According to Roman Catholic doctrine, Christian saints are people who have died and are now in heaven with Jesus Christ; they lived holy lives and had noble virtues while on earth and were canonized as saints by the church after their death. However, the King of Spain wants to become a living saint.
This request shocked the Vatican. Although it is not easy to become a saint after death, it is not impossible to negotiate.
Some religious sects even claim that all their members are sinless saints. Saints are mentioned many times in the Bible. The Bible calls all 144,000 disciples of Christ who are anointed by the Holy Spirit saints.
As long as the money is enough, and Spain is a staunch pillar of Catholicism, the chance of posthumous canonization is proportional to the amount of silver coins donated during life. The Vatican thinks that the approximate ratio can be 10,000 silver coins equal to 1% chance.
Becoming a saint during one's lifetime is another matter. A saint is not a person of the church, but a person of Christ. A living saint is a spokesperson for Christ on earth, and his appeal to the faithful is comparable to that of the Pope. Marquis Francis can still remember the faces of the cardinals of the Vatican who were distorted by their shock.
However, the Holy See is the Holy See after all. They did not reject it immediately. The cardinals held a closed-door meeting with the Pope, and then sent a cardinal with a serious face to inform the King of Spain. The king's loyalty to the Holy See is comparable to the sun and the moon, but there is still a necessary test before he can become a saint.
That is to have the Chinese emperor baptized. As long as this can be achieved, it will prove that the King of Spain has achievements worthy of canonization. Of course, the Vatican also believes that this is a difficult task. But only such hardship can prove that the King of Spain is truly blessed by God.
Although the Spanish state is a very pious person, he is not a simple fool. Even if the King of Spain is a fool, the majority of people in the Spanish court are not fools.
Everyone knew that this was a very high-sounding statement, and it was simply impeccable. If one could persuade the Chinese emperor to be baptized, not to mention the King of Spain, any believer could be canonized as a saint. So this was just a euphemism for the Vatican to refuse. At least that's what Marquis Francis thought.
However, Marquis Francis soon discovered that he, a minor noble, had underestimated the intrigues in the palace. Several nobles who were unhappy with Marquis Francis persuaded the King of Spain to send Marquis Francis to lead the bishops of the Vatican to persuade the Chinese Emperor Huo Chong to become a Christian brother.
The obvious impossibility was pushed onto Francis, with the excuse that Marquis Francis had a personal friendship with the Chinese emperor. If there was no special personal friendship, why would the Chinese emperor sign such an important trade agreement with Marquis Francis.
So the King of Spain, who wanted to become a saint, was really obsessed and gave orders to Marquis .
Huo Chong laughed out loud after hearing this. It had been a long time since he had heard such an interesting story. It was so interesting that Huo Chong wanted to capture the Pope and bring him to China, and find a place for him to live forever. All future Popes who will be canonized by the Chinese Ministry of Rites will live there until the earth dies or the Pope dies.
Seeing Huo Chong laughing like this, Marquis Francis laughed awkwardly and asked tentatively: "Does Your Majesty want to be baptized?"
"Bullshit!" Huo Chong cursed without thinking. After he finished speaking, he still felt unsatisfied, so he asked, "Have you read the scriptures?"
“Yes.”
"That's interesting. I don't believe in religion. But according to your scriptures, isn't everything that exists created by your God?"
"...Uh...Yes."
"That is to say, according to your doctrine. I don't believe in God, so I am the creation of your God. If I believed in God, it would go against reason, and it would mean the end of the world!"
"The end of the world? Really!" Marquis Francis' eyes suddenly lit up.
"Fuck." Huo Chong suddenly understood and mocked again: "I didn't expect you to have such confidence in your beliefs. Do you think you can definitely go to heaven in the judgment at the end of the world?"
"Haha." Marquis Francis showed a polite yet awkward smile, "Your Majesty, I have great confidence in my beliefs."
"It's good to have faith. Just stick to your faith and don't use it to anger others. Tell me, if I order you and the two cardinals to be killed right now, what will happen to your family?"
Seeing Huo Chong calmly saying such a terrible thing, Marquis Francis could no longer laugh, and his face had turned blue. It was unclear whether it was because of fear or anger. However, if the two emotions coexisted, fear would definitely occupy the majority.
Huo Chong was not happy to threaten others, that was too low. So he talked to Marquis Francis about the current situation in Europe. After recovering, Marquis Francis honestly told Huo Chong that after the War of the Polish Succession, the War of the Austrian Succession might start.
The current Austrian Emperor Charles VI has no sons, only daughters. The Kingdom of Prussia, the Kingdom of France, Spain, the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electorate of Saxony, the Republic of Genoa, the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Kingdom of Sicily, and the Kingdom of Naples all tend to refuse to recognize the inheritance rights of the current Austrian Emperor's daughter.
In contrast, the Archduchy of Austria and the Russian Empire, which had been defeated in the previous War for the Polish Succession, both supported Maria Theresa, the eldest daughter of Emperor Charles VI of Austria, to succeed her father.
Britain and the Dutch Republic, which had not been involved in the previous war, also joined Austria and Russia.
Almost all of Europe, except for , has been involved in this war. Marquis Francis believes that Russia joined in order to avenge the Polish war. Britain and the Netherlands joined in order to defeat France. Therefore, Spain has a great chance to show its extraordinary fighting power again this time.
Marquis Francis said cunningly: "Your Majesty, if this is the case, we may need to purchase another 10,000 muskets and 50 cannons."
"Fifty guns are not enough. At least two hundred. Spain is a peninsula. Do you have enough navy to reach the Dutch border? Once the French are defeated, they will turn around and run. They will return to their country immediately. If you turn around and run, what will be left? Even for defense, you need a large number of cannons."
Marquis Francis said in embarrassment: "But gunpowder..."
"Gunpowder is not a problem. How much do you want? We are willing to sell you as much as you need."
Although he had just become a marquis, Francis was not a fool. He also knew that if he returned without success this time, it would only affect his reputation. Although no one believed that Marquis Francis could persuade the Chinese emperor to be baptized, it was precisely because of this that these people had more room to plot against Marquis Francis. If he didn't want to be tossed around, he had to bring back some diplomatic achievements.
So Marquis Francis signed an agreement with Huo Chong, Huo Chong first paid for 3,000 muskets, 100 cannons, and a huge amount of granular gunpowder for Marquis Francis to take back. This fee will be deducted from the trade when the next Spanish fleet arrives.
With rich results, Marquis Francis happily set off on his journey home with the two cardinals.
Huo Chong stepped up his own layout. The Spanish bastards dared to humiliate people like this. We must let them know how powerful they are. It would be a good thing if the Chinese Navy could dominate the South China Sea again. At that time, Spain could ignore Luzon for the time being, at least let the Spanish fleet give help and attack southward.
This requires the navy to contribute. The navy gave a report at this time. After ten years of hard work, the iron-framed and wooden-hulled ships were finally able to build a 2,000-ton ship. The Spanish also provided a lot of advanced sailing technology. Combined with the paddle wheel technology of the Chinese army, the maneuverability is theoretically reliable.
Huo Chong heard the uneasiness of these young comrades and ordered: "Then go to Japan for a visit."
"How many ships, Your Majesty?"
"Capital ships, send them all."
"Your Majesty! This is seen as intimidation in Japan!" The young comrades were shocked.
"We are on a diplomatic mission, not a war. Who are we trying to intimidate? If I were to visit your home and bring my guards with me, would you think I am intimidating you?"
This was reasonable, but the soldiers still felt it was not right. However, since Huo Chong had given the order, they could not refuse. Fortunately, someone came up with an idea and asked the now retired Shangshu Feng Yukuan to lead the team.
When Feng Yukuan retired, he was the head of foreign trade, but his official position was not high. Huo Chong established the court and clarified the system. The retired old brothers all received a new rating. Since he was the head of foreign trade, Feng Yukuan was naturally a retired minister.
Although it is still strange that a retired minister is escorted by a large number of warships, it is not unreasonable.
Hearing that he was going to lead the fleet to Japan, the old minister Feng Yukuan agreed immediately. Since his retirement, Feng Yukuan has lived a leisurely life in Jinan City. He has gained weight. The old man slapped his thighs to show that he had long wanted to see the big ship. The fat on his legs, stomach, and face was shaking. His impatient mood was evident.
The escort fleet finally consisted of ten ships, ranging in tonnage from 1,500 to 2,000 tons, all of which were main fleets.
After setting out to sea, the fleet soon discovered that their ship-handling skills were still not good enough. This was the first time that ten large ships set out in a battle formation, let alone fighting. Just sailing in battle mode and letting the ten ships form a precise battle line was beyond the fleet's command capabilities.
Everyone knows that the densely packed sails are to provide various wind forces as power. However, the densely packed sails themselves mean that after different sails are adjusted, they can provide a certain degree of power. As long as the entire fleet can accurately control the size of the wind force obtained, the fleet can be arranged in a neat battle line.
The Spanish fleet traveled to and fro in the offshore waters of China, and one could always see their fleet forming a very beautiful line. The Chinese Navy was very envious. Seeing the tortuous battle line of the Chinese fleet, everyone had to admit with dismay that although Spain was a small country, its hundreds of years of experience in navigation was by no means a silver plating. The commander on the flagship was so angry that he started to curse. The head of the Ministry of Rites branch was better, and proposed to strengthen training.
Listening to the branch chief and the commander arguing about what kind of training to do, Feng Yukuan felt like he was watching children bickering. In fact, Feng Yukuan's grandson was the same age as these kids, and they were also easily provoked.
After listening for a while, Feng Yukuan felt that although he could understand the nouns, he could not understand what these people were struggling about. He simply walked out of the cabin and went up to the deck. Facing the sea breeze, Feng Yukuan was very happy. Since he was a young man sailing on a ship, he never thought that one day he would be able to go to Japan as a minister.
The ups and downs of life are really surprising, as if there is an invisible hand manipulating the world, pulling people to the top and throwing them into the abyss. Between ups and downs, this life passes by.
"Brother Huo, I hope you live a long life. My descendants are still depending on you." Feng Yukuan murmured, his thoughts falling on his family still in Shandong.
In a small village in Shandong, villagers who had finished harvesting sat in the yard. A man who looked very impressive stood in front of everyone and said loudly: "The emperor has held a blessing planting event. Many people benefited, but have you ever thought about it? If the emperor is gone, these blessings will go to heaven with the emperor. What should we do then?"
When the people heard this, their faces changed slightly. Someone quickly said, "The emperor has passed away, but there is still a prince."
"We signed a blessing agreement with the emperor. Over the years, the emperor has been able to summon the wind and rain and turn beans into soldiers. Although the prince is the emperor's flesh and blood, the queen is a mortal, and he does not have the emperor's ability."
In Jiangnan, the great immortals from Lingai's sect first led their followers to recite some scriptures from the True Emptiness Home of the Mother of No Birth, then sat cross-legged and began to preach.
"The world will surely fall into darkness. Then the Holy Mother of White Lotus will be born to save all living beings from the darkness. Now that Huo Chong is born, everyone has gained a huge benefit. We used to not have enough to eat, but now we have something to eat. We used to be sick every day, but now we rely on the medicine donated by Huo Chong, and many diseases are cured. This life seems good, but have you ever thought about it? What will happen once Huo Chong dies?"
The White Lotus believers all looked nervous. The words of the local leader hit upon what everyone was most worried about. Such a sudden good day was too abnormal, as if it was some kind of grace from the gods. Since it was the grace of the gods, once the gods took back the grace, what would everyone do after losing these few days of good days that they had worked so hard to get?
"Huo Chong is the eldest brother of the Tianli Sect, from the Baji Sect. He is also a descendant of the White Lotus Sect. He used the secret magic of the White Lotus Sect to change his fate. Once he dies, darkness will surely fall. We believers must be prepared. Once Huo Chong dies, we must immediately revolt!"
"My Lord. Since Huo Chong is a member of our White Lotus Sect, why did we revolt after his death?"
This question expressed the thoughts of the believers present; no one really understood why they had to do this.
"When it's about to get dark, isn't the glow of the sunset the most dazzling?" asked the Lord.
The believers thought about it and felt that it made sense. At that time, they could even look directly at the sun, but they were often dazzled by the glow of the sunset and had to squint their eyes.
"Huo Chong is this glow. When the glow fades, the sky will be dark. Once Huo Chong dies, the world will surely fall into a dark world. If Mother Wu Wu Sheng does not save us, we will all die. At that time, we revolted not to rule the world, but to raise the flag of our White Lotus Sect so that Mother Wu Sheng, who came to the world, could know where we are. Otherwise, we will die without a burial place."
The leaders of the Fujian Guandao sect wore Liuhe Taoist robes and cloud shoes. They talked about the Taoist's help to Huo Chong, and Master Changxin was mentioned repeatedly, as if Huo Chong's victory was the result of Master Changxin's spells and incantations.
"Master Changdao is already old, so Huo Chong cannot exterminate the Qing demons. Once Master Changdao dies, the world will surely change drastically. At that time, we will raise an army, wipe out the demons, and restore the human world."
The leader here was talking excitedly, and some of the believers below secretly stood up and slipped out. When they got outside, the believers quickened their pace and set off along the path, running to a place. There were already two companies of Chinese troops here, and the comrade quickly said: "As said, they are inciting rebellion."
The comrade from the county armed forces department who led the team heard the evidence and ordered the troops to go and arrest them. However, these sects were not fools and they also arranged people to be on guard. When they saw the Huaxia army coming, they immediately sounded the alarm.
When the crowd learned that the government troops were coming, they immediately fled. The locals were familiar with the roads and were used to walking on mountain roads. Although the Chinese army moved quickly, most of the people still escaped. The leaders even fled without a trace.
The news was gathered in various provinces like snowflakes, and then passed to the capital. The Ministry of Rites had already formed a permanent institution at this time, and all the cabinet members were from the Ministry of Rites. Seeing this news, the cabinet members were anxious and angry.
Before temporarily turning to internal affairs, the Chinese army swept all over the place, and these things were just scum. They were not taken seriously at all. Why did the Qing Dynasty not dare to launch a decisive battle, but these scum jumped up instead? According to the results of a large number of confessions, these people seemed to be summoned by something, and all began to prepare for rebellion.
The cabinet discussed for a long time but could not find the connection. Could it be that the Qing Dynasty sent a large number of people to infiltrate and incite these various sects, parties, and religious sects to rebel?
This view seems very reasonable. However, Gao Pang still raised an objection. In the past, the Qing Dynasty fought against these forces in full swing and suppressed them without mercy. If you say that others are making trouble, it is easy to say. How come even the Tianli Sect, which was massacred by the Qing Dynasty, is going to rebel.
If the Qing Dynasty really had such ability, they would not have lost so badly. When the Chinese court was fighting against the Qing Dynasty, these guys would have stood up against the Chinese court and would have made the Chinese army pay a heavy price.
Since no conclusion could be reached through discussion, the matter was submitted to Huo Chong according to custom.
Just like before, Huo Chong was not panicked at all after reading it. He even said with some sudden enlightenment: "So this is the reason for eliminating the reactionary secret societies."
The cabinet members didn't understand what the boss had figured out, but they were not in a hurry. If the boss Huo Chong could figure it out, then everyone could understand it. Unlike those feudal monarchs, Huo Chong never kept his secrets, especially on these major events. If the comrades didn't understand, Huo Chong would force them to figure it out through study, lectures, and reports.
"Those people didn't move before. It's not that they didn't move, but we didn't build the organization to the grassroots. Although this description is not appropriate, it also has a bit of the meaning of keeping out of one's own way."
After hearing Huo Chong's analysis, the cabinet members felt that their thoughts were connected immediately. The seemingly incomprehensible alliance from the south to the east and west was now somewhat understandable. Without exception, the Chinese court sent work teams to these places to establish grassroots organizations and political powers.
But some people still didn't believe it. "Your Majesty, are you saying that we disturbed those secret societies? So they are going to rebel! Are they so bold?"
Huo Chong smiled but couldn't help coughing twice. "Who among us hasn't boasted when we were young? The reason for boasting is that we have seen some cause and effect logic, but we don't understand them. For example, rebellion can lead to the rule of the world. This is what just happened. This is what those people can understand. But they just can't understand how to do it. Therefore, in order to fight back against the control they are losing over the people, of course they have to find a method that seems to be the most effective way to solve the problem. In recent years, with the construction of the grassroots, conflicts have already existed. Those feudal secret societies have actually been retreating, probably to the point where they can't retreat any further. If they retreat any further, the people will all follow us. No, what I said is not accurate enough. It is that the vast majority of the people will follow us."
Listening to Huo Chong describing what happened in the most accurate terms possible, the cabinet members were unable to refute it. In everyone's opinion, it was the secret societies that were about to rebel. But in Huo Chong's view, this was just a backlash caused by the execution of the court's policies.
It was Lei Hu who broke the silence. The chief of staff asked, "It would take a lot of effort to wipe them out, and it might give the Qing Dynasty an opportunity to take advantage. Who should we attack first?"
"Feudal secret societies. There is nothing much to say about the feudal nature of secret societies, they are extremely reactionary. The feudal system is what we must oppose and destroy. Comparing them with the Qing Dynasty, they are at least the same." Huo Chong replied.
The cabinet members thought about it and felt that this was indeed the case. Lei Hu's eyes were already filled with murderous intent, "Your Majesty, do you think that the Qing Dynasty is easier than these secret societies?"
"No. In my opinion, the people are our foundation. The purpose of the Manchus is to fight for power, and the feudal secret societies are really fighting with us for the masses. These people are more dangerous."
At this point, the cabinet members understood what Huo Chong meant. After a brief discussion, they felt that they had to take action. After all, these people were already prepared to rebel. Once the Qing Dynasty attacked, they would definitely cause trouble. Rather than being passive at that time, it was better to take the initiative now.
Half a year later, Hong Zhou finally got the news that the Huaxia army was conquering various sects everywhere. The battle was in full swing in the entire area ruled by the Huaxia court.
The Manchu minister who reported this to Hong Zhou was delighted, "Master, it's time to send troops. I and others have already found out that the enemy troops have been scattered and Kaifeng has almost no defenders. If you send troops now, I am willing to lead them."
Hong Zhou certainly hoped that this was true. However, thinking of Huo Chong's previous military operations, Hong Zhou lost his courage. After all, more than a decade ago, General Nian Gengyao, who was executed by Hong Zhou's father, Yongzheng, commented on Huo Chong as "elegant in military operations and solid in combat."
This evaluation has been repeatedly proven over the past decade. Too many people in the court have lamented that if Nian Gengyao had not died, Huo Chong would never have been in the current situation.
So seeing Huo Chong's men dispersed was a perfect opportunity. But what if I made a mistake?
However, Hong Zhou did not hesitate. In the past few years, Hong Zhou understood that the current situation of the Qing Dynasty was the limit of what he could do after exhausting all his wisdom. In another ten years, it would not be much better than it is now. But the sect was being annihilated. After the sect was wiped out by Huo Chong, Huo Chong would have nothing else to do.
"Prepare to send troops." Hong Zhou gave the order.
