Ricci had been in China for more than ten years. At first, he settled in Macau, then he went to Guangdong, stayed in Guangzhou for a while, and then moved to Zhaoqing. He lived in Zhaoqing for six years, during which he completely mastered the daily conversation and writing of Chinese. He established the first missionary base, and also spread the knowledge of western mathematics, science, astronomy, and geography to the local scholars. He opened up his network of contacts and let the Daming scholars come into contact with the whole world for the first time.
Later, he went to Shaozhou and established the second missionary base in Shaozhou. Here, he began to explore the mysteries of Chinese society, and opened up the situation by taking advantage of the scholars' curiosity about the western world. He also got Qu Taisu as a friend and disciple. With Qu Taisu's introduction, Ricci entered the circle of scholars and began to communicate with Chinese people extensively. He also began to grow his hair and beard, spread the Confucian clothes, abandoned the monk clothes, and further integrated into China.
During this period, he used the globes and glassware he made, the world map, and the Western-style clock, which interested the scholars in Chinese very much. Thus, Ricci became famous and was called the "Western Confucian". However, just like what he had encountered before, there were very few people who were really interested in Catholicism. Most scholars were only interested in the western science, astronomy, and geography that he introduced, and tried to ask him for advice.
After experiencing the failure of missionary work, Ricci knew that if he wanted to make Chinese people believe in Catholicism, he could not come directly. They had their own beliefs and beliefs, which were not so easy to replace. Moreover, Chinese people did not care about religious authority. They were a secular country, and no religion could challenge the secular power of China and control the political power of China. Chinese society would not accept this. After understanding this, he used science as a means to spread the doctrine of Catholicism. He also used concepts such as the Jade Emperor to replace the original doctrine, trying to make Chinese people accept it.
When Xiao Ruxun saw Ricci, Ricci, accompanied by Qu Taisu, was wearing a Confucian costume, a Confucian crown, a long beard, and cloth shoes. He was polite and kind. If it were not for the different color of his hair and eyes, he would really be a traditional Confucian of China, not a Western missionary.
In order to meet Xiao Ruxun and please Xiao Ruxun, he had originally planned to give him the globes and glassware, but Qu Taisu told him that Xiao Ruxun was a general, so he might prefer firearms or Western swords. This was also part of Chinese culture. Therefore, Ricci was impressed by the richness of Chinese culture and prepared weapons such as pistols, muskets, and Western swords.
After seeing Xiao Ruxun, without saying anything, he first presented the gifts. When Xiao Ruxun saw the gifts, his eyes immediately lit up.
Forget about the pistols, Xiao Ruxun was not interested in the Western swords. What really interested him was the long spear. That was the unfinished flintlock that Xiao Ruxun was working on!
At this time, the flintlock should not be able to completely replace the matchlock. The technology was still not very proficient and was even rejected by the military officers. But now that he had the technology, Xiao Ruxun was very happy. As long as the technology was settled and replicated, then he would naturally have a way to continue to advance.
Overjoyed, Xiao Ruxun received Ricci and Qu Taisu and chatted with them in a cordial and friendly manner.
"Mr. Ricci has been coming to Daming for a long time. I have often heard Mr.'s name in this area of Guangdong. I have long heard of your name. Seeing you today, Mr. really has an extraordinary bearing."
Xiao Ruxun personally poured a cup of tea for Ricci. Ricci quickly stood up and used perfect China etiquette to respond to Xiao Ruxun's politeness.
"I dare not, I dare not. This old man is just asked to pay a visit to the general. The general is young and promising. Your name is like thunder in my ears. This old man even heard the news that the general had won a big battle in Guangdong."
Ricci carefully looked at the young General Daming. This general was said to have defeated 200,000 Japanese troops. With only 40,000 people under his command, he had torn a country apart. Now he appeared here to fight another war, not to be a goodwill envoy. Such a great reputation made the Spaniards far away in the Philippines very uneasy. So they found him through their connections in Macau. They wanted him to pay a visit to this general and ask his intentions.
Qu Taisu said that most of the generals in Daming were not polite and friendly. They were not friendly to the scholars either. But especially a great general like Xiao Ruxun who was conferred a title of nobility by military merit, in recent years in Daming was even more rare. So his temper must not be small. He did not put on airs and wait for Xiao Ruxun to pay a visit to him. Instead, he came in person. He knew the attitude of the scholars in this area towards this famous general.
However, when she really saw this general, she found that this general was unusually gentle and polite. He was wearing ordinary clothes instead of a military uniform. His face was handsome, his body was tall and straight, his face was fair without any facial hair, and his manner was refined. Even Qu Tai Su was surprised, feeling that she was facing a young scholar, not a murderous general who had killed two hundred thousand enemies.
Xiao Ruxun walked to Qu Taisu's side and also poured a cup of tea for him. Qu Taisu quickly thanked him.
"Hahaha, what great victory? It's only because of His Majesty the Emperor's prestige. On the other hand, Mr. Ricci and Mr. Qu, who asked you to come to me with such a gift? What's the important matter? "
Xiao Ruxun sat back in his seat and looked at the two with a smile.
Ricci was obviously very familiar with the current social rhetoric in China. He cupped his hands and said, "To tell you the truth, this old man was entrusted by the Franco governor of Macau to ask the general the purpose of bringing such a large army to Southeast Asia."
Xiao Ruxun picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and said with a smile, "Purpose? The purpose is a military secret. How can it be leaked? But the Franco people in Macau are not doing business and fighting pirates. Why do they care about my purpose? "
Ricci hurriedly said, "The general may not know, but the Franco people in Macau are now under the jurisdiction of the Franco people in Luzon. When the Franco people in Luzon saw such a large fleet coming, they were a little worried and afraid. They don't know why the general is here."
Xiao Ruxun understood that the news of him leading the army south had reached the ears of the Spaniards in the Philippines. These guys were worried that he was attacking Burma on the surface, but in fact, he was attacking the Philippines. Seeing that his fleet was too large, they didn't have the confidence to win, so they asked someone to inquire about his purpose and try to avoid war as much as possible.
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