Compared to the Holy See, France was definitely a good partner. After the Nantes Act, France was one of the few countries on the European continent that forgave the Huguenots. With more than 90% of the people being Catholics, France could still tolerate the existence of a minority of pagans. It was indeed very lenient.
There were still decades before Louis XIV abolished the Nantes Act. Now, France was definitely a thorn in the side of the Holy See. It was also tit-for-tat with the current hegemon of Europe, Spain. Neither could stand the other.
Xiao Ruxun would not allow his forces to mix with the Holy See. Even after the expulsion of the Spanish forces, the next step would be to expel the missionaries of the Holy See. He was ready to shed all pretense of cordiality with the Holy See, but now was not the time.
He needed to let his business forces gain a foothold on the European continent, get a more stable source of capital, and find a new way for the people to go out to sea.
China was a typical inland country. Since ancient times, people had been digging for food in the fields. However, it had to be said that the agricultural environment in China was not very good. Once the area north of the Huai River encountered a little ice age, there would be a drought. In the era of no potatoes, the people north of the Yellow River would suffer a disaster. The Chinese civilization, which was supported by agriculture, would also encounter a crisis. Throughout the era of dynasties, China had fallen into a strange cycle.
In the current situation, the only way to break this strange cycle was to go out.
When the Myanmar model stimulated the entire inland of China, people would be surprised to find that this land, which they had never paid attention to, was actually a real land full of gold. The endless sea was one of the indispensable materials that maintained the lifeline of the nation.
The sea contained inexhaustible treasures, waiting for human beings to discover and use them.
Accompanied by Ricci, the Cardinal of the Holy See first visited Yangon, then went along the straight and wide official road to Bogu. Along the way, he saw the land on both sides of the road, the hard-working farmers, and the merchants pulling carts back and forth between the two places. He was very emotional.
"According to what you said, this land was still a barren land three years ago. In just three years, the Chinese general developed it to this point? More than a million people and hundreds of thousands of merchants came here to do business and live? "
The Cardinal Bishop asked Ricci in shock.
Ricci nodded. "I have never seen such a large population in China. In my hometown, a city with a population of 100,000 is considered a huge city. But in China, a small county has a population of more than 100,000. There are even several cities with a population of millions. When I first entered China's cities, I was really shocked by the number of people. Even in Myanmar, the city you see in Yangon has a population of 200,000!"
"There are so many people in China. It would be great if all of them believed in God!"
The cardinal couldn't help but fantasize about that scene.
Ricci looked at his yearning face and couldn't help but say, "Bishop, I have to remind you that the people of China have their own beliefs and beliefs. They are very civilized, and there are many people who know how to read and write. Their beliefs are very tenacious, tenacious to the point of stubbornness. They don't accept God so easily. I have tried many methods, but I have not been able to persuade their officials to accept God."
The cardinal couldn't help but frown. "Even if their officials don't accept it, they still have the commoners at the bottom. It shouldn't be too difficult for those commoners to accept God, right?"
In Europe, the development of Catholicism was very smooth. Those illiterate people were easily fooled. Therefore, he couldn't imagine why the people of China stubbornly rejected God.
"The people of China, from the officials to the commoners, all have their own beliefs. They often worship God and their ancestors. They respect their ancestors very much, to the extent that they respect God. As for God, it is their belief. Their emperor calls himself the Son of Heaven and represents God to rule China. God and their ancestors are the greatest beliefs of the people of China."
Ricci explained a little.
"If that's the case, why don't they believe in God? Isn't God the master of Heaven? Their emperor is the son of Heaven. How can they not believe in God? "
Ricci hesitated for a moment and said, "To be precise, they don't believe in us. The people of China are very humble, but also very proud. They believe in the beliefs passed down by their ancestors and have a very firm belief in them. They think that their own civilization is the best, and they don't care about other civilizations at all."
"Us too?"
The cardinal was very surprised.
"Yes."
Ricci couldn't hide it from him.
In this case, the cardinal couldn't accept it very well. As someone who was widely respected throughout Europe, he was actually discriminated against in China! It turned out that this was the reason why the people of China stubbornly refused to accept God. It was because they looked down on the missionaries.
"The people of China are discriminating against us?"
"Although it's not exactly like that, it's really close."
Matteo Ricci told the truth.
"This …"
The cardinal was very angry, but he remembered the prosperity and cleanliness of Yangon, the people on the streets, the countless ships in the port, the exquisite Chinese porcelain and silk, the tea leaves, and even the iron pot. Those were all things of China, products of their civilization. All of these products were sought after in Europe, which was enough to prove the superiority of China's civilization.
Now, China's language and food were also a craze in Europe. Before he came here, the nobles in Genoa had already started to hold banquets about China and used China's brushes and cutlery as an honor. They thought that using Chinese brushes to write and Chinese chopsticks to eat was a symbol of nobility. This kind of understanding was quickly spreading among the nobles in Europe.
A great noble lord offered to buy the China calligraphy that Chen Longzheng had given to the governor of Genoa with gold and silver, but the governor of Genoa refused. Another noble lord offered to exchange part of his land with the governor of Genoa for the calligraphy, but the governor still refused, saying that he would definitely not sell it. He would even leave the calligraphy for his descendants.
The nobles were so fond of Chinese culture that it was believed that it would not be long before this craze would spread to other regions. Not only would it spread among the nobles, but it would also spread among the commoners. China's self-contained advanced civilization would become the symbol of civilization in Europe.
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