Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1123 Control
"Qing Wei has been working for the country for a long time. Although it is a pity that he has returned from his official career, to a certain extent, it is also a happy event."

Zhu Yixi smiled and sighed: "I have been away from home for decades, my local accent has not changed and my hair on my temples has faded, but how many relatives and friends are there?"

These words made Wei Kuangguo, who had been Han Chinese for many years, burst into tears: "I have regarded Ming Dynasty as my second hometown. The day of departure is approaching, and I feel scared and uncomfortable, like a lamb leaving its ewe..."

"I understand your feelings!"

Zhu Yixi nodded.

Perhaps Rome would be in decay, but missionaries who dare to travel thousands of miles away to preach must be the elite of the church.

Without some enthusiasm and ability, it is difficult to continue.

For example, if he were asked to go to Europe now and instead of eating rice and stir-fried vegetables, he would eat bread, stews, baked apples, etc., he wouldn't be able to bear it for three days.

"Come here, I will reward Qing Wei with fifty pieces of Su satin, two handles of Ruyi jade, thirty golden melon seeds, one hundred silver beans, and a pair of the four treasures of the study."

Zhu Yixi said casually: "In addition, add a thousand pounds of rock sugar!"

"Yes!"

Such a generous reward, worth as much as ten thousand silver dollars, moved Wei Kuangguo so much that his eyes turned red for a while.

However, this courtesy highlighted the emperor's importance.

For the Eastern Diocese, Zhu Yixi adopted a completely bureaucratic governance, that is, yamenization.

The Archbishop and the Vice-Archbishop both hold second-grade titles and receive the same treatment, which can be described as grand.

Each major diocese has a bishop, and the Ming diocese is concurrently held by a deputy archbishop. The rest, such as Korea, Qin, Qi, etc., all have the fourth rank.

The remaining ecclesiastical ranks, from lowest to highest, include priests at the seventh rank, bishops at the sixth rank, assistant bishops at the fifth rank, and diocesan bishops at the fourth rank.

Just like the officialdom, it was organized from top to bottom and managed vertically. The court would award part of the salary according to rank, but it was very small.

For example, the lowest priest only has ten silver coins a year, and only ten more coins are added to each level.

When he reached the rank of diocesan bishop, his rank rose sharply and became equal to that of an official.

The imperial court spent tens of thousands of silver coins on the church every year.

It was precisely because of his dependence on the court's money and food that he had to submit to the imperial power.

What is faith?
Money is the key.

After all, in the Ming Dynasty, the church was not allowed to collect tithes, and it had no land or fiefs, let alone any atonement scrolls, so it had to rely on the court.

As a result, with the support of Wei Kuangguo, Zhu Yixi's erosion of the Eastern Diocese was increasing day by day, and his control was greatly increased.

For example, he knew that the number of priests with religious ranks in the diocese had now increased to more than [-].

So he didn't care much about the choice of archbishop.

He looked at Nan Huairen, who had a slim face and a long beard and a serious face, and became curious.

"How many years has Nanqing's family been in the Ming Dynasty?"

Nan Huairen now serves as the deputy bishop of the Daming Diocese, and Daming is the center of the Eastern Diocese, so he is the most powerful person in the church.

"I have been here from the 12th year of Shaowu to the Ming Dynasty, and then to Beijing via Taiwan. It has been 11 years."

Nan Huairen's hair is sparse, but he is in good spirits. There are not that many wrinkles on his face. He looks like he is only in his fifties.

The Mandarin used in conversation is so authentic that it can put most people in the Ming Dynasty to shame.

Shaowu 12 years...

Zhu Yixi murmured, this was the age when the first chief minister Zhao Shu became official, and ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

It was also during this decade that Yan Chongxin, Zhu Mou, and Du Yinxi came to power.

time flies.

"Time flies and passes in the blink of an eye."

For now, the emperor doesn't have any bad feelings towards him.

In order to increase the emperor's favor for Nan Huairen, Wei Kuangguo couldn't help but said:

"Your Majesty, in recent years, Nan Huairen has designed and manufactured instruments such as the ecliptic theodolite, the equatorial theodolite, the horizon theodolite, the chronometer and the celestial instrument for the purpose of Ming Dynasty's astronomy."

"He even wrote the book "European Astronomy", which fully describes the development of astronomy in Europe over the past hundred years. Our Ming Dynasty has been working hard to advance, and it is already very different from it."

"Really?" Zhu Yixi was a little surprised. She didn't expect that he was an astronomer.

Nan Huairen was not very modest at this time, but continued: "I have recently prepared to compile and draw a topography of Europe, which is more detailed than the Map of Kunyu and Ten Thousand Kingdoms, so that your majesty can better understand Europe and make plans... …”

"Very good!" Speaking of the map, this immediately scratched the emperor's itch.

In the early years of Shaowu, the emperor's favorite thing to do was to open up territories through maps. Whether it was dealing with the Manchu Qing Dynasty or the Mongolian tribes in the desert, maps played a huge role.

Because I was not used to the Ming-style pattern of up-south and down-north, I made changes and at the same time refined it nationwide.

Of course, this is far inferior to the satellite maps of later generations.

But at this time, the map of Daming Kun had been drawn to the county level, and a large number of lakes, deserts, fortresses, checkpoints, and garrisons, and even river flows and mountains were marked.

When he had this map, Zhu Yixi felt that at least the future emperor would at least understand the relationship between Gansu and Anxi.

and the size and vigilance of the Mongol forces.

Now that there will be another map of Europe, Zhu Yixi is extremely happy. You know yourself and your enemy!
"The virtues and abilities of the Qing family are sufficient for this position." Zhu Yixi nodded, then turned his attention to Wei Kuangguo:
"When your family returns to Rome, you can say a few nice words to the Holy See!"

"I should work hard!" Wei Kuangguo lowered his head and said a cold joke:
"As long as you don't miss the annual offerings, I won't be too serious about coming to Rome."

Zhu Yixi couldn't help but laugh.

When the Oriental Diocese was first established, as part of the compromise, the diocese had to pay a tribute of three thousand silver coins to Rome every year, which was considered a kind of appeasement and bribe.

But it can be seen that even after religious wars and the rise of Protestantism, Rome still fell. The specific difference was that it no longer sold indulgences.

Zhu Yixi chatted with the two about religious matters.

The Catholic missionary effort in the major vassal states is not without its efforts, but so far, only Qin, Qi, and Wei have made significant progress.

Likewise, Zhu Yixi did not delegate the power of appointment and dismissal of archbishops to each vassal state, but in the hands of the central court.

Although he did not want the court to stretch its hands too wide so as not to affect the development of the major vassal states, he also did not want the vassal states to break away from the Ming Dynasty too much.

Not to mention the rights to appoint and remove the crown prince, the throne, and the princess, the annual tributes from various countries are also constantly changing.

Qin's grain and Qi's gold and silver, although not in large quantities, are symbols of obedience.

And through the appointment and dismissal power of the church bishop, it is also a moderate influence.

"Your Majesty, North Korea and Japan are quite hostile to our religion. Although the country's gate is open, the gaps between them can only be seen but not entered..."

When talking about the vassal state, Wei Kuangguo was full of complaints.

Japan still maintains an attitude of exterminating religious believers, so that tens of thousands of Japanese believers are fleeing in Luzon, Nanyang and other places, which can be described as miserable.

North Korea is more conservative. Although it does not reject priests who abide by Matteo Ricci's rules, it prohibits them from preaching.

These two countries combined have tens of millions of people, but they are second only to the Ming Dynasty.

As for other vassal states, they are simply incomparable.

"Sincerity leads to gold and stone. If you think about it and persevere, it will definitely be accepted." Zhu Yixi did not continue the conversation.

If the Jesuits wanted him, the emperor, to establish the country with an imperial edict, it would be a dream.

Treating him as a spearman would only damage the emperor's prestige.

As an emperor, he should not interfere too much in the internal affairs of vassal countries.

During the 300 years of the Ming Dynasty, North Korea went through many coups, fought against each other, and had little respect for the patriarchal system, but in the end it still held its nose and accepted it.

Without it, Daming would just stand on the side of the winner, and there is no need to do thankless things.

After meeting for about two quarters of an hour, the two of them left.

After leaving the palace, the two got into the carriage.

"I think in a few days, His Majesty will move to Yuquan Mountain to escape the summer heat again!"

Wei Kuangguo looked back at the Forbidden City, his eyes full of nostalgia.

It was the last he saw.

"Yes!" Nan Huairen sighed: "Like migratory birds, Ming Dynasty has two power centers."

Wei Kuangguo calmed down and said seriously:

"After me, you will be the archbishop, and the deputy bishop is a Han Chinese. You must remember not to care too much about power. The tighter you hold on, the easier it will be to lose it."

"Now there are more than [-] priests in the diocese, and the proportion of Han people has reached [-]%."

"Instead of doing the right thing, you will not end well. Instead, you will force the Han people to side with you, which will be detrimental to you."

Nan Huairen nodded in agreement and said seriously: "In my opinion, in the entire East, as long as you curry favor with the Ming Emperor, there is no need to snatch power or anything else, it will come naturally to you."

"So fighting for power is a bad idea!"

"Hahaha, as long as you understand, your more than ten years in Ming Dynasty have not been in vain." Wei Kuangguo smiled happily.

The successor is wise and will be very beneficial to the church.

Nan Huairen was actually quite uneasy in his heart.

His lips were slightly open, wanting to say something but unable to.

Wei Kuangguo noticed his doubts and asked directly: "Is there any problem?"

"Your Excellency!" Nan Huairen whispered: "I am very puzzled. The emperor's influence on the diocese is increasing day by day. Even if I serve as the archbishop, there is no way to change it..."

"If this continues, the diocese may become independent of the church."

"This is an inevitable result." Wei Kuangguo smiled and said decisively:

"The release of Matteo Ricci's rules was originally a transition, but the Ming Dynasty was indeed different. This transitional thing will inevitably become a constraint and even change."

"But what does that have to do with us?"

"It is not easy to preach in a place full of pagans and spread the glory of the Lord. To ask for too much is counterproductive. Now this is not bad!"

Seeing Nan Huairen's face full of disbelief, Wei Kuangguo approached him, their beards almost tangled together, and his lips moved:
"As long as the influence of the Jesuits in the East remains unchanged..."

A glimmer of understanding flashed in Nan Huairen's eyes.

……

In the following days, the weather got hotter and hotter, and only then did Zhu Yixi receive information about the situation in the grassland.

Mobei, Suiyuan, and Beihai, the three parties worked together and dispatched troops nearly [-] times. Finally, the rebels were wiped out and tens of thousands of people were captured.

It can be said that the Zasak Tuhan tribe is already a ripe fruit, ready to be picked at any time.

The cabinet had already made plans for this, so it was natural to arrange the establishment of Liang State as a barrier.

Since Beihai and Mobei currently use too much manpower and material resources, the Ministry of Revenue had to allocate one million yuan to build a capital for the Liang Kingdom.

At the same time, in order to reward the heroes, several hundred thousand yuan had to be spent.

What is irritating is that the tribe of Zasak Tuhan was completely plundered by the Manchus, and the spoils were almost nothing. This war resulted in a total loss.

If you include manpower and material resources, it is conservatively estimated that the loss is over two million.

Everyone in the cabinet who knew the details were shocked.

At the same time, they are frightened by the huge cost of counterinsurgency.

Good guy, in such a vast territory of Monan and Mobei, if there is a rebellion every now and then, the imperial court's abundant warehouses will probably be in losses soon.

This scene is horrifying to think about.

Therefore, not to mention the generals, the civil servants had made up their minds not to expand the territory any further.

Even if the territory is opened in the future, a vassal state must be established, and a one-time investment is enough to avoid being hindered later.

Not only them, Zhu Yixi herself was also shocked.

The White Disaster and the suppression of the rebellion consumed all the money, food and supplies left over from the previous pacification of Beihai.

If we make another trip like this, we will have to search the North Sea and transport food all the way from the mainland.

Good guy, the cost of counterinsurgency is three to five times that of the mainland. No matter how rich the court is, it can't afford it.

"I'm afraid, this is also the reason why the territories conquered by successive dynasties cannot be separated for a long time."

It was only then that Zhu Yixi really made up her mind and refused to open the map.

At this time, Princess Guangping and the Crown Prince of Myanmar, who had spent their honeymoon in Beijing, finally proposed their return trip.

To his relief, the emperor graciously agreed and sent a large number of books.

After learning that Myanmar also believed in Buddhism, the emperor even recruited 300 Chinese Buddhist monks to return together to carry out the great missionary work.

Feeling the emperor's sincerity and love, Sun Zhenghao was not very enthusiastic about returning for a while.

After all, no matter how good Xinjing is, in terms of Ming Dynasty, it is just the prosperity of the county. Beijing is the first-class city in the world, which makes people linger.

However, Sun Zhenghao had perseverance and was also a qualified politician. He resolutely embarked on his return journey:
No matter how prosperous or beautiful the city of Beijing is, it does not belong to him.

The new capital is his foundation.

Of course, what urged him to move forward was Sun Kewang's deteriorating health.

After years of hard work in suppressing Burma, Sun Kewang was losing weight day by day.

If he doesn't go back in time, the throne may be in trouble.

There were only a few hundred people when they came, but there were thousands of people when they returned.

Sun Zhenghao looked at the powerful navy of the Bohai Sea Navy and was a little confused for a moment: "When will Myanmar have such a majestic navy?"

"Is there a shipwright on the way back?"

He couldn't help turning his head and asked.

"It should be reported back to the crown prince."

(End of this chapter)