Chapter 456: Ambassador to Britain, Liao King Departs
4337 (1640 AD), March 12th.
The imperial meeting in Qianqing Palace concluded military and state affairs.
Emperor Su He asked Prime Minister Wang Zhongce: "The British mission is about to return home.
In accordance with the treaty concluded, we will send an ambassador to the UK and establish an embassy in London.
As the candidate for the ambassador to the UK, I think Chu Sheng, a member of the Ministry of Rites and Rites, is more suitable. Is there a better candidate in the cabinet?"
Prime Minister Wang Zhongce immediately replied: "Your Majesty, I also think that Chu Sheng is more suitable.
During this period, he has been responsible for contacting Ambassador Andre to understand the situation in the country of England.
Chu Sheng is a man of uprightness and yet alert, and he can fulfill the responsibilities of an ambassador."
Wang Zhongce, on behalf of the cabinet, agreed with the choice of Chu Sheng.
Emperor Su He has already appointed a candidate, and even if the candidate is unqualified, he will not refute it.
Nowadays, no official is familiar with how ambassadors work abroad, and no matter who they are sent to, they are all the same, and it is impossible to select the right person.
When Su He saw that Prime Minister Wang Zhongce agreed with Chu Sheng's choice, he told Eunuch Zhou Fangzhi who was standing aside: "Fang Zhi, the imperial meeting is over, you send someone to call Chu Sheng to Qianqing Palace."
Cabinet Minister Li Zhisheng stood up and suggested: "Your Majesty, many big businessmen in the country have advised the cabinet through various channels.
They were preparing to return to Europe with the English fleet.
Merchants did not want to miss the opportunity to do business in Europe.
The armed merchant ships of the merchants are a very strong force when combined, and they are not afraid of ordinary pirates.
The farthest place our domestic maritime merchants go now is the Red Sea, where they do business with the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
Domestic sailboats have the conditions for ocean navigation, but our people are not familiar with the sea conditions and easily get lost on the sea.
The seamen followed the English mission to Europe, and we were familiar with this route.
In the future, we can also go directly to Europe to do business, instead of passively waiting for European businessmen to arrive."
Emperor Su He was very satisfied with the performance of cabinet minister Li Zhisheng.
Li Zhisheng, the most conservative minister in the cabinet, could not help but speak out for maritime merchants.
This shows that in Dahua, maritime merchants have become a very large group and have interests with many officials.
All officials can clearly see the huge benefits brought by maritime trade.
Su He has always asked Xuanwu Guard to pay attention to the performance of these businessmen.
Businessmen who do business stably will receive support from the court.
Merchants who cross the line will be punished by the court.
Dahua removed the constraints that had been tied to businessmen in previous dynasties, and these businessmen showed extremely strong subjective initiative.
They have now taken the initiative to ask the court to allow them to do business in Europe, which is an excellent start.
The Great China Dynasty wanted to expand its colonies overseas, and these merchants were an important component.
Emperor Su He smiled and said: "Li Aiqing's suggestion is good. Let the Ministry of Rites be responsible for this matter.
Let these merchants pay some price to the English mission and let them become the guides of the fleet."
The imperial meeting ended, and the civil and military officials left the Qianqing Palace.
Han Cuibai, the Minister of Rites, was the busiest. He wanted to meet Ambassador Andre at the Ministry of Rites to discuss relevant matters with him.
The British mission is about to leave Dahua, and there is not much time left for him.
Chu Sheng was sorting out information on many countries that might establish diplomatic relations in the Ministry of Rites, and both the cabinet and Han Shangshu issued orders to the vassal management department.
The administration must be prepared to establish diplomatic relations with other countries.
The only countries that Chu Sheng knew about were the relatively nearby countries such as Japan, Vietnam, Siam, and Myanmar.
He didn't know much about the Ottoman Turkish Empire or other European countries.
In order to understand the situation in these countries, he often consulted Ambassador Andre and explained to him some common sense about the officialdom of the Great China Dynasty.
A young eunuch came to the Ministry of Rites and alarmed everyone.
Nowadays, the number of young eunuchs is extremely rare, and most of the eunuchs in the palace are old eunuchs.
When the young eunuch came to the Ministry of Rites, there was only one possibility, that is, someone would be summoned by the emperor.
All the officials in the Ministry of Rites stared at the figure of the little eunuch.
They saw the young eunuch looking around in front of the various yamen of the Ministry of Rites, and finally walked into the Administration Department.
Then I saw Chu Sheng, a member of the Lifan Division, following the young eunuch out.
When Chu Sheng's colleagues saw this situation, they cupped their hands and said, "Congratulations to Mr. Chu for your rapid success."
Chu Sheng saw many people congratulating him, and he returned the favor with a smile.
He already knew from the young eunuch the reason why Emperor Su He summoned him.
Emperor Su He will appoint him as ambassador to Britain, and now he will go to Qianqing Palace to confront the emperor.
The ambassador to the UK is a third-grade official. He can obtain this position, which is an exceptional promotion.
Chu Sheng thought carefully about various issues along the way. He thought he knew more about England than all the officials in the court.
Su He met Chu Sheng in Qianqing Palace.
After Chu Sheng saluted, he stood aside respectfully.
He is in his thirties, handsome and upright.
Chu Sheng's appearance was also an important reason why Su He chose him.
The Dahua Dynasty selected officials in an eclectic way, and many officials who were disabled or extremely ugly would not be dismissed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
But such officials are not suitable to serve as envoys abroad.
Su He asked: "Chu Sheng, do you know the country of England?"
When Chu Sheng heard this question, he acted relatively relaxed, already prepared, and answered confidently:
"Your Majesty, I know the country of England quite well.
It is an island country not far from the European continent.
England's army is not strong, its most powerful army is its navy, and the navy is the lifeblood of England.
The rise and fall of this country will be closely related to the navy.
The English navy defeated the Spanish Armada, and their navy officially dominated the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
England is a country with relatively developed maritime trade, and it also has a large number of colonies in the Americas.
The country of England is a monarchy, but the parliament has relatively great power.
I understand that the current domestic situation in England is not stable.
The King of England sent Andre to establish diplomatic relations with our country. One of his purposes was to lead various forces in the country to other places."
Su He listened to Chu Sheng's introduction to England. He knew this country well and worked hard on it.
Britain is still a monarchy. Next year, the capitalists and aristocrats will unite to overthrow the autocratic monarchy and Britain will officially become a constitutional monarchy.
The monarch has become a mascot and no longer holds real power. The parliament representing the capitalists holds real power in the country of England.
The power of capitalists in England has far exceeded the power of the royal power. The establishment of diplomatic relations between Dahua and England will not change this process.
It is unknown what kind of impact the emergence of the constitutional monarchy will have on the Great China Dynasty, but Su He has already prepared backup plans.
Su He looked at Chu Sheng and asked, "Do you know what the ambassador to the UK does?"
When Chu Sheng heard Emperor Su He's question, he thought carefully for a while and replied:
"Your Majesty, I believe that the Ambassador to the UK is here to protect the interests of Great China.
What we are doing at this stage is to strengthen contact with the British government and provide various services to businessmen from Dahua going to England."
After Su He heard Chu Sheng's answer, he nodded happily.
This person is of good quality and does not know anything about the work of an ambassador.
Su He pointed out: "Chu Sheng, you will be Dahua's only ambassador in Europe. You must not only do a good job as ambassador to the UK, but also open up Europe for Dahua.
Now France in Europe has united with the German princes, and their war with the Habsburg dynasty has been going on for decades.
This war involved almost all European countries.
We at Dahua cannot miss this opportunity when we go to Europe.
The weapons we eliminate are all high-end weapons in Europe and are sold to both parties in the war at high prices.
One of your main tasks is to master the distribution of weapons.
The weaker side should allocate more weapons to try to balance the strength of the two sides and prolong the war."
Almost all countries in Europe participated in this war, which lasted for thirty years and seriously weakened the strength of European countries.
The war ended in a few years, and the Habsburgs finally failed.
If the Dahua Dynasty has the opportunity to enter the war, Su He will not miss this opportunity. He is prepared to let this war continue for a while.
Even if it lasts for half a year, it can greatly weaken the strength of European countries.
The Great China Dynasty used Britain as a transit point to balance the strength of the two sides in the war.
In this matter, there is not much difference in interests between China and Britain.
England's core interest is to defeat the Habsburg dynasty and weaken France and the German princes as much as possible.
At that time, England had just overthrown its previous king, and they did not want the war between the two parties to end, so the European countries turned their attention to themselves.
Chu Sheng understood what Emperor Su He meant, and he puffed up his chest and promised: "Back then, Wang Xuance could use his clever words to destroy a country.
The minister does not have this ability, but he provides support to the weaker party through arms trade and other means.
I am confident that I can complete this task."
Su He looked at Chu Sheng's confident look and said with a smile: "Chu Sheng, settle down your family and prepare to go to England with the English mission fleet."
When Chu Sheng heard Emperor Su He's order, he knew that he had passed Emperor Su He's assessment and that the ambassador to Britain was already in his pocket.
…………………………
Macau, Luzon Island, this city was originally called Manila.
The Royal Navy of China conquered Luzon Island, and after Governor Maoxiang took office, all the Spanish-style place names were changed.
Three vassal kings, King Su Xiong of Zhao, King Cao Li Dazhuang, and King Li Qingmu of Liao, set up military camps in Macheng to train their troops.
They used retired officers as the backbone, recruited young men who were willing to follow them, and trained an army.
The three feudal princes also followed some talents who were willing to go overseas with them to establish their country.
These people will become their initial team when they found the country.
King Li Qingmu of Liao received a personal letter from Emperor Su He.
He invited King Zhao Su Xiong and King Cao Li Dazhuang to have a drink at the most luxurious restaurant in Macheng.
Li Qingmu, King of Liao, raised his glass and said in a toast: "I originally thought that the three of us would act together, but the plan could not keep up with the changes.
Brother, I have a good opportunity now and I have to take the first step."
King Zhao Su Xiong raised his glass and drank it in one gulp, congratulating: "I wish my brother Qingmu a successful start and successfully establish his own country overseas."
King Cao Li Dazhuang drank a glass of wine and said enviously: "Brother Qingmu, we plan to set off in a year.
How can you prepare for it for more than three months before you can set off? This is too fast.
I really envy you. Fortunately, the places we chose to found our country are far apart.
Otherwise, there would be a one-year difference, and I don’t know how far behind our country would be.”
After Liao Wang Li Qingmu finished drinking, he explained: "His Majesty the Emperor sent me a letter. This is a good opportunity for me.
The English mission was about to return to Europe, and domestic maritime merchants paid a large sum of money to request the English fleet to act as guide.
The English have already agreed to this request of the maritime merchants.
His Majesty suggested that I disguise myself as a sea merchant and follow the English fleet to South Africa.
There is no need to explore the route in advance, the British mission has already discovered the route."
King Cao Li Dazhuang drank a glass of wine with envy. Who would have thought that King Li Qingmu of Liao would encounter such a good opportunity and save the time wasted in exploring routes.
He asked worriedly: "Our training time is too short. Brother Aoki can guarantee the strength of his army and you can successfully win the South Africa region.
We must know that sharpening a knife does not waste time chopping firewood, and the wealth we have worked so hard to save cannot be wasted."
Li Qingmu, King of Liao, said confidently: "Brother Da Zhuang, don't worry, I am different from you.
I am from the navy, and the army is mainly composed of the navy. The army only has 800 people.
I'll conquer a port first. With a strong navy, I won't be afraid that the enemy will threaten my territory.
Most of the soldiers under my command are retired Navy soldiers.
The military produced a large number of inferior warships at that time, and their service life was only one or two years.
These warships were eliminated by the Navy, and many of them were purchased by me.
With the strength of our navy, we have no rivals in South Africa.
I have sent people to inquire about the situation in South Africa from the British mission.
At present, it is not occupied by other forces, there are only some supply points set up by Western maritime merchants.
The remaining enemies are the primitive tribes who use stone weapons. With my brother's strength, it will be easy to capture this place."
Zhao Wang Su Xiong looked at the confident look of Liao Wang Li Qingmu, and he asked: "We need a large amount of start-up capital to establish our country overseas. Are the Qingmu brothers ready for this money?"
I have more than 300,000 taels of silver coins in my hand now and I am not in any hurry to use them. I can lend them to you first for emergencies."
Li Qingmu, the king of Liao, glanced at Zhao Wang Su Xiong gratefully, and lent him money now. This is a true brother.
He waved his hand and said: "Brother Su Xiong, the money in my hand is enough.
Xingsheng, a company owned by the Wangfu, sold a large number of goods to the British mission and had already collected the relevant expenses.
This time I also used the name of Xingsheng to follow the British mission fleet."
After the three vassal kings finished the banquet, King Li Qingmu of Liao immediately made arrangements for the relevant affairs.
The warships under his command were disguised as armed merchant ships, and officials and troops were also disguised accordingly.
They looked like ordinary armed merchant ships.
The goods he purchased were all shipped to Macheng Port, which allowed him to quickly establish a preliminary industrial and agricultural system in the local area.
King Li Qingmu of Liao bid farewell to King Su Xiong of Zhao and King Li Dazhuang of Cao.
He took his fleet to Temasek City to meet up with the merchant fleet.
The King of Liao, Li Qingmu, has prepared everything. He wants to establish a firm foothold in South Africa and establish a country that has lasted for hundreds of years.