Chapter 422 Loyal Minister Alfonso of the Two Countries
Chapter 422 Loyal Minister Alfonso of the Two Countries
Aveiro, a minister of the King of Portugal who arrived at the port, met Alfonso in the lobby of a hotel where merchants liked to stay when doing business.
There were two generals from the expedition fleet in the room, but they were not the senior generals sent.
In addition, there were three big businessmen who went to sea with them.
Aveiro had seen all these people. When the expedition fleet set off, he accompanied Joao III to see them off in person.
Among this group of people, Alfonso was the only one he had never met, because Alfonso had been away for too many years.
"Diego! You are all trusted friends of His Majesty the King, and have been allied with the royal family for many years. Your betrayal makes His Majesty the King very sad!"
As soon as Aveiro arrived, he said to one of the three big businessmen.
"Oh, my God." The man named Diego showed impatience in his eyes, "In the Kingdom of Portugal, in the whole of Europe, when did the masters of the kingdom regard us businessmen as true friends? We are only crossing dangerous land.
and the sea, bringing all kinds of exquisite goods to the royal family, paying a lot of taxes, but still no territory, no title. The king's ally? Please don't make me laugh, Baron Aveiro. You have been trusted so much that you have yourself
Territory? Oh, I remembered, the baron has no territory and cannot inherit it!"
What he said made Aveiro's face turn red and blue.
"Everything is changing, isn't it? At least now, there is a parliament, the power of the nobles is being lifted bit by bit, and their castles are also..."
"Stop talking nonsense." Alfonso interrupted lazily, "No one here doesn't know anything about Portugal. Did João send you here to persuade us to repent with words? I, the distinguished Nan'ao of the Ming Empire
Count, I came back to my hometown to bring a brighter path to Portugal. Everyone here has seen the wider world and knows how backward and fragile the current Portuguese Kingdom is."
During the long Middle Ages, all European kingdoms followed a more primitive and pure feudal fiefdom system.
Alfonso, who once held the title of Viscount, knew this very well.
Dukes, princes, uncles, and princes can own territories, have their own armies, and are kings in their territories. The so-called kingdom is just the support and support of many princes, princes, uncles, and princes, as well as the support of the Holy See and other
It was just the recognition of the kingdom. The king of the kingdom himself might have been just an earl. Other feudal lords, who were loyal to the king, received special privileges.
Today, Europe is indeed changing. For example, Henry VII and his son of England are disarming the nobles and strengthening the power of the king. In exchange, of course, the nobles must be given other things, such as they are becoming more and more extravagant.
material enjoyment.
Real merchants? If they had a high status, there wouldn't be so many struggles later to overthrow or limit the power of the king.
Now Alfonso just casually and contemptuously mentioned the "backwardness" of the Kingdom of Portugal, which made Aveiro blush.
"You may not know that Spain has brought back ship after ship of gold from the New World, and Portugal has given many people land in the redwood land of the New World. Since the year before last, nearly a hundred ships have set out to
Over there, nearly 20,000 slaves were transported from the south of the Mediterranean." Aveiro argued, "The great Portugal is constantly opening up new colonies. As long as you are loyal to His Majesty the King, you will all have a bright future!"
"To be loyal, we are here to be loyal." Alfonso laughed, "So, what can His Majesty the King give us?"
Aveiro was about to speak, but Alfonso interrupted again and reminded him: "This is my last repayment to my hometown. I hope His Majesty the King will think it over clearly. The route to the East is completely in our hands, noble and tolerant
His Majesty the Ming Emperor gave me all the privileges of trading with the West. Malacca is now a government of the Ming Empire. As for the Indian colonies, dear Viscount Aveiro, you need to remind His Majesty the King that in fact, Goa has become independent.
.”
"What?" Aveiro was shocked.
Alfonso laughed: "Portugal is just a small country and has no experience in ruling a huge territory. What's more, those colonies are so far away from Portugal? If His Majesty the King decides to rely on me to enjoy the benefits from the East or even get more, then
Agree to my conditions. If not, then unfortunately, I believe we are waiting in Goa, Ottoman, Spanish... there will always be someone begging to cooperate with us."
Aveiro was speechless for a long time.
Although the Governor-General of India held a high position, he did have to hand over part of the colonial income to Portugal. What he received in exchange was the protection of the fleet in the hands of the king, so that he would not become the target of crusade.
But now, Portugal has extended its colonial tentacles to the New World. The pronunciation of mahogany in Portuguese was later called Brazil.
As a small country, to maintain the stability of so many overseas colonies, Portugal was so short of manpower that it had to constantly recruit foreign sailors and mercenaries, and kidnap a large number of slaves from Africa to work as laborers.
The royal family's cost of maintaining this system is very high. It must not only meet the needs of other feudal nobles internally and gain their support, but also maintain suppression of overseas colonies and replace a governor every two or three years by dispatching them.
John III actually had no choice.
For example, in Goa, Portugal has cut down a lot of giant trees used for shipbuilding over the years, and there are fewer and fewer of them. The construction of ships relies more and more on Goa's shipyards. Logs have begun to rely on imports, but fortunately
Large expanses of virgin forest have been discovered in Brazil.
But if Goa becomes independent, what will happen to the Kingdom of Portugal in building warships and merchant ships in the future?
Now they have lost nearly half of their naval power, but the other party wants too much. Aveiro is just a messenger. He first confirms again what Alfonso wants.
"The surrender and compensation to the Ming Empire are the price for provoking the dignity of His Majesty the Ming Emperor. They are the exchange for allowing Portugal to trade with the Ming Empire. They cannot be less."
Alfonso emphasized, and then said the benefits: "The primitive New World does not have the exquisite items of the ancient and rich countries in the East, which are the favorite goods of the nobles in Europe. By doing this, goods from Europe can be sold in large quantities.
It was sold throughout the Ming Dynasty, and we were able to traffic a steady stream of porcelain, silk, and tea from the Ming Dynasty. Believe me, the scale was more than ten times what it is now. If the Spaniards got so much gold, they would always exchange it for goods.
"
"... Are there really so many goods?" Aveiro confirmed excitedly, but also looked for steps.
The man named Diego spoke: "Wait a minute, you can come to our ship to take a closer look. Masterpieces from the East, the finest goods of the Ming Dynasty, are produced by various enterprises established by His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Empire and are supplied to the Ming Dynasty court.
Good stuff. Compared with these, the goods brought by private merchants who took the risk of smuggling in the past, and which His Majesty the King regarded as treasures, are simply like inferior garbage."
Alfonso also nodded.
Porcelain, silk, tea, etc. from the East are very popular here. However, the Ming Dynasty has banned the sea for many years, and the Ming Dynasty goods that can flow to Europe are indeed filled with a large number of inferior goods from private workshops.
Despite this, they still sell well in Europe.
Now that so many companies in the Ming Dynasty are supplying the highest quality goods, how much benefit is there? Diego and the others sided with Alfonso without hesitation, because only he was recognized by the Ming Emperor and had the Ming Dynasty official
The title of nobility is the dignity of an earl!
"As for us..." Alfonso pointed to everyone, "With the same feelings as Portuguese people, we hope that Portugal will get this precious opportunity for comprehensive trade with the Ming Empire, instead of letting Spain annex Portugal while Portugal is weak.
However, on behalf of the will of His Majesty the Ming Emperor, Portugal is required to pay the price for invading the territory of the Ming Empire, and we find it difficult to believe that His Majesty the King trusts us."
"For the sake of our security, as well as to manage trade with the Ming Empire and help Portugal regain its strength as soon as possible, we hope that His Majesty the King will seriously consider changing the backward palace bureaucracy. I need the status of a Duke to obtain Goa
That territory. In addition, I learned a more efficient system from the Ming Empire, and I suggested that His Majesty the King set up a State Council with me as the Prime Minister and Minister of State."
Alfonso waved his hand, and his secretary, his daughter who had gone to sea with Diego but stayed in Goa, took out a book.
"After the navy of the Ming Empire recaptured Malacca, I asked Juan to persuade His Majesty the King and also sent Ming Pao. It seems that His Majesty the King did not understand how huge the Ming Empire was. His Majesty the Great Emperor was able to conquer an area larger than the entire Europe.
A large empire is governed in an orderly manner. What does it mean behind it? I wrote down my opinions on how the Portuguese Empire should be reformed and what system it should implement on the way back. Please consider it carefully, His Majesty the King."
Aveiro took the booklet in confusion and looked at Alfonso in astonishment.
He actually wants to carry out reforms in Portugal? Can the royal family and other nobles agree? What will the Holy See and other kingdoms think?
This is Alfonso's own ambition.
Zhu Houcong only suggested that he rely on the power he now has to establish a foothold in Portugal.
But Alfonso, who "returned to his country after studying in the Ming Dynasty", had indeed sincerely despised the systems implemented by these European kingdoms.
Feudal fiefdom... During those days at Huangming University, while drinking and bragging with Wen Zhengming, he had already learned that this was a practice in the East more than two thousand years ago.
Speaking of which, at that time, the empire in the East did not control a large area, so there was feudalism. But since the Warring States Period, especially after the unification of the Qin Dynasty, the monarch already held great power and was assisted by hundreds of officials. How could there be more Feudal territory?
Although there were still fiefs and settlements in the Qin and Han dynasties, counties and counties operated in parallel. What Henry VII is doing now has been done in the East for I don’t know how many years.
In terms of expanding the power of the monarch and realizing direct rule over local areas, the East was already far ahead.
Alfonso felt that if he had enough opportunities, he might not be able to control at least three or five kingdoms and become the most powerful person in Europe.
You know, he can still have a steady stream of financial support from trade with the Ming Dynasty.
As for the Portuguese royal family? Why can't he marry another princess from the royal family and leave this inheritance to his son?
Here at the port, Alfonso confidently led Aveiro to confirm the loyalty and trust of the remaining officers of the expedition fleet to him. This was after meeting the new Ming Dynasty Navy and confirming the benefits that Alfonso could bring to them. Later loyalty.
The warships of the Ming Dynasty were bigger and more numerous, the cannons and muskets of the Ming Dynasty were already better than theirs, and the Ming Dynasty was also much vaster and richer than Portugal.
This force was not enough to completely overthrow the Portuguese royal family, but it was still a decisive force.
Aveiro watched in silence. What happened in the far east that made them willing to support Alfonso at the risk of being expelled from their homeland and losing their loved ones?
But after seeing the cargo in Diego's merchant ship, Aveiro also figured something out.
As long as Alfonso is not determined to start a war with the royal family, what choice does His Majesty have?
"Twenty million cruzados...how is this possible?" Aveiro gritted his teeth, "You know, all the debts of His Majesty the King are only 1.5 million cruzados now."
What he was talking about was the gold coins that Portugal minted itself after it became prosperous.
Today's gold coins, the entire Europe is roughly based on the Venetian Ducat. The Cruzado is slightly heavier than the Ducat. In terms of weight, ten Cruzado gold coins are roughly equivalent to one tael of gold in the Ming Dynasty. .
One pound of gold in the Ming Dynasty is about 590 grams. But one pound of gold in the Ming Dynasty is sixteen taels, so one tael of gold is about 37.3 grams. And the Cruzado gold coin is about 3.70 grams. gram.
In the Ming Dynasty, the exchange ratio of gold and silver was usually around one for five or one for six, which was called "five exchanges" and "six exchanges" among the people.
The compensation Zhu Houcong demanded was 10 million taels of silver. According to the "six payment", it was more than 1.6 million taels of gold.
Alfonso chipped in and asked for more than 20 million cruzados.
This is indeed a lot, and Joao can't take it out. Didn't you hear what Aveiro said? Joao is still in debt.
"Gold and silver are all fine, and they can be converted into goods needed by the Ming Dynasty." Alfonso smiled, "If it's not enough, you can also raise funds in the name of going to the East to buy goods, and you can even pay on an annual basis. The Spaniards don't get
Did you bring a lot of gold? The goods you brought this time can be sold at a high price. Of course, we brought the goods. We are helping His Majesty the King to overcome the difficulties caused by being punished for invading the Ming Dynasty. This time we
The profits can be deducted from future taxes."
Alfonso knew very well that he had to gain something and send it back to the Ming Dynasty, so that he could still get support from the Ming Dynasty in the future.
In a word, the compensation cannot be less, but Alfonso will do his best to help Joao find a way to compensate.
"Sending an envoy to the Ming Dynasty, submitting a letter of surrender, signing a peace and trade agreement, there was still enough time to raise compensation. During this period, Diego and the others continued to bring back goods from Malacca in exchange for the Spanish's continuous shipment from the New World.
The gold and silver that came back. In addition, if His Majesty the King chooses to believe me, then there will definitely be opposition from other nobles, and I can help His Majesty the King eradicate them and recover their property."
Alfonso said this again, and Aveiro looked at him as if he were a demon.
"His Majesty the King should come." Alfonso looked at him proudly, "Although the news I brought back made him painful and angry, it was the price for his previous arrogant desire to carve up the remaining undiscovered colonies in the world with Spain.
There is a huge empire in the far east, but defeating the Persian and Indian fleets makes us all too proud. I first became a prisoner of the Ming Dynasty, then realized the power of the Ming Dynasty, and felt the tolerance of His Majesty the Emperor."
He performed an elegant etiquette: "Now, His Majesty the King should wake up and calm down, and wake up from his dream. Twenty million cruzados, believe me, this is only the financial income of Ming Dynasty for two or three months, more than
Not to mention the amount of Ming Dynasty’s annual trade. His Majesty the Emperor does not want much, but what I bring to His Majesty the King is the most advanced and efficient system, endless wealth, and the opportunity to become the king of the entire Europe!”
The decision needed to be made by Joao III himself. Alfonso clearly stated his needs and analyzed the pros and cons for Joao III.
As the first requirement for negotiations to truly begin, he demanded the entire port area as a temporary territory, blocking the port while other warships had no time to arrive.
You can enter and exit, but the trade and taxation of the port will be temporarily taken over by him.
After all, he had expressed his goodwill: the goods he brought back and the wealth gained after selling them could be lent to Joao III to repay the compensation to the Ming Dynasty.
That night in the Portuguese palace, João III needed to make a decision that would dishonor his ancestors.
Alfonso only gave him one day to decide whether to negotiate and whether to hand over the port area to him as a temporary territory.
This is what Alfonso believes is the first step that Joao III needs to build trust in him.
The second step is that João III should go to the port area in person to "welcome and reward" the expedition soldiers and dispose of the "trophies" brought back this time.
João III had already read the booklet Aveiro brought back twice.
He could not imagine a country where the lords and nobles only received salaries and had no fiefdoms, nor could he imagine a country where there was a powerful prime minister but supreme monarchy.
In his opinion, if this prime minister is established, then he will first need to rely on Alfonso to suppress other lords in a short period of time, and he will also have to face the troubles caused by their marriage relationships with many royal families and lords.
This is impossible.
John III thought Alfonso was lying to him. How could the huge Eastern Empire be like this?
Unless he can really have an extremely powerful army and be absolutely loyal to him.
Now, the strongest military force in Lisbon is in the hands of Alfonso. Is Alfonso absolutely loyal to him?
This is impossible.
But if a decision is not made today, then God knows what Alfonso will do? And Portugal is about to lose its interests from the east forever, and will have to face a new European situation because of its exposed weakness.
John III closed his eyes for a while in despair, then opened them and spoke softly: "Where is my dear sister Maria?"
…
Externally, there is a version of the story.
Viscount Alfonso, who once set out for the East, experienced initial friction with the Ming Empire in the East. It took him ten years to finally gain the recognition and trust of the Ming Dynasty.
This was the inevitable friction that arose after Portugal expanded its sphere of influence at sea and touched the territory of the Eastern Empire.
Although the two sides were initially unhappy, they eventually improved their understanding. Viscount Alfonso, as Count of the Ming Dynasty, brought back even more exciting news to Europe: trade, larger-scale trade!
The brave and talented Alfonso was made a duke by John III and received Goa and other newly opened colonies in India as territories.
At the same time, in order to cope with the opportunities and challenges brought by this completely opened Eastern trade route, João III will also appoint Alfonso as Prime Minister and Minister of State to carry out reforms.
The first stage of reform is to establish the Council of State. This is different from the current Parliament, which only serves as an advisory body to the king and is filled with nobles. The ministers of this Council of State will take care of more and more colonies in the Kingdom of Portugal, including civil affairs, finance, and commerce.
and many other administrative matters.
Since the Ming Empire currently only has trust in the heroic Duke Alfonso, trade with Europe is only conducted by Portuguese caravans in Malacca and Ming caravans.
There is a vast amount of fine oriental silk, porcelain, tea, and spices out there, but this requires sufficient funds.
Taking the Daming Commodity Expo held in Lisbon as an opportunity, the Portuguese royal family will raise a special treasury bond fund to build a larger merchant fleet and purchase more goods from the East. The interest returns will be very touching.
For this huge Ming Dynasty trade route development plan, Duke Alfonso also brought the Ming Dynasty's more advanced joint-stock company system and financial management methods. It was established by the Portuguese royal family and welcomed nobles and wealthy businessmen from all over Europe as shareholders. And Alfonso
The Duke will serve as president of the Bright Path company, with Diego as general manager.
At the same time, Duke Alfonso also brought the goods needed by the Ming Emperor.
Including a stone that is said to be widely used in the magical alchemy of the East, a sacred tree seed that the Eastern emperor has been looking for and their products.
For the hundreds of millions of potential believers there, although the Eastern emperor did not want missionaries to disturb the order there, he welcomed Western scholars to bring European books and knowledge to exchange.
How to use the future benefits to persuade the nobles in the Kingdom of Portugal and raise funds from some people was a joint effort of João III and Alfonso. Naturally, there were also dissatisfied people, but their actions had just begun to brew.
At least for now, in the port area of Lisbon, at the Ming Dynasty Commodity Expo, Duke Alfonso displayed the iron certificate he received for the title of Count of the Ming Dynasty and his Ming Dynasty official uniform made of silk and exquisite embroidery.
The fluent oriental languages, novel and elegant oriental etiquette movements make people yearn for it. With a population of more than one million, the prosperous and rich capital of the Eastern Empire, Duke Alfonso, who has experienced strange experiences, exudes unimaginable charm.
In his story, his wife had died of illness and his daughter was the concubine of the Ming Emperor, so he quickly gained the hearts of many ladies and girls.
Of course, he and his wife, who once caused him a lot of trouble, went their separate ways from then on.
Speaking of which, Alfonso was very happy. Because his daughter was the emperor's woman. In the Ming Dynasty, even if his wife was still not reserved, no one dared to do anything to the mother of the emperor's woman.
She missed Portugal very much, but only Alfonso came back.
Wonderful!
There was even a noble Princess Maria who was only thirteen years old waiting for him.
As long as he proves that he does not intend to threaten the status of John III and has achieved what he said is the loyalty.
What is Alfonso anxious about? He has survived all these years in Ming Dynasty.
João III's half-brother, Louis, Duke of Beja, had already set off on a sea ship to the distant capital of the Ming Empire to formally establish diplomatic relations and sign a trade treaty with the Ming Empire.
As the ship sailed on the west coast of Africa, Louis felt very heavy.
Twenty million Cruzado is a new yoke on his brother.
But if we don't bear this yoke, the royal family's debt of more than 1.5 million Cruzado and Portugal's current weak situation will completely explode.
Is the empire in the East really as powerful as Alfonso said?
Is the Emperor of the East really as omniscient and heroic as a god as he said?