"Ambassador Dimen, can we reach Europe before Donglu's delegation?"

"It's a bit too late. We have been delayed in Siam for too long. If we continue to go around Africa as planned, we may fall behind the Donglu mission."

"So...is there any shortcut we can take? Is it possible without going around Africa?"

"Yes! We can pass through Ottoman lands!"

"The Ottoman Empire? Where is this country? Is it powerful?"

"This country occupies the Middle East, North Africa, and the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. It is currently the most powerful country in the world."

On a rickety big bird boat sailing westward on the Arabian Sea, Ji Kun, who is naturally not prone to seasickness, is sitting in the cabin with Van Diemen and Li Shaoyou, who is used to the rocking.

Discuss the westward route.

Ji Kun's mission was delayed in Siam for more than two months. Only after the construction of the mound fortress on the island was completed, did they set sail south again. When they arrived in Batavia, they learned that the Qing mission was taking

The Spanish galleon passed through the Strait of Malacca a month ago.

This made Ji Kun a little anxious. Although diplomatic activities do not follow a first-come, first-served basis, there is always a first-come-first-served basis for everything. If the Qing envoys were allowed to arrive first and conduct activities in various European countries, it might cause a lot of trouble for the Ming envoys.

necessary obstacles.

According to Van Diemen's analysis, the Ming Dynasty mission will probably run into big trouble in Europe, because Zhu Cixiang's understanding of God is newer than "Protestantism"!

He also put forward a request for "protection rights". With the national power of the Ming Dynasty, if Zhu Cixi converted to Catholicism, he would certainly be able to obtain "protection rights".

But not only is it impossible for Zhu Cixiang to become a Catholic, but he also has his own understanding of God. This understanding is also supported by a whole set of philosophical theories (Neo-Confucianism), and this theory is close to Protestantism...

Under such circumstances, how could the Pope hand over the power of patronage to Zhu Cihong?

If there was a conflict between the two sides on religious issues, would the "Spain blessed by God" not be allowed to jump up and down to rebel against the Ming Dynasty?

There are still a group of filial sons of God in Europe, why shouldn’t they join in the booing?

There will be big trouble then!

Therefore, Van Diemen suggested that the Ming envoy arrive as early as possible before the Qing envoy to prevent the Qing envoy from also having trouble.

But it seems that it is too late to bypass Africa - in fact, it is still too late, because the Spaniards took the Qing envoy to India to find the Mongolian Empire, but the Ming envoy did not know about it. So in their opinion, the only way

It passed through the Ottoman Empire.

"That Ottoman should be Hongwu, the Rumi Kingdom who always gave us rare birds and animals during the Yongle period."

The person who interrupted was Li Shaoyou. He had made full preparations before going on the mission and knew a lot about Western things.

He added: "That Rumi gun was also produced by them, but they changed the country's name to Osman at some point."

"Deputy Ambassador Li," Van Diemen said, "This country has always been called the Ottoman Empire. As for Rumi, maybe it is a homophone of Roma or Rome? But this is not important. What is important is that the Ottoman Empire is very powerful and it is an empire.

A country where Tianfang religion is the state religion.

In the West, the war between the Catholic Church and the Tianfang Church has lasted for nearly 1,000 years. The hatred between the two sides is very deep, so you'd better not mention any religious issues. If the Ottomans mention this issue, you should respond with religious freedom or something like that.

If they ask about the purpose of your visit to the West, just say it is for trade issues...Don't talk to them about heaven and God, they are sometimes more difficult than Spain, and you must avoid getting into trouble."

Van Diemen is now playing the role of an old friend of the Ming people and a loyal advisor to the Ming diplomatic corps.

Of course, the suggestions he put forward were all based on the premise that they were in the interests of the Dutch Republic. When this major premise was met, he was still willing to put forward some constructive suggestions.

"How powerful is the Ottoman Empire?" Ji Kun asked, "How is it compared to the Ming Dynasty?"

"Of course it is stronger than the Ming Dynasty, whether at sea or on land." Van Diemen said truthfully.

Ji Kun asked again: "Then will they colonize the Western and Southern Oceans like you Europeans?"

Ji Kun's worries were not unreasonable in view of the world situation in the 17th century. The Ottoman Empire was more powerful than any European power. At least before the defeat in Vienna, it seemed to be a superpower that was difficult to defeat, no matter at sea,

Still on land.

If the Ottoman Empire had not spent its main energy on the war for hegemony on the European continent, but on the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean, the Dutch and Portuguese would not have been so easy.

"This is indeed a problem," Van Diemen shrugged, "so you'd better not provoke the Ottoman Empire on colonial and overseas trade issues. If they shift their attention from Europe to the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, they will pay more attention to our two countries.

It’s not a good thing to say anything.”

...

Istanbul, Topkapi Palace.

Sultan Ksem, who had just finished his morning classes, was sitting in the Sultan's Audience Hall in Kubalti, the imperial parliament hall, paying attention to the ongoing meeting in the hall through a golden window.

The Ottoman Empire could maintain its hegemony for hundreds of years, which certainly had its merits politically. This empire took the true meaning of "foreign monks who like to chant sutras" to the extreme!

Although the Ottoman Turks were the ruling nation of the empire, the members of the parliament who discuss state affairs in the Kubarti Hall today include the Grand Vizier, the military leader, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Grand Mufti,

Including the parliamentary secretary and others, at least half were not Ottoman Turks.

Sultan Ksem, who sits behind the golden window, is also not a Turk. She is a Greek woman. Although she is respectfully called Sultan, she is actually a queen mother. At the age of 15, she entered the Ottoman harem as a slave girl and was captured by Ai

He was favored by Hamed I and gave birth to Murad IV and Ibrahim I.

In 1623, his son Murad IV became sultan and gained the power of "behind the curtain". He returned to power for the first time eight years later. In 1640, Murad IV, who was brave and good at war but had no son,

After his death, he once again "listened to politics behind the curtain" and helped his mentally ill son Ibrahim I to rule. In 1648, he deposed Ibrahim I and replaced the Sultan with his grandson Muhammad IV, continuing to "listen to politics behind the curtain."

Until now.

However, Sultan Ksem sat behind the golden window instead of entering the meeting hall and meeting with his ministers sitting on the couch. This was not because of the "curtain", but because of the unique system of the Ottoman Empire.

By Chinese standards, the "power of the prime minister" in the Ottoman Empire was very heavy. When the Grand Vizier presided over the Imperial Parliament, the Sultan did not even have to show up. He just stayed behind the golden window and watched. When he wanted to express his opinion

Knock on the window again.

If you meet a lazy Sultan, just ask him to lower the curtains and you can squint behind the golden window for a while.

When the elderly grandmother Ksem Sultan was yawning and falling asleep, her foreign minister suddenly mentioned a very novel thing.

"The governor of Basra has just sent a report that a large diplomatic mission sent by the Chinese Emperor has arrived in Basra."

The finance minister was a little surprised, "The Chinese emperor's mission? Isn't their country closed to the outside world?"

"Maybe something has changed now," the imperial vizier stroked his long beard, "I think we can entertain these Chinese people well and learn about things in the East. It might be interesting."

Dangdangdang...

At this moment, a black eunuch knocked on the golden window, and the meeting of the Imperial Parliament was temporarily suspended.
Chapter completed!