The cabinet chief's official trip to the southwest in person is not a trivial matter anyway.

The emperor personally presided over the farewell banquet and then bid farewell to Zhang Huangyan in the imperial city.

Changing the land and returning to the current is a great joy that will benefit the present and the future.

In any case, it is worth looking forward to.

Zhu Youlang also believed that Zhang Huangyan would not disappoint him.

Shortly after Zhang Huangyan left, Zhu Youlang met with a special messenger.

This envoy came from the distant Europa and was the special envoy sent by King Louis XIV of France.

This man's name is Eric, holding Louis XIV's handwritten handwritten handwritten.

After receiving the man's letter of nationality, the Honglu Temple immediately solemnly sent him into the palace and took Eric to the Honglu Temple to settle down.

Zhu Youlang had experience studying in Europe in his previous life and also studied French, so he could open the envelope and read the letter separately without translating.

But he still had a headache when he read this handwritten letter from Louis XIV.

Because the most famous Sun King in French history actually used floral characters. Moreover, the French of this era is very different from French in later generations.

However, Zhu Youlang still understands the general content.

Louis XIV hoped to reach allies with the Ming Empire, do business and trade, and bypass the control of Spain, the Netherlands and the British.

Zhu Youlang is quite familiar with the French history of this era.

In his impression, Louis XIV had just taken power for a while.

The French king ascended the throne when he was young. When he first ascended the throne, his mother, Anne, of Austria. Louis XIV has always lived under the shadow of Cardinal Mazaran.

After Mazaran died, Louis XIV also became an adult and naturally ruled.

At this time, Louis XIV was far from the tall sun king later, but his desire for the future and his desire to build France into the largest European power.

To be honest, France at this time was far from as powerful as Louis XIV in the late period.

There was the old Spanish Empire in front, and there were the rising Dutch and British people.

Even the Holy Roman Empire ruled by the Habsburgs was not a fuel-saving lamp.

The only thing is that powers such as Germany have not yet appeared.

At this time, Germany and Italy were all in a state of foreign countries, which was similar to the Central Plains dynasty during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

If France wants to seek a way out, in addition to its own efforts, it must want to seek external forces.

Louis XIV sent a messenger to the Ming Dynasty from thousands of miles away, and he must have had some intentions.

Trade is of course very important on the one hand. In this era, silk, porcelain and tea in the Ming Dynasty were top luxury goods in Europe.

If these things want to be transported to Europe, they either take the Silk Road by land or they have to take the sea route.

The former words undoubtedly need to pass through the Ottoman Empire region.

Although the Ming army joined forces with the Persians to severely damage the Ottoman Empire, the Ottomans gave in and gave in.

But to a considerable extent, the Ottomans still retained control of the Silk Road.

They just dared not make things difficult for the Ming Dynasty and Persian merchants anymore.

But it would be unimaginable if French merchants wanted to keep their way unobstructed.

Therefore, if Louis XIV wants to trade, he can only go by sea.

But in this era, the sea routes were controlled by the Spanish, the Dutch and the British.

The French navy is not very powerful, and it is not easy to grab food from these old naval powers.

The reason why Louis XIV sent a messenger was to change this unfavorable situation.

Perhaps he heard the news that the Spanish Invincible Armada was severely damaged by the Ming Navy and smelled a rare opportunity.

As long as he seizes this opportunity, it is not impossible for him to surpass Spain, the Netherlands, and Britain and make France the largest European power.

After all, only by having the economy can we develop military strength.

With France's current national strength, it must rely on huge trade interests to surpass these countries.

And these are what the Ming Dynasty could provide to them.

The key is whether Zhu Youlang should cooperate with Louis XIV?

In fact, Zhu Youlang has always been very interested in Europa in this era.

On the one hand, Europe during this period was before the first industrial revolution.

This period is like the dark night before dawn, and everything seems to be in a state of chaos.

But if you seize the opportunity, you will erupt countless power like a fountain.

France gradually became stronger in the hands of Louis XIV, which was the knowledge that Zhu Youlang had already mastered.

In other words, without Zhu Youlang's help or the Ming Dynasty, France will also become the top European power.

So why didn’t Zhu Youlang cooperate with Louis XIV to make Louis XIV recognize this favor and think that it was the help of the Ming Dynasty that led to France’s rise?

On the other hand, France was eager to trade with the Ming Dynasty, so the conditions for opening were definitely very generous.

If the Ming Dynasty could sell porcelain, tea, and silk to France at prices higher than the market price, a huge trade surplus could also allow a large amount of silver and gold to flow into the Ming Dynasty.

Why not do this?

For Zhu Youlang and Daming, this is the best of both worlds and has almost no disadvantages.

So what is Zhu Youlang hesitating about?

But Zhu Youlang knew that he would never agree too readily at this time, because once he acted too readily, the messenger would definitely tell Louis XIV that the Emperor of Ming had a strong desire for cooperation.

Zhu Youlang must hang this messenger for a while, so that he can understand that it doesn’t matter whether the Ming Dynasty cooperates or not.

When the messenger was on the verge of despair, Zhu Youlang summoned him into the palace with great mercy.

At this time, the messenger would definitely be grateful to Zhu Youlang and would sincerely believe that the Emperor of Ming Dynasty was an extremely wise and kind king.

In this way, Zhu Youlang's purpose was achieved.

Because this messenger will definitely bring back what he sees and hears to Louis XIV in its entirety.

Louis XIV was just a king who had just taken power. He was definitely excited to learn that the powerful Emperor of the Ming Empire agreed to do business and trade with France.

Zhu Youlang wanted to make Louis XIV understand that he owed Daming a favor.

As long as Zhu Youlang and Daming have a partner like France in Europe, they will have great say in the development of Europe in the future.

This era is by no means unchanging, nor is it just that you can rest assured by developing yourself.

Zhu Youlang will definitely spend a lot of energy on his competitors.

Because only in this way can we know ourselves and our enemy and win every battle.

In the next hundred years, it will be a hundred years of great changes in the world.

Only when the Ming Dynasty is ahead and knows oneself and the enemy can it continue to lead.

Zhu Youlang hopes that under his leadership, Daming can maintain his position as the leader forever under the leadership of his descendants.

Therefore, the olive branch handed over by King Louis XIV of France was just right.

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Chapter completed!