Ming Jiajing: Starting from Immortality

Chapter 309: The Orthodox Battle, author of Journey to the West!
"Roman Curse Fragment."

"Carved gemstone."

“Ancient Roman coin.”

"Roman metal plate."

"Roman gilt silver plate."

"..."

On board a vessel at Tianjin Port.

A large number of antiquities from the Roman Empire were found, and the Jinyiwei even thoughtfully added labels to them, greatly reducing the difficulty of identification.

The broken curse, dating back 1,200 years, was rolled up and thrown into the sacred spring, the residence of Sulis Minerva, one of the twelve Roman gods and goddess of wisdom, war, the moon and memory.

Most curse fragments come from people who have suffered injustice, seek forgiveness for their sins, and desire revenge.

The thirty-four dazzling carved gems were the most beloved gems of the ancient Romans during the Roman Empire.

It is still the same saying, the most precious antiques do not become precious because of the passage of time, but they were already precious in their original time. Time only makes them more precious.

These thirty-four carved gemstones were originally worn by the royal family of the Roman Empire as amulets for safe childbirth and as exorcism tools to ward off illness and evil spirits.

If carved gemstones are top-notch treasures, then ancient Roman coins are a qualitative change caused by quantitative change. The Jinyiwei collected more than 12,000 ancient Roman coins from more than a thousand years ago on the European continent and put them in a large jar.

The Roman metal plate was one of the many "offerings" that the ancient Romans made to the goddess.

DSM or "Deae Sulis Minerva" is engraved on the plate to indicate that one wants to follow the goddess devoutly and is willing to devote his whole life to Sulis Minerva.

As for the Roman gilded silver plate, it is a cultural relic that witnesses the exchange and integration between the East and the West.

The silver plate is decorated with embossed patterns, full of exotic style, and is arranged in three circles.

The outer circle is decorated with interlocking grape and grass patterns, in which live small animals such as lizards, bees, and insects.

In the middle is a circle of reliefs of the twelve heads of the ancient Greek Olympian gods, with an animal on the left side of each head.

The most eye-catching feature, and also the theme pattern of this silver plate, is the high relief of a young man leaning on a leopard and holding a scepter in the center of the plate.

The handsome man carved in the center of the silver plate is Dionysus in ancient Greek mythology.

It is a commemorative treasure specially created by the Roman Empire for the Silk Road.

Pile pile pieces.

Gao Gong, Hu Zongxian and Li Chunfang saw the level of art and craftsmanship during the Roman Empire, as well as the rich culture and beliefs.

More than a thousand years ago, there were two "Great Qin Empires" in the East and the West, the Han Empire that inherited the Qin system, and the Roman Empire, which had many similarities, including strong national strength, political system, geography, products, food, culture, etc.

The Han Empire defeated the Huns, and the Roman Empire defeated the Parthian Empire. However, the Han Empire perished 1,300 years ago, while the Roman Empire survived until 100 years ago when it was completely replaced by the Holy Roman Empire.

When the Roman Empire fell, countries across Europe all claimed to be Roman orthodoxy and argued endlessly about it. Even though the Holy Roman Empire inherited the name and power of the Roman Empire, it could not gain true orthodox recognition.

That is to say, the Central Plains always remained strong. Even when it encountered foreign invasions, it was able to assimilate the foreigners with its culture. The Emperor Taizu Gao of our dynasty used his supreme talent to rescue the Central Plains before the Yuan court destroyed China. Otherwise, once the dynasty was interrupted, the small countries in East Asia would dare to stand up and shout that they were the orthodox China.

Gao Gong and Hu Zongxian took history as a mirror, felt sad and sighed.

Li Chunfang looked at these things, looking left and right, and occasionally picked them up to take a look, with a strange light flashing in his eyes.

It is estimated that there are so many Roman antiquities that are more than the treasures of the Holy Roman Empire. After all, this is the result of the Jinyiwei plundering the wealth of most of the European continent.

If these were placed in a country in Europe, the royal family of that country would probably immediately declare to the world that they are the orthodox and unique Roman Empire.

The banner of Roman orthodoxy was recognized by Europeans, and it might be of great help to the global strategy of the Ming Dynasty. Li Chunfang told Hu Zongxian his inner thoughts.

Hu Zongxian was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and looked at Li Chunfang with a complicated look in his eyes. He said, "Zishi, do you mean to create a legitimate successor state to Rome on the European continent?"

The "Tulip Plan" personally formulated by the emperor could be concealed from other members of the cabinet, but it could not be concealed from him, the chief designer who was responsible for formulating the global strategy.

When he asked the Jinyiwei about the specific situation in Europe, Zhu Qi, the acting commander of the Jinyiwei, was very happy to tell him all the plans, layouts and designs of the Jinyiwei in the West, which of course were authorized by the emperor.

Therefore, his understanding of the West exceeds that of the two ministers Gao and Li. With the intervention of the Jinyiwei, the European continent can be said to be full of vitality and all things are flourishing.

The Jinyiwei used many Oriental people of mixed blood, foreign faces and pupils as secret envoys. Through various means, they became nobles and priests in Western countries, and then continued to improve their noble titles and church status through other means.

Portugal, formerly one of the maritime hegemons, was actively contacting political and religious figures like the Duke of the Golden Flower, Cardinal Dayon, and Duke Alfonso the Younger. Those in the country who "believed that Portugal should be handed over to other countries for governance" suddenly became one of the seven types of people in the West.

But this kind of people were fighting among themselves. Although Dayon and Alfonso the Younger were trying their best to promote the greatness of the ancient Eastern civilization, Catarina, the grandmother of King Sebastian I of Portugal, was also trying her best to promote the power of neighboring Spain, which was also a maritime overlord.

If it weren't for the years of resentment between Portugal and Spain, the actions of Dayon and Alfonso the Younger might have been a blessing in disguise for Spain.

One type of people, the two factions are in a stalemate, Dayon and Alfonso Jr. are obviously at a disadvantage, but the two are waiting, waiting for the tulips to bloom.

The Spanish Invincible Armada was guarding off the coast of Portugal, ready to respond at any time. Catarina thought the outcome was about to be decided and victory was assured, so she was not in a hurry to kill Dayon and Alfonso the Younger.

All in all, the situation in Portugal is interesting.

What’s even more interesting is that the “Anglo-French orphans” created by Jinyiwei commander Lu Bing and Chen family patriarch Chen Ping also officially landed in England.

There was no doubt about the identities of the British and French orphans, and thus a massive struggle was launched on the rebellious "Island of Ireland" outside the British Isles.

The people of the Irish island don't care about orthodoxy or not, they just want to make trouble for the people of Great Britain. With the secret support of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Chen Ze, the ancestor of the Eastern Chen family, the fourth-generation grandson of the Western French Princess and English Princess Margaret, whose Eastern name is Chen Weiming and Western name is Caesar, has gathered an Irish army of 100,000 to attack the British island. The English army is ready for battle.

The Anglo-French War had just ended a hundred years ago. Although the upper classes of the two countries had frequent and close contacts, they could not get along with each other, let alone the lower class civilians.

Faced with the questioning of the envoys sent by Queen Elizabeth I of England, accusing the French princess and even the women of an entire country of infidelity, the contemporary French King Francis II directly expelled the English envoys.

The whole French kingdom seemed to be lying on the wall, waiting to see the son of the neighboring England, secretly giving some help to the "Princess Queen", causing trouble for England, and making a deal with France. Then there is the Holy Roman Empire, an empire controlled by the church. The will of the Pope is above all else. The physical condition and past secrets of the contemporary Pope are known by the Jinyiwei secret agents, who are frantically occupying high positions in the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Duchy of Silesia, the Duchy of Upper Saxony, the Duchy of Lower Saxony, the Swiss Confederation and other countries within the empire.

Even though the situation in Europe was like this, Li Chunfang still tried every means to stir up trouble.

Li Chunfang nodded heavily and said, "So many Western countries have fun... Well, things to do. The Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of France can't just sit there idle."

The word "fun" that came out of her mouth revealed Li Chunfang's true thoughts without any concealment, but no one cared about this detail at that time.

Hu Zongxian immediately understood Li Chunfang's idea and said, "Does Zishi mean to use these Roman orthodox antiquities to provoke a war between the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of France?"

“No country in the West could resist the lure of Roman orthodoxy.”

Li Chunfang silently added in his heart, "Just like no country in the East can resist the temptation of the orthodox Han Dynasty," and continued, "Although I don't know what the Jinyiwei is doing on the European continent, I believe that the Jinyiwei has the ability and conditions to deliver these orthodox Roman cultural relics to the hands of King Francis II of the Kingdom of France..."

Li Chunfang looked at Hu Zongxian with a very confident tone and a firm look in his eyes. This second-in-command of the cabinet had an unknown "collusion" with the Jinyiwei, which even the prime minister did not know.

Hu Zongxian's silence made Gao Gong seem a little unbearable. They were all smart people, so how could they not hear the deeper meaning in his words? This kind of silence meant tacit consent.

As the prime minister of the current dynasty, he knew less than the second prime minister. The former prime minister Zhang Juzheng and the current prime minister Gao Gong, or those who came from Yan Song's cabinet, all had a certain obsession with absolute power. Hu Zongxian's tacit approval made Gao Gong feel like he was being sidelined, and his face instantly darkened.

But no one cares.

Hu Zongxian, selfless and fearless, had few hobbies, which was hard to deal with. Li Chunfang, the old man in charge of licorice, liked to write books, but no one knew what he was writing about, and there was no chance to criticize him.

Hu Zongxian and Li Chunfang ignored Gao Gong's joy or anger. Li Chunfang, who was sure of his thoughts, continued to talk with Hu Zongxian, saying: "With these Roman orthodox cultural relics, King Francis II of France will declare that France is the Roman orthodox, without a doubt.

The Holy Roman Empire, which prides itself on Roman orthodoxy, including the Vatican, cannot tolerate the violation of its foundation. After all, so many kingdoms, principalities, and federations are brought together under the banner of Roman orthodoxy. If it is denied, it is likely to fall apart in an instant. "

The Holy Roman Empire has some meaning, as the word "Holy" was added in front of the Roman Empire to distinguish it. But the Holy See is different. Whether in the Roman Empire or in the Holy Roman Empire, it only has one name, the Roman See.

Roman Orthodoxy represents power and faith in the Holy Roman Empire.

If someone wants to deny them, it would be strange if they don't fight to the death.

"Zi Shi, you..." Hu Zongxian looked at Li Chunfang with an even weirder look, even a little speechless.

Li Chunfang's fabrication of the French Kingdom as the orthodox Roman Empire was obviously well thought out. The French Kingdom and the Holy Roman Empire were neighboring countries, and if a war broke out, it would be possible to maximise the extent of the war, and it would be very convenient for both countries to deploy troops and maintain logistical supplies.

Maybe Li Chunfang didn't understand war, but he certainly knew how to add fuel to the fire. If this man's heart was open, Hu Zongxian was 80% sure that he was culpable.

From an unknown standpoint, Li Chunfang designed the most intense war plan on the European continent, and the executors could only be the Jinyiwei.

Although Hu Zongxian had contacts with the Jinyiwei, he was unable to agree to implement the "orthodoxy battle" plan on behalf of the Jinyiwei. In the world, only the emperor could make the decision and agree.

Hu Zongxian suggested: "Why don't we go and have an audience with the emperor?"

"Let's go." Li Chunfang turned around and walked out of the pavilion.

He totally failed to notice that the face of Gao Gong, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet behind him, had turned as dark as ink.

Gao Gong wanted to not follow them, but he was worried that he would know less this way. Finally, when Hu Zongxian and Li Chunfang were about to disappear, he gritted his teeth and followed them.

……

Ok Hee Palace.

When Gao, Hu and Li entered the palace to pay homage to the emperor, they saw that the emperor was not meditating in his abode, but sitting behind the imperial desk, seemingly reading something.

When Li Chunfang entered the hall, the emperor deliberately raised his head and glanced at Li Chunfang with a strange look in his eyes.

But this weirdness was different from the weirdness in Hu Zongxian's eyes. It gave Li Chunfang the feeling that her whole body was seen through.

"Li Chunfang."

"I'm here." The holy voice called out, and Li Chunfang immediately bowed and responded.

"I heard that a great talent came to your house?"

Li Chunfang's heart skipped a beat, and he said with a stiff upper lip: "I wonder what the emperor is talking about..."

"My last name is Wu."

"Your Majesty, there is indeed such a person. His surname is Wu and his name is Cheng'en. He is an old friend of mine for more than 40 years. He has some talent, but he is not the great talent that Your Majesty is talking about."

"What kind of talent?"

"…I write often. Although I am not a master writer, my writing skills have blossomed."

"Just like Luo Guanzhong?"

As soon as the holy sound came out.

Li Chunfang immediately fell to his knees, sweating profusely.

Although The Romance of the Three Kingdoms written by Luo Guanzhong was not banned in the Ming Dynasty, some of the metaphors in it were suspected of satirizing Emperor Taizu Gao, and were not allowed to be discussed in the court by successive emperors.

At this moment, the Emperor compared him and Wu Cheng'en to Luo Guanzhong. Could it be that he knew about the strange stories they were writing?
"It's just a joke, don't panic."

Zhu Houcong looked at Huang Jin who was waiting beside him and said with a smile: "Huang Jin, help the elder."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

With the help of Huang Jin, Li Chunfang barely stood up, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and made up his mind to change it when he got back.

Things like "Bimawen", "Chechi Kingdom", "Shituo Kingdom", "Aolai Kingdom", "Daughter Kingdom", "Jisai Kingdom" and so on need to be changed...

(End of this chapter)