Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

In the center of the French Royal Palace hangs a two-meter-high ink painting of mountains and rivers, which exudes a strong humanistic atmosphere.

The towering mountains are majestic and majestic. The jungle on the top of the mountain is lush, and a waterfall in the deep valley is like a line, flying hundreds of feet. Under the peak, huge rocks are abrupt and the trees are straight.

In the foreground of the picture, there is a stream flowing, and a team of merchants carrying goods is walking along the stream on the mountain path, adding vitality to the quiet forest.

Art has no borders. When Chinese paintings that integrate the wisdom of China for five thousand years appeared in the European market, these landscape ink paintings that made them amazing quickly became popular throughout Europe.

King Louis XII of France was a lover of landscape ink paintings. In addition to the most proud collection in front of him, there were dozens of paintings hanging in other places in the palace.

When Wang Zhi saw this painting, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise slightly.

The original painting of "Traveling in the Mountains and Rivers" is in the imperial study of the palace. The painting of this imitation is so bad that I should have brought the "Sound of Pines on the Mountain Road" given to me by Tang Bohu.

"Governor, I bought this from an Arab merchant at a high price. This painting is the largest in Europe, and the painting skills are really amazing. You didn't expect it to be bought by me, right?" Louis XII saw Wang Zhi standing still, and he immediately introduced the origin complacently.

Queen Anne of France also stopped, her beautiful eyes were shining. What attracted her most about this landscape painting was the beauty of the landscape, which made her fascinated.

Her life was unfortunate. Because she was tied to too many interests, she was forced to become a political appendage, but she suffered two unfortunate marriages in succession.

If she still has any confidence now, it is that she and King Louis XII of France had already made three rules before marriage.

If her daughter Princess Claude was not still young, she would have taken her daughter to the Duchy of Bourbon to be the regent, instead of staying in the French royal palace that suffocated her.

In fact, her relationship with this second husband was very dull. After all, the other party abandoned the married couple and chose her, which showed that this person valued personal interests more.

If she did not have enough interests, this second husband would definitely leave her without hesitation, so she never pinned her hope of survival on him.

Originally, she longed to take her daughter to the Duchy of Bourbon, but after seeing the oriental landscape ink painting, the distant and mysterious East became her most fascinated place.

Wang Zhi naturally would not expose that the Chinese painting in front of him was a fake, but instead praised it a few words here, and then continued to walk inside.

This was not a formal negotiation between the two countries, but just the Atlantic Governor's visit to the French royal palace, so the group did not go to the palace, but came to the restaurant.

The banquet was ready, and a long table looked particularly grand.

The various tableware on it shines with silver-white light. The exquisite porcelain is naturally from the mysterious East, and there is a huge clock in the center.

Since the Ming merchant ships came here in the eighth year of Hongzhi, a large number of Chinese goods have poured into Western Europe, so now there are more and more Chinese elements in the palace.

Like the perfume on Queen Anne of the United States, it is also from China, and the fabrics on her body are naturally the same. I am afraid that she is the only one who is "original".

That's right, although the Governor's Office of the Great West of the Ming Dynasty has just been established, the elements of the Ming Dynasty have already filled every corner of Europe.

"Governor, please take a seat!" Louis XII has a very gentle temperament, and now he is even more respectful to the Atlantic Governor Wang Zhi who has a lot of hands and eyes.

After seeing the terrifying strength of the Ming fleet, especially the unheard-of artillery shells, he has made up his mind to hold on to the thick thighs of the Ming Dynasty.

What Spanish Invincible Fleet, what Portuguese Invincible Division, in front of the terrifying warships of the Ming Dynasty, these are all earthen chickens and clay dogs.

Whether it was for the goods of the Ming Dynasty or for the military support of the Ming Dynasty, he had reasons to make friends with the new governor of the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Although Wang Zhi was not impressed by Louis XII who had abandoned his wife, he seemed to respect Queen Anne of France, so he invited the queen to sit down with him.

Soon the fast food tray was served. The food on the table was mouth-watering, the air was filled with the aroma of food, and a jar of daughter's red wine from the East immediately added the aroma of wine.

"Thank you Governor Wang for your help, otherwise the Italian peninsula would have fallen into the hands of Spain now!" Louis XII looked at Wang Zhi and was satisfied with his meal, so he took the initiative to bring up the topic.

On the battlefield of the Italian peninsula, they, France, had already been defeated, but they did not expect to find such a powerful helper. Not only did they prevent the Spanish reinforcements, but they also directly crippled the Spanish navy.

Now the whole situation has reversed. He only needs to send more troops to the Italian peninsula by sea, and then the entire Italian peninsula will be in his pocket.

Of course, their French navy was originally very weak, and had been crippled by Spain before, and there were other European forces eyeing them, so he needed to seek Wang Zhi's help.

As long as the Ming fleet ensured that his few broken ships could send troops to the Italian peninsula, he could take over the Italian peninsula that he had been thinking about, and thus get the richest land.

Wang Zhi smiled without comment, but did not even glance at Louis XII, but continued to eat in silence.

Cough!

Queen Anne of France coughed and glared at her idiot husband with dissatisfaction.

It is a good Chinese etiquette to say nothing while eating and not speaking when sleeping. They knew this before Wang Zhi came, but their husbands still wanted to discuss things in the restaurant.

Louis XII patted his forehead and reacted. According to Chinese etiquette, he was not allowed to speak at this time.

Although Wang Zhi was a child of a poor family, he was purified and sent to the palace as a child. He never experienced hardship when he was with Concubine Wan Guifei, and then lived a life of fine clothing and fine food.

In particular, he won the respect of two generations of emperors. Since he had watched the emperors eat for a long time, when he actually ate, he unconsciously showed the royal aura of a superior and seemed to enjoy the food slowly.

If there were ranks in dining, then everyone else would be the younger brother.

Louis XII kept observing Wang Zhi, but he was secretly surprised to find that he was a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.

Queen Anne of France looked at Wang Zhi's handsome face, her eyes moving at this moment.

After the meal, we changed places and it was time to discuss business.

It was no secret that King Louis XII of France was plotting against the Italian peninsula. Originally, Louis XII had to accept this failure, but the appearance of Wang Zhi gave him hope again.

"You will give me the Port of Marseille to be stationed by the Navy of the Atlantic Governor's Palace, and I will ensure that no one dares to mess with you in the western Mediterranean!" Wang Zhi put forward the conditions very readily.

Before entering Western Europe, his first clear targets were Spain and Portugal, but he was prepared to win over France, which had a strong agricultural foundation.

The Ming Dynasty under the rule of Emperor Hongzhi did not pay attention to land power, but was a pragmatic court that was more willing to benefit the people, so it placed more emphasis on maritime hegemony that could bring a steady stream of resources.

As long as the Ming Dynasty can firmly control the oceans that occupy 70% of the earth, then 70% of the world's unclaimed land is already within the Ming Dynasty's pocket.

As for the biggest factor of instability in Western Europe, as long as the Ming Dynasty fleet directly cripples their fleet, then the entire Western Europe is destined to remain a poor and backward country.

Because of this, France, a farming country that prefers stability, would be inclined to be supported by the Governor-General of the Atlantic, and even make France the number one land power in Europe.

When Louis XII heard this condition, he nodded and agreed without even thinking about it.

The two sides quickly signed the "Ming-France Treaty", and the Atlantic Governor-General of the Ming Dynasty obtained the port of Marseille, and at the same time assumed the responsibility of ensuring the smooth transportation of troops by France through the navy.

"My Lord Governor, last time you invited me to the East as a guest in your letter, does this still count?" After the two parties signed the treaty, the French Queen Nuni suddenly tilted her neck and smiled.

When the proud Louis XII heard this, his eyes suddenly flashed with confusion.

Wang Zhi's expression did not change, so he smiled slightly and said: "Of course! Our Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is very hospitable and hospitable. If you can go there, you will definitely be able to see the prosperous age of the Ming Dynasty and let you appreciate the charm of the oriental landscape!"

"Okay, please make arrangements. I want to go with Princess Claude!" Queen Anne of France seemed to have made a great determination, but she said decisively.

Louis XII's eyes widened. He never expected that the queen would actually plan to go to the Ming Dynasty, and would also take her daughter with her.

A knight next to him noticed Louis XII's reaction, so he stood up and stopped him: "No!"

"No?" Wang Zhi's eyes suddenly narrowed, and then he looked up and down at the knight in front of him.

Originally, knights were synonymous with strength, but after the title of knight was openly sold, the reputation of the knight class was tarnished. After all, cats and dogs can become knights.

The man in front of me is called Philip. He was originally just the son of a wealthy businessman. After relying on his financial resources to obtain the title of knight, he quickly rose to power through his ability to observe people's emotions and now became one of the knights in the palace.

This time, in order to strengthen the French king's momentum, he and dozens of other knights were arranged to accompany Louis XII. Now he could seize the opportunity to please Louis XII.

Queen Anne of France frowned slightly and turned to look at the knight who was trying to stop her with dissatisfaction. She was even more disgusted when she saw that it was Philip.

Faced with Wang Zhi's inquiry, the knight Philip naturally could not say that he saw that the king wanted to stop him, so he seemed to be confident and said: "How can my majestic queen and princess of France go to the East and commit danger? This is absolutely forbidden!"

"Your Majesty, is this what you mean?" Wang Zhi's eyes flashed with murderous intent, but he turned to look at Louis XII next to him.

Louis XII trembled all over, as if he was being targeted by a tiger: "No, I have no such intention!"

boom!

A splash of blood immediately shocked the entire audience.

Wang Zhi already had an exquisite silver gun in his hand, and a plume of smoke was coming out of the gun's muzzle. However, the strong young man Philip just now had fallen into a pool of blood, and there was a blood hole on his forehead.

this……

Louis XII looked at the bloody scene in front of him and felt strange to this gentle governor.

"No distinction between superiority and inferiority, you deserve to die!" Wang Zhi said lightly, then looked at the dumbfounded Louis XII and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, do you mind if I help you clean up your house?"

Only then did Louis XII react, and then shook his head mechanically: "No... I don't mind!"

"Your Majesty, this pistol is very good for self-defense. I hope you can accept it!" Wang Zhi handed the silver gun in his hand to Queen Anne of France, looking very gentle and authentic.

Queen Anne of France was not frightened by Wang Zhi's actions. When Wang Zhi's hand touched hers, she blushed and thanked him for the gift: "Thank you!"

Since Queen Anne of France wanted to go to the Ming Dynasty, Wang Zhi simply began to invite European countries to send envoys to the Ming Dynasty.

"Haha... It's really a joke. Who will go?"

"Although I yearn for the East, I have to lead the army to fight there myself!"

"I bet that only the stupid woman, the Queen of France, will go. No royal family in Europe will agree to go!"

...

After receiving the invitation from the Atlantic Governor's Office of the Ming Dynasty, European countries ignored it one after another, and did not think that any country would send an envoy to go.

"I'll go!"

Just when everyone was watching the joke of the Atlantic Governor's Office, a voice suddenly came out.

Originally, everyone was ready to laugh at this idiot, but when they learned the identity of the person who agreed to go, they were dumbfounded.

Europe is not a sovereign state in the traditional sense. Because their kings are Catholics, countries are often restricted by the Pope and even obey the Pope.

Pope Alexander VI, who came to power through bribery, has passed away. The new Pope is Pius III, who had close contacts with the Ming Dynasty several years ago.

Originally, everyone rumored that the newly appointed Pope Pius III died of poisoning, but for unknown reasons, the dead Pope suddenly "restored to power".

However, everyone can clearly see that the new Pope is closer to the Ming Dynasty, so it is not surprising that he suddenly chose to lead a team to the East this time.

"I am willing to go!"

"This princess also wants to go there to broaden her horizons!"

"Since the Pope has gone, what else do I have to worry about?"

...

Western countries were originally in a wait-and-see attitude, but under the influence of Pope Pius III, they also sent delegations to go there.

In fact, everyone is curious. They are full of fantasies about the golden East. Now they can go to the mysterious kingdom to take a look, so many European nobles are flocking to it.

People always follow the crowd. They were hesitant at first, but when they saw more and more people going, they immediately rushed to sign up.

In the spring of the 17th year of Hongzhi, a luxury cruise ship carrying many royal relatives and dukes from Europe set sail from Gibraltar, planning to bypass the African continent and head to the world's maritime hegemon, the Ming Dynasty. (End of this chapter)