Chapter 394: Finding Life in Death, Turning the Tide

Now, as long as Xu Fan nodded, he could become the King of Portugal. Everything he had hoped for would be realized, and he would obtain a legitimate status, allowing his children to return to the Great Ming openly and honorably.

The parchment brought by Solon was written in Philip's own hand; it was a promise.

Philip had met Xu Fan once and had been deeply impressed. As long as his envoy Solon could complete the negotiations, Philip II did not intend to renege. He would truly request the Pope to issue the investiture, and every diocese would receive notice of this appointment.

The throne of Portugal was within reach.

It looked beautiful, but in reality, it was anything but.

"The king your master bestows is not a true king." Xu Fan still chose to refuse. Although it was within his grasp, Xu Fan knew that once he agreed, he would only drift further from his goal.

Xu Fan was a Great Ming man from the East. He had absolutely no foundation in the West. Even if he obtained the investiture, he would be nothing more than a hollow figurehead. The Portuguese nobles, the rising merchant class enriched by maritime trade, and even the commoners would view Xu Fan as an enemy, for he would be the tool of Philip's brutal rule.

Once the resistance was quelled, when the Portuguese people could no longer bear the cruel exploitation, Philip II could simply use Xu Fan's head to appease the public anger.

No one would listen to him; he would merely possess a title. This path looked like it was paved with flowers, but in truth, it was covered in thorns.

"Truly, the 'Wise One' is a man of great insight. We have a proverb in the West: 'Trusting a king's promise is less reliable than trusting that my wife loves me.' A guest from the East might find this hard to understand, for in the West, love is merely a beautiful legend." Solon was quite helpless; dealing with a clever man was never easy.

Solon thought for a moment and said, "Wise One, these two sheets of parchment are just a beautiful beginning, aren't they? With your wisdom, during the time you serve the king, you could easily acquire wealth and power that would make others submit. With your wisdom, you need not worry about the future."

It was an extremely low-level provocation, but it worked very well on clever people. Clever people were often arrogant and could not tolerate others questioning their decisions.

Xu Fan shook his head again, saying, "You are right, but I have never underestimated anyone. Even a foolish person can make the right decision after repeated reflection. I have always believed that when everything I have comes from someone, I must dedicate everything I have to them."

"Thank you for your generous invitation."

"This is truly regrettable." Solon stood up. As a monarch, and the monarch of an empire on which the sun never sets, Philip II would usually not break his word. Marriage and territorial expansion inevitably led to a weak foundation of rule. Using a fiefdom with widespread resistance to win over a subject and build ties with the East was not a loss for Philip.

"Oh, by the way, my dear friend, honored guest from afar, you might not know our captain well enough. When the 'Pure One' drove Antonio out of the monastery, he had nothing. It was my king who cultivated him, yet he used everything he gained to turn against my king. I am merely reminding you, honored guest, to be careful and wary of him, especially after he obtains what he wants." As Solon left, he spoke in a tone of deep emotion, as if recounting the past.

Solon rubbed his temples, looking quite sentimental. "He is now crawling at the feet of the Eastern Emperor, begging like a dog. Back then, Captain Antonio was also begging my king just like that."

This was a very simple alienation tactic. Although simple, it was truly effective. Solon was Philip's secretary and possessed great talent. He knew how to deal with clever people: do not attempt to deceive the wise. Everything Solon said was the truth, but the effect was excellent.

Antonio was not a man who repaid kindness; he had always been a gambler who played for high stakes.

"The Emperor's war loan is only for the interest." Xu Fan saw Solon off.

"My king told me that the gates of the Summer Palace will always be open to you. I will leave an address. If you change your mind, you can come there to inform my king. My king will send the Invincible Armada to pick you up. Compared to a territory that cannot produce stable output, the experience from the East is far more precious." When Solon left, he left a note with an address. Solon gave Xu Fan more choices, and at the same time, gave each other more opportunities.

Xu Fan looked thoughtful. "No matter how you look at it, helping Philip II is a better choice. Philip II and his aides have shown the composure of those who achieve great things, while Antonio only knows how to shout. Dazhuang, what do you think?"

Solon's visit was a success. He had never thought he could succeed in one go; he was here to drive a wedge between Xu Fan and Antonio. As long as they were not of one mind, as long as there was a gap between them, he would succeed.

If once wasn't enough, he would try twice; if twice wasn't enough, he would try ten times. If you swing the hoe well enough, the wall will eventually crumble.

"Those who are not of my race must have different hearts." Chen Dazhuang did not understand these twists and turns. In his eyes, Solon was just a rather polite guest.

Xu Fan packed his bags. He had already perceived Antonio's choice.

The next morning, Marcus came to the House of the Wise, informing Xu Fan that Antonio had requested him to act as an envoy to visit Falanxi and England. This journey would take over three months, and Antonio hoped for a good result.

Xu Fan told Marcus about Solon's visit. The fact that Solon could appear at the House of the Wise meant that assassins could also appear here. In this era of slow information transmission, the fact that Solon could find this place showed that there was a traitor among Antonio's men.

Xu Fan did not like the City of Freedom. The West called it Cape Verde. It consisted of fifteen islands and was the only way to the West. It was a transportation hub. All ships heading to the New World, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia had to pass through here. It was the most important overseas port in the West. A city based on trade was destined to have a culture where money was supreme.

As long as you had money, you could get anything you wanted in the City of Freedom. The supremacy of money meant that there were no rules or morality here.

This place gathered the most pirates in the world, and these pirates usually had the identities of merchants from various countries. Their ships had many flags: pirate skull flags, red crosses, family crests, crescents, etc. The city was full of garbage, and the city hall turned a blind eye to it. Because they never farmed here, human and animal excrement could be seen everywhere in the city, and the air was filled with the smell of fermenting feces mixed with cheap perfume.

This place gathered prostitutes of different skin colors from all over the world, which could be seen everywhere after walking two steps. Besides prostitutes, some Western noblewomen came here for novelty, and those black barbarians were their favorites. Killings could happen at any time, sometimes not even for silver coins, but just because of a verbal dispute.

Xu Fan disliked this place very much because he was afraid. Occasionally, he would worry that his hometown, Songjiang Prefecture, would become this unbearable.

With the continuous advancement of opening the seas, Songjiang Prefecture's development changed with each passing day. Being a hub for nine provinces and a distribution center for goods from all over the world destined Songjiang Prefecture to become the wealthiest place. The whisper of the devil called money would tempt everyone to become a slave to money.

Xu Fan did not want to see Songjiang Prefecture slide into the abyss.

Xu Fan set off, carrying Antonio's expectations, his own guards, Marcus, and three thousand sailors, boarding five five-masted ocean-going ships, heading toward the West. Their first stop was none other than Lisbon.

At this time, Lisbon had fallen into chaos. The sudden passing of the "Pure One" caught everyone off guard. At this time, Portugal was managed by a joint committee of five. Before a new king was produced, these five people jointly acted as the king.

Xu Fan's first stop here was to announce that Antonio, as the heir, was to inherit the throne.

The five-member committee of the City Hall were all nobles, and they all supported Philip II in obtaining the throne. For example, the Duchess of Braganza, the Farnese family, etc. Farnese had great influence in Portugal. For example, the Archbishop was Ranuccio Farnese, and Ranuccio's father was a fanatical admirer of Philip II, and Ranuccio's brother served in the Invincible Armada.

When Xu Fan and his party arrived in Lisbon, no one came to welcome them. Interestingly, no one came to stop them either.

Xu Fan brought about three hundred people to the Sintra Palace of the Portuguese King. The remains of Henry I had already begun to stink, yet no one cared.

The architectural style was white walls and red roofs, with a fusion of Gothic and Moorish styles. Two unique conical chimneys were particularly eye-catching, standing high like bull horns, so this place was also called the Bull Horn Palace.

The palace was in a mess. After Henry died and power shifted to the five-member committee, the maids in the palace took everything they could, including the porcelain and furniture in the Chinese Hall. There were even many corpses in the palace, clearly the result of conflicts during the looting of property.

The mess in the palace was just like the state of the country.

After Xu Fan and his three hundred men cleaned the inside and outside of the palace, they buried Henry I and summoned some officials to announce Antonio's succession to the throne.

"Interesting. What exactly does this five-member committee mean?" Xu Fan sat in the Swan Hall of the palace, looking curiously at the swans of various shapes on the dome, asking Marcus for his opinion.

The five-member committee of the City Hall didn't care who became king, as long as their status was guaranteed.

The lower-class people firmly advocated for maintaining the country's complete independence. It wasn't that they liked Antonio so much, but to fight for their own interests. After being annexed by Philip II, supporting the meat-eaters was already extremely difficult; adding another top predator would only increase the burden on the commoners.

"The situation is much better than I imagined." Xu Fan looked at Marcus and smiled. "Clean up, we are preparing to go to Falanxi."

"Advisor, are we just leaving like this? You and His Highness haven't discussed what conditions to give Falanxi and England in exchange for their support. In the City of Freedom, I thought you would see the situation in Lisbon before making a decision. What price are we going to pay?" Marcus did not choose to agree, but asked about the price.

There is no support without reason. Falanxi and England were no different; without enough benefits, they would never provide substantial help.

Xu Fan was surprised. "I never intended to pay these kings any benefits, because I never expected them to provide any substantial help. Wait, do we need it? Will they provide us with help? No way, does Antonio intend to pay a price for this?"

"Naturally." Marcus's face turned red immediately. He felt ashamed because Antonio had promised many conditions.

Xu Fan looked at the document, his face turning black. Philip II said Antonio had no wisdom; this evaluation was very accurate.

Antonio promised: The Portuguese royal family would marry members of the Bourbon family, thus formally joining the Bourbon family group and becoming enemies with the Habsburg family led by Philip II (from the perspective of strength).

"I can understand this as a cultural difference. The things you might value, I do not recognize. Can this also be used as a condition?" Xu Fan was a little confused about this point. The feudal system of the Great Ming and the West were completely different. The recognition of bloodline here far exceeded that of the Great Ming.

The Habsburg family was a huge force in the West, including the Holy Roman Emperor, the Archduke of Austria, the King of Hungary, the King of Bohemia, the King of Spain, etc.

The Bourbon family was also a large family in the West, having ruled Falanxi, Naples, Sicily, Luxembourg, Italian duchies, etc., successively. The Bourbon family originated from the Bourbon region of Falanxi.

Marcus thought for a moment. "Yes, as long as you marry a woman of the Bourbon family, the children born will have the right of inheritance."

"Hmm, it's something like marrying into the family, right?" Xu Fan finally understood this condition. It was a cultural difference. It wasn't Xu Fan's fault. The inheritance law of the Great Ming and the West were completely different. Inheritance in the Great Ming mainly looked at the legitimate eldest son. If there was a legitimate eldest son, naturally it was best. If there was an eldest son, generally there would be no legitimate son, to prevent things that violated the ancestral laws.

The inheritance in the West was quite messy. Xu Fan hadn't figured it out yet. Sorting out the blood relationships between Western kings, dukes, and marquises was far more complicated than the official positions of the two Song dynasties. Inheritance in the West was very messy. For example, illegitimate children could inherit family property. Antonio was an illegitimate child.

"Um, it's roughly similar." Marcus nodded. It was somewhat like marrying into the family in the Great Ming, but not exactly the same. If Xu Fan insisted on understanding it this way, it wasn't impossible.

In the Great Ming, in the early years of Wanli, the social status of a son-in-law marrying into the family was equal to that of a criminal, belonging to a kind of lowly status.

"The Great Ming and England signed a permanent alliance agreement two hundred years ago. To make England fulfill this alliance agreement, Antonio can promise to unconditionally transfer twelve commercial ports and fortresses, including Lisbon, Caminha, and Porto, to England, and allow them to station fleets in these places?" Xu Fan looked at the political decree signed by Antonio in disbelief, staring blankly at Marcus.

Marcus lowered his head in shame.

Xu Fan pointed to one of them and said in surprise, "To obtain support from the Roman Curia, Antonio promised to allow the Archbishop to interfere in state affairs, fully respect the Archbishop's opinions, and allow the establishment of the Inquisition, supporting the validity of religious law in the diocese? In the central square of Lisbon, a stake must be erected to confirm the authority of the Curia?!"

"And even cede three colonies in the New World, including Brazil, to England, and recognize the ownership of parts of the colonies occupied by England and the Netherlands."

Xu Fan held his forehead. In his cognition, this was so absurd that it only happened during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. This was equivalent to erecting a statue of Shakyamuni at the Temple of Heaven and Earth in the Great Ming, where heaven and earth were worshipped, and then burning all those who violated the precepts in front of the Buddha. If the Great Ming Emperor dared to set it up, would the Buddhists dare to agree? If they dared to agree today, they would be exterminated tomorrow.

Portugal was indeed not the Great Ming, but such a humiliating treaty made Xu Fan feel ashamed just reading it.

Marcus often traveled to the Great Ming. He had also read the travel notes written by Legazpi. He said in a low voice, "So, the Prince and I felt that the Great Ming is a civilized country, and the Porcelain Pagoda of the Bao'en Temple standing in Nanjing is the Tower of Civilization. That's why the Prince begged to obtain the Emperor's investiture."

"Advisor, is there a possibility that we in the West are all like this?"

"I'd rather use it to wipe my ass than dirty my buttocks! It's simply unreasonable! Might as well invite Philip II to be king!" Xu Fan returned the document signed by Antonio to Marcus.

Xu Fan looked at Marcus and said very solemnly, "He trusts me, and he appointed me as an envoy to visit Falanxi and England. So, do as I say. Marcus, Sword Saint of the West, the Emperor once said something to the court officials. Today, I tell you: Dignity is not begged for on your knees; dignity is only at the edge of the sword!"

"All five five-masted ocean-going ships, set sail, head to Falanxi! Find five of the most important ports. If the Falanxi King does not agree to support the new king's ascension, block their gates, destroy all their ships that dare to go to sea, and kill until they support it."

Marcus was stunned. "Do we really have to do this?"

"Do you have a better way?" Xu Fan asked back.

"Doesn't seem like it." Marcus shook his head.

Xu Fan took the five-masted ocean-going ships from the Great Ming and swaggered toward Falanxi. In just one month, King Henry III of Falanxi signed the "Treaty of Falanxi and Portugal," recognizing Antonio's ascension to the Portuguese throne and sincerely hoping that Xu Fan would withdraw the blockade.

Henry III was extremely absurd. He ignored state affairs and spent his days dating his mistresses. Xu Fan's negotiations and blockade were mostly conducted with the Queen Mother Catherine de' Medici. As the mother of three Falanxi kings, the slightly plump Catherine knew very well that Falanxi was in internal and external trouble. Religious wars, an empty treasury, and huge war deficits all made Falanxi precarious.

Therefore, after simple negotiations, Henry III's male favorite handed the Treaty of Falanxi and Portugal, the treaty recognizing and supporting Antonio's ascension to the throne, to Xu Fan.

Yes, Henry III's absurdity lay not only in his love for mistresses, but also in his love for male favorites. In the palace, Xu Fan saw many flamboyant male favorites who held great power.

Falanxi is in danger; this was the only feeling Xu Fan had when he left Falanxi.

After three days of sailing, Xu Fan took five five-masted ships, like giant beasts on the sea, and without any official documents, broke into the wide Taiwushihe, bullying the coal ships to the sides, sailing against the current. England was easier to deal with than Falanxi, because as long as the mouth of the Taiwushihe was blocked, the entire England was blocked. Xu Fan's rudeness did not cause strong resistance. Even England, which couldn't even build a three-masted galleon, was completely unable to deal with the behemoth of a five-masted ocean-going ship.

The entire England possessed a total of ninety-three cannons that could be called cannons, a total of less than 5,108 matchlock guns, and less than 100,000 catties of gunpowder. The firepower of just three five-masted ocean-going ships completely exceeded the total of England.

Therefore, the Queen of England did not hesitate at all and chose a warm welcome. Xu Fan, who was not particularly warlike, had a friendly exchange with Elizabeth I. England recognized and supported Antonio's ascension to the throne. According to the order of succession, after the Duchess of Braganza announced her withdrawal from the succession dispute, Antonio was the first in line.

Elizabeth I tactfully expressed her hope to send an envoy to the Great Ming. Goods from the Great Ming were also urgently needed by England. Even though there was no trade route between England and the Great Ming at this time, Elizabeth I looked at the five-masted ocean-going ships and believed that the Great Ming could definitely conquer the ocean and storms and come to the West. Xu Fan readily agreed and let the envoy go with him to the City of Freedom, waiting to go to the Great Ming when the merchant fleet set off.

In May of the eighth year of Wanli, Antonio completed his visit and returned to Lisbon. Marcus took two five-masted ocean-going ships to the City of Freedom to pick up the Portuguese King and return to Lisbon, while Xu Fan stayed in Lisbon to make final preparations for Antonio's return.

The Duchess of Braganza and Ranuccio Farnese, the two most important people of the five-member joint government acting as the royal power, came to the Bull Horn Palace.

"Look at what you've done! Oh, may God forgive your sins. You are so rude and unreasonable that you have offended Falanxi and England at the same time." Ranuccio rushed into the palace angrily. As soon as he saw Xu Fan, he began to point fingers and shout. When Chen Dazhuang slowly drew his weapon, Ranuccio's attitude immediately improved a lot, at least he didn't dare to point at Xu Fan while speaking, and his attitude became very gentle.

Ranuccio had no doubt that if he continued to point at Xu Fan, this sturdy guard would chop off his palm with one blade.

Xu Fan found this scene quite fun. He looked at the Archbishop Ranuccio, spread his hands, and said, "I just did this. Neither the Falanxi King nor the English King expressed excessive anger. On the contrary, they were very polite, just like you now."

Ranuccio feared the blade in Chen Dazhuang's hand, just as the Falanxi King and the English King feared the five-masted ocean-going ships.

Indeed, Antonio was indeed weak compared to Philip II, but Antonio, who had the investment of the Great Ming Emperor, was already very powerful.

"Damn it! I swear, if this weren't the palace, I would definitely use my sword to pierce your heart! Purify this dirty world!" Ranuccio's tone became calm, but his words were not polite at all. Ranuccio was certain that this sturdy guard couldn't understand Latin.

In the West, except for nobles who needed to travel, most people were illiterate, especially these warriors, who all used local vernaculars.

Generally speaking, big figures like Xu Fan wouldn't translate the words cursing them to their guards, as it would damage their dignity.

Chen Dazhuang didn't learn Latin well, but he understood the words "pierce your heart," so he knew that this guy who smelled bad didn't have any good intentions!

"Apologize, or die." Chen Dazhuang drew his sword and pointed it at Ranuccio.

"My God! You actually know Latin?" Ranuccio was stunned.

"Forget it, throw this rude guy out. Our council chamber must have a ceremonial officer in the future, otherwise, the council chamber will be as noisy as a vegetable market." Xu Fan gave instructions, signaling Chen Dazhuang to send this rude Archbishop out of the palace.

Two maritime patrol officers lifted Ranuccio up, and regardless of how Ranuccio struggled, they threw him outside.

"Antonio's advisor, this is an Archbishop. Throwing him out like this will likely provoke the dissatisfaction of the Curia." The Duchess of Braganza reminded Xu Fan. This was the West, Portugal and Spain were Catholic countries, and this was a diocese. Being so rude to an Archbishop would likely lead to some bad consequences.

Xu Fan shook his head and said, "You should call him King, not just by his name. I will only warn you this once. I have to remind you that His Highness possesses seventeen five-masted ocean-going ships, and our fleet has six hundred nine-pound naval guns. Indeed, this firepower might not be a match for Philip II, but it is more than enough to deal with you."

"Compared to throwing the Archbishop out of the castle, what I am about to do next will be even more excessive."

The Duchess was choked. The five-member committee acting as the royal power all supported Philip II in obtaining the throne. The reason they didn't stop Xu Fan and others wasn't because they didn't want to, but because they didn't dare. The battle for the Strait of Gibraltar had long spread back to Lisbon. Antonio was definitely not Philip II's match head-on, but he was not someone they could oppose either.

It could only be said that Antonio was indeed a lucky man; he had obtained the investiture and investment from the Great Ming.

"Then, respected King's Advisor, what are you going to do next?" The Duchess was curious about what this domineering Easterner would do.

Xu Fan slapped the table, stood up abruptly, and shouted, "This dirty, stinking Lisbon should be completely changed! As a capital city, to be so smelly, don't you feel ashamed?!"

"Do you want to welcome your King with such a dirty royal city?!"

Note 1: The number of firearms in England in the text is actually from 1637, when King Charles I of England was defeated by Scotland and took inventory of the number of firearms. Note 2: Although Philip II had many troubles, he was still the undisputed hegemon in Europe at that time. Philip II had lost many times, but his opponents often only had one chance to lose. Note 3: Falanxi was very weak at this time, with an absurd monarch and nobles with their own agendas. The whole country was restless. In 1589, the absurd Henry III was assassinated, the Valois dynasty of Falanxi perished, and the Bourbon dynasty of Falanxi was established. Please vote for the monthly ticket, Awoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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It can only be said that Antonio is indeed a lucky man; he obtained the enfeoffment and investment from the Great Ming.

"Then, respected Advisor to the King, what will you do next?" The Duchess was somewhat curious. What exactly would this overbearing Easterner do?

Xu Fan slapped the table, stood up abruptly, and said loudly: "This filthy, foul-smelling Lisbon should be thoroughly changed! As a capital city of a country, to be so smelly, don't you feel ashamed?!"

"Do you want to welcome your King with such a filthy royal city?!"

Note 1: The number of firearms in England mentioned in the text is from 1637, the figure obtained after King Charles I of England was defeated by Scotland and took inventory of his firearms. Note 2: Although Philip II had many troubles, he was still the undisputed hegemon of the entire European land at that time. Philip II lost many times, but his opponents often only had one chance to lose. Note 3: Falanxi at this time was very weak, with a muddled monarch and nobles harboring their own agendas; the entire country was restless. In 1589, the absurd Henry III was assassinated, the Valois dynasty of Falanxi perished, and the Bourbon dynasty of Falanxi was established. Please vote, Aowu!!!!!!!!!!!!

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