Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1052 Unexpected success

Like the two world wars in history, the First World War ended with the withdrawal of Tsarist Russia, which led to the defeat of the Allies. The Second World War was almost the same, because Italy withdrew from the Axis, Germany once again lost the initiative in the war, and the massive counterattack of the Allies led to Germany's defeat again.

The same was true for the Thirty Years' War. Because of the changes in Britain, the balance of the participating countries was completely broken. The Habsburg Dynasty and the Vatican could no longer hold on, so they took this opportunity to start negotiations with the other side. The other side also suffered heavy losses in the Thirty Years' War and also intended to end the war as soon as possible. After nearly half a year of negotiations, the two parties finally signed a series of treaties in Münster and Osnabrück. These treaties eventually formed the Treaty of Westphalia, marking the end of the Thirty Years' War in Europe.

With the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia, the war finally came to an end. The Habsburg dynasty and the Vatican reluctantly ended the war in a decent manner after giving up some of their interests. The victors included France, Sweden, and the Protestants in Germany. The emergence of the Treaty of Westphalia also marked the beginning of the first international conference for European countries to negotiate and sign a treaty to resolve the war and divide new spheres of influence, which had a great impact on the subsequent period.

Of course, this had nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty delegation. If it did matter, it was that the Treaty of Westphalia was officially signed when the delegation arrived in France, thus ending the thirty-year war in Europe.

After the end of the war, the political situation in European countries quickly stabilized, the tense atmosphere between countries was eased, the conflicts caused by the war decreased sharply, peace finally came, and the safety of the delegation in its subsequent travel through various countries and regions increased significantly.

Because of the end of the war, the mission had a much smoother journey after France, and no longer had to worry about the dangers and uncertainties of the war. Due to the route, the mission only stayed in France for a month before continuing to move eastward and then crossing the German region. Along the way, because of the mission's origin and the friendly attitude of various countries after the war, the mission not only did not encounter any difficulties, but instead won the warm welcome of European countries. As envoys, Wang Fuzhi and Zheng Hongkui also visited many European royal family members during this journey and attended the banquets they held for the mission many times.

After more than half a year, they finally arrived at the Kingdom of Poland, one of the target countries of this mission. The full name of the Kingdom of Poland should be the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. After the end of the Thirty Years' War, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth gained a lot of benefits after the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia because of its relationship with Sweden, and the whole country showed a prosperous atmosphere.

But behind this situation, King Władysław IV was not optimistic about Poland's future. After all, the benefits Poland gained were only superficial. Although Poland gained some land and religious support from Prussia in the German region, it also strengthened the ruling foundation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. However, because of this, Tsarist Russia in the east was more concerned about Poland. In addition, the powerful Ottoman Empire was always eyeing Poland in the south. Poland's situation was not optimistic.

Moreover, although Władysław IV was nominally the king, the political power of the country was controlled by the parliament. As a king, he did not have much real power, let alone the ability to compete with the powerful parliament. The reason why Władysław IV sent envoys to the East was to find allies in the East, intending to win over the Ming Empire in the Far East, to use the Ming Empire's status and strength in the world to intimidate Tsarist Russia in the East, and at the same time to win over the nobles in the country, strengthen the royal power, and compete for power with the parliament.

Now that the Ming Dynasty's envoys had finally arrived in the Kingdom of Poland, Władysław IV was overjoyed. In order to show his sincerity and welcome the distinguished envoys, the king, who had lived in Sweden for a long time, even came to the capital Warsaw in person.

In the Royal Palace in Warsaw, Władysław IV warmly received the Ming Dynasty envoys and had cordial meetings and talks with Wang Fuzhi and other members of the envoys. In a good atmosphere, Władysław IV expressed the friendship of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to the Ming Dynasty and expressed gratitude to the Ming Emperor for agreeing to normal diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In addition, Władysław IV readily agreed to a series of conditions proposed by the Ming Dynasty, such as an alliance between the two sides to contain Tsarist Russia in the east to prevent Tsarist Russia from gradually becoming larger and invading other countries.

In terms of military affairs, Władysław IV was willing to cooperate fully with the Ming Dynasty and agreed to send some craftsmen and scholars to visit the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, Władysław IV also hoped that the Ming Dynasty could have a comprehensive and long-term cooperation with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in military, political and economic aspects, especially the Ming Empire's support for Władysław IV as the king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the head of state, and to consolidate the political attitude of ruling the country with royal power.

In addition to these, Władysław IV generously designated a place in Poland near the royal palace as the location of the future Ming Empire's embassy in Warsaw. He even took the initiative to undertake the construction and renovation of the embassy to show his sincerity.

Wang Fuzhi was quite surprised by the king's generosity. Although he had learned about the situation in Poland before, he had never thought that Władysław IV as a king would have such an embarrassing position in his own country. Due to the overly powerful parliament, the king's royal power was greatly restricted. Władysław IV's influence on the country was not as great as imagined. Instead, he was more like a mascot.

Now that Władysław IV has made such a straightforward concession and spared no effort to please the Ming envoys, Wang Fuzhi believes that this king is desperate to try any possible means. How many of his promises are effective in this country controlled by the parliament? Or how many of them can be truly realized, this is still unknown.

Wang Fuzhi immediately expressed his willingness to bring His Majesty's wishes back to the Ming Dynasty in order to promote comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. However, Wang Fuzhi could not guarantee whether the formal cooperation could be successful and whether the cooperation could eventually reach that level. You must know that traveling between Europe and the Ming Dynasty is not something that can be completed in a short period of time. Just a one-way trip takes nearly a year and a half. If you want to go back and forth, it will take at least three or four years. Moreover, they came to Poland and then went to Sweden. After the Swedish matter was over, they would not leave immediately and would have to wait for the follow-up work in Europe to be completed, including the preparation and arrangement of the embassy, ​​etc. It was unknown when they would set off again after all these were done.

"Brother Nong, what are you thinking about?" The residence in Warsaw is an estate of the Polish royal family. Although it is not as magnificent as the royal palace, it can be regarded as one of the best palaces in Warsaw.

In order to show his sincerity and respect for the Ming Dynasty delegation, Władysław IV specially arranged for the delegation members to live here. So the prince and his entourage moved in, and they lived quite well here these days.

Since meeting with King Władysław IV at the palace yesterday, Wang Fuzhi has been thinking about something since he returned to his residence. His brows are always full of sadness and solemnity, which makes Zheng Hongkui a little puzzled. In Zheng Hongkui's opinion, everything went smoothly when they came to Poland, especially King Władysław IV was very enthusiastic towards them, not only meeting all their requests, but also giving them conveniences that they had never thought of. Isn't this good? Why is he still so worried?

"Brother Rijian, there is something I don't know whether I should say it or not." Wang Fuzhi came back to his senses and said to Zheng Hongkui seriously.

Zheng Hongkui waved his hand and said, "You and I have come all the way here, and we have supported each other for more than a year. Brother Nong should know what kind of person I am. Although I am a warrior, I am also a well-educated person. There are not many outsiders here. Since His Majesty has asked you and me to go to Europe together, and Brother Nong has any ideas, just speak them out. Why hesitate?"

"It's my fault. Please forgive me, Brother Rijian." Wang Fuzhi was slightly stunned and bowed to Zheng Hongkui embarrassedly. Zheng Hongkui didn't care and waved his hand to continue asking. Wang Fuzhi then said, "I have been thinking about an old saying."

"What's the matter?"

"If you are nice to someone for no reason, you are either a traitor or a thief!"

"Hahaha!" Zheng Hongkui laughed loudly, pointing at Wang Fuzhi and shaking his head, "Er Nong Er Nong, you are too cautious. Did the king agree too readily, making you suspicious? Are you worried?"

"Why? Aren't you worried?" Wang Fuzhi asked back, "Your Majesty trusts us so much and has entrusted us with the important task of sending us to Europe as envoys of the Ming Dynasty. Our every move represents the Ming Dynasty and the dignity of the superior country. Whenever we make a decision, it is the will of the Ming Dynasty in the eyes of the foreign vassal states. Now the King of Poland is so generous and even impatient, which makes me worried. What if..."

"What's the 'what if'?" Zheng Hongkui interrupted him before he could finish his words, "I am a military commander. As the saying goes, a general is not subject to orders from his sovereign when he is away from home! Since His Majesty has appointed you and me as envoys, there is no need to dwell on the details of many things. What exactly did I come to Europe for? Could it be that Er Nong has forgotten?"

“This…” Wang Fuzhi was stunned.

Zheng Hongkui said: "First, win over the European countries, especially Poland and Sweden, to jointly counter Russia, provoke a war between the two sides, and reduce the pressure on my Ming Dynasty in the East. Second, find suitable craftsmen for my Ming Dynasty, recruit European craftsmen and scholars to the Ming Dynasty, and use them for my Ming Dynasty. Third, investigate the situation of European countries to understand the situation of European countries. Apart from these three points, your majesty once said that all other matters should be left to us to act at our convenience. In this case, why bother? As long as we get what we want, why bother to investigate what the Polish king is thinking? Moreover, it is not the first day for you and me to come to Europe. I also know a thing or two about the Polish state system. The other party is just trying to use the power of my Ming Dynasty to suppress the parliament and consolidate the royal power. You and I can't stop such things. Let them do what they want. Isn't it better to pretend to be deaf and dumb?"

"It is said that if you miss this opportunity, you will lose this business. If you don't take advantage of a bargain, you are a bastard! Since the other party has drawn a line, just accept it. Even if it fails in the future, it will not be a loss for our Ming Dynasty. Instead, the responsibility lies with the other party. In this way, when we return to Ming Dynasty, His Majesty will not blame me for anything. His Majesty is not a petty person. How could he care about such a small matter?"

(End of this chapter)