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

Chapter 959 Arrival in the Far East
Władysław IV quickly agreed to this and decided to send an envoy to the East to meet the Chinese emperor and bring his greetings.

As for who to send? Władysław IV did not have a good candidate for the time being. After all, the East was too far away, and there were unknown risks along the way. Most nobles would not take this risk, and if they chose an ordinary person, it would not show their sincerity. So Władysław IV had no choice but to consult with his close ministers and seek help from the Swedish royal family. Unexpectedly, the Swedish Prime Minister Count Axel Oxenstierna quickly found a suitable candidate for him. This person was the prime minister's distant cousin, Viscount Adolf Oxenstierna. When the viscount heard the news, he immediately expressed his strong interest and was willing to represent the Polish royal family in the mission to the Ming Dynasty.

In this way, Adolf was appointed by Władysław IV as a diplomatic envoy of Sweden and the Kingdom of Poland, shouldering the important task of the first official mission of a European country to China. After a period of preparation, Adolf embarked on a journey to China. He first went to the Vatican and met up with Ferdinand Vibister, a young missionary newly sent by the Vatican to China, and then boarded a ship from southern Italy to Lisbon from the Mediterranean, and then boarded the Liberty from Lisbon to go to the Ming Dynasty together.

Although Ferdinand Verbiest was young, he was a devout Christian and a leader among missionaries of his generation. The name Ferdinand Verbiest may seem strange to later generations, but he actually had a Chinese name, and historically he did come to China from Europe and spent his whole life in China. His Chinese name was "Nan Huairen".

Seeing Adolf opening his arms towards the sea with an intoxicated look on his face, Ferdinand shook his head with a smile on his face, but at this moment he also had great expectations in his heart. According to the route, he would arrive in Macau in a few days. Although Macau is currently Portuguese territory, it is actually the territory of the Ming Dynasty. Portugal has only obtained the right to reside and trade in this place.

Ferdinand was secretly excited when he thought about stepping on the land that countless Europeans dreamed of. Although he didn't know what he would face after arriving in the Ming Dynasty, were the Chinese really as rumored? Was China as rich and powerful as the legend said? The young Ferdinand was looking forward to everything.

Just as the two were chatting, several ships suddenly appeared not far away, which immediately made them alert. You know, on the way from Europe, they not only encountered storms, but also encountered pirates. There were countless pirates on the sea during the Age of Discovery. Once captured by pirates, not only would the ship and cargo be lost, but their lives would also be in danger.

"Is this a pirate?" Ferdinand asked nervously.

"That shouldn't be the case." Adolf looked intently and said hesitantly.

"Why not? Do you know these ships?" Ferdinand asked in surprise.

Adolf shook his head. "Like you, I'm here in the Far East for the first time. How could I possibly know the ships here? But didn't you notice that none of our crew members seemed nervous? And the captain didn't issue any orders to fight, but slowed down instead?"

"Yes! What's going on?" Ferdinand finally reacted. Indeed, the Liberty they were on not only did not speed up to escape, but also did not make any preparations for battle. Instead, it lowered the sails and slowed down, allowing the enemy ship to approach.

The same thing happened to another galleon, the Brave, not far away. The two ships reacted in unison. If the other party was a pirate, they would never behave like this.

"It's strange." This scene puzzled Adolf, and so did Ferdinand. Although they didn't understand what was going on, they still stood back, ready to take shelter at any time. Although their actions were meaningless on the boat, it was a natural human reaction.

After a while, a ship approached the Liberty. When the two sides boarded the ship, they asked each other a few questions in incomprehensible words, and the crew of the Liberty answered in similar words. Although they didn't understand what they were talking about, after being on the Liberty for a long time, Adolf and the others vaguely knew that this was Chinese.

Afterwards, no one knew how they communicated. The other side sent someone to board the Liberty. After continuing to talk for a while, the captain of the Liberty came out and gave the other side a bag. The other side took it and opened it and took a look, and seemed very satisfied. Then he handed a piece of cloth to the captain. The captain took it and gave it to the sailor. The sailor climbed up the mast with the cloth, and then hung it on the highest mast. Only then did he realize that this was actually a triangular flag with a complex pattern and a square Chinese character on it.

After the flag was hoisted, the other party disembarked and returned, and soon the other party's ship left. The same flag was hung on the masts of the Liberty and the Brave, and under the captain's order, the sails were hoisted again and continued to sail towards Macau.

The whole process took just over half an hour. The other party came and left quickly. After everything was over, Adolf and the others still didn't understand what was going on.

After asking the captain, I found out that their ship had entered China's territorial waters, and all foreign ships in this area must pay tolls. Only after paying the toll and obtaining this flag can they have the right to continue sailing forward. Otherwise, no ship can pass through the South China Sea, and the other side will send a fleet to attack directly.

"Is it the Chinese fleet that is coming?" Adolf seemed to understand the situation a little and asked subconsciously.

"I guess so." The captain replied with a smile. "I guess so?" Adolf was a little surprised, and even Ferdinand was puzzled by this answer.

"The supreme commander of this fleet was originally a pirate, and the leader of the largest pirate group in the Far East. But now he has become a Chinese naval admiral, and his former warships are still under his command, and the sea areas he controls are still under his jurisdiction."

The captain pointed to the mast and said, "This flag represents his identity. The Chinese character on the flag is the general's surname, and the pattern is his family crest. Only with his permission can we safely enter and exit this sea area if we fly this flag. If we disobey the general's orders and do not give permission, then all foreign ships that enter will be attacked by the general."

This explanation made the two suddenly realize that this was the same as the European privateering fleets. They used the name of the country to carry out island operations and charged fees to ships passing through. I didn't expect that this was the case in Europe, and it was the same in the far east. This was really touching.

"Is this general carrying out the orders of the Chinese emperor?" Adolf asked.

The captain smiled meaningfully: "How should I know this? I am just a captain. It is enough to pay money in exchange for safety and passage. As for whether this general's idea is his own or the Chinese emperor's, I have no place to ask. Well, dear gentlemen, the sea is a bit rough, you should go back to the cabin to rest. Our journey will soon end, and we will arrive in Macau in a few days. When we arrive in Macau, you may get the answers you want from the Chinese officials."

Ferdinand was a little unwilling to get no answer, and was about to continue asking when Adolf beside him gently pulled him and winked at him.

The two returned to the cabin. Ferdinand could not help asking Adolf why he stopped him from asking further questions. Adolf smiled bitterly and said to him, "My respected father, the captain has explained it so clearly. Why haven't you understood it yet?"

"What do you mean?" Ferdinand was just a missionary and had never encountered such a situation, so he asked in confusion.

Adolf didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "The admiral's behavior, whether personal or official, has nothing to do with us. It's meaningless to ask about it, and the captain won't consider these issues, because the captain only needs to consider the safety of the ship and everyone."

"As long as you pay a certain amount of gold coins, you can get absolute safety. This exchange is worth it. If this is the case, why bother to investigate the reasons? Father, what do you think?"

After Adolf's reminder, Ferdinand finally understood. He nodded subconsciously, and at the same time he also realized his rashness. Although this matter was a small matter, it left a deep impression on Ferdinand who had just arrived in the South China Sea. Although he could understand it, he still had doubts, but at least now he would not ask rashly as before.

The Liberty continued sailing, and two days later they passed Hainan Island, which is now Qiongzhou, and was very close to Macau.

On the afternoon of the third day, the Liberty and the Brave finally arrived in Macau. Seeing the gradually clearer Macau, Adolf and Ferdinand were both excited. They had finally arrived! After such a long journey, they finally arrived in China, in the Ming Dynasty.

Macau is now the residence of the Portuguese. The Portuguese have the right to reside and trade here. There are many ships moored at the dock. These ships are from various countries, and most of them are Portuguese ships. In addition, Macau also has an autonomous parliament and city government for Portuguese merchants. Of course, this is only the minimum autonomy. In fact, this place is still under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty. All management and operations of the Portuguese must be supervised and approved by the Ming government, otherwise the Ming government has the right to intervene or even take back this place at any time.

Adolf and Ferdinand were different from ordinary people. They were not ordinary merchants or sailors. One was an envoy from the Kingdom of Sweden and Poland, and the other was a missionary from the Holy See. Their official special identities were different from others after they landed. After landing, they informed the local government through the missionaries and parliament in Macau. The local officials were surprised when they learned about it, because they had never heard of the court having exchanges with European countries, let alone the news that European envoys were invited to Ming Dynasty.

However, after seeing a letter from the other party, the officials immediately changed their initial attitude of contempt and doubt, because this letter was a letter written by Johann Adam Schall von Bell to the Vatican. Although the words on it were unclear, the mark of credibility was still clear. Moreover, Adolf and Ferdinand also took out the letters representing the Kingdom of Sweden and the Kingdom of Poland and the token of the Vatican. With these things, even if the identity of the other party was slightly different from what they said, he was at least an official envoy representing Europe.

(End of this chapter)