Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 558 Prelude! Opening the Doors to the Ming Dynasty!

Similar scenarios are playing out in other cities across Europe.

Among the aristocratic circles in various regions, there was a widespread sense of anticipation and excitement surrounding the arrival of the Ming Dynasty fleet.

Of course, a few people had concerns, but their voices were too weak and were quickly drowned out by the louder voices.

Especially the female noblewomen, their yearning for the powerful Eastern nation reached an almost obsessive level.

It must be said that the deep-seated admiration for powerful external nations and their men seems to be an innate trait of many women.

The distant Ming Dynasty in the East was a far more powerful and mysterious entity than any of the European nations.

This alone was enough to make many European noblewomen yearn for it, wishing they could immediately find a man from the Ming Dynasty, spend a wonderful night with him, and then travel together to that distant and prosperous country.

Of course, this can only be realized in their fantasies.

But those treasures from the Ming Dynasty were something they absolutely had to acquire.

They are not merely objects, but symbols of nobility, beauty, and elegance.

Imagine how dazzling it would be to attend a noble banquet dressed in magnificent robes from the Ming Dynasty and adorned with exotic accessories.
He's sure to become the center of attention!
To achieve this goal, these noblewomen used every trick in the book.

They would either plead with their fathers, pester their beloved lovers, or cleverly manipulate those who were devoted to them, hoping that someone would be generous enough to buy them some rare treasures from the Ming Dynasty.

At this time, Europe had just experienced a massive catastrophe that swept across the entire continent, namely the infamous Black Death.

This pandemic has claimed the lives of tens of millions of people and brought profound trauma to society.

At the same time, the ideas of the Renaissance were quietly emerging, beginning to show their initial brilliance.

Due to the devastation of the Black Death, many people developed the idea of ​​"living for the moment" and enjoying life to the fullest.

They felt that since life was uncertain and they didn't know when they would get sick and die, they should enjoy every day as long as they were alive and fully experience the beauty of life.

The Renaissance was also a strong rebellion against the previous "ascetic" ideology.

It advocated open-mindedness, the pursuit of freedom, and the enjoyment of life, which coincided with the short-sighted hedonism brought about by the Black Death, and together they promoted the transformation of social values.

In addition, the traditional cultural style of Europe is completely different from the introverted and low-key culture of China.

The nobles here were more interested in building luxurious mansions and wearing flamboyant and colorful clothes to show off their wealth to the world.

This contrasts sharply with the Chinese cultural atmosphere of "not flaunting wealth," and the unadorned exterior of houses while revealing hidden wonders inside.

They are equally keen on comparing themselves with each other and pursuing so-called "rare treasures".

The arrival of the Ming Dynasty fleet has undoubtedly ignited their deep-seated desire to "buy, buy, buy".

If one cannot acquire a few exotic treasures from the Ming Dynasty, can one still be considered a true nobleman?

Won't I be ridiculed by others for this?
Holding this idea in mind, and with the strong urging of the female nobles, countless European nobles, either sending servants or setting off in person, flocked to Venice.

They not only longed to witness the magnificent spectacle of the Ming Dynasty's fleet, but also desperately hoped to acquire rare and exotic treasures from the Ming Dynasty.

The Doge's Palace in Venice.

Governor Michele is convening a meeting of nobles.

At this time, Venice was ruled by an oligarchic aristocratic group.

Its main governing bodies were a parliament composed of these oligarchic nobles and a governor elected by the parliament.

In addition, there was a secret judicial body that struck fear into the hearts of many: the Supreme Court, composed of a council of ten, which was also the Inquisition.

This is a notorious institution that has the power to sentence anyone to death by burning at will.

In order to strengthen its control over the people, the Inquisition also established a unique "informing system".

They set up a special "lion's mouth" in front of the headquarters gate for delivering informants.

Anyone could anonymously write a letter of denunciation and throw it into the "lion's mouth" to denounce those who were disloyal or who were trying to do something detrimental to the rule of the Venetian aristocracy.

Upon receiving a letter of denunciation, the Inquisition would immediately launch a secret investigation. If the allegations were verified, the accused would be ruthlessly executed.

The number of people who die from this every year is not small.

This secret judicial body thus left an extremely terrifying impression on the public.

All ten judges of the Council of Ten were also present at today's meeting.

However, the purpose of this meeting was not to try anyone, but to discuss how to handle the upcoming arrival of the Ming Dynasty fleet.

This visit from the far East undoubtedly touched a nerve with the highest ruler of Venice.

"We must never allow the Ming fleet to set foot in Venice!"

In the council hall, the young nobleman Marco suddenly stood up, his face flushed, his voice impassioned, almost roaring.

"According to the news sent back by fast horses from the southern coast, the Ming Dynasty's ships are not only incredibly large, but each ship is also covered with countless cannons!"

"That wasn't a merchant ship at all; it was clearly a warship through and through!"

"Those Ming Dynasty sailors were all armed with muskets; they weren't merchants at all, but genuine warriors!"

"Venice is a city of commerce, a city of peace, and certainly not a city of war!"

“We have never allowed any foreign warships to dock in Venice, let alone such a large fleet.”

"We cannot set this precedent; we absolutely cannot allow the Ming army to land in Venice!"

After Marco finished speaking, the entire council chamber fell into a deathly silence.

After a long silence, an elderly nobleman broke the silence, coughed a few times, and asked in a hoarse voice, "But... do we have the power to refuse?"

A hint of helplessness and fear flashed in his eyes: "You know, the last time Zheng He led his fleet, he fired cannons in other places to show his power."

"Although there were no casualties, the power displayed by those artillery pieces was immense!"

"If we refuse them landing, that Ming prince might order the fleet to fire on Venice!"

"We cannot back down!" Marco roared almost hysterically. "Zheng He's fleet was much larger, but this so-called Ming prince's fleet is much smaller!" "We are not afraid of Zheng He's fleet, so why should we be afraid of this smaller fleet?"

“Marco, don’t get agitated.” Another nobleman tried to dissuade him, his voice gentle and rational: “Even if we are not afraid of this fleet, don’t forget that behind them stands the incomparably powerful Ming Empire.”

"It would be extremely unwise to make an enemy of such a powerful empire; we must think twice."

This statement was immediately endorsed by most of the nobles in the council, with many nodding in approval.

"I believe that we cannot arbitrarily conclude that the Ming fleet was a warship simply because it carried a large number of cannons."

A nobleman offered a different perspective, calmly analyzing, "Don't forget, the journey from the distant Ming Dynasty in the East to our Europe is extremely long and requires a long and dangerous voyage."

"They will need to stop at the shore to resupply along the way, where they will encounter many savage primitive tribes."

“Those tribes are different from the Europeans of our civilization; they are often very brutal and hostile to strangers.”

He continued, “If the Ming fleet does not have strong military force as a guarantee, it will not be enough to deter the people of those barbaric lands.”

"In this way, they will not be able to reach Europa safely at all."

"From this perspective, it was entirely reasonable and necessary for the Ming Dynasty's fleet to carry cannons and firearms, for self-defense rather than aggression."

"That makes sense!" The other nobles in the council echoed in agreement, their voices rising and falling, forming an overwhelming force.

"We should establish friendly relations with the Ming Dynasty, not make enemies of it!"

"Venice is a city of trade and a city of peace. We must never go to war with the Ming Dynasty!" someone emphasized loudly.

"I'm also thinking of buying rare and exotic treasures from the East. How can we trade with them if we don't let the Ming Dynasty's fleet dock?"

The nobles in the council were all vehemently refuting Marco's arguments.

"You surrenderers, cowards!" Marco roared, enraged by the crowd's rebuttal. "You have ignored the long-standing rules and allowed Ming warships to dock and enter Venice. This is like inviting a wolf into the house!"

He waved his arms excitedly and said, "Don't forget the 'Scourge of God' from those barbarian tribes of the steppes. Their cavalry swept across most of Europe, causing widespread devastation and countless deaths."

"If it weren't for the mountains blocking their way, they might even have gone south and attacked Venice!"

"Although they inexplicably stopped their offensive later, it was just good luck on our part, not because they were merciful!"

Marco's voice was hoarse with anger: "I heard that those barbarian tribes of the steppes were ultimately defeated by the Ming Dynasty!"

"Even the barbarian tribes of the grasslands are no match for the Ming Dynasty. If we bring the people of the Ming Dynasty here, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

His eyes were filled with fear and paranoia towards the Ming Dynasty, and he tried his best to prevent the arrival of the Ming fleet.

"Marco, this is all just wishful thinking on your part."

One nobleman retorted bluntly: "The Ming Dynasty is completely different from those barbarian tribes of the grasslands. The Ming Dynasty is by no means a barbaric country, but a land of flourishing civilization."

“We can establish diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty and develop trade with them. This would be entirely beneficial to Venice!”

"Don't forget, commerce and trade are the foundation of Venice's existence and the basis of our prosperity!"

“Indeed!” another nobleman chimed in, “For a long time, it has been through trade with the East and with overseas countries that we in Venice have been able to amass enormous wealth and build the glories we enjoy today!”

"To cut off trade with the Ming Dynasty is tantamount to cutting off our own source of income!"

"If the Ming Dynasty's fleet does not choose to stop in Venice and instead goes to other city-states to conduct trade, it will pose a serious threat to Venice's long-standing dominant position in European commerce!"

"The interests of all of us will suffer incalculable losses as a result."

"Previously, Zheng He's fleet did not arrive in Venice directly, but only sent envoys to visit. As a result, a large number of Ming Dynasty treasures were sold in other cities, which seriously damaged Venice's commercial reputation."

"If people can easily buy exotic treasures from the Far East in other cities, why would they come to Venice to shop?"

"You still want to trade with us?"

Where should we go to make a profit?

"Now that the Ming fleet has chosen to come to Venice, this is the opportunity we have been dreaming of. How can we turn them away?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another nobleman stood up abruptly, eagerly taking over the conversation: "We must seize this opportunity to sign a trade treaty with the Ming Dynasty!"

"If we can successfully monopolize trade with the Ming Dynasty, Venice will benefit immensely and will never have to worry about being replaced by any other city again."

"At that time, we will all earn countless riches, and Venice will experience unprecedented prosperity!"

Marco was enraged by the series of rebuttals, his face flushed red. He glared at them furiously, pointed a trembling finger at them, and roared at the top of his lungs, "You will ruin Venice!"

"You are traitors to Venice, sinners of Venice!"

"Your names will be forever nailed to the pillar of shame, and you will be infamous for ten thousand years!"

"Silence!" a senior nobleman councilor snapped. "Marco, please maintain your noble demeanor."

"This is the meeting hall of the Governor's Palace. Today, His Excellency the Governor has convened all of us members of parliament to discuss important matters."

He then said, "This kind of debate will not yield any results. I propose that we hold a vote on this matter according to democratic principles."

After speaking, he turned his gaze to Governor Michele, who was seated high above.

Michael nodded slightly in agreement, then said in a deep voice, "Those who agree to allow the Ming fleet to dock in Venice and trade with those who have been there before, please raise your hands."

Before he finished speaking, he was the first to raise his hand.

Immediately afterwards, the other members of parliament raised their arms in unison.

Everyone except Marco voted in favor.

“Very well, now that everyone has reached a consensus,” Michele stood up, beaming, and announced loudly, “I now, in the name of the Doge of Venice, officially declare that the Ming Dynasty’s fleet is welcome to enter Venice!”

This meeting, which concerned the future of Venice, ultimately decided by an overwhelming vote to open its doors to the Ming Dynasty in the East.

……

(End of this chapter)