Chapter 245 I can only bear the pain on God first, I am here to conquer!
In the afternoon, the sky was overcast.
Under the gloomy sky, a drizzle began to fall, adding a bit of coolness to the whole of London.
Palace of Westminster, central London.
At this time, dignitaries such as the House of Lords and the House of Commons of Parliament, the Privy Council, as well as Catholic and Protestant clergy and several merchant families with roots in London all arrived.
The focus of everyone's discussion at this moment was mostly the horrific hurricane tornado that occurred at the London Port dock.
Of course, for the senior officials in London in the Palace of Westminster, they have already received some news.
And we know that what happened at the London Port docks was not a natural disaster, nor was it a punishment from God as the Catholic or Protestant clergy said!
Everything is man-made!
The culprits behind all this were Edward and William, uncle and nephew from the Sutherland family, who brought about the disaster.
Of course, apart from the vague speculation in their hearts, at least on the surface, this is all they know.
After all, this was all the news that the commander of the London City Garrison Guard and the half-dead Commander Francis brought back. In fact, this was all they knew.
As the quarrel continued, the long-suppressed dissatisfaction with political opponents suddenly erupted at this moment.
Officials in the House of Commons, representing the common people, and officials in the House of Lords, representing the aristocracy, began to accuse each other, and Protestant and Catholic clergy also began to attack each other.
For a moment, the entire Palace of Westminster was in chaos.
Of course, there are some rare smart people who have not expressed their opinions at this moment, and they are the families representing the merchant class!
In sixteenth century Britain, with the collapse of serfdom, capital relations had begun to grow wildly within Britain.
To put it simply, businessmen began to infiltrate all walks of life!
The influence of the commodity economy directly promoted the differentiation of the small peasant economy. The status of some farmers with solid foundation began to rise. Taking advantage of the enclosure movement and the wild and crazy growth of the woolen industry, they became rich peasants and began to evolve wildly in the direction of capital.
The woolen industry in both urban and rural areas grew rapidly, and family handicrafts emerged widely in rural areas, providing a vast market for merchants.
In addition, the promotion of mercantilism encouraged industry, commerce and overseas trade, and primitive accumulation of capital, which provided a favorable political and economic environment for merchant families.
As a result, the British political arena, which should have been monopolized by the powerful, was directly divided up by some large merchant families.
Even the House of Lords, a powerful institution representing the aristocratic class, began to be infiltrated by merchant families.
As for the House of Commons representing the commoner families, of course, from the beginning to the end, the so-called "commoner families" were relative to the aristocracy.
The family representatives in the House of Commons include wealthy businessmen, scholars, lawyers and other social elites, and have completely transformed into businessmen.
Similarly, the balance of power in the entire British upper class has long been tilted towards the merchant class, that is, capitalism.
At this time, it is located on St James's Street, Westminster, London, near St James's Park.
In a luxurious carriage pulled by six snow-white horses, the flag officer sitting in the main seat sneered disdainfully after listening to the Sutherland family patriarch's general account of British politics.
"In our Ming Dynasty, although all industries are equal now, it is not the turn of businessmen to act recklessly in the political arena!" the small flag officer said bluntly.
In fact, this is indeed the case. Although the current Ming Dynasty has experienced the implementation of the national policy of "inspiring thinking and innovation", all people from all walks of life are equal.
On the surface, the so-called scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans no longer exist, but the "scholars" class is still at the top.
If one day, a businessman wants to use some dirty money to influence the court, haha, then I'm sorry, the evidence of your family and your own treason will be made public.
As for whether you really surrendered to the enemy and committed treason, well, it doesn’t matter. Those officials will make you doubt your life in any minute.
The small flag officer really couldn't understand how a top leader of a country could be influenced by businessmen. Tsk tsk, it was ridiculous!
Hearing the envoy from the Ming Dynasty's disdain and ridicule towards merchants, Richard Sutherland, the patriarch of the Sutherland family, father of William Henry Sutherland and brother of Edward Alexander Sutherland, glanced at his son and younger brother with an unnatural expression, but still forced a smile.
"Yes, your Excellency is right. Therefore, the current breakdown of order in Britain is due to the Queen's inaction and failure," Richard said, pausing before continuing:
"So we need a 'divine kingdom' like the Ming Dynasty to save us. I think this is God's instruction. This..."
"Wait!" However, before Richard finished speaking, the flag officer suddenly raised his hand and said, "Chief Richard, I need to remind you that from now on, there is no God in this world."
Facing the gazes of the three people present, the flag officer spoke:
"Remember, there can only be one emperor in this world, and that is His Majesty the Emperor of our Ming Dynasty!"
As for this small flag officer, he had long been impatient with the so-called God mentioned by these Europeans.
God? Is he as powerful as the Great Supreme Heavenly Immortal/Purple Extreme Immortal/Saintly Wisdom/Three Elements/Zheng Ying Yu Xu/General Manager Wu Lei Da Zhenren/Xuan Du Realm/Eternal Longevity Emperor of my Ming Dynasty?
His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is a genuine Jindan-stage cultivator. It is not impossible for him to destroy the world with a wave of his hand.
Well, forget about the Emperor Wanshou. Can he be as powerful as the Buddha and the Taoist? These ignorant Europeans are really like wild boars who don't know the fine bran.
Since all the countries in Europe will be a provincial government or a prefecture under the Ming Dynasty in the future, there should be something that has the shape of the Ming Dynasty.
A submissive person should have the attitude of a submissive person!
"Yes, your Excellency is right. In front of His Majesty the Emperor, God is nothing more than a servant." Looking at his brother Richard, whose face was a little stiff, Edward immediately spoke to smooth things over.
He naturally knew that his brother Richard was a staunch Catholic.
If he were to utter blasphemous words, it would be more painful than killing him, and if things went wrong it might even cause the entire Sutherland family to offend the small flag officer in front of them.
William, who was standing by, also frantically winked at his father Richard, signaling him to give in. After all, the future and interests of the Sutherland family were the most important.
As for God? I'm sorry, God will forgive everyone, right? The Son of God can forgive the Jews who crucified him, so the Son of God represents the will of the merciful Father.
Alas, I can only blame God for now.
"Mr. Edward," the flag officer said with a smile on his face. He raised his hand to interrupt Edward, turned his head and looked at Richard, saying:
"I want to hear Patriarch Richard tell me in person whether God is a servant of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."
As the flag officer finished speaking, the atmosphere in the carriage suddenly became depressing.
William and Edward also tensed up at this moment and looked at their father and brother nervously.
Richard Sutherland naturally felt the solemn atmosphere in the carriage at this moment, and the pressure in his heart suddenly increased.
He knew that his uncomfortable mood just now caused dissatisfaction among the envoy from the Ming Dynasty.
If he didn't show his attitude at this moment, today might be the end of the entire Sutherland family. After all, he had heard from his son and brother about everything that happened in the Port of London, and he also knew the power of the talisman.
He doesn't care about selling out his country!
He is able to take charge of the huge Sutherland family, and under his leadership, the family has now infiltrated all walks of life in the British upper class, and the Sussley family is one of the top families.
In his heart, family interests are always the most important.
The reason why I show uncomfortable emotions is just a habit. As a devout Catholic, hearing someone blaspheme God is just subconscious dissatisfaction.
It’s not that he was really so stubborn as to offend the Ming Dynasty for the sake of his own God.
"...God." Richard spoke under the gaze of his son William and his younger brother Edward. As he spoke, William and Edward's hearts were in their throats for a moment, fearing that their father and brother would say something bad.
"In front of His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, I can only be a servant!" Richard raised his eyes and said seriously.
"Huh!" As Richard finished speaking, William and Edward couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief in their hearts.
Then he gave Richard a satisfied look, thank goodness that his father and brother did not make a mistake.
After noticing their expressions, Richard couldn't help but let out a helpless bitter smile in his heart. Could it be that in their minds, he was such an unreliable person?
God? Even God has to give way to interests.
Besides, one is a real God who can bring endless benefits to himself and his family, while the other is an illusory God. Do you still need to consider who to believe in?
“Haha!” After seeing the patriarch of the Sutherland family make a choice that was very sensible to the times, the flag officer also laughed, “Patriarch Richard, I’ll give you a free word of advice: He who knows the times is a hero!”
"You will not regret your choice and surrender, because from now on, what you and your family will get will far exceed your imagination."
"Yes," Richard nodded respectfully immediately, "I also believe that the Ming Dynasty will give asylum to the families that submit to it."
After all, he is the head of the clan. Although he was a little nervous because of the little episode just now, he still took the interests into consideration in his words. The flag officer just smiled indifferently at this kind of cleverness.
Although they simply do not know about the future arrangements for the various countries, at least for now, the British island needs a local family that is submissive to the Ming Dynasty to manage it.
In this case, the patriarch of the Sutherland family cannot be a flatterer and sycophantic person, he must be a smart person with self-judgment.
They didn’t know if it was an illusion, but the three of them felt that as each other’s smiles appeared, the depressing atmosphere in the carriage suddenly dissipated.
"Whoa!" Soon, the voice of a servant was heard outside the carriage, "Chief, we're here." "Sir, let's go down. I believe the queen and the people from the parliament have arrived." Edward spoke first.
A group of people got off the carriage, and the servants behind them immediately stepped forward and were about to hold an umbrella for the three people. At this time, the flag officer seemed to have thought of something and waved his hand to indicate that it was not necessary.
At the same time, the spiritual energy in his body circulated, and the moment the rain falling from the sky and earth touched his body, a faint white light rose up, and the dense rain was separated the moment it touched his body.
Such a scene made Richard, the patriarch of the Sutherland family, look extremely hot.
Divine magic, this is the magical magic of the Ming Dynasty!
However, compared with Richard, William and Edward were much calmer.
After all, they were already used to this scene in the Ming Dynasty. Anyone who practiced "divine magic" could bounce off the rain, which was nothing special.
Looking at the magnificent and exotic palace before him, even though he was a small flag officer who looked down on these overseas barbarians, he could not help but be attracted by this huge palace.
Although it is not as good as the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, and certainly not as good as the ancient palaces in the two capitals' major cities of cultivating immortals, it is also worthy of recognition.
Especially under the gloomy sky, the building in front of us actually adds a sense of heavy sedimentation like the years!
"Not bad." The small flag officer looked at the palace in front of him and nodded slightly, not sparing his praise.
The three members of the Sutherland family who were accompanying them were delighted to hear this. They couldn't help but look up at the Westminster Palace in front of them, with a look of pride on their faces.
(Note: There is limited information about what the Palace of Westminster looked like in the 16th century. The picture above shows the current Palace of Westminster and the House of Lords.)
Soon, the flag officer, accompanied by Richard and his two companions, entered the palace, which represents the core of British power.
As they stepped into the palace, Richard began to introduce everything inside the palace to the flag officer. The flag officer looked at it carefully, after all, it was a royal palace of a country.
Well, this was the first time in his life that he had visited the imperial palace in person. The imperial palace of the Ming Dynasty, what a place it was. A Jinyiwei like him, who was at the centurion level, was not qualified to enter at all.
Now that he has come to other countries, for a minister like him who is a high-ranking official in the Immortal Dynasty, visiting this so-called imperial palace is a way of giving face to the other party.
The other party should feel honored.
The group walked through the octagonal hall and came to the middle of the intersection of the building, only to see that the four gates were already opened.
Looking south, you can see the King's throne in the House of Lords, to the north you can see the Speaker's chair in the House of Commons, to the west is St. Stephen's Hall, and to the east is the Library and Archives.
Above the arches leading to the four directions, there is a fine mosaic showing the patron saints of the four components of the United Kingdom: St. George of England, St. Andrew of Scotland, St. David of Wales and St. Patrick of Northern Ireland.
Listening to Richard's introduction and feeling the rich exotic culture and customs, the young flag officer gradually put away his contempt.
As the superior country of the immortals, the current Ming Dynasty has given him the qualifications to look down upon all the countries in the world. But if he asks himself, simply from the time he came into contact with this country, from a mortal's perspective, it can indeed be called a mortal power.
This is a country with its own history.
He would remember all of these and report them to the cabinet when he returned.
If one day in the future, the Ming Dynasty wants to rule this country, rather than simply wiping it out like it did with the Japanese pirates in Yingzhou Prefecture, it will have to understand everything about this country.
Then, educate them with the kingly way!
Well, these are too complicated. He doesn't know the fate of the countries in the future, and he is too lazy to care about these things. He is just a captain of the Jinyiwei, and on the surface he is just a small flag officer.
What he can think of is limited, and all he can do is complete the current task.
The House of Lords is where the three pillars of the British Parliament, the King, the Church and the Parliament, gather.
The decoration of the entire House of Lords Hall is the most luxurious in the entire Westminster Palace.
The seats are all red, and the walls are decorated with stained glass and six murals in a chivalric style that symbolize church meanings.
Between the stained glass windows and the murals are statues of sixteen barons and two bishops, all of whom were members who signed the Magna Carta with John I in the 13th century.
At this time, in the House of Lords Hall, Queen Elizabeth I, many nobles and church members were all present.
The atmosphere in the entire hall was filled with a faint sense of oppression. Many nobles and church members looked towards the door from time to time, while also looking at the queen on the throne from time to time.
Because everyone could clearly feel the depressing atmosphere in the House of Lords Hall, especially when looking at the Queen's Guards and attendants, who were twice as many as usual.
Sitting on the throne, the old Queen Elizabeth I, with her wrinkled eyelids slightly drooping, seemed to be taking a nap.
"Tram, tramp, tramp." Soon, the sound of footsteps rang out in the depressing House of Lords Hall, coming from far away and getting closer. The already somewhat depressing House of Lords Hall became even quieter at this moment.
"Swish, swish, swish." Everyone in the hall couldn't help but look towards the door.
Queen Elizabeth I, sitting on the throne, finally raised her old eyelids and looked at the three flag officers.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I've kept you waiting for so long." Richard coughed lightly, glanced around at the church and the nobles, then took a few steps forward, saluted Elizabeth I above him, and said:
"Your Majesty." After paying his respects, Richard stood up and said with a smile, "Please allow me to introduce this envoy from the Ming Dynasty to you and everyone present here."
After hearing Richard's words, everyone turned their eyes to the flag officer.
Combining what we have learned about the mysterious country of Ming Dynasty over the years and the man-made natural disaster that occurred at the London Port dock today, everyone's expression became tense.
The Ming Dynasty has legendary "miracles" and "magic arts". If mastered, they can give people all kinds of incredible abilities, even the legendary immortality.
And these news have been continuously reported and confirmed over the past few decades. Even Britain sent several rounds of envoys, and everyone said the same thing.
Many people from these aristocratic families were sent to the Ming Dynasty, and the news was confirmed time and time again.
Unfortunately, after decades, no magic or divine gifts have been sent back.
What they didn't expect was that when the miracle came to London, it would actually cause a disaster.
Yes, ever since Francis and the commander of the city garrison guard said that the hurricane tornado that seemed like a natural disaster was man-made, and that the person who came was with the Sutherland family, they had a vague guess that it must be someone from the Ming Dynasty.
And this is the purpose of all of them coming together.
They didn't know what the sudden visitor from this country with divine power was going to do. After all, that natural disaster didn't seem to be sending any friendly message, it was more like a deterrent!
"Dear Ming envoy, on behalf of the entire Kingdom of England, I welcome your visit." At this time, Elizabeth I, with the help of her servants, slowly stood up and raised her hand to signal:
"Richard, please invite the respected envoy to take a seat."
As Queen Elizabeth I stood up, everyone in the House of Lords, whether they were from the church or the nobility, stood up.
Everyone had a kind smile on their face towards the flag officer, with a hint of flattery in their eyes.
Seeing this scene, Richard smiled slightly. He was not unfamiliar with this scene. Then he led the flag officer to sit in the long seat in the middle, face to face with the queen.
Afterwards, he took William and Edward to sit on the soft chairs behind the flag officer.
"Please take a seat." Queen Elizabeth I pressed her hand, motioning everyone to take a seat.
The flag officer sat relaxedly at his seat, a smile on his face, looking at the entire British high-level officials in front of him.
"Excuse me, respected envoy, what is your address?" Queen Elizabeth I asked the flag officer with a gracious smile.
"Your Majesty," However, at this moment, the flag officer raised his hand, looked left and right, and then looked up at Elizabeth I on the throne, and said:
"I am a rough man, and I am used to speaking my mind."
"So I won't exchange pleasantries with you..." As the flag officer began to speak, Edward translated his words immediately.
All the British senior officials present couldn't help but frown when they heard the flag officer actually call the Queen "Her Royal Highness". You know, there is a clear difference between "Her Royal Highness" and "Her Majesty".
As the news of the Ming Dynasty's magic and miracles spread, they had a deep understanding of Chinese culture.
Naturally, we know the meaning of the title "Your Highness", which shows that in the eyes of the Ming Dynasty, Britain is just one of their vassal states.
How arrogant is this?
In their country, in their House of Lords, the Ming envoys actually addressed the queen as "Your Highness". You should know that their House of Lords is actually equivalent to the imperial palace of the Ming Dynasty.
Could it be that in the eyes of the Ming Dynasty, Britain has become their vassal state? Is this too much?
For a moment, everyone present couldn't help but glare at the flag officer.
However, the flag officer looked unconcerned.
He came here today to conquer this country and make it submit to the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, he didn't bother to pay attention to any etiquette.
"..."
(End of this chapter)
