***
Qin Mu spread out his right hand, put his five fingers together, touched his forehead with his middle finger and said "because of the Father", and said "and the Son" when he touched his chest, and said "and the name of the Holy Spirit" when he moved from his left shoulder to his right shoulder. Finally, he put his hands together and said: "Hallelujah!"
The tall, messy-haired Johann Adam Schall Johann Adam Schall von Bell opposite him suddenly opened his eyes wide. He had been trying to preach for many years, but had made little progress in the Ming Dynasty. There might be many people who could complete the set of gestures like Qin Mu, but not many people knew that they should say "because of the father" when touching the forehead and "and the son" when touching the chest, not to mention the last sentence "Hallelujah", because they had never taught this sentence.
The Chinese are not easy to fool. When Johann Adam Schall von Bell and his companions came to preach, they simplified the gestures based on the principle of simplifying the complex and integrating Confucianism. When doing this set of gestures, they only say "Amen!" at the end when they put their hands together.
"Lord Qin is a Christian?" Johann Adam Schall von Bell asked in surprise, speaking in pure Mandarin.
"I hope that Lord Tang can turn me into a believer of Jesus." Qin Mu smiled brightly.
Tang Ruowang was the person who was forcibly abducted by Ye Bushou after Song Yingxing. Last year, right after conquering Huguang, Qin Mu ordered Huang Lianshan to send people to Beijing to kidnap Tang Ruowang. Unfortunately, the people who went to Beijing came back empty-handed. At that time, Shanxi was in danger, so Chongzhen sent Tang Ruowang to Shanxi to manufacture artillery.
Yebushou's men had no choice but to chase him to Shanxi. However, since Tang Ruowang looked like a Westerner, it was difficult to deal with him. After many twists and turns, Yebushou's spies finally kidnapped him and brought him to Wuchang.
After hearing what Qin Mu said, Tang Ruowang was a little disappointed and began to look at Qin Mu carefully. He had been in Ming Dynasty for more than 20 years. Except for his appearance, he was almost the same as the Chinese. Qin Mu's miraculous rise also made him very curious.
"Those people were sent by Lord Qin, right?"
"I hope you will forgive me for any offense, Lord Tang." Qin Mu apologized sincerely. But he did not seem to take the kidnapping too seriously. "The war in the north is endless, and it is no longer appropriate for Lord Tang to stay in the north."
It was almost June and the weather was very hot. Fortunately, there were lush flowers and trees in the Chu Palace, and there was a cool breeze between the palaces and ponds. The maid brought tea and Qin Mu extended his hand to invite her.
Tang Ruowang took a sip of tea and said, "Master Qin went through so much trouble to find me here. What exactly do you want to do?"
Qin Mu said directly: "First, I need Mr. Tang's knowledge. I have recruited 200 students aged 8 to 12 in Yuelu Academy in Changsha. I hope Mr. Tang can teach them and pass on his knowledge of mathematics, astronomy, geography, mechanics, and chemistry to these students. Second, I need Mr. Tang to help me make cannons to defeat the invading barbarian tribes. As a reward, I will help Mr. Tang build a church in Changsha and support Mr. Tang in spreading the gospel of Jehovah in the territory under my jurisdiction."
“Do I have a choice?”
"Hahaha... ... ... ... ."
Qin Mu didn't expect that Tang Ruowang had a sense of humor. Indeed, Qin Mu spent so much effort to kidnap him, which in itself did not give him the opportunity to choose.
"I heard that Lord Tang was born in Cologne on the Rhine."
"Yes, Master Qin has also heard of Cologne?"
"I do not know why I am so sad; an old fairy tale. I can never forget it. It was late in the evening, the air was cool, the Rhine was flowing quietly, the sunset shone on the hills. The most beautiful girl, sitting there, was radiant; her golden jewelry was glittering. She combed her golden hair. She combed it with a golden comb and sang a song; the tone of the song had a charming magic. The boatman in the boat felt the pain of fantasy; he did not look at the reefs in the water, but only looked up. I know that in the end the wave swallowed up the boat and the boat; Lorelei created this disaster with her singing."
"Ah, Lord Qin actually knows the legend of the Lorelai Cliff..." Johann Adam Schall von Bell was surprised.
"I've only heard a little about it, but I don't know much."
Although Qin Mu did not say much, the distance between them was suddenly shortened. It had been nearly thirty years since Tang Ruowang left his hometown. At this time, he was able to listen to people talking about his hometown thousands of miles away in the East. He felt both nostalgic sadness and unexpected joy in his heart. The two mixed together made him sigh.
"Then, Lord Qin, have you ever heard of our Cologne Cathedral?"
Qin Mu felt that at this moment, Johann Adam Schall Johann Adam Schall von Bell did not look like a learned missionary, but rather like a child full of expectations. Even the slightest thing related to his hometown could make him reluctant to leave.
"I know that the Cologne Cathedral has been under construction for hundreds of years and seems to be still unfinished. It is located on the beautiful Rhine River. It is towering into the clouds and magnificent."
Qin Mu has never been to Cologne, so this is all he knows about Cologne... Well, there seems to be a Cologne air conditioner, but he's not sure whether the Cologne air conditioner comes from Cologne's technology.
Next, Johann Adam Schall von Bell happily introduced his hometown, saying that Cologne was the seat of the archbishop, that Cologne was 12 miles in circumference, had 12 gates, and was a leading city, with a population that even exceeded that of Paris and London.
The city of Cologne also has a privilege: all goods passing through Cologne must first be exhibited in the city for three days before they can be further transported. This has played a great role in promoting the economic development of Cologne.
In short, Tang Ruowang described the scenery of his hometown to Qin Mu one by one, as if he had not had a chance to speak for ten years.
Qin Mu was also very interested in this (of course, including the German blonde beauty). He asked questions from time to time. Finally, when he asked how many people there were in Cologne, one of the most populous cities in Europe, Tang Ruowang replied that when he came, the population of Cologne was about 50,000.
"Fifty thousand?" Qin Mu almost spit out the tea in his mouth. Only 60,000 people and it's still one of the largest cities in Europe
Well, it’s all a legend that Li Zicheng would mobilize a million-strong army at any time.
Qin Mu immediately corrected his attitude. The number of people is one thing, but it is a fact that the technology of the West has gradually surpassed that of China. By the way, what famous scientists are there in the West at this time? Qin Mu didn't know much, only Galileo, so he quickly asked Tang Ruowang, "Master Tang, have you heard of Galileo?"
"When I was studying at the Roman Academy, Mr. Galileo was our teacher. He was a very learned man, especially in astronomy and physics. He also invented the telescope and thermometer, etc. However, when I was about to graduate, Mr. Galileo had a tendency to betray God and began to spread Copernicus's heresy..."
When talking about Galileo, Johann Adam Schall von Bell talked endlessly. Qin Mu could see that there was a certain contradiction in his views on Galileo. On the one hand, he admired Galileo's knowledge, but on the other hand, he was disappointed with Galileo's promotion of "heresy".
Qin Mu interrupted him and said, "Master Tang, if I want to invite Mr. Galileo to my Ming Dynasty, can you do it?"
Tang Ruowang shook his head and said, "I have been in Daming for more than 20 years. When I came, Mr. Galileo was almost 60 years old. Even if he is still alive now, he would be 80 years old."
Qin Mu couldn't help but sigh inwardly, it was a pity that he knew of only one famous scientist in Europe in this era, and it was very likely that he was no longer alive.
"Master Tang, can you write a letter back to the Roman Catholic Church and ask them to send more people with profound knowledge in astronomy, mathematics, physics, and mechanical manufacturing to the East? If possible, I will persuade the Emperor of Nanjing to support your missionary work in Ming Dynasty, and I personally promise to help you build five churches in different cities for your missionary work."
Johann Adam Schall von Bell had lived in the Ming Dynasty for more than 20 years and worked in the Imperial Observatory in the capital. He was also very clear about the situation in the Ming Dynasty. Qin Mu was no ordinary governor, and the conditions he agreed to made Johann Adam Schall von Bell, a devout believer in Jesus, very excited.
The two chatted for a long time, and Johann Adam Schall von Bell finally couldn't resist the temptation and agreed to write a letter back to the Vatican, asking the Vatican to send more talents.
And he was sent to the General Armament Department by Qin Mu the next day. Although the Red Cannon was bulky, it could still play a big role in defending a big city like Wuchang.
We have to make some quickly. Anyway, we can’t just let the Qing Dynasty attack us without us being able to fight back.
.(To be continued..)
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