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Chapter 865 Chinese Merchants in Europe (four more)

A large sailboat with a dragon flag sailed into the harbor, attracting countless crowds at the pier.

This large sailing ship is approximately 40 meters long, with three thick masts. On the deck of the large sailing ship, most of them are Orientals with black eyes and black hair, and there are a few Westerners who lead the way.They are looking curiously at the buildings on the pier——they see a completely different architectural style from the East, which makes them feel refreshed!
"Here we are, this is the Western Ocean! After so many days of sailing, we have finally arrived at the Western Ocean!" An Eastern sailor shouted excitedly.

"Long live! Long live!" The other Eastern sailors also cheered together.

In the past, Westerners came to Southeast Asia to look for Chinese merchants to do business. This is the first time they took the initiative to explore the Maritime Silk Road to the West, and they succeeded!
Their fleet loaded with pottery and silk, departed from Guangzhou, arrived in India via Malacca, and then went around the Cape of Good Hope to the West!This route is almost similar to that of Zheng He's voyages to the West, the only difference is that they traveled farther!
For the first time, China's dragon flag fluttered in the sky over the Western Ocean!

"God bless, fortunately we didn't encounter Barbary pirates when passing through North Africa and the straits, otherwise this trip would be a disaster." The Western sailor who led the way crossed his chest.

"Barbary pirates? Are you talking about the pirates in the nearby waters? Are they very powerful?" asked the Huaxia businessman who led the team.

"They are a pirate kingdom in North Africa, backed by the Ottoman Empire, they will rob merchant ships from various countries they encounter, and even take the initiative to plunder coastal villages and towns when they are short of money, and those captured by Barbary pirates will become their slaves. Will buy and sell slaves. Our Royal Navy has attacked them several times, with little success. Moreover, since the previous king reduced the naval budget, the strength of our Royal Navy has been greatly weakened, and it has almost no counterattack capability against Barbary pirates. Originally dozens Years ago, our Royal Navy once defeated the Spanish Armada, but unfortunately it is not as strong as it was decades ago, and the Barbary pirates have all hit the coast." Said the Western sailor who led the way.

"Barbary pirates... It seems that if we want to completely open up the trade route between the East and the West, we must eradicate the Barbary pirates and the Austrian Empire behind them." The Huaxia merchant said.

As an ordinary businessman, he definitely couldn't do it, but he believed that if the military master wanted to smooth the trade routes between things, he should send several large fleets to wipe out these hateful Barbary pirates.In the past, Zheng Zhilong, the leader of the big pirates, was settled by the military master. These Barbary pirates should not be difficult to deal with.

"The Ottoman Empire is not easy to deal with. They are powerful and have largely controlled the traditional trade routes from the West to the East. Therefore, we Western countries have worked hard to open up new shipping routes in the past 200 years. We have found two routes to the East. One is the Cape of Good Hope route, the other is the Tierra del Fuego route, which broke their monopoly. But now the Ottoman Empire is still very powerful. They can mobilize 20 soldiers and auxiliary troops at one time, and hundreds of artillery pieces. Attacking Europe is a headache for many countries in Europe. The Barbary pirates are the semi-independent kingdom they support to deal with us." Said the Western Sailor.

"There are quite a few countries in the West. How many people are you talking about in the Ottoman Empire?" The Chinese businessman was a little confused.

He is not a member of the Kyushu Army, but a wealthy businessman in Fujian. Since the Kyushu Army opened up the sea ban, the trade between these merchants and places such as Western Ocean and Japan has become increasingly frequent.He heard that one run of goods can get several times or even dozens of times the profit, plus every man has the desire to take risks, so he moved the idea of ​​going to the West, and without much preparation, he hired a few people who understand The Chinese Western sailor led the way and sent his best merchant ship out to carry out this activity that is more adventurous than commercial.

Even many Chinese businessmen didn't know that he had sneaked to the West alone.

At that time, businessmen still had very little knowledge of the West, and sometimes they simply called all Western countries Flangji or Hongmao, anyway, they were all barbarians in their eyes.After he arrived this time, he found that there are many countries here, some are called Ottoman, some are called Britain, some are called France, and some are called Spain. It seems that the power is not weak, and the situation is intertwined. .

Moreover, he didn't know that there were Barbary pirates, let alone that there were European pirates besides Barbary pirates. It was a fluke that his merchant ship without armed artillery could arrive here safely, and even the Western sailors who led the way secretly pinched I broke out in a cold sweat.

"There are about 2000 million people in the Ottoman Empire." Said the Western sailor.

"2000 million people, so many?" The wealthy businessman in Fujian did not expect that there are countries with a population of more than 200 million, such as An Nan, which has a population of only more than [-] million.In his impression, the Western countries should be similar to the Southeast Asian countries.

The Western sailor's explanation somewhat overturned his cognition. The other country's national power is almost ten times that of Annan.

"How many people are there in your kingdom?" asked the wealthy businessman from Fujian.

"More than 700 million." The Western sailor replied.

"Although you are not as good as the Ottoman Empire, you are much stronger than An Nanguo." The rich merchants in Fujian weigh their strengths by population. Huaxia has the largest population, so it must be the most powerful, and the other party's population of more than 700 million should be stronger than An Nanguo. It's great, but I still have to flatter the other party, lest the other party feel embarrassed.

The western sailors couldn't help but feel a little depressed when they saw the rich businessman from Fujian comparing his country with a weak Annan country. At least the Royal Fleet, which had defeated the Armada, couldn't be compared to the navy of Annan country.

"Preparing to dock, this will be the first time I, Li Jinde, set foot on Western land! I don't know if future generations will know my name..." The wealthy businessman in Fujian saw the red brick house on the pier, which is in line with the Chinese architectural style Very different, like a sudden break into a different world.

Moreover, many people here are blond-haired and blue-eyed Westerners, who are looking at the incoming Chinese merchant ship, and the black-haired and yellow-skinned Orientals on the deck, whispering to each other.

Here, they, a group of orientals who made a sudden visit, are in the minority.

Perhaps when Westerners first came to the East, they generally felt the same way as themselves.Li Jinde thought to himself.

Two different civilizations meet again, and this time the East finds the West.

"What is the name of this city?" Li Jinde looked at the Western sailor.

"This is the Kingdom of Britain, the City of London."

(End of this chapter)