Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 870 The Legend of the East (Part [-])

"Cheers, may the friendship between our two countries last forever!" Charles I raised his red wine glass.

"Friendship lasts forever!" A group of British nobles said in unison.

Li Jinde couldn't understand what they were saying, but he quickly learned their way of celebrating, and raised his red wine glass to celebrate with them.

"The habits of Westerners are really strange. They don't eat with chopsticks, but with knives and spoons." The apprentices who came with Li Jinde always felt awkward holding the knives and spoons.

"You should be lucky. Some nomadic peoples in the north and Southeast Asian countries generally eat with their hands. It is still very civilized here." Li Jinde said to them.

"You can grab food with your hands..." These apprentices are a little unimaginable, and it is undoubtedly very unhygienic in their opinion.

They sat on a long square table with the king and some nobles, and there were many glassware on it, as well as sumptuous dishes, such as steamed trout, stewed rabbit meat with red wine, cheese, and Li Jinde, which were rare for them. Swan meat, peacock meat, venison.It can be said that it is very luxurious, and Li Jinde can't help but look sideways.

"His Majesty the King asked you what title you are, what is the name of the emperor of your country, how big is the territory, and how many mercenaries there are." The British sailor who was the translator said to Li Jinde.

"We in China no longer have titles or emperors. Our current territory is so large that I can't tell how big it is. We don't have mercenaries, only standing soldiers, probably more than the population of London. Right." Li Jinde replied.

Hearing the British sailor's translation, the British nobles who were dining at a square table were shocked. The soldiers alone are more than the population of the city of London, so how huge this country must be.And there is no emperor yet? !

Charles I felt that something was wrong, and if this was seized by people in Parliament and attacked his theory of divine right, his throne would be in danger.

"Since there is no emperor in your country, who is ruling?" Charles I asked uneasily.

"Our great military leader led six ministries and military ministries to govern a huge country, which was divided into one capital and fourteen provinces, and later added Siberia Province, Jungar Province, Tubo Province, East Jiaozhi Province, West Cochin Province and Nanyang Province, a total of [-] provinces with one capital, have a registered population of tens of millions, and the non-registered population is unknown." Li Jinde said.

The population is tens of millions!The British nobles once again clamored, ten thousand of ten thousand is one hundred million, and on average, each province is as big as the British Kingdom!

Princess Sophia was also at the same table, and she couldn't help being surprised to hear how vast China Li Jinde described.

Charles I wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a towel, Dongfang's size was really too big.

Knowing the latest situation in China, Charles I was more willing to trade with the East.If it can get a share of the trade with the powerful Orient, then it shouldn't be a problem for the royal family to make hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.

Moreover, the British sailor general translates into the master of the empire, so it should be a military dictatorship in the Roman period. Charles I thought about it, and there is no special conflict with the divine right of kings.

"China is really too powerful. Even the Dutch and Spaniards were expelled from the Spice Islands by you. They must have many large battleships." Charles I asked.

He remembered that the Dutch and Spaniards asked him why the battleship style of the Chinese was similar to that of Britain.

"We have three fleets, but I don't know exactly how many warships there are. They have cleared all the pirates in the southeast coast and Southeast Asia. I heard that there are iron-clad ships in the north. I have never seen them in the south." Li Jinde talked about himself country, full of pride.

Pirates are rampant in Europe, but the pirates in the southeast coast and Southeast Asia have long been wiped out by the fleet of the Kyushu Army.

Charles I and the British nobles were very envious, and the pirates in North Africa and Europe gave them a headache!

Speaking of which, the phenomenon of pirates in Europe was exacerbated by themselves. When Queen Elizabeth was in power, she once supported pirates to privately plunder Spanish merchant ships.Later, after these pirates were used up, James I announced that all privateering activities were strictly prohibited. Compared with Queen Elizabeth's era, the strength of the British Royal Navy has shrunk, and the number of warships has shrunk to more than 20. It was not until Charles I got up, but he didn't have enough money to make the Royal Navy pick up.

At present, the Royal Navy barely maintains control over several American colonies. As for the North African pirates and the Ottoman navy in North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea, Britain, which has not carried out the industrial revolution, does not want to provoke them, and has to pay them protection fees.

"I heard missionaries who came back to China say that your country has imposed a sea ban and only allocated a small area for businessmen from other countries to trade, and the government is not very interested in overseas trade...Why do you now have a fleet that can control the huge ocean? ?” Charles I was still a little puzzled.

"Our military lord has ordered the permanent abolition of the sea ban, and the establishment of customs to manage overseas trade affairs. These three huge fleets were also created by the military lord. He values ​​​​the sea more than land, and has a special navy department. We sea merchants His foreign trade has also become legal, he is really a legendary figure, especially the people in our southeast coast, we are grateful to him." Li Jinde said.

Because of the existence of the Nanyang Fleet, the pirate troubles on the southeast coast have almost disappeared, which is a great thing for the local people, and there is no need to sneak out to sea for trade.The development of foreign trade has made the life of civilians along the southeast coast more prosperous.

He was able to come here, was invited by the King of Britain, and had an indirect relationship with Chu Yun.

When Charles I heard Li Jinde's story about Chu Yun, he couldn't help but feel excited.

Isn't what Chu Yun did exactly what Charles I wanted to do?It is the desire of all the sea power kingdoms in Europe to make the Royal Fleet strong again, and then control the trade between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean!

Princess Sophia's beautiful eyes lit up. It was the first time she heard that in the far east, there was a fleet stronger than the Royal Fleet.

"Our military leader was simply born out of nowhere. He defeated the nomadic tribes on the prairie and the pirate king on the sea. He has hundreds of thousands of standing troops, three fleets, hundreds of millions of subjects, and is still building factories on a large scale. In Xiamen Bay, where I live, there are 2000 textile workers alone. Every year, whole boats and boats of silver are shipped back from overseas. There is also a smelter in Foshan Town, which produces a large amount of pig iron, and tens of thousands of ironware are produced every year. ..." When Li Jinde talked about what he had seen and heard on the southeast coast and the story of Chu Yun he had heard, the British king and nobles were amazed again and again.

(End of this chapter)