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   Chapter 768 765 [British travel style]

  The Chinese Mission stayed in a manor outside London.

   On this day, two young people came.

  They all rode horses, with long swords hanging from their waists. His identity seems to be aristocratic, but he has no retinues. Although the clothes are not cheap, they definitely do not look extravagant.

   The guards in charge of the manor are soldiers sent by Cromwell.

  An officer asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

  The leader of the youth said: "We are from the countryside twenty miles away. I heard that the Chinese envoys have arrived in London, so we want to travel to China with them."

   Obviously, both young men came from the country gentry class!

  In France in the 17th century, society was undergoing drastic changes, and the same was true on the British side.

  Britain's traditional aristocrats are declining day by day, with huge expenditures, extravagance, and land sales, while the gentry class is rising rapidly.

  The squire is a general term, including barons, knights, gentry (non-noble officials), and gentlemen (wealthy farmers).

  For example, the House of Commons in the United Kingdom was established by the country gentry.

  In addition, the British middle class is also on the rise, including citizens, businessmen and yeoman.

  The large number of British emerging classes are in a period of vigorous growth. They don't have the decadence and extravagance of traditional nobles, they are relatively simple, and they are daring to fight and break through, with the characteristics of vigor and vitality.

  The wind of traveling with a sword also appeared at this time.

  A large number of British squires who have money support their children and grandchildren to go out to see the world.

  The initial travel goal was limited to Italy, to visit the birthplace of the Renaissance, and later gradually expanded to France, Spain, the Netherlands and other places.

  After the trend of traveling became popular, the British nobles also joined in, which caused the travel activities to gradually change.

  The young masters of these great aristocratic families have to hug each other when they travel far, and they will also bring the luxurious carriage at home. There was more than one luxury carriage, and all of them were shipped away, and the cost was extremely staggering.

  The trend of traveling began in the 17th century and lasted until the 19th century.

  These young people are all elites. They have seen the situation of various countries, and they have also felt the essence and shortcomings of each country. When they return to the country to inherit the family business, they will have an international perspective and lead the family to continue to expand and grow. Britain's ability to become an empire on which the sun never sets has nothing to do with this group of elites who travel around the world.

   "You wait, I'm going to report."

   Many of Cromwell's soldiers came from the middle class. They can't understand the traditional big aristocrats, but they are friendly to the gentry class, and they cooperated with each other during the revolution.

  Why do you say that what Cromwell is doing is a bourgeois revolution? Because the emerging class has made great efforts!

   Not long after, the two teenagers were interviewed.

  One named John, one named Thomas, very common names. The father of the former was a country knight, and the father of the latter was a farmer, both of very humble origins, who became rich because of social changes.

  The teenagers stood up straight, without much knowledge, but with a lot of vigor.

  Zhang Ruifeng asked their identities and learned their thoughts. He couldn't help but wondered: "Going to China, crossing the sea for thousands of miles, if you don't pay attention, you will be buried in the belly of a fish. Why do you follow all the way?"

John replied: "I was originally going to Rome, where there are great thinkers and artists. My father said that Britain is too small, and men must go out to broaden their horizons. Since it is to broaden their horizons, why not go further? China's exquisite The goods have been sold to the UK, so China must be very powerful. I will travel to China, learn more skills, and lead the family to grow stronger. My father is just a country knight now, but one day, I will become a real nobleman with Your own private manor!"

Thomas said: "My father used to be a Yeoman (yeoman), and now he has a large farm. I studied in a church school, and I know some Latin. I was expelled from the school because I fought with noble children. Although the family I’m not very rich, but my father supports me to travel. When I arrive in China, if I don’t have enough money, I will go to work as an apprentice and earn living expenses by myself. When I return to the UK, I will definitely be more capable. I want to make the family farm more Big, if given the chance, I will strive to be a knight!"

  Zhang Ruifeng was quite emotional: "Young people travel far away with swords, and there is a legacy of ancient times. I also traveled far away from home in my teens and followed my father to do business. The two of you have commendable ambitions, much better than those big nobles."

  John said: "The nobles are all blood-sucking bugs, they are the guys lying on the gold waiting to die!"

   Hard work can lead to a small fortune, but it is absolutely impossible to cross class by virtue of hard work.

  Like Thomas' father, he was just a homesteader before. The land was purchased with a small amount of money by currying favor with the noble lords. What's more, the purchase is public land, and the behavior is extremely bad: one is to squeeze the king's wool, and the other is that there are farmers on the public land, who directly enclose the land after purchasing it. Some farmers were forced to be homeless, and some farmers were left as tenants, which was part of the enclosure movement.

  Thomas, a seemingly simple and vigorous young man, was able to travel to China because his father's hands were stained with the blood and tears of farmers.

Of course Zhang Ruifeng didn't know this, he just felt that the two young men were very ambitious, and immediately said: "You can go to China with the boat, and your boat fare will not be charged. However, you need to pay for the food expenses along the way. When you arrive in China , I will recommend you to study at Jinling University, provided that you can afford the tuition fees. I will ask someone to calculate an account, and after a few years, you must have an account of the money spent in China."

  Two English country boys were overjoyed. After getting the accounts of their cross-sea travel, they immediately rode home to ask their parents for money.

  The expenses are extremely expensive, and a boy from a knight family can barely afford it because the family has a lot of land and is doing business. As for Thomas, who came from a farming family, not to mention going to college at his own expense, even living in China for a few years is enough.

  But they still chose to go to sea. Thomas’s idea has not changed. He went to China to work and earn money.

  Send the two teenagers away, Zhang Ruifeng is called by Lu Tianxiang.

Lu Tianxiang said with a serious expression: "When returning to the voyage, you can't dock in Portugal, and you don't want the sheep you bought there. Just came the news that smallpox broke out in Lisbon. The king's eldest son and second daughter all died of smallpox. "

   "There is such a thing!" Zhang Ruifeng was shocked.

  The Portuguese prince invited Lu Tianxiang to dance, but it is not a crime if the customs of the two parties are different. As for the Portuguese princess, she was very quiet and beautiful. It's only been two or three months since I saw her, and she was taken away by a plague.

  Lu Tianxiang said again: "I don't know how to treat diseases, so you go and order the military doctors to check all the people on board. See who is sick, and strictly isolate them."

  Zhang Ruifeng took the order immediately, and at the same time comforted: "We have been away from Portugal for a long time, and no one should be infected, otherwise there will be symptoms already."

   "No matter what, let the doctor check it first," Lu Tianxiang said, "Also, we can't stay in Europe, who knows if smallpox will spread to England."

  They came early. If they came ten years later, the plague would break out in London, directly taking away one-tenth of the population here.

   All the members of the diplomatic mission have been thoroughly checked, and there are quite a few people who are sick. But most of them belong to normal diseases, most of which are acclimatized to the soil and water, and no plague phenomenon has been found for the time being.

  Main members hold collective meetings.

  Fan Chao asked: "I haven't gone to Rome and Ottoman, nor to Northern Europe. After visiting the UK, I will return to the voyage directly? How can the emperor's order be fulfilled?"

Zhang Ruifeng said: "It is rumored that all the big and small states in Italy do not allow Jesuit priests to go ashore. The Pope has broken with the Jesuits. The reason is that the Jesuits allow Chinese believers to worship their ancestors and worship Confucius. Let's go to Rome I’m afraid I won’t be able to see the Pope either. As for Ottoman, although his land is adjacent to Persia, his capital is far away in Europe, and he is fighting naval battles with European countries. Ottoman’s merchant ships rarely sail to Southeast Asia, and it doesn’t matter whether they visit or not.”

"Since your Majesty has an order, it must be completed," Fan Chao said, "Well, I will lead the fleet and take a few civil servants to Rome and Ottoman. You stay in England, and I will come back in a month at most. As for the Netherlands and Northern Europe, there is no need to go. I inquired and found that Britain and the Netherlands are still at war, and it will not be very peaceful to continue going north."

   The next day, Fan Chao left with the fleet, and the rest stayed in London, waiting to meet Cromwell.

  Cromwell has a big shelf and has never shown up. But there is a reason for this. He has to wait for the outcome of the Anglo-Dutch negotiations before discussing diplomatic matters with the Chinese.

  What does Cromwell want to do?

  I want to learn from Spain and Portugal at the beginning, draw a line on the globe, and from then on, Britain and the Netherlands will divide the world. Even, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are united, and the United Kingdom dominates the world.

  Although it is whimsical, this is really Cromwell's idea, and it was clearly raised during the negotiations.

  Whether it is the British or the Dutch, they all think that Cromwell is crazy.

   At the negotiating table, the two countries once again collapsed.

  Backing to his office, Cromwell unbuttoned his collar and asked, "Are the Chinese getting impatient?"

  General Lan Bai said: "No, delicious food and drink are served. But their fleet left, saying that they are going to visit Rome and Ottoman."

   Cromwell said: "China is very powerful and has defeated the Netherlands many times in Asia. If the Netherlands does not agree to the negotiation terms, we will pretend to be an alliance with China and pull out all the Dutch colonies in the East!"

"I'm afraid it won't frighten the Dutch," said General Lambayt. "Both sides understand that Britain is going to die, and Holland is going to die. The Dutch are just delaying until our military expenditures are exhausted, and then Obtain more favorable negotiating terms."

   "Damn it!" Cromwell cursed depressed.

  Britain can’t continue fighting because the military expenditure has already been spent, and it is currently looking for businessmen everywhere for loans.

  The Netherlands cannot continue to fight, because businessmen are chasing profit, and the war has caused too much damage to the economy. In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, due to being blocked for several months, prices have skyrocketed, and the trade of the East India Company has shrunk.

  General Lan Bai said: "The United Kingdom and the Netherlands are united. This proposal is too unrealistic. Let's give it up. It is impossible for the Netherlands to agree."

   Successfully dispersed the Parliament in the UK, which made Cromwell a little bit adrift.

  He subconsciously believed that the United Kingdom of England and the Netherlands could do it. There is no king to rule everyone. After the union, the Netherlands will be given sufficient autonomy, and the overseas forces of the two sides can also be united. This is not bad for the Netherlands, why don't the Dutch agree?

Neuropathy!

  The ignorant Dutchman made Cromwell calm down a little. He frowned and said, "Then give up the union and establish an Anglo-Dutch offensive and defensive alliance."

General Lan Bai also said: "It is impractical for the Netherlands to give up its overseas interests. They are a group of businessmen who block their way of getting money and will force them to really work hard. If they are forced hard, maybe the Dutch businessmen will return to China." Get together instead of falling apart like now."

  The two planned carefully and basically established the next negotiation plan.

   It is nothing more than asking for the cession of the colony and asking for compensation from the Netherlands. There are also many prestige clauses, such as Dutch ships passing through British waters must stop and salute British ships.

  Of course, we have to continue to speak loudly, such as forcing the Netherlands to recognize the "Navigation Regulations".

  In the following negotiation process, the atmosphere was much more relaxed, and it was only a matter of time before the negotiation was successful.

  Under such circumstances, Cromwell finally met with the Chinese mission. In order to show sincerity, I went to visit the manor in person, but due to financial constraints, I didn't bring any decent meeting gifts.

  (end of this chapter)