Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 985 Arriving in Europe
In February, Portsmouth, the most important port of the Royal Navy, is still full of traffic under the baptism of continuous rain.

In the port in the morning, the fog is hazy, and only the lights on the lighthouse give the ships direction.

"Old Smith, it's time to change the guard!"

Suddenly, there was a sound under the lighthouse, which startled the 50-year-old Smith. He stood up and was relieved to see that the lamp made of whale blubber was still bright and had not been turned off.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, wiping away a few eye dropsy, and yawning, Smith took off his coat and left it for the posterity.

Holding the lamp, he slowly climbed down the lighthouse: "What's the rush, Jon!"

Due to bad legs and feet, he walked up to 10 steps in less than [-] minutes.

Although the lighthouse is related to the direction of the ship, the monthly salary is only ten shillings, so there is really no need to risk your life.

Lifting the extinguished lamp, Smith sighed:
"Damn it, when will this war end?"

Jon held the lamp and showed his unshaven face. He yawned and said, "Who knows?"

"But last time we won, it should be the same this time."

"It's just that with the war, there are fewer ships going to and from the port. Even the French want to take advantage of it. Do they have a navy?"

In the last month, France sided with the Netherlands and declared war on Britain.

Cromwell, who emerged from the civil war, changed Stuart's principle of emphasizing sea over land, and established a strong standing army, numbering [-].

At the same time, with the development of maritime trade, the Navy has also leaped from its number of warships to 120 ships, becoming a force that can lift weights at sea.

In this way, Anglo-Dutch in 1652-1654, England won.

Now, it is the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

The United Kingdom signed a more stringent navigation law, and directly occupied the Netherlands in New Amsterdam (now New York) in North America, and made inroads, occupying the Dutch Gold Coast in West Africa, in an attempt to seize the gold and ivory trade.

Therefore, in 1665, the 18th year of Shaowu, on February 2, the Netherlands officially declared war on Britain, and the Second Anglo-Dutch War broke out.

"Hahaha, the French can only win by relying on women. In my opinion, their Sun King is nothing."

After spat at France, Jon climbed up to the lighthouse and hung up his own lamp.

Immediately, the entire lighthouse lit up.

It was only five or six o'clock at this time. If it was in other countries, the lighthouse would have been unnecessary for a long time, but in rainy and foggy days like England, the lighthouse even needs to be lit until eight or nine o'clock.

Just when he was about to lie down and regain his sleep, a huge ship suddenly appeared in front of him.

He can still distinguish between merchant ships and warships.

There is no such merchant ship.

In an instant, he rang the bell.

Several nearby lighthouses responded immediately and began to ring continuously.

The entire port of Portsmouth fell into panic in an instant.

At this time, the supreme commander of the navy, the younger brother of Charles II, James, Duke of York, also got up from the woman's arms. He quickly threw down the huge pair in his arms, and couldn't wait to put on his coat.

"what happened?"

James opened the door, and the guard hurriedly put on his clothes: "It's the news from the lighthouse that there is an enemy invasion."

"The Dutch won't be so stupid." James was annoyed at first, then shook his head: "Portsmouth has hundreds of shore artillery, and the navy can only die when they come here."

"Maybe it's a misunderstanding."

"Yes, I have already sent someone there." The attendant said hurriedly.

"Let's go!" James didn't feel sleepy at this time, he put on high heels, leggings, and a wig: "I want to see who the visitor is."

When he arrived at Lingang Wharf, the navy was already ready to go, waiting for the Duke's order.

Although for many years, due to the foreign debt of 200 million pounds (the tax is about 100 million per year), the navy has not replaced the ships, which seems a bit old, but the quality of the sailors is still guaranteed.

Even though they are all composed of thieves, bankrupt farmers, and hooligans, they have been wandering on the water all year round, and their quality is already at the forefront of the world.

"His Excellency the Duke—"

The admiral hurriedly saluted: "According to the people in the lighthouse, it is a ship different from Europe. There are at least [-] cannons on board. The purpose of the ship is unknown."

"Wait for the news!"

James shook his head.

In the near sea, I saw a speedboat running over at high speed and shouted at the big ship, "Who are you? This is the place of the Kingdom of England."

Fearing that they might not understand, I asked again in Dutch and French.

"What are they shouting?"

Dong Ren turned his head and asked.

"Minister, they ask who we are."

The interpreter listened for a while, then said softly, "This is already England."

"Are you in England?"

Dong Ren suddenly said: "It seems that Spain and England are very close!"

The [-]-ton ([-]-ton) sea-going ship was the envoys appointed and dismissed by the emperor. They set off from Daming, crossed the Cape of Good Hope, arrived in Portugal, Spain, and now finally England.

According to the emperor's order, the mission will be stationed in the Netherlands to take charge of European affairs, and then wait for the opportunity to send personnel to various countries.

Who makes the Netherlands today, a sea coachman, has the most powerful navy in Europe and is a big trader.

But Dong Ren learned from Portugal that in Europe today, the Dutch and British navies rank first, Spain and Portugal rank second, and France ranks third.

Therefore, England must go there to have an audience with its king and establish a good relationship first.

"Tell them that we are the Daming Mission, coming to visit the King of England."

Dong Ren said in a deep voice.

The interpreter on the side relayed it.

Hearing this, the people in the boat were confused, but they quickly went back to report.

As long as it's not an enemy.

"Ming people?" James suddenly realized: "Aren't they visiting Spain? They arrived in England so soon."

"It seems that the war can't stop their footsteps."

"Your Excellency, I don't know how long this war will last, and the Ming people can't afford to delay it."

"Too."

"Release the alert." James shrugged: "It's a guest."

"It's really reckless, stupider than a donkey in the country."

Soon, under the traction of the boat, the delegation arrived at the pier.

Dong Ren brought Counselor Fan Zheng and military attache Han Mi to visit this younger brother.

Regarding England, Dong Ren also inquired about it in Spain. The current king Charles II has only been restored for a few years, and he is old and has no heirs.

In this case, the Duke of York is the younger brother, the heir of Iron Fighter.

Brother and brother and well!
When Dong Ren saw this duke wearing a wig, full of energy, and proud on his face, he thought of Tianqi and Chongzhen in the previous Ming Dynasty for some reason.

Both are brothers and sisters.

As for this duke, his reputation in England is only arrogant and stubborn.

"Dong Ren, special envoy of the Emperor of Ming Dynasty, imperial envoy in charge of European affairs, pays homage to Your Highness—"

Dong Ren bowed down politely.

"Your envoy had a good time in Spain."

James smiled and said: "But please rest assured that England will not let you down."

"Foreign ministers will wait and see."

Dong Ren said modestly.

The two didn't exchange anything, Dong Ren recounted what he had seen and heard on the trip, one talked and the other listened, but the atmosphere was harmonious.

"It's a pity for the Gold Coast." James sighed: "It can contribute hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, but it was still taken back by the Dutch."

When Dong Ren thought of the Gold Coast, the only things that impressed him were the crazy slave catchers and the hard-working and poor black people.

This group of Western barbarians only know how to plunder such a good place, but don't know how to govern it. This is a real pity.

He wanted to say that arresting people as slaves hurts peace, but Europeans only care about money, and even if he said it, it would only attract ridicule.

That's all.

In the end, Dong Ren said that he was going to London to see Charles II.

Duke James shook his head: "Now the Black Death is prevalent throughout London. Hundreds of people die every month. His Majesty the King is no longer in London."

"You need to go to Windsor Castle in Berkshire."

"Thank you for your advice." Dong Ren said politely.

"Ministers need to remember to stay out of London."

James said with lingering fear.

The Black Death is so rampant, it makes people shudder to think about it.

Dong Ren agreed.

Portsmouth is only 120 miles away from London, and only [-] miles away from Windsor Castle. The journey only takes two days.

Meanwhile, to avoid being attacked, the ships docked at Portsmouth and the mission moved overland.

Along the way, the customs of England made the group of Ming people quite curious.

In Spain and Portugal, the countryside is basically ruled by nobles, and the king only collects taxes in his own direct territories to govern the country.

But in England, due to the large-scale chaos during the War of the Roses, the nobles were killed and injured.

Until the time of Queen Elizabeth II, there were only fifty aristocrats in the country, ranging from dukes to barons.

After the Stuart dynasty entered England, although it brought some Scottish nobles, the nobles were still scarce in essence.

Thus, the centralization of power in England was extremely powerful.

In the country, the squires formed various committees to assist the sheriff in managing the affairs of a county, while the circuit courts represented the will of the king and presided over judicial activities.

Compared with European countries, it has leapt to the forefront.

During the period of the French Sun King, the nobles were gathered in the Palace of Versailles to centralize power indirectly.

Therefore, in the eyes of a group of people, there are no star-studded castles and checkpoints in Spain, but various spacious thatched houses and windmills.

"Although the English are still poor, at least they are not full of refugees and poorly clothed like Spain."

Fan Zheng sighed.

"The king of England is a little stronger in governing the country."

Han Mi also had to agree: "It seems like the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, while Spain is like the Western Zhou Dynasty."

Dong Ren chuckled and said, "Anyone who puts agriculture first, everyone, look at those windmills, that's where the mill is."

"The more mills there are, the stronger the agriculture will be."

"When England used windmills, Spain still used horses and donkeys. It was clear at a glance which was stronger."

The three of them stared at the countryside intently for a while before stopping.

"However, although England is good, it is not as good as our country."

Dong Ren made a final conclusion: "Now our Emperor Ming is in a prosperous age, the people have no worries about food and clothing, and the world is peaceful. Ten Englands added together may not be able to beat us."

In the end, he was still modest: "As for the navy, half a catty is right. If you really want to win, you still need to add some warships."

Fan Zheng and Han Mi agreed.

The speed of the carriage was fast, and in the evening, the group finally arrived at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.

Since the Restoration, Charles II has never lived in Hampton Court Palace during the Tudor Dynasty.

During his wanderings in France, Charles II was shocked by the Louvre. After returning to London, he expanded Windsor Castle and expanded it like the Louvre.

Therefore, when Dong Yi and his party arrived at Windsor Castle, its area had surpassed that of Hampton Palace, reaching seven hectares.

It can be said that it is completely comparable to the Louvre in France.

But the Sun King didn't compare, and directly built the more prosperous Palace of Versailles, which became the first palace in Europe and attracted the envy of kings from all over the world.

"Your Majesty, the envoy from the East has arrived outside the palace." The maid said softly.

At this moment, Charles II, who was naked, was discussing back and forth with his mistress, and he didn't care if the maid disturbed him without hesitation.

Panting for breath, he said, "Okay, I'll go there after I clean up."

When the two met, the king was already well-dressed.

Naturally, there was nothing to mention about the content of the meeting, it was nothing more than a business matter.

After all, Daming is tens of thousands of miles away from England, and it takes more than half a year to come here, so there is no need for war and peace.

However, the British have always been keen on colonization. Even though they have not really left Europe, they are already considering the foothold in Asia.

For example, India.

"India belongs to the Portuguese."

Dong Ren thought for a while and said, "Although the Dutch have occupied the east coast of India, the trade in India is still controlled by the Portuguese."

"If your country wants to find a foothold, you can ask the Portuguese."

Charles II said confidently: "If so, then it is certain."

As the saying goes, the enemy of the enemy is the friend.

Britain and Spain once fought a big fight, and Portugal, as an old enemy with Spain, naturally made friends with Britain.

Dong Ren pointed to the world map: "Myanmar, Siam, Khmer, Qin, Qi, Brunei, North Korea, Japan and other countries are all vassal states of my Ming Dynasty."

"If your country wants to communicate with it, it must be approved by our country, and you must not act rashly."

"This--"

Looking at such a large area on the map, Charles II turned pale with astonishment.

Guys, that's pretty much the entire Far East.

"How many navies does your country have?"

Charles II suddenly asked.

"About fifty thousand people."

"Okay!" Charles II said decisively: "Our country will definitely not go beyond."

……

The snow in Russia in February had already melted. At this time, St. Petersburg and other large coastal areas were still in the hands of Sweden. At this time, Moscow was like an isolated island to Europe.

"What?" Tsar Alexek was annoyed when he heard that Daming was going to deal with the Manchus:
"Why are the Khitan people so ambitious?"

(End of this chapter)