Daming 1805

Chapter 522 The Gap Between the Present and the Future
Escorted and supervised the fleet in Ming Dynasty, and sailed together with the fleets of the Thai and Western countries.

After leaving the Red Sea, it entered the Little Western Ocean, and then followed the traditional east-west route all the way east, and entered the Strait of Malacca [-] days later.

Malacca is the southern gate of the mainland of Ming Dynasty, and the fleet coming here is considered to have really come to Ming Dynasty.

The Taixi royal family, nobles, scholars, and businessmen who had lived on the ship for more than half a month came to the deck again.

In the rather wide strait, large ships pass by from time to time.

It is common to see unusually large ships, even larger than the [-]-ton battleship they were on.

Including oil tankers and container ships with a maximum tonnage of [-] tons.

At the same time, when these ships encountered the fleets of the Thai and Western countries, there were often crew members standing on the deck and waving to this side from a distance.

George IV was a little excited when he saw this scene, and he raised his hand and waved it lightly in the distance, and at the same time said to his daughter Charlotte beside him:
"The Ming people on those ships seem to welcome us very much..."

Charlotte showed an awkward yet polite smile:

"Father, there is actually another possibility. They are greeting us at the Ming Navy..."

George IV's expression suddenly became a little embarrassed, and he didn't know where to place the waving palm.

The Ming Navy and the fleets of the Thai and Western countries sailed along the strait. The width of the strait is getting lower and lower, and the density of ships around is getting higher and higher.

When the fleet approached Shicheng Port, it was already so full of ships.

On the route designated by the port management agency, various ships of different sizes lined up one after another, forming endless fleets.

On the berths of the port, on the anchorage near the port, there are rows of ships parked.

Wherever the fleet of the Ming Dynasty Navy went, they received a very warm welcome. Many crew members and passengers on board jumped up and waved to this side.

The fleet of the Ming Navy and the ships of the Thai and Western countries will also stop at Shicheng Port for supplies.

Therefore, according to the radio requirements of the pilot ship and the port, they drove into a specially reserved berth to rest and wait for inspection.

The Lion City is the real southern gate of the Ming Dynasty, and it belongs to the province directly under the Central Court of the Ming Dynasty.

The management system and inspection here are much stricter than those in Dashi and Egypt.

The people from East and West Factory, the people who followed the management of the wharf, and the people from Honglu Temple formed a working group, boarded the ships of the Western countries and started working separately.

People from Honglu Temple are responsible for greeting the royal families of various countries, and at the same time checking the list of personnel with the diplomatic staff around them.

The people from the Dongxi Factory followed the people from the dock management to check the condition of the ship and the items on board.

During this process, nobles, officials, scholars, and businessmen from various countries in Thailand and the West were still standing on the deck, watching the scenery of the pier very curiously and excitedly.

The pure and real Dongfang City's modern pier and cityscape, he is rarely seen by most of them.

No matter what your background is, you must have sufficient judgment and understanding to be able to join this mission.

From the sight of the wharf in front of them and the conditions of the people on the surrounding ships, they can roughly judge that the situation in the mainland of Ming Dynasty is much better than that of the Thai and Western countries.

The pier in Lion City is very busy and lively, and the loading and unloading of goods and personnel is also very frequent and fast, and the operation efficiency of the entire pier is also very high.

The berths and waterways are in a highly busy state, without the sense of depression that is present on the wharves of the Thai and Western countries.

In fact, even ordinary people who don't have a deep understanding of social conditions can easily feel that the atmospheres of the two places are completely different.

The European and American countries had a similar atmosphere in the past few years, but it has not been maintained until now.

So the contrast is particularly strong now.

After the ships of the Thai and Western countries were inspected and checked, they received special navigation certificates issued by Honglu Temple.

After receiving the supplies, all the ships set off again one after another, sailing north along the southeast coastline of Daming mainland.

This coastal route is also the busiest offshore route in Ming Dynasty and even in the world.

In the open sea, most of the ships that can be seen on the sea are large ships. After arriving in the coastal waters and the inland sea of ​​Daming, there are more small ships.

This makes encounters at sea more frequent.

The elites of the Thai and Western countries felt more deeply the degree of prosperity of the Ming Dynasty.

Royal families, nobles, officials, scholars, and businessmen from various countries have discussed and expressed emotion with the people around them more than once.

"Not to mention Europa's current situation, even when the market was at its best a few years ago, it was completely incomparable with Daming itself...

"Nowadays, the countries of Europe are facing stagnation or even decline in development, while Ming Dynasty continues to prosper, and the gap between the two sides will become wider and wider."

"If we talk about the past few years, the biggest gap is not only the gap in technology and industrialization, but also the trade barriers between European countries."

"Yes, Daming, the entire Daming, and two-thirds of the entire planet's land are under the unified jurisdiction of the same imperial court.

"They adopt highly identical laws and systems, as well as the most critical currency, and most people and goods can come and go and trade freely."

"Yes, all commodity circulation does not require tariffs. The key is that there is no need for import and export procedures. Not only is the market more efficient, but the key is that there is a large amount of additional administrative expenses..."

"The land of Europa is only half of that of Ming Dynasty, but it is divided into more than a dozen countries, with more than a dozen laws and currencies, and an unknown number of customs.

"Combined with the trade protection of various countries, even if the local manufacturers in Europa do well, there is not enough market for them to develop."

"All kinds of basic industries have to be developed independently by each country in Thailand and the West. Our technical level is already low, and we have to waste several times the construction capacity."

"Europa is in such a state of disunity, let alone compete with Da Ming in the future, the possibility of shortening the distance with Da Ming is infinitely close to zero..."

The elites from all over the world, the more they think about and compare the differences between China and Europa, the more they feel the huge gap between the two sides.

And then more and more despair and helplessness.

With complicated and entangled feelings, the two fleets arrived at the real core area of ​​Daming on December 15, [-] in Ankang.

The southeastern coastline of the Jiangnan region.

However, their fleet did not enter the Yangtze River Estuary, but sailed into Zhoushan Military Port as required.

Zhu Jingyuan didn't want their warships to enter the Yangtze River, and they didn't want their warships to wander around in the inland river of Daming.

Therefore, ships from all countries in Thailand and the West are required to stop at Zhoushan Military Port.

The Yangtze River is of course an inland river of Ming Dynasty, which directly belongs to the territory rather than the territorial sea. Of course, any foreign ships can be prohibited from entering.

However, if it was in Zhu Jingyuan's previous life, it would be a little weird to invite others to the ceremony and not let them enter the Yangtze River waterway.

This is just a Westerner in this world, and it is a great honor to be able to come to Daming.

Of course, no one raised any objections to the arrangement of parking the ship in the military port, and they also felt that it was convenient for them to participate in the ship review ceremony.

Because the celebration of Zhu Jingyuan's enthronement ceremony was held in Zhoushan Naval Port.

Driving a warship into the Yangtze River and then out is also a toss.

Those who participated in the enthronement ceremony of the Ming emperor transferred to a large passenger ship prepared by Honglu Temple at the Zhoushan military port, bypassed the Songjiang Peninsula and entered the mouth of the Yangtze River.

In the process of going upstream along the Yangtze River to Yingtianfu.

In this golden waterway, the elites of the Thai and Western countries have no mood to rest.

As long as there is a chance, I will find it on the deck, or in the room with windows and the living room, admiring and observing the passing ships on the Yangtze River.

And the more critical scenes on both sides of the Yangtze River.

The professional video and recording personnel brought by the countries of Thailand and the West also worked hard to record everything they saw.

Everyone felt dizzy again.

After all, here is the largest urban agglomeration in the world, as well as the most exquisite small town agglomeration in the world.

The most affluent and comfortable water town in the south of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty is the place that literati and scholars all over the world cherish.

It is also a technology center and industrial mecca all over the world.

Whether it is a large or small ship on the water, or a group of cars in a riverside city, or a train on a bridge across the Yangtze River.

Or the flying planes on the water and in the sky, as well as the factories and buildings in the city and the huge billboards.

The attraction to Thai and Western bureaucrats, merchants, and nobles is usually very sufficient.

Many people are first shocked by the overall scenery.

Compared with the cities in Thailand and the West, simply looking at these scenes from the river is like coming to another world.

Then I was amazed by all kinds of details.

Including the city streets where the carriages have completely disappeared, including the everywhere on the river and the airplanes in the sky.

Including children playing in the city, riverside and water.

What surprised them the most was that three extremely small planes flew over the water not far from the side of the passenger ship they were taking at low altitude.

At this time, the distance was already very close, and Tessie on the ship could directly see the appearance and expression of the people inside through the glass cockpit of the plane.

The point is, those people were teenagers.

The three drivers are older, but they are only fifteen or sixteen years old.

The passengers behind the driver are significantly smaller, and the youngest may not be ten years old.

Most were boys, but there were a few girls, and the pilot who flew the special plane had a girl too.

When a group of children passed by the side of the fleet, they all turned their heads to look at the boat here, with curious expressions on their faces.

Jin Yiwei's plane patrolling in the sky soon followed.

There is also a loudspeaker shouting to this side:

"Listen to the three planes in front, this is Jiangkou Air Jinyiwei, and now I ask you to leave the river immediately and land at the nearest public airport!"

"Repeat..."

The passengers on the ship from all over the world looked dumbfounded.

King George III of the United Kingdom looked at his daughter beside him, pointed to the planes on the river, stared in disbelief and asked:

"Have you seen, Charlotte, there are a group of children on those three small planes!"

Charlotte's reaction was quite calm:
"Of course I saw it, and it must be someone else's child, driving their parents' plane out.

"This kind of thing... is actually quite common..."

George IV and the surrounding nobles and bureaucrats were obviously taken aback:
"Common! Is this common?"

Charlotte seemed a little helpless and introduced to the surrounding nobles and officials:
"Children in Ming Dynasty do not need to work. Initially, the imperial court prohibited the use of child labor, but now it has become a habit.

"Da Ming's children only need to go to school or go out to play...

"Daming's aircraft industry is very well developed, and there are specially designed light and small aircraft that can take off and land on grasslands and river beaches.

"The operation of this kind of aircraft is very simple, the sales volume is also very good, and the price has reached the level of conventional cars.

"The wages of workers in Daming have always been relatively high.

"Even for ordinary manual workers, the wages of a normal job alone are enough for the whole family to live comfortably and have some savings for their children to go to school.

"The lowest-level management personnel, as well as slightly skilled workers, skilled workers who have enough working years, can afford to buy a car with a little money.

"The emperor of Ming Dynasty was very fond of airplanes, organized the Daming Aviation Industry Association and the Aviation Association, and the folks also had a very good flying atmosphere.

"The relatively wealthy families in Ming Dynasty, especially those in the Jiangnan area, usually like to live in a separate courtyard, buy two cars and a small plane.

"If you live in a yard by the river or by the sea, you usually have your own small steamboat.

"Da Ming's family has a lot of children, a mother has five or six children or even more, even if they generally don't go to work, they can't manage it.

"If it's a royal family, aristocrat, or a famous family, since the male master can take concubines, there may be more than a dozen children.

"Although the Ming court strictly forbids children under the age of 16 from flying planes, cars, and boats.

"There are always extra bold children who secretly open up the things at home to play.

"I used to see this kind of thing in the newspapers, Jin Yiwei caught such bold children and asked their parents to claim them.

"This is still caught, I don't know how many people have not been caught...

"Even in the downhill farms, some fifteen or sixteen-year-old children are already used to helping their parents fly planes to spread pesticides..."

Listening to Charlotte's introduction, the expressions of the surrounding Taixi elites were all different.

They knew something about Daming before, but many times they didn't know such details and details.

Many of them can't even imagine that this kind of society exists in this world.

Many people have been dazed for a long time, not knowing how to express their feelings and from what angle to express their emotions.

In the end it was Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson who spoke first.

"I know there is a big gap between Europa and Ming, but I never thought that the gap could be this big.

"From the most eye-catching high-end technology level, to the overall scale and depth of industrialization, and the prosperity of the entire social market.

"The nations of Europe have already been greatly distanced by Daming.

"The most important thing is the children, especially the children of elite families, they are the future of a country.

"Many nobles and elites in Europa, in order to avoid dividing their family property because of more children, or spending too much assets to raise children, will lead to an overall decline in the class of the entire family.

"Their thoughts and expectations of having children have been steadily decreasing...

"In addition to Malthus's theory, it provides theoretical support for their elites, further exacerbating this tendency.

"The ordinary nobles and elites in Europa have fewer and fewer children, while the nobles and elites of Ming have more and more children.

"This disparity is even symbolic in a way..."

Jenkinson stopped talking here.

After all, he is the prime minister. It is best not to express his pessimistic expectations for the future of the entire country and even the ethnic group in such a public place.

At the same time, Nelson, the commander of the British Navy, continued to look at the planes that were getting farther and farther away, and sighed as if talking to himself:

"Children are indeed the key. The children of Europa are playing with mud in the farmland, mopping the floor and screwing screws in the factory, and selling newspapers and flowers on the street.

"Da Ming's children may have driven planes and boats into the sea and sky...

"How can our children compete with Daming's children?"

What Nelson and Jenkinson said was not the same thing.

Of course, it is impossible for the noble children of Europa to play in the mud in the fields, and it is impossible to turn screws in the factory.

Daming’s aristocratic child...it is indeed possible to fly out...

But they all expressed the same sentiment.

It's not just that there is a huge gap between Taixi and Daming.

There is also no tendency to reverse in the future symbolized by the children.

(End of this chapter)