The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 198 Potential?

"Where is the next stop?" Qi Zexuan took a beef bun from the dinner plate, took a bite, and chewed it carefully.

"...The next stop is Xinding (today's Albury City on the Murray River in Australia)." Dai Chongren, Colonel Renyong (lieutenant) of the Imperial Guard, swallowed the buns in his mouth in three mouthfuls and immediately returned Said: "Well, it is a county town located on the north bank of the Han River (today's Murray River)."

"Oh, Xinding." Qi Zexuan pushed a glass of milk on the table in front of Dai Chongren and motioned for him to take a few sips quickly to avoid choking on the buns. "How far is it from Nandu (today's Melbourne)?"

"There are still almost three hundred kilometers, and we should arrive at four or five o'clock in the afternoon." Dai Chongren took the cup, drank the milk in one breath, then burped loudly, and then looked towards His Royal Highness with some embarrassment. smiled.

Qi Zexuan smiled unconcernedly and continued to enjoy breakfast.

Perhaps it was the arrival of His Royal Highness the Emperor and Grandson that made the dining car seem particularly quiet.

There were only a dozen passengers eating breakfast and reading the newspapers delivered by the train conductor, but more attention was paid to His Royal Highness.

However, fearing the majesty of the royal family, these passengers did not dare to come and strike up a conversation easily, fearing that they would humiliate themselves.

Even though they have abundant assets and can ride in train compartments or first-class seats, and they don't mind the expensive food in the dining car, they may not be qualified enough to have a relationship with the emperor's grandson rashly.

With a population of just over 7 million, the Kingdom of England consumes more sugar every year than France, which has a population of over 20 million. This indirectly proves that the English really like to eat sugar.

"Your Highness, the English are here."

After breakfast, Qi Zexuan sat back on a chair, drinking tea and reading newspapers. He suddenly heard Dai Chongren's reminder in a low voice, and turned to look at the aisle of the carriage.

During this period, when people in England mentioned tea and sugar, their usual impression was "black tea with sugar added".

However, sharing a breakfast with His Royal Highness in the dining car can also show off to friends for a while.

Even when they drink tea and beer, they add a lot of sugar, which is very confusing.

"Why do people in England put sugar in everything they drink?" Dai Chongren muttered softly.

I saw the English envoy, Baron Spencer Compton, and his entourage ordering several glasses of wine, several desserts, coffee, and milk from the dining car service staff.

The war is over and everyone can continue to be "friends".

In addition, they often add sugar to beer, red wine, and even mead (you know, this kind of wine brewed from sugar cane waste is inherently sweet).

A ruffled shirt, an embroidered vest, a mid-length woolen coat, white stockings with black high heels, and a black woolen top hat. Although a Qi native could not understand this combination, this dress was elegant and expensive in Europe at the time. The symbol of Qi.

It was normal for them to eat desserts and steamed buns, but when they started drinking red wine, coffee or milk, they actually added a few extra spoons of sugar.

The English envoy was seen walking into the dining car, dressed neatly in formal attire, accompanied by several attendants.

Tea, coffee, and cocoa are generally consumed directly whether in Qi, India, the Ottoman Empire, or Arabia. Unexpectedly, after it spread to England, although everyone has their own preferences, most people in England are generally accustomed to adding sugar to these three drinks before drinking them.

Are all people in England so addicted to sugar?

Perhaps wanting to do as the locals do, they also ordered a basket of steamed buns and several bowls of rice porridge.

Perhaps sensing Qi Zexuan's gaze, the English envoy politely took off his hat, revealing a very exaggerated wig on his head.

The draft of the armistice contract between Qi and Britain has been initially reached, and the two sides can be said to be in a state of peace.

Otherwise, during the negotiations between Qi and Britain, representatives of Qi proposed that England cede two Caribbean tropical islands, Barbados and Jamaica. Unsurprisingly, they met with firm opposition.

Qi Zexuan immediately showed a friendly smile, but did not stand up, but nodded politely.

He nodded slightly and greeted the heir to the Qi royal family reservedly.

The English would rather cede the larger Newfoundland and Acadia to Qi than lose these two tropical islands.

Otherwise, Barbados and Jamaica were rich in sugar, which was of great economic interest to the Kingdom of England.

As for Newfoundland and Acadia, they are just rich in fishery and timber resources, and there are also a large number of French immigrants in the two places. It would not be too distressing to leave them to Qi.

In England, no matter whether they are nobles, wealthy businessmen or ordinary people, they do not have the habit of eating breakfast. In the morning, often just drink some alcoholic beverages and enjoy a pleasant "first drink in the morning."

If a guest arrives, the host will also prepare wine for the guest as the "first cup in the morning" according to the custom at that time, and also include expensive non-alcoholic drinks - usually tea or coffee, with a few spoons expensive of sugar.

Sugar was not only useful for commerce but was also essential to England's physicians and pharmacists. Because there are nearly hundreds of "medicines" in England made from sugar. Thinking about it, sweetness should soothe the patient's pain and give them temporary taste pleasure, thereby alleviating the pain.

It is said that there is a magical prescription for treating eye diseases in England. "Crush sugar, pearls, and gold foil into fine powder and blow it into the eyes." It seems that several patients have been cured.

However, from the sucrose consumption in England, it can be roughly inferred that the amount of sugar added by ordinary people should be very small, and they can only taste a slight hint of sweetness. The tea they drank was also very light, and only a slight color could be seen.

Despite this, there are still many "sighted people" among the nobility in England who criticize that poor people should not enjoy the luxury of "sweetened black tea".

Because, this will cost additional precious metal currency. During the more than three years of war between Qi and England, not only the businessmen and ordinary civilians suffered great trauma, but also the aristocracy who led the fashion of England were also greatly affected.

Tea was gone, coffee was banned, and the import of sucrose was reduced to the lowest level. This made the nobles who always enjoyed "sweetened black tea" and tasted the rich and mellow taste of coffee suddenly felt that there was no taste in their mouths.

In the past, nobles and wealthy businessmen could only display their wealth and social status by tasting rare tea leaves. Drinking tea was a part of the social activities of the nobles. Lively tea parties and tea ceremonies had always been an occasion to display their social status and taste.

As a result, a sudden war caused all these products that can fully demonstrate the "strong style" of aristocratic fashion to disappear from the market, which makes people very depressed.

Fortunately, the war is coming to an end and everything will get better.

During his several months in Qi, Baron Spencer Compton fully felt the power of this industrial country. Leaving aside warships and artillery, the country's rich and diverse food is enough to prove the wealth and prosperity of Qi.

Even an ordinary civilian in Qi State can enjoy sugar at will, as if it is the most ordinary daily necessities. It is said that the average annual sugar consumption of a Qi person exceeds ten pounds, which is comparable to the consumption level of an English nobleman.

Not to mention, the meat, vegetables, fruits and other non-staple foods consumed by their citizens far exceeded the consumption of residents of various European countries during this period.

Well, maybe it's because they eat well that the adult men in Qi look a little taller and stronger than the people in England.

For example, the heir to the royal family of Qi stood in front of him and looked a full 5.7-5.8 feet (about 1.75 meters). Although his young face had a somewhat warm smile, it still gave people a strong sense of height. A sense of coercion.

"Oh, Your Majesty the Prince..." Baron Compton stood up immediately, and with his eyes signaled the attendant sitting opposite to stand up and give up his seat. Then he bowed slightly, stretched out his right hand, and gracefully asked Qi Zexuan to sit down.

"A few months ago, when your envoy disembarked from Jianye and took the train to Chang'an, it happened that I was also riding the same train with you. Unexpectedly, this time I went to Nandu Prefecture, I actually took the same train with you again. . We are really... destined." Qi Zexuan said with a smile.

"Oh, this is God's arrangement." After listening to the interpreter's narration, Baron Compton also showed a happy expression and raised his glass, "For our wonderful encounter, and for the eternal peace and peace between our two countries. Friendship, let’s raise a toast and celebrate together!”

Qi Zexuan hesitated for a moment, then happily picked up the glass of wine in front of him, gently clinked it with the wine glass in Baron Compton's hand, and took a sip.

Hiss, not to mention, the sugar in this wine really covers up some of the astringency in the wine.

"How do you feel, Mr. Baron, during these few months in Qi?" Qi Zexuan put down his wine glass and pushed it a little further away.

I'm really not used to drinking alcohol so early in the morning.

"Qi is a rich and powerful country, and everything seems to be so prosperous." Baron Compton praised sincerely: "Although it is a bit embarrassing, I have to admit that compared with your country, our Kingdom of England is inferior in every aspect. We are greatly inferior in all aspects. Your Qi country has a larger population, a complete industrial system, strong manufacturing capabilities, and a variety of novel and useful objects. I believe that after the war, we England will be more open to learning from your country. Yes, your country has too much technology and culture that is worthy of being introduced and absorbed by our Kingdom of England, of course, including steam engines and trains, and all the novel things I have seen. "

Qi Zexuan listened carefully to the words of the interpreter and translator, Baron Compton. The smile on his face remained, but he felt a little wary in his heart.

This Englishman is not simple!

Knowing that their skills are inferior to others, they immediately want to learn the technology and culture of their former enemies, and also introduce various advanced machines and manufacturing technologies.

Their thinking changes very quickly!

Over time, if some advanced technologies are absorbed and introduced from Qi, wouldn't it be possible to avoid some detours, directly achieve a great speed up of industry, and then gradually develop and grow?

Our country supports England to check and balance the European continent. In the end, don't raise a hungry wolf, but it will bite you back!

You must know that the Qi State has developed to its current level in more than 90 years, which is inseparable from the vigorous industrial revolution carried out in the country. The key factors promoting the process of the industrial revolution are mainly two points: first, the improvement and stability of the political system, the royal family The government leads and promotes the sustainable development of industry; the second is to attach importance to population education, and has spared no effort to establish a compulsory education system since the founding of the People's Republic of China, providing a steady stream of talents for domestic industrial development.

The Industrial Revolution brought about improvements in efficiency and a transformation of the demographic structure, which helped Qi embark on the fast track of economic development, quickly accumulating strong national power. This allowed Qi to dominate the Indian Ocean and embark on the expansion of a global empire. the way.

The country of England is similar to Qi in many aspects. First of all, it also has the same geographical location as an island country, which can keep it away from mainland disputes and prevent the war from burning to the mainland.

There is also the consistent stability of England's political system. Since a major civil war broke out more than 80 years ago, there have been basically no large-scale wars and turmoil. Even the change of dynasty (the Glorious Revolution) was relatively stable. peaceful. Their current political structure is in the form of a virtual king, with the king ruling from a high position, and the government being led by an elected parliament, thus avoiding drastic changes in the political situation.

Finally, there is the particularity of England's demographic structure. Over the past three to four hundred years, the country's wealthy class has had a high fertility rate and attached great importance to education. Later, the descendants of these upper classes declined and penetrated into other social classes, which made a kind of middle-class values ​​​​the first to be embedded in the culture of their country. This kind of values ​​​​and culture contributed to the technological progress under the Industrial Revolution and the improvement of the efficiency of the whole society. has a vital role.

More importantly, England is also rich in coal and iron resources. Similar to the mainland of Hanzhou, most coal and iron mines are not far from the sea. With England's developed shipping conditions and rivers and canals throughout the country, These coal and iron resources can be easily transported to any city in the country.

During this period, the coal output of the Kingdom of England reached 5 million tons, second only to Qi.

Its pig iron production also exceeded 40,000 tons, ranking third in the world after Qi and Qin and first in Europe - the second-ranked Kingdom of Sweden produced only 23,000 tons of pig iron.

England is also the country with the largest application of steam engines in Europe. Almost all coal mines have their own imitation pumps.

During the war, several battleships equipped with steam drives were even sent out to sea. Although the performance is not very good, with frequent cylinder explosions and flameouts, if relevant technology and equipment can be introduced from Qi after the war, it will surely soon become the second navy to install steam warships after Qi.

It can be said that England has many conditions for an industrialized country. As long as the situation changes and external forces are promoted, it will inevitably explode with powerful power and quickly enter the process of industrial revolution.

Facing such a country with great industrial potential, the "fulcrum (stirring stick)" strategy formulated by our Qi cabinet and military may be open to question.

While Qi Zexuan and Baron Compton were chatting about the customs of the two countries, they were secretly thinking about the future development of relations between Qi and Britain.

Is this going to put a dog leash on the Kingdom of England?
(End of this chapter)