The Rise of the European Emperor

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This letter of credentials was written by Marin himself, and it made Marin very worried for a while. First of all, Marin needed to change a lot of his previous habits to write this credential.

For example, whether in later generations or in Europe today, the writing format is from left to right and from top to bottom. In the Ming Dynasty, it was from top to bottom, and then from right to left.

So Marin wasted a lot of paper trying to fit this format. In the end, in order to make his characters in place, Marin simply made a grid to standardize his Chinese characters.

In addition, the ancient Chinese were not used to reading small hard-pen characters. So, Malin made a writing brush to write the letter. Poor Marin's calligraphy is very bad, and it still stays at the level of "big characters" of primary school students. Its calligraphy is barely square, and it is estimated that it is on the same level as the Confucian boy of the Ming Dynasty.

Also, for many words, Marin can't remember the traditional Chinese characters. Therefore, if you can remember traditional Chinese characters, Marin uses traditional Chinese characters. If you can't remember, just use simplified characters instead. Anyway, the Ming Dynasty is not without simplified characters. However, in the Ming Dynasty, simplified characters were called "vulgar characters", and literati were disdainful to use them. However, unremarkable.

But in any case, Marin's current status is that of a "Fanbang" lord, so he should not understand Chinese characters. It is a surprise to be able to write some vulgar characters. If this is on the line, it can also prove that "Da Ming's etiquette teaches the world, and even the monarchs of Fanbang can write Chinese characters."... Anyway, it's enough to blow a wave...

The credentials were not sealed, and Ding Haishan was appointed as the Guangzhou Shipping Division, specially in charge of tribute matters. Although he is only a minor official from the fifth rank, the Shibo Division is the "relevant department" responsible for the tribute. Therefore, the promotion is also eligible to preview the credentials.

Opening the tribute book, Ding Haishan was surprised to find that the tribute book was divided into two parts, one was written in foreign languages, and the other was written in Chinese characters... I saw the Chinese version of the tribute book written:

"Marin von Hoffmann, Grand Duke of Beihai Grand Duchy, the land of Western Thailand, I respectfully invite His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the most powerful and prosperous in the world..."

The first sentence of horses is quite loud. From the very beginning, it was pointed out that Daming was "the most powerful and prosperous country in the world", which made Ding Haishan, a Daming official, look very comfortable.

"I (I haven't been eligible to pay tribute, I can't call myself a minister, but I'm not a commoner, and I can't call myself a grassroots. Therefore, I call myself) Although I live in Taixi, 20,000 miles west of Daming, the country is small and the people are few, but it has been a long time. It is said that there is a strong and prosperous empire called Daming in the far east. The country is strong, the people are rich, the monarch is wise, and the ministers are virtuous... (A thousand words are omitted below)"

"The old minister has long intended to send people to the Ming Dynasty to worship the Son of Heaven.

However, the 20,000-mile land route between Beihai Grand Duchy and Daming was blocked by fierce and barbaric Tatars and Turks (Turkeys). On the 20,000-mile land road, the sky is filled with yellow sand, and there are hundreds of thousands of brutal Tatar and Turkic cavalry... Therefore, the wish to worship the Son of Heaven and bathe in the grace of God has not been realized..."

"Fortunately, there are sailors under my command who came up with the idea of ​​taking a detour from the sea to Daming. To this end, after decades of work, after dozens of ships were swallowed by the sea, the ships of our country were able to It was difficult to find a route from the sea to Daming... On this route, the total journey is 50,000 miles (after calculation, if you go around the Cape of Good Hope, and then go through the Strait of Malacca, it does take 25,854 kilometers from London to Guangzhou, about 51,700 miles). Huali, after the opening of the Suez Canal, there are also 18,000 kilometers)... But fortunately, I finally found the long-awaited Ming Dynasty..."

...

Reading this, Ding Haishan couldn't help but ask:

"It's really 50,000 miles away from your country to Daming?"

Kongtai and Sconda nodded, saying:

"Indeed, our ship has been at sea for nearly a year before arriving in Guangzhou. It can be said that there are many difficulties and dangers along the way..."

After finishing speaking, Kong Tai also opened a map for Ding Haishan to see. On the map, the outlines of the European and African continents are drawn, as well as their routes...

Ding Haishan continued to read the tribute book:

"The land of Taixi is extremely bitter and cold, and the land is barren. Rice cannot be grown there, and even wheat is difficult to grow. Therefore, even though you are the lord of the state, you can only eat black bread (bread) with a bitter taste every day. Only during festivals can we eat white flour cakes made of wheat..."

Seeing this, Ding Haishan was extremely surprised:

"Your country lord usually eats black bread? Don't you have any wheat in your country?"

Kongtai and Sconda shook their heads together...they didn't lie. The North Sea Grand Duchy has a high latitude, so it's really not suitable for growing wheat. Therefore, wheat bread is really a rarity in the Grand Duchy of Beihai.

Ding Haishan sighed - Nima, this country is so poor... Another poor ghost came to beat the autumn wind...

Then, he continued to read the tribute book:

"In the land of Taixi, there are no silkworms and cotton can't be grown. Therefore, our subjects, not to mention silk, can't even wear cotton cloth... Only a few nobles can wear them from the hands of Dashi merchants (Arab merchants). Silk robes bought at a high price..."

"In my Beihai Grand Duchy, those who can wear silk robes are all wealthy and noble people. Ordinary people can only wear linen clothes, or woolen clothes with a smell of mutton..."

"But I heard that in Daming, even small country landlords can actually wear silk, and their daily living expenses are far more than our country's nobles..."

"Therefore, I am looking forward to the incomparably prosperous Ming Dynasty. If it weren't for the dangers at sea, I would accidentally encounter a storm and cause the ship to be destroyed. I would like to go to Daming in person to pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor of Ming Dynasty. By the way, take a look at Daming The most prosperous country in the world..."

"Today, Baron Columbus is dispatched, along with all the members of the embassy, ​​to risk their lives to find a way to Daming. If you are lucky enough to meet someone from the Shang Kingdom, please convey to the court on my behalf the request to pay tribute to His Majesty the Emperor..."

"Our country is not rich in products, but its armaments are excellent, especially firearms, which are unparalleled in the world. Therefore, I will present to the court 40 bronze cannons of the French machine, and 500 excellent fire cannons with a range of over 100 paces, as a tribute... …”

...

At first, Ding Haishan was quite proud when he read this tribute. But after reading the last paragraph, Ding Haishan was not happy. He asked Kong Tai with a stern face:

"How dare a small country like me compare the benefits of firearms with me, Da Ming?"

Kong Tai had long expected that the officials of the Ming Dynasty would be dissatisfied, and he was already prepared, and said:

"If you don't believe me, you can find a firearms expert in Guangzhou, and you'll know after a try!"

"Okay, let's stay at the Shibosi post house first, I'll go and ask the Chief Commissioner for instructions first..." After that, Ding Haishan went directly to the Guangdong Chief Secretary with the tribute book to report...

In the middle and early Ming Dynasty, the Guangzhou Shipping Division was under the jurisdiction of the Guangdong Chief Secretary. It was only in the later period that the Shibo Division broke away from the control of the Chief Secretary and independently controlled the taxation power of foreign trade. However, it is still in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and the Shibo Division is still under the control of the Chief Secretary of Guangdong, and has no rights. Therefore, Ding Haishan has no right to make a decision in the case of Guangzhou Shipping Division, so he needs to ask the Chief Secretary to make a decision...\u003c/content\u003e

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