There is a special cabin on the Zhiyuan for receiving guests. The first cabin below the deck is isolated from other areas. It would be a waste to add such a cabin in the precious space of the battleship, but there is no way to Zhiyuan. Not only does he have to undertake war missions, he also takes care of diplomatic missions in peacetime.
The Zhiyuan is currently the flagship of the Chinese navy. Senior leaders such as Xiao Letian will definitely take this warship, so corresponding diplomatic talks will be inevitable.
The warship is a floating territory on the sea. Holding various meetings here is equivalent to the Chinese people showing their friendship as landlords. This kind of etiquette is indispensable.
The guests and hosts were seated at two sections of the long table. Emperor Tongzhi and King Shangtai took the first and second seats of honor. There were four senior officials from Xiao Letian down, and the British people opposite had the same number of people as agreed upon.
There are the second and third leaders of the Indian Ocean Fleet, as well as the commanders-in-chief of the British Mediterranean Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet. The military uniforms on these people are shining with stars, and some even have medals displayed.
It's not a grand ceremony. Although Jason and the others often had meals along the way, the level of the banquet was not high and at most Xiao Letian was there to support them. Today is the day when the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty officially entered the European Mediterranean, so it is definitely memorable. Yes, so no matter how much Zaichun's butt hurts, he still has to attend this banquet.
The emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the head of state of the Chinese people... three men standing at the top of the East Asian Pyramid attended this banquet. How dare the British side neglect it? They wore all the formal clothes from the bottom of the box, and there were no orderlies in the afternoon. If I don't do anything else, I'll iron clothes there.
Before the banquet, there was a small incident. Just when seven senior British generals were about to enter the cabin, Xiao Letian stopped them and made a small request.
"Dear gentlemen, I would like to tell you in advance that Emperor Tongzhi is the emperor of China recognized by European countries, and the Qing Dynasty and the United Kingdom are now in a friendly state..."
"So, please don't forget your etiquette after entering!"
"Etiquette? What do you mean..." Jason woke up with a start. He suddenly remembered the conflict between the British and French forces and Emperor Xianfeng nine years ago because of the kneeling ceremony.
"You want us to kneel down? Absolutely not... This has already caused a war. I think you, the head of state, should be very clear!"
Xiao Letian smiled and said, "No, no, no, you have misunderstood. I think since we are equal countries, we should respect each other's monarchs... When you meet the king, kneel down and bow! I will not ask you to change, Please follow the same etiquette once inside!”
Jason frowned and asked, "Why? Why didn't I kneel down when I saw His Majesty in Singapore, the Lion City, but I have to do it today?"
"Haha, that's a matter of level! We are simply meeting in the Lion City of Singapore. We did not go ashore or stay, and His Majesty did not give you a banquet! So it is okay to bow..."
"But it's different now. Your Majesty has officially entered Europe through the canal. Now he has decided to attend this banquet to thank you for escorting him all the way. This is a formal diplomatic occasion that needs to be recorded, so we have to talk about it..."
Having said this, Xiao Letian suddenly leaned into Jason's ear and whispered, "Don't forget that His Majesty was attacked just this morning and is in a bad mood right now. Do you think he will get angry at you for not being able to protect him?"
"Okay, I told you a long time ago that you have done a good job in this mission. Maybe His Majesty will even give you a few compliments when he sees the Queen. Shouldn't you kneel down for this favor? Are you happy? Your Majesty, it will be good for you..."
Xiao Letian's words made Jason Mauser suddenly open up, and finally Xiao Letian came up with Macartney's old saying: "During the Qianlong period, Macartney led a British delegation to the Qing Dynasty to celebrate the birthday of Emperor Qianlong. There was a dispute with the Ministry of Rites of the Qing Dynasty..."
"At that time, Macartney refused to kneel down in obeisance, but he proposed to kneel down in obeisance, and when he met with Qianlong, he actually knelt down in obeisance, so it is not shameful for you to do obeisance today. There are precedents for everything!”
Xiao Letian coaxed and persuaded and finally managed to get rid of the knots in these generals' minds, especially since the British elite basically knew about Macartney's experiences in history.
The British delegation had already knelt down back then, so it wouldn't be a big problem to kneel down again now, not to mention that Major General Jason had his own plans.
After the cabin door opened, the room was bright and filled with dancing candles, and the aroma of the delicious food on the table immediately made people salivate.
Subconsciously twitching their noses, a group of British generals walked in small steps in front of Emperor Tongzhi, who was sitting upright, and lined up with Jason as the leader.
"Commanders of the Royal Navy of the British Empire, your Majesty!"
Many generals knelt in front of Zai Chun. At that moment, there was a sudden pop in the corner. This historical moment was faithfully recorded by the camera.
Xiao Letian sighed in his heart and said to himself, "Zaichun, Master, I have settled one more thing for you. After this photo appears in major newspapers in Europe, you will at least be able to kneel down on one knee and bow to any country you visit again!"
"There is a precedent for everything. If I trick these naval officers into kneeling down to you, then the European officials who follow will not feel any psychological pressure when they kneel down to you again. It will be a matter of course..."
"Master, I'm clearing the way for you in advance, and supporting you in advance... This is my apology for the beating I gave you during the day!"
The Qing Dynasty is no longer the arrogant Qing Dynasty in the past. The arrogance of emperors Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng...their emperors have long been burned away by the fire in the Old Summer Palace.
At this moment, the Qing Dynasty had developed a fear of foreigners, especially the British Empire, which felt strong pressure.
Under the influence of this kind of thinking, no one in the court required foreigners to kneel down. They actually selectively forgot about this etiquette issue that their ancestors struggled with.
This time Zai Chun visited Europe, he borrowed the honor of the Chinese people and the skills of his master Xiao Letian. Zai Chun and the eunuch guards he brought with him never imagined that they would receive such courtesy. In their minds, they could It's already good enough to get a bow from a foreigner.
Aixinjueluo Zaichun sat on the Taishi chair, with four guards behind him wearing bright yellow mandarins, and four eunuchs serving on both sides.
When they saw a group of foreign generals kneeling in front of them, Zai Chun was the first to be unable to sit still. He even forgot about the severe pain in his buttocks and leaned over just to scream.
Ermao was still quick and grabbed his arm, then winked and shook his head desperately.
Zai Chun calmed down quickly. The free imperial education played a decisive role at this moment. He leaned back on the chair, rested his right hand easily on the armrest, and spoke in a relaxed and even lazy voice.
"Well... I'm interested... get up..."
Before Zai Chun's long voice could finish, Er Mao behind him quickly said in English, "Please get up... Your Majesty, please sit down!"
Ermao's hands were full of sweat, and he thought to himself, "Long live my Lord, you are really good at climbing along the pole. Will you have to kneel down later?" It’s over, the play has been over…
