Since ancient times, the locations of cities and towns where humans have lived have always been focused on water. Water is not only a necessity for human survival, but also the main artery in commerce and trade. Longtanshuw.com M.longtanshuw.com
Before the advent of railways, river transportation and sea transportation were the most economical and efficient ways to circulate goods.
The Thames is one of the most famous rivers in the United Kingdom. Industrial products from the City of London can directly lead to the North Sea through this river, and then be transported to the entire Europe.
The entire city of London is divided into two regions, north and south, by the Thames River. In comparison, the north bank of the Thames River was the earliest developed in history and is also the largest and most populous area.
South London has more late-stage immigrants, and its level of development is not comparable to that of North London.
North London is divided into east and west areas by citizens' habits. West London is a traditional aristocratic cultural area. There are many royal palaces and opera houses and cathedrals. British aristocrats and top wealthy people all live here.
Just like the Forty-Nine Cities of the Qing Dynasty, the closer a home is to the Imperial City, the higher the status of the home. Similarly in London, land prices are the highest in areas close to Buckingham Palace, the Palace of Westminster, and the Houses of Parliament. of.
Until the 21st century, London's West End has long been no longer a geographical term, but has become a fashion symbol. When people mention this word, they think more of top-notch clothing, high-level theater performances, and five-star hotels. and gourmet restaurants, and of course the royal castle and cathedral that are favorites among tourists.
Opposite to the West End is the East End of London, which has a completely different atmosphere. It is the gathering area of London's heavy industry. Because it is located in the lower reaches of the Thames River, polluted water sources can be discharged directly along the river into the sea. In this way, the nobles in the West End will not be affected by anything. Impact.
As you look here, there are chimneys everywhere. The thick black smoke rises into the sky and dyes the entire city of London gray. On a windless day, you will see ashes falling from the sky like snow, so The most difficult-to-sell clothes in London are light-colored ones.
Only aristocratic ladies would wear pure white petticoats when attending indoor dances. When you walk on the street, you will see all dark-colored clothes, which suits the identity of the pioneers of the British Industrial Revolution.
The spinning machines in the spinning mill kept roaring all night long. The female workers in two shifts walked out of the factory with scarlet eyes. Twelve hours of high-intensity labor almost made him deaf.
Blue-collar workers in steel plants and machinery factories, covered in dirty oil stains, went into dark taverns to buy a few glasses of the cheapest whiskey to relieve the stress of work as soon as they got off work.
The residential areas scattered around the factory are dirty and dilapidated. Sewage flows across the alleys, and children with snotty noses chase them back and forth. The sewers have been stagnant for countless years, and domestic sewage is dumped directly on the streets.
Living a miserable life day after day, there is no hope on the faces of the people at the bottom, you can only see numbness.
Zai Chun rode the royal carriage on the streets of the East District. He frowned at the scenes on both sides, "No wonder Gladstone can attract so many supporters in the East District. It makes sense!"
Gordon, who was sitting next to Zai Chun, looked slightly red and said with a heart that this was because the Police Department knew your schedule last night and hired someone to clean it in advance. Otherwise, the level of tatters here would be far beyond your imagination.
A total of fifty cavalrymen of the Imperial Guard, plus 24 mounted Forbidden City guards with swords, and more than ten eunuch attendants, surrounded the royal family's black carriage in a mighty manner.
At both ends of the street, policemen holding batons began to maintain order. The citizens who came out of their homes to watch the excitement stared at the faces of the East.
"The Emperor of China! Look at those emperor's guards, they really have braids!"
"Are the clothes they wear made of silk? The color is so beautiful, and there are various patterns on it..."
"Welcome...Your Majesty the Emperor! Welcome to London..."
The applause rang out, and the simple lower-class citizens naturally had a reverence for the imperial power. In their eyes, as long as they were the emperor, they were worthy of respect. This was the most basic courtesy.
China emphasizes the divine right of kings, which means that all emperors are the sons of God. In fact, Europe is similar. It pays attention to the divine right of kings. Both emperors and kings need to be crowned by the Holy See, which means that God recognizes the legitimacy of your rights.
So since Emperor Tongzhi is the Chinese emperor who can be equal to the queen, it also proves that the identity of this emperor is also recognized by God.
Regardless of whether it is right or not, the simple citizens think so anyway, so they naturally show their sincere respect when they see the emperor's motorcade.
Zai Chun has now been taught by Xiao Letian how to be close to the people. Regardless of whether it is true or false, he has to do a complete show anyway.
He opened the car window, smiled, stretched out his hand, and waved to the citizens who were applauding and cheering. The friendly gesture was replaced by a fierce response from the citizens. After a while, more and more people gathered on the street.
The police officers on duty were running back and forth with their batons in hand. Anyone who came too far forward was scolded, "Push back...Hurry up and push back. Who told you to squeeze in?"
The batons waving in the air intimidated the onlookers, but they also knew not to go too far in front of the Chinese people, so they did not dare to beat them as usual.
Zai Chun frowned and said to Gordon, "What happened? Why are you using force on the people? They just want to see me, so what does it matter?"
Gordon saw sweat on his forehead and quickly smiled and said, "Okay, don't worry, Your Majesty, I will take care of it right away..."
After speaking, Gordon opened the car door and jumped out. He quickly found the commander of the Guards and whispered a few words. The commander nodded and began to give orders.
The fifty Guards cavalry were originally divided into two parts, front and rear, to form two small dense military formations to clear the way for Emperor Tongzhi. When the order was issued, the two military formations began to change lanes from left to right.
The military formations at the front and rear became two rows on the left and right, with twenty-five cavalry in one row. There was a distance of about three meters between the horses.
In this way, two long warning control lines were formed. Without the police using batons, the boundaries were naturally drawn for the citizens. No one could cross the inside of the war horse and could only stop on the outside.
The chaos was gradually brought under control. The policemen wiped the sweat from their foreheads and said to themselves: Why did we go there so early? We were tired and sweating all over.
Gordon smiled and ran back to the carriage. "Your Majesty, it's done. Order is under control again..."
"Well, very good, can you open the awning? There are so many people who want to see me, I can't let them feel cold, right?"
This trip, Zaichun took an open carriage instead of a fixed carriage. Because the air pollution in the East District was too serious and there was a lot of black dust in the air, the black canvas folding awning was covered.
But seeing how enthusiastic the people were, Zai Chunren became more enthusiastic and insisted on forcing Gordon and the others to open the folding awning.
The little emperor's request was not too much, and people would not screw him over this matter. The carriage slowed down, and two attendants ran over quickly, one on the left and the other on the right, and carefully folded the awning to the back.
Now the people on both sides of the road could see His Majesty the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. People cheered and applauded louder and louder. Zai Chun smiled and waved his hands to the left and right, and the atmosphere suddenly reached its climax.
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