The Ming Dynasty escorted and supervised the fleet, sailing together with the fleets of the Thai and Western countries.
After leaving the Red Sea, it entered the Little Western Ocean, then followed the traditional east-west route all the way east, and entered the Strait of Malacca twelve days later.
Malacca is the southern gate of the Ming Dynasty. When the fleet comes here, it is considered to have truly arrived in the Ming Dynasty.
The Thai and Western royal family, nobles, scholars, and businessmen who had been living on the ship for more than half a month all came to the deck in unison again.
In the rather wide strait, large ships pass by from time to time.
It was common to see unusually large ships, even larger than the 40,000-ton battleship they were riding on.
Including oil tankers and container ships with a maximum tonnage of 100,000 tons.
At the same time, these ships encountered fleets from the Thai and Western countries, and crew members often stood on the deck and waved from a distance.
George IV was a little excited when he saw this scene. He also raised his hand and waved gently in the distance. At the same time, he said to his daughter Charlotte beside him:
"The Ming people on those ships seemed to welcome us very much..."
Charlotte showed an awkward but polite smile:
"Father, there is actually another possibility. They are greeting the Ming Navy who are traveling with us..."
George IV's expression suddenly became a little embarrassed, and he didn't know where to place his waving palms.
The Ming Navy and the fleets of the Thai and Western countries sailed forward along the strait. The width of the strait was getting smaller and smaller, and the density of the surrounding ships was getting higher and higher.
When the fleet approached the Lion City Port, it was already full of ships.
On the route designated by the port management agency, various ships of different sizes lined up one after another, forming an endless fleet as far as the eye can see.
The berths in the port and the anchorage near the port are filled with rows of ships.
Wherever the fleet of the Ming Navy went, they received a very warm welcome. Many crew members and passengers on the ship jumped up and waved to them.
The fleet of the Ming Dynasty and the ships of the Thai and Western countries also had to dock at Shicheng Port for supplies.
Therefore, they also followed the radio requirements of the pilot ship and the port, and sailed into a specially reserved berth to rest and wait for inspection.
Lion City is the true southern gate of the Ming Dynasty and is a province directly under the central government of the Ming Dynasty.
The management system and inspection intensity here are much stricter than those in Dashi and Egypt.
People from the East and West Factory, along with the people from the dock management, and people from the Honglu Temple formed a working group and boarded the ships from the European and Western countries to start work.
The 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 diplomats around them.
People from the East-West Factory followed the people from the dock management to check the condition of the ship and the items it carried.
During this process, nobles, officials, scholars, and businessmen from various countries in Europe and the West were still standing on the deck, watching the scenery of the dock with great curiosity and excitement.
The modern docks and city scenery of the pure and authentic Eastern City are something that most of them rarely have the opportunity to see.
No matter what one's background is, those who can join this mission must have sufficient judgment and understanding.
From the sight of the dock in front of them and the conditions of the people on the surrounding ships, they could roughly judge that the situation in the Ming Dynasty was much better than that of the European and American countries.
The terminals in the Lion City are very busy and lively, with goods and people coming and going very frequently and quickly, and the operation efficiency of the entire terminal is also very high.
The berths and channels are in a highly busy state, and there is no sense of desolation like the current docks in European and Western countries.
In fact, even ordinary people who do not have a deep understanding of social conditions can easily feel that the atmospheres in the two places are completely different.
Countries in Europe and the West had a similar atmosphere in the past few years, but it has not been maintained until now.
That's why the contrast now is particularly strong.
After the ships from various countries in Europe and the West were inspected and verified, they received special navigation certificates issued by Honglu Temple.
After receiving supplies, all the ships set off again one after another, sailing north along the southeastern coastline of the Ming Dynasty.
This coastal route is the busiest offshore route in Ming Dynasty and even in the world.
When you are on the open sea, you can basically see large ships on the sea. After reaching the offshore sea and the inland sea of Daming, there are more and more small ships.
This makes encounters at sea more frequent.
The elites of the Thai and Western countries felt more deeply the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty.
Royal families, nobles, officials, scholars, and businessmen from various countries have discussed and expressed their emotions with people around them more than once.
“Not to mention Europa’s current situation, even when the market was at its most prosperous a few years ago, it was completely incomparable to the mainland of Ming Dynasty…
"Nowadays, European countries are facing stagnant development or even recession, but Ming Dynasty is still continuing 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 level, but more importantly, the trade barriers between European countries."
"Yes, the Ming Dynasty, the entire Ming Dynasty, and two-thirds of the entire planet are under the unified jurisdiction of the same court.
"They adopt highly identical laws and systems, as well as the most critical currency, and most people and goods can travel and trade completely freely."
"Yes, all goods are circulated without 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 it also eliminates a large amount of additional administrative expenses..."
“The land of Europa is only half of the Ming Dynasty, but it is divided into more than a dozen countries, with more than a dozen laws and currencies, and countless customs.
"Coupled with the trade protection of various countries, no matter how well the local manufacturers in Europe do, there is not enough market for them to develop."
"Each country in Europe and the West has to develop various basic industries independently. Our technical level is already low, and we have to waste several times more construction capacity."
"Europe is so scattered, let alone compete with the Ming Dynasty in the future, the possibility of shortening the distance with the Ming Dynasty is infinitely close to zero..."
The more the elites from the European and European countries think about and compare the differences between China and Europe, the more they feel that the gap between the two sides is extremely huge.
Then he became more desperate and helpless.
With complicated and entangled emotions, the two fleets arrived at the real core area of the Ming Dynasty on December 20, the fifteenth year of Ankang.
The southeastern coastline of the Jiangnan region.
However, their fleet did not enter the Yangtze River Estuary, but sailed into the Zhoushan Military Port as required.
Zhu Jingyuan did not want their warships to enter the Yangtze River, and he did not want their warships to wander around in the inland rivers of the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, all ships from the Thai and Western countries are required to stop at Zhoushan Military Port.
Of course, the Yangtze River is an inland river of the Ming Dynasty. It belongs directly to the territory rather than the territorial sea. Of course, any foreign ships can be prohibited from entering.
However, it would be a little weird if in Zhu Jingyuan's previous life, he invited others to attend the ceremony but did not allow them to enter the Yangtze River waterway.
This is just a Thai and Westerner in this world. I feel very honored to be able to come to the mainland of Ming Dynasty.
Of course, no one raised any objections to the arrangement of parking the ship in the military port. They also felt that it was convenient for them to participate in the ship review.
Because the celebratory ship review after Zhu Jingyuan's enthronement ceremony was held at Zhoushan Military Port.
Driving a warship into the Yangtze River and back out is also a hassle.
Those attending the enthronement ceremony of the Ming Emperor transferred to a large passenger ship prepared by Honglu Temple at Zhoushan Military Port, bypassing the Songjiang Peninsula and entering the Yangtze River Estuary.
In the process of going upstream along the Yangtze River to Yingtian Mansion.
In this golden waterway, the elites from various countries in Europe and the West are in no mood to rest.
As long as there is a chance, they will find it on the deck, or in a room or living room with windows, admiring and observing the passing ships on the Yangtze River.
And more importantly, the scenes on both sides of the Yangtze River.
Specialized video and recording personnel brought from various countries in Europe and the West 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 prosperous and comfortable Jiangnan water town in the Ming Dynasty is a place that literati and scholars around the world dream about.
It is also the world's technology center and industrial mecca.
Whether it is large or small ships on the water, a group of cars in a riverside city, or a train on the 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.
It is usually very attractive to Thai and Western bureaucrats, businessmen, and nobles.
Many people were first shocked by the overall scenery.
Compared with cities in various countries in Thailand and Western countries, simply looking at these scenes from the river is like entering another world.
Then I was amazed by all the details.
Including the city streets where horse-drawn carriages have completely disappeared, including the ubiquitous rivers and airplanes in the sky.
Including the city and the riverside as well as children playing on the water.
What shocked them the most was that three extremely small planes flew over the water not far from the side of the passenger ship they were traveling on.
The distance was already very close at this time, and Tessie on the ship could directly see the appearance and expressions of the people inside through the glass cockpit of the plane.
The thing 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 noticeably smaller, with the youngest looking to be less than ten years old.
Most of them are boys, but there are also a few girls. In particular, the pilot who flies the plane also has a girl.
When a group of children passed by the fleet, they all turned their heads and looked at the boats here with curious expressions on their faces.
Jin Yiwei's plane, which was patrolling in the air, soon followed.
There is also a loudspeaker shouting over here:
"Listen to the three planes in front. This is the Jiangkou Air Guard. Now we ask you to leave the river immediately and land at the nearest public airport!"
"Repeat it again..."
Passengers on ships from all over the world were dumbfounded.
King George III of England looked at his daughter beside him, pointed at the planes on the river, and asked with eyes wide in disbelief:
"Charlotte, have you seen it? There are a group of children on those three small planes!"
Charlotte's reaction was quite calm:
"Of course I saw it, someone's children must have come out in their parents' plane.
"This kind of thing... is actually quite common..."
George IV and the surrounding nobles and bureaucrats were obviously taken aback:
"Common! Is this situation common?"
Charlotte seemed a little helpless and introduced to the surrounding nobles and officials:
“Children in the Ming Dynasty did not need to work. Child labor was originally banned by the imperial court, but now it has become a habit.
"Children of Ming Dynasty only need to go to school or go out to play...
“The aircraft industry in Ming Dynasty is very developed. There are specially designed lightweight small aircraft that can take off and land on grasslands and river beaches.
“This kind of aircraft is easy to operate, sales are very good, and the price has reached the level of conventional cars.
“The wage standards of workers in Ming Dynasty have always been relatively high.
“Even if you are an ordinary manual worker, the wages you earn from a normal job are enough for your whole family to have enough food and clothing, and you can still have some savings for your children to go to school.
“The lowest-level managers, as well as slightly skilled workers, and skilled workers with enough working years can afford a car with a little bit of savings.
“The emperor of the Ming Dynasty was very fond of airplanes and organized the Ming Dynasty Aviation Industry Association and the Aviation Association. There is also a very good flying atmosphere among the people.
“The wealthier families in the Ming Dynasty, especially in the Jiangnan area, usually like to live in independent courtyards and buy two cars and a small plane.
“If you live in a courtyard by the river or seaside, you usually have your own small steamboat.
"Da Ming families have many children, with a mother having five or six children or more. Even if they generally don't go to work, she can't take care of them.
“If it is a royal family, a noble family, or a prestigious family, since the male owner can take concubines, there may be more than a dozen children.
"Although the Ming Dynasty strictly prohibited teenagers under the age of 16 from driving airplanes, cars, and ships.
“There are always extra bold kids who secretly take things out of the house to play with.
"I used to see this kind of thing in newspapers. Some Jin Yiwei caught such bold children and asked their parents to claim them.
"This one was caught, and I don't know how many people were not caught...
"Even in the farms down there, some fifteen or sixteen-year-old children are used to helping their parents fly airplanes to spread pesticides..."
Listening to Charlotte's introduction, the expressions of the surrounding Tessie elites varied.
They had some understanding of the Ming Dynasty before, but many times they did not understand such details and details.
Many of them could not even imagine that there would be this kind of society in the world.
Many people have been stunned for a long time, not knowing how to express their feelings or from what angle.
Eventually it was Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson who spoke first.
“I knew there was a big gap between Europa and Ming Dynasty, but I didn’t expect the gap to be so 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.
“All the countries in Europe have been pushed far apart by the Ming Dynasty.
“The most important thing is children, especially children from elite families, they are the future of a country.
"Many nobles and elites in Europe, in order to avoid dividing the family property due to more children, or spend too much assets to raise children, which will lead to an overall decline in the class of the entire family.
"Their thoughts and expectations about having children have been decreasing...
“Coupled with Malthus’ theory, it provides theoretical support for elites like them, further exacerbating this tendency.
“The common nobles and elites in Europe have fewer and fewer children, while the nobles and elites in the Ming Dynasty have more and more children.
"This gap even symbolizes to some extent..."
Jenkinson stopped talking.
After all, he is the Prime Minister. It is best not to express his pessimistic expectations about the future of the entire country and even the ethnic group in such a public forum.
At the same time, Nelson, the commander of the British Navy, continued to look at the planes getting farther and farther away, and sighed as if talking to himself:
"Children are indeed the key. Children in Europe play with mud in the farmland, mop the floor and twist screws in the factory, and sell newspapers and flowers on the street.
"The children of Ming Dynasty may have driven planes and ships to the sea and sky...
"How can our children compete with Ming's children?"
Nelson and Jenkinson are not talking about the same thing.
Of course, it is impossible for the noble children of Europe to play with mud in the fields or screw screws in the factory.
It is indeed possible for the noble children of the Ming Dynasty to fly out in airplanes...
But they all expressed the same sentiment.
It’s not just the current gap between Taixi and Ming Dynasty that is huge.
There is also no tendency to reverse in the future symbolized by children.
(End of chapter)
