"Mr. Special Envoy, the boat to Pukou, Jiangbei is ready."

Interrupt Thomas. Marville's thoughts were Henry, the British envoy to the Ming Dynasty. Pete, who was originally a profiteer who had ventured into India, made a name for himself with the British East India Company. Later, because he caught up with the "folded ear horse", he made a big vote - it turned out that Zhu Cihong's wanton purchase of Indian folded horses fattened a large number of British profiteers, because the Mughal Dynasty was very vigilant and worried that the Dutch would use trade to invade India! Therefore, they deliberately suppressed the Dutch East India Company and fostered the British East India Company......

In short, thanks to the generosity of Emperor Zhu and the wisdom of the Mughal dynasty, Henry. Pete became a millionaire.

After the wind of the Folded Horse trade passed, Henry. Pitt also ended his business in India, and then spent money to buy an ambassador to Daming, and went to Nanjing to be an ambassador and a commercial representative of the British East India Company.

Thomas. Marveil looked back at Pete and saw that although he was old, he still maintained a tall figure and was in good spirits, and he did not smell of smoke at all, nor did he carry a pipe and tobacco pouch with him...... At first glance, he is a very self-disciplined Puritan!

"To Pukou?" Marville asked, "Isn't the embassy in Nanjing?" ”

Marvier arrived in Shanghai with Kolbel, but instead of going to Nanjing, they stayed in Shanghai for two days and then went to Suzhou. In Shanghai and Suzhou to inspect the manufacturing industry of the Ming Dynasty, only came to Nanjing, just arrived today, as soon as I entered the city, I first went to see the silk reeling workshop in the east of the city, and then went to the west of the city to see the computer room. Now that it's nearly dusk, I don't know where to sleep tonight.

Henry. Pete replied, "Yes, Mr. Envoy." The embassy is not in the city of Nanjing, but in Laoshan in the north of the Yangtze River. ”

"Why do you put the embassy in the north of the river...... 'S cairn? Marville felt a little strange.

"Because the city of Nanking is too rotten and too depraved," said Henry. Pete grimaced, "Not a city where Puritans should live." In contrast, Pukou and Laoshan in Jiangbei are more suitable for an upright Puritan to live in! ”

What this means is that there are too many places to eat, drink and have fun in Nanjing...... Pukou and Laoshan in Jiangbei are good, they are good places where money can't be spent!

"What? Is there a place in China that is suitable for the Puritans? ”

"Of course!" Henry. Pete said, "There were Puritans in China!" ”

"Really? How come I haven't heard from the Jesuits? ”

Henry. "Because they're not Christians, they're believing in ...... God! ”

"Are they ***?" Marville still didn't get it.

"No, they do not seek God through religious rituals and clergy, but advocate direct communication between believers and God." Henry. "And they also advocate abstinence, they believe in God, so we should get rid of human desires!" ”

He said that it was the induction of heaven and man advocated by science, the preservation of heavenly principles, and the destruction of human desires...... Sounds a bit like the Puritan view!

Marville nodded, looking very much in agreement - yes, that's the taste, China really has a Puritan mentality!

This is an important find!

"Let's go," Marville said, "let's go see the Puritans in China!" ”

......

Pukou and Laoshan on the north bank of the Yangtze River are indeed very different from the bustling cities of Nanjing, Suzhou and Shanghai in the south of the Yangtze River.

Although there are also a large number of handicraft workshops, docks, warehouses, banks, and shops in the Pukou area, life here is much more serious, there are no brothels, no casinos, even theaters are very rare, and schools and military camps can be found everywhere!

Originally, Pukou was built as a military town and a military industrial town since the early years of Hongxing. Most of the handicraft workshops concentrated in this area were used to make guns, cast cannons, make armor, produce gunpowder and build ships.

In addition to the handicraft workshops, a large number of military camps and military academies were also moved from Nanjing to Pukou, and a number of new primary schools, middle schools, a university and a vocational college sponsored by the Royal Chamber of Commerce and the Generalissimo's Office of the Veterans Brotherhood were also opened in Pukou.

Including the Yangtze River Naval Division, Xiaoling Forbidden Army Battalion, Artillery Division, Cavalry Division, Engineer Division, Nanjing Jiangwu Hall, Nanjing Artillery School, Nanjing Jiangwu Middle School, Nanjing Jiangwu Primary School, Pukou Primary School, Pukou Middle School, Beijing School Pukou Branch, Pukou Engineering School and so on.

In order to ensure that the surrounding environment of the military camp and the academy was serious enough, Zhu Cihong also issued a holy decree to control commerce in Pukou City (formerly Jiangpu County), prohibiting brothels and casinos from entering Pukou to open, and also restricting the number and location of restaurants and theaters.

In short, it is to turn Pukou into a rather boring place......

But this tedium is very much in line with Thomas. The aesthetic of Marville, the English Puritan poet.

In addition, the streets of Pukou City are also carefully planned. Each street is straight and open, paved with stone pavement, and many of the buildings on both sides of the road are Western-style or Chinese-Western style, tall and straight, very imposing.

There are ditches dug along the side of the road to drain the water, and there are people who are in charge of sweeping the streets, so it looks very clean. There is also a special sidewalk on the side of the road, and street trees are planted on the sidewalk, and lampposts are plugged in. When Marville rode the carriage in the direction of Laoshan, it was already dark, and lanterns were hung on the lampposts, and the light was dim, but he could barely see the road.

The carriage walked along the official road leading to Lao Shan for about forty minutes, and there were no tall buildings on either side of the road, but instead rows of small buildings, most of which were lit with flashing lights.

"Who lives here?" Marville asked.

"Most of the people who live here are officers of the Ming army or officials from various cabinet ministries, the Great Court (Dali Temple), and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, as well as some teachers from schools such as Taixue, Jingxue, and Jiangwutang." Henry. Pete said, "From here all the way to the old mountain palace castle, it is the residence of these people. These residences are not private residences, but official residences, which are provided to officials, military officers, and teachers to live for free. Therefore, the closer to the old mountain palace, the larger the mansion, and the higher the status of the people who live in it.

To the west of Laoshan Palace, there is also a Tangquan Town, which is the residence of the Ming Dynasty in Laoshan, and our embassy is also there.

Tangquan Town is surrounded by aristocratic mansions, and all civil and military officials and scholars with titles have their own titles there. The emperor also opened Laoshan Primary School and Laoshan Middle School in Tangquan Town, which specially recruited the children of nobles. ”

"How's it going in Tangquan Town?" Marville asked again, "Is it prosperous?" ”

"Not prosperous at all," said Henry. Pete said, "Quite serious and frugal, like a Puritan city!" ”

He was right, Tangquan Town is a city that "goes to people's desires", there are only a few restaurants in the town, there is no theater, there is no brothel, and of course there is no nightlife, there is a curfew as soon as it gets dark, and you don't have to wander the streets unless you are on official business.

The reason why the political center of the Ming Empire is like this is because Zhu Cihong began to think about the long-term inheritance of the feudal dynasty after he sat firmly in the country.

In his opinion, the feudal dynasty still relied on the support of the nobles, but not on a group of corrupt and degenerate nobles, but on the well-educated, self-clean, and courageous military obligations and responsibilities of the nobles as the pillars.

In order to avoid the corruption of the nobles, in addition to strict, systematic, and good education, it is to intervene in the environment in which they live and grow.

It is best not to live in bustling cities such as Nanjing, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Yangzhou, but to grow up and learn in a place like Laoshan-Pukou...... Therefore, in Laoshan Tangquan, where Xungui is most concentrated, not only is there no entertainment, but there is also a strict curfew system!

However, Marville rode in the embassy carriage, which was a licensed official vehicle, so it was not subject to curfew, and he could send the British envoy to the British embassy in Tangquan in the evening—it was a small building in European style, and it was also in Puritan style, quite plain.