The emperor of China liked to come to court from all over the world, and so did the king of England.

The coronation of King George VI is the last glory of the British Empire before sunset. The navies of 18 countries around the world, plus 145 warships of the British Commonwealth, participated in the coronation parade of the British king, and staged an unprecedented world naval event in the Spithead Channel.

Germany, France, the United States, the Soviet Union, the Netherlands, Spain...... Even the Cuban Navy sent a cruiser to help. Isn't it the coming of all nations?

According to Chiang's plan, China should also send a warship over, but unfortunately it did not happen for various reasons.

The entire Commonwealth and its colonies have been immersed in joy these days, with lights everywhere and a bit of the flavor of the Chinese New Year.

In fact, George VI ascended the throne at the end of last year, but that was only the uncrowned king. The newly enthroned king of England needs to pay allegiance to the pope or archbishop in order to be truly crowned and wear the crown, which has both political and religious affirmations.

Zhou Hexuan and Vivien Li got up early in the morning and immediately went their separate ways.

Zhou Hexuan was going to the Chinese Embassy in Britain to meet with the members of the special mission, and then rush to Westminster Abbey as a Chinese envoy. Vivien Leigh, on the other hand, accompanied her father Ernis and her daughter, who were royal guests, went to the coronation.

"Brother Mingcheng, long time no see!" Ambassador Guo Taiqi greeted with a smile.

Zhou Hexuan laughed and teased: "Brother Baodong, you are blessed, it seems that you are doing well in the UK." ”

Guo Taiqi still looks like a sassy bag, and he is dressed up very sassy today, with gold spikes inlaid on his dress, and the golden light can blind people's eyes. He is now not only the ambassador to the UK, but also the deputy envoy of the Chinese special mission, and the protagonist is the envoy Kong Xiangxi.

Kong Xiangxi appeared with his wife Song Ailing in his arms, restrained his smile and said: "Today is the big day of the coronation of the British king, and the royal families and diplomats of all countries will be present. Britain is a country of etiquette, and China is also a country of etiquette. Please check your grooming again, and in fifteen minutes, leave for Westminster Abbey on time. ”

Although there are more than 30 people in the entire mission, only 12 people are qualified to attend the coronation. Kong Xiangxi's eldest daughter and second son can only be regarded as ordinary members of the group, and they did not receive an invitation, and they could not even attend the coronation banquet on the third day.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly, and the Chinese special envoy was already pouring out of ****** and the streets were already filled with citizens who had spontaneously come to congratulate them. Many of them, who had slept on the side of the street last night on their simple folding beds, were now able to stand where they were as they were to welcome the king's chariot as soon as they put their beds away.

Police officers across London are in action, urging citizens not to crowd or vehicles will not be able to pass at all.

Kong Xiangxi sat in the car, holding Song Ailing's hand, looking at the black crowd on both sides and sighing: "It's really rare for Britain to be so loved by the people." ”

Love a ghost!

Zhou Hexuan scoffed at this, a stuttering prince who had just succeeded to the throne, he had never done any good things for the country and the people, how could he be loved by the people? These Englishmen spontaneously came to celebrate, seven points belonged to the excitement, and the remaining three points were just a tribute to the status of "king".

When the crowd came to Westminster Abbey, they did not go in directly, but were arranged to wait in a special area outside the church. In addition to the Chinese special mission, there are also members of the royal family of Eurasian countries, diplomatic missions of various countries, and many special guests.

After waiting for about half an hour, there was an earth-shattering cheer in the distance.

In the middle of the long guard of honour, King George VI and Queen were seen coming in a golden carriage drawn by eight white horses. The carriage glittered golden in the sun, and even the wheels were wrapped in gold, and it was the king's golden carriage specially made for the coronation.

George VI looked nervous, he had been sleepless all night the previous night, and had only eaten two bites of breakfast, and now his whole body was shivering, and he smiled like a marionette and waved at the people.

The king and queen, accompanied by court attendants, were introduced into the cathedral by the clergy, and the guests went in to take their seats.

After a series of ceremonies, George VI was invited to sit on an oak chair. The oak chair was placed there by King Edward in the Middle Ages, and all the kings of England would sit on the chair and be crowned.

The clergy brought an eagle-shaped bottle of sacred oil, containing sacred oil infused with orange, rose, cinnamon, musk and ambergris. The Archbishop of Canterbury took a spoon inlaid with filigree and removed the holy oil from the bottle and applied it to the king's hands, chest and head.

This is the central part of the whole coronation, called "anointing."

In parallel with the anointing ceremony, the King solemnly swore to the world that he would rely on God Almighty for the will, strength, and ability to serve his people justly, justly, and safely.

The Archbishop of Canterbury then placed a crown on the head of George VI as a sign of God's recognition of the British king, and the coronation finally came to an end.

There is a saying in the West, called: If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight.

Let's not think about what the meaning is, we can take it literally. The crown on George VI's head now weighs at least five pounds, and it is only worn on special occasions, and it is usually worn purely to find guilt for the neck.

This crown, like the oak chair that preceded it, is a relic of King St. Edward's in the Middle Ages. In the past, during the revolution in England, Charles I was beheaded by a click, and the crown was almost melted down and minted into gold coins.

The St. Edward's Crown weighed more than four pounds at the beginning, and every subsequent coronation of the British King added jewels to the crown. One moment rubies, one moment sapphires, and the next diamonds. By the time George VI was crowned, there were 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies.

The crown is really good Nima heavy.

Zhou Hexuan watched the coronation ceremony throughout the whole process, had a simple meal at noon, and the coronation ceremony was the naval parade in the afternoon.

The crowd was invited to the king's flagship, a formation of several British aircraft carriers, passing through the wide sea. Then more than 100 warships of various types, as well as naval ships from 18 countries around the world, formed various formations in different ways, and fired a crazy salute with a bang.

"All nations are coming, all nations are coming to court!" Kong Xiangxi sighed enviously.

Chen Shaokuan's expression was extremely disappointed, as China's navy minister should have commanded his warships to be inspected by the British king, rather than standing with diplomats and watching from afar. Even a country as big as Cuba has sent warships to participate in the naval parade, so why can Chinese warships only nest in their own seaports?

Zhou Hexuan's focus is somewhat different, as he looks at the warships of the United States, France, Britain, Germany and the Soviet Union, but thinks about the war in a few years. The warships of these countries in front of me are so harmonious, it will be really interesting to fight each other when the time comes.

In particular, the Soviet Red Navy was a strange branch of the military that exploded in combat effectiveness after going ashore.

The naval parade in the afternoon ended, and in the evening there was a large-scale symphony performance, and neither of Zhou Hexuan nor they had a chance to talk to the British king.

It was not until the third day of the coronation that King George VI held a coronation banquet at Buckingham Palace, and finally began to officially receive foreign guests and envoys. Just like the emperor in ancient China receiving foreign envoys, this thing is also cumbersome, and there is almost no kowtow to the emperor.

The envoys of one country after another were brought to George VI to congratulate, and the Chinese envoys were relatively backward, but fortunately they were not at the bottom.

When the 12 members of the Chinese mission stepped forward, British Foreign Minister Eden introduced: "Your Majesty, this is Mr. Kong Xiangxi, China's Minister of Finance. He is a great financial expert who unifies China's finances, sorts out China's tax system, reforms China's currency, restores China's international credibility, and balances China's government budget. This is Mr. Kong's wife, the beautiful and generous Ms. Song Ailing. ”

George VI habitually took a breath and smiled, "Hello...... Welcome Chinese friends to the UK. ”

Kong Xiangxi stepped forward to shake hands and said: "I wish Mr. King good health and the friendship between China and Britain will last forever." ”

"Thank you." George VI's thank-you words are not stuttering, and they are estimated to have been practiced.

British Foreign Minister Aiden also introduced: "This is Mr. Zhou Hexuan, the deputy envoy of the Chinese special mission, the Nobel Prize winner in literature, and an internationally renowned university scholar. Mr. Zhou......"

George VI interrupted: "No need to introduce me anymore, I ...... Zhou and I are ...... It's an old friend. ”

Zhou Hexuan smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. King, I wish you a long fortune in the country." ”

"No...... Don't be so out of sight, just call me by my name. George VI said with a smile.

"Okay, Bertie," Zhou Hexuan stepped forward to hug and patted George VI on the shoulder, "Don't be too nervous, you can handle it." ”

"Thank you." George VI said.

Kong Xiangxi and Song Ailing were extremely surprised when they watched from the side, they only heard that Zhou Hexuan and King Ying were friends, but they didn't expect the relationship to be so close. "Bertie" is the nickname of George VI, which can also be said to be a nickname, and ordinary people do not dare to call it that.

Kong Xiangxi thought of his recent trip to Germany, when they met Hitler in Germany, the first thing the Führer said was: "Didn't Zhou come?" ”

and on the Swedish side, when Kong Xiangxi communicated with the Swedish crown prince, the Swedish crown prince talked about Zhou Hexuan the most.

This tour is too broad!

When he came to the banquet table, Kong Xiangxi whispered to Zhou Hexuan: "Mr. Zhou, you have such a close relationship with the British king, can you persuade Britain to provide loans to China?" ”

Zhou Hexuan shook his head and said, "It's a little difficult." You know, the British king doesn't care about politics, it's just a symbolic head of state. ”

"Then forget it." Kong Xiangxi said disappointedly.

Zhou Hexuan smiled and said, "I can help you contact Mr. Norman, the governor of the Bank of England." ”

"You also have a friendship with Mr. Norman?" Kong Xiangxi was shocked.

Zhou Hexuan was a little speechless: "The last silver crisis, it was the Norman I was looking for, otherwise how could the British investigation team arrive in China so quickly." ”

"I see." Kong Xiangxi looked carefully, and felt more and more that Zhou Hexuan was unfathomable.