This Englishman was dancing and chattering, looking very excited, Zhang Zhijie felt a little dizzy. It's not just Zhang Zhijie who is a little dizzy, everyone is a little dizzy.

The Englishman finally stopped and looked at Zhang Zhijie expectantly. However, Zhang Zhijie didn't understand a word.

Emperor Zhengde was curious: "Zhijie, what did he say?" Is he from some kind of donkey country? ”

"Donkey, donkey country?" Zhang Zhijie collapsed, and Gu Shi Hatun giggled on the side.

Emperor Zhengde smiled and said, "Isn't it a donkey country?" I just heard what you said about donkey! I thought he was from some kind of donkey country! ”

Zhang Zhijie smiled when he heard it: "It really sounds like donkey, but it's just an accent, after all, we sound like donkey, but the meaning in other people's language is not the meaning of donkey!" Actually, he was English. ”

Emperor Zhengde suddenly realized when he heard this: "It turns out that he is from England, so what did he say?" ”

Zhang Zhijie spread his hands and said: "Your Majesty, this, the minister doesn't know what he said!" ”

Emperor Zhengde and Gushi Hatun and others were all overwhelmed when they heard this, they saw Zhang Zhijie and the foreigner communicated, and shook hands happily, the foreigner was excited to see him as if he had seen his relatives, and they thought that Zhang Zhijie and the foreigner were talking very happily.

Gu Shi Hatun said speechlessly: "Governor Zhang, weren't you talking to the foreigners just now?" ”

Zhang Zhijie's old face blushed and explained: "I just said hello to him, and told him to welcome to Daming, and I will only say these few words!" ”

Emperor Zhengde was stunned when he heard this, and they felt that it was normal. After all, Zhang Zhijie has a noble status and is busy with official business, so how can he have the leisure time to learn from foreigners, it is already good to be able to say a few words.

The Englishmen also sensed that something was wrong, and reappeared a little dazed, not knowing what was going on.

Fortunately, at this time, the interpreter of the city port department had already come, and the officials of the city port department brought three translators, one could speak Spanish, one could speak Portuguese, and one could speak Japanese, but none of them could speak English.

Since no English had reached the East before this, no one knew English. So the three translators shook their heads when they heard what the English were saying, and they didn't understand it.

Emperor Zhengde and the others were a little at a loss, and now they really didn't understand the language. However, Zhang Zhijie pondered instead, it shouldn't be like this.

These Englishmen sailed on the sea, and at some point they might meet the Spaniards or the Portuguese, so how could they communicate with the Spaniards or the Portuguese?

So, there must be some of them who can speak Spanish or Grape Leaf. Zhang Zhijie turned his head and said, "You ask them in Spanish and Portuguese respectively, who are they?" ”

One of the interpreters asked in Spanish, "Who are you?" ”

As soon as these words came out, the Englishman who was chattering with Zhang Zhijie was still a little dazed, but the other Englishman next to him was excited because he understood that the person was speaking Spanish, and he could finally communicate.

After a chatter, the translator said respectfully: "Your Majesty, Lord Admiral, these foreigners are really English, they have obtained sea charts from the Portuguese, and they have come thousands of miles to the East to trade with the imperial court!" ”

It turned out that Western countries thousands of miles away came to trade, and Emperor Zhengde said with a smile: "The imperial court has opened the sea to trade, as long as they can abide by the regulations of the city, they can naturally trade!" ”

At this time, Zhang Zhijie suddenly remembered a question, he remembered that England seemed to be rich in pirates, and most of the English people who were active at sea at that time were pirates. Even the Spanish Armada was eventually brought down by pirates assembled by England.

To be honest, Zhang Zhijie is still quite emotional about the English pirates. Because of religious disputes, the Spanish Armada invaded England at that time, and the Kingdom of England was powerless to resist and was on the verge of annihilation.

At the time of national crisis, the English pirates who were active all over the world returned to England one after another, giving up the opportunity to make a fortune and facing the Spanish Armada together with the determination to die. In the end, the Spanish Armada was defeated by inferior forces.

Of course, that war was due to the right time, place and people, and various factors are not to be said. Zhang Zhijie was very emotional about the patriotism of the English pirates, but he was emotional, pirates were not a good thing after all.

Wouldn't these Englishmen have come to the East to rob and be caught by the sailors' fleet before they could open? Zhang Zhijie frowned and said, "You ask them, are they English pirates?" ”

The translator asked in a chatter, and Emperor Zhengde asked curiously: "Zhijie, do you suspect that these Englishmen are pirates?" But it's like, you see they are dressed in tatters! ”

Zhang Zhijie explained: "Your Majesty, most of the English who are active at sea are pirates, so the ministers are a little suspicious! ”

Those English people didn't expect the Ming people to ask this question, but they thought in a blink of an eye, the Ming had dealt with the Spaniards and the Portuguese, and it was not unusual to know this.

Since the Spaniards opened up new continents, new routes, and occupied large swaths of overseas territory, the English were like sharks who asked about the smell of blood, but they did not get specific information about the routes.

So the unwilling English started the idea of plundering, and their favorite thing to do was to rob the Spaniards of gold and silver ships. Once the robbery is successful, they will become rich overnight, but the Spaniards are not vegetarians.

The looting was not an easy deal, and since Portugal's defeat in the East and the loss of the Spice Islands, charts destined for the East were sold.

So these Englishmen came to the East as the first to eat crabs. The Englishmen were also sincere, and said directly: "We used to be pirates, but that's because the Spaniards established the empire on which the sun never sets by opening up new routes, but they strictly guard the secrets of new routes!" ”

"We were also forced to rob the Spaniards, and now that we know the route to the East, we have decided to wash our hands in the golden basin, and we are here to do business in Daming! We're going to be merchants, not pirates! ”

The interpreter relayed the words of the English, and Emperor Zhengde smiled: "It's really a pirate, and I really let Zhijie guess it!" ”

After finishing speaking, Emperor Zhengde was suddenly stunned and wondered: "What did he just say?" The Spaniards built an empire on which the sun never sets? What is the Empire on which the sun never sets?

(End of chapter)