Writing this, Chen Wei stopped, and a grand historical picture appeared in his mind, and for a while, literary thoughts were like a spring, which could not be stifled.

He settled down and continued to write.

"There are elements in the history of 'European expansion' that have previously been ignored or simply mentioned. There is no examination of the role of the individual, but it is abundant: the encouragement of Henry and others; the genius of shipbuilders, weaponmakers, and scholars; the enterprising spirit of a businessman; Above all is the absolute courage of those who take part in the voyage, through the vastness of the sea, the harsh weather, the inhospitable terrain and the hardships that a brutal enemy can inflict on them. Because of a combination of personal gains, national honors, religious fanaticism, and perhaps a sense of adventure, people are willing to take any risk, and the captains, crews, and explorers of Europe are best distinguished by the fact that they have the ships and firepower to use to realize their ambitions, and they come from a political environment that is shrouded in competition, adventure, and entrepreneurship. ”

"The benefits of European expansion are broad and long-lasting, and most importantly they help to promote the mechanisms that already exist. While the focus was on obtaining precious metals such as gold and silver, and spices, however important these valuables were, the value of the minor commodities that influxed into European ports after European seafarers crossed the Atlantic. Access to Newfoundland fishing grounds brought an inexhaustible supply of food, and the Atlantic Ocean also provided much-needed whale and seal oil for lighting, lubrication, and other uses. Sugar, indigo, tobacco, rice, furs, timber, and new plants like potatoes, corn, all add to the total wealth and welfare of the continent, of course. Later, a steady stream of grain, meat, and cotton arrived. Large-scale trades such as fishing require a large number of people to be caught and sold. This further promotes a market economy. And all this gave the greatest stimulus to the European shipbuilding industry. It attracts a large number of artisans, suppliers, merchants and underwriters to London, Bristol, Antwerp, Amsterdam and many other ports. The immediate effect of this was a sustained material interest in the fruits of overseas trade among a large part of the population of Western Europe, and not just a few representatives of the upper classes. ”

If one adds to this list the development of Russian trade to the mainland, namely furs, leathers, timber, hemp, salt, and grain from Russia to Western Europe, then scholars are justified in describing this as the beginning of a "modern world system." What began was a number of individual expansions, which converved with certainty into a chain: gold from the shores of Guinea and silver from Peru were used by the Portuguese, Spaniards, and Italians to pay for spices and silk from the East; Russian fir and timber helped it procure iron cannons from the British; Grain was transported from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean via Amsterdam. All of this creates a constant interaction - further European expansion leads to new discoveries and thus trade opportunities, with the result of additional gains. This, in turn, spurred even greater expansion. This is not necessarily smooth sailing, as a major war or civil strife in Europe can drastically reduce overseas activity. But colonial powers almost never give up their pockets, and in the short term new waves of expansion and exploration begin again. If the established empires do not exploit the positions they occupy, there are other countries that want to take their place. ”

In the end, this is the biggest reason why the mechanism continues to work as before: the multiple competition between European countries has developed to the other side of the ocean. The Spanish and Portuguese had tried to maintain the monopoly on the outside world assigned to them by the papacy, but they were simply impossible, especially after the realization that there was no northeast or northwest passage from Europe to Middle-earth. And before that, the Dutch, French, and British ships had ventured across the Atlantic and later into the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The decline of the English woolen industry and the Dutch uprising accelerated this process. Under the patronage of kings and nobles, under the patronage of big merchants in Amsterdam and London. and that under the impetus of all the religious and nationalist fanaticism caused by the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, new commercial and predatory expeditions set out from northwestern Europe for a share of the stolen goods. There is the prospect of gaining glory and wealth, combating competitors and enhancing national resources, as well as turning a new spirit into a sincere faith. ”

"A more plausible aspect of this intensifying commercial and colonial rivalry is the parallel development of scientific and technological knowledge. While many of the advances of this period were undoubtedly by-products of the arms race and the scramble for overseas trade, their ultimate benefits outweighed their ignominious origins. New instruments such as improved cartography, nautical charts, telescopes, barometers, sea altimeters, and compasses equipped with balance frames, as well as better methods of shipbuilding, have all helped to make sea travel a less risky mode of travel. New crops and plants not only bring better nutrition, but also a boost to botany and agricultural science. Rapid progress has been made in metallurgical technology and, indeed, in the ironmaking industry as a whole, as has progress in deep mining technology. Astronomy, medicine, physics, and engineering have also benefited from an ever-increasing pace of economics and increased scientific value. Rational minds with an inquisitive spirit make more observations and experiments; In addition to printing Bibles and political treatises in the Chinese language, the printing industry disseminated these findings. This explosive accumulation of knowledge underpinned the further enhancement of Europe's technological superiority and consequent military superiority. Even the powerful Ottomans, at least the warriors and seamen of their front, felt some kind of influence in this regard three centuries ago. The impact is even more severe in other, less dynamic societies. Whether or not certain countries in Asia take off into a spontaneous commercial and industrial revolution, it seems doubtful that they will be completely undisturbed; But one thing is clear: after the more advanced European countries have occupied a few steps on the ladder of world power, it will be extremely difficult for other societies to climb and rise above them. ”

It seems fair to say that this difficulty is manifold, for climbing the ladder up the ladder requires not only access to European equipment and even European technology, but also the comprehensive borrowing of those general features that distinguish Western societies from all others. Does this mean that there is a market economy, even if it is not Adam? A market economy of the level that Smith proposed, at least merchants and entrepreneurs would not be constantly deterred, thwarted, and plundered. This also means that there must be a pluralism of power centers. Each centre should, to the extent possible, have its own economic base. lest there be the prospect of a centralization of an imposed Oriental-style autocracy. And to create every possible prospect of progressive stimulating competition, despite the commotion, occasionally accompanied by cruelty. By extension, this weakening of economic and political rigidity would mean the same weakening of cultural and intellectual orthodoxy, a freedom of exploration, argument and experimentation, the possibility of improvement of beliefs, a concern for practical rather than abstract things, a rationalism that defies the creeds, religious dogmas and traditional folklore of the nobles. In most cases, there are not many positives involved. Rather, it is the reduction of barriers to economic growth and political diversification. Personally, I think the biggest advantage of Europe is that it is less bound by other cultures. ”

These are only some of my own superficial observations, which, though I cannot prove, are interrelated and seem inevitable according to a certain internal logic inherent in them. Europe's preponderance is a combination of economic laissez-faire, political and military pluralism, and freedom of intellectual activity, which in a constant interplay produce the 'European miracle'. Because this miracle is unique in history, it seems reasonable to assume that the same result could be produced elsewhere simply by imitating its entire constituent parts. I think. This convergence of key elements did not exist in the empires of the Middle East and Asia, or in societies other than Europe, thus. While Europe has developed into the center of the world stage, it seems that it is still stagnant. ”

"Dear Mr. Lin, I understand why you are asking me such a question, and I also understand what your wish is, there was a person who came to Europe with the same wish as you, he is one of the people I admire the most, I think you know who he is, he is your brother Lin Yizhe, my brother-in-law. I didn't spend much time with him, but he gave me the most important inspiration in my life. My biggest regret is that I didn't get to see him for the last time. And when I heard your news, I shed tears of joy, and I felt to you as if my brother-in-law had been reborn in front of me, and what you had done in Japan had completely changed the future of this country, and the future of the country and of Russia, and of East Asia as a whole, and I could foresee this, so I am willing to help you in any way I can, although I know that the contents of this letter may not solve many of the problems you face in the country of Qian, which I believe are much greater than the problems of Japan. But I still sincerely hope that it can inspire and help you, just as my brother-in-law inspired and helped me back then. ”

"I am now training twelve naval cadets of Qianguo, and I hope to train them to be the best naval soldiers, and when you can meet them, maybe you will see my shadow in them, then I will be satisfied."

"I'm looking forward to the day when I can discuss these issues with you in person, and meet my dear sister Chen Wan, you are in the same city as her, and I hope you can take care of her more."

"Be well."

After signing his name at the end of the letter, Chen Wei carefully read the long letter from the beginning and carefully put it in the envelope and sealed it.

At this time, Chen Wei couldn't imagine what kind of inspiration his letter would give Lin Yiqing.

And it was the enlightenment brought by this letter that allowed Lin Yiqing to push the ancient country of Qianguo onto another path.

Twelve days later, the Port of Gibraltar, Spain.

The "Indomitable" had returned to her home port, and at this time there was no order from the captain of the ship, Colonel Fisher, and none of the crew left the ship, and they all stuck to their respective posts, but Prince George found that Chen Wei seemed a little restless, and he looked at the shore from time to time, with a trace of anxiety in his eyes.

George knew that his friend was missing his "dream goddess", the tavern hostess named Yesenia, and he couldn't help but laugh in his heart.

Yesenia stood in the middle of the room stunned for a moment, she had just returned from the port, and she wanted to indulge in the grief of not seeing him, but she knew that she had better do all the work she had to do, so that she could have time alone with Chen Wei when he arrived.

After a while, she washed the cups and plates and checked the rest of the cupboard. She didn't have to weigh it to see that the flour would not be eaten on the weekend, that the tin cans for sugar had bottomed out, that the paper packets for tea and coffee were almost empty, and that the oil was gone. She saw it with chagrin. The only thing that calmed her mind was the bag of potatoes. Then she washed the floor. He sat down, and was about to sew a wrinkled trim onto the dress that had been made from old clothes, but immediately remembered that the piece of fabric was behind the mirror, so he went over and took it out, and looked into the mirror again.

In the walnut frame reflected a bright and empty room, in which stood a girl, slender and not tall. He wore a cheap white pink gauze dress and a gray silk turban over his shoulders. The face that was still a little childish and flushed by the sun was lively and vivid, and a pair of bright and moving eyes that were a little too serious for her age revealed a deep, focused and shy look. The beauty of her not very upright countenance lies in its bright and delicate outline; Every curve, every bulge on this face can naturally be found in the countenance of many women, but when taken together, this face has a remarkable charm and unusual beauty in its whole. There is no other word to describe her than the word "beautiful and seductive".

The girl in the mirror smiled unconsciously, just like Yesenia. The smile was a little sad, and Jesenia saw it as if she were seeing someone else's smile. I couldn't help but be shocked. She pressed her face against the mirror and closed her eyes. He gently stroked the spot where her shadow was seen. A faint sweet thought came to my mind and flashed by. She straightened up, smiled, and sat down again to pick up the needle and thread.

There were two girls in her, two Jesenia who were not in harmony and who were wonderfully and strangely integrated: one was the daughter of an abandoned "flamenco" wanderer, the hostess of the innkeeper who adopted her; The other is a living poem, this psalm has a harmonious rhythm, a beautiful image, full of the mystery of contrast, and the words and sentences are so complementary and colorful. Her knowledge of life is limited to what she has experienced, but she can see another meaning reflected in the general phenomenon, and Jesenia can see something beyond the thing itself. And without inner comprehension, even things that are clear at a glance will feel strange to her. She is a good reader and loves to read, but she reads like life, focusing on the meaning between the lines. With her own unique inspiration, she always makes a lot of profound and subtle discoveries. These discoveries, though difficult to put into words, are as important as purity and warmth. Sometimes, often for days, she even became a different person, her body as if it was broken by the silence of the piano, and she felt that everything she saw around her and lived on became a mediocre and complicated puzzle. She would often run to the seashore at night, with excitement and timidity, to wait for the dawn, where, in the faint morning light, she searched with her eyes very earnestly for the tall and majestic steamship. It was her happiest moment.

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