Episode 29 The maiden voyage

The Yongan Princess has a displacement of 38,000 tons, which is already huge by the standards of a warship, but as a cruise ship, .

At this time, cruise ships have entered the era of 80,000 tons, and more than 80,000 tons of French "Normandy", British "Queen Mary" and "Queen Elizabeth" have either been operated or are under construction. However, Daming's cruise ships are generally relatively small. It's not that they can't afford to build a super cruise ship like Europe, but because European cruise ships mainly run European and American routes, all of which are on the wide Atlantic Ocean with no upper limit on tonnage. The cruise ships of Daming mainly run the Asia-Europe route and have to pass through the Suez Canal, which determines that the tonnage of the cruise ship cannot be too large.

The Yongan Princess started construction at the Quanzhou Shipyard in Fujian Province in May 1934, was launched in April 1935, and was officially delivered to Zheng's Shipping Company 12 days ago in February 1936 after a series of sea trials, inspections and luxury decorations. Today is her maiden voyage at the port of Guangzhou.

At eight o'clock in the morning, in the wide Pearl River estuary, tens of thousands of people gathered in Guangzhou Port, and tens of thousands of people came from all over the world to see the maiden voyage of the Yongan Princess, or mainly to see Zhu Yourong. In the past, every time Zhu Yourong visited Europe, he would set sail from the port of Guangzhou, because the citizens of Guangzhou had seen Zhu Yourong's demeanor several times. It's just that the first few times she was a princess, and this time she is already an empress.

On the wharf, closest to the cruise ship, a viewing platform was erected.

At the passenger train station in the port, a long train spewed white gas into the station. The train's 15 additional cars are all luxury boxes, and the guests on them are all passengers who are about to board the Yongan Princess. The parking lot of the port is also crowded with all kinds of cars. The gentlemen, sons, young ladies, and wives of wealthy families, as well as many foreigners, were standing next to the car, admiring the Yongan Princess in the harbor, while waiting for the domestic servants and porters behind them to take their luggage for them. There are many ladies and ladies with pets, dogs, cats, and even parrots and monkeys. These are the treasures of the master, and they should be brought on board.

Zhu Yourong has been greeted by the mayor of Guangzhou to prepare. Xiang Xiaoqiang wore sunglasses, mingled with Qiu Yu in the crowd, and also stood by the car to watch all this. He looked down and smiled at Qiu Yu:

"Hehe, the ship has become a zoo. Do you want to bring all of this on board? ”

Xiuxiu smiled:

"Why not? These are the guests' own property, and they can bring whatever they like. Hehe, as long as you don't bring the elephant up...... My dad's friends used to take cruises, and there was an animal boarding department on the ship. If you want your pet to be in your own cabin, if you are annoying, you can ask them to foster it...... Oh, by the way, my dad has a friend who brought a horse with him the last time he went to England......"

"Real horses?"

"Real horses, of course."

Xiang Xiaoqiang sighed, the sense of service at this time is really not covered. What does it mean to be customer-oriented? …… Compared with later generations, it is 100 years ahead.

Think of the subways, trains, and airports of later generations, and every day they would confiscate a lot of things that were not dangerous, but very valuable, under the pretext of "confiscation of dangerous goods". High-end perfumes, cosmetics, zippo lighters, and once these things are "suspended" by the staff, they are no longer yours...... Once, a colleague's experience was even more outrageous, and he brought back a set of "Zwilling people" kitchen knives on a business trip, which was illuminated by the baggage detector at the entrance of the railway station, so it was "confiscated". Because this set of knives is worth more than 2,000 yuan, my colleague proposed: You return the things to me, I won't take the train anymore, and I don't want the ticket money. But people pointed to the security regulations and said: It only stipulates that dangerous goods must be confiscated, and it does not stipulate that you can return them to you if you do not enter the station. It's okay not to pit stop, things still have to be left behind......

So, where there is a monopoly, there is oppression. A society in which people can choose is only fair. No matter what the field.

Every time Xiang Xiaoqiang thinks of these things, he has to express similar feelings. Now the economic field of the Ming Dynasty, the people can already fully choose. But there is still one step left in the political sphere. Xiang Xiaoqiang said that if God gives him the opportunity to really unify China, he must further promote the constitutional process of the Ming Dynasty and achieve universal suffrage. Strive for people to be able to choose not only with money, but also with their ballots.

Now Xiang Xiaoqiang no longer seems to be a careerist, but a romantic reformer. Suddenly, he thought that he could only have five years in this time and space, and his heart felt uncomfortable, and he was suddenly pulled back to reality.

There was a sudden uproar all around, and soon the whole port was in cheers. Xiang Xiaoqiang's ears were about to deaf.

On the viewing platform, Zhu Yourong walked up with a smile.

Zhu Yourong is particularly beautiful and noble today, wearing elegant light blue cashmere fashion, wearing a white velvet beret, and wearing white gloves with slender hands and beckoning elegantly.

On the stage, Zhu Yourong smiled elegantly and generously, and off the stage, tens of thousands of citizens, passengers, especially hundreds of dock workers and homeless people were desperately shouting, and many people were whistling. Everyone is venting their admiration for Her Majesty the Empress in their own way.

Qiu Yu gently leaned into Xiang Xiaoqiang's arms and said intoxicatedly:

"She's so pretty...... It's two people on the plane! ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang hugged her and smiled quietly:

"You know what's the difference between you and others, right? Temperament! Temperament! …… When I go back, read me more books, and memorize the "Four Books and Five Classics" and "Three Hundred Tang Poems" for me, and you will be able to be like others......"

Qiu Yun smiled and wanted to mess with him, but heard the surroundings gradually quiet. On the stage, Zhu Yourong smiled and raised his index finger to signal everyone to be quiet. Soon, the huge port was almost silent.

Zhu Yourong moved the microphone lightly and said with a smile:

"Today's protagonist is not me, but our Yongan Princess. The Princess Yong'an will set sail at nine o'clock, and the time is relatively tight, so I will only say a few words, and then everyone can get on the ship and follow her to win the 'Red Ribbon Award'. ”

Everyone laughed below. Xiang Xiaoqiang asked Qiu Yu a little strangely:

"Red Ribbon Award? All I know is a blue ribbon award! ”

The "Blue Ribbon Award" is a record in this era of cruises, and every time a new cruise ship breaks the record for the fastest transatlantic transatlantic, a blue ribbon will be raised on the mainmast when it enters port, and the average speed will be as many feet as it is to rise.

Qiu Yun explained to him that the "Blue Ribbon Award" is specially awarded to the Atlantic route, mainly some European and American shipping companies. With the "Blue Ribbon Award", there is a corresponding "Red Ribbon Award", which is dedicated to Daming and Japanese shipping companies that operate Indian Ocean routes. The reason why the "red ribbon" is used is mainly because there are large areas of red on the flags of the Ming Dynasty and Japan.

On the stage, Zhu Yourong said with a smile:

"As everyone knows, the Princess Yong'an is named after the title of my princess era. When the design of this ship started, I was still Princess Yong'an. Later, when I succeeded to the throne, the Zheng Shipping Company asked me to change the name of the ship to 'Empress Yifu', and I said that you should name it "Princess Yong'an". Why? Because I went from princess to queen so quickly, and my princess has never been named a ship, I think it's a pity......"

More than 10,000 people below burst into laughter, and Xiang Xiaoqiang was not stopped, he had never heard Zhu Yourong's public speech, and he didn't know that Zhu Yourong was so good at teasing.

Zhu Yourong also laughed with everyone for a while, then waved her hand, the port was quiet again, and she continued:

"The empress and the princess feel different. When the word 'princess' is mentioned, people think of a beautiful, pure, kind, carefree little girl...... But when the word 'empress' is mentioned, people will feel that this little girl has grown up, has taken on more responsibilities, has to think about more issues, and there will be politics, economics, diplomacy, national interests, and so on, which are things that only exist in the world of adults, and that simple, carefree feeling is gone...... So, I might leave the title of 'Empress' to another ship, a ship with heavier and more serious responsibilities, a ship to protect the safety of the people of the Ming Dynasty, for example, a warship."

"But the word 'princess' must be peaceful and friendly. …… Although I am a monarch and you are subjects, we are all the same, although we didn't feel anything about it in our childhood and youth, but once we grow up, we will miss the simple, carefree years of those days...... The Yongan Princess is not a warship, but a civilian cruise ship. I have left her the name 'Princess', and she will be like a kind, simple, carefree little princess, shuttling between Eurasia, bringing convenience and friendship to people on both sides of the earth.

"I also want to make up for a regret in my heart with the Yongan Princess. The final port of arrival of the Yongan Princess was Bremen, Germany. Although I visited Europe several times, coincidentally, I never went to Germany. If I have the opportunity to go, I can only be an empress, and the princess era is gone forever......"

Speaking of this, the audience laughed again, Zhu Yourong humorously made a regretful expression, and then said:

"Therefore, this Yongan Princess, even if it represents me in the princess era, wait for me to go to Germany, take me, and the people of Daming, greetings to the German people...... It is also a way to commemorate the era of my princess and commemorate that prosperous and beautiful golden decade. ”

After Zhu Yourong finished speaking, he looked up at the sky gently. All the people in the harbor applauded, cheered like a tidal wave, and applauded the Empress and her short and wonderful speech.

Xiang Xiaoqiang knows that the "prosperous and beautiful golden decade" in Zhu Yourong's mouth refers to the ten years of international prosperity between the end of World War I and the Great Depression in 1929. During that decade, the international atmosphere was basically friendly and understanding, countries trusted each other, and the whole world was full of hope that long-term peace would be ushered in, and that it would prosper for a whole century, as it was in the 19th century. However, the Great Depression of 1929 shattered all dreams. Since then, international crises have emerged one after another, intensifying, culminating in the Second World War, which has opened the bloody history of the twentieth century.

However, Xiang Xiaoqiang, like many reporters present, captured a sentence in Zhu Yourong's speech: When I go to Germany, I will take away me and the people of Daming, and greet the German people......

The route will call at two ports, first at Southampton in the UK and then at Bremen in Germany. However, Zhu Yourong did not mention Britain at all in his speech, but mentioned Germany twice, and it has risen to the level of "carrying greetings to the German people."

Politically minded people are speculating about the implications.

Many reporters were burying their heads in shorthand His Majesty's speech, and invariably gave the speech a name: "My Princess Age".

The port was jubilant again. The white-haired captain came up with a bottle of champagne and presented it to Zhu Yourong with both hands. Zhu Yourong held it high, showed it to everyone, and then handed it to the captain. At this time, a steel cable hung down from the bow of the "Yongan Princess", and the captain took it, tied the champagne bottle to the steel cable head, and then held it to Zhu Yourong with both hands.

Zhu Yourong took it with a smile, turned to face the cruise ship, raised the bottle of champagne high in the cheers, and threw it vigorously at the bow of the ship. The champagne bottle was carried by a steel cable and smashed into the bow of the ship in an arc, and the black bow looked like a small white flower.

The band played solemn music, thousands of small balloons with ribbons, soaring into the sky, and the cheers in the port suddenly reached **.

This is the "bottle throwing ceremony", which comes from Europe, that is, at the launch of the new ship or the maiden voyage, a bottle of champagne is smashed on the bow of the ship, so as to wish the new ship to withstand the wind and waves at sea and sail safely. Generally, the champagne smashing session is carried out by the most distinguished women present, usually the shipowner's wife. Of course, Zhu Yourong is here today, and the champagne will naturally be thrown by her.

After Zhu Yourong finished speaking, he threw champagne, and the most attractive part of the ceremony was almost there. The mayor of Guangzhou and the captain of the Princess Yong'an came to the stage to speak a few words respectively, because Zhu Yourong spoke very shortly, and they could not speak longer. Even so, it is no longer possible to achieve the effect of Zhu Yourong's speech, the audience is always noisy, everyone is laughing and chatting loudly, waiting for them to finish speaking quickly, and watch the cruise ship sail.

As they spoke, the passengers began to board the ship. Xiang Xiaoqiang wanted to say goodbye to Zhu Yourong one last time, but when he looked around, Hei Zhuan was full of people, and he didn't know where she was, so he dispelled this idea and took Qiu Yu and his attaché, as well as Alfred Krupp, and walked towards the boarding dock together.

When I got to the gangway, I looked up at the 38,000-ton ship, which seemed even bigger. The black hull towered in front of you, like a huge black wall. Man is like a little ant at its feet.

Just as he was about to line up, an officer whispered beside him:

"Your Majesty, please come, Your Majesty is invited."

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at this officer and recognized it as a Praetorian Guard, and he was finally relieved, Zhu Yourong still wanted to say goodbye to him for the last time, hehe, what is a "friend" in the end. He asked Krupp to get on the ship first, and let Qiuyun and his attachés wait for him in place.

The Praetorian Guard officer led Xiao Qiang to a place in the port, which was a small courtyard, very secluded, and compared to the noise of thousands of people outside, it was like a paradise.

A black limousine was parked in the courtyard, Zhu Yourong leaned on the car, standing quietly, still wearing a beret, wearing a suit, his hands hanging in front of the long skirt, fiddling with his gloves, under the long skirt, the tips of the two high heels were very ladylike together.

She completely lost the demeanor of the speech she had just given 10,000 people ago, on the contrary, she looked a little pitiful, like a sentimental high school girl, standing there quietly, looking at him quietly.

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at her like this, his heart moved, thinking that he would not be able to meet the girl in front of him for two months, and there was a strong reluctance in his heart. He seemed to feel that the girl in front of him was not the empress, but a girl he had a crush on.

Alas, just now she was the Empress of the Ming Dynasty, and she belonged to tens of millions of people. Now, at this moment, she is just a girl Zhu Yourong, who belongs to me alone......

All the guards and retinues retreated outside, and there were only two people left in the small courtyard.

Xiang Xiaoqiang walked slowly to him and said softly:

"Your Majesty."

Zhu Yourong looked at him, and suddenly a tear rolled down. She immediately blushed and was ashamed of herself, and immediately turned her head away, and quickly took out a handkerchief and wiped it.

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at Zhu Yourong's back, and all kinds of feelings were intertwined in his heart. He didn't expect Zhu Yourong to be so reluctant to himself. This girl usually hides it too carefully, so that Xiang Xiaoqiang doesn't know how she treats herself, whether she has a little "meaning" or a lot of "meaning". Now it seems that this "meaning" is indispensable.

Every time Xiang Xiaoqiang saw Zhu Yourong and was alone with her, he subconsciously kept her thousands of miles away. Although I find this girl very attractive, it is nothing more, consciously just taking advantage of her, and not giving myself the slightest chance to fall in love with her. He knew it would only add to the pain.

Xiang Xiaoqiang sighed helplessly in his heart, his heart was sour, but he still pretended not to see Zhu Yourong's tears, and said with a smile:

"Your Majesty, you're about to leave, does Your Majesty have anything else to explain?"

Zhu Yourong turned his back to him, leaned his elbows on the car, and did not turn to look at him, for fear that he would find the tears on his face. She shook her head and said softly:

"No...... There's nothing more to explain...... Or those. …… Hold on, you're ......."

She suddenly choked up when she said this, her back twitched imperceptibly twice, and it took a long time before she took a deep breath and continued:

"Take care...... Alright, I called you just to say goodbye to you, nothing else...... Let's go. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang stared at Zhu Yourong's back, feeling that his heart was about to break, as if she was feeling now, and she could feel it completely.

He sighed and said softly:

"Your Majesty, take care and go."

Outside of that, he walked out without looking back.

……

Boarding the deck of the "Yongan Princess", it is like climbing a ten-story building, and the facilities in the port, the dense people, and the sea in the distance are all in full view.

got on the boat and hugged Qiu Qiu, Xiang Xiaoqiang quickly got rid of the sadness of parting with Zhu Yourong. He truly experienced the mood of Jack when he first boarded the giant ship in "Titanic". Of course, he was in a much better mood than Jack, after all, Jack had to go to the lower class, while Xiang Xiaoqiang lived in the first class.

"Come," Xiang Xiaoqiang pouted, "Let's go to the bow of the boat." ”

"What are you doing in the bow of the ship? Xiaoqiang, we have to go to the cabin to settle down first......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang pulled her excitedly:

"Settle in something, let them help us settle in...... Let's go to the bow of the boat to make a pose, it's very romantic. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang gave the cabin attendant a tip and asked him to take the others to settle down, and he couldn't help but pull Qiu Yu to the bow of the boat, and let her stand at the tip of the bow of the boat, facing the sea.

"What are you doing," Qiu Yun said with a smile, "you want to push me down?" ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang was behind her, gently holding Qiu Yun's arms, posing in the classic pose of Jack and Ruth, and then gently kissing her neck from behind.

"Oops," Qiu Yu couldn't stand it anymore, and struggled away with a smile, "You're crazy, people are watching us!" ”

A gust of sea breeze is blowing, and Qiuyu's short hair is fluttering, not to mention, it really feels like a Titanic.

Suddenly, in the direction of the chimney above, there was a deafening roar, which almost frightened Xiang Xiaoqiang into the sea. He never expected the steamer's whistle to be so thick and so loud, and the train whistle was like a sweet little girl singing.

A salute sounded in the distance on the shore, and the Yongan Princess untied the last cable, kept sounding the whistle, and moved slowly amid the cheers of tens of thousands of people on the shore, and the gap between the hull and the dock became wider and farther and farther away.

The speed gradually increased, and waves were set off at the waterline of the giant ship. On the deck, the passengers also kept waving downward, regardless of whether there were relatives or friends on the shore, they were all waving desperately in response to the cheers on the shore.

Xiang Xiaoqiang was excited, hugged Qiu Qiu, and said softly:

"How's that, excited?"

Qiu Yu smiled and nodded vigorously. Although this little girl is in the navy, she has never been on such a big ship and has gone through such an exciting sailing scene.

Xiang Xiaoqiang came up with a bad taste for a while, and smiled close to her ear:

"That's natural, it's been a week anyway, and I think you should be excited."

"Gah?"

Qiu Yu didn't understand what it meant to come over for a while. Xiang Xiaoqiang hugged her waist, his hand gently teased her buttocks, and chuckled:

"Let's go, let's go back to the cabin, and let me check how excited you are."

Qiu Yu suddenly blushed with shame, his legs were also crisp, and an electric current spread from his buttocks all over his body, and he was about to collapse in Xiang Xiaoqiang's arms almost immediately.

At nine o'clock in the morning on February 23, the luxury cruise ship "Yongan Princess" began its maiden voyage, leaving Guangzhou Port, sailing out of Pearl River Bay, entering the South China Sea, and heading for Bremerhaven in Europe.