The Chinese envoys stayed in a manor house outside London.

On this day, two young people came.

They were all on horseback with long swords hanging from their waists. The status seems to be noble, but he has no subordinates, and although the clothes are not cheap, they definitely do not look extravagant.

In charge of guarding the manor, it was the soldiers sent by Cromwell.

An officer asked, "Who are you?" What are you doing here? ”

The young man said, "We came from the countryside twenty miles away, and we heard that the Chinese envoy had arrived in London, so we wanted to travel with us to China. ”

It is clear that both young men are from the squire class!

In the 17th century, society was undergoing upheaval in France, and the same was true in England.

The traditional aristocracy of England was in decline, spending enormously, spending extravagantly, selling land, and the gentry class was rapidly emerging.

Squire is a general term that includes barons, knights, gentry (non-noble officials), and gentry (wealthy farmers).

For example, the House of Commons in England was established by the gentry class.

In addition, Britain's middle class is also emerging, including burghers, merchants and yeoman farmers.

Britain's large emerging class is in a dynamic upward phase. They do not have the decadent extravagance of traditional aristocrats, they are relatively simple, and they dare to fight and break through, and they have the characteristics of vitality.

And the wind of sword travel also appeared at this time.

A large number of wealthy English squires supported their children and grandchildren to go out and see the world.

Initially, the goal was to visit the birthplace of the Renaissance, but it gradually expanded to France, Spain, and the Netherlands.

After the trend of travel prevailed, the British aristocracy also joined in, which led to the gradual transformation of travel activities.

The young masters of these big aristocratic families have to hug each other when they go far away, and they will also bring the luxurious carriage of the family. There was more than one luxury carriage, all of which were loaded and transported away at an astonishing cost.

The culture of travel began in the 17th century and continued to blow into the 19th century.

These young people are elites, and they have seen the situation of various countries, and they have also felt the essence and shortcomings of each country. When they returned to China to inherit the family business, they had an international vision and led the family to continue to develop and grow - Britain can become an empire on which the sun never sets, which is not unrelated to this group of elites who travel around the world.

"You wait, I'm going to report."

Cromwell's soldiers, many of whom came from the middle class. They were not accustomed to the traditional aristocracy, but they were friendly to the squire class, and they also cooperated with each other during the revolution.

Why is it said that Cromwell was engaged in a bourgeois revolution? Because the emerging class has made a great effort!

A short time later, the two teenagers were received.

One is John, the other is Thomas, very common names. The former's father was a country knight, and the latter's father was a farmer, both of whom came from very humble backgrounds and became wealthy as a result of social changes.

The teenagers stood straight, with no knowledge or knowledge, but with a sharp spirit.

Zhang Ruifeng asked about their identities and learned their thoughts, and couldn't help but wonder: "If you go to China here, go thousands of miles to the sea, and if you don't pay attention, you will be buried in the belly of a fish, why do you have to go all the way to follow them?" ”

John replied, "I was going to Rome, where there were great thinkers and artists. My father said that Britain was too small and that men had to go out and broaden their horizons. Since it's to broaden your horizons, why not go further afield? China's fine goods, which have been sold to the UK, must be very strong. I want to travel to China, learn more skills, and lead my family to strive for growth. My father is now only a country knight, but one day, I will become a real nobleman and have my own private estate! ”

Thomas said: "My father used to be a yeoman farmer, and now he has a big farm. I had studied in a church school and knew some Latin. I was expelled from school because of a fight with an aristocratic child. Although my family was not very wealthy, my father supported me to travel. When I arrived in China, if I didn't have enough money, I would go as an apprentice and work on my own to earn my living expenses. When I get back to the UK, I'll be better aware. I'm going to make my family's farm bigger, and if I have the chance, I'll try to become a knight!" ”

Zhang Ruifeng sighed with emotion: "The young man travels far away with a sword, and there is a legacy of the ancients. I also left home in my teens and followed my father around in business. You two have commendable ambitions, much better than those big nobles. ”

John said, "The great nobles are bloodsuckers, and they are the ones who lie on the gold and wait to die!" ”

Hard work can make you rich, but it is impossible to cross classes with hard work alone.

Like Thomas's father, he used to be a homesteader. relied on the aristocratic lord to buy the land with a small amount of money. Moreover, the purchase of the commons was extremely bad: first, the king's wool was obtained, and the second was that there were peasants on the commons, and after the land was purchased, they were directly enclosed. Some of the peasants were left homeless, and some were left behind to work as tenants, as part of the enclosure movement.

Thomas, a seemingly simple and sharp young man, was able to travel to China thanks to his father's hands stained with the blood and tears of farmers.

Of course, Zhang Ruifeng didn't know this, he only felt that the two teenagers were very ambitious, and immediately said: "You can go to China with the ship, and you will not be charged the fare." However, you will need to pay for the food along the way. When you come to China, I would recommend you to study at Jinling University, provided that you can afford the tuition fees. I'll let you calculate an account, and in a few years, you must have a number of the money spent in China. ”

Two young men from the English countryside were overjoyed, and after obtaining the account of their travels across the sea, they immediately rode home to ask their parents for money.

The cost is extremely expensive, and the boy from a knightly family can barely afford it because his family has a lot of land and business. As for Thomas, who was born in a farming family, not to mention studying at his own expense, even living in China for a few years is enough.

But they still chose to go to sea, and Thomas's idea did not change, he went to China to work and make money.

Sending away the two teenagers, Zhang Ruifeng was called by Lu Tianxiang.

Lu Tianxiang said with a serious expression: "When you return to the sea, you can't dock in Portugal, and don't ask for the sheep breeds you bought there." News has just come that there is an outbreak of smallpox in Lisbon. The king's eldest son and second daughter all died of smallpox. ”

"There is such a thing!" Zhang Ruifeng was shocked.

Although the Portuguese prince invited Lu Tianxiang to dance, it was not a sin for the two sides to have different customs. As for the Portuguese princess, she is very quiet and beautiful. I hadn't seen him for two or three months, and I was actually taken away by a plague.

Lu Tianxiang said again: "I don't know how to cure the disease, you go and order the military medical doctor to check all the personnel on the ship." To see who is sick, it is necessary to isolate it seriously. ”

Zhang Ruifeng immediately received the order, and at the same time comforted: "We have been away from Portugal for a long time, and no one should be infected, otherwise there would have been symptoms a long time ago." ”

"In any case, let the doctor check it out first," said Lu Tianxiang, "and besides, Europe can't stay long, and who knows if smallpox will reach England." ”

They had come early, and if they had come ten years late, there would have been an outbreak of plague in London, taking away a tenth of the population.

All the members of the mission conducted a thorough investigation, and many of them were sick. However, most of them are normal diseases, most of them are not adapted to water and soil, and no plague has been found for the time being.

The main members meet collectively.

Fan Chao asked: "Rome and the Ottomans haven't gone yet, and the Nordic side hasn't gone either, and they will return directly after visiting the UK?" How is the Imperial Mandate accomplished? ”

Zhang Ruifeng said: "It is rumored that the whole of Italy, large and small, did not allow Jesuit priests to go ashore. The Pope has broken with the Jesuits, and the reason for this is that the Jesuits allow Chinese believers to worship their ancestors. Even if we go to Rome, I'm afraid we won't see the Pope. As for the Ottomans, although their territory was next to Persia, their capital was far away in Europe, and they were engaged in naval warfare with European countries. Ottoman merchant ships rarely sailed to the South Seas, and it didn't matter if they visited or not. ”

"Since Your Majesty has an order, it must be completed," Fan Chao said, "so let's take a fleet of ships and a few civil officials to Rome and the Ottomans." You stay in the UK, and I'll be back in a month at most. As for the Netherlands and Northern Europe, there is no need to go. I inquired, and the British and the Dutch were still at war, and it was not very peaceful to continue north. ”

The next day, Fan Chao left with the fleet, and the rest remained in London, waiting to meet Cromwell.

Cromwell's shelf was quite large, and he never showed up. But there was a reason for this, he had to wait for the results of the Anglo-Dutch negotiations before discussing diplomatic matters with the Chinese.

What does Cromwell want to do?

I want to learn from Spain and Portugal at the beginning, draw a line on the globe, and from then on, Britain and the Netherlands will divide the world. Even, Britain and the Netherlands joined forces, with Britain as the leading dominance of the world.

Whimsical as it was, it was really Cromwell's idea, and it was made clear during the negotiations.

Both the British and the Dutch thought Cromwell was crazy.

At the negotiating table, the two countries once again collapsed.

Back in his office, Cromwell unbuttoned his collar and asked, "Are the Chinese impatient to wait?" ”

General Lan Bai said, "No, there is good food and drink." However, their fleet left, saying that it was going to visit Rome and the Ottomans. ”

"China is very strong, having beaten the Netherlands many times in Asia," Cromwell said. If the Netherlands still does not agree to the terms of negotiation, we will put on the appearance of forming an alliance with China and uproot all the Dutch colonies in the East! ”

"I am afraid it will not frighten the Dutch," said General Ranber, "and both sides understand that England is about to run out, and the Netherlands is about to be unable to hold out." The Dutch are dragging their feet until our military spending is exhausted, and then they will get more favorable terms for negotiation. ”

"Damn it!" Cromwell cursed depressedly.

Britain can't fight because the military spending has run out, and it is currently looking for loans from businessmen everywhere.

The Netherlands could not fight, it was the merchants who pursued profits, and the war was too damaging to the economy. Amsterdam in the Netherlands, after months of lockdown, had already seen prices skyrocket and the East India Company's trade was in a state of contraction.

General Ranbeth said: "The British and Dutch are united, this proposal is too unrealistic, we should give up, the Netherlands will not agree." ”

The success of dispersing Parliament in Britain made Cromwell a little floating.

He subconsciously thought that the Anglo-Dutch Union could do it. No one was ruled by a king, and after the union, the Netherlands was given enough autonomy to unite their overseas powers. It's not bad for the Netherlands, why don't the Dutch agree?

Neuropathy!

The Dutch, who did not know the current affairs, calmed Cromwell down a little, and he frowned: "Then give up the alliance and establish an Anglo-Dutch offensive and defensive alliance." ”

General Lambeth added: "It is also impractical to ask the Netherlands to give up their overseas interests. It's a bunch of businessmen, blocking their way to make money, forcing them to really fight hard. If they were pushed hard, maybe the Dutch merchants would still be united, instead of being torn apart as they are now. ”

The two carefully planned and basically established the next negotiation plan.

It was nothing more than a demand for the cession of the colony, a demand for reparations from the Netherlands. There were also many face clauses, such as the fact that Dutch ships passing through British waters had to stop and salute British ships.

Of course, it is necessary to continue to speak loudly, for example, by forcing the Netherlands to recognize the Navigation Regulations.

In the ensuing negotiation process, the atmosphere was significantly more relaxed, and it was only a matter of time before the negotiations succeeded.

In this case, Cromwell finally met with the Chinese mission. In order to show his sincerity, he visited the manor in person, but due to financial constraints, he did not bring any decent gifts.

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