Volume 3: Confrontation! The Run of Civilization Chapter 583 Richelieu's Travels
On November 30, 1627, under the escort of Chinese Ambassador Mr. Chen Zizhuang, I safely left Istanbul, crossed Asia Minor, and then went south along the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. Then on Christmas Eve of that year, I successfully boarded the fleet sent by the Chinese to Kuwait to pick us up.
On January 6, 1628, the fleet arrived at Ceylon, at the southern tip of the Indian peninsula, for a short rest. It is said that this is an island rich in gemstones. Most of the rubies, sapphires, and cat's eyes that are worn in prominent positions by noble ladies in our European aristocratic circles come from here.
In my imagination, this should be a very rich island. Unfortunately, the commander of this fleet, Lieutenant General Yan Siqi, told me that this beautiful island is now caught in a bloody civil war between the Tamils and the Zengalos. The war has lasted for hundreds of years, during which the Portuguese were deeply involved in the war here until they were annexed by the Spanish.
Of course, as a guest of the Chinese fleet, I don't have to worry about my safety on this island. In fact, the Chinese have built a naval base here. The Tamils and Zengalos on the island are very friendly to the Chinese, no, respectful. When I went out for a walk with my Chinese friends in the evening, it was my face that looked similar to that of the Portuguese that made the locals very agitated.
Damn it! How do we noble French people look like the devils of the Iberian Peninsula?
On January 16, after crossing half of the Indian Ocean, we arrived at the westernmost territory of the Chinese Empire.
This place used to be called Myanmar and was ruled by the Burmese. But about five or six years ago, the Chinese emperor sent his relatives to be kings here, thus establishing his rule here. Well, my friend Chen Zizhuang told me that this is the current Chinese emperor's restoration of the feudal system of more than 3,000 years ago, that is, the emperor sent his relatives to the surrounding wild lands to be kings.
My Lord, it is said that except for a brief period of several decades when they were conquered by the Mongols on the grassland more than two hundred years ago, the history of the Chinese Empire has never been interrupted for the other four thousand years.
With a curious mindset, I visited the Chinese prince stationed here at the time. His title was called "Shu". This title originated from the name of an ancient tribe in the southwest of the Chinese Empire. It is said that its original meaning refers to a butterfly larva. I wondered, using this larva as the name of their tribe, could it be a symbol that their tribe will one day emerge as a butterfly and fly freely?
The current King of Shu received me warmly. After listening to my understanding of the word Shu, he laughed and said that the ancient Shu tribe was the first civilization in the world to know how to weave silk with silkworm pupae, so they used Shu as the name of their tribe. The Shu tribe is a tribe that weaves and produces silk. He also introduced me to many ways to write the word Shu. The older the Shu word is, the more it looks like a reptile with big eyes and a chubby body.
So that's it! The civilization of the Chinese Empire is so amazing and great that a single word can extend to so many meanings.
When it comes to Chinese civilization, there are good places and not so good places. During the long sea voyage, I was confused by something and missed a lot of beautiful scenery and delayed many things.
This thing is mahjong, and people on the ship call playing mahjong "playing cards".
On January 24, after my friend Chen Zizhuang and the local military commander Xu Xianchun had been spying for seven or eight days, the entire fleet set out again. At this time, there was a new member in the fleet named Peng Ziqin, who was the current governor of Yangon State. This time he would take our ship to Bangkok to report to the Governor-General of Central and South China of the Empire.
After he got on board, he invited us to play Mahjong to pass the boring time of sailing. In order to build a good relationship with these people, I reluctantly learned it, and then I got the hang of it quickly. The result...
On the 25th, playing cards.
On the 26th, playing cards.
On the 27th, playing cards.
Richelieu, you can't go on like this! You are a man of a fallen country, and you have traveled thousands of miles to the east to revive France. At this time, you must cheer up! Shouldn't you take advantage of this time when you still have plenty of time to organize your information and thoughts, so that when you meet the Chinese emperor in the future, you can put forward strong arguments to convince the Chinese emperor that helping France to restore its country is also extremely beneficial to the Chinese Empire?
On the 28th, playing cards...
In the early morning of February 1st, when I was looking forward to how I would play in the morning card game with a painful and guilty mood, my friend Chen Zizhuang came to tell me with a pair of dark circles under his eyes that we had arrived in Singapore and we had to get off the ship to rest for a few days, and the card game on the ship was temporarily cancelled.
Oh, my Lord, you must have heard my prayers, seen that I was being tempted by the devil and was about to fall into the abyss step by step, and led me out of this fatal temptation, right?
On the morning of February 1, when the sun rose early near the equator and illuminated the entire Singapore Port, I was shocked by the prosperity of Singapore Port, even though I had seen Yangon Port, which was far superior to many major ports in Europe.
Looking to the left, there are endless masts. Looking to the right, there are still endless masts. Looking back, countless white sails are continuing to pour into the harbor. And looking forward, oh, all kinds of spectacular cranes are pulling up or loading cargo from various ships in an orderly manner.
The ship I was on was a 1,200-ton warship, which should have been very impressive. But compared to the many merchant ships in the port, which were roughly estimated to have a displacement of more than 5,000 tons, it was really child's play. This fleet, which was originally so majestic on the sea, suddenly looked humble in this port.
As for after getting off the boat, looking at the people of different skin colors walking in a hurry, listening to all kinds of languages, and all kinds of goods that have been heard of or completely unheard of, all make people intuitively feel that this is a prosperous city full of vitality and vigor!
God has mercy on me, and I can hear the noble French here! The moment I heard the accent, tears welled up in my eyes... My good friend, Mr. Chen Zizhuang, after learning all this, generously paid to buy the three Frenchmen who had become dock laborers and gave them to me. From then on, I once again had a servant of French descent...
On February 9, we arrived at Bangkok Port. On the 15th, we arrived at Phnom Penh Port. On the 18th, we arrived at Saigon Port. It is said that these ports were seized by the current Chinese emperor from his former enemies during the battle for the throne ten years ago. These ports are somewhat less prosperous than Singapore, but compared to many European ports, they are still populous and prosperous in trade.
On February 25, we arrived at Guangzhou Port. According to my good friend Chen Zizhuang, this is the real homeland of the Chinese Empire.
My Lord, I have heard that Chinese food is the best in the world. When I was in Istanbul, no, in Constantinople, I often went to the Chinese Embassy to eat and drink. During this trip, I also ate a lot of delicious food along the way. However, on the first day after arriving in Guangzhou, I ate so much that I had severe abdominal pain at night, forcing the accompanying doctor to give me emetics and laxatives.
But, God is my witness, the food cooked by the chef from Shunde is so delicious!
Unfortunately, my good friend Chen Zizhuang told me that the Chinese emperor issued a strict order a few years ago: no buying or selling of Han people is allowed. So, I couldn't borrow money from him to buy the chef.
I swear, when I gain the trust of the Chinese emperor and am granted a title, and have money, I will definitely hire a few chefs from Shunde, the kind that will stay with them for life!
Afterwards, we headed north along the coastline of mainland China, and I sadly discovered that I may have controlled my card addiction. But my desire for food...
Chaoshan cuisine, Quanzhou cuisine, Jinhua cuisine, Songjiang cuisine, Huaiyang cuisine, Shandong cuisine... Oh my God, on the way north, my weight kept increasing and my belly grew rapidly.
Richelieu, you can't do this anymore! You have to maintain your body shape and show your best side to His Majesty the Emperor of China. From now on, control your mouth and restore your slim and slender body shape!
On May 10, we entered the imperial capital, Beijing. It is said that all the delicacies in China are concentrated here. I have borrowed a large sum of money from my closest friend, Mr. Chen Zizhuang, and I am ready to eat all over Beijing.
Although Beijing's food is so delicious, it is a pity that the emperor is touring his territory and is not in Beijing. After reporting to his superiors, Chen Zizhuang took me south again and embarked on a new journey to find the emperor.
This time, we first went south from Tianjin along the coastline, then entered the Yangtze River in Songjiang Prefecture, and then headed west along the Yangtze River.
Because we were sailing upstream on an inland waterway, and it was said that the Yangtze River was in a bad mood during the three months of July, August and September, we did not travel very fast. But because we did not travel very fast, we stopped at many places along the way, which gave me enough time to get a deeper understanding of the country.
In my opinion, the overall civilization and wealth of this country are indeed far superior to those of Europe. The people here may be a little less romantic and artistic than us French people. But in terms of hard work, they are definitely far superior to us French people. Lord, I have been to many places, but I have never seen any nation in the world whose people can work hard from the moment they open their eyes at dawn until the night falls - this is not just a place in China where such people exist, but all of China is like this!
Of course, the description of gold everywhere in Marco Polo's Travels is obviously exaggerated. There are also extremely poor groups here, and in some places, the provisions that prohibit the buying and selling of Han people are also in name only. However, I was surprised to see that the government here did not blindly drive away or suppress the extremely poor groups who became beggars or refugees. On the contrary, the government here, quite a few officials, will find ways to help these extremely poor groups, make porridge for them, introduce them to jobs... I have learned a new term, work-for-relief! Thank God, this is really a great and kind creation!
In December, just before Christmas 1628, I finally met the Emperor of China.
This is a young man in his thirties, with a very gentle face and a calm tone. But during the conversation with him, I clearly felt that his eyes were very sharp and his mind was extremely agile, always able to find the most important part of my words...
I have met many monarchs. His Majesty Henry has a rough appearance but a delicate heart, but he can't control his lower body. His Majesty Gustav is full of chivalry, but he is too adventurous and gambling, and he will die on the battlefield sooner or later. And Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire? Humph, his genius in science is undeniable, but in politics, he is just a kid.
And this Chinese emperor is gentle, easy-going, shrewd, and kind. All the noble qualities of a monarch seem to be concentrated in him! The Chinese are so lucky.
After a deep conversation with His Majesty the Emperor, His Majesty highly appreciated and affirmed my idea of restoring the country, and hoped that I would take good care of my health. He promised me that within 20 years, he would definitely send troops to Europe, and by that time, it would be the day when France would be restored.
Twenty years, well, I am now forty-four years old, I must live well and see the day when France is restored! It is said that Orientals have a magical Qigong that can effectively maintain the body. Tomorrow I will ask my closest friend Chen Zizhuang to introduce me to the best teacher!
It is now March 12, 1629. After inspecting the Baotou Heavy Industry Base, the Emperor has decided not to travel west or north. He has sent people to notify the Mongolian nobles to come to Hohhot to meet him. After that, he will return to Beijing to start a thorough reform of the country.
I look forward to personally participating in this great transformation. I hope to gain the trust of His Majesty the Emperor and make Him willing to truly work for the revival of France!
A poor man who travels around the world hoping that his country will be resurrected: Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu.
