Being a diplomatic envoy on the sea naturally had its risks, but it also satisfied this guy who was full of imperial thoughts and made him very happy. He was asked to stay in Myanmar to take care of government affairs, but there was no need for him. So, Xiao Ruxun, who was good at using talents, arranged an important task for him to go to sea.
Before setting off, Ricci had said that before he came to China, he had encountered a huge storm at the Cape of Good Hope in Africa and almost died. He didn't know if he would encounter it again this time. If he did, he would end up with nothing left of his body.
He thought that Chen Longzheng would back off, but Chen Longzheng grabbed Ricci and asked him questions, such as how terrible the storm was, what it looked like, and whether he could describe it and so on. This made Ricci very depressed, but in the end, he still led to this operation.
They set off with the identity of a merchant ship and a businessman. They brought a fleet of seven large ships, silk, tea, and other products that Europeans liked in short supply, and 300 sailors disguised as sailors to start this very meaningful voyage.
After a year, the two finally returned. During this period, a lot of interesting things must have happened. What Xiao Ruxun was most concerned about was whether they had encountered a storm at sea. In the end, when he asked, there really had been a storm at sea!
According to Chen Longzheng's description, the place where they encountered the storm at sea was probably somewhere in the Strait of Gibraltar.
"At that time, the whole sky and the sea seemed to have completely calmed down. The sea was like a mirror, smooth and smooth. The seabirds that could usually be seen could not be seen, and the wind had stopped. Everyone went to the deck to take a look and felt that something was wrong. Then, Mr. Lee rushed out and shouted to us to find a place to take shelter. There was going to be a storm at sea soon. I still felt that it was strange. How could there be a storm when it was so calm?
Mr. Lee said that this was something that would only happen on the sea. When the sea was completely calm, the wind had stopped, and the seagulls could not be seen. That was the precursor of a storm. The calmer it was, the more terrible the storm would be. Although our ship was big, it was hard to say if we could withstand it. We had to find a place to take shelter.
The place we were sailing to was a small island. We quickly rowed with all our strength to take refuge near the island. In the end, just as we finished our preparations, the entire sky suddenly became extremely dark. I didn't even dare to believe what I saw. Really, Marquis Xiao, you can't even imagine that kind of feeling. That kind of dark clouds pressing down on the city, I finally understand the mood of the ancient poet! "
Following that, Chen Longzheng began to describe what he saw after that. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, wind howled, and rain poured down. For the first time, they felt the power of nature, and the insignificance of human beings in the world. Subsequently, they developed various philosophical thoughts. When everything returned to normal, they all felt like they had survived a disaster. Chen Longzheng described how he sat down trembling and picked up the surviving teacup. As a result, his hand shook, and the teacup broke into pieces.
Speaking of this, Chen Longzheng laughed and said that he was really embarrassed at that time. Ricci was not much better. When the storm started, he was lying on the ground to protect his head. No matter how strong the storm was, he did not get up. He was like an oversized marmot. When the storm passed, Chen Longzheng went to pull him up, only to find that his legs were numb, and he could not even stand up.
Fortunately, this voyage successfully reached their destination, which was the Republic of Genoa. At this moment, Genoa was still an independent and strong maritime republic. Its commercial status in Europe was quite important. After the decline of Venice, it was the most important financial and trade center in Europe in the decades before the rise of London and Rotterdam.
Actually, Xiao Ruxun could have arranged for them to go to England and the Netherlands. However, considering that the aging Spain was not giving up on its old age and was constantly attacking the young England, the war between the two countries had not ended yet. In order to avoid danger, Genoa was the best choice. Genoa had the most developed trade center in Europe, merchants from the most countries, and the safest political environment.
Daming's merchant ship sailed into the Mediterranean Sea and arrived at the port of Genoa.
Along the way, due to the unique Chinese flag and the black-haired, black-eyed, and yellow-skinned appearance of the sailors on the ship, it had already caused a heated discussion among the merchant ships that came and went. When the fleet arrived at the port of Genoa, it caused an even bigger phenomenon. Countless Europeans rushed to the port to see the legendary Chinese.
In their memory, this was something that had never happened before. It seemed to have happened a few hundred years ago, but it was too far away from them. China, the country that was said to be flowing with milk, honey, and gold, was the collective dream of Europeans in this era. However, not long after they arrived, the Chinese had already arrived.
In the past few decades, European missionaries had been to China continuously. There were also people who returned from China and described to them what they had seen and heard in China. Wealth, civilization, a large population, and strength. These were the most common impressions. Changing skin and black eyes were the characteristics of the Chinese. Silk, porcelain, and tea were the specialties of the Chinese. These were all the Europeans' understanding of the Chinese.
However, the Chinese in their imagination would never be as direct as the Chinese they saw in reality. The news of the Chinese appearing at the port of Genoa spread throughout the entire port in a very short period of time. They quickly moved towards the city, and then even more fervent enthusiasm was reflected from the city to the port. This news even alarmed the governor of Genoa and the bankers.
Chen Longzheng and Daming's sailors could not understand the enthusiasm of these Europeans, who had different hair and different eye colors but slightly fairer skin. At one point, Chen Longzheng even thought that these people were besieging Daming's ship because of the conflict between Daming and the Francis.
After listening to Ricci's explanation, Chen Longzheng then realized that these people were not the same as the so-called Francis. The Europeans were also divided into many countries and ethnic groups. This was Genoa. These people were very fond of China, and naturally, they were also very enthusiastic towards the people of China.
Chen Longzheng was very interested in the local customs of European countries. After seeing this scene, he recalled what Xiao Ruxun had said — in Europe, as long as one took out silk, porcelain, and tea, it would be regarded as a symbol of status and be respected. Of course, the prerequisite was that one would not encounter pirates.
Therefore, Chen Longzheng ordered his accompanying clerks to change into silk formal attire. He also changed into silk clothes. After all, he was using the guise of a merchant and could not be too formal. They were all here to do business, and there was no official background. It was that simple. Next, it was time to unload the goods.
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