I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 395 This is Shanghai
Li Chao took Leon and Manuela through the warehouse area inside the dock, which was surrounded by fences, and they could see troops patrolling in formation.

There was a door in the middle, where vehicles and pedestrians came in and out. When the group walked out from here, they saw more than a dozen carriages parked in the open space in front.

There were box carriages, old-fashioned horse-drawn carriages, and two donkey carts parked in the corner.

There were a dozen hangers-on standing at the door, shouting loudly to attract customers.

"Go to Wusong River Wharf, get in the car and leave."

"Those who are coming to Baoshan, just get on the bus and go."

"Are there any guests staying at the inn? Yuelai Inn is a national chain and is directly managed by the Military Department's Chariot and Vehicle Division. Listen to our sign. It guarantees safety!"

One of Li Chao's followers stepped forward, blew a sharp whistle toward the front, waved his hand, and raised his right hand high to make the number eight gesture.

Soon a four-wheeled carriage pulled by two horses came over, with smaller front wheels and tall rear wheels.

The attendant opened the door and let Li Chao, Leon and Manuela go in first, and they followed behind.

When Leon and Manuela got into the carriage, they clearly felt it sinking, but then it bounced back slightly, and it was shaking as if they were walking on a very elastic springboard.

It was spacious inside, and eight people squeezed in without feeling crowded. However, with four attendants and the interpreter squeezed on the opposite side, it wasn't crowded at all when Li Chao, Leon, and Manuela sat down.

The attendant shouted, "Go to Wusong River Wharf."

"Good Le!"

The carriage started, the sound of horse hooves rang out, and the horse trotted forward at a leisurely pace, passing through a bustling market with many shops, as well as restaurants and diners.

There were people coming and going on the street. Leon and Manuela could tell at a glance that these were sailors who had just returned from the sea, drinking, eating, gambling, and whoring, squandering the little money they had earned with their sweat and lives.

After walking for more than twenty minutes, the carriage stopped and everyone got out one after another. Leon and Manuela saw a big river with a dock on the shore. There were several slender inland boats with oars on both sides.

"It looks like a Venetian paddle boat," Leon muttered.

Manuela shrugged.

The group quickly boarded the boat. The attendant spoke a few words to a steward at the dock, who immediately asked the captain to start the boat.

The oars moved, and the centipede boat slowly left the shore and headed south against the current. The oars moved in unison, and the boat speed increased.

The river was crowded with boats coming and going. Fortunately, all the boats were divided into two lanes, lower left and upper right, so everything was in order.

The captain turned around and ran over to stand next to Li Chao. He was in his forties or fifties, with gray hair, wearing a jacket, and his face was full of wrinkles and his skin was rough.

He flattered Li Chao and asked, "How many of you are the heroes of the navy?"

Li Chao answered cheerfully: "Yes, the Navy's South China Sea Fleet."

The captain was delighted and said, "I knew at first sight that you are all extraordinary people, and you are different from the group of water rats in the Caojiang Navy. I heard that the Nanhai Navy won a great victory in the South China Sea and wiped out the Spanish fleet."

"Yes, if our South China Sea navy is dispatched, it will be as easy as catching snails with five fingers. It is a sure thing."

The captain was proud of it. "That's for sure. When the South China Sea Navy sailed south and anchored at Wusong Port, I heard the news and went to have a look. The army looked mighty and powerful, and they beat the Spanish like little chickens.

Excuse me, you are knowledgeable people, how many teeth do Spaniards have? "

Li Chao smiled and said, "Brother, why do you ask that?"

"Spaniards, why are they called this? Rumor has it that these Western barbarians drink blood and eat raw meat. The Spaniards in particular have two long fangs, which makes it convenient for them to eat raw meat. They are the most ferocious."

"Haha, brother, the Spanish people call it this name, and we translated it and found a few words based on the pronunciation to make up this name."

The captain also laughed, "I am weak and ignorant. But our Ming Navy has been very relieved over the years, and it has brought honor to those of us who sail and make a living on the water.

First we destroyed the Japanese pirates, then we went to their lair to avenge our blood feud. It was so satisfying! Several of my fellow villagers were harmed by the Japanese pirates. Two of my cousins ​​followed Hu Bu Tang and Qi Shuai to fight the Japanese pirates and died in Yueqing and Tai O.

Your navy goes out to sea twice a year to seek revenge on the Japanese pirates' lair. Every time I buy a string of firecrackers and set them off so that the spirits of my relatives in heaven will know."

Li Chao turned his head and looked at them, tears in his eyes, "Restore the king's way, respect the king and repel the barbarians. The hatred of ten generations can still be avenged!" Leon and Manuela were watching the two people talking excitedly, and they were very curious and could not help asking the interpreter.

The interpreter translated the general meaning.

Fear appeared on Leon's face, and he whispered, "The shame of the country is a blood feud. Even if ten generations, two or three hundred years have passed, we must take revenge! Manuela, such a nation is really scary."

Manuela replied softly: "Leon, people are afraid to bully it. I think such a nation deserves respect."

Leon glanced at him, smiled bitterly and said, “A nation that is so vindictive and capable of revenge is certainly worthy of respect.”

The captain was still there saying: "This kind of navy is the navy we admire. It's a pity that I am old and have been sailing for half my life. I am sick and I want to join the army, but you won't accept me.

Fortunately, my wife gave birth to four sons for me, and two of them survived. One is studying at Wusong Maritime Academy, and the other was admitted to Dagu Naval Academy, which can be regarded as my long-cherished wish come true. "

Li Chao's eyes lit up. "Brother, great! Both of your sons have great potential. They will be my comrades in arms at the Dagu Naval Academy in the future."

The captain looked proud and pleased, he raised his head and laughed, revealing two gaps in his mouth.

The centipede boat slowly approached the Shanghai city dock, where there were densely packed river boats moored, a row of tower-like iron frames on the shore, and hundreds or even thousands of laborers carrying goods on the planks.

After getting off the boat and walking into Shanghai, Manuela exclaimed: "It's much more prosperous than the last time I came here."

Leon couldn't help but look around. There were hundreds of shops on both sides of the street, with a wide variety of goods. Even though he had traveled to many places and was knowledgeable, there were still many goods that he had never heard of.

Especially when he walked into a shop claiming to specialize in Western goods, Leon was very confused.

He had never seen the various clocks and watches displayed here.

There were also those exquisite glassware and the magic mirror that could reflect a person clearly and completely, which shocked Leon.

When the most precious treasures of Venice were placed on the street and sold loudly like ordinary goods.

You have to know that Venetian glass mirrors had only been invented fifty or sixty years ago. Most European royal families could not afford them, so they were rare treasures that were treasured like heirlooms.

Western goods?
As far as Leon knew, the Western Ocean was the sea area in Europe that the Ming Dynasty specifically referred to, and Western goods were goods shipped from Europe. The guys were also shouting, "Western specialties! Real Western goods!"

That's right, Taixi is the general name used by the Ming Dynasty to refer to the countries west of the Eastern Roman Empire. But why have I, a Westerner, never seen or heard of these Western goods?

Crazy, I'm going crazy!
Manuela's eyes almost popped out of her head. What a huge business opportunity!
If these treasures were shipped back to Europe, Western goods would be transformed into Eastern goods, and I would become a guest of honor in those royal families, with as many noble titles as I wanted.

I actually bumped into such overwhelming wealth.

Very good!
My trip was not in vain!

Li Chao, who knew the inside story, smiled and took the two of them directly to the Songjiang government office to meet the prefect Li Sanjiang.

That’s right, the seat of Songjiang Prefecture was moved from Huating to Shanghai County, and Shanghai County Magistrate Li Sanjiang was promoted to Songjiang Prefecture Magistrate.

According to the "Regulations on the Entry of Foreign Vassal States into the Court in the First Year of Longqing" formulated by the Honglu Temple, foreign vassal states' civilian merchants must land at designated trading ports, report to the local maritime bureau, and be issued visa documents.

If you are forced to go ashore due to a storm, you must report to the local county government.

The envoys and their entourage must enter the capital along the pre-designated route. If they are forced to change their route due to storms or natural disasters, they must report to the local government in a timely manner.

The Leon delegation first visited Hu Zongxian in Xiangjiang Port.
Hu Zongxian issued a visa document through the Nanhai Xuanwei Mission and designated the route after negotiation, with Shanghai being one of the stopovers.

The Ming Dynasty was very polite when dealing with foreign envoys.

Hu Zongxian had already reported the matter to the Supervisory Office in an urgent manner of 800 miles in the name of the Nanhai Xuanwei Mission and the Guangdong and Guangxi Governor's Office, and informed the Honglu Temple. He also issued a circular to notify the designated counties along the way and the counties he passed by in case of accidents and temporary stops.

The prefect of the stopover place will come out to receive you.

Li Sanjiang set up a table in Wangjiang Tower in Shanghai County to entertain Leon, Manuela and his party, and at the same time to welcome the naval hero Li Chao and others.

(End of this chapter)