The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 105: A Toast from American Sages
After the first song was finished, Zhu Jianxuan raised his teacup and toasted:

"Everyone, I am not good at drinking, so today I will use tea instead of wine. I wish the Ming Dynasty, the United States, and Britain prosperity, peace, and friendship in the future."

The people of the Ming Dynasty immediately raised their glasses, and the Americans also immediately raised their glasses, feeling that the king had indeed made a good wish.

The British people had mixed feelings, but they raised their wine and tea glasses together.

Rice wine and green tea were prepared at the banquet. Both are authentic specialties of the Ming Dynasty and are also the most stylish drinks in the world.

After this round of drinking, the second piece of music began to play, turning into a soothing and natural style.

Everyone's tense spirits also relaxed.

Zhu Jianxuan took the lead and lowered his head to eat.

Zhu Jianxuan did not express his inner thoughts directly, but after singing Chongzhen's "Loyalty to the Country", people around him realized that he supported the Northern Expedition.

According to the current domestic situation in the Ming Dynasty, both the Northern Expedition and the reduction of the power of the feudal lords are "politically correct".

Both ordinary people and important court officials would talk about it every now and then.

However, for the emperor and the princes, the issue of reducing the power of the princes could not be mentioned casually, and even the Northern Expedition was best not mentioned.

At a Ming Dynasty banquet, people would eat first. No chatting would start from the beginning, and everyone would just keep their heads down to eat.

This banquet was prepared in a relatively short time, and all that was used were vegetables and livestock grown by the expeditionary army. The dishes were also very simple and not at all high-end.

There were only four dishes on the guests' tables: one serving of sweet and sour fish, one serving of braised pork, one serving of stir-fried lamb with green onions, and one serving of beef with vegetables.

The kitchen prepared spoons for the British and Americans, and most of the British prisoners directly accepted to eat with spoons.

But most of the American representatives tried hard to hold the chopsticks and tried their best to pick up the food.

Both Adams and Franklin had eaten a lot of delicious food in Yingtianfu and had mastered the use of chopsticks.

At this time, everyone behaved very calmly and composedly.

The two of them looked at the others who were straining their arms and trying for a long time to pick up a piece of meat, and they couldn't help but smile.

As soon as Washington and his men put the first bite of the food into their mouths, they immediately showed an incredible expression.

They felt their mouths and tongues, a strange feeling they had never experienced before.

Most of them were of British civilian origin and grew up in the desolate and remote North American colonies.

Although they were relatively wealthy, their daily food was mostly very rough.

After all, they are all from the UK, and this is where British culture is dominant, so there is no concept of food culture at all.

Even if there is anything edible, most of it was brought by the French and Italians.

The dishes that the chefs of Ming Dynasty North America Zhongwei were able to prepare casually with simple conditions were very shocking to these civilians of British descent.

People like Washington could never imagine that the taste and feeling of the food people eat could reach such a magical level.

After taking the first bite, they couldn’t control themselves and hurriedly grabbed the second piece.

So much so that many people have forgotten the dining etiquette taught by the Ming Dynasty Ministry of Rites.

Several people became so nervous that they could not hold the food in their mouths and finally picked up the spoon and put it in their mouths.

Forget about the image for now and just continue eating these things.

When Macartney saw the reactions of these Americans, he immediately felt that these rioters were indeed uneducated.

But I couldn't help but eat a few more bites with a spoon.

These high-ranking prisoners were not usually abused, but they were not treated particularly well either.

What he usually eats is similar to that of low-ranking officers in the Ming Dynasty.

This treatment allowed them to experience the feeling of Ming Dynasty food, and now this feeling has been sublimated again.

If possible, I should always eat food cooked by Ming people.

Unfortunately, there is no chance at all.

After the second song ended, Franklin, who had been arranged in advance, stood up and toasted the host, Wu Wang Zhu Jianxuan:
"On behalf of all the officials and citizens of the United States, I welcome His Majesty the King of Wu of the Ming Dynasty to North America.

"The North American states are honored and proud of this opportunity.

"I wish the Ming Dynasty prosperity, I wish His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty a long life, and I wish His Royal Highness the King of Wu of the Ming Dynasty a long and blessed life."

Washington and others also stood up, raised their glasses and said the last two sentences.

This group of American forefathers toasted Daming and Zhu Jianxuan.

Zhu Jianxuan was feeling a little nervous at this time, and couldn't help but think of many jokes about toasting.

Modern people may feel uncomfortable with the drinking culture, but the banquets held in the Ming Dynasty at that time were very different from modern banquets.

At that time, there was no concept of forcing each other to drink at formal banquets as in later generations.

At that time, the upper class all over the world did not drink liquor. They mainly drank yellow wine, rice wine, and red wine. It takes time to get really drunk.

At a more serious banquet, you won't be able to drink more than a few glasses of wine. You might drink a little more with daily meals.

These people in Washington now also have a strong sense of participation.

They now don't think there is anything wrong with standing up and toasting.

Now he could directly toast the Emperor of Ming Dynasty, as well as the princes and kings of Ming Dynasty. His status had at least reached the top aristocratic circle.

Otherwise, you are not qualified to toast.

So not only do they not feel uncomfortable, but they feel very honored.

Zhu Jianxuan smiled and picked up the teacup again:

"I thank you all on behalf of my father. I also wish you all good health, unparalleled wealth, and a long life."

Washington and others drank the wine together.

The third song started and everyone sat back down to continue eating.

After the third song ended, Li Anbang toasted everyone on behalf of the Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers.

Congratulations to King Wu of the Ming Dynasty on taking office as the governor of the North American Governor-General's Office, congratulations to the United States for finally becoming an independent country, and congratulations to Britain for finally ending the war.

After finishing the third glass of wine, Zhu Jianxuan waved his hand to tell the musicians not to continue playing and that they could start the conversation.

Zhu Jianxuan spoke first and expressed his opinion:
"After the war, there will be no more conflicts between Ming, America and Britain, and Ming wants to establish a closer cooperative relationship with Britain.

“I have asked the British Prime Minister to convey my message to the British King during the peace talks so that I can have a deeper exchange with him.

"Now I hope that General Clinton, Governor Macartney, and Captain Cook, when they return to England, will be able to help us establish friendship.

"We welcome members of the Hanoverian royal family to visit America or Ming to discuss future cooperation."

Regardless of whether Zhu Jianxuan was telling the truth or lying, everyone had to listen carefully to every word he said.

Then Macartney, Henry Clinton, and Captain Cook responded seriously together:

"We will convey your goodwill to His Majesty King George III." Then Henry Clinton tentatively asked Zhu Jianxuan:
"Your Highness, when will we and all the British prisoners be able to return home?"

Zhu Jianxuan answered casually:
"As soon as I see King George III's ratification of the Treaty of Yingtianfu, I will immediately release all the prisoners, including you.

"You don't have to worry now. Just be patient and live in North America for a few more months. The expeditionary force has never abused you."

Henry Clinton felt a little regretful, but he could only continue to wait and say a few words of thanks:

"Thank you for your tolerance, Your Highness. We have indeed not been abused..."

Zhu Jianxuan nodded gently:
"Okay, after three rounds of drinks, you can all speak freely about anything you want to say."

The music started again, and the conversations at the scene gradually became more chaotic.

Captain James Cook turned to Henry Clinton:

"It seems that the Ming Dynasty really believes that they no longer have any conflicts with Great Britain, and the future is moving towards a cooperative or even an alliance relationship."

Although Henry Clinton still had some doubts, he personally and emotionally accepted this view:

"It is indeed possible. It is impossible and unnecessary for the Ming Dynasty to continue to be interested in the British mainland under such circumstances..."

Henry Clinton turned to Macartney on the other side and said:

"What does Lord Macartney think?"

Macartney, however, had an inexplicable hostility towards the Ming Dynasty:
“This friendship was only temporary, only because we lost all our overseas lands.

"Once we expand outward again, contradictions will quickly emerge.

"In order to obtain enough wood, we have to find a direction to expand."

Henry Clinton also sighed softly:
"Then let's focus on Africa. The Ming Dynasty is currently focused on America, and the conflicts with Spain and France are definitely greater than ours."

Macartney felt very uncomfortable and drank the wine from his glass...

On the other side, the Americans finally relaxed and started chatting with their glasses of wine.

Most Americans are quite excited and feel that the future of the United States is bright. It is really exciting to talk about it.

Especially the New York and New Jersey representatives, led by George Clinton.

The desire for all of America, the trend of thought to monopolize all of North America, is taking shape faster than in history.

The Ming Dynasty military officers were also discussing how to develop the great plains in the future.

The main thing is that these generals who will definitely be granted titles have hundreds of square kilometers of land on the great plains.

Once they are truly developed, they will be no different from traditional feudal monarchs.

The craftsmen led by Song Wendao were also discussing the next experimental plan, which was to make a simple, efficient and durable generator to supply other electromagnetic research.

Now in the entire hall, most people are in high spirits, except for some high-ranking British prisoners.

When night fell, a large number of "kerosene" lamps were lit in the hall.

The liquid kerosene looks as clear as water, but it can burn continuously, so it is called kerosene.

Initially, it was mainly used by people in Guangdong, but after Emperor Chongzhen heard about it, he sent people to Southeast Asia to look for it.

Eventually, an "artesian water well" was drilled in Brunei, Borneo.

As long as the kerosene is simply filtered and the paraffin component is precipitated, it can be used as high-quality lamp oil.

You can use it directly if you don’t want to be picky.

Emperor Chongzhen's direct promotion made kerosene lamps a popular lamp among the upper class of the Ming Dynasty.

It can burn for many days after being filled once, and there is basically no residue except a small amount of smoke. It is much more convenient to use than candles.

At the same time, when refining kerosene, paraffin is also produced, which can be used to make candles.

Zhu Jianxuan looked up at the kerosene lamps surrounding the hall and knew exactly what was used inside them.

Borneo crude oil is the best quality and most expensive light crude oil in the world. After simple filtering, it can be burned as gasoline and kerosene.

The key is that some oil fields are buried at a depth of only more than 100 meters and can still form artesian wells.

After it is opened, it is like a spring, and crude oil flows out by itself.

These factors combined led to the development of well-digging technology that only required the Song Dynasty's technology.

Although before the advent of the internal combustion engine, only lamp oil could be used.

But it can also make money if used as lamp oil.

So Emperor Chongzhen became the oil emperor in the 17th century.

The Ming royal family used it more.

As long as the number of oil lamps lit is large enough, most areas of the hall can be illuminated.

The banquet lasted until eight o'clock in the evening amidst the bright lights.

Zhu Jianxuan asked the guards to pass on the order, calling all the cooks, guards, helpers, and servants into the hall one by one.

The chief chef and the captain of the guard were rewarded with twenty silver dollars, all the deputy chefs, stewards, and team leaders were rewarded with ten silver dollars each, and all the helpers, servants, and guards were rewarded with five silver dollars.

Zhu Jianxuan was watching right there and asked the eunuchs to take out the silver dollars they had brought and hand them out to the parties involved on the spot.

It is roughly equivalent to several supervisors receiving tips of three to four thousand yuan, team leaders receiving tips of fifteen to sixteen thousand yuan, and ordinary workers receiving seven to eight hundred yuan.

Of course, this money would not make anyone rich, but it was enough to eliminate all their fatigue and complaints.

After receiving the reward, everyone immediately became excited and bowed to express their gratitude happily.

Zhu Jianxuan actually didn’t understand why in history, TV dramas and novels, masters often deliberately tortured their servants.

These people take care of their daily lives directly. If they have deep resentment towards their master, it will directly endanger their personal safety.

The first prince of the Ming Dynasty, the second son of Zhu Yuanzhang and the second brother of Zhu Biao, Prince Zhu Chong was poisoned to death by a servant in the palace.

Emperor Jiajing was almost strangled to death by the palace maids because of his long-term abuse of them.

So Zhu Jianxuan's father, the emperor, reminded Zhu Jianxuan that if the cooks and servants did a good job, he should give them rewards every now and then.

If you meet someone you don't like, just change him/her directly. Don't keep him/her around after beating or scolding him/her.

Zhu Jianxuan felt that his father's opinion was very reasonable.

After the rewards were given out one by one, Zhu Jianxuan stood up and announced the end of today's banquet.

Representatives from all parties stood up and said goodbye to Zhu Jianxuan.

Zhu Jianxuan bowed in return and first left Chengyun Hall to rest in the formal bedroom at the back.

The others left one after another.

The manager and his helpers cleaned up the place for the last time.

(End of this chapter)