Prince Adalbert stood at the bow of the boat and coughed slightly. Maybe he had a cold because of the hard work of sailing on the sea, but he believed that with his strong constitution, drinking more water might be enough for him in a few days.
The ship sailed into the Yangtze River, guided by a traffic boat sent by the Huai Navy. Prince Adalbert was very knowledgeable. He knew that this river ranked among the top rivers in the world, just like the Nile River in Egypt.
Not long after entering the Yangtze River, they turned into a tributary, which was the Huangpu River. He finally saw a city from a distance, spreading along the Huangpu River.
The pier on the riverside was lined with sails and masts and crowded with people, making it a bustling scene. This should be the British and French concession. Adalbert saw the British flag and the French flag in front of the legation in the distance.
Led by the pilot boat, the fleet continued towards the upstream procession area, and finally saw a walled city in the distance. This is probably the Shanghai County town the liaison officer mentioned.
"A county is so big. It seems that China is really a big country!" Mark said beside the prince.
"Yes, today we will officially set foot on this land. I hope she can surprise us." The prince said with a smile, "Although we came more than ten years later than the British, they came with guns and cannons."
We are here, and we are here with friendship. Chinese people pay attention to courtesy and reciprocity, and we must do it this time."
The fleet finally docked at the pier in Shanghai County. The pier was decorated a lot today. It was obvious that Magistrate Yuan had put in a lot of effort today.
Dong Shuheng had previously told Magistrate Yuan that he would welcome a Prussian guest at the pier today. This guest was a prince from a European royal family. After all, Magistrate Yuan was from a formal imperial examination, so he arranged the scene in accordance with the etiquette of Chinese princes.
.
The ship docked slowly at the dock, and immediately a dock worker pushed a ladder with handrails against the side of the ship.
Prince Adalbert, who looks about forty years old, has slightly curly brown hair, a square face, a medium build, but looks extremely strong. He is wearing a Prussian navy commander's dress, with a pendant hanging around his waist.
Sword and holding a cane in hand.
The prince slowly walked down the escalator with his entourage with a smile on his face. Dong Shuheng, along with his staff and officials and gentry from Shanghai County, were waiting on the pier. He was wearing a Huai Navy uniform today.
Like many people, they could not help but be surprised when they saw that Dong Shuheng standing at the front of the team was such a young man, even though Prince Adalbert's palace was very deep.
Adalbert did not put on any airs of a European royal family. He knew that his identity was useful in Europe, but when he arrived in China, the Chinese might not recognize him.
He took the initiative to extend his hand to Dong Shuheng, and the two shook hands in greeting.
"Welcome, distinguished Prince Adalbert." Dong Shuheng said, and the translator next to him immediately repeated Dong Shuheng's words to His Highness the Prince in German.
Apart from knowing some English, Dong Shuheng knows nothing about other foreign languages. He has no talent for languages and does not have the time to learn them. Fortunately, he now has a translation office and a foreign language academy, so it is still very difficult to find a translator.
Easy.
"Hello, distinguished general." Adalbert didn't know much about Dong Shuheng's title. He only knew that he was a general of the Qing Dynasty.
Later, in accordance with diplomatic etiquette, Dong Shuheng shook hands with the attachés behind the prince one by one. The prince also shook hands with the people behind Dong Shuheng.
This made the gentry and businessmen behind Dong Shuheng extremely excited. He had never thought that following Dong Shuheng out today would not only open a meat dish, but also shake hands with a prince. This awesome guy would be able to boast about it for several years.
Dong Shuheng took the prince and his entourage back to Yu Garden, which was large enough and had enough rooms for the envoys to settle in. It also allowed the envoys to experience the charm of Chinese gardens.
This is indeed the case. As soon as the delegation entered Yu Garden, they were attracted by the unique style here. Different from the open atmosphere of Western gardens, Chinese gardens in the south of the Yangtze River are of the Xiaojiabiyu style.
Designers try their best to condense beautiful things into a garden, so you will definitely see rockeries, ponds, various flowers, plants and trees in gardens in southern China, but you will rarely see that kind of open lawn. When you are in China
In a garden, you can usually only see the scenery in front of you. If you want to see the scenery elsewhere, you have to move forward.
However, Western gardens are generally large lawns, neatly trimmed shrubs, and fountains. When you stand in the garden, you can see as far as the eye can see, and you can intuitively feel how big the garden is.
"Dear General, this place is so beautiful! Are we going to live here next?" Adalbert asked in amazement. He felt that this place was even more beautiful than the garden of the Prussian Palace. If it weren't for the fear of being rude, Adalbert would
Bert wants to take a walk in this garden now.
Dong Shuheng seemed to see what Adalbert was thinking. He smiled and said to the prince: "Your Royal Highness, I will have someone take your entourage to arrange the rooms. Let's take a walk in this garden together. It's just right.
I have many things to say to His Royal Highness.
Dong Shuheng took his translator and Li Cunxun, and His Royal Highness the Prince took his attendant Mark, and the five of them walked slowly along the path in the garden.
Adalbert was very curious about this Chinese style garden and asked a lot of questions. Fortunately, Dong Shuheng had visited many gardens in the south of the Yangtze River in his previous life, so he memorized it according to the tour guide's explanation.
Dong Shuheng's explanation in simple terms made Prince Adalbert admire Dong Shuheng's erudition very much.
"Dear General, when I return to Prussia, you must lend me some garden craftsmen. I will build a garden like this at my manor outside Berlin."
"This is no problem at all. I will send a team to go back with you. Also, Your Highness, you don't need to be polite, just call me Dong Shuheng or Dong."
"Well, dear Dong, please forgive me for interrupting our pleasant conversation. You know that I came to China with a mission. I would like to know what you think of our Prussia?"
"Your Highness, my knowledge of Prussia is limited to books. I know that Prussia is a powerful army in Europe. The Prussian royal family has a certain say in Europe. Moreover, Prussia's industrial development has been good in recent years, especially metal smelting.
We are in a leading position in many aspects of machinery manufacturing. Prussia’s economy and China’s have many complementarities, and our two countries have never had conflicts, so I think our two countries can be friends.”
"But Prince, the reputation of Prussia in the East is not even comparable to that of the Netherlands and Spain, which have declined. Of course, it is not comparable to the United Kingdom and France. Please forgive me for being rude. I have to say that Prussia did not develop a navy.
A big mistake."
"Oh, it doesn't matter, Dong, you are thinking the same as me. I have always thought that Prussia should have a strong navy, so that Prussia can become a first-class power in Europe. European countries are relatively small and lack both resources and markets. If
If the industrial economy wants to develop, it must go abroad, but without a strong navy as a guarantee, it will be difficult to go out safely."
"Yes, Your Highness, the same is true for us in China. We used to only focus on development on land. Our Emperor felt that he had a vast land and rich resources and did not need to interact with the outside world. He ordered the blockade of the coastline, but the long-term blockade made this
The country's navy was in ruins, and it was for this reason that it was defeated on the sea by the British fleet."
"Yes, our king is only willing to spend money on the army. Although our army defeated the powerful French army, Prussia did not benefit at all. But France, with its powerful navy, was able to defeat the powerful French army.
rise rapidly."
"Your Highness, I actually think that with Prussia's strong industrial strength, it is completely possible to build a powerful battleship on its own."
"Dong, you don't understand that the wood needed to build large warships requires long-term accumulation, and Prussia started too late. Most of our current warships are purchased from the British."
"Then Your Highness, why don't you build a battleship with an all-steel structure? I know that Prussia's steelmaking industry is one of the best in the world."
"Dong, I have to say that your idea is really bold. Although some people in Europe have proposed building a warship with an all-steel armor structure and driven by a steam engine, no one has actually put it into practice yet."
"Your Highness, as a friend, I think we can cooperate in this regard. In fact, my shipyard is already manufacturing all-steel structure warships, but our smelting, forging and riveting technology are still lacking, so
We can only build warships of less than two thousand tons. But we already have mature drawings."
"I have to say, Dong, you have given me a big surprise now. If it's like you said, I don't think it will take decades, but maybe a few years for us to build a powerful navy."
"Yes, but Your Highness, we cannot delay. I know that Britain and France are also doing research in this area."
"Yes, we Prussians like to be more direct when talking. We in Prussia can solve the problems you just mentioned. I think you can send someone to come with us to Prussia this time. I will provide this team with the best shipbuilding
The site, the best craftsmen. I think the warships we cooperate with have to be built in Prussia, because I can’t move all the steel plants to China.”
"That's right. In fact, I want to take you to our shipyard to have a look. Then we can discuss some specific matters of cooperation."
"Well, Dong, when I was at sea, I thought that my trip would be worthwhile, but I didn't expect it to be true."
"Yes, Your Highness, I said that there are many areas where our two countries can complement each other. If we have the opportunity, we will talk about other aspects of cooperation. Now, I think I have to send you back to have a rest. Please be sure to wait until evening
You want to attend our reception dinner." Dong Shuheng said with a smile, and then sent Prince Adalbert back to the courtyard where the Prussian mission was located.