Deng Fei had no other intentions. He just wanted to give these people freedom and let them go back to reunite with their families. Zhao Xin didn't want these black people either, but he didn't agree with letting them go home now.
Based on his impression of the map of Africa, the distance from Saint-Louis on the westernmost side of Senegal to Nigeria would probably be several thousand kilometers by land; but if they were to sail to the northern Gulf of Guinea to disembark, it would take many days to go back and forth.
What's more, the situation in Paris has become increasingly turbulent, and time has become urgent. According to the historical trajectory, Louis XVI and his family should have been sent to the Temple Tower for imprisonment. If they don't hurry over and make plans, it will be too late!
He thought for a moment, then asked Deng Fei to translate for him, and said to Mbate: "Now there are two options. First, I will give you a release document, signed by the local sheriff. I will give you enough food for a while.
For food, you can walk home from Saint-Louis by yourself. But I have to remind you that this journey is not close. You will not be able to walk it in less than a few months, and it is easy to be caught again. Second, take a boat with us
Go to Europe for a trip, and you can come back in two months at most. At that time, our fleet will pass through the Gulf of Guinea, and you will disembark from the southernmost part of the Kingdom of Oyo, close to the sea. This is faster and safer on the road.
.”
"Europe?" Mbathe's expression became serious after hearing this, and he asked: "Sir, are you really not going to sell us?"
"Mbat, we are not those white people. We come from the far east, and there is no slave trade there." After Deng Fei said this, he raised the middle three fingers of his right hand upwards, with the palm of his hand facing outward.
Bart said: "I swear to all the gods on this continent! I will never traffic a black person! I will definitely send them back to their hometown! Otherwise, they will be punished!"
Seeing that Deng Fei was like this, Mbat's inner doubts subsided, thinking that maybe these Orientals were really different from those white-skinned demons.
Zhao Xin added: "During this period on the ship, you can clean the deck and help move things. I will pay you a salary and take care of your meals. In addition, I will not chain you anymore, but you must obey
Order, there are some places on this ship that are not allowed to be entered. You go and discuss it with your people first, and you must tell me the result before going to bed tonight, because we will leave St. Louis tomorrow."
"Okay, sir. I will discuss it with everyone and let you know as soon as possible."
Zhao Xin immediately stood up, walked two steps and then turned to Deng Fei and said: "Let them put on their clothes, especially the women. Every one of our people's eyes are about to burst into flames!"
Perhaps because of Mbathe's former identity, the black people finally obeyed his decision after a fierce argument. When dinner was served in the evening, Mbathe told Deng Fei that their choice was to follow him to Europe. Deng Fei then asked
The sailors vacated two cabins and placed the women and children here. The others either went to the dining room to make bunks or were placed in the bow cabin.
Of course, there is no "zero dollar purchase" for black people in these days. Although they are very curious about everything on the Thor, they are very honest. The crew in Beihai Town has to teach them how to use the toilet, how to take a bath, and a lot of tedious tasks.
When the black people saw that their food and clothing were exactly the same as those of the crew, they felt a lot more at ease.
After dinner, Mbate and others went to the medical room under the leadership of Deng Fei. They saw that the child's condition improved and his fever subsided. Most of the people in Beihai Town were on alert.
Through questioning, Deng Fei learned that the child named "Lamin Labake" was only seven years old and was kidnapped by slave traders. As for where his hometown is, let alone other black people, Lamin himself couldn't tell.
As a former cavalry captain of the Oyo Empire, Mbate has seen a lot. He has even used European muskets, but he is curious about everything on the Thor. The steel that can be seen everywhere on the ship makes
He was so shocked that his eyes widened even when he saw the iron railings on the side of the ship and the stairs.
You must know that iron is still a very precious resource on the African continent in these days. If the average person wants to buy a slave, ten iron bars for men and nine iron bars for women. It may not seem like much, but to them, it is a big number.
A huge amount of money.
When he heard Deng Fei talk about the ancient continent in the east with a population of 300 million, like the stars in the sky, all the black people opened their mouths in surprise and could not close their mouths for a long time.
At noon the next day, the fleet that had completed supplies left Gorée Island. Before setting sail, the Thor blew three whistles to say goodbye, which shocked everyone on Gorée Island.
They all ran to the beach to see the strange things.
In the following days of sailing, black people would gather on the deck when they had nothing to do, and sing and dance in a circle. It was like having a party every day on the ship.
On October 21, 1792, after 11 days of sailing, Zhao Xin and the others finally arrived in Le Havre in northern France. Compared with the more famous port of Marseille in later generations, Le Havre in the 18th century was the most famous port in France.
The largest and busiest port, and the distance from here to Paris is only 200 kilometers.
De Guigne, who was accompanying him, proudly said that thanks to the large-scale road network construction that began in the era of Louis XIV, France's traffic conditions are the best among European countries. If nothing else, you can take a carriage to Paris
It only takes ten hours.
When the Thor with a displacement of more than 5,000 tons and two 1,000-ton sailing ships appeared on the ocean one mile outside the port of Le Havre and blew their whistles in greeting, the French in the port were immediately shocked.
There was a great deal of excitement in the port. At the urgent call of the bell, the local National Guard quickly dispatched and the forts everywhere were put on alert.
Later, when the National Guard in red, white and blue uniforms sent people to the ship to contact them, Deguigne, wearing a wig and top hat, appeared. He lied that he was the consul of the French Consulate in Guangzhou, and after his efforts to mediate
Next, the great Chinese emperor sent this unparalleled fleet and traveled thousands of miles to develop friendly relations with France. Later, he showed a document made up by himself and stamped with the official seal of Beihai Town.
other side.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The so-called official seal of Beihai Town was actually processed by Zhao Xin who found a roadside photo agency in another time and space. It is made of resin material and has "China" engraved on it.
The four large seal script Yang characters "Zhi Xi" are of temporary fill-in nature.
Although none of what Deguigne said was true, how could the French people in Le Havre understand the fishiness of it? In addition, just before he left India, Wei Ya, who served as the deputy consul in Guangzhou, also resigned.
.So in this sense, there is nothing wrong with him claiming to be the Consul General of Guangzhou.
The captain of the National Guard and his men were so shocked by Deguine's words that they even forgot to ask him whether he was a royalist who supported the king or a republican who supported democracy. They looked around the huge and empty Thor with curiosity and surprise.
On deck No. 1, I thought to myself that this ship is too big! How much stuff must be carried! Now those businessmen are going to make a fortune!
Regarding the cargo carried on the ship, Degenie submitted a list of more than 20 kinds of goods including tea, raw silk, silk, porcelain, and spices, as agreed with Zhao Xin in advance, with a total weight of up to 4,000
So many tons that the Captain of the National Guard almost dropped his jaw to the ground after reading it!
In order to show his friendship, Deng Fei presented each of the National Guardsmen who boarded the ship with a small jar of beautifully packaged tea and a beautifully woven silk handkerchief, making these guys go back to report the news with a smile on their faces.
Sure enough, when the local mayor Jacques Ambrose Rial and a group of city councilors who were businessmen learned about the situation, they all beamed with joy and cheered. Although the French have always wanted to vigorously develop trade with China, they were arrogant about the revolution.
After the start, there were not many trading ships returning from Guangzhou, and the chaotic situation in the country also prevented many wealthy people from taking care of Eastern trade.
Well, now, the Chinese are here!
The mayor of Rial immediately ordered the garrison on the fort to lift the alert and fired a salute. At the same time, he sent customs personnel to usher the ship into the port. Unexpectedly, when the customs personnel saw the Thor, they were immediately dumbfounded and thought to themselves:
If this guy enters the port, all other ships will have to make room and get out. After some negotiation, the fleet finally stopped in the deep water area one kilometer away from the port, and then sent a brig to pick him up.
When Deng Fei and the others got off the boat in their snow-white navy uniforms, they immediately won cheers and applause from the crowd on the pier, and the applause became even more enthusiastic. Zhao Xin thought that these people were welcoming visitors from the far East, but little did he know that it was because of the people from Beihai Town.
Wearing trousers and leather boots, a proper "sans-culotte" - that is, a trousers man.
You must know that at the end of the year, lower-class citizens and craftsmen wore tight trousers or straight trousers, and knee-length breeches were worn by nobles, lawyers, and big businessmen. Since the Great Revolution, sans-culottes have represented the most radical populism;
Many public officials put on trousers to show that they had nothing to do with the nobility and that they wholeheartedly supported the First French Republic.
The next day, a signed article titled "Let us welcome the revolutionaries from the far East" appeared in the locally published "France Patriot". The author even said that ancient China was "socially equal, economically
The birthplace of the ideas of equality and direct civil rights.
As the news in the newspapers continued to brew, three days later, even the National Convention in Paris heard about the matter. After some deliberations, the members decided to immediately send a National Guard to escort the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to boost the morale of the Paris people.
The special envoy went to Le Havre and invited the Chinese delegation to visit Paris.
The main reason why the French did this was that the newly established "First French Republic" started fighting on all fronts from south to north in September. From Austria to Prussia, from Hungary to Bohemia,
It can be said that there are enemies on all sides.
In August last year, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II and Prussian King Wilhelm II signed the "Pilnitz Declaration", calling on all European sovereign states to act in unison to restore the royal power of Louis XVI. Afterwards, Austria and Prussia concluded
The Military Alliance, having defeated the French army that invaded the Austrian Netherlands, is currently besieging Lille.
In July of this year, the commander of the coalition forces, the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, issued a declaration that if the Parisians showed even the slightest violence to Louis XVI and the queen, they would attack Paris and execute all the rebels; thus,
This led to the storming of the Tuileries Palace in August and the massacre in September.
In addition, economically, Paris was suffering from a severe famine at this time. Since before the outbreak of the Revolution, the problem of bread shortage had always existed. On the day of the storming of the Bastille, the price of one pound of bread in Paris rose to 16 sous (3.6 grams of pure silver).
, 20 sous to one livre, 20 livres equal to one gold Louis coin), almost setting a record in the past twenty years. Although the subsequent bumper harvest eased the food shortage and hunger, it managed to maintain the record for two years.
The market is stable, but famine comes again in spring and autumn this year, and food shortages return.
The Girondins were determined to defend the rule of law and commercial freedom. De La Salle, who became Minister of the Interior, was based on the philosophy of the Physiocrats and emphasized that the "invisible hand" would automatically adjust the contradiction between supply and demand without administrative intervention. Therefore, he did not intend to implement martial law.
Stabilize prices.
So you understand what the arrival of Beihai Town means to the First Republic, right?
We also have friends! Although it may be a little far away, it is a superpower after all!
In addition, the Chinese brought a lot of commodities that were in short supply. Although they could not be eaten as food, they could be sold to the British in exchange for food!
Well, as the news continues to spread among the citizens of Paris, all Parisians begin to look forward to the arrival of the Chinese mission. The businessmen hope to make several big deals with the Chinese to enrich their pockets; the government hopes to pass
Large transactions collect a large amount of tax; citizens hope that the arrival of Chinese goods will promote market prosperity, bring more food, and alleviate famine; philosophers and thinkers hope to discuss Eastern and Western civilizations with the Chinese and show them
The democratic ideas of the First Republic were so advanced and great; the courtesans hoped that all Chinese people would be rich, and the gorgeous silks and spices they brought would make them more attractive, and they could also get some money from the Chinese people.
.
However, until this time, the people in charge of foreign affairs and trade affairs in the National Convention had no idea about the relationship between the "Beihai Town" mentioned in the newspaper and the Qing Empire. The only one who understood clearly was the person at the Russian Embassy in Paris.
Remaining personnel.
"My Holy Mother! Those demons entrenched in the Amur River Basin have actually come to Europe!"
When the secretary of the embassy who stayed behind saw the content in the newspaper, he jumped up from his chair. Not long ago, Ambassador Ivan Simolin had just been recalled to the country. There were only a few remaining staff in the embassy in Paris, and the mission was
It was to report the situation in Paris to Vienna at any time. The secretary of the embassy paced back and forth in the room and thought for a moment, then walked to the desk and wrote a letter, and then pulled a rope in the room.
Not long after, a strong man walked in, bowed and said, "Sir, are you looking for me?"
The secretary of the embassy folded the letter, put some paint on it, stamped it, and then ordered: "Petnovitch, please send this letter to Vienna immediately and deliver it to Dmitry Mihailó personally.
His Highness Prince Vichy Golitsin!”
"Yes! I will definitely hand it over to His Highness the Prince myself!" Not long after the man left, the sound of horse hooves and rolling wheels could be heard in the embassy yard, and he soon disappeared on the street.
On the morning of October 27, 1792, Zhao Xin and Deng Fei, who had been warmly entertained for several days in Le Havre and negotiated several large deals, brought thirty soldiers from the special operations battalion disguised as crew members and attendants.
, riding in a carriage sent by the National Assembly and the Le Havre City Council, escorted by more than a hundred mounted soldiers, arrived in Paris.