In the Age of Discovery, sailing ships played an extremely important role in Europe and were also one of the symbols of national strength.
So this is how Westerners view empires.
The empire was thousands of miles away. Although there were many legends, the first intuitive impression of Europeans at this time must be the sailing ship on which the imperial mission traveled.
The sailboat got closer and closer, and the exclamations on the shore became louder and louder.
Although most of the Dutch ships today are Clark ships, they are no strangers to Galen ships.
The imperial sailing ship, at a glance, you can tell it is a Galenic ship.
But experienced people can easily see that there is a big difference between the imperial Galen ships and the popular styles in Europe.
The Galenic ships of the Empire are longer and have graceful lines, which can easily split the waves and make their travel faster.
Secondly, the sails on the Galenic ships of the Empire are very simple and not as messy as European ships. Numerous sails can definitely reduce the difficulty of operation and are undoubtedly more friendly to sailors.
The Empire's Galenic ships didn't have many gun windows, but the Dutch knew why.
The Dutch East India Company purchased many bronze cannons from the empire, and the mainland also obtained some and copied them.
It can be said that these lightweight bronze cannons made outstanding achievements and were very popular during the war against the Spanish.
There are no secrets in Europe.
When the Dutch use new artillery, other countries will find ways to obtain the technology.
During the Thirty Years' War, various countries were very willing to invest in military affairs in order to achieve victory.
It's a pity that, including the Netherlands, the cracking of bronze cannons was not very smooth.
This requires extremely high metal smelting and casting capabilities, which is not something Europe can handle today.
But the Dutch already knew the power of bronze artillery.
With a smaller number of artillery, it has greater firepower and range advantages. It has to be said that many people were jealous when they saw the imperial sailing ship at this time.
In the past, they had only heard that the imperial sailing ship was now in sight, and many people had decided to board the ship for a good visit no matter what.
Will they get what they want?
This is obviously yes.
The imperial mission will not refuse such a request, and there is no need to refuse.
Although the empire needs to maintain its technological leadership, it also needs other countries to make rapid progress. Only in this way can the empire be forced to continue working hard and invest more in research and development to avoid being surpassed.
Born in sorrow and died in happiness, the wisdom of our ancestors needs to be placed in the right place.
The ship docked safely, and Dutch Prime Minister Van Subaru, as a representative, boarded the ship and contacted Liao Zhongjian, Xu Erjue, Kong Zhiguang and others.
After the process was finalized, groups of Imperial soldiers disembarked from the ship and lined up along the gangway.
The novel clothes and tall and burly figures of the imperial soldiers attracted even more curious eyes.
Today's Europe has not yet transformed the wealth plundered from all over the world into nutrients for improving physical fitness. Therefore, in terms of physical fitness, it is far inferior to the Chinese who have a better foundation.
Therefore, in the eyes of Europeans, these imperial soldiers are all as strong as iron towers.
In addition, the neat and simple costumes of the imperial soldiers made Europeans look at them even more.
In Europe of this era, the costumes were actually similar to those in China, and they were all very cumbersome.
The crew will make some modifications on their own for safety and operational reasons. However, the nobility and upper class all pursue magnificence and complexity.
But no matter what, when it comes to things like aesthetics, the rules are almost the same all over the world.
What the West did to Asians in later generations was just pretending to be confused and doing it deliberately.
If simple clothing wants to reflect its beauty, it actually requires more craftsmanship and art.
The fabrics used in imperial military uniforms were beyond the knowledge of Europeans.
If you look at the leather boots on the feet of the Imperial soldiers, they are even better.
The boots of European nobles cannot be less than gorgeous, but the aesthetic gap of hundreds of years cannot be smoothed out.
The imperial military boots were designed by Zuo Menggeng himself and were almost identical to the military boots of later generations.
After the honor guard formation was completed, Liao Zhongjian led the officials of the mission to slowly disembark from the ship.
William II and others quickly cheered up and greeted them.
In full view of the public, the top leaders of China and the Netherlands completed an epic meeting.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am very honored to receive your grand reception. In order to express our respect and comply with the will of His Majesty, I would like to accept some gifts."
After the meeting, Liao Zhongjian presented the generous gifts to William II and his wife.
What was given to William II was a Yunjin royal robe hand-woven by twenty of the best craftsmen.
What was presented to the Queen was a pure sapphire the size of a bull's eye. This was obtained from the local natives when the mission stopped at Cape Storm.
After discussion, Liao Zhongjian and others decided that this thing was better as a gift than the original one, so they took it upon themselves to replace it.
Facts have proven that this method couldn’t be more correct.
When the queen opened the exquisite box and revealed the true appearance of the sapphire, the whole scene was filled with a roar.
All the women present were intoxicated and full of jealousy towards the queen.
It is conceivable that the legend about this sapphire will spread throughout Europe for a long time to come.
The queen's heart was filled with excitement and she was so beautiful that she couldn't help but respect the imperial mission even more.
"It is the supreme honor of the Dutch people for distinguished guests from China to come to the Netherlands and allow this land to receive the baptism of Eastern wisdom. His Royal Highness has prepared a grand banquet. Please feel our enthusiasm."
That night, in the palace, the upper class people of the Netherlands gathered together and held an unprecedented cocktail party for the imperial mission.
When William II put on the Yun brocade royal robe and appeared, Europeans were shocked to the next level.
They had never seen such exquisite clothing, and the gorgeous fabrics were beyond the vocabulary of the Dutch and they did not know how to describe them.
Many lively people thought of something and approached Liao Zhongjian and others, showing unparalleled enthusiasm.
Apparently, they found wealth.
But when a soldier walked up to Liao Zhongjian, the others dispersed knowingly.
Marton Tropp, the most admired general in the Netherlands and the most outstanding commander in the Dutch War of Independence.
Naturally, Liao Zhongjian was no stranger to this person.
After all, Marton Tropp's nephew is the Dutch ambassador to the Empire, and the two parties have had many contacts before.
"Dear Mr. Minister, the Spanish have sent a signal for peace. I think the war will be over soon."
Marton Traupt reported some not-so-good news.
A flash of worry flashed across Liao Zhongjian's face, and he soon made a plan.
“Is this enough for the Netherlands?”
I've been having stomach problems lately, so I can't guarantee three updates, so please forgive me!