Chapter 2736
When the mission departed from Dinghai Port in Zhoushan, their scheduled trip was to return to China before the end of the year. However, because it took a lot of time to deal with various emergencies encountered during the visit, the actual trip was much delayed than the original plan. In the end, the mission had to choose to welcome the beginning of the new year in the heavy snow of Edo Castle.
Haihan now follows a dual calendar, and all official affairs and archival records must be based on the Gregorian calendar. This was originally a rule set by the previous generation in order to prepare in advance for various major historical events that will occur in the future. However, as the world line of this time and space is gradually changed by the travelers, many events have not yet happened. I'm afraid it's difficult to accurately match the timetable they have.
But no matter what, since the founding of Haihan, the rules of the Gregorian calendar have been used in the bureaucracy. Therefore, although there are still about forty days until New Year's Eve, for these officials who are accustomed to the Gregorian calendar, today is also a special moment worthy of celebration.
On the last day of 1655, Ma Boran had two sheep slaughtered and used the delicious mutton soup pot as the main course of the New Year's Eve banquet. By meal time, the air at the Edo Embassy was already filled with the smell of mutton soup and coriander. Ha Jianyi took people to the port and moved several boxes of Sanya special wine from the ship. Anyway, there are no diplomatic activities scheduled for the next day, so everyone can relax for a long time.
"How does it feel to celebrate New Year's Eve in a foreign country for the first time?" Shi Chengwu put down his wine glass and asked Tao Hongfang beside him.
Tao Hongfang responded with a smile: "Actually, during the New Year's Eve on Hainan Island in previous years, we would eat and drink with our relatives and friends. It is not much different from today."
Bai Letong also added: "It is said that I have no hometown, and my peace of mind is my home. The food in this bowl, the wine in the cup, and the people around me are actually the same as in China. I can welcome the New Year here with everyone. It’s also a blessing.”
Shi Chengwu nodded and said to Ma Boran: "If I remember correctly, is this the third time Brother Boran is here to welcome the New Year?"
Ma Boran said with a smile: "Yes, but there have never been New Year's Eve banquets like today in previous years. I'm used to it, but after it's been so lively this year, and it's deserted again next year, I might feel lonely."
Shi Chengwu said: "Then you can arrange your time early next year, return to Hangzhou to report on your work and celebrate the New Year, and rest peacefully for a month or two. I will arrange all the activities for you!"
In fact, it was not just those from Hainan Island who celebrated New Year's Eve in a foreign country for the first time, but also Zhu Zian from Shandong. However, Zhu Zian is not too obsessed with returning to his hometown. Although life in Haihan is sometimes very hard, almost every day is full of freshness, and there is always a new world ahead of him that he has never seen before. Waiting for him to explore. For him, his current life is much more meaningful than staying in Shandong and being a rich man.
The stronger Haihan becomes, the slimmer the chance of Ming Dynasty's restoration becomes. From the perspective of a member of the Ming Dynasty royal family, Zhu Zian should not be happy with the achievements of the Haihan mission during their visit, but his experiences in recent months have slowly changed his view of the world situation. In Zhu Zian's previous understanding, Haihan built the country by force and made profits through business, and had no culture at all. The official propaganda of the Ming Dynasty has always derogatoryly called it "Haiman". But the actual situation was not like this. During this trip, he saw Haihan's various clever methods in the diplomatic field, and gradually understood that the decline of Ming Dynasty was not only caused by military failure, but also included politics, economy, and even A total failure of culture.
Of course it was difficult for the losing party to admit this. Zhu Zian had also imagined various possibilities to resist Haihan, but he soon discovered that Ming Dynasty had basically tried all the methods he could think of, but the results were Not ideal.
To change the situation of the Ming Dynasty, we must have an efficient bureaucracy, good economic conditions, firm support from the public, and strong armed forces. But it is a pity that Ming Dynasty does not meet any of these conditions, and there is no possibility of improvement in the short term.
Zhu Zian had also discussed related topics with these young officials of the mission, and their view was that the problem of the Ming Dynasty was not about who was in power in the Forbidden City, but simply the inevitable trend of a dynasty reaching the end of its life. No dynasty can break away from such historical laws. Unless a more advanced power system is replaced, it is possible to break the laws.
Haihan is such a more advanced system, and the replacement of Ming Dynasty is also an inevitable trend of social development, which cannot be resisted by human beings. The rulers of the Ming Dynasty could not voluntarily give up their power and start a new one. Naturally, they would not be able to evolve into this kind of power system. Therefore, their decline was a doomed outcome. Even if Haihan did not appear, they would be replaced by other emerging forces.
It took Zhu Zian a long time to figure out the reason, but once he figured it out, all the knots in his mind were resolved. Tao Hongfang said that he was in such a state that "the thought of surrendering to the Communist Party makes the world wider in an instant." However, Tao Hongfang could not explain clearly what it meant to surrender to the Communist Party. He only knew that this sentence was passed down from his father's generation, describing a person who abandons darkness and turns to light. mentality.
In any case, Zhu Zian now gets along with these Haihan officials much more naturally than when he came here, and can communicate with them in a more peaceful manner. Sometimes he even thought that if he kept following these people around and traveling all over the world, it would be an interesting life.
However, Zhu Zian also knew that this was not realistic. As the negotiation process gradually progressed, the mission's mission was about to end, and it would be disbanded soon after returning to Zhejiang for business. By then, these people will all return to their respective posts, but there is still no certainty as to what Zhu Zian's arrangements will be.
"Zian, what are your plans after you go back? You are the candidate for this year's rural examination in the Donghai Region. Regarding taking office, the superiors will most likely ask for your opinion before making an appointment."
Shi Chengwu's question made Zhu Zian come back from his thoughts and responded with a smile: "I'm not afraid of Mr. Shi's jokes. I used to feel that I was full of knowledge, but I just didn't have the chance to show it. If I could set foot in the court, I would definitely be able to govern the country." But after coming here, I gradually realized how naive my ideas were. The little ink I had in my stomach was barely enough to do a clerical job. The more I saw here, the more I saw. The more I feel that I have not learned enough, after I go back this time, if I have the opportunity, I would like to apply to study at Haihan Official Academy for a period of time.”
(End of chapter)