Pierre continued his incessant chatter, but Denis Diderot and Paul Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach, found themselves unable to bear it any longer. They exchanged a look, both experiencing the sudden urge to strike Pierre's head with their canes.
The entire French nation knew that Voltaire was a leading proponent of enlightenment and a fervent admirer of China, with only France's other prominent scholar, Confucius of Europe, Quesnay, able to rival him.
But who knew of Diderot? Who knew of d'Holbach?
They too were genuine enlightenment thinkers and ardent admirers of China. Diderot's *Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers* frequently used China as a positive example to critique Europe, and d'Holbach famously stated, "European governments must take China as their model," a quote widely circulated in Europe.
So, why should Pierre continue his endless prattling?
Fortunately, Pierre, who had been rambling for half the day, finally got to the point: "After we disembark, we will arrive at the customs of the Great Ming. We will need to undergo inspection and register our lodgings. Gentlemen, please leave your firearms, swords, and other weapons on the ship."
As Pierre finished speaking, the gentlemen on board cried out, "No, these are our weapons for self-defense."
"God as my witness, we harbor no ill will towards the Ming people, but we must ensure our own safety, mustn't we?"
"Even if the Ming has no thieves or bandits, can you guarantee there are no wild beasts?"
Hearing the clamor of these French nobles, Pierre's face darkened, and he loudly declared, "Silence! Gentlemen, ladies, and young ladies, the Ming army and their official Gyeonggicheol, will ensure your safety."
"You must understand that the Ming's Gyeonggicheol system is extremely powerful, with an average of one Gyeonggicheol protecting every two hundred citizens of the Great Ming."
"In our France, there is only one Gyeonggicheol for every four hundred people, and for those rose beefs, it's one for every five hundred."
"Therefore, I implore you to believe me: on Ming territory, you are absolutely safe. This is a level of security that no other country in the world can currently offer."
Upon hearing Pierre's figures, d'Holbach couldn't help but frown. He looked at Pierre and said, "Pierre, I don't doubt you, but I'd like to know where your data comes from?"
Pierre nodded and replied, "Esteemed d'Holbach, my data comes from the Ming's *Da Ming Baozhi*. Their government proposes that the ratio of one Gyeonggicheol for every two hundred people is problematic, and they are striving to achieve one Gyeonggicheol for every hundred people."
"As for the data for our France and the rose beefs, it is naturally calculated based on our respective populations and numbers of Gyeonggicheol. I believe you can do the calculation yourself."
D'Holbach nodded and continued, "Then, wouldn't their government's finances be quite strained?"
However, to d'Holbach's surprise, Pierre simply shrugged and replied, "Quite the opposite, esteemed d'Holbach. Their government's financial situation is not strained at all."
"They do not impose any taxes on the common people. On the contrary, their government continuously invests money in building roads, schools, and libraries."
"Their government's revenue comes partly from taxes on merchants, with tax rates ranging from ten to fifty percent. Another part comes from certain special industries, such as salt. And another part comes from the maritime customs."
"This information, as long as you wish to find it, can be seen in their *Da Ming Baozhi*. Of course, this information may not be entirely accurate."
"However, to my knowledge, the Ming Emperor has only one wife to this day. They have not built imperial palaces and reside only in courtyards constructed by Tatar officials. Of course, the courtyards built by Tatar officials are far superior to the Palace of Versailles."
After answering d'Holbach's questions, Pierre raised his wine glass again and said to the assembled French nobles, "From our entry into the customs until we reach Jinan, the capital of the Great Ming, it will take about three days. I hope all gentlemen, ladies, and young ladies will have a pleasant journey. Cheers~"
D'Holbach turned and exchanged glances with Diderot, then whispered, "See, I told you that the officials of Europe should learn from the Chinese government instead of spending all their money on mistresses."
Diderot shrugged and said, "Who knows? Expecting European officials to learn from the Chinese government is less realistic than expecting the sun to rise from the west."
D'Holbach could only shrug in agreement with Diderot's statement and then joined the queue of French nobles disembarking.
D'Holbach had already decided that since he had personally come to the Great Ming this time, he absolutely had to study how the Ming government operated. If possible, he would bring this knowledge back to France.
However, d'Holbach, lost in thought, had just left customs with the other French nobles and gotten into a carriage bound for Jinan when he heard two whistling steam whistles in the distance.
Then, d'Holbach watched as a steam engine, entirely made of steel, pulling five carriages, slowly emerged from behind the customs area.
D'Holbach was immediately stunned.
D'Holbach had seen many steam engines. Europeans nowadays even had a peculiar hobby of "watching new machine performances just to see boiler explosions."
He had also seen several carriages assembled together, transporting goods or people via tracks. This had been invented by John Utley, a descendant of Anglo-Saxon bandits, the rose beef, in 1775, and it had been eleven years since then.
However, d'Holbach had never imagined that the Ming people would use steam engines to pull carriages.
Although the speed of this thing appeared to be only a few kilometers per hour, perhaps not even as fast as an ordinary person running, this machine did not tire and did not require feed like horses. All it needed was coal or wood. For hauling goods, it was undoubtedly a marvel.
And as d'Holbach stood there, bewildered, Diderot's eyes widened, and he exclaimed with astonishment, "God, what do I see?"
After his exclamation, Diderot turned to d'Holbach and asked, "Do you know Richard? Richard Trevithick, that young Englishman, the Saxon lad I told you about last time, the one whose head might be a bit out of sorts?"
Hearing Diderot mention this, d'Holbach's expression immediately turned grim.
D'Holbach certainly remembered Richard Trevithick, whom Diderot had mentioned.
Under the conditions of the time, any long-established scholar receiving a letter from a seventeen-year-old lad who claimed he wanted to use a steam engine to pull freight carriages would have first thought the young man was ill.
How many years had Watt just improved the steam engine? It was one thing to use it for textiles or in other applications, but to pull several tons or even tens of tons of freight carriages with it?
Of course, out of a sense of encouraging the younger generation, or perhaps hoping the young English lads would all go down the wrong path, Diderot, after careful deliberation with d'Holbach, had decided to write back to Richard Trevithick, encouraging him to continue researching the use of steam engines to pull freight carriages.
But the Ming people had already turned this into reality.
This proved that the Saxon lad was right?
Trembling, d'Holbach lit his pipe, took a few hard puffs, and then said to Diderot, "This decision to come to the Great Ming this time was the right one. Otherwise, relying solely on that fool Pierre, he would never have conceived of the immense utility of such a thing."
Diderot also lit his pipe and, with a hum, added, "Indeed, these steam locomotives, unlike horse-drawn carriages, do not need rest or fodder. They only require coal or wood. This will undoubtedly greatly accelerate their goods circulation speed."
"The acceleration of goods circulation will bring more tax revenue to their government, and it will also allow their common people to enjoy lower prices, thus making their government's rule more stable."
"Truly a terrifying country—if France does not learn diligently from the Great Ming, I fear we will lose our qualification as allies of the Great Ming."
"Damn it..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Diderot's face suddenly turned pale, and he said to d'Holbach, "Have you noticed any difference between this carriage we are riding in and the carriages we have ridden in before?"
D'Holbach blinked and asked, "Aren't they all carriages? Is there any difference?"
However, as soon as he finished speaking, d'Holbach also realized it, and he exclaimed in unison with Diderot, "Springs!"
Diderot's face remained pale, "It can only be springs, and they must be made of high-quality steel, otherwise, this carriage would never be so smooth."
"God, manufacturing springs requires high-quality steel, such a precious material should be used for spring scales or watches, yet the Ming people have installed them on their carriages."
"Holbach, can you tell me, what kind of country is the Great Ming?"
D'Holbach's complexion was equally poor, and he didn't even answer Diderot's question.
As for what kind of country the Great Ming was, d'Holbach himself didn't know. The little information he had was all from Pierre.
However, even the little information obtained from Pierre, combined with the steam locomotives and carriages seen today, was enough to make d'Holbach's eyes pop out in surprise.
A country where commoners are not afraid of the army and even actively enlist, a country that has exempted commoners from all taxes but remains financially stable, a country capable of manufacturing steam locomotives, a country capable of using springs for carriage shock absorption...
And even more terrifyingly, this country is constantly progressing, and its emperor, rather than indulging in pleasure, invests most of the tax revenue in building roads and schools...
Thinking of this, d'Holbach suddenly said in a deep voice, "I actually miss the time when the Tatars ruled this land. At least the Tatars did not make us so fearful."
Diderot chimed in, "Yes, I truly miss the time when our Great Qing was still in power."
However, after saying this, Diderot's face showed anticipation, "Now, I can't wait to see the cities of the Great Ming. I truly hope to see what the living conditions of the common people in the Great Ming are like."
ps: Fifth update! A total of seventeen thousand words updated today. Earnestly requesting votes!