Chapter 1088: Schall von Bell

The operation had gone smoothly from start to finish, and Liu Yong was in a good mood. Smiling, he said, "Bring him over to meet me. Put his mind at ease."

The man was quickly brought over. For safety's sake, his mouth was gagged and his upper body bound very tightly. After he was brought into the warehouse, the headmen who had not rushed aboard the ships to seize people were all somewhat taken aback, because this foreigner was very strange. Everyone made a point of studying his face — it was indeed the high-nosed, deep-eyed look of a foreigner. Yet apart from that, everything else about him was the dress of a scholar-gentry of the Great Ming: a full set of azure Confucian robes, even his beard styled in the Great Ming fashion. Only his tall, large build seemed ordinary by comparison.

To Liu Yong's perception, this Schall von Bell was very different from the several foreigners he had met in Xuzhou. It was not so much the clothing and appearance, but rather the bearing and temperament — he gave off a very calm feeling, lacking the burning desire for wealth and power that Louis and those others had. However, Liu Yong did not dwell on it, merely asking offhandedly, "What is your name?"

"Your humble servant Schall von Bell. May I ask, is this…" Schall von Bell bowed with clasped hands in salute, but just as he was about to ask his question, Liu Yong made a hand gesture, and someone immediately gagged Schall von Bell's mouth again.

"As long as you all behave obediently, your lives will be spared," Liu Yong instructed, then waved his hand to signal that the man be taken away.

"Esteemed Director,

I am deeply sorry that only now do I have the opportunity to send you a letter and recount the wondrous experiences I have undergone. As I take up my pen, I try to suppress the excitement in my heart and narrate my recent experiences as calmly as possible. Yet I imagine that no matter how plainly I set it down, you will likely be utterly dumbfounded by everything we have been through!

Although before setting out north from Macau I had already imagined I would endure countless hardships, I truly never expected that I would be forcibly taken away by people, and from the present look of things, I no longer have any chance of entering the capital of the Ming Empire.

Please do not be consumed with worry for me. Despite what I have said, my life is not currently in danger. In truth, I have fallen into the hands of a personage of great importance who is most refined and courteous.

I fear you are already baffled by my account? Allow me to try to explain my journey to you in detail.

On this long and wondrous journey of ours, what comforted us most was that we had an exceptionally good guide. This guide was recommended to us by our Jesuit brethren in Macau, and just as they had hoped, this guide proved most satisfactory. It was precisely through his unstinting assistance that we were able to travel through this vast and marvelous land without fearing any misunderstandings from officials or local gentry.

His name is Liu Wei, a northerner of the Ming Empire. That he was able to travel thousands of li from his northern homeland to Macau and convert to the Catholic faith is itself a most legendary experience. After learning his story, we were perhaps able to gain a deeper understanding of the customs and character of this empire. When I first became acquainted with him, I spent nearly every day learning the northern official dialect of the Ming Empire from him — I forgot to explain to you that the official common tongue of this empire is not entirely the same as the southern dialects, much like the situation in Europe — and I listened with rapt attention as he recounted his personal experiences. Perhaps he exaggerated somewhat to captivate me further, but even if only a small portion is true, then this estimable guide has led a life as richly varied as my own. For the sake of staying on topic, I will set aside these stories for now. Should the opportunity arise later, I will properly relay some of them to you.

To return to the main thread, after gaining sufficient confidence in my language skills, I resolved to set out north and begin the great expedition of my dreams. But we suffered that accident which, even now in recollection, still fills one with lingering dread. In the end, by the whims of fate, we did not proceed to the Ming Empire's capital as planned, but instead ended up cast away in the empire's heartland. If this is God's will, I can only say that His designs are too unfathomable, utterly beyond anticipation.

Relying once more on our faithful guide, he did his utmost throughout the journey to tell us of his past experiences in these regions, to introduce the local customs and culture, and even to recommend the local cuisine. Fortunately, we still had money left to allow us to enjoy the various flavors of food along the way, which made this journey under escort considerably more pleasant.

What I experienced next was far more wondrous than I had ever anticipated.

Under the escort of the patrol, we arrived at a city called Qingjiangpu. Even while we were still in Macau, our guide had already mentioned this city to us many times. He said it was a city so vast as to be beyond estimation, possessing wealth and splendor unmatched in the world.

I thought at the time that he was exaggerating.

I had been to Guangzhou and originally thought it was already one of the most magnificent cities in this country. Even if the Ming Empire's capital was somewhat larger, I assumed no other city could surpass it in prosperity. Yet after seeing this city, I realized just how far my assumptions had strayed from reality.

What he said was true — indeed, what he said was not even enough. We have truly arrived at the most prosperous and wealthiest city I have ever seen!

This city lies at the confluence of the Yellow River and the Grand Canal, one of the most vital hubs of this country's great north-south artery. Every day, millions of bushels of grain and cereals, along with an incalculable quantity of other goods, converge here from the countryside and towns in every direction of this empire, flowing ceaselessly into this city, and then, via these never-resting waterways, are transported to every part of the empire's north, ultimately to sustain this nation's brain — the capital situated on the northern frontier.

When we arrived at this city, it was an afternoon. On the broad canal, ship after fully laden ship was slowly sailing along. Countless transport vessels using stiff sails streamed endlessly on the canal, dyed nearly golden under the setting sun. What a magnificent sight this was! According to the guide, because the river sections further north were already frozen over, the number of boats at this time was far fewer than in the peak season. Good heavens, it is truly hard to imagine the numbers during the peak season.

And on both sides of this waterway were innumerable buildings and countless streams of people. Having witnessed this scene, I must admit that it is the most prosperous and magnificent city I have ever seen. My guide was right.

As you know, this empire possesses a canal system it can justly take pride in. Through centuries of repair and maintenance, it is even older than the history of the Ming Empire. Through efforts beyond estimation, the ancients dug over a thousand li of canals, linking the entire water system of this empire — several great rivers flowing ceaselessly, nearly every one longer than the Rhine that flows past my homeland — into a single great transport artery for the entire nation. What an astonishing feat of engineering! Hail to these ancients!

While we Europeans were still struggling to survive amidst the ruins of the Roman era, the people here had already completed grand projects on such a scale and built incomparably magnificent cities. What an admirable people this is! If they could become believers in the Lord, what glory would that bring to God? I cannot help but be filled once more with that sense of mission which makes my blood boil.

Please do not think I have lost my head. In my homeland, on German soil, we too have constructed many canals, using these canals to help us transport goods. It is precisely for this reason that we are all the more able to understand the effort required to build and maintain such an immense canal system.

I have been to Hamburg. It is a developed port city, its commerce extremely prosperous, and its resident population very large. Yet I must admit that compared to this city called Qingjiangpu, it can only pale in comparison. I wonder how many generations of effort it will take before it can rival such a city? I hope such a day will come.

At the same time, I also noticed that this city is different from other cities I have seen within the Ming Empire — it has no city walls, nor any intimidating defensive fortifications. This is entirely a city born of commerce and transport, growing great through the endless flow of goods, completely unlike those cities that developed from fortresses.

This city reminds me of our German Hamburg, which is also a flourishing and prosperous commercial city where goods from the entire Baltic region are gathered and distributed, bringing incalculable wealth to that city. Of course, I must admit this city is even more prosperous than Hamburg.

This city also shares an essential similarity with Hamburg, which is that neither is truly controlled by princes or feudal lords, but rather by merchants possessing vast financial resources. This point seems especially strange in the Ming Empire, which has always held commerce in contempt. I surmise this may be because these great merchant magnates have extremely close ties with the ruling family of the Ming Empire, resulting in a state of equilibrium here, such that the city can only be governed through the joint rule of the merchants.

Vast wealth begets vast power, and I have heard from the patrol escorting me that their master holds an enormous share here. It is hard to imagine just how much wealth he possesses, but I am certain he would be richer than any prince in Germany.

Speaking of Hamburg, it reminds me of another matter.

When I left Europe, the German lands were already thrown into turmoil by the religious wars. The apostate princes of the north are resisting the Emperor's great army by force of arms. The flames of war have ignited in many places, tormenting our poor people.

Alas, how I hope that my hometown of Cologne, and Hamburg — these splendid cities — can escape such a terrible fate! I sincerely believe that God will protect his devout believers. When I first departed, I thought I would not think of my homeland, yet now, ten thousand miles from my country, I find myself constantly longing for everything about it. I hope! Please, when you write back, do tell me more about the current situation in Germany. Thank you.

Very well, to return to the main thread, let me continue recounting what befell us afterward.

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Thanks to "Mu Ming, User Cold Night, Heaven Seals the Heart, Sui Xin Zi Wo 0" and several old friends for their tips. Thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly votes. Thank you, everyone.