Not to mention the urban area of Cadiz, they didn't even pass through local cities or villages along the way. They just traveled and camped in the wilderness.
Even the escorting Spanish troops were not allowed to approach!
This made the Spaniards puzzled at first, but then they became helpless!
At first they didn't understand, they were just confused, but when they knew that the reason why the Tang Dynasty mission avoided entering their town was just to avoid contracting the disease, they felt helpless!
Do you want to be so disgusted!
After all, we are an empire on which the sun never sets!
Regardless of this, the Tang Dynasty mission was still very cautious.
Yan Wenyuan, the head of the welcoming mission and the second secretary of the Hanlin Academy Secretariat, has never shown a smile since he set foot on Spanish soil. Even the only two times he met with Spanish envoys, he wore a mask.
of.
It's damn unlucky to work in Europe. If you accidentally contract an infectious disease, you'll be completely ruined.
They were driving all the way in the wilderness, passing by towns where they could, and even passing by a river. Because the only bridge was located in a town, the mission wasted two days and spent a huge amount of money to build it.
A pontoon bridge crossed the river and did not want to enter the Spanish town.
This shows the Tang people's fear of the Spaniards...
After going around and around, carefully avoiding any Spanish gathering place, they finally got a feel for Madrid.
However, when the Spaniards invited them to enter the city, the mission was unwilling to do so and stayed in the embassy area of the Tang Dynasty Consulate in Madrid on the outskirts of the city.
After arriving at the embassy area of Madrid, Yan Wenyuan said to Li Xufan, the Tang consul in Madrid: "Brother Li can stay in a barbarian place like Madrid for several years. This kind of courage is really a role model for our ministers!"
Li Xufan smiled bitterly: "It is our duty as ministers to serve the Holy Emperor. Not to mention this barbarian land, we have to go even if it means mountains of swords and seas of fire!"
When he said this, he felt sad in his heart: You think I am willing, if I had the chance, I would have left long ago!
Working overseas has always been regarded as a daunting prospect by Tang officials.
It would be fine if it were parts of Southeast Asia or North America, but Europe, this is a truly foreign land, and you will die if you are not careful.
Even diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are unwilling to serve in consulates across Europe
The reason why Li Xufan went to Madrid to be a consul was naturally not because he was willing, but because he offended his superiors and was finally sent to this hellish place.
Otherwise, how could he, a foreign ministry official who doesn't even speak Spanish and has never been to Europe, be sent to Europe? Moreover, he would go deep into the European continent and serve as the consul of the Madrid Consulate.
In the past three years, he has regretted his decisions countless times. If he had not chosen to offend his superiors, he would not have been sent to this damn place as a consul, and he would have been there for three years!
Three full years!
His hair turned gray from the stress!
This shitty place has nothing to offer, even stuttering is extremely troublesome.
It is also very dangerous, and you can contract various diseases if you are not careful.
Anyway, he has been the consul of Madrid for three years and has never entered the city. He has always been hiding in the consulate area. Whenever he needs to go to Madrid, he asks a few temporary residents under him to go to Madrid on his behalf.
In order to relieve his depression, he would read through the books he brought when he took office, and every time someone traveled to and from Cadiz, he would ask someone to bring books.
Moreover, whenever he has the opportunity, he will personally return to Cadiz or even Ceuta, nominally to give a report, but the real purpose is just to take a breath and return to Ceuta to breathe in the atmosphere of civilization.
He has been active recently and wants to transfer himself. Even if he cannot be transferred back to his home country, he must be transferred back to Ceuta at least.
Otherwise, he was really worried that he wouldn't be able to survive it.
In the past three years, in order to relieve his depression, he also concentrated on creating while studying, and wrote many poems and articles.
Many of the poems and articles seem to use colorful words to describe the love between children, but they can make people feel deep sadness, which is a typical graceful style.
Not to mention, it is the environment that creates talents. After Li Xufan, who was tens of thousands of miles away from home, concentrated on writing, the level of his articles was greatly improved.
At the end of last year, at the suggestion of a friend, he sorted out many manuscripts and finally compiled them into a book. Then he found a bookseller in Ceuta to publish them. In the past month or two, his travel diary in Europe turned out to be
It also sold well and was well received by people from the Tang Dynasty traveling in Europe, who believed that Li Xufan's words expressed their feelings.
Even booksellers are preparing to print and sell it locally, and assert that the sales prospects will be great, and it will definitely be sought after by many women with deep sorrow.
But, so what, he, Li Xufan, can still only stay in this miserable place in Madrid, and his return home is far away!
Perhaps seeing Li Xufan's distress, Yan Wenyuan naturally would not say anything to hurt him.
This poor kid is already unlucky enough, so there is no need for me to provoke him.
But speaking of it, Yan Wenyuan himself is not much better.
There are dozens of secretaries in the Hanlin Academy Secretariat, and there are more than twenty second-class secretaries. Why is it not someone else but him who came to Europe?
Is it because your boss values you?
Nonsense!
Those highly regarded second-class secretaries are all dealing with many important matters in the court. Even the third-class secretaries who are considered to have potential for development have endless things to do.
The reason why Yan Wenyuan was sent to Europe as the head of the mission was purely for leisure.
As for why I'm idle, it's naturally because I have no choice but to do my job and have nothing to do!
To put it bluntly, he didn't do well in the Secretariat, but in order to appease him, the superiors had already promised him to go across the ocean to Spain. This time, the marriage was done well. Even if he had no credit, there was still some credit.
A hard worker, he will be released when the work is over.
And the place of posting won't be too bad. He should be working in a state capital in a coastal province.
It was precisely for this reason that he put aside his complaints and came to Europe.
While these two brothers in trouble were talking about how hard life was and how ruthless their career was, the Spaniards in Madrid were also preparing.
In the palace, Philip II looked at Elizabeth in front of him. Although he had seen Elizabeth wearing Hanfu many times, he still felt a little uncomfortable looking at it now.
Although he also thought that his daughter looked very beautiful in Tang Dynasty Hanfu, even more beautiful than her mother Elizabeth, who had passed away long ago.
But he still isn't used to it!
What is even more unaccustomed is that for the sake of the kingdom and the family, Elizabeth is about to leave her father and go to Aurous Hill, tens of thousands of miles away!