Chinesische Karte von Großbritannien im 19. Jahrhundert

From the British section of the book.

“England (or Great Britain) ,a powerful nation in Europe, lies on three islands dangling alone in the vast Atlantic Ocean.

To the east are two connected islands, the southern one called England and the northern one called Scotland (also known as Scotia). The distance between the north and south of the islands is about two thousand miles, and the east-west width is about five to six hundred miles, narrowing to three to four hundred miles in some places.

There is another separate island to the west, called Ireland (also known as Irlanda) with a north-south length of about seven to eight hundred miles and an east-west width of about five to six hundred miles.

The southern border of England is close to Holland and France, reachable by boat in half a day. It is close to France, with the narrowest point of the sea port only sixty to seventy miles apart, and the two shores visible to each other.

In ancient times, the land was inhabited by the Celtic tribes, later occupied by the Northern barbarians. In the third year of Emperor Xuan of Han Dynasty, the Roman general Kaiser (also known as Caesar) subdued various northern tribes and crossed the sea to conquer England, establishing it as a separate territory.

It remained under Italian rule for several hundred years, and ruins of Roman cities still exist to this day. During the Five Dynasties period, Rome has declined and the Britons seized control. They were later attacked by two Scottish tribes and sought help from the Anglos.

The Anglos who lived in Saxony and Belgium, with strong military forces but no land themselves. When they were invited, they were delighted and crossed the sea in large numbers to defeat the Scottish tribes, then forced the Britons to surrender. In the first year of the reign of the last monarch, England was established as a kingdom.

Later, it was divided into seven region fighting each other. A king named Ethelbert who married the daughter of the king of France and adopted Christianity, inviting teachers to his country to establish etiquettes. As a result, his kingdom gradually grew stronger. In the sixteenth year of the reign of Emperor Dezong of Tang Dynasty, the kingdom was united under one rule.

At that time, the Danes was raiding the seas, suddenly entering England and captured its capital. The English set fire to their ships, the attacks by the Danes increased, with the inhabitants fleeing and the fields lay fallow. There was a prince named Alfred, exceptionally wise and resourceful, who had traveled to Rome twice in his youth and associated with scholars.

Upon inheriting the throne, he faced attacks from Denmark with determination,he pretended to be a musician, carrying a lute to the enemy camp for performance. While entertaining with music and wine, he observed their strengths and weaknesses, then launched a surprise attack, defeating their camps. At that time, the Northern lands were already under French control, he engage in more than fifty battles before finally resstored peace. He then encouraged farming, promoted trade, established schools to translate foreign books, and instituted law enforcement to suppress banditry, bringing about peace and order within the kingdom.

The king passed away during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang Dynasty, and his weak successor led the kingdom into decline. Initially,the kingdom prospered under Christianity. However, over time, the teachers assumed great power. When the king married, the teachers prohibited him from sharing the bed with his wife. The king disobeyed, so they abducted his wife, disfigured her with iron brands, and eventually killed her, leaving the king powerless to avenge her. As a result, the king could only retain the capital, and the national strength declined.

The Danes later resumed their raids, promising to cease if paid an annual tribute. Initially, the tribute was seventeen thousand jin of silver, later increased to twenty-four thousand jin, but the attacks did not stop.

In the nineteenth year of Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty, Denmark launched a major invasion, captured London and annexed England. Their king Canute governed with some semblance of order and the people accepted him. When his son succeeded him, his rule became a oppressive and militaristic one.

In the North, there was a chieftain named William, who had served France and governed a large county in the northwest. After the Danes conquered England, William sought to restore it and sought support from the Pope in Rome and the Pope granted him the land in England.

During the reign of Emperor Yingzong of Song Dynasty, William led a naval expedition to attack England. The Danish King fought but his troops were defeated. William then occupied London and became the king of England.

The Northerners oppressed the English people, and many of them rebelled. The king drove a hundred thousand English people into the woods in anger, where they died of cold and starvation. He gave the land and estates to the northern nobles but later died in regret. He was succeed by Henry I. (continued)