Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 1260 Prince of the Mughal Empire

The horses trampled on the dirt road and left footprints. This is a group of elite cavalry, wearing iron helmets, heavy armor, scimitars around their waists, round shields and short muskets hanging between the saddles.At the front is a standard bearer holding a flag.

A lean, turbaned man rode in front, with a pile of beards, his clothes were extremely elegant, and there was a look of arrogance in his eyes.

The third son of the emperor of the Mughal Empire, Aurangzeb, is less than 20 years old, but he has led the army to fight fiercely with the Persians. He is now the deputy king of the Deccan, ruling the territory of the southern part of the Mughal Empire , Still patrolling all over the empire.

This time he led a small troop of cavalry to inspect the prosperous port of Surat.

Every year, the Mughal Empire was able to obtain a lot of special goods from overseas, as well as low-quality artillery sold to them by Europeans.

When the officials at Surat Port heard the arrival of the third prince, they immediately brought people over to greet him.

"His Royal Highness, please forgive us for not being considerate when we greet you!"

Surat officials saluted Aurangzeb respectfully.Although this prince is not the first heir that everyone is optimistic about, he has the highest military attainments and has a lot of military power.

At this time, the Mughal Empire had not completely conquered the Deccan Plateau, and the Deccan Plateau was the front line. The emperor appointed him as the deputy king in charge of the Deccan Plateau, in order to be able to include the entire Deccan Plateau in the empire's territory in the future.

With a frosty face, Aurangze dismounted from his horse and led the cavalry into the port of Surat.

Seeing that the third prince did not speak, Surat's officials made eye contact in private, and they all followed like walking on eggshells.

Aurangzeb glanced at the streets of Surat and was satisfied with this prosperous port city.

Merchants and residents in the port of Surat saw dozens of cavalry coming with horses and cast awe-inspiring gazes at them.

Even though the importance of artillery has become increasingly prominent, cavalry, as the founding arm of the Mughal Empire in India, is still the main force of the empire's conquests, and the status of cavalry has always been high.

Seeing dozens of cavalry appear at this time, they must be following some powerful feudal lord.

The third prince, Aurangzeb, was patrolling the streets and found a strange thing-many carriages were pulling fruits and vegetables and other supplies to the pier, and some people were rushing to the pier with rice on their heads.

How many supplies were transported to the dock, how many ships needed to be replenished, and how far did the voyage take?
Confused, Aurangzeb led his cavalry through the zigzag streets. Before he got close, he saw more than 30 merchant ships with dragon flags moored at the pier.

After reacting for a while, he realized that it was a ship from the east.

The neatly arranged cannons on the ship made his hair stand on end.

When did the eastern warships unscrupulously sail into the territorial waters of their Mughal Empire?And such a warship is too scary!
Aurangzeb turned his attention to the iron-clad ship General Fubo anchored in the port of Surat. His pupils expanded rapidly, and he pointed at the iron-clad ship with a horsewhip and asked the officials in Surat, "What is that?"

The officials in Surat replied obediently: "That is a Chinese ship."

"Nonsense! I ask you what kind of ship is made of black wood!" Aurangzeb said angrily.

The officials in Surat knelt down in fright: "Your Highness, that is not a ship made of black wood, it is said to be made of iron..."

When Aurangzeb heard the answer from the officials below, he showed an expression of disbelief: "Are you fooling this prince? A ship made of iron is extremely heavy, and it is impossible to float on the sea."

Facing Aurangzeb’s question, the officials in Surat Port couldn’t answer Aurangzeb’s question. They didn’t know the principle of the iron-clad ship at all, so they just replied hesitantly: “If the ship is not made of iron, the length cannot be so long. There is no keel. A ship of that length..."

Hearing the officials' tone, Aurangzeb knew that they couldn't answer, so he asked again: "What is the purpose of this terrible fleet coming here?"

The official replied nervously: "They claim to be departing from a more eastern place, going to Britain, and passing through our port for resupply."

"So you just let them in? Or did you take advantage of it?" Aurangzeb asked.

The officials in Surat Port were asked about this by the prince, but they dared not answer and hesitated.

Aurangzeb didn't seem to expect them to answer, but approached the pier with dozens of cavalry.

Several cameramen and apprentices were still taking pictures at the pier. They carefully selected several good scenes before consuming precious negatives.

The person in charge of the East India Company in Surat handed over supplies with the Western Company and the Fourth Fleet.

The East India Company, the Western Company, and the Fourth Fleet belong to different systems. This time, the East India Company paid to help their fleet purchase supplies, and the accounts need to be clearly divided.

"It was really wise for the military master to spend money to buy the East India Company. It is equivalent to having an additional supply station between us and the Western Ocean. Our ships can be replenished here, reducing the crew members who suffer from diseases due to lack of fresh food. The probability is high. With more ironclad ships in the future, it may be possible to turn this place into a naval base.” Sun Chuanting was on the troop carrier, looking across the sea to Surat Port.

"If the people of the East India Company know that you just regard them as a supply station in the Indian Ocean, they will be unhappy." Some officers said.

"There are tens of millions of people in this place. If we can get them to work for us, maybe the profits here are not less than those in Western places." Sun Chuanting is not proficient in ocean trade, but he can make a simple comparison.

The demographic dividend means cheap labor and huge market potential.

"This trip has only reached Mughal, and our voyage is not even halfway there. I don't know how the situation is on the western side." Sun Chuanting seemed to be tired from standing, and lay on the wooden deck, feeling the ups and downs of the waves.

"Our garrisons in Britain would be surprised to learn that the Ministry had added a steam ironclad ship to the original list and dispatched our 1000-man Far West Expedition. To the Britons they are nothing more than us." The more than 1000 people who come out provide food, and they can make a lot of money.” The infantry officers who were unable to land all chatted while waiting for supplies.

They didn't know that their people in the West were in conflict with the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean.

"Our Prince wants to board that ship, otherwise you will not be able to provide supplies for your ship!"

Surat officials stopped the East India Company employees at this time.

(End of this chapter)