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Chapter 760 For Peace
"...But...I'm sorry, Your Majesty, it would be very, very dangerous to sail from Batavia to the Cape of Good Hope without resupplying along the way. Not only are there strong winds and huge waves in that sea, but there are also all kinds of unspeakable accidents. It is definitely not suitable for merchant ships to take risks."

It was only at this point that Cohen was finally certain that his sixth sense was correct. The emperor looked very kind and humble, and all he spoke was about love and peace.

But he is definitely a shrewd politician at heart, and he managed to get himself into trouble with just a few words. It is very dangerous to negotiate with such a person, and it is best to stay as far away from him as possible.

"Mr. Cohen, it would be very rude if my naval officers heard what you said. How to sail is their job. Your company only needs to prepare the ship at the Cape of Good Hope and pay the money while receiving the goods.

Although I have a land area and population comparable to the whole of Europe, it is still very difficult to support a large navy. Let them help your company deliver goods when they are free. This can not only train sailors but also earn military funds. Why not?
If your company is unwilling to adopt this cooperation mode, then I can ask the Portuguese. I have to say that Mr. Cohen, you lied to me. There are definitely not only your company's supply points in the Cape of Good Hope area, there is also a high probability that there are supply points of the Portuguese.

After all, they were the first to discover that place, right? I think they should be very interested in my suggestion and should also have a better understanding of the strength of the Ming Navy.

It’s a pity that their king and the King of Spain are the same person, but I believe that as long as both sides have common interests, the King of Spain will also suffer from temporary amnesia and forget the unpleasant things that happened on the island of Luzon.

Well, let's settle this. I have other things to deal with. Mr. Cohen, two months, at most. If I don't get your affirmative answer, your company's merchant ships may have to pay some taxes when passing the Cape of Good Hope in the future.

Oh, yes, if your company cannot agree to my suggestion, you can consider coming to Ming to work like Mr. Silva. I have a larger merchant fleet here, and I am in need of talents with professional knowledge like you. Think about it carefully, and let Silva convey any needs you have. "

Unfortunately, it was too late to hide now. The emperor, who had just smiled, suddenly became very serious, and his words became even more serious, with a clear threat. He did not give any room for negotiation, and after he finished speaking, he stood up and walked to the back of the hall, and soon disappeared behind a huge wooden board with exquisite patterns.

"Mr. Silva, what do you think the Emperor is going to do?"

Following Silva out of the courtyard, Cohen looked back at the hall where he had just talked with the emperor, and he felt very conflicted. Originally, he was very reluctant to agree to the emperor's conditions, but from a rational analysis, this was the best way out for the Indian branch. What should he choose?
"If Manager Cohen is not in a hurry to go back, you can stay at my house for a few days and try the local food. Oyani will be back the day after tomorrow at the latest, and you can listen to her opinion again."

Silva really wanted to agree quickly. Once the Ming navy occupied the Cape of Good Hope, they would be closer to their hometown. Then he could ask the emperor for help and maybe he could send someone to Spain to bring his daughter over.

But he held back and didn't say it. He didn't seem to have much talent in persuading people. It would be easy for the other party to misunderstand him by simply persuading them. It would be better to leave it to his wife to persuade them, as she was much more talented in this area.

"Of course, I'd love to, and thank you very much for your hospitality!"

Hearing that he could meet Oyani, Cohen agreed very happily. It was definitely not because of his desire for beauty. It was very wise to listen to the advice of a wise man at this moment, and that beautiful lady happened to have enough intelligence.

"Your Majesty, if the red-haired foreigners really agree to the conditions, will you really send the navy to the Cape of Good Hope to build a port?"

When I returned to the back hall and lay down, Wang Chengen came over with the geography textbook of the Cuju team in his hand. I was still unsure when I heard the name of Cape of Good Hope, so I flipped through the textbook and found that it was indeed the place.

"You think it's inappropriate?" Hong Tao did not sleep, and was thinking about the Cape of Good Hope. If the Dutch did not agree, should we go to the Portuguese? If the Dutch agreed, how many naval forces should be sent to build the port, how much money and material resources should be spent, and how long would it take to build it?
"Isn't it... too far..." Even though there was no scale on the map in the textbook, Wang Chengen could roughly estimate the distance to the Cape of Good Hope.

So they traveled thousands of miles to build a port in a wild place, just to sell the goods for a few more taels of silver? The question is, can the extra silver cover the cost of long-distance supplies and sending troops? It seems unlikely. The emperor never does business at a loss, but this time it is obvious that there is no profit.

"Being able to think proactively is a great improvement, but when thinking about problems, you can't just focus on the surface, you have to think deeper and longer-term. The location of the Cape of Good Hope is like Shanhaiguan, where one man can block a thousand men, and it is very dangerous. Ships coming from Europe must pass through, and those who want to go to Europe must also pass through.

At the moment, Europe is about to go to war, and all countries have little energy to spare for other matters. At this time, setting up a permanent base at the Cape of Good Hope is the lowest cost and the least risky.

When the Europeans have finished fighting and recovered their energy, they will find that there is already a fortress or even a town at the Cape of Good Hope. At that time, it will not be up to them to decide how much silver to sell pepper, cinnamon, raw silk, sugar, and cocoa powder for. I say how much it is.

Any ship that wants to pass through the Cape of Good Hope must pay taxes to the Ming Dynasty. I will allow anyone with a good attitude to pass through, and I will not allow anyone with a bad attitude to pass through. Do you think it is a loss to spend some money to build a place like this?"

In order to answer Wang Chengen's question, Hong Tao had to rack his brains to find a reason, and at the same time forced himself to weigh the pros and cons again. So not only was he not annoyed, he had to encourage him. It was right for eunuchs not to interfere in politics, but it was not okay for eunuchs to know nothing.

People are influenced by their environment. If you spend every day with a group of doctors, even if you don't read a book, your knowledge level will improve. As the ancients said, "He who keeps company with vermilion becomes red, and he who keeps company with ink becomes black." This is the truth.

"Of course we have to occupy it... His Majesty has said that Africans are as black as coal. When the time comes, I will ask Governor Wang to capture a few young ones and have them train me personally. I will then let them patrol the palace at night. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Wang Chengen didn't care whether he could block ten thousand enemies with one man or whether he could collect taxes. As long as the emperor said it was okay, it had to be okay. But he had a small request. He had seen black people, but he had never met them up close. It would be interesting if there were a few black eunuchs in the Cuju team.

"…I need to get some sleep. Send someone to the Navy Governor's Office to inquire about the progress of the construction of the new battleship."

Speaking of going to the Cape of Good Hope, Hong Tao had one more thing to consider clearly: leading the expedition in person! Although the Ming Navy could sail freely in the waters of East Asia and South Asia, it was still a coastal navy and had no experience in transoceanic sailing.

Letting them sail directly from Batavia to Madagascar was not only risky but also suicidal. At least for the first voyage, he would have to command the voyage himself.

Logically speaking, the Qin-class battleships and Guangzhou-class armed cargo ships were much better than when they led the Jin and Imperial fleets across the Indian Ocean. However, in the age of sailing, no one could guarantee that every voyage would be safe, and no sailboat was unsinkable, so the higher the redundancy of the ship, the better.

Leading the fleet to sail to the Cape of Good Hope would take at least half a year. During this time, in addition to arranging various tasks in the court, he also had to prepare for the possibility of not being able to return.

(End of this chapter)