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Chapter 984 Governor Cohen 5
"If Your Majesty could be more friendly to Muslims, the Turks and Persians would not be so hostile!"

As the Governor-General of Batavia and a member of the Indian Commission, Cohen knew very well why the Arabs, Turks and Persians were hostile to the Ming Empire: two words: religion.

This emperor seemed to be very wary of religion. Not only did he vigorously promote Taoism and suppress other religions in his country, he also adopted a one-size-fits-all approach in his overseas territories. Although he did not say it explicitly, he actually did not allow any religion other than Taoism to develop.

More than half of the countries and forces in Southeast Asia believe in Islam, and most of them have been infiltrated by Taoism and dare not speak out. In addition, the Ming Empire's control and assimilation of the Yarkand Khanate had already spread its reputation to the Arab region, so it would be strange if it was not hostile.

"If the Crusades had not been launched, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, and Italy would have been Muslim territories, and France might not have been saved. I only used peaceful means, but Europe started a war. Although you are a Protestant, you should not object to the Pope's original decision, right?"

"...But changing beliefs will take a long time and a lot of energy. There are dozens of countries and forces here, with millions or even tens of millions of people, and they don't even speak the same language. Your Majesty and the Empire really want to do this?"

Cohen was choked and gasped for breath. It took him a long time to recover. Emotionally, he hoped that the Ming emperor would succeed, but rationally, he felt that the hope was slim. If the Ming Empire could use its energy in other areas, it should be able to achieve greater success.

Sometimes people are so strange, they are obviously afraid of someone, but they hope that he will not make mistakes. During his tenure in Batavia for more than ten years, Cohen has taken the Ming emperor as a research object, and he is eager to see to what extent the Ming Empire can develop under his leadership, and whether a great empire will be born.

"I have never banned any religion. There is Buddhism in U-Tsang, Islam in Yarkand, Catholic churches in Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Manila and even in Beijing. If you wish, you can also build a Protestant church in the future.

As long as they abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty, any religion can exist and continue in the Ming Empire. But I don't want to see any exclusive religions, and I don't want to see anyone calling someone a pagan. Do you understand the difference?"

This statement must be 100% false. Hong Tao not only rejects Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, but also Taoism. He is an atheist and never believes in any gods, let alone the afterlife.

I chose Taoism just to promote natural science research, which is pure selling dog meat under the guise of selling sheep meat. But sometimes you can't tell the truth, especially as a politician, 90% lies and 10% truth is a bit excessive.

"The Turks are fighting the Persians. I heard it's a religious sectarian dispute. Your Majesty is right. If the status of religion is too high, it will have an adverse impact on the imperial power.

This is true for Christianity and Islam. The Eastern and Western Roman Empires were once hostile to each other because of religion, and then the Turks took advantage of the situation and invaded; the dispute between Sunnis and Shiites will also be exploited by others, such as your Majesty's Ming Empire. "

Cohen lost interest when talking about religion. As a Christian, both Catholics and Protestants suffered greatly. Thinking of the end of the Eastern Roman Empire and the current situation, history seemed to repeat itself. "I have no interest in the land of the Ottoman Empire and the Safavid Dynasty, and the empire cannot cross thousands of miles to rule a region with such a large population. I just want to know who you favor in the war between the Turks and the Persians, and why."

It must be said that Cohen has a long-term vision, strong judgment and logical thinking ability. It is a bit of a waste of talent to stay in the branch of the East India Company. If he were placed under his own command, he could at least be a governor, and he might even be included in the list of the Imperial Council and enter the real power center.

But he was indeed wrong. He had never thought of getting involved in the lands of the Ottoman Empire and the Safavid Dynasty. Unless they took the initiative to provoke and seriously affected the interests of the Ming Empire, who would go so far to occupy the homes of religious fanatics? The security costs alone would be an astronomical figure.

Of course, if there is an opportunity, it is also necessary to support one or several tribal forces within it. Not occupying does not mean not interfering. There are two ways to make a profit in this world. One is to make a profit directly, and the other is to prevent others from making a profit. The more chaotic other people's homes are, the more benefits the Ming Empire can get.

"...I am indeed keeping an eye on the situation there. The Indian Committee has a trading post in Bandar Abbas. In return, a small number of muskets shipped to Tsarist Russia were traded to the Safavid Dynasty. If Your Majesty deems it inappropriate, I will explain the situation to the committee and submit my resignation!"

It was just a casual question, but Cohen had a lot of meaning in his ears. In order to expand trade along the Persian Gulf coast, he secretly used the arms provided by the Ming Empire to Tsarist Russia as a stepping stone to knock on the door of the Safavid Dynasty.

"Hey, you did a great job on this business. Don't worry, I don't care who you sold the guns to or how much you sold them for. If the Persians or Turks need them, you can increase the quantity. You should be familiar with the Turks, right?"

This answer also surprised Hong Tao, who didn't know whether to praise or scold. He always thought that selling arms to Russia through the Dutch was very bold, but he didn't expect the Dutch to be even bolder and directly changed the hands in the middle. They are really worthy of being called the coachman of the sea. Wherever there is a business opportunity, you can see their figures, and they are determined not to miss it.

But this is not a big problem. If the Dutch can help open up the arms channel to Turkey and Persia, the Ming Empire will have another big business. Compared with exporting agricultural products and textiles, the profit from selling arms is much higher, and there is no need to wait for the harvest season, and it can be made anytime and anywhere.

"If your majesty is willing, I am willing to act as the agent for the Ming Empire's weapons business in Bandar Abbas for free. The price will definitely be higher than that of Tsarist Russia. But the Turks may have some trouble, especially after the imperial fleet attacked Aceh."

When Cohen heard that there was a deal to be made, he didn't have so many thoughts and immediately entered the business negotiation mode, starting to calculate the gains and losses. However, he didn't agree to everything and was not optimistic about the sales prospects in Turkey.

(End of this chapter)