The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 353 Spread
On April 1735, 4, it was drizzling. A motor sailing ship flying the flag of Qi slowly sailed out of the port of Bordeaux and headed towards the mouth of the Garonne River, preparing to enter the turbulent Atlantic Ocean and head south to Morocco.

At this time, it is the most comfortable season in Bordeaux. The weather has just turned warmer, with a breeze blowing on your face and drizzling rain. Leaning against the side of the boat, one can't help but moan in comfort as the boat sways.

"Damn it! We suffered a great loss this time when we came to the French port. We were ripped off by the French for no reason." A thin man in his thirties spat a mouthful of thick phlegm into the river and complained: "When we return to Wanqiu (now Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia), we will definitely be scolded by the young prince."

"It's because our Qi Navy and the French Navy exchanged fire two months ago, which led to the French taking the opportunity to retaliate and deliberately making things difficult for us." Ren Shouliang, the captain of the Qingsheng, shook his raincoat and smacked his lips as he watched a merchant ship flying the English flag passing by. "If you ask me, when we entered the port and heard that the French wanted to impose heavy taxes and charge special port entry fees, we should have turned around and left. We could either go to the Netherlands in the north or to Portugal or Spain in the south, and we could avoid such taxes and fees."

"Do you think I don't want to?" Liu Huaichang, the head of Chenzhou Trading Company, said bitterly, "The French said that no matter whether the goods are sold or not, as long as they enter the port, they will be charged. If you take the goods out of the port, you will have to pay another fee. Calculated this way, the profit is about the same as selling it to the Netherlands. Moreover, it will take an extra month."

"Are the French not going to do business with our Qi State?" Ren Shouliang was speechless. "If they do this, no one will come to trade with them!"

"Who knows!" Liu Huaichang was also quite helpless. "Perhaps, the French trade restriction policy against our Qi will not last too long. When they calm down, maybe they will return to the previous situation. What do you think the French are thinking? If there is a conflict at sea, they will either fight us or have a good talk with us to resolve the dispute between the two sides through diplomatic means. But they don't want to fight or talk, but directly impose such a trade restriction on our Qi merchants and goods, and want us to take the initiative to surrender. ... Isn't this further intensifying contradictions and provoking conflicts?"

"Could it be possible that our Qi State could implement a trade restriction policy against France and fight them?" Ren Shouliang said with a smile, "France is a European power and Europe's leading military power. Although our Qi State navy is strong, we can't go to land to fight them, right? I remember that several decades ago, France was beaten up by seven or eight European countries, but it still resisted for more than ten years and once had the upper hand on the battlefield. If our Qi State really fights with France, we will have to mobilize all the troops in the country! Do you think this is possible?"

"Nothing is impossible!" Liu Huaichang shook his head and said, "Since the founding of Qi, haven't we launched enough wars for trade? Let's not talk about the distant past. Take the Qi-England War a few years ago as an example. Wasn't the cause of the outbreak attributed to trade disputes? You see, Qi doesn't attack the French now. Whenever the French are involved in a European war again, Qi will definitely take the opportunity to send troops to teach them a lesson. Beating England only made European countries take a deep warning to Qi. If we can defeat the powerful France again, then the whole of Europe will definitely be much more honest when facing Qi. By then, I wonder who dares to use Qi's trade to make trouble?"

"I think that in our Qi State, the most warlike people are not soldiers, but merchants like you." Ren Shouliang was stunned for a while after hearing this, and then said quietly: "You merchants just want to provoke more wars, so as to open up markets in one country after another for you, win the most favorable trade policies one after another, and then earn one black-hearted coin after another."

"Haha..." Liu Huaichang laughed and pointed at the other party, "Old Ren, you also come from the military, don't you like the feeling of conquering?"

"To be honest, I don't like fighting." Ren Shouliang shook his head and said, "I just want to have a wife and children and live a happy life in peace and harmony."

"Haha... With your qualifications and experience, you can earn a good income even in Hanzhou. Why do you want to come all the way to Chenzhou? Don't you know that Chenzhou is located in the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by European barbarians and local natives? Moreover, if you are not careful, you will be involved in the disputes in Europe, which will lead to armed conflicts. The peaceful and beautiful days you hope for will not be so easy!"

"Prince Chen offers a high salary, and the land is cheap as hell." Ren Shouliang said calmly, "I was unlucky and didn't catch up with the good days when the Great Qi was just founded, so I couldn't accumulate enough capital to become an enviable wealthy family. The Chen Kingdom is newly established, and there are many things to be done. Naturally, it is very likely that I will rise against the trend."

"..." Upon hearing this, Liu Huaichang could not help but look at this rugged-looking captain with new eyes, "Old Ren, you are really far-sighted. ... Rare goods are valuable, and you have figured it out! The Book of Changes says, 'Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger, when the sage acts, all things are visible'. You really understand this!"

"I don't really understand what the sayings of clouds following dragons and winds following tigers mean." Ren Shouliang grinned. "I only know that if you take the lead in something and get a good position in advance, you can definitely eat the freshest food. More than 40 years ago, there was an elder in our village who was neither good at literature nor martial arts, but he was bold and daring. He made a fortune in Qianzhou (now South Africa). I heard that he dug up a lot of gold, accumulated a net worth of millions, built a large manor, opened many factories, employed hundreds of people, and raised more than a hundred black slaves. He lived like an aristocratic prince. I went to Chenzhou, and I don't expect to achieve that kind of success, but I would be satisfied if I could buy a large manor of tens of thousands of acres for my descendants!"

"How much money can you make by digging in the dirt?" Liu Huaichang said disapprovingly: "My dream is to open my own business, buy a few second-hand motor sailboats, trade them back and forth in the Atlantic, and then slowly accumulate and develop, and finally build a century-old business with huge assets."

"Overseas trade is indeed lucrative, but it also involves many risks. Just like what is happening now, because of a small military conflict, the French have imposed trade restrictions, which has reduced profits for no reason. If they get angry, they may seize both your goods and your people, and you won't even have a chance to argue."

"That's true." Liu Huaichang nodded and said, "For overseas trade, sometimes it really depends on luck. If you can sail to the shore safely and smoothly, it's because of the blessings of Mazu and the Dragon King. If the buyer is out of stock or the market is tight, then one ticket can make you rich and you can live for three years. But if your luck is bad, let alone making money, you may even end up feeding the turtles in the sea with both the goods and the people. You see, our Chenzhou Trading Company has been established for less than five years, and we have lost two merchant ships. We don't know whether they were thrown into the sea by wind and waves or robbed by damn pirates. Poor sailors and men on the ships, in the end, even their bodies could not be found."

"The two missing merchant ships were probably hit by storms and sank into the sea." Speaking of the missing ships under the trading company, Ren Shouliang sighed and felt sympathetic. "Many years ago, under the crackdown by the navies of various countries, both the rampant Caribbean pirates and the sporadic privateers roaming the Atlantic Ocean have not completely disappeared, but they are no longer a big deal. Moreover, the two missing ships of our trading company are both motor sailing ships. Even if they have no military power, they can easily get rid of those traditional pirate sailing gunboats with their flexible maneuverability."

"You say, if we build the boat a little bigger, we can avoid the danger of being overturned by wind and waves."

"Maybe." Although Ren Shouliang has been sailing for more than ten years, he does not know much about ship design and stability. He only knows that the bigger the ship, the more stable it is at sea. As for whether it can withstand more wind and waves, that is not something an old sea dog like him can understand.

"By the way, will France's trade restrictions specifically targeting our Qi merchants and goods affect our trade with New France?" Liu Huaichang suddenly thought of something and immediately said worriedly: "If the situation deteriorates further, will the French in New France attack our Chenzhou?" "It's hard to say." Ren Shouliang's face also became solemn. "I estimate that the French in New France will most likely adopt a hostile attitude towards us after receiving the instructions from Paris. After all, their governors and generals are all appointed by the king and will definitely obey his orders. However, if a fight comes, although we have fewer people in Chenzhou, we may not be afraid of them."

"Ah, this incident caused..."
-
May 5, Louisbourg, Isle Royale.

Although the French had to reluctantly cede Acadia, Newfoundland and Hudson Bay to the Kingdom of England after signing the Treaty of Utrecht, many people still believed that the future of the North American continent ultimately belonged to France, not England.

Their reason was that Isle Royale (i.e. Cape Breton Island), the gateway to the Gulf (Gulf of St. Lawrence) region, belonged to France, as did many islands in the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes region. Even the western part of North America, which had unlimited possibilities, also belonged to France (the State of Qi expressed great objection to this).

The future is fair. If one day the French regain the precious peninsula (Nova Scotia) and win the hearts of the people of Acadia by magical means, then it will not be surprising that the North American continent belongs to France.

The proud French people deeply agreed with this view, believing that they did have a destiny and that the entire North American continent was waiting for them to save and rule.

So, after losing Acadia, Newfoundland and Hudson Bay, they immediately chose a safe and spacious place southeast of Isle Royale and built Louisbourg, named after King Louis XIV.

It is said that this military fortress was designed by Marshal Vauban, a famous military engineer at the time. It took more than ten years to build and cost more than 300,000 livres. The cost was so huge that the French King Louis XV felt heartbroken.

"Are the streets of Louisbourg paved with gold? I really hope that one morning when I wake up in my Versailles Palace, I can see the high walls of Louisbourg rising on the horizon in front of me." Louis XV once complained.

Actually, Louisbourg cannot be said to be a money-eating monster, even though it is the largest military fortress in North America. To be honest, according to European military standards, Louisbourg cannot be considered a grand masterpiece. When calculated, the annual expenditure is not even as much as the construction of a large warship.

But with Louisbourg, France would gain a naval port, a commercial and trade center, a military presence, and a cornerstone of France's triangular trade.

Louisbourg was indeed a commercial success. The town and the port brought prosperity to the local economy, and soon commerce replaced fishing to make Louisbourg a major trading center. Nearly 200 ships from the West Indies, Europe and even New England gathered at the port every year, making it one of the busiest ports in North America. Warehouses, hotels and inns also prospered as commercial activities unfolded.

Louisbourg was built very solidly and was known as the "Dunkirk of America". It not only threatened England's colonial territories, but also seriously affected the security of Acadia.

Because, on the one hand, it opened its market to the Acadians and earned huge trade profits, and on the other hand, it prevented the Acadians from accepting the rule of England - of course, after Qi took over the area, France still exerted a strong influence on the Acadians, requiring them to continue to convert to the Lord's faith and strengthen the glory of the French.

"But the Qi people now require us to swear allegiance to the King of Arcadia (King Chen) and pay due taxes and undertake government labor according to national obligations." Father Abe Lute from Kanso said worriedly, "In addition, the king sent a political official to Kanso to declare his royal authority. At present, the more than 600 people of Kanso are very confused and don't know whether to accept the rule of the Qi people. Oh, God, our quiet and peaceful days will never come back."

"Respected Father Ruth, you come to Louisbourg on behalf of the residents of Canso, hoping that we can do something about this?" asked Olivier Giroud, Governor of Louisbourg.

"Yes, General Jilu, we hope you can send an envoy to Wanqiu City to meet with the king and ask him to withdraw the order he issued and allow the more than 600 people of the Lord in Kanso to continue to maintain their autonomy. Do not interfere with our lives, let alone infringe on our faith in the Lord."

"...Father Lute." Governor Giroud said with some embarrassment: "I'm afraid your request is beyond my authority. In addition, from a legal point of view, Arcadia is the territory of the Qi people, and we cannot interfere in their local internal affairs. As you know, this can easily lead to political disputes between the two countries."

"General Giroud, the residents of Canso are all descendants of the French, and they are the people of the Lord." Father Lute continued to beg, "Do you know? The Qi people who were appointed as the political officials of Canso, after conveying the order of their king, also announced an unacceptable instruction, that is, from September onwards, the church schools in Canso must teach Chinese and use the textbooks they designated. Oh, God, are they trying to transform us French into Qi people?"

"The Qi people's actions are indeed unacceptable. I am deeply angry about this, but I also sympathize with your plight." Governor Giroud said helplessly: "Since your demands are beyond my responsibility, I suggest that Father Lute go to Quebec and report to the Marquis de Beauharnois (Governor-General of New France), and let him make the appropriate decision."

(End of this chapter)