Great Wei Overlord

Chapter 853
Chapter 859

Ran Ming was actually in a dilemma, and his reason told him that he had to go back immediately.But now that the post-war negotiations with the Gupta Empire are about to start, Ran Ming must completely interrupt the Gupta Empire's navy, otherwise, with the Gupta Empire's confidence and strength, they can form a powerful navy in a very short period of time.But if he didn't rush back immediately, in case something happened to the people of the country, Ran Ming might not even have a place to cry.

After much deliberation, Ran Ming decided to arrange Nanyang's affairs and return immediately.In this sea battle with the Gupta Empire, although Wei's loss was low, it was not light.However, the loot was very limited, especially the money collected in Ye Tiao Country, almost half of it was used by Ran Ming to manufacture new-style first-class warships.Ran Ming smiled faintly, and decided to hit the captured Gupta warship.

Although these Gupta warships have low combat effectiveness, Ran Ming really doesn't like them.But it doesn't mean that these Gupta battleships are useless.In the era of wooden battleships, although there was not much difference between a battleship and an ordinary sea transport ship, it did not mean that there was no difference between the two.The biggest difference between warships and civilian ships is their strength and speed.Generally, cargo carriers pursue the maximum load capacity and seaworthiness issues, and the requirements for speed and impact resistance are not too high.Therefore, cargo ships generally have a deep draft and slow speed.But warships are different. What warships pursue is maneuverability, speed, and flexibility, and they don't have too high requirements for load capacity.

Although the Gupta battleship does not have long-range attack weapons, once such long-range attack weapons are installed, the combat effectiveness will be improved by more than one level.For major companies to transport valuable materials, warships are a very good choice.Ran Ming took more than 300 captured Gupta warships for simple maintenance and painting in the shipyard, and then they became a new type of merchant ship, that is, an armed merchant ship.

For example, the second-class Gupta battleship has been refitted with more than 30 trebuchets and more than [-] eight-ox crossbows. In this way, between [-] and [-] paces, this armed merchant ship can use its own weapons to have a strong impact on pirates. Great deterrent.The third-tier and fourth-tier warships were equipped with ballistas and Greek fire, but the ballistas had no bombs or rockets.With the rapid development of artillery, it is only a matter of time before it can be put into actual combat, so Ran Ming has gradually released the restrictions on these weapons.Because Ran Ming understands that when the God of War comes out, cold weapons will gradually withdraw from the stage of history.

Regarding the sale of more than 300 naval warships of the Gupta Empire at a discount, Ran Ming sent someone to notify the major merchants of the Huaxia Business Alliance that he would publicly auction these Gupta warships.

Ran Ming wanted to package and sell the Gupta warships to Wei merchants, which made Devadatta and Manid Singh very dissatisfied.Devadatta did not dare to offend Ran Ming easily, but Manid Singh roared at Ran Ming like a lion.

Facing the displeased Manid Singer, Ran Ming took a sip of tea slowly: "Marshal Singer, being loud doesn't mean you are justified. If you want to speak louder, my guard Lin Heishan can accompany you at any time."

When Devadatta heard that Ran Ming's words were translated into Sanskrit, he immediately said in a hurry: "His Royal Highness, please don't be angry. Marshal Singh is a soldier, so he has a bad temper. I can guarantee that, The king of our country is very friendly to Wei, and I came to the East by the order of His Majesty the king, just to establish a good trade relationship with your country."

"It's just," he looked at Singer awkwardly, and stammered: "In our navy, some people believe too much in force, and believe that after this lesson, they will obey the king's will. At present, this fleet is very important to us. It is too important, very important, and we hope that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be magnanimous and return the warship to us."

"Haha!" Ran Ming looked up to the sky and laughed, and Severus and Sarus who accompanied him also laughed loudly.

"Devada, I heard that you are also a prince in the Gupta Empire. You are a politician. In the eyes of politicians, the first thing you do is to consider your interests. If you don't have enough interests, will you let your Gupta Empire navy come out in full force? Ran Ming laughed and said, "Everyone is an adult, so don't mention the diplomatic rhetoric on the scene. We are soldiers, so we will solve the problem in a military way. This is direct and simpler. Now, you are the defeated army. As captured prisoners of war, do you have the right to ask us to return our weapons and warships to you? It is true that Wei is a state of etiquette, and we do not care about your warships and weapons, but it is absolutely impossible to return your warships and weapons .”

Salus said: "As the former consul of the Roman Empire, my own purpose is that if things can be resolved through negotiation, there is no need for war. There is a proverb in Wei State, which is called no acquaintance without fighting. Believe in this maritime conflict, your Congress will Looking squarely at the diplomatic relations between the Gupta Empire and the Great Wei Empire, as long as we are open and honest, I believe we will establish a solid trade relationship of mutual benefit and cooperation in the future. However, as a victorious country, returning weapons to the aggressors is not in line with any policy between the East and the West. country's customs of war."

Manid Singh was sweating profusely, and he winked at Devadatta again and again.

Devadatta understood, and immediately said anxiously: "His Royal Highness, you may not be very clear, in the huge Indian Ocean (I can't find the ancient name, so I will use the current name instead), our Gupta Empire naval fleet is The only stable power, once this power is lost, the Indian Ocean will become a paradise for pirates, a paradise for adventurers, this will not use sea trade routes, and the smooth progress of ocean trade!"

Ran Ming said: "There is a proverb in our country of Wei, how can a butcher eat a bastard when Zhang is dead. This problem is easy to solve. Are you worried that this safe and stable sea channel will be destroyed? Once you and my two countries become trading partners, Your loss of interests is our loss of interests. Your fleet cannot guarantee the safety of the Indian Ocean, and our Great Wei Navy will shoulder this task. Although your naval fleet of the Gupta Empire no longer exists, our navy of Wei State is still there. Ben Gong doesn't believe that any stupid thief on the sea would dare to break ground on Tai Sui's head!"

Manid Singh was shocked when he heard this.Once these greedy Serisians are allowed to spy on the prosperous Gupta Empire, what should we do?

However, Severus said: "In the Roman Empire, if the defeated want to redeem their captured soldiers, or weapons and equipment, it is not impossible, but there is a price to pay. The Wei State Navy suffered a lot in this naval battle. , if the Gupta Empire is willing to bear the loss of the Wei State Navy, the Wei State will definitely be willing to return these warships to the Gupta Empire. Equipped with ballistas, Greek fire, and eight-ox crossbows, the current warships are only inferior to Wei's warships in terms of speed, and weak in firepower density, and the others are generally the same!"

In fact, Ran Ming thought very clearly that Rome was not built in a day, and the Gupta Empire could not be destroyed in one or two battles.This country has a population of more than 3000 million, a standing army of more than one million, and countless tribal armies. It is definitely not easy to annex them.The demise of a country, unless the disparity in power is too great, or in general, can only be quickly eliminated after internal problems occur.And the current Gupta Empire is exactly the rising period of the Gupta Empire dynasty. Their national power and military power are very strong. Zhu and Yan Wang Zhu Di are such powerful emperors.

If in Lao Zhu's era, the Ming Dynasty encountered foreign invasion, even if the war was unfavorable, or even the Ming army was defeated again and again, Comrade Lao Zhu would never admit cowardice.Similarly, Chengzu is also a great man, unless the national strength is exhausted, they will not choose to compromise.Similarly, Napoleon in ancient India was not that easy to admit defeat.

Ran Ming knew very well that the gap between the Gupta Empire and the Wei State was not too great in terms of morale and military spirit.The only difference is the weapons and equipment, although Wei's equipment is very advanced and powerful.However, this half-firearms, half-cold weapon era army has very strict requirements on its own supply.The Malay Front Army under Chen Yong wiped out tens of thousands of troops in the Gupta Empire, not only relying on the morale of the servants, but also needed a lot of equipment. The rockets alone consumed more than 6000 pieces, and the catapult shells were more than 4000 pieces, second only to the The two weapons cost tens of thousands of catties of gunpowder. This is not counting the consumption of more than 4000 single-handed bombs, plus eight oxen arrows, Greek fire, etc., and the weight of the equipment alone is as high as more than 360 million catties .

More than 360 million catties is nothing in later generations, but more than 500 tons of materials are equivalent to the transportation capacity of fifty or sixty transport vehicles.However, it is not enough to have weapons in war, but also food, supplies, and various supplies for drinking. The Wei army and the servants consume more than 2000 stones in food every day, and even more when vegetables and meat are added.In this era, a carriage can only pull materials weighing seven or eight stones, and rickshaws are even more pitiful.There are as many as [-] civilians and indigenous people who are responsible for transportation alone, and this is only a transportation distance within a hundred miles of the coastline.If it was fighting on the mainland of the Gupta Empire, then the difficulties of Wei would be even greater.

If Ran Min is good, Ran Ming doesn't mind having a good time with Napoleon of Gupta, but now it's different, if he stays in Nanyang for one more day, the change in Wei will be even bigger.Ran Ming really couldn't afford to delay.

Ran Ming thought of this and smiled: "Prince Devadatta, don't worry, our country Wei is peace-loving. We came here for trade and to spread the friendship of Wei country. We are not like your Gupta Empire. Wherever we go, we are just Destruction is just killing, but we bring exquisite porcelain, delicate and beautiful silk, and all kinds of delicious food. No matter with any country or nation, we trade fairly and are innocent. Even if we don’t say , you should also be clear."

When Devadatta heard Ran Ming open his eyes and talk nonsense, he was speechless for a while.The situation is stronger than others, he dare not refute, for fear of causing Ran Ming's displeasure.

"I also know that you can't do some things." Ran Ming patted Devadatta on the shoulder, and said thoughtfully: "I can let you go back. In order to express my respect to His Excellency Hai Hu Wang, Not only you, but also [-] captive soldiers, I don’t need any ransom.”

"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince, for your kindness!" Devadatta also felt that the happiness came too suddenly.

Ran Mingdao: "The Great Wei Empire took Jinzhou Mancijia as a bridgehead and the Malay Peninsula as a barrier. The entire Indian Ocean area was divided into two. The western half belongs to you, and the eastern half belongs to our Wei State. You can think about it. When you return to China, you can Propose my proposal to your king. This is a condition that is completely beneficial to you, think about it, either, you lose the Indian Ocean completely, or, we cooperate and share the benefits."

Devadatta frowned tightly, and murmured: "This, His Highness the Crown Prince's proposal, I will inform His Majesty the King as soon as possible, and reply you as quickly as possible."

"Excellent, I will also arrange a ship as soon as possible for His Royal Highness to return to your country safely. As for Marshal Singh and his men, as prisoners of war, we will guarantee their personal safety until you bring the goodwill of your king."

Having reached a preliminary negotiation intention with Devada, Ran Ming started to arrange for returning home.Severo and Ningyuan shipyards had to be relocated, and it was impossible for Ran Ming to put an important naval research and development center in this place.Once lost, Wei's loss will be immeasurable.

Ran Ming planned to bring back all the engineers and technicians from Rome and the native craftsmen from Ye Tiaoguo, and the Ningyuan Shipyard was also relocated as a whole, leaving only a shipyard maintenance factory in Ningyuan.As for Helena and her son Valens, they must also be taken away. This will be a good move in the future.

For the expeditionary force, Chen Yong was the commander-in-chief, Gao Shi was the commander-in-chief of the army, Sarus was the chief of staff, Liu Qi was still the deputy commander of the army, and the commander of the navy, Sevey, was named the chief of staff.

When he went back this time, Ran Ming took Jin Chengyue back with him.Ran Ming thought, Jin Chengyue is too capable, if she is given enough stages, she will definitely be able to make waves in Nanyang.Besides, it wasn't that Ran Ming didn't trust Jin Chengyue anymore. As the prince's concubine, if Jin Chengyue lived outside the palace for a long time, it would be detrimental to her in the future, especially regarding Ran Sheng's status.

On October [-]th of the eighth year of Kaiyuan, Ran Ming returned to Wei State from Bolin via Ningyuan City.

On board the Flying Fish flagship 001, Jin Chengyue held his son in his arms and felt a little depressed.On the contrary, the Romans such as Cicero, Sarus, and Severus were the most excited.Ran Ming told them that they were going back to Yecheng, which was the capital of Wei State, a huge city with a larger area, more population and a longer history than Constantinople.Especially Cicero, what he yearns for the most is not that Ran Ming told him that he must be formally canonized by the Emperor of Wei before he can become a true nobleman of Wei.Instead, I heard that Wei Guo established a large-scale academy. This academy covers an area of ​​more than 3000 mu, and the collection of books alone has tens of thousands of volumes.

Valens said, "Mother, where are we going?"

"Go to a strange place, that might be our home!" Helena actually didn't want to leave her Daqin Palace, let alone meet Ran Ming's other women, but there were some things that she couldn't control and couldn't help herself.

"Home!" Valens said, "Aren't we getting farther and farther away from our home in Rome?"

(End of this chapter)