Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

The discussion ceased abruptly.

Emperor Jing gestured for Lai Gou'er to continue speaking.

Lai Gou'er had already prepared his words: "Your Majesty, based on my understanding of the local situation, it is not advisable to initiate war at this moment. It is better to proceed slowly and deliberately."

"The Church governs many nations, but the monarchs of those nations are unwilling to be subservient. They only compromise with the Church due to the circumstances and culture."

"If our Great Jing decides to launch a large-scale war, it will undoubtedly increase the Pope's power, causing them to unite as one. In that case, all trade with the West will inevitably cease. Furthermore, although our Great Jing has well-trained soldiers and sufficient supplies, and our equipment is strong, the difficulty of transporting troops is an unavoidable problem."

"As for directly attacking the Holy City, it is not impossible. I have personally visited the Holy City and it is indeed possible to strike the enemy directly by sea. Whether it succeeds or fails is uncertain, but if the Holy City is thrown into chaos, the nations under the Church's jurisdiction will inevitably become independent. The Holy City holds an extraordinary position in the West. If it is captured, the Western nations will undoubtedly see our Great Jing as enemies, making it doubly difficult to extract benefits from them."

"Neither left nor right is feasible. Our Great Jing's national strength is at its peak, how can we be so timid and hesitant?!" A military general immediately challenged.

Lai Gou'er glanced at the man, not recognizing him.

But he remained calm and unhurried, saying: "I am only considering the reality. I understand everyone's excitement, but it is not good to start a war without a just cause."

The military generals immediately burst into laughter.

"Without a just cause? Let our people do business directly in the Holy City, and if they dare to make any moves, we'll give them a just cause to see! You've said so much, are you not afraid of war?"

"Why bother with so much trouble? Don't they want a share of the goods from our Great Jing? Just send someone to tell them that for every ship of goods our Great Jing sells in the Church's territory, the Church must compensate our Great Jing for the freight, the maintenance costs of the fleet, and pay our Great Jing a tax... If they dare to be angry, we dare to fight!"

"Isn't that just robbery? That's too uncivilized. In my opinion, we should first find someone in the Holy City to secretly open a Taoist temple or something. If they dare to demolish it, then... there will be plenty of reasons."

This is just a bunch of hooligans, so shameless just to start a war.

Fang Zheng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Lai Gou'er remained silent, listening expressionlessly as the group criticized him.

After everyone had finished speaking, he said calmly: "Everyone, although I haven't fought any major battles, I have fought dozens of minor battles in my years of exploring overseas."

"It's not that I'm afraid of war, but the imperial court must carefully consider it. The risks at sea are not as simple as you think."

Emperor Jing's gaze towards Lai Gou'er became increasingly appreciative.

This young man is truly good, at least he is stable enough.

Emperor Jing said: "Then... based on your understanding, what should we do?"

Lai Gou'er said in a deep voice: "I believe that a war between our Great Jing and the Church is inevitable! It's just that the current situation is really not suitable for war. The Church governs the people with divine authority, and we should also adapt to the local conditions and use the same means."

"Father Solger has essentially broken away from the Church's control in Fika. I have also provided him with a sum of money behind the scenes. The believers in Fika have largely freed themselves from the Church's exploitation. I even believe that his prestige in Fika has surpassed the Pope's prestige in the hearts of the believers."

"In addition, there is the Brotherhood, developing its power outside of Fika on one hand, and secretly supporting Father Solger within Fika on the other. At present, I believe that what the imperial court should do is to support Father Solger, provide more funds, and foster a new religion that is in line with the teachings of the Tafu Church, and enhance Father Solger's influence."

"When the war begins, if the Church is thrown into chaos, the new religion can take the opportunity to preside over the overall situation and stabilize the situation for our Great Jing."

"At the same time, what the imperial court should do now is to produce warships, train the navy, and stockpile troops and prepare for war."

As soon as Lai Gou'er finished speaking, someone immediately jumped out to object.

"Absolutely not! It is already difficult to transport troops, and preparing for war and waiting for the enemy is a major taboo! The small country of Fika has not yet been controlled by Great Jing. Once the war begins, our Great Jing will have no ports at all, how can this war be fought?"

"That's right, that's the principle. Good ports are hard to find, and there is no place to moor warships, making it even more difficult to fight a war."

The ministers all expressed their agreement.

This is outrageous. If we support the new religion according to your method, I will be in my coffin by the time it succeeds!

We must take the initiative to attack!

Lai Gou'er said: "You can rest assured on this point. The Brotherhood under the Embroidered Uniform Guard has initially deployed many spies in and around the Holy City."

"Once the Holy City decides to attack Fika, our army will receive the news in advance and prepare early. Our Great Jing's fleet stationed in Fika has a large number of firearms, which can last for a month without problems, and the overseas garrison can arrive in Fika within fifteen days to support them."

"As for whether Fika can hold out and not listen to the Church's orders, I believe that Father Solger and our Great Jing's naval guns should be able to convince them."

Emperor Jing nodded secretly, and his gaze shifted to Fang Zheng, who was silent and pondering something.

Seeing that he had not interrupted and was thinking with his head down, he casually asked: "Fang Qing, you have always been concerned about overseas affairs, what do you think?"

"I think that war is too troublesome. Since we have spies overseas, is it possible to kidnap him back to Great Jing while he is out? As long as he falls into my hands, I believe that with the Embroidered Uniform Guard's various instruments of torture, he will definitely be able to... At that time, if the imperial court tells him to go east, he will not dare to go west."

The ministers cast contemptuous glances.

He is really despicable, always thinking about unreliable things. The difficulty of kidnapping someone is much greater than killing someone, what is he thinking about? Fang Zheng's military level is about the same as a highway robber.

Emperor Jing was bored and shifted his gaze back to Lai Gou'er. Seeing that he wanted to say something but hesitated, he asked: "Qing, do you have anything else to say?"

Lai Gou'er smiled slightly and said: "I actually wanted to tell Your Majesty this news as soon as I entered the palace."

"The reason why I suddenly returned from overseas this time is because I discovered a brand new sea route."

A brand new sea route!?

The entire palace immediately perked up.

"I have befriended many nobles in Fika. The people of Fika are fond of adventure, so there are many navigators among the nobles. I accidentally saw a sea chart drawn by a Fika noble, which greatly supplemented our Great Jing's sea chart."

"Originally, the fleet sailed along the coastline, but later, according to the speculation of the sea chart, the fleet could actually cross the ocean. I made friends with many navigators among the common people in Fika, and after inquiring and researching in many ways, I assumed a route and successfully returned according to the indicated islands along the way."

"Now, it takes about two months for Great Jing's warships to cross the ocean and reach Fika directly. If the wind is bad, it may take another half a month."

After Lai Gou'er finished speaking, he took out an object from his arms: "This is the newly drawn sea chart, please allow Your Majesty to examine it."