Shengjing, Yongfu Palace. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

"The honorable Count of the Empire, the supreme commander of the Northern Legion of the Empire, the Jinong of the Mongols, the regent of the Jurchens, the beggar charm, the Kuyi people, the benevolent protectors of the Beishan peoples, and many northern peoples, the projection of the Great Black Celestial God in the world, and the darling of the Buddha......"

Liu Cheng, who sat on the throne of the former Bogda Chechen Khan, listened to Paul who knelt below. Captain Taylor read the lengthy title in strange Chinese, and couldn't help but get a little bored, he turned his head sideways and whispered to Min Min who was sitting next to him: "Min Min, is this guy looking for the wrong person, when did we have such a long title!" ”

Min Min took a sip: "Ah Cheng, you see that people's backs are full of sweat, can't you just sit down and listen?" ”

"Huh!" Liu Cheng chuckled twice: "It's indeed a little unbearable, look at that guy, gritting his teeth, I don't know and I still think he has a grudge against me!" ”

Min Min heard Liu Cheng say this, and looked at Paul, who was kneeling on the ground. Taylor looked at it, and sure enough, the other party's cheek muscles were tense, and the blue tendons on his forehead were exposed, as if he was doing something extremely laborious. She hurriedly turned her head away, so as not to let others see her faux pas.

"Congratulations on your great victory!" Paul. Taylor finally memorized this more than 200 words of congratulations, as a captain of an ocean voyage, his language learning ability is actually quite good, after more than a year of study, he can already be very proficient in simple Chinese conversation, but in a formal occasion to meet such a distinguished adult is another matter. It took him a lot of effort to memorize the congratulatory words that Lin Heshui had written for him. However, because he did not know much about the political situation in East Asia, he gave Liu Cheng a very "Western-style" title - listing all the nationalities and official positions under his rule, and the result was extremely lengthy and protracted, so much so that it took up half of the page.

"Hmm!" Liu Cheng nodded: "Captain Paul, I already know your merits from the report given to me by my subordinates, you have done a good job, I will give you a reward commensurate with your merits!" ”

"Your Excellency!" Paul. Seeing that Liu Chengcheng was about to send himself away, Taylor hurriedly said in a loud voice: "I have a small request, if you can satisfy me, I will have nothing else to ask for!" ”

"A small request?" Liu Cheng looked at the bearded Westerner in front of him, and the word greed was almost written on his face: "What is the request?" ”

"A trade charter from Niluhan to Ezo!" Paul. Taylor laughed, "If you give me a trade charter from Niluhan to Ezo, of course, it is exclusive and exclusive, and I will be very grateful, and as a token of my gratitude, I am willing to pay you a tribute of four hundred gold ducats every year!" ”

"From the trade charter to Ezo!" Paul. Taylor tried his best to pretend to be nonchalant, and said with a smile: "Your Excellency, you know, I used to hunt seals over there, and now I have found that there are whales to catch, and I want to sell some seal skins, whale oil or something to the widows, I am afraid that too many people will intervene and push the price too low to be profitable, so I applied for a trade concession from you!" "Paul. As Taylor spoke, he looked at Liu Cheng's face carefully, but he was calculating in his heart whether he should raise the tribute a little more. Like the vast majority of Western captains at the time, Paul. Taylor is also a less successful businessman and occasional part-time pirate. From the day he stepped on deck, Paul. Taylor was looking for a chance to make a fortune, but the gods of luck did not favor him, and until he was forty years old, he was still a reluctant captain, and the little money he had saved was only enough to marry the daughter of a wealthy farmer, and he was still 108,000 miles away from his goal of becoming a noble lord.

When he was fined hefty for his sailors making trouble in the tavern, Paul was fined. Taylor thought it was bad luck at first, but as time passed, he found that he had finally made luck. In order to feed the charming army of the Cossacks and beggars, the water of the Lin River had to get enough food, and the "Royal Oak" came in handy - salmon in autumn, seals and whales in winter, salted a little, stuffed into freshly made oak barrels, and then transported south down the river by boat or ice sled to the barracks on the shores of Lake Khinkae, as many as they wanted, and the seals could be tanned and used to make warm coats. Lin Heshui, the "waste" of the whaling and sealing industries, was willing to buy it for one stone (60 kilograms) and three pieces of silver, and with these "wastes" and nearly 2,000 stone brown rice bought from the Japanese, Lin Heshui fed the small army in Acton for more than a year. Paul. Taylor also made a small profit.

But soon Paul. Taylor discovered an even greater route to fortune - a trade route from Niluhan to Ezo (Hokkaido, Japan). At that time, the island of Hokkaido was nominally owned by the Matsumae Domain of Japan, but in fact the Matsumae Domain controlled only the Wajinji Domain, which was located in the southern part of the Toshima Peninsula. i.e. Japanese settlements, and most of the rest of the island is actually controlled by the local indigenous people, the Ezo people. In order to obtain the necessary resources and hire ronins to replenish his troops, Lin Heshui once took the "Royal Oak" to Ezo several times to sell the silk, porcelain and other goods he carried in exchange for materials and mercenaries. In the process Paul. Taylor found that silk, porcelain, and various daily necessities produced in China were in high demand. As a businessman who sailed in East Asia for many years, Paul . Taylor was well aware that since the Tokugawa shogunate announced the lockdown decree, the foreign trade system had been actually monopolized by the Dutch, and if this monopoly could be broken, even if it was just a secret trade route, it would be an unimaginably huge wealth for him. And after Liu Cheng defeated Houjin, he actually became the master of the western half of the Japanese Sea. Taylor's plan to make a fortune was unhindered.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't grant your request!"

Wake up from a dream of getting rich, Paul. Taylor couldn't help but panic a little, he hurriedly raised his price: "My lord, if you think that the tribute I paid is too small, I can double it, eight hundred gold ducats, what do you think?" ”

"No, it's not about the money!" Liu Cheng laughed: "Captain, I'm not a businessman, and I'm not used to bargaining with people. The only reason I'm denying your request is that I'm not going to give a charter to anyone, you understand? ”

"Won't give a charter to anyone?" Paul. Taylor was stunned for a moment: "Then how do you profit from trading?" ”

"I don't think I made it clear!" Liu Cheng smiled: "I will not give a charter to anyone, because I think that trade and navigation should be free, and anyone can trade and sail freely on the sea - as long as he pays taxes!" Speaking of this, Liu Cheng looked at Paul with a disappointed face. Taylor, laughing, "Captain, I won't forget that you did a lot for me. While I can't meet the requirements of your trade charter, I would like to compensate you in other ways, such as, how about the principal of the nautical school? ”

"Headmaster of the Nautical School?"

"That's right!" Liu Cheng stretched out his hands, revealing the thick calluses on them: "You see, I am a martial artist, and for many years I have been busy fighting wars against the enemies of the empire, such as the Liukou, the Mongols, the Jurchens, and the Dutch. After all these years of hard work, the war has ended and peace has finally arrived. I now plan to do something more meaningful to the country and the people, such as opening a school! I know that you Westerners are better at sea than we are, that your ships are stronger, more suitable for complex sea conditions, can sail farther, and can be loaded with more and larger caliber guns; Your sailors and captains know how to use the position of the stars in the sky and the angle of the sun at noon to calculate the exact position of the ship on Earth. This is very useful knowledge, and I intend to open a school dedicated to the training of shipbuilders, navigators, astronomers, mathematicians, surveyors, and draftsmen. ”

Paul. Taylor was stunned by Liu Cheng's gushing words, he realized that this was a huge opportunity for him, as a sailor and captain, he naturally heard Tang from the mouths of his ancestors? Alfonso? The story of Prince Enrique, a devout Christian who dedicated the rest of his life to seafaring after driving the pagans out of the Iberian Peninsula, it was the National Institute of Navigation, Astronomy and Cartography that he established in Sagres that laid a solid foundation for Portuguese navigation, and it can be said that the first cornerstone of the great geographical discoveries of Europeans in the next few hundred years was laid down by the Portuguese prince. And the Khan of the millions of Tatars in front of him will do the same thing two hundred years later, but he has much more manpower and material resources than the Portuguese pioneer, could it be that under his guidance, these yellow-skinned, squint-eyed people will also go to the sea and conquer the world?

Just Paul. When Taylor was struggling between personal gains and losses and the fate of the white race, Liu Cheng seemed to see his doubts and smiled slightly: "Mr. Paul, I once heard Mr. Lin say that your long-cherished wish has always been to accumulate a fortune in the East, and then you can obtain a piece of land after returning to China and enter the ranks of the nobility. There is no doubt that a brave and skilled person like you deserves all of this, but I think that advice is more appropriate for you. When you become the Rector of the Nautical Academy, you will be recommended by me to join the ranks of the Patriarchs, which is roughly equivalent to a member of the House of Lords in your home country, and you will also receive a fief. Speaking of this, Liu Cheng stood up, walked to the hanging map next to him, pointed to a place and smiled: "What do you think of this place?" ”

"Jeju Island?" Paul. Taylor immediately recognized the island as the North Korean island of Jeju, which was located near the Tsushima Strait, and its location was very important: "But isn't this the island of the North Koreans?" ”

"Trust me, it's not too much of a problem!" Liu Cheng smiled: "Of course, the location of this island is too important, I will build a port there, and the pasture on it is also suitable for horse grazing, so what can be sealed to you cannot be the entire island, probably only a quarter to a fifth of the entire island, what do you think?" ”

Under Liu Cheng's promise, Paul. Taylor immediately made a choice between personal gain and loss and the fate of the white race, and he fell on one knee, bent down, and replied in a trembling voice: "Honorable lord, I am your deferential servant! ”

"Good!" Liu Cheng stood up with a smile: "I plan to build a navigation school here!" He walked to the map and pointed to the southernmost tip of the Liaodong Peninsula: "This will also become the home port of our navy, where the shipyard and the cannon foundry are located." I'd like to ask for your opinion on the location of Minato and the location of the school! ”

Paul who was dazzled by the big cake drawn by Liu Cheng. Taylor immediately stood up: "My lord, I'll set off to investigate the local area immediately!" ”

"Good!" Liu Cheng said with a smile: "I remind you not to be too stingy in terms of the port area and schools, money is not a problem." Also, if you have friends who are good at this, you can write to invite them to come over, and my skin color and faith are not a problem, you are a good example! ”

"Yes, sir!"

Look at Paul. With Taylor's back as he left, Min Min suddenly asked, "Ah Cheng, what are you talking about as a veteran, why am I being kept in the dark?" ”

"It's a plan of mine, and I haven't figured it out all the time, so I didn't tell you, I just figured it out!" Liu Cheng smiled: "Minmin, let me ask you, what am I?" ”

"What the hell are you? Are you Liu Cheng? Min Min was a little confused by Liu Cheng's question.

"That's not what I meant! Do you remember what that foreign devil called me just now? The honorable Count of the Empire, the Supreme Commander of the Northern Legion of the Empire, the Jinong of the Mongols, the regent of the Jurchens, the beggar charm, the Kuyi, the Beishan people, and the benevolent protectors of many northern peoples, etc. What does this mean? I have many identities at the same time, each of which can bring me a part of power, and these identities are superimposed to become me Liu Cheng, so I ask you Minmin, is this a good thing? ”

Min Min thought for a moment and replied, "It's hard to say whether it's good or bad!" ”

"Not bad!" Liu Cheng smiled: "There are advantages and disadvantages, or mixed results." If I don't have so many identities, I can't unify these ethnic groups with huge contradictions under my banner, but so many identities also allow me to do not much, after all, power means responsibility, I am the Jinong of the Mongols, I have to consider the interests of the Mongols, I am the regent of the Jurchens, I have to consider the interests of the Jurchens, I am the Marquis of Wu'an of the Ming Dynasty, the general army of Xuanda, and the governor of Zuodu, so I have to bear the responsibility of the courtiers of the Ming Dynasty. When there is a contradiction between these identities, I am very difficult, and it is only a matter of time before or so! ”