Since the establishment of the first trading station in Surat, India, the Qi State has been in India for more than 80 years, from the earliest Indian trading company to the dominance, to the later expansion of the scale and then split into the Indian trading company and the Bangladeshi trading company, and finally, the cabinet set up the Ministry of Foreign Colonial Affairs, which incorporated the colonial activities of the entire Indian region into the official act, thus establishing the hegemony of the Qi country in the subcontinent and making it the exclusive colonial territory of the Qi country.

However, due to the complex political power and religious problems in India, the colonization methods adopted by the Qi state throughout India were also different.

There were semi-independent protectorates such as the Kharat Khanate, semi-colonies such as the Nawab Kingdom, Banjinad, and Rajput Kingdom, which were deeply bound economically and militarily, as well as separatist warlord forces such as Bengal and Malwa that were under the military protection and economic control of the Qi State, as well as overseas territories directly under the direct control of Shazhou, Mozhou, Shanghai, Fengning (present-day local administration of India and Madras region), and Gangneung (present-day Kolkata, India), and even a puppet kingdom called an independent kingdom called the independent kingdom that was actually completely controlled by the Qi State.

In the eighth year of the Han Dynasty (1648), the Portuguese, who could not withstand the invasion of the Dutch, in order to gain the support of the Qi people, and at the same time wanted to introduce a strong foreign force to counter the aggressive Dutch East India Company, they packaged the land in the port of Cochin and the surrounding area to the Qi people at a low price, so that they could concentrate on the development and maintenance of the two important colonial strongholds of Goa and Diu.

The state of Qi then took this opportunity to unite with the Kingdom of Cochin, and for decades continued to swallow up the surrounding states and actively expand its colonial power.

By the end of the first year of Yonglong (1730), the southern region of India, which was once full of states, was swept away by the Cochin Kingdom, the Chuloon Kingdom, the Ramnad Kingdom, the Kozhikod Kingdom, the Godagu Kingdom, and the Kannur Kingdom have all been swallowed up, and the Maduraia Kingdom, which was once the largest and most powerful, was also forced to retreat to the north of the Cauveri River, and retreated to a corner.

At this time, in the whole of southern India, except for the rising kingdom of Mysore, the Kingdom of Cochin had no rivals, and became the largest territory, the largest number of people under control, and the most influential state in the region.

Of course, everyone in South India knows that the reason why the Cochin Kingdom is so strong is not because it is full of martial arts and is very capable of fighting.

Guy, behind the Kingdom of Cochin stood the people of the Qi Kingdom.

Oh, it's not right, in the Kingdom of Cochin, the Qi people are not standing behind, but from the top to the Prime Minister's Office of the Kingdom Cabinet Government, down to the tax collection and auditing system, and even the middle and high-level officers in the army, there are Qi people everywhere.

Only the Indian civilization has been difficult to achieve political unity, and there has never been a large-scale military expansion abroad. Culturally, with the rise of Arab civilization, the superstructure of Indian civilization is basically dominated by true theistic religion, while the native Hinduism is suppressed and restricted.

From ancient times to the present, there are large and small state regimes distributed in various regions of the Indian continent, and the whole is fragmented into one place, and it is impossible to form a joint force, let alone carry forward its own civilization.

Of course, after seeing the powerful military force of Qi, the Cochin Kingdom also judged the situation and took the initiative to entrust the kingdom's foreign affairs, port management, tariff collection, road construction, military security and many other aspects to Qi, and willingly became the protectorate of Qi.

Relying on the strong, although to some extent loses their independent status, can ensure the survival of the royal family and permanent wealth, so it seems to be quite cost-effective.

At this time, Indian civilization became a natural refuge for foreign nomads. One nomadic tribe after another entered the Indus Valley from the Khyber Pass in the northwest and settled down, gradually gaining strength and conquering the entire Indian continent and building vast empires. When the empire weakened, the Indian world was divided again until new nomads settled in the northwestern Punjab plains.

After obtaining the port of Cochin, the Qi State first chose them as partners in colonial expansion, from the beginning of only trade exchanges, to the end of the in-depth cooperation in the economic, political, military, cultural and other fields, was tightly tied to the chariot of the Qi State.

Later, the Dutch came and showed their might more than the Portuguese, and many local powers on the Malabar coast fell to the Dutch.

But southern India, both geographically and politically, was never truly united, and even at the height of the Mughal Empire's power, the southern frontier was only extended to the Cauveri River, but the foundation of its rule was unusually weak. After the outbreak of the First Qi-India War and the death of the Mughal Emperor on the battlefield, the conquered Deccan Plateau immediately broke out in rebellion, and local forces of all sizes sprung up like mushrooms.

In the end, the Qi people came, and their strength was even greater than that of Portugal and the Netherlands, so how to choose was naturally self-evident.

Looking at the four major civilizations in the world, in the long history of thousands of years, only the Arab civilization, the Persian civilization, and the Chinese civilization have been able to continuously create powerful empires, achieve a high degree of political unity, and carry out military expansion abroad.

Oh, not really, the only highlight of Indian civilization was when Indian civilization created the Mauryan Empire and gave rise to Buddhism.

More than 200 years ago, the Portuguese came to the Malabar coast of India in gunboats and muskets, and after a battle of blood and fire, the kingdoms of Kozhikod, Cochin, and Chuloon all submitted to the Portuguese and accepted the harsh terms of trade they proposed.

However, the entire Cochin royal family and many princes and nobles did not feel any resentment or humiliation as puppets of the Qi Kingdom, but were happy to enjoy the glory of the "conquerors", and the pleasure of watching the powerful opponents or noble princes of the past being held down the ranks and respectfully handing over the surrender table to the Cochin Kingdom is simply impossible to describe in precise words.

This is the only time that this is a political and cultural force generated by Indian civilization itself, and not a "gift" from outside. At the same time that the Mauryan Empire unified India, Buddhism continued to spread to the outside world, and at the same time, Afghanistan began to be incorporated into the territory because of the Mauryan military campaigns.

It can be said that the Kingdom of Cochin is the "white glove" of Qi colonizing the southern region of India, a gorgeous coat of "Indians ruling Indians" on the outside.

In India, whether in the north or in the south, there has always been a "historical tradition" of respecting and following the strong.

However, even the Mauryan Empire did not cover the entire extent of Indian civilization. The rise of the Mauryan Empire did not depend entirely on the strength of Indian civilization itself, but was the result of the spread of Persian civilization to India. Darius invaded the Indus Valley, and the Indus Plain became the twentieth province of the Persian Empire, and the Mauryan court's etiquette and writing were heavily influenced by Persian civilization.

In the era of the jungle, in order to survive, take the initiative to lean towards the country of Qi, and there is no shame.

Among the many southern states, the most fortunate was the Kingdom of Cochin.

By now, anyone with a discerning eye can see that there is likely to be a real unification of southern India at some point in the future, and although there will still be a number of autonomous or semi-independent states, all the people of the land will submit to a foreign power in any case.

As the master of the Kingdom of Cochin and even the southern region of India, Pan Guangfeng, the former general representative of the Qi State in Europe and the plenipotentiary minister, was naturally warmly received by many local princes and nobles and comprador businessmen after arriving at the port of Cochin.

Crown Prince Valmar of Cochin, in his capacity as a prisoner, held a grand banquet for Pan Guangfeng at the Matancheri Palace.

Well, the reason why King Cochin was unable to come forward to receive him was because the king was in Chang'an again and didn't want to come back when he congratulated Emperor Qi on the enthronement ceremony.

Although there is an endless and luxurious material life in the Kingdom of Cochin, if you want to really enjoy the modern and comfortable civilized life, it has to be the Qi country itself.

As early as decades ago, King Cochin spent more than 800,000 yuan in Chang'an City to build a luxurious annex called the "Golden Cave".

To soften and pleasing the intense afternoon light, stained glass was installed on the windows of several halls, each decorated with jade, marble, topaz and amber.

Many rooms are filled with Daqin porcelain, the walls are lined with rich Persian carpets, the intricate wall clocks are inlaid with diamonds and pearls, and the interior furnishings are made of antique sandalwood and nanmu furniture.

When night falls, all the gas lamps are lit and the whole estate is like a bright starry sky.

King Cochin also brought more than a dozen of his beautiful concubines to Chang'an, where they drank and enjoyed themselves every day, indulging in sensuality, and felt quite happy.

In the country of Qi, you can enjoy the best goods and services in the world at all times, as well as the most advanced medical care in the world, and the most convenient and fastest means of transportation in the world.

If you have nothing to do, you can spend a lot of money to charter a carriage and hang it on the train, and you can enjoy the vast and rugged primitive scenery of Hanzhou in a very short time at any time.

As for the complicated daily affairs of the Kingdom of Cochin, leave him alone!

In the palace, there is the crown prince Valma supervising the country, there are the prime minister and the adviser of the state of Qi in government affairs, and in military affairs, there is the garrison army of the state of Qi, and King Cochin feels that it does not matter whether he returns to China or not, it is better to stay in Chang'an and be at ease.

The king was so sluggish that he did not come back from Chang'an, and the ministers of the Cochin Kingdom and the advisors of the Qi State were very speechless about this.

In other words, this guy will really enjoy life!

Don't you have the slightest sense of responsibility as a king?

"The Kingdom of Mysore seems to feel a great threat from us, and in addition to constantly building up its armaments and military capabilities, it is also trying to form a common alliance with the kingdoms of Hyderabad and Maratha to maintain its own security interests." Zhou Dehui, the general adviser of Qi in the Kingdom of Cochin, stood on the edge of the terrace on the third floor, looked at the lights in the distance, put the pipe in his hand to his mouth, took a puff gently, felt the strong stimulation of nicotine, and then exhaled a smoke ring.

"What? Are you ready to preemptively launch a military campaign against the Kingdom of Mysore? Pan Guangfeng asked with a smile.

"Well, there is indeed a plan." Zhou Dehui nodded and said, "A year ago, the Mysore Kingdom attacked the Kredinayaka Kingdom, and we thought that with a large amount of military assistance from our Qi Kingdom, this war would last for two or three years. Even if the kingdom of Mysore can win on the battlefield, it will inevitably lose its strength. In this way, we will be able to reap the benefits of the fisherman and take advantage of the opportunity for the Madurainaya Kingdom to settle the matter once and for all, and push the border line to the Mysore Kingdom. But who would have thought that in less than half a year, the Kingdom of Mysore would defeat the army of the Kingdom of Credinayaka and attack the country's capital Talwar, forcing the other party to cede a large amount of land and a huge amount of indemnity. ”

"Oh, Mysore has conquered the kingdom of Credinaaca in one fell swoop, and then there is a great threat to my Suzhou Viceroyalty (formerly Portuguese Goa)." When Pan Guangfeng heard this, he couldn't help frowning, "Could it be that the Mysore Kingdom has received assistance from some external forces?" ”

"French." Zhou Dehui said softly: "We have learned from various sources that the Kingdom of Mysore had close contacts with some French merchants, and it must have been through them that a large number of firearms were obtained. Of course, the mercenary Dutch and the scheming English also smuggled weapons and equipment into the kingdom to a greater or lesser extent. ”

"French? Then you ......"

"We did not impose too severe penalties on the French businessmen who engaged in arms smuggling, but only confiscated the weapons on board and then gave them verbal warnings." Zhou Dehui smiled and shook his head, "After all, those French merchant ships claim that the weapons they carry are purely for self-defense, although the number is a little too much, but we really can't attack it." India, after all, is not the legal territory of our Qi country, and in the ports of the Mughal Empire, which we do not have actual control, there is no due excuse for law enforcement. Hehe...... who made us Qi advocate free trade? ”

"Hehe......" Pan Guangfeng couldn't help laughing when he heard this.

Yes, our country advocates free trade, and there is no reason to only allow our own merchant ships to trade with any country or region, but to impose all kinds of restrictions and obstacles on the entry of merchant ships from other countries into our own territory or colonial territories.

Moreover, the Mughal Empire and the Mysore Kingdom are still independent countries in legal terms, although everyone in the world knows that the whole of India is within the sphere of influence of our Qi State, but after all, it is not a legitimate and formal territory or colonial territory of the Qi State, and it cannot be arbitrarily exercised with a long arm to prohibit the free passage of merchant ships from other countries.

"Although the Kingdom of Mysore is expanding in momentum, its national strength is limited after all, and it is not a problem to defeat it." Zhou Dehui pondered for a moment, and then said with a solemn face: "But I am worried that after being attacked by us, the Kingdom of Mysore will completely fall to the Kingdom of Maratha, and then unite with the princely states of Argot, the Kingdom of Chechi Drugana, the Kingdom of Akhaka, and the de facto independent state of Hyderabad to form a Deccan alliance to challenge us." ”

"The meaning of the general system of Zhou is ......"

"The situation in southern India is affecting the whole body!" Zhou Dehui said: "Therefore, before we launch a military operation against the Kingdom of Mysore, we have to consider whether it will lead to a wide-ranging all-round war. Therefore, after returning to Chang'an, Ambassador Pan must inform His Majesty and the Cabinet of the details of this visit so that we can make the necessary preparations. ”

Pan Guangfeng couldn't help but sigh slightly.

The young emperor had not been on the throne for a long time, and most of them wanted to show off their "great deeds" in order to show their wisdom and enhance their prestige.

The principals of these overseas colonial territories naturally want to cater to the holy will, curry favor with Your Majesty, and take every opportunity to launch a war of colonial expansion, exchanging the accumulated bones and the blood of countless people for the glory and wealth of themselves and the families behind them.

Perhaps, under the leadership of His Majesty the young Emperor, the empire's former peaceful foreign policy may be transformed into relatively radical and ostentatious.

Then, after taking up the post of secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I am afraid that I will face more challenges.

(End of chapter)