Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 169 Drawing a square on the ground, the book astonishes even ghosts and gods!
Those who are not of our kind are bound to have different hearts; Wang Cheng had never had any goodwill towards these people.

"I have gathered intelligence on Macau."

It is said that they initially bribed local officials to obtain the right to reside by claiming that their boat had encountered strong winds and waves and requesting permission to use the Haojing (a type of mirror) to dry their water-damaged goods. They also built sheds on the shore for temporary trading.

However, four years later, they are now openly transporting bricks, tiles, and timber to build permanent houses and even coastal forts to guard against the Dutch who have also entered the South China Sea and East China Sea regions.

It has already begun to erode the Da Zhao's right to defend the coast. One can imagine that its autonomy, judicial power, and sovereignty will be taken away sooner or later.

Making steady progress, step by step, just like the Filipino monkey sitting on the beach.

Not to mention that Severus is my next opponent, a staunch ally and fellow believer of Otomo Yoshishige, the chief envoy of the Nine Domains. A battle between us is inevitable sooner or later.”

When Wang Cheng first received the news, he even went to Luo Wenlong specifically to discuss the matter.

However, even the head of the mission was quite helpless.

The person who proposed bestowing the title of Carlo was another general of the Yan Party, Wang Bai, the deputy envoy of the Lingnan Circuit.

He was initially in charge of reaching a verbal agreement with the Westerners: first, the Westerners had to abide by the rules, pay land rent, and obey regulations; second, they would help solve the problem of Japanese pirates.

This is typical of the Da Zhao tributary system mindset—the Celestial Empire never signs equal treaties with any foreign vassals, but it will give some benefits to those who cooperate.

The Frankish people, naturally eager to gain legal trading rights, have contributed significantly to Yan's cause on the Lingnan seas in recent years.

Emperor Shaozhi and the Yan faction valued "practical officials" more than the upright gentry. Those who could get things done and make money would be given extra points. Before the mission set off, they specifically requested that the Franks be given the position of General of the Sea.

"They only want one spot, so it's not like they're picking the peaches, but they don't realize that they're raising a tiger to cause trouble."

Seventy years ago, the Eastern and Western Francois established the Papal Meridian, dividing the world into two parts, one to the east and one to the west. The number of indigenous people killed by each of them was at least in the tens of millions.

Compared to them, Bai Qi, the god of slaughter who only dared to kill surrendered soldiers, was practically a saint, wasn't he?

The emperor and the Grand Secretaries dare to open the door to thieves and invite them to help the Great Zhao fight pirates? My teacher Wang really should open your eyelids and let you see the world properly.

When I get back, I'll add this data to the draft of *The Influence of Sea Power on History*.

Wang Cheng originally didn't intend to pay any attention to the smug Baron Carlo, and was about to pull Shen Yueye back to the palace.

"and many more!"

The newly appointed General Zhenhai, who was riding past the bookstore on horseback, suddenly turned around and shouted at Shen Yueye in somewhat broken Dazhao dialect:
“This young lady seems to be of Chinese descent from our Western countries. Could she have been sold to Yingzhou?”
Your eye color is very similar to that of an old friend of mine.

I am willing to pay to ransom you so that you can return to your hometown and reunite with your family.

His face was full of kindness, and he didn't seem like someone who had acted on impulse at first sight.

After all, Shen Yueye had been wearing the Cleopatra's gold veil the whole time, so apart from his eyes, he couldn't see the girl's face under the veil.

However, Shen Yueye and Wang Cheng, being officials of the middle third rank, possessed keen senses and could instinctively feel that his gaze seemed a little too eager.

Before they could figure out what this person was up to, whether he was genuinely kind or had ulterior motives, they were caught off guard.

Carlo suddenly spurred his horse forward, a rolling tide sound emanating from his body, and a blue cross and a knight's phantom rose above his head, reaching out to grab at him.

The imposing aura proves that this is a master who is close to the limit of the middle third rank!
Wang Cheng had already learned from his senior sister that there was another theological professional system in Western countries, with the Holy Cross Church at its core.

"The highest-ranking [Master] is roughly equivalent to the [Three Officials] of Shenzhou. They are also manifestations of Dao Qi and have no self."

Below this are the numerous three classes of officials who mainly worship ancestral masters and are closely related to secular life.

Western countries have always been religious societies under the rule of the Holy Cross Church, and most secular countries are merely vassals of the church, with royal power suppressed by divine authority.

Each country has several patron saints, each with a different cross emblem as proof of their spiritual efficacy, serving as a guardian for different professions.

One is secular, the other religious; one worships its own ancestor, the other worships the patron saint; one finds spiritual efficacy in the seventy-two pentads, the other in the symbol of the cross.

The blue cross that Carlota now displays is the emblem of Saint Vincent, one of the patron saints of Severus.

Clearly, this is another Tide Rider like Magellan.

While their official ranks were not as diverse as those of the Great Zhao Dynasty, they possessed unique strengths in combat.

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!
The bald monk, leading a large group of men, rushed over swiftly, following behind Wang Cheng and Shen Yueye.

The three hundred elite personal guards have now been reorganized into the first batch of imperial guards. The two men disguised themselves and went to the bookstore, with at least a hundred people secretly following behind them.

They were all heavily armed and exuded a murderous aura.

Wang Cheng, being in his own base camp, wasn't worried about his safety at all.

Seeing the enormous phantom of a knight that had already materialized behind Carlo, he pulled Shen Yueye behind him and casually said:
"The law commands: Heavenly rules and earthly regulations, you cannot move an inch!"

call--!
Only Wang Cheng, the Prince of Jinghai, could see the movement of the stars, the shadows measured by the gnomon, the ecliptic longitude of the sun, the rotation of the celestial sphere, the twenty-four solar terms, and the seventy-two pentads circulating and manifesting from high to low within a radius of thirty feet.

Carlo was firmly kept ten paces away.

No matter how hard he charged on horseback, he couldn't get any closer.

The basic function of all [Royal Seals] and [Imperial Seals] is to automatically sort out the earth's energy and dragon veins within the ruling area according to the "Twenty-Four Solar Terms," ​​delineate the longitude and latitude with the capital city as the center, and establish the heavenly rules and earthly regulations that belong exclusively to their own country.

Over time, just like Moon Harbor was to Yan Yunxiao, the Dragon Girl Earth Deity, it transformed into a Dharma realm, providing her with comprehensive support.

The same applies to the ruler of a country.

Within their own capital, they dare not claim to be the rule-makers, but the power they wield through "bullying others" far surpasses that of ordinary officials of the Great Zhao who claim to be invincible among their peers.

With the establishment of the Donghai Kingdom, Wang Cheng reformed the Five Peaks Banner Army system and established his own rules. This subtle change deepened every day.

Starting from his sleeping quarters, the Pear Blossom Palace, and extending to the entire imperial palace, to the Golden Jade Workshop, the power continued to expand. The emperor's power extended to a distance of ten steps and a thousand miles, while the power of a vassal king, though greatly diminished to a limit of perhaps only a few hundred miles, was based on the same principle.

Within this scope, my rules are the rules!
In today's practical application, it proved effective.

Of course, there are always exceptions, and these rules of nature are not omnipotent.

such as:

A: "I am a 9-dan Go player."

Yi pulled out Emperor Jing of Han's chessboard from his pocket and casually said, "You're not wearing a helmet!"

Thud! Bang! Thud!
In an instant, you can defeat your powerful opponent outside the rules of the game; no matter what rules you set, they won't matter.

Or perhaps those talismans and protective objects from the history of the Great Zhao Dynasty that could kill emperors and even suppress Daoist Master, a first-rank [Dan Ding Daoist], could also break through the rules and regulations of this Daoist temple and its realm.

Therefore, a sufficient royal guard is always necessary, and a wise man would not take the risk of being disguised as a white dragon.

"stop!"

Hundreds of matchlock guns immediately came into view from all directions, aiming at Carlo and the dozen or so red-haired soldiers he had brought ashore.

Upon seeing this scene, the Francois immediately realized that he had inadvertently kicked a hornet's nest.

He quickly raised his hands and explained to the bald monk who had already transformed into a bronze statue using the [Vajra Yaksha Myōō] technique and rushed towards him:

"It's all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."

I only wanted to help this beautiful young lady out of kinship and longing for an old friend.

Even if you don't want to sell, I haven't broken any local laws, have I? Let's leave right away, okay?

After saying that, he turned and left without any hesitation.

Wang Cheng raised an eyebrow, but he couldn't very well kill a newly appointed Zhenhai General who acted rashly "out of kindness" in public.

He waved his hand, signaling the bald monk to let them leave.

The Severn is an ally of the Otomo family in northern Kyushu; they can run away, but they can't hide.

The battle for the unification of the nine islands has entered its final countdown. They will meet again sooner or later. When there are fewer people around, it will be easier to figure out what Carlo is really up to.

The breech-loading sailboat slowly departed the harbor.

Carlo turned to look at Pinghu Port, adjusted his triangular captain's hat, and his eyes were filled with the sharpness of an eagle.

"That girl has eyes that are the color of the ocean!"
Although it looks green like many Westerners, it is completely different from those cheap light greens and olive greens.

Even if you search the whole world, those eyes belong only to the last descendant of that family!
Before 1453 AD, my family had been serving that family and left behind many portraits, which I would never mistake even after a hundred years.

They originally intended to take advantage of the situation to lure her onto the ship and bring her back to their homeland, but they didn't expect that she seemed to hold a rather high position in this East Sea Kingdom.

However, it doesn't matter. The navigational beacon of our patron saint, Saint Vincent, has already been left. As long as I find the opportunity, that girl will fall into my hands sooner or later.

"By then... heh heh."

The moonlight was cool and clear, and the Pear Blossom Palace in the imperial palace was brightly lit.

Wang Cheng had long since put the little incident from earlier in the day behind him. Wearing a white undergarment and holding a wolf-hair brush, he hurried to finish the last bit of work on "On Sea Power".

First, it adds a section on the bloody colonial history of the East and West Francois, with relevant data coming from the writings of conscientious missionaries in the West, all of which are verifiable.

Then he continued writing:

"The ocean will inevitably become the main arena for competition and conflict among maritime powers."

Anyone who desires wealth and dominance must acquire control of the sea, and the only ways to achieve this are decisive fleet battles and naval blockades—this is beyond human control.

Finally, the title page reiterates the most crucial summary of the entire text, which is also the core idea of ​​the whole book:

No country has ever become powerful because it is closed off.

Even the unknown things that exist in the depths of the vast ocean cannot be a reason to close the country off and abandon the entire Age of Exploration.

King Yu tells us that if we only use the method of 'blocking' to control the flood, it is like drinking poison to quench thirst, and it will inevitably lead to a greater flood in the end!

Therefore, we should be clear that whoever controls the ocean controls the sea lanes, and whoever controls the sea lanes controls world trade.

Whoever controls world trade controls world wealth, and thus controls the world itself!

With this, "The Influence of Sea Power" was officially completed.

As Wang Cheng wrote the last word.

Boom——! ! !
A thunderclap suddenly rang in his ears.

The night sky, which had just been bathed in moonlight, was suddenly covered with dark clouds, and torrential rain poured down on the entire island of Kowloon.

woo woo woo woo
Following closely behind were mournful sobs that seemed to come from the depths of the vast ocean, one after another, sounding extremely shrill.

And amidst that wailing, there were also six eerie roars, each with a different timbre and tone, as if six decaying corpses that had been submerged at the bottom of the sea for thousands of years were exploding in Wang Cheng's ears at once:

"No going out to sea! No going out to sea! No going out to sea!"

(End of this chapter)