How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 273 is about nipping the Ansar people's world empire in the bud!
In the biting winds of the Mongolian Plateau, Chechen Khan Erlinchen Lodba led his followers to greet Hauge's delegation in the snow outside the camp. The ceremony wasn't particularly grand, but all the necessary formalities were observed. Dozens of Russians, dressed in dirty fur robes, carrying axes and muskets slung over their shoulders, stood watching the spectacle from a distance, their faces bearing the smiles of someone enjoying a show.

As soon as Hauge dismounted, his gaze swept over the group of blond-haired, blue-eyed men. Erlinchen Khan quickly stepped forward, bowed according to the customs of the steppe, and said, "Welcome, Great Khan's envoy."

Upon hearing this, the red-bearded leader of the Russians burst out laughing and shouted to his companions in broken Mongolian, "Did you hear that? Another errand boy for the Mongol Khan! There are more Khans on the grasslands than rats in a burrow!" As he spoke, he deliberately brandished the long-handled axe in his hand (this type of axe could be used to mount a matchlock gun), clearly showing that he didn't take them seriously.

Hauge's face immediately darkened. Fan Wencheng moved slightly behind him and whispered, "Your Highness, important matters are at hand, please bear with it."

Erlinchen Khan was somewhat embarrassed and was about to speak up to smooth things over. However, the red-bearded man became even more arrogant, taking a few steps forward and pointing at the guards brought by Hauge, shouting at Erlinchen Khan: "Khan! Is the mutton you've served your guests enough for us true friends? Don't just focus on serving these poor envoys who came out of nowhere!"

These words were no longer a joke; they were a direct slap in the face. If Hauge didn't speak up, his reputation as the Great Prince of Jin would be utterly ruined in front of these people from the Northern Desert.

"You dog slave!" Hauge roared, drawing his sword sharply. "Take him down!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Si roared, "Give it!"

The Korean arquebusier standing at the rear of the detachment suddenly threw off his thick felt cloak to reveal a matchlock musket, already loaded and its matchlock ropes sizzling. The movement was astonishingly fast.

It turns out that Hauge had prepared for a bloodbath before entering the Chechen Khan's camp! However, what they originally wanted to deal with was the Chechen Khanate—after all, that woman Sutai had planted the flag of the Han tribe in Kaiping, and who knew which side these Khans of the northern steppes were on?

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A burst of gunfire, like popping beans, rang out in the snowstorm, sending white smoke billowing into the air. Lead bullets rained down on the group of Rakshasa men like a deluge. The distance was too close; there was no way to dodge. The red-bearded leader's right leg erupted in a spray of blood, and he screamed as he collapsed to the snow. Before his companions could even comprehend what was happening, several of them were felled one after another.

The remaining Rakshasa warriors, terrified, frantically tried to hack at the people with their axes. But it was too late.

"Thump! Thump!" Two muffled thuds rang out as the Han army's gunners pushed up two lightweight "tiger crouching wheel cannons," unleashing a hail of grapeshot that shattered the snowfield where the remaining Russians stood.

At the same time, the white-armored Bayara beside Hauge pounced like tigers, their heavy armor making them appear anything but cumbersome. In the blink of an eye, they charged into the chaotic horde of Rakshasa. A flash of blade, and the remaining resistance was instantly crushed. The whole thing took only a few dozen breaths.

Hauge walked up to the red-bearded man lying in the snow, blood still gushing from his right leg, pressed the tip of his knife against his chin, and asked in Mongolian, "What's your name? Where are you from?"

The Russian's eyes widened in terror, and he coughed up blood, stammering, "I...Ivan...from...from Tobolsk...fortress..."

"Tobolsk?" Hauge frowned; he'd never heard of the place. "What are you doing here?"

“Find…find a trade route to the Khitan…uh…Ming or Mongol…” Ivan gasped for breath.

Hauge snorted coldly, recalling the past his father had mentioned, and asked again, "Was the Siberian Khanate destroyed by you Rakshasa devils?"

Ivan's eyes were unfocused as he murmured, "That...that happened a long time ago...it has nothing to do with me."

"Hmph!" Hauge sheathed his knife and ordered his men, "Tie up this Ivan and his accomplices who are still alive! Take them back for thorough interrogation!"

Erlinchen Khan and the nobles and herdsmen of the surrounding Chechen tribes were completely dumbfounded. They had often suffered at the hands of these Rakshasa people, considering them incredibly fierce, with sharp swords and axes, and powerful muskets—not to be trifled with. Unexpectedly, these ferocious Rakshasa soldiers were like paper before this army of the Great Jin Dynasty, easily wiped out in no time.

Hauge turned to the pale-faced Erlinchen Khan and said sternly, "Your Majesty, have you seen this? Those who submit to my Great Jin will prosper. Those who oppose my Great Jin will perish. This is the rule."

Erlinchen Khan looked at the glaring red patch on the snow and the menacing, brightly armored white-clad soldiers behind Hauge. His Adam's apple bobbed several times before he finally bowed deeply, his voice trembling slightly: "The Chechen tribe... is... willing to pledge allegiance to the Great Jin Tiancong Khan!"

The wind and snow intensified. Fan Wencheng silently observed the scene before him, thinking to himself: Those red-bearded, yellow-haired Rakshasa people seem to be carrying muskets too; I wonder how effective they are? Could we perhaps obtain some from that Rakshasa Kingdom through the trade routes of the northern deserts?
Inside the governor's mansion of Burhanpur, candlelight cast long shadows on the opulent Persian carpets. Aurangzeb dismissed all other guests, leaving only his Persian tutor, Mirza Jafar. This old gentleman was fluent in Persian, Portuguese, and even Sanskrit. Aurangzeb was to negotiate face-to-face with Wang Chengen and Sun Yuanhua. Sun Yuanhua had studied Western learning extensively with Jesuits in his youth and could also speak Portuguese.

Thus, the Ming envoy and the Mongol king began communicating in Portuguese in the Indian court.

As for the translators provided by the Dutch East India Company and the interpreters sent by the Portuguese Governor-General of Goa, they have both disappeared without a trace.

Aurangzeb, this boy pretending to be an adult, actually began negotiating in a very professional manner: "But I want to know, what is the true intention of your Ming emperor in sending this delegation from so far away? It's not just to find a husband for the princess of the Golden Family, is it?"

His words were quickly translated into Portuguese.

Sun Yuanhua also said to Mirza Ghafar in Portuguese: "Please tell His Highness the Governor that the princess of the Golden Family is merely a bond of friendship between the Ming Dynasty and the Mongols. What our Emperor truly values ​​is to establish a Silk Road with the Mongols and the Ottomans, combining sea and land transport."

In the future, goods from the Ming Dynasty will no longer need to bypass the African continent; they will only need to pass through India and the Ottoman Empire to reach Europe directly. Furthermore, trade between the Ming Dynasty and India and the Ottoman Empire will no longer require intermediaries from other countries.

That's it!

The Ming Dynasty's intention was to eliminate the middlemen like the Netherlands, Portugal, and England.
After Mirza translated it into Persian, Aurangzeb's eyes lit up, but he didn't express any opinion. Instead, his teacher continued to ask, "It's not easy to bypass the merchants from the Netherlands, Portugal, and England. They are pirates at sea and the masters of the ocean! Are you prepared to go to war with them at sea?"

Faced with Mirza's pointed concern, Sun Yuanhua and Wang Chengen exchanged a glance, and Sun Yuanhua calmly replied in Portuguese:
“You’re right. But the ocean isn’t the private property of the Netherlands and England. Our Emperor has long planned this. The French Bourbon dynasty dominates on land, but its overseas trade has always been suppressed by the Netherlands and Spain. How can he be happy about that?”

He paused briefly, waiting for Mirza to finish translating, before continuing, "The Republic of Venice, once the hegemon of the Mediterranean, is now having its trade routes seized. How can it accept this? The Ming Dynasty intends to unite with these continental European powers that are at odds with the maritime hegemons, Britain and the Netherlands, to deal with those two countries."

Wang Chengen dipped his finger in tea and drew three lines on the table: "Your Highness, the plan of the Emperor of the Great Ming is to proceed step by step."

He pointed to the first line: "The first step is for our Great Ming to join forces with you Mongols and the Ottomans to the west, either through alliances or marriage, forming a three-way unity. Then, we won't rush to steal the Dutch and English's good business, at least not openly. We can use the pretext of diplomatic missions to conduct trade and build up our fleets for maritime operations. The Netherlands and England are small European countries; can they really conduct diplomacy in front of the three great powers of ours? Meanwhile, our missions, along with merchant groups and naval fleets, can travel back and forth for a few years, and our maritime power will be firmly established."

Wang Chengen moved his finger to the second line: "The second step is to leverage the power of France and Venice. Although their navies are not as strong as those of England and the Netherlands, they are more than capable of dominating the Mediterranean. Venice has been trading in the Mediterranean for centuries and serves as a perfect link between East and West. France and the Netherlands are also land neighbors. If the Netherlands really offends France too much at sea, they could be attacked on land, and France would be in serious trouble. Moreover, just as England and the Netherlands can do it, so can France and Venice."

Finally, he pointed to the third line: "The third step is the navy. England and the Netherlands are small countries, they just had an early advantage, and that early lead leads to further advantages. But the Ming Dynasty, the Mongols, the Ottomans, and France on the European continent are all great powers. As long as they are determined to develop their navies and share shipbuilding and cannon-making technologies, they will surely surpass the others within ten years. Once these great powers catch up, where will England and the Netherlands have a chance to compete with us? The world in the future will be ruled by these few land powers: the Ming Dynasty, the Mongols, the Ottomans, and France."

This was the true purpose of Emperor Chongzhen's mission to Europe: to nip the Ansar's maritime empire in the bud!

There is no Great Britain or Great America now. If the naval power of England and the Netherlands had been replaced by the Ming Dynasty, the Mongols, the Ottomans, and France long ago, the British Empire and the American Empire would naturally have lost the interests that were devoured by Great Britain and Great America. The Ming Dynasty could have certainly taken a large share of those interests. With those interests, the Ming Dynasty would have lasted for at least another hundred years, right?

However, this line of thinking was unknown to others, including Wang Chengen and Sun Yuanhua. They were simply following Chongzhen's instructions.

Sun Yuanhua added, “This is a long-term plan. Right now, the most important thing is to lay a solid foundation. Your Highness, marriage is a token of alliance. With a marriage, everything else will be easier. Once Your Highness meets Shah Jahan Padsha in Agra and finalizes the marriage, we can accelerate our communication with France.”

Aurangzeb listened to the translation, remaining silent for a long while, staring intently at the nearly dried water stains on the table. This game was far bigger than he had imagined. He finally spoke slowly, his voice now brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "Your Emperor's ambitions are considerable. However, such a momentous matter is indeed beyond my control; it must be decided by my father. But," he paused, "if a true alliance between the Ming Dynasty, the Mongols, and the Ottomans can be formed, it will be of immense benefit to all three parties! And the marriage alliance can certainly be considered the first step. After meeting my father, I will do my utmost to persuade him."

Wang Chengen knew that the Mongol diplomacy had already achieved a good halfway, so he cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness is wise. Then let's first discuss the marriage ceremony and the details of the audience with Shah Jahan Padsha. Other important matters can be discussed later after the marriage is settled."

With the negotiations at this point, the earth-shattering plot by which these land powers united to bypass the "maritime middlemen" and jointly bury the Ansar maritime empire has taken a solid first step!

(End of this chapter)